Human Experiences 1

Touko's hand shook, her body still in disbelief over the outcome of her battle with Ghetsis. Her body ached all over and yet her senses were dulled, dampened from the pure shock of the moment. She bent over to comfort Zekrom, her beautiful black dragon, as he lay wounded at her feet. She desperately searched her bag for another full heal, but to no avail; she was shaking so badly she could hardly stand to be inside her own body. Frantic for a way to comfort her friend, she ripped off a piece of her shirt and tried to staunch the bleeding from a large gash in Zekrom's right leg.  

It whimpered weakly beneath her as she applied pressure to its wound. She could feel her eyes swell with tears as the majestic legend gazed at her with its dulling ruby eyes. "I know it hurts," she whispered to him, "But you did wonderfully. You saved us all." The dragon exhaled a sigh of relief and pain. "I'll get you all healed up in no time; don't worry."

As she tended to Zekrom, she could hear N's staggered footsteps crunch on the rubble as he approached her.  "I believe," he said calmly, "you are looking for this." She turned her head to look back at him as she continued holding pressure on Zekrom's wound. He held out a full heal in his outstretched hands. The dragon let out an anxious growl and tensed his muscles.  

"Shhh," she said to him reassuringly. "N isn't going to hurt you. He loves Pokémon; right, N?"

She reached one her arms out behind her and gestured for N to put the medicine in her hand. As he carefully placed it in her palm, their skin brushed together sending little sparks of electricity through her body. He let his hand linger over hers, almost locking his fingers with hers. His skin was rough and dirtied, and yet it was still soothing to her.  

Zekrom let out another low grow, this time out of jealousy and impatience. Touko shook her head for a moment, waking herself out of her daze, and then set to healing her Pokémon's wound.  N came up beside her and sat, silently watching her tend to her Pokémon. He could see that the dragon was still in a great deal of pain. Hesitantly, he placed his hands on the great legend's folded wings and stroked them lovingly.

"I'm sorry this had to happen to you, my friend," he said gently. "All I wanted was to make the world a better place for Pokémon, but it seems like I hurt more than I helped. " The dragon gave a feeble cry and N smiled. "Thank you; you are very kind."

The gash in Zekrom had finally closed up and the dragon was looking visibly more comfortable. Touko stood, finally mastering her legs, and held out Zekrom's pokeball. "Rest now; you were wonderful," she said smiling. The great legend threw its head back and let out a mighty roar and disappeared back into its pokeball.

N stood up, picking up the contents of Touko's bag she had left scattered around on the floor. "Here," he said, handing her the few empty pokeballs and berries she had left. She looked down at his hands and carefully removed her items, making sure to avoid looking into his eyes.

He couldn't stand the distance that had been wedged between them so suddenly. Emotions, human ones at least, were hard for him to understand. Touko's sudden coldness was utterly confusing to him. Though it felt strange and foreign to him, he took her chin in his hand and pulled it gently upward, forcing her to make eye contact with him.

His emerald eyes seemed as calm as they ever did to her and yet she could tell something had changed in them. They were soft and full of sadness. She held his doleful gaze for what seemed like a very long time, unsure of what she should say or do. In her wildest dreams, she had never dared to imagine that she would ever be in situation like the one she found herself in presently. Not even after she learned what N's plan was to do after he defeated the champion.

Least of all, she never imagined ever finding herself so attached to someone like him. They had become unlikely friends and now as she stood looking into his eyes, she couldn't help but wonder if he too felt this odd attraction. His hand on  face made her feel light-headed, as though she was in a waking dream, and she knew that she could no longer hold herself back.

Giving in to her instincts, she put her hands on his waist. She inched closer and closer to his body; with every move she made she felt his muscles tense and his posture stiffen. He was so unused to human contact that it made him nervous to have anyone this close to him.

His breathing quickened as she pressed herself against his body. He reflexively let go of her chin and let his arms hang limp at his sides while she slid hers tighter around him. She leaned her head against his chest; pressing her ear against his body, she could hear his heart pounding wildly.

"Put your arms around me, N," she said quietly yet authoritatively.

He took a deep breath, as though he was about to begin a long and arduous task. His arms moved rigidly, as though his brain was battling his muscles natural movement. His hand hesitantly gripped her hips; he had not expected her skin to be so soft, so warm. He slid them around her body, resting them in the small of her back. He stroked her skin with his thumbs, marveling in the new experience of feeling his skin on hers in a way he had never before. Touko sighed, closing her eyes as she delighted in the shivers his cold skin sent up her spine.

He let his head rest atop hers, while she nuzzled into his chest. He inhaled deeply, catching the sweet scent of her hair. The smell was new and enticing in a way he had never felt in his life. He allowed himself to close his eyes and indulge his senses for just a bit longer. He felt her warm body beneath his hands, the curves and contours of it as he now slid his hand up and down her back and sides. He wished it could last forever, this feeling of security and intimacy.

"N," Touko said after several minutes had passed. "It's not true."

"What isn't?" he asked, perplexed.

She pulled away from him and looked up into his eyes. "Your heart…It's every bit as human as mine. "

He smiled, something he rarely did. It felt odd on his face, like his skin was being pulled too tightly. Touko grabbed one of his hands from her back and pulled it around in front of them; afraid he had done something wrong, he let his other arm fall back to his side and stepped back from her. She giggled at his awkwardness, her hand still tightly holding his arm. "Come back," she said pulling him forward, "you didn't do anything wrong." He still held his arm at his side, occasionally glancing up at her face to gauge her emotions.

"Feel," she said soothingly as she set the arm she controlled over his heart. He could feel its rhythmic pulsing beneath his hand. She released his arm as she saw the look of wonderment the danced across N's face as he felt his heart beating. She stepped in closer to him and held his eyes as she picked up his free hand. She guided it up between them and as N realized that his hand hovered inches from her chest he could feel his heart throb and sputter in anxiety. Using his hand, she pushed away her vest's flap and gently set his hand between her collar bone and her chest.

His eyes widened as he felt her heart beat in his hand. He had never before felt another person's heartbeat. As he luxuriated in the moment she smiled at him and for the first time in his life his smile did not feel foreign. It was completely organic.  

This, he thought as tears filled his eyes, is what has been missing in me...a human experience.