Pokemon - Satoshi/Shigeru - "Young Love Blossoms"
Title: Young Love Blossoms
Fandom: Pokemon
Pairing: One-sided Satoshi/Shigeru
Rating: PG for mild language
Summary: Shigeru and Satoshi have known each other all their lives, so why did Shigeru act like he didn't know Satoshi on the day they left Masara Town?


Satoshi giddily flipped his calendar to February. He was another month closer to turning ten... another month closer to becoming a trainer.

The day was marked in red - May 26th. The day he would chose his first Pokemon and set out, his best friend Shigeru by his side.

That January 31st, he drifted off into his dreams of becoming a master, Shigeru beside him every step of the way.



"I'm gonna pick Hitokage. No, Zenigame."

Shigeru Orchid smirked as he stared up at the sky. "Well, I'm picking Fushigidane."

"Darnit, I want Fushigidane!" Satoshi worked his arms and legs furiously to perfect his snow angel.

Shigeru gracefully picked himself up from the snow and admired his work of art; he'd managed to leave not a footprint behind. "Well, I called it. So nyah." Pulling down his left eyelid, he stuck out his tongue. "And Grandpa said I could have it."

Unfortunately for Satoshi, Professor Orchid played favourites. In fact, even though Shigeru wouldn't turn ten until July, his grandfather had bent a few rules to get him the May 26th registration date, just so he could leave on the same day as Satoshi.

"Well then, I'll catch a wild Fushigidane!" Satoshi rolled to his feet, completely destroying his angel. "Darnit!"

"Let's go inside and get some of your mom's hot cocoa," Shigeru suggested.

"Race ya!"

"Don't run, boys, it's icy," Satoshi's mother, Hanako, warned from where she stood in the doorway.

"Awww..."



"Ew, there's pink marshmallows in my cocoa!" Shigeru wrinkled his nose.

"That's because young love blossoms in February," Hanako explained as she sat down at the kitchen table; each of the three had a cup of cocoa with marshmallows. "Maybe you two will find yourselves some little girlfriends, if you change your underwear daily." She smiled.

"MOM!"

"Well, I do change mine," Shigeru announced, "and I'm never having any yicky girlfriend."

"Me either!"

Hanako giggled. "All right, then; just don't go having boyfriends."

"Why not?" Satoshi wondered innocently.

Shigeru spat out the cocoa he'd been in the middle of sipping. "That's gross!"

Hanako blushed. "Uh, well, Satoshi... it was just a joke."

"Oh."

The wheels were turning.



"Miss Nanami, what's it called when a boy loves a boy?"

It was a beautiful snowy February 8th, and Nanami Orchid was tending to the flowers in her grandfather's greenhouse. She smiled, not turning toward the source of the question. "That's homosexuality, Satoshi dear. Why?"

"Cuz Mom said it was bad, and Shigeru said it was gross."

She sighed; Did my brother really say that? "Well, some people think it is, or their religion says it is. But really it's no different from boys liking girls. And sometimes girls like girls." She blushed, her back still turned to the young boy.

"Oh."

"Why? Got a crush?" Nanami giggled.

"W-well..."

"Who is it? You should give him a Valentine!"

"You think? But he..." Satoshi stared at the ground.

Nanami giggled; finally she turned, and winked at the boy. "Go on! What's the worst that could happen?"

"Well... okay!" Satoshi pumped his fist in the air. "I'll do it! I'll give him a Valentine!"

"That's the spirit!" She sighed as he ran from the greenhouse. "Ah, young love..."



"Hey Shigeru... it's Valentine's Day," Satoshi commented as the two friends swung together on the swingset outside the Orchids' house.

"Yeah. Mom bought some candy for me and Nanami."

"I gotcha somethin' too." He hopped off the swing and dug into his coat pocket.

"Huh?" Shigeru jumped off to join him.

"Here!" He thrust a crumpled piece of paper out.

Shigeru smoothed it out and unfolded it to reveal a hand-drawn heart with Satoshi's sloppy, childish handwriting... he hadn't even bothered to use the basic kanji for the word "daisuki," meaning...

Wait a second... "Shigeru, I love you." Shigeru blinked, staring at the paper, then looked back up at Satoshi, whose hands were folded in front of himself as he stared down at the snow.

"You're gross!" Shigeru cried. He crumpled the paper and threw it down on the ground, running inside.

Satoshi stared after him, absorbing the shock. Then he started to cry.



"Shigeru... listen to me, please!"

It was the same plea he'd made for months and months on end...

Shigeru's head snapped away. "Never, not to you, loser!... faggot!"

"Shigeru!" Satoshi pleaded.

Then he snapped awake, the dream forgotten, as even hurtful dreams are wont to be, when he saw the sun high in the sky and his alarm clock lying broken on the floor.

"I'm late!"

He rushed downstairs and out the door, barely noticing that he still wore his pajamas. For three months Shigeru had ignored him, turned the corner when he saw him, would just plain pretend not to hear him speak, even when he'd pretended that the Valentine was a joke. Even when he pretended to have a crush on Nanami. But today was the day they were to leave on their journey... if ever Shigeru would forgive him, today was the day.

Satoshi found himself on his butt, not having watched where he was going. "Sorry..."

"Hey! Watch where you're going!"

"Sh-Shigeru!" I'm sorry, please forgive me, even if you don't love me back I'm not gross, and we can still be friends, can't we...?

"That's MISTER Shigeru to you." Then, almost as if an afterthought, "So you must be Satoshi!"

Satoshi willed himself not to cry. It's really over...