[attr="class","rosepost"]Togepi was a souvenir of that event? So, he punished himself every day for surviving. Reminded himself constantly of what was lost. It was sick. How could you heal if you held open your bleeding wounds? [break][break]

She pulled him in close, wrapping her arms around his shoulders to keep him in a vice grip. She brought a hand up to his hair to bring his head ever closer. For a moment, she was at a loss for words. She wanted him to leave the Togepi behind and stop carrying the death of his neighbor like a shadow, to stop strengthening the pokemon like a living apology. But that, too, was selfish. That for all she saw it as self-deprecating behavior, it was his coping mechanism, and losing the Togepi would be like losing his neighbor all over again. That was clear. [break][break]

But she hated the knowledge that Togepi was his penance. She would ask Almighty Sinnoh for guidance the next time she convened with Her spirit. [break][break]

"If it were you who died, I would be lost on this island. Dead, maybe." Not the comforting words he thought he needed, but what she wanted to say about time healing all wounds would've fallen flatter than it had the first time. He would not appreciate her faith, but he might appreciate her selfish, human honesty. "I'm glad you're here with me. I... I need you."

[break][break]Althus Rex [break]