Grounded in Reality
Micah Coon
PCA: Team Ohce
Featuring: Dash and Terra

	"Of course, it had to happen on a school night." Vincent rubbed his head and sighed as he tried to settle his thoughts. The dream had hit him far too hard for comfort. For a fire type, waking up in a heavy cold sweat was very uncomfortable. His body was screaming at him, demanding at least a toweling off. He couldn't help himself, though; There was no way he could pull himself from bed to do as he was commanded. His head hurt. He just sat there, staring at the flame-embroidered sheets his mother had bought for him ages ago and set up - perhaps just to mock him. "Fire..."
	His body ached as he spurred to action. He couldn't stay there, not in this condition. He had to go for a walk. It'd clear his head, damn what the cops would say if they saw him out after curfew. Of course, that meant getting dressed. He had laid his clothes out for the next day; they were as good as any at the moment. It was almost routine for him to do, comical considering the circumstances. The loose jeans were on first, then the tee-shirt (white, for some reason, as it seemed to make it look like he wasn't wearing one at all) and his gray, checked, sleeveless jacket.
	He ran his fingers over the checks real quick. It was the pattern that got him. It was the same jacket too. So many nights ago...
	The images of the dream hip-checked him back into reality; they were almost as bad as the dream. He had to get out of the dorms.
	"Where are you going, Vincent?" Kami, of course. Leave it to a ghost to be up and about in the middle of the night. The thought passed. He shook his head and headed for the stairwell, choosing to ignore his team mate. "Vincent?"
	"Bad dream...I gotta clear my head."
	"It's a school night...more importantly, it's after curfew." She floated over to his side and touched his shoulder. "What's wrong?"
	He chuckled dryly. "You're curious tonight, aren't ya?." He rubbed his head, the fiery mane of his arguing with the fingers. "I just need to take a walk. Gonna go watch the magikarp at the lake." He bit his lip. Kami didn't particularly care for certain rules to be broken - curfew was one of the major sticklers. He waited for the chastising that he knew was gonna come from the haunter.
	"All right. I understand. Don't take too long and be careful. I'm sure the principal would have skitties if he found out you were running around. Go on...you don't have all night."
	He smirked. "Thanks mom..." Kami stuck her tongue out at him.

	The late night air was refreshing. It was...different. With a distinct lack of mons running around, everything was there to experience. With no chatter, he could hear the lake just down the road, magikarp splashing aimlessly in their lives. He'd start towards it right away. He couldn't understand it himself. Fire-types positively hated the water, yet he was drawn to it. Perhaps it was just soothing to watch - WATCH, not touch. He knew the perfect place to do it.
	A quick check of his watch - 12:27 in the morning, which was still good for him - sent him around the lake's edge, through a small bunch of trees. He knew there was a rock that overlooked the karp-disturbed waters, the perfect place for him to sit and allow his mind to take off for a little while. It was well off the beaten path, no cops would be looking for anyone there, even with his ability to light up the evening at a thought. A proper place to gather himself, he figured.
	Terra seemed to agree.
	Ground-types were equally disturbed by the water. Battles with the various students that used the foul liquid had more than proven that. To find the cubone next door sitting where he wanted to, gazing at something she feared without flinching...something was wrong. "Terra?"
	"Dash?" She snapped right back into reality and looked over her shoulder at him. She had dressed in a rushed manner, a far cry from how he had gotten up and about. A pink tee-shirt clung to her body, stained from the food fight a few days earlier. This was a distinct contrast to the pair of flannel pajama bottoms she was wearing. The whole ensemble, of course, was tied together by the bone helmet that sat atop her head. 
	It all led to one conclusion. "...you had the dream too." He sat down on the grass next to her, looking up into her eyes.
	A beautiful pair of green eyes she had at that...a pair that blinked once and looked away. "...yeah. I've been having them all week."
	"I thought you were a bit tired at practice...I just thought we were overworking it." She didn't say anything, something that upset him far more than the dream. He took her hand, his stiff fingertips weaving themselves with her own. "What happened over break..."
	"...was an accident, I know." She gave his hand a squeeze. "It still..."
	"It doesn't matter. What happened, happened. Nothing will change that." She looked at him again, her eyes seeming to water. He knew what she wanted to say; he wanted to say it too. What happened couldn't be changed, yes, but it changed them - and the team. "If I could prove who did it...we could get them expelled..."
	"I know." She squeezed his hand again. "I don't want to think about it. Please?" Her voice cracked with the weight of what was on her mind. Indeed, the tears were flowing down her helmet...and it bothered him more. "Dash...this..." She sniffled, shut her eyes, and looked away. Bothering wasn't the word anymore; he was in pain at the sight of this.
	It drove him to kiss her cheek.

	His thoughts swirled around again. What was he thinking? She didn't want that! "Fuck..." He got up and started back the way he came. "Stupid move, Dash...stupid...stupid..." He would only stop when he felt a hand grab his. He didn't turn around to look at her, like was expected and clichéd. "I'm sorry. I should go." Never mind that he was talking out loud; he ignored that fact. He just wanted to be as far away from his fuck up as possible.
	Terra tugged on his arm. "...please..." She pulled herself up to her feet and imposed herself between him and the path that he had taken.
	"I'm sorry, Terra. I should have kept my lips to myself." She reached up and caressed his cheeks. "I should..." He pulled his head away, not looking at her. "I should go."
	"No."
	His heart skipped a beat.
	"Dash, look at me."
	Another jump. He slowly turned his gaze to hers. Slowly, she lifted her helmet, just enough that she was able to press her lips to his. The flames running down his back flared up brightly, reflecting off the waters. He winced, but wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. Her scent, earthy and cool, filled his nostrils; it made him feel comfortable. Slowly, he pulled away and looked at her. "...Terra?"
	"Hmm?"
	"...you looked nice without your helmet." His cheeks turned as red as his mane. "I don't like how I ended up seeing it, but..."
	"Shh..." She put a finger to his lips. "Shut up and walk me back to the dorms."
	"O-okay." He smiled and gave her a gentle hug. Fingers intertwined, a brush of the bushes, and homeward they went.

	"NERO, this is Adam..." The voice was low as it entered the cell phone. Trained eyes followed the two as they walked back into the dorms. "I don't know what you were thinking when you told us to steal the cubone girl's helmet."
	"My dear zangoose," the semi-digitized voice on the other end of the line chided. "How many times do I have to explain this to you: the purpose of removing the bone helmet from the cubone is-"
	"To shake her so much that she drops out of the academy, leaving Ohce short a member." He growled. "Vincent and Terra are walking back to the dorms. Terra doesn't look like she'll be leaving at all."
	"I miscalculated her relationship with the ponyta."
	"You miscalculated? You? Aren't you the one with the computer-processing mind? How could you have miscalculated-"
	"Calm yourself, Adam. I did not count on their relationship being so strong. Nor did I predict the ponyta's dedication to his teammates. The program is a failure. Please come back to the dorm. We will have to plan our next move a bit more carefully. Besides, we cannot really do anything if you are caught breaking curfew."
	He growled again. "Fine. I'll see ya in five." The phone snapped shut. The zangoose fixed his duster and turned away from the pair. "You're worthless, Vincent...if I have to strip you of everything, I'm gonna prove it." He snorted and headed back into the dorms, his ears flicking in an irritated manner.

	"I'll be the one..."

END