Disclaimer: Pokémon belongs to Nintendo, Creatures Inc., and Gamefreak, not me.
Pan's note: A friend of mine wrote this and asked me to post it for him, you can reach him at Metla_head187@yahoo.com
Author's note: This is my first fic so please be nice; I know it's not the best in the world….
It was a cold winter night on the slopes of Mt. Moon and our heroes Ash and Misty were scaling the mountain side in the early dark.
"How much farther to Seymour's cabin, Ash?" Misty asked thoughtfully and concerned.
"Not too far, but I am afraid that we will not make it tonight, it is getting dark fast," Ash replied sounding rather pissed off.
"Damn, I was looking forward to a soft, clean, warm bed tonight, I am tired of sleeping on the cold hard ground!"
"Sorry Misty, but it is gonna be dark soon and I think that we should set up camp soon and try to get some sleep."
Ash and Misty were visiting Seymour's cabin to pick up Brock who had left them at Cerulean City about 3 weeks ago in hopes of catching and training a Clefairy for Ash to use in the Pokemon League. Brock had took Pikachu and Togepi with him leaving Ash and Misty alone in the woods together, and by some miracle they had kept from killing each other alone in the woods.
"Well, I just hope that it doesn't get too cold tonight," Misty said, a bit worried and shaking in the cold night air.
"Don't worry, it shouldn't get too cold tonight, and if it does I will keep you warm," Ash replied trying to reassure his worried friend.
They both blushed at the comment and turned away to hide their beet red faces from each other.
"Here looks good for camp," Misty said finally breaking the silence between the two.
"Ok, I will go get fire wood, you put up the tent."
"Hello! Ashy-boy, don't you remember? Brock always carried the tent!" Misty exclaimed annoyed by his denseness.
"Oh right, well, roll out the sleeping bags and get out some sandwiches for us to eat," Ash replied, very disappointed.
"Man I miss Brock's cooking," Misty sighed remembering his famous rice balls and lazy boy no chew stew...
"Me too," Ash commented as he left camp to get fire wood quietly adding to himself, "but it sure is nice to be alone in the woods with the girl I love, Misty for so long."
As Ash was collecting wood he thought to himself,
He still could not tell her how he felt for fear of being laughed at or worse rejected and their friend ship ruined forever...
He could barely think about it without his eyes watering up, but he said to himself with determination in his voice, "I have to tell her," but little did he know that back at camp Misty was thinking the same thing to herself...
"I have to tell him," Misty muttered to herself as she rolled out Ash's sleeping bag, she noticed that his bag smelled faintly of him as she inhaled the suddenly scent of him. Usually she had Togepi to confine in when she was feeling down,
but she was with Brock so Misty had a lot of bottled up emotions to vent but had no one to share them with.
She had to hold them in for now...
"He does not feel the same way, he is only 12. All he cares about is Pokemon training and becoming a so-called Master,"
Misty said out loud to herself trying to rationalize his feelings about her. But as she finished her sentence Ash came out from behind a bush with a load of wood yelling...
As Ash left the woods he caught the end of what Misty was saying and started yelling, "What was that about me being a master? Are you making fun of me behind my back again Misty?" Ash demanded almost dropping the wood.
"Talk about...you...no way! Why would I waste my time talking like a trainer wannabe like you Ash Ketchum!" Misty blurted out, trying to hide her feelings, without thinking about the ones Ash had.
"You take that back Misty Waterflower!" Ash yelled, hurt by his best friend's harsh words towards him.
"No way, and don't call me that!" Misty replied.
Ash suddenly concerned with what Misty was saying asked, "Why, that's your name, isn't it, Misty?" Ash asked with concern in his voice.
"You wouldn't understand!" she yelled as she ran to hide in her sleeping bag leaving Ash confused and worried for his friend.
Misty lay on her sleeping bag and started to sob softly into her pillow.
Ash looking very surprised and slowly walked over to Misty's trembling figure lying on the ground and said softly, "I'm...sorry," as he began to stroke Misty's hair and gave her a comforting hug to show he cared how his friend felt.
"It's not your fault, you never had to live in the shadow of three perfectly beautiful sisters," Misty replied as she sat up and sobbed into Ash's shoulder.
"Nonsense," Ash said, " I think you are more beautiful than all of them combined," Ash quickly said without thinking about it much.
"Really?" Misty said lightly sniffling.
"Really," Ash replied softly.
"You are so sweet Ash," Misty said just over a whisper hugging Ash as he gently rubbed her back trying to calm her.
"Let's make a fire, eat something, then try to get some sleep," Ash said as he lifted Misty up and out of bed careful not to knock her over.
"Ok," Misty replied still a little sniffiley.
The pair got up from the comforting hug and started to pile up wood for the fire. Ash lit a match and started the fire.
As the fire began Ash fueled it and then just sat back and began to eat a sandwich.
Misty gazed into the fire as it licked up into the starry night sky and commented, "It's beautiful."
"Not as beautiful as you," Ash said still trying to make her feel better as he handed her a sandwich.
"Thank you," Misty replied as she took the sandwich and grinned at Ash's friendly comment, gazing almost mesmerized into the fire.
"You're welcome, my mom made them" Ash replied as his dense self with a mouth full of turkey and cheese.
"No, silly, for the compliment, you said I was beautiful," Misty said giggling at his stupidity, it was kinda cute.
"Oh, I did I guess," Ash said blushing hotly as he realized what he said.
As they finished off their sandwiches Ash noticed Misty shaking in the cold winter air.
Ash, trying to keep Misty warm, took off his blue jacket leaving him in his black t-shirt and draped it over Misty's shoulders.
Misty smiled at this act of kindness as Ash ignoring his own comfort for hers.
"But Ash it's your..." Misty began, surprised.
"Don't worry, I said I would keep you warm and I will," Ash interrupted her.
"You also said that you would buy be a new bike but I don't see one here," Misty said out of plain habit.
"You and that stupid bike of yours, don't you realize that for a long time now I have seen that it is not the bike you care about,
it is just an excuse to travel with ..."
Ash stopped as if hiding something, the truth perhaps.
"What? I only care about what?" Misty asked wanting to hear what Ash had started to say.
"The bike is just an excuse to travel with me and..."
But Ash stopped realizing his mistake but not in time to keep his secret concealed.
"Oh Ash! You really do know!" Misty exclaimed as she flung herself on to him in an embracing hug,
she had wanted him to realize this for so long and now that she knew he did there was no stopping her.
Ash was totally un-prepared for this, he did not yet realize all that had happened.
Misty's reaction was confusing him even more; he wormed his way out of her grasp and said in a very uncomfortable tone, "Well time to go to sleep," as he jumped into his sleeping bag blushing bright red and trying to comprehend all that happened in the last 30 seconds leaving Misty there trying to understand Ash's reaction.
The two had both confused each other with their reactions and is had left Misty hurt and Ash confused...
"'Night Misty", Ash said as his jeans, hat and gloves flew out of the sleeping bag.
Ash said to himself that he would try desperately to sleep and forget his mistaken confession to Misty.
Misty crawled into her sleeping bag and took off her suspenders and shorts while feeling sad- sad that Ash did not love her
and sad that she had to spend another night alone. She was confused and on the verge of tears and shivering from the cold- the cold of the frigid air and the cold of loving and not being loved in return.
After a couple of minutes Ash could not help but feel bad about how he treated Misty and reacted to her.
As Ash lay in bed he felt guilty about how he treated Misty.
"Is this how you treat a friend? Is that how you treat someone you love?" Ash asked himself.
Ash noticed Misty's soft sobs and uncontrollable shivering from those horrible things he did to her.
After some consideration he asked quietly to Misty, "Are you alright Misty?" Ash said concerned, she did not reply but he knew that she was awake and listening to him.
"Look...I am...well...sorry, I just wasn't prepared for your reaction...that's all," Ash said sheepishly, trying to make her feel better and make it up to her.
"Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" Ash asked genuinely concerned for Misty.
After a couple of moments of silence she considered his sincerity but did not want to get her heart shattered by letting her guard down and replied sheepishly, "Could you sleep with me tonight? I feel so cold," Misty replied meekly to Ash's kind and sincere words.
"Anything to make it up to you," Ash replied as he unzipped his sleeping bag thinking how forgiving Misty was to him.
He walked over to Misty admiring the starry night sky.
Ash tried not to trip in the soft orange glow of the firelight that illuminated their campsite.
Misty slowly unzipped her sleeping bag trying not to appear too helpless and desperate as Ash climbed in his pajamas as Misty thought, "He looks so cute and innocent in his pj's, I really do love him."
Ash sheepishly snuggled up to Misty and zipped up her sleeping bag being careful not to zip up her orange silky hair. She was wearing her hair down to sleep and Ash thought, "She looks so cute with her hair up but she looks absolutely beautiful with her hair down, just like at the end of summer festival. I really do love her."
"Thank you Ash," Misty said as she gently nuzzled up to his chest in her warm comfy sleeping bag.
"Anything to get you to talk to me again, I can't stand it when you ignore me, I love you much," Ash whispered softly into her ear.
"I love you Misty," Ash said to her as he softly traced patterns on her back.
"I love you too, Ash," Misty said as she began a soft kiss that lead them into the blissfully black darkness together.