Disclaimer: Don't own 'em
A/N: I got tired of writing just plain ole AAMRNs so I decided to write sort of a half one. The other half, of course, is GAMRN. Please be kind, all you flamers…
==== Kasagi Onaso ====
Call me Back-stabber
Part One: Beanbags in Pallet
They would be arriving in Pallet in one day precisely and already she was counting down the hours, the minutes, and the seconds.
"Twenty-one hours, fourteen minutes, and thirty-three seconds," she announced proudly, glancing at the new watch upon her wrist. One of her companions had given it to her for her fifteenth birthday, which had been only one week and four hours ago. The frame was simple; a plain silver band, which she wasn't even entirely sure was made from real silver. But the inside was extravagant, with a ghoulish crescent moon surrounded by billowing clouds and twists of ivy. It was one of the most precious things she owned now.
Instead of being happy for her cheerfully-chirped announcement, her two companions groaned.
"Just think," said one, a tall, sturdy male with squinted eyes and mahogany hair. "Only twenty-one hours, ten minutes, and twelve seconds left of it."
"Actually," she said sweetly, tapping the face of her wristwatch with a fingernail. "That would be twenty-one hours, eleven minutes, and fifty-two seconds counting." The brown-haired boy groaned again, louder this time, and his companion's eyes flashed.
"She'll quit about halfway," he said out of the corner of his mouth, just loud enough for his female companion to hear. "Ten bucks wager." His amber eyes watched with unconfined delight as her face flushed angrily and he reached up to brush his ebony hair from his gaze.
"I will not," she argued, jamming a finger into his chest. "I plan to count down every hour until we get there!"
"Why's that?" asked the brown-haired teen, cocking his head ever-so-slightly.
"This watch is just too gorgeous to pull my tortured gaze from!" she cried dramatically, her blue skirt billowing out slightly as she twisted, the back of her hand to her brow. The black-hair boy chuckled, his eyes watching her as she twisted about.
"You're going to make yourself dizzy," he warned, barely containing a smirk.
"That's not the real reason," she continued, coming to a halt so abrupt she nearly bowled herself over. With a silly giggle, she stopped and swayed for a moment. "Well, actually," she said slowly, considering her recent words. "It's part of the reason."
"Spit it out!" snapped the black-haired teen, the pokémon on his shoulder chirping in agreement. She glared at him with sharp blue-green eyes, more blue than green, actually, and sniffed daintily.
"If you're gonna be so rude, I don't think I'll tell you," she said shrilly, turning quickly on a heel.
"Misty--"
"Twenty hours sharp!" she said loudly, beginning to walk again, a smug smile hidden from her two companions, both of whom watched her dumbfounded as she marched away down the road.
They reached the Ketchum residence exactly nineteen hours, fifty-six minutes, and twenty-seven seconds later. Of course they didn't walk it all, so perhaps it had taken more than that but nonetheless, Misty raced down the last of the path, the homestretch, despite her horrible shoes. Her other two companions, one of whom was lacking her immense enthusiasm, lagged behind while the other watched him, worried.
He hadn't slept well that night.
He had been thinking hard about things, his pokémon warm and firm, a sleeping form upon his chest that slowly rose and fell as if trying to push sleep into his mind. When his eyebrows had finally drooped, an image of a slender girl with a lavender-blue skirt billowing as she spun, faster and faster until she was a raging tornado had been at the back of them to welcome him to sleep.
"Misty!" came a wail and arms were thrown about her.
"Hey Mrs. K!" she chirped, her eyes sparkling.
"Where's Ash?" said the woman called Mrs. Ketchum, or more fondly and informally, Mrs. K.
"He's lagging behind," scoffed Misty, flicking her hair over her shoulders. "As usual." Mrs. Ketchum uttered a low chuckle and turned her warm gaze back to the road, where two ink-black forms were just appearing over the horizon.
"Just make yourself at home, dear!" Mrs. Ketchum called, relaxed by the sight of her son. "Put your things in Ash's room, won't you?"
"Thanks bunches, Mrs. K!" called Misty over her shoulder and cheerily skipped up the stairs.
Ash's room was different from the last time she had been here, she discovered as she threw open the door. His bed squeaked in protest as she threw herself upon it, snickering to herself, knowing that being first here meant getting first dibs on the bed.
A sagging cardboard box lay in a far corner with a crossed out Toys upon its front, written in Ash's loopy scrawl, and same word was reprinted in Mrs. K's tidy print. This made Misty smile widely despite herself. Beside the box lay a mass of beanbags, precisely three, one for each of them. They had long since sprouted holes, spewing white, foamy beans onto the floor, but Misty longingly remembered the nights they had stood up late, sitting in those beanbags and eating goods Mrs. K had freshly made for their arrival--stolen, of course.
There came thuds up the stairs as the two boys raced into the rooms.
"Dibs!" yelled the black-haired boy, his features uncannily looking like Mrs. K's, and was about to dive upon the bed when his eyes caught sight of Misty. With a muffled yell, he skirted to the side just as the other teen came racing in behind him. He, unfortunately, wasn't as lucky and dove onto the bed.
"Gerroff!" screeched Misty, tears of laughter rolling from her eyes. White beans littered the floor where the black-haired teen had crashed landed into the mass of beanbags. "I got here first so I already called dibs, Brock," she said smugly and pushed the other boy, called Brock, from the bed. He made no move to defend himself and fell to the floor with a thud.
"Oh, dear," came a voice from the doorway and the trio looked up to see Mrs. K inspecting the sight before her with half-bemused eyes.
"Sorry, Mom," apologized the amber-eyed teen, looking innocently up at her.
"We'll help clean them up," Brock said, gesturing to the white beans.
"No," Mrs. K said firmly. "I'll clean them up while you three go downstairs and have yourself a snack. There are some fresh cookies in the oven, Ash. Be sure to use the oven mitt this time." Ash blushed beneath his olive skin and raced from the room, his two friends crowing taunts after him.
"Oh, that had to be the funniest thing I had ever seen in my life," said Misty, easing herself into a chair.
"Definitely," agreed Brock with a smirk.
"S'not my fault she never told me how to work the damn thing," Ash muttered, jerkily sliding his hands into two oven mitts shaped like Mr. Mime hands. "I thought that once you turned the oven off, it stopped being hot." Misty gave a whoop of laughter as he opened the oven door and he flushed again.
"Oi, your hand was so-o-o-o-o red," she said, drawing the conversation further and nudging Brock in the side.
"Looked like a lobster," Brock agreed solemnly and the pair burst out laughing again as Ash threw the cookie pan forcefully onto the counter.
"Yikes!" yelped Misty, drawing away from the steaming pan.
"Don't put it there!" scolded Brock. "You'll melt the plastic."
"Whatever," muttered Ash but took the cookie pan away. As he was pulling away, Misty snatched a steaming cookie.
"Ow!" she cried, immediately dropping it and sticking her fingers into her mouth. "Hot."
"Naw," Ash said sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he sat heavily in the seat next to Brock.
"Y'know," Misty said, licking dripping chocolate from her finger where it was leaving a sticky mess. "Those cupcakes were still good...even after you dropped them!" She and Brock burst into laughter while Ash banged his head against the counter.
"What're the plans for today?" asked Brock, once the laughter had died down. Misty nodded, sticking her thumb in her mouth.
"Well, I had no plans for today, actually," Ash said, rubbing the back of his head.
"Excellent!" hissed Misty, leaping from her chair and stuffing the last of the cookie into her mouth. "I've got cash to spend and spend it I shall!" Ash began to smirk into his arm. "What?" she demanded.
"Where're ya gonna spend it, smart one?" he asked, eyes triumphant.
"Huh?" she asked brilliantly, shoulders sagging.
"Like there's a mall around here," he snorted.
"There isn't?" she squeaked, her cheeks flushing.
"Unless you wanna walk to Pewter or something I suggest you find somethin' else to occupy yourself," Ash said, his smugness barely contained.
"What am I supposed to do with no mall around?" Misty cried, throwing her hands up. "There's no way I'm going fishing every day for the next two weeks!" Ash shrugged a shoulder lazily and smiled at her.
"Why ever not?"
"You're impossible!" she groaned.
"What's wrong?" asked Mrs. K, vacuum in hand. "Are my cookies all right? Why do you look so upset, Misty, dear?"
"Your cookies are fine," assured Misty.
"She wanted to go shopping at a nonexistent mall and now she's taking her anger out on me," Ash said dramatically. "Tell me, is this fair? Is this not abuse?"
"I'll show you abuse," Misty growled, fist clenching.
"There'll be none of that now," Mrs. K said sternly. "Misty, if you'll wait just a few hours, I'll happily drive you to the mall near here. Is that all right?" Misty nodded eagerly, her eyes shining and Ash glowered in the corner. "Just take a nice, long shower and get dress, if that pleases you," suggested Mrs. K, beginning up the stairs.
"Thanks so much, Mrs. K!" Misty called up the stairs. "Ha!" she laughed triumphantly, glancing at Ash, who sniffed and stuck his nose in the air. "I'm going to the mall then, Ash, so there!"
"It's hard to believe you're fifteen," Ash mumbled. "You act like your ten."
"You know you love it," Misty said, wrinkling her nose at him, and leapt up the stairs two by two.
* * * * * * * *
She did indeed have a 'nice, long shower'. Actually, long could be defined as fifteen minutes. She was never one to pamper. Still, as she pulled a ribbed tank top the color of a fresh peach over her head, she could help but let her hand wander over to her make-up pouch that weighed barely anything. Quickly applying a bit of charcoal eyeliner and a small smear of coral lip-gloss, she briefed her work for a moment and left the room, jean skirt swishing against her thighs.
"You got all dressed up to go to the mall?" Ash said as he saw her.
"You know you simply can't resist me," Misty joked, grabbing her purse. "Especially when I dress to kill!"
"Believe me, people'll be dying," Ash said. "And it's not 'cause of your clothes." Misty flushed angrily but chose not to respond. Brock found her pulling her hair into a low ponytail, red hair splashing between her shoulders like leaping flames.
"Where're you going?" he asked, eyebrows raised at her dressing, which seemed extravagant compared to her normal attire.
"Mall," she chirped merrily.
"There's not a mall in Pallet," Brock said as Mrs. K waltzed into the room, setting the vacuum cleaner against the side of the couch Ash was lounging in.
"I'm taking her to that big one they just built in Viridian," Mrs. K said, pulling her arms through a light coat. "I won't be long. It's only about an hour's drive there."
"An hour?" asked Misty, eyes wide. "Gosh, that's way too much time, Mrs. K!"
"Agreed," snorted Ash, flipping the channel changer in the air with one hand before catching it with a bored air about him."
"Don't worry about it!" Mrs. K assured, waving a hand as she slid a black purse upon her shoulder. "You're here to enjoy yourselves and I haven't used that old car in the longest time. Grab your purse now, and I'll take you. All right?" The woman seemed set on her decision and Misty nodded, reluctantly picking up her purse. "Would you like to come Ash, honey?" Mrs. K asked sweetly and Misty giggled as Ash's nose wrinkled.
"No thanks!"
"Brock?"
"I'll finish your vacuuming for you, Mrs. K," Brock said hopefully.
"Well, a-all right," Mrs. K said, looking slightly disturbed. "I'll be back in two hours. Stay out of trouble!" Misty followed Mrs. K into the warm summer morning, enjoying the breeze against her cheeks and scent of the ocean she knew lay not too far off.
She could see the mall even before they entered the city.
Things'll get a little heated in chappies to come, promise!! I know this may disappoint people looking for a good, head-on AAMRN but no, Ash is gonna have to fight to win this one…if I make him win. Vote all you want, I know how this is going to turn out. Do you even have to guess?? Hopefully, I'll come up with something a little more original than past seen… At least three reviews please ~ !!
@# Kasagi Onaso #@
