The terminal was as busy as Ash and Pikachu remembered.
Bustling with people who didn't know nor care for each other's existence. People would frequently collide with each other, with only a quick 'sorry' making everything okay, before they continued on like nothing had happened.
Each person had their own job and business to attend to. The terminal was always full of people, arriving and going for different reasons. There were citizens, coming on vacation, going on vacation. There were businessmen, wearing the traditional black suits and ties, carrying briefcases, going in and out to do business with other businessmen. There were trainers, like Ash, coming and going into the Kalos region to try out for the Kalos league, to explore, to fight, to catch new Pokemon, ranging from experienced to inexperienced. You could play a game while in the terminal, figuring out what kind of people were present, and what they were there for.
Right now, Ash was one of the ones leaving.
The Kalos league had ended. Now he was heading home.
Back to Kanto.
He remembered being in this very terminal not too long ago with Pikachu. Less than a year, in fact. This was the place where his Kalos league dreams had begun. He had come in second place in the Kalos league, the furthest he had ever gotten before. The victory had been so close it had depressed him that he had lost it, but he handled it with a smile, instead considering it an omen of good fortune that he had gotten that far.
With him now was Serena. And that was all. Clemont and Bonnie had said their goodbyes already. Bonnie didn't want to see Ash leave. It upset her too much, so she and Clemont were waiting outside the terminal for Serena, who was still going to see Ash off, albeit out of sheer grief.
She had been dreading this moment. Ever since she had reunited with Ash, she had been dreading this very moment. She felt ill just being here, knowing this could be the very last time she saw him, and if it wasn't, it would be a painful amount of time until she saw the boy she loved again.
Her heart ached. She didn't want him to go.
She hadn't even said a word since she had entered the terminal behind Ash. It was taking everything she had to stop herself from breaking down into tears.
"I remember first coming in here." Ash said, looking around at familiar surroundings. At the time, he had been excited at spotting an unknown Pokémon, which turned out to be a Mega Blaziken, and then distraught at the news Alexa's sister was away from her gym. It was also where he decided to challenge Clemont's Gym, which, by extension, lead to his meeting with Clemont. Pikachu also remembered, nodding, remembering having the same reaction as his trainer had.
Serena didn't say anything. She instead nodded, and made a noise with her throat. "Hmm..." She had a lump in her throat, and struggled to get out that sound on its own. To get the noise out, she had had to weaken her front, which made her eyes were slightly. She shook the water in her eyes out quickly, before Ash or Pikachu noticed.
Ash looked around with a sense of nostalgia, but at the same time, he felt sad. The Kalos league was over. There was no reason to stay in the Kalos region anymore. But he didn't really want to leave right now. Something felt... Ash couldn't explain it, Something felt unfinished. He felt unsatisfied. He couldn't think what though. He had challenged all the gyms, challenged the Kalos league, and nearly won the whole thing. He had caught new Pokemon, made new friends, trained until he was exhausted every day he had been here. So why? What felt unfinished? Not that he could do much of anything about it now. His flight had been paid for, and his mother, friends and Pokémon were waiting for him in Kanto.
Like it or not, he had to return now.
Ash and Serena sat next to one another, but didn't say much of anything. When they did, Ash was the one who started the conversation, and Serena didn't really say much. Occasionally, she didn't say anything at all. Ash got worried, and a bit depressed. He stopped trying after a while, thinking Serena wasn't in the mood to talk. He stopped trying, out of respect for her. He had guessed she would bit a little sad, but he had never guessed it would be to this level.
The announcer in the terminal broke the silence with an announcement. "Flight K-87 to the Kanto Region leaving in 30 minutes. Any passengers, please report to terminal K-87 and board your flight."
The announcement was like a knife to the heart for Serena. She gripped a hold of her red over vest, and felt her jaw bite down hard. The announcer repeated the same thing a second time, like they were trying to mess with Serena as much as possible. Like they wanted her to be an emotional wreck before she left the airport.
"Well..." Ash said, standing up, looking at Serena. "I guess this is it."
Serena's heart felt like it had shattered with those words. She had known this moment would come, and she had prepared for it for a while now. But still, hearing those words from Ash stung. She spoke in a whisper. "Yeah..." She couldn't even bring herself to look at him.
Ash continued looking at Serena. She didn't get up. "I uh... I wish you luck in your showcases..." He spoke awkwardly, tripping up on his words.
Serena stood up, solemnly staring at the ground, facing Ash, but not looking him in the eye. "Right..."
Ash bit the weak, fleshy skin inside his mouth of his bottom lip. He could see her sadness. Remembering back, he reached into his bag, presenting a blue handkerchief. The very one Ash had given Serena in Kanto. And the one she had given back to him. "Here. Take this. As a momento." He could see visible shock on her face as he put it into her open hand, closing her fingers around it. He smiled at her. "I'm... I'm uh... I'm gonna miss you. It's been fun."
At that moment, without warning, Serena threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. She buried her head into Ash's neck, and allowed her tears to flow freely, unable to contain them any longer. She began sobbing, letting out all her emotions and pent up sadness, all at once, not caring who saw. "Ash!..."
Ash was shocked, and froze for a few seconds, registering what was happening. He couldn't understand what was going on. "S - Serena? Wh - What's wrong? It's not like we're never gonna see each other again!"
"It's not that..." Serena cried into Ash's neck, spilling out everything. This wasn't something she could keep a secret any longer from him. She knew she didn't have a choice. "It's... It's something else..."
Ash separated, and sat Serena down again, trying to calm her down. "Serena... What's wrong?" He checked he time. He still could catch the plane if he left a few minutes later. He couldn't just leave her like this. "What's going on?"
Serena tried to wipe the water from her diluted eyes, using her arm as a cloth.
"Serena..."
"Ash...I... I don't..." Serena looked at Ash, the person she loved, through diluted, tear filled eyes, which messed up her vision slightly. "I don't want you to go!"
Ash felt a pain in his chest too. He didn't really want to leave either. He just... Didn't feel like it was right to leave just yet. It upset him to think that he was going to be on a plane, away from Kalos in 30 minutes. "Serena... I have to. I don't want to either, but I have to."
"You... You don't?"
"Honestly?... No... I just... I feel like something is... Not right... Why, do you?"
Serena shook her head, and looked at Ash. "No... That's not it... It's something else..." She then buried her head in her hands again.
Ash was now at a loss for both words and ideas as to what Serena meant. He looked at her closer. "What... Is it then?" When he got no response from her, he moved in closer to her. "Come on, Serena... You can talk to me."
Without even thinking, and without warning, Serena planted a peck on Ash's cheek. In actuality, she had wanted to hit his lips, but she had been about five centimetres to the left. It got the point across though. Ash stared at Serena, feeling his cheeks warming up. He had gotten it wrong. She could talk to him. But knowing him, it would fly right over his head. Her actions spoke louder than her words. And that made Ash blush harder.
The feelings Ash had, of dissatisfaction, of regret of leaving the Kalos region, suddenly vanished, and made sense. It wasn't a feeling of upset of his failings in the Kalos region. Rather, it was something he hadn't even realised, or even tried yet.
"All passengers to Kanto, final boarding call. Please enter the terminal within the next five minutes, or the next plane will be in the next day." The announcer declared, ruining Ash's thoughts and ideas.
Looking back at Serena. She looked nervous. Almost terrified right now. "Ash... I..."
Ash felt half of his body start to move towards the terminal, and the other to stay here. Ash knew he had to obey the half that was telling him to go, but right now, he did not want to go at all. He bit his tongue as he debated his options.
'Ah, screw it.' Ash decided, and quickly, for just the briefest second, brushed his lips against Serena's, before dashing off to catch his plane. Turning around, so that he was running backwards, he waved at a dumbfounded Serena and yelled. "I'll come back soon. Real soon, I promise! Just wait for me, I'll be back before you know it!"
Serena sat there, dazed, wondering what had happened. As she watched her crush run off to catch his plane, she held onto the handkerchief he had given her. She held it close to her heart, and touching her lips with the other, feeling her cheeks redden. She believed Ash would come back. She knew he would. Any and all sadness was now gone. For the first time in a while, she was able to, though with tears of joy streaming down her face, smile.
Hello everyone! This is the request given to me by Rukiichan on Tumblr. Hope you liked it, Rukii! And to everyone else, I hope you enjoyed it too! Writing this made me think about the ending of X and Y, which worries me. Amour, become cannon, or so help me God.
At any rate, requests are still open, as always. Send me anything you want written!
At any rate, I'll see you in whatever I make next. See ya!