Arms
Hi everyone! It's me, Kawaii Cherry Blossom. I have changed my pen name. :)
This story is the sequel to 'Believe Again'. I had so many people asking for another chapter that I just thought, oh well, why not turn it into another story! I'll bring back a lot of the other characters from the anime in this one. You could also read this as a standalone story. I really hope you enjoy it! I love hearing your comments, and it's because of them that I started writing this sequel. So if you want to spur me on, just leave me a little review. :)
The story title is from the song 'Arms' by Christina Perri, and the chapter title is from the song 'Ours' by Taylor Swift.
Chapter 1
Ours
It was 10:30 am when the sound of doorbell chimes filled the Cerulean Gym. Misty Waterflower almost slipped on the edge of the pool where she was feeding her Psyduck, but not because the sound was a surprise to her. It was more the millions of Butterfree that suddenly filled her chest, and the way her heart abruptly started pounding so hard she thought the whole of Cerulean City must be able to hear it, that startled her. Misty took a deep breath to calm herself as she brushed her wet hands on her denim shorts to dry them. She was used to this reaction, because no matter how many times he rang that doorbell, it still happened the same.
As she practically ran to the door, she let her hair fall from its messy ponytail to hang loosely around her shoulders. She reached the door in less than thirty seconds, and pulled it open with an anticipative smile and an excited heart.
"Gary Oak," her nerves were, in a way, instantly calmed upon seeing his green eyes, and yet instantly ignited at the same time.
"Misty Waterflower," he said, his face lit up with its usual charismatic smile, his eyes glittering with smug anticipation. He leaned in to plant a kiss on her waiting lips, which she accepted with an air of satisfaction – she had not seen him for a whole week, which these days, seemed like years to her. When he pulled away, it always felt like it was too soon.
"I come bearing an invitation," he said, holding up a yellow envelope as he walked through the door. Misty closed it after him, eyebrows raised in curiosity.
"An invitation? What for?"
Gary handed over the envelope, which Misty opened. On the fancy white paper inside were the details for…
"It's your grandfather's 60th birthday?"
"Yep," Gary replied simply, running his hands through his hair – something which Misty knew, he only did when he was nervous. Growing suspicious, she read over the rest of the card. The party was to be held two weeks from today at the Oak Laboratory in Pallet Town. From the look of the invitation, it was to be an elegant affair.
"This is great. I'd be honored to come for Professor Oak."
"Awesome…" Gary smiled uncomfortably, before swiftly changing the subject, "so, what do you want to do today?"
Misty was not buying it, however.
"Gary… Why are you acting so weird?"
"What do you mean, weird?"
"Is there something you're not telling me about this party?" she took a step closer to him, holding up the invitation and narrowing her eyes.
Gary gave a brilliantly innocent smile, one which only latest only a few seconds however under Misty's accusatory stare.
"Uh…well…I guess you're gonna find out sooner or later…" he muttered nervously. Misty started to grow nervous – what was it that was so hard for him to say?
"This party is…pretty big. There are going to be a lot of people there."
"Yes…I gathered that," Misty said softly, aquamarine eyes on his downward stare. Finally, he looked up at her.
"A lot of people…including Ash," he stated in finality. Misty breathed out the breath she hadn't realised she was holding in.
"O-oh," she said, trying her best not to look uncomfortable, when in fact she was. She looked the invitation over once more to divert her attention from his gaze, which was now totally serious as he watched her reaction.
"Look Misty," she looked away from the invitation to meet his surprisingly hesitant and nervous expression. "I…I really love spending time with you, and I think we really have something special here. That's why I wanted to ask if you would go to the party…with me…as my date."
Misty's eyebrows rose and her face flushed at his admission, and the way his eyes flashed intensely as he watched her every reaction. This was suddenly a serious situation, because after all, they had told no one about their relationship. It had only been a few months, and Gary's visits to the Gym had been disguised as trips to drop off Pokémon food. Misty's sisters were never around enough to suspect anything. It was the perfect crime. Showing up at a party together, however – not so much.
Before she could speak, he went on.
"I know that would mean people would see us, but-"
"Yes," Misty said with a small smile.
"Yes? As in…?" Misty giggled and reached forward to put her hands on his arms.
"As in, yes, of course I'll go with you. I would love to," she said honestly.
"It means everyone will know though. We won't be a secret anymore. Not to anybody, not even to…"
"Ash," she finished his sentence, her hands falling down to her sides. "But…that's okay."
"It is?"
"Yes, because I love spending time with you too, Gary. And I think we have something special. Me and you. Nobody else matters."
As soon as she had spoken the words, the nervousness disappeared from his face, replaced with a smile that erased all traces of his unease. He pulled her into an embrace, secretly thanking the Gods that she had agreed. He had, of course, anticipated that she might not have wanted to reveal their relationship yet, especially in front of her best friend and former crush. It wasn't something that Gary had shared with anybody but his own thoughts, but in truth, Gary was threatened by Ash Ketchum. He was, these days especially, a very successful Pokémon trainer, but more than that, he was and always had been the better person in a lot of ways. Gary may have been more clever than him, but Ash had a good heart, and he was one of those people that everyone loved – that he knew Misty had loved for a very long time. Gary was falling for Misty in a way that was so beyond his own control it terrified him, but he had this nagging feeling that if Ash was to come back, he would realise he did have feelings for Misty. Who would Misty choose, if faced with a such a decision? Gary had an intensifying fear that it would, in fact, be Ash Ketchum.
Misty laid her head on Gary's shoulder as he pulled her closer, contemplating the situation with due hesitation. Misty had feelings for Gary that she had never felt for anybody before, not even Ash, whom she had had a crush on for a lot of her life. She knew she would have to see Ash someday, and she knew that if things carried on with Gary that he would have to find out about it, but she had not really expected it to all happen so soon. In truth, she had no idea how she would react to seeing Ash again after such a long time. It would be good, for sure, to see her friend again, but what would become of her feelings for him? Would they return upon seeing him again? How would Ash react to seeing her? And how would he react to seeing her with Gary?
Misty supposed she would find out in two weeks. Until then, she was sure she was going to be living in a bubble of nervous anticipation, wondering over and over just how it would all pan out.
To be continued...
