A/N: This story takes place some time after the events of Another Road, based in the Pokemon XY anime. As such, Ash can understand Pikachu's thoughts through a method revealed during said fanfiction.

On that note: It's been a while, I know, but Another Road has not been abandoned! The two of us writers have been on break from it, a little dead on inspiration, right now. But, we do have plans, and we do intend to finish the story! Pardon us if it takes us a few months or so to be active with it again.

Until then, enjoy this oneshot!

"Goodnight, everyone!"

"Night, night!"

"Sleep well!"

"G'night, guys!"

"Pikachu!"

At the base of Mt. Molteau, Ash and company took to their tents, after night had fallen. After a long, exasperating day, most of the group was sound asleep within minutes.

One of them wasn't so fortunate.

"Pikachu…" Ash whispered, already half-asleep. He could feel a lot of commotion in his sleeping bag. "You're movin' around a lot… what's up? If you need some water, we could… Pikachu?"

The mouse, huddled up to his chest, was… trembling?

"Pikachu, what's wrong?"

Pikachu hesitated, his body relaxing, just a little. But, he wouldn't turn Ash's way.

"Pikachu?" Even whispering, with Clemont sleeping nearby, his voice was growing desperate.

Pikachu finally turned, reluctant. His cheeks were stained with tears. He'd been sobbing.

No words came from Ash at first. He was taken aback. "Buddy?" Instinctively, he cradled his best friend to his chest.

Pikachu would go as far as to lay his head against his trainer, but no more. "Pikapi…"

Ash's brows knit low. He gently stroked the back of Pikachu's head. "What's wrong?"

Pikachu's eyes narrowed. "How can you even ask that?"

Ash had no answer.

Pikachu huffed in frustration. For all of Ash's great qualities, he could be utterly clueless. There was a notable pause before he said anything else.

The words practically suffocated the mouse on the way out. "I nearly lost you, today."

"…" Again, Ash couldn't find words. His lips pursed.

"Are you even listening to me!?" Pikachu gripped Ash's shirt, gritting his teeth to hold back more tears.

At this point, Clemont began to mutter in his sleep, shifting about.

"…Let's go for a walk, before we wake him," Ash managed, reaching over to lift the entrance to the tent.

Pikachu complied, following Ash outside. The two walked in silence, treading away from the campsite, lest they wake any of the others. Only the subtle sounds of footsteps spoke, between them.

Ash watched Pikachu. He carried himself deliberately, quite unlike his usual, carefree pace. He looked tense. One of his ears pinned back, the other hung lopsided. Small details; Ash knew Pikachu like the back of his hand.

…But, he didn't seem to be doing a great job of that, right now. That thought gave Ash a sickly feeling he didn't like. He was desperate to mend it, immediately.

"…Things turned alright, though, right?" He offered hesitantly, forcing a smile. "They always do."

"Barely." Pikachu's answer was stern, though he kept his eyes turned towards the path before him. "Thank Arceus, Frogadier knew what to do… he was quick." Pikachu suddenly stopped. He looked up to Ash, challenging his gaze.

"How were you supposed to know? What were you thinking!?" Pikachu bore his teeth, trying to hold back tears that were welling up in his eyes. "What were you going to do, once you caught Talonflame!?"

"…" Ash felt a terrible, sinking feeling. As if the reality of today had just settled in. He'd…

Yeah.

He and Talonflame had nearly died.

"I just… she was falling… I couldn't just let her-!"

"You had her pokeball!" Pikachu shrieked back.

A temperate breeze passed through, whistling quietly.

Between Ash and Pikachu, though, it'd sounded awfully loud.

The trainer had collapsed on his rear. His eyes trembled. "You're right… I just didn't think of that. I could only think about saving her… that's all I can ever think about when any of you are in trouble. Nothing else matters."

Pikachu exhaled, wiping tears from his eyes. "I know… Believe me, Ash, I know." Walking over to his grounded trainer, Pikachu crawled into his lap. "And, that's one of the reasons we trust you so much. But… As selfless as it is, it's selfish, too!"

"Selfish?" Ash echoed. He took a moment to think. No more wild guesses. He had to think from Pikachu's point of view. "So, if something happened to me…"

"We'd be lost." Pikachu finished Ash's sentence, nestling into Ash's chest. He was starting to listen. It sounded like he was, at least. "We love you, Ash. We'd be just as devastated if something happened to you."

"…Right. I'm sorry." Tears trailed down the young man's face. How could he be so stupid, at such critical moments? "I know, I've got a bad habit of putting things on myself… I just can't help it, sometimes."

Pikachu's ears began to pin back again, and Ash rushed to finish. "But, I'll try! …I promise, I'll try harder. I know, I need to listen to you more. I owe you that, as your partner." He'd gently stroke Pikachu's cheek with his thumb. "But, you know, I've done the same thing for you… I couldn't bare to…"

Pikachu raised his paw to cover Ash's mouth. He wouldn't be allowed to finish that sentence. "It scares me, each and every time you do. Thank you, but… we need to start thinking ahead, Ash. This happens too often."

"It really does, doesn't it…" Ash smiled, this one earnest, but bittersweet. "We really have a knack for getting ourselves into the thick of it."

"For some reason or another…" Pikachu huffed. As much as he appreciated the endless experiences they had together… sometimes, he wished it was a little more mundane. During times like these.

"You're right. We'll have to start planning for these things. So, we can protect each other."

That alone was enough to put the biggest smile on Pikachu's lips. "That's exactly what I want to hear." Standing up on his tip-toes, he hugged Ash, resting his chin on the trainer's shoulder. "You always come around to seeing where I'm coming from… even If it takes you a while, sometimes," he teased, his tail flicking once.

"Yeah, yeah, give me some credit." Ash laughed, returning the embrace. "I'll keep doing my best to listen to you. As your trainer, I ought to do at least that much."

"As my best friend," Pikachu corrected. "What do you say, we start working on this, tomorrow? I'm…" With a loud, criminally cute 'cha,' Pikachu yawned. "…I'm tired."

"Me, too… yeah, tomorrow it is!" Ash winked, raising a fist with his free arm. "Let's head back." He'd rise to his feet, still cradling Pikachu as he started back towards the campsite.

"Yeah… love you, Ash." With that uttered, Pikachu's sounds trailed off, leaving him to a peaceful slumber.

"Love you too, Pikachu."