A/N: This story is dedicated to the wonderful pwnapple! I want to thank her for faithfully reviewing my stories and being such a cool FanFiction friend! I also want to thank her for drawing amazing Ash x Lillian fanart and dedicating it to me. :) I hope you like this, pwnapple!
It was the welcome beginning of fall and the end of sultry summer days and sweltering heat. Lillian's dress swayed gently in the balmy breeze as she stood brushing her black and white cow. She hummed to herself in premature anticipation of the Animal Festival at the end of the month. Lillian hoped her sheep would win with its fluffy cloud-like fleece and gentle nature, but Ash's sheep, Snow, was a close competitor.
A shadow suddenly fell across her face, providing refreshing alleviation from the heat, and caused her to squint up at the silhouette against the intense sunlight.
"Hey Lilly," Ash said, hopping up onto the rickety old wooden fence. Lillian wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and smiled.
"Hi Ash. What brings you here today?"
His aquamarine eyes glimmered with boundless vivacity. He gripped the rail and leaned forward casually, the wood creaking under his pressure. "I thought maybe you'd wanna go on a picnic with me."
"Sure. That sounds like fun," Lillian said. Ash slid off the fence and walked over to the mooing cow, his hand stroking a patch of ebony on the cow's backside.
"Cheryl is busy chasing butterflies," he said, blinking against the bright sunlight. "So we have some time to ourselves."
"Really?" Lillian peered up at him through several wayward strands of her auburn bangs. "She's so cute."
Ash threw his head back and let out a short laugh. "You think so? A lot of people think she clings to me too much. I'm glad to know you aren't intimidated by that."
"What do you mean?" she asked, the corners of her mouth curling upward into a smile as she raised an eyebrow at him.
"Well, I just thought…" He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced away. "You still hang out with me even when she's around. That's really nice of you."
Lillian smiled and continued brushing her cow. "Thanks, Ash."
"So should we go now?" he asked, changing the subject. Truthfully, he wanted this to be a date, but he wasn't sure how to cross over from "just a friend" to "dating." Lillian nodded and placed the brush in her bag.
They walked side by side on their way to the town, laughing about random things like Howard and his vast collection of lipstick, and the Konohana villagers' strange obsession with panda bears. When they reached the town, Cheryl came bounding up, her golden honey pigtails swaying violently with every step.
"Ash!" she called. "You gotta come now!"
Her older brother furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Cheryl frequently came up to him while he was in the middle of things with 'urgent' matters.
"What is it? I'm going on a picnic with Lilly, can it wait?"
"No!" she wailed, grabbing Ash's hand. "It's Maggie! She's hurt and mom says you gotta come now!"
"Who's Maggie?" Lillian asked.
"Our cow," Ash explained. "I'm really sorry about the picnic, Lillian. Can we do it another time?"
She shook her head and chestnut strands of hair flew in all directions. "No, maybe I can help you! I'm pretty good with animals."
Cheryl's features deepened into a scowl as she urged her brother to reject the offer. She tugged on his arm impatiently and tried to drag him down the path.
"Really?" he asked with a broad grin that revealed sparkling teeth. "That would be fantastic! We could use the help, couldn't we Cheryl?"
Cheryl grumbled under her breath and stormed off toward their farm while Ash and Lillian trailed behind. He cast a confused glance in Lillian's direction which she returned with a shrug.
Once they reached the barn, the trio hesitantly peeked inside the doors. Ash's mother, Jessica, was kneeling down beside a chocolate brown cow and tending to a wound on its leg. The gentle animal gazed up at the newcomers with large frightened eyes.
"Maggie seems to have scraped her leg on something. It's a pretty big gash," Jessica said, concentrating on her work. "Could you clean this up, Ash?"
Cheryl grimaced at the sight of blood but decided against leaving. She meandered over to a nearby hay bale that was in the optimal location for supervising Ash and Lillian's interaction.
"What can I do?" Lillian asked, causing Jessica to glance up and Cheryl to roll her eyes.
"Oh hello dear! It's so nice of you to help out. Just stay here and see if Ash needs anything. Cheryl and I are going to Konohana to pick up some medicine from the doctor."
"What?" Cheryl's mouth dropped open in surprise but she refrained from protesting. "Fine. You two better not have any fun without me."
Ash smiled mischievously at his sister. "Don't worry. We won't."
As soon as Jessica and Cheryl were gone, Lillian knelt down next to Maggie and took out a brush. She began softly brushing the cow and whispering reassurances to her. Ash was focused on cleaning the wound, but he couldn't help himself from looking over at Lillian. His lips curved into a smile involuntarily as he watched her talk softly to Maggie.
"So how's it looking?"
Ash, momentarily startled, glanced down and gulped. It was looking horrible, but it was nothing a little medicine and rest wouldn't fix. Unfortunately, he couldn't do anything more until his mom and Cheryl came back from Konohana. "Oh, um… she'll be fine."
"That's good."
Ash slid over to sit next to her as the pitter-patter of rain droplets began to sound on the rooftop.
"I guess our picnic wouldn't have turned out anyway." Ash smiled halfheartedly at Lillian. She returned the smile with a slight yawn.
"It's getting late, isn't it?" he asked, noticing the absence of sunlight shining through the windows.
"No I'm fine. I just got up early today."
Distant shouting could be heard from inside the barn and Ash said, "I think I hear someone outside. I'm going to go check."
He stepped out into the rain and was instantly pelted by cold drops. The young rancher glanced around and didn't see anyone. He squinted against the rain and noticed Georgia leading her horses back into the barn across the path. A certain brown horse wasn't cooperating very well, and it seemed to be causing Georgia some trouble. Ash was never one to leave a friend in need, so he offered his assistance. The horse was feisty and apparently did not like the rain. After he helped Georgia lead the horse into the barn, he jogged across the path. Ash pulled his hat off and shook out the rain before entering the barn.
"Hey sorry that took so long, I was-" Ash stopped suddenly when he caught sight of Lillian's peaceful face. She was fast asleep and leaning against Maggie, who didn't seem to mind. In fact, it looked like she was enjoying the company. Ash felt himself blushing as he placed his hat back on and sat on a bale of hay. He tried not to stare, but his eyes kept wandering back to her soft delicate features. Ash had to admit, he was in love with the dazzling farmer.
Thunder boomed in the distance and Lillian's eyes shot open. Her violet orbs searched around frantically until they landed on Ash.
"W-was that thunder?" she asked, clearing not realizing that he had been staring at her.
"Yeah." Ash rubbed the back of his neck. "Are you scared of thunder?"
She looked away and bit her bottom lip. "Just a little." Another loud boom shook the barn. "Okay a lot!" Lillian pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged her legs. Ash slipped off the bale and sat down right next to her. He took her hand in his and squeezed it reassuringly.
"It's silly…" she mumbled, avoiding eye contact.
"No it's not." He shook his head slightly. The dim lighting made her eyes sparkle as she peered up at him.
"You're not just saying that? You don't think it's dumb?"
"Lillian, trust me. There is no possible way that anything about you is silly or dumb. You are amazing and beautiful and I lo-" Ash stopped himself before saying the L-word. He blushed profusely and glanced away.
"You what?" she asked, smiling and blushing the tiniest bit herself.
"I really like you, Lilly. You're sweet, funny, and caring. I love the way your smile always cheers me up, and when you look at me with your beautiful eyes, I feel like you're the only one who really understands me. I guess I'm just wondering if-"
He was interrupted by soft lips pressing against his. Ash's eyes widened in surprise and the kiss was over before he even had a chance to react. The sweet taste of strawberry lingered on his lips.
"I like you too," Lillian whispered in his ear. She giggled at his red face and laid her head on his shoulder, only to cringe as another boom of thunder echoed in the sky.
"Don't worry," Ash said quietly as he put his arm around her. "I'll protect you from the storm."
She settled comfortably against his side, and he rested his head atop hers. They both sat silently as they listened to the rain outside. With butterflies in his stomach, Ash carefully intertwined his fingers with hers and replayed in his head the sudden twist of events. He had always liked Lillian, and he was beyond thrilled that she felt the same way.
"No! This is unacceptable!" Cheryl suddenly yelled from the entryway. Her normally voluminous pigtails were flat and soaked through and through with rain. "I can't allow this!"
"Now Cheryl," Jessica warned, putting a hand on her riled daughter's shoulder. "I'm sure they weren't doing anything."
Cheryl crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. "But he didn't ask me if it was okay to cuddle with a girl!"
Ash sighed in relief and removed his arm from around Lillian. At least she hadn't seen their kiss.
"Never mind that!" Jessica said as she entered the barn with a bag full of medicinal supplies. "Here Ash, I brought the medicine for Maggie's leg."
He stood up and offered Lillian a hand, which she gratefully accepted. Jessica gave Ash some gauze and ointment, and she handed Lillian a few pills. "Dear, would you try to get Maggie to eat these? They're to help fight any possible infection."
Lillian nodded and held out her hand to the large cow. Maggie sniffed the foreign objects and stuck her rough tongue out and licked all over Lillian's hand. Ash chuckled to himself and began wrapping the injured leg.
"Please Maggie? They're so yummy," she coaxed, pretending to eat one. Maggie mooed in response and licked the pills off her hand.
"Finally! Good girl," she said with a pat on the cow's head.
"Nice job kids! Let's go in for some hot cocoa," Jessica suggested. Cheryl was particularly excited about the idea until Lillian asked what time it was. With much surprise, they discovered that it was ten o'clock at night. That was an entire hour past Cheryl's bedtime!
"I have to get going," Lillian said reluctantly as she brushed some hay off her skirt. It was still pouring rain, and she wasn't looking forward to the trek home and the impending battle against the gusts of wind and rain.
Ash grabbed an umbrella and held out his hand to her. "I'll walk you home."
Of course, it wouldn't be so bad with Ash there to protect her from the storm.
A/N: There you go, my friend! I really really hope you liked it and it met all of your expectations. I'm SO SORRY it has taken me this long to write it. :O
Reviews are appreciated! Thank you all! :)
This is also my entry for Naty17's The Writer's Block Forum contest - Weather. It's nice how that worked out, huh? xD
Thanks again for reading and you should all check out pwnapple14's fantastic art on deviantart! :D
~ Violet