A/N: Hi, guys! Just a couple of things I want to mention before we get underway here. First of all, this story has truly sickening amounts of egoshipping (that's Misty x Gary, if you weren't sure). If that isn't your cup of tea, I might suggest you not bother with this story. Second, this story is largely based off of the wonderful song Tonight by FM Static (listen to it!). Thirdly, all the little one-shots that follow this prologue are memories. Gary's memories, to be exact. They do not follow the prologue or one another linearly. They are very loosely connected to the overarching prologue/plot, but other than that, they're a bit of a free for all. =3 I think that's about it... I must go and work on the next chapter of On Earth as in Heaven now~ Tata!

Disclaimer: I own the scenario. Other than that, I've gone and taken a bunch of characters owned by other people, and stuck them together to see what would happen. It's like one big party.

Tonight

Prologue

Night was usually a good time for remembering.

And tonight, tonight was an excellent time for remembering.

Tonight, when the air was still thick with the scent of fresh flowers, before the water lilies had the chance to dry and wither to dust. Tonight, when the blue balloon with the note tied to the end of the string was still stuck in the branches of the old oak tree, where the wind had blown it the moment Violet had released it. Tonight, when the little candle Gary'd lit that morning had not yet waxed away, its flame still flickering fervently in the night.

Tonight, when the memory of her was still so fresh in his mind.

Tonight, when he could still taste the cinnamon chap-stick on her lips, or the sugar on her skin beneath his tongue. Tonight, when he could still smell the chlorine on her after a day in the pool, or her orange-scented shampoo. Tonight, when he could still feel the itchy fabric of her favorite sweater, or her body next to his when he held her. Tonight, when he could still hear the melody of her laughter, or that last, "I love you," before she'd left for Saffron.

Tonight, when it was so dark he could hardly see an inch in front of him, she could have been there with him.

In a perfect world, that would be where Misty Waterflower would be tonight. With him.

But that could never happen. Misty wouldn't be sitting next to her own gravestone at midnight, trying to remember how to live without herself. Misty wouldn't have spent the day with her three sisters, remembering the pretty girl with the sharp eyes, who'd had so much life, so much personality, so many dreams.

She wouldn't have been here, one year after her own death.

One year since Gary had caught the flu. One year since Misty had offered to go to Saffron and deliver that stupid final report to his research team for him. One year since the Team Rocket attack on the Silph Co. building that had gone so horribly wrong, had gotten so totally out of hand. One year since he'd gotten that phone call from Daisy, saying, "She's gone, Gary. She's gone."

And it still hurt, the wound still felt raw, it still tore him up every day of every week of every month of the year. Knowing he'd give anything to have her back again. Knowing it was his fault she was gone, and not him in her place. Knowing it should have been him who had died at Silph Co. that day, not her. It was the knife in his chest, slowly twisting. And he couldn't pull it out. Not when that pain was all that he had left of her.

But after that whole year, he'd come to two conclusions. One, that that feeling wasn't going to go away; it was going to stay with him until the day he died and repaid Misty the favor that was his life. Two, she wasn't coming back; no matter what happened, she was lost to him, to this world, forever.

Now all that was left was to say goodbye.

He just hadn't expected something so simple to be so damn difficult.