Konnichi wa! Sorry I've been so rotten with updates to Modern-Day Moses. I've finally gotten a computer with both floppy disk access and the internet! Whoo-hoo! Now I'm going into update overdrive unless someone needs the computer I'm on.

The Blizzard--An AAML oneshot

It was one of the worst storms they had seen. The raven-haired boy was nervous. He and his best friend had planned to be in Pewter City for one of their friend's birthday. The boy looked at the red-haired girl next to him. "You okay, Misty?"

"Yeah." Misty was quiet for a moment. "See all the snow that's already fallen? We can use that as a sort of door to keep the cold out."

"You're right." The two released their Pokémon and they began to make a thick wall. After fifteen minutes, they were protected from the elements outside. "Corphish, Water Gun."

"Ash what are you doing?" Misty was aghast. "It'll melt the…" A wall of ice was also a measure of protection now.

"I'm not dumb. Ice is just as good as snow for insulation." Ash smiled at the red-haired girl's amazement. "Plus, it'll act as a second wall incase the snow shifts.

"Hmm, guess I taught you something about water after all." Misty smiled.

The two teens returned their Pokémon to their Poké Balls and began to make a 'camp' in the cave. They built a fire close to the back wall so the ice and snow wall wouldn't melt. They laid their sleeping bags next to each other and close to the fire. Pikachu was playing a game with Azurill while the two teens made their shelter comfortable. Ash dug out some food and Misty began to make a simple meal.

They ate in silence, wondering how they'd ended up in this predicament. Both of them were also worried about the damage the storm would cause. "Ash, do you think that once the storm's over we can get to Pewter?"

"We should be able to. Nothing's ever stopped us from getting where we need to go before." The raven-haired boy noticed Misty's worried look. "Mist, we'll be fine. Think of everything we've been through in the seven years we've known each other. I don't think a blizzard is gonna be worse than trying to save the world."

"If you say so…" The red-haired girl smiled, then looked at the blue mouse. "Azurill's tired, and so isn't Pikachu. I'll bet it's past curfew."

"Yeah. It was almost sunset when the storm started." Ash chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Misty looked at her best friend.

"It's just…well…how many storms have started when it was almost sunset? Most of them had something to do with the Legendary Pokémon. I'll bet this blizzard is just Articuno flying nearby."

"Well Articuno is known to bring snow whereever it flies."

The two teens cleaned up their mess from dinner and began to get ready for bed. After they crawled into their respective sleeping bags, both of them still worried. It wasn't long before both of them was asleep.

Hours later, Ash woke up to find that the fire had died out. It was a little chilly, and the raven-haired boy started the fire going again. Misty woke up from the chill. "The fire went out, didn't it?"

"Yeah, and we don't have much firewood. I'll let this one burn down to ashes too. That way we'll have enough to last us until tomorrow." Ash frowned. "Misty, I know this sounds crazy, but we're gonna have to zip our sleeping bags together and share them. Pikachu and Azurill are doing that to keep themselves warm. It'll work for us too."

"I don't care, as long as we stay warm." Misty crawled out of the pink and blue sleeping bag and zipped it with the navy blue one. "Brrr…"

The raven-haired boy made his way over to the red-haired girl. "C'mon, it won't do us any good if we get sick from the cold." Both teens crawled into the combined sleeping bags and cuddled with each other. Even though Ash was warm, he noticed that Misty was shivering. "You okay, Mist?"

"Yeah, I'm just a little chilly." Misty snuggled deeper into Ash's arms.

"Hold on a second." Ash sat up and reached into both of their bags for the spare blankets they usually carried. He covered the both of them. "Better?"

"Yeah." The two teens laid there in silence. "Ash, do you mind if I tell you something?"

"No, what is it?"

"Well…" Misty broke off. She didn't know how to begin. "I…I've held this for so long. We've been best friends since we met, but I…I really like you, Ash. Maybe it's closer to love. I don't really know. You're the most important person to me, and I don't think I'd be the same if something ever happened to you and you weren't around because of it. I understand if you don't like me that way." The red-haired girl looked away.

Ash was floored, to say the least. 'Mist likes me? I thought she hated my guts?' He noticed that Misty was blushing and knew she was nervous. "I really like you too, Misty. And if something happened to you, I dunno what I'd do." Ash kissed her on the forehead.

Misty looked at him, surprised. "You like me? I thought I annoyed you?"

"Yeah, but the way you always pick on me is really just your way of showing that you care." They stared into each others eyes before moving their faces closer to the other's. Misty closed the gap and kissed Ash on the lips. Even though they were sharing their first kiss, each of them put all the emotion and passion they could into the kiss. After a minute or so, they had to separate to breathe. "I love you, Misty."

"I love you too, Ash." The two teens snuggled close. Both of them were relieved that they had finally expressed their feelings. They fell asleep in each others arms.

When morning came, the blizzard was over. Cyndaquil's flamethrower melted the snow and ice wall, revealing a winter wonderland. Ash and Misty stepped outside, holding hands. Azurill was in Misty's backpack, and Pikachu was perched on Ash's shoulder.

"C'mon, let's get to Pewter and go see Brock." Ash smiled at his girlfriend.

"Yeah, and watch him have a heart attack from seeing us together." Both teens giggled. They headed west towards the town famous for its quarries with high-quality slate and marble. Each of them was silent, knowing what the other was thinking.

Articuno sat in the woods, hidden from view. She smiled as the two teens shared a quick kiss. The blue bird was glad she had come here. It had been Lugia's plan to get the Chosen One together with the girl he was the happiest with. Articuno gave the new couple one more glance and then left. 'Zapdos is gonna be sorry he made that bet. He'll never learn.'

I just had to write this cute little fic. It's been rattling around in my head for a while. Hope you enjoy!

Ja'ne!

KasumiSatoshi