AAML Halloween.

She breathed a deep sigh of relief as the blood began to trickle down her lips. It had been almost a year now since she had suffered…it…the bite, and for all she tried to fight it, Misty Waterflower had never been able to rid herself of the thirst.

The body hung limp in her arms, she was sorry for it but thankful too. The longer she went without drinking, the more pain she was in; and eventually it would become such a need that she would lose control. It only took one small lapse in her resolve before she would be off, silently stalking the dark streets of Cerulean city, searching for the next person, someone vulnerable and alone, to alight next to them and feast…

The street was silent but for the rustling of the wind in the trees and the rippling of the water, which was why Misty jumped in surprise when something rustled behind her before flying into her leg, until the wind pulled it off again and it flew on down the street. It had been a newspaper sheet, nothing more, yet as Misty watched it go she saw the article on the page, and felt sick.
It was another report on the killings, the spree of unexplained deaths taking place in Cerulean over the last year.

'Mother and two children found dead, the next in the spree of killings. This takes the body count up to twenty-three since last Halloween, but who is behind it all? Do we have a psychopath on the loose, some one relishing in causing pain? Or, as more and more people are starting to believe, do we have a vampire loose on the streets of Cerulean.
More on page 13.'

She hiccupped over a sob. The mother and her children had been the worst of it all, but she hadn't had a choice! She had been starving herself of her thirst for over a month, the longest she had ever managed to hold on, but she just lost control, she had no choice. She felt sick now, she always did once she had finished, once she drank her fill but it was worse than simply feeling stomach sick as it was so much more. The press were always covering the killings now, and every time Misty heard a mention of them she felt remorse, guilt and more. She knew, even if no one else did, that these killings had not been done by a psychopath, far from it. the second suggestion was pretty much the truth, and though Misty had tried to deny it to herself early on it only took a short time, her first kill, for her to realise that it was true.
the man who had bitten her, he had been arrested for assault but disappeared from the prison in which he was being held. Misty had remembered feeling scared stiff when she had seen the headlines that day, scared about what would happen if the man came after her again. it turned out though that this was the least of her worries, of her troubles, as now she had to contend with this, with what she had become.

a scream from above her caught her attention, and Misty realised that she had lingered too long. all around her in the street the lights in the houses were flicking on, and soon people began to stick their heads out of doors and windows to see what all of the commotion was about.
Misty remained stock-still, not sure what to do. she was looking straight up through the window of a house to her left, and the woman inside was looking straight back. even in the darkness, Misty's aquamarine eyes would be her most distinguishing feature, given that she had covered her hair with a hood, and she quickly looked back to the floor again, hiding her face.
people had begun to realise what was going on now, but no one wanted to approach the cloaked figure in the middle of the street, the figure crouching low over a lifeless body, a trickle of deep red running from the neck wound down onto the cobbled street.

"my God" was the whisper uttered from many different voices, the onlookers finally coming to terms with what was going on, the disgust and fear spreading quickly around the people of the street

"someone get him!" another person yelled, but none wanted to leave the safety of their houses, none wanted to approach.
the yells had snapped Misty back to her senses though, and a wave of fear suddenly engulfed her as she tried to imagine what would happen to her if she was caught, what they would do…
in a swirl of black she was off, not so much running as flying down the street and into the shadows, leaving the stricken crowd of people behind her to tend to the body in the street. there was nothing that could be done for the poor man now, Misty had felt the life leave him as the pulse of his heart got weaker and weaker, the life being drained from him. he was just another innocent victim of her affliction, of her troubles. still though she couldn't worry about it now, there would be plenty of time for her conscience to kick in later, but for now she had to get back.

a benefit, though Misty didn't regard it as one, of her new state was the immense physical strength that it granted her. she had always been fit and athletic, however as a result of her changing she had gained so much power that even she hadn't dared test its full potential. as a result, the trip back to the gym was not a long one, which was lucky as there could be little over an hour before the sun came up. she didn't want to be seen, that was one reason not to be caught outdoors at sunrise, however Misty had another reason too. she didn't know why, couldn't explain it, but for some reason now every time she went out during the daytime she felt pain. not physical pain either, something inside that just felt so wrong and out of place. she had been to the doctors, tried pills and creams, but nothing seemed to have any affect. the symptoms varied from headaches to stomach aches, and she seemed to get sunburnt quite quickly. it wasn't too bad, but every time it happened it seemed a little worse, and Misty was worried. if she was a vamp…a vampire, then sunlight was one of the things that she knew about as would kill or injure her. better not to think about it now though, just get home and go to bed.

she reached the door, the flight not having tired her yet she was breathing fast anyway, nerves mostly. she leaned against the door and tried to calm herself. that had been close, very close but as always it was more the shock of what she had just done that hit her hardest, and her eyes were glistening in the moonlight as she turned and tried the door – locked. she fumbled around in her pocket for the key but…

"oh please not again" she moaned quietly, beginning to search more frantically. it had happened often when she was at her worst, she would often go out without even thinking, and forget to take her key with her to get back in again.

"why me…why?" she cried quietly to herself, looking around in vain for another way to get in. it was October, and the cold was one of the only reasons why her sisters would lock and bolt the windows…that and the fear of having their throats torn apart in their sleep.
Misty hadn't told them of course, she hadn't told anyone…how much easier it would be if she had someone to share her troubles with though, someone she could trust enough not to run away, not to turn her in, just to be with her and to help her…but she had only ever known one person to do that for her, and he was away in Sinnoh or somewhere, and couldn't help her now.

Misty yawned widely; sleep was setting in and she knew there would be nothing she could do to stop it, except to try and find a way into the gym before she completely collapsed. she walked slowly around to the back of the building, keeping her eyes on the top floor, hoping that there would be a window open, but of course there wasn't.
she yawned again, there was nothing for it, she would just have to sleep outside.
Lying down, Misty curled herself into a small ball against the wall of the gym, hiding herself under her travelling cloak. all she could do now was to hope that it wouldn't rain, yet that worry soon disappeared, along with everything else, as she slipped out of reality and into dreams. in her sleep was the only time now when Misty could truly be at peace, back to being her normal self really. she had changed so much now, and it had affected her more than she would let on, and so when the opportunity came to forget everything; her troubles and worries, then she would welcome it with open arms…and closed eyes.
within five minutes she was asleep, her dreams untroubled by what she had done, not only today but everything between last Halloween and now. that was a point, Halloween was soon, about a couple of months away…well, now there really was a bloodsucking vampire in town, and it wasn't a disguise either…

chapter 2.

morning dawned upon a Cerulean city full of people doing their best to get on with their lives as they always did. of course, the printing presses would have been on the go since the night before with the report of the next death, the witnesses claiming to have seen the cloaked figure in the street et cetera, yet all of this failed to have any effect at all on the sleeping form of Misty, curled up under her cloak against the wall of the gym. she was always tired after a hunt, very tired and she would often not wake up until well past noon on the days following. ordinarily when she woke up she would be met with the horrifying image of what she had done the night before, the taste of the blood in her mouth that she was unable to remove, the sight of the limp and lifeless bodies laid on the street once she had finished with them. it was on these mornings that Misty wondered why, why she was still here, why it was happening to her. it would be a lie to say that she had not thought about ending it all, putting herself out of her misery and assuring the safety of everyone else, yet Misty could never bring herself to do it, it just wasn't the kind of person she was.
this morning however something would happen that would change anything. something Misty had wished for, and feared, for so long…

Misty was still fast asleep as the footsteps began sounding up the otherwise quiet road. it was still quite early, and any traffic that would be passing the gym would not do so until later, and so the footsteps were the only sound to be heard save for the autumn wind rustling through the leaves.
she shifted in her sleep, the hood falling away from her face and at once the gusting wind caught her full on. she groaned and rolled over the other way, but it was this movement that caught the attention of the lone figure who had just been about to head for the door of the gym.
he, for a he it was, was not as alone as it first seemed, as a smaller shape was sitting on his shoulder. the two appeared to converse quickly, before the latter leapt from the boy's shoulder and scampered across the floor to where Misty lay oblivious, nose twitching before hurrying back off to the boy's shoulder, hopping up and delivering the verdict.
as soon as he heard it the boy, Ash Ketchum, ran forwards to where Misty lay, kneeling down beside her and placing a hand on her shoulder to try and wake her.

in her sleep, Misty had been dreaming about Ash for some time now, varying little scenes playing out however the last one had been the nicest. she had dreamed about meeting up with him again, on the road, and neither of them had said anything just fallen into the others embrace… a hand on her shoulder and Misty jumped, shattering the little dream bubble and coming into reluctant wakefulness. she rubbed her eyes, removing any lingering sleep before opening…blackness, she might as well not have bothered. the reason everything was still dark lay, as it turned out, with the fact that the hood was still over her face. it wasn't for long though, as whoever it was with the hand on her shoulder pulled the hood gently away, and then as she opened her eyes for the second time Misty was temporarily blinded by the sun. with that though came that familiar feeling that something wasn't right, that something was wrong, yet that too didn't last long as the figure kneeling over her moved to shield her face from the sun, and when Misty tried for the third time she succeeded in looking, and found herself staring into the very face from her dreams.

"Ash?" she asked, feeling groggy as anyone would were they as tired as she, yet she didn't actually feel too bad now for, unless she was seeing things, Ash was back and that would be…be…perfect.

"hey Misty!" well yes it obviously was Ash then, she would never have forgotten those eyes anyway. Ash was still on his knees beside her and, as she slowly sat up, he grabbed her in a tight hug.

"w-what are you doing here?" Misty managed to ask, being asphyxiated at the same time by Ash who seemed to be as pleased about seeing her again as she was him, though he was showing it and she had not quite come around to doing so yet

"oh that's a great way to greet your best friend" Ash replied jokingly, withdrawing from the hug, looking her in the eyes before, unable to resist, grabbing her again.

"I…sorry" Misty replied with a smile, sinking into his embrace without even thinking and closing her eyes. she had needed this, needed it for so long and there had been no one to do it for her, to provide the comfort that only Ash had ever managed to do in the past, and now he was back and doing it again, and she was so grateful…
"it's great to see you again" she said, and then sniffed

"hey what's up?" Ash asked in concern, falling back yet keeping both hands on Misty's shoulders as he gazed into her eyes, now sparkling again as tears threatened to brim over. Pikachu was observing this, he knew what the two were thinking at that moment but also knew what lengths they had gone to to hide it in the past, and now watching Ash it was clear that he had almost forgotten his old restraint…it was funny really.

"s-sorry" Misty stammered, sniffing hard "I…I missed you I guess…I could use a friend about now"

"well you've got one, I'm here now" Ash said gently, "c'mon, let's get inside. what were you doing out here anyways, you haven't been outside all night have you? how's life at the gym? and how are you?! it's been ages…" Ash stopped as Pikachu, on his shoulder again, subtly informed him that he was fussing a little too much. Ash turned distinctly pink and shut his mouth tight, before feeling the need to inquire…apologise…one of the two anyways.

"sorry" he said at last, but didn't really know how to follow it up and so shut his mouth again. they walked together up towards the door of the gym, Ash's arm around Misty's shoulders, and stopped just outside.

"I guess there's no point in asking if you've got a key then" Ash said, turning to look at Misty again. it was then though that he noticed how pale she looked, more so than he had remembered and he noticed something else too, the faint red streak down her cheek.
"are you ok?" he asked, suddenly concerned again, "you've been bleeding! what happened?!"

"you don't want to ask" Misty replied quietly. she longed to tell him, to confide in someone what she had kept secret to herself for so long, but she couldn't she knew that, not yet.

"err yea I do" Ash persisted, "come on I want to know! have you been hurt or something?"

"not exactly…it's complicated but it doesn't matter now" Misty replied, rubbing at the faint red line until it had disappeared.

"well…ok then" Ash said, peering hard at her to see if he could get any clue, but he couldn't, and so had to settle with not knowing. he made to knock at the door, but suddenly Misty grabbed his hand. she was strong too, exceptionally so and it actually hurt a bit.

"ouch, ease up Misty, what's wrong?"

"sorry" she relaxed her grip on his wrist, but did not let go. for a few seconds they were hand in hand, staring at each other with a deep line of meaning running between them in the secretly longing gaze.

"err… ahem yea right, well we aren't really gonna get in unless I can knock at the door" Ash said quietly as Misty let go and looked away, blushing hotly. Ash did not look away, he continued staring straight at her, wondering what it meant…

"don't knock" Misty said, quietly but urgently as she noticed Ash turning back to the door

"huh why?"

"just don't"

"well unless you can fly through a window…"

"there aren't any open"

Ash looked closely at Misty again. he kept getting this nagging feeling that something was wrong with his friend, something really wrong but she wouldn't say, she wasn't going to.

"well… why don't you wanna go in?" he asked finally

"I don't want my sisters to know I was out last night, I went out after they were asleep, they didn't know" Misty answered.
this was awkward, not just for her but for Ash as well. words seemed to be strained, they were finding it difficult to talk to each other normally as they would once have done, which is why neither Misty nor Ash had asked some of the many questions they still had for each other.
they were spared further conversation though by someone running up the path behind them, and as they turned Misty went deathly pale.

"you!" the woman shrieked, hysterical by the looks of things "murdering little psychopathic bitch!"

"hey calm down!" Ash yelled, stepping in between Misty and the advancing woman. he had no idea what was going on but Misty looked scared, and no one should speak to her like that

"I saw it last night!" the woman shrieked, craning over Ash's shoulder and fighting to get at the girl behind, "I saw you! I'd recognise your face anywhere Misty Waterflower, I thought you were a nice girl! a friend! not a murdering wretch"

"I-I…" Misty didn't know what to say. she knew she had lingered too long, she knew she might have been seen but had no idea that the woman would have recognised her. things were taking a turn for the worst then, the gossip would soon spread.

"look I don't know what the hell you're on about, but you'd better clear off now before I call the police!" Ash shouted, louder than the hysterical woman who shrunk back a little at the rage in the boy's voice.

"you're lucky I haven't done it already!" she shouted back, "Do you have any idea what your friend over there has been up to?! she's a murderer boy, mark my words, she'll get you too as soon as your back is turned…"

that was it. red flashed across Misty's eyes, her anger fuelled by the insinuation. she would never hurt Ash, never, no matter what the circumstances or how much she may suffer, nothing in the world would make her hurt Ash. but would it though? every time she got angry it was like something else took over her, an inner devilry that surfaced and lashed out, completely out of her control. in any case, it was because of this that she lost control now, because of the woman's suggesting that she may hurt Ash and this alternate force inside her kicked in, and she did lash out.
quick as a flash and in a flap of black she had disappeared from behind Ash, moving too fast for the human eye to follow yet knocking the woman over onto the path as she did so. she had reappeared, standing by the woman's head as she lay, not a millisecond after she had disappeared and was down on her hands and knees, bending closer. inside her own head Misty watched on as a mere spectator and knew what would happen next, could feel the fast-beating pulse and taste the blood before it had even happened.

"don't do it, don't do it!" she shouted at herself, and then she was back, back in control and Ash was holding her too, helping to restrain what ever power had possessed her, pulling her back.

"leave it Misty, let her go" he panted, tripping them both so that they fell backwards and away from the shocked looking woman on the floor.
Ash stood up first, in any case Misty looked completely distraught, head in her hands she wasn't going to move anywhere, and so Ash took the opportunity to see off the woman

"go, just go!" he shouted and the woman, pale with fright and shock, got shakily to her feet and stumbled off down the drive, walking into the road before quickening her pace to a run.
Ash turned back to Misty

"alright…" he panted, "alright what the hell's going on here?"

"I don't know" Misty sobbed "I don't know any more, I can't help it I…I'm so sorry…"
as Ash looked down at her, curled up on the floor and crying into the grass he felt such a stab of pity as would make his heart melt, and then he was beside her again, holding her close

"ok…it's ok don't worry, you don't have to explain now, just stop crying, everything's ok…"

but it's not ok!" Misty wailed, "nothings ok! it's been complete hell for almost a year now, it gets worse and worse every time a-and I cant control it anymore!"

"what is?! what's wrong, what can't you control?" Ash asked desperately, but the desperation coming more from a desire to end her grief than anything. "please tell me Misty I can't help unless you do!"
Misty didn't answer though, she just went on crying as Ash held her closer to him, cradling her head gently as she sobbed into his chest.
they must have sat that way for five minutes at least, Ash feeling completely helpless as was Pikachu who could only sit and watch in puzzlement as Misty cried and Ash tried to comfort her, never once letting go.

well this had hardly been the reunion Ash had imagined, far from it. he hadn't explained why he had come back yet, nothing was happening the way he had planned for it to instead, more and more mysteries were throwing themselves at him, and he was deeply worried. mysteries didn't concern him now though, at the moment all he would or could care about was comforting her, comforting Misty, and he would try for as long as it took to make her happy again.

at long last Misty seemed to be calming. the tears still rolled down her cheeks but her sobs were dying down now into little whimpers, and eventually she was able to sit straight again. Ash helped her and watched her as she sat up, taking in everything about her, the way she held herself now. she had changed a lot since he had last seen her…fashion wise was one thing, yet he had a feeling that the dark travelling cloak was not part of her usual attire, but in all other respects she looked…looked beautiful really, it was all he could think of at the present. he gently reached out a hand and brushed away the last tear from Misty's cheek.
Misty watched him too as he did this, eyes quickly flitting up and down his frame as he sat with her on the grass, but always she found herself being drawn back to his eyes, those hazel eyes so warm…

"go…" she said quietly. she had not really expected herself to be able to say it, and Ash had certainly not been expecting it

"huh?"

"I…I want you to go, just leave…I don't want to drag you into all of this" Misty said. that was it, she didn't want it, yet she knew it was the only way to ensure his safety, to make sure no harm would come to Ash by her hand.

"forget it, you're in trouble Misty I can see that much, even if you wont tell me what it is, but I'm not leaving you now, I don't want to" Ash replied, and it was clear from the determined look on his face that he meant it and he was not going to back down. there was more than determination on his features however, much more as in that one look he conveyed more than he had really wanted to right now; the care, worry and affection he had for Misty beginning to show through at last.
Misty sighed and bowed her head. she knew she should insist, she knew she should use that fiery resolve and determination that had for so long been her gift to use in any argument, yet that side had left her almost a year ago now, and she had no force nor will to try and tell him otherwise. perhaps it would be for the best anyway, heaven knew she had wanted to see him again so badly, and now they were together…well perhaps things might turn out well in the end.

"well…if we can't get into yours, and I don't know about you but I'd rather not wait around for that woman to come back…do you wanna come and stay at mine?" Ash asked after a minute or so. the minute had passed in reality, yet for Ash and Misty it didn't seem to have existed at all. observing from the sidelines, Pikachu had been watching the two for the whole time, had seen them staring at each other and sniggered quietly to himself

"errm…stay?" Misty asked, yet it was a hopeful tint to her voice rather than an amused one. getting away from Cerulean would do her good, being with Ash would do her good, somehow she knew it.

"err well I meant…" Ash began, realising that, yet again, he may have let on more than he intended. eventually however the nagging little voice inside him, the one saying 'ask her to stay, you meant to stay!' got the better of him and so he smiled warmly. "yea. my mom wont mind I'm sure, and it'd be great to catch up"

"(on more than just conversation I bet)" Pikachu thought to himself with a grin and a playful nudge at Ash, who turned to see what was wrong with his friend, saw the expression, guessed what was probably going through his mind and scowled. it might be true though…could be true…

"well I dunno…" Misty replied, mentally kicking herself no sooner as she had said it. "no that's not what I meant" she said quickly "I mean…I mean…well I'd love to, really I would but…well are you sure? I mean, I don't want to get in the way or anything…"

"don't worry Misty like I said, mom wouldn't mind and I'd really like it if you came back for a while" Ash said, blushing quite a bright shade of crimson yet smiling nonetheless "for as long as you like" he added quickly

"thanks" Misty replied smiling, her first in a long time before, just out of impulse, leaning forwards and kissing Ash lightly on the cheek. she hung close just for a little longer though, and for once she could say that what kept her close was just her natural desire, the natural attraction rather than what else had drawn her so close to people in the recent months. neither of them moved, neither of them drew away. Ash felt Misty's breathing light and cool against his cheek, could still feel her lips, slightly moist against his skin…

"err…right, sorry" Misty said, pulling away at last.

"sorry?!" Ash exclaimed, not quite able to fathom why Misty would be saying sorry "hey I could get used to that you know"

an awkward silence followed yet again. Ash had not really been thinking when he had said that, his mind had still been taken with that kiss. he had meant it though, whilst he hadn't been thinking he had spoken his feelings, he had really liked that.

"well shall we…?"

"yea we'd better be heading off" Ash and Misty said quickly, anxious to break the ice that seemed to have fallen.

"have you got everything you need?" Ash asked as they stood up, Pikachu jumping to his shoulder.

"well I can ask my sisters to send my Pokemon to professor Oak's lab for me I guess" Misty replied, trying to kick her brain into gear to see if there was anything else she would need. no sooner had she tried however then the most obvious problem became clear "clothes!" she whined. she didn't particularly want her sisters rummaging around and making a mess of her wardrobe, and she was doubtful they would pay to send them straight to Ash's house, so she was a bit stuck

"what about them?" Ash asked, though of course he knew exactly what the problem was, and had already come to a solution. now it was just simply a matter of breaking it to Misty, and he was actually quite nervous…he didn't know why, there was no need to be, yet he was nonetheless. anyhow there was another little tactic he wanted to try, this being the first opportunity he had to test Misty's infamous temper, and so he decided to try a little jibe to see how she would react

"what do you mean 'what about them'?!" Misty asked in disbelief, and Ash's grin only served to get her a little irritated. she didn't try to stop it though, she never had before and in any case this was the first time she had been able to lose her temper, and the first time her mind had not been occupied with darker secrets. being with Ash again promised to be a lot of fun, but there was no reason not to lose her temper…

"well, that travel cloak thing suits you, and you've probably got enough material on it to make clothes for a month, unless you've put on weight and I haven't noticed. shame if you have, I wouldn't be able to call you scrawny anymore" Ash replied with a wink, bracing himself to dodge should Misty attack him in some way, say…with a mallet

"I have not put on weight!" Misty yelled back "and I'm not scrawny!"

"eheh well what can I say, I can't really see you under that cloak thing" Ash coaxed, "it does suit you though, gives you a kind of…homeless quality" he dodged out of the way as Misty raised a hand warningly, however when he turned to face her again she had gone. he blinked and rubbed his eyes, surely Misty couldn't have hidden herself that quickly, it wasn't possible. everything suddenly went black as something heavy landed on him. it felt leathery, like a coat or something, but it had come from the sky

"err Misty?" Ash asked uncertainly, pulling off of his head what turned out to be Misty's travelling cloak. someone tapped his shoulder from behind and, after Ash had turned a full circle, Misty appeared in front of him.

"ello" she said cheerfully, grinning like a lunatic. she hadn't had a chance to joke or have fun for such a long time, she was really enjoying this.

"whoa" Ash exclaimed, staring. the shock was a little to do with this extraordinary feat that Misty seemed to have accomplished, seemingly disappearing yet the rest was just upon seeing her as, well, her.

"what?" Misty asked, curious at the gaze Ash was now giving her.

"you…you look great" Ash replied, "really great"

"oh…thanks" Misty said, embarrassed, blushing hotly. it was Pikachu who broke the tension that had formed again, and as he spoke Ash nodded in agreement

"right yea, we should probably go now. it's quite a long walk back to Pallet" he said

"but what about my clothes?!" Misty replied, a little irritably but then that was to be expected

"ahh yea sorry I forgot about that" Ash said, scratching the back of his head. this was that bit that had got him nervous for some inexplicable reason, yet he wanted to say it, wanted to offer and so he would, "well don't worry about getting clothes, we can stop at a shop or something on the way"

"but I don't have any money" Misty said, looking at Ash curiously, "how can I buy anything?"

"I'll buy them" Ash replied

"but…but Ash we haven't seen each other in ages, do you always go around lending people money? how do you know I'll pay it back?"

"oh c'mon Mist I know you better than that" Ash replied cheerfully, setting off at a brisk pace down the road, Pikachu on his shoulder and Misty tagging along close behind, "besides who said anything about paying me back, just think of it as my present to you"

"present? what for?" Misty asked, quickening her pace a little until she was walking side by side with Ash, so she could get a good look at him to make sure he wasn't trying to trick her in some way.

"Misty stop trying to find problems with everything!" Ash exclaimed in exasperation, "it's my present to you cos I missed you and I'm really glad I've found you again and I wanna get you something. ok?"

"err…yea, yea thanks…thanks a lot Ash" Misty replied smiling again, one which Ash returned.

chapter 3.

Ash, Misty and Pikachu walked down from the gym and into the town. the way they were going would take them through the city centre, where they could find all the shops they would need and then, heading in the same direction, leave the city at the other end and head towards Pallet town. Misty and Ash talked all the way down, and so happy and content were they in each others company that they didn't really notice the other people out and about that morning, which was probably a good thing, as the gossip definitely seemed to have been spreading. people would cross to the other side of the street, or glance in fear or disgust back at them, or at Misty anyway, as they walked down the street yet they didn't care, they didn't notice. Pikachu kept his ears on the conversation and his eyes on the road and paths, just making sure that no one would come and try to cause trouble. no one did however and they continued on their way unhindered.

around an hour or so later and they were leaving Cerulean city, Misty not having allowed Ash to go overboard on her account and she had managed to fit all of her new clothes into two carrier bags. there was one further development before they had quite left the city however, and it came when Ash asked what all the trouble had been about recently. Misty hadn't answered herself, she hadn't really felt comfortable doing so, and so they stopped at the next newsagents and bought a paper.

"twenty three killings?!" Ash exclaimed in surprise

"huh? no, must be out of date it's…it's twenty-four…as of last night" Misty replied, that familiar sickening feeling in her throat as she remembered. so far since Ash had been back she had managed to forget it, forget everything. she had been herself again, just been the normal Misty and yet now, at the mere mention of what had happened…of what she had done, she was sinking back into the depression that had so occupied her of late.

"hmm…a vampire eh?" Ash said quietly to himself, not sure whether to laugh or be genuinely concerned, "hey Misty you know, if I didn't know you better, I'd say that vampire person was you"
Misty looked at him, and found him gazing at her with a strange look on his face, did he know? he didn't look scared or angry though, didn't look as though he thought her to be disgusting…no, no he couldn't know.
Ash had turned away by this point and was looking through the row of newspapers, looking for an up-to-date copy. he found one and bought it, and then they left the shop. it was only once they were outside the city that Ash spoke again though, and as he did so he stopped and put a hand on Misty's shoulder

"Misty, this photo" he said, pointing to a shot that must have been taken by one of the people on the street last night, "that person looks quite like you ya know, I mean, who else has a coat like that?"

"I dunno, loads of people" Misty replied, on her guard at once and ready to flee. she was fighting back tears too, she didn't want to run, not from him but if he had found out about her then she would have no choice…

"calm down it's ok" Ash said, and there was something soothing about his voice that made Misty relax in spite of herself, "I never said it was you did I? look I just want you to know that if there's anything you want to tell me then you can ok? anything at all, and I'll help you through it, you know that right?"

"…thanks" Misty replied, looking at Ash with an expression that told him more than he knew her words would. she wanted to tell him something, he knew that yet he also knew that she would probably need time for her to come to trust anyone, even him, enough to tell…

"whenever you're ready, but if you don't want to talk about it then that's fine by me, it'll wait" Ash said gently, and then they continued walking.

they were both silent for some time after that, though Ash was just waiting for Misty, to give her time to think things through. Misty was doing a lot of thinking. she was torn between her desires to tell Ash, to share and to accept his help, and her desire to keep him out of it, to keep him safe. above all of that though was a suspicion. she couldn't even be sure that Ash did suspect her, he had certainly not been the deductive type the last time she had seen him, yet that had been a while ago. he had grown there was no doubt about that, grown more attractive but could it be, perhaps, that he had grown in more than just his looks? still, until she was sure then she wouldn't tell him, she couldn't. though if he did, if he had guessed, then she had reason to be grateful to him. he genuinely wanted to help her, he wasn't repulsed by the idea of what she had done, didn't back away or try to turn her in, and she should thank him, she wanted to thank him, but again she had to be sure that this was the case…it was confusing, she would just have to wait and see.

"it's complicated" she said suddenly, and Ash snapped his head around to look at her again. he had not been expecting her to say anything, and if she did then he had thought she would change the subject

"ok…" he said, waiting patiently. they were still walking and making good progress, but again it was Pikachu who had his attention on the road, Ash and Misty had eyes only for each other.

"I cant really explain it…not yet anyway, but I want to, I really do but…but I cant. you can wait cant you?" Misty asked, observing Ash's reactions as closely as he was observing hers.

"as long as it takes for you to feel comfortable" Ash answered with a smile, and cuffed her on the shoulder.

"if…and this is just if, it was me, but it wasn't my fault and I couldn't help it, what would you do?" Misty asked quickly, and then just wished she had kept her mouth shut. she winced, not daring to bring herself to look at Ash yet, in the end, she did. she hadn't managed to keep her eyes off of him since they had met and it was unlikely to change.

"well I'd want to help of course" Ash replied cheerfully, "and no, I wouldn't turn you in or anything. if you said you couldn't help it then I'd believe you, and I'd try to help…but then like you said, this is 'if' it was you anyway"

"oh yea, yea of course" Misty replied, and then the two of them smiled. it was kind of surreal in a way, that they were able to behave like this about such a serious issue, but then that had always been one of the factors that made their relationship special. they had been friends pretty much from the moment they had met, and would continue to be so, they could only grow closer over time and so, if Ash said he would help, then Misty believed him, and vice versa.

the rest of the journey passed, not quickly but not slowly either, and the conversation soon turned back to more light-hearted matters. neither of them would admit it, but they were both afraid of what would happen if their previous line of conversation had developed, if Misty had confessed for example, and so both were keen to move on to one of the many other topics and questions they had for each other, to begin to catch up with what had happened.

"…so why did you come back anyways? I mean, apart from wanting a break, I'd never imagined you to just stop your journey like that" Misty asked, something that had been bugging her for some time now.

"well two other reasons mainly" Ash replied, "You know what the date is?"

"err no, I don't"

"September the first" Ash informed her, giving her a playful pinch

"hey what was that for?!" Misty asked in outrage

"well it's the first of the month isn't it? it's tradition" Ash laughed, but then yelped as Misty thumped him one on the arm "ouch what the hell was that for, that was hard!"

"sorry" Misty replied, trying not to laugh herself, "but it goes pinch punch doesn't it?"

"right…yea it does" Ash replied miserably, rubbing his arm. he stopped however as he felt someone else's hand under his, Misty's gentle fingers carefully massaging the point where she had struck, her hand cool against his skin…

"feel better now?" Misty asked softly. she didn't really know what she was doing to be honest, she just felt a desire to do it and so she did

"yea…yea much better" Ash said, but he placed his hand on top of hers as she made to move away "stay…" he said softly, "I like it"

"what were the reasons?" Misty asked, not moving her hand from Ash's arm as, though she was not sure whether to admit it yet or not, she liked it too

"huh?"

"the reasons you came back, you never finished speaking?" Misty prompted

"oh right" Ash said, suddenly remembering where they had left off the conversation, "firstly it's my birthday on the eighth" he said, grinning at the shocked look on Misty's face "don't worry, I rarely remember it myself"

"ok…ok well I'm gonna get something special for you then" Misty replied, regaining her composure. she and Ash were closer together now than they had realised, standing facing each other with Misty's hand still on Ash's arm and his hand on top of hers "and the other reason?"

"the other reason…" Ash began this was it, this was the real reason he had come back, it just needed the courage to say it "I just came to…to tell 'someone' something"

"tell who what?" Misty asked, unconsciously taking a step closer to him

"to tell…to tell you that…" he was about to say it, it was on the tip of his tongue yet just as the words were about to spill a cars horn sounded on the road behind him and…

"Ash honey you're back! and Misty too, it's lovely to see you both again!"

"hey mom!" Ash called back as the car pulled to a stop next to them

"hop in, I'll give you a lift back, you can tell me about your trip" Mrs Ketchum said

"thanks" Ash replied before turning back to Misty. the two of them had stepped hurriedly apart as the car approached, yet Ash could not let the conversation be left off at that point, he had to give something, some hint.

"I'll tell you later, it'll be better then anyway" he said finally. Misty nodded and they both stepped into the car, taking the back seat next to each other, Misty pulling the door shut behind her.
the car drove off, leaving behind on the road so many things that were left unsaid, so many possibilities…well at least they were not gone for good, and Ash was right, it would be better to say it later, more time to prepare.

chapter 4

the chatter in the car drifted in and out of Misty's ears without her paying much attention. had she and Ash really been that close to each other? had all of that really happened or had she just dreamt it. certainly it was the stuff of dreams, and she had never imagined herself to be in that position again, not since she and Ash had parted the last time.

"and how are you Misty dear? I hear there's been some trouble in Cerulean" came Mrs Ketchum's voice, floating into earshot and Misty blinked a few times before answering

"err I'm fine…fine thanks Mrs Ketchum" she stammered. looking around the car Misty caught Ash's glance and he winked. Misty quickly drew her glance away and sat back in the chair, blushing. had she been paying more attention, she may have heard Mrs Ketchum chuckle as she observed the two through the rear-view mirror, noting Ash's wink and Misty's shying away.

"so Ash honey what have you been doing on your travels?" she asked

"same old really. battling people, winning the battles…"

"just like normal then" Misty whispered quietly, or so she thought, but the rest of the car was also quite quiet and her voice carried further than she would have liked, reaching the ears of Ash and even Mrs Ketchum and still just audible. Ash spluttered over the rest of his sentence, also blushing a little now.

"and what about the rest?" Mrs Ketchum pushed, "has my grown up boy found a girlfriend yet?" she had to fight back laughing. it must be some natural mothering instinct to embarrass your son in front of the girl he like she presumed, least ways she had certainly managed that as Ash went bright red, but also more as he glanced quickly at Misty too, she glancing quickly back. the two met each other's eyes, and it seemed as though what ever was going to be said earlier had just passed between them in that snap second. they smiled briefly before both turning and looking at the floor. Mrs Ketchum smiled too and proceeded to go off about life in Pallet, asking the occasional question though not expecting an answer, and she didn't leave any time for them either. so the remnant of the journey passed, and in a couple of hours they were back, pulling into the drive at Ash's house in Pallet town.
everything was quiet and peaceful as they stepped out of the car as it always was in Pallet town. it was so out of the way, the prospect of gossip reaching here from Cerulean was minimal and as Misty realised this she felt a weight lift from her shoulders. she took a deep breath of the cool, clean air and stretched. perhaps here she would get better, perhaps here she would be able to at least forget all that had been happening. of course, she knew she only had a few days before her thirst began to rise again, before she would need to hunt again for a new victim, and that worried her. she didn't want to bring pain to the people of Pallet, least of all to Ash, but would she really be able to stop herself when the time came?

"c'mon Misty, let's go inside" came Ash's voice, and then he was at her side again, smiling that warm smile with those twinkling hazel eyes… well, she could ignore it for a while. better to try and make the most of the time she had, to enjoy herself for once, and so she would. it would come of course, the time would come when she would become a danger to everyone again, but she had made up her mind what she would do now, so better to make the most of the good times whilst they lasted. she was with Ash, after a few years apart they were finally back again. he had an effect on her now that she had never known before; enticing, intoxicating – something strange yet wonderful at the same time and it made her feel all warm and bubbly inside. her daylight sickness she had pretty much forgotten about already, it just didn't seem to exist when she was around him.

"err Misty? earth to Misty!" came Ash's voice again, and this time he succeeded in snapping Misty back to reality.

"huh?"

"shall we go in?" Ash asked again, looking at Misty with an amused expression on his face. Mrs Ketchum had already gone inside and was now watching the two from the kitchen window, discretely of course. Pikachu had gone inside too, the prospect of the first decent meal for goodness knows how long making his stomach rumble. he was surprised that it was not doing the same to Ash, it normally would have done, only now Ash seemed to desire something else above food, which was probably why he and Misty were still standing outside now.

"oh right…yea sorry" Misty replied, blushing, before following Ash towards the house. she stopped him on the doorstep though, looking him in the eyes as she asked a question that had begun bugging at her "Ash you're sure you don't mind me staying? I mean I don't want…"

"Misty you wont get in the way!" Ash said, grinning broadly "and I 'would' mind if you weren't here. listen I wanted to tell you something for ages now, and I almost managed it back there on the road… anyway I don't want to say it now, I wanna save it for a special occasion but even if I didn't…even if there wasn't this thing I wanted to say then I'd still want you here cos you're my best friend"

"thanks" Misty replied, smiling again. she had been smiling so much that day that her jaw was beginning to ache, yet she would do it anyway simply because it was the most natural way of showing how she felt at the moment "hey that special occasion…"

"it'll come when it comes" Ash replied simply

"hmm that's deep" Misty commented, giving him a sideways glance, "any more enlightening observations you feel like sharing brother Ketchum?" she laughed. Ash did too but there was one thing nagging at him, but those three words he had resolved to keep for the special occasion whenever that would be, and so, as much as he wanted to share it, he kept his mouth shut.