May lied alone in her bed, the soft covers wrapped tightly around her frail figure, clinging to every curve and sharp edge encompassing her fragile body. A single ray of light trickled into the dark room through a crack in the closed blinds, illuminating the light pink blanket on the mattress, which was embroidered with pastel yellow Beautifly that her mom had stitched on when she was a mere child. May tossed in her bed, her sheets rustling softly against each other as her body turned to the side. Her stomach growled painfully, but she used all her willpower to ignore it by biting her tongue, doing anything, just to take her mind off of the subject of eating.

In the past, May had always eaten just as much as Ash, which was to say that she had a ferocious appetite. However, after separating from the group to travel alone in Johto, May began to feel more pressure from her rivals and the audiences about her appearance-so she began purging. Day after day, her body grew more and more weak, until finally she had to be hospitalized in the Violet City Pokemon Center, which was where she was today.

A brisk knock came from the door, and May didn't even bother to look up as another nurse came in to check her vitals. "Feeling okay, sweetheart?" The nurse asked, concern lacing her voice. May didn't respond, gritting her teeth and her stomach growled yet again. The nurse's eyes were full of pain, but she finished taking vitals and walked out. May sighed. How long would this go on before they would have to force-feed her? She swallowed audibly and tried to focus on something else.

Another, much feebler knock came to her door. This one was much different than the nurse's ordinary knock, so she looked up and waited, staring intensely at the door. What if it was her parents? She couldn't bear to face them, or any of her friends, for that matter. The door opened slowly, and a raven-haired boy peeked in, his face a mask of complete concern. May hadn't seen that face in almost a year.

"Ash?" She croaked out, hoping that her eyes weren't deceiving her. To have Ash come all the way from Kalos, just to see her… No, she couldn't think of it. To disrupt him from his journey would just be another burden she would have to carry.

The boy stepped inside and carefully closed the door. He turned around, and his eyes gleamed a dark shade of brown, laced to the brim with worry. "May! I came as soon as I heard. Are you okay? I was so worried about you…" he spoke softly, but his voice was filled with fear. He knelt down to the side of the bed and looked May deeply in the eyes, and without thinking took her hands in his. "I'm so sorry about this. This must be a nightmare for you. I should have asked how you were eating when I called you every month, but it just slipped my mind. I'm so sorry, May…" Ash's voice broke, and he wiped tears away from his eyes with his sleeve.

"Oh, Ash! Please don't be sorry, none of this is your fault. It's all mine… to think that because of me you had to leave your dream to come here, and everyone had to stop what they were doing just to check on me… I feel awful." May stated, her voice weak. She felt like all she did was burden everyone, and now, she had even brought down her best friend with her...

"No." Ash grasped her hands more tightly, staring intently into her eyes. May blushed unwillingly, startled by his determination. "None of this is your fault, May. None of it. You did absolutely nothing wrong! To have an eating disorder… that must be horrible, May. I'm so sorry. But please don't blame yourself. I wanted more than anything to see you again-I was planning on coming over to check on you anyway. You didn't ruin my dream at all, May."

She blushed. He had wanted to see her more than anything? Could it be that-no. Ash was just passionate about his friends, and that was it. She didn't know what to say. In fact, she didn't know if she could say anything-tears were running down her cheeks, and her throat was closing up.

"Oh, May…" Ash's eyes were laced with pain as he brought his hands up to wipe away her tears, brushing her skin softly under her eyes. He seemed genuinely concerned with how she was feeling, not just putting on a facade like her rivals did. "It's going to be okay. I promise." For the first time in months, she smiled.

"Ash...promise that you won't leave me?" She whispered, tears still streaming down her face. Ash looked deeply into her eyes, determination glinting in his own.

"Never." He promised, before leaning in and giving her a tight hug. She wrapped her arms around him, still sobbing, and just cried into his chest for what seemed like hours. Time seemed to be a fake concept-she wasn't sure how much time had passed, but it was even darker out when they finally broke apart, the light that was coming from the blinds finally fading away entirely. May realized that with Ash, she felt safe. With him, she could eat as much as she wanted, say what she wanted, and be who she wanted, without worrying at all.

She startled him by pulling him into another hug, but he complied within seconds, hugging her back passionately. "Don't worry, May," he said softly, "everything's going to be okay." She nodded. For once, it actually felt like that was true.

Ash was her safe haven.