Decemberance

Misty sat aside from the other customers in the coffee shop. It was a rather dull Saturday morning compared to the usual chaotic rush of graduates and joggers. Someone had hosted an all-night party down the block, no doubt. Misty sipped at her coffee, staring listlessly out the window. Traffic was busy as usual, thought not as frenzied as on weekdays. Parents would be taking their kids out to the park: flying kites, throwing Frisbees, falling off playground structures and breaking their bones... another sip. I never did that stuff with Mom and Dad, Misty thought glumly. I never even knew them. I only had Daisy, Violet, and Lily. Stinking older sisters. She took an extra-long sip.

Ching. The miniature bell that hung from the shop door chimed, signaling the entrance of another customer. Probably a regular, Misty thought, turning towards the sound.

It wasn't. The new arrival was a dark-haired, lanky young man who looked about twenty - Misty's age. He sauntered in casually and let the door swing shut behind him as he observed the room. A black leather jacket hung loosely from his broad-shouldered frame, partially hiding the several Pokeballs clipped to his belt, devices used for carrying Pokemon around. He was a Pokemon trainer, then: someone who cared for and trained the animal-like Pokemon to fight in battles. Intrigued, Misty cocked her head and stared at him curiously. Had they met somewhere? He seemed so oddly familiar. To her horror, his eyes rested on her, and their gazes locked. Smiling, he slid into the seat opposite from hers.

"Misty." The familiar-looking stranger spoke her name with absolute confidence. A small smile quirked his mouth. "Don't you remember me?"

Misty's thoughts were in a whirl. Had she met him at a public appearance? Battled him? Received any fan letters from him? Been stalked?

Wait. Wait a second. Her eyes flickered over him. Black, spiky hair... a young, boyish look about him... it might be, even though it looked like he had grown, but how could it...? No. This couldn't... this couldn't be. Misty stared dumbly at the face that had haunted her for so long in her dreams. If this was... no... he would be around this age and this height... Ho-oh, who else would this be...?!

Something clicked, and she was in motion.

"You. Outside." The stranger had barely any time before Misty dragged him out the door and away from prying ears. She glanced around them one last time before she said, "Ash?"

"Yes."

"You idiot!" Misty backed him to the wall, gripping his collar tightly in her fist. "I am this close to smashing you head in!" She caught her breath, "What. Is. Wrong with you? You disappear for, what, seven years, without leaving behind even a hint of where you've gone, and now you just... just randomly show upin my life? What kind of a - You had better have a good reason, Ash Ketchum!"

"I don't have one."

Misty stared at him, slightly confused. "What?"

He chuckled, making Misty nearly blush. "I knew that would work."

"When did you become such a creep?" she muttered.

"You don't want to know."

Misty flashed a glance at him, but the expression in his face had already fled. Her grip on him loosened while she watched his every movement like a Pidgeot. He simply smiled. "I was gone... because I had things to take care of."

Frustration bubbled up in her again. "What? What things? You disappear for seven years, you make me wait for you for seven years to do what?" Misty felt her voice crack. "I waited for you. I tried calling,I wrote emails, I searched, I asked the police, and yet I didn't get a single text message. Do you know how much I worried? Do you know what you did to me, to your mom, to everyone you abandoned that day? What have you been freaking doing?" Without thinking, she slapped him. Shame rose in her throat as she realized what she had just done. An apology started to form at her lips, but his icy look stopped her, and she froze.

It suddenly struck her how different he was from before. That hotheaded, idiotic, immature, childish, petty, insignificant little scrawny little kid had somehow disappeared. In his place stood someone whose smile could make her indomitable will waver and whose words could cut as sharp as a Razor Wind. Somewhere along the road, the child had given in to this... stranger... and she couldn't see him anymore, not like she used to. Worst of all was that he seemed to know her so well, and yet she hardly knew him at all.

Ash's eyes flickered with something she had never seen before: something dark and dangerous, wild.

"You want to know what I've been doing?" He stepped closer. Misty could swear he was trembling - whether with fear or rage, she couldn't tell. "What do you want to believe, Misty?" he said quietly. A cold smile formed on his lips. "Would you rather believe pretty lies or ugly ones? You do have a choice. Would you want me to tell you that I've found my father, become a millionaire, and I want you to marry me? Or," he drawled on, "would you rather have me tell you that I'm broke, friendless, and I've come to you for money because I spent it all on women? Or," he held up a hand before she could speak, "would you like to hear the truth?"

Misty simply stood there and stared at him. "When did you become like this?"

"Do you want me to tell you?" Something in his tone made her flinch, as if he'd somehow struck her. "Do you want to hear it? It doesn't matter if you're willing to believe. Only if you're willing to hear."

She nodded numbly. She would probably regret it for the rest of her life.

From the Authoress:
Hello, all of my readers. I've been getting very good feedback recently, so I've already started my second chapter!
I'm so glad that so many people enjoy the first chapter, so I promise to make the second chapter even more pwnsome. It's already turning out to be more than twice as long as the first, so expect good results. Even if I finish it this weekend (it's Martin Luther King Jr. weekend of '09 as I am typing this) I'm planning to publish it sometime near a week from now, just so I can squeeze some more reviews out of you guys...

Just kidding. I can't wait to publish it, so I'll probably end up giving in early. The next chapter is called Frost Bite for some odd reason that I can't fathom (except for the fact that all of my chapter names have to do with winter). I really don't know where I'm getting all of this stuff from. It's amazing.

See you after I finish Chapter 2!

~Shan Hu Hai

UPDATE: I just finished the second chapter! Yes!