Admitting The Obvious

By Megan Koepp

As our heroes are on their way to get another badge, they decide to set up camp fo rthe nigh in a clearing in the forest that they were passing through.

After dinner, & after Ash & Misty got done washing the dishes, they decided to go to bed so that they could make it to the next town by lunch time. Brock was the first one to fall asleep followed by Ash & Misty.

Ash found it hard to fall asleep. No matter how he tried, he couldn't sleep. Ash knew the reason why too. He couldn't sleep because he had Misty on his mind. He wanted to tell her how he felt so badly that he felt like he would explode if he didn't tell her soon. But of course the fear of rejection got the best of him, so he kept it to himself. He figured that since he couldn't sleep, he'd go for a walk to try to clear his mind.

As he walked through the forest, he came across a clifff that had a beautiful view of the rest of the forest. He saw a big tree, so he decided that I'd be a good place to sit & think.

Sigh "What am I going to do? I can't tell her. I want to so badly, but I can't. there's no way she could feel the same way. I still own her a bike. Plus if it doesn't work out, it could destroy our friendship." Ash thought to himself while quietly saying it out loud to himself & looking up at the stars.

About 10 minutes after Ash left, Misty woke up. She looked over to where Ash was suppose to be sleeping, but when she looked over there he was gone. She then thought that he probably got up to go to the bathroom. So she just layed there in her sleeping bag looking at the stars, waiting for Ash to return. She had noticed that he was acting kind of distracted the last few days, but she thought that it was because of his up coming battle. But she couldn't help but be worried about him a little.

"I hope Ash is okay. Maybe I could help him get over whatever is bugging him, that is, if he's willing to tell me."

After about 10 minutes went by, she started to get worried about him since he was still not back. So she then decided that she would go find him, also to make sure nothing bad had happened to him. Misty got up, put on her shoes & started her search to find Ash.

As she walked through the forest, she came to the same cliff that had a beautiful view of the rest of the forest as Ash had. She didn't know that Ash was there sitting in the tree, & neither did Ash until he looked down & saw her. He was shocked to see her there & was stunned by how beautiful she looked as the moonlight hit her just right, making her fiery red hair shine. She was sitting down by the cliff, enjoying the view.

'She looks so beautiful.' Ash thought to himself.

"Couldn't sleep either?" Ash asked, startling her a little, & due to her shock, he almost fell out of the tree.

She looked up at him, she was about to yell at him, but decided against it since it was so late.

"I was worried that some thing bad happened to you when you weren't at the campsite when I woke up. I waited 10 minutes, just in case you were going to the bathroom, but you didn't return. So why are you up instead of sleeping?" Misty asked as she walked to the tree.

"Just got something on my mind at's stressing me out." Ash replied, not looking at her.

"Can I come up?" Misty asked

"Well there's not much room up here, but sure, you can come up if you want to."

As Misty was climbing up, she got stuck & needed Ash's help up. As Ash was helping her up, her hand in his, he was trying to keep Misty from noticing him blush. Her hand was so soft to the touch. He was in a trance as he was staring at her.

'Her hand feels like an angel's hand. It's so soft.'

"Ash! Earth to Ash!"

"Huh?" Ash said snapping out of the trance.

"You going to help me up or not?!"

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry about that."

After Misty got up, sinc e there was only a liitle room up there, she sat extremely close to Ash. Ash was incredibly nervious at how close she was to him. He wanted to just wrap his arms around her & kiss her right there & then.

"Is it about your upcoming Gym battle that's bugging you?"

"Huh? Oh, no. it's not that. It's just…it's…nothing, don't worry about it. Why are you up? You look tired. Now that you know I'm okay, you should go back to camp & sleep." Ash replied.

"Well, I won't be able to sleep knowing that something's worrying you. And plus, I know it's nothing if it's keeping you up." she said with a determination in her vioce to stay with him. "You're usually snoring & sound asleep by now, but instead you're awake."

He looked down at the ground; he knew that he couldn't keep anything from her for long, except for how he felt, but even then how much longer he could keep that hidden.

"How about I ask you some Yes or No questions & you answer them truefully?" "Do I have to?" Ash said complainingly.

"Yes, you do. Plus it might help to get whatever's on your mind off your mind if you talked to somebody."

"Fine." Ash said. 'But why did it have to be you?'

"does it have anything to do with Brock or Pikachu?"

"No."

"Does it have to do with Pokemon at all?"

"No."

"How about the time it takes us to travel from one place to another, since we keep getting lost?"

"No. I don't mind being lost or it taking a while to get to the next gym. It gives me time to train & become a stronger trainer."

"Does it have to do with….me?"

"If I answer anymore questions, will you promise not to slap me or anything like that?"

"I promise."

"Okay, then yes." he said turning away from her.

"Was it something I said or did to you?"

"Niether." He turn back to face her as he answered.

Misty then thought. She was going to ask him a personal question.

"Does it have anything to do with feelings?"

At that he turned bright red & turned away from her again to hide his blush.

"Y-y-yes. It-it does."

"Is there something you want to tell me Ash?" she said turning him around to face her & so he would look her in they eyes when he spoke. But he was looking down or passed her instead of right at her.

"Yes. I…I…I just can't tell you Mist." With that said, Ash climbed down and sat near the edge of the cliff with his knees up & his face buried in his arms.

'Mist? Since when did I have a nickname? It does sound kinda cute though, like a pet name or something.' Misty thought while blushing a little. She then climbed down and stooped a few feet away from Ash. She wanted to cheer him up. She also thought she knew what was on his mind & hoped that she was right. She was trying to decide what she should do. Give him a massage, a hug, or maybe… she should turn him around & kiss him. But if she was wrong, it could ruin their friendship, but if she was right, then he'd be happy as well as her being happy. It was a 50/50 chance.

She then walked over behind him, sat down & wrapped her arms around him.

This surprised him. She never hugged him before. Not that he minded the hug. When he turned around to ask her why she had hugged him, she kissed his stunned lips. Ash didn't know what to do. So much was running through his head at that moment that he ended up falling limp in her arms & melted into the kiss.

Misty noticed this and was happy the he felt the same way as she did for him. But she decided not to break the kiss.

After the kiss was broken, Ash just stared at her. Still wrapped in her arms. 'What should I do now? She feels the same way? How long?' so much was running through his head.

"But I thought you were folloing me around cause you wanted your bike back." Ash said out loud, not meaning for her to hear him. 'Now she's going to think I'm a stupid idiot or something like that.'

"Well at first, when you stole my bike, I was mad at you & for about two days I stayed mad at you about the bike." Misty then smiled. "But then I got to know you, & I sort of…fell for you. I also wanted you to think that I was just following for you around for the bike, to hide my true feelings. I would've told you sooner, but I thought that you hated me or thought I was a scrawny annoying girl that was just following you around to get a stupid bike back. Plus I tought you hated me because of all the times I insulted you & got into fights with you."

"No, never. Well, at first I thought you were kinda annoying the first days because you kept nagging me about the bike." Ash then grinned. "But then before I knew it, my reasons for wanting to become a Pokemn Master changed. No longer did I want to follow in my father's footsteps, I wanted to impress you. Then, after I found out that you were a gym leader, I thought that I had to prove that I was worht your affection. So I tried even harder to impress you with my Pokemon skills. I admit that some of insults did hurt, but I'm thankful because some of them helped me become a better trainer. Heck, when you pulled me out of the river, when I first opened my eyes, I thought you were an angel at first. I didn't tell you how I felt because I didn't tell you how I felt sooner cause I was scare of rejection. I thought that you hated me too, because of us constantly fighting & insulting each other all the time. I know it sounds stupid, but I sometimes felt that our fights brought us closer together." Ash said while twittering he's thumbs nervously.

"that's not stupid at all. In fact, I felt the same way. That's why I started them sometimes." she said innocently.

"Same here. Sometimes I got us lost on prepose, so that I could train to become stronger and… so I could… spend more time with you. " Ash said blushing madly.

Then they both started to laugh at the irony of their situation. Both of them loved each other since the start, but were too scared to tell the other how they felt because they thought that the other one didn't & could never be able to feel the same way.

They decided to cuddle & talk for a while, while they were looking at the stars.

"I wonder how Brock is going to react when he finds out?" Ash wondered.

"he'll probably be jealous cause you have a girlfriend & he doesn't." Misty said giggling.

"You're probably right Mist." Ash said also laughing.

"When am I ever wrong?" Misty asked.

"Umm…no comment." Ash replied.

Misty then playfully punched Ash in the arm. Then they playfully wrestled, both trying to pin the other one down. Ash pinned Misty on the ground, but Misty had a secret weapon, she faked an injury so Ash would put his guard down. When he did, Misty took the opportunity to pin him down.

"I win." Misty shrieked.

"No fair, you tricked me!You said you were hurt."

"I lied so that you would put your guard down. You know I won fair & square."

"Fine, you win this time."

"Now time for my reward." With that said, Misty leanded down & kissed Ash. With Misty's grip loosened, he wrapped his arms around her. Without realizing it, they rolled over so that Ash was on top & Misty was on the bottom. They continued to kiss passionately for a good while before they broke the kiss.

After about a half hour of making-out, they were getting tired, so they decide that they were too tired to walk back to camp, so they decided to fall asleep where they were laying down, since it was a warm night too.

Before they were about to fall asleep, they looked into each others eyes. Ash felt like he could just lose himself in her blue-green eyes. Misty could sense how much Ash loved her as she looked into his soft chocolate brown eyes.

"I love you Ash." Misty said cuddling closer to Ash.

"I love you too Misty." Ash replied before Misty fell asleep in his arms. Ash then fell asleep, happy that he finally told Misty how he felt about her, & happy that she felt the same way as he did.

The End