Sorry this took so long to get here, I have been on holiday to Portugal, where I had access to my laptop but not the internet. So I have 13 chapters of this written up, and I do promise that they will get better (writing wise) as I go on.

So in this chapter we see the start of the shipping already, and Ash and May perhaps getting along?

Enjoy!


May was curled up on the stone floor, with her hair covering her face. She breathed lightly as she slept, and Ash watched her. He hadn't been able to sleep himself, because all he could think of was her. They'd only known each other for six days, and he was already getting these feelings. These stupid feelings that were... illegal.

They'd been in the same cell for four days, and they hadn't spoken much. He'd figured that May was a stubborn, hard to understand girl. He couldn't completely figure her out, as much as he wanted to.

"Hey."

Ash rose his head slowly, and looked to the person addressing him. It was the same guard that had moved Misty into his cell five days earlier. He wore a tired frown and sympathetic eyes.

"Hey..." Ash replied, and stood.

"Harley sent me to get her."

Ash became suddenly defensive, and stepped in front of her. Harley hadn't asked for her since Ash had made the sink explode. Also, he must have been scared, since he hadn't come himself.

"I don't want any violence, Ash. He's not going to... do anything to her. He just needs to take a blood sample. I promise."

By this time, May was waking. She noticed Ash standing defensively in front of her, and the guard speaking to him. If she had of been a water type, she might have blushed or felt love. Instead, she couldn't even feel gratitude.

If he can't feel anything either, why is he doing this?

Then, Ash stepped aside, and the guard walked in. May was filled with an instant terror, and wished he would protect her again.

The guard took hold of her arm, and she recognized instantly that he was fire, an unusual person to have down here. She felt relieved, but still worried. She turned to Ash with fear in her eyes.

"Don't worry, it's just a blood test. If it's not, I'll tear this place apart."

The guard guided May out of the room and locked the door behind him. Ash put his hands on his head and sighed as he slumped against the wall.

What are these things I'm feeling? It's not right...

Half an hour later, May reappeared. A different guard had her now, and she had the same look as she always did when someone else touched her. Ash stood and walked to the bars to greet her.

The guard opened the cell door. Ash stepped back and opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off when the guard pushed May inside, and she crashed into him harshly. They fell backwards onto the floor as he locked the door and disappeared.

May lay on top of him for a moment, with her arms tangled with his. As they collided, she'd been hit with a wave of emotion. Except this time, it wasn't pain or disgust. It was like someone had switched a light on on her head, and revealed the truth. She felt butterflies in her stomach, and her heart sped up. Her cheeks were burning up as she pushed herself up slightly and stared down at him. As she leaned on all fours above him, he pushed himself up until he was sitting up, then stared into her eyes. He wondered why she hadn't backed away yet, but really, the answer was simple. She was shocked by her own feelings and how quickly they came on. She fought back the sudden urge to embrace him, knowing it was illegal, and he would hate it.

Finally she pushed back and leaned against the wall, her breathing heavy. Her eyes were wide as she stared off at the wall and tried to pull herself together. Ash stayed sitting where he was, feeling the same thing he'd been feeling since he saw her, and still not being able to understand what it was.

Calm down, May, calm down. May spoke to herself in her thoughts. This can't be happening, it's not right. It's illegal. Nobody... Nobody can fall in love with another element. Nobody. Oh, what am I going to do? I can't even look at him. She dared a glance at him, and felt butterflies in her stomach, and nothing else. She had suddenly fallen head over heels for a water boy.

"You alright, May?" Ash asked her out of the blue. "You look a bit 'out of it.'"

"I-I'm fine." She stuttered, not even sure how to reply to him anymore.

"Are you... Missing your family or something?"

"Yeah... that's it." May agreed, though she was lying. "I wasn't really close with most of my friends but the ones that I was close to, I really miss." She continued the lie, making it stronger. He nodded.

"May, why do you shut people out?" He asked her, making sure he didn't make eye contact with her.

"Huh?" May said, looking up at him. What does he mean by that?

"I've noticed that you don't let people get close to you. That boy, you shut him out. You shut out the friendly guards, you wont accept their help. You shut me out, you don't accept my help."

May was taken aback. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

"I... I don't need anybody's help." She answered when she found words. "I can handle things myself."

May then shuffled herself away from the wall and curled up on the floor. She was still shocked at the fact that she was getting these feelings. She didn't know why she was getting them, or how long they would stay, but she knew that she couldn't do anything about it.

"It's cold." She grumbled under her breath. She saw Ash stir out the corner of her eye and knew he'd heard her.

Ash shuffled over to her side, but she didn't look up. She wouldn't give in and acknowledge him, as much as her heart told her to.

But a shiver ran down her spine as she felt him curl up too, but close to her, touching her. A blush turned her face crimson. He almost wrapped his body around hers.

This can't seriously be happening...


The next morning, May woke first. They couldn't tell whether it was day or night, but May decided it was day, since all the guards were awake and alert. She slowly sat up, and looked around. She stopped breathing for a brief moment when she saw Ash sleeping peacefully on the floor where she'd just been.

She blushed again. Last night, when she'd said she was cold, he'd gone to warm her up. He was only being nice, of course. However May felt something else, like she never wanted to leave her side. But, of course, she didn't need anyone else's help, and she didn't need love.

Looking back down, she saw Ash stir. He slowly opened one eye and looked up at her. He kept the same frown on his face as he noticed her.

He stood up quickly, and brushed himself off. He wore a serious look, that almost scared her. He walked over to the bars as a familiar guard walked past.

I can't take this anymore. Ash thought to himself as he walked over. I can hardly control myself... I need to get far away from her...

"Hey." He called the guard over. The boy walked over to the bars, glancing right and left to check no one was watching.

"I can't take this place anymore." Ash started. The guard listened without saying a word.

"I need you to get our stuff for us. I know you don't like it here more than me, so come with us if you like. We'll need you to get our Pokemon, and the rest of our stuff. I'll try to... break something to distract everyone. You'll be able to sneak in."

May was suddenly alert, but not excited. The guard seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then nodded quickly.

"I'll wait for your signal." He said and walked off into the other room again. May stood and walked over to Ash's side.

"Ash, are we leaving?"

"Yes. I can't stay in this place any longer, I'm going mad." He said, shaking his head. More like mad over you...

May was asking him something else, but he blocked her voice out. He concentrated fully on the sink that Harley had fixed up. It felt as if in his mind, he was completely crushing the sink, using his bare hands. In the real world, nothing was happening.

Ash's eyes flashed bright blue, and the sink exploded again.

He felt a sense of pride for a moment, but it soon passed when guards stormed into the room along with an angry Harley screaming orders.

I wonder if I can...

Ash focused his attention on the sprinklers now, and in a second, they were on. The water sprayed down on everyone in the other room as they screamed at each other.

In the chaos, the guard managed to slip through easily, with Ash and May's pokeballs in his pocket. Putting his arm through the bar, he handed May her bag, Pokemon and phone, and Ash his bag and Pokemon. May checked that all of her stuff was there, while Ash pulled out what would be helpful and threw the bag aside. It would only be a burden.

May clipped the bag around her waist conveniently and waited for the guard to unlock the door. Once he had, May was out in a second, running down the long corridor with Ash hot on her heels. They reached the bottom and she turned abruptly, almost slipping on the floor. Behind her, someone was following. She hadn't checked if Ash was following, and part of her was scared for him.

Then she saw the stairs, and her heart filled with joy. The stairs led outdoors, where she could run in the grass, see Pokemon, and eventually return to her family.

May raced up them, clambering two at a time until she burst into the sunshine. She didn't stop running. Instead, she kept sprinting into the forest on the opposite side of the room. She could hear Harley screaming from inside the hell hole, and wouldn't be able to rest until she knew he wouldn't find her.

It didn't sound like anyone was following her anymore.

There's a clearing there.

May emerged into the clearing and collapsed on the grass. She lay back, feeling the soft grass beneath her.

She composed herself and sat up. She was so hungry, she'd just have to eat. Before she got the time to grab any berries, she was hit by a new pain. She couldn't see Ash anywhere. What if Harley had taken him again? What if they killed him?

"Ash?" She called out, but nobody replied. It was dangerous to be calling, when people would be looking for her, but she didn't care.

"Ash?!" She shouted again. She heard someone shouting from close by, and set off running again. She had hardly been resting for five minutes.

She pushed through bushes and plants, some cutting at her bare arms. She pranced over a fallen log into another clearing and stopped to catch her breath. She was too worried about Ash to notice the scratches and blood on her arm.

"May!"

May's head shot back up at the sound of her name and she almost tripped over herself as she barrelled to where she'd heard it, just a few feet away. She knew it was him already, but when she saw him and it was confirmed, she couldn't help but grin. Before he had time to notice her, she spread her arms and wrapped them around him.

She forgot all about the fact that he was a water type.

He froze as he felt her arms around him. It was the first time anyone of a different type had ever touched him, rather than him touching them. A blush formed on his face and she quickly moved away. He turned around to look at her and noticed her ashamed face.

"Sorry, I forgot..." She apologized sadly. Ash didn't need an apology; He liked it.

"You don't need to apologize." Ash said with a laugh. "It doesn't bother me."

He placed his arms around her and pulled her in again. She rested against him and blushed bright red.

"Friends?" Ash asked, as he pulled away from her. Her heart skipped a beat. Was it possible?

"Friends..." She repeated, "I'd love that. I admit, I can't do this alone..."

Ash nodded. "Neither can I."

"But," May started, and grabbed his arm to stop him from walking away, "How do we get along? It doesn't make any sense..."

"... I don't know, but it doesn't really matter, does it?" Ash asked, glaring at her. "But we can't be seen together, or we'll be arrested."

"What a stupid law." May muttered. Now she had a reason to be against that law.

"Yeah..."

"So, um... Where are we going?" May asked, suddenly feeling nervous around him.

"I thought you'd want to save the others still."

"I do!" May quickly retaliated. "But we can't just walk back in there and take them out."

"Right. So what's the plan?"

"... I think we should go back to Sunyshore city."

"Back to Sunyshore? But if people see us together, we'll be separated."

And now, suddenly, Ash and May were a team. They both wanted the same thing, to release the other children and teens. That wasn't the only reason that May didn't want to be separated from Ash. The other reason was that she was falling in love with him, quicker than she could understand. Even if she didn't fully feel it yet, the fact that they could not be together was killing her inside.

"How will they know our element, if we wear sunglasses?" May finally answered after thinking for a few seconds.

Ash shook his head.

"But what if they recognize you, or me, or both of us? It's too dangerous, I don't want you taken away and locked up somewhere else."

Yeah, that would give you more work, wouldn't it?

"Ash..." May said, with her voice cracking. "I can't go anywhere alone. If Harley finds me... I don't even want to know what he would have done if you hadn't choked him that day..."

"Hey, it's okay." Ash said, and wrapped his arms around her again. Even he was surprised with how close they were getting suddenly.

"I won't let him touch you."

"Do you think we should wait until tomorrow to go into Sunyshore, then?" May asked as she pulled away. "I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted..."

"Okay, we can stay here." Ash said, and lowered himself to sit on the grass. May joined him.

"Don't worry, it won't get cold tonight. It'll still be pretty warm." He reassured her as he noticed her worrying.

It's as if he reads my mind.

"Ash, you're a water type, and I'm a fire type. So how come I can talk to you, and I... I can feel happy around you?"

Ash was taken aback for a second.

"You feel happy around me?"

May blushed furiously. Her eyes wandered, trying not to meet his. Of course, he was so unobservant that he didn't notice how flustered she was.

"Well yeah. How does that work?"

"I don't know. Maybe we're the first people of different elements to like each other."

May giggled. "You like me?"

Now it was Ash's turn to blush, and he smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, you're nice, and I do need your help."

May nodded seriously.

"Ash, tell me about yourself." She commanded him lightly, and placed her face in her hands as she prepared to listen.

"Myself? Um, well, my mom is the water ruler, but my brother is two years older than me so he'll be the ruler, not me. I'm kind of glad that he'll take over that, and not me."

"Anyway, there's one thing that bothers me. My family, they have this stupid tradition, where they choose who their sons or daughters marry. I told my mom that I wasn't going to do it, and we argued. The last thing that I said to her was that I hated her, but I didn't mean it. I just hate the stupid tradition."

May felt her heart drop. She knew that she had no chance, but this made it even worse. Ash's mom was going to choose him a girl, and he would have to marry her when he was older.

"So, your turn now."

May blinked a few times, but she'd been expecting him to say that. So, she thought about it for a moment, then spoke.

"Well, I'm going to be the fire ruler, maybe even next year. I don't want to be, because I don't think I'll make a good leader at all. I can't even listen to people, not properly anyway."

"Also, I can't accept other peoples help, usually. I block other people out, because I'm scared that one day, I'll have to leave them, and it'll break my heart. It's a pathetic thing to be scared of, I know. I'm not even that close to my family anymore. I have a few friends that I completely trust, and that's it."

"May, being afraid of losing people isn't pathetic."

"I think it is. So I'm going to make it up to my dad. He does try so hard for me." May said with a smile. Ash offered his own smile in return and asked;

"Where do you live?"

"Hoenn. You?"

"Kanto."

"Kanto's really far from here."

"Yeah, but it won't take long to get back."

Since neither Ash nor May had known what time it was whilst they were trapped, they didn't know what time it was then. When they'd emerged it had been light, but not too light. Now it was growing dark, it was maybe around 9pm.

"I think we should get some sleep, even if it's early." May said, and curled up on the grass. It wasn't comfortable, but it was more comfortable than being in those cells.

Now that Ash and May were friends, Ash didn't have to be scared about touching her; She didn't mind it anymore. So he curled up beside her and almost wrapped himself around her. She rested her head on his chest and he blushed slightly.

"Sweet dreams, Ash." She muttered quietly before drifting off to sleep.


May was walking, walking on and on. Oh, but she wasn't walking, she was running. She ran down a curved corridor, a frantic look on her face. She was in Harley's place, in his cabin, underground. What was she doing there?

Harley was there himself, curled up in the corner, not moving, just weeping. He was just sitting there, feeling bad. He had caused so much shit, how could he forgive himself? He would never be accepted by anyone ever again. He ignored the brunette running past him. He knew what she was going to do, and he knew he caused her pain too.

May felt as if her heart was no longer beating, her mind went completely blank. She was so worried, so scared, that she could feel noting. She could only run, run on towards the last room on the left.

As May skidded around the corner, the last few weeks flashed in front of her. The image of a laughing boy; Her laughing boy. All she wanted was him, and she couldn't even have that.

She skidded down and pressed her body against the glass. Inside, she could see him. He was coming towards her, staggering, unstable. She breathed heavily onto the glass as her eyes glassed over. Ash put his hand out and leaned against the other side of the glass. He looked up at her, but her eyes were so full of tears that he could not see anything. She reached her hand out and pressed it against the glass over his own.

"May..." He said weakly, and she let out a choked sob. She couldn't hold it back anymore. She burst into tears. Her ragged sobs rang around the room as her tears fell to the floor.

"Ash, you can't die..." She cried between sobs. His own eyes were glassy now. There was one thing that he'd always been too scared to say. He and May had never been right since that night. All they ever did was fight, argue, then make up. She blocked him out, and that was what worried him. Now, though, he had to tell her.

"May..." He muttered again quietly as he struggled to keep himself steady. "May, I..."

May held her breath as tried to stop crying for a moment to listen to him. She brought her face closer to the glass.

"I love you."

And then he was gone, he had disappeared.

"No!" May shouted, her tears flying as she shook her head madly. "No!"

She banged her fist against the glass, again and again. She screamed so loud that her throat hurt and Harley had to cover his ears. She cried and cried, unable to stop.

"No!"

May shot up on the grass, shaking and crying. Beside her, Ash stirred and looked up. It was pitch black, and stars had dominated the sky. Then, he noticed May's shaking and sat up instantly.

"May? What happened, are you okay?"

May turned to him and smothered him with a hug. She breathed heavily over his shoulder. She could still feel the way she did in the dream. It had felt so real...

Ash was still confused, but held her anyway. She'd stopped shaking, but he could feel her heavy breathing.

"Nightmare?" He asked over her shoulder.

"Worse than that." May answered with a sigh. Of course she couldn't tell him exactly what had happened, he would think she was crazy, or reject her love for him.

"Are you alright?" He asked her, and she nodded. She lay back down to sleep and he didn't try to talk to her any longer. He just lay next to her. He let her rest her head on his shoulder again and soon feel asleep.

May eventually fell back asleep, but was haunted by the same dream, or at least the start of it. She knew it was going to happen, and she woke shaking again. It was clear that she was going to be plagued by the dream all night, so she stood and went to a tree.

She collapsed against it and thought.

I wish I could tell him, tell him how I feel. I wish I could ask him to run away with me. I've only just met him, but if he asked, I would. I feel so comfortable around him, even more than my own family. I'm falling in love with him, but it's illegal. I can't believe it's illegal to feel...

May buried her head in her hands and scrunched her hair up as she tried not to cry onto her knees. She'd known this person for only several days, and she was in love with him. No matter what happened, it had to end bad, didn't it? Whether it was her being harmed, or him, or her having to leave him forever. There was no way two rulers children living in different regions could maintain a relationship and hide it from everyone else.

But what if we could? Should I tell him? He must be feeling something, or he wouldn't be with me now. If he even thinks of me as a friend, it should be okay. He might break my heart, but at least I'd have told him. But I'm too scared to... I'm scared of people breaking my heart. Stupid.


The next morning, Ash found May sleeping against the tree and shook his head. He walked over to her and leaned beside her. She woke instantly and met his gaze.

"Morning." She muttered with a tired smile. She was still exhausted, and Ash could tell. She hadn't slept well at all. She suddenly zipped open her bag and rummaged through it. She finally found what she was looking for, and pulled out her phone. She pressed a button, and the time flashed up on the screen. It was just four minutes past eight. May stuffed the phone back in her bag.

"When do you want to go into the city, then?" Ash asked her.

"Not yet," May said defiantly. "We should get something to eat first. Don't want to starve."

Ash nodded and set off looking for berries, or whatever he could find. Soon, he found a tree filled with fruit. He easily picked some from the lower branches and carried them back to May. She too had found some food, and had placed it down in the centre of the clearing.

May took some fruit and bit into it hungrily as Ash sat opposite her and copied her actions. Once they'd eaten enough, he looked to her. He knew she wanted to say something, really.

"Ash," She started, twirling some grass around her fingers. "Why do we feel stuff around each other? We're not supposed to."

"Maybe we're just two oddities that just happened to meet up, and we've become friends." Ash suggested, not really thinking about it.

"No, that isn't it," May argued, and shook her head. "I hated all the other people touching me. I've been touched by a water type before you, I hated it. That can't be it."

"Maybe rulers sons or daughters can communicate with each other without hating each other?" Ash suggested again. He pretended he was thinking logically, but really, he had no idea.

"Maybe..." May trailed off, and they fell into a comfortable silence for a long while. During the time, May composed her thoughts and sorted herself out. She took her hair out of her bandanna, knowing Ash's eyes were always on her, and brushed her hair down with a small brush she'd kept in her bag. Then she tied the bandanna back around her head and proceeded to look through her bag.

She stopped when she reached a few photographs that she'd put in there years ago, when she'd last used the bag. The first was of her, only around six years old, with her baby brother, mother and her father. The next was of a bunch of her friends. At the time, they'd been eleven, and all looked so young and cute. She smiled at the picture, and moved onto the next one. It was a photograph of the boy she thought she'd liked. She frowned at it disdainfully, took it out of her bag, and threw it away. Ash watched as she did this, and caught sight of the photo as it blew past him. He also frowned, but didn't ask about it. He didn't want to offend or upset May.

May pouted when she reached the last photo, a picture of her brother, sticking his tongue out. Ash leaned over her shoulder and chuckled at the photograph.

"Your brother?" He guessed.

"Unfortunately."

Even if Ash and May weren't doing much talking, they were really bonding. They were become closer, and more comfortable around each other, every minute. May didn't know her dangerous their friendship could become. If she continued to feel this close to him, it would be too painful for her to bear when they had to part. She wouldn't be able to live without him. It would become so painful for her, that she would do something stupid. She'd finally found someone that she could talk to freely, not shut out, and she loved him. She loved him so very much, despite the situation they'd been in.

I want to tell you. She thought as he watched over her shoulder. But I can't. I can't stand the thought of rejection. I can't bear it. What will happen when we rescue the other children? Will you leave me forever? Will you forget about me and return home? I might never see you again...

May had to stop her thoughts before she started to sob or let out a cry. She closed her bag and Ash sighed from behind her.

"You okay?" He asked her, and she nodded.

"Yeah. Want to go now?" She asked him as she tied the bag around her waist. He stood and held his hand out for her. She took it, and blushed bright red as their hands interlocked for a moment, and he pulled her up. She wanted desperately to embrace him once she was standing, but she couldn't. These thoughts were just wasting her time.

"Let's go then." He said, and they turned, still hand in hand, and walked through the forest together.


So it'd be great if you could write a review to tell me how I'm doing with this. I guess I shouldn't have written all those chapters up so quick, but I can always change them if there's something people don't like.

So until next time,

Ninja