Ch. 4

Reunions

Misty walked slowly down the path to the Cerulean Gym. After all that Ash, Brock, and she had been through, they had to split up because her sisters decided to go on some stupid cruise.

"Ohh! How dare they!" She said out loud as she walked alone into town. She had been walking by herself for almost two days, and was glad to be back in Cerulean at last. She could see the Gym in the distance, and dreamed of giving her sisters an ear full when she got there. She decided to get something to eat before she went to settle in, so, she stopped at a nearby burger vendor for lunch to go.

"Hey, have you heard what happened at the Gym today?" She heard the vendor say as she walked up.

"No, what?" The man at the counter asked.

"Well, some trainer went in for a battle. When he came out, he had to run strait to the center to treat his pokemon."

"So they got beat up bad?"

"Well, that's the thing. See, the trainer that went in, he was said to be one of the best new trainers this year."

"So?" The man asked.

"Well," said the vendor, "the sisters are gone. They put somebody else in charge of the Gym."

"Who?" Misty asked.

"Nobody knows. But he must be real good."

Misty was surprised to hear that her sisters had left someone else in charge of the Gym. They were very protective of it, and of their titles as Gym leaders. After getting a rather cold burger from the not so intelligent vendor, she made her way to the Gym.

When she got to the front door, she met with two of her sisters' assistants.

"Misty!" The first one named Brianna answered. They had been friends ever since Brianna began working for Misty's sisters.

"Hey Bri!" Misty said. "How are you?"

"I'm great. How about you?"

"Fine. Hey Malcolm."

"Hi... Misty. Uh, how was your journey?" Malcolm responded uneasily. Malcolm was one of the Cerulean Gym accountants' children. He had always had a secret crush on Misty.

"Just great, thanks for asking. So, I made it. Are my sisters here?"

"No they left about six hours ago." Bri said.

"So, who's managing the Gym?"

"Some guy they met yesterday." Malcolm replied.

"Some guy they met yesterday!" Misty was speechless. How could her sisters trust a stranger with care of the Gym? "Excuse me." She said as she marched into the Gym. She walked quickly down a long hall, and up a flight of stairs. At the top she turned left down the hall and into a room labeled 'Manager's Lounge'. Inside, it looked the same as it was when she left. However, she did not recognize the person inside.

"You. Who are you and why are you in my Gym?"

"Your Gym?" The man replied in a raspy voice. It was a monotone type of loud whisper that Misty was sure she had heard before. The man turned around and Misty realized who it was that had sent the young trainer to the Pokemon Center.

"Hiei!"

"At your service, m'lady." Hiei said with a grin.

"What are you doing here?"

"It's a long story. Think we could talk in the kitchen while I get something to eat?"

"Uh... Sure. That's fine." Misty was confused, but glad someone she knew was there. He reminded her of her journey, and she felt more comfortable around him than she would her sisters.

"Well, what happened was," They had made it to the kitchen and Hiei had begun to make a sandwich. "I made it all the way south to Blueford Towne."

"Blueford?"

"Yeah, it wasn't on my map either. Anyway, I got as far south as I could go without walking into an ocean. I didn't find a single trainer that had the skill and strength to provide a great challenge. So, I decided to head back to Mikan Isle. On the way back I met an old scientist named Oak. He... convinced me to keep searching. He said that there are trainers out there that could possibly surprise me. He told me that I shouldn't give up on it. So, on the way back I decided to maybe fight some of the gym trainers that I had heard about. The first guy was actually Brock's dad. He lost, so I left and ended up here. I fought your sisters all at the same time. They lost too. But, when we found out that we both knew you, they asked me to have dinner here. I accepted, and after dinner they convinced me to stay for the night, and wait for you to get here. And, since I really didn't have anywhere to go, I decided to stay. When I woke up, there was a note that said they had left for a cruise, and I was in charge of the gym till you got here."

"Wow." Misty said. "You stayed for me?"

"I thought it would be nice to catch up. So, what's been going on with you?"

They talked for most of the night. Misty told him of all of her adventures with Ash and Brock. She told him about the Johto league, and the Silver Conference. She told him about Harrison, and how Ash had gone off on his own. Hiei told her of his travels, and tales of his home. He talked about his family, and his friends. They got to know each other well, and were soon laughing and joking late into the night.

"Well, it's getting late. We should get to bed." Misty said as she stood up and pushed in her chair. "You know where the guest room is right?"

"Yeah, I know." Hiei said as he stood up. He looked at Misty. She was so beautiful. Short red hair that seemed to glimmer in the moonlight that shown through the window. Soft, smooth skin; beautiful, big, blue eyes that made her look so innocent and sweet. He found himself moving closer to her. Slowly, conspicuously.

Misty knew what was happening. She could feel it in the moment. She felt him touch her arm. He moved in close, and she leaned forward slightly. Their lips touched softly. There was a pause, then the kiss broke.

"Good night." Hiei whispered, a shy smile on his face.

"Good night." Misty replied. Hiei moved past her slowly and headed toward the guest room.

"Hiei." Misty said.

Hiei stopped without turning and asked quietly, "Yes?"

"What does this mean?"

"I guess it means I'm staying." He turned and walked up behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, and spoke close to her ear. "It's late, can we talk tomorrow?"

"Okay." Hiei turned and walked across the living room, and up the stairs. Misty stood in the kitchen for a few seconds before retiring down the hall and to her own room.