A/N: So…I think that I have come to realize that commas are things that make no sense to me...also...dear gods long form fics are exhausting, but the reviews for sure, keep me smiling through the madness. Now if I only knew where I was headed next...
Lovers Walk
Ash is quiet as they walk down the forest path that the old man had pointed them down. He doesn't talk or mention as his legs hurt or stomach growls or his eyes grow heavy. His head feels too fuzzy to pick through it. And unfamiliar, like his thoughts aren't his own. Which is weird. But...it reminds Ash of coming home to his room at the end of a journey and looking around at all the things he'd left behind. So much of the stuff on his shelves and desk and bed had been so important but a year later and they're just….things. Things he remembers, of course, but things he'd left behind so that they're covered with a layer of dust. Or would be if his mother didn't dust his room daily.
Ash isn't used to his head feeling that way, like it doesn't belong only to him anymore, but he doesn't know what might have caused it. He doesn't remember a lot of the afternoon. He'd woken up and fought with Brock and then found a building and then….it's like static in his mind. There's nothing there after the building until...the old man...and then...they're looking for a pokémon center in the town that the old man had pointed them to. Though, it may not actually be a town-it's smaller even then Pallet and the roads are mostly foot worn paths. Maybe it's a village or...a settlement? He's pretty sure he read about those at some point. Maybe Misty would know. She's so much better at keeping up with the trainer classes they take. Though, she'd probably yell at him for missing a test. Maybe he'll ask Brock.
Still, town or not, they find a door with a pokeball carved in it. The house it's attached to isn't very large but neither is it falling down. It could be worse, they've found centers that weren't much more than shrines with hardly enough room for their pokémon to fit.
Ash reaches the door first and, nodding at Misty, raises his fist to knock. Brock catches his hand.
"What are you doing?" Brock asks, looking at Ash the same way he'd looked at him when Ash had first challenged his gym with Pikachu. On Ash's shoulder Pikachu sighs quietly.
Misty is nowhere near as polite, huffing out a deep sigh and rubbing her eyes. She looks tired. "Knocking on the center door, what does it look like he's doing?"
"Center door? Are you two sure you're feeling ok? That's someone's house." Brock walks over to Ash and puts his hand against his forehead for what must be the millionth time since they'd entered the ruins. "Well, you don't feel like you have a fever." Brock says, walking over to Misty to do the same.
Misty leans away from him and shifts her stance like she ready for a fight. She raises the hand not holding Togepi and shakes her finger threateningly. "Don't even try it." She says, voice low and tight in a snarl that makes the hair on the back of Ash's head stand up.
Brock backs up from her and turns back to Ash, shrugging. "That's not a pokémon center." He repeats.
"Yes it is, rocks-for-brains." Misty shoots back, anger building.
Ash laughs. He has to end this before they start yelling again. Briefly, Ash wonders if this is what Brock had felt like back when they'd been kids. On his shoulder, Pikachu sparks, breaking Ash from his thoughts.
Right.
End this.
"It is a center, Brock. See the pokeball." Ash says pointing at the rough circle on the door. "That's how they do centers here. They're not all like…" Ash trails off, not sure how to finish.
Brock's eyebrows shoot to his hair but he swallows and nods. "Ok then. Knock away, I guess."
Ash looks back at Misty who shrugs and nods. Sighing, Ash lifts his fist and knocks sharply at the door. For a few moments nothing happens and Brock smiles the way Ash always does when he wins a battle Misty had been sure he'd lose but before Brock can speak the door starts howling.
Or, the door doesn't howl but something behind it does. And it opens, slowly. A black blur rushes out from the door and crowds Misty's heels, growling at her. Togepi trills unhappily and Ash turns around to find a houndour snapping at Misty. Pikachu offers a warning chuu and Ash can feel the electricity sparking from his cheeks.
"Misty?" Ash asks.
She opens her mouth to say something but is cut off by a raspy voice from somewhere behind Ash.
"Houndour." The voice says, sharply. The dog pokémon stops suddenly and whines. "Come."
Ash whirls around to find an old woman standing in the door. Her face is lined with wrinkles and tanned from working outside and her clothes are dirty and worn but she stands straight and glares at Houndour as it walks back with its head hung. The pokémon stops at her side and sits solidly at her feet. She glares at it for a beat longer and then smiles at Ash.
"You must be trainers." She states.
Ash blinks. And opens his mouth only to shut it again. They are trainers but...this old woman must be one too. Which is...weird...they haven't met another trainer in almost three months. Not even the Joys that they've met have pokémon. Ash glances at Misty and her eyes are wide, she doesn't know what to say either.
"Yes." Brock replies, saving them from the silence. "And, we're sorry to bother you but my friends here are convinced that this is a pokémon center. Now clearly it isn't but…"
"No. It is." The woman says, cutting Brock off. "There only three of you?"
"Yes." Misty answers, stepping forward into the light of the door. It's grown darker as they've been talking and even in the light of the door, Ash can only just make out Misty's outline.
"I take it you're staying the night?"
"If we can." Ash coughs out, finally finding his voice.
The woman hums and steps aside, gesturing them in. The three of them look at one another and then Misty steps through the door. The houndour growls at her as she passes until the old woman whistles at it and it walks away, whining. Ash and Brock follow her through and the old woman leads them to her front room.
It's shabby. And small. There's a worn rug on the floor and a tattered curtain on the window. A few sad cots are stacked in one corner and the other is taken up by a nearly empty medicine shelf. From across the room, Ash can only make out a few Potions and an Antidote as well as some bandages and antiseptic. But it's warm and inside.
"To your liking?" The old woman asks as Ash steps into the room.
"Yes. Thank you so much." Misty replies from behind him. She's smiling, Ash can hear it in her voice.
The old woman cracks her shoulders and steps out of the room, calling behind her as she does that she'll be back with food.
Half an hour later they've pulled down the cots and set up their sleeping bags. For a while, Ash had been sure Brock and Misty were going to fight again. Setting up her sleeping bag beside Ash's, Misty shoulders had tensed and she'd started moving in quick jerks. But Brock hadn't said anything and, as he set his sleeping bag up on the cot on the other side of Ash, Misty shoulders had dropped.
Ash is beginning to consider lying down when the old woman comes back in with a three bowls of rice stew. Or what she calls rice stew anyway; Ash is fairly certain that it's just watery rice. But its food and not energy bars so he takes it happily, offering bites to Pikachu between his own. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Misty doing the same with Togepi.
The old woman watches them eat for a bit before smiling and shaking her head. "You three were hungry, I take it."
Brock nods and Ash, through a mouthful, replies "This is so much better than those energy bars."
Beside Ash, Misty nearly chokes as she coughs out, "Ash, manners."
The old woman laughs. "Those energy bars are terrible." She nods to herself for a second before sighing. "We don't get too many trainers around here, at least not after The War. Where all did you three come from."
Carefully, Ash swallows his mouthful before answering. "That old building through the woods."
The old woman's eyes widen and she swallows hard. "The old Rocket lab?"
"Maybe?" Ash shrugs.
"We did find those folders with the 'R' on them." Misty supplies.
The old woman swallows hard again. "You're lucky you got out. That whole area is full of wild pokémon. And psychics." She shudders.
"Nurse Joy didn't like psychic types either." Misty says. Ash finishes his bowl and is still hungry but Misty has stopped eating. He cranes his neck and finds her bowl half full. Misty turns to look at him and sighs. Smiling, she hands her bowl over to Ash. Brock raises his eyebrows at the exchange but says nothing.
The old woman nods. "Well she wouldn't. After all those psychic types got loose, trainers stopped coming through here. And they're all over the old labs." She shakes her head again and stands up, collecting their bowls. "Well it's late, I should let you all get to sleep."
It's only just dark but Ash is tired and his bed is set up so he lays down and closes his eyes.
And opens them to whispered shouting near Brock's bed. He considers going back to sleep, nudging Pikachu off of the pillow he's stolen and covering his ears when Misty's voice cuts through the night.
"I'm. Fine."
"I just want to help." Brock whispers back.
"Just leave me alone. You wouldn't understand it anyway." Misty responds, louder.
"Misty, there is nothing you could tell me that I wouldn't understand." Brock hisses
"Right, like you understood what happened Team Rocket." Misty spits. Ash cringes. That is not a good tone. "I just, I can't take this right now." She says, walking out past Ash's cot and through the door.
Ash groans and sits up. "What did you do?" He asks, quietly.
In the dark, Brock shrugs. "I don't know."
Tiredly Ash scrubs a hand over his face, and reaches for his shoes. He'll have to go after her. "What happened?"
Brock sits on his cot and sighs, placing his head in his hands. "She was tossing and turning and...I woke her up to see if I could help."
Tugging his left shoe on, Ash sighs. Another nightmare? Ash had hoped that those would go away, or least wake him up. They always had in the past. Arceus, he wasn't getting any sleep tonight. "Ok," he says out loud, "I'll bring her back in."
"What is going on with you two?" Brock asks, looking up at Ash.
Ash blinks and reaches for his other shoe. "What?"
Brock mumbles something that sounds suspiciously like a complaint about being surrounded by children, before scooting himself closer to Ash. "What do you mean, what?"
Finally finding his shoe beneath Misty's cot, Ash sits back up and shrugs. "I mean, I have no idea what you're talking about."
Brock shakes his head, "Really? No idea? What I'm asking, Ash, is how long you and Misty have been...whatever you are…. together."
"This again? Come on, Brock. It's not...We're just friends."
"Right." Brock replies, and even in the dark, Ash can see his eyebrow go up. "Friends. Friends who share beds, split meals and…." He trails. Ash is about to breathe a sigh of relief, thankful that Brock is done when he continues. "And off to go after each other into the dark after midnight?"
Ash huffs out a breath and unties his shoe. "Fine, best friends then. What of it?"
"Oh mew." Brock chuckles. "Ash, you're in a relationship and you don't even know it. All that's missing is...the physical stuff."
Ash drops his shoe. "What?" he squeaks.
"Or...have you two kissed?"
Ash coughs and his feels his face heating up. "No." He replies, reaching for his shoe and shoving it on his foot.
"But, you want to?" Brock asks.
Ash stands up causing Pikachu to mumble in his sleep. "We're not like that." he grumbles, turning to leave
"Of course not. You're just friends."
"Shut up," Ash replies, stepping out the door to Brock laughing.
Ash doesn't have to walk far to find Misty. She's leaning against the house...pokémon center...just inside the light over the door. Her back is to the wall and her knees are pulled into her body with her hands and head on top of them. Pausing just inside the door, Ash looks back into the house and takes a deep breath, steeling himself to step into the night.
"Hey." He says, standing just beside Misty.
"Hey." She mumbles back, head still in her hands.
Ash scratches his head, unsure what exactly to say next. He'd never really been great at getting Misty to talk when she didn't want to. Usually, she started talking the second Ash caught up with her. Maybe his mother? She and Misty had always gotten along so well. And his mother was so good at making him feel better after dreams. Reflexively Ash reached for his pokedex in his jacket pocket. The same jacket that Pikachu was currently using as a blanket.
Oh well.
It wouldn't have worked anyway. He needed service to message his mother and a phone that could call out to talk to her.
He had neither.
Scratching his head again he turns back to Misty only to find that her head, though still on her knees, is turned towards him. In the night her normally light blue eyes are the starless sky. Shivering, Ash walks over to her and slides down next to her so that the whole line of his body is touching hers.
"Hey," he says again.
"Somehow this sounds familiar." Up close her voice sounds husky like she's been yelling. Or crying.
"You want to talk about it?" Ash asks. Misty shakes her head and with it Ash's whole body. "Okay." Ash replies and shrugs, lifting Misty's shoulders with his own. But it's not enough. Misty is still not talking and his skin is itching with the need to say something. But...what? "See any good water ballet's lately?"
Misty's silent for a short while. Everything is quiet. Not even a blade of grass in the browning lawn moves. Ash holds his breath.
Slowly, slowly, Misty's shoulders start shaking and Ash's stomach falls to cold stone.
She's crying again.
What did he do?
He turns his head to look her only to find her smiling brighter than any of the Nurse Joy's in Kanto.
"You're such a psyduck." She laughs and bumps his shoulder with her own.
Ash laughs and bumps her back prompting a short shoving war that leaves them both laughing. Ash is glad that Misty's smiling again. A happy Misty is one he understands; one that doesn't make him feel like he somehow has to stop the world from ending all around him. A sad Misty is just...he breathes out slowly. Misty still catching her breath beside him, lays her head on his shoulder and his face grows warm. He reaches up to pull his hat down only to remember that it too is still inside with his jacket. Ash groans aloud wishing he had managed to grab something other than his shoes which, of course, only causes Misty to look at him with her eyebrow raised.
"You alright?" She asks.
Ash nods numbly and is about to suggest that they head inside when he realizes that he still doesn't know why Misty had run out. "What about you?"
"Of course." She replies quickly.
Ash blinks. In the six years he's known her, Ash has gotten very good at speaking Misty and he knows that the quick reply she'd given only means she's lying. Or hiding something. He raises his eyebrow, though she probably can't see it in the dark, and says nothing.
Misty tenses on his shoulder. Ash waits. She'll talk. She always has in the past. Or called her sisters. But she can't do that now, so Ash is sure she'll talk.
Eventually.
He hopes.
She takes a deep shuddering breath and lifts her head to stare out past the small circle of light and towards the forest they'd come through. She sighs and rolls her shoulders. "Do you remember New Island?"
Ash blinks. In their time traveling, he and Misty have been all over Kanto and Johto and he was never one to remember places by name once they've left. Even in his home region, he remembers cities by gyms and friends left not by name or location. Still...New Island. It sounds unfamiliar but the words fill him with dread like dropping to a floor filled with pokémon fighting. He breathes hard, stomach hitting stone and shakes his head slowly.
Misty nods and Ash wonders if that's the answer she was expecting. She doesn't seem surprised anyway, or angry because she lays her head back on his shoulder.
After a few moments of silence, she takes a breath. "I had this dream." She starts, but then doesn't continue.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah...it was...do you ever…"She trails off like she's not sure how to finish and buries her head in her hands.
Around them the lights dim. She huffs out a deep breath and the whole side of Ash's body feels...tingly and wrong.
Ash shifts so that he's facing Misty and lifts her head up speaking only when her eyes or focused on his. "Whatever it is, Misty. I'm listening."
She nods but shifts her eyes away the instant she starts speaking. "Do you ever feel like...you're...like not all your thoughts are your own?"
Ash swallows hard and nods. "Yeah."
"Yeah," Misty hums. "It was like that." She's quiet again, long enough that Ash thinks maybe she's fallen asleep when all of sudden the words pour out of her faster than hydro pump. "I could see myself...my hands. But they weren't my hands, you know? They were huge and wrinkly and I was in this really fancy room….but I was scared and talking to someone in...An orange suit? But he looked really familiar…"
"An orange suit?" It was ridiculous, just a dream probably and Ash would be laughing if not for how worried Misty had sounded.
"Yeah...he looked like, well...I think he was the Viridian Gym leader."
"Mist, we've never met the Viridian Gym leader. Remember? I battled Jessie for the badge?"
"Hey slowpoke," she quips sarcastically, "one of us grew up in the gyms. It was him. I'm sure of it. He was yelling at...whoever I was about the...batches not being made quickly enough."
"Batches of what?"
"No idea, but he was angry and...I was trying to explain that there was no way we could," she looks towards the ground and speaks in a far off voice. She sounds just like she does when she's quoting some League rule or another that Ash has forgotten, "speed up production without cutting something out."
"Speed up production?" Ash pulls her chin up so that she's looking at him again. "Mist, what are you talking about?"
"This parts the weirdest though, Ash. Giovanni, in my dream, he said that he'd never liked the morality imprint anyway….that they made his agents too soft. And I agreed and left and then, I was in a hallway and felt like my head was going to explode...and I saw this...thing... on my head and my memory felt empty."
"Thing?"
"I think it was a hand? But it was weird, it had three fingers that ended in circles and it was purple."
Ash shivers, purple hand feeling somehow familiar in the white static that is his memory of the day. He lets go of Misty's face and shifts around so that he's beside her again, the whole line of his side warm from touching her. She breathes out and lays her head back on his shoulders.
"It was probably just a dream though," she sighs. "Still. Thanks for listening." Her voice has gone softer and the light, dimming in and out for her whole story suddenly blinks back on.
"Always, Mist." Ash replies, she hums and her breathing slows. Slowly, Ash reaches for his pokedex for the second time in the night only to remember that it's not there. He sighs and shuffles, settling Misty more comfortably on his shoulder. She mumbles unhappily but her eyes slide shut. It was probably a longshot anyway, Ash thinks, trying to look up a pokémon based on their hands. The 'dex would never have it. In the low light Ash watches the forest in front of them until his eyes start to droop and the night gets too cold to manage.
"Hey, Mist?" He whispers, but she doesn't respond. Her eyes are closed and her breathing is even. Ash sighs, she's fallen asleep. Briefly he considers staying outside but as though the air has heard him, the temperature drops and he shivers. "Brock is not going to let me live this down," he mumbles to himself as he maneuvers Misty into his arms and carries her to the room with their cots.
Brock's eyes are closed when Ash sets Misty down on his own bed, not wanting to move her the extra few feet to her own. He looks to Misty's cot before shrugging and sliding into his own with Misty. It's a tight fit but they always seem to sleep so much better with one another. Besides, Ash reasons, if she has another nightmare he wants to be sure to wake up.
Ash is just drifting off, lulled by the even sounds of Misty and Pikachu and even Togepi breathing, when he hears Brock snort from beside him, "Yeah, just friends."
Scoffing, Ash holds up his middle finger behind him where the older boy is sure to see it and falls asleep to Brock laughing quietly.
