Disclaimer: Pokémon is not mine. And now would also be a good time to mention I am not affiliated with Nickleback or own any of their songs. XD As usual... please no suing.
Key:
- Dream State - , Flashback , ' thoughts ', " Dialogue "
Rating: T
AN: This chapter is woven in the song "Far Away" by Nickleback... just warning ya. It's more romantic to me that way. XD (And don't worry, it's not like I'll say... -listen to song here for maximum awesomeness- I'm going to actually write the lyrics. :3)
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Her gaze strayed over the ocean. Water had always calmed her when she was feeling particularly sad. It'd been years since her heart had shed it's last tear over her long lost love. Yet here she was...
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"Guess what Misty!"
She turned, her long orange hair falling in waves to her waist. The young woman had really blossomed over the years. Her scrawny tomboyishness had disappeared as she had started allowing her hair to grow out and she had begun to outshine even her beautiful older sisters. She was slight and lightly muscled from years of taking good care of her body through exercise with her water-pokemon and constant battles with upstart trainers that kept her on her toes. Of course, as the second gym leader in Kanto, she had to breed and capture new pokemon to fight the younger trainers with. But a constant flow of new pokemon hardly cramped her style, in fact she loved the fact that her job had her meeting new friends all the time.
She was beautiful, talented, and brilliant. Everything the young man who'd just walked in wanted for his partner in life. But he wasn't what she wanted... not in the least. The only reason she'd agreed to marry him was because she knew he would take good care of her, and frankly she had begun to loose hope that she'd ever fall in love again. So, perhaps if she married him first, love would come later. Besides, she had, if nothing else, made him very happy indeed. She forced a smile as he danced into the room.
"Oh... I give up. What, Gary?" She asked politely, brushing the delicate fur of her Vaporeon.
"I just ran into Ash! He's back, just like I said he would be!" Gary grinned. "And you thought he wouldn't show! Hah! My best pal would never desert me when I need him most."
Misty's fake smile fell instantly, shock sending a tingling warning up her spine. "A-Ash...? Is... here?" she quavered, glancing around to see if she could see him.
"Well... not here per se. I was just in Pewter City to see if Brock was home yet when I found him." Gary selectively left out the part about the amnesia... it wasn't really relevant, and would just worry his bride-to-be anyway. Women worried about silly things like that.
"Oh..." Misty relaxed a little, but not much, hugging herself softly. She did her best to reign in the mass of emotions that tried to burst within her all at once. "Well... isn't that nice. Excuse me Gary... I am terribly busy at the moment. But I will see you later... I promise."
"Uh... ok then." Gary glanced at her, trying to read her but found his search barred by her icy glance. "Ok, ok! I'm going!" He teased and danced back out of the gym.
Only after she was sure he had left, she allowed the tears their freedom.
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Misty sighed, Ash was back, after all this time. What would she do if she saw him? If her state of being now was any indication... it did not bode well at all. Really she had only suggested that Gary try to get him to come home in hopes that she could prove to herself she was really over him. She had even double checked her facts, he'd left her a bicycle as the most obvious declaration that he didn't want her in his life anymore 10 years ago. She'd cried for the next several years nonstop. Partly because she had never had the chance to tell him how she really felt, partly because he'd never figured it out for himself... and partly because of Professor Oak's death 5 years ago. But after all of that... she had no more excuses to cry anymore as everyone loved to remind her, and so she took to a hermit-ish life, refusing to talk to anyone until she was certain she'd obliterated all of her old feelings for the boy who left and could face the world as a normal human being again.
But now, at the first sign that her wish to see him again was going to come true after all, all of her defenses had been crushed underneath the truth. She simply could not forget him, or her own old feelings towards his memory.
"But!" she said aloud to herself, trying to sound convincing. "he's not Ash anymore! Not the one I knew. I haven't seen him in 10 years! He's probably a completely different person. One that I can hate in peace." she told herself forcefully.
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The day of the ball
She was dressed in a floor-length sky-blue gown with lace bubbles flowing over it's surface. She carefully placed the sapphire-crusted mask over her eyes and double checked to insure her hair stayed in it's spectacular scoop, twirled to a tight bun at the base of her neck and dotted with sapphires. She straightened the strain of white pearls at her neck and wrists, knowing it pointless, since they were certain to move during the course of the dance, but didn't care. She was nervous, she hadn't been to anything formal like this in a long time. And if Gary was telling the truth before, Ash might make an appearance. She still wasn't sure she could handle herself in his presence, but was counting on the masquerade aspect of the ball to insure she wouldn't recognize him and be able to behave like a normal person, well as normal as one could be, considering she was about to be married within the next couple of months.
The festivities began promptly at 6, and she wandered demurely through the crowd of people who had come to wish her well. She greeted those that she recognized in spite of their masks and conducted herself as a hostess should.
Then the music began, and she found herself whisked away across the floor. The first dance of course, had been taken by Gary, but she knew that soon enough he would be busying himself with other things and she could dance with whomever asked her.
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Halfway through the evening, a young man with jet-black hair stood just inside the door. On his arm was a lovely woman dressed in differing shades of purple. As they came into the room itself, the woman winked at him and walked off, promptly getting lost in the crowd and leaving the young man alone at the edge. He took a deep breath and straightened the collar of his black shirt. He wore a stunning emerald tuxedo that resembled the outfit of a prince from a fairytale. The females nearest him grinned their appreciation at him and he offered them a shy nod in return.
'No pressure... no pressure at all.' Ash thought to himself glumly, readjusting the golden mask that framed his brown eyes. Sabrina had warned him, that since they were outside the protection of the Saffron City Gym, that his presence would be easy to detect. And that, Giselle had surely risen in power during the time in which she had probably been searching all over for him. Therefore, he didn't have much time to find Misty and free his memories before Sabrina's own protective psychic barrier would prove to be easy to toss aside and reveal him.
Ash braced himself for an evening full of the discomfort of unfamiliar faces, reminding himself that it was a masquerade ball after all, and no one was supposed to know who anyone else was anyways. In retrospect, he realized that since he'd apparently been away from home for a span of 10 years, that none of them probably would recognize him anymore, especially with the mask over his features. Feeling a little better about this, he asked someone to dance and found himself whisked away onto the dance floor.
After the song ended he found himself on the east side of the room, staring at a young woman with long orange hair who was seated in one of the chairs near the wall, drinking some punch. He heard the chords of a guitar starting up the next song, and filled with a sense of urgency, reached out a hand to her.
"Will you dance with me?" he asked quietly, drawing her attention to him. Blue met brown, and the young woman nodded numbly, setting down her drink and taking his hand.
He swept her to the dance floor just as the first words were sung.
This time, this place. Misused, mistakes.
Too long, too late. Who was I to make you wait?
Just one chance, just one breath.
Just in case there's just one left...
'Cause you know, you know, you know...
I love you, I have loved you all along
And I miss you, been far away for far too long
I keep dreaming you'll be with me and you'll never go
Stop breathin' if I don't see you anymore.
They swept across the floor in perfect harmony, green and blue mingling to become the ocean they both loved. These were lyrics that they both understood, in their hearts... in their souls. It was as though they had floated into another dimension entirely, where there was no one else watching as the magic of love bound them together.
Misty was lost his eyes, they spoke to her of loss, they spoke to her of need. An empty void of darkness waiting to be shined upon. But it was more than that he needed her. She knew it in his touch, in his movements, that the spell he wove was meant to restore them both to their proper selves. The promise of peace and truth tingled up her spine. And most importantly, there would be no more waiting for love to find her again.
But... who was he?
On my knees I'll ask
Last chance for one last dance
'Cause with you I'd withstand, all of hell to hold your hand
I'd give it all, I'd give for us
Give anything, but I won't give up!
'Cause you know, you know, you know...
I love you, I have loved you all along
And I miss you, been far away for far too long
I keep dreaming you'll be with me and you'll never go
Stop breathin' if I don't see you anymore.
He saw it in her, the undeniable future. Her cerulean eyes showed him everything, her touch broke through his defense. Numb from the magic she wove, his memories broke free one at a time until hers was the only one held back from him. The power was incredible, the knot of despair struggled against the magic.
Sure there was pain, sure there was doubt, but if... in the end, he could be here, with her, wouldn't it be worthwhile? The knot loosened...
So far away (so far away)
Been far away for far too long
So far away (so far away)
Been far away for far too long
But you know, you know, you know...
I wanted, I wanted you to stay
'Cause I needed, I need to hear you say:
That I love you, I have loved you all along
And I forgive you, for bein' away for far too long
So keep breathin' 'cause I'm not leavin' you anymore
Believe and hold on to me and never let me go.
Keep breathin' 'cause I'm not leavin' you anymore
Believe and hold on to me and never let me go.
Keep breathin' hold on to me and never let me go.
Keep breathin' hold on to me and never let me go.
He saw them in the center of the dance floor, saw the magic that sparked and swirled around them. His body shivered in disbelief as, when the song drew to a close, the other leaned forward and kissed her.
Fury, burning anger and rage. The violet girl beside him blinked in surprise, but before she could do anything his spark of intense hatred had burned a gaping hole in her barrier...
And it was over...
Giselle blazed in through the front door, glowing from head to toe in a vile green jealousy that did not become her.
Ash had no time... no time left at all. His memories assaulted him as their lips touched. Weakly, he whispered her name, but in the shock of her blue gaze his body was engulfed in raging green flames.
Giselle stared as her own magic seemed to be amplified all of a sudden. Her gaze followed the call of power, to the dark brown-haired young man with his fists balled tightly at his sides.
"How dare you!" Gary thundered, the magic from the medallion answering to his call despite the fact it was hung from Gizelle's neck. Ash writhed, the green fingers of vengeance cutting off his air supply. The green fist dragged Ash higher into the air, mimicking Gary's own as the youth's eyes flared with dark power.
The guests screamed and scattered, rushing over each other to get out of the way of the furious young man. Gizelle's own power fluctuated and she panicked. He was going to kill Ash! After everything she'd gone through to win him for herself, there was no way she was going to let that happen!
Sabrina did what she could, summoning Alakazam, the two sent waves of psychic energy to pry the flaming green fingers away from Ash's throat even as he himself tried to swat them, managing only to scratch himself since they were intangible.
Misty staggered away from him, watching the scene in horror as the mask fell away from his face, revealing him to her. "Ash?" she cried in surprize of her recognition. She then glanced back to Gary whose power was growing at an explossively exponential rate.
"No!" The girls shouted in unison, Misty running to distract Gary while Gizelle tried desperately to pull back the power from the enraged brunet.
Misty engulfed Gary in her arms, "Gary stop!" she begged. In her arms, his power deflated immediately, and Ash was dropped, gasping for air, to the ground. Gizelle, seizing her opportunity, flashed her newfound power forward, and the four of them, having left Sabrina behind, vanished into thin air. A residual green fog rising up from the ground where each of them had stood only moments before.
Violet eyes stared after them in their absence. "Good luck..." she whispered to no one in particular.
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