Jumble

Misty felt a tad guilty as they sat around the table, fixing the puzzle she had just destroyed. It had a Pikachu on it, and Ash had apparently been working on it for a month. It wasn't the most tragic thing she had done. He'd been hurt by her, emotionally and physically, many times before. This was different though, and she knew it, because he had spent plenty of time working on this thousand piece puzzle, rolling it up in felt to keep it safe on the road before unrolling it and spending a little time on it every night to fix. And, almost done, she had simply thrown a tantrum during their argument and destroyed it.

"I'm sorry I wrecked your puzzle, Ash," she murmured. "That was wrong of me. I shouldn't have done that."

"No, but I shouldn't have said that either," he granted, putting a blue piece to finish the edge. Perhaps that was the most challenging part of the puzzle. It was the one with no straight edge, all the pieces around the side looking as if they could find something else to connect to. On top of that, the background was nothing but clear blue. Every piece had to be glared at and tried with every other piece, guess and check the only sure way to find one that fit.

"That was wrong," she agreed. "I can't believe you had something that mean inside you, Ketchum. Not only was it cruel to say to anyone, but you knew exactly how different it was to say it to me, given my history. You knew how much it would hurt. You were conscious of what you were doing yet you still cut my stomach open and left me to die with the stomach acid leaking inside me and dissolving me from the inside out. Er, metaphorically, I mean."

"I know what you mean, but…you're just so frustrating, Misty! Every time I see you my emotions get all mixed up and weird and I don't know what's going on. Half the time I just want to hit you and chase you away or say the meanest thing I can just so you'll just shut up for a little bit, and half of the half of the time I think we're really good friends and I can talk to you about anything. I think you're my best friend, those times, and then there's the other times when…you just get my emotions all jumbled up."

"Jumbled up like the puzzle," she whispered quietly, pushing Pikachu's eye into place. They were nearly done now, the afternoon wasted away in silence on this precious some assembly required picture, just a few pieces left. "Once again, Ash, I'm sorry I jumbled up your…your puzzle."

He grunted an apology accepted kind of grunt, and picked up another piece to push into place. Pikachu's nose. Just two more pieces to push in and he'd be all done. The next one was easy, the bit of black could only be the tip of the mouse's ear, and the last one was easier still. It was a solid yellow piece, the only hole left in the puzzle and he knew exactly where it went. He grabbed it, and his heart leapt in his chest.

…Not just because he was almost done with the puzzle, but because Misty's hand had closed over his, gently putting his over the puzzle, and helping him push the piece into place.

"Even though I jumbled it up, I bet…if you'd let me, I could fix it up too."

Their hands pulled away, and they looked at the piece they had pushed in together: a small, yellow spot on its torso. There was no special markings or anything that might signify it as special, and, in fact, unless you could somehow x-ray the picture pikachu, there was no way to be sure what this piece was.

For, it was right on its chest, a bit on the left. One would be forced to assume that this was where its heart sat.

Well, I've just come to realize after this that there are a few things I want to clear up, for my own sake, so people don't think I have no life and merely sit at home, curled up in a ball with seventeen cats, writing pokemon fanfiction and dreaming of one day finding love because I update very, very quickly.
1. This is my stress reliever, not my life. Some people knit, some people talk, I read and write. This is how I released my emotions, so, ta da!
2. I have a life. Why, just last night I celebrated my birthday and sang half my own birthday song before they brought in the cake (thought process: Gees, I came over for a quiet evening and look! Why did they invite us over to celebrate someone's birthday? Oh my goodness, it's my birthday, isn't it?).
3. I'm not obsessed with teenage hormones because I do not have a boyfriend, you see, I do not want one. I have a huge fear of commitment to anything that doesn't walk on four legs, plus I'm more interested in getting an education and a career than a man right now. I'm quite logical when it comes to these things.

So, I'm sure nobody really needed to know this, and no one was thinking it, but, just in case anyone was...there it is. And my most proud like in this was "some assembly required picture". If you didn't see it, you should definitely re-read it and appreciate it, because it's marvelous.-nods-