Author's note: Apologies for the delay - I've been moving house and I won't have internet in my new place until next week, so I'm 'borrowing' the WiFi at work so I can get this to you! I hope you enjoy this and please, as always, leave reviews. I really loved writing this one. - R

Chapter 11

Misty sat on her bed, her hand absentmindedly rubbing back and forth on the top of the Staryu patterned fleece blanket that lay on top of her bed sheets. Her hair hung in loose curls around her face as she watched the shadows get longer on her floor as the sun started to set. A patter of familiar little feet made her look up.

"Azu," Azurill trilled from his position at her feet.

"Hi, Azurill," she smiled softly at him, patting the space at her side. Azurill jumped up and smiled happily as she petted his head.

Misty looked down at the little water Pokémon fondly and sighed. Her bare feet hit the floor and she peered out of her window. Her view of the outside was of the lake and gardens where the wild Pokémon liked to graze. Her eyes lifted beyond the large oak tree to the blast of bright yellow light and she instantly spotted the figure of her long-time best friend.

You'll understand why.

She spun around and fled from her room. She scurried down the corridor and with no hesitation, she burst through the door. Her eyes scanned the empty bedroom and her eyes landed on his bag. She fell to her knees and her hand hovered above the zip. She hesitated. The only thing she was aware of was her breathing. She frowned and bit her lip. Her fingers gripped the zip and she pulled it down the length of the opening. She looked inside.

Pikachu's pokéball. A lukewarm bottle of water. A shirt. Three pairs of underwear. Really, three? Misty shook her head, moving all of that to one side. His spare cap. Her eyebrows raised. Sunscreen. That surprised her. She sat back and sighed. What was it Brock thought she'd find? She frowned and glanced back at the bag. She reached into the depths again and felt around. She felt a small zip about an inch from the seam and she opened it. She slipped her hand inside and felt a soft piece of material. She pulled it out to find a familiar handkerchief. Was this what she was supposed to find?

She sat back on the floor, considering it. It had faded considerably over the years. It's been five years since her eyes last laid on this. Why would he still have it?

"If I'd known you wanted it back, you only had to ask."

Her head shot round and she saw Ash leaning against the doorframe. She felt the blush rise in her cheeks at being caught sneaking about in his room. He didn't look mad though. Weirdly, he looked unsurprised. He pushed himself off the doorframe with his shoulder and he crossed the room and joined her on the floor. His deep chocolate eyes glanced at her and he brought the bag closer to him.

"You know, Brock is great," he stated, pulling the zip down on both sides all the way. "But I expected him to make it a little easier for you. I'll let you in on a secret." He took her hand and guided it into the bag. His fingers gently curled around hers and he guided them to the seam of the bag inside. "Feel that?" he asked, seeing the light in her face as she did. He let go of her hand and nodded to it. "Go on. Slip your hand inside." Misty obeyed, slipping her fingers through the hole on the inside of the bag and her hand came into contact with something firm but cold. Her fingers clasped it and carefully pulled it out.

Her eyes widened at what she now had in the palm of her hand. She looked up at him, finally finding her voice.

"Why do you still have this?"

"Because I didn't have the real thing," he shrugged.

Misty's brow furrowed and she looked down at the small item. She still remembered the day she sent it to him. She knew he needed encouragement and a best friend was what he needed. She couldn't get away from the gym at the time, so she did the next best thing. She sent him something that she knew would make him smile because he once found it so ridiculous. Her Misty lure.

"How did you know I was in here?" she asked, almost accusing.

"Because Brock spoke to me," he replied.

"What did he say?"

"It doesn't matter," Ash answered instantly. "I know that you think I don't care, Misty." He hesitated. "I haven't been a best friend to you. I haven't been around. But Mist," her deep aqua eyes flicked up to meet his, "I'm so sorry."

She stared intently at him. She'd never heard him apologise for anything before. Not once. There was so much sincerity in his eyes that it was almost burning her retinas. He didn't look away, even when they reached the point that it should have been awkward and uncomfortable. What he didn't count on was what she did next.

She spun around, grabbed the pillow laying on his bed and she whacked him round the head with it, hard. A couple of feathers burst out of it, landing in his lap. He looked momentarily shocked and his eyes shot up to her face.

"Seriously, Ash?" she asked, exasperated. She whacked him again and again. His arms came up to protect his face, so she whacked him in the side. More feathers burst out, floating in the air like a cloud. "You don't even have an excuse for not seeing me all these years!" She whacked him again, knocking his hat off. "I know you were travelling. I know you were preparing for the leagues in each of the regions. I know you worked to get stronger. And I am so proud of what you've accomplished." She stopped and his arms slowly came down, his hair in more disarray than usual. "But you didn't come back Ash. All I wanted was to see you walk through those doors just once." She sighed. "And you never did."

"I know, Mist," he murmured.

Her eyes softened at the nickname that he'd given her on their travels in the Orange Islands.

"You have no idea how much I missed you," he blurted out.

"What?"

"You heard," he retorted.

"Repeat it," she ordered.

"No," he argued.

Her eyebrows raised menacingly. She proceeded to hit him round the head again. The second time her arms swung round, his hands clasped the pillow, thanks to his improved hand-eye coordination. He swept it out of her hands and sat on it.

"I need you, Mist," he said slowly and carefully. She sucked in a lungful of air. He reached forward, grabbed her hand and pulled her into him. Her eyes widened at the sudden and unexpected occurrence of falling into his embrace. She used a hand to push herself off him from his shoulder, but his arms tightened around her. She felt her anger and upset at him fade away and she let herself nestle into the cage of his arms. Her head rested on his shoulder, the scent of him engulfing her nostrils completely. "Camp outside with me tonight."

She made to move to look at him but found his embrace wouldn't allow her. So, she settled with just letting the exasperation be known in the tone of her voice.

"Why would we do that when there's perfectly comfortable, warm beds right here?"

"Because like you said, it's been years and I really want to do this for old times sake," he said as a matter of fact.

"Fine," she conceded. "Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"Why was my lure in the lining of your bag?"

Ash breathed in and leaned back, looking down at the redhead.

"So, I'd never lose it," he told her.

"It's years old," she frowned. "It's useless to fish with now. Why would you keep it all these years?"

"It keeps you with me on my journey," he said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

Misty didn't answer. She got to her feet.

"I bet Brock's already working on dinner," she said. "I'll go feed the Pokémon. My sleeping bag is in the cupboard under the stairs. Go get yours and put them both by the back door. We'll talk about your journey tonight."

"Okay," he nodded.

Misty lay awake staring up at the night's sky. The endless depths, deep colours and mystery that looked down on her reminded her so much of the waters she loved so much. The peace washed over her as she smiled at the stars that twinkled down on her. It was moments like this that reminded her of the happiest years of her life. A loud snore interrupted her thoughts and her head turned to look at the sleeping figure next to her. She rolled her eyes. Some things never changed. She felt the familiar warmth well up in the pit of her stomach as his snoring filled the silence of the night. It was just like the years they travelled together.

She turned on her side and looked at his face. It was peaceful. There was a slight frown between his eyebrows and his bangs had fallen across his forehead, his thick dark lashes still visible in the moonlight. His hair was more of a mess than usual, but it always gave him that cute boyish look. She pushed her fists into her stomach in an attempt to quell the Butterfrees. She'd suffered with the flutterings in her stomach for years. She first experienced them when they travelled through the Orange Islands when they were eleven. She passed it off as a bit of nausea but as she got older, it only got worse. It frustrated her to no end. He was a complete and total idiot, but she missed him all the same when he was away.

She sighed. She brought her hand forward and moved his dark, ebony hair from out of his eyes. He finally opened up about his travels. He talked about the Pokémon he saw, the Pokémon he caught, the battles he fought, the battles he lost, the Kalos league, Team Rocket's incessant stalking of him and Pikachu. She felt a deep sadness that she hadn't experienced it with him. He asked about the Cerulean gym, her new Pokémon, the challengers she faced, her day to day life. She let her hand fall to the side of her face, and she watched his features change.

He moaned and fidgeted in his sleep. The frown got deeper, then it softened and deepened once again. She could see the movement of his eyes beneath his eyelids like he was in a deep sleep and caught in an intense dream. Intense. It was a word he used a lot these days, whenever anyone asked him about his latest journey. She hadn't thought to question it before now. His fingers curled around his sleeping bag and they curled into a fist. She watched his knuckles turn white with the strain and she placed her hand on top of his.

"Ash," she murmured.

He mumbled in his sleep, fidgeting. His breathing got more laboured, his chest rising and falling with every quickened breath.

"Ash," she prompted louder.

His groans rivalled her encouragements to wake up, so she tried again.

"Ash!" She shook him harder.

He let out a scream as his eyes shot open. He sat up, the faintest hint of perspiration on his skin. He looked around haphazardly.

"Ash," Misty said, uncertain, "are you alright?"

His deep chocolate brown eyes met hers and he let his breathing slow. He shook his head absentmindedly as he felt his awareness come back to him.

"Misty?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "you were having a nightmare."

"Oh," he blinked, rubbing his eyes, "sorry. It's kind of a problem." He shrugged it off.

"Are you going to tell me, or do I need to beat you up to hear about it?"

Ash laughed. "I have no doubt that you could!"

"Go on," Misty prodded. "What is it?"

"I've kind of had them since I left Kalos," Ash admitted.

"I guess this is the intense part," she hinted, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, I guess so," he sighed. "It was just… the whole Team Flare thing, it just really got to me. I don't know why. I've always just… bounced back. But this time I just didn't. Maybe it was just harder because I had to leave Greninja behind to take care of Kalos. I've released Pokémon before, but I don't know. It was different. I had a different connection with Greninja. It was like leaving a part of me behind. It just… hurt."

"It's a hero complex," Misty said, "or should I say, yours."

"What do you mean?"

"You've always been there to save people and do the right thing," she stated. "Maybe you did leave something behind in Kalos." She sat up in a cross-legged seat. "Ash, I know you went through a lot after the Kalos conference. It'll take time."

Ash ran his fingers through his hair, awkwardly. "Sorry," he apologised. "It's so lame."

"Just because you're a guy, doesn't mean you don't have feelings," Misty replied, lightly punching his arm. "Come on, if you can't talk to me, then who can you talk to?"

"I don't know how I stayed away from here for so long," he murmured, looking down into his lap. "So, are you going to join us tomorrow?"

"Yeah, of course!" Misty nodded. "I wouldn't miss it."

"It'll be good to have you back in Pallet Town," he grinned.

"I'm sure your mother says the same about you," she smirked.

"Hey! She knows I came to see you," he defended himself.

"And what's Tracey – a part of the gym's furniture?" she asked sarcastically, attempting to mask the blush in her cheeks.

"I have to stop his head from outgrowing that bandana somehow," he snorted.

Misty laughed. Ash just smiled at her. God, he'd missed her laugh.

"What?" Misty asked, her laughter petering off.

"Nothing," Ash said, shaking his head. "I just miss laughing with you, that's all."

"Well, you had mini Misty."

Without thinking, he came forward and threw his arms round her neck. The breath got knocked out of her and her deep blue eyes widened in surprise, but she then melted into the hug. This was the second time in a day he'd been this close to her and she was pleasantly surprised to find that she liked it.

"Mini Misty didn't have your laugh," he mumbled into her ear.

"Fairly certain that would scare away the fish," she replied tartly.

He leant back, giving her a funny look, amusement all over his face. Their noses were mere inches apart. They could feel each other's breath against their skin. Misty saw a resolve in his eyes as he looked at her intently. They gravitated towards each other, a mere whisper from their lips brushing against each other. They both looked down at the last second, working to shake the emotions off, moving away from each other.

"We should get to sleep," Misty whispered. "I need to prepare the gym and you need to get to Pallet Town for lunch with your mother."

"Yeah," he muttered quietly. He lay back with his hands behind his head and he breathed deeply.

Serena's kiss never had such an impact on him as being in touching distance to Misty did. It was like mountain's moved and he didn't notice. The world stood perfectly still.

He just couldn't put a name to this feeling.