Letter N! This one is shorter than most. It's more drabble-ish. I'm trying to experiment with a few different things; I always am! So, here's a drabble-esque (obviously not strict drabble) installment for you guys!
Needs
When it comes to the basic needs in life, there are three bullets on the traditional list: food, clothing, and shelter.
Misty, while she might not have had the happiest childhood, at least had all of those things. It was enough to survive, and keep her safe, and content enough. Even as a child, however, Misty believed that happiness was just as important as those three things. Feeling loved and wanted were important.
And, at home, she never felt that.
Deep down inside, she knew her sisters loved her. She really did. But they were teenagers. Bratty, girly, stupid teenagers. They didn't know how to take care of a little girl. They could barely cook, never had time (or enough interest) to do the things that Misty liked, and only bought her clothes that they liked. Misty thought that spending money on the frilly, stiff designer clothes was a waste. She was most comfortable in t-shirts and shorts…and not ones of the expensive variety.
When she finally turned ten, and basically ran away from home, Misty didn't know what to do next. She had told her sisters it was the start of her Pokémon journey, which she guessed it was. More or less, however, it was an escape to finally be free. To be herself.
And to perhaps search for those missing needs that she so desired.
Eventually, she made friends. Quite a few friends, in fact. Brock, Tracey, Casey, Sakura, May, Max…Ash.
Ash. No one made her blood boil quite like Ash. That stupid boy with the pitch black hair and the chocolate brown eyes. The stupid boy with the warm, tan skin, and the sweet, obscure markings beneath his eyes. The stupid boy with the adorable Pikachu and the unbeatable determination.
Misty had never cared so much about someone she thought she could never possibly get along with.
When she was with Ash, she felt something she never felt with her sisters back home. Not the aggravation, of course. Misty couldn't seem to escape that no matter where she went. What she felt travelling with Ash, and not living at home with her sisters, was that she was wanted, and appreciated. Even when she and Ash were bickering and trying to go at one another's throats, they still cared about one another. Misty could tell. Because she could feel it.
When they traveled, food and shelter could sometimes be hard to come across. Especially when Ash and his lack of directional sense got them lost in a forest or the middle of nowhere. Oddly enough, however, Misty was happier foraging for food with the young male than when she was at home eating her sister's half-baked lasagna. And she was happier sleeping on the cold, hard dirt ground than in her own bed while her sisters' screeching and incessant partying could be heard from the bottom floor. She also didn't have as many clothes on the road. Misty, like her friends, would just wear the same clothes every day, and wash them when they got dirty. But that was still better than wearing the girly designer clothes her sisters bought for her!
Her friendship with Ash was the most important thing in the world to her. Misty, of course, felt a little more strongly than that about him. She didn't know if Ash felt the same way…he was a bit slow. He never talked about romance or love. In fact, he barely seemed to know what those things were. Unless it was about Pokémon or food, Ash was pretty clueless. But he was sweet, kind, and caring. Which was why Misty had feelings for him in the first place. He may have been dense, but at least he had a heart of gold. He really did try his best, even when he didn't completely understand what was going on. She craved his attention, even more than food or shelter or clothing.
Even if Ash didn't know what he was doing when he stayed up late to talk to her, or offhandedly complimented her on how good her hair looked when it was down, or playfully chased after her during training breaks, all of those things helped Misty to feel loved. To feel wanted. It was such an unusual feeling, something she had always longed for.
And now that she had it, Misty never wanted to let it go.
Misty had figured that maybe those basic needs, if you had the right amount of love, only needed to be doled out in the bare minimum. She didn't need home cooked meals, a big fancy house, or designer clothes to be happy.
As long as she was with Ash, Misty felt that her needs were met.
Not my favorite, but it's still cute, I think :) I went for no dialogue and a slightly more vague feeling for this one. It's different than what I usually write, that's for sure! I prefer longer ones, but hey, you try :P