.-* Disclaimer - I do not own and am not responsible for the characters of Ash, Misty, Brock, Pikachu, etc. I wish I was, then I would "be rich and rule the world!!" Mwahahaha! No, seriously, the people at Nintendo, 4Kids Productions, etc. etc., deserve a pat on the back for these fantastic characters. Sadly, in all truth, I'm just a mere fan of Pokémon, and now a fanfic author. Therefore, the PLOT of this story is mine...don't steal it! I hope you enjoy my stories. Let me know what you think...constructive criticism welcomed in moderation...good comments are nice also ^_^ *-.

.-* ©2003 Mighty Misty Fanfics :o) *-.

.-* By the one and only Mighty Misty *-.

.-* Email me at MSUAngel12@hotmail.com *-.

.-* Rated: PG Type: Romance/Drama Ages: Ash-16 Misty-17 *-.

.-* UPDATE - 2-2-03: It's been a couple YEARS now since I posted this, but I did a little teeny revision, little errors I looked up just now...and so hopefully a new breed of Fanfiction.Net-ers can enjoy my fics! Thanks! *-.

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.·* A Time To Remember*·.

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.·CHAPTER 1 - "This, my dear, is a time to remember..." ·.



That's it, thought Ash. The perfect place to get together. Ash rushed back to the hotel where he was staying to call Misty.

He went to pick up the phone. He carefully punched out the numbers scribbled almost illegibly on a scrap piece of paper, which he had copied out of the hotel phone book. After two rings, there was a gut-wrenching click.

"Hello?" questioned a familiar voice. He froze. Talk! Say something! His brain screamed.

"Heellllo?" repeated a slightly annoyed voice. What are you doing Ash?! Just ask her! He licked his lips and took in a deep breath. Just as he was preparing to say something, he heard a click, followed by a dial tone. He sat the receiver back on the hook and sighed. "Now that was nice," he said to no one in particular. What was that all about? he asked himself. Mister big shot celebrity can't even talk to a girl on the phone. He was always too critical of himself, but he just didn't understand why he couldn't say anything. He'd talked to plenty of girls before on the phone. But for some reason, Misty was...different. Special. He wasn't sure what to think. He did know that he would have to try again. He took in another cleansing breath and punched out the numbers again. After two rings, she picked up once more.

"Hello?" said the pleasing voice.

"H-Hi...Misty?" said Ash.

"Yes? Oh, hi Ash!" she exclaimed. Well, at least she knows it's me...hopefully she doesn't think it was me a few minutes ago he mused. As if on command, she said, "Did you just call here?"

"Um...no, no I didn't," he said as convincing as he could manage. "Hey, Misty I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go to that dance at the town hall tomorrow cause I saw ad for it on my walk back and since we were going to do something together to catch up I thought it might be fun to go with you so do you want to go?" he spewed out in one quick breath. He sighed heavily.

Misty stifled a giggle. "Sure, Ash, I'd love to," she answered, in a sweet angelic tone.

"Ok, I'll be by your house at eight, ok?" Ash said.

"Ok..."

"Ok, bye!" he ended, more happily than he would have liked.

"Um, Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"Wouldn't you like to know where I live first?"

Ash laughed uncomfortably. "That might be good, huh...?" He said. He heard Misty laugh. I'm such a dork he thought.

Misty put the phone on the hook. He sounded so nervous. It's not THAT big of a deal...is it? she pondered. She shrugged and returned to her chores. But somehow she couldn't get her mind back on task. I love him so much. But I haven't seen him for five years...can that really be love? she mused. She decided that she'd let life take them where it may and just go with the flow...no matter how unsure she really felt.

The next day, at promptly eight o'clock, she heard a tapping at her door. Her heart nearly jumped up into her throat. She passed by the mirror and quickly smoothed her hair before opening the door. She was greeted by a handsome Ash, without his league hat. Instead, he had combed down his mass of black hair to where he was even more good-looking than before. She smiled at him as sweetly as she could, and then proceeded to walk with him toward the Town Hall.

I wish I could dance he thought. How stupid of me to ACTUALLY bring her to a DANCE! I can't dance! I never could dance! I never will be able to dance! Errr... Ash seethed quietly at himself. He could tell Misty was getting a little bored. They'd spent the majority of the night gathered around the refreshment table, sharing small talk and reminiscing...which wasn't all bad, but it lacked something. She looked great, in a slim, smooth red dress the sparkled when she moved. Although they hadn't done much moving since they'd gotten there. Suddenly, he heard the fast beat die down to the melodic tones of "The Dance", by Garth Brooks. He looked over at Misty to see her close her eyes and whisper, "This is my favorite song." She swayed gently and quietly sang the words in perfect tune.

He turned to her and blurted out, "Want to dance?" She looked at him thankfully and said yes. He grabbed her hand and led her to the dance floor, in the middle of the hundred couples that had situated themselves out there. She wrapped her hands around his neck, and he laid his hands upon her waist. She later put her head on his chest and pressed up close to him. He could feel her heart beating fast in her chest as they finished out the last few chords of the song. As the sweet sound gave way to another fast song, they just stood there in each others arms, unable to explain the feelings they felt.

Ash! What ARE you doing? You CAN'T get mixed up with a girl right now. ESPECIALLY Misty! You can't hurt her like that his brain screamed. But his heart told a different story. It felt so right, there in the dark. And yet, so wrong. It was the wrong time, he knew. But that golden red hair, those deep blue eyes...they were just too much for him to ignore.

He lifted her chin until his eyes met hers. He moved in closer and closer, until he touched her tender lips. So warm and welcoming. He reached around and ran his hands through her long, soft hair as they kissed.

Misty finally broke the kiss that she dreamed of for so long. She smiled and opened her eyes, and hugged him tightly. This is where I belong...with Ash.

"I love you Misty..." he whispered in her ear. She nodded and said, "I love you too." It felt almost corny, but Misty was a sucker for romance. And right then, all she wanted was Ash.

After the dance, they hesitantly returned to Misty's home. He leaned in and kissed her goodnight.

"I'll see you tomorrow, ok?" he said as he turned away.

"Sure," she replied. "Goodnight Ash."

She walked in and closed the door. She then sat up against it, grinning wider then she ever had before. This is love...I've never felt like this before she thought to herself. For hours she just sat there, thinking of everything that had happened since their travels...how she'd felt and how she'd missed him. And now, it was all fitting into place. I'm meant to be with Ash she told herself. But somehow...she still carried some doubt. Her logical side took over. I'm only seventeen...this can't be IT... She knew that was true, but she still wouldn't believe it. She kept contradicting herself, thinking until it nearly made her ill. She finally fell asleep, still propped up against the door.

Ash heard a knock on his hotel door. He blinked and yawned. The clock read 3:56 am. What the heck is anyone doing here this early? he thought. He got up, and nearly tripped over his carry on bags as he went to open the door. It opened with a noisy squeak, and he found his manager waiting outside, looking very serious and businesslike. He struggled to keep his eyes open, and managed a breathy, "Hi".

His manager wasted no time. "Ash, we're leaving here today...at 8 am sharp. I need you to be ready to leave then...and not a minute later. We just got a call from some experts in Saffron City who want to have you speak at a conference in a few days, and we need to get there as soon as possible. I will be back in..." He stopped to look at his watch. "Four hours. Be ready," he demanded as he turned to walk out. Ash nearly screamed.

"I...Why...Can't we stay for another day? Please?" Ash begged.

"Ash...you can't let your little love life ruin your career. I saw you with that young girl last night. I'm sorry, Ash...we have to go. I'll be back in a little bit," he ended, then quickly left the hotel. Ash shut the door and sat down on his bed. Why? Now I won't even get a chance to tell her goodbye! Why did I have to do this to her...to myself! He sprang up, and scrambled to together as piece of paper and a pen. He sat down and wrote what he couldn't say out loud, sniffling occasionally. He folded it up, and grabbed his coat. He ran out the door and went to Misty's house.

When he got there, he saw that no light were on in her house. The sun had just started to peak over the horizon, but the street was still dark and inhospitable. He sobbed quietly as he shoved his neatly folded letter under the crack in her front door, and walked solemnly back to the hotel.

The clock in the living room gave a lively beat, followed by eight monotone pitches. Misty awoke slightly, and realized she'd fallen asleep still positioned in front of the door. She laughed at herself, and was about to go upstairs to her bed when she noticed a small paper on the floor. On the front were the words "To Misty", written in perfect cursive. She opened it curiously and read aloud the words:

This, my dear, is a time to remember
To your undying love I wish I could surrender
But life is unfair, unkind, and untrue
And I swear, if I can, I'll return back to you
Today I am leaving, this is my goodbye
This is the best I can give, I can't see you cry
If I never again see your beautiful face
Please tell me you'll think of that past time and place
I'll love you forever, until death do we part
In feeling and spirit, you'll be in my heart
I hope and I pray that you'll do the same
Until I've paid my dues of the fortune and fame
I'd give it all up if it meant I'd be with you
But obligations and promises prevent that too
I must go, no more words can be said
We must both continue the lives we have led
I'll wait 'til we meet, Misty, for your love tender
The time we have shared is a time to remember

Misty fell to the ground, tears falling and wetting the words on the paper. She carefully folded it back up and laid it on the ground, eyes wide with anger, emotion, and sadness. She yanked open the door. "I love you Ash! Don't leave!" she yelled down the desolate street. She desperately wanted to hear his voice shout back...but the only reply was the brisk whisper of the morning wind.

So, what do you think? Comments, questions etc. accepted. Reviews are good too! Thanks for reading.

Mighty Misty