Chapter 4
Unrequited Reunited
Misty yawned and stretched her arms out. As her skin touched soft sheets she drew back in alarm. She found that she was sleeping in a huge bed with white sheets in a large airy room. Misty jumped out of the bed and flung the heavy curtains open, letting sunlight flood the room. Pewter was hardly the most picturesque city in the world, but to Misty, nothing had ever looked so beautiful.
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After having a shower, she came back into her room to find that Brock had laid out some things for her on the bed. After dressing in the jeans and yellow tank top he had left for her, she brushed her hair for the first time in over a year. She absentmindedly pulled it back into a ponytail at the nape of her neck, but when she studied her reflection in the mirror she knew she didn't look right. She moved her hair up and to the left so it stuck characteristically out of the side of her head.
Misty smiled at her reflection and grabbed her bag. She wandered on to the landing, down the stairs and into the hallway. She reached for the kitchen doorknob, but it turned before her hand touched it.
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It was him. It was the boy from her flashbacks - considerably older, but it was him alright. She gazed steadfastly into his shocked dark eyes and was immediately startled by another memory surfacing in the abyss that was her mind.
[…=START FLASHBACK=…]
Misty was lonely. Very lonely. She sighed as she once again cast out her fishing line and tapped her foot impatiently. Suddenly, there was a jerk on the line.
"Hey! I got a bite!" Enthusiastically, she reeled in her heavy catch and watched in amazement as a soaking wet boy clutching a Pikachu flew out of the water and landed with a thud not far off. "Nah, it's just a kid…oh! And a Pokémon!" She jumped from her rock and walked over to the boy. "Are you alright?" The boy lifted his head up and their eyes met for the first time ever. Misty was annoyed to feel her cheeks flush.
"Yeah, I'm alright," said the boy, looking up in wonder at his red headed saviour.
"Not you! Your Pokémon! Look what you've done to it - is it breathing?" The boy looked down at his Pikachu with concern.
"I…I think so."
"Well don't just sit there, it needs a doctor right away!" After receiving the directions to the Pokémon Centre, the boy looked up in shock as a flock of Spearow appeared over the horizon.
"They're coming back! Run!" He ran over to Misty's bike, gently placed Pikachu in the basket and jumped on.
"Hey wait, what do you think you're doing?" she asked him, incredulously.
"I'm borrowing this" he called over his shoulder as he began to cycle away. "I'll give it back someday!" Misty put her hands on her hips and stared at the vanishing figure of the boy.
"Oooh you!"
[…=END FLASHBACK=…]
The next thing she knew, Misty was back to reality with a sharp jolt. The boy was still staring at her, disbelief all over his face.
"M…M…Mis…ty?" he managed to whisper.
"Ash." It was a statement, not a query. Ash turned to Brock, who was looking amazed.
"You said she has no memory Brock!"
"I don't" interrupted Misty. "I can't explain why I know you." It was all too much for her and tears began welling up in her eyes. "But I do." Brock saw that Ash's eyes were also beginning to brim with tears, so with a satisfied grin, he went to make breakfast.
As soon as Brock left the room, Misty collapsed on the sofa. Concerned, Ash sat down beside her, not quite knowing what to say to the best friend he hadn't seen in over a year. Misty's head was throbbing, and felt like it was going to split in two. The closeness of this boy was causing her developing memory to go absolutely wild and she began to cry softly. She sobbed on to his chest and a few silent tears fell from his eyes on to her hair.
Suddenly, Misty's head cleared, as if someone had drilled a hole and let all the pressure out. She began to remember something else.
[…=START FLASHBACK=…]
Misty wandered into the mob of people dancing, and looked hastily around the room. Ash and Pikachu were in the corner, studying Dexter. Misty blushed when she saw Ash; he was wearing a mint green kimono and had at least attempted to brush his hair for the Maiden's Peak 'End of Summer Festival'.
"Sorry I'm late!" she said cheerfully. Ash looked up at her in awe. She was wearing a mint green kimono, embroidered with patches in the shape of Goldeens. She had let her hair down for the first time since he'd met her. Simultaneously, they blushed. Misty extended her hand. "Come on Ash, let's dance."
"Er, sure!"
[…=END FLASHBACK=…]
Misty stopped crying and sat up. She wiped her eyes and was astonished to see that Ash had been crying too, but admittedly not nearly as much as her. They stared at each other, half-embarrassed.
"Ash?"
"Hmmm?"
"Did…did we ever go dancing at a festival where I was wearing a pink kimono? When we were, I don't know - about 10?"
"Yes." Ash smiled at the memory.
"And this is going to sound absolutely crazy, but did we meet by me fishing you out of a river and you taking my bike?"
"Yep! Sure did!" Ash said brightly, but really he was thinking Thank God she doesn't remember what happened to the bike!
"Good - then I'm not going completely mad!" They both laughed.
"Maybe you'll get your memory totally back soon Myst," said Ash hopefully. The nickname seemed to strike a chord somewhere in Misty, and her hand flew to her neck. She unclasped the locket and placed it in Ash's hand, watching his face intently for any kind of reaction to it. She was started to see tears in his eyes again.
"Did you give me this?" she barely whispered. Ash nodded, because he was too frightened that if he spoke he would say the wrong thing. Delicately, he flipped the hidden catch that Misty had never remembered was there. Without even looking at the piece of paper concealed within, Misty knew exactly what to say.
"A piece of your heart," she breathed. Ash nodded and shut the locket with a tinny click and restored it to Misty's neck. Misty snuggled closer to Ash; she couldn't remember ever feeling this safe.
"Ash? We're we…close? When we were kids?" Ash smiled at the innocence in her question.
"Sometimes" he murmured as he absentmindedly stroked her hair. "And other times it seemed like we were worlds apart." Lulled by his words and the soft beating of his heart in her ear, Misty fell asleep.
A few minutes later, Brock quietly entered the room and smiled at the 'greeting-card' worthy picture. Misty was sleeping on top of Ash's lap, a peaceful, contented look on her face that hadn't been present the night before. Ash on the other hand was wide-awake. He was staring at the top of Misty's head, as if it was the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen and he had a giddy schoolboy look on his face - but it was equally contented.
Brock sat down on a chair opposite them and immediately noticed that Ash had both arms around her so tightly it was amazing she could breathe properly. Ash looked up at his friend and he face cracked into a grin.
"She's not going anywhere Ash," Brock laughed softly. "You can loosen your grip."
"Not a chance." Ash retorted. "I'm not taking anymore chances. I was lucky enough to get her back this time." As he ran his thumb gently over her sleeping features, he noticed several bruises and cuts to the side of her face, concealed slightly by her hair. She was also pitifully thin and generally physically weak. Ash looked up at Brock, with something a little less than pure hatred brewing in his brown eyes.
"Who did this to her Brock?" Brock shook his head sadly.
"She was tired last night, but we'll eventually get everything we can out of her when she goes to the police. I managed to get that this sod killed Lily, Daisy and Violet and she was being held in Viridian Forest." Ash nearly choked.
"VIRIDIAN FOREST!" he spluttered. "You mean she's been that close all this time?" Misty began to stir in her sleep, not so much from Ash's outburst, but another scene from her past was forcing its way into her dreams.
[…=START FLASHBACK=…]
Ash yawned noisily as he snuggled deeper into his blue sleeping bag.
"Goodnight Brock, goodnight Pikachu." He turned his attention to the girl sitting on the red sleeping bag next to his. "Night Misty - see ya in the morning!"
"Goodnight Ash," she replied quietly. "Sweet dreams."
When she was confident that the two boys were asleep, Misty kicked out of her sleeping bag and stood up. She wandered over to the edge of their camp, still in the clearing, but far enough from the guys so they wouldn't hear her singing.
Out here in the quiet of the night,
Beneath the stars, and moon.
We both know we've got something on our minds
We won't admit,
But it's true
Misty looked towards the campsite, and allowed her gaze to fall on Ash's sleeping form. It was slightly disheartening when he rolled over in his sleep, so he was facing away from her.
I look at you; you look away.
I wanna tell you what I'm feeling, but I don't know how to start
I wanna tell you but now I'm afraid that you might break my heart
Oh why should anything so easy, ever be so hard to do?
I wanna tell you what I'm feeling and to say that…I love you.
I practice all the things that I could say,
Line by line, every word.
I tell myself, today will be the day
But every time, I lose my nerve.
Misty was now singing closer to Ash than she had ever dared to before. He rolled over again, and she could see he was smiling in his sleep. Fearing he would wake up, Misty quickly turned away from his smiling face and once again headed back to the outskirts of the campsite.
You look at me; I look away.
I wanna tell you what I'm feeling, but I don't know how to start
I wanna tell you but now I'm afraid that you might break my heart
Oh why should anything so easy, ever be so hard to do?
I wanna tell you what I'm feeling and to say that…I love you.
Why? Why do you turn away?
It must be, you're afraid like me.
I try, but I can't pretend that I
Don't feel for you, the way I do
Can't you see?
I wanna tell you what I'm feeling, but I don't know how to start
I wanna tell you but now I'm afraid that you might break my heart
Oh why should anything so easy, ever be so hard to do?
I wanna tell you what I'm feeling and to say that…I love you.
I wanna tell you what I'm feeling, but I don't know how to start
I wanna tell you but now I'm afraid that you might break my heart
Oh why should anything so easy, ever be so hard to do?
I wanna tell you what I'm feeling and to say that…I love you.
Misty realised that she had again wandered too close to Ash, and quickly flopped down on to her sleeping bag, knowing she would die of embarrassment if he ever heard her. She had practically whispered that last 'I love you…' right into his ear. Sure enough, he began to stir, and he yawned widely.
"Did you say somethin' Misty?"
"Me?" replied Misty, shocked. "No, nothing; I didn't say anything Ash." Satisfied, Ash smiled sleepily at her, and closed his eyes. She watched him for a minute, then closed her eyes too. "Goodnight."
[…=END FLASHBACK=…]
In reality, Misty had just opened her eyes, and was quite embarrassed about the way she had fallen asleep. One of her arms was around Ash's waist and the other was up by her face, which was on his chest. She had fallen asleep fiddling with one of his jacket buttons.
She sat up groggily, but couldn't help but grin back at Ash's grin. Ash stared at her, and noticed with an expert eye that the emotion that had been missing from her eyes was now back in full force. She looked almost exactly like she did before. He told her so and she giggled.
"That's because when I was asleep I had another flashback that revealed a little more about me." She blushed suddenly, and Ash became intrigued.
"Do tell." Misty opened her mouth then closed it again, in a very good fish impression.
I was right! she laughed to herself, although panic was quickly rising inside her. This is hard to do! She quickly thought of something she could use to stall for time.
"By the way Ash, why didn't you bring Pikachu?" Ash looked delighted that Misty had remembered his beloved Pokémon.
"Well I wasn't really expecting you to be here was I, so I left Pikachu with Professor Oak. I wish I'd brought it; it would love to see you again, more than anything!" Misty looked as nostalgic as a person with no memory can. "Anyway Myst, what did you remember?"
Damn she silently cursed. Then she thought of another escape plan. "Where's Brock?" she asked innocently. Ash looked upset.
"Why can't you tell me Misty - I knew practically all your secrets when we were kids?" Suddenly his face changed as he remembered something she used to say jokingly all the time. He wondered if she had meant it. He felt sick. "You hate me don't you? You've remembered that you can't stand me." Misty had to laugh at the paranoid, petrified look on his face.
"No Mr Pokémon Master I…" she stopped as she wondered where that name had sprung from all of a sudden. Ash's heart almost burst when he heard her so familiarly use her old nickname for him. Misty continued. "I..I just remembered a song I used to sing at nights."
"So that was you!" cried Ash, slapping his knee to emphasise his point. Misty looked at him in alarm.
"You what? You heard me?"
"Not the words, just sometimes I'd wake up when we were camping out and it would sound like you were humming or something. Then I'd look up and you'd be walking around the campsite singing softly and looking sad." Instinctively Ash pulled Misty closer to him, as if he wanted to protect her from everything - even her own negative emotions. "I caught you a few times, but you always denied it was you."
"Are you sure you never heard any of the words?" Misty blinked.
"Sure I'm sure. You were always too far away or I'd only wake up properly to hear you go to sleep." Misty sighed, relieved.
She was in a strange situation. She was about to willingly tell a boy that she loved him, when technically she didn't. She barely 'knew' this boy, but there was definitely something there.
You don't just forget love she reasoned with herself, sometimes it just gets buried a little. Even though she couldn't truthfully say that she knew she was in love with him now, there was a definite bond…some sort of spiritual linkage that he had kept strong and she had forgotten about. She felt guilty, even though it wasn't her fault. Her heart and her conflicted mind were contradicting each other.
"That song…" She faltered as she looked up into Ash's inquisitive face, and she felt something stab her inside. She gulped, took a big breath and continued. "It was about you, Ash and how much, how much…" Her voice cracked, and the next thing she knew she was once again in the arms of a surprised Ash, although this time she wasn't crying. "How much I love you" she wailed, and felt that pain in her chest again.
Ash was in a total state of shock, and it was all he could do but hold Misty close to him for a while, not being able to open his mouth, let alone say the right thing. Ash Misty burrowed her face deeper into his shirt, she wondered if as a scrawny 10 year old girl she had ever really imagined how difficult telling Ash would be.
Suddenly, she understood; her heart had finally made her mind understand. She was still totally, 100% in love with Ash Ketchum. Feelings of love aren't something you accumulate through knowing someone well. She had loved him as a young girl, and even her memory wipe couldn't erase the fact that she loved him still. However, Ash had been silent since she told him, and that wasn't a good sign.
Cautiously she raised her eyes to observe Ash's reaction. He was trying to look serious at Misty's melancholy condition, but a grin kept breaking out on his face. Misty was suddenly aware that her hair was moving and realised that Ash was twirling her lightly around the room.
"When did we…start dancing?" she whispered.
"A few minutes ago," he murmured. "On my 15th birthday, you promised me another dance, but I was still waiting because in all respects, you died!"
"Oh well, I'm awfully sorry!" she joked, thinking that the awkward moment had passed, but it hadn't. After a few moments of silence, Ash spoke.
"You know Misty, it's like half of me wants to run away right now."
"What, your 'inner child'?" she asked, almost bitterly.
"Sort of, but then there's the half of me that wants, to stay, and…" He took a deep breath like Misty had earlier and continued. "…tell you how much I've always loved you, even now, and I'd hold you and," Ash knew he was stuttering and babbling, but he couldn't help it. "I'd always look after you and I'd protect you from everything. I'd never let you get taken from me again." He touched Misty deeply by starting to cry. "Oh God Misty, I love you so much and I never want to be without you again."
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Brock sat in the kitchen, with a tea towel clenched between his teeth. He had been supervising the whole scene through the crack of the slightly ajar door.
Finally. Looks like my 'adopted' brother and sister are ready to look after themselves now. He smiled to himself. Well, maybe not Ash. He turned away from the door as the embracing couple started to kiss. He wasn't quite comfortable watching that yet. He hummed happily as he began tidying up the kitchen. Man, Ash owes me one big he thought to himself.
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What? You think that's the end? Oh no - you've forgotten one very crucial detail…
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"What do you mean you can't find her?" screeched a furious Rudi to his personal Rocket agents; the science geek Ross and his pretty partner Diana.
"Er…well sir, the door to her room was unlocked and that morning she had got her breakfast exceptionally early - and not from her normal morning monitor," Diana stammered, smoothing back a quiff of her short blue hair nervously as she waited for her boss's reaction.
"That's not good enough!" Rudi yelled. He enjoyed watching Diana and Ross visibly cringe at the pitch of his voice. Their uniforms were crimson red, and the Team Rocket 'R' logo was white. "I want you to find that little wench and bring her back to me." He smiled coolly. "I want the pleasure of killing her myself."
"Yes sir."
As Diana and Ross left the room chatting about their new mission, Ross tripped over something. Diana turned around just in time to see a Meowth disappear in a cream coloured blur into the dark corridor.
"Why can't people leave their Pokémon in their bloody Pokéballs?" she cursed darkly as she helped her partner up.