~*~

CHAPTER THREE

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Ash felt cold. Sleepily, he opened one eye and realised that Misty wasn't nestled in her usual place under his arm. As he grew accustomed to the dark, he saw her familiar shape standing by their bedroom door.

"Misty?" he whispered. "What's wrong?" Startled, Misty jumped and turned around. Ash could faintly see the moonlight reflecting off her eyes, and revealing an expressionless face.

"Go back to sleep Ash," her voice just as expressionless, heavy with what he guessed to be fatigue. "I'm just gonna get a drink." He smiled fondly at her, and sank back on his pillow yawning. He was asleep in two seconds, a babyishly happy look on his face.

Misty gazed at him…he looked so sweet and innocent, sprawled out on the sheets that appeared even whiter in the moonlight. Suddenly, she felt a pang in her chest.

"So that's heartache," she thought grimly. Ash was all she'd ever known, all she'd ever wanted to know. The urge to kick off her shoes and snuggle back under his arm was unbearable.

"You're doing it for him."

"But what if he needs you more than being the Master?"

Biting her lip, Misty turned her head away at the thoughts. She couldn't let herself be stubborn and selfish - she had to think of him. Taking another look, Misty knew there was no problem of that. She would think of him for the rest of her life; and it was slowly killing her that she wouldn't be spending that time with him.

She didn't dare touch him, for fear of waking him, but ran her fingers an inch above his skin as she trailed his familiar features. Her best friend of 7 years, and her lover of 3. She'd loved him almost half of her life, and she'd love him for any meaningless years or time span she would remain alive after that night.

"Goodbye Ash," she whispered. Although her voice wasn't audible to human ears, her movements were enough to wake up Pikachu, who, in the next room curiously put her ear to the wall. "I am so, so sorry…but it's for the best," Panicking for the last time, Misty found herself trying to rectify her situation to him; the knowledge he couldn't hear her forgotten. "Oh I wish I could just pull all memory of me out of your head," she whispered. "But…I'm sure you'll find somebody else…and…and Ash, I truly hope you'll be happy. You deserve it. And I-" Misty swallowed deeply, choosing her last words to him carefully. "I just hope whoever you end up with loves you at least half as much as I do…"

The words ripped themselves out of her mouth as Misty whirled around and ran as quickly as she dared out of their bedroom, down the stairs and into the hall. He paused to check the time. 2.08am. Fidgeting uneasily, and taking deep breaths to compose herself and stop her sobs, she perched herself on the edge of the sofa. The headlights of her taxi illuminated the room through the drapes as it glided into the driveway, making a slight crunching noise with the pebbles against the tires.

The beams of artificial light shone into the house, glinting on a pair of confused and wary brown eyes as Pikachu watched Misty leave the house from the top of the stairs.

Misty ran quickly out the front door, squeezing her eyes shut, as if to block out memories…such as the one where they had arrived after Ash won the Indigo League, and Ash mom had found them kissing against that same white door…She hesitated slightly to look up at the bedroom window, where Ash was still sleeping serenely. She hopped into the taxi, and smiled emptily at the driver.

"Where to missy?" asked the man. He flicked a switch in the front, and suddenly, the locks on the doors clicked. Misty stared at them, and gulped again.

"You wanna go back? Last chance…"

"You know why you need to go back…"

"Where to?" he repeated.

"…Viridian Airport. I need to catch a flight into Johto." Misty settled back on the cold seat, and tried not to think of her warm bed, next to her warm and loving boyfriend. She felt pressure build up behind her eyes again, so to busy herself, she fumbled blindly around in her bag until she found the small folded piece of paper.

She read the French words in Ash's hesitant, halting handwriting, savouring every word.

[==::START FLASHBACK::==]

Laying on his stomach of the large bed of the Indigo Plateau's largest suite, Ash finished painstakingly writing in French, then tossed the paper to Misty, who was sitting at the desk watching Togepi chirp at its reflection in Ash's newest trophy.

"Ensemble pour toujours, n'importe comment longtemps dès maintenant jusqu' à la fin du temps nous serons ensemble, et vous pouvez être sûr que pour toujours et un

jour qui est combien de temps nous resterons ensemble et pour toujours plus"

Smiling her easy smile, Misty moved across to sit with Ash on the bed. Quickly kissing his cheek, she motioned for him to sign it, then hastily scribbled Misty Waterflower next to his name.

[==::END FLASHBACK::==]

Clasping the paper tightly in her shaking hands, Misty translated the words easily. It was their pact. Hers and Ash's, written down for her by him in her favourite language.

"Together forever, no matter how long, from now until the end of time, we'll be together, and you can be sure, that forever and a day, that's how long we'll stay, together and forever more."

But there were no tears on Misty's face as she shoved the piece of paper out the window into the night.

And the taxi sped on under the stars, as the broken pact caught on the wind and blew out of sight.