DISCLAIMER: Pokemon is not mine, but damn, I wish it was!

A/N: Here we are, chapter nine! Only six more to go! Now, just remember, Misty is nearly sixteen and Ash is already sixteen. I've altered the ages they play on the show just to make the story work, so don't write to me and say that Misty is older than Ash, I know that, it's just for this story!

Ash was nervous. Extremely nervous. It was two days walk to Cerulean, and he had got there. Now he was considering turning around, but Pikachu urged him on.

"Pika Pi! Pikachu, chu!" it yelled. It was more excited than Ash about seeing Misty, which was weird. It wanted to catch up with Togepi more than anything.

"Okay, okay, calm down..." Ash trailed off, staring at the sight in front of him. The Cerulean Gym. "I guess I've got no choice" he sighed, although he knew he had another choice. Home. Getting more badges.

He had come second in the Pokemon League the year before, and after training up his pokemon and earning 8 more badges, Ash was pysching him and his pokemon up for the next competition, which was in three weeks.

He strode up confidentally, heart pounding, palms in a fresh outbreak of sweat, Pikachu by his side.

"Okay, let's go." Ash's voice wavered and he knocked on the door.

His head spun. Maybe he should've called first. Maybe she was busy.

The maybes made no room for the nows, because Misty was opening the door. She too was flushed and frantic, cleaning up for the League inspector who was coming in a week.

"Can I help you?" she asked politly, not quite recognising the person before her. But on closer examination, she realised it was...

"ASH!" she screamed, holding onto the door jam for support. It had been five years since she had seen him, five long years with no word from him.

"Hi Misty." Ash's face crept up into a smile at the girl who seemed to have hardly changed, except in height and...he had to admit...attractiveness.

"What are you doing here?!" Misty asked breathlessly. She was nearly hyperventilating. "Not that I mind, but...Ash, it's been five years!"

She was overwhelmed with surprise and now, curiosity. The boy she had fallen in love with was back. And he seemed no different.

"I know. I thought I'd surprise you with a small visit" Ash explained.

Misty grinned. "Hey, Pikachu!" she squealed, picking up the electric mouse.

"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu replied happily, glad to see her.

"Come in! Sorry about the mess and all..." Misty said sheepishly, though the house was nothing but a mess. She had kept it meticulously clean for the past week since she had had word about the inspector coming.

Ash took in his surroundings. Flowers were in various parts of the room, paintings of mermaids and water pokemon were hung around and, in the middle of the mantleplace, stood a photo of Misty's family when she looked a lot younger.

"Do you want anything to drink?" Misty asked politly, being the pleasant host she had grown to be since her mother's death.

Ash shook his head. "No thanks, I'm okay." He sighed and smiled at the same time. "Long time, no see, huh?"

Misty sat opposite him on a kitchen chair. "I know! We have a lot to catch up on! How did you go in the Pokemon League?"

"I got second last year..."

"Second!" Misty shrieked, wanting to throw her arms around him. "That's so much better than the Orange League" she added calmly.

"The Orange League disagreed with me. I went back to the Indigo one."

As Ash explained his ordeals, Misty stared intensly into his eyes. They were the same colour she had seen them as, the same warmness and determenation imprinted in them.

Ash noticed this and raised an eyebrow. "Is there food on my face or something?" he asked.

Misty gasped in embarassment. "No! No, I was just thinking..."

"About what?" the ever-nosey Ash asked.

"You...Mom...the last five years..." Misty sighed, though Ash couldn't tell if it was an unhappy or pleasant sigh.

"Well, I've been doing pretty much the same thing...what about you?" Ash asked politly as Pikachu caught up with Togepi.

Misty looked at the ground. "Um, I've just been running the gym..."

"By yourself?!" Ash seemed amazed.

"Well, yeah. Mom's...uh...gone, and my sisters are at University for another two years, and Mom wanted to keep it in the family" Misty explained.

Ash looked at her sympathetically. "I'm sorry" he muttered.

"Oh don't be!" Misty's face broke into a grin. "It's not your fault. You're not family, you couldn't have run the gym or prevented Mom's cancer so don't apologise!" She laughed at the thought.

Ash smiled with her. "So what's with all the cleaning?"

"Oh you have no idea. The Pokemon League insepctor is coming in a week and I have to have this place and the gym spotless before he arrives or it'll be shut down or sold." Misty filled the last sentance with a sorrow that hadn't arrived, but easily could.

"I'm sure you'll be fine" Ash smiled. She was so easy to talk with, even if it had been five years since he last saw her.

"It's easier said than done" Misty sighed. Her wistful expression was soon taken over by a happy one. "Well, do you need somewhere to stay? I've got two spare rooms, you can take your pick."

Ash looked taken back. He had planned to stay in Cerulean City, but wasn't expecting Misty to offer him a room. "S-sure, okay" he stammered.
"Okay, over here then...there's this one" Misty indicated a small, but spacious room with a double bed and more aquatic pictures hung around. "And then there's this one..." She showed another, slightly bigger room that was right next to the bathroom.

"Okay, I'll take this one" Ash shrugged, not really caring where he stayed.

Misty grinned. "Closer to the bathroom so the bogey man won't come and attack you?" she teased.

Ash scowled. She and Brock had both known about his fear of the dark, and no matter how many times they camped out, it never decreased. "No, I just like it" he explained.

Misty's grin went wider. "Uh-huh, I believe you..." Ash glared at her, something she had missed for the last five years. "Here, let me take your bag" Misty offered apologetically. It was noticebly heavier than when she had last held it, but she said nothing.

"Thanks. Is there anything I can do to be a better guest?" Ash asked politly and Misty laughed.

"You can keep out of my hair when the inspector comes, that'll do" she shrugged.

Ash grinned. He agreed with her verbally, but mentally he had other ideas. He would be doing the exact opposite.

A/N: They're finally reunited! I'm so happy! :) It's just not the same when they're apart...okay, I've babbled enough, time to post the shocking chapter ten! Well, it's not that shocking, but it's enough to make you wanna read on, right? ;)