Ash And Misty's Love

by Llyxius

It's Misty's birthday, and Ash decides to give her love. Wait a second, that's not what I meant...

5. To Love Again, or, Love by Grace

Ash and Misty's Love

Chapter Five—To Love Again, or, Love by Grace

            Ash trudged wearily up the steps to his house, Pikachu curled up on his shoulder, the pokémon's head close to Ash's in an effort to make him feel better.  After everything he had done...he had nothing to show for it.  Time to face the music.  Even though it was his own house, he rapped lightly on the door to warn anyone who was home that he was back, and walked in.

            Misty and Brock were both in the kitchen, and they looked up at his arrival.  "Hey, how's the working boy?" Brock teased him.  Misty gave him a mischievous smile from the table, but their looks softened when they saw his downcast face.  "Are you tired?" Brock asked, understanding in his voice.

            "I guess," Ash said, shrugging his shoulders.  He told himself that there was no reason to be this disappointed and tried to smile, but didn't quite succeed.  "We've been walking all day."

            "Hey, we made cookies," Misty said, pointing to a plate on the table.  She seemed to think that anything involving food would cheer him up.  Okay, so she was usually right.  Just not today.

            "Or rather, I made them, and I kept Misty from burning the house down when she tried to help."  Brock snickered.  That was risky.  Misty looked like she was ready to beat him up over that remark, but, Ash noted wryly, she didn't bother to contradict him.  That did bring a slight  grin out of him.

            "They're chocolate chip," Misty said.  "Extra chocolate, too.  I'll pour you a glass of milk if you want it."  That was strange—normally she wouldn't offer to get him anything.  She must be concerned about his behavior.  Even if she wasn't, his next actions would probably give her reason to be. 

            "Thanks, but no thanks," he said.  "I'm going to lay down now."  He walked towards the door that would lead to his room, but did not miss Misty and Brock's incredulous gapes.

            "What, Ash turn down food?" Brock said, weakly attempting a joke.  Ash didn't answer and just kept walking.  After a moment of hesitation, as he knew she probably would, Misty stood up and followed him.

            As soon as he reached his room he climbed up on his bed and lay down on his side so that he was facing the wall.  When he had settled, Pikachu crawled over him and curled up next to his stomach.  Misty watched him from the doorway.  She looked up at his back and asked gently, "What's wrong?"

            "Nothing," Ash said.  His tone was factual, not rude.

            "Then why are you so sad?"  Misty crossed the room and climbed up the ladder to sit next to him.  It was strangely comforting to have her there.

            "I'm not sad," Ash said.  "It's probably like Brock said.  I'm just tired."

            "Oh."

            They both sat in silence for a moment.  That was one thing that Ash liked about their friendship—they didn't have to talk to feel comfortable with each other.  He knew this wouldn't last long, though. Misty was just giving him some time to feel better. Eventually she spoke again.

            "Did you not earn enough money to buy your Hyper ball?" she asked him.

            "I'm not getting a..." A hint of emotion, albeit annoyance, was in his voice as he started to answer.  But then he stopped.  Arguing with Misty about the Hyper ball was as fruitless as Missie trying to tackle the door.  One was too hard to break and the other was too hard-headed.

            "No," he said.  "I mean, it's not that."  And technically, that wasn't a lie.  It wasn't about the Hyper ball.  It was about the perfume.

            "Well, what happened?" she asked. 

            "Nothing," he said again.

            "Come on, Ash," she said, cajoling.  When he didn't respond, she gently reached over him and placed one of her hands in his own, and politely ignored the fact that he visibly jumped at this. 

            He blushed, and he wasn't sure if it was because of his reaction to her taking his hand, or from the fact that she was holding it in the first place.  It felt funny—her hand was smaller than he would have thought.  He was touched, though.  Misty was hardly ever this sweet to him.

            "It's really nothing, Mist," he said.  "I promise.  Thank you, though."

            "I see," she said reassuringly, still holding his hand.  Ash smiled in contentment.  She sounded like she understood that he didn't want to talk about it, but she still wanted to comfort him.  Really, he underestimated Misty sometimes.  He knew she was a caring person, but she didn't have many opportunities to give her attentions to him.   He noticed now that she was starting to entwine her fingers with his, and he loosened his grip to let her.  He was surprised that this didn't feel as weird as he would have thought it would feel.  This felt nice.  This felt very...

            "OWWWWWWWW!"  He yelped as her fingers suddenly latched onto his pinkie finger and pulled it straight back.  He bolted upright, his happy thoughts quickly dissipated by the sudden sensation of great pain.  He tried to yank his hand out of Misty's, but Misty held fast.

            "So, Ash, are you going to level with me, or am I going to have to see how far back I can stretch your little finger?" she asked menacingly, while Ash gave a distressed look at his poor hand.  His pinkie was practically horizontal with the floor.  Misty pushed it down ever so slightly and Ash gave a small whimper.

            "Alright already!  I give up!  LET GO!" He yelled the last as he broke free of her grasp.  Or rather, she released him—but only as soon as he admitted defeat.  Her eyes were twinkling but he was still gazing at his finger anxiously. 

            "That hurt," he accused.

            "Duh," was her good-natured answer.  "Now are you going to talk, or am I going to have to do it again?"

            "I found an oddish today," he began hastily.  "I tried to capture it."

            "Now we're getting somewhere," she said approvingly.  "And let me guess.  You didn't."

            "No.  I mean yes.  I mean, I didn't capture it, but it wasn't because it got away.  It already belonged to someone," he explained.  "It was a little girl's pet." 

            "So what's the problem?" Misty asked.  "Did she get mad at you?"

            "No.  She was thrilled, actually.  You see..." Ash sighed.  "See, the reason I found it in the first place was because it was lost.  But there was a flier that told where it lived right next to it.  So I used the address on the flier to bring it back to its home."

            "Umm, Ash...it's not that I'm unsympathetic, but I still don't see the problem here," Misty said.  Ash slouched down before he answered, not looking at Misty at first.

            "There was a reward for finding it," he said.  Misty scratched her head at this.  She had evidently given up stating the obvious.

            "That's not a good thing?"  Okay, so she had taken to rephrasing the obvious.

            And this is where he allowed himself to look her straight in the eye.  "I didn't take it."

            He waited for her to say something, whether it be to call him stupid, crazy, or whatever.  But though she displayed the appropriate amount of surprise on her face, she was silent as she waited for him to speak again.  He was grateful for this.

            He slowly lowered himself back down on his bed and looked up at the ceiling as he finished his story.  "I hadn't even known about it.  I had somehow overlooked it on the flier.  But before I could even manage a 'thank you' suddenly I hear a tiny, little girl's voice shrieking 'Missie!  Missie!'—that was the oddish's name.  And then this small blonde-haired girl ran out—and I mean really ran—to see her.  She grabbed its leaves and they started jumping up and down."  He laughed.  "Missie—that was the little girl's name too—was only about as tall as my waist, and when the oddish jumped it was almost as tall as her head.  It was really cute.

            "So then her dad tells her that I'm the one who found Missie, and both of them run to me and start laughing and hugging me around the waist.  Then they go out in the yard and start playing together while her dad and I are watching them.  And I couldn't stop myself from thinking."  He swallowed.  "What if it had been Pikachu?"

            Misty smiled slightly.  "You'd give anything to have him back."

            "Yeah," Ash said, "I would.  But it made me think—I'd want someone to return Pikachu, just like I returned Missie.  He shouldn't have to pay me for doing the right thing, should he?  And besides..." he hesitated, not sure if he should continue, but heck, he had told everything else, there was no reason to hold this back.  "I wasn't sure, but I was a little worried that they might need the money.  They may not have, but I just had a feeling.  So, I couldn't take the reward."  He rolled over on his side and stared at the wall.  Pikachu curled up next to him again, but this time it only served to remind him of the afternoon's disappointment.

            "You did do the right thing," Misty said.  Her voice was softer than it had ever been.  He could tell she was pleased, and that made him feel guilty. 

            "I know," Ash said.  "It's just that...I mean, I know I was right.  But I feel bad for even feeling bad that I couldn't keep the money.  Does that make sense?  It made me feel greedy," he clarified.

            "You're not greedy," Misty said.  "Just human."

            "It was hard getting my hopes up and then letting them go," he said.

            "I know."  Misty rested her hand on his shoulder, and this time Ash managed to not make his startlement so visible.  He smiled at the light pressure.  That alone was enough to let him know how she felt, but she said it anyway.  "I'm proud of you." 

            "Thanks."

            They sat in companionly silence for awhile, Ash resting, Misty very lightly rubbing his shoulder.  Ash wondered for a moment why the rest of their time on their journeys couldn't be spent like this—Misty was one of his closest friends, but right now, he didn't know if he had ever felt closer to her.  And then Misty had to say, "You really want that Hyper ball, don't you?"

            That effectively broke the mood.  Ash clenched his teeth and didn't answer.  Misty giggled. 

            "Never mind.  I know you do."  She got up and climbed down the ladder, then walked over to the dresser to ruffle around one of the drawers that Ash had let her use.  Ash rolled over on his other side and watched her curiously.  She usually kept her undergarments and cosmetics bag in that drawer.  He wasn't supposed to know that—she had made him swear on the Elite Four that he wouldn't touch it—but he did.

            "What are you doing?" he asked her.  This time it was Misty who didn't answer.  She pulled something out of her cosmetics bag and walked back towards him.  What, did she think that lip balm would somehow console him?

            "That man was right about something.  You deserve to be rewarded for doing something good.  You don't have to be, but you do deserve it."  She smiled.  "Is this enough to help you buy your Hyper ball?" She held out a ten dollar bill.

            Ash gaped at her.  "I—I can't take that," he stammered.  She hadn't had any money earlier in the week.  This had to be the money Professor Oak had given her yesterday.

            "Why not?" she asked.

            "Because...because..."

            Because, you'd be buying your own birthday present, that's why!

            "Because it's yours," is what Ash managed to come up with.

            "Exactly.  So I can give it to you if I want," Misty said.  "Here.  I was just going to buy that perfume with it, but I'm not sure I could even save enough money to buy it before we leave, anyway.  So take it.  And to think, it's not even your birthday." 

She winked, and he was paranoid for a minute that she knew.  Had Brock told her?  That stupid idiot...and then he remembered her reaction to Brock's joking around yesterday.  No, she couldn't have known.  Besides, Brock wouldn't tell her.  It would spoil the opportunity for him to tease both Ash and Misty mercilessly at the same time.  Ash still hadn't figured out how he was going to get out of that one without either of them escaping death by embarrassment.

            She was only going to buy perfume with it...  She'd still be getting exactly what she wanted, only he would be helping her out without her knowing it.  Should he?

            "What time does the Pokémon Palace close today?  Five?" she asked, oblivious to his thoughts, as she nodded at the clock.  "It's just a little before four-thirty.  I bet if you hurried, you could make it."

            Ash made his decision. 

            "Okay!"  His spirits tripled in a matter of seconds.  He quickly grabbed the money and scrambled down the rungs of the ladder.  Snatching his wallet off the dresser and putting the money in it, he forced himself to slow down on his way out the door in order to shoot Misty an incredibly grateful look.  The extent of her generosity hadn't quite sunk in yet, and he was half afraid that he needed to make a swift exit before she changed her mind.  "Come on, Pikachu.   And I'll pay you back for it, Misty, I promise.  I gotta go!"

            "Sure you will.  Just like you paid me back for my bike, right?" she yelled as he and Pikachu both sprinted out.

            "ARGH!" 

            Bump.  As lucky as Ash was that he didn't fall down the stairs, he still managed to fall flat on his rear right in the middle of the hallway.  Pikachu ran straight into his back and gave him a dazed look.

            She would have to mention that!

            He gave a wry grin as he heard Misty laughing at him in his room.  She had hung around him long enough to guess what had happened.

            Okay, so she's still not being totally nice to me...  He thought as he scurried up and he and Pikachu continued on their way.  Misty could still be heard giggling in his room.  He had to admit, it was kind of cute.  Not like the obnoxious chirping that half of the girls Brock fawned over had.  There was only one minor detail that kept him from liking it completely.

            It would be nice...if she wasn't laughing at ME, that is!

***

            "Gotta hurry.  Gotta hurry..." Ash panted as he raced down the road, Pikachu running along beside him.  The pokémon actually had more endurance than his trainer, and in spite of his shorter legs, acted as a pace setter for Ash.  It was about a fifteen minute walk to the downtown, but Ash wanted to be sure to get there before the drugstore closed.  He hoped it didn't close any earlier than the majority of the other downtown stores did. 

            He had the beginnings of a stitch in his side by the time he made it there, but as the clock on the bank, which was the highest point in town, chimed the hour, he saw with relief that he still had fifteen minutes.  He allowed himself a few seconds to wipe his brow and catch his breath, and then he headed to the drugstore.

            An employee was sweeping the aisles, and Ash saw that it was the person who had helped them a few days ago.  "Oh, you're back," Ben said when he saw Ash.  "Did you come back to buy that perfume for your girlfriend?"

            "What?  She's not my girlfriend!" Ash glared at Ben.  He decided that Ben's slow-growing smirk at his reaction was decidedly unprofessional. 

            "I see.  You're still in denial," Ben teased. 

            Great.  Now even the stupid teenager at the drugstore is harassing me.

            "Don't worry, kid, in a few years you'll learn to appreciate the affections of a nice girl like that," Ben told him.  Ash was seething, but he had one slight problem.  Misty had just done about the nicest thing she had ever done for him.  He wasn't about to argue Ben on that point.  Which left him basically speechless.

            He could feel his face growing hot.  "I don't know what you're talking about," he said when he realized that Ben wasn't going to speak first.

            "Sure," Ben said.  Ash got the funny feeling that he was being patronized.  "Anyway, did you need something?"

            "Yes.  You were partly right.  I do need to get that perfume.  To buy my friend for her birthday," Ash said, overemphasizing the word 'friend' and making Ben grin again. 

            "I thought you might be.  You'll have to remind me what kind it was," Ben said, and set his broom aside to walk towards the perfume aisle.  Ash followed him.

            "It was called...Love," Ash told him, making a face.  "How come perfumes always have silly names like that?"

            "Because girls only like things that can be described as cute or pretty or silly," Ben said.  "It's all in the marketing."  Ash forgave Ben for his previous ridicule as they exchanged a male-bonding type look that said I'll never understand girls and don't know if I ever want to.    

            They  reached the aisle and stopping in front of the display.  "Uh-oh," Ben said.

            Uh-oh?  That was not something Ash wanted to hear.

            "Uh-oh what?" he asked

            "It looks like we've sold out of it," Ben said.  "That's funny.  I could have sworn we still had a few more bottles left."

            "What?" Ash pushed his way in front of and gazed at the empty shelf in desperation.  "That can't be right.  Don't you have any more in the back or something?"

            "Nope, we put those out yesterday.  Maybe she'd like a different kind," Ben said.

            "She wanted that kind."

            "Sorry.  We must have sold the last bottle within the last hour, because I know I saw some when I started cleaning up.  Too bad," Ben said.  That was a gross understatement.

            Ash almost fell over.  Good grief.  This day had been one emotional roller coaster after another.  His previous notion that roller coasters had been fun was seriously deluded.  Ash decided that he was never visiting a theme park ever again.  Or at least not during a mood swing.

            "Now what am I going to do?" is what he said, scuffing his feet on the floor in frustration.

            "Watch it, I still have to mop," Ben scolded.

            "Mommy knows what to do!" a feminine voice piped up.  "You can buy the last bottle from me, because I've got it right here!"

            "Mom?" 

            This time Ash did fall over.

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COMING UP IN CHAPTER SIX:  The conclusion.  'Love' finds a home.

Poké-pun of the day:  A squirtle walks into a bar and orders spring water.  A pikachu walks into a bar and orders ketchup.  A snorlax walks into a bar and orders everything.  A psyduck walks into a bar and says "ouch."

(He he...into a bar?  Get it?  ^^)

This chapter is dedicated to Sharon.  I figure it's the least I can do for getting her involved in a virtual pillow fight when she wasn't even present at the message board at the time.  ^_^;   

Thanks to Nicky for my fortieth review—what an awesome number!  Thanks PurePsychicEspeon for that cool hint.  I loved the end to "Faith in a Child."  And speaking of hints, No Need to Know, in spite of the plot twist I think you may be right about something in your last review.  And lastly, Mandy—if you don't hurry up and read this I think I'm going to have to beat you up.  Watch out, I know Tae-bo.  (Gotta love best friend abuse.  Especially considering that if she's not readig this, how does she know I'm abusing her?  ^^)

Hey, if anyone happens to know any good Team Rocket puns, review, and I'll post my favorite in the last chapter and credit you.  Otherwise, be on the lookout for a mangled motto (those are fun.)  Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone, and hope you enjoy the ending!