Crimson Tears

Chapter Eight: Love Becoming a Problem

"Ash! Dinner!" Delilah shouted from the porch.

Ash, now five, sat with his friend on a quilt laid out on his grassy front yard. They all had familiar cards in their hands.

"Coming, in a minute!" Ash called back.

He turned back to his two friends with a smirk on his face,

"Raichu beats all!" He laughed placing down his card.

Gary blinked in shock, "That was my last card!"

"What is so surprising, Gary? He always wins," A girl muttered grimly putting down her Caterpie and Rattatta cards.

"But Duplica! He shouldn't be able to win! That was an Arcanine!"

"I wore it down with Pikachu!" Ash laughed, "And then beat it with Raichu!"

"He has the mind of the Pokemon Master," Duplica shook her head, smiling at him with a bright golden eyes.

"And twice the ego." Gary groaned as Ash got up and began dancing around happily.

Ash prepared to run back into his mother's arms when he froze. His eyes planted on a family passing by.

"Duplica!" The tall man called. "Come now! We have to go home for dinner."

The light blue girl got up and ran into her father's arms. Her mother smiled happily. Ash watched them leave depression sinking over him. He sank to his knees.

Mrs. Ketchum ran to her child's side, tripping in her rush. She reached Ash first. Gary quickly followed.

"Ash! Are you okay?" Gary asked.

"He'll been fine." Mrs. Ketchum sighed hugging her son to her chest. Ash began to cry silently.

"I want dad back."


Misty picked her pokeball off the ground and glared at Ash loathingly, "Took you long enough! He almost killed me!"

Ash returned the glare.

"I warned you about these people. It is not my fault that you didn't listen."

With that he turned and gave a look to Pikachu that clearly said you too.

"I had no choice. You should of come with us."

"You aren't the only one who was almost killed tonight, you know!" Ash snapped.

Misty blinked. His shoulder…

Ash saw what she was staring at and hid it from view.

"You're healed… But how?"

"Come on. Do you want a ride home, or not?" Ash said coldly walking off. Pikachu followed, its head bowed ashamed of its scolding.

Misty stood there in the silence trying to figure out what had occurred. Butch's words still rang clear in her mind.

"You must of thought- what did he call himself... Aj was it? You must have thought he was just a trainer. But he is more then that."

"So what is he?" Her voice echoing about her.


There was silence in the car as Ash drove them home. Ash wondered if he had been too hard on her or something. But he couldn't force himself to look at her.

"I owe that Butch a punch," She finally broke the silence. "What a jerk!"

Ash let out a snicker which he quickly tried to cover up.

"What do you think I can't?"

"No. No- It's not that-"

"Then what is it?!" Misty growled.

"Well, It's quite funny…"

"What?!"

Ash keep his eyes on the road not knowing how she would react. Maybe she would guess, maybe she would look at him weird.

"You're so beautiful when you're angry."

Of all the things Misty expected, this was far off her list. She gaped at Ash with a look of shock on her face.

Ash didn't return her gaze. But he did, as Misty noticed, begin to sweat.

She shook it off. It was then that Misty realized she was still wearing Aj's cloak…

"Here," Misty tired to give it back to him.

"No you keep it," Ash smiled painfully. "I don't need it. Just think of it… as something to remember me by. Here we are."

Ash pulled over in front of the Cerulean gym. Misty again gave him a suspicious look again.

"How did you know I lived at the Cerulean gym?"

"Lucky guess." Ash smiled pulling out a newspaper with the headline:

Beautiful Misty Wildflower Takes Over Cerulean Gym

And underneath that was a big article and her picture.

Misty reddened in the cheeks, "Oh. Of course."


"Move like over, Daisy!" Violet hissed trying to push the blonde out of the window that she was looking through, "Like, I want to see."

"Whoa! Like, he is hot!" Daisy cried, "Misty like reeled in a good one this time!"

Lily, who sat a bit farther away from the group, looked up from the magazine she was looking over. She looked a bit worried.

"What does he look like?"

Violet finally managed to push Daisy out of the way and looked out in to the pitch black.

"Whoa! Like, I'd trade Paten in for him like any day!" Violet gasped, "No fair that Misty like got him!"

"But what does he look like?!" Lily snapped.


Ash looked over Misty one more time, "Well-"

"Hold on! I want to show you to my sisters!" Misty smiled pulling on his wrist, "Don't worry. They won't bite."

She pulled Ash to the front door as Ash attempted to pulled the other way. Pikachu followed chuckling darkly.

'Wait till Lily sees you…'


"They're coming!" Violet cried, "Hurry get into your places."

Before Misty could even touch the door knob it burst open with Violet and Daisy standing there smiling.

"Hello. Oh dear. Who is this?" Daisy said clearly for once.

Ash wondered what happened to the likes in every other sentence.

"Daisy, Violet. I like you to meet Aj," Misty introduced proudly.

Ash waved faintly and smiled weakly, "Hi."

Both Daisy and Violet's eyes lit up.

"Aj! Oh. Aj and Misty sitting in a-" Violet sang before Daisy elbowed her violently in the stomach.

"Hi. Nice to meet you." Daisy grinned, Violet buckled over in pain behind her.

"Where is Lily?" Misty asked.

Ash turned pale.

Lily emerged from between the two sisters.

Oh gosh. This is the end. The end of me…

She cast a suspicious glance at Misty and Ash and smiled sweetly, "Hi Aj. My names Lily."

Ash glanced over his shoulder to see Pikachu talking to someone. Someone familiar…

Mom?

Ash looked back too the girls and smiled kindly, "Well, its all be terrific meeting you but I really must go."

He turned to Misty and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, "See ya later."

And off he went.

Misty sat frozen clutching her cheek in shock. She flushed.

"Aw." Daisy and Violet chimed, "How sweet."

Misty glared at them,"It's nothing!"

"Our little Misty's growing up so fast!" Daisy cooed.

She pushed past them angrily and went straight to her room. Lily looked out into the distance were Aj's car was. Gary's car was…

"Ash you do be careful…"

To Be Continued…

Please r + r!

This was a lot shorter then I expected this chapter to be… But what the heck! Makes up for the killer chapter before this.

See yall till I write the next chapter.