Crimson Tears

Chapter Twelve: Selfish Desires

Ash ran into the room, pulling out of his mother's embrace.

"Daddy! Daddy!" He ran up past the people exiting the church to the alter. He froze staring at the immobile figure in the box.

Ash fell to his knees hugging his knees close to his chest. He didn't cry. Someone's arms wrapped around him. He didn't move. He just whimpered sadly trying to hard not to break down.

"Ash. Please!" Delia ran after her son into the empty room. She spotted him up on the alter. She froze.

She couldn't believe her eyes. A tall man sat by Ash's side rocking him gently in his arms. The man seemed to be slightly transparent and so familiar but it couldn't be… It just couldn't be…

"Jeffery?"


"Is she okay?" Ash whispered catching her before she hit the ground.

Lily didn't answer. She just stared at him. Ash kept his eyes on Misty as his neck burned with embarrassment.

"So Ash…." Lily began. "You've grown."


Richie stood outside with a silent Pikachu at his side. They stared at the gym uncertainly.

"I wonder what is going on."

'Me too.' Pikachu yawned, 'Poor Ash. This can't be easy to do…'

"You should of seen my face when I found out Ash was alive," Richie grinned. "I almost passed out. I couldn't believe it when Brock called me. He looked quite shaken. I'm surprised he took it so well."

'Actually, he didn't,' Pikachu snickered. 'The only reason he didn't crack was because Ash was injured. When we got into the Pokemon Center, he was just jumping with nerves. I guess he thought he was dreaming cause he kept smacking himself. It could have been quite funny if Ash wasn't in the serious condition he was in.'

There was a long empty silence between the two before Richie spoke again.

"It's funny. I was so sure Ash was okay when he was claimed missing and then when he came back… I was so sure he was dead," Richie whispered. "I guess I had forgotten about how Ash acted. Maybe… maybe… it was... it had been so long."

'It's okay to have lost faith, Richie,' Pikachu sighed. 'Time can do that to a person. But now Ash is alive… And if he disappears again you will have faith in him even longer.'

Richie nodded slightly.

Silence hovered over them again.

"I wonder if he told her yet…"

A piercing scream filled the dead night air. Richie and Pikachu looked at eachother.

'Does that answer you're question?' Pikachu hissed racing to the double glass doors.

"Yep." Richie muttered pushing them open to rush inside.


Misty backed herself into a tight corner.

"You! You're dead!!" She screamed.

"Misty, please listen! Calm down!" Ash whispered pleadingly.

"Calm down?! Calm down?!" Misty laughed as if were an amusing joke. "My best friend who has been dead for three years has come back to haunt me and I am supposed to be calm?"

"Misty! Ash hasn't been dead!" Lily tried to explain.

"You were at the funeral!" Misty screamed. "You saw it! Ash is dead!"

"But Misty! Nobody was in that grave! Remember? It was just a marker! To pose my death!" Ash cried.

"Don't talk to me! Your some kind of weird figment of my imagination and… and… I refuse to listen to you!" Misty shouted plugging her ears.

Ash smacked his forehead. He sent Lily a look at clearly said, This isn't going well.

Misty bit her lip and hugged her knees to her chest. She began to sob softly. Ash cringed. He hated to see Misty cry.

"Ash." Richie said barging in through the doors.

He skidded to a halt as seeing Misty. Pikachu stopped as well.

"Misty, I- I didn't mean to hurt you…" Ash muttered.

"Well, you did." Misty growled lifting her gaze to meet his.

Her eyes were hard and firm. Her face was a faint pink from the tears and slightly damp.

"Ash, how could you? First you died and then you came back… You should of stayed dead."

Ash kept his eyes on hers. He didn't look away. His face was kind of hard to read… like stone.

"Did you know how many nights I spent praying you were alive? Did you even care?"

"Misty… I- I had to stay hidden… If I didn't…"

"You are so selfish, Ash Ketchum!" Misty shouted getting to her feet. "All you care about is yourself."

"That isn't true!" Richie protested.

'Yeah!' Pikachu agreed.

Ash kept his head bowed.

"Yes, it is! He was spying on me! He thought that I cared. Well, I don't care anymore. You can just get killed, Ash! I don't care about you… or anyone anymore!" She turned to leave, "I hate you, Ash Ketchum. I hate you!"

Ash scrambled to his feet. He grabbed her shoulder, "Misty… Please… I lo-"

There was a ringing silence. Misty's hand swung back before Ash could finish. Ash held his cheek gently were her swipe hit. Misty glared at him loathingly.

"Get out."


Ash stared at the door in his face. Richie and Pikachu stood on either side of him.

"I love you." He finished.

A slight stinging sensation formed in the corners of his eyes. He blinked and stared up at the sky.

"Ash…" Richie began.

But Ash had already turned. He took off the other direction not looking back.

"That cheese ball!" Richie finally said breaking the silence, "After all Ash has gone through. And then…"

'It is true that Ash is selfish…' Pikachu whispered.

Richie glared down at him,

"Whose side are you on?!"

'No.' Pikachu sighed, 'You got me wrong. What I meant was that he was selfish…for…her…'

They stood looking up at the midnight sky, "Then what is wrong with him being selfish?"


Misty glared back at Lily in disgust, "Just leave me alone."

Her heart fell broken as she ran. She couldn't believe she had told him such a lie. She knew it wasn't true… But it couldn't of possibly of hurt him as much as she was hurt. He had lied to her! And to think she almost believed him?! And… she… Misty couldn't bare it any longer.

She ran past her other two sisters who were relaxing in the pool with their pokemon. Daisy looked up startled as she past. Violet looked equally startled. They gazed at each other uncertainly and then climbed out of the tank.

"Misty!" Daisy called after her. She didn't answer. She just kept running.

She felt sick. Why did she turn away? She tried to ignore the terrible aching pain in her heart that told her she was wrong… but she hated being wrong.

She fought the tears as she ran. She was wrong, wasn't she?


Ash ran along in the pale moonlit. He tripped over a small rock and fell to the ground. He didn't bother getting up. He just lay breathing in the forest soil.

"I knew it would happen… and it did… so why does it hurt so much?"

Ash rolled over and looked up at the sky. The stars twinkled here and there. It was then Ash spotted his star. His star that he had claimed all his own… back when he was just a toddler. It seemed father away from the world more then every now. So much distance was between it and the other stars.

Ash bit his lip.

"Misty…"


Misty laid down on her bed stuffing her face in her favorite pillow. Tears came harder then ever now. She tried to muffle the sound. This was too hard… both ways.


Richie walked along with Pikachu.

"Well, we better find Ash… Maybe… Maybe he'll be better now."

'Maybe,' Pikachu sighed.

To Be Continued…

Please r + r!

Waaaa! Poor Ash! Poor Misty! :insert evil grin here:

I had to do something to spice it up.