Crimson Tears
Author's Note: Oh Dbz fans. Sorry if this is close to resembling Gohan's transformation. I couldn't help myself!
Chapter Thirty: Blue Tears, Red Stone
Delia sat alone in the hospital room with Ash. Ash was looking better now that they had him take a rest. He slept pleasantly in her reach. She stroked his soft cheek as tears slipped out down her cheeks from under her control. She felt a small hand on her own hand. She looked up to see two big chocolate eyes staring back at her.
"Don't cry Mom. Everything's gonna be alright now."
Delia smiled.
Gary looked down at his scraped knee and began to moan. He just couldn't ride a bicycle without training wheels. He kicked his bike in his frustration.
"What's wrong?"
The voice made him turn. A little boy stood there licking on a large lollipop.
"I can't ride this," Gary muttered lowered his head the ground with embarrassment.
"Why not?"
"Wha-" Gary looked back up at the small boy.
The kid was even younger then him. He was staring at the bike uncertainly, "Is there something wrong with it?"
"Uh… no. It's me."
The boy blinked and stared at Gary. He cocked his head to the side, "I don't see anything wrong with you. It must be the bike…"
Misty swirled around as she saw the kid she had just fished out of the lake a second ago take her bike,
"Hey!"
"I'm just borrowing it!" The boy shouted behind him. "I'll bring it back someday!"
Misty bit her lip in her shock. She felt a gust of wind and looked up as the flock of Spearow flew over her head. She raised an eyebrow, "What, is he a magnet for trouble?"
Aiko skipped into the room holding a pokeball high.
Asa looked up from her training watching her little brother, "What are you doing?"
"I'm gonna be a Pokemon Master! Just like Ash!"
Asa shook her head and smirked, "What a silly kid."
"Ash!" Brock and Tracy cried racing into the hotel room.
They stopped in the doorway to see Ash on the floor laughing as a Teddiursa sat on his tummy tickling him. They sweat dropped and let out a sigh. Tracey then began laughing along… Brock joined in.
"Help me! This tickles!" Ash cried.
Richie held his breath as Ash walked over to him. Was he going to brag now that he was a master?
"Richie. I have a bone to pick with you," Ash smiled. "You just have to become a Master now. You promised."
Richie blinked in shock and then grinned, "I'll try."
"No, you will."
"Alright I will. I will!" Richie laughed.
"Y-you saved us?" Jessie gasped as Ash struggled to hold onto the rope and the cliff at the same time.
"I can't believe dat," Meowth gulped as he held onto James' legs.
James stayed silent hugging onto Jessie was holding Ash's hand.
"Hey, I'm human, am I not?"
"Sometimes, I wonder," Jessie smiled.
"Right back at you," Ash grinned.
Everyone stood watching the temple as the light covered the world.
Everyone was thinking about the same boy tonight, everyone…
The light faded away so Misty need not cover her eyes anymore. The screaming had creased long before. Her eyes watered as she wondered what had happened to Ash. But what she saw was far from what she had expected.
His strange black boots tapped the cracked marble floor lightly. Misty's aqua eyes trailed upwards. Some black pants… a familiar belt with a golden chain dangling off it. Up more… a black shirt edged in gold… a small Japanese symbol stuck the right sleeve of his shirt. She couldn't see what it meant but she could guess. Misty's eyes trailed up farther to see Ash's kind and normal face. He looked like he was asleep. His eyes were shut and he was breathing gently and calmly. The gold faded as did the strange blue lighting. Misty got to her feet staring at Ash uncertainly.
Was this what the Elemental Master looked like? She had heard so many stories of the child of elements but she never believed them. Yet here was living proof. Ash
Her eyes wandered to his feet again surprised to see an ancient circle fade up from around his feet. The wind picked up and blew about him ruffling his black hair.
Cassidy's mouth was arched wide with shock. Never before had she witnessed anything quite like this. It was quite remarkable. The child of elements. Elemental Master. Ashton Satoshi Ketchum. It was enough to make anybody's jaw drop.
The wind died down again and the circle disappeared. Misty blinked and took a vigilant step towards him. He didn't move. She supposed he was really fast asleep then. Misty crept step after step towards him. She was a good ten feet away when she stopped. Misty froze staring at his face. Ash was smiling. He looked so content there. Sleeping…
"Ash? Ash is that you?" Misty asked feeling quite stupid.
Ash didn't answer. He didn't make any intention that he was being spoken to. Misty took a couple of more chary spaces towards him. She stood right next to him now. He still looked like he was dead to the world. Misty tapped his arm lightly.
"Ash… can you hear me?"
Ash still didn't move. Misty let out a gasp, "Please don't tell me…"
Cassidy seemed to regaining her senses back. Her purple eyes a lit in blaze of hate. Asleep or not, she was going to kill him. Cassidy charged full out at Ash.
"Take this!" She screamed lifting a deadly fist.
Misty let out a scream fright. But the fist never hit…
Ash's hand clenched Cassidy's punch. Cassidy stuttered in shock and began to tremble. Ash's eyes slowly opened glowing a bright gold. He smirked at her unperturbedly.
Cassidy gritted her teeth and threw another punch at him. Ash caught this one just as easily. Cassidy tried to wrench her hands back but Ash held on to them. He looked at her with raised eyebrows, as if he was daring Cassidy to tell him why she was trying to hurt him. Cassidy struggled for a couple of more pointless seconds as Misty watch in awe. Before it was hard for Ash to catch those punches. Now he hadn't even broken in sweat. The circle surrounded the ground about his feet again. A light hum filled the air. Ash looked down out of the corner of his eye briefly which got Cassidy to look down too. Ash stared at Cassidy smugly as she began to sweat.
'Bye, Bye' His eyes seemed to laugh.
Cassidy flew backwards through several pillars just to land back into a wall. She fell onto all fours; a dent where she had hit the wall.
Misty stared at Ash a mix of shock and terror on her face. Ash turned to her. Their eyes met briefly before Misty said, "Is Ash in there?"
Ash smirked and touched her shoulder lightly, "I'm still here, Misty. Just a little different."
Misty's eyes watered with tears of joy. She hugged Ash tightly about the neck. Ash looked surprised but then smiled and patted her back.
"I thought you were gone forever!"
"I told you guys." Ash smiled pushing her off him gently, "You would have to work hard to get rid of me."
Misty wiped away her tears and grinned, "Yeah. I know."
The was a slight smashing sound. Ash and Misty looked over to where Cassidy was just getting to her feet. Ash turned back to Misty, "Now if you excuse me. I have to deliver someone some serious pain."
Misty grinned and nodded, "Go and get her."
Ash smiled and saluted to her as he hovered a bit off the ground. Ash turned and soared to Cassidy who was standing all bloody and beaten. He had only blew her off with his energy too.
"You-you-"
Ash didn't say anything. He landed lightly on the ground before her. The toes of his boots hitting first and then his heels. Cassidy wiped the blood off from her lip and growled at Ash, "How dare you mock me. Say something. You little beast."
Ash raised an eyebrow and smiled even brighter. He folded his arms across his chest and watched her curiously as she tilted from his one hit.
"You will die most certainly now!" Cassidy screamed jumping as him.
She threw punch after punch at his fist but he easily backed up and gracefully avoided each of her attempts. Her kicks were also useless. Ash easily avoided her with his own foot work that caught her off balance. It was more like he was dancing out of her reach then anything else. This enraged Cassidy even further. He was toying with her.
"Die! You worthless little brat," Cassidy cried shooting a hyper beam out of her palm start at Ash. Ash smiled.
There was a huge explosion. Ash was swallowed up in the blast. Cassidy began her high and cruel laughter.
"See! I knew he was weak! Elemental Master indeed! Death was only too good for you, Ash!"
"Someone call me?"
Cassidy was almost to frightened to turn. She knew right behind her stood her worst fear. Slowly she turned to face, Ash who stood leaning casually against a nearby pillar,
"Did anybody ever tell you how gullible you are, Cassidy?" Ash smiled. He pushed off the pillar and walked towards her. Ash stopped right in front of her, smiling his cocky smile.
"No. It… it hit you dead on."
Ash didn't answer her. She continued on without needing an answer to her statements of shock.
"I-I will destroy you."
"Not so sure about that now are you?" Ash grinned. He hovered back into the air again. He flew backwards and landed on broken pillar. He sat down upon it and crossed his legs calmly. Cassidy's rage reached the bursting point. She charged at Ash again but her fist went right through him. She looked all around for him but he had vanished.
"Here I am!" Ash shouted happily from above her. Cassidy looked up un shock were he stood suspended in the air. He grinned and waved at her.
"It's as if he thinks this is a game," Cassidy gulped. "He can't be stronger than me now…"
Ash clasped his hands together and pointed them in Cassidy's direction.
"Jupiter's Wrath… ever heard of it Cassidy?" Ash grinned.
Cassidy blinked in confusion,
"No."
"Let me show you," Ash smiled.
He closed his eyes and relaxed his whole body and then forced some of his energy into a spinning golden ball of electricity. The ball stayed tiny but as soon as Ash tossed it to Cassidy it gradually enlarged.
"Catch." Ash mocked.
Cassidy's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. She shot up a psybeam that blew the two beams up. Cassidy went sprawling across the floor and into a pillar. Misty too fell backwards. But Ash stood firm waiting for the dust the clear. When it did Ash frowned.
"I guess I'm a little rusty."
Cassidy's eyes popped, "You…You…"
Ash ignored Cassidy and lowered slowly to ground. Cassidy was aching with fury. She lifted a hand and shot out a several razor leafs.
Ash still not on the ground yet flipped and dodged each to them. Cassidy clenched her fists and drew them to her sides reaching a thunder. Ash raised his hands to the air and absorbed the attack into his hands. Cassidy held back her surprise and made a electric sword in her hand. She raced at Ash swinging the sword violently was she went. Ash maneuvered out of the way just in time but his shoulder got nicked.
"Ha!" Cassidy smiled triumphantly.
She had made a small cut in his sleeve and also managed to pierce through the skin. It was bleeding lightly when suddenly it wasn't. The sleeve was mended and the skin had restored itself. Cassidy's jaw dropped again.
"I forgot you had that move but it should take some toll on you also. You lose PP when you do that," Cassidy growled.
Ash looked at her smugly.
"I have no clue what you are talking about. I don't contain a graded scale on what HP or PP I have. It is unlimited. But I guess you don't… do you?"
Cassidy turned pale. This couldn't be possibly. What did mean by that? Was he unbeatable?
"Now to end this…"
Cassidy watched Ash looked over to Misty. That way he smiled over to Misty. The same way Butch used to smile at her. Butch was gone forever. Cassidy began to feel her insides collapse. The hold that the tear held on her began to loosen its grip. She could almost see pass the rage… but it wouldn't last. Ash turned back to her and held out his hand.
"Come on. Let's put this behind us," Ash grinned kindly. "Come with us."
Cassidy's jaw dropped once more. She was so sure he was going to kill her. Cassidy looked uncertainly at his opened hand. Was this some kind of trick?
Misty ran up to Ash's side and looked at Cassidy as if she telling Cassidy not to pull a fast one. Cassidy smiled, "I-I'm sorry, Ash."
Ash raised an eyebrow.
"Why not?"
Cassidy let out a sincere smile, "I deserve to die. And now I understand what Butch meant."
Ash took a step forward. He stared at Cassidy with concern, afraid of what she was talking about, "Cassidy…"
Cassidy grinned and clutched the glove. Ash froze. He stared at her with surprise, "You wouldn't…"
Misty blinked in confusion.
Cassidy smiled up at Ash, "All those people out there. They could never forgive me for what I have done. Besides, I still hate you, Ash. And if it weren't for Butch I would kill you. I wanna be with Butch again. This crystal was a bad idea. It just keeps making me angrier. Right now I am to actually control it but… what if I got mad when you were sleeping and I killed Misty. You wouldn't like that would you?"
Ash bit his lip staring at the glove as it began to radiate from under her fingertips, "Cassidy, think logically. The stone will kill you. It will kill you instantly."
"As long as it isn't drawn out," Cassidy smiled weakly.
Ash gave her a look a deep sadness. Misty clutched onto Ash's arm a look of pain on her face,
"Cassidy…don't kill yourself," Misty whispered.
Cassidy smiled, "A few seconds ago you would of give at nothing to see me dead… I think it is better this way."
Ash took a step back and held Misty close, "You sure about this?"
"This the first thing I did right in my life. I hope I am sure…" Cassidy said faintly.
Her hand began to tremble. Her control on the rage was slipping. It was now or never. She would have to make the jump.
"Goodbye twerp."
Ash smiled despite his grim ideas on this and saluted her a goodbye.
Cassidy removed the glove. The glove began to hum and glow bright. The glow covered over Cassidy. The tear burned red and shot out a beam of red strait at Cassidy's heart. It shot through her and into her. Blood gushed from her wound. Cassidy let out a scream of pain as her body glowed red.
Ash squinted at the shrieks. Misty hugged on to Ash, crying and screaming for it to stop. She hated to watch it. Ash did too. He looked away.
Cassidy whole body began to fade away. She stared at herself and smiled in spite of her pain. She looked up again to see someone standing front of her. Her eyes went blank.
"Butch?" She shouted. "Butch is that you?"
Ash looked over in confusion. He didn't see anyone. Misty was crying even more now. The sight was awful to watch as Cassidy slowly bled to death.
Cassidy's face formed a smirk as a drop of blood trickled down from her mouth. She tilted and then fell lifeless to the ground. Her body bounced a bit on contact but then didn't move again. Ash held his breath. A gust of wind blew past from no where and her whole body vanished. Where she once lay was the glove and crimson tear…
"Is it over?" Misty whispered, her face buried into Ash's sleeve.
"Yes," Ash sighed.
Misty pulled away from Ash and stared down at the glove and crystal.
"Finally, we can say the end…"
Suddenly the world began to shake. The temple was caving in… or was it? Ash glanced down at the crystal as it glowed strangely in the pale moonlight.
"Come on, Ash!" Misty cried pulling on his arm. "The temple is collapsing."
Ash nodded and allowed her to pull him along to the exit. The were just about there when Ash froze.
"What is wrong now?" Misty hissed, "Don't tell me you forgot something?"
"I did," Ash muttered.
Ash twisted about and ran back the other way. Misty blinked in shock, "Ash! What in the world do you think you are doing?"
"I am going to get the Tear! I promised my dad I would protect it."
Misty's eyes widened in fear, "No! Ash leave it! Ash!"
Misty raced after Ash as he ran back into the temple. She was too late. Ash picked up the Crimson Tear before she could stop him,
"NOOO!" Misty cried.
Misty leapt towards Ash as the blinding white enfolded him. Misty hand touched his. He gave her a look of pure shock when suddenly he was gone. Misty landed face first hard onto the cold granite floor. The stone clanged onto the floor in front of her. She squinted open one eye at the flash of red in front of her. Misty pushed up to a sitting position.
"Ash? Ash?" She called, "Ash… oh please no…"
She glared down at the stone in front of her.
"You… You took him… YOU TOOK HIM AWAY!" She growled taking the stone in two hands. She tried with all her might to rip in two. Seeing that was doing no good, Misty slammed it over and over against the ground. With each, she put all her might on the blows.
Tears slipped down her cheeks. He was gone. This demon thing took him…
"Please come back," Misty whispered.
She slammed the crystal down one last time and buried her face into the floor. A crack sneaked its way down the surface of the crystal. Misty looked up at the crystal began to glow black. Misty stared it in awe when suddenly a rumble from above her caught her attention. Misty looked up to see a pillar falling towards her. She screamed and covered her face with her arms when suddenly the aurora from the crystal surrounded her and she was gone…
To Be Continued…
Please r +r!
Coolies. Okay I really got into this chapter. That's why it is long and I have only be typing for 2 hours.
