Fractured Stars
by Spruceton Spook
Part 2
Decisions
Pikachu kept his head buried in Ash's side until he felt his trainer stir. In no time, Pikachu realized the cause of his movement: his long ears detected rousing in the woods behind them. Both he and Ash turned to the sound simultaneously. Pikachu's cheeks sparked instinctively, prepared to protect.
"What's going on down here?" Brock asked as soon as he emerged from the brush. He fought for a moment with a twig that caught onto his shirt, but as soon as he was free he rushed over to them. "Are you guys okay, or what?"
Ash put his head down and hid his face as Brock approached them, knowing he still showed evidence of his tears. The last thing he needed right now was Brock's concern. He silently blamed himself, of course, for staying down there too long; it was no surprise that sooner or later one of them would have come down to make sure didn't drown or fall. He felt Brock tap his shoulder roughly, bringing his head up but not around.
"Ash, where've you been, man?" Brock asked worriedly, sounding a bit annoyed at the same time. "Misty's ready to wring your neck, and I don't blame 'er."
"Uh…I was really dirty," Ash replied softly, swatting Brock away. "I'll be up in a minute."
Brock made a face. "Come up now. Your dinner is cold and if you don't let Misty have her precious bath time, we're all in for it."
Pikachu let out a loud squeak and softly head-butted Ash. Ash flinched and gave Pikachu a look.
"Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu said loudly. He sounded angry, but the look of his face told otherwise. Brock could read the anxiety in Pikachu's bright eyes and immediately grasped Ash's shoulder.
Brock felt Ash put up a bit of a fight as he tried to turn him around, but he eventually relented. He watched as Brock drew back, his eyes widening at his appearance.
"Oh my God, Ash!" exclaimed Brock, dropping down beside him. "What's the matter?"
Ash smiled and scratched the back of his head. What he wanted so much to avoid was simply unfolding before him, and there was no hiding it anymore.
"Nothing," he responded dully. "Just…a little sad, I guess."
"Sad?" Brock gasped. "What do you mean? You weren't sad half-an-hour ago!"
"I know," Ash replied. "I didn't act sad, but I—I…was."
Brock gazed into his face silently for a moment, then darted his eyes away as he tried to find what to say. It was all so odd to him—Ash being sluggish this past week, his ignoring the fact that he had to prepare for a very important battle, and now finding him here crying…
Brock's shock brought a baffled grin to his lips. "Why?"
Ash shrugged, but didn't have much time to reply as Brock quickly continued.
"You're gonna be battling tomorrow!" his friend reminded him as if he needed it, shoving him a little with an affable smile. "You should be thrilled! You're gonna get a third badge!"
"How do you know I'm going to get one?" Ash challenged, turning to him with his reddish eyes. "I could very well lose, and you know that."
Brock snickered impassively and shook his head. "Give me a break, Ash. You're not going to lose." His humorous face suddenly changed to one of question. "Is that why you're sad? You think you're gonna lose?"
Ash looked down and began to play with the water again. He felt Brock's eyes on him, anxiously awaiting his reply. "No, Brock," he finally said. "That's not why I'm sad."
"Then why?"
"Pika!" Pikachu put in, commanding Ash firmly to tell Brock what he had admitted to him. Ash looked down at his Pokémon and sighed, closing his eyes to collect his thoughts.
"It's no big deal, Brock," he said, barely above a whisper. "I'm just a little…homesick, th-that's all."
Brock's head rose at the statement as Ash's lowered. He let out a small breath of relief, smiling warmly as he patted his shoulder. "That's it? You're homesick?"
Ash nodded somberly.
"But Ash, you just were home! C'mon, you're not serious, are you?" Brock chuckled, though lightly and cautiously. He wanted to make sure that he wasn't dismissing his feelings or taunting him—Brock didn't mean that at all. He was just so relieved that it wasn't something more serious, something that he wouldn't understand or know how to handle.
His slight amusement was interrupted as Ash's voice broke through suddenly and sharply. "I want to be home with my dad."
Brock stopped shortly and coughed, humility taking hold of him. He awkwardly ran a hand through his knotty hair, his eyes meeting Ash's sorrowful ones, which were slowly and reluctantly filling with tears once again.
"Aw, geez, Ash!" Brock groaned. "D-don't start crying over it. I'm sorry…I didn't know…"
Ash shook his head quickly. "No…n-no, Brock, it's okay. I'm not upset at you, I'm just upset…in general."
Brock stared at him for a second, then rose to his feet. Ash was startled by his rising, but accepted Brock's hand as he helped hoist him up.
"Come on back now," Brock bid gently, reaching down to pick up Ash's gloves. He handed them to him and smiled. "You'll feel better when you get some food in your stomach."
"Sure…right," Ash replied despondently, wondering if Brock figured food would be the solution to the problem.
Pikachu hopped onto Ash's shoulder and the three made their way slowly back to the camp. It was a silent trip. Ash watched his elongated shadow the entire way, lengthened with the addition of Pikachu's ears. Yes, he was going back to camp. Back to sleeping in the woods, with the night's biting, unfriendly temperatures, the only comfort he had being his stiff sleeping bag and the dying fire. Not like Pallet Town, where a warm bed was his destination every night.
Ash also sadly discovered that he wasn't as clean as he wished he would have been after a trip to the lake. It was amazing how dirty he and his friends had gotten in just five short days. Not like Pallet Town. Not like the hot shower that was so inviting, such a fulfilling end to a busy day. He'd get a shower tomorrow at the Goldenrod City Pokémon Center, but it wouldn't be his mother knocking on the door and encouraging him out of the shower, it would be a very cranky Brock and Misty.
But to top it all off, would he win a badge tomorrow? Would leaving home really turn out to be worth it? Ash kept wondering it over and over again as the campsite drew closer. Could he put what he was feeling behind him, and go on to win another awesome badge, a step closer to competing in the Johto League? Could he really do it?
What the hell am I doing? Ash asked himself, flabbergasted with his attitude. Why am I doubting myself? Brock's right! Of course I'll win!
Ash remembered promising his father right before he left that he would win. He had also promised his mother, but above all, he had promised himself. He made that solemn swear to himself every time he walked into a gym. Doubts never existed in his mind. You couldn't have doubts if you wanted to become a Pokémon Master.
But… Ash wondered, …why do I have doubts now?
The three reached the campsite a few minutes later. Misty was sitting beside the fire, mesmerized by it. As soon as she heard their approaching footsteps, she shot to her feet and rushed towards Ash.
Ash yelped and jumped behind Brock, who reached his hand out to halt Misty.
"Where the hell've you been?" she bawled, narrowing her eyes. "I'm gonna kill you!"
"Misty, calm down!" Brock ordered softly, grabbing hold of her arms in restraint. "It's okay."
"It's not okay!" Misty screamed, her arms breaking free of Brock's feeble hold. Instantly charging at Ash again, the boy cringed nervously and made a sharp break toward the tent and away from her fury as fast as he could. Brock managed to catch her again before she could bolt after him, and couldn't help but laugh as he felt her trying to desperately break free.
"It's not okay!" she repeated through a growl. "Not till he'll have to wash up again, 'cause I'm going to beat 'im into the ground!"
Brock laughed even harder, and brought her into a hug to retain her more tightly. Ash plopped on the ground and kicked his shoes off, watching the scene before him with little expression on his face.
"No, Misty," Brock pacified. "Leave him alone. He doesn't feel good right now."
At that, Misty stopped struggling. Brock let her go and watched as her homicidal expression suddenly turned to one of sincere worry. It never ceased to amaze him how much her temperament could change in the slightest turn of events. Quietly, she made her way over to her friend.
"What's the matter, Ash?" she asked softly, her lips pursed.
Ash snickered. "Oh, all of sudden, you're worried about me!" he teased, a sly smile lifting his face.
"Well, if you have a good enough reason for being down there so long," Misty replied. "Are you okay? Are you sick or something?"
Ash shook his head, and motioned Brock to fill Misty in with a shrug of his shoulder.
"He's a little homesick right now," Brock told her, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"And there's no big deal over that," Ash put in, taking off his blue over shirt.
Misty didn't think so. Ash watched as she came and sat beside him. He was a little shocked when she placed a hand on his shoulder—this coming from the girl he knew wouldn't have been afraid to use her fists on him seconds ago.
"Of course it's a big deal!" she testified. "I knew something was bothering you! Why didn't you say something?"
"Because it is no big deal," Ash repeated, highly emphasizing his statement. "I just…feel that I shouldn't have left Pallet Town as soon as we did."
Brock strolled over and stood over the two sitting kids. "But you were the one who rushed us outta there so fast. We were perfectly willing to stay a while longer. You know that."
Misty nodded in accordance. "Why did you force yourself to leave?"
Ash sighed. "Because my mom and dad need time to sort things out," he answered. "They've been separated for three years, and now all of a sudden they're together again, and I'm sure they need to talk about some stuff…"
Misty let out a small, pleasant sigh and squeezed Ash's arm. "Yeah, but Ash, I'm pretty sure that you being home wouldn't have been a bad thing," she said whimsically.
"Yeah," Brock agreed. "Your mom practically begged you to stay."
Ash grinned. "I know. But I know she wanted to be alone with Dad for a while. I would've just gotten in the way."
They all fell into silence after this. Misty looked up at Brock, who shrugged. Neither of them had realized how much it had bothered Ash to leave home, and in this case, it was just like Ash to think of his parents and not of himself. It was no wonder now why he had no ambition to battle or train his Pokémon. How could he be when he was still mentally at home?
"Ash," Misty said softly, "do you want to go home?"
Ash looked up at her suddenly, giving her a weird look. "Go home?" he asked skeptically. "Are you kidding? We…we can't go home. We were just there."
"Yeah, but Ash," Brock said, giving him a kind, easy face, "it doesn't matter. If you wanna go home, we can go home."
Ash looked down at the ground and sank into deep thought. Misty and Brock kept their eyes on him the whole time, waiting for him to decide. They would do anything he wanted to do. Part of them knew that one of the things that was in Ash's way of jumping up and running back to Pallet was how they felt. They had made it clear to Ash many times that Pallet visits were always fun, never a hassle. It didn't matter if he wanted to be there for a day or a year, as long as they were invited, they would stay.
"No," Ash finally said, breaking Misty and Brock out of their own worlds of thought. "No, I can't go home now. It's okay."
"Are you sure?" Misty asked in a tone that was meant for Ash to deeply assure himself.
After a bit of contemplation, Ash nodded assuredly. "Yeah," he replied. "I—I need to stop fooling around and get back to training again. And I'm going to start by winning this badge tomorrow."
With that, he gave them a broad smile that stretched from ear to ear. Misty and Brock smiled back, but it was clear that the usual sparkle in Ash's eyes was not present. It could very well be from his weariness, so they decided to dismiss it for the time being.
"You can call your mom and dad tomorrow," Brock said.
This made Ash smile even brighter. "After I win!" he proclaimed. Misty gave him a gentle shove, and Ash purposely toppled over and giggled.
Misty leaped up from the ground and began to head for the lake. Brock called out to her, warning her to hurry before the sun set completely. Misty promised and rushed toward the river, Pikachu alongside her for added safekeeping.
Brock turned to Ash and smiled again, which he good-naturedly returned. Watching as Brock walked into the tent to get ready for bed, Ash sighed heavily. He'd made the right decision…hadn't he?
The soft jiggling of keys in the lock pricked her ears, and with a jubilant smile, Delia lifted her eyes from the novel that had kept her occupied for over an hour and directed them towards the front door. She watched patiently and contentedly as the door pushed open, slowly at first.
For a moment no one came through it, but this didn't worry Delia in the least. Her husband ultimately popped his head out from behind, his eyes sparkling as they met hers.
"Hey, you," Jay said sweetly, still remaining halfway outside. His lips curved into a smile of complete satisfaction.
Delia giggled and sat up on her knees. With a sigh, she rested her head in her hands casually, giving Jay a silly grin.
"How did you know I was in here?" she asked him suspiciously, arching her eyebrow in a flirty manner.
Jay slipped into the house, his hand careful to remain behind his back. He closed the door quietly and gave Delia the same look.
"I just know these things," he replied, bringing his free hand around to join the other out of view.
An excited chill ran through Delia's body and she looked Jay up and down, clad in his work clothes, his black hair just a bit mussed up from a hard and perhaps stressful day at the job. She found him particularly cute when he came home, and she made sure to take advantage of greeting him every day.
Jay continued to stand by the doorway, causing Delia to cock her head curiously. She couldn't help but notice the sly, almost taunting grin he was giving her as they gazed at each other fondly, his hands lingering precariously behind his back.
"Whatcha got there?" Delia asked, flashing him her bright white teeth. She motioned with her eyes towards his withdrawn hands.
Jay gave her a puzzled look, and proceeded to draw a full bouquet of carnations surrounded by tiny baby's breath from behind him. "Oh, this?" he asked, looking indifferently at the flowers. "Just something I happened to find lying around on my way home from work."
Delia lit up at the sight of the gorgeous arrangement, and accepted it in awe as Jay gently handed it to her.
"You like them?" he asked, basking in the glory of seeing her blissful reaction.
"Do I like them?" she asked incredulously. She grabbed Jay's shirt collar and drew him closer to her, locking her lips firmly into his. They both closed their eyes delightfully as they kissed, which lasted for a good handful of seconds before Delia gently pulled away.
Jay playfully frowned. "So, no?" he joshed.
Delia gave him an amused grin, plopping herself down happily with the bouquet pressed to her chest in a hug. She brought the flowers up to her face and sniffed them, taking in their pleasurable aroma.
Jay walked around and sat on the couch beside her, gazing at her endearingly as she played delicately with one of the flowers.
"They're beautiful," she said.
"Not as beautiful as you," he replied.
Delia just waved him away and giggled softly, placing the flowers gently on the coffee table. "Oh, stop it," she answered, blushing a little. She still couldn't control herself when Jay said things like that to her, and she absently began to push her hair from her face.
Jay just gave her a kind smile, his gaze melting into her own. She became mesmerized by those big brown eyes every time she saw them, and she was unable to leave them. Jay slowly brought his hand up to her face and stroked it gently. Delia closed her eyes and leaned forward, accepting his lips as they began to kiss again.
Shortly after that, they were fully engaged in the wonderful act, losing complete awareness of anything but themselves. Waves of pleasure ran through their bodies, the kissing becoming more intense as each second passed. It was amazing what one little bouquet of flowers could do to two people like Jay and Delia Ketchum, who found each diminutive thing lately just another reason to strengthen their once disastrous relationship, broadening it as each day elapsed into the next. It had only been two weeks since they rediscovered their lost love, and as awkward as it had left them, they were adjusting to it quite well.
Delia reached up and ran her hands through her husband's hair. He in turn, lowered his lips down to her neck, where he pecked softly. Delia shivered pleasingly at this and giggled softly as it began to tickle. She took a deep breath and moaned softly.
Suddenly, Delia jerked away as she felt Jay's hands creep underneath her shirt and up her sides. Jay drew back in mild alarm when Delia grabbed at his hands abruptly, tugging them out from beneath her shirt.
Delia giggled to ease her husband's thwarted face. "Keep your hands where I can see them, Jacey Ketchum," she warned playfully, at the same time placing a quick peck on his lips.
Jay's face fell dispiritedly as he gazed into his wife's eyes, which now had begun to blink nervously. He let out a short sigh and smiled wantonly.
"Aw, c'mon honey," he solicited carefully.
Delia shook her head and gave him a zany smile. "Jay, no! None of that stuff now."
"What stuff?" Jay asked as he regained his dauntlessness. He reached over and tenderly kissed the corner of her mouth, tugging softly at her lips. They leaned their foreheads together and looked into each other's eyes. His were bright and animated and unhesitating, hers were clouded with misgiving. "Haven't we waiting long enough?"
Delia's smile faded, and she looked down at their entwined hands. She suddenly felt a bit disheartened, a feeling she'd been experienced often lately. She knew exactly how he felt, and she didn't blame him. In the two weeks that they had been together, the furthest they had gone romantically was a make-out that lasted practically over an hour, and even then she cut that short when the pressure had become too intense.
She wanted to go further, and she wanted Jay to know that, too. But it was hard, and the scary thing about it was that she didn't know exactly why it was hard. Each and every time they kissed, or whenever he smiled at her for that matter, waves of desire rushed though her. Two weeks. It was only two weeks ago that they resurrected their love, a love that had been doomed. And yet, even though it had escaped a dreaded fate, it didn't come easy. Especially to Delia.
"I guess so," she replied softly with a shrug. "It's just that…"
"What?" Jay implored, reaching up to gently caress her hair. He brushed it out of her face for her, watching as she reacted pleasantly to the touch.
"I want it to be special," she responded, given him firm, passionate eyes to uplift his spirits, which she knew she was crushing. "Don't you want it to be special?"
"Yeah," Jay said. "But, I mean, I would think getting back together after three years would be a little special on its own—"
"I don't want you to think I'm not ready, because I am," she reassured him quickly. It was no lie—sort of. "It's just…this is so sudden," she continued, glancing down at the beautiful flowers, "and I really, really want to be ready…when it happens."
At that moment, she flashed him her pretty smile again, the one she knew he couldn't resist. Her eyes sparkled in a coquettish sort of way, her mouth curved daintily and lovingly.
Jay was quiet for a moment, but finally smiled and acquiesced. "Anything for you, Delia. I don't want you to be uncomfortable. I can wait, too. Besides, love isn't all that, right?"
This was precisely what she wanted to hear. In an instant, she threw her arms around his neck and squeezed with all her might. "I love you, Jay," she exclaimed avidly. "You're the most understanding person I know, you know that?"
Jay chuckled softly underneath her. "I love you, too."
Carefully, he pushed her away from him so that he could gaze into her gentle eyes again. In that moment, Delia felt a whole new love for him clutch her, and she had to laugh at herself as she felt herself becoming helplessly aroused once again. She couldn't begin to count how many times that had happened in those two eventful weeks. If this was how it was affecting her, she couldn't even begin to imagine the passion he was wrangling.
"Tell ya what," Jay started, pinching her nose playfully. "How's about Friday night I take you out to dinner at the nice French place you like?"
Delia's face lit up instantly. "Really?!" she asked elatedly. "That would be wonderful!"
Jay's smile took over his face at her overjoyed response. "Good," he said. "'Cause we both work too hard, don't we? And you cook too much," he laughed, pointing accusingly at her with a prankish wink.
She laughed, also. "I guess I do go overboard," she admitted. "Dinner out is just what I need."
Nodding, Jay cupped her chin in his hands and gave her a short, fervent kiss. "You deserve it," he told her, and she collapsed happily into his arms.
"Friday night," Delia whispered, as if it was the most magical words she'd ever spoken.
"Friday night," he repeated, holding her close to him. "Can't come soon enough."
The sun had already been in the sky for a good few hours before the camp was all packed up, and Ash, Misty, and Brock were on their way again. All three had shuffled around the campsite sluggishly that morning, tiredness still remaining in their bloodshot eyes and weary legs. Goldenrod was just a mere mile and a half away, so dilly-dallying wasn't that costly. Ash was happy, even if he did find himself drained this morning.
Despite how he felt, he was ahead of the group, strolling poised and collected as they entered the destined town. It was great to see civilization again, not to mention facilities offering the finest three things in life: food, food, and more food. The bag of pretzels was already devoured, serving as their unhealthy and unfulfilling breakfast, and their stomachs yearned for more.
"Yay! Goldenrod City!" Misty rejoiced, throwing a fist into the air. "Bathrooms!"
"You think lovely thoughts, don't you?" Ash smirked, giving her a sideways glance.
Misty growled at him. "Easy for you to say, Mr. It's-Easy-For-Me-To-Go-To-The-Bathroom-In-The-Woods."
"Shush," Brock said, giving Misty an admonishing tap on the shoulder. He never looked up from the map he held in his hands. "You'll get your bathroom. Just hold on a second."
Misty smiled determinedly at Brock, her eyes traveling to catch Ash's expression. "Thank you, Brock. I'm glad somebody has some feelings."
The streets were crowded with hordes of people, and Brock led them over to a small bench in the inner-city park. Goldenrod City wasn't small, and Brock carefully went over the map with his finger, marking out the fastest route to the Pokémon Center.
Ash and Misty made themselves comfortable on the bench and watched the different people stroll by. Misty airily took in the sights of the lovely city while Ash concentrated on the main thing occupying his mind—the upcoming battle. He wrung his hands and leaned over on his knees, his eyes darting from one person to the next. He was nervous, and looked it.
"Misty? Can you come help me a sec with this?" Brock asked, motioning her to stand up beside him.
Misty got up and looked at the map over his shoulder. "What's up?"
"I don't know, this is kinda confusing me," Brock went on, pointing to the map. "You see this street here? Do you think…"
Ash didn't catch any more of what they were discussing. His attention was suddenly drawn to a small boy about the age of six, peering into the window of the quaint toy store across the street. He had to stand on his tippy-toes to see inside, and Ash chuckled softly as he watched the boy struggle for a good look. For a moment he felt kind of sorry for him that he couldn't see in, but before that lasted much longer, a tall, slender woman rushed up behind him at full speed. It looked as if she had just completed the hundred yard dash the way she was huffing and puffing.
"There you are!" she cried, a bit out of both relief and agitation. "Why'd you run away like that? You know not to run away from me!"
"But Mom, I want to go in!" the boy squealed excitedly, pointing into the store.
"You have enough toys, kiddo," she said, grabbing his hand tenderly. She attempted to pull him away from the store, but she didn't succeed much.
"Please can we go in, Mommy?" the boy begged, tugging at her hand. "I won't buy, I'll just look! I promise!"
The mother looked at the store and sighed. She looked down at her spunky son and nodded. "All right," she said. "But you're just gonna look, okay?"
The boy yelped in happiness. "Okay!" he confirmed, and the two entered the store.
Ash watched the whole scene with a great big smile on his face. He hoped the mother had some sense, wondering if she actually did believe her son when he told her he'd only been looking. Poor lady, he thought of her, recalling how he used to play the exact same game with his mother, leading her deceitfully into a toy store with only the promise to be "looking." He had left the store every time with another new toy. It was practically inevitable.
With a deep sigh, Ash found himself thinking once again of his family. He tried so hard last night and this morning to keep them out of his head in preparation to battle with a worriless mind, but the event in front of the toy store had not helped much.
Hmmm… Ash thought. When was the last time I was in a toy store with Mom?
Ash didn't know why such a frivolous thought came to his mind. He couldn't seem to get rid of it, either. His eyes set on the door of the toy store and wondered what torture the little boy was putting his mother through in there. As he pondered, another couple came out: a man and a woman, each holding on to a hand of their little daughter. Every couple of feet, the parents would pick the child up and swing her with their arms until the girl was laughing uncontrollably. A huge bag full of unknown wonders hung from the father's free arm.
Those kids are so happy, Ash commented softly in his mind, taking in each family with a separate feeling of fondness. They're so happ…
"Hey, Ash!" It was Brock's voice that broke Ash out of his trance, and he found himself looking around aimlessly before realizing who had called out to him.
"What?" Ash asked, a bit annoyed.
Brock gave him a face. "Listen, this city is about as confusing as they get, so if you wanna get to the gym, you'd better help us!"
Ash was silent for a moment as Brock's miff seeped into him. Ignoring his older friend's appeal, he glanced over at the toy store again. No one was outside, but he could vaguely make out the people indoors, the little kids, the parents. Ash wanted to be one of those little kids again. He wanted to go into the toy store. He wanted to trick his mom into buying him another toy.
"No," was all that came out of Ash's mouth.
Misty and Brock's heads wrenched up. "What?!" they yelled at the same time.
Ash turned to them, his eyes glistened over with tears. He managed a tiny, contrite smile. "I don't want to go to the stupid gym."
Misty and Brock just stared at him in a stupor, the map lying across their hands. They were as solid as stone.
Ash gulped. "I want to go home."
TO BE CONTINUED . . .
