Fractured Stars
by Spruceton Spook
Part 7
Empty Feelings
Misty sighed happily as she stretched out on the lawn chair, Togepi settling into a peaceful slumber on the grass beside her. The heat was beginning to dwindle as evening slowly approached, the trees and grasses swaying peacefully with the cool breezes it brought.
"You can say that again."
Misty tilted her head downwards to glance at Ash, who was sprawled out blissfully on the grass, his hands resting behind his head. His eyes were shut, and a look of tranquil contentment softened his face.
"I love evening," Brock commented. He was sitting on the edge of the patio, his chin resting comfortably in his hands. He stared up at the passing clouds, which spotted the sky in a gorgeous exhibit of reds and pinks. "Sure is the best time of the day, ain't it?"
"Pika," Pikachu happily agreed, plopping onto his stomach. The remaining ray of sunlight warmed his back, letting him sink into relaxation in the soft grass. His ears twitched with delight.
"And just think," Ash said, barely above a whisper, "tomorrow we have the whole day to do whatever we want."
Misty giggled and gave him a sly look. "I suppose that'll have to do with Pokémon, though, huh?"
Ash narrowed his eyes impishly at her. "Hey, we did something today without Pokémon!"
"Ah, yes, I stand corrected," Misty nodded. "I'm sorry, it'll either have to do with Pokémon or you making a complete ass of yourself!"
Ash bunched his face and made a swing at Misty, who playfully fought his swinging hand away with a laugh. Lacking the enthusiasm to continue doing so, Ash settled back onto the grass and let her comment pass. The evening was too nice to think about anything but slacking. He closed his eyes and began to do just that.
"Pika pi?"
Ash opened one eye to see Pikachu's face in his own, so close that the Pokémon's whiskers tickled his face. With a smile, Ash brushed the whiskers away.
"What's up, Pikachu?"
"Pi pikachu," Pikachu replied, lowering his ears.
"Hmm, you're hungry?" Ash deciphered, reaching out to stroke his pal's back. "Aw, I don't wanna get up. You know what? Just go in. I sure Mom'll get you something."
Pikachu smiled and nodded, bouncing happily to the patio, where Brock slid the door open to let him in. The little mouse's stomach rumbled as he scampered across the floor, his claws making sharp clicks on the wooden paneling. He slid to a stop at Delia's feet, and nuzzled her leg to get her attention.
"Oh, hey cutie," Delia said with a smile, reaching down to pat his head.
"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, hopping up and down in place. Delia knew exactly what this meant.
"Okay, I'll get ya something," she said, opening the cabinet.
Pikachu grinned as he sat quietly and patiently, watching her retrieve his food out and drop it into his normal bowl. The Pokémon excitedly lick his lips. Dinner was served!
Well, almost. As Delia proceeded to pour the Pokékibble into his bowl, Jay strolled in, stopping and resting his head on his wife's shoulder.
"Hey," he greeted her, kissing her softly on the cheek.
"It's hot, lover boy," she said, shoving him gently away. Nevertheless, she turned around to face him, giving him a brazen grin. Pikachu pricked his ears, wondering why his food was suddenly being ignored.
"It's a nice evening," Jay whispered. "How 'bout a walk?"
"Oooh," Delia cooed. "Sounds wonderful."
Jay beamed. "Just you and me, okay? Haven't gotten a chance to see you without the kids being around. Whaddah ya say?"
Delia rolled her eyes teasingly. "I already said yes! It'd be nice to actually get out of the house for a second without our little nosy-body son lurking in the corners."
Jay laughed, leaning his forehead against hers before delivering another sound kiss to her lips.
"Piiii." Pikachu's eyes darted from the display of affection and his abandoned food on the counter. His ears lowered disappointingly, pondering when the mushy stuff would end and he'd get his supper.
Jay and Delia released from the kiss and looked lovingly at each other for a moment.
"I'll go get some shoes on," Delia said, patting him away from her. She sauntered out of the room, Jay right behind her.
"Chuu!" Pikachu cried agitatedly, rudely left in their dust with his food still out of reach. Or so it seemed. He glanced up longingly at it, hunger attacking his tummy, powering his aspiration. It didn't look too far up…
Arms interlocked, Jay and Delia exited the house into the evening air, stopping before the reclining kids. Ash bolted upright, giving his parents a happy smile.
"Hey!" he said. "Whatcha doing?"
"Dad and I are going for a walk," Delia told him. "It's such a nice evening, we thought it'd be perfect."
At the sound of the walk, Ash's eyes widened, and he beamed eagerly. "Oh cool! Can I come?"
Drawing back at Ash's suggested invitation, Delia and Jay exchanged a concise look before glancing back at him sadly.
"Oh no, sweetheart," Delia said carefully, watching her son's face fall as she did so. "Mind if you'd stay home? We'd just like to have a moment to ourselves."
Ash stared at them momentarily, his lips parted slightly. "Oh…okay."
The sound of sadness was clearly present in his voice, making Delia's heart sink. She gazed softly at him, then at Brock, who nodded for her to go with an expression that conveyed that he could handle this. Delia nodded lightly, just enough for Brock to notice.
"We'll just be gone for a little bit," Delia reassured Ash gently, bending down to kiss his cheek. "Why don't you do Mommy a favor and put away those clean dishes in the sink? I'd sure love it if you would."
"Sure," Ash mumbled without hesitation, as if he were programmed to do so. "O-okay." Why can't I go?
As his parents waved good-bye, Ash stood motionless, watching them go. He didn't understand this one bit. Walks had always been a frequent occasion in his past. Especially on hot summer evenings such as this one, he recalled countless times strolling to the river, in-between his parents and holding their hands. Sometimes, Jay even had one of his Pokémon walk with them, which Ash found particularly fun and always a treat.
When they got to their destination, there was never a dull moment. On some days, he would frolic with his parents, chasing them around and playing tag. Sometimes they would sit by the river and talk, or Ash would have stone-skipping contests with Jay. They would often stay there till late in the evening, when the sun dipped behind the mountains and the crickets were chanting away in the midst of the early stars.
When his mom had told him they were going on a walk, Ash would have never thought in a million years that he was uninvited. He'd never been rejected from one before. These memories flashed through his head in that split second between her telling him and him asking, and a new-found joy shot through his body. Finally, just like old times! He'd be with his family again, doing one the things he missed with all his heart and soul.
But that wouldn't be the case. Not tonight. Ash slumped his shoulders as he made his way to the house, falling into a deep silence that worried Misty and Brock. Exchanging a quick, troubled glance, Misty grabbed for Togepi and they followed him in.
Ash entered the kitchen, his attention fixated on the ground. Stopping at the doorway, he sighed, and looked up. His eyes shot open tremendously and he gasped.
"Pika pika," Pikachu muttered miserably from the countertop, recoiling considerably as Ash eyed the upside-down bowl on the floor, and the Pokéchow dispersed in all directions.
"Ash, are you sure you're okay?" Misty asked for about the tenth time, taking the pot from Ash's hands and placing it in the cupboard.
Ash picked up the final pot in the drying rack and began to dry it vigorously with the dish towel. "For the last time, Misty, I'm fine," he replied, starting to sound annoyed at her seemingly unending badgering.
Misty wrinkled her nose. "Sorry," she said lightly, looking down. "Just making sure. You're not saying much."
"What am I suppose to do, sing opera while I'm doing this?" he challenged, impatiently wedging the last pot into a space in the cupboard that was probably much too small.
Misty couldn't help but giggle at what Ash said, whether it was suppose to be humorous or not. She hoped this would at least bring a smile to Ash's melancholy face, but it failed. Ash simply dragged himself away and into the living room, where Brock was lethargically watching Wheel of Fortune. Misty wasn't about to deal with this much longer. Quickly closing the cupboard door, she dashed for the living room, finding that Ash had plopped down on the couch beside Brock.
"Ash!" she grumbled, though her voice was soft.
"What?" he asked, not turning his head away from the television.
Misty swallowed hard, and leaned over on the couch in-between Brock and Ash's heads. Her concerned eyes cast upon Ash, who for some strange reason had been quiet ever since his parents had left for the walk. It was not an acceptable silence either; it was almost as if a dark cloud had suddenly come over him. A dark, depressing cloud.
Misty forced a soft smile to her lips and tapped his shoulder. "What's the matter?" she asked, her voice dragging to indicate her desire to know. "You were so happy before. Why are you so upset that your parents went for a walk?"
"You just answered your own question," Ash revealed to her, though she wasn't very surprised with this. She'd known that already, but the reason behind it is what she needed desperately to find out.
Brock bit his lip as he said this, throwing a glance at Misty. Misty looked worriedly at him, then turned back to Ash.
"Ash, they've been busy all day long doing things for us," Misty said calmly and cautiously. "They need some time to themselves."
Ash took a deep breath, watching the TV as he stroked his sleeping Pikachu's back. Misty was right—she was one hundred percent right. He wanted his parents to have a good time, and cooking and putting up with them certainly wasn't going to completely fulfill that. The jealously of being left out of an activity that had always belonged to them as a family unit, though, wasn't diminishing as quickly as he had hoped it would.
"I know," he finally conceded, looking into her face. She gave him a warm smile that was full of concern. "But…but I've always gone on walks with them before. They know I love doing that."
"I'm sure they do," Brock said. "But there'll be plenty of things to do with them, Ash. They probably just felt like taking a nice, quiet walk to be alone with each other."
"Yeah," Ash replied, sounding a little perkier as Brock and Misty's insights became realistic. "I guess."
"Besides, I'm sure they'll want to do something special with you tonight," Misty added in cheerfully, figuring throwing something in like that would take the edge off it.
Ash smiled weakly, yet optimistically. "You think so?"
Beaming, Misty gave his shoulder a friendly punch. "I know so!"
Ash settled back into the couch, more comfortably. Though what his friends were saying was making him feel a lot better, he missed being on that walk with his mom and dad. He wondered what would have happened if he'd taken off after them a few minutes after they left, whether they'd let him come then or send him back home. Ash shrugged, and decided to dismiss it.
Delia and Jay came home soon after that, and it was immediately clear where they had strolled off to. Each carried a fresh, hot pizza in their hands, which they had purchased from the small, wood-burning stove pizza shop about a half a mile away. The pizza was delicious, and the kids ate it up with a smile.
Delia was just as relieved as Misty when she saw that Ash was in higher spirits. She had worried about him while on the walk, which took a bit away from the fact that she was alone with Jay for the first time since the kids had come home. She wanted to enjoy the walk to the fullest, but the image of Ash's hyper-active smile fading quickly when she told him to stay home kept popping into her mind.
But all was fine now. Ash was laughing, happily devouring the scrumptious pizza, fooling around with Misty and Brock. He had even asked how the walk was.
"Thanks for the pizza!" Ash said, as he swallowed his last bite of the soft, seasoned crust. "That was great!"
"Well, that's for finishing the dishes for me," Delia gladly replied.
"Can we have pizza every night if I do the dishes every night?" Ash asked in a boyish, puerile tone that made his mother chuckle.
When the plates were put away in the dishwasher, and the pizza leaving only empty boxes and no pots and plans to wash, Delia disappeared into her room for a while. Ash flipped on the light outside, and he, Misty, Brock, and Jay designated that time as suppertime for the Pokémon. The backyard was soon full of the famished, clamorous creatures, all eager for food and attention which their trainers graciously provided. They gazed at the Pokémon proudly, who were having the times of the lives stretching their limbs and gobbling up the food heartily.
"Eat up you guys!" Ash addressed to them while he was stooping down to place a hand on Totodile's head. "Need to keep your energy up!"
"Especially if you want to win a very important battle for him," Jay added, turning to wink at him. Ash smiled and stood up, feeling his back beginning to ache from squatting down too long. Totodile didn't seem to mind the sudden end to the attention—he was too busy wolfing down his food down gleefully.
Delia came out just as Ash had retrieved Bulbasaur, who was the last Pokémon out. She had changed her outfit to one a bit warmer, which Ash cocked his eye confusingly at. The night was still muggy and humid, and it was much too hot for pants. But here Delia was, in jeans, a jacket draped in over her arm.
"You ready, Jay?" she asked, smiling as Jay retrieved his Arcanine.
"Yeah, one minute," Jay answered, hopping to the house. "I have to put them in a safe place first." He was, of course, referring to the Pokémon.
"Sure," Delia nodded, holding the door open for him but closing it right after to keep the bugs out.
Ash was still baffled, and his curiosity had sparked when Delia asked Jay if he was ready. He made his way slowly to the door, and waited for his mom's attention to turn to him before voicing his query.
"Where are you going?" he questioned softly, his face easy as Delia gave him one of her proverbial, warm smiles.
"To the movies, honey," she said. Jay came up behind her at that, tugging at her ponytail as a signal that he was ready to go.
"I'm coming," she said, with a bit of playful annoyance in her voice. He laughed.
The movies. Two words that Ash loved to hear. His eyes lit up with expectation, and a huge smile spread across his face.
"Awesome!" he exclaimed. "I love the movies! Can I come?"
Delia held her breath noticeably for a moment, then softened to give him a sympathetic smile. "Oh, Ash sweetie, not this time."
Ash felt the shock of disappointment smack him again, wracking his body in all directions. His tense muscles, full of excitement and anticipation, fell limp, and he couldn't control the sad frown that pulled at his lips.
"Why not?" he asked inaudibly, coming out as barely a squeak.
"Because it's rated R," his mother replied pointedly.
"But I've seen a rated R movie before!" Ash disputed, at the same time trying to keep himself as far from whining as he could handle.
Delia gave him a hard look. "When have you seen a rated R movie, mister?" she asked in a stern tone.
Well, that didn't work, Ash thought disappointedly, also praying that he hadn't just dug his own grave with that outburst. He actually had never seen a rated R movie before, but he couldn't help but give it a try.
"I don't know," Ash responded quickly, his jaw clenching nervously. "It may have been PG13."
To his relief, Delia shrugged it off. "Well, whether or not you've seen one doesn't matter, anyway. This is a particularly bad rated R movie, and I don't think it's suitable for a boy your age."
"Especially with all those naked people running around," Jay whispered loudly, pretending that he was only addressing his wife but meaning for everyone to hear.
"Jacey!" Delia shouted, her cry garbled in a laugh as she flipped around to give him a playful, but forceful shove. Misty and Brock found the comment particularly amusing, and couldn't keep their laughter within them, as well. Ash, however, remained quiet.
He figured they must have made these plans while on their walk. They hadn't spoken a word about it at dinner, so unless they had ESP (which Ash strongly disagreed was the case), the plans had definitely been made earlier. Ash couldn't erase what Misty had said before from his head at that moment: Besides, I'm sure they'll want to do something special with you tonight. Special, all right. But with him?
Ash made one last attempt. "Pleeeeease?" he asked, producing the widest, toothiest smile his mouth allowed him. It had worked before—maybe, just maybe, luck would have it that it worked again.
Delia gave him another coquettish grin, shaking her head as if she felt bad for him. "Ash, maybe some other time, okay? I'll tell ya what! I'll bring home some candy from the theater for you. How does that sound?"
Pretty lame, Ash thought, but forced himself to put on a satisfied face otherwise. He wasn't going to win, so it was no use going on. "All right," he said downheartedly. He wondered if Delia actually believed candy was going to make everything better. How old was he, anyway?
"Good," Delia settled, ending it. "Well, we'd better get going if we're gonna catch the movie on time. I'll see you kids later!"
"Bye!" Misty waved good-bye.
"Have a nice time!" Brock shouted.
Ash stood there without a peep as his parents left by way of the front door. They were still in the backyard when Ash heard his dad's car speed away, heading for downtown Pallet and a nice night at the movies. Without him.
Misty observed Ash as he stood there, his fists balled at the end of his limp arms that hung at his sides. She quickly looked at Brock, who sighed softly and shook his head. This wasn't good. Not for Ash, not now.
Twice in one day, Misty thought sadly, wondering suddenly what made Jay and Delia jump at every chance to be alone. Poor Ash. They had come all the way from Goldenrod City, where he had given up a badge and put aside all his aspirations for the Johto League to see him parents. And now here he was, left in the wake of his love-struck mom and dad who didn't even seem to notice his disconsolation.
Brock cleared his throat and moved up alongside Ash. He was shocked himself at how soon Delia had needed his "service," and he unexpectedly worried how tough this job he had taken would turn out to be. Ash didn't look too happy right now, that was for sure. He couldn't help but feel sorry for him, but at the same time he was glad that Jay and Delia were able to do something on their own. Now it was on to part two: it was up to him to make sure Ash was going to have a good time that evening. How he was going to go about that, he wasn't sure. Ash's face looked like it had hardened to stone.
"Hey, Ash," Brock chirped, shoving him softly. "What do you wanna do tonight?" Brock looked hastily at Misty, giving her a come-on-help-me! type of look that made her jump in instantly.
"We have the whole house to ourselves!" she giggled mischievously.
"Nothing," Ash replied glumly.
Brock slapped him hard on the shoulder, though it was in a friendly manner. "That's ridiculous!" he exclaimed. "There's plenty of things we can do!"
Misty bounced excitedly beside Ash, who was staring up at the night sky apathetically. "That's right! You know, Ash, the regional championships for that northern Pokémon League are on tonight! I'm sure they'll be exciting to watch."
"Yeah!" Brock agreed. "And if you don't wanna watch that, we can always play video games."
Ash's face remained expressionless. As his eyes flipped from one star to the next in the dark blue universe, the first thing that came to his mind was sleep. He wasn't sure where this had come from, but at that moment he felt tired. Very, very tired. Perhaps it could've been the exciting day he'd had. Or maybe it was the overpowering, muggy heat. Did it matter one way or another, though? No, it didn't… He knew Misty and Brock would never let him go to sleep, anyway.
Deep down, he confessed he was happy that his friends wanted to do so much with him, trying to break him out of his unusual mood. On the other hand, he kicked himself mentally for letting them know he was upset. Here he was, silenced in a thick grudge like a spoiled child. He didn't want them to think of him that way. Not at all. Watching battles on TV and playing video games sounded enticing. He just wasn't in the mood. But he knew he couldn't use that as an excuse much longer.
Better cut this out quick, Ash suggested to himself. This is stupid. I should be having fun right now. So what if Mom and Dad are at the movies? I have the whole house here with Misty and Brock. I should be thrilled!
Ash didn't have much of a chance to say anything before he found himself being dragged into the house. Misty and Brock had huge smiles sweeping across their faces, which Ash knew were just lures to get him into the house and out of his shell. Feeling quite embarrassed that he made it so obvious he was down, he finally allowed the smile that begged to emerge.
Misty and Brock lugged him the whole way up to his room, and popped in a fighting game into his video game system. Ash declined the controller first, and watched as Misty and Brock went at it, their fingers attacking the buttons as they made their characters jump, kick, punch, and throw. Before they knew it, the simple game extended through almost three hours of non-stop fun.
Loud bouts of laughter emerged from the room, and in no time Ash seemed to forget that his parents were off having fun without him, and concentrated on desperately trying to defeat Brock. In the scheme of things, Brock had chosen a character that he remained undefeated with, using the same deadly move over and over again to crush Ash and Misty's fighters—grasping the victim firmly around the waist and flipping them over his head. It was useless to even try escaping his dreaded clutches, and soon it was the only move that Brock resorted to. Ash and Misty took turns with the controller, groaning in defeat every time Brock hopped up to cheer.
"I don't even know how I'm doing that move!" Brock cried, as if he were defending himself for being so successful with the game.
Misty narrowed her eyes at him as she let the controller drop out of her hands after yet another loss. "Brock, I swear, if you don't quit doing that, I'm going to use that move on you!"
Brock poo-pooed it, doing a little victory pose as he did. "Yeah right, Misty. I'd like to see you try!"
Misty snarled at him, just as Ash grasped the controller off the floor. "You think you're so good, Brock?" he demanded, a sly grin dominating his face. "Well, wait to you see what I have in store for you!"
"Oh please," Misty groaned, rolling her eyes at Ash. "You barely know what you're doing, either. All you ever use is that scrawny kung-foo guy."
Ash thrust his nose into the air. "That's what you think, Misty! Just prepare yourself for the astounding defeat of Brock!"
"Astounding defeat to Brock," Brock corrected confidently.
The character screen popped onto the TV, and as Brock quickly chose his fighter, Ash shifted his select key over to the same one. Before Brock even had a chance to realize it, Ash had chosen his own trustworthy warrior.
"Hey, that's not fair!" Brock shouted. "You aren't supposed to use the same person! That's against the rules!"
Ash snorted. "Well, if it's against the rules, then how come the game allows you to do it?"
Misty laughed and she and Ash high-fived as Brock stared gruffly at the TV screen. Ash arched his back and readied himself to mercilessly beat at the buttons (which is simply what Brock did) in an all-out bout to see who could body-slam whom the most. This was going to be interesting.
Suddenly, just as the battle screen came to life, Ash's ears pricked at the faint sound coming from the first floor. It was small at first, but as soon as he heard the jingle of keys, he was certain now. His parents were finally home!
"Here!" Ash said hurriedly, thrusting the controller into Misty's possession.
"Huh? Wha?" she yelped, as she watched Ash hop up and make his way out of the room.
"Just play for me for a sec," he told her. "I'll be right back!"
Not waiting for Misty to reply, he trotted softly out of his room and to the top of the stairs. Gazing down, he saw his dad close the door behind him and throw his keys onto the table. Smiling lightly, Ash plopped down each step slowly and unobtrusively.
"What a great movie, huh?" he heard Jay comment.
"One of the better one's I've seen lately," Delia replied. "But you know me, as long as there's a sexy guy in it, I like it."
"Yeah, and that chick wasn't half-bad herself," said Jay, inducing him and Delia to begin chuckling.
Ash smiled delightedly as he made his way down the stairs, his parents' giddy laughter filling him with airy happiness. He paused midway down the stairs, glancing out into the living room where Jay and Delia were playfully pushing each other around like a couple of frivolous lovebirds, continuing their random gibberish.
"Hi, Mom," Ash said softly, easily outmatched by his parents' fooling around.
Delia didn't hear him. Her eyes were clasped shut as she laughed boisterously. Despite the fact that his was completely oblivious to his folks, Ash licked his lips and kept the smile on his face.
"Mom!" he shouted a bit more loudly. He bounced up on his toes as if it amplified his outcry for attention. "Dad! Hello,you guys!"
"Leave me alone, you psycho!" Delia guffawed, smacking her husband's hands away as Jay tauntingly tugged on her clothes and her hair. She yelped as Jay finally got a grab on her, crouching down to hoist her into his arms. Ash drew back as his mom's head came dangerously close to hitting the ceiling, but it didn't, and apparently that seemed to be the least of Delia's concern. She was laughing happily as Jay danced around holding her in his arms.
Ash's smile had faded as he stood on the stairs, both of the times trying to catch his parents' attentions failed. He had sworn he had called to them loudly enough the last time, but he must have been mistaken. It seemed now that he was merely invisible, part of an audience watching a play before him as the actors cavorted about the stage.
He began to tense as the sting of being overlooked working its way through him. He was downright annoyed now, gazing with shock at his mom and dad, who were blatantly ignorant to the fact that their son was watching them rollick in the living room.
"Mom!" Ash belted out, shock and annoyance equally presenting themselves in his shout.
Jay spun around abruptly, Delia still in his arms. "Hey, Ash!" he said energetically, letting Delia slip the ground.
"Hi, honey!" Delia greeted giddily, coughing lightly as she tried to catch her breath from the laughing. Her face was flustered a dark pink. "I'm sorry, were you standing there long?"
"No," Ash lied, wondering immediately why he did so. "How was the movie?"
"Oh man, it was great," Jay replied, acting as though Ash had missed out on something he really had no choice in.
Yeah, right…
Ash smiled feebly and nodded. He watched as his mother plopped down on the couch, stretching her cramped up limbs from sitting in the theater for so long. Slowly finishing his decent down the stairs and moving past his father, Ash leaned over the couch and rested his head on Delia's shoulder.
"Oh! Hi, Ash," Delia said, startled a bit from Ash sneaking up behind her. "How was your night?"
"Okay," Ash responded, his voice low and innocent. He paused for a moment. "What candy did you bring me home?"
Ash felt his mom lurch suddenly beneath him, her shoulder knocking into his chin a bit hard. She flipped around to reveal a pair of very shocked, very wide eyes.
"Oh my goodness!" she mumbled, clasping a hand to her mouth. She slumped sadly. "I totally forgot!"
Ash backed up a little and stared at her, not saying a word.
"Oh, Ash, I am so, so sorry!" Delia apologized with all her heart, reaching up to stroke her son's hair. "I forgot to pick you up your candy! I knew I forgot something! I knew it!"
"D-don't worry," Ash said hastily, forcing a reassuring smile to his face. "It's okay."
It wasn't okay. But he assured it was, anyway, partially because he recognized that his mom was truly sorry. Or appeared to be, at least.
"No, it's not okay!" Delia pouted, suddenly sounding angry with herself. She sighed, shaking her head disconsolately. "My poor little boy. I'll get you your candy soon, I promise."
She reached over the couch to pull Ash into a hug. Ash hugged back, but he didn't put much into it. He allowed her to squeeze him lovingly and rub his back, while his arms draped limply around her waist. Delia didn't seem to notice this as she pulled away and stroked his face.
"You're not mad at me, are ya?" she asked, her voice begging for forgiveness.
Ash smiled gently and shook his head. "Of course not, Mom," he answered. "It's no big deal. That stuff just rots my teeth, anyway."
Delia giggled and kissed him. "I'm sorry," she said again. "I owe you big time!"
Ash nodded, and turned to go up back to his room. He could feel Jay and Delia watching him as he went, but he didn't turn around to acknowledge them. He fiercely bit his lip and clenched his eyes shut, moving up the stairs like he was hauling a load of bricks behind him—both physically and mentally.
The candy wasn't important. At least he could say that he wasn't lying about that. He didn't mind if he ever saw the candy. He just wondered if his mom would have ever realized that she had forgotten if he hadn't said a word. The apologies were enough, yet, it seemed like they weren't. He had been craving that candy—not to eat, but to see. Just to know that he hadn't been overlooked on that spontaneous rendezvous.
Ash entered his room, still being lit solely by the flicker of the TV. The video game was off, and Misty and Brock were seated Indian-style in front of it, watching a sitcom. Both turned their heads as Ash came in.
"There you are," Brock said.
"Why were down there so long?" Misty asked. "Are your folks okay?"
Ash nodded, barely making eye contact with them as he walked by. His quietness, especially after being so hyper during their video game tournament, was unsettling.
"Ash, are you okay?" Misty asked worriedly, getting to her feet.
"Turn off the TV," Ash answered apathetically. "I want to go to bed."
TO BE CONTINUED . . .
Hope you're still liking it, peoples!! I know you liked my kitchenshipping. But don't worry, thankfully I'm not going to go any further with that. It was just for plain, good ol' fun. Thanks for reading!! Till next time!
