Fractured Stars

By Spruceton Spook

Part 13

Runaway

"Misty, this is ridiculous," Brock mumbled, scuffing his feet along the lawn. Both he and Misty numbly watched as he did this. "We should get Ash down. It's not healthy for him to be up there all day long."

Misty sighed, shrugging her shoulders resignedly. "I know that," she replied. "But he's really shaken up right now. I'm serious, he's way worse than he was two weeks ago. He's a total mess."

Brock threw a glance at the late afternoon sky. It had been such a lovely day, and it was a shame Ash had missed all of it, especially when he didn't have to. "Didn't you talk to him?"

Ohhhh, yeah, Misty almost laughed out loud. She rolled her eyes, turning aside from Brock as she did so. She'd talk to Ash all right…only now she hoped she hadn't scared him half to death. "Of course I did. He went into a lot more detail about last night than his mom did."

"I take it his side of the story was a lot worse?" Brock assumed.

Misty reached down and distractedly stroked the tip of Togepi's front spike. She nodded. "He had a rough night," she summed up glumly.

Neither of them said much for the next few moments, until Brock made a face, seemingly dismissive of Misty's verdict.

"I don't get it, though," he scoffed. "Why didn't you tell him we could do something to cheer him up?"

"I don't think he can be cheered up right now," Misty advised drearily. "He…" She trailed off.

"He what?" Brock's eyebrow cocked.

"He told me before that he thinks nobody likes him."

Brock visibly slumped at the ludicrous idea. "What?! Oh c'mon, Misty, I hope you told him that's not true!"

Misty shrugged. "I tried, Brock." I really tried. "But Ash seems so dead-set about it right now. He's totally convinced his parents hate his guts."

"That's crazy," Brock snorted. "His parents are just mad at him, that's all! It'll blow over soon!"

Misty rested her face depressingly in her palm. "I know, but Ash doesn't think so. I tried to tell him that, too, but he's so sure of it. His dad, especially. I think Ash is terrified of him."

Brock shook his head, not grasping what the big deal was. He should have gone up to see Ash along with Misty. He would have gotten him to come down. None of this moping around stuff. Brock had been crestfallen like this many times, and he'd certainly been in his fair share of tiffs with his parents. But he had always done something to get out of any rut in which he'd decided to place himself. That's all that Ash needed—a boost to get his spirits up again, to build his confidence. There was nothing grievous to worry about here, and he wished Ash realized that.

"So, how long is he gonna be up there?" Brock asked, getting up from the patio to stretch. "I mean, neither of his parents are even home! Who exactly is he trying to avoid? Us?"

"I don't think he's trying to avoid anyone," Misty replied, though she wondered if she could include herself in that speculation now. "He said he just doesn't want to do anything."

"Has he eaten?" questioned Brock worriedly.

"I don't think so," Misty responded mutely.

That was when Brock threw his arms into the air. Misty balked at the reaction. "That's insane! I'm going up to talk to him."

Misty leapt up and stopped him with a hand to his chest just as he was about to storm past her. "No, Brock, just leave him alone!" she insisted. "He's not gonna listen to you. It's no use."

Brock motioned with frustration at the second floor. "Then you go up again, Misty!" he countered. "You get him down here! He's gonna making himself sick and that's not right!"

Misty shivered as Brock said this. She gazed into his hard eyes, full of concern for his friend and the dissatisfaction of not being able to play a role in resolving this affair.

Me...go up again? Misty thought apprehensively. Now?

All of a sudden, Brock's look went from aggravated to stupefied. She returned likewise. "What?"

"You just turned really pale, Misty," Brock observed nervously. "Are you okay?"

Taking hold of herself after a brief second, Misty scratched the back of her head. "What? Y-yeah, of course I'm okay!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Misty groaned insistently, knowing full well she was speaking a partial lie to her friend.

Thankfully, Brock believed her, and resumed his initial operation without another beat. "We have to get Ash. Regardless of what he says."

Misty tensed again. "N-no, Brock, no. I already talked to him. I don't think we're going to be able to change his mind. Let's just...respect his wishes and give him some space right now."

"But it's stupid," Brock grumbled.

"I know," Misty agreed, wishing herself that Ash was there, smiling and raring for adventure. She missed that the most: his contagious energy. He was usually such an upbeat, energetic kid. This mood he was in was out of the ordinary, and it was striking how much it had, and was continuing to, affect her and Brock. She couldn't believe how profound his absence felt. "Look, Mrs. Ketchum is going to be home soon. She'll get him out. I don't know how Ash is going to react to that, so just, for now, I think we should let him be."

Brock shoved his hands in his pockets and strolled around in small circles. A car whizzed by, which they both watched roam out of sight before speaking again.

"Okay," Brock gave in softly. He gave Misty a gentle, yet gloomy grin. "So, I'm bored. You wanna take a walk? There's nothing much else to do."

Misty huffed softly. "Haven't we walked enough today?"

"Hasn't Ash moped enough today?"

"Mmm. Let's go."


An hour later, Misty, Brock, Pikachu, and Togepi returned from a rather extensive walk. Most of the time, no conversation occurred. They had mainly drifted into their own separate worlds, lost in their heads while taking in Pallet Town's serene landscapes and quiet properties.

Misty had half-expected Ash to be outside when they returned, but sadly he was not. So much for holding on to some optimism. Her heart immediately sank again, lamenting at the thought of all that Ash had missed on this nice day. They could have filled the time so wisely. They could have visited Tracey, had some treats in town, train and battle. Heck, she would have even gone to the hideout again! Anything to have Ash present. Granted, she loved being with Brock, but it wasn't the same. There was always that space, that missing link that failed to entirely tie her and Brock together.

They were barely home for half an hour before Delia arrived. She greeted them with a warm yet subdued smile as she entered the house, and Pikachu ran up excitedly to welcome her. No talking went on for a moment, as Delia simply cradled Pikachu in her arms, stroking the soft electric mouse's chin, while Misty and Brock examined the floor distractedly. The same thing weighed profoundly on all their minds, but no one felt inclined to be the first to broach the subject.

Sighing, Delia let Pikachu softly down. "Where's Ash?" she finally asked, her voice heavy with foreboding, uneager for the answer. She hoped that Misty or Brock would tell her that Ash was out in the backyard, or at Professor Oak's, or even loitering in the bathroom. But she could already seem to predict none of those were the case by the children's doleful posture.

Misty was the brave one to respond. "He's still in his room."

She watched despondently as Delia groaned. "Oh, I was hoping you weren't going to say that."

"I wish I didn't have to say it, either," Misty concurred, feeling for her.

"Has he been up there all day?"

"From what he told me, yes," Misty replied.

At that, Delia looked surprised. "You've seen him!"

Misty nodded slowly. "He didn't really want to do anything but stay in there by himself," she told his distraught mother. "He was very upset. I mean, he was...crying and everything."

Before Delia could acknowledge that bleak information, they were interrupted by the front door opening. Jay entered slowly, regarded everyone briefly, then shut the door quietly behind him.

"Hey, kiddies," he smiled to Brock and Misty, going over to give his wife a peck on the lips. "How's everything?"

When no one offered an answer, his demeanor promptly shifted to worry. He witnessed everyone's gaze wander and their faces droop. Delia's was the one he was most concerned about, as her expression clearly illustrated deep despondence.

"What's the matter?" he asked, his voice escalating with consternation. The following seemed to inadvertently come out of his mouth, as if the connection was all too clear. "Where's Ash?"

Delia sighed unhappily. "Up in his room. Misty and Brock tell me he's been there all day."

Jay frowned, joining the communal glum mood. "Has he really?"

Misty nodded. "I tried to coax him down, but he wouldn't. Said he didn't feel like doing anything. He didn't even want to come down to eat."

Delia suddenly went gray in the face. "He hasn't even eaten?!"

Misty shrank back, shaking her head almost reluctantly. That was the clincher for Delia.

"Oh, dear," she groaned, immediately spinning on her heels. "That's it, no more of this!" she grumbled as the other three watched her disappear to the second floor. Delia scaled the stairs noisily, not entirely out of fear now, but exasperation. It was one thing for her son to be in a mood, but for him not to eat all day was simply unacceptable.

"Okay, Ash, that's enough!" she proclaimed firmly as she reached the landing. His door was closed, and she knocked on it before expeditiously taking the privilege of letting herself in. It was not locked.

"Come out now," she ordered. Her eyes instinctively went to the bed, but found the space vacant.

Her face crumpled abruptly as she scanned around the quiet room. "Ash? Are you here?"

Delia's heart, already thumping with drive, began to hammer harder when she deemed the room empty, and without hesitation, she exited to check her bedroom. Ash had little reason to be there, and wasn't.

"Ash?" she squeaked nervously, still searching about the small second floor even though she had essentially run out of rooms. "Sweetheart, where are you?"

No reply. Ash was not upstairs, and panic all too easily overtook her. Clumsily, Delia raced down the staircase to be met by the addled stares of the others. They stiffened to attention when they saw her restless expression.

"Ash isn't upstairs!" Delia reported.

Misty blanched in shock. "What do you mean he's not upstairs?"

Brock looked just as alarmed. "But I don't think he's down here!"

"Yeah!" Misty agreed frantically. "Brock and I have been sitting here for a while. We would've known he was here!"

Delia gave a twitchy few tugs at her ponytail. "It's okay, it's all right," she said, trying to calm her voice, restore composure to herself. "He's got to be around here somewhere."

As if on cue, they all jumped into action, taking different rooms throughout the tiny house in search of Ash. Jay followed Misty, Brock, and Pikachu outside, where they made complete trips around the house and explored the proximal area. A sinking feeling crept into Misty and Brock's stomachs as the situation became too unsettling. Ash was nowhere in sight, and regret began to seize Misty. If only she and Brock hadn't left that second time...

Delia came out, panting. "Is he here?"

The three shook their heads, and Delia became visibly distressed again.

"When was the last time you guys saw him?" Jay asked, the mounting dread that was gripping his wife prompting him to take control. He hadn't been as quick to panic as the others, but their combined palpable distress was starting to draw him in.

"I d-dunno," Misty stammered, swallowing hard in between sentences. "Maybe an hour ago?"

"Did he say anything about going anywhere?" Jay's voice was edgy, almost demanding the answer. "Did he mention anything?"

Misty fidgeted at the barrage of questioning. It did nothing to help tamper her snowballing fear. "No!" she replied. "He…he told me that he didn't want to do anything but be in his room! He didn't say anything about going somewhere!"

"Was that it?" Delia cried desperately.

That was certainly not it. Misty couldn't get Ash's tearful breakdown out of her head. It was all starting to unwittingly coalesce, and her blood rushed at this realization. Ash disappearing suddenly after he had acted in that fashion didn't point to anything good. She couldn't help as her eyes began to flood.

"No," she answered, and Delia became even whiter. She took a deep, anxious breath. "He…I don't know if this means anything…but b-before, he told me that he thinks nobody cares about him anymore."

The looks on Jay and Delia's faces were not unexpected to Misty, as their jaws dropped to the ground.

"What?!" Delia exclaimed, nearly leaping out of her skin. Jay held her arm tightly to ground her.

"He said that?" he asked with genuine incredulity.

Misty nodded, biting back some tears. Every muscle in her body tightened. "In—in fact, he told me…he told me that he thinks you guys hate him," she added tensely, looking almost sheepishly at Jay and Delia. She hated to be the bearer of that reveal, but considering the urgency of the situation, she knew withholding it would have been irresponsible.

The stunned looks on their faces told all. Misty and Brock withdrew as they watched Delia's mouth drop even more as she turned frenetically to Jay.

"Oh my God, Jay, what did we do?" Delia cried, grabbing his arm. "How could he feel this way?"

Jay took hold of her shoulders gently, quickly giving her a reassuring face. "Shhh, shhh," he tried to calm her. "Relax."

Tear glistened in Delia's eyes. "I can't relax!" she contended. "H-how could he think such a thing?!"

Unable to supply an answer that would console her, Jay plunged into silence, his attention darting soberly to the ground.

"But that doesn't have to mean anything, right?" Brock asked, trying hard to bring some sort of hope into the swiftly down-spiraling case. "He—he could have gone for a walk or something, couldn't he?"

Her face strewn with hysteria, Delia grasped at the promising idea. "I wonder if he's at Professor Oak's! I'm going to call right now!"

The others ran into the house along with her, watching her desperately try to collect herself as she spoke to Professor Oak, begging him to tell her that Ash was with him, only to receive the opposite answer. Delia could barely even tell the professor what was wrong as she quickly got off the line to call other neighbors. Even in the end, she dialed Gary's house, not ready to dismiss the tiny bit of faith that maybe, somehow he was possibly there. But no luck.

As soon as she was off the phone, Delia promptly buried her face in her hands. Jay rushed to comfort her, silently staring at the ceiling as he enveloped her in his arms.

"Where is he, Jay?" she blubbered, accepting the consolation for only a moment before setting anxious eyes on Jay again. "Where is he?!"

"He's probably gone out to clear his head, just like Brock said," he soothed her, sharing an assertive nod with the teenager. That had to be it, he was certain. "He's around somewhere. We'll find him; he'll come back."

"It's because of last night!" she cited ardently, miserably. "It's because we were so hard on him last night! Oh, why did we do that? How could we treat him like that?" She was beginning to cry now, scared and heartbroken all at once.

Jay didn't respond, not knowing exactly what to say. He couldn't meet her eyes, as he felt mostly, if not entirely, responsible for this. It ate at him as he thought of how he had acted, how he had mercilessly blasted his son. While he didn't know how to answer the question of what they had done to Ash, as Delia was asking, he certainly knew what he had done.

All day at work, the incident had not escaped his mind. It even affected his productivity, as he could not concentrate on anything but his son's violent episode. So many times he felt inclined to call Ash, to talk to him carefully and apologetically, but he wasn't sure if it was best to do so over the phone. The more Jay thought of how he conducted himself that night, the more he regretted it. He was truly sorry for how the night unfolded, the image of Ash's considerably troubled face haunting him throughout the day. He hadn't meant to be that loud, that angry. After ruminating over it, he realized that by no means had Ash deserved to be shouted at, and he certainly wouldn't have deserved to be spanked, which Jay was thankful he hadn't been able to carry out.

As much as it was a surprise that Ash was gone, it wasn't. He knew his son was very sensitive, and with the dispute between them left unfinished, he didn't blame Ash for wanting to flee. But he still couldn't help but shiver as what Misty had said seeped grudgingly into him. Ash thought Jay hated him? How could he think something like that?

"We didn't do anything to him," Jay finally said, dipping his head shamefully. Delia looked questioningly at him. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have yelled at him like I did. I petrified him."

Delia shook her head, quick to protest his desire to take full responsibility. "No, Jay, it's not just your fault! I shouldn't have sent him to Gary's. That was such an awful mistake!"

Jay looked ready to object, but Delia went on. "And to top it all off, I had a word with him this morning," she informed her husband, hanging her head. "A word I shouldn't have had with him."

Jay's mouth fell open, but he didn't pursue Delia for an explanation. With the way she was speaking, he could figure it out for himself what she may have done. If he was correct in his assumption, then it was all starting to come together. What Misty was saying didn't sound so absurd, after all.

Delia moaned, throwing a worried glance out the window. Her eyes suddenly became frightfully wide and anxious. "You…you don't think he went back on his pokémon journey, do you?"

That brought Misty and Brock out of their quietness abruptly.

"No, Ash wouldn't have done that!" Misty vouched. She felt her heart take a panicky leap as this new supposition came into being, however.

"He wouldn't just go like that!" Brock agreed. He felt Pikachu, who was seated on his shoulder, recoil. "He wouldn't have left Pikachu behind, that's for sure!"

Misty nodded energetically, but this clarification still didn't settle Delia's nerves—or hers for that matter. It only made them worse.

"Then where did he go?" Delia asked desperately, her eyes pooling again.

Jay couldn't take her dismay anymore. He couldn't take more of any of this. Although he refused to believe Ash was somewhere he shouldn't be, all the elements of the situation were making him feel more and more uneasy. He kept throwing his attention at the window, the urge to go out and find his son swelling. Exhaling resolutely, he knew what he needed to do.

Delicately, Jay bent down to give Delia a reassuring kiss on the forehead, startling her slightly. "I'm going out to look for him," he announced.

"You are?" Delia asked, her face brightening marginally with prospect. "Wh-where are you going to go?"

Jay ran a hand through his ruffled black hair. "I don't know," he admitted. "But if Misty says she saw him recently, he couldn't have gone far. I'll find him."

Suddenly, the aforementioned girl leapt at him, grabbing hold of his arm tightly. He jerked at this, gaping down into the girl's deep blue eyes, filled with worry and demand. "Let me come with you, Mr. Ketchum!" she pleaded and insisted at the same time, tugging at his shirt. "I want to help you find him!"

"I do, too!" Brock joined in.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried excitedly. The Pokémon's fur bristled with distress.

Gently prying Misty's hand off him, Jay clasped it securely in his own. "No," he rejected her offer respectfully, giving her a heartening smile. "You guys stay here, okay? I'm gonna—I have to do this myself."

When he released her hand, Misty brought it shakily to her chest. Jay witnessed disappointment but acceptance, combined with her already present grief, flash across her glassy eyes.

"Please find him." She looked imploringly at him, and Jay blinked at the gravity of her plea, nearly on the same level as his wife's.

Wow, she must really care about him. With a smile granting as much consolation as he could, he nodded.

"Don't worry, I will," he said, feeling a wave of complacency wash through him as Misty's face lightened. She reached up to palm her tears away, praying that Jay would bring Ash home quickly. He just needed to.

Before departing, Jay turned to Delia, who stood cloistered, sullen with fret.

"I'll find him, Del," he said, rubbing her arms robustly. "I promise."

Swallowing hard, Delia managed to nod. "I need him home, Jay," she whimpered. "It's going to be dark soon."

"I know," Jay replied, lovingly tracing his finger along the side of her face. "Hopefully it won't take me long, because...because I think I might know where he is."

Delia's head shot up. "You do?" she exclaimed, grabbing hold of his forearms with fierce hopefulness.

Jay almost winced at her clutch, the jolt of faith it was transmitting, and produced a shaky smile. "I—I might," he clarified safely, wondering if he should have admitted as much. "I'm not sure, but I might."

The clamp loosened somewhat, but Delia still looked encouraged, assuaging Jay. Slipping his arms delicately from her hold, and lifting a hand in farewell to the kids, he wasted not a second more. The sight of their worried faces etched in the forefront of his mind as he exited the house, he set out on the mission to find his son.

The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the yard as Jay threw a pensive glance down each direction of the road. He was forthright in what he had said to Delia: he did have an inkling as to where Ash was, but of course nothing was guaranteed. If Ash had, indeed, left to return to his journey (which he didn't rule out completely and hoped against hope wasn't the case), he would have traveled downhill, to his right. But even that direction led to a score of random localized destinations. The truth was, Ash could have gone anywhere, and Jay took a deep breath to process the contention of possibilities.

Except he couldn't seem to shake this one hunch. It was as though he was being lured by a magnet, his attention guided uphill. Almost unconsciously, his trek began, walking briskly and ably despite the fact that his was still dressed in his constricting business-casual attire. He didn't even think about taking the car—it wouldn't be able to access his anticipated destination, anyway. Evening would descend sneakily, plunging the valley into darkness all too quickly. Time was precious. Pallet Town didn't exactly boast much artificial light; Jay needed every drop of daylight left. If Ash was where he believed, it would not be an easy place to locate in the dark...or a place he wanted his boy at night, either.

Before long, he was practically jogging, his legs burning uncomfortably from his lack of exercise. His well-kept work shoes were already dusty and scuffed. But it hardly phased him…certainty was driving him now. The further up the road he traveled, the closer he approached his destination, the more confident he felt.

Please be there, he adjured mentally of his son. Oh, Ash, buddy, please be there…please be there for Daddy…

As Jay jogged on, the emotions he had fought so habitually while at home were beginning to materialize. Any inclination of losing any semblance of cool he would have suppressed so as not to scare Delia and the kids any more than they already were. But now as he was nearing where he firmly trusted Ash was, on his own, the situation was getting to him. He reached up and pinched tears away, all while bearing the cramps in his sides as he continued on.

"Please be there, please be there," he spoke out loud, looking up at the sky pleadingly. "Oh God, please let him be there. Please let me find my boy."

The grass was high and unmaintained along this part of the road, and Jay perked. Looking yonder, the small patch of forest brought a smile of relief to his face. He was finally there. The jogging quickened into a sprint as Jay tore through the field, huffing and puffing to grant oxygen to his lungs.

"Oh Ash, you gotta be here," he said to the woods, a sight that was all too familiar to him, regardless of the number of years that had passed since he'd last been there. He could almost feel his certitude broaden as he approached his son's hideaway, the one place he never would have second-guessed he'd find a straying Ash years back. Even though he had been removed from his son's life for three years, there were some things that were bound to remain unchanged. And this was one of them.

Jay yelped as a branch jabbed him in the thigh near the entry of the alcove of trees and bushes, followed by his shirt being snagged momentarily by a thorny vine. Same old hideaway. He saw the appeal to his young son—it wasn't that long ago Jay was an adventurous kid himself—but there were certainly more friendly places to tuck away. How many times had he found himself in this spot, either dragged by Ash or to fetch him. Getting tangled once again in the gnarly vegetation brought back a powerful rush of memories.

The lingering sunlight cast a few tiny splotches of brightness here and there, but for the most part, the hideaway was bathed in shadows. Jay strained to catch any flash of color amidst the dusky monochrome of the darkening forest. So far, nothing...

"Ash?!" he called out. He pushed further in until he reached a small clearing, most likely part of the forgotten trail. "Are you in here?"

No reply. His heart threatened to precipitate with discouragement, but Jay refused to be deterred. He made his way carefully and alertly through the hideaway. The soft trickle of the stream and the light breezes through the leaves were the only sounds accompanying him. Remembering the sneaky pits of slosh that could and did exist, Jay looked down ever so often at where he tread.

"Ash?" he shouted again, the feeling of dejectedness increasing with each passing second no matter how much he fought it. Surely his son could hear his voice. Was he mistaken, then? Had he, tragically, come to the wrong place? What would he do next if that were the case?

Suddenly, he caught a blaze of blue through the bushel of flora. His stomach catapulted, disbelief interlacing with excitement. A short, thankful gasp burst from his mouth. A smile blazed to his face, one of pure happiness, but at the same time, a sense of astonishment. He couldn't believe what he saw, despite how strongly he'd wagered on this outcome.

There on a large rock his despondent son sat, withdrawn, his eyes cast down at the stream in front of him.

TO BE CONTINUED . . .

Hey everyone! I just wanna thank everybody out there who's been reading my fic and giving me such lovely reviews. You don't know the smiles they put on my face! They make my day! You guys are great! A million whoah-ohs go out to all of ya! Spook