Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the stuff I make up.
Author's Notes: Sorry about the wait everyone! I've had a lot of schoolwork lately. Mutter mutter. Anyway, thanks again to all who have reviewed, and to my beta readers.
~*Forget Me Not*~ part 6
Misty opened one cerulean eye, and then the other. Above her head, she could see leaves and branches, with the occasional glint of sun shining through. Without looking down, she felt the ground beneath her. No sleeping bag. She lay bewildered for a moment before the events of the last few days came rushing back to her. Ash. Jessie. James. Murder.
Sighing, she sat up and ran her fingers through her messy orange hair. The high ponytail she had fixed was now at about the level of her ear. Misty let down her hair and shook her head, and then put it back up as neatly as she could. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her and she became still. 'James must still be here,' she thought, doubting the possibility of him getting up and going somewhere. Turning slowly, she looked over in the direction of his sleeping bag, not far from where she was sitting.
He was awake, and staring at her, not even trying to be inconspicuous about it. Misty certainly hadn't been expecting that, and felt heat rise up into her face. 'Why am I blushing?' she thought frantically. 'It's just James…'
"You stayed," James stated bluntly. Misty didn't like his flat and emotionless tone of voice. It just didn't sound like something that should naturally come from him. Then again, the memory of his conversation with Meowth resurfaced and she decided it wasn't his fault. After all, he'd been left alone by his only two friends in the world.
Misty tried to smile. "I… I fell asleep," she said sheepishly. He didn't respond and turned away; leaving her wondering if he wanted her to leave. She didn't see any reason James would desire her company, so she slowly got to her feet, brushed a few leaves off her clothes, and began walking out of the clearing.
"Where are you going?" James asked, causing Misty to jump. She looked back at him, wondering what to say.
"I… I have to go back to the hotel I'm at… I know Brock's worried… and I have to find Ash… he's been missing for a while now," she said haltingly.
James's eyes widened and Misty felt a knot of fear grow in her stomach. A silent thought passed between them. Was Ash killed too?
Misty backed up quickly, almost tripping over herself. "I have to go," she said, panic in her voice, "I have to go right now." James watched as she turned and fled; her footsteps loud against the dry leaves, growing softer and softer as she made her way back to the hotel.
~*~
Lucille sat on a bench, thinking. She hadn't allowed Ash's body to rest the entire night. She was afraid the boy in the hotel room or the girl he had mentioned would come looking for Ash, so she tried to get as far away as possible. Now it was daylight and she was back near the pokemon center, scrutinizing every detail, trying her very best to remember…
'Nothing,' she thought bitterly. Ash's large brown eyes passed over every rock and bush and tree. Lucille saw nothing that reminded her of her past.
What was that? said Ash abruptly, startling her.
'I don't know,' she snapped mentally.
But Ash had sworn he'd seen something. Not anything he knew, but there had definitely been a vision in front of him a few seconds ago. The only thing he could see in vivid detail was a simple white flower.
*
"I brought you a bouquet… I know this is your favorite flower," a male voice said, deep and compassionate. A hazy figure held out the plant, tenderly grasped at the stem.
"Thank you…" breathed the next person, a much more slender and translucent shadow, obviously a young woman. She reached out a wispy arm and put her shadowed hand on his. "I love you," she said, stepping closer.
The man said nothing, just leaned down and kissed her.
*
Lucille stared at a clump of white petals, connected to long, thin stems, sprouting out of the ground. She sighed and thought about what beautiful flowers they were.
~*~
Misty nearly threw the door off its hinges is she barged into the hotel room. She made no secret out of demanding Brock's presence. Her temper abated when she heard Togepi cry out in distress. She made her way to the little egg pokemon and nearly screamed when she saw who was curled up next to it.
"Meowth!" she cried angrily. The cat opened its slitted eyes and sputtered indignantly before arching its back into a feline stretch. He sat back down on his haunches and glared at her.
"Yeah? Whaddaya want? Da older twoip brought me here, if ya wonderin', so don't blame me for bein' here!"
Misty looked down at him, wondering why Brock would ever bring him here, and debating whether to approach his treatment of James civilly or in a more out of control manner. She remembered that Meowth had just lost Jessie as James had, and tried to collect her emotions before speaking.
"You know," she said coldly, "It was really terrible of you to accuse James of killing Jessie. Like James would ever even raise a finger to her. You of all pokemon should know that by now."
The cat stared at her blankly. "I neva accused James of dat," he said. "Jimmy would neva hoit Jess."
"But…" Misty faltered, "But James said…"
"You talked ta Jim? Where is he?" asked Meowth suddenly, cutting her off. "I gotta find him!"
Misty nodded dumbly. "You sure do," she said, "He thinks you think he killed Jessie."
"Where would he get a crazy idea like dat?" cried the cat. "I haven't even seen him since earlier last night!" Meowth hopped up and headed towards the door hastily, forgetting he did not know where his partner was. He was also not looking where he was going, because his dash out of the room was abruptly stopped by a collision with a leg clad in khaki pants.
"Meowth!" Brock said, startled. "Where are you going?"
"Ta find Jim! Get outta da way!"
Misty sighed. "Meowth, you don't know where James is. How do you expect to find him?"
The cat settled down and glared at the two youths standing over it. For a while no one spoke, until Misty remembered the original reason for her visit. "Have you seen any sign of Ash?" she said to Brock. "I was just thinking… what if he…"
"Actually, he came back last night," Brock informed her. "But he was acting strange."
"Strange?" said Misty and Meowth at the same time.
"Yeah, he wasn't acting like his usual self. He seemed nervous, and a lot… well, colder. He told me to go to bed." Here Brock paused with some quiet laughter. In his mind, Ash posed no threat. "To top it all off, he made it look like he didn't remember anything about Meowth."
"Nothin about me?" asked the cat, incredulous.
Brock nodded. Misty let out an exasperated sigh. "Something weird is going on around here!" she declared. "I'm going to go talk to James. He at least deserves to know that Meowth doesn't hate him."
"Take Meowth wit you!" he cried, dashing over on all fours to the redheaded girl.
"I'd love to join in," said Brock matter of factly, glancing at his watch, "But Nurse Joy gets off duty around this time… I might score a date- "
He paused at the disgusted look Misty was giving him. "I don't think so, lover boy!" she announced. "Pikachu and Togepi need a babysitter."
"But Misty!"
"No buts! You know what happened last night," she said over her shoulder, heading towards the door. Brock's form seemed to crumple and he wandered over to a chair, sitting down with his head in his hands.
"I'm never going to get a date…" he muttered, and Misty walked out with Meowth.
~*~
Lucille drew her legs up to her chest and surveyed the pond before her. After the pokemon center, she was beginning to feel depressed. Surely there was something there that she would remember. She woke up there. Sighing, her young brown eyes skimmed the clear water and lush green reeds. Everything was silent, peaceful, and calming. 'Ash, darling,' she thought, 'you should see this.'
Ash did not answer her. The scene in front of him was different. Two misty figures sat side by side, leaning against each other, enjoying the sunlight. They were the same from his last vision. Out of spite, Ash said nothing about them to Lucille. He heard them talking.
*
"Do you like it here? I used to come when I was smaller," said the man, his arms encircling the more slender apparition's waist.
"It's gorgeous…" she sighed, staring out over the water.
"I… there's something I want to give you," the man murmured to her, causing her to turn and face him. He reached into what must have been his pocket and pulled out a shadowy box. "This is for you," he said, offering it to her outstretched hands.
She opened it gingerly, as if the hinges out break at any second. Ash couldn't see what was inside, but upon seeing it, the girl let out a cry of joy.
"It's beautiful!" she exclaimed, "So beautiful!" Then, turning to him, "I love you, my darling."
Ash's mind registered the voice instantly.
Lucille…? he thought, amazed.
'What?' she responded, and the figures vanished instantly.
~*~
Misty didn't think James had moved an inch since she had left. Meowth ran over to his partner and friend straight off, jumping onto his chest and waving his little claws around, yelling, "Where do ya get these crazy ideas in ya head, Jimbo? You know I would neva accuse ya of killin' Jess, cause yous was her best friend!" among other things. James displayed how huge his already large green eyes could become as he embraced the smaller cat, sobbing. Misty couldn't help but smile appreciatively.
"Ya crushin me Jim!" cried Meowth, and James pushed him back, becoming serious very suddenly. The cat pokemon noticed this, and asked "What's up now?"
"I think… we should, you know, probably…" James stuttered, feeling the impatient gaze of the cat on him.
"Spit it out!"
"I think we should quit," said James quickly, and upon finishing, he abruptly looked down.
"Quit?"
"Quit Team Rocket."
In the silence that followed, Misty began to feel somewhat uncomfortable. She knew she didn't belong there, with Team Rocket. But something was tugging at the back of her mind, forbidding her to leave. Her mind told her otherwise. What if she was bothering them?
Clearing her throat, she watched sadly as they turned to face her. "I think I'd better get going," she said softly, "I don't want to intrude."
James stood up for the first time since she had run into him last night. "You can't leave, yet," he said, attempting a smile. "We haven't gotten to properly thank you." Meowth nodded.
"For what?" she asked, aware of her cheeks growing hotter.
"For everything," James replied.
Misty put her hands behind her back and touched the ground with her foot. "Oh… it was nothing, really… just… helping out."
James nodded. "But you helped us out, and we want to do something in return. Remember, we aren't in Team Rocket anymore. We are going to have to get used to doing good…" He made a face. "Might as well start now."
"Whaddaya mean, 'we'?" Meowth said, and James looked over at him.
"You mean you aren't going to quit with me?" he asked, eyes wide, lip trembling.
"Are you nuts?! Of course I am!" The cat climbed up onto James's shoulder. "Even if we aren't in Team Rocket, we're still a team!"
James grinned appreciatively. "Thanks, Meowth. Let's go now… we still need to tell the boss about… Jessie…"
Everything grew silent once again. James blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes. "On second thought… I can't…" he said slowly. "I don't think I'll be able to…"
"Jim…" Meowth murmured, and Misty stepped up.
"Let's all go together," she offered. "No one should get left behind."
James gave her a watery smile. "Thank you, Misty," he said. She grew embarrassed. He didn't call her a twerp this time. Meowth stared up at her, and when she made eye contact with him, he grinned slyly and winked. Her cheeks became ever redder.
"L-l-let's go," she stuttered. Misty felt something cover her hand. Looking down, she saw a black glove, and trailed her eyes up a white sleeve, and finally two emerald eyes. "James…"
"It's this way."
The trio made their way to a beaten down but clearly recognizable path. The trees closed in on either side and the air was crisp with the onset of evening. Misty smiled as she took in the beauty of the forest. She wished she had enjoyed last night a little more. But James's hand was still in hers, and for some reason, that made her feel better than the simple nature of wildlife could.
They hadn't gotten far when a short but recognizable figure stepped out and blocked their path. All three of them halted and Misty made a small exclamation.
"Ash?"
Author's Notes: Sorry about the wait everyone! I've had a lot of schoolwork lately. Mutter mutter. Anyway, thanks again to all who have reviewed, and to my beta readers.
~*Forget Me Not*~ part 6
Misty opened one cerulean eye, and then the other. Above her head, she could see leaves and branches, with the occasional glint of sun shining through. Without looking down, she felt the ground beneath her. No sleeping bag. She lay bewildered for a moment before the events of the last few days came rushing back to her. Ash. Jessie. James. Murder.
Sighing, she sat up and ran her fingers through her messy orange hair. The high ponytail she had fixed was now at about the level of her ear. Misty let down her hair and shook her head, and then put it back up as neatly as she could. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her and she became still. 'James must still be here,' she thought, doubting the possibility of him getting up and going somewhere. Turning slowly, she looked over in the direction of his sleeping bag, not far from where she was sitting.
He was awake, and staring at her, not even trying to be inconspicuous about it. Misty certainly hadn't been expecting that, and felt heat rise up into her face. 'Why am I blushing?' she thought frantically. 'It's just James…'
"You stayed," James stated bluntly. Misty didn't like his flat and emotionless tone of voice. It just didn't sound like something that should naturally come from him. Then again, the memory of his conversation with Meowth resurfaced and she decided it wasn't his fault. After all, he'd been left alone by his only two friends in the world.
Misty tried to smile. "I… I fell asleep," she said sheepishly. He didn't respond and turned away; leaving her wondering if he wanted her to leave. She didn't see any reason James would desire her company, so she slowly got to her feet, brushed a few leaves off her clothes, and began walking out of the clearing.
"Where are you going?" James asked, causing Misty to jump. She looked back at him, wondering what to say.
"I… I have to go back to the hotel I'm at… I know Brock's worried… and I have to find Ash… he's been missing for a while now," she said haltingly.
James's eyes widened and Misty felt a knot of fear grow in her stomach. A silent thought passed between them. Was Ash killed too?
Misty backed up quickly, almost tripping over herself. "I have to go," she said, panic in her voice, "I have to go right now." James watched as she turned and fled; her footsteps loud against the dry leaves, growing softer and softer as she made her way back to the hotel.
~*~
Lucille sat on a bench, thinking. She hadn't allowed Ash's body to rest the entire night. She was afraid the boy in the hotel room or the girl he had mentioned would come looking for Ash, so she tried to get as far away as possible. Now it was daylight and she was back near the pokemon center, scrutinizing every detail, trying her very best to remember…
'Nothing,' she thought bitterly. Ash's large brown eyes passed over every rock and bush and tree. Lucille saw nothing that reminded her of her past.
What was that? said Ash abruptly, startling her.
'I don't know,' she snapped mentally.
But Ash had sworn he'd seen something. Not anything he knew, but there had definitely been a vision in front of him a few seconds ago. The only thing he could see in vivid detail was a simple white flower.
*
"I brought you a bouquet… I know this is your favorite flower," a male voice said, deep and compassionate. A hazy figure held out the plant, tenderly grasped at the stem.
"Thank you…" breathed the next person, a much more slender and translucent shadow, obviously a young woman. She reached out a wispy arm and put her shadowed hand on his. "I love you," she said, stepping closer.
The man said nothing, just leaned down and kissed her.
*
Lucille stared at a clump of white petals, connected to long, thin stems, sprouting out of the ground. She sighed and thought about what beautiful flowers they were.
~*~
Misty nearly threw the door off its hinges is she barged into the hotel room. She made no secret out of demanding Brock's presence. Her temper abated when she heard Togepi cry out in distress. She made her way to the little egg pokemon and nearly screamed when she saw who was curled up next to it.
"Meowth!" she cried angrily. The cat opened its slitted eyes and sputtered indignantly before arching its back into a feline stretch. He sat back down on his haunches and glared at her.
"Yeah? Whaddaya want? Da older twoip brought me here, if ya wonderin', so don't blame me for bein' here!"
Misty looked down at him, wondering why Brock would ever bring him here, and debating whether to approach his treatment of James civilly or in a more out of control manner. She remembered that Meowth had just lost Jessie as James had, and tried to collect her emotions before speaking.
"You know," she said coldly, "It was really terrible of you to accuse James of killing Jessie. Like James would ever even raise a finger to her. You of all pokemon should know that by now."
The cat stared at her blankly. "I neva accused James of dat," he said. "Jimmy would neva hoit Jess."
"But…" Misty faltered, "But James said…"
"You talked ta Jim? Where is he?" asked Meowth suddenly, cutting her off. "I gotta find him!"
Misty nodded dumbly. "You sure do," she said, "He thinks you think he killed Jessie."
"Where would he get a crazy idea like dat?" cried the cat. "I haven't even seen him since earlier last night!" Meowth hopped up and headed towards the door hastily, forgetting he did not know where his partner was. He was also not looking where he was going, because his dash out of the room was abruptly stopped by a collision with a leg clad in khaki pants.
"Meowth!" Brock said, startled. "Where are you going?"
"Ta find Jim! Get outta da way!"
Misty sighed. "Meowth, you don't know where James is. How do you expect to find him?"
The cat settled down and glared at the two youths standing over it. For a while no one spoke, until Misty remembered the original reason for her visit. "Have you seen any sign of Ash?" she said to Brock. "I was just thinking… what if he…"
"Actually, he came back last night," Brock informed her. "But he was acting strange."
"Strange?" said Misty and Meowth at the same time.
"Yeah, he wasn't acting like his usual self. He seemed nervous, and a lot… well, colder. He told me to go to bed." Here Brock paused with some quiet laughter. In his mind, Ash posed no threat. "To top it all off, he made it look like he didn't remember anything about Meowth."
"Nothin about me?" asked the cat, incredulous.
Brock nodded. Misty let out an exasperated sigh. "Something weird is going on around here!" she declared. "I'm going to go talk to James. He at least deserves to know that Meowth doesn't hate him."
"Take Meowth wit you!" he cried, dashing over on all fours to the redheaded girl.
"I'd love to join in," said Brock matter of factly, glancing at his watch, "But Nurse Joy gets off duty around this time… I might score a date- "
He paused at the disgusted look Misty was giving him. "I don't think so, lover boy!" she announced. "Pikachu and Togepi need a babysitter."
"But Misty!"
"No buts! You know what happened last night," she said over her shoulder, heading towards the door. Brock's form seemed to crumple and he wandered over to a chair, sitting down with his head in his hands.
"I'm never going to get a date…" he muttered, and Misty walked out with Meowth.
~*~
Lucille drew her legs up to her chest and surveyed the pond before her. After the pokemon center, she was beginning to feel depressed. Surely there was something there that she would remember. She woke up there. Sighing, her young brown eyes skimmed the clear water and lush green reeds. Everything was silent, peaceful, and calming. 'Ash, darling,' she thought, 'you should see this.'
Ash did not answer her. The scene in front of him was different. Two misty figures sat side by side, leaning against each other, enjoying the sunlight. They were the same from his last vision. Out of spite, Ash said nothing about them to Lucille. He heard them talking.
*
"Do you like it here? I used to come when I was smaller," said the man, his arms encircling the more slender apparition's waist.
"It's gorgeous…" she sighed, staring out over the water.
"I… there's something I want to give you," the man murmured to her, causing her to turn and face him. He reached into what must have been his pocket and pulled out a shadowy box. "This is for you," he said, offering it to her outstretched hands.
She opened it gingerly, as if the hinges out break at any second. Ash couldn't see what was inside, but upon seeing it, the girl let out a cry of joy.
"It's beautiful!" she exclaimed, "So beautiful!" Then, turning to him, "I love you, my darling."
Ash's mind registered the voice instantly.
Lucille…? he thought, amazed.
'What?' she responded, and the figures vanished instantly.
~*~
Misty didn't think James had moved an inch since she had left. Meowth ran over to his partner and friend straight off, jumping onto his chest and waving his little claws around, yelling, "Where do ya get these crazy ideas in ya head, Jimbo? You know I would neva accuse ya of killin' Jess, cause yous was her best friend!" among other things. James displayed how huge his already large green eyes could become as he embraced the smaller cat, sobbing. Misty couldn't help but smile appreciatively.
"Ya crushin me Jim!" cried Meowth, and James pushed him back, becoming serious very suddenly. The cat pokemon noticed this, and asked "What's up now?"
"I think… we should, you know, probably…" James stuttered, feeling the impatient gaze of the cat on him.
"Spit it out!"
"I think we should quit," said James quickly, and upon finishing, he abruptly looked down.
"Quit?"
"Quit Team Rocket."
In the silence that followed, Misty began to feel somewhat uncomfortable. She knew she didn't belong there, with Team Rocket. But something was tugging at the back of her mind, forbidding her to leave. Her mind told her otherwise. What if she was bothering them?
Clearing her throat, she watched sadly as they turned to face her. "I think I'd better get going," she said softly, "I don't want to intrude."
James stood up for the first time since she had run into him last night. "You can't leave, yet," he said, attempting a smile. "We haven't gotten to properly thank you." Meowth nodded.
"For what?" she asked, aware of her cheeks growing hotter.
"For everything," James replied.
Misty put her hands behind her back and touched the ground with her foot. "Oh… it was nothing, really… just… helping out."
James nodded. "But you helped us out, and we want to do something in return. Remember, we aren't in Team Rocket anymore. We are going to have to get used to doing good…" He made a face. "Might as well start now."
"Whaddaya mean, 'we'?" Meowth said, and James looked over at him.
"You mean you aren't going to quit with me?" he asked, eyes wide, lip trembling.
"Are you nuts?! Of course I am!" The cat climbed up onto James's shoulder. "Even if we aren't in Team Rocket, we're still a team!"
James grinned appreciatively. "Thanks, Meowth. Let's go now… we still need to tell the boss about… Jessie…"
Everything grew silent once again. James blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes. "On second thought… I can't…" he said slowly. "I don't think I'll be able to…"
"Jim…" Meowth murmured, and Misty stepped up.
"Let's all go together," she offered. "No one should get left behind."
James gave her a watery smile. "Thank you, Misty," he said. She grew embarrassed. He didn't call her a twerp this time. Meowth stared up at her, and when she made eye contact with him, he grinned slyly and winked. Her cheeks became ever redder.
"L-l-let's go," she stuttered. Misty felt something cover her hand. Looking down, she saw a black glove, and trailed her eyes up a white sleeve, and finally two emerald eyes. "James…"
"It's this way."
The trio made their way to a beaten down but clearly recognizable path. The trees closed in on either side and the air was crisp with the onset of evening. Misty smiled as she took in the beauty of the forest. She wished she had enjoyed last night a little more. But James's hand was still in hers, and for some reason, that made her feel better than the simple nature of wildlife could.
They hadn't gotten far when a short but recognizable figure stepped out and blocked their path. All three of them halted and Misty made a small exclamation.
"Ash?"