DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokémon.

A/N: If you're wondering why I put two chapters up at once, it's all Kaz's fault! Well no, she just threatened to spread a nasty rumour about me. It's not that nasty but it would kill me…okay Kaz, here you go, two chapters in a day. And that goes for everyone else too, aren't you all lucky?!

Chapter six - Confessions and Caution.

You'd think after the whole going-to-a-party-with-my-ex-who-trashed-me-completley-but-who-I-still-managed-to-be-civil-towards thing I'd be pretty narcissic the next day. But I surprised both myself and

my sisters by waking up at nine with a smile on my face. I gracefully glided into the kitchen to be greeted with a groan coming from Daisy.

"Good morning, sister dear" I said chirpily.

"Keep me away from the cruisers" Daisy moaned back. I'm sure she didn't mean the car kind of cruisers.

"Uh oh, someone had a bit too much fun last night" I teased.

"Shut uuuuuuuuup Misty" I heard Violet distantly whine. I sighed, deja vu starting to sneak into my system.

"OOOH!" Lily suddenly yelled, snapping her head up and facing me. "How was it with Ash last night?" Suddenly the other two were alive and they too faced me.

"It was..." I trailed off and bit my lip. "It was confusing."

"Confusing? What about romantic, beautiful, fun even?" Violet asked.

"Oh it was fun, the whole two minutes I saw him. But he just...I dunno, started acting really strange when we were going back. He said he'd call today" I added.

"Oh yay! Yay for Misty" Lily squealed. "You are so going places with him."

"Yeah yeah" I muttered. "It's proving hard enough to be his friend at the moment." I had finished speaking when the phone rang, and all three of my sisters leapt for it. Daisy had the distance advantage though, and tried to put on a tone that deceived her hangover as she answered.

"Hello, Daisy Waterflower speaking?" My other two sisters nearly had hernias at her greeting and she was quick to send them a rude one fingered gesture before her eyes suddenly went wide. "Oh, hi Mom."

"Mom?!" Violet exclaimed, at about the same time my brain did. Oh no. She'd be pissed now. First I nearly drowned and then I went out with the guy who sent me home, back to her unsympathetic and hardly outstretched arms.

"Uh, Misty...she wants to talk to you" Daisy muttered. I reluctantly took the phone off her, looked at it for about two seconds, and then pushed the button that cut my mother off from any communication with me.

"Misty!" Lily gasped. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I can't be bothered" I explained, putting the phone off the hook as I had done the other day.

"Well gee Mist, she's gonna love hearing that when you have to explain why you hung up on her" Violet said sarcastically.

"What's wrong with saying there was a storm or something?" I shrugged.

"Uh, because it's the middle of summer" Violet pointed out.

"Look, it's not your problem. Don't you guys have lives of your own to lead?" I asked.

"You try leading a life with a hangover" Lily groaned, flopping back on the couch. Her excitement for the day was obviously over, it was back to being sick. I could only sigh.

"I'm gonna get dressed. Maybe you guys should consider it too" I suggested.

"It's too early" Daisy complained. "Why the hell did we wake up this early anyways?" she suddenly asked.

"Blonde" I muttered.

"Huh?" Daisy burrowed her forehead in confusion and I quickly shook my head.

"N-nothing." The last thing Daisy needs with a hangover is the reminder of her hair colour and the status it gives her. I quickly paced to my room, my mother's phonecall now completely erased from my mind.

I can't say the day was eventful, considering my sisters all had simultaneous hangovers and I had nowhere to go. My love for the ocean had somewhat been diminished thanks to last week's incident, and the heat was

just the same, if not worse, outside than inside. I was quite content to read on the couch.

I was finally brave enough to put the phone back on the hook at about 8pm and as soon as I did, it rung. I must've been going crazy, the ringing tone sounded more like a warning signal than anything else. With a gulp and some sort of courage seeping into me, I slowly put the phone to my ear.

"Mom, I'm sorry, the phone's been down all day, I think it's all over Washbay, no one can -"

"Misty? Is your caller ID screwing up or something?"

First thought: yeah, like we can afford caller ID. Second thought: crap, it's Ash, and I've just made an idiot of myself in front of him.

"N-no, sorry Ash, I thought Mom would call today" I explained.

"Why? You getting into trouble again? Don't tell me you took another little dip in the ocean?" Ash asked, the teasing in his voice obvious. I slightly laughed at the image, the memory that had once been so fearful to think about.

"No, of course not" I replied. "I kinda hung up on her this morning."

"God Misty, I dunno why you wonder about your mother being so unbearable to live with when you obviously make her life unbearable" Ash said.

"I knew you wouldn't understand" I sighed. "Don't worry about it, my problem, no one else's."

"True. So what you up to now?" Ash asked.

"Reading, as I have done for the rest of the day" I flatly informed him. "Not much of a life, I know."

"Yeah, the day's been pretty lifeless" Ash agreed.

"Well I've never heard of a day being lifeless" I muttered.

Ash laughed. "Sorry, sorry. How does a walk along the beach sound?"

"It actually sounds quite appealing" I confessed. "But I haven't even had any dinner yet or anything, so can you gimme half an hour to get that over with?"

"Sure thing. I'll be over at 8.30" Ash announced.

"Okay, see you then." I hung up the phone, grateful that at least one part of my day was going to be slightly eventful. There was still a bit of daylight left, the sun was only just starting to set, and in summer it took

its time to head to its bed of ocean.

"Misty, who was on the phone?" Violet asked cautiously as she walked in, Daisy and Lily behind her.

"Ash" I replied simply, standing up and heading towards the kitchen. My sisters followed me, curiosity imprinted all over their faces. I put a bowl of canned spaghetti in the microwave and turned around, surprised to still see them silently standing there. "Uh, you guys okay?" I asked.

"What did he want?" Lily asked immediately, and I shrugged.

"We're going for a walk" I explained.

"Oh" Daisy nodded. There was a silence before she suddenly spoke up again. "Misty, you know you're gonna hafta call Mom."

"I do?" I asked in surprise. "I didn't know that."

"Come on Mist, you can't hide from her forever. She'd be angrier knowing that you're avoiding her" Daisy cautioned. I shrugged as the microwave beeped, signalling that my processed dinner was now ready.

"I will deal with that. Not you. Me myself and I. I thought I told you that earlier" I said in exasperation, taking the bowl out and grabbing a fork.

"You did" Lily agreed. "But we're just worried. For your sake."

"Yeah, sure you are. Chances are you're more worried that Mom's gonna take it out on you three, blame you, punish you...god, that'd be a new experience for you" I said sarcastically, walking past them and sitting down at the table. All three of them were quiet again, and I had to admit curiosity. Something was up with them.

I ate my dinner by myself, grateful that my sisters had now retreated to their individual rooms. Their strange mood had made me slightly uneasy, though I couldn't put my finger on why.

My spaghetti had just been devoured when the doorbell rang and I glanced at my watch. 8.30 on the dot. Ash sure had gotten punctual. I walked over to the door and swung it open, glad for some human contact other than the ones in the bach.

"Hi Ash." I took a glimpse past his shoulder to the outside world and then eyed him again. "Don't think it's getting too late for this walk?"

"Well if you don't wanna go you don't have to, there's still half an hour or so of daylight left" Ash informed me. I smiled and shut the door behind me.

"Cool, let's go." Maybe I seemed a bit too eager, especially skipping down the porch and completely jumping above the steps instead of taking the more conservative approach of walking down them.

"Sheesh, what did you have for dinner?" Ash teasingly asked.

"I've just gotta get away from there. You've got no idea" I groaned.

"So what was the deal with your mom? Why did you hang up on her?" Ash inquired as he caught up to me and we slowly walked near the shore.

"Because I couldn't be bothered dealing with her today" I explained. "She's so...I dunno, impossible to satisfy. I can't do anything right in her books."

"But you went out last night" Ash pointed out.

"True, but I went out with you. You being the reason I came home and ruined her life" I grinned.

"I dunno how you can take all this so lightly" Ash marveled. "Your mom is spying on you, fighting with you, totally rejecting you and scolding you for nearly drowning, and yet you keep smiling."

"I'm not always smiling" I mumbled.

"Yes, I caught on to that when I first ran into you" Ash commented.

"You do understand why I was pissed at you, right?" I asked.

"Duh" Ash rolled his eyes. "Only that I trashed you completely and scarred you for life."

"Something like that" I shrugged.

"I must say though, you've surprised me. I thought you'd never break."

"Break?" I repeated. "Surely you didn't think I would 'break' straight away?"

"No, of course not" Ash said. "But I'd forgotten how tough you are."

"I'm not made of steel, Ash" I sighed. "If anything, you've confirmed that. Look, there are better things to talk about than my past emotional distress -"

"Past?" Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Well...yeah. You trashed me, but you also kinda did the opposite by coming back. I went to a party, and I was put under a huge test when you saved my life, trying to decide whether to trust you or not, so I guess you made me turn a slight corner" I smiled.

"Wow. I think I'm flattered" Ash said.

"Yeah, but don't go forgetting that you're the reason -"

"Or the League's the reason" Ash interrupted.

"Whatever. I still don't believe that, you know" I informed him.

"Well you should. Cos it was very very real" Ash said. Could it just have been me, or was his tone somewhat...sad? A few moments of silence passed as our shadows stretched out behind us, reminding us that the sun was soon to disappear.

"Ash? Are you okay?" I asked.

He nodded quickly and faced me. "I'm fine. It's just..." He stared out at the ocean, like he had done the previous night. "You're not thick, Misty. I know that. You caught on the whole Giselle thing quickly and I guess you should know the truth, if I ever want you to be my friend again."

"So you actually took in my words last night? Nice one" I commented.

"I did. Your words actually kept me up for most of last night. You installed the fear of God in me" Ash slightly laughed.

"Ooh the power of me" I smiled. We were still slowly walking, leaving behind footprints that would tomorrow only be a memory, just like this walk.

"The League is what made me and Giselle come together and it also tore you and me apart in the process, which was not exactly what I wanted. But I wanted the title more than anything...more than you" Ash said reluctantly. I couldn't miss the reluctance in his tone, and I'm not saying that just to be smart. It's true.

"I figured that" I muttered.

"We went out for a year, putting on this act for the public, who thought we were adorable. Two high class pokémon trainers being with each other every second of the day...it was like two really famous movie stars getting together" Ash explained. "The public and the papparazzi hounded us. We couldn't go anywhere without being recognised or getting cameras shoved in our faces. Giselle hated it. She..." He trailed off and another silence ensued.

"Ash?" I gently probed, careful not to force this out. It had become obvious that this was serious, far more serious than I had given credit towards.

"Giselle couldn't have a private life. They dug up all her records from Pokémon Tech, camped outside her house, hassled her and her family, one guy even kidnapped one of her pokémon for a short while. It scared the shit out of her, especially the death threats. There were a lot of those" Ash sighed.

"Death threats?" I whispered.

"Yeah. She got heaps. You know, 'Stay away from Ash or you won't live to see another day' shit like that smeared in blood. That was pretty stupid though, cos the blood could always be tested to see who had sent it" Ash laughed slightly.

"Wow. I didn't know you guys got so much coverage" I said in astonishment. It was the truth. I'd hardly ever seen them on any TV programs or newspapers. Ash pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to me. I recognised it as a newspaper clipping, a picture of Ash with his arm around Giselle's shoulders.

I couldn't help feeling something like nausea in the pit of my stomach. It was the image that had played in my mind for two years, and now here it was, right in front of my face. Not exactly something I wanted to frame.

"That was the last picture that ever got published of me and Giselle. It followed a story about a group of girls that had organised this site over the internet about how much they all hated her" Ash sighed. "She flipped. Came screaming to me about how much she hated the public and hated the press, and I told her that if she was going out with me she had to take it as a part of life."

"Don't you think that was a bit harsh?" I asked.

"No, it was the truth. I'm a Pokémon Master, and with that comes certain downfalls. Being in the public eye is just one of them. You saw that kid the other day, wanting a cap signed...that's nothing compared to what we went through" Ash shook his head as he spoke.

"So...what happened?" I softly inquired.

"The day after that article was published my mom called me from Pallet, while I was at the plateau. She was hysterical, I couldn't get a word out of her, but I picked up something about Giselle. I went over to Giselle's house, thinking that maybe she could tell me what was going on. I reached the front door, and -" Ash cut himself off, biting his lip and staring at the ground.

By now I was dying of curiosity. I know that sounds terrible when Ash was telling me something that had obviously affected him so badly, but he had drawn it out for so long, I just wanted to know what was going on. It was probably another thirty seconds before he spoke again, and his next words chilled me more than anything ever had before.

"Police were swarming her house. She...Giselle had killed herself" Ash said quietly, his sentence coming out in chokes and repressed sobs. I couldn't keep in the gasp that escaped my mouth. I'd never heard of anyone I knew that killed themselves. And to think it was Ash's ex-girlfriend, the one that apparently "didn't work out."

I couldn't find words. Speech had escaped me completely. This was no time for one of my trademark smart ass remarks. This was the most serious thing I had ever stumbled on, and Ash had been brave enough to share it...with me. The girl who had refused to forgive him, who'd yelled and screamed at him without explanation...

Oh dear. I'd dug my own grave. Oh god, even that phrase sounded bad now. I bit my lip but didn't have to speak because Ash broke the tension.

"S-she had hung herself, in her bathroom, with a goddamn tie" he spat out angrily. "And it's all my fucking fault."

Woah. F word. Something I rarely came across, especially with someone like Ash. But it's not like I could really blame him.

"Ash, that...it wasn't your fault" I said gently.

"Yes it was!" Ash yelled. "Everything's my fault! If I wasn't so damn selfish about that title Giselle would still be alive, I'd have a life, I'd still have you for chrissake!" He sat himself down on a bench and buried his

head in his hands. "She killed herself six months ago. Her parents haven't talked to me since and I can't blame them."

I sat beside him and eyed him severly. "Ash, you listen to me" I said firmly. He didn't even look up, so I put my hands on his cheeks and directed his face so he was staring me right in my eyes. "You bloody well listen. I'm gonna be honest and say the title thing was right. You'd probably still have me -"

"I would?" Ash asked softly.

"Yeah" I nodded. "But Giselle took her own life by her own hand. You did not put the noose around her neck. She did. None of this has to do with you. It was the public." I was still holding his face, staring into his

pain-englulfed eyes. Those eyes had done so much to me years ago. They'd enticed me, mesmerized me, made me laugh, made me cry. But this was a different situation now. His eyes had aged so many years in such a short space of time.

"It was me..." he whispered.

"No" I said firmly. "No."

"I know it was, Misty! My existence only ruins everything to everyone Iknow, and now since I've got here I've done something stupid. Shows how good I am at trying to escape things" Ash muttered.

"You've done something stupid?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's beyond stupid. It's fatal. If I act on it I can guarantee the end of my life" Ash said. "And the worst thing is..." He trailed off and met my eyes. "It concerns you, even though I've already hurt you so badly."

"What could you possibly have done that's so stupid?" I asked quietly. Ash took in a deep breath and was quick to exhale again.

"Misty, I...I, um..." He was stuttering. This was most unusual for Mr. Pokémon Master, who always had to make public appearances and deliver speeches. "I think I've..." He trailed off and it was at this point I

realised just how close my face had been drawn to his. I was staring directly into those eyes again, slightly fearing this feeling I hadn't felt for two years now. Oh help. What was happening to me? Confusion reigned

my system as I wanted this to stop but last forever at the same time.

We didn't need to say anymore. We both knew what was going to happen and neither of us protested or stopped it. I closed my eyes, entering a dream world as his lips brushed mine, a fleeting whirlwind of bittersweet pleasure before we both heard voices and sharply drew away from each other, not even allowing a kiss to fabricate.

"Woohoo, go the lovebirds!"

"Aw yeah, shot mate!"

"So what's happening tonight, his house or hers?"

"Shit" I heard Ash mutter. Inwardly, I was saying a lot worse, but not just at the drunken teenagers who had shattered the magic moment. I had to yell at myself. How had I let myself get so close? I hadn't uttered one measly 'stop' or 'no.' Because I had wanted it to happen...

"C'mon Mist, I better get you home" Ash said quietly as he stood up. I accepted his extended hand and stood up, slowly walking beside Ash and past the smashed teens. I felt weak at the knees all the way back to the bach, and an awkward air now surrounded the two of us.

"Well, here's my bach" I said pointlessly five minutes later. We knew where we were, I didn't need to point it out.

"Yeah" Ash replied as we approached the front door. It was dark by now, and I hoped that would mask my flushed face.

"Thank you, Ash" I said with a small smile.

"For what?" Ash raised an eyebrow.

"For being honest with me, opening up" I explained. "I never thought I'd get it out of you."

"You would've sooner or later" Ash said. He had found a section of my windswept hair and was now twirling it round his finger, stroking it slowly, and the mere look he sent me was electrifying. But this time my head was screaming at me.

"I'll call you tomorrow. Bye Ash." I quickly opened the door, walked in and flashed him a smile before I closed the door. I turned around and leaned against it, breathing heavily as if I had just run an Olympic marathon. I opened my eyes and realised why my head had been screaming at me. There were all three of my sisters, grinning in my direction. My happy-confused state vanished on site.

"Go away, I'm not telling you anything" I announced, walking towards my room.

"I knew it! I so knew it, oh my GOD!" Lily shrieked. After hearing this I slammed my door and crashed on my bed. No no, I didn't want anger coming into me now. I wanted that feeling back that had hit me when Ash's lips had barely touched mine.

But then thinking that, I wanted to scream. At those teenagers, at my sisters, at myself for letting it get this far. I knew it was too late now though. I was falling for Ash all over again. Only the second time around, it seemed to be happening faster and with much more power than I previously thought possible.

A/N: Ahhh! I had fun writing this chapter. Things are starting to move now, woohoo! Please keep trucking with this, we'll get there!