Very long chapter, but I needed to finish it..so here it is! The final
chapter in the best Christmas present!
The meal was strange. It was probably one of the strangest meals they'd ever had.
For one, Ash ate next to nothing. Even when he was about to go into a battle he ate better.
Misty didn't scamper to sit next to Ash. She was a lefty, and he was a righty, and whenever they sat next to one another their elbows bumped.
She always liked it. Then they would have an excuse to fight.
That was back in those days, those carefree days, when they were a group of three happy little kids.
Brock glared out the window the entire time. (a/n to answer that one review, he can glare if he has no eyes because..because he shoots out little beams of evil from those narrow slits. That's it.)
Misty decided then that she hated love. Hated it, always would hate it. It always seemed to mess everything up.
How come she and Ash had to come to this? Why couldn't they just carry on their lives where they would fight and talk like it was so normal and everything was so wonderful all the time?
After Ash paid, they finished and got the heck out of there.
Yep, Misty decided, staring at his back, love indeed sucks.
~*~
How he wanted to hold her, to love her, to just feel her in his arms.
It was too late for denial. He was too far gone. The little voice in his head telling him to ignore his feelings was gone now.
He really wished he was still ten. Then girls still had cooties, and he never noticed Misty. She was just Misty, the brat.
Now, as he watched her brushing her hair on her bed, she was a princess.
~*~
Christmas Eve. Snow was coming down, hard, cold, pelting.
"Let's go out and see the fireworks!" Exclaimed Misty as she flipped on the news.
Brock's spirits seemed to have healed that night, for he said, sounding like a tour guide, "Seeing fireworks is a very beautiful way to welcome in Christmas. We should go together, Misty."
"I want Ash to come, too," she said, and he turned abruptly from Pikachu. Her eyes steadily regarded him, and he smiled excitedly.
"Yeah, that sounds like fun," he said, standing up suddenly and knocking a box of chocolates onto the floor.
"Ash!" Shrieked Misty, "You're such a klutz! I NEED those chocolates! Can't you do anything right?"
How did she have this way of degrading him in a matter of seconds?, he thought as he stared at her bright red face.
"Oops," he said again. Oops was easy. You didn't have to explain anything with an oops.
She just shook her head. "Yeah, I'd like to go, Brock, but who knows if we should bring Ash along? After all, he'll probably ruin the fireworks show by stepping on me or something."
Feeling about three inches tall, he swallowed and said, "I'll be a good boy."
"Good, you'd better be," said Brock. For the time being, a temporary, invisible grudge had been called on the war.
"Last one to the food buffet is a rotten Togepi! Oh, wait a second, yours is already rotten!" Ash hollered over his shoulder at Misty as he bolted out the door.
"ASH KETCHUM!" For the time being, things were back to normal.
~*~
Some carolers' voices drifted over to their ears as they walked through the festively lit town.
"I wonder how long till the fireworks start?" Asked Misty, glancing around.
Ash snuck a peek at Brock out of the corner of his eye. He was staring at Misty with that "I saw a cute girl" expression on his face.
Ash shook his head. Would Brock never learn? In all fifteen years of his life, he'd never been that stupid. Or at least he didn't think he had been.
"Wow, it's so pretty and romantic," sighed Misty wistfully. Almost achingly.
I know how you feel, Misty, thought Ash. Stupid hormones, running wild. All around them were couples, holding hands, bundled up, their faces lit up with not only the lights of the surrounding stores.
They passed a small fountain on the edge of the forest, and Ash walked over to it and plopped himself down on its edge.
"I'm sick of walking," he declared. "We're watching the fireworks from here."
"Stupid possessive man," said Misty as she approached him. However, she plunked herself right next to him.
"Hey, where's Brock?" Asked Ash.
"Probably off with some girl," she said, rolling her eyes.
"Yep.." he said, and then there was a pause between them.
Now's the time, he thought. Now's the time to give her the present. He stuck his hand into his pocket and stopped. No, I can't, he thought. You wuss.
"Hey Ash, hey Misty! I found a great spot!" came a voice suddenly from across the town square. Ash was surprised he heard it because the place was packed full of people.
He was almost relieved. I don't have to talk to Misty now, Ash thought. He had no idea what he was going to say anyways. The two of them hurried over to the spot Brock had found watched the fireworks, listening to the "oohs" and "aahs" of the crowd.
"Wow, there's one shaped like a Pokeball!" Exclaimed Ash. When Misty didn't respond, he glanced around, and in a second he was on his feet.
"Brock? Misty?"
They were gone.
And then, as the fireworks exploded behind him, he understood all in a flash. It was all a ploy, then, so Brock could be alone with Misty. Anger rushed in, so blinding that he couldn't even tell who it was he was mad at- himself, Misty, Brock, or all of them.
The anger diminished as quickly as it had appeared, and a sense of abandonment suddenly filled the crowd; no longer was it friendly or Christmassy. (a/n wow! That IS a word! Microsoft word said so!) These people all had someone they loved with them, and he was alone. Never had he felt so empty.
She's made her choice, and she wants to be with Brock, came the dim realization. With that thought the worst feeling suddenly hit him.
So this is what a broken heart feels like, he thought dully. I never could have imagined it. All the songs, all the poems, all the mush. He'd always hated that stuff.
He thought of Brock kissing up to Misty at that very second. They wouldn't miss me if I was gone, Ash thought. So I'll leave.
Right then his resolution was so strong he could run all the way home.
A cold wind cut through the empty streets, and he pulled his jacket a little closer to himself. There were so many people who had someone, and he was alone.
His hand made its way into his pocket and he picked up the box. Opened it. The crystalline surface of the necklace shined back his own tear-streaked face.
Then he threw it onto the ground, enjoying the clatter of the precious metal on the hard, wet concrete. There, he thought. It's over.
He went up to the room, packed his things, and exited the hotel. The cold blast of air greeted him, now his only friend.
He was walking against the wind. Feeling it cut through his skin, his soul. For a long time he just let himself go. Then he saw her.
She was standing there, unmoving, right in front of him, her hands clutched tightly together in front of her.
The Christmas lights illuminated half her face. Red, yellow, and green. It was wet.
"Misty.." he managed to utter.
"Where are you going? What are you doing?" Her voice was trembling, and he realized that he was shaking as well.
He took a step closer. "I'm leaving, on my own, on my very own. I don't need you. I don't need Brock." But as the words left his mouth, he realized he did. He needed her, and the twisted, wounded expression on her face made him regret his words.
Ash Ketchum was always a solitary figure. He'd never let anyone into his private little world. Until her.
Then he noticed what was in her hands. The twinkling surface of the necklace glinted off of the Christmas lights.
"Where'd you find that?" He asked, already knowing.
"It's mine, isn't it? Well, are you happy, Ash Ketchum? I'll let you do what you want! I'll let you leave! Goodbye!" She yelled at him.
"And you can go off with Brock!" Her retreating back stopped. Very slowly she turned around.
"What did you say?"
"Go off with Brock. I know that's what you really want, Misty Waterflower." His voice was shaking with emotion, and he felt tears welling up in his eyes.
She opened her mouth, then closed it. "If I didn't know better, Ash, I would think you were jealous of Brock. Just because he's a gentleman, a nice guy, and he likes me, gives you no reason to be jealous."
Before he knew what was happening, the words were just bursting out.
"I like you, okay? That's what you really wanted! I admitted it! I like you! I like you!" Oh, God, he thought. What have I done?
His words echoed in the empty street.
Misty turned around, her eyes wide. "What?" She whispered. Even though she was standing at least ten feet away from him, he still heard that faint, small sound.
For a moment there wasn't a sound between them. She hates me, he thought. She must think I'm a total idiot.
And then her lips formed the words he had imagined so many times but never in a million years expected to hear.
"I like you, too."
It wasn't true. It couldn't be true. Even though he heard the words, they didn't seem to register.
Then his feet were walking foreword, and the only thing he saw was her eyes.
When they met in the middle of the street, Ash held up his hands and she took them. So small, so delicate.
"Are you serious?"
"Would I lie?"
"Maybe.. hey, Misty, you're shorter than me."
"You've finally grown, you know..Ash?" She glanced up nervously a few times, then finally met his eyes, those chocolate eyes resting on her lovingly.
"Yes?"
"Ash, can you..can you kiss me?"
"I-I don't really know how, I've never done it before," he admitted, blushing as red as a tomato.
"Neither have I."
"Do you want to try it?"
He considered this. He'd never especially wondered what it was like to kiss a girl, but just then he found himself wondering what it would be like to kiss Misty.
She closed her eyes and tilted her head up towards him hopefully, and he decided to grant her wish.
Leaning in, he gently pressed his lips onto hers, and the most wonderful sensation overcame him. His whole body felt like it was melting, and just then nothing else mattered.
The kiss didn't last very long, as the inexperienced couple needed to get some air.
When they parted, Ash took her hand and uncurled the necklace from it. Finally, she got a good look at it.
"Ash..this is beautiful! Where did you find something like this?"
"Can't tell!" He said tauntingly and fastened it around her neck. It was a simple, blue stone shaped into a water droplet, and it opened up to reveal a small locket. On the back where the initials "MKW"
"Now you wanna try that again? That was kinda fun, Misty." He smiled at her and she reached up towards him again.
~*~
Brock dragged his feet down the street. Nothing mattered anymore. It was Christmas Eve, and he didn't care. Misty was gone. With Ash. And that had been the only thing that mattered.
He stumbled into the Pokemon center and asked for a room without even looking at Nurse Joy. Then, as he turned away to find his room, he bumped into a girl.
"Oh! Excuse me..Brock Slate?"
"Who are you?" He asked, eyeing the girl. She had long blue hair and brown eyes, and something about her seemed familiar..
"Suzie???"
"Brock! How good to see you again! How is Vulpix doing?"
"It's great, just great," he said with misery in his voice.
"Brock? What's the matter? Where are Ash and Misty?" In a second Brock was curled up in a corner under the table with his face turning blue.
"Don't mention that name..that..name.." (a/n I loved that ep, I just had to put it in here)
She scooted under the table again and placed her hand gently on Brock's shoulder. "Come on, Brock, let's go do something and join up with Ash and Misty! I don't have anything to do tonight. I was just on my way through here."
He raised his head enough to glance into her eyes. Then he fell in love all over again in the typical Brock fashion. In a second he seemed to recover.
"Oh, my dear Suzie! You are so beautiful, and your eyes remind me of the soft Vulpix that you gave me. Dear maiden, would you like me to be your boyfriend? I would if you wanted..." As he was talking, he grabbed her hand and pulled her out into the cold air.
Yeah, I know that part with Brock was kinda extra, but I couldn't just leave poor Brock heartbroken and wandering the streets at night, could I? That would be mean! Yeah, so it's four am, and I'm about to drop dead! Thanks for reading and
***HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE!! HAVE A GREAT DAY!! ^_^***
x~Aurora chan
The meal was strange. It was probably one of the strangest meals they'd ever had.
For one, Ash ate next to nothing. Even when he was about to go into a battle he ate better.
Misty didn't scamper to sit next to Ash. She was a lefty, and he was a righty, and whenever they sat next to one another their elbows bumped.
She always liked it. Then they would have an excuse to fight.
That was back in those days, those carefree days, when they were a group of three happy little kids.
Brock glared out the window the entire time. (a/n to answer that one review, he can glare if he has no eyes because..because he shoots out little beams of evil from those narrow slits. That's it.)
Misty decided then that she hated love. Hated it, always would hate it. It always seemed to mess everything up.
How come she and Ash had to come to this? Why couldn't they just carry on their lives where they would fight and talk like it was so normal and everything was so wonderful all the time?
After Ash paid, they finished and got the heck out of there.
Yep, Misty decided, staring at his back, love indeed sucks.
~*~
How he wanted to hold her, to love her, to just feel her in his arms.
It was too late for denial. He was too far gone. The little voice in his head telling him to ignore his feelings was gone now.
He really wished he was still ten. Then girls still had cooties, and he never noticed Misty. She was just Misty, the brat.
Now, as he watched her brushing her hair on her bed, she was a princess.
~*~
Christmas Eve. Snow was coming down, hard, cold, pelting.
"Let's go out and see the fireworks!" Exclaimed Misty as she flipped on the news.
Brock's spirits seemed to have healed that night, for he said, sounding like a tour guide, "Seeing fireworks is a very beautiful way to welcome in Christmas. We should go together, Misty."
"I want Ash to come, too," she said, and he turned abruptly from Pikachu. Her eyes steadily regarded him, and he smiled excitedly.
"Yeah, that sounds like fun," he said, standing up suddenly and knocking a box of chocolates onto the floor.
"Ash!" Shrieked Misty, "You're such a klutz! I NEED those chocolates! Can't you do anything right?"
How did she have this way of degrading him in a matter of seconds?, he thought as he stared at her bright red face.
"Oops," he said again. Oops was easy. You didn't have to explain anything with an oops.
She just shook her head. "Yeah, I'd like to go, Brock, but who knows if we should bring Ash along? After all, he'll probably ruin the fireworks show by stepping on me or something."
Feeling about three inches tall, he swallowed and said, "I'll be a good boy."
"Good, you'd better be," said Brock. For the time being, a temporary, invisible grudge had been called on the war.
"Last one to the food buffet is a rotten Togepi! Oh, wait a second, yours is already rotten!" Ash hollered over his shoulder at Misty as he bolted out the door.
"ASH KETCHUM!" For the time being, things were back to normal.
~*~
Some carolers' voices drifted over to their ears as they walked through the festively lit town.
"I wonder how long till the fireworks start?" Asked Misty, glancing around.
Ash snuck a peek at Brock out of the corner of his eye. He was staring at Misty with that "I saw a cute girl" expression on his face.
Ash shook his head. Would Brock never learn? In all fifteen years of his life, he'd never been that stupid. Or at least he didn't think he had been.
"Wow, it's so pretty and romantic," sighed Misty wistfully. Almost achingly.
I know how you feel, Misty, thought Ash. Stupid hormones, running wild. All around them were couples, holding hands, bundled up, their faces lit up with not only the lights of the surrounding stores.
They passed a small fountain on the edge of the forest, and Ash walked over to it and plopped himself down on its edge.
"I'm sick of walking," he declared. "We're watching the fireworks from here."
"Stupid possessive man," said Misty as she approached him. However, she plunked herself right next to him.
"Hey, where's Brock?" Asked Ash.
"Probably off with some girl," she said, rolling her eyes.
"Yep.." he said, and then there was a pause between them.
Now's the time, he thought. Now's the time to give her the present. He stuck his hand into his pocket and stopped. No, I can't, he thought. You wuss.
"Hey Ash, hey Misty! I found a great spot!" came a voice suddenly from across the town square. Ash was surprised he heard it because the place was packed full of people.
He was almost relieved. I don't have to talk to Misty now, Ash thought. He had no idea what he was going to say anyways. The two of them hurried over to the spot Brock had found watched the fireworks, listening to the "oohs" and "aahs" of the crowd.
"Wow, there's one shaped like a Pokeball!" Exclaimed Ash. When Misty didn't respond, he glanced around, and in a second he was on his feet.
"Brock? Misty?"
They were gone.
And then, as the fireworks exploded behind him, he understood all in a flash. It was all a ploy, then, so Brock could be alone with Misty. Anger rushed in, so blinding that he couldn't even tell who it was he was mad at- himself, Misty, Brock, or all of them.
The anger diminished as quickly as it had appeared, and a sense of abandonment suddenly filled the crowd; no longer was it friendly or Christmassy. (a/n wow! That IS a word! Microsoft word said so!) These people all had someone they loved with them, and he was alone. Never had he felt so empty.
She's made her choice, and she wants to be with Brock, came the dim realization. With that thought the worst feeling suddenly hit him.
So this is what a broken heart feels like, he thought dully. I never could have imagined it. All the songs, all the poems, all the mush. He'd always hated that stuff.
He thought of Brock kissing up to Misty at that very second. They wouldn't miss me if I was gone, Ash thought. So I'll leave.
Right then his resolution was so strong he could run all the way home.
A cold wind cut through the empty streets, and he pulled his jacket a little closer to himself. There were so many people who had someone, and he was alone.
His hand made its way into his pocket and he picked up the box. Opened it. The crystalline surface of the necklace shined back his own tear-streaked face.
Then he threw it onto the ground, enjoying the clatter of the precious metal on the hard, wet concrete. There, he thought. It's over.
He went up to the room, packed his things, and exited the hotel. The cold blast of air greeted him, now his only friend.
He was walking against the wind. Feeling it cut through his skin, his soul. For a long time he just let himself go. Then he saw her.
She was standing there, unmoving, right in front of him, her hands clutched tightly together in front of her.
The Christmas lights illuminated half her face. Red, yellow, and green. It was wet.
"Misty.." he managed to utter.
"Where are you going? What are you doing?" Her voice was trembling, and he realized that he was shaking as well.
He took a step closer. "I'm leaving, on my own, on my very own. I don't need you. I don't need Brock." But as the words left his mouth, he realized he did. He needed her, and the twisted, wounded expression on her face made him regret his words.
Ash Ketchum was always a solitary figure. He'd never let anyone into his private little world. Until her.
Then he noticed what was in her hands. The twinkling surface of the necklace glinted off of the Christmas lights.
"Where'd you find that?" He asked, already knowing.
"It's mine, isn't it? Well, are you happy, Ash Ketchum? I'll let you do what you want! I'll let you leave! Goodbye!" She yelled at him.
"And you can go off with Brock!" Her retreating back stopped. Very slowly she turned around.
"What did you say?"
"Go off with Brock. I know that's what you really want, Misty Waterflower." His voice was shaking with emotion, and he felt tears welling up in his eyes.
She opened her mouth, then closed it. "If I didn't know better, Ash, I would think you were jealous of Brock. Just because he's a gentleman, a nice guy, and he likes me, gives you no reason to be jealous."
Before he knew what was happening, the words were just bursting out.
"I like you, okay? That's what you really wanted! I admitted it! I like you! I like you!" Oh, God, he thought. What have I done?
His words echoed in the empty street.
Misty turned around, her eyes wide. "What?" She whispered. Even though she was standing at least ten feet away from him, he still heard that faint, small sound.
For a moment there wasn't a sound between them. She hates me, he thought. She must think I'm a total idiot.
And then her lips formed the words he had imagined so many times but never in a million years expected to hear.
"I like you, too."
It wasn't true. It couldn't be true. Even though he heard the words, they didn't seem to register.
Then his feet were walking foreword, and the only thing he saw was her eyes.
When they met in the middle of the street, Ash held up his hands and she took them. So small, so delicate.
"Are you serious?"
"Would I lie?"
"Maybe.. hey, Misty, you're shorter than me."
"You've finally grown, you know..Ash?" She glanced up nervously a few times, then finally met his eyes, those chocolate eyes resting on her lovingly.
"Yes?"
"Ash, can you..can you kiss me?"
"I-I don't really know how, I've never done it before," he admitted, blushing as red as a tomato.
"Neither have I."
"Do you want to try it?"
He considered this. He'd never especially wondered what it was like to kiss a girl, but just then he found himself wondering what it would be like to kiss Misty.
She closed her eyes and tilted her head up towards him hopefully, and he decided to grant her wish.
Leaning in, he gently pressed his lips onto hers, and the most wonderful sensation overcame him. His whole body felt like it was melting, and just then nothing else mattered.
The kiss didn't last very long, as the inexperienced couple needed to get some air.
When they parted, Ash took her hand and uncurled the necklace from it. Finally, she got a good look at it.
"Ash..this is beautiful! Where did you find something like this?"
"Can't tell!" He said tauntingly and fastened it around her neck. It was a simple, blue stone shaped into a water droplet, and it opened up to reveal a small locket. On the back where the initials "MKW"
"Now you wanna try that again? That was kinda fun, Misty." He smiled at her and she reached up towards him again.
~*~
Brock dragged his feet down the street. Nothing mattered anymore. It was Christmas Eve, and he didn't care. Misty was gone. With Ash. And that had been the only thing that mattered.
He stumbled into the Pokemon center and asked for a room without even looking at Nurse Joy. Then, as he turned away to find his room, he bumped into a girl.
"Oh! Excuse me..Brock Slate?"
"Who are you?" He asked, eyeing the girl. She had long blue hair and brown eyes, and something about her seemed familiar..
"Suzie???"
"Brock! How good to see you again! How is Vulpix doing?"
"It's great, just great," he said with misery in his voice.
"Brock? What's the matter? Where are Ash and Misty?" In a second Brock was curled up in a corner under the table with his face turning blue.
"Don't mention that name..that..name.." (a/n I loved that ep, I just had to put it in here)
She scooted under the table again and placed her hand gently on Brock's shoulder. "Come on, Brock, let's go do something and join up with Ash and Misty! I don't have anything to do tonight. I was just on my way through here."
He raised his head enough to glance into her eyes. Then he fell in love all over again in the typical Brock fashion. In a second he seemed to recover.
"Oh, my dear Suzie! You are so beautiful, and your eyes remind me of the soft Vulpix that you gave me. Dear maiden, would you like me to be your boyfriend? I would if you wanted..." As he was talking, he grabbed her hand and pulled her out into the cold air.
Yeah, I know that part with Brock was kinda extra, but I couldn't just leave poor Brock heartbroken and wandering the streets at night, could I? That would be mean! Yeah, so it's four am, and I'm about to drop dead! Thanks for reading and
***HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE!! HAVE A GREAT DAY!! ^_^***
x~Aurora chan