I'm sorry for those of you who hate the songs but this is like 'Pokemon the musical' so bear with me.  Also to 9065 she only has like one or two classes with Ash so she just changed them so he didn't see her. Disclaimer – I don't own Pokemon

Reasons of the Heart – More Than That

"Wait Ash," she called.

Ash looked around scanning the corridor as he tried to figure out where Misty's voice was coming from.

"Wait," she said again as she walked over to him. 

Ash looked at her quizzically.  She forced a tiny smile onto her face as she pulled back the hood of her sweatshirt and took off her glasses and wig.  Ash gasped as he saw her telltale red hair and aquamarine eyes.

"Surprise," she offered nervously.

Ash just looked at her not quite sure what to say.  Before in his room he had planned it out perfectly, but as soon as he saw her all his practice went out the window and he didn't know what to say.  Every time she looked at him with those crystal clear blue-green eyes he'd forget how to speak.

"Look Ash," Misty started.  "I just wanted to tell you that you don't have to leave, you have as much right to be here as I do, and as long as you do your best to stay out of my way I don't give a damn where the hell you are."

Misty immediately turned on her heal and walked away leaving Ash standing in the hall as her words started to sink in.  "At least she asked me to stay," Ash sighed quietly.  He waited till Misty was out of range then jumped into the air.  "Yes!" he yelled pumping his fists into the air. 

"I'm glad you finally decided to listen to us and stay," Parker told him.

"It's not you I'm listening to," Ash said.  He couldn't help but smile knowing that Misty had been the one that really made the difference.

"Then who?" Brock asked as he sat down on the couch.

"Misty," Ash said containing his excitement well.

Brock and Parker looked up suddenly really interested in what Ash had to say.

"What do you mean?" Brock asked suspiciously.

"I mean Misty told me to stay," Ash said.  "What do you think I mean?"

"Are you sure that you didn't mishear?" Parker asked.  " I mean, Misty's kind of got a way with words.  It could have just been a nice way of telling you to get the hell out of her life.  Are you sure that's what she said?"

"Well not in those exact words," Ash said, "but that's what she meant."

"So what did she say?" Brock asked.

"She said I don't have to leave," Ash said.  He had memorized exactly what she had said; it was probably the nicest thing she'd said to him in the last five and a half years.  "Then she said that I had as much right to be there as she did."  Ok so he selectively memorized everything she said, the bit about him staying out of her way had just slipped his mind at the moment.

"I'll believe it when I see it," Brock said.

"Open it," Melody said.

"You think I should?" Misty asked.

"Open it," Sabrina echoed.

"Ok," Misty said reaching for the box.  She suddenly moved back as faraway from it as possible as if she had been hit by an invisible force field.  "I don't think I should," Misty said nervously sounding almost like a small child.

She had been sitting staring at the box for almost two hours now and still it remained untouched it's perfect bow not even wrinkled.  The box was less than an inch high, three wide and five down and was the color of wine.  A gold ribbon was wrapped around it tied in a bow at the top.

"C'mon Misty," Sabrina urged, "you act as if it's some kind of bomb."

"You never know," Misty retorted.

"It's probably just a small gift that he got you years ago that he finally had the courage to give to you," Melody suggested.

"But what if it isn't?' Misty asked.  "What if Sabrina was right?  What if it is a bomb?  What if it's something really important?"

"And what if it is?" Melody said.

"And what if it's something worse?" Misty said quietly.

"Look, why don't we play a game?" Sabrina suggested.  "If one of us win," she said pointing to herself and Melody, "you open the present right now."

"What if I win?" she asked.

"You can open it later in the privacy of your own room when we least suspect it," Melody said.

"That's not fair," Misty said.

"You're going to have to open it some day and I say the sooner the better," Melody shrugged.

"Fine," Misty said, "but I get to choose the game."

"Best of ten?" Melody pleaded.  It had been twenty minutes and already Misty had won five games in a row.

"Just give up," Misty said.  "Now if you two don't mind, I'm going to bed."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Melody asked picking up the present and waving it in the air.

"Very funny," Misty said sarcastically snatching the present from her friend's hand and heading to her bedroom.

Misty sat in the middle of her bed staring intently at the package.

'Just open it,' she told herself.  'It's not like it makes any difference anyway.' She had been reasoning with herself for hours before she came to that conclusion.  It was just before dawn when she finally worked up enough courage to open it.

She carefully tore off the wrapping revealing a leather-covered book.  Her fingers traced the gold writing in the corner that spelled out her name.  Myst.  The tears rolled down her face dropping onto the books leather exterior.

She looked at the first page marked with Ash's messy chicken scrawl as it had been five years ago:

Dear Myst,

Happy Birthday.  I hope you have a great day and that we'll always be best friends.  Have a great day.

Love From Ash. (A/N: Just incase the strikethrough doesn't come up love has been crossed out)  "Damn you Ash," she whispered. Misty's tears dropped onto the paper making the old ink run.  She read the words over and over again until they began to blur and no longer made any sense.  She closed her eyes trying to think of something else but still her thoughts remained on Ash.

I can see that you've been crying You can't hide it with a lie What's the use of you denying

That what you have is wrong

I heard him promise you forever

But forever's come and gone

Baby, he would say whatever

It takes to keep you blind

To the truth between the lines

I will love you more than that

I won't say the words

Then take them back

Don't give loneliness a chance

Baby, listen to me when I say

I will love you more than that

Baby, you deserve much better

What's the use of holding on?

Don't you see it's now or never?

'Cause I just can't be friends

Baby knowing in the end that

I will love you more than that

I won't say the words

Then take them back

Don't give loneliness a chance

Baby, listen to me when I say

I will love you more than that

There's not a day that passes by

I don't wonder why we haven't tried

It's not too late to change your mind

So take my hand, don't say good-bye

Ohh, I will love you more than that

I won't say the words and take them back

I will love you more than that

I won't say the words

Then take them back

Don't give loneliness a chance

Baby, listen to me when I say

I will love you more than that

I will love you more than that

I won't say the words

Then take them back

Don't give loneliness a chance

Baby, listen to me when I say

I will love you more than that

('More Than That' Backstreet Boys)

Ash sat by his window looking out at the stars.  It was strange how everything these days just made him think of Misty.  If he squinted a little he could even see her face looking down on him in the patterns of the stars.

"I need a hobby," Ash muttered to himself moving away from the window.

He grabbed his journal deciding that now was as good a time as any to write in it.

It's strange that they say that a strongest heart is not the one that is never broken, but the one that never forgets, the one that is still able to love anyway and is still able to live.

It seems lately that things like this seem more important than they use to and make more sense.  Maybe it's true.  Maybe absence does make the heart grow fonder, or maybe Parkers been slipping something into my drinks again.

I hear a love song on the radio and immediately my mind strays to Misty and everything else seems insignificant.  It's as if somebody has put a spell on me and now all I can think about is Misty and nothing else.  Not that I'm complaining.

I wish I were brave.  I've done so much in my life, saved the world at least twice, battled some of the fiercest trainers and Pokemon in the world; you'd think that would count for something wouldn't you.  Not in her eyes, and not in mine.  These are all things people would consider brave, but when I'm standing in front of a girl about half my size that I've known since I was ten years old I just freeze up and I can't even think straight.

She's got me questioning everything I ever did and I just don't know what I am anymore.  A few simple words and my minds totally messed.  I can't tell the difference between fact and illusion anymore, but you know what? Despite everything that's going on, it's not as bad a feeling as you might think.

~ to be continued ~

I hope you liked that one, I feel as if it's lacking some of the usual zest, I don't even think that I put a good ole fashioned "Damn you Ash" in there.  Oh well, I hope you liked it anyway and please review even if you think it's a piece of shit. 

By the way I really need some more idea's for dumb ass things Ash could do.  If you have any really good ones can you please email me at: Virgochick87@hotmail.com.

Thanks.