Disclaimer – I don't own Pokemon, if I did I'm sure someone would be very angry.
Ah, yes. Now we start off this fic the same way as the last, with a message to my absolute favourite reviewer: me, myself and i. Firstly, I noticed you still haven't got round to fixing that whole I thing and my computer is really upset by that considering that it is not only a grammatical mistake, but a spelling one too. Secondly, if you are for some entirely unapparent reason still reading this story, could you please leave your email address in your next review so that I can berate you immediately instead of having to wait until my next update? I mean, obviously you have nothing better to do than go around picking at other people's work, so why not do it over MSN so we can leave these lovely people to read the story?
And just so you know, I had a friend read over this to check my grammar and spelling just to make you happy so obviously any mistakes that you pick up must be universal.
Pretend to be Nice – Everything I Say
Ash woke up in the middle of the night with a start.
Cold sweat dripped from his forehead as he tried to grasp on to the last remnants of the awful nightmare that had awoken him from a once peaceful slumber, but it was already too late. His thoughts had always drifted elsewhere.
He sat up slowly as his eyes remained trained on the sleeping figure beside him.
He wouldn't have been able to look away even if he had wanted to. He never had before, but for the first time in his life he actually considered it because simply looking at her caused a dull ache in his heart that seemed to tear at his very soul.
It was obvious why. I mean, I think I'd be a little upset if the one I loved was flirting with my best mate, wouldn't you?
But the nights didn't seem to be quite as bad as the days. At night she would be asleep right next to him, as close to him as possible and as far away from Brock.
Her hair would be draped across her pillow like a fine halo of auburn light, and her pale cheeks would be slightly rosy from the night air. Her lips would rest slightly open only moving ever so slightly now and then as she mumbled something in her sleep, and her chest would rise and fall rhythmically.
Sometimes she would shiver, or toss around throwing back her blanket and he would carefully pull the blanket back up to her shoulders or sacrifice his own warmth by offering her his own blanket simply content on her happiness.
And tonight was no different.
He sat up as he took in each and every detail of her like he had many times before memorizing the parts of her that only he knew. He would scrutinize her carefully making sure that he never forgot any of her from the way her eyes would flutter silently as she dreamed to the way her skin felt against his own.
He turned his head to the sky as he noticed her stirring. He couldn't let her know the countless nights he spent watching her simply so that he wouldn't have to worry that she would disappear before morning, he didn't want to think he was some kind of freak.
"Ash?" she asked softly her melodic voice gently laden with sleep.
"Hmm," he nodded thoughtfully as if he was afraid that speaking real words would cause her to fade away completely.
"Are you ok?" she asked wondering why he was awake at such an hour when they had several hours of walking to get through tomorrow.
He nodded again even though he knew she wouldn't be able to see much in the dark. "Just thinking," he said simply.
Misty let out a soft sigh of relief. It was like an entire weight off her shoulders to know that he was ok.
It was the way things had always been. Ash's safety had always been more important that her own and she didn't think she'd ever get used to that fact. She stopped counting the many times she'd been scared beyond comprehension that he was in danger of some kind when she was around to keep him in check.
I guess that was just one of the many sacrifices that were made for love, when you would instantly sacrifice your own well being for theirs without a second thought.
But then, in Misty's eyes it had never really been a sacrifice merely a gift from her to the one she loved because it was the only thing she had that she deemed to be worthy of him.
She could think of countless times when she had done exactly that without a thought for anything but his safety. And she knew that she would do the same in a heartbeat, that's just how much he meant to her.
She quickly cast her gaze to the sky as she realised she had been staring at him. Suddenly, she was actually thankful for the darkness of night's blanket, it was an instant cover for the not so faint blush that was cast across her pale cheeks.
"When I was little I used to know every constellation in the night sky," Misty sighed as she looked up at the stars breaking the silence between them.
"Did you forget them?" Ash asked turning his head slightly so he could see her more clearly rather than his sidelong glances.
Misty shrugged. "I guess I'm out of practice."
"It's like riding a bike," Ash told her with a smile. "You never really forget."
"And you would know about bikes wouldn't you Mr. Bike-Wrecker?"
Ash just smiled innocently in response and chuckled nervously before desperately trying to change the subject. "That's Cassiopeia," he told her as he reached up his hand and pointed to several stars in a sort of cluster.
"Where?" Misty asked, her eyes searching for the group of stars he was pointing to.
"Here," he said as he nimbly moved his sleeping bag even closer to hers so that there was nothing between them but the insulated fabric. He lifted his head onto her pillow so he saw what she saw then took her hand in his and lifted it gently so that it pointed to the spot he had pointed out before.
"It's beautiful," Misty sighed wistfully as she stared up at the many glowing balls of gas that formed the constellation, amazed at the sheer brilliance of something so simple and the serenity of that moment.
"She would be happy to hear you say that," Ash told her with a chuckle as he remembered the legend.
Misty nodded, barely listening. She was so caught up in everything else, the stars beauty, her heart thumping in her chest and Ash's scent engulfing her in contentedness. She couldn't focus on anything else but him and she didn't seem to mind at all.
"My mom once told me that the stars were made from hope," she whispered dreamily as she looked at the sky. "That it was our hopes, our dreams, our courage that kept them alive and love that made the burn so brightly."
"She was a very clever woman," he replied simply as he looked up at the star-studded night sky burning just for them.
"She would have liked you," Misty continued yawning tiredly as she curled into Ash's chest.
"Really?" he asked, his voice strained with surprise from her actions.
Misty nodded against his chest closing her eyes and making herself comfortable on her human pillow. "She'd know and that would be enough."
"Know what?" he asked anxiously but it was already too late, Misty had already drifted off to sleep and it was obvious he wouldn't be getting his answer any time soon.
"Goodnight Misty," he sighed tiredly as he closed his eyes even though he knew that he wouldn't be sleeping tonight. It was going to be a very long night and as far as he knew the day wasn't going to be much better.
There was no getting around tomorrow – that much was clear. All he could really hope to do was delay it and keep hoping that maybe the sun would be on his side and chose not to rise.
Misty smiled in her sleep as she felt the warm morning rays beating against her closed lids and inviting her to awake from the land of dreams.
Her smile widened as she thought about the reality she had endured last night watching stars in his arms. She couldn't think of anything more perfect, more serene. Perhaps that was why she had fallen asleep in his embrace.
She opened her eyes slowly anxiously awaiting the sight of his warm chocolate eyes staring fondly into her own aquamarine. Or maybe she would see long black lashes and lightly tanned lids fluttering up and down as he too awoke from sleep wondering too if maybe he was still dreaming.
Instead she saw nothing. When she finally opened her eyes, Ash was nowhere to be found.
She began to wonder if maybe it had all been a dream. I mean, the events seemed so surreal now that she thought about it; the scene was too perfect; the sky too clear; the stars too brilliant. The only thing that remained as usual was Ash, but that neither confirmed nor denied her suspicions for he was always perfect.
Misty sighed as she sat up in her sleeping bag, her mood now spoiled by the lack of appearance of her best friend and the realisation that the wonderful evening she had shared with him probably didn't even exist. It was just about enough to dampen any girl's mood, especially one who just happened to be in love with said best friend.
"Where's Ash?" she asked in a forced nonchalant tone and smile as she noticed Brock sitting on a nearby log carefully mixing several ingredients in a bowl.
"He's just gone to get some more wood for the fire," Brock explained not looking up from his mixture. "I thought I'd make some pancakes so we could get to the Pokemon Centre by this afternoon.'
Misty's smile faltered if only for a moment. She had almost forgotten all about the terrible plot Jesse had set against her and the task she would have to perform once she got to the Pokemon Centre.
And it was then that it hit her, how stupid this whole entire ordeal really was. It just wasn't worth it anymore. It wasn't worth the pain she was inflicting on herself and her two best friends and it was time that she did something about it.
She sighed as she took a seat next to Brock on a dead tree stump as she finally let her façade slip. 'And this is only just the beginning,' she thought to herself as she prepared herself for what she was about to do.
"Brock, I need to be totally honest to you about something," she began sadly, "and after I say this you are really going to hate me and I know nothing will ever say how sorry I am so . . ."
She trailed off and took a deep breath as she thought about what she had to say and the best way to let him down easy. Brock had been rejected more times than anyone should be and she hated to be just another of those girls on a long list of callous sluts.
"Look, these past few days I've been leading you on and pretending to have feelings for you that I don't have, that I couldn't have because I'm in love with somebody else. It was all just part of a dare set up in order to prove that I deserved the Westlife tickets and in the process of it all I managed to hurt you and I hurt Ash and I should have know better but I didn't and I should have done something but I was so stupid and I . . ."
Misty continued to ramble on as Brock sat patiently listening to every word she said until she caught her self and instead began to apologise profusely as best she could.
"Misty can I cut in here?" he suggested finally speaking and in the act of it cutting off Misty's rambled 'I'm sorry for all the evil things I've done' speech. Misty nodded and Brock continued.
"I know Misty, Jesse told me yesterday," he said seriously. "And she said that if you do exactly what you've just done that I should give you these and forgive you because you just did the bravest and most honourable thing she could ever take credit for."
She looked at Brock for a few seconds happy to find nothing but sincerity in his half-closed eyes before looking down at what he had passed to her. Her eyes widened with shock and reverence, for in her hands were two tickets to the Westlife concert and all the bonuses that went with it.
"Brock, but what about . . ."
Once again Brock cut her off. "I think I kind of agree with her and I'm glad you figured it out on your own how stupid this whole thing was. It took some guts to even consider pulling this thing off but even more to admit that you were wrong and do the right thing."
"Thanks Brock," she said smiling honestly as she stood up and gave him a light hug. "Now all I need to do is find Ash and finally all this mess will be sorted out."
"I don't think so Misty," a cold, harsh voice replied from behind her.
Misty recognized the voice straight away, how could she possibly even forget it? It was one that constantly sent chills down her spine, just as it did now, however, these were not the usual pleasant kind, just as his tone was not the good-humoured one she had become accustomed to love.
"Ash," she said quietly as she turned to face him. The look in his eyes consumed her making her feel as tiny and insignificant as a grain of sand. She hated herself more than anyone could ever possibly imagine at that moment.
For a while they both just stood there without words searching for something in their eyes that would make everything all right again but at the same time hiding their true feelings from one another. Misty's eyes pleaded with him, begging him to forgive her but he only glared in response until finally casting his eyes away in disgust for the girl she had become.
He just couldn't look at her right now. No matter how much he loved her, looking at her right now simply killed him inside and the pain wasn't worth it anymore. For the very first time in his life, he actually had the ability to look away and he did.
Every inch of him seemed to be pulling him in all sorts of directions, tearing him apart inside, but compared to everything else it wasn't so bad. It was as if his worst fear had come true, she loved somebody else and had deceived them all in the meantime.
"Ash . . . please I . . ." she began but she was cut off by another glare.
"There's nothing left to say Misty," he said sadly. "Let's just leave it at that before we end up saying things we'll regret."
With that he turned and began to pack up his things with a sense of urgency. He had to leave; he had to go now before he ended up doing something stupid like telling her he loved which would lead him absolutely nowhere.
There was no point, he was already heartbroken, the least she could do was let him leave with his dignity still intact. Even if that meant just walking on by while tears stained her porcelain cheeks.
Even if that meant leaving his two best friends, and more importantly, the only girl he could ever love, for good.
He smiled woefully as he turned to bid one last goodbye, memorizing the face he knew he would never have the luxury of seeing again, except for in his dreams. He was going to miss her, but it was better this way even though he hated to admit it.
And with that he was gone and two hearts were broken so badly that I fear they could never be repaired; all this over a stupid little bet that never should have come into existence.
~ to be continued ~
So how was that chapter? I'm sorry it took so long, I've just had so much to do with school and all that I haven't had time to do this and I really wanted to make sure the grammar was just right.
Anyway, I'm going to try and get the next chapter up a lot sooner and I hope you all enjoyed it.