- 9 -
Pikachu's ears drooped, as the shadow pokemon looked at the door uneasily. Quickly looking around, Pikachu jumped off the couch and snuck in. "Pikapii?"
Ash turned and looked at Pikachu, who jumped up on the bed. "Pika...chu? What are you doing in here?" she asked, before taking a sharp intake of breath. "Go...just...go."
Whimpering, Pikachu jumped down and left. "Oh, what is wrong Pikachu?" May asked, letting Pikachu crawl onto her lap.
"Pikapi, chuu?"
"He'll be ok," May said, petting the pokemon gently on the head, "It's just a bit painful, that's all."
Misty frowned, before looking at May. "How much time do you think it will take?"
"A few hours.." May replied, hugging Pikachu and Lucia. "It'll be painful too...not only does he have to regain his height; everything about him has to change again. The only reason he didn't notice it before was because he had been asleep."
"Then we'll need to put him asleep." Aya had entered the room, holding a glass of clear liquid, "It'll put Ash out long enough for him to totally change, and for the shock to wear off maybe. May, why don't you give it to Ash?"
Nodding, May took the glass and went to give it to Ash. She sat on the edge of the bed. "Ash, I need you to drink this.."
Her heart broke, at the pained look Ash gave her. "What...will it do?" Ash asked, gasping.
"Just put you to sleep for a few hours," May said, helping her sit up. Ash drank the liquid with an almost unbelievable haste, not bothering to complain about the horrible taste of it, and was almost immediately out like a light.
Smiling, May put the glass on the table and left quietly.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hours went by in silence. Not even Pikachu bothered the sleeping Shadow Master. Ash blinked, still feeling sleepy from being out so long. "May..." he mumbled weakly, knowing she could not hear him. "May...?"
Having failed, Ash looked at the glass sitting on the table. Slowly, he took hold of it, and picked it up. He threw it at the closed door. Strength near nothing, it barely managed to get to the door and shatter against it. Ash took a deep breath, and waited for someone to take notice of the little noise.
When no one did, Ash, grinding his teeth, tried to get up. He sat up, hunched over slightly, and hesitated. "May? Lance? Pikachu?" Ash said, hoping someone would notice him.
Growling in frustration, Ash shoved himself out of bed. He toppled over, and fell flat on his face on the floor with a thud, blankets and all, because he had forgotten to get untangled from them before getting up. Ash heard footsteps coming closer and the door opening.
"Ash!" He heard the glass crunch under her feet, as May ran over to him. "Are you alright?"
"I'm just sore," Ash said, getting up with May's help. He sat down on the bed, watching her get some clothes out for him, since he had none on. Ash gave her an embarrassed smile, when she set them down on the bed next to him. "Could you..help me? That is...unless you *want* me to stay this way?"
"If it weren't for the fact Misty and the others stay here...I'd say go on ahead. But sense they are, let's get you dressed."
"May?" he asked, painfully getting his boxers on, and flopping back down on the bed. "Why do you put up with me? I get you in so much trouble...it seems you'd be better off without me..."
She looked at him, her look stern. "I wouldn't be better off without you!" May said, "Ash, before I found you again, you know what I was doing? Just wandering...living half in a nightmare and half in a daydream! When I saw you..it brought me down to reality. You were like the persona of life and death itself. SO much had happened to you. Things that would normally break a person...yet you held onto your sanity and your life."
"I'm not sane, May. If I were, I wouldn't be having some mini-war with the League...May, it's my fault! If I had never joined the League..."
"You never would of met Elizabeth, which meant I'd never of found you, which also would of meant this baby would never be born." May swept the hair away from his eyes with her hand.
"Because of me, all of you are in danger. If I wasn't around, the League would leave you all alone." Ash pulled on his shirt, gently shaking his head to get his hair loose. Fully dressed, he struggled to get up, failed, and fell back down.
"Why don't you try to sleep some more? Your body isn't fully out of shock yet," May said, getting out of the way so Ash could swing his legs up onto the bed. "When you get up, I'll get you dinner."
"Yes, May," Ash said, getting back under the blankets, which May had put back on the bed, "You sure?"
"I'm sure. I'm happy with you, and nothing will change that." she replied, "Now, try to get some rest, and stop worrying about something that isn't there."
Ash nodded, and let himself sink down into the shadows of sleep.
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It seemed like only days had gone by, when it was actually weeks in reality, to Ash. He was starting to get uneasy, as there was no indication from the League that they even existed. No matter what anyone said, he knew something was up.
Ash, finally deciding that reading would be better then worrying, sprawled out on the couch. His eyes darted from left to right, each line of text almost endless.
"What's that your reading, Ash?" Paran asked, trying to peek at the cover of the book. Ash looked at her.
"I have no clue." He laughed, before looking at the cover. "I had just picked it up and started re-"
Ash's eyes went wide, before he slowly closed the book and set it down on the table, turning a bright red. Paran giggled, and picked it up. "Oh! You naughty, naughty boy! You were actually reading this?"
"Sadly yes. I had just stole it from Lance, since he hasn't even looked at it in what, 10 years?" Ash said, "I was wondering why-"
"Ash, how much are you willing to pay for me NOT to tell May you were reading this?" she teased. Ash scowled, and sighed.
"I'll kill you if you tell her." Paran laughed.
"Tell me about what?" Ash jumped, and looked up at May. He gave her an innocent, small smile.
"Nothing. It's nothing," he said, moving so May could sit down. She was finally showing signs (besides the obvious morning sickness and other symptoms) of being with child.
"I'll take your word on that..." she said, kissing him on the lips.
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The afternoon sun had finally set, leaving the inky black of evening. Lance, Misty, Paran, and Fox sat in the remaining seats of the living room. Ash and May had both fallen asleep on the couch.
Fox got up, when the doorbell rang shrilly. He returned several minutes later, a nervous looking woman following him. Ash yawned, stretching out to get the stiffness out. She watched him silently, before saying, "Ashura?"
Ash opened one eye, before opening both wide. May, who had been fighting to stay asleep even with Ash's squirming, finally woke up. "It can't be you..." he said quietly.
Over the weeks, he had made a complete recovery from his amnesia, each memory clear as crystal again. And this mystery woman was no exception to that. "Ariel."
"It is good to see you again, Ash," Ariel said, pushing her blonde hair back. Ash stared at her, his eyes narrowing.
"What are you doing here?" he asked harshly. His hands where balled into fist. Ariel sat on the floor, legs bent under her. "And how in the world did you find me?"
"Ash...?" May said questioningly, before looking at Ariel.
"Oh, I am sorry. My name is Ariel Huntington. I-"
"She used to travel with me." They looked at Ash, who had gotten up and was standing with his back to them.
"What?" Lance said, "I'd always thought you traveled with no one, until you met up with us."
"Well, she FORCED herself on me, in a way," Ash replied, looking at them. Ariel frowned prettily.
"Forced myself on you? You said I could come, after we-" Ariel started. Ash growled deep in his throat, the sound so quiet yet was easily heard. She stopped, staring at him with wide eyes.
"I was just a toy to be played with to you, remember? You said so yourself. And I was lucky as hell I was in that depression, so where you. I also stayed a toy until I got into the League, when I figured out there was no way I'd get anywhere in such a state, and then life decided to spit in my face and make me look at things the way they were."
"You took it the wrong way." She said quietly, tears forming in her eyes. Her voice shook slightly. "I said you where a toy...because you were so easily used. I wanted you to see it, so you could stop it from happening."
"Oh yes? How, by doing the same thing to me?" Ash asked bitterly, his eyes narrowed. "You all want to know what happened? I met her in Celadon, had been drinking, spent the night with her, then it ended up that I needed to go, she hung onto me for dear life. I TOLD you that I was a danger to myself let alone anyone else, that you where to stay away from me, you'd get hurt, but did you? NO! You followed after me, so I just gave up trying to get away from you. You call that letting you come?"
They all were silent, except for Pikachu, who would make a random noise every now and then. "Ash-" Ariel started.
"And then, then it got *real* good! You wanted to again! And you did everything in your power to make me agree, knowing at the state I had been in, it wouldn't take much at all to get me to say 'Fine, whatever, do what you want.'!" he continued, his teeth clenched together. "Would you just go away?!"
She stood up abruptly. "Ashura, there is one thing you have forgotten," Ariel said, wiping the tears away, "You were the one that always ended up breaking down, the one who was slowly killing himself...and you still are. Someday that will be your destruction."
Nodding to the others, she departed. The silence held strong for several minutes, until Ash finally said, "I'm just..finished. I'm going to bed."
He got up and disappeared into the hall.
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Ash stared at the ceiling, the pitch-black darkness not even bothering him. He closed his eyes and turned onto his side, when he heard the soft footsteps outside the door and voices.
The door opened and shut quietly. Ash opened one eye so he could see what was going on. He quickly shut it, when May had finally found her way across the room and gotten into bed.
He tensed up slightly, but forced himself to relax, when she wrapped an arm around him, her head against where his shoulder blades where. Ash bit his lower lip.
When he felt it was safe to assume the others where all in bed and sound asleep, Ash slowly and carefully peeled May off. She protested to the movement softly in her sleep. Ash silenced her, gently kissing her on the cheek.
Ash quietly pulled on his loose black pants and shirt, before grabbing his gloves and putting them on. He sat down on the floor, and put his socks on. Slowly letting out the breath he had been holding, Ash picked up his boots and backpack, which he had stashed under the bed so he could get to it easily yet not get May suspicious.
Opening the door, Ash looked at May. He pursed his lips, his eyes stinging painfully. "I'm sorry," he whispered, before shutting the door behind him.
"Pikapii, pikachu...?" Pikachu sleepily watched Ash pull his boots on, and settle the backpack on his shoulder over the black cloak covering his thin, athletic frame. He had understood Pikachu's question perfectly: do we have to do this?
He nodded sadly. Ash unlocked the front door, and let Pikachu climb into his backpack, head poking out of the top, before exiting. He looked up at the house, half shrouded in darkness from the surrounding trees, and frowned.
The tears he had been holding off finally fell. Ash fell to his knees, shoulders shaking. Calming himself, he got back up and slipped into the shadows of the forest, his decision finalized.
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Reviews:
dark Dante-yes, Paran and Fox are paired up, but I just haven't gone into it that much yet. o_O
ejqHorseLady- Just you wait, demonic Ash shall make another arrival later on, mwahahaha...XD
Pikachu's ears drooped, as the shadow pokemon looked at the door uneasily. Quickly looking around, Pikachu jumped off the couch and snuck in. "Pikapii?"
Ash turned and looked at Pikachu, who jumped up on the bed. "Pika...chu? What are you doing in here?" she asked, before taking a sharp intake of breath. "Go...just...go."
Whimpering, Pikachu jumped down and left. "Oh, what is wrong Pikachu?" May asked, letting Pikachu crawl onto her lap.
"Pikapi, chuu?"
"He'll be ok," May said, petting the pokemon gently on the head, "It's just a bit painful, that's all."
Misty frowned, before looking at May. "How much time do you think it will take?"
"A few hours.." May replied, hugging Pikachu and Lucia. "It'll be painful too...not only does he have to regain his height; everything about him has to change again. The only reason he didn't notice it before was because he had been asleep."
"Then we'll need to put him asleep." Aya had entered the room, holding a glass of clear liquid, "It'll put Ash out long enough for him to totally change, and for the shock to wear off maybe. May, why don't you give it to Ash?"
Nodding, May took the glass and went to give it to Ash. She sat on the edge of the bed. "Ash, I need you to drink this.."
Her heart broke, at the pained look Ash gave her. "What...will it do?" Ash asked, gasping.
"Just put you to sleep for a few hours," May said, helping her sit up. Ash drank the liquid with an almost unbelievable haste, not bothering to complain about the horrible taste of it, and was almost immediately out like a light.
Smiling, May put the glass on the table and left quietly.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hours went by in silence. Not even Pikachu bothered the sleeping Shadow Master. Ash blinked, still feeling sleepy from being out so long. "May..." he mumbled weakly, knowing she could not hear him. "May...?"
Having failed, Ash looked at the glass sitting on the table. Slowly, he took hold of it, and picked it up. He threw it at the closed door. Strength near nothing, it barely managed to get to the door and shatter against it. Ash took a deep breath, and waited for someone to take notice of the little noise.
When no one did, Ash, grinding his teeth, tried to get up. He sat up, hunched over slightly, and hesitated. "May? Lance? Pikachu?" Ash said, hoping someone would notice him.
Growling in frustration, Ash shoved himself out of bed. He toppled over, and fell flat on his face on the floor with a thud, blankets and all, because he had forgotten to get untangled from them before getting up. Ash heard footsteps coming closer and the door opening.
"Ash!" He heard the glass crunch under her feet, as May ran over to him. "Are you alright?"
"I'm just sore," Ash said, getting up with May's help. He sat down on the bed, watching her get some clothes out for him, since he had none on. Ash gave her an embarrassed smile, when she set them down on the bed next to him. "Could you..help me? That is...unless you *want* me to stay this way?"
"If it weren't for the fact Misty and the others stay here...I'd say go on ahead. But sense they are, let's get you dressed."
"May?" he asked, painfully getting his boxers on, and flopping back down on the bed. "Why do you put up with me? I get you in so much trouble...it seems you'd be better off without me..."
She looked at him, her look stern. "I wouldn't be better off without you!" May said, "Ash, before I found you again, you know what I was doing? Just wandering...living half in a nightmare and half in a daydream! When I saw you..it brought me down to reality. You were like the persona of life and death itself. SO much had happened to you. Things that would normally break a person...yet you held onto your sanity and your life."
"I'm not sane, May. If I were, I wouldn't be having some mini-war with the League...May, it's my fault! If I had never joined the League..."
"You never would of met Elizabeth, which meant I'd never of found you, which also would of meant this baby would never be born." May swept the hair away from his eyes with her hand.
"Because of me, all of you are in danger. If I wasn't around, the League would leave you all alone." Ash pulled on his shirt, gently shaking his head to get his hair loose. Fully dressed, he struggled to get up, failed, and fell back down.
"Why don't you try to sleep some more? Your body isn't fully out of shock yet," May said, getting out of the way so Ash could swing his legs up onto the bed. "When you get up, I'll get you dinner."
"Yes, May," Ash said, getting back under the blankets, which May had put back on the bed, "You sure?"
"I'm sure. I'm happy with you, and nothing will change that." she replied, "Now, try to get some rest, and stop worrying about something that isn't there."
Ash nodded, and let himself sink down into the shadows of sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It seemed like only days had gone by, when it was actually weeks in reality, to Ash. He was starting to get uneasy, as there was no indication from the League that they even existed. No matter what anyone said, he knew something was up.
Ash, finally deciding that reading would be better then worrying, sprawled out on the couch. His eyes darted from left to right, each line of text almost endless.
"What's that your reading, Ash?" Paran asked, trying to peek at the cover of the book. Ash looked at her.
"I have no clue." He laughed, before looking at the cover. "I had just picked it up and started re-"
Ash's eyes went wide, before he slowly closed the book and set it down on the table, turning a bright red. Paran giggled, and picked it up. "Oh! You naughty, naughty boy! You were actually reading this?"
"Sadly yes. I had just stole it from Lance, since he hasn't even looked at it in what, 10 years?" Ash said, "I was wondering why-"
"Ash, how much are you willing to pay for me NOT to tell May you were reading this?" she teased. Ash scowled, and sighed.
"I'll kill you if you tell her." Paran laughed.
"Tell me about what?" Ash jumped, and looked up at May. He gave her an innocent, small smile.
"Nothing. It's nothing," he said, moving so May could sit down. She was finally showing signs (besides the obvious morning sickness and other symptoms) of being with child.
"I'll take your word on that..." she said, kissing him on the lips.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The afternoon sun had finally set, leaving the inky black of evening. Lance, Misty, Paran, and Fox sat in the remaining seats of the living room. Ash and May had both fallen asleep on the couch.
Fox got up, when the doorbell rang shrilly. He returned several minutes later, a nervous looking woman following him. Ash yawned, stretching out to get the stiffness out. She watched him silently, before saying, "Ashura?"
Ash opened one eye, before opening both wide. May, who had been fighting to stay asleep even with Ash's squirming, finally woke up. "It can't be you..." he said quietly.
Over the weeks, he had made a complete recovery from his amnesia, each memory clear as crystal again. And this mystery woman was no exception to that. "Ariel."
"It is good to see you again, Ash," Ariel said, pushing her blonde hair back. Ash stared at her, his eyes narrowing.
"What are you doing here?" he asked harshly. His hands where balled into fist. Ariel sat on the floor, legs bent under her. "And how in the world did you find me?"
"Ash...?" May said questioningly, before looking at Ariel.
"Oh, I am sorry. My name is Ariel Huntington. I-"
"She used to travel with me." They looked at Ash, who had gotten up and was standing with his back to them.
"What?" Lance said, "I'd always thought you traveled with no one, until you met up with us."
"Well, she FORCED herself on me, in a way," Ash replied, looking at them. Ariel frowned prettily.
"Forced myself on you? You said I could come, after we-" Ariel started. Ash growled deep in his throat, the sound so quiet yet was easily heard. She stopped, staring at him with wide eyes.
"I was just a toy to be played with to you, remember? You said so yourself. And I was lucky as hell I was in that depression, so where you. I also stayed a toy until I got into the League, when I figured out there was no way I'd get anywhere in such a state, and then life decided to spit in my face and make me look at things the way they were."
"You took it the wrong way." She said quietly, tears forming in her eyes. Her voice shook slightly. "I said you where a toy...because you were so easily used. I wanted you to see it, so you could stop it from happening."
"Oh yes? How, by doing the same thing to me?" Ash asked bitterly, his eyes narrowed. "You all want to know what happened? I met her in Celadon, had been drinking, spent the night with her, then it ended up that I needed to go, she hung onto me for dear life. I TOLD you that I was a danger to myself let alone anyone else, that you where to stay away from me, you'd get hurt, but did you? NO! You followed after me, so I just gave up trying to get away from you. You call that letting you come?"
They all were silent, except for Pikachu, who would make a random noise every now and then. "Ash-" Ariel started.
"And then, then it got *real* good! You wanted to again! And you did everything in your power to make me agree, knowing at the state I had been in, it wouldn't take much at all to get me to say 'Fine, whatever, do what you want.'!" he continued, his teeth clenched together. "Would you just go away?!"
She stood up abruptly. "Ashura, there is one thing you have forgotten," Ariel said, wiping the tears away, "You were the one that always ended up breaking down, the one who was slowly killing himself...and you still are. Someday that will be your destruction."
Nodding to the others, she departed. The silence held strong for several minutes, until Ash finally said, "I'm just..finished. I'm going to bed."
He got up and disappeared into the hall.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ash stared at the ceiling, the pitch-black darkness not even bothering him. He closed his eyes and turned onto his side, when he heard the soft footsteps outside the door and voices.
The door opened and shut quietly. Ash opened one eye so he could see what was going on. He quickly shut it, when May had finally found her way across the room and gotten into bed.
He tensed up slightly, but forced himself to relax, when she wrapped an arm around him, her head against where his shoulder blades where. Ash bit his lower lip.
When he felt it was safe to assume the others where all in bed and sound asleep, Ash slowly and carefully peeled May off. She protested to the movement softly in her sleep. Ash silenced her, gently kissing her on the cheek.
Ash quietly pulled on his loose black pants and shirt, before grabbing his gloves and putting them on. He sat down on the floor, and put his socks on. Slowly letting out the breath he had been holding, Ash picked up his boots and backpack, which he had stashed under the bed so he could get to it easily yet not get May suspicious.
Opening the door, Ash looked at May. He pursed his lips, his eyes stinging painfully. "I'm sorry," he whispered, before shutting the door behind him.
"Pikapii, pikachu...?" Pikachu sleepily watched Ash pull his boots on, and settle the backpack on his shoulder over the black cloak covering his thin, athletic frame. He had understood Pikachu's question perfectly: do we have to do this?
He nodded sadly. Ash unlocked the front door, and let Pikachu climb into his backpack, head poking out of the top, before exiting. He looked up at the house, half shrouded in darkness from the surrounding trees, and frowned.
The tears he had been holding off finally fell. Ash fell to his knees, shoulders shaking. Calming himself, he got back up and slipped into the shadows of the forest, his decision finalized.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Reviews:
dark Dante-yes, Paran and Fox are paired up, but I just haven't gone into it that much yet. o_O
ejqHorseLady- Just you wait, demonic Ash shall make another arrival later on, mwahahaha...XD