- 17-

Pikachu perked his ears forward, when they stopped at the tall gates of Indigo. Ash shielded his eyes against the sun, frowning, so he could look around without trouble. "Looks like everything is normal," he said, turning his stare onto May.

May sullenly kept her head down, not wanting to look him in the eye. "Indigo never changes on the outside," she replied softly, "You should know that already."

Ash went totally silent, his eyes filled with worry and sadness. He picked at his cloak, blinking his eyes as they stung painfully.

He stifled a gasp, just as he somehow felt a sorrow that was not his own enter into his already conflicting mind and emotions. Ash's confusion grew even more, as a dull, nearly unnoticeable, pain shot through his abdomen. Once again, it seemed as if it wasn't his pain, but someone else's.

Pikachu's ears bent back finally, as it felt that his Master was in pain. He jumped down, to stand on the ground with Lucia, who was looking just as sad as the two Masters.

"May-" Ash said, as he nearly fell over when May ran at him, and threw her arms around him, crying into his shirt. Feeling thoroughly miserable, he gently hugged her.

Ash looked down at the Shadow Pokemon staring at him, feeling his resolve melt by the second. He blinked away his tears, almost jumping when he heard May speak.

"Please Ash," she said into his shoulder, the sound coming out muffled, "don't leave again. I don't want you to go!"

Once again, he felt his already damaged resolve start to crack. Ash softly kissed her, the tears welling up again. "I'm sorry," Ash said, before shoving her away.

May stumbled back, and fell down, her cloak twisting around her. Ash blinked the tears away. "I'm sorry!" he yelled, going into a flat out run, "Good bye!"

The ripped piece of blue cloth fell out of his pocket as Ash bolted out from the Gates, landing next to Lucia.

Ash ran as far as his legs and lungs would allow, before collapsing down onto the ground, panting. Pikachu fell next to him, breathing just as hard as the Master was.

He let his pulse slow to a normal rate, before gingerly walking over to the shelter of a tree, and ungracefully falling to sit down at the roots. During the thirty minutes he had ran, Ash had had to repeatedly tell himself that he couldn't turn back, and stopping to rest didn't mellow it.

"I can't go back," he said out loud to no one in particular, "I won't go back."

Ash had to block off his mind and emotions to keep from crying, and feeling the seemly endless pain that was surely there, not to mention whatever he had been picking up... Pikachu's ears drooped, as it watched him. Letting the shields down slowly, steeling himself for the added pain of someone else...none came but his own.

"I wish that blast had taken me out with it." Ash sighed, running a hand through his hair, "At least then I wouldn't be in so much pain, and neither would May...oh..."

His eyes stung painfully, as the tears fell forth. Pikachu jumped into his lap, until he pulled his knees up to his chest and crossing his arms on top of them, burying his face in his arms. The small pokemon lay down next to him, worry in his eyes.

Ash's shoulders shook; it was almost the only movement he made. Minutes went by, then hours, before he gradually cried himself into an uneasy sleep.

May sat on her knees on the ground, staring at where Ash had been standing, numb in shock. When it finally sank in what had happened, she started crying, hiding her face in her hands.

Lucia made a small sympathetic sound. The small pokemon's ears twitched, when she saw the cloth lying on the ground. She picked it up in her mouth and crawled over to May quickly. "Chu?"

"What is it Lucia?" May asked, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "What's that?"

She took the cloth, and looked at it. It was blue, and made out of the same type of material that her cloak was. She stared at it, before the owner came to mind-Misty.

"Where did you get this?" she asked, looking at Lucia. The pokemon frowned, before replying. "What? Ash had...oh no."

Everything seemed to click into place. The sudden change, the distance, the hurry to get away from everyone...

May twisted it, looking up toward the forest. Lucia turned and looked also, before looking back at May. "Chuuu," the pokemon said.

"No," she sighed, painfully pushing herself up onto her feet. "Forcing Ash to come here is just as bad as anything the League did. He'll get over it eventually."

Misty and Paran ran out of the front doors of the Pokemon League's main headquarters, hoping to get to the city gates quickly. Most people moved out of the way, when they saw the pair running through the streets.

"MAY!" they yelled, when they arrived at the gates. She looked up at them, before her eyes widened.

"Paran?... MISTY?!" May said, looking up at them. Her eyes widened. She had thought...

"What happened?! Where is Ash?" Misty asked, helping May up. Paran frowned.

"We saw him run off..." she said, biting her lip. "Are you all right?"

"My husband just ran away again, how 'all right' should I be?" May replied, staring at them. Misty and Paran frowned.

"That's....true." Misty said slowly, cautiously. "How about we go to the headquarters? You can tell us what happened there."

"...And then he just fled?" Lance asked, frowning. May nodded, clutching onto the Light pikachu. "The idiot."

"Must you insult Ash NOW?!" Paran snapped, elbowing him. "We need to think of a way to get in contact with him again."

May shook her head, the tears falling. "He thinks you're dead!" she said, aiming the comment at Misty.

"Huh? Why?" she asked, confusion in her voice. May pulled out the ripped up cloth, and gave it to her. "Oh! My cloak got caught on a bush, so I tore it and ended up ditching it all together!"

"And Ash...oh no. Oh no, no, no, no, no!" Paran whimpered. Lance's frown deepened more.

"No wonder. He's grieving! Over a death he thinks happened, and on top of that, one he 'caused.'" Fox looked at him.

"And he fled like that to get away from here, because once again he thinks he is dangerous," Fox mused. Lance and Misty nodded in agreement.

"How are we going to get it through his head he isn't this time?" Paran asked. Misty sighed, and shook her head.

"We can't."

AN: This is chapter 17, and we have one more chapter to go! Chapter 18, at this moment, is nearly finished. Of course, it'll be the longest one of all So far, its at a surprising 10 pages, and still going. So, hopefully, I can get it finished, but I have a birthday party to get prepared for! Ja ne!