Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Pokemon, its characters, locations, or names. All of them, with the exception of original characters, ideas, and places, belong to Nintendo.

Credits: Vanika, Silvanus, Gwen, and all locations involving Nara belong to me.

AN: Here we are at Chapter Ten. DG hasn't been up on FFN all that long, and yet it is probably one of my best. My third longest this far in, is second in the number of hits it has (1204!), and has more alerts on it then any of my other stories. I'm quite proud of this. I was assuming that because of how rushed this is, it would suck so badly that no one would like it, yet here we are. I thank you all for sticking with me while I am working on this, and hope that you all will be around when DG finally sees it's ending. :)

Warning: Ok you pervs (kidding), go elsewhere to read a sex scene. ;p It isn't in this chapter either. You'll have to wait a little while longer to read my (badly) wrote one...or two. Or three. Four, five, six... XD Nah, not that many. Only two or so.

- Chapter Ten: Past, Meet Present -

You are worried? Silvanus asked, his green eyes looking almost kind. It had been several days since the phone call, and there had been neither sight nor sound since that night. May looked at the glowing screen on her phone, at the '0 Messages' that was across the bottom of it, and nodded.

"Silvanus, I'm scared." The lithe creature blinked; he normally didn't handle situations that involved something so unstable as feelings. It wasn't his strong suit to help with them, nor with deciphering what was causing them.

…You need Vanika? It was his only way to get out of the sticky situation, though it was also more hurtful then helpful. May shook her head, making shapes in the dirt with her hand, holding back a sob. Silvanus looked around, alarmed, and patted the air with a claw. The last thing he needed was not only a highly unstable teenager, but also a crying unstable teenager. They'll be here.

"But what if something happened?" she asked, chewing on her lip worriedly. "If something happened-" Nothing has happened. "How do you know?"

Silvanus stood, stretching his long body toward the sky. I know all. May knew he was smirking, by how his Mind link turned a light purple color.

- - -

Heads snapping up, both Vanika and Silvanus looked about; they had felt the same thing – someone was entering the forest. I'll go look into it, Vanika said, stretching her legs out and trotting into the gloom, disappearing into the leafy bushes.

She hunched down when she could hear the crunch of footsteps – several footsteps, meaning it was more then one person – and the rustle of the bushes as they passed. Vanika crawled on her stomach, sticking her nose out to look at them. She felt her heart suddenly race, and she scrambled to get back, tearing through the forest as fast as she could.

What is it? Who was it? Silvanus hastily stood when she burst from the foliage, frantically running around. Vanika shook her head, smiling her dragon smile, and leaped up, doing a flip.

Get May! She rushed headlong into the cave, her silver counterpart following behind cautiously, and searched for the human girl. She'll be so happy! They've returned!

There was no reason that she needed to specify; they both knew who 'they' was. Within minutes they were both calling out, both verbally – with loud growls and roars – and mentally.

"What is the hurry? I wanted to go play," May said, peering from behind one of the many trees. Silvanus spun around, his tail smacking into another trunk. He winced. Get back to the cave. Now. Confusion evident on her face, she picked her way through the barrier and into the open space, looking at her two reptilian parents. "What?"

Be patient. You'll see why we called you back, Vanika murmured, watching the tree line for some sign of movement. May could only stare, before turning to look in the same direction; she wondered what exactly had them so jumpy and excited.

A small yellow form darted out of the greenery, and attached itself to her leg. "Pika!"

May's eyes widened. "Pikachu?" she said, as the pokemon hopped off, beaming up at her. The realization of what was happening sinking in, she bounded off, leaving her smirking parents at the cave, and followed Pikachu through the trees. "Ash! ASH!"

She pounced on the unsuspecting young man, knocking him back past Misty and Brock. There was a moment of chaos and confusion between the group, as Ash stumbled and fell on the ground, pulling May down with him. "I think you owe me 20 bucks," Brock remarked, getting a faint smile from Misty.

"Who tipped you off?" Ash asked, as she clung on tightly. May looked at him in confusion, leaning back slightly to stare. "Um…who told you?"

"Pikachu did," she replied, snuggled against him again, disregarding the presence of the two Gym Leaders. "Misty!" May twisted to look at the redhead. "Nothing happened, did it?"

Shaking her head, Misty smiled at the acquisitive teenager. "No, everything went fine."

"Surprisingly. I thought we'd of had more trouble getting here." Ash felt his heart sink, as he remembered the situation at hand; he had a long night ahead.

As he stood up with May, he dreaded the discussion he would be having with Vanika and Silvanus that night.

- - -

Dinner was a happy affair. Silvanus, being what most would consider as 'nice,' had actually helped with making it, getting food from town so that they could have a big meal. For the most part, it was spent retelling what had happened in both Wicker and Transia City, laughing over the story of the disaster that was the Transia Ball and of what had happened in Wicker City with the salespeople and events going on.

When everything was cleared away, and two of the four humans had turned in for bed, it was finally time to broach the subject that was Gwen's grim prediction. "You said you wanted to talk about something, earlier," May said, yawning quietly as she leaned back against Ash, holding onto the arm that was around her.

Yes, what is it about? Vanika asked, sitting down in front of them, pulling Silvanus over roughly with her tail. It's important?

Ash took a deep, steadying breath. "Yes, very. I…" Looking over at May, he abruptly cut himself off, correcting himself. "…We have a problem."

Even Silvanus watched him, curiosity in his eyes. What problem?

Biting his lip, Ash closed his eyes, not sure of whether he actually wanted to mention anything about it to them yet. "Ash…?" May asked, frowning at him, "What is wrong?"

"The problem is…the problem is, the title is going to be causing a lot of attention to be drawn not only to me, but to you three as well. Gwen, she said there was really only one way to avoid it, and everything it would bring with it, and that was to stay out of Nara." Ash tensed up after he quickly told them. "I don't know what to do. If I stay here, it puts you three in danger, but if I go back to Kanto, that means…"

They sat in awkward silence, none of them sure of what to say or what to do. May worried her lip, narrowing her green eyes. "Kanto? That place we were talking about before?" she asked.

Yes, it is. Silvanus put his head down, his Mind link colored in displeasure. He knew what could happen, and neither option thrilled him at all. It didn't make Vanika happy either, it appeared. So...what is it that you are asking of us, exactly?

"I just...don't know." Ash could see that the silver creature was growing suspicious, an almost angry look appearing on the dragon's face. He shrugged nervously. "I don't know. I don't want any of you to get hurt, but I don't exactly want to leave either."

You are, as humans say, stuck between a rock and a hard place. Vanika's more sympathetic voice was more then welcomed into the conversation. She tilted her head thoughtfully. I think it might be time we talked, both of you. Silvanus looked at her in alarm, his wings unfurling to their full span and he rose up, floating inches from the ground. Calm down, Silve.

"Talk about what?" the two humans questioned. May had never seen her adoptive father become so excited, and it bothered her a bit that he was. She smiled though, when she felt Ash squeeze her gently. "Vanika?"

Do you remember when you were little, when we found you? May stared at her with wide eyes, nodding slowly. "Kinda...I know I was in this dark place, and that I was scared or something, but that's about it." Well, do you not remember why you were there? You had run away from home...

Vanika dove into the explanation, weaving the past into words as the teenagers sat, listening in awe and confusion. "Where was that all done at?" Ash interrupted the still-talking Vanika. She looked to Silvanus for an answer.

His shoulders slumped. Southwestern Kanto. There was a town only about a mile away when we found her in the woods. I'm not sure of the name. I'm not familiar with Kanto like I am with Nara.

"Viridian City? Pewter City? Pallet Town?" Silvanus' eyes lit up at the sound of the small town's name. That's it, the last one. Pallet Town.

"That's where I'm from!" Ash yelled, causing the three to jump. Really? That means you two might have known each other before, the female pointed out, giving them her own impression of a human smile. "What family?"

May's eyes narrowed at the mention of family, remembering quite clearly her human family since Vanika had reminded her of the past - her drunken mother, her temperamental father, her brother that was never around, and her grandfather. Ash went quiet, seeing from her expression that it was not a good idea to ask about the people she had left behind in Kanto. "I'm sorry," he quickly apologized.

"No." She closed her eyes, letting the distant memory of the father that had, except for his temper, been relatively good to her, sink back into the recesses of her mind. "No, don't, you didn't do anything wrong. It's just hard thinking about them is all." It would be, after so long of not having to or trying to, Silvanus said quietly.

She shook her head. "My family's name was...was..." Vanika tapped her on the knee with a claw. It's Oak. You can't remember because you haven't had to use it. You've just been 'May.'

"Oak?" Ash turned, looking at the anxious girl, his eyes widening steadily. She visibly shrank down, trying to get into a ball to make herself as small as possible. "I know your brother and your grandfather then."

"Is that bad?" she asked. Even her voice was quiet, small. She had heard that, because of family, some people tended to stay away from others, and even break up friendships and relationships for it. Ash shook his head, pulling her over softly.

Vanika poked the still male, Silvanus glaring at her irritably. She pointedly started to get up and walk away, looking over her shoulder at him. The movement screamed that he was to follow, and he obediently followed the unspoken order. Waiting until the two were gone, Ash sighed. "No, it isn't bad. Your brother, Gary…he's just my rival is all, and your grandfather was the one that started me on Pokemon Training. Why would it be bad?"

May quietly took hold of his hand, twining her smaller fingers between his, frowning. "A lady in the city said that her husband left her because of her family, and that she had friends that the same typa thing happened, so…"

"Oh no, no, no, you shouldn't worry about that!" Ash turned his hand so that they could see the small emerald ring that was still on May's. "See that? I meant it when I gave it to you. I care about you, and nothing is going to change that….even if you had a family that was actually all ghouls in disguise."

She giggled, when he grinned mischievously and pushed her over. They tumbled backwards, neither complaining and both laughing. "Now," Ash continued, pinning May down by the shoulders, "are you still worried?"

Shaking her head, May yelped in surprise, her eyes widening and slightly bulging, as he carefully planted a kiss right under her ear, pressing the tip of his tongue against the warm flesh. "Ash!"

"Sensitive spot there, hm? That was easier to find then I thought it would be," the boy snickered, watching her turn pink in embarrassment. Ash let up though, the wicked smile still remaining. "If you want, I won't do that again."

"No, it's fine, I just…you surprised me." May admitted, curling into a ball again when he rolled to the side to pull her into another hug. "But, if….if I said I wanted to go to Kanto, what would you do?"

"Let's see, what would I do…first, I'd find out why you want to go there, instead of staying here, by any means necessary." Ash put a hand up, ticking the fingers off. "Second, I'd ask Vanika and Silvanus about it, see if they wanting to come and all that. Third, I'd try to tell Brock and Misty you're coming with, and not get my head ripped off for it. Fourth, we would get everything we'd need together. And fifth we would just go."

"Why I want to go?" she said, snuggling against him. May had to think about it for a minute, the answer not quite clear to herself; when it came to her, she smiled. "I want to because you want to." Seeing the disapproving look Ash started getting, she hastily continued, "And because I want to be with you, but you said it isn't safe here and Kanto is, but then that means I couldn't be."

"May, that…" She put a hand up, silencing the slightly troubled young man.

"I have other reasons…I just have yet to come up with them." Ash laughed, the statement that was said so innocently sounding more comical then serious. May smiled. "We can talk to Vanika about it tomorrow."

"Silvanus is gunna be angry." May nodded, thinking about the silver reptile that had acted as both a father and mentor since she was a preschooler. "He'll probably claw my eyes out."

"I don't think he's that mean," she said, "even if he does try to look like it."

"Maybe…" he conceded, "but I rather not risk it. Let Vanika break the news to him when I am out of his range of attack." May giggled again, getting the solemn teenager to crack a smile.

"How about we go inside?" Ash suggested when he noticed the slight chill that was starting to fall over the forest. The weather around the forest was never normal, or so it seemed to him. "It's going to get cold soon."

"And it's late!" Nodding in agreement, May stood up with him to return to the comfort of the inner cavern.