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: Hm. Finally at Chapter 11? Quite the accomplishment, as this is starting to catch up steadily with my star fan fictions Shadow League and The Amateur Trainer. :D Nice.

As for this chapter...all I can say, is brace yourself for it. As you can see from the warning (which I should probably put in BIG BOLD LETTERS so no new comers wonder in here and miss it -blinks- somehow), we've came to the chapter that was the hardest to write. I suck at writing love scenes...as it is, this is my first one that wasn't rushed and/or scrapped altogether, so cut me a little slack if it kinda sucks, alright? I understand if it does, I expect it to, to be honest, but really, if you can do any better, dammit, point out the problems! How in hell am I to improve on them if I don't know what I'm doing wrong >:D And so no one mentions this, I'm aware the scene is actually very...mellow?...I guess you could call it. I meant for it to be that way, to take some stress off of me, and to keep something for the plot later on, and yes, there is one a bit later after this one. (chapter 16).

If anyone feels it oversteps what is allowed here on wonderful FFN, don't go off reporting me, eh? Just give me a shout, and I'll go take it up to some FAQ person and if it is indeed too much, I CAN infact edit it. I'm not a druid who will rip someone's head off for saying something I don't like (unless it's a flame. Then you go down >:D ... .XD haha). I really don't feel like having my story deleted for one scene. That's assinine, yes?

And as of now, DG is rated M. I had to bump it up, and this is actually why I had it at T before, or whatever the rating below M is, but I decided to take it up again, just in case. As for the chapter title, YES, it does have a purpose. I know at first glance, it appears to have nothing to do with what happens, but just keep in mind that saying about 'leaving the nest,' yes? You'll figure it out. :)

Warning: Cheers, you finally got to the chapter. ;p Not that it is all that worth it anyway.

- Chapter Eleven: Taking Flight -

Vanika took to the idea extremely well; even better then they thought she would. It is a wonderful idea. I wonder though, what will you do when you get there? Where will you go?

Ash and May looked at each other. They hadn't actually thought about what would happen in Kanto, let alone where they could go.. "Well," Ash said, biting his lip as he mulled over the questions, "Misty has her gym, and Brock has his. We could stay with one of them for awhile or…"

"Or what?" the teenage girl asked. Ash glanced between the two females, both of which were watching him curiously. He smiled slightly, almost warily.

"Stay with my family. That way, you could either go see yours again, but you could also stay away from them. Whichever you wanted." It's a start. You need to decide before leaving, and then you must also consider us. Us referred to Vanika and Silvanus. "Why don't you come with? There are a lot of forests and woods in Kanto that you could hide away in, or even stay out in the open instead. They'd get used to you being there."

Vanika's link colored ruefully. I wish I could. Convincing Silve, though, it going to take a lot of work on my part, and on yours. He won't want to travel that far again.

"If we all talk to him, maybe he'll say that he'll go with," May said, her voice raising hopefully. It was highly unlikely that her scenario would be the case; the male dragon was, for the most part, set in his ways.

Highly doubtful, I'm afraid. Vanika shook her head, wings curling against her back. She felt the disappointment that had appeared on her 'daughter's' face, her own sadness enhanced. We can try, but I cannot promise that it'll get us any closer to getting Silvanus to agree to go.

Agree to go where? They jumped when the sudden intrusion, the gray reptile that was Silvanus, appeared behind Ash, his eyes narrowed. Sensing the sudden uneasiness both humans felt, he circled around to stare intently at them. Where?

"Kanto," May replied quietly, scooting back slightly as he advanced on them. Silvanus tilted his head. Kanto? Why? "Because...because that's where I'm going, and if you two came with, you wouldn't have people trying to off you constantly."

Vanika winced, flexing her wings, almost feeling a twinge of pain at the mere mention of the humans that entered the forest with the idea of getting wealth and glory. It is a valid point. This has never been a safe place for us; the humans in the city are too wary of our presence, and will not rest until either the 'Treasure' is found or they have our heads, Vanika said, Kanto would also be much closer to them.

Silvanus hunched down, neither denying or accepting the idea, and scowled. This has been our home for ten years, and now you ask that we leave, so quickly? Bah! He stalked off.

"That went better then what I had expected to happen," Ash said, looking slightly paler then before. The reptilian creature had a way of making someone uncomfortable without even looking at them, and he was no exception.

"Though we still didn't get him to agree to go." May fidgeted, antsy and disappointed that they still had to work on her father. "It's going to take too long to!"

It'll work out, Vanika assured them. She didn't let them in on what she had saw in her mate that they didn't; he was closer to caving in then it seemed.

- - -

I refuse! Silvanus dove down under the surface, pulling his wings tightly against his back as he doggy-paddled deeper into the lake, followed closely by Vanika. Why would you agree to go on such a trip? We don't know what to expect there!

We don't, but they do. The green creature wouldn't give up; there was too much at stake to let it go. Silvanus spun around, his eyes glowing dimly in the gloom.

Dependency! You ask me to depend on a bunch of human children? You're mad! Vanika whipped forward, smacking her tail against his head.

You still do not understand the importance of this? Vanika paused when he narrowed his eyes, staring at her intently. Our daughter is planning on leaving, to enter that same realm that you are so frightened to! That alone should be reason enough!

Silvanus made a gurgling sound, spreading his wings out to their full span. His oxygen was running out, and both of them needed to get to the surface. I am not frightened of Kanto.

Then why do you persist on denying the chance to go? You like it here? You rather let her go on her own finally? What? Vanika imitated his movements, flapping her wings to speed toward the surface of the lake. There were several moments of silence between them, as they gasped for breath.

Scowling, Silvanus paddled back to the shore. I don't know. The normally confident dragon shuffled off, tail and head down. She watched him as he disappearing into the overgrowth.

- - -

Tell Misty. Vanika stepped up to the two humans, one of which was engrossed into the tome that lay open between them. Ash was the first of the two to acknowledge the dragon's presence. "Tell her what?" he asked, shutting the book as May peeked up also. Tell her you are going. Silvanus and I can catch up later, when he stops being stubborn about this.

"But you had said that…" May started, silencing when Vanika shook her head. The weary lizard smiled, leaving no doubt that she still believed it. And I meant it. He needs a little push, and if we get you off, that might the ticket to getting us there. "I don't want to just leave you both here though!" You must trust me. We'll be fine.

"Are you sure about that?" Ash couldn't help but feel hesitant about going along with Vanika's sudden plan; it didn't sound like it could work in regards to Silvanus. When she nodded determinedly, he sighed and shrugged. "If you think so…we could just go, but not go that far off that there would be no way to contact you or vice versa."

May's shoulders slumped. "If we do, could we do that instead? I don't want to leave Silvanus and Vanika," she said, her own reluctance acutely showing.

Do as you wish. I hope, though, that you will not let us hinder what you do with your life, my child. Vanika seemed almost to wilt, her wings going limp and lifeless, her head dropping slightly. You need to find your niche in the world, and hanging around Silve and me isn't going to help you do that.

Glancing back at them once more, the female reptile hopped out into the bushes, fading into the greenery. Feeling almost hollow from being told she was to walk away from the only parents she had known since she was little, May bit her lip, her eyes tearing up. "Not without…"

"She'll get Silvanus to come around, we just have to be patient is all and hope she's right." Ash gently wrapped an arm around her, closing his eyes. "What do you want to do, though? We can either just wait this out, or do as she suggested. It's up to you, May."

"Vanika said to go, but I don't…it hurts." She sniffled, taking little comfort in the reassurances; none of it seemed to matter. May shook her head. "I don't want to leave them…it'll hurt too much."

"I know the feeling." May bent her knees, hugging her legs to her chest, and put her head on his shoulder, the silent tears steadily making a trail down her cheeks. Ash wiped them away. "When I was eight my father had left to join the Pokemon League, and I cried my eyes out for days because I hadn't wanted him to leave me. Then when I was ten, I had done the same exact thing, and that left my mother in Pallet Town."

"Do you ever see her?" Ash nodded when she looked up at him. "How often?"

"It depends on how long it takes for me to get through my training for whatever League I'm in. For this one, it'll have probably been three or four months, depending on if you count the time it took to get here from Kanto or not." May lifted up slightly, her eyes widening. "So it isn't like you'd never see them again. Just not as much."

"Do you call her?" May asked. Once again he nodded, the unease that had built up starting to melt away.

"Sometimes. I don't that often, just because there are things to do and stuff." Ash frowned, actually feeling somewhat homesick; it wasn't often that he dwelled on what he had in his hometown. Smiling though, he shrugged.

"How would I be able to talk to Vanika and Silvanus though? They can't use a phone." Paling slightly, Ash had to think fast to come up with a suitable answer.

"Perhaps they can still use the Mind link with you or something like that. I don't know how it works, so I couldn't say for sure…" May grinned then, her eyes brightening.

"Can we try it then? As long as we can come back?" He could only stare, unsure of whether or not to say yes or no. "Well? Can we?"

"I suppose so," he said reluctantly, getting a rough hug from her. Ash wondered whether he should have waited until discussing it with the others before agreeing.

- - -

"You did what?" Ash rocked back on his heels, his eyes widening to the size of saucers when both Misty and Brock yelled at him. He put his hands up in a sign of surrender, not wanting an argument with them. "Why in the name of hell would you say we would take her and just walk out? Who came up with this idea?"

"Vanika," he replied, looking grimly at them. "It's obvious to me that none of us can stay here much longer, and May has made it clear she wants to come with, but also wants Vanika and Silvanus to, also."

"The problem is then? Why aren't they coming?" Brock asked, his confusion evident on his face. Ash frowned.

"Silvanus has said that he refused to leave this forest. Vanika has already suggested that we – and May – start off to Kanto, so that he'll see that her and May are serious about it, in hopes that'll he'll change his mind." Not even Misty could think of what to say in response. "Come on, what was I to do? I couldn't just flat out say no…"

"Actually, you could, very easily." Misty tapped her foot on the stone ground, her ocean blue eyes narrowed. "You just have some need to not deny May of anything that is within your power to give."

Ash rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe she was turning it into a debate about whether or not he was letting things get out of hand. "I like making her happy. Is that wrong now?" he asked icily.

"No, it isn't wrong, but…" Misty shifted uncomfortably. "We don't want you getting hurt, is all."

"I won't!" Ash frowned at them. He didn't like the way the redhead kept badgering him about the same thing, and never giving a reason. "I...I know what I'm doing. You don't need to keep worrying."

"If you two are finished," Brock commented, "we still need to decide what to do about this situation with going to Kanto." The pair looked at him curiously.

"What? Do you have a plan of some sort?" Ash asked, getting a nod from the older man. "Spill it, then!"

Brock smiled. "All we do is get everything together, and go whenever she's ready…there is one thing you must realize, though." As Ash continued to stare blankly, he elaborated. "This is going to be quite a change from what she's used to. I'll be surprised if May doesn't have a breakdown at some point."

"I know." He looked away, listening to the quiet footsteps as the young girl they were talking about entered the cave. "There...was already a case of that, so I know to expect it later on."

- - -

Do not forget what I said. Vanika stretched up, placing her claws on May's shoulders and staring ruefully into the sad green eyes. She hoped she was making the right decision in sending them off. I'll be along with Silvanus as soon as I can.

"Just don't let anything happen. I don't want you getting hurt again," May said as the dragon hopped off, hunching down on the ground to stare up at them. Now go, before Silve gets in the way! "Tell him I said bye."

Vanika smiled then, waving a claw. I'll make sure to, though I'm not so sure he'll accept that! The teenager turned and stepped out into the gloom of the forest, knowing that the longer she lingered around, the more she'd just want to cancel the whole trip. "Good bye, Vanika," May whispered.

It took several minutes to find the trio that waited, standing at the lone "entrance" into the forest, looking away silently. Seeing her approach, Misty and Brock gave Ash meaningful looks, and walked away, slowly taking the lead on the trail. Without a word, he took her hand, comfortingly squeezing it.

The day looked as if it would be depressingly quiet.

- - -

After a late dinner, they had all retired to bed after a long day of walking. Thankfully, there was a small town where they had arrived, and they had been able to check into a hotel instead of staying out in the wilderness for the night.

Instead of getting two rooms like normal, three had to rented so that May could stay in the same one as Ash, and Misty and Brock would have separate rooms. What proved more interesting was trying to explain the concept of sleeping in a bed instead of on the ground.

At that moment though, it was almost midnight, and both teenagers were still wide-awake. "How are you holding up?" Ash asked.

May stayed silent, bending to sprawl out more and to stretch her thin limbs. "I'm fine," she replied, smiling slightly at him, "but only if you stay here."

"I hadn't thought to do otherwise." Nuzzling her, Ash wrapped his arms around her waist, relaxing when May moved to get closer yet again. "Are you really alright though?"

Frowning, she turned to face him, wincing when she accidentally pulled her hair. "I just miss them is all." May admitted, "And Kanto scares me. I don't know what's there."

Propping himself up on his elbow, Ash listened intently. He found that it usually was better to just listen instead of talk, and wait until she was done rambling before trying to reply. When May had finished, blinking at him, he nodded once. "That's normal." he said, "Kanto though…why would that scare you?"

"I dunno…" May rolled onto her back when he leaned over her so that they were nose-to-nose, "There could be anything there."

"There could also be nothing there, though." She shivered when he whispered into her ear. "I won't let anything hurt you. I'll protect you, whether our wonderful traveling companions like it or not. You shouldn't have to be afraid of anything."

"Ash…" May looked at him in confusion, her eyes widening; she could feel her face heat up as she turned red, becoming nervous and embarrassed quickly. "What…?"

"I'm…I…" Ash took a deep, shuddering breath, and it became apparent that he was antsy when he sat up, and started playing with the sheets. He mumbled, his head tilted down so that what he said was not audible.

"I can't hear you." May pushed herself up, getting onto her knees beside him, and peered curiously at him. "What?"

Swallowing, he closed his eyes; Ash hoped he wouldn't regret what he was going to say. "I want you."

He looked at May without turning his head, eyes narrowed. She stared, not quite comprehending what the meaning was behind the statement; it merely sounded strange. Letting it sink in, May's lips formed an 'O,' the realization hitting her. "Oh, oh," she said, "that?"

"Yes, 'that.'" May looked away, unsure of what to do or say, and wished she had Vanika to ask about it. The dragon, however, was several miles away, and no where close enough to talk to, even with the Mind link.

May also wished they her and Silvanus had thought to give her lessons on how humans did things in such a case, but there was no point in mourning the lack of them.

Wondering if she was about to make another mistake, May swung around so she was facing Ash, who was refusing to look up from his clenched hands. Forcing the doubt back, she carefully took one in her smaller hands, the fingers loosening so that the palm was revealed. "Take me," she said quietly, sounding almost shy.

"What?" Ash asked, his head snapping up, his eyes wide and bright. He put his hands up, shaking his head slowly. "No, May, no. This isn't…you don't just agree to something like that. If you're not…"

"Would it make you happy?"

"Well, ah…I suppose so."

"I'm happy then." May smiled, putting her arms out as if for a hug. Ash turned his head, looking at her hesitantly. He, with a shaky smile, leaned forward and let her link her hands together behind his neck, pulling him over with her.

Neither were certain what they were doing, or what was happening; both of them were trembling like leaves, their movements nervous and jerky. "Are you sure about this?" Ash asked, blushing a bright red as he gently kissed the slight indent that was at her collar.

May nodded, the words that should have been said lost, and fumbled with his shirt, pulling it up over his head when Ash helped ease it off. She put her arms up, sitting up straight so that he could peel hers off. Shivering from the sudden rush of cold, May curled into a ball.

Worriedly, Ash hugged her, rubbing her arms to warm her, and pulled the blanket and sheets back. "Under here. There isn't any point for you to get sick from being chilled," he said, getting the trembling girl to crawl up so she could get under the blanket, as goose bumps appeared on her bared skin. "All better?"

"No, not quite." May pulled, making him crawl in after her, and latched on. With a smile, she put her head on his shoulder, letting the young man caress the multiple slight curves and the sensitive flesh without complaint, actually contentedly closing her eyes. "Now it is."

Tilting her head back, May moaned, as Ash kissed the pulse at her throat, lowering, trailing down to the gentle curves of her breasts. With a sudden tug, he pulled her shorts and panties down, and she moved her legs so they would come off totally. Sitting back, Ash looked at her; he hadn't actually looked when they had been in the lake together, but now that he had the time - not to mention, the reason! - to just stare, he took up the chance.

He blinked, when May looked back at him, her eyes innocently wide. There was a moment when they just watched the other, until she slid over and shoved him over, playfully and teasingly imitating him. "My turn," she whispered, grinning widely as she whispered it into his ear, both of them tingeing pink again.

For the most part, May was just trying to copy from what she saw and felt; it was the only experience, and only understanding of what exactly what was going on. Ash had to actually guide her along, quietly trying to explain what was happening when the inquisitive look returned - though, it went rather strangely, considering he himself did not quite know. "Are you ok?" he asked, when she edged his boxers off, pausing for a moment to peer at him curiously, as if she thought she had done something wrong.

"I'm fine, I just feel weird is all." Ash frowned, worry in his eyes, and pulled her over to sit beside him. She cuddled against him.

"You do feel kinda clammy. Do you want to stop?" he asked. May nodded, then shook her head, keeping latched onto Ash; she felt like a rubber band that was pulled tight.

"Just for a minute." Tensely, Ash started trying to rub the knots out, kneading the muscles in her back and shoulders. He could feel May relax, her thin shoulders slumping and her head falling to the side, eyes closed and getting a small smile. She sighed softly when he pulled her hair back, combing his fingers through it. "Thank you, I'm better now. I'm sorry, I keep mucking up and you are being so nice-"

"Shh, shh, shh." May fell silent, laying back when Ash shifted to face her, keeping one hand to her mouth. Reassuringly, he moved the trembling hand and planted a kiss on the revealed lips. "You're doing fine. There's nothing that you should feel a need to apologize for, you haven't done anything wrong."

"But Ash!" May said, actually sitting up and leaning forward, forcing the baffled young man to scoot back. She lowered her voice, looking ruefully at him. "You always end up doing everything and having to walk me through everything else. I can't even get through this without being talked through it!"

"May, don't be upset." Ash cupped her face, using a thumb to wipe away a stray tear. It appeared as if all of the stress of the past days was draining out finally. "You don't honestly think I'm doing any better? This is just as new to me as it is to you, except that I have been able to hear what other people have said on the matter. And as for everything else... your life has been sheltered, so it would be expected that what is considered 'normal' to most would be almost alien to you." "It still...you shouldn't have to do this, always explaining things like this."

May rubbed her eyes, shuddering. Ash shook his head, sympathetically squeezing her hands, and let go so she could half lean, half fall over into his open embrace. "We..."

"No." Laying back, pulling the blanket tighter around them, he shook his head again. "You're in no condition for this. Too much has been happening and you're shaken enough as it is without adding on what'll happen if we continued onto it all."

"What'll happen?" she asked. Ash smiled, smoothing back the brown hair that fell over her face. May blinked.

"Don't worry about it. You need to rest, and thinking about it will not help that." It took little to no prodding to get May to settle down, taking to the serenity of sleep.