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: Yes, so in this chapter we meet the wonderful people of Kanto. I'm rather iffy on how some of the characters are acting in this chapter (and even the next one), but we'll see how it goes. :)
As for my absence, I've been busy. I just took the SATs today, and have finals at school this upcoming week. x.x; I seriously need a vacation right now. Ugh. Thank god after finals is summer break.
Warning: None for this here lovely chapter. :D
- Chapter Fifteen: Welcome Home -
"This is it." Ash smiled when May ran ahead, her eyes wide. The town hadn't changed at all during the months of his absence; however, it looked very much different to the girl he was trying to keep caught up with, as the last time she had seen it was ten years back.
Not having to worry about either Silvanus or Vanika – both of which were hiding somewhere – nor about Brock and Misty, both of which were back in their respective homes in Pewter City and Cerulean City, he was able to follow May around, pointing out different houses and places. "Ash, I wanna see your house!" she said, jumping into his arms, getting swung as he spun on his heels. "Can we go to your house?"
"We have to anyway. I live there." Ash realized at that moment that he would have to explain why he had May with him; he also realized he had to do it without giving away who she was related to. Pushing back the thought that it might be harder then he thought, he opened the gate into the front yard, and let May enter first.
As she peered around at the garden his mother kept up, Ash went to find Delia, to warn her of the new presence. "Mom!" he called, looking around.
"Oh, my little boy!" Before he knew it, he had her hugging him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "How did you do?"
"I did fine. I won the tournament!" Ash said to grins from Delia. Hearing the squeals of delight that floated in from outside, he rubbed the back of his neck, trying to think of a way to break it to the woman in front of him that her only child wasn't alone. "Um, Mom, there is something I have to tell you..."
"Ash, I like the flowers! Are there any in here? There should be!" May bounded into the house, and caught him around the neck, squeezing to keep on. Wincing, Ash carefully pulled her off, holding her at arms length. Noticing the discomfort that she was causing in him, she settled down, and looked at him, then Delia.
"Who is this?" Delia asked curiously. Ash sighed, and smiled, wrapping a hand around May's wrist.
"That's what I was about to tell you. This is May, um...she's my girlfriend." Delia stared at him.
"Ah, that is lovely!" Turning to the confused girl, Delia smiled. "So, how far is it? How far have you gone?" she asked, leading May into the kitchen.
"Mom!" Ash cried, following her. Delia laughed lightly; May looked between them, clearly oblivious to the meaning of the older woman's words.
"I'm being serious. Because you know he's my baby boy, you do have to be gentle..." she continued, her amusement showing on her face.
"MOM! Stop it! You're embarrassing me!" Glaring at Pikachu – who was snickering at him - Ash regretted letting May anywhere near the giggling woman, and he pointedly made sure they weren't next to each other when they sat at the kitchen table. "Could you get off that aspect, and move on?"
"Fine, fine. I can give you that," she said, waving off the complaints from her son. "So, how'd you two match up?"
Before Ash could stop her, May jumped up, leaning on the table. "He was helping me with some bad men that were trying to hurt Silvanus and Vanika, and then after that we were at the lake taking a-"
"Swim!" Quickly pulling May down onto his lap, Ash put a hand over her mouth, forcing a polite smile. He didn't need his mother hearing about the day when May followed him when he was taking a bath; the old woman already had enough ammo against him as it was. "We had went swimming."
The brunette turned to stare at him questioningly, asking him something he couldn't hear through his hand. "Who are Vanika and Silvanus?" Delia asked.
That was a question Ash knew was safe to give an answer to without causing any more troubles. "Friends," he said offhandedly, making a face when he felt May lick his palm, and let go, rubbing the spit off with a growl. She looked satisfied being freed of his grip. "You'll probably meet them someday soon."
Nodding thoughtfully, Delia tapped a fingernail on the tabletop. "We should probably invite Sam over. I know how much you like seeing him when you're home."
Thinking quick, Ash looked at May, who remained seated on his lap, tracing lines into the wood table. "Um. Sure, maybe. I'll call Professor Oak later." He made it a point to put emphasis on Professor Oak.
May turned once again, showing him green eyes that brimmed with sadness and unease. "Then again, I think it might be better to wait a few days at least. I'm tired and I'm sure May wants to get settled before running off seeing people she doesn't re...know."
"Hm." Deciding against commenting on the odd choice of words, Delia nodded. "Well, I was just making dinner. Why don't you two go clean up so we can eat!"
With a smile, Ash let May slid off before standing. "That'd be nice. I'm starved."
- - -
The evening went by quickly. Most of it was spent with retellings of the adventures that occurred in Nara, some of them reworded or totally omitted; Ash didn't care to explain how he had broken down time and time again in the last leg of the trip, or about what really had occurred between him and the girl that was sitting next to him.
All too soon, they heard the sound of a clock announcing how late it was getting, hitting on 1 AM. "I think I need to turn in for the night." With a sorry smile, Delia was up, giving Ash, then May, a tight hug. "Don't get into trouble now."
"Mmhm." Ash watched her go upstairs, before finally relaxing, closing his eyes. "May, do me a favor."
"Huh?" she asked, tilting her head and blinking. He laughed; the motion was more like a Pokemon's reaction then a humans. "What do you want me to do?"
"Never, ever, mention what happened at the lake or at the hotel to my mom." Ash said, his eyes clouding over, "I don't think...she needs to know about that. Not at the moment anyway."
"Why's that?" May yawned, snuggling closer to him, resting against his shoulder. "She was nice."
"Er, yes. It's just...not...something one runs off to tell their parents about. 'Hi mom! Hi dad! I just screwed the hell out of this girl here! Aren't you proud!'" he said wryly, his voice turning playful. May giggled quietly, and Ash noticed how much slower she was moving, all of them followed by a yawn or a sigh. As his sleepy pokemon ran about switching off the lights, he picked her up, cradled as he heavily walked upstairs.
Pikachu jumped into bed, taking his place at the end, As Ash set her on the bed that had been his all the years he had called the house his home, May grabbed hold of his shirt. "Ash," she said quietly, earning a worried look from him, "I don't want to meet him yet."
"Who?" he asked, putting a hand over her smaller one. "Professor Oak?" May nodded, and Ash gave her a comforting smile; that smile alone could do wonders.
"I...can't. Yet." Leaning over, he gave her a kiss on the cheek, moving to plant another one on her lips.
"I know, love. That's why I'm trying to buy some time before we start calling the army in." May grinned feebly.
"You never did that before."
"What?"
"Called me that." Ash blinked, before it dawned on him what she was talking about, and he laughed and shook his head.
"I just hadn't felt like it until now."
"You just wanted to save your pride."
"...you've been talking to Misty." May faked an innocent look, and Ash nearly believed it, she did it so well. "Don't you give me that!"
She pulled on his shirt again when Ash went to get up. "You're going to stay in here, right?" she questioned.
Ash held still, letting the question sink into his mind. "Well," he started slowly, "I really can't. My bed isn't big enough for both of us, and a certain someones has taken it over." May frowned.
"But-" He pointed toward the wall that was to the left of them.
"If you need to, you can find me in the room next to this one. I'm not going all that far. And you have Pikachu here, so you won't be alone in a strange house." The loose grip she still had on him broke.
"Better be." Ash laughed, seeing her crack a smile again, and nodded. With a final kiss, Ash exited quickly, letting the door shut behind him with a snap. Misty is wrong, he thought, silently pulling his shirt off and draping it over the foot board then decided to remove his jeans when he was safely in the other room. She was just over thinking things.
Climbing into bed, he stared at the ceiling when he laid down. But then... The conversation he had had with the redhead prior to her splitting off from the group filtered back, hauntingly clear in his sleepy mind.
- - -
"You do know," Misty said, looking at Ash thoughtfully, "I really wonder about you sometimes."
Staring blankly, he turned to her, backpack in hand. "How so? What's to wonder about?" he asked.
He heard her make a low whistle with her teeth as she thought over how to put what she was thinking into words. "I mean...I wonder about how you manage to wind up with someone like May, when most of Nara would die to speak to you alone."
Looking at the subject of the conversation, who was helping Brock pack up the cooking gear, Ash shook his head. "I don't get it." he admitted, "What're you on about?"
"Ash, don't take this the wrong way," she started, putting her hands up in a sign of surrender, "but...you know, she's kinda latchy. And it's like she needs your attention like we all need water."
"Well, after all these run-ins with people that do nothing but bad, a little clinging is rather expected, isn't it? She had no one but Vanika and Silvanus around since she was a kid." Misty's expression turned sad.
"But this isn't 'a little clinging.' You two are never more then a few feet from each other, especially since we've entered Kanto. At least in Nara, May wondered off to go look around and meet more people besides us. Here, she's staying attached to you at all times." Ash crossed his arms, his expression saying more then words could; he wasn't happy.
"And? Misty, try imagining this her way. Kanto is as strange to her as Nara was to us, if not more so then us because we had an idea of what to expect. May's followed through and has probably been scared to death through the whole thing."
The gym leader rose an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"
"She basically said it when we were back in Nara, before that whole thing with Monica and Cynthia happened!" Ash scowled. "Said that Kanto scared her, she didn't know what was here, still doesn't, not really. Can you really blame her for trying to stay close, when everything here is so much different then what's she's grown up with?"
"Ash, I'm just trying to help you. I'm just saying, you have to be careful. Eventually you won't be able to always come to her rescue or be there to play the part of the comforting boyfriend, not when you have that title back in Nara. Regardless of what Gwen says, you will have times when you have to travel between here and there, and unless you plan on constantly having her go with you, then-"
"We'll be fine."
"You know I worry."
"I know. And I appreciate the thought, but...leave it alone. You couldn't convince me that letting myself get too attached was a bad idea before, and you can't convince me that something may be wrong with it now." Misty smiled wanly at him.
"No chance at all?" she asked. Ash shook his head.
"None."
- - -
Banishing the thought, Ash sat up and leaned back against the headboard, his eyes shut. He didn't want to linger on possibilities that hadn't made themselves yet, and definitely didn't want What Ifs to start interfering with his life.
The irony of the situation struck him when Ash looked around, actually feeling lonely without having the girl in the next room with him. A wry smile curled his lips as he considered trying to figure out how they both could manage to stay in his old room.
It didn't take long for a voice to pipe up in his head. You could always just stay in that room. I'm sure she'll be along eventually. In fact, I think your Pikachu is getting irritated and will probably make her go find you, Vanika's soft voice said.
"Really now?" he replied, imagining what the poor creature was going through at that moment. Just as the image entered his mind, Ash heard the tell-tale creak of a door opening, then the sound of little footsteps as his Pokemon bolted into the room, looking miffed.
"Pikapika, chuuu!" the mouse hissed, glaring toward the doorway. Within a few seconds Ash saw May poke her head in shyly, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
"Are you harassing each other now?" Ash asked, keeping his voice lightly taunting. Girl and Pokemon looked at each other, then at him. "Get your ass in here so I can get some sleep."
I told you, the feminine voice snickered, growing faint before the link finally shut down. Shaking his head, Ash watched patiently as May shuffled in, and pulled her down into his embrace. "Didn't I say you could come get me if you wanted?" he whispered.
She nodded, looking up with bright eyes. Making her room to lay down, Ash kept an arm around her, using the other to help move the sheets. Cuddling against him, May sighed happily. Forcing himself to keep from smiling, Ash finally drifted off to sleep.
- - -
A day went by, then another, and another. Ash could only be amazed; regardless of when she went to bed, May was one of the first ones up. Every morning when he finally padded downstairs, Delia and she would be outside to tend to the gardens.
The fifth day was no exception. Just as Ash was getting up, stretching out to get out the stiffness, May walked into the bedroom, rubbing at her cheek. He rose an eyebrow; she was moving from one foot to the other, apparently antsy and bursting to tell him something. "Are you waiting for an invitation?" Ash asked dryly, getting a strained smile in return.
"Your mom said Professor Oak called." The reason for her unease opened up. Sympathetically, Ash rose, and cupped her pale face between his hands, the gentle touch being enough to make her relax. "She said he's starting to question why you won't see him. And now she's asking why she can't mention I'm here."
A sense of ill falling over him, Ash looked away. "We're going to need to tell her the truth if we want to get through this with few problems." he said, his voice low, "We probably should have done that when we first got here."
May closed her eyes, keeping her hand on his, and nodded. "And what about him?" she asked vaguely.
As much as Ash wanted to see the man that had given him his first pokemon, he didn't want to hurt May anymore then she already had been; thinking on it, he found it didn't surprise him how odd she was acting, with so much going on that conflicted with everything she had grown used to, it was amazing she was still sane. "I'm unsure." Ash admitted reluctantly, "but, what do you want to do? If you want to wait a little while longer, I can try to get Mom to stall him a bit more, or I can just go over to his lab myself to keep him from coming over here."
May stayed silent, frustration evident in her eyes, and shook her head. "Which one is he?"
He paused to figure out what was meant by the question, before smiling. "Your grandfather."
You remember, Silvanus said. May glanced toward the window, feeling the presence of both creatures, and she fell to her knees, bringing Ash down with her.
"I want to." she said, "I really do, but..." May swallowed, fighting to keep her composure. "I'm scared, Ash."
"Hey, what happened to that girl from the forest? The one that would face a man, even if he was carrying a gun, and would beat the life out of him?" Pressing his forehead against hers, their noses touched, and May smiled. "You know where she is, hm?"
May laughed, and the sound of it relieved Ash greatly as he carefully forced her onto her back. She stared at him. "And for someone so innocent, she certainly does have a lewd streak running through her," he continued, following it with a soft bite to her ear.
It brought out a yell of surprise, which he stifled with a kiss. Couldn't you two wait until we are gone?, two voices remarked, bringing with it embarrassment for both Ash and May.
"You never complained in Nara," Ash said. He could almost see the silver creature rolling his eyes. You weren't exactly this bold about it there either, Silvanus retorted. They could hear Vanika laughing, her mirth rubbing off on them. Letting May sit up, Ash got to his feet to help her up. "I'd better return that phone call soon, so he doesn't think I'm purposely avoiding him."
"Don't want to be mean!" As he was about to go find the telephone, May jumped at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank you."
Ash tripped forward, clumsily planting his feet to keep from falling. He grinned then, whipping around to hug her. "I'm just happy to see you acting like yourself again."
- - -
"So, when will I be able to see them?" Delia asked after the lengthy explanation of not only May's past in Pallet, but of Vanika and Silvanus. "I will, won't I?"
"Only if they come out of hiding," May said. She looked around, not feeling that the pair were anywhere around. "I don't think they're here now though."
"Pfft. Silvanus will probably pop out of a closet to give you a heart attack." Ash waved a hand, and smiled. "I think they know not to make themselves obvious, at least not yet. Not until we get a hold of her...original...family."
"And you don't think it a good idea to just ring them all up at once."
"No." May shook her head, a haunted look crossing over her features. "Not yet."
"That's actually why I've been stalling on inviting Professor Oak over. With our luck, he'd probably recognize her regardless of how long ago it was when she ran away." Ash shrugged hopelessly. "We'll find out soon, at any rate. I just hope he can understand why he shouldn't tell Gary or anyone else for that matter about this."
When the doorbell rang, May looked at Delia, then Ash, nervously. As the former went to answer the door, the latter squeezed her hand soothingly, and she felt something sharp touch her thighs. Pulling the table cloth up revealed two silver eyes staring up at her, then a green pair joining them. We'll be right here, Vanika said.
"You'll be alright," Ash whispered into her ear, as they heard Professor Oak's voice float in from the front door, and then footsteps. Just as he entered with Delia, Vanika and Silvanus vanished from view. "Professor!"
"Ash!" the old man yelled, clapping a hand against the young man's shoulder, and smiled. "Who is this young lady? A new traveling companion?"
May stared at him dully, jumping between running and hiding and getting the reunion over with. Deciding on an comfortable middle, she stood and planted herself behind Ash, putting her arms around his neck. Don't hide from your past, Silvanus' harsher voice piped up, scolding her.
"I'm not," she murmured, "I'm just holding it off for a moment." Steeling herself for a blow, May stepped away from Ash, approaching the baffled man that stood waiting for an answer. Delia backed away, motioning to Ash that she would be in the living room, and dashed off. "Professor Oak..."
"Yes?" he asked, clearly wondering what was happening. Ash could only shrug; it wasn't his place to give the answers. May took a deep breath.
"...No. You're Grandpa," she said. Ash would have laughed had the situation not been so serious. Oak's face had changed from one of confusion, to one of surprise, as he took a step backwards. One word came to mind: priceless.
"'Grandpa'?" Once the initial reaction wore down, he looked thoughtfully at her, as if he was trying to puzzle out who she was. May bounced on the balls of her feet, waiting patiently for him to finish the glancing inspection. Finally, the professor's eyes lit up, and he scooped her into a hug. "Oh! May! How did you survive all this time? How did you get back?"
By then, she was beaming. Getting away from Oak, May raced over and flung herself at Ash, who had to quickly lean forward to keep from toppling over. "Ash. I came with him," May replied. Again, all Ash could do is smile.
"Let's go sit with Mom. We've got a story, and you'll want to be sitting down when we tell it to you."
- - -
"That is amazing." Professor Oak said, "Just amazing. In all my life, I've never seen creatures such as those. It's a myth come to life."
"Well, they aren't just a myth anymore. Actually...the Reality is better then the Fantasy." Ash could see the older man was twitching to see the pair, and a glance at May revealed that she knew it too.
Vanika, he thought tentatively, getting the feeling that the female had turned her attention to him immediately. Ash was uncomfortably aware of Silvanus doing the same, but angrily. Could you come out for awhile?
Why?, Silvanus asked, To be shown off? In his mind, Ash could see Vanika turn around and smack the male with her tail, the silver creature growling. Apparently, May saw the same thing as she frowned at him.
To introduce ourselves, Vanika said, carefully slinking out from behind the couch. Delia's eyes widened, along with the professor's; to not only hear but see one of the dragons was a great shock. In an almost human-like motion, she put a claw up to shake hands. It is good to see our d...foster daughter's birth grandfather.
"It's an honour," Oak replied as the green creature moved onto Delia, shaking hand-and-claw with her. Ridiculous, Silvanus sighed, agilely stepping out from the kitchen, Hello. The last part was said reluctantly.
"How could you manage to..." Oak started, getting cut off when Vanika started laughing, the sound coming out nasally. How could we raise a human child? Not easily, I assure you!
May made a face at the idle comment, and even pretended to kick the male when Silvanus purposely added his own two cents; Not easy! You understate it! A little nightmare, that's what she is. Can't even get her to learn basic mathematics!
"Would you stop making me look bad! I learned everything else!" May complained. You've also been learning a couple new things lately, Vanika said, amusement colouring her Mind-Link, as she discreetly looked at Ash. Both teenagers turned a dark red. Delia laughed, bopping a hand up and down to ease their embarrassment.
"We need some...oh, who could that be?" she started for the door, when Ash narrowed his eyes. Silvanus, then Vanika, had both turned to regard the front door as their links turned murky. A quick glance out of the window showed who was pounding on the door; he paled.
"May...May, I think now would be a good time to, um...go do that thing you were talking about," he said. She turned away from her grandfather, who had started telling her about the lab and how much it had changed since she was little, and gave Ash a strange look.
"What? I didn't say-" They saw Delia jump back when Ash's rival stormed into the house. Ash slapped a hand across his face. "Who's that?"
"GRAMPS! Why didn't you tell me you would be coming over here today? We were supposed to start work on that new pokemon...what the hell?" Looking at them, his hands on his hips, was Gary Oak.
- - -
