A Fling Across Time

Chapter 1: Old Faces

The young man gave a content sigh, his back falling onto the mattress with his head landing on the pillow. He brought his wrist up over his face and closed his eyes, focusing on the eternal darkness as his body slowly forgot the rigorous sensations it had just gone through. He could hear a slight shuffling beside him, but he didn't bother to open his eyes again. He already knew it was the other body on the bed, sitting up on the edge before rising to their feet. As he listened to them get their affairs in order, he couldn't help but peek one eye open and cast a final glance at the other person in the room. His eyes remained fixated on the shapely bare legs that led up to a curvy set of hips, noticing a pair of hands pulling up a lace pair of azure-blue fabric to cover the plump cheeks in his view. Not a word was spoken as the figure gathered the remainder of their clothing, which was discarded rather carelessly across the room, dressing themselves to the bare minimum of a respectable image. The young man then closed his eye again, no longer needing his vision to know what was coming next.

And sure enough, in a few more seconds of silence, he heard the sound of an opening door, soon followed by it closing again. The receding footsteps made him breathe a quiet sigh to himself, now left in complete solitude. After all this time, it was finally done. A part of him had started to wonder whether it would truly happen or not, but the young woman had kept her word on the matter. She had left the room.

And with that, their little arrangement...was over.

Four years later...

The calm, spring breeze wafted across Johto's Route 39, the tranquility of the area proving a perfect environment for just about anyone. Pokemon and humans alike felt undisturbed here; no matter their upbringing, they simply enjoyed their lives. Many Johto residents knew of the plans to bring a Battle Frontier to the region in the past, but some indiscretions and financial issues dismissed that idea after a long and arduous planning period. Not long after, another small group of locals decided to re-invent the construction plans for another purpose: not for business, but for the benefit of residents. And that idea, of course, was a small residential strip built off the western side of Route 39. A walking distance to Olivine City for shopping, yet quiet enough for a harmonious life in the countryside.

And that topic leads us to one of these homes in particular: a house that is a little further from the rest, but also provides its own personal 10-acre plot of open land connected to it. Anyone natively from Johto might have considered starting a farm, but there was someone else who had gotten to the property first. Someone who possessed a large amount of pokemon from his countless journeys, and wished for a large amount of space to accommodate them. He had finally decided it was time to leave the nest and move out of his mother's home, and thanks to the prize money from his countless accomplishments, he was able to provide well enough for himself and his pokemon. And this lifestyle had sustained them for just over five years now.

And this 24 year old young man, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped out in the bathing sunlight from his back porch. He brought a hand up against his forehead to shield his eyes, peering out at the open field ahead of him where he saw various groups of pokemon scattered across the property, making him smile before he started out towards the closed fence gate. This, of course, was mainly for the safety of his numerous tauros and preventing them from running off, but there were a few others as well that were a cause for concern. Mostly due to a scatterbrained or careless nature, but he thought a fence to be wise all the same. As he entered the field and closed the gate behind him, he smiled as he looked back at the house he called his own.

It was a fair-sized farmhouse of two stories, with a porch stretched across the back of the building. A single rocking chair sat on the porch facing the field, which was already there when he bought the property but he never felt the need to move it. Some days he felt like relaxing, after all. Each of the outer walls of the home were painted a porcelain white, which was his own personal improvement on the initial faded cream paint when he had first moved in. The roof was adorned with neatly-arranged black shingles, looking just as fresh as the day he had first seen them, which he was thankful for while the handful of twin-paned horizontal windows were cracked open while allowing rays of sunlight to brighten the inside of the home. All in all, Ash had felt luckier than ever when he had found the property, and even more so when he was able to buy it. His childhood home was great and all, of course, but a house to call his own? Priceless.

Over the course of the next few hours, Ash had run the usual course of his daily routine: run training battles with the competitive pokemon, play with the more affectionate pokemon, feed the pokemon, all of which was rather exhausting. He glanced down, seeing a small amount of sweat soaked into the collar of his shirt, breathing a sigh as he thanked himself for always dressing lightly.

He found that dealing with the pokemon would usually result in some dirt or filth attaching to him through the day, so he wore a light pair of grey jeans that hung a little loosely, so as not to trap the heat against his skin. He kept to a pair of simple black sneakers and a black sleeveless shirt, which displayed the fair-sized muscles he had developed since doing his own handiwork around the house. It had led him to one thought more often than anything: he respected his mother that much more for keeping their house clean when he was growing up. He no longer wore a hat atop his head, since it usually didn't help when he sweat in the sunlight, so his unkempt jet-black hair was left uncovered to enjoy the breeze. All in all - and despite still having some personal reserve in saying it - Ash Ketchum had grown up.

"Alright, buddy, I'm leaving things here to you, okay?" a pair of long ears twitched upward at his voice, the small head raising as well before looking at the human. The small pokemon rushed towards him, climbing up his side before taking its once-usual place on his shoulder, rubbing its cheek against his while cooing affectionately. "Come on, Pi, I just gotta run into town for a little bit. I'll be back soon, okay?" he chuckled, the mouse hesitating before pulling away with a nod. Pikachu hopped off his shoulder, making Ash laugh more as it held its small arms behind its back and started addressing the other nearby pokemon as if some kind of drill sergeant. Ash couldn't help but worry about some of the other larger pokemon as he turned away and started towards the gate, but knew they would still listen to the electric mouse regardless of size difference: beneath himself, Pikachu was their next leader, after all. Whenever he had to leave the house, he could always trust Pikachu to make sure things were okay. The occasional time he would find the mouse lounging around inside the house with snacks scattered about, but hey, like trainer like pokemon, right? Ash could really only blame himself for showing Pikachu that behavior for so many years.

"That should be the last of it..." Ash glanced down at the bag in his hand, thinking over the small shopping list in his head. He had gotten everything he could think of, which was simply a few small odds and ends for around the house: spare lightbulbs, some extra charging cords for his phone...rather, a lot of extra cords. Ever since he found a cord chewed apart in the living room one day, he thought to buy an extra but usually put it off. Then it happened the next day. And whether it was a wild rattata that found its way inside the back, or Gible when Ash just forgot to feed him and wasn't watching him, the young man found the mild annoyance of not having his phone fully charged to become a regular thing he didn't want to deal with. The thought of several extra cords now brought a content sigh out of him: all he had to do was hide them somewhere the pokemon couldn't get to...

As he walked down the path, he glanced over at the entrance of the Olivine Gym a short ways ahead of him. He smiled as he thought back to his challenge against Jasmine, wondering how the woman was doing but decided against a visit. He wouldn't want to bother her every time he got nostalgic, after all, otherwise the woman would come to loathe him. He noticed a small crowd by the front corner of the pokemon center, his brow furrowing curiously but deciding against that as well. He just wanted to get back home to his pokemon, make sure they were still out of trouble, and then maybe play some games or something. Having explored just about every region of the globe, he had found pleasure in simple pastimes within the house, whether it was playing an RPG on his Nintendo Switch, or puzzles, or even taking a nap. But the RPG games always lacked a few qualities in comparison to a real journey on foot.

As he passed by the small crowd, he could hear some younger girls squealing excitedly, as well as some male voices asking for autographs. Probably just Jasmine out for a stroll and being bothered by fans. But if they weren't locals, then maybe a traveling celebrity? Ash wasn't sure, but also, wasn't fully invested in finding out. He simply had a night of games with his name written all over it. Just some good ol' Nintendo Switch played by-

"Ash?"

The young man stopped on the spot, his brow furrowing slightly. Huh, people didn't usually recognize him. He glanced over his shoulder, perplexed as to who would call out to him since none of his closest friends lived around here. He saw every one of the heads in the small crowd looking his way, then back to the object of their fawning affection. Thankfully one of the girls in the crowd was rather short, which must have been the reason his own admirer was able to see him in the first place, but sure enough he noticed one pair of eyes focused on him rather intensely from the other side of the crowd. And the delighted smile that accompanied them made his brow furrow even further, watching as they squirmed their way past the crowd towards him.

"It is you!" Ash blinked, almost too stunned to say anything as a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around him very tightly. His eyes glanced over at the head of honey-brown hair that hovered over his shoulder, feeling what he figured was a chin nuzzling against the back of his shoulder. His arms remained out to the sides for two reasons: one, he did not want to damage the bag of stuff he had just bought, and two, this person had moved way too quickly for him to be positive who it even is. Obviously, it was a girl. The voice was feminine, the head of hair beside him was too shiny and luscious to be a guy's, and he could feel a rather convincing pair of evidence pressed against his chest in the embrace. For a moment, he couldn't even think of any girls who would be this excited to see him, so he replayed the past few moments in his mind. And he couldn't help but focus on the few glimpses of the water-blue eyes that had noticed him. Something about them that felt familiar...

"...Serena?"

The girl finally pulled away from him, revealing a bright smile on her face as she beamed. Ash blinked a few times in her silence, unsure if that meant he was right or not, so he took in the time to look over the details of her face. From the energy of her eyes, to the warmth of her smile, to her golden hair that still reflected how she looked when they were younger - though the locks behind her head now reached her shoulders - Ash couldn't think of her as anyone but his old traveling companion. She chuckled playfully, tilting her head to the side a little.

"The one and only! It's been a while, hasn't it?" Ash blinked again, hesitating to respond as he watched the girl take a step back with her arms behind her back. The short distance gave his eyes a chance to satiate their curiosity, glancing down to the ground beneath her.

Her feet wore a pair of red sneakers over some black socks that ended just below the knees, following them before seeing the bare skin after the fabric ended. Her bareness continued halfway up her thighs before he noticed a frilled white skirt loosely hanging over the top of her legs, continuing up to where they hugged her waist. He tried to ignore the narrow strip of her bare skin across her stomach, noticing her bellybutton in plain sight before forcing his eyes up to the fabric just above it. The short-length black crop top hugged the slimmest portion of her stomach, continuing up over her chest - which he forced his eyes past even further - before seeing the two strips of the fabric running over her shoulders while a triangle of her exposed collar dipped down her center towards her cleavage, which he didn't dare to look at. His final notices were that the top left her arms and shoulders entirely bare and a simple black purse hung beside her before he looked up to her eyes again, mentally taking in everything about her appearance. And he started to mentally curse himself for the thought that entered his head.

"So...What do you think?" he blinked, surprised before noticing the girl starting to waver back and forth a little with a bashful expression. She stared at the ground beside her while rubbing her arm, casting a brief curious glance his way. "It was so long ago, but that last day of our journey...I said I would become more of a woman...so..."

"...O-Oh, uh...I...Yeah, you...you've really grown up, Serena..." Ash looked away in shame, mentally cursing himself at the understatement. Saying that was like saying he enjoyed a light meal. Truth was, Serena had grown up more than he thought possible: Hell, he might as well just say it. She was a freakin' bombshell. He still didn't dare to look down past her jawline, but just remembering their earlier embrace gave him more than enough reason to know she filled out well. And the bare skin between the contrasting black socks and white skirt? He hated the fact that he knew from the internet that was called 'absolute territory', and he never imagined it could have been something actually worth looking for. But man- Wait, wait! This is Serena! He couldn't be this way with a friend like her! "S-Sorry, I didn't recognize you right away. You almost look too cute for me to believe it's actually you."

"H-Huh?!" Ash noticed the girl's cheeks light up as her eyes widened in surprise. She quickly turned to the side, crossing her arms closely against her chest while she looked up at the sky in embarrassment. "R...Really? You actually think that...?"

"Well, yeah. You look like you've been doing great," he smiled, noticing the golden blonde cast a brief glance his way before she broke into an uncontrollable smile.

"Y...Yeah, I have. Only thanks to my biggest motivation..." he noticed in the bottom of his sight that she started tapping the toes of one of her shoes against the dirt, acting bashfully before she glanced away from him. Then she turned and walked past him, making him surprised as he felt her grab his free arm. "S-Sorry, everyone! I have plans with my friend here, so I have to go, okay?" Ash's brow furrowed as he looked over at her, seeing her wave to the small crowd she had come from.

"Goodbye, Lady Serena! Good luck in your next contest!"

"We're always rooting for you!"

"Thank you, everyone! I appreciate it!" Ash felt a slight tug on his arm, seeing her head turn away from the crowd. "Quickly, before they start following," her hushed tone made him realize what she was asking of him, obliging as he followed along with her away from her fans. As he walked with her, he figured this must have been a regular thing for her, which made him start to think. "Whew...Thank you for going along with that so suddenly. I was just trying to ask for a room at the center, but they wouldn't stop asking questions..."

"Huh...I guess you've become pretty popular over the years, huh?" the blonde glanced his way, her cheeks flushing as she pouted a little.

"More than you can imagine...I do appreciate having fans, but sometimes, they're so invasive it's annoying..." her sigh made him chuckle as he looked ahead.

"I remember hearing that you started contests. I guess you really took a liking to them as well as showcases," the blonde cracked a smile, noticing a park bench up ahead. She pointed towards it with a hopeful look in Ash's direction, making him smile with a nod. The pair sat down, making Serena frown a little as she realized she should let go of his arm.

"Yeah, I sure did. I thought the battling part of it would scare me out of it, but after the first few I tried...I kinda fell in love with it. It's a good balance between being competitive and being glamorous, don't you think?" Ash gave a mindless nod, his eyes unable to refrain from looking over as he noticed her cross one leg over the other.

"Yeah, it's pretty interesting. I guess that's why you look so good," his comment came out rather absentminded, barely noticing the blonde blush again as she looked over at him in surprise before giving a sly smile.

"And I didn't think you would become such a charmer, mister way-with-words," Ash blinked and looked over at her in confusion, noticing her expression which only confused him further. He thought over what he had said, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

"A-Ah...Sorry, I guess that sounded kinda creepy, didn't it?" he chuckled, hearing the blonde giggle next to him.

"It's okay. I know what you meant by it, and...I find it flattering..." she trailed off shyly, twiddling her thumbs on her lap as she looked down. Ash swallowed his breath, mentally cursing himself: make it less awkward, make it less awkward...!

"So, uh...I see your hair is still pretty much the same. Maybe a little longer, though?" Ash cursed himself again. Girls are so intense about their hair, so he thought a compliment might lighten the mood or something, but that probably sounded like an insult too. He noticed one of her hands move over her shoulder, pulling some of the longer hair on her shoulder forward before twirling it around her fingertip.

"Yeah. It's a little harder to maintain for when I go on stage, but thankfully I'm not alone in that endeavor," she chuckled, piquing Ash's interest before she continued. "And it looks like your hair hasn't changed much, either. No offense, but it still looks like you just rolled out of bed."

"Heh, yeah, I never really bothered with that stuff..." he chuckled, the blonde giggling as well as he ran his fingers through his hair. Serena smiled, her eyes drifting downward a little.

"...But, um...it looks like you've...really kept in shape, haven't you?" her coy tone made him look at her curiously, noticing her eyes fixated curiously on his arm beside her. He held it straight out, watching her eyes follow it which made him smile while feeling a little embarrassed.

"Well, I guess...Doing all the work around the house myself keeps me pretty busy," his statement seemed to go unnoticed, the blonde clearly fighting an internal debate in her mind. And she must have lost. "All that re-painting, taking care of the pokemon, and...training...? uh, Serena?"

"Hm?" the blonde blinked out of her trance, her eyes going wide as she realized she was poking a fingertip into his bicep. Her eyes slowly looked up towards his, being met with a curious gaze, making her cheeks flush red immediately as she quickly pulled away. "I-I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to be so weird, I-I know I noticed when I was clinging to you earlier, but they're just more bulky than when we were kids...! Oh, gosh, what am I saying...?!"

"Hey, hey, it's okay," he couldn't help but chuckle at the blonde's face buried in her palms, glancing briefly over a few different spots of her body. After a short debate, he carefully tapped his palm against her bare shoulder in comfort, seeing one of her eyes peek out from behind her fingers. "I'm not weirded out or anything. I realize it's pretty weird to see me with actual muscles now, considering how scrawny I was as a kid."

"...Mm..." her palms slowly pulled away from her face, a light blush still refusing to leave her cheeks as she took a deep breath. "...I can't lie and say I wasn't thinking that. But I guess it's not like you couldn't say something similar about me, huh?"

"Huh?" Ash looked over curiously, suddenly growing nervous as he noticed her looking straight down. He didn't want to, but couldn't help himself from following her gaze and noticing one of her arms across her stomach, lifting the rather noticeable womanly assets contained by her top as she frowned a little.

"I know I wanted to become more of a woman, but these really get in the way a lot..." she muttered, suddenly becoming aware of what she was doing. She quickly looked over to Ash, noticing his eyes were thankfully looking down as he scratched at the bench beside him. But he did look a little embarrassed...

"Sure sounds like you have a fair share of struggles..." he chuckled, the blonde watching him curiously. She looked back down at her cleavage, feeling her cheeks warm up. How could she have done that so mindlessly right in front of him?! And yet...he didn't even look? Or maybe he was so quick she didn't catch him? Just about any guy who looked at her barely even bothered to try hiding it, but at the same time, this was Ash. He had always been a gentleman around her in the past - or just a dense boy - so maybe she was just imagining this. While on the other hand, the young man beside her only released a breath of relief while mentally cursing himself for almost thinking of his childhood friend that way. But even though he wanted to, he couldn't get the brief glimpse out of his head: that top really hugged those curves well. And he wasn't clueless in the wiles of women anymore, either, he knew those must have at least been C-cups. And the childish innocence of that simple blue ribbon dangling from the fro-...Wait...blue ribbon?

"Hey...Is...that ribbon...?" the blonde glanced his way, noticing him scratching his cheek while continuing to look down. She glanced down at her chest, smiling as she put a palm over the simple blue ribbon sewn into the front of the top's collar.

"...Yeah, it's the same one you gave me all those years ago."

"...You...still have that?"

"Of course. It was the first present I...really cherished. After all, it was from the one person who helped me become who I am today."

"O-Oh..."

"Yeah...and I like to have it right here. Something this important to me...I always wanna keep it close to my heart, y'know?" Ash glanced her way, seeing her flashing a warm smile his way which made him begin to feel nervous. Jeez, was she trying to be this cute or was this accidental?

"Well...I'm happy to hear that, then," Serena's smile grew a little, feeling a warmth in her chest at his words. Ash scratched his cheek again, still feeling embarrassed as he thought of how to continue the conversation. "So...Have you been traveling by yourself all this time?" the blonde gave a shake of her head.

"For a long time, I was. Then I took a break and went back home. Then I went out again...About a year ago, I met someone and we became pretty good friends. She was actually the same person who first gave me the courage to try out contests, and we've been traveling together ever since then," Ash gave a simple nod.

"So she's a coordinator, then?"

"Yep. She's been acting as my mentor and helps me whenever I get into a rough patch, kinda like you did on our first journey. Even though there's another reason I wanted to travel with her, that's the main reason I'm so thankful," Serena explained, looking down at her lap with a smile. Ash's brow furrowed curiously.

"But there's another reason?" the blonde's head raised suddenly, waving her wrist dismissively with a nervous chuckle.

"O-Oh, that's nothing, though! Just a girl reason that wouldn't interest you!" his brow furrowed a little more, then he shrugged and appeared to dismiss it. The blonde breathed a quiet sigh of relief: she really needed to stop being so careless in front of him.

"So, then, where is this friend of yours? I guess I should give them thanks for taking care of you all this time," the blonde blushed, reaching into her purse.

"Y-You don't need to do that much! And she said she wanted to check out the lighthouse when we first got here, so we were going to meet up at the center later..." she trailed off as she pulled out her cell phone, reading through her messages. Ash wasn't so low as to watch over her shoulder, instead focusing on a drifting cloud in the sky as he heard her finger tapping beside him. "She hasn't messaged me yet, so she must still be there...unless she ran off shopping again. Which is very likely, considering her..."

"Heh, sounds like some people I used to know," Ash's thoughts wandered as he stared blankly at the cloud. A particular thought drifted into his mind, as well as a series of memories, but he shook them out of his head quickly before forcing himself back to reality.

"I sure hope that wasn't a jab at me," he felt a light nudge in his gut, making him chuckle.

"Not as a jab, but your name did come to mind," the blonde cast a brief playful glare his way, but couldn't help but smile and roll her eyes.

"Well, I texted her, so hopefully she answers soon. But if she is shopping, then it might be a while," Serena sighed, leaning back against the bench with her now-dark phone in her hand. "I don't suppose you know anything fun to do around here while we wait?"

"Not really, if I'm being honest. There's not much around here for tourism besides the gym, and I'm sure you don't have an interest in a badge," the blonde shook her head, looking into the sky. "Although, I guess we could go to-"

"Oh, wow!" he stopped his sentence short and looked over at the blonde, watching her look at her phone again. "She already got back to me. That's weird, she usually takes forever...Looks like she's still at the lighthouse. Do you wanna go meet her?"

"Sure. I'm sure she must be a tough girl if she can handle you for so long," another jab at his gut made him chuckle, hearing the blonde grumble a little as she rose to her feet.

"Y'know what, I take back what I said about you having a way with words."

"Awww, you're gonna break my heart."

"Oh, whatever...like I could..."

"Hm? What was that?"

"N-Nothing! Just come on!"

"Do you even know where the lighthouse is?"

"...Nggh...Do you?"

"How about you try that big white tower over there?" the blonde followed his pointing finger, a self-loathing expression coming across her face as she noticed what was clearly a lighthouse standing in the distance. She glanced over to Ash, feeling even dumber at the obviously condescending smirk on his lips.

"Ugh, shut up."

"You did ask-"

"And I'm asking now for you to never bring this up again."

"We'll see," Serena rolled her eyes as she remained a few steps ahead of him, hearing him chuckle in amusement behind her as they walked. But despite how annoyed she was at her lack in common sense, she couldn't help but smile and feel nostalgic. She had missed their childish banter, even if Ash used to be on the losing side of the argument more often than the winning side. But walking together like this, even just being near him...It was something she had missed for so many years now.

And obviously, the reason to blame for that...was love. No matter how many days passed without seeing him, or how many other guys she met on her travels, her thoughts would always eventually lead back to Ash. This was because her heart still refused to let go of her lingering affections for him: rather, it only made it stronger. The more time she had spent away from him, the more she missed him. The more trainers she saw having battles, the more she wanted to see him battle. She didn't want to call herself obsessive, she could get him out of her mind for important times like contests or showcases. But whenever she was feeling lonely, or something reminded her of Ash in any way, he was in her thoughts. She had gone through a lot of different emotions on this topic: amazement, disappointment, annoyance, admiration, but nothing ever made it falter. She truly loved Ash, and no amount of time or interference would change that.

The pair arrived at the entrance of the lighthouse, moving inside as Serena looked around the inside of Olivine's landmark. She noticed a staircase starting along the far side of the circular building, spiraling around the wall before disappearing as it eventually led to the upper level. There was also a pair of silver doors straight in from the entrance, which she figured must have been an elevator. No one in their right mind would make this a tourist destination without a lazy method of getting to the top.

"So, what'll it be?" she felt a nudge against her arm, noticing Ash's finger pointing back and forth between the base of the staircase and the elevator door. She took a short time to think, but let's face it, the answer was obvious.

"We should probably get up there quickly, don't you think?" Ash arched an eyebrow as he noticed her finger point to the elevator.

"Sure, that's your reason," he stepped ahead of her, ignoring the obvious glare and frustrated puff of her cheek.

"Oh, be quiet," he felt a sharp poke into his back, glancing over his shoulder to see her smiling as she looked off to the side. He rolled his eyes as he pressed the button to call the elevator, waiting patiently for a few moments until it dinged and opened. The pair entered, waiting for the doors to close behind them before the box started climbing the tower. "So what have you been up to?"

"Me? Just relaxing, mostly. I keep up with training my pokemon, of course, but I haven't been traveling or anything for a number of years, if that's what you mean," the blonde looked at him curiously, almost surprised.

"Wow. I guess I should've known you wouldn't get lazy with your pokemon," she chuckled, the young man giving a smirk.

"Yeah, and the same goes for me. But I guess you already noticed that earlier," Serena blushed as she noticed the knowing smirk on his face while he poked his bicep beside her, making her frown with a grumble.

"D-Don't remind me of that...!" her tone made him chuckle in response, then the door dinged and opened in front of them. They stepped out, first seeing an upper platform above them where the town-famous 'Amphy' the ampharos rested. The floor they stood on was an open space all the way across, with a series of mounted binoculars equally spaced apart all around the outside. The outer walls were glass all the way around, giving a panoramic view of the environment around Olivine City. To the right they could see the top of the stairs that led to the first level, but ignored it as Serena moved towards the closest binoculars. "Wow...It's like a smaller version of Lumiose Tower..."

"Ah, I wouldn't say that too loud if you don't want to insult the locals," the blonde pulled away from the binoculars and looked at him curiously, then glanced around. She noticed a few people on the other side of the room looking out at the view, but felt a little bad all the same because of Ash's point. Ash smiled, then looked around. "So, are one of them your friend over there?"

"Hmm...No...I don't see her, actually," Serena's brow furrowed before she pulled her phone out of her purse, receiving a curious look from Ash.

"She did say the top of the lighthouse?" he asked, the blonde giving a nod without looking up.

"Yes, she said the observation deck. But I don't see how-" Ash noticed her pause, squinting a little as she stared at her phone. "Ugh...She took the stairs, somehow at the same time we took the elevator. We literally passed each other."

"Heh, I guess your friend's more physically active than you are?" he noticed the brief glare from his childhood friend.

"Don't even go there. She's actually pretty lazy, when you get to know her," she turned away from him, flicking her wrist over her shoulder to beckon him to follow. He shrugged with a sigh, following her towards the stairs before noticing her stop. He arched an eyebrow as she sighed again, turning away from the stairs and rubbing between her eyes with her phone still in her hand. "And now she's on the elevator, so I guess we're waiting here."

"You two are really on opposite ends of the spectrum, huh?" he chuckled, growing more and more amused at the chemistry between Serena and her mystery friend. The blonde groaned in response, shaking her head which only made Ash smile as she started walking towards the elevator. They stood by the button, waiting for the box to arrive as Ash crossed his arms and looked out the nearest window. Come to think of it, he still hadn't mentioned to Serena that he lived nearby. She had interrupted him when he tried to say it earlier, but after he meets this friend of hers, what would be her plan? He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the clock: 12 PM. Hell, it was only noon, there was no way they would just go to the center and do nothing the rest of the day. Should he invite them over to his place? That might be pretty weird to Serena's friend, considering he would be a total stranger, but what would Serena think of it? She did say she wanted something to do around here, but maybe suddenly going to a guy's house would be a little too much. "So, is this friend of yours a famous coordinator I might know?"

"Well, she is pretty well-known, but you definitely know her," the blonde's response made him glance over curiously.

"Definitely? And how can you be so sure?" he asked, then they both heard the ding of the elevator arriving.

"Because she told me," the pair stared at the elevator door, waiting for it to open before Ash suddenly looked at her in confusion.

"Huh?" just as his eyes looked at the blonde in question, he heard the door open in front of them, seeing Serena's expression turn to one of annoyance when she saw her friend. He looked back at the elevator, still wondering what Serena's words could have meant, but immediately found his answer when he found himself staring into a pair of sapphire-blue eyes. A pair he had not expected to see again.

"Ash?"

"So...you're sure about this?" Ash asked, his elbows on his knees as he leaned off the edge of the bed and stared at the floor.

"Yeah. You've said it too, haven't you? We can't keep meeting like this anymore," the feminine voice behind him had a point. He had said the same thing, they were just finding less and less opportunities to do this.

"And you're sure you're not going to change your mind in, say, a week-?" he felt a punch on his back, making him smirk.

"If either of us are going to go back on this, it's you, mister. I'm not sure if you can live a day anymore without tearing off my clothes," Ash closed his eyes, continuing to smile to himself. He wanted to retort, but a part of him wondered if she was actually right.

"Fair point, but don't act like you're not cock-hungry ever time you look for my name in your phone," his remark earned a quiet discontent grumble on the bed behind him, making him raise his head with a smile of victory. She definitely couldn't refute that one.

"Shut up, Ash," he felt the smile on his lips begin to fade, thinking about their situation. He wasn't exactly sad or disappointed, but there was...something. He wasn't sure how to describe it: after a year of this, he had gotten so used to their booty calls that the pair were more often together naked than clothed. "...So this really is it, then."

"Sounds like you're having second thoughts."

"I could say the same to you."

"...True. But we do have different lifestyles that don't seem to match up as often anymore..."

"...Yeah..." if he didn't know better, he would have almost thought she sounded disappointed. But he did know better. He knew better because this wasn't just a one-time thing: it was just a part of their arrangement. And with the start of that arrangement, they both figured it would eventually come to an end as well. But for that day to actually come...neither could put it into words. "...Ugh, screw this!"

"Hm-? Whoa!" Ash's eyes widened a little as his shoulders were suddenly pulled back. He landed back on the mattress, looking up in question at the other person on the bed who was responsible. His curious expression softened a little when he noticed the serious look he was being given, watching as the face hovered a few feet above his.

"We've never made a big deal out of this before, not in the whole year since we started. So why bother now?" her question made him think for a few moments, then he smirked. His eyes looked off the side of the feminine face, following the flowing locks of hair that reached down towards him but didn't quite reach. One of his hands found hers on his shoulder, pulling it away as he smirked up at her.

"Then what are you waiting for? Go ahead and take what you want," the eyes above him squinted slightly, recognizing the knowing look in his eyes. She hesitated, then Ash grinned further as he felt her hand leave his before it roughly squeezed at the growing mass in the front of his pants.

"You're an ass," her playful tone matched the look in her eyes, which now glistened with a familiar lust that was only invoked by him.

"Nah, I want some ass. So hop on already," there was one more moment of the pair exchanging knowing looks, then the sapphire-blue eyes disappeared before he watched her crawl over top of him, then took a seat on her favorite spot. It was barely a few seconds before he felt his pants yanked down his legs, followed by a familiar overwhelming warmth on his manhood that made him groan into the panty-clad crotch above him. Neither one had addressed it, but they both knew there would be no more words exchanged that night. Mainly because there was no need for any words. There was no need for anything but their usual fun, and that would be the end of it. No more booty calls. No more sex. No more exchanges whatsoever.

So they both did the best thing they could: they simply made the most of it.

Ash couldn't find his voice, his eyes unable to refrain from wandering south of those familiar blue eyes. That night was supposed to be the last time he would see them. His brain struggled to focus on anything else to distract him: her navy-blue blouse had vertical inch-wide white stripes with short frilly sleeves, the hem hanging loosely over the waistband of a pair of denim blue jean shorts that stopped just past the start of her thigh, beyond the round cheeks of her shapely rear. The remainder of her legs were bare until her short black socks reaching inside the black and white sneakers, with a black purse strap slung over her shoulder. He desperately tried to focus on these details that were different, but nothing stuck. His attention kept going back to what was the same: the same blue hair, the same porcelain-like skin, the same curious blue eyes that stared back at him, the same way she had uttered his name when the doors first opened. And all he could do, in return, was the same notion. He uttered the name of the girl he once called his sex friend.

"...D...Dawn..."

END

Minor notes about the structure of this story:

-Italics will be used for flashbacks/memories, these memories will not be in chronological order but most will have context clues in the story leading up to them to help you understand.
-Regarding the choice between Serena and Dawn, I have already decided who will be the winner in the end (if any, I could be messing with you). I understand there is a Dawn fanbase and a Serena fanbase and you all want your respective girl to win, but I already know who will win and my choice will not be swayed by messages or reviews or anything. I will also try not to spoil it if at all until the very end. You are free to give your thoughts, I respect that everyone can have their own opinions, but they will not sway the story.