Day 6: Ocean

"Well, today's the day," May sighed as she looked out at the morning sun from her balcony. She looked down and saw the local neighborhood waking up. Wherever she looked, people and Pokemon alike were gearing up for another fun-filled day. She saw trainers playing with their Pokemon, young men and women holding hands as they walked down the sidewalk...and a mother singing a lullaby to her 2-month-old child. May watched as that mother slowly but gently rocked her child to sleep, then set them down in a stroller and headed off on whatever errand she had for the day.

"May?"

She turned and saw her husband sitting up in bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Morning, Ash," she said, giving a sad smile.

"Morning," he replied, hopping out of bed. "What're you doing looking out the window? I thought you'd be making breakfast right now."

"Sorry," she said, turning to look outside. "I was just remembering."

"Remembering what?" Ash blinked. He came up behind her and followed her gaze, staring at the ocean. He smiled softly, admiring the beautiful blue ocean that reminded him so much of his wife's eyes. He wasn't sure if he was looking into the ocean when he looked in her eyes, or if it was the other way around. Not that it mattered; both were infinitely beautiful to him. The difference, of course, was that he could look at one of them any time he wanted, so he had a natural preference. He had nothing against the ocean, of course, as so many wonderful Pokemon lived out there, such as -

Then it hit him. "Oh," he whispered, realizing what day it was. He turned and looked at her, seeing her downcast ocean-blue eyes, and put his hand on her back, rubbing it consolingly. She glanced at him, giving him another sad smile. He returned it, then slowly pulled her into a soft, warm embrace. She leaned her head on his shoulder, humming softly in his arms. "How 'bout I start breakfast?" he suggested.

May pulled out, her arms still around his waist, and smiled at him. "I'd like that," she said, before leaning forward and giving him a brief kiss. They pulled apart, and he went over to the kitchen to prepare something.

May sighed again and gazed out at the ocean lapping the shoreline. The tide was coming in slightly, causing the sand right by the water to grow dark from getting wet. The shoreline, she noted, where the earth coexisted with the sea. She looked out at the rest of the ocean: the vast, blue ocean, whose depths only the most resilient water-type Pokemon knew, as they lived under the watchful eye of Legendary sea basin Pokemon, Kyogre. In that moment, May envied Kyogre. He could go wherever he wanted in the ocean, never needing to worry about water pressure, drowning, or anything else that could bring harm to human beings. Meanwhile, here she was, standing on her balcony, wishing she could find her way to the depths of the sea again.

"Will I ever see him again?" she said softly, wondering to herself. She looked down, frowning as bittersweet memories flooded her mind.

"Hey, May," Ash said, putting his hand on her shoulder and snapping her out of her reverie. She turned and looked at him. "I have some oatmeal ready if you want it."

"Thanks," she said. They went over to the table and sat down. May took a spoonful of her oatmeal and brought it to her mouth. "Ooh!" she exclaimed. "That's hot!"

"Need some ice?" Ash asked.

"No, it's fine," she replied, taking another spoonful. "It's just the way I like it."

They were quiet for about a minute, eating their food in silence. May seemed to feel a little better, but Ash could still see the sadness in her eyes: a sadness like the soft waves of the ocean. He knew why she was sad, and she had every right to be. He was sad too, but not necessarily as sad as she was.

"You miss him, don't you?" he finally said.

"Yeah," she replied, taking another bite. "It's been years, I know, but for some reason, it feels like it gets harder and harder, not easier."

"It's hard to let go," he agreed. "Saying goodbye always hurts." He leaned forward and gazed intently into her eyes. "But Manaphy was different," he said. "You weren't just his trainer."

"I know," May said, looking up at him. "That's why it's so hard."

Ash nodded in understanding, reaching his free hand forward and intertwining it with her own. "There is one thing that's different now," he said.

"What?" she blinked.

"You don't have to bear it alone anymore." He brought their hands up and placed his against hers, each of their fingers up against the other. "No matter what, I'll stick with you and help you through it."

May smiled softly at him and slowly intertwined her fingers with his. "I know," she whispered.

Once they were done with breakfast, they stood at the balcony together, gazing out at the ocean, his arm around her shoulders and her arm around his waist, leaning her head on his shoulder. She knew in her heart that the pain of saying goodbye would never go away completely, but knowing that he could be there to support her through it all, she could bear it better than she ever could on her own.

Another short one, I know, but I hit some writer's block. Thankfully, this time I had a strategy to get around it.

Remember how I said earlier that this was a very special week? Yeah, I wasn't joking around, and I wasn't talking about Advanceshipping Week. What was I talking about, then?

See you tomorrow. ;)