Locked Away, Chapter 44
While the rest of the team slept, Jessie and James manned the waters, made sure they got away from Unova safely, undetected. For a good period of time, they watched in silence while Brock drank, and thought, and shuddered under the pressure of the world on the edge of the boat. He seemed so peaceful, yet disturbed by what he saw, and Jessie had to remind herself once more that this plan working was a surprise to all of them.
It worked! Their plan to have Ash ultimately destroy the complex worked, and they were stuck somewhere between awe and frustration. James watched the wheel, while Jessie flipped through some old files they gathered while they adventured prior; broke into old bases, and collected information. Including the information from route twenty five.
"We should find the last of the legendary pokemon closest to Kanto, first." Jessie observed, circling a few places on the map; a paper trail for the children to see. "By that time, Giovanni should make a move. We'll be ready for it, then."
James pursed his lips, turning away from the sea to look at the maroon haired woman. Late a night, when her make-up was rubbed off, her eyeliner and mascara smeared with lips dry; she looked her age. Crows feet grew under her eyes, and where she used to have laugh lines, now she had dominant frown, formed from years of tedious, malicious tasks. Her long hair was tied up in a bun at the top of her head, and her foot tapped repeatedly on the floor. More than the wrinkles, and the aged lines on her face; were the scars.
Pokemon weren't always friendly; meowth wasn't always friendly, and sometimes, those playful accidents turned into permanent decorations on their flesh; where James was fortunate enough to have his reminders beneath his clothes; the vertical lines running down Jessie's cheek, and down the left of her lips was an unmistakable trademark now. Where it was mostly invisible when she wore make-up. Now, at the end of the day, under the moonless sky, James was once again reminded of their mistakes. He was no perfect villain himself, either. His most notable accidents were the scars along his arms, and the traces of busted knuckles, and broken knee caps. His lip was scarred from the several times his face was met with a lovely boot to the face, but unlike Jessie; James never stopped smiling.
And so he smiled at her. "Do you really think finding the legendaries are the only winning factors in this?" He asked, pulling a seat out beside her, and sitting.
Jessie exhaled. "No, there are other things. But we already know the twerp can talk with them—we know that they like him on most occasions. If the twerp can control them; then we've already won this battle."
James' smile faded slowly while he looked to the chart that they created. "What do you think he's planning, Jessie?"
"I don't know."
"...They're going to ask..." James mumbled, to which Jessie snapped and slammed her hand on the table. James eeped while Jessie straightened her shirt and leaned forward.
"We don't need to know exactly what he's planning; just that he's planning to lure out the god pokemon. To avoid that, we just need to make sure the other legendary pokemon are out, and far away from him and his facilities."
"Yes...but Jessie.."
She glowered at him, eyes hostile while he sat in silence, and lowered his head to sigh. They were thoughtless, pulling at strings. Giovanni never left a paper trail; getting information from the facility wasn't possible only because Giovanni made it that way. Only he, and a select few initiates were updated on the larger plan, and what Jessie and James knew was fives years old now. They saw what he did to each region; the different chaos that pertained to each individual land, and while they spent the last few years trying to undo what they did, their efforts seemed for not. Until now.
"With that pokemon, we don't know what he's capable of, you saw what it did to Bill's lab. Who is to say that even this attack on Unova wasn't planned?" James murmured, looking down while Jessie glared at the map she was drawing on. Finally, traces of slow, doubtful fear flickered in her eyes, and she clasped James hand, and pat it twice before returning to her organization.
"We can't think like that." Jessie quipped, writing down another location of a legendary while James sat backwards and pinched the bridge of his nose.
They threw children into the lions den. Unaware, unprepared, children into an area that would have killed them given the chance. James wasn't okay with the plan from the beginning, but meowth and Jessie were determined; knew it would work. With legendary pokemon roaming again, balance would have to return, and with them leaving; Giovanni would be forced to find one of them; a trainer who could understand pokemon to bring them back: that person would be Ash.
"...remember what it used to be like? When we were kids in the pokemon academy?" James asked, twisting his fingers together. Still writing, Jessie nodded a brief "mmhmm' then silence fell between them.
"It's strange, working with the kid instead of chasing him, isn't it?" James tried next, though Jessie only blew a strand of hair from her face. He was drawing at straws.
"Do you think the world can really be like what we saw?"
"I don't know!" Finally Jessie snapped, staring up at him while he looked back at her sadly. "we don't even know what we saw in that hospital room."
James blinked once or twice and rubbed his face with the palms of his hand. "I know..."
The event in question, the day they attempted to assassinate Ash Ketchum, changed everything for the trio. They always knew what was happening thanks to meowth, but when they saw it... James swallowed hard, shaking. "Should we have told them? Told him what we saw?" James questioned aloud with a scowl over his face. Jessie shook her head.
"He would only focus on that; the same way that if we told him his friends were likely imprisoned in Unova. We have to do these things to complete the greater plan. Besides, the fact that he got away without the legendaries killing him means that the plan worked." Once again, she took his hand, softer this time, and they shared a enamored glance. "Sometimes, I wonder how you were ever evil." She squeezed his hand, scoffing.
"I don't think we ever were, Jess."
And they weren't, not really. They did bad things, for the wrong people; but evil, hardhearted villains was never the correct term for them, even before they turned 'good'. They were caught up in their job, having finally been good at something after years of struggling through complete failures. To be appreciated by anyone was worth all the wrong doings at the start. Perhaps it was because they didn't understand in the beginning; Giovanni didn't always seem so evil, but Jessie, James, and even meowth, took a great deal of pride in their work.
They were the first criminals to successfully rob the league bank, infiltrate and steal schematics for several new pokeballs and systems from Silph Co, and capture even some of the most terrifying pokemon in the world.
More importantly, they created the weapons that captured the legendary pokemon. Told Giovanni of these great, powerful creatures of myth that later came to know Jessie and James as their captors; their enemies. A part of their nightmares. But how could they have known what this would turn into? Giovanni gave them the attention they so very much craved in the beginning, and they were enamored and adored by their colleagues; blinded by love. They did this.
XOX
After the first few hours on the boat again, Ash realized sleep was going to be an issue. His body was tense and uncomfortable, every muscle ached. The first hour was spent reconciling with pikachu and togepi, but the second hour was spent with constant, reoccurring memories of the time spent on Unova. When he closed his eyes, he saw a deranged goodra glaring back at him, garchomp jumping into his defense, Moltress' bright, endless flame; and finally, an rifles pointed at his head. Ash was never one to believe legendary pokemon were invincible, but that flamed burned through the worst kind of metal. Toppled with the intense round of adrenaline that was still leaving his body, Ash was up and down.
Hearing that Jessie and James lied to him made his skin crawl, but at the same time, he understood. Their plan was to release the legendary pokemone that were captured, and fish out Giovanni. If Ash truly was his target, the man would take action, and Jessie and James were sure they knew where he would go. Ash didn't like it, didn't agree with it but he knew why Jessie and James would lie about such things. They were as scared as all of them. A year ago, the notion of being lied to made him upset; aggressive and unreasonable, but now... it seemed like a necessary evil, occasionally.
They were guilty if nothing else. Their remorse for allowing Giovanni to obtain so much power made them feel far worse than Ash could have ever imagined. The trio didn't mean to put Ash and Misty into so much danger—it just sort of ended up that way. Now that Giovanni would be actively trying to bring Ash into his clutches, they could rise to the next step; the complete obliteration of Team Rocket, and it all started by using what they know, and Giovanni doesn't: the location of the rest of legendaries.
Ash turned over once more, agitating a snoring pikachu at the foot of his bed, and placing togepi against the wall and pillow. He ignored the blinking clock from across the room and groaned in the darkness. It was too late to be thinking, and given the circumstances, Ash should have been exhausted; he just survived the destruction of one of the largest team rocket prison and holding facilities in the world—and yet his body wouldn't relax. Every nerve felt like it was on fire, and so when he finally kicked his feet up to face the cold, metal floor, he let out a very loud sigh and stroked his hair. He felt his age now. Old. At least, that's what it seemed like. His brain was no longer invested in the memories of childhood amnesia; but what next. What was the meaning of those papers that he and Misty found? In the midst of returning, he neglected to ask. Did that mean Iris and Cilan were alive? What about the rest of the people on the list: where were they being kept? Why were they being kept?
On top of everything else, what was he supposed to do now? Even if they figured out Giovanni's location, found the legendaries and faced the evil man; what were they supposed to do? Kill him?
Red flashed into Ash's mind, twirling the cascade necklace he wore thoughtlessly between his fingers. Recalling the crunch, and crack, and screams at the back of his mind, behind the roar of a blaring alarm sent chills down his spine. Those team rocket members... and goodra and garchomp. stomach upset, Ash jolted from bed, threw off his covered and rushed forward to snap his room light on, removing the images in the dark. Pikachu groaned, but made no indication of being bothered while it rolled back over, burying its snout beneath the end of the blankets. Talk was no good, pikachu tried to assure him they could find goodra and garchomp after they've figured out where they are going next. Pikachu assured him that they would find him... but to make himself feel worse, he almost didn't want them to. There were few times in Ash's life where he recalled being scared, and he never thought that would be a fear associated with his own pokemon. Goodra attacked him, attacked Misty; and gave no signal it would let up until a pokemon much larger appeared.
Ash rubbed his head bitterly while resting his forehead against the cold, metal door to his enclosed room. A part of him thought to go sit on the deck, watch the facility burn to the ground, talk to Brock, or Team Rocket—or anyone to explain what he saw. He felt wrong all over. Yes, Ash understood why he had to go—why he had to see it, why he had to break it: that didn't mean he wanted to. Ash was growing used to the mundane destruction that seemingly followed him; but no one ever died before. Maybe he didn't know those people, but they were...
Then, a subtle knock rang against the metal door, shattering his thoughts while he watched the clock: it read 2:34, and Ash wondered who else would be up now.
Groaning and pinching the bridge of his nose, Ash nearly snarled. "What?"
A pause, then with an awkward stammer Misty's voice rang through the room, drawing an immediate silence.
"...It's me." She hesitated, though at the sound of her voice, he jumped backwards, face red and body numb. He kissed Misty! Where a momentary calm formed at her appearance, a fleeting panic of embarrassment settled a second later. How could he think about that in a time like this? What was wrong with him?
Scrambling, Ash pawed at the handle of the door, and tugged it open abruptly. Misty didn't jump, but her eyes grew wide, and her lips pursed in minor curiosity at his awareness. They didn't have personal pajamas. Just what was offered as compliments of the ship; so they wore matching, blue grandma pajamas. They would have almost looked like twins if Misty wasn't pale, green eyed and...tinted red hair.
"Couldn't sleep either?" She questioned normally, though his eyes were drawn to her head—where off-colored orange spikes darted in all directions with hints of grays and streaks of silver.
"...No." Ash muttered in disbelief, shaking his head gently. "...your hair?"
Again, she scowled unimpressed with his reaction and touched the shortened strands with the tips of her fingers. What was with him and her hair? It wasn't like she made a point of mentioning when his hair was too long.
"I found hair-dye remover in the spa room..." She murmured, shifting her gaze from his own with folded arms. She wasn't quite as intimidating in her blue pajamas. "...It didn't all come out, but I didn't do the best job of dying it, anyways; it's better than it was." Misty offered dryly.
Ash's eyebrows rose quizzically. "...Whats wrong with black hair?"
"Oh." Misty looked up at him, jaw cocked to one side. "Nothing. It's just... not for me." she swiped her hair again, almost nervously.
Ash didn't speak again, instead, he gave her a dejected look; eyebrows knit together concerned while she chewed the inside of her cheek and shifted her weight between feet. Ash's hand clutched the edge of the door; confused by her sudden timidness.
Finally, she exhaled; something close to a growl. "Can I come in or not? I'm not going to stand in the hallway like a goof all night." Misty groaned while slapping her forehead gently.
Stupefied, Ash jerked the door aside. "Oh." He managed, stepping aside for her to brush past him into his space and immediately take the seat beside an unused desk. Her feet curled beneath the seat and she slouched backwards while he and his dumbfounded expression shifted the door closed, and he turned to face her. Permission was uncommon; usually she would walk in whenever she wanted to. Now it was weird.
And it was weird that it was weird! This shouldn't have been weird! They shouldn't have even thought about this after everything that happened on Unova. With a guilt ridden heart, Ash's face scrunched up. Misty looked tired, beat. Her hair was tied back for the most part, out of her face, aside from what was left of her bangs and the strands that hung down around her face; but her gaze was fixated on pikachu and togepi, who rested peacefully while she looked miserable. Her lips were pressed into an indiscreet frown, her nails clawed into the chair's arm rests, and she swiveled only a little.
"...Are you okay?" the words slipped from is mouth without warning while he stared at her. Rather than pepping up like she normally would, she remained the same, inverted stoic being she was.
"Not really." She sighed, pressing her fingers between her eyebrows. "Sorry for losing my cool earlier on Jessie and James... I just..." She sighed and rolled her eyes back. " Aren't you mad at them?"
The question was direct, nearly knocking the wind out of Ash while he ventured to sit on the foot of his bed beside pikachu, only a foot or so away from the pestered Misty. Was he mad? Really mad? A little; mad that they weren't honest with him, but also accepting that they felt they had too.
"...not really?" Ash answered honestly, looking up at her exhausted expression. "Should I be?"
"Yes." She said automatically, obviously confused. "We almost died-" Misty paused, held her fingers up. "-like five times in under an hour. That doesn't bother you?"
Ash stammered, smacking his lips. "Well that bothers me, but it wasn't Jessie and James' fault. They didn't know it was going to be that bad."
Her fingers laced around her stomach, and her legs crossed at the knees. Hearing Ash defend them unsettled her, almost scorched her soul and body. For awhile, she said nothing at all, only scratched at a bandage on her right arm where bits of goodra's acid burned her. Ash was still in a sling over his right arm for the previous dislocation, but he didn't mind it as much. The pain was a small reminder that he was still here.
"What about those documents we found? Do you think we should have brought it up? That they meant anything?" Misty asked, regurgitating Ash's thoughts from earlier. He sat back a bit straighter, his shoulders rose, and while she looked unpleasantly unpleasant, he was a little...concerned? Or was that frustration? Ash exhaled regardless.
"Is that really what you came to talk to me about?" Ash grumbled, trying to disguise his disappointed tone the best that he could. Perhaps he was being selfish; but maybe he didn't want to think about all the terrible things that happened that night. He thought he wanted to, but with her sitting so close now, he felt pangs; and an immense amount of guilt.
A light scoff escaped her lips, and her eyes clung to the ground.
"No." She admitted finally, though that was all she said for a long time. Her thoughts were everywhere. While Ash struggled to decide what the next step was; her's was pretty clear. One way or another, she was going back to Kanto as an Elite Four member, it was her job, and duty. This put her in direct contact with the very people trying to undermine everything; the people who had control over everything and that didn't include a plan on how to stop it.
Running into a controlled media batting ideas about Team Rocket wasn't safe. Then again. It never had been. She always knew that this would be hard, that changing the world would be difficult; but never had she been so scared. When she closed her eyes, she saw what enraged, tortured pokemon were capable of; saw what Team Rocket was willing to do, and faced it. Yet, her hands shook, and when she closed her eyes she was still staring down a barrel five feet from her face, and feeling the glowing heat burn her flesh. The searing nick of a gunshot that Brock stitched earlier was only a partial reminder. The rest was some kind of hellish, unborn nightmare that she wasn't dreaming of. It was real life.
Maybe that's what scared her most of all.
"How." Misty's question lingered as a command, her eyes turning from their sullen position; ignited by agitation while she glared at Ash. "When you woke up to this world and you saw how everything was how in the world did you accept it? How can you accept it now?" her voice pitched painfully while she emphasized with her hands what they saw on Unova and Ash stiffened like a board.
"How?" He echoed nervously, recalling his time first waking up, and suddenly, he was very uncomfortable.
"I don't know... I just... dealt with it." He stopped, watching her dreadful expression; he exhaled reassuringly. "And it wasn't all bad; at least not at the start. I was still learning a lot; catching up with the world I was absent from for ten years; learning about you, about pokemon and the world all over again; then everything just started..." He thought back to the event on Route Twenty Five and slowly nodded his head while she stared intently, leaning forward in her chair until her elbows pressed against her knees.
"The last time I was in Unova..." He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "I had the same thoughts; worrying about my pokemon, why it mattered at all what was happening around me because everything here kind of sucked." He admitted candidly with a bit of a chuckle. "My mom didn't want me, most of my pokemon were gone, my friends were all separated, some big evil was lumbering forever over my head, and that doesn't even start the mental anguish of learning everything that I knew was different than what I remembered. At first, outside of you and your sisters; I didn't have anyone around, no resemblance to the world I remembered..."
A smiled cracked over his lips; one of acceptance. "But...that's because the world I was in didn't exist. I was never able to accept what the world really was because I lived in a made up land. But... because I was there, I think I can still see a lot of good here—I mean, look at Brock, and Gary, and even Jessie and James; not everything is horrible, it just needs a little bit of guidance sometimes. And hard work." He paused, watching as her eyebrows rose slowly. A small part of him was selfishly grateful that he wasn't the only one regretting last nights events. With great good, came great sacrifices and Ash was greatly unsettled by them: perhaps, that was what made him human.
"...and sometimes that means facing the hard stuff head on, and never giving up. I think with a little effort, this world can be amazing; it's just been lead down a dark path." He inhaled, his words almost surprised himself. "That's what kept me going then; it's what keeps me going...now. I want to help... I mean, what else is there if I can't help?"
While he finished, Misty's hand slowly cupped her jaw and a smirk curved over her lips.
"I wish I could have seen it." She mumbled quietly, a dazed look in her eye; her comment taking Ash by surprise. He dared to question her when she snapped back to reality with a tantalizing smirk. "I can't believe you were just a frail, dying boy only a year ago; and a thickheaded pokemon trainer before that." She chuckled, earning a sigh of embarrassment from Ash.
His mouth opened to reply, but she beat him to it with a defeated look; admiration dancing behind sea-green eyes.
"Everything's changed since you came back, you know that, right?" She questioned, tilted her head to one side as a faint, crawling blush danced over his cheeks, and he looked down at his hands which twiddled together awkwardly. Yes, he had been told that on occasion, though he was still amazed that he, a single person could make so many differences in the world. For a normal guy, he was extra extraordinary.
"Thanks, Mist." Ash murmured, looking back at her with a dopey expression mirroring her own.
Their eyes locked; relieving the taught tension between the two of them while Ash leaned forward inexplicably. Feeling braver than he had in the last couple of hours; his mind and body relaxed when he leaned towards her, gaze falling to her pink lips.
"Can I kiss you again?"
"Yeah." Rolled out of her mouth breathlessly before they both shot out of their seats and met in the middle with a mash of limbs. One of her arms wrapped up, then around his back while the other laced his neck, and clawed at his scalp. Ash wasn't sure what to do with his hands, just that he wanted to touch her, so he settled for safe ground at the center of her back and brought her body flush against his while her mouth led his with twists, and tongue.
Misty pushed, the timid female that sat on his discarded chair only seconds ago replaced with the same aggression she had while battling, and in her movements made him stagger, then trip backwards. Rather than scream, they fell onto his bed with an enormous amount of laughter, waking pikachu and togepi from their slumber with an unwarranted daze and worry that they were under attack. Their limbs still tangled while their faces scrunched and she rolled over to kiss him again without hesitation.
This time, her lips were sweeter, warmer than before. Lined with the scent of tacky strawberry soap provided by the cruise ship's hospitable previous crew, Ash cracked a smile at her eagerness. Pecks followed in between heavy breathing, and his face burned raw. Kissing Misty was different, and strange, yet exhilarating at the same time. For months he may or may not have imagined a moment like this one, imagined what she would feel like in his arms in a non-platonic way; but imagination was nothing compared to the real thing. His entire body felt like it was on fire; but a good kind of fire, the same fire in his chest he had while battling—but everywhere.
Slowly, she parted from him, sitting up on one arm so she could stare down at Ash with lowered eyelids full of passion and attraction. From where he could see, her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were full of mirth; but he wasn't any better. His cheeks were redder; still adjusting to kissing in general while she ran her thumb gently down the side of his neck, and then pecked his lips quietly, waiting for Ash to return the intensity. Warm hands cupped her face, fingers wrapped behind her neck and brought her in closer while her lips parted, allowing his tongue the chance to move freely while she made fists in his shirt—giving him the experience rather than taking the lead again. He was nervous, his lips reflected that, and his body shook anxiously; but she didn't care. Underneath the skill was emotion; passion, and she loved it.
"Mmm." Misty hummed, patting his shoulder as an indication to stop. She couldn't breath, Ash was horrible at letting up for air—least, she thought so in the two times they really kissed, and so she dug her nails into his uninjured shoulder and he broke away.
Blinking several times, an innocent dash of confusion crossed his face and he wilted with the faintest pout over his lips.
"This is great." She breathed, her reassurance returning the confidence in his brown eyes. "But I think maybe we should talk." Misty suggested, batting her eyes at him.
In reaction, he sucked in his lips and swallowed hard; breathless, flustered and hormones everywhere, he settled for the best half smile he could manage. Misty thought it looked painful but returned it with her own half smile.
"About what?" He finally managed, sitting forward to clear his fuzzy mind. Misty followed him up, and re-crossed her legs at the knees.
"About us?" She managed, eyebrows knitting carefully. His heart fell into his stomach. What about them? They kissed, they obviously liked each other; what more was there to talk about? There was a lot to talk about, but they were pretty clear now, weren't they? In the movies the guy always got the girl without questions asked!
"...Err.." Ash offered, unable to look away from her. Eyes drawn to places he never really looked before while struggling to keep eye contact.
"You were a coma patient for ten years." She heavily emphasized the ten years with careful pause before continuing: "This isn't weird for you?"
His nose scrunched up. "It's really weird." watching her expression turn from coy to fright made his brain flicker on once more. "I mean, it's not a bad weird. It's just... uhm. Should it be weird?"
"You tell me." She grumbled, mouth pointed downward. Ash wasn't sure what she wanted to hear, so he stammered.
"Well you're making it weird now." he emphasized the situation with a flick of his wrist and Misty reeled backwards, though still in grabbing distance.
"How am I making it weird? I just don't want to, you know... take advantage of you."
Ash responded with easily one of the most dumbfounded expressions he could manage while tilting his head to one side. "Taking advantage...of me?" Ash questioned, pointing at him while Misty shrugged in unsure embarrassment.
"How would you be taking advantage of me?" He questioned mockingly while her eyes shifted to the door. So innocently, Misty had to wonder to herself what in the world she was doing.
"Well... I don't know, it's just you're, well..you know." Ash chuckled indescribably while listening to her uncertainty, a notion that made her scowl hatefully. While it was an uncommon reaction, it was cute and even odder that he thought it was cute. More importantly, Misty was the only person he could imagine having this conversation with.
Then, a mischievous gleam formed where adoration was and he licked the corners of his mouth. "Is that why you never said anything?"
Her face flushed deep red, and her mouth opened subjectively before the palm of her hand found his face, and in her defense shoved him hard, away from her in instinctive deflection.
"Don't get smart with me." She whined, still denying her feelings. Ash laughed loudly, against the pressure, against the chaos, and turned back at her grinning. Naturally, his hands found perch on her neck; touching her was second nature, so when his forehead rest against hers, they both exhaled.
"Misty, I like you." He managed in a calm voice, cracking an earnest, toothy smile. Her face softened, and the red hue dissipated to an affectionate flush as she peered into his eyes.
"...I get scared of stuff like this." An embarrassed Misty muttered quietly, closing her eyes. Ash didn't expect her to so answer honestly, he was joking when he asked her why she didn't say anything; but her words still stole his breath and he smiled earnestly.
"Me, too."
Their lips barely grazed when both togepi and pikachu rudely interrupted by jamming themselves between Ash and Misty; roaring in excitement, and also please stop.
"Chhhaa~" the mouse mocked Ash with a tired, exasperated sigh, earning a glare from Ash.
"You be quiet." Ash warned pikachu who cocked a mocking brow, and raised his paw to his lips.
"Toge-brii" The egg hummed, urging to be tucked in; though Ash's face twisted, and he made a mental note not to wake his pokemon next time. Misty didn't seem to mind while she scratched behind pikachu's ears and rocked togepi back and forth; and so Ash relaxed and nodded his agreement. Tomorrow was another day, and it wasn't like Misty was going anywhere any time soon. They had plenty of time to work out the kinks.
"I guess it is getting pretty late." He hummed, glancing at the clock. Aside from the purse of her lips, Misty didn't move from her spot at the foot of his bed, and he watched her questionably.
Catching his gaze, she stared up at him daringly. "Well, we've already slept together before..so." Her eyes shifted to the light switch across the room and Ash only hesitated for a minute before springing up and flicking off the light before she saw how much he was shaking. Kissing was one thing, and while yes they accidentally fell asleep together a few times, it was always accidental and his face flushed deeply while he approached her. She nestled togepi and pikachu at the foot of the bed where they yawned, and Ash crawled in beside her.
Awkward at first, Misty, who recovered her nonchalant senses snuggled close to his chest while his right arm awkwardly rested on her waist from the sling and shifted against the warmth leaking from her body, through his chest and legs. She covered them up with the light blanket on his bed, and Ash squeezed his eyes shut.
"This is weird." Ash mumbled into her ear, unable to read her expression; though he was sure that she was enjoying this.
"...I can go." Misty responded quickly, though her voice betrayed her words. Protectively, Ash wrapped both arms around her and exhaled on her neck.
"No, stay." he said, sleep pulling at his thoughts the very moment his eyes closed. Due to the stress and exhaustion of the day, he never realized just how tired he really was; but now, his body felt like it weighed a ton, and his mind was flightless.
"I feel kind of guilty..." He admit, eyes closed while Misty inhaled; eyes wide open, staring into the darkness.
"...Don't be."
Sleep called to him, tugged at every corner of his mind while a very sleepy Misty hummed quietly in the dark, ending the silence.
"Hey, Ash." he responded to her call with a 'hmm' buried into her shoulder. "What was the password?" She asked with her eyebrows knitting together.
Ash might have laughed if he wasn't so tired, but instead; he calmly breathed into her hair, tickling her neck with his breath.
"Double trouble."
Misty snorted.
XOX
Brock had no idea about Ash and Misty's love affair while he sat out in the middle of the night on the deck of the boat; legs poking out of the railing. He watched Unova fade into the distance for hours now. He watched when the legendary birds emerged, marked their territories; and observed the way the legendary beasts formed a pack to protect themselves; how the dragons slowly fled the area upon the realization that the legendaries were back, and he wondered how long it would be before their chaotic reign not only wiped out Unova, but traveled to the rest of the world; too. Animals trapped in a cage for years couldn't have been happy with the world anymore.
Balance was all but destroyed. Jessie and James were trying to restore balance, but now the legendary pokemon were fighting, and there was no telling when that battle would end. Ice mixed with lightning, and blinding white lights poured into the sky, followed by beams of darkness, and fire everywhere.
For the first time, Brock sipped wine from the bottle; and for the first time, he let everything that happened to him settle into every crevice, every bone, and ever nerve of his body. Sitting alone, with his friends safe as they were happily on their way back to whatever was waiting for them in Kanto; Brock could finally think.
His father's untimely passing, his forced nature to become the Pewter City gym leader, the slow crawl of the dictatorship they lived in, and the overwhelming friendship he almost lost today. Ash and Misty were as tough as nails; but they were also his family. They were broken, and the pieces didn't all fit the same: but he found them, and they were his; his other family. It was weird to think of them that way, given he hadn't really known them for very long; but it felt like he knew them his entire life, almost longer than his own siblings. Something clicked. Life without them wouldn't have been the same, and now, he wasn't even sure what life was like without them. Yet, when they could have used him the most, he was helpless to help them. The same way he was helpless to help his father, obtain his dreams, and prevent the plague that was Team Rocket.
Brock hiccuped, sniffling silently while placing his forehead against the metal railing of the boat. He watched the slow crawling destruction of Unova's shore because it stopped the hole in his chest from caving in, it stopped his mind from laying the world at his finger tips in an empty room. Watching what happened if they failed was the nail in his coffin; he wouldn't let Ash and Misty down again, he would be just as useful as them next time.
...When would be next time?
They were supposed to be gallivanting after legendary pokemon now; washing their hands with any decent plan in favor of a half-baked, inconsistent tunnel-visioned plan created by the people Ash described as "blundering idiots" on their walk to Saffron City.
They were so bad at being bad, who was to say such a mindset did not transfer over? Just because they had a few major qualities in their known field of work, didn't mean they were any less terrible at planning. If their latest plan was any indication of what was to be expected, Brock wasn't going to leave all of his eggs in a single basket.
Giovanni will come out of hiding they told the group—but what then? They throw a rock at his head and hope for the best? He still controlled three fifths of Kanto; the media bent at his will, he controlled the league—and so Brock questioned what exactly they could do to him. He was already a convicted criminal, and unless they could get a band of rebels together, they would be powerless. However, no one else, the government, police, politicians, seemed to question Giovanni's motive.
Freeing Unova didn't stop Giovanni, it didn't help them. It helped the pokemon there, maybe threw a wrench in Team Rocket's plans, but this was far from over; more than likely, they served to piss Giovanni off, less force him out of hiding.
Brock was not as brave as Ash, or as strong as Misty; but Brock was smart. Reasonable, logical; and while Jessie, James, meowth and Ash were convinced chasing legendaries and forcing Giovanni out was their best bet. Perhaps it was the alcohol thinking, and forcing his mind to blunder, but Brock was still convinced the first idea was the best idea. Finding out the manufacturer of the microchips would give them all the information they needed. Surely, they would need to consider how they went about obtaining that information in a much greater detail than fleeing the Elite Four... but where the microchips were being placed was more than likely where Giovanni was planning his next move. More than that, they knew that Silph Co has had some relationship with the big, bad evil; so maybe there was still a chance that they could solve this without a war. Resolve this without fighting Giovanni head on.
Not only that, if Giovanni was truly as cunning as Jessie, James and meowth portrayed him, then there was no easy way to win. This was still a staggering up hill battle; they were out manned, out classed, and out ranked in all directions; to win, there were more holes they needed to jump over than luring Giovanni out. Other steps that they needed to take. What if Ash found the last of the legendaries, and Giovanni still controlled an army? Maybe even other legendaries they released? Who was to say a legendary could fend off an army in the first place? Who was to say if there was an army in the first place? They had no idea what he was planning!
Sure, they were powerful, but they weren't unbeatable, were they? Ash mentioned he battled a few in his dreams, and if that was any indication; then they could be beaten.
Regardless, they needed all their bases covered: including the production of the chip that Team Rocket was so desperately trying to recover.
Brock scoffed.
There was more to winning a war than direction confrontation; and while the rest of his companions lorded over their small, incomplete victory at the base of Unova; Brock knew this was only the beginning.
Brock stood up, swiping at his pants to clear the dust, before continuing to his bed room. He traveled the long hallway, pausing briefly at Ash's door to listen to who he thought was Misty talking, and then moved forward with an innocent smile. When he arrived in his bedroom, meowth was already sitting on his bed, cleaning his head quietly while Brock raised his eyebrows in question.
"...what do you want?" He asked, trying to hide the discord in his tone.
"Meeeooow." The cat mewled, rolling over to paw at a notebook, where the cat had written some notes—demonstration: how meowth plucked a pen from Brock's sheets with his teeth, and wrote frantically on the white paper. It wasn't perfect handwriting, but it was legible.
"You want to talk about the plan?" Brock questioned, pursing his lips. "Where are Jessie and James?"
The cat circled once more and then shrugged. With a scowl, Brock sat at his desk; and decided to play along. Meowth, seemingly sharing the same interests as Brock, scratched at his head; indicating what Brock had been thinking about.
"Alright, what have you got?"
XOX
Daylight didn't crack from the corners of the room, peer in from shaded windows; but instinctively, Misty's eyes cracked open at day break. After spending a few days sleeping in the small rooms, with small, circular windows; they grew accustomed to the sudden darkness of all hours of the day. More importantly than that, the other warmth wrapped around her body beneath the blankets reminded her where she was, and sleep was once again a figment of her imagination.
One eye peeled open at a time, staring at Ash's face across from her own. His eyes were still closed, the right one was still a bit bruised, though his lip healed perfectly. The littlest bit of a cut remained, marring his smooth flesh. How different was it to wake up like this on purpose. Even more strange was how they both opted to stay together all night. Well, what was left of the night. One of his arms was hooked up under his pillow, supporting his head, while the other still wrapped around her waist. They remained a togepi's width apart in the morning, but the two pokemon were curled up at the head of their bed, sleeping quietly.
For as rambunctious as Ash was, she never understood how peaceful he looked sleeping. He wore the same simple expression when he was asleep in his coma, but the pain was gone. After their experiences the night prior, Misty honestly wondered if they would have ever fallen asleep, somehow, they did, but it still loomed over her. She could see traces of her hair color dance around her face, and she swiped at them.
She cracked yesterday. Misty kept it together as long as possible, as much as possible; but she cracked. Gyarados hurt people, and was hurt by people; she faced death not once, but several times; and lost her temper. The youngest Waterflower always had a temper, but over the years, she had believed she mellowed, changed, and yet lately, she turned to it with every chance she was given. Rage was familiar, no matter how old she got; that feeling would probably never change. When times were hard, Misty relied on her own perseverance to withstand everything else and she lost it yesterday. The itch from her healing wounds blurred the lines between sanity and insanity, and where she was always about being safe, yesterday she was reckless, and crazy... and it reminded her so much of how different she and Ash were.
She survived, but barely.
Misty was rational, brave, but never reckless. Ash wore it as a badge of honor, surviving the new horrors like some kind of champion while she twisted and bent. It was no secret she leaned on him, but how much was beginning to alarm her. It wasn't very long ago that she marched three steps of him, and he struggled to keep up.
Heart racing once more, she slipped backwards, away from the covers, away from him, and twisted until her feet touched the cold, metal floors, and she slouched over. Trying to clear her head, she rubbed her temples and groaned internally. Misty wasn't used to relying on people. It was the main reason she left on her journey to begin with, to make something of herself, to prove herself to her sisters. Now it was all different, and she had these abnormal, fluttering feelings in her chest when Ash was around and she wanted to scream and hug him at the same time. The difference a year could make on her entire outlook on life was phenomenal and terrifying.
Rubbing her sore shoulders, she settled on rising from the bed, though the very moment her weight left, Ash's hand sprung forward to where she was supposed to be lying, and snagged her hand.
"Misty?" He groaned, squinting in the dark to see her figure. She hesitated, sighed, then against the thundering in her head, laid back down and faced his tired expression. His eyes were only cracked, almost childish in the way he stared at her, confused for a long time, then finally astonishment settled in. He surprised her when he leaned forward.
"You're still here." He breathed, and Misty winced and covered his mouth for him. Horrible morning breath.
"Not if you breathe on me." She chuckled, her voice still strained of sleep.
"Sorry." Ash mumbled, keeping his lips shut while settling back down beneath the covers. "What time is it?" he grunted into the pillow. Misty turned over to face the clock at the other side of the room, and smacked her lips.
"Six."
A heavy groan left Ash's mouth, and he blinked tired, puffy eyes until they peered into the room. Not even three hours of sleep and they were awake. Sounded like the life of a sleep deprived gym leader he once knew. When he stared at her and she stared back at him blinking, he wasn't sure what to say. Sleep deprived him of his previous rampant hormones, instead, the urgent matters took precedence and a billion questions filtered into his mind and slammed hard against his selfish emotions. Was he supposed to immediately express how he felt about their next actions; or ask her how she slept? Maybe ask her if she was feeling better, or ask what they should do about Jessie and James.
His face scrunched up, his eyebrows knit together, and upon seeing Misty's gentle gaze, he stammered a few times until she leaned into him, and pecked him on the lips. When she pulled away, an exhale left him and her nose scrunched and she pinched his.
"You have toxic morning breath." She chided, squeezing his nose playfully, and then sat up. Ash rubbed his face.
"I can't help it." He mumbled, following her actions, only, he turned to togepi and pikachu just to check up on them, and then faced her. Her hands rested in her lap, trying to wrap her head around the situation they were in and how painfully normal it felt. Natural. Maybe that was a part of an adult relationship, the embarrassment was masked with comfort and acceptance—or maybe she was too giddy to think straight, and so she looked at Ash with pursed lips while their shoulders bumped. This felt more like a sleep over than anything else, and she had to stop herself from laughing.
"How'd you sleep?" She quizzed happily, watching his face brighten in the darkness, he blinked a few times.
"Decently, I mean, as well as I could have..." he groaned and laughed in spite of himself. "I'm sore."
"Me, too..." She squeaked out, passively ignoring the pain she felt everywhere. Testing their limits, she hooked her hand around his available one and intertwined their fingers eagerly. When he didn't panic or jerk his hand away, she smiled and nuzzled against his arm, careful not to hurt him. "We didn't celebrate your birthday yesterday, Ash."
Affectionate Misty was still something he had to get used to; so while his face burned bright red, he tried to recall his reactions to her sweetness when he was in the hospital; when it was still painfully platonic.
"Uhh...we kind of did." Ash murmured, a grin tugging at his lips. "I mean, if you consider breaking into a prison celebrating and explosions as fireworks, and k-kissing a gift."
A pause.
"Did you just stutter?" She questioned, one eyebrow raised while he coughed. "Are you still nerrrvous?" She teased him, releasing his hand to pinch his cheeks with both fingers. He turned away from her, snickering and hot to the touch.
"Don't laugh at me." He groaned, after all, this was all an adjustment to him. If someone asked him a year ago about kissing females, kissing Misty, he would have laughed or scoffed at the idea. He needed some adjustment time.
Misty's insecurity washed away and she grinned pleasantly. "What? Are you shy now?" She crooned, grinning madly. "You were so daring last night!" She quipped gleefully as Ash spun around and tackled the giggling woman backwards onto the bed.
XOX
It went without saying that they both felt slightly guilty about their timing. Things couldn't have been worse, and they spent a good hour of their morning making up for the last few months, and more importantly, making fun of each other. When the duo and their pokemon arrived in the dining area that morning, Brock was already seated at one of the tables near the edge of the room, sipping coffee and gnawing on the packaged food that was stored in the small kitchen that they had. Typically, Brock made breakfast, so they both knew something was wrong before approaching. Naturally, their hands separated when they approached the man, and they sat across from one another.
Ash smacked Brock on the back once before sitting and stared at him. Brock groaned in response to their arrival.
"You alright there, Brocko?"
"hhnng." He answered, lowering his head while Misty snatched a bagel from the same package Brock opened, and tore a piece off.
"...Are you not feeling well?" a concerned Misty questioned while brushing her hand against his forehead; he looked pale.
Ash mimicked Misty, only he poured juice into a glass, and indiscreetly poured one for her as well while Brock gathered his thoughts, or what was left of them anyways. His head was throbbing, and spinning, and his guts weren't quite agreeing with him this morning.
"I have a hang over." he announced while glancing up at his two companions. "I drank way too much wine last night."
"Why were you drinking?" Misty gasped, glaring at him. Ash, who had never experienced a hang over, didn't understand the problem.
Brock's shoulders rose, then fell apathetically. "I just needed to clear my head."
"And drinking did that?" Her tone was motherly, invasive, and a bit accusatory; normal, and the sound of it put Ash's heart at ease, glad to know their experience didn't change her; both the good and the bad.
"Well, yes and no..." Brock sat up, facing them with his best expression, where the two of them saw a stack of papers resting where his head had been seconds ago.
"What is that, Brock?"
"I was up late last night; I made a plan, something that will actually work and put no one in unnecessary danger." He spat the last part of his sentence, thinking of Jessie and James bitterly while Ash and Misty glanced at each other worriedly.
"You devised a plan while you were drunk?" Misty asked comically, and Brock nodded confidently.
"Meowth helped."
"Weren't you just complaining about their plans?" Misty questioned, sitting forward while Ash shrugged and started gnawing on a piece of bread.
"That's why we worked together, so the same mistakes wouldn't happen." Brock explained, and then unfolded the file and handed one to Misty, and another to Ash. While Brock started, Jessie, James, and Meowth arrived from outside, looking around the room to the companions sitting at the table.
"The first plan was our best plan. We're getting into Silph Co. on our way back into Kanto. It will be our best attempt to figure out what the microchips are for. When I spoke to meowth last night, he informed me that Giovanni could be trying to create a completely obedient army to use against the legendary pokemon he's trying to lure out and control. If we can find the manufacturing of the chips, we can stop it, and his plot wont be as devastating."
Ash stared down at the words written there; the sheet he was given didn't echo any of that. "Uhm," he questioned. "Mine has stuff written down about the legendary pokemon..." Ash mused, holding the paper that reflected Jessie's writing.
When she grabbed his documents, and placed them flat against the table, she pointed to three areas around the Kanto region. Two in johto, one at the orange islands.
"With Unova destroyed, Giovanni will try to branch out and grab the nearest legendaries that he can get his hands on. It's important that we get there first. James and I compiled a list of the legendary pokemon we don't think he has had the chance to capture and highlight where we saw them in your dreams. If we can get to those pokemon, we can use them against his perfect creature; and win the battle." As Jessie finished, Misty's eyes snapped up to look at her, specifically at the statement we saw, not that they were told about; but that they saw in his dreams; only, she wasn't given the time to question the phrase, because James interrupted.
"With the other legendary pokemon released, it will only be a matter of time before they return to their proper homes, which means Giovanni will be trying to recapture the ones that he lost; that gives us the time to find the ones that he hasn't, convince them to help us, and then bring the fight to Giovanni before this gets out of control."
Ash shook his head. "But we don't know where Giovanni is?" He asked, eyes wide. Pikachu chirped beside him in agreement, and Brock nodded.
"That's where Silph Co. comes in, they must have written down somewhere who is ordering the chips, and if we can track down that person; they can tell us how to get to Giovanni." Ash and Misty glanced at one another, sheepishly and embarrassed; while everyone else was awake making plans, they were, well, not.
"You guys were making plans all night?" Ash asked, embarrassed while Brock nodded.
"You two did the hard part, so we picked up the pieces."
The response made Ash exhale eagerly, relieved to know he wasn't expected to join in right away; but now that he was here, he inhaled and nodded. "What do we do first then? Silph Co. or the legendary?"
An unsteady silence filtered between the group while Misty tapped her tongue against the top of her mouth and Ash stared on innocently to his companions. Brock cleared his throat and looked into Ash's eyes.
"...We're not all going together." Brock started while Misty's eyes darted over the paper she was given. "You're going to find the remaining legendary pokemon, while we go to Silph Co."
Still not understanding, Ash blinked and cocked his head to one side.
"The easiest way to get into Silph Co. would be to use my rank." Misty pursed her lips and looked at Brock, as far away from Ash's gaze as possible. "Do you really think a press conference is all it's going to require to clear my name now?"
"We don't need to clear your name, we just need you to appear long enough so we can get the information that we need. Without Ash around, there aren't going to be any claims that they can make against you." Brock nodded eagerly.
"What do you mean without me around?" Ash whipped around to stare at Brock, who was clearly speaking nonsense now, and glared harshly at the older man.
Then finally Misty looked at him, reminiscence of that nonchalant personality that he was finding very frustrating now that this was their solution to the problem. "You are wanted throughout all of Kanto, Ash. If you're not there, we will have an easier time getting around the media." Misty explained, but Ash shook his head.
"You two were the ones who said they were evil; remember?" He gestured to Brock who remained stoic. "They chased us with guns; now you both want to go back? What happened to that whole plea that it wasn't safe, and they couldn't be trusted?" Ash inhaled, and clear objection formed through him, togepi, and pikachu.
"That was before we knew more; now that we know they're primarily after you, we should be okay..." Brock informed but Ash couldn't believe what he was hearing; especially after they all agreed to stay together again.
"Besides, if I come back in with a press conference and stay in the limelight, they can't touch me without blowing their cover—and I'm sure they already know how easily Unova could be exposed right now. They won't make any rash decisions." Misty assured Ash with a slight shoulder shrug.
Brock grinned, having Misty on board was easier than he expected, but Ash was still spinning from the claims. "Wait..." Ash started, but was rudely interrupted by a brash Misty.
"Only, I think you should stay with Ash, Brock. I can go alone, I have my sisters after all."
"Absolutely not!" Ash and Brock bellowed in unison; though Misty scowled dangerously.
"Well Ash isn't going alone with those three clowns."
"Hey, we're standing right here." James spat, folding his arms while Misty glared at him, shoving a quick 'I know' between her lips before settling back on the two of her friends.
"Misty you're going to need someone on the outside if you get caught." Brock tried to explain; that if for some reason they realized that Misty was planning to find information, they would apprehend her, Brock would need to be there to get her out.
Stubbornly, her eyebrows knit "I can take care of myself, Ash will need more help than me."
Where Ash was worried a moment ago, now he was insulted. "Hey, I traveled through six regions on my own in six months, thank you; I think if anyone can take care of themselves, it's me." He pressed a firm hand against his chest, glaring at Misty who rolled her eyes.
"Oh, please. You had to call me for money, and don't think I didn't hear about the trouble you caused." She groaned, glaring back at him while he inhaled. However, before Ash could bite back, Brock slammed his hands on the table, and grabbed his forehead.
"Can you two fight later? The plan is already decided. I'm going with Misty, and Ash will leave with Jessie and James. The three of them will have an easier time convincing the legendary pokemon to join them; and you and I will have an easy time getting into league areas without Ash with us. I don't want to be separated either, but this is our best chance."
"But..." Ash started again, and Brock raised a hand to silence him.
"No buts, this is happening."
Ash wilted, staring down at his hands while pikachu openly scolded Brock for going back on his word; and togepi raced to Misty to beg her to change her mind; though neither trainer understood as fluently as Ash, or Team Rocket did, they got it.
"We're sorry." Brock uttered, reaching out for pikachu who whined that they were leaving them again.
"It will only be for a little while. Once we know what Silph Co. is planning, we'll help you, okay?" Misty rubbed togepi's scalp with the palm of her hand, and Jessie and James sighed. Meowth took the silence as an opportunity to jump onto the table.
"We'll be separating once we hit the docks in Sinnoh; once there, we will get you three new pokedex without trackers, and prepare for the mission. The faster we move, the faster this is over." James translated for meowth while the cat rested. "We arrive at sunset, but for now, enjoy your time together."
At that, Ash's eyes finally rose once more to look at Misty who settled into her chair pessimistically, and frowned at the change of pace. She was on board, clearly, but her expression read frustrated, her untouched food screamed that she was upset, and her scowl was self representing. She hated that it made sense, but accepted it. Ash has no choice but to do the same.
"Gee, looks like we'll have to wait for that vacation." Ash chuckled, recalling Misty's comment the day earlier. Shocked at his response, she grinned up at him, then to Brock. "I think next time we'll go somewhere with a little less water."
"That coming from a water pokemon trainer is a bit worrisome." Brock chuckled, and they each shared a pained, accepting glance, then stared at their hands.
Tomorrow started the first day of the rest of their lives.
Author's Note: (it's a long 'ern)
This ends part three!
I think following a kiss in the middle of a life threatening situation would result in an awkward conversation following after; I hope it wasn't too awkward. Who read that while chanting inwardly "JUST KISS ALREADY!" Just me? Alrighty then. I missed their little heart-to-hearts; and it was nice to write Ash dishing out well-earned knowledge and advice for once. I'm still a little weird on Ash kissing anyone; but I think the development is there and has built up to this without being forced? That being said; I still don't think Ash could ever be sentimental/shy about it. Go big or go home? I didn't feel like it was too mushy? Maybe it was? But I still felt like it fit. I mean, to those of you that have kissed someone before—I can honestly say the second kiss holds more of a memory to me than the first. The first is all energy and adrenaline; the second one is completely intentional, it means something because you choose to do it again. (it's also really awk. Just sayin')
A short blurb for clarification.
Okay, so I told myself if I got one more complaint (Anon or not), I would finally put this into an author's note.
My favorite thing about writing fan fiction is that I don't get boxed into a hole. What I mean is; even though a story is labeled "Romance/Drama" I am allowed to branch out of that area if I want to. It doesn't have to be one or the other, in fan fiction, a story can be a lot more so long as it makes sense. So, to start, I want to say that I always appreciate constructive criticism; nothing sounds too harsh so long as you're not outright bashing me. That being said, Locked Away, while it is many things, has always been labeled "Romance/Drama". If that romance works, or does not work, is a personal preference and opinion of the reader. I am, and will actually defend all the romance-inclined decisions I made during this story. For a Romance/Drama story, I like to think I've kept the 'romance' to a minimum until recently.
I know that I've lost readers by deciding to keep romance in the story, and taking time to focus on the relationship between Ash and Misty, I'm well aware that some of the readers who have picked this story up did not do so because they wanted to see pokeshipping in any way; I'm even more aware of the fact that some people were upset a coma theory story had shipping in it at all. However, I'm going to stand by my decision. I know the decision isn't going to please everyone who reads the story.
HOWEVER, I must mention, as I have said in the past, adventure is a nice 'touch' but the purpose of the story has never been about 'adventures'. (Think about the first few chapters) Ash's growth as a character has been the driving force of the story. (It's just more present now.) The story is about Ash and all the character development he will/should undergo after coming out of a coma and how that moves his plot and adventure forward.
Simply put, I know that I can't please everyone. At the moment, I have been intentionally riding a fine line between romance and everything else because when I think of romance, I don't want to write something sickening sweet as the primary reason for 'moving forward'. I didn't want 'romance' to be what got Ash through the worst situations he's been in thus far, but I refused to abandon it completely because it makes things interesting. But, if you're not enjoying the romance portion of the story; I am truly sorry, but it will always be an underlying feature.
To be absolutely clear: This fic is and has been labeled, advertised, presented, and created on the basis of 'romance' being one of the leading genres. (the fact there hasn't been 'more' is just crazy) This means that romance (and friendships) are the leading role of the story. While I believe that the story is representative of so much more than that at this point, romance will always be apart of it. Whether it works or not, or whether you like it or not depends solely on you, the reader. -end rant
I've said it a million times, but I always mean it: Thank you so much for the favs/reviews/follows and even if you don't like all of the story, I hope that for the most part, you've enjoyed yourself a little bit. Thank you all for your continued support. -hearts- See you at part 4!
NINT