After thinking about things, this will be the first story of a few that will deal with the concept at hand, all on the same timeline, meaning canon to one another. Enjoy this please

Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon

Do I really have to, Brock?" Ash grumbled, afraid to look at his long-time traveling buddy. They were in Ash's house, alone in his living room as Delia was out of town for the week.

Brock's glare pierced Ash. "I would say so. You just insulted me a thousand times over to hide something, and I think I deserve to know why."

Ash kept his gaze away from Brock's. "It's because you keep saying me and Anabel are together, but we aren't." Pikachu jumped into the now-sitting Ash's lap, and Ash began to pet him. "And I have told you guys this a thousand times, but you keep making that joke. So I snapped at you." Ash turned his head towards Brock. "There, you happy?"

"Not even close." Brock began, and he put his hands on the armrests, entrapping Ash to the chair. "There is no way that would make you mad. It is obvious to everyone that you both are madly in love with each other, whether you want to admit to it or not, and there is no reason for you to be mad about people saying that the two of you should be together."

"That's it." Ash's voice was bitter.

Brock replied in anger. "No it isn't Ash." He moved one of his hands from the armrests and forced Ash to look at him. Ash's eyes were red, and tears were coming down his face. Ash hadn't wanted Brock to see him like this, but it was too late. Ash shoved Pikachu off of him, riling him up a little, and stood up, Brock letting him get up. Their eyes never broke.

"You want to know the reason why I don't like people saying we should be together Brock? It is because you are all right. I love Anabel. She loves me. We are meant to be together. And it makes me sick to think about it." Ash blinked, and found the courage to walk away, but Brock ran ahead of him and blocked his exit.

"What do you mean, Ash? What is so wrong with loving Anabel?" Brock had regained eye contact, and Ash gave in.

"Anabel is perfect. There is nothing wrong with loving her. What's wrong is that I'm in love, and that is the last thing I ever wanted to happen."

Brock was confused. "What do you mean, Ash?"

Ash walked away and sat back down. "You guys always thought I was dense, and that I never knew who liked me, and anything about love. I may be dense, but I know love. I knew Misty was in love with me. I know girls have been interested. That was never an issue. It is just, that I do not want love in my life." Brock walked away from the exit and sat down.

"Why wouldn't you want to love someone. Love is the most magical feeling in the world. The fact you don't want it… makes no sense."

"I have my reasons, ok?"

Brock shook his head, "I don't see any reason that you can have to hurt Anabel like that. You both love each other, yet you are keeping her from getting what she should be able to have."

Ash looked at Brock. "Don't you think I know that? Anabel deserves everything in the world, everything that she wants. I just wish it wasn't me."

Brock sat down across from him." You still aren't making any sense. Why don't you want to be loved? Why don't you want to feel love?"

Ash tucked his chin into his chest. "Does it really matter why? Anyway, you wouldn't understand. You are looking for love with anyone, so you could never understand."

"Try me." Ash looked up, confused. "I said try me. Explain to me why you are refusing Anabel."

"Why are you refusing me?" A voice asked. Anabel walked into the room, quietly. She had snuck into the house earlier, planning to surprise Ash. She ignored Brock, and sat on Ash's lap. "And yes, I was eavesdropping." She said to Ash before he could open up his mouth. "And yes, I already knew he loved me and that something in him tried to quell that feeling." She said this to Brock, nodding. "You should have realized I would have known, with my powers and all." She smiled at Ash, and then frowned. She placed her head under his chin, and put her arms around him. Ash, despite his desires, did the same. He grunted.

"Why did I have to fall in love with you?" He spoke softly into Anabel's ear, but Brock could still here. "You are too good for me." Ash placed his cheek on the top of the head. "Why did you have to fall in love with me? You could have done better." Ash felt his cheek being shook, forced by the shaking of Anabel's head.

"How? I mean, how could I have found a guy half as good as you. You are handsome and brave, and passionate and heroic and sweet and loyal. You are perfect in every way." Ash shuddered when she said that.

"I'm not, though, I'm dense, only care about my pokémon, always gets caught by the stupid plans of Team Rocket, and would use a Caterpie against a Pidgeotto and a Pikachu against an Onix. I am anything but perfect."

"No, it means that you can always learn more, and you are very passionate about your dreams, and just get harassed by a bunch of idiots that recognize that you have great pokémon. And about the type disadvantages? Didn't that occur at like, the very start of your journeys? That was years ago! You have matured a lot since then. You are perfect." Anabel hesitated for a moment, unsure if it was the right thing to do, but she shook off the feeling. She then gave Ash a kiss on the lips. It was soft and gentle, lingering for a few seconds before she drifted her lips away from his. It was a bold move, as Ash had said specifically in the past no kissing, but Anabel hoped it was the right one.

Ash sat in awe for a minute, and a smile crept over his face. The touch of her lips gave him goose bumps at their incredibleness. He pulled her in for another, but just as their lips met, Ash pulled away. He then shoved Anabel off of him and kept his eyes away from Brock and Anabel. Anabel was visibly hurt, Brock saw, and decided to cut in before she did something she regretted.

"What the hell, Ash! Even if you are so gung-ho against love as to refuse a kiss, you don't go shoving your best friend away from you like she's a piece of trash, you jerk!" Brock saw that Ash's eyes begin to glimmer, and hesitated. It left an opening for Anabel.

"Why?" Brock had expected more, more violence, but all there was in those three letters were hurt, pure pain. His attention shifted to Ash getting up and going to the trunk in the corner of his room. He slowly opened it, and dug his hands to the bottom, where he pulled out an old photo album. He closed the trunk, and walked back to his seat. Before he sat down, he gave Anabel a hug, as if to apologize. Anabel just stood there, taking it in, waiting for an answer. Ash sighed when he realized this, and plopped into the chair. He turned to the first page of the book, where there was a photo of Ash, but it couldn't have been. The photo was old, Brock and Anabel realized. It also looked like he had blue, not brown eyes. He was also a little taller, and wearing clothes that they never saw Ash in. They were both confused, until Anabel figured it out. She whispered something, saying it to herself. Brock asked her what she said, but Ash cut her off with his response.

"Because I'm afraid I'll be like him."

Brock was still confused, but Anabel explained with her answer for his previous question.

"His father."

Until I update again. Please review!