CHAPTER 6

It grew dark a few hours later. Since Ash and the others couldn't leave, Maya invited them to stay at her cabin for the night. "But if you choose to stay on the island longer you'll have to find somewhere else to sleep from then on," she added as she tossed them some blankets.

The others agree to that only because Maya's Hitmonlee threatened to kick them out if they didn't. When the others settled down for the night Misty noticed that Karen and Mewtwo still hadn't returned from their walk. She decided to ask Maya about it and got off the cot Maya had set up on the floor of the guest bedroom.

She found the girl in the livingroom working on teaching her Vaporeon to speak. When the brown haired girl noticed the red head she looked up from her work and asked. "Yes? What is it?"

"Where are Mewtwo and Karen?" Misty wanted to know. "They aren't back yet."

Maya looked away. 'They don't sleep here," she told her. "It's not because I don't allow them to, it's because Karen doesn't want to. Mewtwo hates being confined so she usually sleeps outside with him." she lifted her head and looked out the window. "They're probably down on the beach right now. That's where they usually sleep. Mewtwo likes to watch the stars at night."

Misty sat down on the couch. "It must be hard for them," she said.

"Why?" the other girl asked.

'Because when Karen first caught Mewtwo they argued all the time," Misty replied. "Karen used to say she hated Mewtwo."

"They get along better now," Maya told her, turning from her Vaporeon and heading into the kitchen unit. "Sometimes I wonder if they might be more than just friends..." her voice trailed off.

"What do you mean?" Misty asked.

Maya waved her hand, her way of saying 'Let's drop the subject'. "It's not important," she said. "I just notice things that seem out of place for a trainer and a pokemon." Maya looked over her shoulder at Misty. "I've noticed something between you and Ash as well." she told the girl.

"What do you mean?" Misty asked, feeling her face turn red.

Maya returned with a plate of sandwiches. She set them on the coffe table and sat down on the overstuffed chair across from the sofa. "Your body language when you're around each other," the girl said, taking a sandwich. "You might not want to admit it but you like each other."

"You're crazy!" Misty denied immediately. "It's not like that at all!"

Maya raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?" she said, biting her sandwich. She spoke through the wod in her mouth. "I've noticed otherwise."

Misty frowned at her, picked up a sandwich and bit into it out of frustration. She's crazy! the red head thought. I don't have feelings for Ash. I'm only following him so he'll get me a new bike! Sure we might be friends now but that's the only reason. even as she thought this she herself didn't believe it and Maya's smile wasn't helping. Not at all.

Mewtwo and Karen sat under the stars at the beach watching the waves lap against the sand and talking little. It wasn't that they had nothing to say it was just that they didn't know what to say. They had been walking around the forest for a few hours talking about their pasts and getting to know each other a little better. That had seemed new to both since in the months they had been together they never spoke about their pasts, they barely spoke at all. Karen began realizing that she enjoyed talking to him. She also realized his voice made her feel safe; as if it was a silent promise to take care of her. She tried to tell herself she was imagining things but she knew she wasn't. He really did care.

"I wonder what Ash and the others are going to do about the three Rockets that fell into one of my traps," the girl said after a moment of silence.

Mewtwo, sitting catlike beside her on the soft sand, said. (I don't know but hopefully they'll be able to send them away. I've encountered those two before and, though they aren't much of a threat on their own and are unable to capture me, if they get in contact with their boss I don't even want to imagine what could happen.)

"Neither would I," Karen agreed. "I get the feeling that the Rocket I had run into in that one town had tipped Giovanni about me and you the first time."

(Yes,) he agreed. (So it would seem.)

"I hope they don't get in contact with him," she said, tucking her legs up to her chest.

(Don't worry about it,) he told her. (I can just make them forget what they were after or that we even exist if I have to.) His eyes started glowing a pale blue.

Karen saw what he was doing and shook her head. "No, don't do that," she said. "It wouldn't be right. It's not a good idea to tamper with the mind."

He stopped. He knew she was right. (Sorry,) he said, looking at her. (I didn't mean anything by it.)

Karen didn't speak. He had once offered to do the same thing about her memorys of the fire that killed her mother. She'd been having nightmares about it and had said she wished it had never happened. He'd asked her if she wanted him to make her forget about the incident so she could sleep better. She had thought about accepting the offer but in the end had refused. She didn't want him accidently removing other memory's she held dear. She didn't want to forget about her mother completely. He had said he understood and had never brought it up again.

Karen felt his tail slowly wrapping around her legs. She looked down at the purple tail encirling her body but said nothing. She looked at him but he was looking at the ocean again. She wasn't sure if he had done it on purpose or if it was a reflex from the tail. His tail sometimes had a mind of its own... Well whatever reason it was Mewtwo wasn't saying anything. She decided not to ask. She closed her eyes and leaned against him.

He looked at her once but didn't say anything. He returned to looking over the ocean.

A/N

This was all I could think of for now. I hope you enjoyed it even if the chapter was a bit short. I'll make the next one longer, I promise.