A Update
An Update! Yay! I know what your all thinking "Oh my god what took her so long?!" Well, um, I was kinda working on another ikarishipping fic called "Lady Marmalade: Sweet Sweet Revenge" and people really seemed to like it so I just kept at it until it was complete (sweat-drops). But nonetheless, my main focus shall be in this story until I finish it, I am determined!
I DO NOT OWN POKEMON OR ITS CHARACTERS.
ALL OCs BELONG TO ME.
Enjoy!
"Hmm…" Ash debated towards himself as he stared at a certain black bag. It was already nightfall and he and Brock decided it would be best to just set up camp, they could continue their search in the morning.
"Ash, what are you thinking?" Brock asked suspiciously as he looked up from a stew that he was preparing over the campfire, Ash broke from his concentration to face him.
"Nothing, it's just it was so unlike Paul to just drop his bag like that," He once again directed his attention towards the bag in front of him, "Plus…"
"WHY DO I HAVE TO CARRY IT?!" Ash complained, totally breaking the quiet atmosphere that has befallen on the camp.
"Pika…" Pikachu sweat-dropped as it watched its trainer make a fool out of himself, again.
"Ash, calm down." Brock said sternly, "We couldn't have just left it lay there. And besides, when we finally reach up with them we can just give it back to Paul."
Ash rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms, nothing to else to say. "I guess…" He mumbled. Brock chuckled as he continued to stir the stew.
"Still," Ash began once again as the day's events played in his mind, "It was so unlike the both of them…to just stop what they were doing like that…"
"I know what you mean…" Brock agreed as he didn't lift his eyes off his stew, "Paul, not even Dawn I think, would have gone to that length-ASH!" Brock scolded as he looked up at his traveling companion, who was digging his hands through Paul's bag.
"What?" He asked sheepishly as he froze in place, "I'm curious!"
"That gives you no right to invade someone else's privacy though!"
"Aw...fine!" He pouted as he tossed the bag to the side, but as he did, something odd fell out. It fell with a soft clink!
Pikachu's ears perked up as the event occurred. Its eyes trailed towards the bag and its eyes caught onto the odd object that seemed to glint in the firelight.
"Pii-Pikachu!" Pikachu cried towards Ash, trying to get his attention. Ash looked at his starter pokemon, confused.
"What is it Pikachu?" He asked as Pikachu flailed its arms at the shiny object on the ground. Curiosity once more taking over Ash, he went over to where the object had laid and picked it up.
"What is this…?" His eyes widened, his voice slightly confused.
"C'mon Sakura! Get back here!" Dawn shouted out as she chased Sakura all the small camp that Paul had set up.
"No!" Sakura cried as she kept running, she turned back towards Dawn and stuck her tongue out at her. Dawn stopped dead in tracks, sticking her tongue out as well.
"C'mon Sakura, you have to sleep!" Dawn put her hands on her hips, Sakura just stood there in a huge huff, her arms crossed.
"Nope!" She answered stubbornly as she raised her nose in the air snootily.
"Yes!" Dawn called out once again as she lunged towards the small girl, however, Sakura was too quick!
Paul, meanwhile, leaned against the log, supposedly asleep. However, during the loud commotion, his eyebrow flinched a few times.
"NO!!" Sakura suddenly screamed as Dawn finally got hold of her. She picked the small girl up, whose legs were kicking, and headed towards the sleeping bag she has set out in front of her.
She set the girl down on the soft pink bag but Sakura was about to flee once more when Dawn grabbed her by the ankles!
"NO!!" Sakura continued to wail as she flailed her arms against the sleeping bag in defeat. "I can't go to sleep without mommy and daddy!" She finally cried, Dawn's eyes widened then softened sympathetically.
"Is that it…?" Dawn softly murmured as Sakura settled down. The small girl rubbed her hands against her wet eyes, trying to rub away her tears. Her purple bangs were covering her eyes and Sakura took no liberty into pushing them back.
"I thought…I might have found them already…" She whimpered softly as she tried her best to hold her tears, "I-It's not fair!" She finally cried out as she fell into Dawn's arms, burying her face into her shoulders.
At first, Dawn was taken back! She had no idea what to do! But yet somehow, some instinct that she never quite knew she had, took over her as she gently soothed the poor girl, rubbing her back.
"There, There..." She said softly, "I'm sure we'll find your parents in no time…"
Sakura sniffled a bit as she looked up at Dawn, "It's not fair…" She curled up into Dawn's lap like a little kitten, still crying slightly.
'Why did the mean monster take me away from mommy and daddy?' She whispered through her tears as she closed her eyes, drifting off into a slumber. She couldn't help it, Dawn's lap felt so warm, so comforting…
Almost like…
'Sakura, it's time for bed!' A sweet motherly voice called in Sakura's head.
'Mommy…'
"She's asleep," Dawn announced as she gently laid Sakura onto the sleeping bag and off of her lap. She glanced towards Paul, who was still leaning against the log.
He didn't respond.
"Paul." She called out his name, her voice a little bit more stern.
He still didn't respond. Annoyed, Dawn walked right up to him and stuck her face into his, but as soon as she did, her face turned a bright pink.
Dawn mentally smacked herself. Paul was asleep too!
His eyes were closed and he breathed at a regular rate, still blushing, Dawn scurried a few steps back. She couldn't be THAT close to him! What if he woke up!
"I-I should go to sleep…" Dawn said, but yet, she couldn't help but not look away. She had never seen Paul so…relaxed before…
Slowly, she inched towards him, and crouched down, studying his face. His mouth still had the usual scowl but yet…his eyes seemed much softer…than usual.
'He seems like a completely different person…when he's asleep.'
She inclined her head to the side, observing his features from a different angle.
'He almost looks…kinda…' Dawn thought as her heart rate sped up, 'kinda…cu-'
"What are you doing?"
Dawn's thoughts immediately broke as she stared at Paul, whose usually expression was staring back at her. She felt her face burn up as she realized that her face was only nine inches away from his!
There was a long awkward pause as they both stayed like that for a couple moments before…
"Eh…" Dawn managed to say as she scurried as far to the other side of the camp as she could.
"Hmph, Pathetic." He smirked as he closed his eyes once more to return to sleep, that smirk still plastered across his lips.
"Argh! Don't you call me 'pathetic'!" Dawn whispered harshly towards him, being careful not to awake Sakura.
Paul simply opened one eye at her and smirked before turning to the side, his back towards her.
"I can call you whatever I feel like calling you. I mean, it's not like we have any more secrets, don't we?" He smirked, implying about the little peep session he had with Dawn. Dawn gasped, her blood boiled! Her nerves were shaking! Suddenly, she could no longer contain her anger…
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Dawn yelled as she charged at him, her anger taking control.
His back was still facing her as he leaned on the side of the tree trunk so Dawn put a tight grip on his left shoulder and thrust it towards her, forcing him to look at her. But as she did, she lost her footing as she pulled too hard!
THUMP!
Dawn slowly opened her eyes, curious on why she didn't feel the hard earthy surface but something soft instead….
Her eyes widened on what she had landed on!
PAUL!
She turned deep pink as she realized the small little situation that she had gotten herself into. Paul was facing her alright, but in the wrong way! He was still leaning against the tree, and yes, he was facing her, but she was on top of him! Both of her legs were on either side of him and he held her wrists tight in his hands, preventing her from falling any closer to him.
Dawn couldn't move her limbs! She might as well have been paralyzed!
There was a long silence as they both just stared at each other, deep in awe. Dawn's heart never raced so fast so hard!
'His face…is so close to mine…'
'Her face…'
"Why are you guys on top of each other like mommy and daddy?" That certain cute little voice giggled as Dawn and Paul both froze, a shocked and priceless expression on their face.
Paul immediately thrown Dawn off to the side with a loud thud as he regained his cool and stubborn demeanor. Dawn however, did not maintain hers so gracefully.
"S-S-Sakura!" Dawn blushed madly as she quickly sat back up from the shove Paul gave her. "I-I thought you were asleep!"
The said girl giggled at the two trainers, who were evidently quite embarrassed.
"I was! But then I heard lots of shouting and then I found you!" She continued to giggled as she approached Dawn, curling up in her lap again.
"You should go to bed again," Dawn pressed towards the small purple girl, who innocently looked up at her. "Everything's fine."
The small girl cuffed her small hand around her chin, a cute and serious expression on her face.
She was ignoring Dawn.
"Was that the special thing you told me about?" She naively asked towards Dawn and Paul, who once again, jumped!
"N-NO!" They both defended quickly as they blushed, Sakura once again giggled.
"Right now at this age, we are currently incapable-" Paul began to explain to the girl but Dawn was quick to jab her fist into his gut!
"SHUT UP!!" She screamed at him, her eyes blazing!
"Heehee, you're both so funny!" She laughed as witnessed Paul and Dawn bicker back and forth. Once things were settled, Sakura once more sat in Dawn's lap.
"T-That's not it Sakura! You shouldn't openly discuss things like that!" She glared towards Paul, who looked the other way, his cold expression returning. "It's very unladylike" Dawn scolded gently as she ran her fingers through the small girl's hair.
"Phooey." Sakura giggled even more, Dawn sighed and rolled her eyes. Who knew that little girls can be so troublesome!
"Both of your faces are so red, just like a cherri berry!" Sakura pressed on with the subject against Dawn's will, "Just like the time when uncle brought me home from daycare and we found mommy and daddy in the same position you two were in on the couch!" She continued to laugh.
Dawn and Paul both turned furiously red!
"They were sooooo embarrassed!" The girl continued to laugh and laugh, poking much fun at the two.
"Sakura,' Paul finally spoke up after he recovered from Dawn's jab, "Time to go back to bed." He said firmly.
"But-!" Sakura tried to protest but Paul gave her a firm look,
"Now." Was all he said.
A strange feeling whooshed over the small girl. The tone of his voice, the look in his eyes…so familiar…
"Sakura, your mother told you to go to bed. Need we negotiate?" Her father's firm voice played through her head.
All of a sudden, Sakura meekly stood from Dawn's lap, Dawn's attention turned towards her.
"Sakura?"
"Yes, I-I'll go to bed now. I'm sorry." Sakura apologized as she bowed slightly to Paul before scurrying back to Dawn's sleeping bag, curling up under the covers.
After about a good fifteen minutes, a soft breathing could be heard, meaning that Sakura had fallen asleep.
"W-Wow…" Dawn stammered as she looked towards Paul, who shrugged.
"All you need is to be no-nonsense. God," He said as he repositioned himself against the tree trunk, his back facing towards Dawn, ready to go back into sleep.
"H-How did you…?"
"Troublesome, go to sleep!" He scolded towards her now. Dawn was taken back! She got up from the soft grass and was about to leave the stubborn boy, but before she did, she turned around to face him and stuck her tongue out playfully at him. After all, his eyes were closed.
Like he could see her!
"And stop sticking your dumb tongue at me, you're worse than the girl!" he scolded, his eyes still closed.
Dawn's jaw hung open.
"Hmph." Dawn huffed as she stuck her nose in the air, put her hands on her hips, and walked away.
Paul gave out a silent sigh of relief as he finally focused on his sleep. It was finally quiet…no screaming, no annoying girl, no snot-nosed kid, just peace and quiet.
But then…
CRASH!
"Ow…" Dawn mumbled in pain.
Now it would be suspected of Paul to snap his eyes open and see what caused the loud crash.
But he didn't, he could care less.
"Nice." He said sarcastically, smirking, eyes still closed.
And that was the last thing he said before he FINALLY got to sleep.
Sakura's eyes blinked open as she observed her surroundings. Where was she?
It was white, almost everything and everywhere was white. The only thing standing out in live vivid color was many scattered cheer blossom trees, the blossoms drifting in the nonexistent wind…
"Dawn..? Paul…?" She called out to her friends but they were no where to be seen! Her voice echoed in the deep vastness that seemed to befallen onto the area.
She took a few steps in front of her and with each step; the blossoms became more and more vivid.
"Mommy…? Daddy…?" She called out this time for her parents, tears welling up in her small cerulean eyes. Her steps now became quick paces, which eventually turned into a run.
"Mommy! Daddy!" She cried out even louder this time! She had this feeling, a feeling that her parent's were here!
She kept running, as much as her feet would carry her. She looked back and forth, all she could see was cherry blossom trees!
Where were her parents?!
"Sakura?!" A distressed voice called out, the said girl stopped dead in her tracks. That voice…belonged to her mother!
"Mommy!" She cried out happily as she looked around.
"Sakura!" Another voice, but this time it belonged to her father!
"Daddy!" She cried out, overjoyed. Tears of happiness sprawled out of her eyes as she raced towards the voices.
She couldn't believe it! She had found her parents! She had finally found them!
She kept running and running until two figures adorned in pure white came into view. Her face lit up as she recognized the figures!
"Mommy! Daddy!" She cried out towards them.
"I-I can't find her anywhere!" Her mother panicked towards her husband.
"I'm right here!" Sakura called out as she drew closer to the pair.
"She has to be around her somewhere…" Her father tried to reason as he looked around.
Her mother began to break down into a sob.
"Mommy, don't cry! I'm right here!" Sakura cried out with worry as she finally reached them, but as she did, they didn't notice her at all!
"Don't cry, that's not going to help anything." Her father said as he continued to look around once more, a frustrated look in his eyes.
"B-But I'm right here!" Sakura cried out, her voice shaking. She didn't understand this! She was RIGHT THERE! Right next to them! And they didn't notice her?!
"M-Mommy…" Sakura whimpered towards her mother, who was trying her best not to cry. She didn't like to see her cry…even her father…was holding it back…
"I think she went this way, come on!" Her father suddenly said as she grabbed hold of his wife, running towards the east.
"N-No! I'M RIGHT HERE!!" Sakura screamed towards them in distress as she tried to catch up to them, but her small legs burned as she tried to keep up. The image of her parents' backs, running away, made more tears spill out of her eyes.
"Wait!!" She cried out as she caught hold of her mother's long white skirt but as soon as she did...in a horrified slow motion…
The skirt, as well as her mother, deteriorated into a million cherry blossoms dazzling into the light…
Sakura's eyes widened in horror as she stopped dead in her tracks, her hands shaking!
The cherry blossoms scattered and twirled around her father, whom turned out to look back at his wife. His eyes slowly widened as he came to a sudden halt, the cheery blossoms floating away into the wind.
"No…" He murmured as he fell to his knees.
"Daddy!" Sakura cried as she ran up to him but still, he was not aware of her presence.
"I can't lose…both of you…" His voice shook as he dug his shaking hands against the white grass, her mother's cherry blossoms still twirling and dancing in the breeze.
"D-Daddy! I'm right here!" Sakura wept as she got down before him, right in his face. She reached out to touch him but once her hands came into contact, as if she were a ghost, she went right through!
Sakura gasped. "D-Daddy…" She whimpered as she looked up at her father.
His eyes were wide and full of shock.
"Wait for me…" He whispered.
"No, DADDY!" Sakura now screamed, scared.
But it was too late…
Slowly, her father too deteriorated into cherry blossoms, scattered in the wind.
Sakura's eyes became bleak. The whole world around her seemed stand still.
The blossoms brushed against her tear-streaked face…
"No…" Sakura whimpered, all of a sudden, a strange green glow began to shine on her forehead.
'Mommy…Daddy…' Her thoughts kept pouring over her parents, how they loved her, how they were now forever gone…
"NO!!" She suddenly screeched, the glow becoming more and more powerful. She clutched her hands to her head, maintaining herself. As if to prevent the terrible and aching pain her very soul was feeling.
She shut her eyes tight as more and more tears spilled out. And then suddenly, as if in a sudden flash of terrible lighting, it went black.
Everything was pure darkness. There was nothing…
Sakura stood where she was…shaking and scared. She fell down to her knees, her locket somehow shining in the pure darkness.
She shut her eyes tight, tears still drifting out…until…
"SAKURA!!" Her mother's terrible cry out to her rang throughout the darkness, causing the poor girl's eyes to snap open in terror.
"MOMMY, DADDY! NO!!" Sakura cried out as she sprang up from the sleeping bag. Her arm was reaching out and her face was soaking wet with sweat…and tears.
She gasped quietly to herself as the quietness of the camp pushed reality onto her. It was all a dream…
The small cackling of the fire still flickered and Sakura could make out Dawn's sleeping figure and Paul's in the darkness. She hugged her knees.
"It was…all just a dream…" She whimpered to herself before burying her face into them, crying.
"Sakura? All you alright?" A kind voice asked, Sakura looked up from her crying to see no other than Dawn knelt down right before her!
Sakura stared tearfully at her, still hugging her legs. Bashfully, she hid her head once more in her knees.
"Did you have a bad dream…?" Dawn asked somewhat motherly as she put an arm around the small shaking girl, Sakura leaned into Dawn.
"Y-Yes…" She whimpered as she embraced her, she was so scared!
Pretty soon, Sakura found herself crying. "M-Mommy and D-Daddy were looking for m-me! And I-I tried calling out for them but t-t-then!! WAHHH!!" She cried as Dawn soothed the poor girl, a sympathetic look in her eyes.
"Don't worry; it's all over now…" She hushed as she rubbed Sakura's back. Dawn was getting pretty good at this the second time around.
"Daddy and M-Mommy were crying…" Sakura continued on, "And they didn't see me…" She hiccupped.
"I miss them…"She sniffed, Dawn embraced the small girl tight. "Everything is going to be alright…." She consoled, Sakura looked up at Dawn, who was smiling.
"No need to worry!" Dawn said towards the small girl happily, which caused Sakura to smile.
"Now why don't you just close your eyes and think of happy things, that way the nightmares will get scared and run away," Dawn tried telling her but Sakura found it hard to go back to sleep.
"I can't…I-I'm too scared!" She looked up at Dawn anxiously, "C-Can I sleep with you?" She asked, hopeful.
"Um…" Dawn began as she looked over at the tree she was sleeping under, "It's very uncomfortable…maybe it would be better I f I slept here with you?" Sakura's face immediately lit up!
"Yes Yes!" She squealed as she anxiously got under the covers of the sleeping bag, Dawn following. Once they were both in, Sakura snuggled up to Dawn in fright.
"Everything's going to be okay," Dawn reassured, Sakura sniffed and nodded as she closed her eyes.
"You smell like mommy…" Sakura whispered as she became sleepier. Dawn smiled sweetly at the girl before she herself drifted of into a slumber.
Sakura smiled before she too, reached sleep.
A happy memory remembered.
Feet pitter-pattered anxiously down a long hallway. It was in the middle of night and thunder crashed, the small girl shrieked in her fright as she made her way down the hall.
"M-Mommy, D-Daddy!" Sakura cried as she burst open the two wooden doors that led to her parents' room. The room itself was huge! Sakura could barely make out her parent's furniture, their dressers, the vanity her mother owned, the TV in the corner accompanied with a small seating area, not even the two doors that led to their bathroom and her mother's closest! But she did see their white Queen-sized bed and it was their that she raced up to her sleeping mother, who was located on the left side of the bed.
"M-Mommy!" Sakura cried towards her mother as she shook her mother awake. Dawn blinked her eyes opened sleepily before she registered what was before her.
"S-Sakura? What's wrong?" She asked, her voice suddenly becoming very concerned. The then four year-old began to break down into tears.
"I-I-I had a scary n-n-nightmare!" She wailed as she clung to her mother.
"What's wrong now?" Paul asked as he sat up from his sleep groggily, he looked over to his wife and noticed Sakura there.
"She had a bad dream," Dawn replied as she picked her small daughter and placing her onto the bed in between her and Paul.
"Mommy said I could sleep you two tonight!" Sakura cheered.
"Dawn no, she can't." Paul began with his wife, Dawn narrowed her eyes towards him.
"And why not?"
"Because then this will become a habit for her!"
"No it won't! Sakura is a good girl!"
"That doesn't mean that she can't have her own bad habits!"
Sakura's head went back and forth as she watched her parents argue.
"Nonsense darling, one night won't cause much harm. It's lighting and thundering outside and it was you who watched that horror film with the Ghastly with Sakura right next to you." Dawn defended her daughter as she slinked back down to go back to sleep, her arms around her daughter.
"But-!" Paul tried to defend but Dawn harshly cut him off.
"Listen to me sweetie, just this one night Sakura can spend the night here. But if you keep insisting 'no', then we're not going to play any more games for a month."
Paul's eyes widened in shock as he looked at his wife, then Sakura smiling innocently up at him, then back at his smirking wife.
He weighed out his options.
"Fine, just this night." He finally gave in as, he too, slinked back down back to sleep.
"Good night sweetie," Dawn giggled sweetly; clearly happy she and Sakura had won.
"Yeah yeah, whatever." Her husband replied.
"Good night daddy!" Sakura then said, Paul turned towards his daughter.
'Good night," He smiled as he kissed his daughter's forehead.
Paul awoke in the middle of the night. He sat up and looked around, the fire was going out. Sighing, he took a few branched from a nearby pile he had constructed and tossed them into the flames, and within a few moments, the fire soon began to regain its shape.
"Times like this I wish I had my pokemon," He said and he was about to go back to sleep but then he suddenly noticed something.
His eyes traced towards Dawn's sleeping bag, where she and Sakura were sleeping.
"Troublesome…" Was all he muttered before, he too, drifted back into sleep.
And this is where I'm ending this chapter (sweat-drops) It must be short compared to my other chapters but please note that I'm just back into this story. I'm testing the waters, lol. Please tell me if you guys liked it (sigh) total writer's block but I forced through it.
Also, the nightmare Sakura had, I hope you guys all noticed something towards the end. I hinted at it before in the second chapter but it wasn't as extreme and I hinted it here. Shhh!
I got chills writing that segment though, especially the ending XD.
Heehee and the part with Dawn and Paul on top of each other, I ALMOST DIDN'T PUT THAT IN THERE but I did! (Laughs) Wow, I sure like making people fall on top of each other in my fics (grins). And oh! Can you guys guess what Ash found in Paul's backpack?
Well, that's all for now. I hope you guys liked this chapter and I hope you look forward to the next!
Until next time!