I got five reviews! That's the most for one chapter so far! Yay! I love all my reviewers!

NCISSpecialAgentAbbey – Imagine if he got lost! That would suck! But it's s good thing he's been this way plenty of times. Haha. And yes Team Rocket has hearts. It wouldn't be the first time they helped out Ash and co. And yes, poor Ash! Like I said, I was almost crying rereading it. I must be a big wimp. XD

aquaflares21- I agree. And guess what??? You did it!! You're reviewer number 20!!!! Yay! Congrates!! Haha!

StrawberryStoleYourCookie – Sorry, cliffys are kinda fun even if they torture everyone. Haha. And I think everyone is mad at Gary. I know I am! XD Well, I can't make you upload them if you don't want to or think people won't understand, but if you ever do upload something, you know I'll read it. 8D

PokemonFan100 – Thanks! Glad you like it!

-MistyKet – I'm so glad you like it so much! And no problem about to English thing. I wasn't lying. And here's more to read, just like you wanted! Haha.

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN POKEMON.

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Misunderstanding

Chapter 8: So That's What Happened

Everything hurt. Misty had been right about needing Ash. Death wasn't supposed to be this painful. Then again, she really wouldn't know. She thought she was maybe gonna go to heaven or some sort of blankness. She thought she just wasn't going to exist. She didn't think it'd be so dark and painful.

At least she felt like she was somewhere warm. She wasn't cold anymore, like she had been when she was in the hole. Maybe that was as nice as death was gonna get.

Then she heard something and there was suddenly light on her face. She squinted her eyes in the light. Maybe this was it. She was heading for the light or something. She had always thought that was just a cheesy joke but who knew? Maybe this really was it. Then she heard someone gasp and she frowned.

It was a girl's gasp. She opened her eyes slowly and she saw Dawn sitting next to her, leaning over her.

"Oh my god! You're awake!" She yelled.

Misty coughed a few times so she could speak. Her voice was raspy from either not speaking for awhile, or from all the screaming she had done down in the hole. "Yeah. I guess. Where am I?" She asked and looked around. She realized she was in a hospital room. And the warmth was from the covers on her.

"You're in the hospital!" Dawn told her, even though she had already figured it out.

"What happened?" She asked. Dawn stood up.

"I'd love to explain but I have to go tell everyone your ok!" She yelled.

"Wait but…!" She didn't get to finish because Dawn had already run out of the room.

Misty sighed. She hadn't gotten any answers out of Dawn. She kinda wished she had asked a different question other then "where am I?" since she had already figured it out by the time Dawn had answered. Maybe if she had asked if Ash was here she would've at least gotten that answer. But then again, that was a dumb question too.

Why would he be here? She hadn't made it there in time. He probably left. She was probably not going to get to talk to him ever again.

She swallowed the lump in her throat at the thought, knowing that her friends were going to be here soon and she didn't want them to find her in here crying.

Just at that thought the door opened and people were piling into the room.

"Misty!! I'm so glad you're ok!! I was so worried!" May screamed, tears in her eyes, as she ran into the room and over to Misty's bed.

Everyone else that came in Dawn (again), Brock, Tracey, Max, Drew, Mrs. Ketchum, Professor Oak, and Gary.

She wondered why Gary was there. He should know that she was pissed off at him.

But what hurt her was that Ash wasn't there. She didn't know why she was upset about that. She had told herself not more than five minutes ago that she knew he wouldn't be there.

She hadn't really thought about it until now, but she was alive. With May sitting next to her almost in tears, she remembered how she had been so sure it was the end. She didn't think a feeling like that could be wrong. What had happened to change her fate?

Brock stepped up to the bed behind May to distract Misty from her thoughts. "We're all really glad you're ok." He told her.

She laughed bitterly. "Not everyone." She said, looking away from Brock.

Brock tilted his head. "Who are you talking about?" He asked.

She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. She was trying so hard to hold them in, in front of everyone. "Forget about it." She told him, waving her hand in his direction.

Everyone else was talking with each other May looked up at Misty.

"So, did Ash leave?" She asked, trying not to sound like she cared.

Brock started laughing. "So that's what this is about." He assumed.

She shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about. I was just wondering if he left, that's all." She told them.

"Well, he's here. He didn't leave. If he had left, then you wouldn't be here either." He told her. She frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Well haven't you wondered how you got here? Don't you want to know what happened?" He asked.

She hadn't thought about it. She felt like her mind was moving way too slow. "So what happened?" She asked.

"Well, Ash saved you. He got you out of that hole with Bayleaf's vine whip. He said he lowered himself down all that way. He said Team Rocket tipped him off that you were down there and he found the hole and you. He got you to the hospital and they said you had just made it. The Doctors even said that your heart actually had stopped beating before you got there but somehow it started up again."

"Wait, I died?!" She asked, astonished.

"Uh, technically." May chimed in.

Just then the door opened and a doctor came in. "I'm going to need you all to leave." He told them. "I guess two of you can stay but the rest need to go. There is not enough room in here."

Misty looked at May and Brock and they nodded, agreeing that they'd stay. The others left and the doctor came over to check on Misty. "Everything seems ok." He told her, looking at a clip board.

"Um, doctor, what exactly are my injuries?" She asked him.

"Well, you had quite a fall. You have a few broken ribs and you had a concussion. You also had some internal bleeding." He told her.

"Ouch." She commented.

"But you're lucky. We thought you're spine was going to be broken. If that was the case, you would've been paralyzed." He told her.

She gasped. Even the thought upset her. She couldn't imagine that. That would've been awful.

"But Brock said that I died and came back to life! How did that happen?" She asked.

"Well, that actually does happen to people. There heart stops and then he shock them and they come back to life. But it had happened to you, before you got here. We could tell because during surgery, we saw the clots from it. But we don't know how you came back." He told her.

"But that's impossible. There has to be a reason. People don't just die and come back when they want to!" She argued.

"Listen, if I had to guess what did it, I'd say it was a miracle." He told her before leaving the room.

She sat motionless. She had been right. Her feelings of death coming had been right. But what had pulled her out of it? What did Ash do?

"You ok?" May asked.

"Yeah. Just surprised." She told her slowly. May nodded. "So how long have I been here? Since last night? What time is it?" She asked. It was bright outside. She realized that Dawn had opened up the shades before. That had been the noise and then the light.

Brock and May looked at each other and then back at her. "Well, you've been asleep for about three days." May said slowly.

"What? Three days??" She asked.

"Well yeah. They were giving you a lot of drugs to keep you asleep. They said that way you'd be in less pain." Brock continued.

Misty nodded. "So, uh, where is Ash now?" She asked slowly.

May laughed. "He's on his way. Probably running here as we speak. You see, he wouldn't leave your room. He refused. So we finally got him to go down and get some food and we'd take shifts being here. Dawn was here because it was her turn. I bet Ash is gonna be really mad at us since the second he left you woke up." She said with a chuckle.

Brock laughed. "Oh yeah. We finally get him to leave and what he feared most happens. He should be here any minute in that case."

And as if on cue, the door opened and in ran Ash. He was panting and he looked like he just ran a marathon.

"Ash, did you run up the stairs or something?" Brock asked.

Ash nodded. "Elevator…was…taking…too…long!" He said between huffs.

May laughed at him and stood up. "Well I guess we'll just be going then."

Brock nodded. "Yeah, we'll tell everyone what the doctor said." And with that they got up and left the room, closing the door behind them.

Ash had finally stopped breathing so heavy and he sat down next to her. "Sorry I'm late." He told her. She smiled.

"It's ok. Sorry I woke up the second you left." She told him. "So, I, uh, heard you found me."

"Yeah. Team Rocket gave me an "anonymous" tip." He laughed.

"Well, I guess I'm pretty glad they did." She told him. He smiled.

"Yeah, me too." Then he frowned. "So where were you going? Were you heading home?" He asked, looking away from her.

She shook her head. "No. I was looking for you."

He looked up at her. "You where looking for me? But why? I thought you hated me." He said quietly.

"I could never hate you." She told him.

"But you thought I was a liar."

She shook her head. "No you see-" But she stopped and looked around frantically. "What, where is my purse? Is it here?" She asked.

"Uh, yeah. When I found you, you had it around your arm so I ended up bringing it. It's over there." He told her, pointing to the side table next to her.

She looked over and tried to get it, but her body didn't want to twist that way. He got up and got it for her.

"What's so important about the purse?" He asked.

She looked through it and pulled out two letters.

"It's not the purse; it's what was inside it. You see, this letter is the one I showed you. The one I thought was the last letter I got from you." She said handing him the letter he had seen already.

"Yeah, and you sent this one back." He said, pulling something out of his pocket and handing it to her. It was the same letter he had tried to show her the night of the party. She looked at it and suddenly remembered something.

"Speaking of this letter, why did you have it with you at the party?" She asked. "You didn't know I was going to be there, did you?" She asked.

He blushed. "Uh, well, I always have it with me." He told her, looking at the ground.

"You do?" She asked.

"Yeah because, well, I guess it makes me feel like you're there. I don't know. I know it sounds stupid and weird but-"

"No. That's not stupid. It's sweet." She told him, cutting him off. Then she continued on with what she was saying before. "So, anyway, this is the letter that I never got." She said, handing him the last letter.

He took it and looked at it. "Wait, how do you have it now? Where was it?" He asked.

"Well, Gary had it." She told him.

"What?? Gary had it? How did he have it?"

"Well, he took it when he first found it, two years ago."

"What?! Why?! I'm gonna kill him!" He yelled standing up.

Misty grabbed his arm. "Sit down! Now listen, he didn't know what it was going to cause. I'm pissed off at him too but he really didn't mean that much harm." She told him.

He frowned but did as she said. "Ok, but he's still going to hear it from me later." He told her. She smiled.

"Ok, ok. But the point is, I never got the letter and that's what happened. I'm really sorry I called you a liar and stuff. I was just upset with you I guess."

"It's ok. I forgive you. I'm glad you were coming to meet me though. At least you understood what I meant when I told my mom where I was going." He told her.

"Well I figured it had to mean where we met." She told him. He looked back at her and laughed.

"Actually, that's not what I meant. I was talking about where it all began. Not the beginning of us knowing each other but the beginning of this whole mess. It's the same place I screwed up so many years ago." He told her looking down at the ground.

She looked back at him. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"Well I am a liar. I told the biggest lie ever back there." He explained.

"What lie?" She asked.

"I told you that I didn't care about you as more than a friend. I told you that our first kiss meant nothing to me. I know that it upset you since you ran off like that, and I was scared. Scared because I didn't want you to think I liked you if you didn't like me. So I told you it meant nothing to me and that was a lie. I know your feelings haven't changed but I'm not scared anymore. When I almost lost you, I realized that you didn't know how I felt. And I told myself that I was going to tell you no matter what. Because even if you don't feel the same way, I know that at least you know and that's all I can do, right?" He finished, still not looked at her.

Misty put her hand over her mouth and tried to hold in the tears but they still spilled over. The tears were for a number of different reasons. One was that she had hurt him. He had thought for all this time that she didn't love him. Two was that they had gone this far, she had cried so much and been in so much pain for nothing more than a misunderstanding. Three, she was crying tears of joy. She was so happy. She tried to hide them but it was hard. She was holding sobs in, as well as she could.

She sucked in a breath and when she did Ash whipped his head up quickly. When he saw her tears he stood up. "What's wrong? I'm sorry! Don't cry!" He told her.

She shook her head and calmed herself down enough so that she could stop crying. "No, I'm sorry. I've put you through so much haven't I? I-I didn't mean to run away. I was happy, I really was, but I was confused too. You surprised me." She told him.

"Wait, you mean, you weren't running off disgusted?" He asked. She shook her head.

"No! I'd never do that! Don't you remember that when we were sitting by the waterfall, we had both gone to talk at the same time? Haven't you ever wondered what I was going to say?" She asked.

"Every day." He told her. "But I also just assumed you were going to tell me what I had told you and I guess I wanted to beat you to the punch." He said quietly. "But I've always wondered what you were going to say." He told her.

She smiled. "Well, I'll tell you right now." She cleared her throat and smiled. "Ash, I'm sorry I ran away. I didn't mean to run away like that. Especially while you're hurt. I just want you to know that I love you. I really do. I'm sorry that our first kiss turned out this way, but I'm just glad I got to tell you how I feel." She told him.

He smiled. "You really feel that way?" He asked. She nodded.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." She whispered.

He shook his head. "It's ok." He told her with a laugh. "I should've told you the same thing a long time ago."

"So what can I do to make up for it?" She asked. He smiled.

"Well what can I do to make up for it?" He asked in return.

"Hmmm, I think we can work something out." She told him with a smile.

"Well I have an idea." He said as he pulled his chair closer to the bed. She didn't get to say anything else because before she knew it, he was kissing her. She wrapped her hands around his neck and tried to make the kiss last as long as possible.

They finally parted and Misty smiled up at him. "Yeah, I think that makes up for a few things." She said and laughed. She still had her arms around his neck and he was still holding her face when the door opened. It was Brock and May again and Ash and Misty pulled apart as quickly as possible.

"Brock!" Ash yelled.

"May!" Misty yelled at the same time.

"Uh, wow, we're sorry. We just wanted to ask if Misty was hungry. But I guess you already took care of that, Ash." May said and her and Brock burst into laughter.

Misty and Ash turned the same shade of bright red.

"GET OUT!" They yelled at the same time.

Brock and May listened and left quickly. Misty just looked over at Ash and they both started laughing.

"Well that was embarrassing." Misty commented.

"Eh, who cares? They'd know sooner or later and they're just being retarded." He laughed.

She smiled at him. She hadn't smiled and laughed this much or felt this happy in a long time.

Things were looking up.

. . .

Oh my gosh. Know what I just realized? This is the last chapter! I mean, I'm gonna have an epilogue but this is the last actual chapter! I think I'm gonna cry! It's almost over!!! How did this happen?? I thought it was going to be longer than 8 chapters. Hmmm, oh well. I could've made this shorter but I didn't feel like another cliffy. That wouldn't have been very nice. So I guess I'll just be writing the epilogue. I'm gonna go cry. Review!!!!! T.T