Until the Day, Chapter 7
"So... Tracey said you saved my life."
Misty spun around from the railing where she stood. Shamuti island faded into the distance as they made their way back to the normal route of the Orange Islands, as if the entire ordeal of the Orange Islands was a figment of his imagination—that his entire life didn't change that day. She didn't look impressed, her eyelids were lowered over her sea-green eyes and she shrugged.
"I didn't." She mumbled looking back the island in deep thought.
Sometimes, Ash wished for a millisecond he could understand what she was thinking, on the days when she looked so translucent, so soft in comparison to her ridged, tomboyish appearance. It reminded him that even sometimes, Misty was human: a person, a girl. Ash smiled warmly at her.
"Even so, I wanted to say thank you." He nudged her shoulder while approaching the rail and leaning against it with his forearms. "And someday, I intend to pay you back, even if you didn't save my life." He threw out, mocking her intentionally and earning a sinister glare from the female.
"I can't let you die before you pay me back for my bike." She muttered sourly though a bit of humor decorated her words while she flung away from the railing and stuck her tongue out at him. Ash shuddered, but couldn't find it in himself to rebuke the girl while she waved to him in goodnight, and disappeared below deck.
Ash leaned far back that night, looking into the ocean while it splashed against the sides of the boat they were on and inhaled coolly. He nearly drowned, pikachu reminded him of it every other minute—how from now on, Ash had to be more careful. Funnily enough, the one person he thought would give him hell for nearly drowning was Misty, and she barely said any words on the subject. Did she not care, or was it that she know that she could save him, regardless? That she and Tracey would have his back in a time when he really needed them? Maybe she wasn't scared of him drowning, because she was a water-pokemon trainer, and she knew better than anyone she could rescue him?
Maybe it was too painful to talk about, how she let him go alone when she should have been at his side. Ash was used to being alone—but he was getting even more used to having Misty around.
His grip intensified on the railing and he looked outward to the island once more.
"I guess I am pretty lucky." Ash murmured aloud, licking his lips.
XOX
Ash and Misty would never talk about it, but Misty was terrified for Ash; blaming herself for letting him go alone, even more upset that she couldn't help him when he really needed it—how could she tell him not to be reckless, when he had to be. It was his calling, apparently, his life would never be normal; she couldn't scold him for that, tell him to be careful.
Sometimes he had no control of it. Ash knew that now, after spending years with Misty; how subtle she cared for her friends, and understood their hardships. The sacrifices she made to be there for her friends were endless, so, when the time came to leave for his journey, or sit with her during the initial reaction to her sisters suing her, well, Ash stuck around.
"Ash, you don't need to stay here. You should be out on an adventure, I can take care of myself."
"No way, your sisters are suing you. I'm not leaving." Ash declared, taking her hand briefly before they walked into the court room that day to look at the judge who was handling the announcement. Misty figured she would see what grounds they were trying to sue on, and then decide if she needed a lawyer—depending on the charges, most of them could just be thrown out in court. Misty didn't do anything to hurt her sisters except throw them out of the gym, after all.
However, the news wasn't good. Ash didn't realize Misty's sisters started so early; then again, setting up a court case took months, sometimes years—everything was just kept under wraps for so long...
"Misty Waterflower, please take a seat." The judge gestured for her to sit at the front row pews. It was only the two of them, several officers of the law, and the judge, adorning a white wig that Ash had to stifle his laughter.
"Who is this?" The judge looked to Ash, and Misty glanced between the two of them.
"My friend..." Misty said, then shook her head clear to stare up at the judge. "My boyfriend." She corrected proudly while Ash took an uncertain seat beside her. "He's moral support."
The judge looked sympathetic. "I guess you'll need it." he muttered, then opened the file and began reading the allegations to the gym leader.
Ash had no idea how serious the claims were originally; the trial that he remembered boiled down to slander, and thanks to a very persuasive lawyer, once the lawsuit reached trial; it was thrown out under the belief of sisters fighting, but their accusations were fairly horrible.
They painted Misty into a monster; a money grubbing, title stealing, pokemon stealing, con artist. Accusing her of victimizing the three sisters abusing them mentally while they were living together, so much as to say that the reason they left wasn't because Misty kicked them out, but because they needed to flee from her horrible behavior. Essentially, their accusations boiled down to Misty took over the gym and we stopped getting money, we are now broke and upset.
How selfish, and conniving, and...
Apparently serious.
"Do they have proof of any of this?" Misty blurted out at the end of the two page legislation, and the judge crossed his arms and pursed his lips.
"I'm not obliged to say, but if I were in your shoes, I would find myself a lawyer. Given your position as a member of Kanto's pokemon league, you're going to be scrutinized more publicly than your sisters...and things can be... fabricated." The judged straightened his papers, and cleared his throat. "You have heard the accusations, the officer will give you a copy on your way out, and we will be pending a mediation in the next few months."
That explained the sudden absences from league parties, the sudden moodiness, her inability to function rationally. Ash inhaled, while technically it was different now, he felt horrible, like a pit formed in the center of his stomach, and he wasn't sure what to say. Obviously, in his original timeline, he didn't help her one bit by constantly berating her in front of the cameras—it's no wonder they couldn't make up.
Ash exhaled through his mouth while Misty wordlessly collected her documents and led him out of the winding, small legal room. Her heels clacked against the tile floor below—she wore black slacks and a white blouse—really the only professional clothes she owned, and Ash was squeezed into some of her dad's old clothes at the back of her closet.
"Misty." Ash called to her, racing to be at her side. Pikachu waited at the gym for them so he didn't have the familiar weigh on his shoulder keeping his arm down when he snatched her hand. Pokemon weren't allowed in the judicial rooms.
"Are you alright?"
"Just fine." She mumbled, keeping her hair over her eyes while she snapped her hand away from his and continued forward. She didn't want to make a scene, give the media or anyone another reason to write her name unfit on a piece of paper. This wasn't even about money, or winning; it was about Misty having something her sisters didn't have a part of anymore, and them being upset over it.
"Misty-" Ash hummed, tucking his lips into the spikes of her hair and kissing her gently. "It'll be okay; do you want to get something to eat?"
She looked up at him, mirth in her eyes when she slapped him in the shoulder and tucked her arm around his with a grin tugging at her lips.
"I have no idea how you always make me feel better even when I want to break everything."
Ash scoffed bravely. "It's a gift." he mocked, flipping his growing hair while she shoved him playfully.
XOX
A week passed before Misty found a lawyer she felt would represent her successfully. She looked through a million advertisements to find the right one, and Ash was only a little upset that it happened to be him.
Misty wore a blend of colors, trying to appear professional in lieu of the situation, she bought new clothes; a few skirts, some blouses, and another pair of heels. She looked pretty, but her skirt was too short for Ash's taste, so he busied himself in the waiting room by tugging at her hems to lower them. She hardly noticed thanks to her own nervousness while she waited, stroking the length of Ash's thigh until her hand was numb.
"I really think you should try talking with them." Ash offered one more time when Misty looked at Ash and shook her head.
"...Ash, they're suing me. I'm afraid that if I even talk to them outside of the lawsuit they'll use whatever I say to them against me."
"Would they really do that?" Ash asked, and Misty shrugged.
"I didn't think that they would—they're supposed to be my sisters; you know." her pain laced in her voice was a sound he was beginning to get used to, a sound that sent angry vibrations through his chest and caused his entire being to shake.
"...Misty..." Ash whispered, keeping eyes away from them. "You know I don't have siblings... but I know a thing or two about fighting with people, and I think counter-suing is a huge mistake." He inhaled, taking in the scent of her wild berry perfumes and chlorine from her morning swim.
"I think you should talk with them."
"And say what?" She snapped. "Sorry I took the gym from you and kicked you out of my life?"
"...I just think that-"
"Yeah, well don't think. You don't know anything about this." Misty stood, gathering her things together while the receptionist called her name and Ash shook his head at her, ignoring her venomous words and taking her hand.
"Misty, you've been fighting with your sisters for years; maybe they just want to talk with you."
"Then they should talk! Not sue!" She snapped, removing her hand from his, and stalking into the lawyers office where he wasn't allowed.
Once she disappeared behind closed doors, he groaned and lolled his head backwards over the chair, squeezing his eyes shut. He couldn't imagine what she was thinking right now, more importantly, what the pig-man was telling her. Anything and everything to get her money, and her legs open, apparently. Ash rocketed to his feet, and paced while scratching at his head. Man, he wished pikachu was here! He was going to drive himself nuts like this—sure, Ash and Misty were already dating so he should have had nothing to worry about.
Ash paused, and looked at the large, oak doors—but Misty and him were engaged before! What if... no, Ash waved the feeling off, even if that was the case, he had no right to keep her from it—after all, she was supposed to live for herself; this wasn't about him; sure, it was working great for the two of them so far, but he only wanted her to be happy.
If that was her choice then...
The doors flew open, revealing a huffing Misty while she fled the lawyers office, much to the big-meaty-man's confusion.
"I think you're making a huge mistake, talking with them without a lawyer present could be detrimental to your case."
"Yeah, well, I'll be sure to record the whole thing!" Misty growled, throwing her arm up, the lawyer flinched, and Ash thought he could see the impression of a red, five fingered print over his right cheek—but couldn't be sure as Misty's tight grip laced around his arm and drug him out of the building as swiftly as she could.
"Uhh." Ash finally spit out, head spinning. "What happened?"
"He was a pig!" Misty gasped, releasing Ash to pat her own skirt down, feeling it was too short now, as well. "He was going to charge me sixteen hundred dollars just for a reading of my report—and then he—he.." She growled feeling sick to her stomach and in drastic need for a shower while Ash stared on at her in awe.
"...He suggested he would do it for free if I—I..." She threw her hands up, grabbing her hair. "Do I look like a harlot!?" She screeched while gesturing to her outfit, and Ash couldn't stop laughter from funneling out of his mouth, though he tried with no avail to stop it, she didn't look as impressed.
"Don't laugh at me!" She hissed, grabbing his cheeks while tears pooled at the corner of his eyes from the stinging pain of her fingers.
"What happened to that protective boyfriend I was supposed to have, huh!? Shouldn't you be threatening to break down the doors and snap necks or something!?" She yelled loudly with a grin on her lips while his laughter fell into short chuckles, and finally died off with the release of his cheek muscles.
He rubbed his face, "Well, I can, but I dunno; I think attacking a lawyer wouldn't be in either of our best interest." Ash muttered smartly, earning a nasty glare from Misty who playfully shoved him.
"When did you get so smart?" She barked while kicking off her heels and starting down the street.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"To talk, that's what you suggested, right?" She shouted back at him while he chased after her, a dopey expression over his face while her shoulders remained high, unlike how he remembered them—then again, while he laughed at what had happened; his eyes were opened a little more to the situation she was in before, and he clucked his tongue.
It wasn't in her best interest, but Ash might make a pit stop later.
"Hey, wait up!" He called after her, barreling into a short jog.
XOX
They stood at the outside of a small, disgusting apartment complex while Misty rubbed her hands together tiredly.
"I...don't know Ash, I don't think we should; I mean, do you really think this is the right call?"
"I've never been more sure of anything." Ash announced. "You love your sisters, by default, they should love you, too. Sometimes siblings fight, that doesn't mean you're ever past the point of making up." He announced and Misty glanced at him, eyes narrowed while she licked her lips.
"Did something happen to you, you know, before you came back to see me... I know you said you had-"
"It doesn't matter." Ash announced, eyebrows raised and smiling earnestly at her. "I can be pretty smart when I want to be." he then released her effortlessly, and pointed to the door. "I'll go in first like we talked about, and then you come in after."
Misty didn't respond for a long time, her eyes were narrowed, and her brows were knit closely together while she watched her lover dance around her as if he had years of experience on her and she cracked a forced smile—a scared smile.
"Alright."
"Okay." Ash mimicked, turning to the apartment and preparing to enter the facility when she called after him.
"Thank you, Ash." he heard barely above a whisper before the door closed behind him, and he saw her glancing down at her phone to pass the time while he suffered through the worst of their inevitable reunion.
After all, he could be dead tomorrow; if Xerneas' threat meant anything, so he might as well make sure she had someone to lean on if he wasn't around anymore. While he walked up a flight of stairs to 214 B, he could smell toxic sewage, a plethora of cigarette smoke, and the occasional waft of pee as he circled the hallway to find the small apartment the three sisters shared. The door had apparent claw marks, and the wall outside had fire damage. He could only imagine what the inside looked like.
Ash knocked twice, then a third time when he couldn't hear anyone on the other side.
Eventually, he heard a body shifting through the room, the movement of a slide, indicating a glance through the eye hole, and finally;
"Ash Ketchum?" a high pitched voice penetrated his ears, and he took a step back while the lock untwisted in several ways, and eventually, the golden short bob and crystal blue eyes of Misty's eldest sister filled his vision.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" She asked nicely, then gestured for him to come inside—at first, he was fearful, worried that it would look like the rest of the building, but while his dumbfounded nature made its way into the small apartment, he discovered quickly how wrong he was.
The place was torn up, underneath their decorations. He felt like he was walking into a traditional Kanto restaurant with a burning mixture of incense, hanging lights, and delicate dishware hiding otherwise unpleasant scenery. Pictures, and awards decorated the walls, and a lovely couch sat perpendicular the television and small kitchen. In the corner, he could see a small door leading into a bedroom split by curtains, and a girly, destroyed bathroom beside that.
"Wow," Ash gushed, "I like what you've done with the place."
"It's not a lot, I know." Daisy admit modestly, "But it's home...sort of." Daisy remarked while gesturing to Ash to have a seat on the love seat while she moved into the kitchen to fetch some tea.
"Where are Violet and Lily?" Ash questioned, looking around for them—there was no way they were hiding in the small apartment, but to be sure, he asked. The television was muted on, surprisingly, the battle network when Daisy reappeared with a small cup of tea.
"Lily is in school, and Violet's shift at the bar down town started an hour ago." She announced, clearing he throat while she took a seat beside him on the arm chair and gestured at him.
"How are you? I haven't seen you since you were a little boy—anything interesting happen recently?" She paused, sadness filling her eyes. "Have you seen Misty?"
He didn't need to answer, because the apparent, subtle movement of his eyes and face was motion enough for her to understand that was who he was here on behalf of.
"oh." Daisy said, chuckling while sitting back. She sucked in her lips and smiled at Ash. "...she was too nervous to come up herself?"
"Well, yeah, you guys are trying to sue her." Ash muttered back at her.
Daisy's shoulders slumped. "We don't want to..."
"Then why are you?"
"Because she's stubborn." Daisy smiled, blinking pretty eyes at him. "Or maybe we're a little stubborn, I don't know." Daisy shook her head in disbelief. "The gym was as much our home as it was her's, and she wrongfully removed us."
Ash tilted his head at her comment, knowing better, and so Daisy crossed her legs at the knees. "...Okay, she had good reason, but to remove us from the title completely was..." She paused for a long time, and Ash waited patiently for her to continue.
"We miss her."
At that, Ash's face screwed up. "So your only option was to sue her?" He asked, nodding his head slowly.
"We don't really want to sue her; we just want her to talk with us"
"And you thought suing her would do that?" Ash snickered and toasted his mug to her sarcastically. "It's nice to know you three are still holding the chalice of stupidity."
Daisy could have smacked him, if they knew each other better, she might have. "She won't return our phone calls, or our emails, or letters... We didn't know how else to get through to her."
Ash sipped his tea, reveling in the warm sensation as it drained into his gullet, and blinked at her several times.
"So, you thought falsely filing a lawsuit was the answer?"
"...It's kind of stupid, isn't it?" Daisy murmured, and Ash tilted his head in one direction, and then the next and nodded.
"She hates us now, doesn't she?" the blonde asked sadly while resting her glass on her knees, and blinking tears from her eyes.
Ash didn't know what to say, other than the swelling discord in his chest.
"I don't hate you." Misty's voice cut through the room while Ash sat up naturally and Daisy stiffened in her seat.
"How did you-" Ash started, but she shrugged nonchalantly at him—she followed him, obviously.
"Why wouldn't you just come to the gym? if what you're saying is true." Misty announced and Daisy set her cup on the table and looked over her shoulder at Misty.
"And say what exactly?"
Misty shrugged. "I don't know, how about: I'm sorry?" Daisy's face drained of color at Misty's insanely simple solution. "People fight all the time, we said some things we can probably never take back—but that doesn't mean we have to hate each other." Misty's head shook.
"...I didn't want you guys to live in a place like this, or struggle as much as you are... I just..." Misty's face fell. "I wanted you to respect me, and the gym, and take yourselves more seriously. But I don't hate you."
Ash watched the scene unfold quietly from his place at the couch, and looked down suddenly, feeling like he had been stabbed. Daisy's eyes filled with water.
"You said you never wanted to see us again, that if we came near the gym you would call the league."
"I know." Misty mumbled. "I was mad."
"Which is why we couldn't just apologize, you would have gone nuts."
"You don't know that.." Misty hummed, looking at Daisy who sniffled.
"Can we not do this?" Daisy asked finally, wiping a tear from her eye while she stuck her hands out. "Can we just hug this out and call it even?"
"Daisy, you're suing me." Misty hissed, though her eyes were watery and a chuckle was muddled in her throat.
"But you showed up, didn't you?" Daisy whispered and before Ash's eyes he watched the two sisters hug out their imploding emotions, and felt sick to his stomach.
We can still be friends, can't we? Misty called to him during one of their last meetings before her accident, and Ash left her. He looked away, feeling the raw tender emotion as if it was happening all over again and cleared his throat in his best attempt to keep it together. He never realized how forgiving Misty truly was.
"We have to tell Lily and Violet." Daisy announced breaking away from misty.
"Daisy, you need to call your lawyer first."
"I don't have a lawyer." Daisy laughed, smiling at Misty. "We were going to represent ourselves, because we figured you couldn't afford one, either."
Misty pursed her lips, forgetting Ash was standing beside her when she followed Daisy into the tiny dining room to chastise her sister's idiotic behavior. Daisy mocked Misty equally, as if everything was normal always, and happily sent the email, canceling the accusations and pending trial via email that she proudly showed to Misty.
It was great; watching Misty's eyes light up around Daisy who happily showed Misty their new achievements board and talked about some of her greater feats—but he felt so wrong inside; as if he couldn't breath all of a sudden. Ash tugged on is collar, loosening the tie he had around his white blouse and nearly choked on the lilac ridden room. He needed fresh air. Misty wouldn't notice if he stepped out for a minute.
While escaping out of the room, tugging at his collar and feeling light-headed, he felt a pinch here, and there, and the wash of guilt that tugged at every nerve in his body. He felt like he was having a heart attack: trouble breathing, shortness of breath, a numbing sensation all over his body—but he was too young for a heart attack, no, this was something else. But, he couldn't think.
He just needed air.
When he arrived outside, he felt the icy cold hands of death wrap around his rib cage, and he wanted to scream if it meant he could breath again. His throat felt itchy. Instead, he stumbled forward and could have sworn he heard Misty screaming at him, but his head was foggy, and his body moved without reason.
"Ash!" She screamed, then e felt her body crash against his in something akin to a football tackle and hit the ground with a heavy thud. He might have banged his head, but he couldn't recall. She sat on his waist, staring down at him while he looked up at her through squinted eyes, and found it impossible to speak.
"What in the world are you-" Misty hissed, then immediately realized something was wrong. She pat his face. "Ash?" She called to him, but he quickly became unresponsive, as much as he would have liked to.
"Ash!" And then everything went dark.
XOX
That was it, for Misty to live Ash had to die. He thought it would be something like that, he really did. After all, Xerneas wasn't a pokemon capable of sending people back through time—he was the pokemon of granting eternal life—maybe he was perfectly capable of taking it away, as well? Maybe to give back life, he had to take one? Was that the deal?
...Would it hurt?
Ash was floating, death was easier than he thought, there wasn't a lot of pain—if anything, the only pain he felt was the crack in his heart that Misty had to watch him die. A trade off he wasn't exactly okay with, but was happy to know that she was happy, and would make it.
He was surprised there wasn't any light above him, encapsulating his body—no, he felt like nothing and everything at the same time. Some gray area between heaven and hell more than likely because he distorted life in order to save Misty. Did that mean he would be somehow punished for his selfless behavior? Even still, if he had to spend eternity in limbo, he would be okay; just so long as she was okay.
"Ash." Unless he had to hear her voice for the rest of his time, that would make him go crazy!
"Ash." Her voice cut through the silence of his world again, jarring his distorted view, and his body felt heavy again. Floating disappeared, and instead he felt like he had been hit by a truck. A very angry, redheaded truck-Misty was that truck, and he wasn't dead.
"Misty?" He croaked after her, peeling one eye open at a time to see her body sitting above his; hair tied up into a high ponytail, and face as pale a ghost. The room he was in was bright white, save for the red curtains in the window, and they hurt his eyes to see, so he squeezed them shut again, and tried to sit up.
His last few memories were of Daisy and Misty hugging, stumbling, or falling down a flight of stairs—he couldn't remember, and bright lights before Misty tackled him.
"What happened?" he groaned, rubbing his head while he pushed himself forward to look around the room. Daisy, Lily, and Violet were standing at the end of his bed, looking rather pale themselves.
"I, like, am so, so sorry. I didn't know you were allergic to raspberries."
Ash's eyes widened, and his eyebrows rose behind his bangs before looking at Misty who shrugged with an innocent smile over her face. What did raspberries have to do with it? His questioning gaze pressed a smile onto her lips while she squeezed his hand.
"They gave you raspberry tea." Misty hummed innocently. "They didn't know." she quickly added and Ash shrugged, surprised himself.
"I didn't either, actually." His eyes didn't leave Misty when he sat up. "Why do I feel like I've been hit by a bus though?"
"Well, that's because my dear sister decided that instead of actually getting hit by one, she'd like you to live longer and tackled you out of the middle of the road."
"I was almost hit by a car?" He gasped looking at Misty who smiled at him carefully.
"I know you have a thing about cars, Ash, but your fine; I got to you first. It's all okay." She said, knowing that he wasn't thinking clearly during his allergic reaction.
Eyes wide, he looked between the sisters, then to Misty, then to his hands and finally looked up at her. "But I'm okay?"
"Yeah, aside from a little bit of bruising, you're as good as new. The doctor put you on some medication so you'd sleep through the night but otherwise you're fine..." Misty trailed off while Ash threw off his covers, they weren't lying that he was okay, they even kept him in his street clothes—well, his professional clothes from the lawyers office yesterday.
Ash wasn't dying. At first, a wave of emotions hit him. He was willing to accept it; perhaps that was the hero in him, but knowing that he wasn't... He swallowed, a new light washing through his eyes that made Misty's toes curl.
"Let's go then!" he announced, sounding rather chipper while he tugged off his IV connection, much to her sisters displeasure.
"Well you can't leave yet, the doctor needs to check you out and-"
"I don't want to be here." He said immediately, silencing Daisy.
"Ash...what..." She asked, though when Ash looked at her, something in his eyes kept her quite. Misty didn't understand the sudden hate of hospitals, but the wild look in his eye was enough for her to nod in agreement.
"Okay."
"What, Misty, you can't let him leave." Daisy muttered, but Misty shrugged her off while Ash smiled in victory and sighed of relief.
Misty pressed her free hand to Daisy's shoulder. "It's fine, will you three talk with the doctor after?"
"What?" Lily squealed, then folded her arms in protest but Daisy waved her off.
"Of course, you just take care of him." She smiled while Ash stumbled through the door while pulling on his shoes simultaneously, and practically started to jog from the hallways.
"Wait, Ash." Misty called to him, but his head was screaming at him now, a headache he hardly remembered happening while he glanced around the hallway he was in—he was in the emergency room, where Misty was before and his entire body felt the need to collapse when he crossed through the waiting room where he, Brock, and his mother waited for hours to be given no good news.
"Ash!" Misty snapped, grabbing his arm while he reached the first step of the outside stairs and was pulled to a sudden stop by his red haired beauty.
"Stop." she commanded, watching the flight leave his eyes.
"Is there a reason you're in such a hurry?" She questioned, and Ash couldn't help but look up at the sign, then back to Misty, then to the lobby full of people that seemed just as concerned as he once was.
"...I just really don't like hospitals." Ash announced, then slowly backed away, careful to bring Misty along with him because he most certainly was not going to leave her there. Given her worry, however, she walked rather than jogged and sighed quietly.
"I see..." She hummed, watching the side of his face. "...So you're sure that you are okay?"
Ash faced her and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"I thought you were dying." Misty announced suddenly, halting his steps. Her voice cracked, the shock finally reached her.
"I'm..." When he looked up at her, really, looked up at her, he realized it wasn't just now. Her eyes were puffy, bloodshot, and she didn't look well; more than likely, she didn't sleep in favor of sitting up with him all night. How many times had he seen that look on her face? At least a handful of times when they were kids. More once they were adults.
"If Daisy hadn't been there, you might have...She called the ambulance and I turned into a mess, she recognized it as an allergic reaction and I thought you were..."
Biting her lip, she looked to the ground. "You walked out into oncoming traffic, Ash; if I had been a second slower, or hadn't realized you were gone..." She wasn't looking at him during her confession, and he couldn't blame her.
"You can't die!" She squealed suddenly, fresh tears boiling from her eyes wile she pawed at them mercilessly. Her shoulders bounced up and down tiredly and she hiccuped several times. Cold waves crashed into his body and he moved to grab her, but she slapped his hands away. "You've always been reckless! I'm not as strong as you are—if something happened to you I-"
"I'm not going to die, Misty!" he called out for her, clutching her shoulders and keeping them still. She broke under his grasp and fell forward with her head landing into the crook of his neck.
Ash was cold, his hands were shaking and he had no idea what to do to help her. Carefully, his fingers pulled at the tangles of her hair, and his lips brushed gently against her forehead while she wept quietly. His legs were still a bit weak, and a pool of guilt filled his stomach. If he did die, what kind of fair trade would that be? Misty would be ruined, like... he was.
His eyes drifted to the road beside them and he exhaled quietly.
"You were there." He said confidently, a smile on his face, brushing his hand through her hair once again. "That's all that matters."
"That coming from you is classic, you freaked out over a nightmare. This wasn't a dream, Ash; you really almost died." She croaked, pounding a weak fist into his chest.
His eyebrows knit up-visibly disturbed by her words, and for the first time. The way his body tensed at the recollection of his dream, she realized he wasn't telling her the full truth about his little nightmare. Their eyes connected for a time, brown meshing with cerulean green. He was afraid, but she was curious. Why had he not told her the truth? What was so terrifying that he lied to her... Ash swallowed, recognizing that look as one he shared before shifting through time. He almost died again only, she was the one suffering from it. From some stupid allergy he wasn't aware that he had.
Before she could question his expression, his lips fell onto hers desperately, and she melted into his arms. Brushing her hands against the bruises on his torso to elicit immediate hisses from the boy. He hummed breathlessly into her collarbone.
"Thank you." he told her, pulling her in tightly while she pushed away from him with a heavy sigh.
"I love you." she expressed, and Ash felt his entire body stiffen while he watched her murky eyes.
"...What?"
Again, this time with a smile. "I...love you." she said sincerely, eyes shifting around in embarrassment before Ash nodded, gripping her into a bear hug, and kissing her exposed neck.
"I promise I'm not going anywhere!" he shouted, the vibrations sending giggles through her body while he swung her around; immediately regretting the decision.
"'cept." His stomach gurgled. "I think I need food."
"Me, too." Misty quipped, staring down at him from where he held her up against his body. They remained like that for a moment, before she tucked her chin down to his ear, and whispered a suggestion into his ear that brought a blush to his cheeks and a grin to his lips.
"After?" he asked, resulting in a blushing wink from his girlfriend. "You know, I did just get out of the hospital."
Author's Note:
Things I need to learn how to do: Keep my outline a little more organized lol.
GOOD NEWS (I hope I haven't said this before) I have all of Until the Day complete. That means the 7k word chapters are written, I just have to edit and revise appropriately. There are only three more chapters after this one. So, lotsa feedback?
ALSO; THIS IS THAT NICE, (almost) ANGST FREE CHAPTER I PROMISED FOREVER AGO?
-runs-
I realize something I do in a lot of my stories, is Misty is a shower, and Ash is a sayer. So when she says "I love you" to Ash, it's a lot like getting hit by a bolt of lightning? Now if I can get that Chapter of Locked Away I've been working on posted and update Equanimity, hopefully I can get back on schedule. Weeeeee
NINT