Chapter 19~!
Yeeey!
So hey, I've been a little slow to my writing with all these school projects and another junk like that. But, I suppose there's always time Pokemon, right? Uhuehuehue. Alright! So:
Gratitude/Comments:
Hey, Blacknebulastar. I haven't seen you around, so I'll just say thanks for picking up my fanfiction and reading it! It means a lot! Thanks again!
BananaBomb, thanks for the critique as usual. But, uhuehue I never really said Paul WAS the center of the attacks. You'll just have to read on, huehuehu. Yeah, so... Thanks again ^_^!
Cid Neha, yo, thanks for reading!
Thankyou, Mr Squirtle6! I'm glad you've been enjoying my chapters. Thanks again!
Oreo, thanks for reading and reviewing! Read on!
Hello again, MarronChestnut! Thank you very much for reading and dropping a review! Ash and Misty will have their own little moments, I assure you. I'm just trying to work out the main plots and get back to the survival point. Hopefully I'll get a chance later in the chapters to dedicate a whole section/chapter to Pokeshipping. I'm really glad you loved Red's character development! Thanks again!
Alpha The Loyalist, hey! It's good to see you again ^ ^ It makes me happy that you thought the last chapter was special. I'm glad you liked Red and Leaf's development. And ooh~! I think I've already seen half of the things Google has forced on me...Uhuhueuh
Thank you for reading and reviewing, PolarDawn c: I'm glad you liked my Oldrivalshipping scene ^-^ I suppose you'll just have to see about Red's situation. Until next time!
That's about it for now! Read on, my children!
A good amount of Ikarishipping be coming up! Oh! And I'll have Dawn give a further explanation on the scenario and planning. So, let's just say that her VERY convenient explaining is just her talking to herself to pass time? Ahahaha.. No. Yeah I don't know. And.. Well... I guess I'll go back to the main survival point... Uuughh..
Disclaimer:*
Don't own Pokemon..
Chapter 19:
'Every incident that has happened so far... Has involved me.'
...
"Paul..."
"What?" He growled, narrowing his eyes and shooting yet another glare at her. Dawn returned his frown, crossing her arms and shifting under Drew's coat. A small chuckle escaped from her mouth as she thought for a moment to herself.
"What's so funny?" Paul almost hissed, trying to smack her with his good arm. Due to the extreme loss of blood, his movement was very slow. The girl next to him grinned before moving just barely out of his reach. "Damn." He grumbled.
"Oh... Nothing much.." Dawn just smiled even more, teasing him by gently poking him in the cheek with her finger. His face seemed emotionless, but she could just sense the amusement he was feeling. Suddenly, her face tensed in all seriousness as she cleared her throat and returned to the original subject.
A pause overtook her as she fumbled through her mind for things to say. Cold wind shot at them, sending fallen leaves up into the air and goosebumps down her arms. Snuggling further into Drew's coat, she grit her teeth. Of course, she was partially used to sleeping like this, but the evening seemed even colder than any of the previous nights. Dawn's mind went blank as she shifted to bring warmth to her body. Although it pained her to admit it, she did wish that she hadn't fought with Lucas and was laying with him. With his arms around her, she felt some sense of security and about as warm as her bed back home.
Sighing, she grabbed and twisted the ends of her hair in stress. There was no point in thinking about it now, after all, she was the one who pushed him away. Now that she thought about it, Dawn found herself slightly overwhelmed with pride and righteousness. Fighting and rejecting Lucas was the right thing to do, right? Especially after he had said all those horrible things about Paul. And no one gets away with screwing her friends.
"Well...?" Paul's somewhat edgy voice disrupted her thoughts. Shaking her remaining negative thoughts away, she shivered, clenching her fists. After the recent attacks and the shortage of supplies, Dawn decided to maintain a little discipline. Which would mean absolutely no complaining, no matter how much she wanted to. Letting her face go slack, she tried to relax herself as she found the correct wording.
"It's ridiculous. Your theory, it doesn't make any sense." Dawn murmured quite bluntly. She could hear the sound of fabric being rubbed together. He must have been surprised that she didn't just smile and agree or make a big fuss over it. "Do you have any proof or evidence?"
"Hnn... You're smarter than I thought you were. You have a good point, I suppose it's just a thought." Paul shrugged, eying her through the darkness. Peering straight back at him, Dawn shuffled just a bit closer to him. A soft smile graced her face as she shut her eyes. Letting herself go completely slack, she gently fell to the side. Now leaning against his right shoulder, she slightly lifted her eyelids. Through her small window of vision, she found herself staring intently at his bloodied bandages on his left arm. It made her worry at first, until she shifted a bit more to get a closer look. The blood was dried and a russet-brown color. Clearly, he wasn't bleeding too much anymore which almost made her exhale in relief.
"I suppose that's true, but I'm not that ignorant." Her voice was about as soft as the look on her face. She was aware that she must've looked and sound very drowsy. However she just couldn't bring herself to lift her head and move away from the warmth presented. Paul was even warmer than she thought he'd be, especially in the current weather. It was okay to let her guard down. He wasn't the type of person to assault without a reason and even if he tried, he was still too physically weak to do much. Besides, she'd scream then everyone would wake up and come right to her aid if he tried anything.
At first, she was cautious and wary of him. As usually hugging was a sign of major affection and she had been told it was an action that only lovers engaged in. But, now that she thought about it, she had hugged many of her closest friends and even new friends like Leaf and May. If he was a friend, than it must be okay, right? Setting that reasoning aside, body warmth was essential to survival these days. Especially as the weather grew colder and proper shelter had to be put on hold for the evening.
"What the hell are you doing?" He sounded agitated, but at the moment, Dawn just didn't care. Of course, he'd probably give her an earful about how unpleasant having extra weight on his shoulder was the next day. And she'd probably get furious and snap right back. Then it may turn into a full war and the others would be troubled by it. Or maybe he'd get all up in her face about 'the one' who may or may not resemble her. After all, he did say that he was thinking of someone else after hugging her.
"I'm just tired... and cold." Right. There were more important things to worry about in the morning. Without proper sleep, she wouldn't be able to help complete those essential tasks. Even if the chances of building proper tools out of the plane's scrap metal were low, it was worth a shot. Having things like hammers, swords, and cooking utensils all made by her would mean that she was important and one of the most useful to the group's survival. It was a perfect plan. Dawn would somehow make sure that she was a group-member that they could not afford to lose. Until then, with Paul, maybe her chances of falling asleep would raise. Even by the tiniest bit, it was worth the awkward atmosphere.
"Why don't you go get Lucas?" His irritating ways of bringing up Lucas were beginning to test her temper. Taking a deep breath, she tried once more to calm herself, bringing her hands to the center of her torso in an attempt to warm them.
"I told you, I don't want to even think about him right now."
"What? Did you have a falling out with him or something and now want to use me for comfort?" Icy and unwelcoming was what his voice was. However his welcoming body actions seemed to be speaking differently. Unexpectedly, he made no effort to shove her away like he would've done just hours ago. And telling her to get away from him was anything but the first thing to escape his mouth.
"It'll be alright. We did have a falling out but I'm not using you in any way. We'll probably apologize and make up with each other tomorrow." Dawn yawned a little, taking a moment to try and listen to his heartbeat. However, because she was leaning on his right shoulder, his heart was almost way out of audible range. The fact that she couldn't seize the moment to listen to his heart was a little bit disappointing. Listening to peoples' heartbeats was probably one of her most favorite things to do. She had no idea how to explain the positive emotion that overwhelms her whenever she does it.
The person doesn't necessarily have to be male either. In fact, most of the hearts she listened to were those of her female friends back home. Whenever she hugged them or if there ever was a quiet period of time when they sat side by side. Maybe it was a little bit creepy, but the beating sound of a heart was very pleasing. Although, Dawn barely got a chance to do it as when she and her friends turned fourteen, every day was filled with noisy get-togethers and ear-deafening parties. Those in which were fun, but a little bit frustrating to participate in all the time.
"You actually had a falling out?" Paul's voice was quiet and his question was more like a statement. As usual. But she could sense the curiosity building in his tone as he spoke. The dark, shadowy world around them seemed to get brighter. Sunlight peaked out from the horizon line just past the trees and began to eat up the darkness. It was morning already and she had wasted the hours she could have been resting to talk with Paul. Although, it may not have been a complete waste of time. Even if morning was coming, they would probably be given time to rest if they took the night work for the day.
(Note:* Here, Dawn gives a brief explanation of how the group works... Forgive me, I didn't think about it when I was writing the previous chapters.. So sorry, haha.**)
Now that Red had gotten a good grasp on leading us, he had formed an entire plan. Half of us would take jobs in the morning and rest at night while the other half would take jobs at night and rest in the morning. The plan was fairly simple and kept us from slacking off or suffering from sleep-deprivation. A meeting which occurred just days ago decided the jobs.
Patrolling. One of the more usual jobs. It's fairly simple, you just go out, search the woods and try and mark the places you've been. Maybe even keep an eye out for those savages. At the rate we're going, we may in fact conquer the entire forest! Or maybe that's just my imagination. Especially since the island's unexpected inhabitants took us back a little.
Gathering. I suppose this could count as one of the more important duties. Not all of us can do it, usually it's just Red, Leaf, Drew, and sometimes Misty or Ash who like to tag along and learn about herbs. The job is pretty much a search for herbs, materials, and possibly fruit. Though, I think that everyone forgot about the mango tree it may be that we're avoiding it because of the random attacks occurring deep in the woods. Farther in you get, the more at risk your life is. Especially if whoever you're with doesn't know how to fight properly.
Hunting. The job that we're currently struggling with. Of course, most everyone is doing a great job of helping fish. But, the fish won't last forever and the ocean will be too cold to walk in. In fact, our clothes may not be able to help us through the weather. We haven't found any other 'real life' creature other than fish and the possible bird. Maybe we'll come across a deer. Or maybe we'll come across a bear and die. Who knows?
Construction and Crafting. We've gotten off to a pretty good start. Building fires, weapons, even a tarp that will hold our water. I've even got the heat-resistant gloves, so I was planning on melting or molding some sort of tool or weapon that will be helpful. We've also got to get everyone to contribute and get a shelter up. I'm certain that with enough time and dedication, we can do it.
Night Watch and Morning Watch. It may not seem important now, but it's a pretty vital position to play. We need to have two people up in case something takes a turn for the worst. So while the rest of us rest, they stay up and then get their rest in the morning or night.
Supply Check. That one person who is in charge of keeping track of the entire storage. Telling us what we need, keeping the fire going while people are away, etc. We haven't got much, but soon we will. And when that time comes, we'll need a constant check even more than we already need now.
Usually these jobs get rotated frequently among us so that everyone has their fair share of duties. In order to build trust, we've usually been sent out in pairs. However after recent clashing and falling outs with the group-members, topped off with the cannibal attacks, Red decided to change it. I'm certain that at least three or four people will be sent out in one big group. It will probably lessen the chances of one of us turning and decided to assault or possibly kill another. Now that most of the details have been worked out, we-
"Hey, answer me." Dawn flinched as he flicked the center of her forehead. Sneezing, she lifted her head from his shoulder and sat up straight. Putting a little bit of distance between them, she brought her legs back up to her chest before turning back to him.
"Yeesh, what was that for?" She grumbled, reaching out and gently slapping the side of his head. An audible grunt came in response along with the rustling of leaves.
"Did you and Lucas actually have a falling out?" He repeated his question with a somewhat serious tone. Through the dark, Dawn couldn't help but examine his profile. Paul stared straight ahead, not even bothering to try to meet her gaze. Concentrating her eyes, she peered closely at him for a quick moment, seemingly analyzing him. His jaw line was much more rough and sturdy compared to Lucas', which was slim and smooth. A good amount of hair hung down from each side of his face, but the rest in the back was sloppily cut so that it no longer brushed against his back or shoulders. Had he cut it himself to keep it out of the way? When did he do that? What a disappointment, it looked oddly nice when it was longer.
"I suppose, but like I said, it doesn't matter... Okay?" The words almost seemed to fly off her lips as if she was used to saying such things. Especially directed towards her relationship with Lucas. Another shiver ran down her spine as yet another wave of cold air rushed through the woods. A pang of regret struck her and as she was about to dwell on it, something tugged harshly at the scarf on her neck. Nearly choking, she coughed several times before feeling a familiar weight beneath her head.
"Whatever. Just don't freeze to death. I don't want to get in trouble." It seemed as if his words were coming out of the mouth of a stubborn little boy. Was this his way of being nice? Usually if she had told anyone else, they'd pry and pry until she finally told them what happened. Although, maybe Paul was better off not knowing about Lucas' apparent hatred for him. As much as she was tempted to move away from him and remind him of her relationship status, his warmth was wonderful. Even though it was selfish to use him for such a purpose, she didn't care. Morning was coming and if she didn't rest soon, she wouldn't be able to get up. How on earth could Lucas come to the conclusion that someone as bitter-sweet as this be a 'depressed attention-whore'?
"It's okay." Dawn smiled, almost burying her head into his shirt. The warmth that was given off was amazing and seemingly brought light to the dark atmosphere. It was almost as if she were at home during the winter, bundled in blankets and drinking something warm like hot-chocolate. One of the only things that reminded her of reality was the fact that the cold wind blew through her beanie and bit at her exposed ears. For a split moment, she wondered how the others were doing. Were they staying warm? Would they get sick? Maybe some of them were laying awake, freezing. Another bit of regret smacked her in the face as she realized how grateful she should be for even the tiniest bit of comfort. Although, there may have be someone like Ash or May who was powering through the night by sleeping. The thought of it made her laugh mentally.
"...What?" For once, she could clearly detect the curiosity in Paul's voice. But, maybe he was only delirious from fatigue and blood-loss. After all, he wasn't necessarily the type of person to care about people's problems. "Hey.." He tapped her gently with his thickly bandaged left hand. Fatigue was clear.
"It's okay." She repeated, slowly taking his hands in hers. He had been through more than anyone else and had gotten into creepy or scary situations since the first day. Hopefully he'd find peace and his outrageous theory was just as unrealistic as it sounded. Dawn's vision fell blurry and the cold that once clung to her seemed to roll right off of her shoulders. Paul's first reply seemed to be another question, but she was so tired that her hearing also dulled. Another murmur. He seemed to have said something else, but she couldn't tell what it was. So instead, she simply repeated herself in an attempt to indirectly reassure him about Lucas. Surely he'd catch onto it soon if he ever figures it out.
"It's okay."
...
"Ayee..!"
...
"Hey...!"
...
"Get up!"
"Ouch!" Ash huffed and rolled over, holding his sides. Above him stood Misty, her figure blocking the sun from his eyes. Drawing back her foot, she kicked him in the gut once more to get him up. Although her kick that time was more gentle than the first much to Ash's surprise. "Eeye, Mist... What time is it?"
His drowsy yawn obviously irritated her. Misty did seem like a morning person and the one to really get things going, but it was really mean of the others to let her of all people wake him up. Running his hands through his wild, messy black hair, he tried to smooth it down the best he could. Without the proper chance to bathe, his hair was thick with grease. In the flurry to get things together, nobody could do much about hygiene. The best they could do was take cloth, soak it in water, and wipe it over their skin. Even for someone a bit slobbish like Ash, hygiene was beginning to become a big problem.
"I don't know what time it is, but everyone else is already either awake or waking up." Misty snorted, leaning downwards and offering him a hand up. Ash's eyes widened in even more surprise. Usually, she was rough and harsh with him, not exactly bothering to show him acts of kindness. Although, their earlier conversations were nice, she always found a way to beat him up.
"...What?" Ash tilted his head in confusion. Her temper seemed to have been run short after he did that.
"Are you stupid? I'm helping you up." She growled, forcibly taking his hand and pulling him upwards and onto his feet. Not exactly knowing what to say, Ash flashed her his famous goofy grin before bending downwards and picking up his hat. Once his hat was securely on his head, he looked back up at Misty, locking eyes with her. The ginger's eyes were very captivating and distracting, resulting in an even wider empty-headed smile.
"Ash." A small thump to his head broke his concentration. With her arms crossed, Misty nodded towards Drew and May who were currently standing with Leaf and Gary. Gary's eyes were very welcoming as he stopped laughing with Drew and looked his was. In response, Ash gave him a friendly grin before looking at Misty.
"Thanks Mist!" He could have sworn he saw a light red blush appear on her face, but decided to ignore it. Jogging over, he joined Gary and Drew, feeling quite disappointed as May and Leaf walked right past him towards Misty. Ash had wanted to talk with some of the girls as he hardly ever got a chance to get to know them. But he figured that getting closer to the other guys would be a better first move.
"Hey, did you see Paul and Dawn?" Drew murmured, tone lowered. His eyes were narrowed into emerald green slits. Was something wrong? What had happened?
"No, did something happen?" Ash replied, curiously. Straightening his coat before shoving his hands in the pockets of it, he slapped on a little bit more serious look. Concern coated his face, but Gary and Drew didn't seem to be worried. In fact, they both had sly expressions on their faces. Not knowing what was going on was killing him.
"Oh, something happened alright." Gary laughed a little bit, rubbing his hands together to create friction. The morning was just as cold as the night and everyone was clearly affected. Cheeks were red, arms were wrapped around waists, and puffs of cold air flowed from mouths as they opened and spoke. Ash mentally praised himself for being so observant. Since arriving, it almost seemed as if he had gotten a bit smarter from his prospective.
"And Lucas is pissed." Drew added on, muffling a laughter with his wrist. As a gust of icy wind blew through the area again, he watched as the green-haired boy shook slightly. It was then when Ash finally noticed that the thin coat he was usually seen wearing was gone.
"Why is Lucas pissed and why aren't you wearing your coat?" Ash grumbled in confusion, scratching the back of his head. "Where is he?"
"Oh, I gave it to Paul after he collapsed and just wait, you should hear Lucas any minute now." He replied casually, looking around before pointing in the direction of the campfire. "Last night it burned out so Red's relighting it."
"That was nice of you." Ash commented, ignoring the more important part of Drew's explanations. Gary smacked his own forehead before shaking his head and walking off towards the girls. Before joining in on their conversation, he looked back at Drew.
"You explain things to him." The brunette waved before playfully jabbing Misty in the middle of her back. His attempt to surprise her was successful, but Misty immediately got pissed and smacked him several times. Ash smiled slightly at the sight of it, but felt an odd feeling of longing.
"Ash?" Drew spoke a bit louder than before, catching his gaze. Shaking his head, he also gave up on trying to explain the situations to him.
"Look, I think you can figure things out on your own without my help. You're a big boy, right?" The chartreuse haired boy smirked and laughed. Strutting past him, Ash winced as Drew gave him a friendly punch. Once more, he was surprised. He had thought that Drew hated him due to the almost blank looks he'd received from him. Though, it may have just been due to the current life or death scenario. It didn't really feel like that though. In fact, it felt as if he were simply camping with his friends. Surely the others have had that moment where they felt like that too, right?
Sighing, Ash made his way out to the campfire where Drew had directed him. Angry grumbles and growls greeted his ears much to Ash's displeasure. Eyes focusing, Lucas and Red came into sight, just as Drew had said earlier. Lucas was pulling at the scarf around his neck in frustration while Red must have dropped everything just to restrain the boy. Overpowered by the man, Lucas could do nothing but throw a temper tantrum. Most likely about the situation with Paul and Dawn which Ash still knew nothing about.
"Hey, Red!" Putting his best grin on, Ash stumbled over to where the two were. In an attempt to brighten the mood, he decided to completely ignore what was happening. As usual. "Lucas." He nodded to the other black haired boy who was currently in what seemed like range. Due to his recent clashing with Misty, Ash was not on good terms with him. Which was surprising as this was the first time he had ever felt such an emotion towards someone. The negativity he got inside his chest whenever he so much as looked as Lucas made him feel a little guilty. Only a horribly mean person could feel such a way, right?
"Release me, you bastar-"
"Keep your voice down." Red almost snarled, startling both Ash and Lucas. The cold vibe Ash felt from his voice was something that Ash didn't think the man had. It must've been even more scary to be the one it was directed to. Following Red's gaze, his chocolate-brown eyes caught site of Paul and Dawn. Their current position took him back even more than Red's growl.
Smiling to himself, he brushed past Red, who was frowning at Lucas, and Lucas himself, who was silently cussing Paul out. Now standing directly in front of the oak, Ash let his arms sag. Dawn was sitting right beside Paul, head rested on his shoulder. The purple haired boy's head was inclined to his chest with his right hand clutching Dawn's left hand. It was sweet, but Ash couldn't help but feel a sense of jealousy. Relaxed, slack looks swept across their faces as they slept. Ever so slowly, he could see their chests and shoulders rise beneath Drew's coat. Beanie falling down her face, Dawn's eyelashes seemed to gently kiss her cheeks and her hair fell down over the coat. Some of it was even stuck to Paul's side. Jealousy... When was the last time he had felt that?
Ash's smile slowly disappeared as he sat down across from the two. Carefree. They looked about as carefree as he was. But maybe later Paul would grumble and smack him in the face while Dawn would stress and fret over Lucas. The moment right then and now... Those two should cherish it. He had left for Kalos to start over again. Meet new people, the one thing Ash absolutely loved to do. There was no point in getting all sad now, it had happened about a month ago anyways. Rubbing his temples, Ash looked away from Dawn and Paul and down at his dirty, slightly damp sneakers.
His girlfriend who he had dumped still haunted him. A mixture of grief and anger was what he felt back then. Those emotions were very foreign to him as he was usually happy. His parents were together, he had food on his plate, a roof over his head, Ash understood that perfectly. Though, others back home figured that he was too absent-minded to realize so. Thinking was a hard thing to do, especially to a certain extent. If you don't say what people want to hear, than nobody will like you. If you are too happy or ignorant than people will get agitated with you. And if you are too pessimistic or smart people will ignore you. However, this island is different.
Shuffling his feet, Ash's eyes followed the clouds of dust that floated up and into the air. Fiddling with the edge of his cap, a light smile easily crept up and onto his face. Here, everyone's flaws were showing and not many of them had experience with surviving in the outdoors. Nobody could call him ignorant or stupid now that they were in the same league. His girlfriend... He'd show her. When he gets back home, he'll use the opportunity to gloat about the new things he's learned. And she would be standing there speechless. Huffing, he sat up straighter with pride overtaking him before calming down a bit more.
Dawn and Paul... They looked so happy. Why would Lucas want to disrupt a moment like this? A moment where two people who were always sending each other vicious looks were now in harmony? Even temporarily, it was nice not to hear his friends panic while the three beat their fists and words at each other. It was all too confusing. Ash found himself staring at Paul after a moment of silence. The boy's hair was shorter than he remembered. Might he have cut it? What would he have cut it with? Had the knives that were carved by Red and Leaf really been that sharp? Did Paul carve his own knife too? Questions overwhelmed his head, forcing a blank look on his face.
"What are you looking at?" A slightly hushed voice forcibly shoved all thoughts out of his head. Flinching a bit, he slowly turned around to face Misty who was standing with her arms crossed.
"Oh? Ah, it's nothing."
"And what's with that look on your face? It sure doesn't look like 'nothing'." Misty exhaled, flopping down on the ground next to him. Her clothes exposed more skin than any of the other girls' outfits. Wasn't she freezing?
"Why do you dress like that?" Ash questioned, absent-minded. Pointing a figure, his eyes were met with a strangely red face of the ginger.
"What the hell do you mean?!" She smacked him on the head with her fist before leaning back and tucking her legs to her chest. Short shorts, a tank top, the typical outfit for a teenage girl. However, considering the time of year, at least the other girls had scarves and hats. This girl was leaving her limbs, face, and neck incredibly bare. It was surprising, even for Ash, that she hadn't gotten sick the five days they'd been here.
"It's just, it's so cold out, Mist. It was even cold in the airport and on the plane, how could you wear that?" Ash rubbed the spot where she had hit him and flashed her a sheepish grin. Her face showed an expression that he could not describe. There was a large mixture of emotions displayed on her face, but anger was one of the big ones. What was she so angry about?
"Well, you know, I didn't exactly plan to take a detour to a inhabited island." Misty rolled her eyes, seemingly looking off into the distance now.
"You don't know if the island is really inhabited." Ash pointed out, trying to sound as intelligent as possible to keep up with her.
"There aren't exactly big signs of civilizations. I'm surprised I can have a good, solid conversation with you."
"'Good, solid conversation'? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. Look, you're not the intelligent thinker here." She replied quite bluntly. Something inside Ash ached, but he refused to back down and let her say such a thing to his face.
"You don't know that. I could be a genius or I could be really dumb. It goes either way, besides, I feel that I've gotten a bit better since I first got here." Trying to keep his composure, he clenched his left fist while tightly clutching the side of his hat with his right fist. It hurt a little bit, as he could feel his hair being tugged through the hat, but it helped him stay focused.
"Ash, it's been five days, half of them I wasn't even awake. However, you're behavior on the plane, which I still remember, and now is relaxing but lacking in depth." Misty narrowed her eyes, quickly rubbing her hands on her arms to create warmth.
"Look, Misty, you don't know anything about me!" Using her full name rather than his nickname for her, Ash stood up. Their eyes met for a split moment in complete annoyance and anger with each other. But, just as Ash moved to talk with Gary, he looked back over his shoulder and stuck his tongue childishly out at Misty. His gaze followed over from Misty to Paul and Dawn.
"Be happy." He murmured quietly, relieving himself of the envy he had felt earlier. Walking faster towards Gary and May, Ash slapped a big, goofy grin on his face. It would be wrong to dwell on something that must be worked for. Obviously, Paul did something right. That guy... Was a mystery all together.
"Lucky."
"Well if it isn't my two little gatherers."
Grabbing both Drew and Leaf by the shoulders, he dragged them into a brief hug. Red ruffled up Drew's hair which he had previously arranged to perfection with the ocean water.
"Dang it, Red!" Drew grumbled, pulling away and running his fingers through his hair in an attempt to make it perfect once more. When he was done smoothing it all out, he looked up at Red with a slightly exasperated look. Sighing, he sat down on the log next to Leaf. Red was currently feeding the fire twigs and leaves as he had just finished rebuilding it. After the fire had gone out, everything was burnt out and out of order. A lot of work was done to fix it all up. That old man even made him, Lucas, and Gary dig the whole new fire pit. They even had to line it with rocks while the girls just sort of sat around giggling. Ash got out of the work too, which was even more irritating.
"Haha, sorry, Drew. Hey, I hope you two don't mind making another supply run. You'd do that for me, right?" Giving them both a warm smile, Red stroked the top of Leaf's head as she nodded. Sighing, Drew figured that he might as well comply with the older man's orders, but not before getting a good explanation out of him.
"Why can't Paul and Dawn do it? They haven't done anything all morning, and they're still sleeping." The chartreuse-haired boy shifted and brought his legs into a more comfortable position. Though he had no place to complain, it just felt good to do it every once in a while. He was thankful that May was busy talking with Gary and Ash over near the clearing, because she would've teased him about it continuously.
"They are..." Red trailed off, glancing around before wiggling a finger. Leaning in closer, Drew stared into the man's brilliant amber colored eyes. They were fascinating in an odd way, very captivating. No wonder he'd often catch Leaf gazing towards the man and even Gary when he wasn't looking. Gary's hair was about the same color as Red's eyes. "Leaf, you too."
His voice interrupted him and soon he found the girl's shoulder to be pressed against his own. Now, the three of them were huddled together in a circle, shoulders touching. Although, Red had to keel down in front of them as they sat on the log. Red's height was a little bit scary despite his friendly face. Observing the man now that they were all close together, he noticed that a beard was beginning to form on his face. Occasionally, he'd accidentally catch him scratching and trying to shave it with a knife. Things like these proved the man's displeasure for the facial hair. The incident from the following morning when he watched Red try and forcibly rip the hair from his jaw were even freakier. Deciding not to think too much about it, he shook his head and listened to what Red had to say.
"I'll just come out and say it.. Those two are going to be getting a bit of... special treatment." Red murmured, still keeping his eyes trained on Lucas, who he had forced to take a silent cool down over on the other log across from them. Due to Lucas' recent reactions to Paul's words and actions, Red was obviously too afraid to let him out of his sight. Which was a first act of distrust coming from the man, much to everyone's surprise. It must be harsh for him, though. Getting treated like an outsider and shunned to the corner. Pity struck Drew in the face before he shook his head even harder trying to focus on Red.
"What do you mean...?" Leaf's hushed voice came out with curiosity evident.
"They fight a lot, there's drama, people make rash decisions, and let's just say, they get into trouble no matter where they go or what they do. I'm confining them to the camp for the time being." Red pulled away once he finished speaking leaving both Drew and Leaf with shocked expressions on their faces. There was a period of silence, only the blowing, whistling wind and the crackling fire could be heard. Aside from the low hum of Ash, May, Misty, and Drew's conversation which took place away from the fire and just outside the entrance to the clearing and the big oak. Finally, Drew decided to speak up.
"Confining them?! So you're pretty much suspending them from doing anything to help us survive?!" Drew accidentally let out an enraged tone, surprising Red.
"Drew..." Leaf simply looked up and between the two of them with nervous eyes. Lucas snorted before looking away while Red just locked eyes with Drew. His eyes were very calm and almost pacifying to Drew's unreasonably random anger. Why was he so angry? Even Drew himself didn't know the answer to that.
"It'll be temporarily, especially for Paul who lost a lot of blood that night. As for Dawn, maybe I'll have Leaf, Misty, or Gary teach her how to fish around the campsite before the weather gets too cold. After all, we're running low on food as well." Red's explanation was not unreasonable. In fact, it was perfectly in order and must have been thought through carefully.
"I see.." Drew quietly replied, nodding in understanding and respect for their leader.
"I'm glad you understand, any questions before I give you two a task?" He almost seemed like a professional at this. It was astounding that he could be so calm, even when he had yelled at him only minutes ago. Drew shrugged before looking at Leaf. She said nothing, only shaking her head before looking at Red to continue.
"Good, I need you two to gather some more herbs, just in case something happens. Maybe some edible things like berries and even see if you can revisit that mango tree. I trust that you two are good with identification and know what you are doing?" Eyeing them up and down, Red stood up, moving to sit back down by the cutting log. There, he began to strip a dark gray, lengthy-looking fish of it's scales.
"Yes... we'll do our best. When did you catch that?" Leaf softly questioned, peering intensely as he cut off the head. Drew remain silent as he did not know what else to say. Everything was confirmed and the only thing left to do was set out on their little adventure.
"Oh, this? Just a moment ago after I got Lucas to sit down." His reply was like a trigger word. Muttering the words, 'okay, thank you', Leaf grabbed Drew by the arm and dragged him off into the woods.
"Hey, Leaf! Cut that out!" Her grip was strong yet somewhat soft and what was even more shocking was that she voluntarily touched him. Something that he knew that the Leaf of several days ago would have never done. This girl.. She's made so much progress in just five days. Smiling to himself, Drew let her pull at his arm until the crunching of leaves and twigs beneath their feet came to a halt. Wordlessly, Leaf released his arm, wandering over to a tall, skinny tree.
"Found it."
FINALLY.
YES.
YES.
CHAPTER 19 IS OVER.
To be honest, I really didn't enjoy writing this chapter as much as I did the last couple chapters. However maybe that was just because of my other work and crap like that. Eheheueh
So... I don't have much to say this chapter and the suspense for this was horrible, so I apologize for it. SOOOO..
Now that I feel high or something, idk, let's go through what we know.
Ash has a girlfriend! *Gasp* No, just kidding, he had a girlfriend who he dumped for reasons unknown to us... uhuhuhu.
Paul gave himself a freaking haircut. As dawn described, it's shorter than it is in his official character design. The only hair he left alone was the hair which hangs down over his temples on the side of his face. Maybe I'll do a little bit of art and post it just to show what everyone looks like now, idk, just an idea.
Leaf found something that's... I don't know.. .huheuhueheuh, you'll just have to find out.
MAJOR IKARISHIPPING MOMENT HUEHUEHUE!
I have a weird habit of typing weird laughs ^^
Lucas is pissed. Like, when I say pissed,... I. Mean. Pissed. But don't worry, Red's taken control.
Oh! Here's a good one, this one's important. Red has officially banned Paul and Dawn from leaving the camp or his watch until further notice.
Alright, that's it for now. Oh- yeah, also, noting The Red Ache arc, starting the next chapter, I will do at least one section per chapter just centered around Red, or from his prospective. Be prepared for a whole lot of deep thinking... They all just love to think, even Ash, don't they?
Until next time!
Please feel free to leave a review, tell me what you think!
Thanks!
Bear~!