May looked over and saw Glaceon as Ash carried her inside, a wide smile lighting up her face.
"Glaceon!" Glaceon, unable to contain her excitement, squirmed out of Ash's grip and rushed into May's arms.
"I came to get you out of here!" she exclaimed. May hugged her friend warmly, expressing her gratitude.
"I appreciate that, but I can't go anywhere right now. Though trust me, I want to," she informed her partner.
"Why not?" Glaceon looked puzzled.
"I made a promise to Ash to stay for a little while," May explained. Glaceon's ears drooped in disappointment.
"You can't be serious..." she commented.
"You know I hold myself to my promises. It's to uphold my honor," May replied, trying to reassure Glaceon. Glaceon sighed, accepting the explanation reluctantly. Meanwhile, Ash blushed, feeling the weight of the situation as May continued, "It's just for a little while. Until those royals accept that I'm not who they think I am." Ash remained silent, observing the interaction between May and Glaceon. May, sensing Ash's discomfort, decided to lighten the mood. "Besides, I get the bonus of spending time with Ash," May said with a playful wink. Ash blushed even harder, and May giggled at his reaction.
"Cut it out," Ash protested, looking away embarrassed.
"Cut what out?" May innocently asked, smiling.
"Heh..." he chuckled. May pulled on his arm, guiding him to sit back down beside her. Ash complied, and May rested her head on his shoulder. Ash couldn't help but smile at the scene unfolding. May cuddled into his side with Glaceon on her lap. Ash looked over at Pikachu, who hopped onto the bed and curled up in his lap. A warm, content atmosphere settled in the room. "This is different..." Ash remarked, voicing his thoughts.
"Well, I like it," May said with a smile.
"Heh. You would," Ash replied, trying to play it cool.
"Don't act like you don't," May teased, smirking. Ash blushed, and May giggled.
"Maaaay..." he complained.
"Oh, hush." She leaned in and kissed him, catching him by surprise. Ash's eyes widened, and he kissed her back. The moment deepened with soft moans, gentle kisses, and the warmth of their embrace. When they finally pulled away, May smiled at him, "Perfect..." Ash blushed hard, feeling a bit out of his element. "I love you,"
"Point made," Ash chuckled nervously.
"Why so nervous?" May noticed his discomfort.
"Out of my element," Ash admitted.
"I'm not going to bite," May reassured him.
"Uh huh," Ash replied skeptically.
"Rolling your eyes at me?" May giggled. Ash playfully rolled his eyes, and May laid her head back down on him, content in the moment. Ash blushed as he continued to run his fingers through May's hair. She smiled, clearly enjoying the comforting gesture. "Mm... That feels nice..." May expressed her contentment.
"Yeah?" Ash asked, smiling as he continued to stroke her hair. May nodded, smiling back. "Now this I could get used to..." Ash chuckled, appreciating the moment.
"Have you ever told your Mom about me?" May then shifted the conversation.
"I never needed to... You do an excellent job of making yourself known," Ash replied, a fond smile on his face. May giggled, and Ash joined in with a soft chuckle.
"Well, how about your side of things?" May inquired.
"Uh..." Ash hesitated, realizing that he might not have been as expressive.
"Didn't tell her much about me, I take it?" May smiled knowingly.
"Until yesterday, I hated you... so..." Ash admitted.
"Well, that's not entirely true," May countered.
"No not entirely..." Ash sighed, acknowledging the complexity of his feelings.
"I can work with that." May grinned.
"Heh," Ash responded, appreciating May's understanding.
"And this right here is a great start," May added, snuggling closer to him. Ash smiled softly and, feeling a surge of affection, pecked her cheek. May blushed and smiled in response. Ash blushed too, especially as May wrapped an arm around his torso, drawing closer to him. She snuggled her head into his side, closing her eyes. As May drifted off to sleep, Ash sat still, savoring the quiet and peaceful moment. A soft smile played on his lips as he watched May peacefully sleeping beside him.
"Perfect," Ash whispered to himself, smiling as he continued to stroke her hair, cherishing the warmth of the moment. Glaceon looked up at Ash, her gaze filled with a mix of concern and warning. Ash noticed her gaze and flinched slightly "What?"
"Don't hurt my partner," she informed him. Ash blinked in confusion, not understanding the warning with the language barrier in place between them. Realizing this, Pikachu chimed in, translating for them.
"She's telling you not to hurt May," he explained.
"Oh." Ash nodded. Moving his free hand, he simply petted Glaceon in acknowledgment. "Don't worry about that." Glaceon, however, remained skeptical.
"No promise is very reassuring..." she said through Pikachu's translation.
"What am I going to do? She's in my lap." he tried to joke.
"I'm talking about her heart." Glaceon persisted. Ash sighed and Glaceon huffed, clearly not satisfied.
"I wouldn't want to..." Ash finally admitted.
"I'm holding you to that," Glaceon asserted, a stern look in her eyes. Ash nodded, acknowledging the weight of the promise. Glaceon softened a bit, revealing the depth of her concern, "She doesn't deserve to be hurt..."
"I'm not a monster..." Ash defended himself.
"I never said anything of the sort. She just means a lot to me..." Glaceon clarified. Ash nodded again, understanding Glaceon's perspective. He looked down at May, peacefully sleeping against him.
"It won't stay like this... It'll get better... you'll see..." he gently promised her sleeping figure.
"You really believe she's the Princess... don't you?" Glaceon asked, watching them carefully. Ash contemplated for a moment before responding.
"Well…does she have any resemblance to her family back home?" he asked her. Glaceon shook her head.
"Not really... but she's never met her mother..." she explained.
"Well... I'm not sure truthfully... But... I do notice a lot of similarities to the queen... the eyes, for example," Ash chuckled a little. "It'd make sense to me if she was, in any case. Explain the Fairy Tale beauty..."
"At the end of the day, I want her to be happy wherever she is... but you should be aware that once her father finds out she's here, there won't be any mercy for either of you." Glaceon remained pensive. Ash sighed, acknowledging the looming threat to himself.
"What were they like when she vanished with me..?" he asked the ice type.
"Furious is an understatement..." Glaceon responded.
"I take it her dad doesn't like me very much," Ash remarked. Glaceon shook her head.
"The King even less..." she added.
"How did you find out where May was?" Ash inquired.
"I tracked her scent from her favorite places... once I saw it led to the city, it didn't take a genius to guess where she might be..." Glaceon explained.
"Anyone could debunk that one..." Pikachu couldn't resist commenting. Ignoring Pikachu's input, Glaceon continued.
"The point is, they'll figure out she's here eventually, and when that happens, even I don't know if she'll be spared..." The comment caught Ash's attention and he raised a curious eyebrow.
"Wait why would he target her?" he pondered.
"He doesn't like her going near the palace... he just tolerated it with the warning that if she ever got caught by them...he'd punish her far worse than they would…" Glaceon explained.
"And now she's a prisoner..." Ash sighed. Glaceon nodded solemnly. "What if the reason he hated her going near the palace is because he's afraid of... this?" Ash suggested.
"It's possible, I grant you..." Glaceon admitted.
"Maybe he's just afraid of her finding out 'the truth...'" Ash speculated.
"Surely you understand the low odds of all this being true..." Glaceon remarked.
"Like I have a clue." Ash sighed, expressing his uncertainty.
"I just don't want her to get hurt by either side... no matter what the truth is..." Glaceon confessed.
"I promise I'll look after her," Ash assured her.
"Thank you..." Glaceon responded. Ash nodded, and Glaceon offered a glimmer of optimism, "Maybe things will work out for you two after all." She nuzzled his arm, and Ash gently stroked her head. Glaceon purred softly, and a small smile played on Ash's lips. Ash kissed May's cheek, and she smiled softly in her sleep. He held her hand, gazing at her with a deep affection.
"I love you..." Ash whispered, cherishing the peaceful moment amidst the uncertainty.
Later, Ash gently shook May, and she slowly opened her eyes, greeted by his soft smile.
"Hey... I know you..." she teased.
"Oh, really?" Ash asked, playing along with her.
"Yeah... but I can't remember from where..." she joked.
"Real headscratcher," Ash replied. May continued with a mischievous grin.
"Oh wait, I remember. Aren't you the guy I'm in love with?"
"Maybe," Ash smirked.
"Only one way to check, I suppose." May playfully challenged. She leaned in and kissed him, and Ash responded with a kiss of his own. May moaned happily during the sweet exchange. When they pulled away, May grinned, "Yup. I was right."
"Awesome," Ash replied, mirroring her smile.
"What time is it?" May asked.
"A little after noon," Ash answered.
"Not a bad nap," May commented, stretching her arms. Ash smiled, and May returned the smile. Ash then gently nudged her.
"Gonna need you to sit up," he informed her.
"You got somewhere to be?" May asked.
"Maybe we both do." Ash cryptically replied.
"Well, one of us is currently incapable of walking, so I don't think it's that one," May quipped.
"You didn't think you'd be tied up like this forever, did you?" Ash remarked.
"The thought has crossed my mind. Obviously, they don't want me going anywhere," May lifted her tied legs to illustrate her point.
"I'm gonna untie you, so hold still," Ash announced. May raised an eyebrow skeptically, but she pecked his lips before obliging. Ash crouched down and began removing the bonds around her legs. May winced, her legs sore and bruised from the tight restraints. "Are you okay?" Ash asked, stroking her hand. May rubbed her legs and shook them out, trying to ease the dull pain.
"Well, I have circulation back in my legs, so that's good, I guess."
"I'm going to check on everything." Ash declared before he stood back up.
"Alright..." she sighed.
"I'll be right back," Ash reassured her.
"Okay..." May nodded. Ash left the room, and Pikachu followed him, leaving May with a small smile. Before he exited, May whispered, "I love you."
"I love you too," Ash replied softly.
May gave a small smile as Ash left the room.
Ash walked to Gary's guard post, where Gary greeted him with a casual remark.
"Hey."
"Hey," Ash replied.
"Enjoying yourself?" Gary observed, knowing full well where the Aura Guardian had been spending most of his time the past few days.
"Uh...it's complicated." Ash sweatdropped shifting uncomfortably.
"It's just obvious you're into her." Gary chuckled.
"Your point?" Ash rolled his eyes.
"You're just obviously into her, and yet you're trying to act like it's little more than a crush," Gary pointed out.
"Look can we talk about this later? I just want to see that everything's in order." Ash sighed.
"Just about, yeah." Gary nodded. Ash sighed in relief, the tension in his shoulders easing a bit. "We're just getting the last guards in place, but no word on if the other royals will make an appearance yet though," Gary added.
"Probably best they don't for now..." Ash commented.
"She's still hostile towards them?" Gary asked.
"Not overtly friendly," Ash admitted.
"Makes sense," Gary agreed.
"Yeah," Ash agreed, the complexity of the situation evident in his demeanor.
"Well, just holler if you need help. The Guards are never more than a few steps away," Gary reassured him.
"Because that's a good idea with a lethally trained ninja..." Ash couldn't help but remark,
"The Royals want to make sure both she and the villagers are safe," Gary explained.
"And Guards are the only people she's likely to harm..." Ash muttered.
"Orders are orders, I'm afraid," Gary shrugged.
"Sure..." Ash sighed.
"Good luck, man." Gary offered a final piece of advice. Ash nodded, expressing gratitude, and then turned away, preparing to face the challenges that lay ahead. All he had to do was convince the forest ninja he was in love with that life with the people she'd been trained to hate was worth a try. No big deal right…?
May twirled her hair with her finger as Ash entered the room. She looked over and greeted him with a playful voice.
"Howdy."
"Ready to get out of this room?" Ash asked.
"Well, I'd be lying if I said I didn't take a minute while you were gone to leave and sit on the roof. But yes," May admitted with a grin. Ash sweatdropped at her candid response.
"Of course you did…" he sighed before straightening up. "You're going to need to stay with me."
"Shocker. But I suppose I won't complain about spending time with you." May hopped out of bed, teasing him.
"Promise you won't run off...?" Ash asked.
"I promise," she replied with a peck of his lips to seal the deal. Ash smiled a little at her reassurance. "But if I feel the urge to climb a tree, you have to let me,"
"Well... protocol demands I put you in handcuffs," Ash replied.
"You think I can't climb a tree in handcuffs?" May challenged him. Ash sighed, realizing the futility of trying to restrain May's adventurous spirit. "Come on, I've been literally tied up for a day and a half. Very uncomfortably, I might add. And if I was going to run, why did I come back in after hanging out on the roof?"
"Point taken." he agreed.
"I'm a ninja. I need to stretch my limbs once in a while, or I go stir crazy," May explained.
"I get it..." Ash conceded. May kissed him and offered her wrists.
"Only because I love you." she reminded him. Ash restrained her, and May sighed, accepting the compromise. Ash cupped her cheek, and she looked up at him.
"It could be worse," Ash assured her.
"Well, if this is their idea of freedom, I'd hate to see what their idea of punishment is. So I guess there's that," May remarked. Ash sweatdropped, knowing he was unable to argue her words effectively for now. "Where are we going anyway?"
"On a tour," Ash explained, stroking her cheek. "We're going to be offering you a different perspective on the kingdom."
"You do realize I've been in more places around this kingdom than you have, right?" May raised an eyebrow. Ash shook his head.
"That's not the same. Even if you have," he informed her.
"We'll see," May responded, a playful challenge in her tone. Ash nodded and led the way. May walked beside him, ready to explore the kingdom from a new perspective.
To be Continued...