Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Death No Obstacle ❯ Truth's Revealed ( Chapter 3 )

Death No Obstacle
by cultnirvana

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Chapter Three - Truths Revealed

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Ash sat in Brock's living room, flicking over the television channels, not really focusing upon what was on. His mind was elsewhere, centred on the dream he'd had last night, of kissing Misty, or at least someone who was identical. He couldn't stop smiling thinking about it.

"Hey, Ash," Brock said as he walked into the room, sitting down next to him on the couch.

"Hi," Ash cheerfully answered.

After a brief pause, Brock said to his friend, an all knowing smile on his face, "So, Ash. You and Misty seem to be getting...close."

"Ah, you think?" Ash replied awkwardly, a blush rising upon his cheeks.

" Well, the two of you certainly seem a little bit friendlier than the last time I saw you guys. So tell me, is something going on between you two?"

A smile spread across his lips. " I hope so." He silently looked at the floor for a moment before suddenly rising from his chair, and almost yelling, "God, Brock, what the hell am I going to do?! I love her!"

Brock was taken aback by the comment. "Okay. I didn't expect that." He paused for a moment, then stood up, bringing his face level with Ash's. "I expected you to say something like 'I like her', but...your in love with her?"

"Yeah," Ash giggled. " I didn't believe it myself at first, but I know for sure. I mean, before she left to go back to the Cerulean gym, I knew I had feelings for, but since we've been travelling again this past year again, those feelings have become a hell of a lot more intense. I can barely go a second without thinking about her. And, as impossible as it sounds, I think she may have feelings for me too."

Though Brock had the same suspicions about Misty, he didn't want Ash to know that. He felt that they should find their own path, so his only option was to play dumb. "Eh?"

"Well, it's just that...sometimes when we're together and our eyes meet, I can sense something from her. I just hope it isn't my imagination. I love her so much."

Brock laughed at Ash's excitement. "That's great. So, are you going to tell her?"

Ash fell back into his chair, a little dispirited, but his glee remaining. "I really want to, and I'm going to...when I pluck up the courage, and hopefully before I go insane with these emotions. I just hope I don't screw it up."

"Just follow your heart and I'm sure everything will work out fine."

"I just hope her heart is in the same place as mine."

It was now over two weeks since Kasumi had meet Satoshi, and almost everyday she had snuck out from the Imperial residence to be with him. And every single day had been heaven for her. He was so passionate and kind, and continued to treat her as no other person had in her life, as an equal. He had also given her more affection than anyone else, and she loved to just sit in his arms on their hill, and let him embrace her lips within his.

She knew now that those feelings she had experienced that first day were not derived from the pleasure of disobeying her father and her class, and that Satoshi wasn't just a distraction from her normal, uneventful life. She truly loved him, however those emotions that he rose within her did not only give her supreme pleasure, but also immense pain.

Since she had realised the full extent of her emotions, she had spent everynight crying herself to sleep. She felt trapped between her passion for the one she loved and the logic that told her they could never be together the way they dreamed.

Kasumi stared at her reflection in the mirror as the maids adjusted her long hair. The silk, white kimono was the most marvellous dress she had ever seen, every embroidered detail enhanced by the luminescence of the fabric. It was amazing.

"You look beautiful, sister."

She turned and looked down towards her younger sister, who lay on her front upon Kasumi's bed, gazing at her in awe. She loved her little sister dearly. She was the only member of her family she shared any real closeness with. She was so innocent and happy, the tragedy of whom she was had not yet descended upon her as it had Kasumi. Hoshi coveted her maturity, but Kasumi envied her naivety. She tried to smile at the pre-teen, but the grin was noticeably fake.

"Why do you look so sad, Kasumi? Aren't you looking forward to getting married next week? Paris will be an ideal husband. I just hope father chooses as well for me when my time comes."

Hoshi excitement just amplified Kasumi's depression and anguish. She indicated for her maids to leave her, then sat next to her sister, eyes directed to the cold stone floor.

Hoshi could easily perceive the melancholy within her sister's spirit. "Kasumi, what's wrong?"

"I know father has decided upon an appropriate man as my husband, and I respect Paris, but...I can never love him." She felt tears well up within her eyes. "However...I am in love with another."

"You love another man?!"

She nodded and closed her eyes, causing the increasingly familiar salty liquid within them to drop onto the silk dress.

"Who? Perhaps father will agree to cancel the wedding and allow you to be with this man."

"He never will. You're too young to understand about the politics of our country. This marriage will gain another ally in our family's idiotic war with Johto. Also, he is a commoner. We are of different classes, and different classes are not permitted to marry."

The once gleeful girl hung her head, somehow understanding her sister's despair within her young mind. "What will you do?"

"I am not sure. I do not wish to marry someone whom I do not care for, but I cannot just leave my responsibilities. I agreed to the marriage. I made a promise to my people."

"But you told me that love is more important than anything."

"Yes, but not all loves are possible. Sometimes a romance is doomed, forces all around it seeking to destroy it. I wish for nothing more than to be with Satoshi 'til my last breath, but I cannot see how that is possible. I am condemned to never be with him." At that point, the emotions she'd been holding within her assaulted her with the power of a tsunami. Hoshi sat up upon the bed and wrapped her arms around Kasumi, unsure what else she could do to help her sister.

"Hoshi," Kasumi whispered through her sobs, "do not tell anyone of this."

"Of course, sister." She placed her hand over her heart. "It is our secret."

"Thank you."

Again the two sat upon the hill, Satoshi with his arms around Kasumi. But she wouldn't relax in his arms as she usually did. There was something wrong, and he was sure of the reason. "Are you okay, Kasumi?"

She just sat there for a moment, unsure what to say, how to admit this to him. She still didn't know what to do. She didn't want to betray her family by refusing a marriage that had been decided upon fifteen years previously, but was it any better to betray her own heart? "Satoshi, I need to tell you something. In one week...I'm to be married."

Instead of the reaction she expected, Satoshi just held her a little closer, and sadly said, "I know."

"You do?" she uttered, masking none of her shock.

"It's hard not to when the whole city is excitedly planning the wedding of their beloved princess."

She began to shake. "I'm so sorry, Satoshi. I don't want to get married. I want to just get away from all of this and begin a new life..." she looked into his eyes, "...a new life with you. But my family would never allow me. They do not care about how I feel. All they care about is our family's reputation and fighting with Johto." Unrestrained, Kasumi let her tears fall. "I just want to run away"

He turned her around, wiping the tears away from her face, and looked deep into her eyes, displaying to her all the love he held. "Then, why don't we? Why don't we just run away, leave Kanto, and go somewhere where we can be together?"

Although his proposal tempted her beyond belief, her conscience could not rest. "I cannot. I cannot betray my people. If I became Empress I could do something to change our country. I could stop the war. That is something I have always wished to do. I cannot put myself first when so many people are suffering."

"Why not? You have been putting others first your entire life, and I cannot see your family doing the same. You deserve to have the freedom you have always dreamed of. If we elope, we can travel across all the oceans of the world, to see those things you have only read about in books. We would be free to marry and be with each other. Please, Kasumi. I plead to the logical part of your soul to let your passionate side win."

Her trembling subsided, and her clouded mind was replaced with one of total clarity. "I do not wish to live in captivity anymore," she uttered, succumbing to his pleas, a smile finally coming to rest upon those lips he loved so much.

He joined her in the grin, placing his lips softly upon hers. But after the kiss was broken, his expression turned wholly serious once again. "But it will be dangerous." He hesitated for a moment. "I have a confession as well, though I fear mine is much more grave. I am not truly the man you think I am."

She instantly let go of his hand and moved away. "Wh...what?"

He just pressed forward with his news, the words he had tried to express to her so many times before. "I am named Satoshi, but I am not a peasant. I am the son...of the Emperor of Johto."

Kasumi backed further away from her, noticeably shaken from his revelation. "What? Why...why didn't you tell me?"

He crawled over to her, grabbing her hands, frightening her with his speed. "Because I was afraid you would hate me. I love you, Kasumi, and I don't care who you are or what family you are from! The war between our people is idiotic, you have said so yourself! Just because you are the daughter of my father's enemy doesn't stop me from loving you! I want to be with you for the rest of my life, and am willing to give up everything for that to happen. I just hope you feel the same."

Kasumi just stared into his eyes, shocked at the passion concealed within his words. He was right, every thread of her hated the war and desired it's end. So why should it matter where he was from? It didn't, and she loved him too much to even care. Yes, she was hurt that he hadn't been honest with her, but hadn't she done the same thing? She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his body tightly to hers. "Of course I feel the same. And I love you too, Satoshi. You do not know how much."

"I do, as I love you just equally."

Ash walked around the house, feeling ontop of the world. Everything just seemed a little rosier the past couple of days, like nothing could bring him down. The dreams he'd been experiencing almost every night had kept him in this perpetually happy mood.

He stepped out into the back garden to see Misty feeding their Pokémon. Standing by the house, he silently watched her for a few minutes, marvelling at her demeanour. She was so gentle and caring to the Pokémon, it almost made him forget about her tempestuous side.

She had changed so much over the past few years. She had always been beautiful, but, now fully grown, she had truly blossomed. Her red hair had grown a little longer, but not by much, and she always kept a few bangs down around her face, framing her delicate features. Her once slight build had been replaced by one that was both effeminate and athletic. She had even began to dress a little more feminine, though she rarely ventured into wearing skirts or dresses.

He walked up to her and the Pokémon, sitting on his haunches so that he could pet Pikachu. "Hey, Mist."

"Hi," she replied cheerfully.

Ash began to watch her again, mesmerised.

Noticing his attention, she began to blush. "What?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking about how much I missed you those two years. My journey wasn't the same without you. I just glad you were there the day I became a Pokémon Master."

"How could I miss it? It was the most important day in your life. I wanted to be there for you, and, of course, to help you celebrate."

"Thanks."

"Ash?"

"Yeah, Mist?"

She turned to him, displaying that enchanting smile of hers. "I really appreciate you helping me out on my journey. It would have been really lonely if I was travelling on my own."

"It's no problem. And you did the same for me. God knows what would have happened to me if you hadn't helped me."

She laughed. "You were really bad at the beginning. You had a hell of a lot to learn."

"Yeah, but now I'm a Master, so I must have learnt fast."

"You are a great trainer."

It was now Ash's time to laugh. "That's a change. You always used to slag my skills off, saying that I'd get nowhere."

"Yeah, but you've proved me wrong now. And you know I only said those things 'cause I was angry about you blowing up my bike."

"I know. So, have you forgiven me for that yet?"

"Not until you buy me a new one, which I'm sure you can well afford on a Pokémon Master's salary."

"Don't worry. I promise."

"Your promised me that seven years ago."

The two sat under the shade of an Oak tree, in the full bloom of summer. The sun was beginning to set, so, as not to loss their way, they had decided to rest there on the first night of their journey. Although they had made a distance of several miles from the imperial city, safety was many months away by foot, but they could not risk using any other transport for fear of being discovered.

Kasumi leaned a little closer to her saviour, happy to feel his strong arms hold her. "I can not believe we did it. We got away." She looked into his chocolate-brown eyes.

"We aren't safe yet," he added solemnly. "We will not be for a while. We have a long and difficult journey ahead of us, my love."

"I know, but as long as I have you by my side, I know I have the strength to get through anything." She smiled at him, destroying any anxiousness he felt.

"I love you so much, and I'll do anything to be with you for the rest of my life."

"I love you, too." She pulled him into a passionate kiss, more passionate that the few they had shared before, for now they felt truly free together for the first time since they met. He pulled his lips from her, but before she could protest, lowered them to her neck, and then onto her shoulder, moving the silky fabric of her dress to reveal her skin. She began to moan softly, the feel of his soft lips delicately nipping at her flesh.

"I want you, Satoshi. Now we're finally free, I want to feel you. Please take me, my love."

He needed no persuasion. He traced his hands down to the band around her waist, and pulled at it, opening her dress to reveal her light, almost see-though undergarments. "My love, you are divine. You are my goddess, the one whom I worship."

The two made love for the first time under the full moon, their pleasure-filled moans and gasps filtering into the night air, joining the sounds of nature from the surrounding forest.

Ash walked into the kitchen of Brock's family home, narrowly avoiding being pushed to the floor by three pre-teens rushing out the door.

"No running in the house!" Brock bellowed at his siblings, but it didn't seem to slow the kids down any. "Ah, what's the use," he said under his breath.

"Hey, Brock-o."

"Morning, Ash. Breakfast will be ready in a few moments."

"Ah, great." Ash awkwardly paced around the room, his thumbs fumbling with each other, trying to think of a way to approach the subject. "Eh, Brock? Could I talk to you about something?"

"Sure. What is it?" he asked, pouring miso soup into several breakfast bowls.

Ash shoved his fidgeting hands into his trouser pockets, trying not to let his embarrassment show. "Well, it's actually about Misty."

"Oh." Brock directed his full attention to his friend.

"Well...erm...it's kinda...awkward." Ash's faced began to turn beet red.

Brock chuckled. " What the hell are you talking about, Ash?"

"Have you ever...eh...had an..." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "...intimate dream about a friend?"

Brock almost burst out laughing. "Aww, little Ashy-boy is growing up," he said loudly.

Ash panicked, forcing a hand over Brock's wide open mouth. "Shhh! I don't want her to hear about this."

"Don't worry, Ash. It's perfectly normal. Everyone has those kind of dreams."

"Yeah, but this one was about Misty, you know, my best friend. The girl I'm secretly in love with. And it was very...eh...erotic and...passionate."

"Oh." Brock continued to giggle, embarrassing his friend even more.

"I feel terrible, thinking of her in that way. I feel I've violated her or something."

"Don't worry, man. You shouldn't feel that way. For a start, it was a dream and you couldn't control it. Secondly, you're in love with her, so obviously she is your fantasy."

"She's definitely that." He thought for a moment, staring at the tiled floor. "But...that wasn't the first dream I've had about her lately."

"You mean you've had other sexual dreams about her?"

"Not sexual. Last night was the first time that happened. But they have been quite intimate. I've been dreaming that we're lovers, but the strange thing is...I'm not really dreaming about us."

"Now you've lost me. You tell me last night that you dreamt about making love to Misty, but it wasn't really her?"

"Physically it's her, and her personality is very similar, but she not Misty. She's Kasumi, this emperor's daughter, and I'm Satoshi, the son of her father's enemy. She was meant to be getting married, but we eloped, and last night kinda...consumated our love."

"A bit like Romeo and Juliet."

"Yeah. But I've got no idea why I'm not dreaming of getting together with the real Misty. I'm totally confused."

Brock scratched his chin, contemplating the situation. "Maybe...it's to prevent you from feeling some of the guilt. By pretending she's someone else it's almost like you're not fantasising about her."

"Maybe, but when I'm Satoshi, I can feel that he has exactly the same love for Kasumi as I do for Misty." Ash's smile fell from his face.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," he sighed.

"This is really breaking you up."

"It's just hard to see her everyday and know that she may never be able to share my feelings for her."

Brock placed his hand upon his friend's shoulder, rubbing it supportively. "You never know. Your suspicious could be right." Brock paused for a moment, wondering how to phrase the question he wanted to ask. "Ash. I know this maybe a little personal, but...have you slept with anyone before?"

Ash shook his head, a little abashed. "No. I've been in love with Misty for so long that I've never wanted to find someone else. Other girls just pale in comparison to her."

Brock smiled. "That's sweet." He turned his attention back to breakfast, and Ash quickly sat down at the large table.

"Morning, guys," Misty called as she came into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Misty," Brock gleefully replied.

"Hey, Mist," Ash replied awkwardly. He kept his eyes in front of him, trying not to look at her, but she walked towards him, taking the seat next to him at the table. He turned to her, his eyes unable to look into her face from embarrassment. He began to blush more heavily, the images from his dream filtering back into his mind. He glanced at her hands, laid across her lap, fiddling with her fingers anxiously. "You, okay?"

Misty almost jumped at his words, obviously in a distant world of her own. She looked straight into his eyes with a nervous excitement, her cheeks reddened as well. "Who, me? I'm fine. Why?"

"Ah, no reason." He quickly turned away from her, worried that she would be able to read his indiscretion within his orbs. Though, he did wonder why she was acting so strangely, somewhat happy but coy.

Brock looked backwards towards his friends, almost snickering at the situation. Two people so in love but so oblivious to the others feelings, despite that fact they knew each other better than their own mothers did. But then again, he was an outsider so had a fresher prospective, able to see the seemingly obvious. He just wished he could help the two realise the truth, but that would be intervening fate. He shook his head, unsure what to do.