Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Eternal Song ❯ Chapter 1

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Hallihallo, guten Tag and a big and friendly HELLO there, to all you nice people in the wonderful world of the internet.
Although this story runs under the Pokemon-catagory, there are very few pokemon mentioned in this story, sorry.

I don't own Pokemon or anything else referring to it. I'm just... errr... borrowing... some of the characters and having some little harmless fun with them.
Do I make some money with this story? Err... let me think... err... no, I guess not.
I don't own the song too. But it's one of my favorite lullabyes. Thank you, Billy Joel, for creating and performing it. And this song's performance by the australian Ten Tenors is very very nice too.

I hope you'll have some fun with the story now.



Eternal song

***
Goodnight, my angel
Time to close your eyes
And save these questions for another day
***

Marvin Waterflower stood at the bed of his one year old daughter, the youngest of the four. She was sound asleep and still he couldn't tear his eyes away from her. Her eyes, which usually gazed into the world with a mixture of boundless curiosity and happiness were closed and she was hugging her stuffed Squirtle tight.

"If we don't go soon, we'll be late, dear."

Rose Waterflower stood in the doorway of their youngest daughter's room, a bright loving smile on her face. She always found it amazing how her husband could stand literally for hours just watching his little baby daughter without ever getting tired of it.
He used to say that he was one of the luckiest men on this planet to be blessed with a family of five women. But the one girl which seemed to have captured his heart into her tiny fists at that moment, was clearly Misty.
He turned around and smiled back at his wife before he put on a thoughtful impression.

"I have the strong impression that something is not quite right here. I always thought that husbands should be throwing that sentence into their beloved spouse's faces."

"Well, the beloved spouse is calling you for the third time now. If you're not coming now, I'm going to think that you have another woman beside me and that I'm not attractive anymore."

Rose faked a hurt look and pouted. Marvin Waterflower faked a guilty look.

"Actually... I have to confess... there is not only one... but four other women. And I love all of them as much as I love you, my wife."

Rose got immediately playfully honest.

"Do I know them... dear?"

Marvin went to his wife and embraced her lovingly.

"You might have met them once or twice. They are living very close to you. Just after the motto: 'If you want to hide something from someone really well, put it right in front of her eyes.' So the other four women are living with us in our house."

Rose frowned and looked sternly into her husband's eyes.

"So you dare to admit that you are cheating on me with no less than four other girls? And they are probably all younger than me?"

"Well... yes, they are... but... I wouldn't call it... I mean, 'cheating' is such a nasty word... and they all are just so incredibly cute and lovely…"

"I'll forgive you, since you told me of them. I'll even allow you to keep them."

"Thank you. You are the best."

"I know. I am because you are making me."

Then they hugged each other tight and their lips met in a loving, warm and deep kiss.

"Mommy and daddy sitting in a tree..."

Instantly Rose and Marvin shied away from each other although their hands stayed entwined.

"See Violet, I told you they would kiss again."

"Eeeewwwww. I'll never let me kiss like that. Never never never ever!" Violet said, her arms folded in front of her chest and a mixture of honesty and determination on her face which sometimes only seven-year-old kids seem to be able to express.

"And what are you three doing up still so late? Shouldn't you be long asleep at that time?" Rose asked her three daughters her voice softening her words.

"You didn't say goodbye and goodnight to us", Lily complained.

"You are always saying goodnight to us, every single night", Violet chimed in.

"But today you didn't", Daisy added.

"And now we absolutely can not sleep" all three of them said in chorus.

"And today IS saturday, right?", Daisy added, certain that she was absolutely right. She tried to raise one eyebrow for effect, like she saw her mother doing it sometimes. As a result both her eyebrows seemed to be jumping up and down.

"And you allowed us to stay up later on saturdays", Violet helped her sister. Then the three of them joined again and said: "And that's why we are still awake."

Marvin eyed them sceptically and then turned towards his wife. She looked at him at the same time.

"Those are your daughters", they both said at the same time.

The bell rang.

"I go!" the three girls shouted at once and dashed towards the house door. Their parents used this short time with sharing another nice loving kiss.

"I am not interrupting anything, am I?"

"Actually you are, you little runt", Marvin told his little brother, a broad smile on his face. He was glad that his brother had agreed to be this evening's babysitter. "Go play somewhere else and let grownups have their fun."

"Ouch, that hurt sooo much, big brother. But somehow I remember YOU asking ME if I would babysit your little jewels tonight."

"Damn, I knew there was something I had forgotten."

Rose embraced her brother-in-law and hugged him tight.

"We are so grateful that you agreed to come here tonight. Thank you so much, Danny. You think you will be able to handle four little girls?"

Danny winked at Rose. He always liked to boast a little bit.

"Hey, I've not been elected 'best babysitter of the year' for nothing. It's my pleasure. Where is little Misty, by the way?"

"She's already deep asleep. But if she wakes up and finds out, that you are having a big party with the three girls over there" - the mentioned three girls stood by the side and looked as innocent as three little angels, who tried to hide a big piece of chocolate-cake behind their back with an even bigger innocent smile - "she is advised to call us immediately. And kick you out of the house afterwards."

"So she's got her father's temper after all, yes?" Danny looked to the side and eyed his brother suspiciously. Rose rolled her eyes and sighed melodramatically.

"You have no idea."

Marvin knelt down beside his daughters, hugged each of them and kissed them goodnight.

"You'll be good little girls and do everything your uncle tells you to do. And when he says that it's bedtime..."

"... then we better go right to bed as if you would have told us yourself. You do not want to hear any complaints tomorrow", Violet, Daisy and Lily said in unison. They had heard this little speech more than once in their lives.

"Are they doing this on purpose?", Danny asked his brother, displaying an amused smile.

"We suppose that they are practicing secretly, but we are not sure."

Rose hugged and kissed her daughters too.

"We'll see you tomorrow again, girls. I love you. And you, Danny, you know..."

"... your cell-phone-number, your parent's phone number, our mother's number, the number of the emergency call, the police, the hospital, the ghost-busters and the national guard, just in case. Bedtime is 20.30, we have to take a last look at the pokemon before going to sleep and no sweets for the girls, or, at least not too much. Misty’s bottles and diapers are in the cupboard in her room. And now off with you or you'll be late at the theater", Danny said, shooing his brother and his sister-in-law out of the house.

"Well then", Marvin said, posing dramatically, as if he was about to fly away. "Up, up and away, Ms. Lane. Ouch!"

Rose took her husband by an ear and dragged him behind.

"You are coming with me now, Mr. Superhero", she said giggling.

After the door was closed, Lily asked her uncle: "Uncle Danny, what do you have in your backpack?"

"Which backpack?"

"That one over there."

"Oh, THAT backpack. Well, that's just some stuff you three are probably not interested in. Unless you like popcorn, ice-cream and 'Sailor Moon'."

First you heard a three voiced 'YAY!!!!' and then you heard some wailing from behind a certain closed door.

"Uh-oh, oops! I'll go to calm her!" Daisy hurried away. "We do too!" Violet and Lily ran after her. Lily stuck her head back out of the door. "You just prepare the popcorn, please?", she asked, making big puppy-eyes. Then she vanished into her youngest sister's room.

And then Violet, Daisy and Lily sat down by her little sister, playing with her, cooing at her and generally trying to guide her back into the land of dreams. At last they succeeded as they sung their favourite lullabye for her.

It was just the first of many many times they would have to do this in the many many evenings folllowing this fateful one. And they always (Misty too, some years later) sang especially this sweet melody later to give a little bit of peace, calmness and comfort to each other. And although this was the song they sang at this same evening which would be the one their parents died at, it still always stayed their favourite. They had learned it from their parents. It helped the triplet to memorize them and keep them close in their heart. Misty too, in a certain way, although she never really got to know her parents personally, always felt somehow a little closer to them whenever she sang that special song.
Uncle Danny told them later that he was sure, that Rose and Marvin could, while watching over their daughters from above, hear them singing to each other up in heaven.
They knew that he was right.


###
###


***
I think I know what you've been asking me
I think you know what I've been trying to say
I promised I would never leave you
***

It was time.

He had listened to his girlfriend's breathing and was sure that she was deep asleep. Silently he stood up and dressed himself. It was not the first time that he did something like this. Only that this time... he nearly felt some regrets. Nearly. Delia was such a sweet girl. For the first time he was sure that he would actually miss a girl after leaving her.
Then he did something else he had never done before. He went back to the bed, bowed down and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Goodbye, my sweet Delia. I know that you will forgive me someday."

He was absolutely sure that she would. She was such an angel. And beautiful. Loving. One hell of a cook. Clever. Funny. And so much more. But still...

He sat down one last time by the bed and adressed Delia's slightly rounded stomach. He still couldn't believe that there was actually a living being growing inside. But there he was.
His son.
Ashton.
One day after she knew that she was pregnant, she had given him that name. Of course she had asked him if he had any objections against that name. To be honest, he hadn't cared or even particularly thought about a name. The shock that he had fathered a child had been too much for him. Abortion was absolutely out of the question for sweet Delia.
It was the first time that he actually had been careless enough to make a child with his current girlfriend. At first he had thought that this was a good sign. A sign that it was time to settle down. A sign that his search was finally over.
"I'm so sorry, Ash", he said. "But I am not yet ready to be a father. I'm sure that I would go mad slowly if I was bound to one place. Or one girl. I fear that I would treat you or your mother bad then, later. I think it is the best for all of us if I just leave you. I wish I could tell you that I love you and your mother, but I can't. Not honestly. I know that you will have a good life with your mother. She is a very very fine woman. I like her very very much. But, even if I said something else a few hours ago, I do not love her.
I guess I... I'm wishing both of you a real good and nice life.... and stuff. Goodbye, big boy."

And then he turned around, stood up from the bedside and took another look around the bedroom. Then he slowly left it and closed the door behind him. He still tried to be as quiet as possible. He knew that, if she woke up and just looked at him now, that he would have no other choice than to stay. She would capture him without even trying to do so. Just by being herself. This was exactly why he simply had to go.

As he was out of the house and a few corners away, he thought: *Next time I will make it right. The next young woman will be the right one. The one to be together with for the rest of my life. The next one I will never ever leave or betray one way or another.*

It was not the first time that he had those thoughts after leaving a girl. It certainly wouldn't be the last time. A few blocks later his heart got lighter with every passing step. He was sure that he had made the right decision.

And back in the apartment, silent tears came out of young Delia's eyes and streamed down her face. She stroked her stomach and promised to herself that she would never ever leave her son alone. Although she was aware that, since her own mother hadn't been quite a very good role model (which was very carefully expressed), she knew literally nothing about being a mother, she swore to herself that she would think of her son always as a blessing and not as a burden. That she would always love him unconditionally, no matter what. This one thing she would certainly make better than her own parents. She would love her son.
And still Delia’s tears ran down her face, still nearly completely soundless. Her parents had always made it absolutely clear (more than often in a very painful way) that they hated it to hear her cry.
At least her boyfriend had left her not completely alone. She assured herself that raising that child would turn out to be a very good thing. Somehow she would make it. She would assure that her son would be happy. Somehow everything would turn out well.
She just knew it.
And maybe... just maybe... she would be happy too again, at last. And so she reached for and hugged her stuffed Jigglypuff (a literally lifelong companion she had gotten from her uncle when she was three years old) and wished, not for the first time in her life, that it would be a real one and that it could sing a little song to help her find some sleep.
But, as it was, it was not alive. And so it did, what it had done so many times before: it was with her in a dark and lonely place and took all Delia's tears and spent her whatever comfort it could offer. She loved her Jigglypuff but still she wished for a real live pokemon. At last, Delia cried herself to sleep.


###
###


***
And you should always know
Where ever you may go
No matter where you are
I never will be far away
***

"Ash! Diner's ready."

*One --- Two---*

"I'm here!"

Within three seconds Delia's little son stood in the kitchen, anticipation written all over his face. She always found it amusing what an effect the word 'diner' always seemed to have on him. Or everything else concerning food for that matter. Luckily he seemed to be one of those guys being blessed with a metabolism which burned his calories faster than he could shove them into his mouth. Delia bowed down and looked at him. She immediately found some new minor scratches and bruises on her son's body. On his hands, arms, elbows, legs and knees mostly.
She knew that Ash loved to play outside. He was such an active child. He loved it to climb on trees and one of his favourite games was 'pokemon-catcher'. He would decide that a stone or tree would be an exceptionally nice and rare pokemon he had the task to catch. Ash would crawl over the ground, using every little bit of cover he could find. Then, after pretending to give his own (imaginary) pokemon, which he, of course, always had by his side, some commands to 'attack' the tree, stone or whatever had been chosen to be the victim, he would throw his little plastic pokeball at the poor victim and after 'catching' it that way, made a special victory pose which he had invented about six months ago.
And one of his best friends, Gary, wasn't any better than him. They both always boasted about who had 'caught' the better pokemon. Delia wasn't sure if this kind of competition was a really good thing for boys at the age of five, but since they were good friends, she guessed that it was all right.
It was not a big surprise to Delia, that Ash nearly had his nose stuck into all the pots at least once before she could say anything else to him.

"Did you wash your hands, young man?"

"Oops."

Ash vanished into the bathroom and washed his hands very thoroughly. He knew that this was something his mother had very high standards about. Back into the kitchen he showed her his clean hands, a very big smile plastered on his face. For a very short moment the thought entered his head that there had been something he had wanted to ask his mother, but the prospect of food...

"Very good Ash. Now hold still."

And then she knelt before him and cleaned the little scratches.

"You caught anything nice today?", she asked, while carefully tending his small wounds.

"I wanted that Onyx I saw but since I already had a Lapras in my pokeball,..." - he showed his plastic toy-pokeball proudly to her - "...I decided to let it go. I like Lapras better than Onyx. Come on mom, can we eat now? I am sooooooo hungry."

---
Three hours later
---

"...and so, after solving and surviving all the adventures, riddles, the dangerous situations, the complications and perils, the Pokemon Master and the Mistress of Water married and lived..."

"...happily ever after. Thank you, mom."

"You're welcome, big boy. It was my pleasure."

...

"Mom?"

"Yes, dear?"

Delia had the impression that something bothered Ash. Her female intuition as much as her motherly instincts told her that something unpleasant was on its way. She feared that the question she always had wanted to be unasked would come sooner then she would have liked. She put the fairytale-book back on the shelf.

"Did they have children? I mean... the Pokemon Master and the Water Mistress."

"Uhh... I guess... yes."

"And was the Pokemon Master a good father?"

There it came. Now there seemed to be no way to delay it any longer. Of course she could tell him friendly but unmistakably that it was time to sleep now. Then she could turn around and leave her son alone, hoping that he would forget his question after a good night's sleep.
This would have been one of the favorite ways her parents would have treated her whenever she had some problems to cope with.

"I'm very sure that he was the best father of the whole world."

"Hm-hm."

...

"Umm... Mom?"

"Yes?"

"Umm... errr... Gary said... that... Father left us because... because I am such a bad boy. He said that all fathers leave their children when they are bad."

Delia laid down beside Ash and embraced him. She stroked his spiky black hair. His hair was so much like his father's.

"Were you arguing again who was the better pokemon-catcher?"

"Hmmm", Ash confirmed. Delia turned her little son around, cupped his head into her hands and looked into his eyes. Those arguments between the two boys really got out of control recently.

"Well, let me make something clear, dear. Your father left us long before you were born. But this had absolutely nothing at all to do with you."

O.K. So this was what some people would probably call a lie. Delia actually guessed that maybe he would have stayed longer if she hadn't become pregnant. That after all he was really just scared of being a father. Maybe, with a little bit more time she would have been able to... NO! She had learned not to find excuses for his behavior. And not to give herself the fault that he had left her.
And even if he had gotten scared by her pregnancy, and therefore, even if only indirectly, by Ash himself, that was something she couldn't tell her little son now.

"You, my Ash, are one of the best things that ever happened to me. You are the best son I could ever wish for and I'm incredibly glad, lucky and proud to have you here... even if your room is a mess and you are eating like a starved snorlax sometimes."

Delia pinched his nose gently and Ash giggled.

"You are certainly not a bad boy. I love you incredibly much, Ash. You are my son and you will always be my son. That your father didn't want to get to know you is absolutely his loss. You are my son and for that I am eternally grateful."

Delia surprised herself a little bit with those words as she recognized just how true they were. Ash had for a long time been everything that had kept her going on.
When her mother had told her 'Didn't I tell you? I told you that this so-called relationship would end bad. You see I was right again. Why don't you ever listen to me, stupid girl?'
When her father told her 'Abort the little bastard or else don't you ever dare to enter this house again. I do not want people to think that my daughter is a little whore. So either you abort this... thing... or else you will leave my house before anyone can notice your... misfortune... or... should I say... stupidity?'. And so many other things. This had been one of the nice comments.
It had been the thought of the innocent little boy growing inside of her that had given her strength, hope and courage. It had been the little boy who had given her the strength to be able to laugh again at last and to be happy again, too.
Ash literally was the most important person for her.
The sheer power of her emotions overwhelmed Delia and several tears began to leak out of her eyes and run down her face.
Delia realized that even if every other single decision she had ever made had been wrong (at least according to her mother; Delia herself had a different opinion about that), the one to actually raise her son, had been certainly absolutely right.

"Don't cry, mom. I have a plan."

Young as he was, Ash knew that his mother wasn't necessarily sad when she cried. She used to cry when watching movies with happy ends. And movies with sad ends. And movies with other ends. She cried sometimes when she saw happy reunions of complete strangers at the train station. Sometimes she cried when she heard her favourite music.
No, Ash knew that crying meant not always bad emotions. He guessed that this time it was something similar and that she was not really sad. Still he wanted to cheer her up.

"I simply will be the biggest, best and greatest Pokemon trainer of the world, the universe and of all times when I'm grown up. And then father certainly will come back to us and you will be happy again. And then I will find my own Mistress of Water and after encountering several adventures, marry her and live with her happily ever after."

#####

“Aaaaahh---- choo!!!”

“Bless you, sweetling. Misty, let’s hope that you didn’t catch a cold. We told you so often that you should dry your hair properly after swimming.”

“But I did. I just had to sneeze.”

And then Misty had to giggle as her big sister Lily ruffled her hair.

“I’m sorry, you’re absolutely right. Now go quickly and change your clothes, little whirlwind, we’re going to eat very soon.”

“’kaa-ay!” little Misty shouted and darted away into the direction of her room. Even as she was out of her sight, Lily could hear her little sister call: “Out of my way – I am a whirlwind --- aaaahhh---chooo!!!”

#####

Delia couldn't help but laugh a little bit at the prospect of her very enthusiastic but on the other hand very chaotic energy bundle of a son being the greatest Pokemon Master of all times.

"Well...", Delia stood up and, wiping her eyes quickly, tucked Ash in. "Good night, my big Pokemon Master. I'm wishing you nice dreams of an exciting future as a great pokémon-master with your own mistress of water by your side.”

"Same to you. Would you sing my song please?"

She looked at him with a mock sternness.

"You are nearly six years old and a grown-up soon. Do you really need a lullabye to be able to sleep?"

Ash showed her his irresistable grin and nodded.

"Yes. Please? I promise to sleep in immediately afterwards."

And then Delia sat down by her son's bedside again and sang 'his' lullabye. It was one of the very very few gentle and nice things she had learned from her mother.
Then she kissed Ash on the forehead and switched the lamp off.

"I love you mom. You are the best mom in the whole world."

"I love you too. Good night."

"Good night."

Delia left Ash's room and closed the door silently. So... he wanted to become a Pokemon Trainer? The annual selected champions would leave Pallet Town next week. She knew that to become a Pokemon Trainer, or even Master, meant that Ash would have to travel around a lot. He would be away from her. Maybe even for several years. As if it wasn’t be bad enough that he would leave her as soon as he would be old enough to go his own way. Now he even wanted to spend a whole part of his childhood and youth away from her.

She didn't know if she would be able to bear that.

But Delia knew that, assuming this was not just a little boy's dream and that he would really go for this quest, her heart would be with him always, no matter where he went.
Then she shrugged. Even if he kept to this idea, all of this was at least five years away. Lots of time before having to think of Ash leaving home.

Delia thought that she and not her mother had been absolutely right earlier. Ash was her son. Yes, she had raised him all alone. And of course it hadn't been easy, especially considering that she had been deprived of even the tiniest bit of help from her parents. And yes, he was not perfect. But still, she wouldn't want him any other way. In thoughts she confronted her mother again.

*You see me, mom? Against your oh-so-wise counsel did I keep and raise my son. I am happy. I love my son. He sais that he loves me too. I said that it would turn out well. And only this once... at last I have been right... and you were wrong.*

And then Delia did something, what she usually considered to be very immature behavior, nearly a sacrilege in most families. In thoughts, while confronting her mother, she stuck her tongue out at her.

O.k., maybe it was immature behavior. But, even if only in thoughts... it felt soooooo good to do that. Delia went to bed, and glad about the fact that this talk about Ash's father, which she knew for sure had been only the first of many to come, had went so well.

Maybe she wasn't the best mother in the world. But today she thought that she had done a fairly good job until this day. Ash had had a smile on his face when he had closed his eyes. Surely that was something she could be proud of. Relieved and smiling, while hearing the lullabye echoing in her thoughts, she slowly drifted into the land of undisturbed and peaceful sleep.

Her stuffed Jigglypuff still guarded her and her dreams. It had had an easy job recently, since Delia's sleep was quiet and her dreams were nearly always nice.


###
###


***
Goodnight, my angel
now it's time to sleep
And still so many things I want to say
***

Five years.

She knew him for five years now. Tomorrow would be their 'anniversary'. Misty was literally unable to comprehend just how fast those years had gone by.

And when had it happened?

At the beginning he had been an annoying little boy with obviously nothing else in his head than the idea of becoming the best Pokemon Trainer ever.
*And food, of course*, Misty reminded herself. *We do not want to forget the food.*
At first she had been really really angry at him because he had not only stolen but also destroyed her bike. True, later she had admitted to herself that the reason really had been a good one. Pikachu had really needed to get to that Pokemon Center.
And it was not that she had particularly liked this bike. It had been an old one, which she had conveniently... errr... borrowed... from her older sister Violet.

But still...

Somehow, as much as she had fished Ash out of that river, he had caught her too. Even before they had met Brock for the first time, something had made 'click' somewhere and Misty had known that her and Ash's ways would intertwine at least for some time now, for some unknown reason.
She was sure that it hadn't been love or something like that. Ten year old kids do not fall in love like that. But somehow... it had felt ... right, to be on the road with him. She had known that she was caught, despite the fact that she had originally intended to get away from her - a little bit overprotecive - sisters to experience real freedom and independence for some time.
To be caught once again, having to be dependent and not having the opportunity to be truely free had made her really furious. This bike had been as much a symbol of as a way into freedom and independence. And Ash had taken it away from her. That had been one of the reasons she had been really mad at Ash in the beginning. And why she had been really mean and hurting to him sometimes.
Nearly every day after they had met she had told herself to leave that stupid little spike-haired and big-mouthed boy whose brain seemed at times to be emptier than his belly first thing the next day. Every single day she had found a good reason to delay this decision.
Him still owing her the bike, Brock's cooking, bad weather, him being so incredibly stupid that he seemed to be completely lost without her help, getting lost countless times..., another attack from Team Rocket... or... because Ash suddenly did something which was so... surprisingly good-hearted, cute and sweet (saving her, saving their pokemon etc.), that she always told herself at the aftermath of such an occassion that just another day being together wouldn't hurt anyone.

Five years. Seemingly gone as fast as a heartbeat. Unbelievable.

It was some time ago now when Misty had secretly and reluctantly admitted to herself (and to her diary), that she actually was in love with Ash. And not even a trace of a hint of a clue as to when or how this had happened. And now she lay here, gazing up into the endless starry night, waiting for sleep which refused to come.

From somewhere in her head she heard someone sing to her.

Misty was not sure if all the little hints about how she felt for him had been completely lost. Oh yes, of course he could be dense, but sometimes she thought that he too felt something more... maybe... hmm... maybe she would simply tell him... tomorrow... maybe... yes... yawn... she would tell him... the anniversary... might give her... a good opportunity... tomorrow... yaaaaaaaawwwn...


###
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***
Remember all the songs you sang for me
when we were sailing on an emerald bay
***

Ash awoke in the middle of the night.

Had there been a sound? He tried to get out of the sleeping bag quickly to take a look around. Damn. The zipper refused to move. Again. Arrgh!

Ash got into a sitting position, looking a little bit like a caterpie.

'Good thing that Misty is not seeing me right now', he thought. 'She might take me for a bug and pound me into orbit.'

He looked around. He could make out Brock and Misty in their respective sleeping bags. Pikachu slept too. The fire was nearly down.

During the next five minutes Ash tried again and finally managed to open his sleeping bag. Hadn't the sound been there again?
He silently and carefully took some more of the dead wood they had collected and put it into the fire. He looked up and realized that it was a brilliant night.

The Milky Way stretched across the sky and thinking that lots of those tiny dots were whole galaxies themselves, he could see at least... one-two-three-... one million... three billion... five... hundred... million... billion... errrr... very very many stars. Ash asked himself if he should wake up Misty to share this sight with her, but decided against it. Her moods after waking up were as unpredictable as Team Rocket's disguises. And as many. Especially in the middle of the night.

Misty.

Ash sat there and looked at her. He couldn't see very much since she had her back turned to him. That was good. Not because he didn't like looking at her, but if she ever caught him gazing at her while she slept, his doom (in form of a fury-driven mallet) would probably come faster than a fully grown pidgeot and with more power than his snorlax' body slam.

But, kami-sama, was she beautiful when she was angry. And when she was happy. And then that smile of hers... Ash began to see them both dancing through the night sky, among and illuminated by all the countless stars.

Five years would it be tomorow. The time had come when he had begun to fear that date. Tomorrow, as the rules said, would be the day they would turn towards home on the shortest way. A real Pokemon Trainer was supposed to get a real school education and therefore, the rules said, had to turn around where ever he was after five years of travelling to go home (where ever the trainer considered his home was).

Maybe he would tell Misty tomorrow how he felt about her. No. Not maybe. Surely. Or else it might be too late. Tomorrow... there had been the sound again... Ash had the impresion that it had come from Misty. Very carefully he went around to take a look at her.

Uh-oh. He knew that face. She had a nightmare. Again. Ash didn't know just how often he had caught her having nightmares during those past years. There was the sound again. Misty whimpered. He did what he always did in this situation. He sat down beside her and sung the lullabye his mother had always sung to him. After he was out of words he continued with humming the melody. After some minutes, Misty visibly relaxed and her breathing deepened.

Ash tried to think back to the first time he had done this. The day before that first time he had caught her having a nightmare and woke her up. My oh my, was that a painful memory. He had learned then not to disturb 'a girl's beauty sleep' the hard way. That had been somewhen during the first year of their travels, before Misty had begun to open up her shell a little bit and share some of her real emotions and thoughts.
The next night Ash remembered to try and help Misty without waking her. He just couldn't sleep when she was whimpering in the sleeping bag next to him. He even saw some lonely tears run down her face. So he tried what his mother would do whenever he had had a nightmare. He sung his lullabye to her. No one was more astonished than he himself that this actually worked.

Of course he never told her.

Absentmindedly he had begun to stroke Misty's wonderful soft hair while singing to her. In the light of the campfire at night her hair looked like liquid fire. Especially when she wore her hair open like now. That was something Ash always had wanted to tell her since he first noticed it during a sunset at a now very far away beach. But never had he been brave enough to tell her.
Ash tried to decide how to tell her tomorrow that he was hopelessly in love with her. He would look into her eyes. Her eyes which were so amazingly blue... with those tiny little golden spots in them... and which were so amazingly deep... and which were...

...looking directly up at him now. A bit sleepy and not fully awake, but still definitely open and directed at him.

Ash was 10 feet away in an instant, blushing furiosly. He waited for the mallet. He wondered if he could tell her that he loved her before she hit him to the moon. He could hear her unzip her sleeping bag and approaching him.

"Hey Ketchum..."

Ash slowly opened his eyes carefully to try and find some sign of danger. All he saw was Misty standing in front of him, smiling softly. Only that this didn't relieve him for even one bit. She could smile as sweet as a honey-sugar-pot and in the next moment she would arrange a meeting between him and almighty mallet-sama.

"...I assume that you have done this not for the first time?!"

Lieing was no use. She always knew when he lied.

"Well... sometimes... but only when you... obviously had a nightmare... but I swear that I never did anything else than..."

"I know. Thank you. A lot. That was... sweet."

Misty looked down. She blushed now furiously too.

"Errr... Misty?"

"Y-Yes?"

...

"Want to watch the stars... with me... for a while?"

"Ummm... yes... sure... why not?"

...

"Err... Misty...?"

"Hm?"

"There's... something important I have to tell you..."


###
###


***
And like a boat out on the ocean
I'm rocking you to sleep
The water's dark
And deep inside this ancient heart
You'll always be a part of me
***

Ash lay awake in the night. He told himself again and again what a lucky man he was. Married for two years now with his dream-girl and everything was as good as at the first day of their marriage.

Or maybe not quite as good.

Married life had certainly gotten better during those two years. Misty and he had become a very good team with a deep and strong relationship. The fear that their friendship might shatter into the tiniest little pieces if their relationship wouldn't work out had been completely in vain.

Although the way to their marriage and the one after certainly hadn't been easy ones. They had had so many fights and tears and they nearly ended their relationship several times.

Just as with anyone else, the first time of their relationship had been absolutely wonderful in the beginning. Nearly everything had been absolutely perfect.
Then there had been highschool and college. And suddenly there had been so many other boys who had tried to convince Misty to go out with them. Although Misty had told him again and again that she wouldn't ever even think of going with someone else, he had become more and more jealous. At some point Misty had had enough and accused him in return that maybe he himself did more than just help all those cute female students with their homework or their training and after that things had gotten quite nasty.

They actually had begun to meet other people, but in the end, Misty and Ash both found out that no one else was as good a match as they were. Other guys and girls were... somewhat nice... and stuff... but somehow... they had never been good enough. In the end Misty and Ash still always went to each other, whenever they needed someone to talk to, to get comfort or advise from or to have fun with. But always assuring themselves and each other and everyone else that they were 'just good friends'.

Then there had been the matter with this certain guy. He had been one of those people who are actually stupid and dimwitted enough to believe in things like "Women who say 'No' actually mean 'Yes'" or "Women belong either in the kitchen or in bed" or "When a woman stands in the living room, the chain is too long."
At that certain party had been one of those guys, who, with a little help from his friends, had tried to grope Misty and make her drink alcohol, which she had clearly refused several times. He even had mentioned something like "Come on, I won't hurt you... unless you beg me to, which you will... later." His friends had laughed healthily and had clapped him on his back, congratulating him for this especially clever remark. Ash knew that usually Misty was strong enough to be able to cope with guys of that sort, but this time for some reason, he had seen red and intervened. He knew that Misty would probably turn his life into hell for not being better than those guys; for being as much macho as them; for thinking that he had to defend the ‘weak and defenceless woman’ – but this time, for some reason, he simply didn’t care.
The guy and his friends, some of those people who think that with enough money you are the impersonification of kami-sama himself and therefore can do whatever you want whenever and where ever you want, had wanted to solve the matter with a pokemon fight. Of course they had boasted about having bought only the finest bred pokemon which had been trained of course only by the best trainers money could buy. Of course the winner would get Misty as the 'prize'.
After showing them that the 'prize' was very well able to fight for herself and to make her own decisions, and furthermore, how a real team is supposed to work, Misty and Ash hugged each other in the thrill of victory and, nearly for the rest of the evening, did not let go of each other again.
They apologized to each other often and profoundly and, after blushing as heavily as at the night of their first kiss, they shared several very nice and very loving kisses to seal their relationship, and this time for good.
The rich guys swore revenge for what they called 'this public humiliation'.

Then there had been Ash's crisis when he lost match after match. He somehow was suddenly not able to win even one out of five battles. And so he had gotten grim and began to draw back into himself and train his pokemon more and harder, until he actually exhausted and hurt them. Misty, whose help he had refused during that time, had finally forced him to take a break. During their holidays she brought all their pokemon to Prof. Oak's lab and took Ash literally by his ear to drag him to a place which was sunny and warm and where he hadn't had to think about pokemon.
The really difficult task for Ash afterwards had been to get the trust of his pokemon anew. Ash often asked himself later, what he would have done and where he would be now without Misty by his side.

Then there had been the time when suddenly rumors appeared in every corner of the university which claimed that Misty was winning her fights by using her admittedly very nice physical attributes to 'convince' her both male and even some of her female opponents to lose a pokemon fight. The nicknames, which pursued Misty everywhere from then on, were only one reason for many nights, in which she cried herself into sleep in her friend’s arms.
At the same time someone found some forbidden chemicals in Ash's locker which seemed to prove that he won his fights by doping his pokemon. Everyone said how strange it was that suddenly Ash was winning his fights again. Misty and Ash knew only too well where those rumors were coming from, but they couldn't find even a single prove to accuse the rich guys who had sworn revenge.
Rumors had this nasty tendency to develop an own live and to grow bigger and and bigger with every time they were being told. Of course all those rumors and accusations had been absolutely ridiculous and false but until all of this had been finally proven wrong, life at university had been torture and hell for both Misty and Ash. Many people (both students and professors) wanted to believe those rumors. They couldn't or didn't want to think of any other reasons why Ash and Misty could be so successful without cheating.
After successfully proving their innocence (with much help from no one else thean Jessie, James and Meowth, at that time self-acclaimed masters of digging holes, devouring & delivering delicious diners, disguise and deception and good friends of our favourite couple) they both literally drowned in apologies from many of those people who had falsely accused them.

Another thing, more annoying then really painful, was the decision who would take whose name after the marriage. Ash had actually gotten a little reputation as a 'Ketchum' and so he wanted to keep his name. Misty, being one of the 'Sensational Sisters' wanted to keep her name for the same reasons. Both agreed that they wouldn't burden their future child/children with a double-name.
They tried to solve this problem with arguing.
They tried to solve it with asking all their relative's opinions (and speaking of relatives, Ash never knew why his mother had found it so amusing that he would marry a girl who would probably be a Master Water Pokemon Trainer – Delia very often teased him about that before she told him of a little talk they had had so many years ago.).
They tried to solve it with a pokemon fight.
They tried to solve it with throwing a coin.
In the end, giving those ancient male-female-roles a kick in the butt, Ash admitted that 'Waterflower' sounded so much more poetic and nice then 'Ketchum' and agreed to take his future-wife's last name.

Then there had been the problem when the marriage should be. On the one hand they both did not really want to wait much longer. On the other hand going to college and being married at the same time had its own very special problems too. In the end they had decided that one or two years of waiting didn't hurt anyone. So they moved together into one apartment but waited until after graduation with their marriage.

Then there had been the problem where to open the gym they wanted to lead together...

Then there had been the problem what their gym's badge should look like and what their gym's rules of fighting should be...

Then there had been the problem...

"You're still awake, Ash?"

Ash kissed his wife tenderly on the forehead.

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

She sighed.

"No, not you. It was the little one."

Ash laid his hand on his wife's very round stomach and stroked it carefully. He could feel the occassional kick or punch.

"I see what you mean, sweetie. His sleeping behavior seems to be just like yours, always tossing and turning around..."

Misty slapped Ash lightly on the arm.

"I am not always tossing and turning around..., I'm just... my dreams are very realistic."

Suddenly Misty got serious. She looked directly into his eyes and hugged him as tight as her stomach allowed.

"Honestly now, I'm scared, Ash."

Ash cradled her in his arms and gently stroked her hair. That had been one of the real problems which had occured only last year. The doctor had used this very ugly word. One of those words which sounded so clinical but which contained more pain then anyone should ever have to endure.

Miscarriage.

That had been one of Misty's worst crisises. Although the doctor had tried to assure Misty that it had absolutely not been her fault, that sometimes things like this just happen, she had blamed herself long after this had happened. Ash looked at Misty and saw some tears shimmering in her eyes.

"You'll see. Only about four weeks from now on and we will hold our little baby girl or baby boy in our arms. And some time later we will have to deal with the problem of getting up every two hours in the night, of feeding the baby, putting it into new diapers or singing for it not knowing what else to do to make her or him stop crying. We will go with him or her into the circus, the shows, the amusement parks and all the other places, we will visit all our friends and family and we will make everyone jealous with our little cute baby. Then we will have to tell him or her that it is not a good idea to poke pokemon or draw them at their ears. And before we even know it, we will have to deal with our baby entering the worst time of growing up, the difficult phase known as puberty, and then we will worry about him or her not coming home in time and then..."

Misty giggled a little and wiped her eyes.

"You really think so?"

"The doctor told you yesterday that everything is just perfect. The baby is healthy and fine. You are healthy and fine, I am healthy and fine. The doctor herself is healthy and fine. Everything will be healthy and fine."

"Ash?"

"Yes?"

...

"Will you promise me that you won't leave me like your father did with your mother?"

Ash had absolutely no idea where this was coming from so suddenly. The smart remarks he wanted to give her died on his tongue as he looked at Misty and saw that her worry was sincere. He embraced her and tried to tell her through the hug that he never ever wanted to let her go, if this would be possible.

"Misty. Darling. Sweet one. Beloved. You are my wife. This...", he stroked her stomach, "...is our child. You turned me into the luckiest and happiest man alive by marrying me. Never ever will I let you go. I will always stay by your side. And when, as it is stated in the marriage vow, death comes to part us..., well, I hope that he has some pretty strong pokemon at his side... because I intend to stay with you forever, meaning now, in this live and after it, what ever it is that comes after this live. You will never get away from me and you will never get rid of me. You are stuck to me if you like it or not. That I promise."

Now the tears really flowed out of Misty's eyes.

"Ash... did I ever tell you just how incredibly much I love you?"

He again stroked her stomach tenderly.

"With every beat of both of your hearts, my beloved..."


###
###


***
Goodnight, my angel
Now it's time to dream
And dream how wonderful your life will be
Someday your child may cry
And if you sing this lullabye
Then in your heart
There will always be a part of me
***

"Mommy, I can't sleep."

"Aww, come here, sweetling."

Misty opened her arms and, embracing her daughter while she snuggled against her, stroked her hair. Her other son, three year old Robert, slept already, while Ash tried to convince ten-month-old Sheila to go to sleep to.

"What's up, Ellie?"

"Don't know. I just can't sleep."

Due to a recent loss of her first front teeth, Ellie's 'sleep' sounded more like 'thleep'. Misty remembered the day when Ellie had lost her first tooth and she and Ash had told her about the Tooth Fairy. Misty did not have the impression that this had been so long ago, but still, tomorrow would be the day when her little baby girl would take the next step into the world of the going-to-be-grown-ups.

"Are you excited because tomorrow is your first day at school?"

"Hm-hmm."

Ellie nodded against Misty's chest.

"Oh, come on, it's not very much different than your first day at the kindergarten. You will meet many new kids. You will meet some of the other kindergarten kids again. And surely you will make many new friends. And then there are so many nice things you have to learn."

"Scott sais that school is horrible."

Scott was one of the kindergarten kids.

"He says that his big brother always complains about all the homework."

"You will surely get homework too. But that'll come a little bit later. And you are nearly a grown up girl now. Everyone who wants to grow up has to do some homework."

"Then I'll go to school but I simply will not do any homework. Then I won't grow up. I'll just have the fun and leave the work be."

"Well, we'll see about that when the time comes, little Peter Pan. School will be a lot of fun, you'll see. Work too, but mostly it should be fun. I promise you that on my honor as a Pokemon Trainer."

"Will you tell me a good-night-story? Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaase."

Ellie gave her mother the irresistible poppy dog-eyes and her cutest smile.

"You know that that look doesn't work with me, Ellie, but..." she eyed her daughter critically, "...you're getting better. In a few years the guys will not be able to deny anything you ask of them."

"Oh pleeeaase. I can't sleep if you don't."

Of course she could. Misty knew it and Ellie knew it too. But Misty remembered her own first school day very well. She would have been surprised if her daughter wouldn't have come because she was too nervous to sleep. Misty got up and carried her daughter through the living room to the next room. Ellie knew that she didn't really need to try to convince her mother or father to tell her a good night story or two. They'd done this at least three times a week as long as she could remember.

"Oh my, have you grown, big girl. You are nearly too heavy for your old weak mother. Let's say good night to daddy and your siblings and then I'll tell you a story, o.k.?"

"Yay! O.K.!"

Misty carefully opened the door to her youngest child's room and saw Ash lying on the floor, obviously completely exhausted with little Sheila on his stomach. Both were deep asleep. She and her daughter looked at one another and giggled. Silently she set Ellie down and spread a blanket over her husband and her youngest daughter. Then they tip-toed out of the room and looked after Robert who was deep asleep too in his own room.

When Ellie was lying in her own bed, Misty asked her: "Which tale would you like to hear, sweetling?"

"I want one about uncle James and auntie Jessie. A rocket story."

Ellie loved those stories. Although she never believed that her godmother and her uncle really had been members of Team Rocket once, she still loved the stories.

"You know, Ash, uncle Brock and I had been lost in a jungle that day..."

"Come on Mommy, no one gets lost so many times. I just don't believe it."

"And there you see why you should go to school. At least you may learn how to read a map. And whenever your daddy tries to go travelling with you to catch some pokemon, always come to me first, or else your travel will be at least thrice as long. And one thing more. As much as your father likes to claim that: Maps are not being drawn upside down.
Anyway, we were lost and it was such a hot day, when suddenly...

***

"...and then..."

"...Team... yawn... Rocket blasted... off... ag... again..." Ellie finished the sentence. She knew how those stories usually ended. Her eyelids were closed and she was already more than half asleep. Two minutes later Misty stroked her daughter's hair tenderly and silently left her room, closing the door behind her. She wondered if it was really already five years since her little baby girl tried to make her first step. Where had all the time gone? But Misty knew the answer when she looked at her husband, at her children or at her pokemon. Even her own face began to show some signs of the years which had passed. So much had happened. Misty sighed.

The times of the day when all the kids were actually asleep at the same time were very rare these days. After taking a look at her watch, Misty decided that Sheila's next feeding-time was not due before at least one more hour.
Misty loved her family to pieces but those rare little moments she had just for herself (without watching after the pokemon, without having to dry one of her kid's tears, etc.), the moments of quietness and peace had their own appeal. Never ever would she have thought before that having a family and a gym at the same time could be so exhausting.
Although she and Ash shared their responsibilities as much as possible, there was always the daily routine of:caring for and playing with the children and the pokemon, training the pokemon, fighting with challengers, cleaning the gym and doing all the organizational and financial stuff necessary for running a pokemon gym. And then there were all those more or less unexpected happenings, like repairing damages in the gym after a fight, one of the kids getting ill, gym-leader's meetings, parent's meetings at school, visits from her sisters, Brock and his girlfriend, Tracy or Ash's mom (or sometimes all of them at once), preparing the gym for spontaneous official inspections... to make it short - Misty loved her work and her family, but the little quiet moments she loved at least as much.

She went into her and Ash's bedroom and out onto the balcony. She still loved to gaze up into the stars. Until the night Ash had asked her to do this together with him she had never paid them much attention, but since that night...
Completely lost in thoughts Misty suddenly felt arms embracing her from behind. Ash kissed his wife on the cheek and rested his head on her left shoulder. She snuggled against him.

"Hey Ash, want to watch the stars with me for a while?"

"That will be my pleasure."

They stood there for some minutes when Misty noticed that her husband was watching her instead of the stars.

"What?"

"Huh?"

Misty tried to make an honest and stern face.

"Do I have spinach in the face or why are you gazing at me? Do I have three eyes? Did no one ever tell you that it is very impolite to stare at a woman?"

"No. I just try to comprehend how you, Mist, my gorgous wife, could have gotten more and more beautiful with every passing day. At some time after we met I thought that you must be the most beautiful girl in the world but, compared to now, I was so wrong. I mean, you were beautiful then. But now... I absolutely don't know how this can be. I merely can see your outer as much as your inner beauty increase and grow as I watch you. And... I'm counting myself to be the luckiest guy to have you by my side."

"Oh Ash, you're impossible. Stop this, you're making me blush. I'm getting all red."

"And this only one thing I love very much about you. Not only are you my very beautiful wife, you are not only my mate but my soulmate, you are even my partner and my best friend and the mother of our three wonderful children. If it weren't already too late to do that, I would ask you to marry me right now."

"Ash, I... I..."

Misty was absolutely speechless. It was not very often that Ash complimented her. And it was even rarer that he used so many words then. Some tears ran slowly down her cheeks. Then she gave him one of the special magical kisses, which can happen when the circumstances and the mood are right and which make the time stand still.

"Wow, now..." '...I know truly why I married you', was what Ash had wanted to say, but Misty had put her hand over his mouth.

"No clever words now, please. Don't ruin the mood, Ash."

They stood there for some more minutes before Ash turned his wife around, embraced her and began to dance with her to an imaginery music in the moonlight. Misty wrapped her arms around his neck and put her head on his shoulder. After some time she looked up at him and smiled.

"How did you succeed to put the little princess to sleep this night?"

"I sang her my mother's lullabye. Although it's not always working, tonight it did. Her standards in singing performance seem to rise."

Misty looked at her watch and sighed.

"Well, I guess the little monster will wake up sooner or later to demand something to eat. I better go and prepare the bottle. Will you sing for me too afterwards? Pleeaaaaseeee? You know that I can't sleep if you don't. Oh pleeeaaaaaseee."

Copying her firstborn daughter's convincing strategy, Misty gave her husband the puppy-eyes and the knock-out-smile.

"Everything for you, my love."

Misty kissed him again.

"Thank you, my Ash. And just in case that I forgot to tell you today... I love you. Very very much."

And then on her way down into the kitchen, as Misty was swept up into the arms of her husband who proceeded to carry her down, she threw her arms around his neck and giggled like a little girl.

She hoped and prayed that her children would have as much luck in their life as she and Ash had. Misty thanked her parents mentally for watching over her and her whole family so well. She hoped that she and Ash would do at least half as well later.

*Life...*, she thought, *...is wonderful.*

***
Someday we'll all be gone

But lullabyes go on and on

They never die

That's how you

And I

Will be

***

- THE END -


Author's notes:


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Auf wiedersehen, bye-bye, au revoir

Thorsten