Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Let Love Be Your Energy ❯ Love Changes Everything ( Chapter 6 )

When Ash opened his eyes, he knew exactly where he was; Kiyoko's bedroom. The lights were low, and the white curtains had been pulled. The sheets had been laid over him, tightly, with his arms put by his sides. Everything was deathly silent, and, through his blurred vision, he could make out no movement. His head was pounding and all his memories were in a disarray. What happened? he thought. After a few more seconds, he scanned the room again, this time with clearer eyes, to see if he was in company, and saw Misty come over to him and sit next to him on the bed. He had rarely seen her so relieved.

" Hey, Ash, you okay?"

" Misty, what happened?"

" Team Rocket were chasing us and you got shoot twice in the leg."

Just as she mentioned the leg he became aware of the pain throbbing in it. He winced against it.

" Are you alright?"

" Yeah, the leg is just very painful."

" I've given you some painkillers, but I don't think they are strong enough."

" You can say that again," Ash said as he winced again. He lifted up the sheet to examine his injured leg to notice that his trousers and shirt had gone, and all he was wearing was his boxers. " Ah, where are my clothes?" he asked, a little embarrassed. Anyone else and he wouldn't have felt so anxious, but it being the person he was in love with, he felt very aware of his current state. He pulled the cover up a little to hide as much of his chest as he could.

" I had to take them off to get to your wounds," she then reached to the chair near to the bed and picked something up, " anyway, I don't think you'll be wanting to where them again." She was holding his clothes. His jeans were ruined, one leg was completely stained red, with two gapping holes in it. His shirt had been torn open,
probably from when he fell. He looked down and saw a matching graze across his chest, and felt another cut on his left cheek bone.

" I must have lost a lot of blood."

" I'm surprised you still have any left in you."

" How long have I been unconscious for?"

" About five hours. It's after one in the morning."

" Is everyone else asleep?"

" No. They are waiting up to see if you are alright. Now I want to check your wounds, okay." Misty grabbed the sheet that was covering Ash, and tried to pull it away from him, but he held ontoit. " Ash," Misty began surprised, " what's wrong?"

Clearly embarrassed, he answered, " I'm quite a modest person, you know, and well I'm not wearing mu-"

Misty interrupted. " Oh, come on, Ash. We've known each other for nearly six years. Don't be so paranoid. For a start, I was the one who took your clothes off in the first place,and I have seen you in boxers before." He let his grip lighten for a second before tightening it again. " Oh, Ash, don't be such a big baby." She pulled with all her strength on the sheet and finally yanked it out of his hand. " Now, let's see." She unfastened the bandage around his wound, and began to remove it. " You'll need this replaced. It's bled right through. I just hope the wounds have begun to clot. You've lost too much blood already for my liking."

He just sat there, face red with embarrassment, and sighed a reply. When the red fabric was completely removed, he looked down at his leg. He saw two small, deep openings in his flesh, which had just begun to heal. One was just a circular indentation, the other
more of a long gash. " Did you get the bullets out?"

" Yeah. I think one just grazed past you, leaving this cut," she pointed to the long gash, " and the other bullet I had to take out. It had almost gone as deep as your bone. I'm glad you were out for the count when I had to do that. I wouldn't have liked to hear the screams." She let a little worried giggle out, and reached for a small bottle and some white fabric that sat on the cabinet beside the bed. " Talking of screaming, I'm going to have to clean up your wounds again to prevent infection. I'm sorry about this."

" Oh, I'm sure your enjoying this."

She looked up at him with a strange, fake guilty expression on her face. He just smiled back.

In the next room, the rest of the group sat in utter silence, worried about their injured friend. Then an almighty yell filled the hush. They knew it was Ash. Brock's frown became a smile, as he said, relieved but completely calm, " I guess he's okay then."

Back in the room, Ash was in complete agony. " I'm sorry," Misty apologised, panicking. " If I could make this less painful, believe me, I would, but your just going to have to go through it. I don't want you losing your leg from an infection or something."

" Don't worry, I can take the pain. I'm strong."

" Oh, come on, Ash, you're a big softly."

" I'm not."

" Yes you are. You're not the most macho of men." She noticed that he had a hurt expression. Never insult a guy's manliness, Misty reminded herself. " It's okay, Ash. Women nowadays like a man to be sensitive as well as strong, and you're both. Just look at the amount of women flocking to you after you won the match against the elite four. Women love you."

" Why?"

" Because you reasonably tall, you've got a nicely toned build," she give a quick glance down at his chest. God, he had grown up a lot lately. "A handsome face, and you're a winner. Think about what life is going to be like after we beat Team Rocket. You'll be a national hero, the leader of the resistance."

" I'm not the only one fighting."

" No, but you are the one who rallied the people up."

" I just hope I can help win this war for them."

" Don't worry," she grabbed his hand in support, " we will." He smiled again at her. He knew she would always be there for him. She had done so over the past six years. He felt that she was one of the few constants in his life, and that as long as she was around, he could get through anything. She changed the subject, and put a little more antiseptic on the swab. " Now, I'm going to have to begin this again."

" Okay," he said as he grabbed onto the mattress for support. She begin to wipe his wounds again, and this time it wasn't as painful. He just gripped harder the more painful it became. When she had finished, she picked up fresh bandages and neatly wrapped them around his wound. Ash watched as his saviour packed his wounds, looked on as she carefully and caringly helped his leg. She was his angel, he knew that. Without her, he would be dead, or at best, awaiting death. He wanted to ask her why she had risked her life to save him, but he hesitated, unsure whether or not she would give the response he hoped for. He feared that she would say that it was because she could not let a friend die, rather than telling him what he wished she would say, that she had done it as she had deeper feelings for him, deeper feelings he knew he had for her.

When she finished, she turned to him. " Do you want me to make you a little something to eat, try to help you get your strength up?"

" Have you ever known me to turn down food?"

" Hmm, I guess it was a pretty stupid question to ask where you're concerned."

" Exactly."

They both smiled at each other for a short while, and then she stood up, put the bandages and things to the side, and walked towards the door. " I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?"

" Okay."

When Misty entered the main room, everyone looked towards her, full of concern.

" Is he okay?" Brock asked.

" Yeah. He'll be fine. He's quite weak, but luckily he has stopped bleeding. He should be out of danger, now."

" Just make sure he doesn't over do it," Jessie said, a rare touch of concern in her voice. " Ash is a lot of things, but he's not the most sedate individual you've every met."

" I'll keep him calm." Misty left her friends to go into the kitchen. When she was there, she just stood for a few minutes. She could feel the emotions battling her for control. She had no choice but to let go of the reign she tried to hold over them, something she hadn't had a chance to do since the shooting. She couldn't hold them back. She felt the tears begin to stream down her cheeks and onto her chin before they dripped onto her clothes. She then just dropped to the floor, and with her head against her knees, she let it all come out. She had come so close to losing him, and if the worst had of happened, he would never have know just how she felt about him, how much she cared. She sat there, in tears of pain and joy. He was still alive. She had been given another chance to tell him, but even now she felt afraid to say anything.

She heard soft footfalls coming towards the kitchen. Somehow she just knew who they belonged to.

" Misty," Brock said in his softest tone. He closed the door behind him and came to knell beside her. " Misty, are you okay?"

She raised her wet face and looked towards her friend, a little embarrassed that he had caught her this way. " Yeah, I'll be okay."

" You've had a hard day. You've went through so much. You nearly died. It's alright to be upset. Don't be embarrassed." He put his arm around her and pulled her close.

" But you see, I'm not upset about what has happened to me today. I was never worried about dying. That's not what I'm scared of."

Brock, confused, asked her what she meant.

" I'm not afraid about myself, I'm afraid about him."

Brock instantly knew what she meant. It was what he had been suspicious of for years, really every since he had rejoined the group. From that time he had seen how Misty feelings had constantly grew as she did. Now he knew his suspicions were correct. " You're in love with him."

She slowly nodded. He had got it in one. " I don't want to lose him. I couldn't bear it if I did. And we came so close to it...tonight. I...I thought he was going to die. When I saw him fall. And...and the blood on the ground. And his screams. I've never been so terrified in all my life. When I went back to help him, it was out of impulse. I never even thought of the consequences. It didn't even cross my mind that I could die. I just knew I had to get him out of there. I didn't care about myself."

" I guess he doesn't know how you feel?"

" I'm too scared to tell him. I want to, I really do, but his reaction does scare me. But when it happened, one thing continued to past through my mind. ' I can't let him die without him knowing. If one of us does die, I want him to know how I feel first.' But still, I can't tell him. I'm afraid. I know it's stupid, but I'm still afraid."

" It's not stupid, Misty. It's love. It plays tricks with you. You're scared of his reaction. You should be. That shows how close you guys are. You don't want to lose that friendship, even if it means you will never progress to the next stage." He hesitated for a few moments before finishing. " But if it is eating you up inside, as it seems to me it is, you have to tell him for your own sanity. Perhaps if you don't, you could damage your existing friendship as you may put a barrier between the two of you because you are afraid that he may notice how you feel."

" So you think I should tell him, even though I'm terrified?"

" I think it's the best idea. Anyway, if you tell him and he doesn't feel the same for you, your current relationship will not be destroyed. Ash won't care, as long as you stay his friend, it won't matter to him. He cares too much about you to abandon you over something like this. That just isn't Ash. He could never willingly hurt you."

" I know, and I have noticed somethings."

" What do you mean?"

" Sometimes he looks at me in a certain way, or says a certain thing, and I think ' Maybe he feels the same way.' But as soon as I think that, I think that maybe it wasn't that kind of look or word, perhaps it's just his way of being a friends, how he shows affection. I'm totally confused."

" You will be, but when you get this out, you can relax again. I think it will be for the best. It's hurting you too much to keep it inside."

" Thanks, Brock. You're a great friend."

" Don't mention it. I always like to help out, especially when it comes to the two of you. I guess you're both like my little brother and sister - at least one of many - and I like to watch over you. And I hope your dream comes true. I hope that he has feelings for you as well. You'd make a perfect couple."

She wiped away the last of her tears and let out a giggle.

" That's better. That's the Misty I know. Now, I guess you're in here to cook Ash a little something to eat."

" Yeah, but I'm a terrible cook."

" Don't worry. I'll do it. You clean up those tears. We don't want anyone else knowing your little secret, at least unless you decide to tell a certain person."

" I'm going to tell him, but when the time's right. Whenever that will be."

" Hi." Misty walked back into the room. Ash was reading the newspaper that they had gotten the last morning. " What are you reading about?" she asked as she set the tray of food down on the bedside cabinet.

" I just want to see what they think about us, you know, what Team Rocket are spreading to the populace."

" What does it say? I haven't had a chance to read it yet."

" Well, most of it has been made up. They say we are criminals who are willing and ready to kill any civilian who gets in our way, and that we don't want to free this island, but we want to control it ourselves. Team Rocket have put themselves into the roles of protectors for the island against our so-called dangerous rebellion. This is all crap. Do they really think that our people are going to believe this?"

She could see Ash was becoming aggravated, something that wasn't going to do him any favours in his present state. " Ash, calm down. Don't get yourself worked up. You're going to do yourself harm, and, well, I made a promise to keep you relaxed, and you don't want me breaking my promises, do you now?" She pulled the paper from his hand, and put it out of his reach. " Anyway, Ash, the populace will not fall for it. They know what the resistance is truly about. They aren't going to just turn around and believe a group who have been stealing and killing their way to power over the last god knows how many years rather than the people they used to trust. The people will stay on our side, and that gives us the advantage. They are who we are putting our lives on the line for, and they know it."

" You're right. This is just propaganda, and it is so far from the truth that no one could possible believe it."

" Good. So are you calm now?"

" Yeah. It's only because I hate lies." He then looked closely at her face for the first time since she came back in. It was slightly swollen around her eyes and a little red. " Are you okay? Your eyes are a little puffy."

She though that her face would have been back to normal by now, but the effects of crying hadn't calm down yet. " Oh, I'm just a little tired." She yawned for effect. " I just need to get some sleep soon. Here you go." She picked up the tray again, taking the glass of juice off and keeping it on the cabinet for safety, and placed it on the bed, next to his injured leg.

" This looks good."

" I can't take any credit for it. Brock cooked it. I'm useless in the kitchen. He made sure it's a complete meal. Rice for carbohydrates, red meat for protein and minerals, and a glass of orange juice for vitamins. You know Brock. Always a well balanced meal. Also," she reached into her pocket and pulled out two things, one in a tub, the other wrapped in silver foil. " He are some iron tables. They'll help you keep healthy until you build your blood supply up again, and last but hopefully not least, the last few chunks of chocolate I have."

" Misty, you keep that."

" No, I want you to have it. I wasn't able to get you a present yet, so this is the best I can do until this is all over. Anyway, you need it more than I do."

" But you probably won't be able to get any for a while."

" That's my problem. I can do without. I want you to have it as some kind of comfort. You've done so much for us lately that I think you deserve something that the rest of us don't have."

" Thanks. That's so kind."

" No problem, sir."

" Please don't call me sir. I'm not an old man. I'm only sixteen, a few years younger than you."

" Sorry. Just trying to annoy you."

He let out a snigger. " You're always trying to annoy me," he replied, picking up the bowl of food and chopsticks.

" Well, it's your fault. You're so easy to irritate."

They then just sat in silence for a little while, Ash eating his food. He must of been hungry. He swallowed it down quickly, barely tasting the flavours, if there were many there. In the resistance, you don't always get the best food, just basics. But then, Ash guessed, it meant that they had one more thing to fight for. When he had finished with the bowl, he took the glass of juice and usedit to wash down one of the tablets Misty had given him. He then replacedthe glass, and lay back down on the bed, with the sheet pulled up high again.

Misty realising his embarrassment, went over to his bag, and threw him a clean T-shirt and a pair of loose jogging bottoms. He quickly put the shirt on, glad to conceal himself, but she had to help with the trousers.

" Do you think you'll be able to walk? Maybe we should try it out, just a few steps around the room. We better check you have full control over it."

" Yeah. I won't exactly be able to rest long, so it would be best to get back on my feet as quickly as possible."

" I don't want you thinking that you'll be able to walk automatically. It'll take some practice, so don't get angry if it doesn't work right away." She put her arm under his, lifting him slowly to his feet. He began to walk, very uneasily, and only after a few paces, he couldn't bare the pain any longer, and had to sit down.

" Shit."
" Ash, what did I say?" she chided. " Not to get angry if I can't do it straight away. I'm sorry."

" Just take a little rest and we'll try again in a few minutes."

" You should be a doctor, not a Pokemon trainer."

" No. I couldn't. I'm too short-tempered. I'd have no bed-side manner and most of my patients would probably get even more injured if I became cross."

" Well, maybe they would get better faster just to get away from you, then."

" Hey." She hit him over the head with her hand.

" Sorry, but you've just proved your own point; you're abusing your patient."

" Oh, you can be annoying sometimes." She didn't look annoyed, however, Ash noticed. Her smile was wide and she was laughing. " I guess I can be a little violent."

" A little violent?" Ash replied, trying to sound shocked, but his giggles spoiled the effect. " I've still got bumps on my head from years ago. You always used to hit me."

" That's because you were always making fun of me."

" You made fun of me. You used to call me an immature little kid who was too egotistical for his own good."

" Oh, egotistical. That's a big word for you to use," she kidded.

" See. There you go again. You're going to pay for that." He grabbed her and began to tickle her sides. She flailed about, trying to stop him, kicking in all directions.

" Stop it, Ash Ketchum! You know I hate that."

" Then why are you laughing?"

" Because you're tickling me. Stop it!" With that, she put all her power into another kick, and this time it stopped him, but not in the way she hoped.

" Ahhh!"

" Are you okay? I'm sorry. Did I hit your wound?" She got up from the bed and went, panicking, to his side.

" No, but you hit near it where my leg is sensitive. Oww!"

" I'm so sorry, but you know how mad I go when I get tickled."

" I know. It was a bad idea, but you shouldn't of insulted me."

" I couldn't help myself. It's so fun." She looked down at his leg, which he was clasping with both his hands.

" Are you sure I didn't hit it?" She sounded genuinely concerned.

" It's okay. They pain is stopping now." He just lay himself back on the bed and sighed. " I better try to walk again in a minute, anyway."

" You don't have to if it's too sore."

" I may need to run at any moment, so it's best to try it as soon as I can."

They tried a few minutes later, it going much better thistime. It was still immensely painful, but he could manage it much better. He held onto her, one of his arms placed upon her strong shoulders, and continued to take small steps about the room. After
another couple of minutes, however, it was almost unbearable. He stopped and put his other arm around her, and she wrapped hers about his back, trying her best to support him, while he put most of his weight onto his right leg. But the pain became more intense with every second he leant upon it.

" You okay? Do you want to sit?"

" No, I'll be alright. If I just stand a little while not putting much pressure on the leg, I'll get a more accustomed to the pain." The real reason he want to stand a little longer, even though he had the option of sitting down, was because she had her arms around him for support, and he had his around her. He was very comfortable, despite the pain, being so close to her, breathing in her fresh scent, feeling her warmth.

She moved slightly in his arms, pulling him slightly closer, relaxing next to him, with her head gently leaning upon his shoulder. Then she spoke again, in a very quiet, calm voice. " This is nice, isn't it?"

He was surprised at the question. It wasn't the type you ask a friend. Was she spurring him on to make a move? She can't be, can she? We have gotten pretty close lately, and then she did save me...Maybe she has feelings for me, but how could she? The comment had been completely ambiguous, so he just give a happy sigh for response.

Misty couldn't believe what she had done. That wasn't an appropriate question. She had said what she had been thinking at the time, but he had given a good reply, one that meant either he hadn't realised what she had said, or that maybe he felt the same way as her. What did he mean by that? She couldn't be sure.

They stood there for a few moments, neither of them sure what to say, and too comfortable to break the hug. But the question he had asked himself after he had awoken kept raising in Ash's mind, to ruin this serenity. Why had she done it? Why had she risked her life to save him? Was it just the actions of a friend, or of a potential lover?

" Misty," he whispered into her ear, "I need to ask you something."

Ask me what? she panicked. She hoped it wasn't about her foul up. She could be so careless sometimes. How many times had she done something like that over the past few years? She didn't want him to know how she felt, at least not yet, not until this was all over. Then she could deal with his rejection, but in the state she had been in lately with all that had been going on, she was slowly losing control over her emotions. If she suffered this kind of disappointment now, she was unsure of how it would leave her feeling. If it had waited a little while, until she was on top of this stuff, she would be able to cope. She hesitantly give a response. " Y-yeah. Sure. What's wrong?"

" Why did you do it? Why did you put life on the line for me? It's a near miracle we both got out of there alive, and I'm sure you realised that. But still, you saved me regardless. Why?" His voice sounded shocked, but still an air of amazement came through, a feeling of relief and happiness at how far she was prepared to go for him.

" I couldn't let you die, Ash. Your my best friend. I don't know what I would do without you. It's just like you said the night of the party, I can't willingly leave you. I want to be with you for the rest of my life, no matter what happens. When I saw you lying bleeding on the street, I knew I had to do something. I couldn't just leave you there to die. I couldn't cope with it. I love you too much as a friend to let that happen when there still was a chance, and luckily, I did."

He pulled his friend even closer to him, and again whispered to her. " Thank you, Misty. I owe you my very life. I will be indebted to you forever for this."

" Just promise me one thing -" She looked up into his dark, brown eyes before finishing her request. " Never leave me."

" I don't think I could even if I tried."

"What about if we one day get into another one of our dumb arguments, and that time it is really serious-"

" I'll never leave no matter what."

" What about when we're a little older and meet other people. What will happen to us when we settle down with those people and start families of our own?"

" Well live next door to each other."

She give him an unusual stare, slightly confused by his strange reply.

He, in return stared into her eyes and explained, " That way we'll still see each other every day, just like the past six years, even if I have to share you with another man."

" And then when we're in our eighties, I guess we'll still be having the same old arguments over the garden fence, fighting over who won the battle in Cerulean."

" I won that match," Ash said trying to lighten the mood, but then became wholly serious again. " I hope so. I never want to leave you, and I will do anything possible to keep you with me." He had to do it. It felt like the perfect time to make his move. His life had gone so down hill lately that a rejection couldn't do much more damage, as there was barely anything left, apart from his friends, and he knew even if he was rejected, she would still be his friend. And again the timing seemed right. They were intimately talking, in a friendly embrace, vowing to never leave each other. Only once had it been so perfect, and then he messed all possibility up with his nervousness. This time, however, nothing scared him from telling her the whole truth. " Misty?"

" Yeah?"

" About what you said, there is one thing I don't want to happen."

" What?"

He hesitated for a slight moment before answering, and then just spoke the truth, hoping the risk was worth it. " I don't want there to be anyone else."

Instantly, she understood what he was implying. He didn't want any other people to come between them, any other lovers. He just wanted her. Her suspicious had been right.

They just stared at each other for a moment, unsure of what to do after what he said.

After a short while, the two brought their faces closer to one another, closing their eyes. She felt him remove his hand from her shoulders, and move down to near the other, both wrapping around her waist. Then, the two as close to each other as possible, placed their lips onto each others, and kissed. It was soft, light, a sensual kiss, more intense that either could have imagined. It was perfect. The first time either of them had shared a kiss with someone, it was with the person they had wished it to be with. The feeling was pure ecstasy.

After a moment, the two pulled slightly away from each other, and looked into each other's eyes. Misty seemed a little confused at what had just happened and lowered her head, taking her eyes from his. He moved his arm again, raising it from her waist to her face and pulled his fingers through her silky, red hair before moving down to her lowered chin, raising her head with a gentle movement from his hand. Her smile had widened and some of her confusion had changed to happiness. He, knowing that she wanted what he wanted, brought his head closer to hers and kissed her again, a little more surely, and even more passionately.

And for those few minutes, the two friends forgot about what was happening in the outside world, and just concentrated on each other and their kiss.

They lay on the bed, Misty on top of his chest, just intimately kissing, something both had dreamed of for so long. The euphoria he felt numbed the pain in his aching joints and battered body. He stroked one hand through her long, red hair and the other rubbed the soft, silky skin of her back, just under her top. He didn't want to think of anything but her and how beautiful and intense this moment was, but she slowly pulled her lips from his, even though he resisted, and stared deeply into his brown eyes.

" You don't know how long I've been wishing for this to happen."

" Maybe as long as I have, I guess."

" Has that been long?"

" It definitely feels so."

" Ash, I want to tell you something. I...I love you, and I've been in love with you for I don't know how long. I've been dreaming about being with you like this for years, and," the pace of her words slowed, "now I don't know where it's another dream or reality."

Looking directly into her eyes, his smile broadened, and with the back of his hand he caressed her soft cheek, making her close her eyes in pleasure. " You're not dreaming. I love you. And I know that we'll be together for the rest of our lives." He let out a slight chuckle.

Her eyes snapped open. " What are you laughing about?"

" It's just...well it's strange, isn't it. My birthday is probably the worse and best day of my life. I nearly died, but now I have you, something I have been dreaming about for a long time."

" Well, we really got together a couple of hours after your birthday, so that's not really true."

" Yeah, but it has all happened within a short number of hours. It just feels almost...surreal." He looked deep into her blue-green eyes knowing there was true love within them. He couldn't believe how lucky he was. He finally had achieved his second dream, to have her feel for him the way he felt for her. Now he just had the last one to conquer. " God, I love you so much." He pulled her face back to his and began kissing her again, allowing that euphoria to surround them again, knowing that nothing could ever happen to separate them.

Misty looked up from her position upon his chest at her watch. " Oh my god. It's four in the morning. I better get to bed."

Before she could get far, though, he grabbed her hand and pulled her back. He looked at her, anxiety on his face. " Don't go. I don't want to be alone tonight. Will you stay here?"

She smiled. " Of course." She lay back down on the bed, her back to him, and he gently put his arms around her, to keep her close to him. The two lovers then closed their eyes, and let their tiredness overcome them.