In The Wake
by: LilCupidjr.

"I've made my decision."  Ash declared, still smiling at Shauna.
Misty's skin shook in anger at that... that demon!  
"You're the demon."  Ash said excitedly, shaking Shauna's shoulders.
"What?!"  Shauna screeched.
Misty's eyes widened.  "Yeah, what?"
"She's Shauna."  Ash grinned at Misty.
Shauna sighed.  "Alright, I'm Shauna.  Ya happy now?"  Then, the Misty form shattered into billions of desinigrating materials and the black figure in the fog appeared.
"How'd you know?"  Misty asked, walking to him and amazed at the wiseness.
"Well...  Shauna's a great kisser and all, but it all seemed too... fake and fantasy, you know, the kind in dreams.  Besides, yours tasted like puke anyway and Shauna can't be puking if she doesn't have a body."
Mad.  Misty was mad.
"Well, I'm sorry if you didn't enjoy that!  I can't help it if I'm sick!"  Misty stressed.
"I'm sorry, but you asked me how I figured it out, so I told you!"  Ash surrendered.
Misty growled at him.
"Well, this is just great fun and all, but I'm afraid there is no time for your second test."  the demon sneered.
"What?  What do you mean there's no time?"  Misty asked.
"You two are returning."  it answered.
"Returning?  Returning where?"  Ash asked.
Shauna pointed at his feet.  They were already gone.

   Misty's eyes wandered open as she inhaled the sweetness of the afternoon dusk.  She sat up, but seemed chained to the bed as a certain hand held hers down.  There was Ash, layng beside her still unawakened.  A small smile crept to her lips as she realized what he said in the dream.   Their dream.  The dream where everything and all is and was possible and what had seemed impossible was then possible and fluent.  Heh, who would've thought.  Just then, Ash's eyes opened.  His face kept expressionless as his eyes stared into Misty's for a while.   She decided to break the unfamiliar silence.
"Did you mean it?"  she asked quietly.
"Mean what?"
Misty's eyes narrowed.  "You did have the same dream as me, right?"
Ash grinned.  "Oh, yeah."
Misty licked the front of her teeth.  
"I think I'll just go brush my teeth again."  she said as her hand left his in a hurry towards the bathroom, once not in the reason to lose, but to gain.

   Brock hummed to himself a stray tune, probably of love or romance, to himself.  Carrying the large grocery bags, he reached out a hand for the doorknob.

   Misty slowly strolled from the bathroom wiping her chin with a small washcloth.
"Did you brush your teeth?"  Ash asked, uncertain what to say.
"Yeah."  Misty rolled her eyes.  She sat down on the bed, next to Ash.
"So, uh... when you were sick, where did you hurt?"  Ash questioned.
Misty's expression quickly changed.  
"Oh.  Where I hurt?  You mean like on the inside?"  
"Yeah."
"Well... mostly in the stomach."  she answered.
Pikachu's eyes blinked open.
"Like where?"  Ash asked.
"What do you mean "like where"?"
"Where in your stomach?"
Misty stared at him a while, a little confused.  Finally, she gave up and fell back on the bed.  Ash's eyes followed her as she lay down.  Suddenly, she pulled up her shirt and pointed a finger on a lower quadrant of her belly.  Ash's eyes tore away.
"Right here."  she announced, looking up at him.
The little yellow rat snickered, unheard.
"Oh."  Ash said after a while; a long while.
"What's wrong?"  Misty asked as she stared at the side of Ash's red face.
"N-nothing."  he stuttered.  Ash put a hand on his face to try to stop or at least hide the evil blush that grew on his face.
"Ash?"  Misty felt Ash's shoulders tense up as soon as she put a hand on his shoulder.
"What?"  his voice cracked.
"Ash, you're as red as a tomato!"  Misty laughed.
"I-I am?"  his voice cracked again, which made Misty laugh even harder.  Pikachu joined in.
"Well, if that was going to freak you out so much, maybe I shouldn't have done it."  Misty admitted.
"I'm not freaked out!"  Ash's hand fell from his face.
"Ash. why are you so red then?"
He didn't answer.
"Why are you blushing?"  she repeated.
"... I don't know."  he whispered.
"Why... Oh.  Ash, I know you've seen my belly before.  I always wear those bikinis around you so I don't get why that bothers you so much."
"It-doesn't bother me."
"What?"
"It wasn't just your belly."  he replied.
Misty inhaled a deep breath.  "Hm?  What else where there?"
"Your uh... something else.  Forget about it..."  Ash waved a hand.
"Ash-"
"I said nevermind."  he said sternly.
The air around them grew quiet.
"Well,"  Misty began, slapping her knees. "Guess what?"
"What?"  he asked, relieved to be delivered from the silence.
"Guess what you did?"  she sang.
"What?"  he asked again.
"Guess."  she smiled.
"I... give up."
"You..."  she sneakily grabbed a pillow from behind her.
"Kissed me!"  she shouted excitedly as she hit him on the back of his head with the pillow.
"Wa?!  Oh, yeah..."  Ash asked, now laying on the floor.
"You kissed me.  You kissed me.  Ash Ketchum kissed me."  Misty sang as she danced around the room.
"Jeez Misty, it wasn't that great."
Misty paused, then smacked him to the floor as hard as she could with the pillow.  Ash lay in total shock.
"Why'd you hafta go and ruin my mood?!"  she shouted.
"I'm sorrrrryyyy!"  he whined.  Pikachu laughed crazily, still mysteriously unnoticed by the lovestruck preteens.
That was when Brock walked in.  Misty looked up at him as a few pillow feathers floated about the air.
"What happened?"  Brock asked, stunned at the sight, but could make an accurate guess with Ash laying on the floor and Misty holding a pillow leaking feathers.  Both, might I add, completly red in the face.  Misty chuckled.
"Heh heh heh... Brock?  I'm gonna kill you."  she stated.
"Huh?"  both Ash and Brock asked simultaneously.
"I'm... I'm gonna KILL YOU!"  Misty screamed as she charged towards Brock.
Brock dropped the groceries as well as his jaw.
"No!  Misty!"  Ash grabbed hold of her arms and tried to restrain her anger.
"Let me go!  I'm gonna kill him!"  she shouted at Ash.
"You're not gonna do anything, Misty!"  
Brock backed up towards the wall, completely silent.  Misty began to calm down.
"Are you okay know?"  Ash asked, loosening his grip on her shoulders.
Misty turned to look at him with an evil smile on her face only to get a questionable one from Ash's.  Without further ado, she grabbed his hands and gently slid them down to her waist and held them in place as she laid her head on his shoulder, smiling.
"Uh... did I miss something while I was gone?"  Brock asked the two.
"Pi-ka.  Pi pi pika chu pika.  Pika Pika-pi chu pi pichu-pika.  Pi ka kachu---"  
Ash threw a hand over Pikachu's mouth and frantically shook his head.  "No!"
Misty winked at him and grinned.  Brock caught the message and nodded.
"Hm.  I think I left something in the lobby."  Brock said as he walked to the door.
"Pika!  Pi chu pika..."  Pikachu chuckled and followed Brock out the door.
Ash flashed a "don't leave me here!" look, but Brock and Pikachu were gone before he could respond.
"Guess what?"  Misty asked.
"Uh... What?"  Ash asked painfully.
"Guess."  Misty urged.
"I kissed you?"  he asked.
"Yes!"  Misty shouted happily and embraced him in a short notice.
"Misty!  You're gonna crush my spine!"  Ash gasped.
"Oh!"  Misty jumped off of him and stood in deep thought.  "I'm gonna call my parents, my sisters, my friends..."  
'Oh great, now she's going to tell everyone and my mom's probably going to find out with her big mouth..'  Ash thought.
"..maybe e-mail my cousins, of course, I can't leave out Aunt Eleanor and Uncle Jake, and maybe even..."
"Misty!  Stop!"  Ash shouted.
"What?"  she blinked once and stared at Ash, still holding the film of blush on his face.
"Why can't we just keep this our little secret, okay?"  Ash asked sweetly.
"No."  Misty scoffed.
"But why not?!"
"'Cause, for once, I'm doing better than my sisters have and are doing.  Thank you very much."
"But, Misty... Oh, can't we pleeeaaase keep this a secret?"  Ash begged.
"Why?"
"If my mom finds out, I'm gonna be grounded for life!"  Ash complained.
Misty stared down at the boy on his knees, begging for her to keep the kissing secret a secret because of the wrath of his own mother.  
"Fine, if it's going to be that big of a deal to you."  she giggled.
"Thank you."  Ash sighed and bowed his head.
"So, do you think you still have it in ya?"  she asked him slyly.
"Have what in me?"  he asked as he stood up.
"You know... kissing?  Can you still kiss?"  she asked.
"I think s- oh, no."  he said quickly.
"Oh, really?  Ash, are you lying?"  she tried to sound serious.
"No.  Yes.  Maybe."  he answered, a little unsure what she was going to do.
"I think you are."  she said as she approached him.
He tried to swallow, but his throat seemed sewn together.
"You know, I can still tell everyone about... us."  she said quietly.
"No!"
"Well, maybe I can change my mind for a little kiss."
Ash could feel his feet naturally back away.  He had to think of something, quick.
"Okay!"  he replied cheerfully.
"Huh?"  Misty asked, shocked.
Ash leaned and kissed her cheek and began to spring out the door when Misty grabbed his collar.
"Uh-uh, that wasn't good enough, Ash."
"Ohhhh, it was for me!"  he whinned, still trying to pry himself from Misty's grasp.

"What in the world is taking them so long?"  Brock asked Pikachu, even though it was sleeping in a lounge chair next to him, and he set down a Pokemon Breeder magazine.  He sat back on the lounge chair, imagining the look on Ash's face when he comes storming through the hall, screaming from the wrath of Misty.   It didn't take him too long to see.
"Fine then!  Leave!"  Misty screamed, but could barely be heard over Ash's screaming down the hall.  A door slammed.
"Oh my."  Nurse Joy said as she leaned over the counter to see down the hallway.
"Ahhhh!!!"  Ash screamed as he skidded into the lounge.
Brock watched in amusement.
"What's going on?"  he smiled.
Ash gasped for air and clumsily fell into the chair beside Brock.
"She won't quit."  he managed to say.
"Who won't quit what?"
"Misty won't quit trying to kiss me!"  
Brock did his best to hold in the unbearable laughter that suddenly clouded his throat.
"What's so funny?!  That's not funny!  Hey!  Don't you laugh!"  Ash warned, staring at Brock's wide grin.  A tear fell from Brock's eye.
"I'm not gonna laugh."  he swallowed all the laughter and held it in for as long as he could.
"Thanks."  Ash sighed.
After ten minutes of silence, Brock burst with laughter.
"Hey, shut up!"  Ash said, quite offended.
"I...can't..."
Ash growled as he slunk back in his chair.  "Brock, I don't know what to do."
"Well, what happened."  the laughter turned into momentarily chuckling.
"Well... at some point I finally told her, you know, how I feel.  At first, I swear she looked like she just doubted it or didn't even like me back, but after about a few hours..."  he paused for a moment and smiled, "she was dancing and singing and it was all fun and giggles to her!"
"Well Ash, that was just shock."  Brock said.
"Probably, but what do I do now?!  All she want's to do is kiss me and to tell you the truth, I'm not the best kisser on the earth!"
"Well, Ash, do you want to kiss her?"  Brock questioned.
"Well...yeah, I just don't know how."
"Did you kiss her yet?"
The memories suddenly flooded Ash's mind.  The dream, the confession, the Misty double, Shauna, the kiss...  Yes, the answer was yes."
"Yeah...but..."  Ash murmured.
"Well, was it before or after 'she was dancing and singing and it was all fun and giggles to her'?"
Ash chuckled.  "Both."
"Well then I don't see what the big problem is!  I'm pretty sure she's never kissed anyone before and you've just told me that you haven't so might as well learn together!"  Brock supported.
All of the sudden, this advice sounded really strange to Ash.
"Look, just trust me, it'll work out."  Brock assured.
"How do you know?"
"I don't"  Brock answered simply and picked up the Breeder's magazine.  He chuckled, "just trust me."
Ash sighed as he stood up.  "She probably isn't going to let me in anymore."  he said to himself, quietly.


   Ash took a deep, cleansing breath as he reached for the doorknob of their rented room.
"Misty?"  he asked gently as he knocked on the door.
There was no answer.
"Misty?"  he asked louder.
She didn't answer for about ten minutes.
"What do you want, Ash?"  she sounded like she was right on the other side of the door with her voice being so clear.
"Misty?  Can I come in?"  he asked.
"No."
"Why not?"
"'Cause I said so."  she replied coldly.
"Please?"
"No."
Ash sighed, "Misty, you hafta let me in.  I can get Nurse Joy to get the keys to this door."
She didn't answer him.
After about fifteen minutes, Ash rested his chin on the door tiredly, still waiting for Misty to answer.
"Are you still out there?"  she asked.
"Yeah, let me in."  he jiggled the doorknob.
Ash could hear Misty growling quietly on the other side.  Maybe a bribe would do the trick...
"Hey, I'll tell you what,"  Ash said, "If ya let me in, I'll kiss you."  
Ash suddenly heard a dry gasp from behind him.  He turned to look over his shoulder to see an elderly couple look away and enter their own room.
"Look, I promise."  he whispered, sure that she'd hear him.
"Really?"  she asked quietly.
"Yeah, now just let me in."
There was a short pause when he heard the door knob shake a bit and a slight click.  He turned the doorknob.  The door opened.  Misty's arm shot out, grabbed Ash's jacket, and yanked him inside.
"Now, you'd better not have lied."  she growled, nailing him to the wall.
"No, I swear!"  Ash renounced his pride to the side to the mad redhead in front of him.
"Okay."  she let go.
Ash watched her walk away from him, wondering where to start.  She turned her back to face him.
"Now, how do you-"
She stopped to stare at Ash's face.  She could swear that he had NEVER looked at her like that since the day she met him.  
"Uh, Ash?"  she asked.
His head tilted a bit and his eyes were very concentrated, yet relaxed in a way.
"Hm?"  he asked.
"Is... there something wrong?"  
"Nope."
"Oh, okay."  she said.
They stood quietly, Misty still staring at Ash's strange expression.
"Hey Mist, you ever kissed anyone before?"  
"No.  Well, there was you, but not anyone else before that-"
"No, I meant in real life."  Ash said.
"Oh.  Then, no."
"Me neither."  he admitted. "So I guess..."  he walked up to her, "this'll be our first."  he placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Ash?  You're scaring me."  she said quietly.
In his mind, he was laughing like crazy.  'Ha!  Now she's the scared one!  Oh, Misty how the tables have turned!'
Misty could have sworn that she had caught Ash staring at her lips for a second, then back into her eyes, which seemed to soften at the sight of the strong love he held in his.  Well... it was either love or insaneness...
'God, Brock, please do not walk in now.'  Misty mentally begged in prayer.
As Ash zeroed in on her lips, Misty felt herself being torn in two.  First, there was this creepy half without a meaning wanted her to slap him in the face and run away, particularly to nowhere, but the other half held the pure excitement of the moment.   Like I said, is it love or insaneness?  Maybe... both?
Ash, on the other hand, felt as if his body had been working for him the entire time.  All he had to do, really, was watch, and under certain circumstances, feel.  It was kind of strange, really.  
Now, as Misty could practically feel Ash's breath on her chin, it felt as if there was a strange substance or feeling standing between them.  It was a thick feeling of something maybe supernatural.  Was it even fear or restrain?  Maybe something else...   whatever it was, it increased the feeling of Misty's creepy side that told her to run away with the memories dragging behind her.  Or maybe it was the only fact that she could barely breathe right now...  
Suddenly, that creepy side expanded and surged through her body like a raging wave of electricity that crashed into her fingertips and toes.  Her shoulders stiffined and her skin shook.  Her jaw locked.  There was something wrong...  Was this... Shauna???   Was Shauna trying to posess her???  No!  That can't happen!  Not now!!!  Something told her that it wasn't her choice...  
'But why isn't it doing anything to Ash?  Why me?  Why now?!'  she thought.
"Stop being nervous."  Ash commanded and lightly rubbed her shoulders.
Misty looked down to the ground quickly, in fear that her facial expressions might change suddenly and she'd look... evil.  Evil and scary.  As soon as her chin hit her chest, and knocking Ash's forehead backwards, the jolts stopped with a strong jerk, almost knocking Misty to the ground.   Well, not exactly on the ground...
Instead of flailing her arms about like an idiot or maybe even taking the time to try avoiding the fall, Misty fell like a concrete pillar and brought down Ash as well.  Falling to the ground with a thud, Misty landed on top of Ash's chest.  Gosh, this seemed familiar.   Well, it would have seemed familiar, if Misty was even there in the first place...


~~~End for Chap. something...~~~
Wheee!!!  Another hangover!  Err... I mean...  Wheee!!!  Another cliffhanger!  *sweatdrops*  Anywayz, I'm soooo sorry that I left ya'll in suspicion to soooo long.  It was a bad time for such a HUGE cliffhanger, especially with school and all, not to mention that GIANT writer's block.   Well, anyway, I hope that I'll get the next chappy done soon.  ^_^  hope you liked!