The Box

By Kawaii Cherry Blossom



Disclaimer:
I do not own Pokémon or its related components.

Summary:
Ash, Misty and Brock made a pact when they were sixteen. Four years later, it is time to fulfil it, but the painful memories left behind spark a tale of tears and regret. Everything has seemingly changed. What happened to shatter their lives so drastically?

Type: Drama/Romance/Angst
Rating: PG
Other: AAMRN

Ages:
Ash – 20
Misty – 20

Notes:

Thank you to Teneal, who proofread this chapter for me!

I came up with this idea after watching a recent episode of Lost. I felt inspired, so I used part of that storyline to come up with this. I hope you guys enjoy it, and I'd love to hear some feedback from you! So please grace me with a review!! ^_^

Oh, and if you're reading on fanfiction.net...I know the paragraphing is going to go all weird, and I'm sorry! It IS paragraphed properly though, I assure you.


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Chapter 1
Knock


A knock. It was such a small, easy task. All it took was a raise of the arm and a flick of the wrist. It hardly required much effort at all. Yet, as Misty stood on the porch of his house, planting that knock on the smooth, white door seemed to be the equivalent of climbing a gigantic step, leading to a place she didn't want to go. In other words, she didn't want to go through with it, didn't want to be there at all. There were too many memories and too much pain. Its familiarity stung her heart, drilling its way through the walls she'd built up to try and forget. Coming back here was like walking right back into the tragedy that had turned her life upside down. It wasn't something she'd wanted to recall in a hurry.

Misty glanced around, stalling. It was all the same. The white picket fence, the beautiful flower garden. It was as if this house remained in a time-warp, forever unchanged. But none of that mattered, really. She was here for one purpose. And it was time.

Swallowing the nervousness that had lumped in her throat, she lifted her arm, her silver bracelet jingling slightly as she did so.

Maybe he won't be home.

Her hand was trembling as she knocked twice.

Why am I even here? I doubt he even remembers...

She listened carefully, but all she could hear was silence. After waiting impatiently for thirty seconds, she contemplated turning and running away, but as she took a small step back, the sound of keys jingling was audible from the other side of the door.

"Hold on!"

She froze when she heard his voice. He was here; the only thing that separated them was a piece of wood, and yet it still seemed so unreal to her. She'd put off thinking about how it would feel to be standing across from him again. Instead she'd told herself that it would come to her at the moment she was there, but the only thoughts she could hear were ones telling her she should have been prepared. She could feel her heart thumping loudly and quickly in her chest, and she took a deep breath just as the doorknob turned.

Misty was trembling, and a cold wave of anxiety swept over her as the door swung open. And there he was...


Ash Ketchum stood across from her in silence. His lips were slightly parted, his eyes wide in shock. Wearing a black t-shirt and plain blue jeans, he looked different, yet still the same. He was definitely taller and broader, yet still slim, as he always had been. His black hair was styled now, though it was still the same length as before. The eyes hadn't changed - they were still full of emotion, and so easy to read. Even now, the depth of his eyes amazed her, and she growled at herself for becoming weakened so quickly. But he could do that to her. He could always do that to her...

"Misty..." he finally spoke, and went to say something else, but stopped before the words could come.

Taking a deep breath, she kept her eyes on him. The tension between them was high, as if they were two magnets placed at the wrong angle to each other. Misty always hated being nervous, and it wasn't something that was ever a huge problem for her. Back when she was younger, she'd had all the confidence in the world, but the flame that burned inside her heart had been somewhat extinguished. She knew it was still there, but it preferred to act as a backburner to the quiet, solemn woman that she had become. Tradgedy will do that to a person.

"Hi Ash..." she finally worked up the courage to speak, but her voice came out as a tiny whisper.

He gave her a slight nod, looking uneasy, and stepped aside to open the door a bit wider.
"Come in."

Glancing at the floor, she accepted his invitation with a nod of her head. She took a step forward, and then a few more, until she was inside the house. Again, nothing much had changed. White walls barricaded the rooms, blue carpet on the floor, and a soft scent of lavender filled the air. She assumed that his mother still lived here, but she couldn't be sure. As it was, Misty didn't know much about her best friend anymore. After all, they hadn't spoken in four years.

"Um..." his voice was soft as he closed the door, and his hesitance reminded her of him when he was young, so innocent and childish. It was those things that she loved most about him.

Correction - it was those things that she had loved most about him.

"Do you want something to drink?"

"Okay."


Ash nodded, but didn't move for a moment. Instead he stood across from her, taking her in, as if she were some sort of magical being. She was beautiful, absolutely beautiful. Her hair was long now, a stark contrast to how she used to wear it, but he liked it anyway. It seemed to line her face perfectly, like a frame to a photo. She was still slim and tall, though he now towered a few inches above her. There was something different about her eyes, though, almost as if something were missing. Their sparkle, perhaps? Their passion for life?

Misty nearly seemed like a different person as she stood there, uncomfortably awaiting his next move. But then, he told himself, in no way should he be surprised. He hadn't seen her in four years, and sadly, he hadn't expected to see her again at all. It was a complete shock to have her show up on his doorstep, especially today... But he supposed that was the only reason.

She's not here to see me... He told himself, hoping she didn't notice the frown that he could feel pull his features down. She's only here because of the box...


To be continued...


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Next chapter should hopefully be up soon. :) I hope you like it enough to want to continue reading! I promise it isn't as corny and predictable as it might seem. Well, I hope not anyway! :) Well, please review!

Love and light,
Sarah.