"A nightmare repeated."

Sequel to the 5 part mini-series "There for you."

Part 7 of 20 of the ongoing saga "Love is such bitter sorrow."

NB If you have not yet read part 6 of "Love is such bitter sorrow, you are missing out on important backstory to this fic. Specifically, the cliffhanger which brings us to the start of this part. This does not necessarily stop you from reading this fic, but you will lose some of the enjoyment you would normally gain from it. If you have not yet read ANY of "Love is such bitter sorrow" than you are REALLY missing out on a lot of important backstory. While this part is one of the few of this series that can be read as a standalone, you will certainly be at a loss to understand the characterisations and references to past events, and there's no way I'm typing up a list of what's happened previously when you could easily read the other parts. (NB to NB. At the current point in time, Part 6 has not yet been written, and Part 5 was only completed today and may not yet be available to you. Please be patient. I'm writing as fast as I can. Part 6 SHOULD be completed a week from today (The 11th of November), but I give no guarentees.

"Oh Ash! Yes, Yes I Will!"
Ash takes the ring out of its box and places it on her hand, then stands up as Misty enfolds him in her arms and places a firm kiss on his lips. All traces of the Misty who had been for the last five years vanished in that instant, and she was again the carefree, capacious Misty of their youth. Taking a firm hold of her upper body, Ash does a twirl, lifting Misty's feet off the sand to swing freely in the air as he and her spin around. Setting her down, he looks deep into her large blue eyes, now free of the sadness that had filled them for so long and kissed her again firmly on the mouth. Her tongue met his as they lost themselves in each other and closed their eyes. The kiss seemed to last for a eternity, and it was only reluctantly they broke it for air, but it was mere seconds before they begun another, and then another. There was no need for words between them now. Their hands roam over each others bodies as they search for buttons, zippers, fasteners, and as they find them they rid each other of their confining clothing. Slowly, still enmeshed in their kiss, they sink to the sand, caressing each other in places that 5 years ago they would have never dreamed they would each be touching. Their lovemaking is something like out of a Garden of Eden. Not a taking, but a mutual giving, a gift from them to each other, a gift returned in kind. There is no hurry, no haste to their actions. Their caresses are slow and supple, not hard and demanding. Like a baby searching for its mothers teat, Ash makes butterfly kisses over Misty's body, till he comes to her breast and sucks upon the nipple. Her back arching, Misty revels in the pleasures of the moment. Pleasures that five years ago she would never have thought she would never be feeling. Pleasures she had denied herself from feeling, consumed as she was by a grief she could not fully let go of until now. As they both reach their climax and lie together in each others arms on the beach, a contented sigh passes from her lips, and a happy, caring smile comes to her face as she stares at Ash, lying with his head on her chest. Slowly and deliberately, he raises his eyes until they are staring directly into Misty's.
"Misty. I'd like you to promise me something."
"Anything."
"I'm not going to be around forever. Neither of us will be. It may not happen for a long time, but even so..."
"Ash. Don't speak like that. After what's happened you shouldn't go tempting fa..."
"No, Misty, please, listen to me." Misty fell silent under Ash's staring eyes. "If I die, I want you to forget about me.."
"What? No, I couldn't. I.."
Ash brushed away her protests. "Misty. Please. I couldn't leave you like that again, like you were after Togepi passed on. If I die, you should just accept that and keep on living. Go and find someone else who you could love as much as you love me. Don't give up on life. Promise me Misty."
Misty sighs. "Ash.."
"Promise me."
Misty shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. A small smile
crept onto her lips. "Only if YOU promise to shut up and kiss me."
Ash grinned. "Anything."
"Then I promise. Now where's my kiss?"
Ash lifts his head to her level and kisses her full force on the lips. It's not long until they resume their earlier activities. Much later that night, after much exertion on both their parts, Misty again stares down as Ash, who has fallen to sleep like a baby on her chest. His face is the last thing she sees before she closes her eyes, puts her head back and languidly drifts off into a contended slumber.

"Well, well, look who it is. The children, and all grown up and adult too."
Ash and Misty's eyes popped open. Rolling off and out of each others arms and looking up, they found themselves staring into the faces of two people they had hoped to never see again. Butch & Cassidy, standing over them with obvious leers on their faces. They looked almost exactly as they did last time the pair had seen them, as they were being carted off by Officer Jenny after a failed attempt to steal Pokémon that had been foiled by them and Brock. Right down to the Team Rocket uniforms. The only thing missing was their trademark Raticate, and the only additions were the large sacks of Pokéballs slung over their backs......... and the semi automatic pistols at their sides. The fear in Ash and Misty's eyes was readily apparent. They knew all too well what lengths these two would go to, and they did not doubt that they had reason enough to want the both of them dead. They both stood up, not bothering to cover themselves. They are more important things to worry about.
"It's certainly been a while since we've seen you." continued Cassidy, her mouth twisting in a malevolent grin.
"It certainly is an unexpected pleasure for us to run into you two." said Butch in his usual gravelly voice. "First we liberate all these Pokéballs and their Pokémon from right under the nose of Professor Oak, and then we meet up with you. Who would have thought we'd have so much luck only one night?"
Shock and fear mingled and registered on Ash and Misty's faces at this statement. Besides Pikachu, all of Ash's Pokémon were at Professor Oak's while he was doing some research on them. That meant that.....
"Now perhaps we can pay you back for what you did to us four times over you little pests." Cassidys grin became even wider. Her hand let go of the sack and dropped to her waist, to the holstered pistol that hung there.
"Pay you back with interest." Butch grinned also and mirrored Cassidy's move, dropping his sack and taking a hold of his pistol. "What have you done to our Pokémon?!"
"I don't think you're in any position to be asking questions little boy." scoffed Cassidy. "Who's the ones holding the guns here, hmmm? Not to mention all these Pokémon."
Ash clenches his fist in anger as he realises how truly helpless he is in this situation. Without their Pokémon, he and Misty couldn't do anything to stop these two from doing whatever they wanted. Cassidy raises her pistol and released the catch, drawing a round into the barrel.
"So, which of you two wants to be first."
Both Ash and Misty knew that Cassidy was making no idle threat, and this knowledge sent shivers of fear through their spines. Ash moved to put his body between Misty and the guns, however he knew that his action would mean little if Cassidy went through with her threat. Cassidy's aim turned to Ash. "Uh, uh uh. Naughty, naughty. Don't try anything you'll soon regret for the rest of your life, a life which will pass just slowly enough for you properly reflect on what's happened."
Ash slowed his movements, but kept on his course. Cassidys tracked him with her pistol as he put himself in front of Misty, the right side of his body shielding her left.
"What do you want from us?"
"What did I say about asking questions? As for what we want, I should think that's obvious enough, don't you. We're going to kill you."
With that, Cassidy pulled the trigger on her pistol.

The next few seconds happened in agonising slow motion for Misty, and it was if she was not in control of her body, but a spectator to her own actions. She heard her cry of "NOOOOOOO!" as the run roar, watched how Ash's body shuddered and spasmed as the bullet ripped a bloody path into his upper left torso and tore its way through his body. She watched herself, tears streaming down her cheeks as she caught him in her arms, blood splattering onto her bare breasts and belly from the exit wound. She saw herself as she held his body to her and stared into darkening eyes, heard as a soft "Misty." escaped from Ash's mouth, and watched with horror as he fell limp in her arms, face falling back on a limp neck and eyes closing for a final time. and then it was over, and again she found herself in control over her actions. And she cried with the knowledge that she had lost him, the man she loved, and that there would be no other to comfort her in her loss as Ash had. She cried and fell sobbing over his body in the sand, her tears streaming down his chest, still warm and covered with sweat from their lovemaking earlier that night. Her tears intermingled with his blood, and formed small pools and rivers in the sand, being slowly absorbed or washed into the sea. She closed her eyes, and one thought formed in hear head. She would be with him again soon. She raised her head, no longer sobbing but still with tears running freely down her cheeks, and prepared herself to receive the bullet. Cassidy raised the hand holding the gun and started pulling on the trigger, and suddenly released it as she found Butch's hand pushing hers down.
"No. Let's not kill her. We'll have our revenge better by letting her live and suffer."
"But what if she reports us to the police?"
"So what if she does? We're criminals already anyway. We're members of Team Rocket. We've done things that would have got us life if we hadn't escaped anyway. Leaving this whore alive won't change anything."
Cassidy's eyes lit up malevolently at the truth she heard in Butch's words and she holstered her weapon, moving to pick up her sack and motioning Butch to do the same.
"Alright. We'll let the girl live then. No point in wasting the bullet on her anyway. She's not worth the expense."

Misty couldn't believe what she was hearing. They were going to spare her? That meant, she wasn't going to die! This news brought no joy to her heart however, as she also knew that it would mean she was going to live. But without Ash, did she even want to live? She collapsed on her knees and sunk to the ground in front of Ash as the two members of Team Rocket walked off, but she was beyond noticing. Her face sunk into her hands and she started sobbing again. They had truly accomplished their revenge by letting her live, leaving her to again endure the agony of loss. The Misty of before the events of five years ago faded into the void once again, replaced by the Misty of five years ago, full of sadness and grief. How could this happen to her again. Why did Ash have to tempt fate with his talk about death earlier in the night. Why. Why. Why. Ash's words from earlier went round and round in her head. "I love you Misty... I've always loved you... will you marry me... promise me something... forget about me... keep on living... promise me...promise me...Misty..." She realised now what that promise would mean. Ash had not meant it as some sort of joke, he was being serious, even if Misty hadn't been. She didn't think anything like this could possibly happen to them at the time. But now she knew better, and she had no idea how she could keep this promise. She wanted nothing more than to join Ash in death, join him in whatever afterlife there may be, or if there was none vanish into the void of nothingness and so be free from all her pains and sorrows, now returned in full force without the comforting presence of Ash with her.


"Recapping this mornings top story, Ash Ketchum, the young prodigal Pokémon trainer from Pallet Town, was murdered early this morning. Police have released to the media very little in the way of details, however we have been led to believe that his assailants may have been the same duo responsible for the thefts committed at the Oak Pokémon Labs last night. The one eyewitness to the events, Misty Waterflower, as seen here in our file tape cheering on Ash at his Indigo League victory earlier this year, has been retained by the police for questioning, however we have been told that she has not been charged and is not currently under suspicion for the deed. More information as it breaks."

The sound of shattering glass on tiles reverberates through the room, along with the sound of a person dropping to the floor.
"Mime?"

"In other news, The Squirtle Squad have successfully defended their...."

"Ash..."
"Mime?"
Deliah Ketchum was on her hands and knees, with Mr. Mime hovering over her with a worried look on its face, its trademark broom lying forgotten on the floor.
"My little boy..."
"Mime?"


"Recapping the top story of the day, Ash Ketchum, the world famous young prodigal Trainer from sleepy Pallet Town was found murdered earlier this morning. In a public press conference organised by the police, Ash's mother Deliah Ketchum, along with her husband, the renowned Professor Samual Oak, offered a reward for information leading to the capture and conviction of Ash's killer. Misty Waterflower, the only eyewitness to the murder, has been under heavy police guard all day, with demonstrators accusing her of the deed following her every step. While Misty made an appearance at the earlier press conference, she did not speak, instead letting her tears do that for her. One item of particular note is the small diamond ring Misty was seen to be wearing. The significance of this ring is uncertain, however persons close to Ash have revealed that the two were very close. We'll keep you posted on developments in this case. And now, here's sport with..."

"I still can't believe what's happened."
"I know Brock. I know. Gods, I can't bear to think what Misty must be going through with this."
"I just hope that she'll be alright. After what happened with Togepi.........and now this......."
Unconsciously, Brock hugged Duplica closer to him, as she unconsciously did the same, before changing to another channel for some more news, any news, on what had happened.


"I know she did it. She must have done it. There's no one else who could..."
"Now Deliah, you know Misty isn't the kind of person to do something like that. You know how close the two..."
"But who else could it have been !? There wasn't anyone else there !? No one else even knew they were...."
"Deliah."
She raised her tearful eyes to her husbands, moved by the tone of his voice.
"The police haven't been telling any of us what happened yet. We have no idea who or what may have been there or happened. Don't worry, once they know we'll be the first to find out. You know that.
"No, I don't......"