Disclaimer: Umm... I don't own Pokemon! Nintendo does I guess.. Or whoever created it in Japan 
as does the Kids WB for the show... Or how ever all that works. The Song in the fic belongs to 
Savage Garden. This is my first Pokemon fic, and me, being a natural romantic, wrote a AAMRN. 
Which will most likely be all I write. :) E-mail, flame, anything, or just wanna talk Pokemon 
with me, e-mail me at mysticpink@hotmail.com :)


[ Love You Always -
                  By Karone ]


	The camp ground was silent as the two Pokemon trainers sat in front of the fire, dimly 
	aware of the fact that it was slowly fading out. The crackle of the orangish fire 
	snapped into the air as a puff of black smoke melted their vision and all that was left
	was black ashes, daunting the already fact that they were lost, Ash's doing again.
	"Great!" Misty sighed, her gaze faltering on the now dead fire. "We're going to die and
 	it's your fault ASH!"
	"MY FAULT?" Ash cried, his soft brown eyes glinting with anger. "How do you determine 
	that?"
	"You were supposed to be watching!" Misty snapped, "BESIDES, you got us lost again,
	remember?"
	"I wouldn't have gotten us lost if you had kept ahold of the map." Ash shot back, "But 
	nooo you have to let it fly away in the WIND!"
	"Idiot!" Misty glared, "At least I'm not... WELL YOU!"
	"Oh good come back, but I guess air heads don't think much!"
	The two glared at each other, pausing in the verbal abuse before both turning away 
	from each other. Pikachu, the soft fuzzy pokemon rat, watched with worry between his 
	trainer and friend to other friend. "Pika?" Pikachu glanced to Topegi, Misty's pride 
	and joy, who was staring at Pikachu with the exact look of fear. What was wrong this 
	time?
	Pikachu ambled over to Ash, hopping onto his shoulder. "Pikaa?"
	"Hi Pikachu," Ash replied, his voice soft.
	"Pikaa-pika? (What's wrong?)" Pikachu was worried, this much Ash could see. He shrugged 
	his shoulders, and Pikachu yelped as he clung to Ash.
	"I don't know. Something. . ."
	"Pika-pikaaaa! Pikachuu! (I knew it! You like her!)"
	Ash turned his head, staring at Pikachu in shock. "NO, I don't."
	"Pikachu-chu? (Why flirt then?)"
	"I. . ." He faltered, not knowing what to say. What could he say? "It's not intentional."
	He quickly said, wondering why this discussion was even being, well, discussed. "I don't
	like her."
	Pikachu shook his head sadly.


	On the other side of the burned campfire, Misty sat, legs drawn beneath her, shivering 
	lightly in the wind. Her mind was a jumble of thoughts, mostly angered ones in Ash's 
	direction. It wasn't fair, she was stuck with him, waiting for a new bike, and she had 
	to be insulted, nearly daily. She sighed, a thought coming to her mind. I've known him 
	for what, five years now, and I'm still following him? And, I suppose, it's not entirely 
	his fault with all the insults. I'm not exactly being the better person. . .
	"Briii! (Mama?)" Topegi stared up at Misty, it's eyes bright with worry at its 'adopted'
	mother. Misty was deep in thought, an almost frown on her face.
	"Hmm?"
	"Brii-briii? (Why are you sad?)"
	Misty paused, searching for her words, "I don't know really." She said at last. She 
	stood up, watching the ground. "I'm going for a walk." She told Ash. He didn't say 
	anything and Misty picked Topegi up, placing it on her pillow where she picked up a 
	flash light. "Be good." She whispered to the egg. Topegi nodded sleepily and watched 
	it's mother leave.
	
	Ash turned and stared after Misty and his mind wandered back to Pikachu's words. Were 
	they really flirting? Okay, if he wanted to admit it to himself. . . YES, he did like 
	Misty. She was sweet, caring, a good friend, but they always argued. 
	He remembered the time just a few months ago, when Team Rocket captured them, that they 
	had assumed they were being "romantic." The thought, well, never had really crossed his
	mind, and when it had happened, quite embarrassing, and being 15 now, the thoughts were
	there. . . And she had blossomed into someone almost totally different now, someone he
	was falling in love with. . . The long ago awkward 10 year old bodies were gone on both
	of them, replacing them with two 15 year old confused teenagers.
	OK, so he admitted that to himself, he did like her, but there was more to it then that,
	he realized. If he told her that, he'd be picking himself off the ground in a instant,
	right? But there was another chance, slim like heck, but still another chance. What 
	if... What if she did like him in return? Maybe all of those years together, fighting,
	talking, just being friends meant that someday, there would be something. He swallowed
	hard at the thought. More than friends. . . He repeated and it brought a faint smile 
	to his lips, he kinda liked the idea, but. . . would she?
	"Maybe I better find out." He said softly out loud. Pikachu looked up at his voice.
	"Pikaa? Pika-cuu? (Ash? Are you ok?)"
	Ash nodded, pushing his brown hair from his eyes. "I just realized something I have to
	do." Pikachu gave him a knowing look and scampered to Misty's sleeping bag, watching
	the baby Topegi sleep.
	Ash walked past a picnic table and accidentally bumped the boom box which sat on the
	ground in front of it. A soft familiar melody began playing, followed by words. . .


Maybe it's intuition
But some things you just don't question
Like in your eyes
I see my future in an instant
And there it goes
I think I've found my best friend
I know that it might sound more than a little crazy
But I believe

I knew I loved you before I met you
I think I dreamed you into life
I knew I loved you before I met you
I have been waiting all my life

There's just no rhyme or reason
Only this sense of completion
And in your eyes
I see the missing pieces
I'm searching for
I think I've found my way home


	He had to smile, listening to the words. They were true, they had always been true, but,
	honestly, they'd never really made any sense until now. He thought back, to his last 
	years with her, and thought about hints maybe she'd dropped at him. He glanced back at 
	the sleeping bags, and saw something there. They were close together, almost side by 
	side, yet apart enough for anyone not to assume anything.
	Flipping the music off, he quickly turned and headed down the trail, hoping to catch 
	his friend. . .


	Misty stood in front of the lake, skipping stones quietly across the water. She sighed 
	finally, tossing a handful just into the water, each making a loud *plop* sound. She 
	watched the water ripple out in a circular motion. Picking up a stick, she trailed it 
	along the water, again watching ripples surround it.
	She sat down with a thud, on the dusty ground, watching the water as it calmed down, 
	finally resting peacefully again from her disturbances. Her mind wandered, to a few 
	minutes ago, to the fight she and Ash got into. It was stupid, really. She mused. To 
	fight over who got them lost when, obviously, it was both of their faults? If she hadn't
	let the map fly away, he wouldn't have taken the right when they wanted to go left.
	She mused the conversation she had over heard between Ash and Pikachu. Flirting. . . 
	Were they really flirting? She wouldn't put it past them, they'd argued so much in the 
	past. Over stupid things, like her bike. She chuckled lightly, thinking over her bike. 
	He still "owed" her a new bike. Even if he had given one to her that same day, she 
	wouldn't have left. Something about him, something about how much he loved his first 
	Pokemon to risk wrecking her bike for. Being the cute little kid she fished out of the 
	lake with her fishing pole, who couldn't swim, and to her knowledge, still couldn't now. . .
	She liked him, no, she loved him. He was so sweet, innocent, kind. He was someone she'd 
	known for years, someone she'd learned to trust, someone she'd like to spend all of her 
	time with. He, despite his faults, was perfect to her. Although, she sheepishly thought,
	everyone thought that about the person she loved.
	"Mist?"
	She turned her head, spotting Ash, nearby at the end of the trail path. The moon light 
	bounced off his face, illuminating his facial features. His half smile, crazy hair,
	glinting eyes.
	"What's wrong?" Normally, after a fight, the only reason they'd speak for days was if a 
	Pokemon was hurt, or someone else was.
	"N-nothing really. . ." He stammered lightly. "Well, actually. . ." She looked up at his
	stammer, watching him intently.
	"What is it?" 
	He took a deep breath and walked across the side walk and plopped down besides her. He 
	stared out into the lake for a long pause before picking at the long green grass. 
	"I. . ."
	She noticed his hesitance, and she had to smile. At the look on his face, she knew this 
	was hard for him to tell her. Part of her hoped, no prayed, it was to say that he loved
	her, but, chances were, it wasn't. She turned from her gaze at his profile and stared 
	out at the lake. The water was still quiet, barely any movement, just the occasional 
	ripple from the wind. She shivered lightly, wishing she'd brought a jacket.
	Ash turned his gaze back at her, noticing the shiver that raced up her spine. He 
	quickly took his jacket off, draping it around her. She smiled gratefully at him and 
	wrapped it around herself. Over the past three years, he'd grown, quickly doubling his
	height over her, so it was a comfortable fit on her. He watched her silently, "Misty?"
	"Hmm?" She turned her head to look at him.
	"I need... Need to tell you something." 
	"What is it?" 
	His gaze locked onto hers, and instead of opening his mouth to speak, he brought a hand 
	to her cheek and traced it softly. Actions spoke louder than words in that case, and she
	shivered at his touch and close proximity. "Mist. . . We've been through a lot in the 
	past years, haven't we?" He asked softly. She nodded, eyes turning misty (no pun 
	intended! ^_^) at memories from the past.
	"Yeah, yeah we have." His fingers trailed her cheek still and she felt his hand tenderly 
	brush her strands of hair from her eyes. She looked up at him, smiling softly at him, 
	faces drawing closer, and then, when their lips were inches apart. . . . Suddenly, she
	turned away. "Ash. . ."
	Ash stared at her, not quite sure what she was going to say. "What?" He managed to get
	out, before a single tear came to his right eye.
	"I. . ." She didn't say anything, instead, stood, and quickly fled from where they were,
	running the path quickly to where her sleeping bag laid. She flung herself onto it,
	careful not to smash Topegi, and sobbed into her arms. "It's not fair. . ." She cried
	into her arms. She couldn't explain it, why she ran, instead of giving herself into the
	kiss, that was almost three years over due, but she just couldn't, something didn't seem
	right, then and there. Instead of dwelling about her actions, she continued to sob into 
	her arms, taking no comfort from baby Topegi.


	Ash stared down at the lake, his eyes welling with tears. What'd he do wrong? That 
	chance, that slim chance, was wrong. She didn't have feelings for him, or love him, but
	something, he didn't know what, was wrong. Her reaction, her. . .He could feel that 
	she'd wanted it, but something stopped her. Maybe he was just being delusional 
	again. . .
	"I love you Misty," he whispered softly. "I wish you returned that love though. Love 
	you for always. . ." He buried his face into his hands, sobbing lightly for what he 
	lost.


	* * * *

To be continued. . . . . . .