Wishing Waters )()(())(MyStiC ~ AuThOr)(())()( Part 4: Heaven Mysticauthor89@yahoo.com AAMRN DISCLAIMER: Wished you owned Pokèmon? Join the club. I'm one of the many people who wish to own Pokèmon. But unfortunately, that's never going to happen. So all the characters related to Pokèmon do not belong to me. "Heaven", "Tomorrow", & "What Do You Need?" do not belong to me either so there's no need to sue me. A/N: I almost never write long author's notes in the beginning but whatever. Just to tell u, this chapter is full of DRAMA. And I'm pretty good at writing drama if I do say so myself **puffs on nails & rubs them on shirt** lol. Before we start, I want you all to review & tell me if I should continue this fic or not, okay? If you ppl really enjoyed reading this, tell me or else I will NOT continue this! "...So that's what happened." "So I'm really not going to the dance with you?" "I'm sorry, Rudy." Misty was talking to Rudy in the cafeteria, where they were each sipping a hot chocolate. "It's okay. That leaves me free to take Giselle." Misty knew Giselle wouldn't go out with him unless you paid her a million dollars or if she had absolutely no one else to go with. Or maybe she actually liked that creep. "So we're cool?" "Yup. I finished the rest of our project." "It's done?" "Yeah. I handed it in to Mr. Tuttle already. Is that okay?" "Of course!" She glanced at her watch. "Sorry, I gotta get back & meet Duplica. See you at the dance tomorrow?" "You know I'll be there! Later." Richie & Laselle were shocked when they found Ash & Duplica making out. Richie gently steered Laselle, who was frozen in shock, away from the scene. "Richie, what do we do?" Laselle whispered. Richie scratched his brown hair. He hated snitching on people, but if he didn't both Gary & Misty would be heartbroken if they found out. "I don't know, Laselle. I can't tell on Ash, but I can't not tell Gary either." "Same here. Misty's had a rough time adjusting to this place. I seriously don't know how she's going to react to this." Laselle looked at Richie. "Since she & Ash stopped talking, she's been miserable. But the good thing is that she's been doing better in school. Bad thing is that she sometimes talks about how wonderful heaven must be, how much she didn't want to live, & that she really wanted to see her parents again." "Okay, that does NOT look good." "Let's just see what Duplica & Ash say first. And if they don't tell, we'll have to tell them." "Okay. I'm going to go give Gary some company." "I guess I'll go back to Misty. See you later." Ash finally stopped their lustful kiss. Duplica caught her breath & looked curiously at Ash. "Why..." "Why what?" Ash asked. "Why did you choose now to go after me? Is it just because you got tired of Misty, you decided to move onto someone else?" Duplica had no idea where these words were coming from, since in her heart she was in bliss. She supposed it was her mind speaking, even though she regretted every word that flew from her mouth. "What?" "Ash, really, you've changed since I saw you while you were traveling with Misty & Brock. You were once loyal to your friends!" "I still am loyal to them! It's my friends who are lying to me. My friends never pretended to be other people." Duplica shook her head, frustrated. "Maybe a few years ago I would've dreamed of kissing you. But this just isn't right. I still don't even know why Misty wants you back. But she's crazy like that. And you're crazy if you ever think about trying to hook up with me. I know how it feels to want something that's dangling right in front of you, but there's someone else who already owns it. I don't want Misty to have to go through that." Ash looked at his hands. Everything she said was true. And, as always, he was wrong. "We're lucky no one saw us. Now we can just act like nothing happened & put this whole thing behind us." "I hate this..." Ash put his head in his hands. "Hate what?" Duplica asked quietly. "I hate being alone! It was the night my dad left...he & mom had went out & they left me with Gary & his parents. When they came back, my dad was drunk. He almost killed my mother & tried to kill me." He paused & looked up into Duplica's eyes. "But luckily, Gary's parents stopped him & called 911. They took him away & I never saw my dad again. My mom was sent to the hospital for a couple of weeks & while I stayed with Gary, his parents treated me as if I was a time bomb waiting to go off. Gary was the only one who paid attention to me. Once his parents forced Gary to go visit Professor Oak with them & left me in a field about a quarter mile away from the laboratory. A wild Growlithe attacked me, but I was saved by a mysterious Pokèmon. And when Gary & me turned eight, his parents forced him to ignore me & to show how much better off he was than me, to stop coming over, to forget me all in general. "But then his parents died a year later. He was sent to live with Professor Oak. Then we became trainers & didn't really speak much to each other those four years, unless you count calling each other names talking." "Oh Ash..." "He wasn't a bad man, really. He was one hell of a trainer, Professor Oak has told me. He just had a little too much to drink." "I'm sorry." She yearned to comfort him, but her brain told her otherwise. "I think you better go now. Misty & Laselle are probably waiting for you." Duplica hesitated. "Are you sure?" Ash put on a smile. "Sure. Pikachu! Come back buddy!" he called back his Pikachu, who had been practicing a new attack on wild Pokèmon. "See ya." Duplica left the park that night, feeling more confused than she ever felt in her entire life. "Duplica..." "Give me another five minutes," Duplica grumbled, squinting her eyes shut. "Duplica, you're in the hall & it's 4:30 in the morning." "What?" Duplica sat up abruptly & let her eyes adjust to a bright light, which Erika was shining into her face. She was in a corner of a hall, a few doors away from her dorm. Her body ached, since she was sleeping curled up in a ball in a corner. "Come on. Misty, Melody & Laselle are getting hysterical." Erika, in a long forest green robe, her black medium length hair in a ponytail & bunny slippers on her feet, helped Duplica up. "Wait. I can't go back...not yet." Duplica pulled her arm away. She ran her fingers through her hair. "Hello? I patrol the halls on Thursdays! If you weren't my friend I would be reporting you to the headmaster." "Erika! PLEASE can I spend the night at your dorm?" "Duplica, what's going on?" Duplica bit her bottom lip. "I'll tell you if I can sleep in your dorm." "Fine. Let's go back, but you have to tell Giselle too." "Okay by me." "Okay, I filled in for Misty's study date with Rudy. Ash comes & breaks up with me since he thinks I'm Misty. Then Rudy asks me to the dance because he heard Ash & I break up so I accept. Later on I tell Misty & she breaks down in tears, so then I go tell Ash that it really wasn't Misty at the library. But on the way, Gary asked me to the dance. Jared already asked me, but I said yes to Gary anyway. Then when I'm talking to Ash, he starts to talk to me in that way when he's about to do something weird. Next thing I know, we're kissing! Meanwhile, Misty's telling Rudy off, while I'm making out with her boyfriend!" "How the hell do you get yourself into so much trouble in less than six hours?" Erika asked bluntly as she & Giselle listened to Duplica. "That's not even half of it. He only wanted me because he has a phobia of being alone!" "You mean all this happened because he has problems with being alone?" Giselle asked incredulously. "Yes. It gets worse. I actually have feelings for him & in a tiny corner of my heart, I wished we could actually hook up." Erika shook her head sadly. "Duplica, you can't run from them! Three of your best friends are in your dorm, waiting for you!" Giselle argued. "I know." "So go!" Duplica felt so drained of energy. "Will you guys come with me? I don't want to be jumped all at once." "Whatever it takes to get some sleep!" Giselle exclaimed, throwing a bathrobe over her nightgown. Ash & Duplica were locked in a sizzling, tight kiss. They were in a dimly lit room, getting comfortable on a plush couch. After a few more minutes of lip- locking Ash & Duplica broke apart. It was perfect. Ash had the girl of his dreams in his arms, & there was nothing that could spoil it. "Duplica," Ash said softly & leaned in to kiss her again. "Ash wait. There's something you should know." She put a hand on his chest & smiled. She pulled off a mask & there was the face of Mistaria Waterflower. "Misty?" Ash flinched & stared in disbelief. 'Misty' shook her head. "I'm whatever your deepest desire is. And Misty is your deepest desire." "What? She doesn't love me, & I don't love her. We were meant to be friends." "That's where you're wrong. She does love you, & you do love her. Otherwise I would take shape of what you truly yearn for." "So change back into Duplica!" "Ash, Ash, Ash. Don't you see? Duplica is just a decoy for your heart. Your brain is telling you that you want Duplica, while your heart is aching for Misty. So your brain convinced you that you're in love with Duplica, when your profound love is for Misty." "..." Ash was speechless as he mulled it over. "Now I'm going to go. Whenever you decide to listen to your heart & talk to Misty is when you'll stop having these dreams." "Wait, come back!" Ash yelled as the 'Misty' dispersed into thin air. Ash snapped his eyes open, drenched in sweat. It was the fifth time he'd woken up because of this dream that kept jolting him awake. He swung his legs out of bed & held his head in his hands. He felt horribly guilty for kissing Duplica, but he needed someone he could trust to be with him. He hated being alone, & the very thought of it frightened him. His stomach was wrenched with worry when he remembered Gary talking about how hot he thought Duplica was. He decided not to say anything to him until he could sort out his thoughts. He slipped back under the covers & drifted into another dream. "Duplica!" Melody & Laselle threw their arms around Duplica as she, Erika, & Giselle knocked at their door. Duplica forced a smile. "Hi. Miss me?" "Much!" Laselle grinned at one of her best friends. She wondered why Duplica sounded so tired & exhausted, but then remembered what she & Richie saw yesterday. Naturally, when Duplica didn't come back to her dorm after a few hours, Laselle felt that she had to tell Misty about it. "Where were you?" Melody was scrutinizing Duplica's appearance, searching for any hint of where she might've been. Duplica glanced at Laselle, who was avoiding eye contact with her. "Um, I went for a stroll in the park." "I see...well Misty's in your room, c'mon!" Melody guided Duplica towards the bedroom, Laselle, Giselle, & Erika trailing closely behind. Misty was in Duplica's blue beanbag chair, staring at the wall in thought. "Back so soon, Duplica?" Duplica jumped at the unforgiving tone of Misty's voice. "Misty..." She knew that Misty knew, but she didn't know how she knew. Unless... Duplica craned her neck & gave Laselle a momentary look. She didn't have to ask how Misty found out. Misty didn't respond; she just kept staring at the wall, her face still & emotionless. "Misty?" Duplica stepped forward. "I'm so sorry. Words can't describe how guilty & horrible I feel." "Words can't describe how heartbroken & torn up I feel," Misty said, her voice still cold & unforgiving. She didn't turn around or give any indication that she heard her. Duplica never heard any of her friends sound so depressed. She felt that if she said anything wrong, it would send Misty off the deep end. "It's not all my fault. It's Ash's too, you know." "It's your fault you didn't explain to him in the library that you weren't me!" Misty raised her voice to avoid it from cracking. Duplica had a feeling that whatever she said, Misty would flip it back right at her. "Please, you have to believe me." Misty kept quiet & didn't answer. All she did was turn around & attentively look into Duplica's eyes. Duplica noticed that her usually glowing blue eyes were pale & glassy & filled with hurt. Misty shook her head forlornly & pushed past everyone & locked herself into her room. She put her back the door & slid down it, dead beat. She didn't have the energy to move to her bed, so she stretched out on the floor, thoughts floating through her head. "Mom, Dad...I thought you said I would be back to my old self by the time it was homecoming..." she whimpered, crying, which seemed to become a daily routine of her life lately. She crawled to the phone on her bedside table with the remaining energy she had left; she dialed the number for Cerulean City Gym. "Violet, could you get that? I'm cramming for a test," Lily called to her sister. "I'm kind of in the middle of a bath!" was Violet's response. "Daisy?" "Like, yeah right. I'm doing my nails," the oldest triplet of the trio yelled back from her room, annoyed. Lily grumbled a few choice words & got up from her seat at her desk in her room. She ran into the kitchen & picked up the phone. "Hello?" "Lily?" "Misty!" Lily's face brightened, but then was creased with worry. "What's up? Last time you called was when Headmaster Wells was going to kick you out when your grades were dropping." "Lily...I want to come home." "What? I thought you loved it there." "I thought so too, but everything is just so wrong now..." Misty told Lily about her awful day, starting with the decision to work on her project or go to a swim meet. Lily chewed on her bottom lip. "Misty, you have to either talk to Ash or believe Duplica. Otherwise you're going to spend the rest of your life wondering what really happened." "Lily, I want to come home," Misty whispered, wiping her face with a sleeve as a fresh wave of anxiety surged down her cheeks. "Misty, you can't run away from this." "Lily, you don't know how horrible it is here!" "Misty--" "Mom would've never forced me to stay in this living hell!" Misty yelled into the phone, tears of anger replacing tears of suffering. Lily cringed at the harshness of Misty's voice. "I'm not forcing you, it's just that--" "You guys wanted to make sure that you were better than me? Congratulations! You wanted to put me down to the point where I had to leave home & travel with two strangers who are now more like family to me than you three? Good going! You wanted to make me miserable & compel me to go to a boarding school? Whoopee! You don't want me back at home? Kudos to you!" Lily never knew Misty felt that way. "Misty, we do want you back. It's just that you seem happier when you're with your friends & Ash--" "Do I sound happy to you? Do I?!" "Misty, listen--" "I wish--" But Lily had enough with Misty interrupting her. "Misty, let me talk, dammit!" Misty fell silent. "I want you to be able to adjust to life when you grow up and have to go to college & get married & get a job. Look at us! We never took the risk of leaving home! As soon as we were old enough to take care of you, we left the adoption center & moved back here." "Lily, what do I do?" "First, I want you to talk to Ash. Then, go to that dance!" The dance! Misty slapped her forehead. "I don't have a date anymore." "You can get one, trust me. I want you to have fun, loosen up. Forget about what happened this week & spend the rest of the weekend having fun." "I'll try." "You will." Misty smiled to herself. "I will." "Good." There was a slight pause. "Lily?" "Yeah?" "Thanks." Lily was truly surprised. She never actually heard Misty really thank her before. "You're welcome." "I'll call again tomorrow." "Bye." Lily hung up the phone. she thought as she retreated to her room to study some more. Duplica looked in the full-length mirror. Her long, waist length hair was put up in a fancy bun & her hazel eyes were brought out by the shimmering beige spaghetti strap dress she wore that came up to her ankles but had a slit that revealed a slender leg. On her ears were golden dangling hoops & around her neck was a beautiful pearl necklace that matched her dress. She admired herself, turning around so her dress flowed gently around her. She was going with Gary to homecoming, while she had Jared ask Misty. Even though she & Misty weren't speaking, they somehow got through the past 10 hours without communicating even though they shared a dorm. "Duplica, you look great!" Duplica saw Laselle's reflection in the mirror. "Thanks," she answered. Laselle was wearing a peach sleeveless dress that came to just above her knees & her hair was permed in long, brown silky tresses that came to the middle of her back. On her feet was a pair of white high heel sandals. "Have you talked to Misty lately?" Laselle asked in a quieter voice. Duplica shook her head slowly. "No. She wouldn't talk to me at all today." Laselle gave her friend a sympathetic smile. "She'll get over it." "But I was kissing her boyfriend! I know I wouldn't forgive you or Misty if I found out you were dating Gary behind my back." Laselle sighed. "I guess I'll go see Misty." Duplica didn't answer. She just looked in the mirror, studying herself intently. ? She couldn't come up with an answer, as whatever it was that changed frightened her even more. "Misty? Are you okay?" Misty opened her door. "Laselle! Hi. I'm fine. I'm actually pumped about homecoming, you know?" Laselle nodded. "I know, same here." She eyed Misty's outfit. "By the way, nice choice of clothes." "Thanks." Misty wore a light blue strapless dress that came up to her knees with a sheer shawl thrown over her shoulders. Her gorgeous auburn hair partly covered her face & trailed down her back in soft, loose, curls. "Misty, you have to talk to Duplica & Ash. I can't take anymore of this! You guys knew each other since you were kids!" "I don't want to speak to her or Ash ever again." "Please, don't do this to me..." Laselle murmured. "I can't take it anymore, okay? After four years of being in love with him, we finally hook up. But after a week when I need him most, he walks out on me. Then he shoves it in my face by French kissing my best friend." "Misty, please." Misty stayed silent. "Whatever. The drama around here is thicker than the people who won't speak to each other," Laselle frigidly bit off the last seven words. "Fine. I'll talk to that two timing, no good, jackass, if it'll make you feel better." "Duplica too?" "I guess so...I'll handle it after the dance, okay? Today I just need something to get my mind off them." "Okay...tomorrow afternoon, got it?" Misty nodded slowly, even though she had a feeling the two of them wouldn't want to talk to her after the way she treated them. "HE DID WHAT?" Ash jumped as he heard Gary yell from his room. Richie was in there with him, trying to shush him. The three of them were getting dressed for homecoming, & Richie went into Gary's room to help him with his tie. Ash raised his eyebrows. He buttoned his shirt & fixed the tie around his neck. He studied his reflection. His black hair was nicely tamed & he wore a white shirt & a plain black tie. He was about to throw on his navy suit jacket, which matched his slacks when the door flew open. Gary tackled him to the ground, throwing punches into face & stomach. Ash couldn't land a punch & struggled to push Gary off of him. Ash grabbed Gary's arm & twisted it behind his back while flipping him over. "Now why the hell are you beating me up for?" Ash panted, a trail of blood dripping from his nose as he sat on Gary's back. "You bastard! You made out with Duplica!" Gary answered, red faced while he thrashed about, trying to release himself from Ash's vice grip. Ash was taken aback. Ash's eyes shot over to Richie. He was looking at his shoes. Ash felt like he had swallowed an ice cube. "Gary...I didn't mean to do anything...I couldn't help it...hormones, you know? I couldn't control myself man. I'm really sorry." Gary scowled at Ash, pushing him off his back. "Whatever. How would you feel if Misty was cheating on you?" Ash felt the blood start to rush to his face, but he controlled his anger. "I wouldn't care, since we're just friends now." "Fine. I'll go with Misty then, & you can have Duplica, since you already took her right out from under my nose." "What? I'm going with Laurel!" Gary snickered. "She is WAY out of your league, Ashy Boy. Besides, she got back with her boyfriend, Troy. Don't you know anything?" Ash hated the way Gary talked to him. It reminded him of their training days, when Gary was always a step ahead of him. Ash stumbled for a remark. "Gary, I swear I didn't mean for anything to happen!" "Whatever, all right? Just...whatever." Gary retreated to his room, fixing Ash with a cold stare. He shuffled towards his room, but stopped. "You know, when we were little, I was jealous of you. You always had everything work out for you. Even though you lost your dad, you still have your mom. I lost both parents. My own grandfather prefers you over me, & I can't even win in a battle or when it comes to girls! You became a Pokèmon Master, while I was the loser of Pallet Town." Richie & Ash stood in silence. Gary scratched the back of his head. "I guess I really wasn't ever better than you. You're even better than me in being a jerk." He turned on his heel & fled to his room. "Why the hell did you tell him?" Ash's gaze was filled with anger as he looked at Richie. Richie sighed & looked at the carpet of Ash's room. "Ash, I shouldn't have been the one to tell him. It should've been you. But you weren't going to, so I decided that Gary couldn't go on without knowing." Ash just shook his head vigorously. He felt as guilty as sin. Even worse, he didn't have a date. Even more worse, Duplica wouldn't have a date because of him & he doubted that she would want to go with him. There was one person he wanted to talk with right then. "Sorry you had to be in the middle of this Rich." "No problem. It's not too bad. I'm just glad that it's half way over with. We got the confession done. Now we just have to go through the I'm-not-speaking- to-you stage. But we'll all get over it sooner or later," Richie said optimistically. Ash got up & washed his face. "I'll be back in a few minutes. See you." Ash threw on his jacket & quickly headed for the girls' dormitories. "Erika! Do you know where Misty is?" Ash jogged after the black haired girl who was wearing a shimmering lime green sleeveless dress with a crisscross back. Erika looked over her shoulder & glowered at him. "Why would I tell you?" Ash groaned. "Erika, please. Where is she?" Erika didn't answer him as she continued to walk. Ash kept pace with her. "Erika, I need to find her & Duplica." "Ash, I really don't want to talk to you now. Misty spent the past eighteen hours in her dorm crying because of you!" "Eighteen hours? Damn, it's worse than I thought. Please, where are they?" "I'm not talking." "Erika!" She didn't say anything & focused her gaze back to in front of her & kept walking towards her destination. Ash slowed to a stop. "I thought I wouldn't have to resort to this, but you leave me no choice." Erika screeched to an abrupt stop. "Excuse me?" "Brock showed me this. He made me a copy." He pulled out a picture of Erika wearing VERY revealing lingerie (A/N: I am NOT going into details. You perverted people can imagine it yourselves, okay?). "Pretty good picture, if I do say so myself. Very sexy." Ash looked at the picture & smiled to himself. "Give it back!" Erika hissed, trying to snatch the picture from his hands. Ash pulled it away & shook his index finger. "Not so fast. "Dammit, Ash. That was a PERSONAL gift from me to Brock." She reached for it again, but Ash moved it out of her grasp. "Fine. Do you really want to know where they are?" "Yes! That's what I've been chasing you down for." "Duplica's up in her dorm & I haven't seen Misty. She hasn't left her room Laselle broke the news to her." "Thanks." He started for their dorm in a dash. "Oh, and, Ash?" Ash paused. "Yeah?" "Can I have my picture back?" "Um, it gives me good luck!" Ash quickly put the picture back in his jacket & ran off. "What the?" She stared at Ash's receding back. "Forget it." "Laselle, I told you for the ten thousandth time. I am not going to talk to her if she doesn't want to talk to me!" Duplica yelled as she heard a knock on the door. She was in the bathroom, fixing up her hair & make up. There was an hour till the dance. Whoever it was knocked at the door again. "Laselle, give it up!" Duplica put down her eyeliner & yanked the door open. "A-a-Ash?" The black haired boy hid a smile. "Hey. Mind if we talk?" "Um...sure I guess." She led him to her room. "What's up?" Ash sat on her unmade bed & patted the space next to him. Nervously, Duplica sat down. "Duplica...I'm afraid you don't have a date for the dance." "What? Explain yourself, Ashy Boy." "To make a long story short, Gary found out about what happened in the park. He called Misty a few minutes ago & now they're going together to the dance." Duplica's eyes went as wide as saucers. "How?" "Richie." "Ugh...great, just great." "There is one guy open for a date. But I'm not sure if you'll like him." "I need a date. Hell, I'd even go with Tracy." "But he's gay." "I know. I'm that desperate." Ash sweat-dropped. "Well then. How would you like to go with me?" Duplica just stared. "Pardon?" Ash looked at the floor. "I don't have a date either. Troy & Laurel got back together, so here I am, in your dorm, asking you to the dance less than an hour before it starts." Duplica felt a blush climbing up her neck. "I guess we can go." "I'll be the perfect gentleman, don't worry." Duplica thought to herself. "I know you will." "Okay then." There was an uneasy silence. "Do you think Misty will be willing to talk to me?" Duplica was crestfallen. Here they were, in a dorm, hormones running high, & all he still thinks about is Misty. "Better you than me." She turned away from him, to hide the tears that formed behind her eyes. "She's that mad? Crap...I guess I'll go try my luck. See you in a bit." "Yeah, see you." As soon as Ash closed the door, a single tear leaked out of her eye & left a trail of misery & woe. Misty was reading a magazine as she was sitting on her bed, until she was interrupted by a sudden knock on the door. "Go away," she said automatically, without even looking up. The person at the door obeyed & didn't knock again. Misty continued to flip through Teen People but was interrupted again by her phone. She picked up. "Hello?" "Misty?" The voice sent shivers down her spine. It was so familiar, yet so different all at the same time. "Who is this?" "Look out your window." Misty got off her bed & peered between the shades. "Has it really been that long since we haven't talked? You don't even remember my voice anymore." Her heart skipped a couple of beats & her breathing became irregular. "Ash? Is that you?" She saw a boy in a suit talking on a cell phone. He smiled & waved. "The one & only." "I DON'T want to talk to you, okay?" "Mist...please don't hang up on me," he pleaded in a soft, husky voice. "What do you want?" "To say I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to break up with you, or break up with Duplica, or whatever. And I didn't mean to um...ahem...you know." "Yeah. And you expect me to take you back?" Silence. Then, "No, not really. I wasn't expecting anything. I just wanted to talk to you & apologize." Misty nearly dropped the phone. Was Ash finally growing up? (A/N: Don't get your hopes up, people! =P) "I need to think about it a bit." "All right. But can I tell you what I think?" "I'm listening." "Last night, I kept having nightmares. Five in fact." "What were they about?" "I was in a room with Duplica." Misty's face reddened with anger. "You're telling me about one of your liquid dreams?" she screamed into the phone. "No! Let me finish, okay?" "Fine." "We were kissing, and then next thing I see, it's not really Duplica I'm kissing. It was you. Then you said that you could take shape of whatever I really wanted. I argued, saying that I wanted Duplica, not you. But you told me that my brain was telling me that I wanted Duplica because it thought that I had messed up my chance of being with you, & that someone to be with is better than no one at all. You told me that when I decided to listen to my heart & talk to you, I would stop having these dreams." He sighed. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I can never give my heart to anyone else, because you already stole it away." "..." "Misty? Are you there?" "Yeah, I'm here. I never heard you sound so romantic & poetic before." Ash chuckled to himself. "Thanks. Well, I guess I better let you finish doing whatever it was you were doing. I'll see you & Gary at the dance later." "Ash? Who are you going with? Troy & Laurel are back together." Ash inhaled sharply. "I asked Duplica. Since Gary asked you & we weren't speaking earlier, I had no choice. It was either go with her or accept Tracy's offer, & there's no way I'm going to be gay for a night." Misty laughed. "See you later Ash." "Later. Misty?" "Yes?" "I love you." With that Ash hung up. Misty gently hung up the phone & sighed happily. She squealed & danced around like maniac. "What happened? Giselle, Melody, Erika & I heard you scream from all the way down the hall!" Laselle was standing in Misty's bedroom a few seconds later, the others behind her. Duplica hurried into the room, several seconds after. Misty opened her mouth to answer, but was suppressed in giggles. She laughed & laughed, until she was on her knees on the floor, crying with laughter. The five of them stared at Misty as if she was running around with her underwear on the outside. "I don't want to know." Laselle shook her head. "I haven't heard her laugh like this in the longest time," Duplica commented. "Well, then. I guess we'll be leaving now." Giselle raised her eyebrows & led the others out of her room. Misty caught her breath. "Duplica...wait...I need to...talk...to you." "Um...okay, Misty. What's up?" Duplica inched towards the door in case Misty tried to kill her. "I'm sorry." "I'm telling you, Goddammit, it wasn't all my-wait what?" "I'm sorry. I should've believed you. Even if you really did want him, I'd step aside, since I put my friends before me." Duplica definitely did NOT want to hear that. It started another internal struggle between her heart & mind. "You really don't mean that." "Of course I do. I wouldn't lie to you guys like that." Duplica didn't reply. She just played with the slit of her dress. "What's up, Duplica? Ever since me & Ash started going out--" She paused, then smiled. "So that's why you've been acting so weird." Duplica swallowed hard & looked up at Misty ? Duplica felt sick to her stomach & dropped her gaze to the floor. Her lower lip trembled as she waited for Misty to unveil her hidden secret. "You always thought you were going to be the first one to get a boyfriend, right?" Duplica fell over anime style. "Yeah, that's it. Well, I'm going to go finish fixing up for the dance later!" Duplica made a hasty escape to her room, where she heaved a sigh. "Welcome to Wishing Waters Academy's Homecoming Dance!" The gym was flooded with color & filled with music. Twelve students entered the gym in pairs. Brock with Erika, Richie & Laselle, Giselle & Rudy, Todd & Melody, Ash & Duplica, & Gary & Misty brought up the end of the line. Tracey came down with the flu the night before, so he stayed in the infirmary with a Nurse Joy (A/N: he's not as gay as we thought he was, eh? Lol. Okay, I seriously don't like Tracy so I didn't put him in the dance scene. Sorry Tracy fans! Kill me if you must...okay that was a figure of speech! Put those knives down, all of you! HELP! I'm being chased by a mob of--End of A/N). "Saturday" by Ludacris filled every student's ears as dancers filed out onto the dance floor & shook their bodies in time with the beat. "Wanna dance, Erika?" Brock yelled over the noise of the music. "You can dance with yourself, bucko! I can't believe you showed him that picture!" Obviously, Erika was still seething over the whole picture predicament. "Ash!" Brock's eyes shot over to his dark haired friend. "Um...I'm going to go get some punch. C'mon Duplica." Ash half carried, half dragged Duplica to the snack table. "What picture? Ash? How come I never get to see nothing?" Richie cried after him. "What?" Laselle whacked him upside the head with her purse. "Man, Ketchum gets all the luck," Rudy grumbled. "Excuse me?" Giselle slapped Rudy across the face. "What I wouldn't give to see that picture..." Todd murmured softly. Unfortunately, he didn't say it softly enough so that wouldn't Melody hit him. "Jerk!" Todd was clutching his head as Melody beat him with her shoe. "Am I the only guy here with sense?" Gary sneered. He led Misty over to the snack table where Ash & Duplica were talking. "So was it a good picture?" he whispered to his pal. "Dude, you have no idea how good it was," Ash replied. Next thing they knew, their faces were dripping with punch. "Some sense," Duplica said as she & Misty laughed at the two boys. A half hour into the dance, all of them were moving & shaking to the music. Ash noticed that Misty was avoiding his gaze. "Something up, Misty?" Misty just shook her head & continued dancing beside Gary. Ash exhaled & focused back on his own dance partner. "Great dance, huh?" Duplica yelled to him over the roar of the music. "Yeah," he said absentmindedly. "Okay, Ashy Boy." Duplica grabbed his wrist & led him to the bleachers. "Listen up. I can tell you're still mourning over Misty, so that's why I'm going to step in. You're going to dedicate a song to her, got it?" "But--" "No buts! Now get over there & dedicate a song to her." "Duplica--" "Ash, just do this!" "Am I that pathetic?" "It only hurts to watch." Duplica pushed him towards the DJ stand. "What can I do fo ya?" The DJ directed his attention to Ash. "I'd like to make a dedication to a friend of mine." "Name?" "Ash. And my friend's name is Misty Waterflower." "Song?" "GooGoo Dolls 'What do You Need'." "Ok." The DJ leaned into the microphone. "Hey, hey, hey! Y'all having fun out there tonight?" A cacophony of applauds & cheers were his answer. "Yeah! It's time to slow things down a bit. I've got our first dedication of the night! Which one of you beautiful ladies is Misty Waterflower?" Misty desperately tried to blend in with the crowd, but a bunch of people pointed at her & whooped. "I see ya! You can't hide! This is to you from Ash!" The DJ put in a CD. What do you need form me tonight I feel you look right through me now I can't pretend it's alright Maybe we'll find a way somehow Why do we need to turn it on Why does it always feel so wrong What do you need from me tonight The truth is so complicated now You feel so free to say You're wrong Fear makes you fragile darling Hate is too heavy when you're weak Now we're both lost in anger When we're alone we'll Find some peace Why do we need to turn it on Why does it always seem so wrong What do you need form me tonight The truth is so complicated now You feeel so free to say You're wrong Why do we need to turn it on Why does it always seem so wrong What do you need form me tonight The truth is so complicated now You feel so free to say You're wrong, you're wrong You're wrong, you're wrong What do you need from me tonight The truth is so complicated now You feel so free to say You're wrong Why do we need to turn it on Why does it always seem so wrong Misty was blushing furiously as she frantically tried to hide her face from the mocking faces. Duplica was looking rather full of herself. "You put him up to this, didn't you?" Misty said angrily through her hands. Duplica just smiled & shrugged, letting herself being caught up in a wave of people. Misty marched over to the DJ. "And what can I do for a fine lady like yourself?" The DJ grinned as Misty approached him. "I'd like to dedicate a song to a friend." "What's this lucky dawg's name?" "Ash. And I'm Misty." "It's all good...what song?" "Avril Lavigne 'Tomorrow'." "Sure thing, baby doll." After two fast songs finished, the DJ spoke into the microphone again. "And we got another dedication! Girls & boys, go find your partner & hit the dance floor! We got another smooth jam coming up! Which one of you is a lucky bastard named Ash?" Brock, Richie, Gary, Todd, & Rudy laughed & yelled while pounding Ash on the back. Ash covered his face & prayed that no one would recognize him. "Don't hold back, man! Misty wants to holla at ya & she asked me to play this song." "Care to have this dance?" Richie held out an arm & grinned. "Sure." Misty took his arm & allowed herself to be guided in a slow dance by Richie. Ash frantically looked around for a girl. There was no way he was going to be a wallflower for his own dedication song. "Need a girl to dance with?" "Erika! Yes." Ash & Erika swayed slowly to the music. And I wanna believe you, When you tell me it's going to be ok. I try to believe you, But I don't. When you say that it's gonna be, It always turns out to be a different way. I try to believe you, Not today... I don't know how I'll feel, Tomorrow, tomorrow, I don't know what to say. Tomorrow, tomorrow's a different day. "You do know this is code for what Misty is trying to say, right?" Erika whispered as she & Ash were dancing. "No duh. I just don't know what she's trying to say." "She's saying she needs to sort out some weird feelings, just as you & Duplica did. She needed a few days alone, to think." Ash unsuccessfully tried to hide a blush that found its way up his neck. "Well then why didn't she just tell me that?" "Are you completely dense? That was what she told you from square one, jackass!" Erika scolded. Ash sweat-dropped. "I thought it was code for 'I never want to see you again.'" "And I thought Brock didn't understand women." Erika laughed & rolled her eyes. The she narrowed them. "Ok, keep you hands where I can see them. I don't think Misty would appreciate you putting you hands on my ass." Ash smiled sheepishly & moved his hands. It's always been up to you, It's turning around, it's up to me. I'm gonna do what I have to do, Just don't. Give me a little time, Leave me alone a little while. Maybe it's not too late. Across the dance floor, Ash caught Misty's eye & held her gaze for a few solid seconds, until another couple got in their way. I don't know how I'll feel, Tomorrow, tomorrow, I don't know what to say. Tomorrow, tomorrow's a different day. Hey yeah, yeah. Hey yeah, yeah. And I know I'm not ready. Hey yeah, yeah. Hey yeah, yeah. Maybe tomorrow. And I want to believe you, When you tell me that it will be ok. I try to believe you, Not today. "Now do you get what she's saying?" Ash dropped his hands from Erika's waist & nodded. "You girls are so complicated! Why can't you just say what you're feeling? I mean, you all speak in code & you expect us to understand!" He let out a sigh & ran a hand through his hair. "That's the thing. VERY few men understand code & we enjoy laughing about how dumb they are when what we're saying is so obvious," Erika said thoughtfully. "Um, okay. Thanks, Erika." "No problem. And I still want that picture back! I don't think Misty would accept you carrying around a picture of another girl." Ash shrugged & blended in with a crowd of people. "Dammit!" Erika stamped her foot in frustration. The dance was a dream come true for the twelve teens, & they were quite upset when it ended at 2:00 AM that morning. "That was some dance..." The six seniors all seemed to be drunk. "Makes you wonder what really goes on in the shower rooms," Misty commented as she & her SOBER freshmen friends were walking along, laughing & talking merrily. "You haven't the slightest impression of what we do in there," Giselle, who's hair was no longer in its fancy hairstyle & dress was on backwards, said dreamily, leaning onto Rudy as they walked. The eight younger ones all had identical disgusted expression on their faces. "Okay, eww! That really was too much information," Laselle broke their troubled silence. "I could've lived without knowing that," Melody agreed. "Oh, but it's so wonderful..." Erika giggled. "Well, then. Right. I think you guys would enjoy talking about this without us little people around. Besides, this starting to get rated R. We're outta here," Richie spoke for the group as they all proceeded away from the intoxicated seniors, who were out of control with mirth. "Are we really going to be like them when we're older?" Ash wondered aloud. All eight of them stopped & looked between each other. "Nah..." "I never had a night like this!" Melody stretched her arms over her head & yawned as she snuggled deeper into her sleeping bag. "No kidding. I never had so many sugar cookies in my life," Laselle said as she held her stomach. The four girls were in Misty & Duplica's dorm, talking about their blissful night. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I am bushed." Duplica laid her head on her pillow, eyes closed. She opened them again. "Misty, what's up? You haven't been talking much." Misty seemed to be off in her own world. "Hm?" "Why are you so quiet?" Laselle tried. "Tired, I guess." But tired was the last thing that described Misty. Her mind was active with thoughts of the past night & of Ash. The other three accepted the answer & fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow. Misty did the same but twisted & wriggled as she tried to get into a sleep. She gave up & started counting the dots on the ceiling when she heard a soft tap on the window. Quietly, she peeped out the pane. "Go to the lake..." She could've sworn she heard the wind whisper. "What?" Misty looked around frightened. "Go to the lake. Then you will be able to rest." Misty skeptically cocked her head. She thought it over a bit; she threw on her robe & slipped on her slippers. Tiptoeing to the door, she opened it quietly & made her way to the lake. A shooting star raced across the starry 3:00 AM sky. "Star light, star bright. First star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight." Ash shut his eyes & made his wish mentally as he hugged his knees to his chest. He sat in the tranquility of Wishing Waters Lake alone with the stars, moon & his thoughts. "What did you wish for?" a voice cut through the night. Ash whipped his head around sharply. Misty took a seat next to Ash & crossed her legs. "Nothing much," Ash answered vaguely. Misty didn't say anything. She just admired the beautiful sky, which reminded her of her few memories of her mother. "Would you like to dance?" Ash stood up & took Misty's hand. "We don't have any music to dance to!" Misty let Ash guide her to a clearing. "We have the music in our hearts." Ash placed his arms on her slender waist; Misty put her arms around his neck & pulled him close. Oh - thinking about all our younger years There was only you and me We were young and wild and free Now nothing can take you away from me We've been down that road before But that's over now You keep me coming back for more Baby you're all that I want When you're lying here in my arms I'm finding it hard to believe We're in heaven Love is all that I need And I found it there in your heart It isn't too hard to see We're in heaven Oh - once in your life you find someone Who will turn your world around Bring you up when you're feeling down Now, nothing could change what you mean to me There's a lot that I could say But just hold me now Cause our love will light the way Baby you're all that I want When you're lying here in my arms I'm finding it hard to believe We're in heaven And love is all that I need And I found it there in your heart It isn't too hard to see We're in heaven I've been waiting for so long For something to arrive For love to come along Now our dreams are coming true Through the good times and the bad Yeah - I'll be standing there by you Baby you're all that I want When you're lying here in my arms I'm finding it hard to believe We're in heaven And love is all that I need And I found it there in your heart It isn't too hard to see We're in heaven We're in heaven "Ash...never let me go." Ash tilted her chin up & looked deeply into her eyes. "I won't. I'll always be here for you, Mist." "Hey, what's this?" Misty reached into Ash's back pocket. Her eyes flared blue. "I thought you got rid of this!" She waved the picture of Erika in his face. "I, uh, well. You see, I um..." Misty threw her hand back & slapped Ash as hard as she could. "You bastard!" "Misty, unless you want to give me a picture like that, I am not gonna get rid of it." "I guess I'll have to get rid of it then, since you're not gonna see me in lingerie any time soon!" Misty ran off into the night, in her fist the picture. "Hey! No fair!" Ash started after her, laughing. "Can't catch me!" "Oh yeah?" Ash ran into a flying tackle & caught Misty around the waist & brought her to the ground. The two tumbled down a grassy hill & rolled to a stop at a beginning of a meadow full of flowers, Ash on top of Misty. Misty laughed joyously, catching her breath. She stopped when she felt a feathery soft touch on her lips. Ash pressed his lips harder to hers & the two were sealed in their own form of heaven. WHEW! I FINALLY GOT THIS CHAPTER OUT! YEP, I GOT IN A FAIR SHARE OF HUMOR & ROMANCE & A HINT OF DRAMA. I KNOW U MIGHT BE DISAPPOINTED WITH THE DANCE SCENE, SINCE IT WASN'T VERY LONG. SORRY, BUT I DO HAVE A LIMIT (yep, as perfect as I am, I do have a limit!). I'M TRYING TO GET AS MUCH WRITING IN AS POSSIBLE BEFORE THE EVIL PLACE WHERE THEY TORTURE US CALLED "SCHOOL". SO I'M GOING TO TRY & RELAX A BIT, BUT I THINK I'LL SUBMIT ANOTHER FIC I'VE BEEN WRITING FOR AWHILE SINCE I'M WAITING FOR U PPL TO TELL ME IF U WANT ME TO FINISH THIS OR NOT! PLUS IT WOULD HELP IF U GAVE ME AN IDEA OF HOW TO START THE NEXT PART (as usual, I'm suffering from Writer's Block). THAT'S PRETTY MUCH IT L8R! )()(())(-:-MyStiC ~ AuThOr-:-)(())()( PS August 14th was my birthday!!! (I don't feel any different than I did a year ago...why people ask "how does it feel to be " is beyond me) Yep so that could be a reason I didn't get in too much writing...but o well point is I got this written before school. I know I already said this twice, but I must know if u all liked this fic & if u want me to continue this! Email me, dammit!