Disclaimer: I don't own pokemon period! Okay, enough said...

This is in Misty's POV.

Ash: 16
Misty: 17
Brock: 18

A Look into the Past


Ash, Misty, and Brock have been traveling together for about 6 years now. They are all the best of friends. This is a story about Misty's past and how Ash tries and helps her to overcome her fears. This is...a look into the past...

***

My name is not important, it is my story that will touch the lives of many, especially all those people out there who love the romance stuff. No, this is not one of those stupid renditions of Romeo and Juliet. This is a true story of how one boy helped me to forget about my past and look towards the future. This is my story...

***
It was about noon time as the first pokemon center in miles had come into view. I was relieved, to say the least, and I could tell from the looks on Ash and Brock's faces that they were too. Little did I know that this is where it would all start, the start of a painful look into my past.

In the pokemon center...

We walked in, relieved from being off our feet and into a nice air conditioned pokemon center. As I took a seat in the lobby area, Ash willingly took all of our pokemon to get healed.

It was weird how that scrawny ten year old kid from 6 years ago could be the same slightly muscular and very handsome young man that I now travel with. But I guess Ash isn't the only one who's changed, we all have in our own little ways. As for me, I still think I look pretty much the same, except for the fact that my hair is a little longer and I no longer where my old clothes which consisted of the tank top and shorts. Another big change is that I now where my hair down because of a simple comment from Ash. Maybe its me, but whenever I hear his name I feel relaxed and calm. I mean, we're best friends and everything but...are we something more?

Anyways, like I was saying, I was just sitting there watching Togepi and Pikachu playing on the floor until I heard my name. I looked up to see Ash talking to Nurse Joy while pointing at me. He then motioned for me to walk over to the desk.

"What's wrong?" I asked, unaware of what was going on.

"Nurse Joy has a message for you." Ash said while eyeing the envelope.

I examined it carefully before taking it from her. "Thank you." She smiled at me and then walked away, and as always Brock was hot on her tail. Ash and I pulled him back before he could do any real damage.

I opened the letter and found the neat handwriting of one of my sisters, Daisy. I began to read the letter aloud.

"Dear Misty,
Hey lil' sis, how are you? I really hope you get this message soon. Just writing to let you know that we're in town and that we're staying at our vacation house right down the street from the pokemon center. We would love it if you and your friends could come visit us for a couple of days. Call us as soon as you get this. 998-3523

Love, Daisy"

To be truthful, I was completely overjoyed. I hadn't seen my sisters in the longest time, not since the whole mermaid play.

"My sisters are in town! Do you guys mind if we visit them?" I asked with pleading eyes.

"I don't have a problem with that!" Screamed Brock as he happily danced around the room.

I rolled my eyes at his antics. "Yeah, I didn't think you would." I then looked to Ash, I mean, this was his journey, afterall.

"Sure, I don't mind at all." He said smiling at me.

"Okay, let me give them a call and tell them that we're coming." I said while walking over to the nearest video phone. I dialed the numbers until a familiar face popped up on the screen. It was my oldest sister, Daisy.

"Hello?" She said as I saw her face.

"Hey Daisy, its Misty." I said happily as her face broke out into a huge smile.

"Oh Misty! I'm so glad you, like, called! Did you just arrive?" She asked me hurriedly.

"Yeah, we just got in."

I could see her looking over my shoulder at Ash and Brock.

"Hey Ash, hey Brock." She said while smiling. Ash gave her a small wave as Brock immediately went into his girl-mode frenzy.

"Uhh..."

"Ignore him." I said while rolling my eyes once again at Brock. I then reverted my attention back to my sister. "Anyways, I'd love to come and see you guys."

"Sounds like a plan. Here's the address." She gave it to me and I neatly wrote it down on a piece of paper.

"Okay, thanks Daisy. We'll see ya in a couple of minutes."

"Okay...Oh wait!" She literally screamed at me.

"What?" I asked in total confusion.

"Someone's also here to see you." She said while smiling mischievously.

"Who?" I asked cautiously.

"You'll see." She said as she hung up on me. I also hung up the phone, wondering who she could have been talking about.

Ash looked at me in confusion. "Who does she mean?"

"I wish I knew. Well, let's get going guys. The sooner we get there, the sooner we find out." And with said, we headed out of the pokemon center, with me leading the way. I was sure if I had given Ash the map, we would have never gotten to my sisters place. Well, we arrived with no problems and I found that their place was pretty luxurious. We walked up to the door and knocked. Several seconds passed by until someone answered the door.

"Misty!" Screamed Violet, as she hugged me tightly. I returned the hug, happy to see her too.

"Hey Violet. How are you?" I asked while releasing the hug.

"I'm good. Everything's going great." It was then that she noticed Ash and Brock behind me.

"Oh, you remember Ash and Brock, don't you?" I asked pointing to them. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open as she stared at Ash in astonishment.

Ash looked at her uneasily. "Uh, hi Violet."

"H-hi." She barely managed to get that one out. "Damn, you are one lucky girl." She whispered in my ear. I blushed furiously and I could tell that Ash had heard because he was the same shade of red I was. "It's amazing what a couple of years can do to a guy." She said as we entered the house. That's when, of course, Brock jumped in.

"Oh Violet my love! We are finally reunited. Please allow me to sweep you off your feet as I-" Brock was interrupted by Violet showing us around, and obviously paying no attention to poor Brock. You seriously had to feel sorry for the guy. Rejected more times than I can count and he still continues his reign of terror. That's what I call determination.

She led us into the living room where I saw my other two sisters sitting on the couch talking to some guy. I looked over his features and discovered that he looked very familiar. I just couldn't put my finger on it. Where had I seen him before? That spiky, dark brown hair...those emerald green eyes...oh shit...

He stood to face us as I found myself backing up slowly. I could see Ash's look of confusion. I would have to explain this to him later.

"Misty..." He said while smiling at me.

"D-Derek..." I barely managed. I could hear my voice cracking under the pressure, but I wouldn't let him win this time.

"Its been awhile." He said coolly.

"Yeah, it has." I said while breaking the eye contact. Not long enough, I thought as I looked towards the ground.

"Have a seat you guys." My sister, Lily, invited.

We all took a seat on the couch next to Derek and my sisters. Lily started the intros.

"Derek, this is Brock and...and...-" She stopped as she saw Ash. Oh no, not this again.

"This is Ash." I finished for her. I could see all three of my sisters trading looks of amazement amongst themselves.

"Right. Uh, Misty's been traveling with them for the past couple of years." Lily said while still eyeing Ash.

"Nice to meet you. Name's Derek. I'm an old acquaintance of Misty's, isn't that right?" He said while staring at me. I hated that stare. It could've killed me on the spot.

"Yeah, sure." I said quietly.

"Well, we're gonna finish preparing dinner. You two get caught up and when your done Derek can show you to your rooms." Said Daisy as she, Lily, and Violet left the room. Derek smiled at me evilly. Now was his chance.

"Two guys, huh? Isn't that always like you Misty. Never satisfied with just one." He said while still staring at me. I swear, he could see right through me.

"Stop it Derek." I said, trying to sound brave, but I was failing miserably.

"What's wrong Misty?" He said while standing up. "Why can't you just admit that your still that little slut that you were so many years ago."

Ash stood up to his eye level. "Hey, back off pal." He said menacingly. Truthfully, I was a little surprised to see Ash sticking up for me. He looked as if he was about to sock the guy into next year. Derek just smiled coolly as if nothing had happened.

"What's wrong Mist? Can't fight your own fights anymore?" He said tauntingly. He was about to shove me but Ash slapped his hand away.

"Don't touch her." He said dangerously. As much as I loved the fact that Ash was actually standing up for me, I knew this had to stop before a fight broke out. I knew how dangerous Derek's temper could be, but unfortunately Ash didn't. I stood up, hoping to break up the tension between the two.

"Ash, please...just drop it. Derek, just show us to our rooms." I said while facing him. Derek just shrugged it off, like he had done so many times in the past. He then led us upstairs to our rooms.

Brock was the first to enter his room, still a little confused as to what was happening.

As I walked through the hallway, I was thinking about how I was gonna explain my situation to Ash. I knew he would want an explanation after all that's already happened. I just didn't know how to paraphrase it. Maybe I would tell him later.

Derek showed Ash to his room, but he refused to leave me alone with him. So we continued on down the hall until we reached my room.

"Here's your room Misty. Dinner should be ready shortly. By the way, I really would like to talk to you alone to catch up on old times. How about I meet you out on the balcony after dinner?" He said smiling at me. I hated that smile of his too. It made me feel so inferior to him.

"Yeah, sure whatever." At that moment, I would say just about anything to make him leave. I could also see the astonished look on Ash's face as I answered.

"Good, then I'll see you tonight." He swiftly turned around and left. I could hear Pikachu growling at him as he walked down the hall.

I walked into my room and sat on my bed tiredly. I looked up and saw that Ash was leaning on the door jam with his arms folded.

"What?" I asked, pretending not to know what had just happened.

"Don't give me that. Who is that guy?" He asked while taking a seat on my bed.

"He's...no one." In part I was lying and in another part I was telling the truth, but of course Ash didn't buy it.

"Misty..." He said seriously. I had rarely heard him use that tone of voice with me. It almost scared me, but at the same time soothed me. I know it's weird.

"I can't tell you right now Ash. I'm sorry. Please understand." I said while staring at the ground.

I think he could tell how scared I was and let me be. He placed a hand on my shoulder before heading towards the door.

"If you ever need to talk, I'm always here." He really does care about me. This is way too much for me to handle all in one day.

"Thank you Ash." I said as he nodded. He gave me a caring smile and then left. I closed the door behind him.

Well, I was now alone. All by myself, with no one to talk to.

"Choki prii!" Or not.

"Don't worry about me Togepi. I'm okay." I said convincingly. Although I wasn't too sure if I was gonna be okay in the end. "I really don't wanna go through this again." I said as a few silent tears fell from my eyes.

At this time, I was debating whether or not I should tell Ash about what had happened between me and Derek so many years ago. Should I or shouldn't I? That was the real question. I know I can trust him, trust wasn't the problem. It was something else. Something I couldn't quite figure out. Ash is my best friend, so why can't I just tell him? He'd be able to help me, right? Oh man, why is life so complicated? Well, before I figure that out, maybe I should find out why the hell Derek is here in the first place.

I saw a small intercom device on the wall and walked over to it. There were numerous buttons, all with different room names...the living room, the dining room, the bathroom...the bathroom? Anyways...aha! Here it is. The kitchen. I pushed the button and a red light came on.

"Uh, hello?" I said slowly.

"So I see you've figured out the intercom system. Pretty cool, huh?" It was Lily.

"Yeah, sure. I need to talk to all three of you right now." I said in a hurry.

"But we're not done with dinner yet." Complained Violet.

"I don't care! Get your asses up here now!" I yelled at them. I really didn't mean to yell, but sometimes they just annoyed the hell out of me.

"Don't give us attitude! We're the ones sheltering you, remember?" I heard Daisy say.

"I'm sorry. Could you guys just please come up here, we need to talk. It's important." I said apologetically.

"All you had to do was ask." Was the response I got. But didn't I ask in the first place? I'll never understand those three, guess that's why they're my sisters.

Several minutes later, I heard a pound on my door. I got up and opened it for them. They all crowded in and took a seat on my bed.

"Okay, first question...what the hell is Derek doing here?!" I practically yelled at them. They reeled back in surprise.

Daisy was the first to speak. "Geez, like, chill out little sis. He wanted to come and see you again. I mean, the last time you saw him was like 7 years ago. Isn't that just so cute? I think he still loves you, but what about A-"

"Don't even think about finishing that sentence." I said as I slitted my eyes at them.

"Well, you wanted an answer and we gave you one. Are you happy now?" Said Lily as she stood up.

I sighed in exasperation. "Yeah, your free to go."

They all shuffled out of my room as I closed the door behind them.

"Now what?" I asked myself in total confusion.

Okay, to tell you the truth, I was completely petrified at the fact that Derek was downstairs. I had no idea what to do. I knew if I made a wrong move, someone would probably pay the ultimate price, and I knew that that someone was most likely Ash. I couldn't risk that. They weren't exactly on good terms right now, so what would stop Derek from hurting Ash? I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened to him. He means too much to me. Well, there I go again, fantasizing about the guy in the next room.

I was about to go over all the ways I could possibly get away from Derek, when...

"Dinner is, like, served!" I heard Daisy yell over the intercom system.

I had been thinking so much that I hadn't realized how hungry I had gotten. Just then, I heard a knock at my door, but it wasn't the door that was leading to the hallway. I looked to my right and noticed that there was another door leading into the room next to mine...Ash's room. I walked over to it and opened it up for him.

"Hey, you ready for dinner?" He said while smiling. That smile of his could melt me in two, if that was physically possible.

I snapped out of my trance and realized that he was still waiting for my answer. "Yeah, I'm ready." I picked up Togepi and headed out with him.

We walked downstairs and saw Lily, Daisy, Violet, Brock, and...Derek seated at the table. We seated ourselves next to each other and began to eat.

"So, where are you guys headed to next?" Asked Daisy.

"We're not exactly sure. The next place I can get a badge, I guess. Its actually been one place after the other. We've been so busy lately." Replied Ash.

"How long have you all been traveling together?" Asked Derek, as he looked to Brock.

"Well, its been about 6 years, right guys?" He asked, looking at us. We both nodded happily. Wow, has it really been that long? Feels like just yesterday when I pulled that scrawny, little wannabe pokemon trainer out of the river.

It was like Ash had read my mind when he said, "Doesn't feel like that long, does it guys?"

We both shook our heads, wondering where all the time had gone. Well, as quickly as we had started, dinner was over, which meant my talk with Derek. Oh great. I had been dreading this ever since I had agreed to talk with him, if talking was even what he had in mind. I could see him motioning to me to follow him outside. I was about to follow him, when someone pulled me back. I turned to see Ash's concerned face.

"You don't have to do this ya know." He said staring at me.

"Yeah, I know. But I have to." I said, making eye contact with him.

"Be careful." He said, worry straining his voice.

"I will. I'm a big girl, Ash. I can take care of myself." I said smiling at him. He smiled back, letting me out of his grasp. I reluctantly went outside, but I could tell that Ash was still keeping a close eye on me. That helped to ease my fear a little.

Once outside, I could feel the chill of the night air rushing over my body and I immediately regretted leaving Ash's warmth. I could see Derek clearly in the moonlight, looking out over the ocean.

"So Misty, how have you been?" He asked me suddenly, while turning around.

"I've been just fine." I said while keeping my distance.

"What happened to us Misty?" He asked.

I looked at him like he was stupid. Was he actually serious? "There was never us, Derek."

"Of course there was. You know you loved me." He said confidently.

Man, this guy did not give up. "I never loved you. How could I love someone that constantly abused me?"

He gave off a light laugh. What the hell was so funny? He was laughing at my expense. "Abused you? Ha! Hardly." He took a step forward. "Fine then, why didn't you leave me earlier?"

"I was scared...scared of what you might have done to my sisters or me." I said shakily.

"Scared? Oh please." He said as he started to approach me.

"Derek, get back." I said as my heart began pounding a thousand beats per minute.

He ignored me. "I certainly hope your not with that jerk, Ash."

"He's not a jerk, Derek...you are for thinking that I ever loved you." I said bravely.

"Right. Well, I'm gonna be truthful with you Misty. I want you back." He said while staring at me.

He had to be kidding, I thought. "I would never get back with you. I have a life and it doesn't include you."

"Maybe you need a little persuading." He said as he quickly ran up to me and pinned my arms to my side. I was terrified. He then started to kiss me. I wanted so much to break away from it, but I couldn't. He was way too strong for me. I then seized my chance, got free, and slapped him across the face. He let go abruptly.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I yelled while pushing him away.

He smirked at me. "Still the same fiery person I once knew. No matter what you think, I will have you back. And I'll break Ash's heart in the process."

That last part caught me off guard. What did he mean?

"What are you talking about?" I asked, scared for Ash's safety.

"Isn't it obvious Misty?" He asked while walking away. "He'll be sorry he ever crossed me."

I could see his dark figure walk up the stairs. I just stood there for another couple of minutes, not wanting to move. I was still thinking about what Derek had said, and, for the most part, it scared me. What was he planning? I didn't even want to think about that. I didn't know what to do. So I just stood there as silent tears made there way down my face. All of a sudden, I felt two warm arms embrace me in a tight hug. As soon as I had felt the warmth behind the hug, I instantly knew that it was Ash.

"Are you okay?" He asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." I sniffled.

This is the first time I had ever cried in front of Ash before, and I wanted to make sure that it was the last. I didn't want him to think that I was weak, of all things. So I wiped away my tears and took a deep breath.

"Come on. Let's get you to bed." He said as he started walking me towards my room. Once there, he released me of his grasp and looked at me. "You take a nice, hot bath and I'll see you in the morning, okay?" He said while smiling.

"Okay." I replied while Ash walked to his room, via the connecting door. It was weird. I felt like I should have said something else...something more. "Thank you, Ash." I said softly. He turned to me and gave me another warm smile. He then left me.

I placed my sleeping Togepi on the table and proceeded to the bathroom. I started my bath and hopped in. The warmth around me helped to soothe my mixed emotions, but it was nothing compared to Ash's warmth. Ash...why am I still thinking about him? He's practically the only thing that's been on my mind ever since we got here. What's wrong with me? This is so complicated. My friendship with Ash had always confused me. I mean, one minute we would be fighting and the next, we'd act like we're best friends again.

I know that he's only trying to help me with the whole Derek thing, but I really don't want to get him involved in my personal affairs. Should I tell him? Am I really ready? I've been keeping it in for so long, he deserves to know, right?

"I'm gonna have to figure out something before Derek does." I sighed as I got out of the tub and dried myself off.

What am I gonna do?...


A/N: Well? How did you guys like it? All comments and other stuff are welcome. I'll try to get the next chapter up sometime in the week. AAML BABY!!!