Disclaimer: Don’t Own Pokemon! A/N: Woot woot! The last chapter! And it’s sure to be a doozy, I promise! Anyways, thanks for the awesome reviews and enjoy! Chapter 6 – A Heartfelt Confession “Ash, where are you taking me?” I giggled as he continued to lead me to God knows where. We had been walking for a solid ten minutes, my vision being obscured by a blindfold that Ash insist I wear, and my curiosity was starting to get the better of me. After yesterday’s ordeal, Ash had been released from the hospital today, the only real proof of injury being the sling that was wrapped around his shoulder. Brock and Pikachu had decided to go run some ‘errands’ in town and left Ash and I alone, not that I minded much. Ash held my hand with his free hand, continuing to lead me to an unknown location. “You’ll see when we get there,” he answered. Normally I was not the type to enjoy being dragged around with no sense of direction, but this time was different. Ash was leading me and, if truth be told, I would follow him to the ends of the Earth and back if only because I trusted him. “Okay, here we are,” he announced, his hand never leaving mine. I could feel a slight breeze sweep through my hair and reveled in the feeling as he released my hand and I heard him walk behind me. My heart was pounding as I felt him gently removing the blindfold. I opened my eyes to be met with a truly spectacular view of Laurel City, a beautiful sunset coloring the sky in brilliant oranges and reds. I gasped, taking in the splendor that the day had to offer. It was then that I noticed a tree centered near the edge of the cliff with a small marble shrine situated in front of it. It read ‘To those who come to this sacred place, find peace, prosperity, and love. This shrine is dedicated to the couple that sought out freedom and serenity.’ “Well?” I heard him whisper lightly in my ear. “It’s beautiful,” I whispered back in pure awe. I turned slowly to him and smiled. “Why did you bring me here?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me. “I knew how much you wanted to come here and, after all that’s happened to us, I thought you deserved a little break,” he replied sincerely. “I love it,” I love you, is what I really wanted to say but found the words caught in my throat. He brought his free hand to my face and caressed it gently. I closed my eyes, feeling my whole body fill with warmth at his mere touch. I grasped his hand with my own and looked into his eyes. “Ash?” “Misty I...I had this whole speech planned out and everything, but…I look at you and how beautiful you are and I forget everything,” he breathed, taking a step closer to me. “Ash…” I smiled, feeling the tears come to the corners of my eyes at his heartfelt words. He engulfed me in a tight hug as I loosely draped my arms around his neck and rested my head on his chest. I could faintly hear his heart beating and it lulled me into a state of bliss. I felt his grip around my waist tighten and he sighed, resting his head on my shoulder. ‘So this is it, Ash?’ I thought to myself, ‘Guess he needs a little push in the right direction.’ I gently lifted my head from off of his chest and stared into the warm chocolate brown eyes that I had come to adore for the past six years. He stared at me intently, various emotions and feelings dripping from the very gaze he was bestowing upon me. He had an odd expression adorning his face and I could tell he had wanted to speak, but refrained from doing so. Instead, he sighed heavily and shot me a light, yet tired smile. I suppose I would have to take things into my own hands… I slowly reached up and caressed his cheek softly, causing him to close his eyes in what I could only tell was pleasure. He sighed once more, but this time it was much more relaxed. I smiled and whispered to him in an attempt to grab his attention. “Ash…” He slowly opened his eyes, leaning slightly into the warmth my hand was emitting. I knew it was now or never as I slowly brought his face down to mine as he obliged willingly. I stopped short as our lips were mere inches away and looking into his eyes, knew the truth behind his gaze. To my surprise, he lurched forward, our lips meeting in the most indescribable way. I kissed him back happily and I heard him sigh softly as my hands found their way to his back and started massaging gently. His free hand was lightly cupped underneath my chin as he deepened the kiss further. I tried to pull away slightly, if only to verbally let him know how I truly felt for him. However, Ash kept his lips firmly locked onto mine, causing a small smile to form on my occupied lips. “Ash,” I whispered though it came out in a muffled sort of way. “Hmm?” was the response I got, his eyes still closed and focused on me. “I love you,” I whispered softly, pulling my lips away from him for a moment. His eyes flew open as he held me close and examined me thoroughly. His expression was somewhat unreadable and I thought for a mere moment that I had been out of line. “What did you say?” he breathed, looking at me with an unsure expression. I hesitated a bit before responding, not quite sure if he was upset or just plain confused, “I-I love you Ash.” His eyes instantly lit up and he smiled brightly at me, engulfing me in yet another hug and extinguishing any previous doubt I once had. “That’s what I thought you said,” he whispered gently pressing his lips against mine. I, once again, fell victim to his soft lips and soothing touch that I once only dreamed about experiencing. He pulled me in closer to his body as I felt his warmth surround me, calming my nerves and overall sense of insecurity. He broke away briefly and rested his forehead lightly on mine. “I love you Mist,” was all he whispered before we were once again lost in the deep sea of emotions that was now our love. He embraced me once again as I sank deeper and deeper into his soft, yet loving kiss. Feeling myself slip into his arms and under his protection, I realized that no one, neither Derek nor Jake, would ever be able to hold me in their grasp ever again… Ash would see to that himself… ~*~ The End ~*~ A/N: Yay, I finally finished! Thanks so much for your massive support and reviews guys! I appreciate each and every one of them. Not quite sure what I’ll write next, perhaps start the sequel to ‘TDSL?’ Anyways, look out for me and AAML for life! *Thank You’s* Just some quick thank you’s to you guys that reviewed my story… Onion Man Chive, poka, pokemon-princess, eggplantdance, May and Dawn are the Best, Random-Anime-Girl, samantha3512, Nerd4eva, Pink Chibi Mermaid, Steve… You guys rock! Thanks so much for all your support and reviews!