Title: Haunting
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: Championshipping (Lance x Ash/Red)
Fandom: Pokémon
Theme: #5, Haunting or Occult Freak
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction belongs to me under international copyright laws and taking it is plagiarism. Thank you. *Phantomness bows*

Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks

Warnings: Shonen-ai, fanon

Red shivered as he glanced around his new house. The Machoke movers were still unpacking, but it was going very quickly and in another hour or so everything would be finished. He knew that it was important that they move here to Houen so he could get away from the incident, but… why this house? For some reason, it felt almost evil…

He shook his head. He was overreacting.

Lance watched, amused, as the new inhabitants moved in. He had frightened away all the others quite easily, their pokemon had been more than willing to attack them, and since they were nothing but greedy humans, it mattered little.

The house really was beautiful, all white tile and marble, with floors of well-paneled mahogany and fluffy carpets. It wasn’t large, but it was comfortable, and he fondly remembered afternoons spent buried in the library while his sister played the piano in the music room and his pokemon splashed in the pool outside.

He sighed.

There was a small family this time, just a single mother and her child, but with land prices increasing and the overpopulation in the cities, he could see why she had chosen to live here.

He closed his eyes and went to sleep, certain he could drive them out later if they proved troublesome.

Red smiled as he looked at several of the paintings along the walls. They had never been moved – the house had come furnished with nice furniture after all, and he smiled as he walked down the hallway.

There were a few pictures of a girl with black hair, and a boy with red hair, but that seemed to be all. The rest of the portraits were filled with pokemon of all types… it was quite cute!

The very first night, the dreams started. Logically, Red knew that it was probably just his subconscious mind being crazy, but how did it explain that he was dreaming about the portraits in the house as if they were real?

Most pokemon had gone extinct years ago… few remained now, mostly fighting, rock, flying and normal-types that could survive in harsher conditions.

But it was almost nice, having those dreams. There, he could be a real pokemon trainer, and journey, and have lots of fun, and spend nights camping out under the stars, and even when the dreams got worse, when they weren’t light and fluffy any more, when pokemon died and people split their souls to save Earth, he still kept dreaming.

To stop now would be a crime…

When the last dream came, he woke up to find Lance perched on his bedpost, watching him.

“You’ve been here the entire time?” He blinked. “I thought you and Charlotte were both in Sleep of Death.”

The Dragon Master flipped a hand idly. “It was a choice to make, and I took it.”

“I missed you, Lance, even though I tended to forget those dreams when I woke up… but they were all my memories, hai?”

Lance nodded.

“So now what? Why are you here? Do I… do I need to save the world again?” His breath caught, and Lance shook his head.

“Iie. We took care of the threat before you were born…”

“That’s why I don’t remember anything…”

“Yes.”

“So,” Red grinned, “You’ve been haunting me all the time?”

Lance blushed. “Not all the time.” He said truthfully.

“Oh good.” Red shrugged. “Not that I’d mind if you did.” The spirit laughed, capturing Red’s lips in a quick kiss.

It was a light touch, almost insubstantial, but he could feel a little. Red sighed. “So you’re stuck as a ghost until the next rebirth?”

“Hai.”

“Ah well.” Red sighed. “At least I’ll have someone to talk to.” Lance wrapped his arms around him, and Red closed his eyes.

At least…

End Fic

Completed 11/26/06

I am sick of studying psychology! Sick of it!