Whee!

Created 4/5/04

Disclaimer: I don’t own pokemon. It belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This is non-profit fanwork, no copyright infringement is intended, and since I wrote it, the fic belongs to me under international copyright laws.

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

Ash and Red are the same person…

Chapter 3

 

            The conversation was light-hearted despite the topics. What surprised Ash was how willing he was to talk to this stranger.

            Was this what they meant by friends at first sight? Maybe even… love?
            How strange.

            He always thought he’d wait for Yellow to grow up and then marry her, but now… what was Lance?

            He didn’t seem real. He was ethereal like wisps of wind. You could try and pin him down, but the pin just went through and he would fly away, still smiling.

            How… appropriate.

 

            They had finished their ice cream, when Ash suddenly asked if Lance was traveling.

            “Yes, I’ll be camping out tonight.”

            “You can stay with me.”

            Lance’s eyebrows rose slightly. “What are you offering?”

            “Well, I live by myself and my house had three bedrooms, so you could stay there.”

            “Why are you offering me this? I’m a stranger.”

            “I don’t know. I just trust you.” Ash said simply, and that was that.

            Lance accepted. * So soon? Well then, winning him will be an easy task. * Yet, he felt like he wanted to protect that vulnerability.

            The boy was somewhat of an enigma.

            Well, then I’ll have you and I’ll protect you, draw you into the darkness and we’ll both be satisfied.

 

            He stayed with Ash for three weeks, and they did not really train. They just let the pokemon frolic in the grass as they talked, and listened, and lived.

            There was nothing complicated about it.

            Ash liked having someone he could talk to, not really whine but just express his opinions. The world was an unfair place, and a sympathetic ear helped.

            It helped immeasurably.

            He liked being a bit spoiled too, as he currently was, lying on the bed and eating grapes one by one.

            Lance was playing the flute softly. He hadn’t known he played the flute, but it fit. His fingers moved over the silver keys without missing a beat.

            It was just right.

 

            “Lance? What would you do?”

            “I would kill the world.” Lance said simply. “If I had that power, I would destroy this world and build a new one. But…”

            “But what?”

            “I would limit the human population to five hundred.”

            Ash stared at Lance. “So you’d kill the others.”

            “I suppose I would. Does that surprise you?”

            “Not really…”

 

            Part of it was in the name, part of it in the actions. Lance lived on a knife-edge, he could kill and heal and win…

            Red had seen it twice.

            He confessed that the first time had been his fault. He had asked Lance to get rid of the fans camping outside his house.

            Lance had simply told him to close his eyes. Then, he had released his dragon pokemon. When the debris cleared, not a fan was left.

            He never did find out what became of them, but he guessed.

            No bloodstains still told a tale.

            Lance was polished elegance and danger in one swift blur of motion. But Ash found himself drawn to it, even when Lance’s golden eyes hinted at murky shadows beneath the surface.

            Maybe it was obsession…

 

            Well, what was wrong with that? He loved Lance, didn’t he, although he didn’t know, why so? So why not just fall… why not just let Lance protect him?

            He was protecting the dragon pokemon still left in the wild, wasn’t he?

            I should ask him to protect me too.

            That thought made Ash sigh inwardly. * No, that’s too obvious. But I have fallen for him, haven’t I? *

            Is it wrong?

            I don’t’ feel wrong, I feel no guilt or shame… but… oh Lugia, what will the press think? He scowled.

            They were all vultures.

            He hadn’t given them ammunition for months, well, they had fun poking at him when he posed, but that was for a good cause.

            Even the shoddiest editor realized that.

            He wouldn’t mind putting his life on the line for what he believed in so strongly, either way, so who cared about his body?

            But…

            It hurt.

            He didn’t know why.

 

            Lance put down his flute. “Red, is something the matter?”

            “Yes.”

            “Can I help?”

 

            What was he supposed to say? I find you so damnably sexy that I just want to ravish you now? Good lord, he’d frighten Lance away for sure.

            I’m sick? That might work… yes, he was sick, but it was sickness of heart.

            Why do I want you?

            I don’t know… but I feel like we’re meant to be, soulmates. Am I wrong? Am I delusional?

            Am I insane?

 

End Chapter

Completed 6/25/04