Phantomness: *collapses*

Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics, not me! This is non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfic written by me and it’s mine! All mine!
Notes: ** for thoughts, <> for telepathy, italics for pokemon talking

Chapter 11

Fingers stroked over soft, soft skin, like butterfly’s wings.

< Mine… >

Ash whimpered, but the pain was already fading and receding like an illusion, and the reality glared at him with mercy. But it was fine, because Lance loved him and no one else. And reality in the present was so warm, fire, fire racing through him in the pretty little shivers.

< Aniki, Aishiteru. >

< Aishiteru, kawaii koi. > Lance replied, with a quick thrust of his hips and the little one shrieked, but it was fine because he was unhurt. Trailed lines of sweetness over baby-fine skin and nipped gently at his peaked buds.

Surrender to the skies as stars spun deep inside of him, slick and wet and so nice… warm…

< Take me. >

< I will, > the reply was breathless and hinged on madness, as the tempo sped up and little pieces of pain drifted in, but it was all right…

Because he loves _me_

Charizard napped on the floor of the apartment, covered with blankets and a few rugs, sleeping peacefully.

He ate another chocolate-covered strawberry and looked out the window. < Aniki, how long do we have to wait? >

< For Missingno? It could happen any time. > Deft fingers wove through a tangle of threads, found one, and kept unraveling. Skeins of violet and black yarn – Mareep wool – wove into silky smoothness.

< This is boring. >

< I’m boring you? You wound me. > Lance said mock-dramatically, clutching his chest and tumbling gracelessly onto the ground.

His knitting needles went flying, landing in the wall with force. Well, at least the apartment was rented for the time being…

Now how to break the news to the parents?

Ash hadn’t called in almost two months, they should be worried, but they hadn’t bothered to contact him. Strange, very strange…

He would find it out later.

< Ah! Aniki! >

Faster than the speed of light or whatever other measurement desired; Ash was at Lance’s side worriedly. * Please be okay… *

Golden eyes crinkled up in a smile as Lance got up.

< Aniki! >

< I’m just teasing you, Ash. > Lance asked.

< Oh. > Ash breathed a sigh of relief. * If anything happened to him, I don’t know what to do. *

It should scare him, really, the way he clung to Lance and nothing else, really, but… he didn’t really care, to tell the truth.

Because…. Aniki is everything to me.

I won’t give him up.

Ash retrieved the needles for him and Lance continued his ‘domestic pursuits’. Oh well, it would be pretty when it was done.

And the colors were nice too…

Lance’s eyes went blue for a second as he psychic scanned.

< Lugia, no! >

< What is it, Lance? > Ash looked up from his book. Well, it beat not doing anything at all…

< Look. > Lance’s eyes glowed more, and a smoky mirror formed in the air, like an attack almost, but what it showed…

< MOM! DAD! >

Smoke billowed from the broken wreckage of an airplane crash, still burning days after the initial impact.

No wonder they hadn’t been worried about him. How could they be? They were dead after all…

< How long ago was this, aniki? > Ash whispered.

< Three weeks. > Lance replied. * I should have expected it, but I suppose I didn’t… *

< Aniki… > Ash clung to him, and Lance let the boy cry himself out.

< You’re all I have left… >

You are everything now. There’s no one else.

We’re alone in this world….

Please, protect me, aniki.

You will, won’t you? Aniki?

Ash was cut off from his musings, because that was when he felt the whispery feathers in his heart start up again.

He wasn’t alone, really.

He still had his aniki…

< Of course I’ll protect you. >

< Zutto Eien? >

< Zutto Eien. >

< Then, I’ll be happy. > Ash said, as he buried his past in the recesses of his mind and looked to the present.

Brave New World, anyone? It’s the same mentality.

But he will protect me forever.

And since we’re Mews now, we can live forever, can’t we? And we’ll be together, and that’s really the most important part!
So there…

He was falling. Did he care? No, they would fly together in the end. After all, they would fly…

Flying was nice.

The barriers inside the mind quickly erected themselves, the glass walls locking away all the unpleasant things.

Everything would be just fine.

The flute still wouldn’t play though; he could worry about that later. Much later. Right now, he had reality…

Lance nipped gently, and he obediently bent his legs, knowing what was expected. It would keep his mind off the circumstances in any case…

Besides, it felt nice.

End Chapter

Completed 6/12/04

Apparently whether it’s real or not, Misty’s last name _is_ Waterflower so it will be that way in my fanfic!