I dislike Misty. Just making that clear.

Disclaimer/Notes: See previous chapter

Chapter 14

 

            It was perhaps four days later.

            Suddenly, a black blur hurtled out of nowhere and attacked Misty. Ash quickly used his Golden eyes killing skill.

            He would protect her!

            Aya collapsed.

            Lance landed, catching her in time. “Aya!”

            “Lance! Teacher Aya!”

            They weren’t dead, they weren’t!
            Oh, Thank Lugia!

            “Brother… I’m coming to join you…” Aya whispered, before she slumped over, no light.

            “Who are you,” Lance asked, as his sai appeared in his hands.

            Ash looked startled. “Lance, it’s me! Ash!”

            “Ash… you little ingrate!” Lance cried, attacking. “We gave our lives for your sake and this is how you repay us!”

            “What did I do?” Ash asked, blocking. * Has he gone mad? *

            He noticed with alarm that Lance’s eyes were completely white. He was blind? How did that happen?

            What was going on?

           

            “Lance! Stop! I’m sorry! I didn’t know it was Aya!” Ash cried.

            “Didn’t we warn you never, ever to use Killing eyes?”

            “I forgot! I’m sorry!”

            Lance lowered his weapons.

            “What happened? Why… why are all of them dead? Was it my fault?”

            “Yes! You told Misty the location of our base and then she passed on the information to the Cerulean palace, they sent hundreds of soldiers, we couldn’t fight them all!”

            Ash looked at Misty in alarm.

            “He’s lying!” Misty defended. “I never left the caves, we both know that! He’s just angry because he wants you for himself!”

            It was true though…

            Lance was blind, maybe he had seen wrong…

            “You’re wrong, sensei. It was Jessie.”

            “Jessie?”

            “Hai! I found her dead impaled on Koga’s sword.”
            “Perhaps you are right…” Lance said.

            “Lance, what happened?”

            “When the soldiers showed up, I was attacked first…” Lance pointed to a long scar running across his eyes. “They thought it was enough to kill me though.” He didn’t mention he had been able to take down about thirty before they got him, and it had taken weeks to recover.

            Ash hugged him tightly. * He’s not dead! He’s not dead! *

            Misty did not say a word.

 

            Still… if Lance believed it was Jessie, she was still safe. Besides, Jessie could well have been working with the Cerulean army to ensure the ones who killed her husband were dead…

            She was safe for now.

            For now…

 

            Lance coughed, and Ash quickly let go.

            “Lance…”

            “I can’t see anything. You’ll have to be my eyes now…”

            Ash grinned. “I don’t mind!”

            Misty gritted her teeth. * I do mind… why didn’t he die? I thought he was dead… but no, it only took his eyes. He’s rumored to be very good… I have to think of another way of removal… maybe poison…*

            She smiled.

            Ash smiled, thinking she was happy for him. Oh, for the sake of Lugia, he really was naïve…

            No matter, it would all resolve soon enough. Be as it may, more than one heart might be broken then…

 

            Misty left them alone for a few minutes, but that night, she gave Ash a tongue-lashing.

            “How dare you blame me for their deaths! I had nothing to do with it!”

            “But I didn’t!”

            “Do you love me Ash?”

            Ash blinked. “What brought this up all of a sudden?”

            “I knew it! You don’t love me! You love him!” Misty burst into heart-wrenching sobs, because no matter how manipulative or evil she really was, she did love Ash in her own twisted way.

            It was too much for him to take.

            Ash tried to hug her, but then she slapped him in the face, which probably wasn’t good.

            “You don’t love me!”

            “I…I…”

            “See? I knew it!”

            “But… I do…” Ash said, wondering why she was acting so… clingy? No, that wasn’t it.

            Didn’t she love him?

            She… had to… otherwise…

            The memories were coming back.

            No! No! NO! Please, no…

            He didn’t want to see them dead, didn’t want to…

            “Ash!”

            Ash was shaking now, suppressed memories rising back to the front of his mind, flooding him in full color gore.

            NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

 

            “Ash!”

            Ash felt strong arms wrap around him. “Ash…”

            “Lance…”

            “I…why did they have to die?”

            “Jesse most likely wanted revenge for her lover’s death…” Lance replied softly. “It is normal enough.”

            “Lance, is it my fault?”

            “No, I do not believe so. We were fighting for our lives, you did what you had to.”

            “But they’re all dead now!”

            “No power on earth can raise the dead, you know. But you cannot let their sacrifice have been meaningless!”

            Ash nodded. * I know… but… I’m so confused now… don’t I love Misty? And now… *

            Still, he let Lance held him as he cried again, like a child.

            This time though, the new image was hard to banish.

            Why…

            Why had he attacked without warning… he didn’t even have to use golden eyes! Why hadn’t he just thrown one of his sai?
            Maybe Aya wouldn’t be dead now…

            His fault…

            There was no lying this time. It was clearly his fault. Guilt stained his hands with crimson, and…

            He looked down. What to do? Now… there was nothing to do.

 

End Chapter

Completed 8/27/04

I WORK VERY HARD!!!

Kairo: Whee! *Spinning lollipops*

Phantomness: Pity there’s no humor here…