Hmm… how to wrap this up?
Disclaimer/Notes: See an earlier chapter
Lance: *anger sparks*
Phantomness: Eek! Maybe I should quit writing Lance so noble…
Ash: *shudder*
Chapter 16
Awakening was not pleasant. However, he did not ask, it would not be well to arouse the boy’s suspicions.
However, as Ash was rather dense, he would most likely have another opportunity soon… he just had to wait.
Everything had its season. He sensed theirs was over. The Stars were dead…
I’m the only one left.
Perhaps it is selfish of me to think this, but even if death calls, I only wish to see them again…
Rain…
It was raining again.
A week or so had passed, and now…
Lance smiled bitterly. Misty and Ash were busy off in that copse of trees, and he had his own guess of the activity they were engaged in.
No matter. Let the boy be happy, and…
Fall…
Wasn’t he going to marry her in any case? He wasn’t needed then.
Ash honestly did not know how he _had_ known, but he had summoned Pidgeot and jumped on.
Pidgeot caught Lance about five seconds before he hit the ground.
Lance cursed inwardly. Hadn’t Ash been otherwise occupied? What was he doing, spying on him?
Damn…
Pity it hadn’t been that high of a cliff, otherwise he wouldn’t have to deal with the boy anymore.
As thickheaded as Ash was, he _knew_ that it was very difficult to walk off a cliff without some notice.
Unless…
“Lance…”
They had landed afterwards, but Lance had been silent. Ash hadn’t wanted to pry, but… fear was thrumming in his heart.
It hurt.
Was… was he going to die? Did Lance want to die?
“Lance, please, talk to me…”
There was no reply.
“A bird…” Lance ran his hands over Pidgeot’s feathers. “Tell me, Ash. Is this creature hard to summon?”
“Oh no! One of the very first ones I learned to summon.” Ash said proudly.
“How fast can it fly?”
“From here to Cerulean would only take two minutes…” Eyes widened as implications hit with the force of a sledgehammer. Misty had spent months learning how to summon birds, it was so simple. Maybe she really had no talent, but maybe…
Why hadn’t he noticed before? She was almost to ice level now, it had only been two or three months, one couldn’t improve that fast, so she must have been hiding her skill to-!
Lance smiled.
“She wouldn’t!”
“She would.”
“She loves me! I love her back, and I’m going to marry her!”
“Do you honestly think so?”
“Why would she…” Ash trailed off. * She hated them. She only wanted to marry me. Tried to kill them before. They warned me not to get involved with the invaders. Why was I so blindly stupid! *
“She…”
Lance did not say more. Ash tensed as he heard the sound of rasping metal. “Lance…”
Not quiet enough, Lance thought to himself. Or, I need to polish my sai… seems blindness has its own trip-ups. I wonder how Agatha handled it.
“Why are you doing this?” Ash protested. He looked at Lance with something akin to horror as he gripped Lance’s wrists in his own.
Hopefully Lance couldn’t injure himself without his hands, although since this was Lance, it was not certain…
“You’ll love her, and forget us all. Do you think I haven’t noticed? Your marriage will start a new path for you.”
Ash flushed. “But I thought you were dead!”
“My arrival – alive – was unfortunate, was it not? I shattered your clinging hope and cloying illusion. I’m sorry.”
… Illusion?
Lance was right. How could he have ever have believed Misty loved him?
“Ah!”
Ash yelped as something hard and sharp nestled in his palm, and let go of Lance. It was…a throwing star? The kind Koga and Aya had used…
The memory brought another wave of shame to flood him.
“I didn’t mean to kill her…”
“I know. But you ought to have sealed the deal and killed me as well. Then you would not be bothered by our spirits, hai?”
“Don’t say that! I don’t want you to die!”
Lance laughed grimly. “Do you honestly believe you can stop me?”
He had nothing left in any case. Hopefully Ash would see how Misty was just a selfish girl, but if not…
Well, illusions are comforting.
He’d leave them their love… whatever it entailed.
Wetness.
Ash snapped back to reality again, feeling warmth on his palms, sticky. He had to get out of that morass of self-pity and self-hatred…
“Lance! Why?”
He should
have known Lance had other hidden weapons besides his sai, but!
The cuts across the wrists
weren’t that deep, but they were certainly bleeding copiously...
He called Chansey and even Blissey, and prayed.
Please… don’t let him die.
I can’t bear it if he dies.
Love…
No. Misty? No. She… she’s a murderer. I can’t marry her! I don’t love her!
I do love him…
END
Completed 8/27/04
I apologize for the clichéd-ness of this chapter!
Lance: …
Phantomness: *hiding behind Shield of the Authoress TM*