Miss Discovery!

By: Chibi-Suiko

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Ash: 15

Misty: 16

Brock: 19

Imuru: 17

Evette: 20

Mr. Gerou: 31

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Last Time on Miss Discovery!: Being led away from the battle scene by the guy who'd supposedly double-crossed her was not Misty's idea of comforting. Just because he happened to save her neck in assisting her Double-Battle didn't mean that what he'd done was forgiven, right? Unfortunately, she was led towards the edge of town, where her doubts began to eat away at her, while Ash moved ever closer, trying to find them, his assumption that they shouldn't be alone lest their teenage hormones get the better of them. She heard all of the answers that she needed from Imuru and then, as though the stormy sky had nothing on her parade, the young man had flat-out told her that he found himself attracted to her. This increasing her hopes of a future relationship, he led her into the wood and showed her a place where all romantics felt the moment creeping up on them. Meanwhile, Ash happened upon Misty's bag at the Cafe and her footprints on the ground and followed behind them. He noticed that he was being followed but took no action as to stop it. His anger had all ready risen to the boiling point, but upon reaching his destination, where he came across his best friend and the 'Pretty-Boy' kissing, he had lost all trust in the situation. Upon being caught mouth-to-mouth with the handsome guy, Misty trailed after her best friend, the initiative to apologize to her friend and point out to him that he shouldn't feel so distressed too great to ignore. Heading into town, Ash happened upon the person who'd been following him the entire time only to see that it was Misty, herself--! He knows now, though, that it's Rein, and he's willing to have a conversation with the run-away Theatric, in order to catch her up on the entirely confusing plot of this insane authors fiction...

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***

Chapter Eight: Understanding

***

Rein nodded and they turned to each other, beginning what was promised to be a very important discussion.

***

Misty, meanwhile, was near her breaking point. She'd been looking for him for at least what felt like ten minutes and all ready, she felt the need to just collapse and break down.

Startled at her own strength of emotion towards her young friend, she leaned against an aging oak, feeling tears spring to her eyes...

***

"What was your first question..?" Ash asked and looked out the small Bistro window to the clouding sky. He could all ready see small droplets fall to the ground and, almost immediately, felt sympathy for Misty, who he was sure would be searching out there for him at that very moment. But it didn't matter now, he'd finally found some way to know the truth, or, at least, the parts that this girl knew.

"I want to know who she was... That twin, I mean..." Rein repeated and Ash looked into her eyes. Could it be possible? Their similarities were too much to be a coincidence, weren't they? Could they maybe be related and not even know it?

"Yeah, sure..." He wasn't very fond of Misty being referred to as this young girls twin. It was almost like She'd been calling her a carbon copy made to suit everyone's needs so that she wasn't relevant to them all, "Her name is Misty Waterflower... She's been a friend of mine for over six years. She's tempermental, aggressive, humorous, and a good person. If you didn't catch on by the last name reference, she's related to the Waterflower sisters of Cerulean City. She starred in The Mermaid Play for the first show. She'd rightfully be the Gym Leader accept that she wanted to travel and become The Greatest Water Master. She's competed in tournaments such as the Kanto Princess Festival, which she won, and the Jhoto Water Cup, which she came in Third (A/N: At least that's what I see... She beat Ash, lost against that one woman, who lost against that guy, who won... That means she was the third placed victory, right?)--"

"Whoa, Kid. I didn't ask for the Girl's Life Story... Geez..." Rein muttered, "Now why was my Ex, Imuru, spending so much 'Cozy Time' with her?" When he didn't instantly reply, she stated, "...Oh, for goodness sake, Kid! I'm not gonna murder the Damned girl!"

His attitude uplifted, he continued, "It seems that he's taken a liking to my friend. And the worst part about this deal is that, obviously, she feels the same way to have kissed him. They hardly know anything about each other and yet, there they were, spending every waking minute with each other. It's so weird because I always get told that she and I would be perfect for one another--!" Ash said but was interrupted again.

"--Okay, okay. I get it, you don't understand why they fell for each other when they hardly know the other. The thing is, Kid--"

"--Ash. My name is Ashton Satoshi Ketchum. Get that straight." He said angrily. He was fifteen, after all, he wasn't a 'Kid' anymore.

"--Ash. The thing is, Ash, that you don't have to actually know one another to fall in love. That's what people call it, actually, when you fall for somebody without even having to know who they are exactly. They call it love." She ended and he suddenly felt worse for some unknown reason, " Now, how exactly did you meet him?"

"Well, really, Misty had no idea who he was at first glance. We just happened to wander into town and she was yanked into a crowd of screaming fans. As far as I can gather, while my other friend and I were finding out about you and... Him... by looking at that billboard by the tailors shop, your Ex-Man came and helped her out of the crowd and pulled her away from the public. I followed them into an alley and he said that if we came to stay with him at his Hotel then he'd give us free room and board. He said that he had a favor to ask Misty." Ash scoffed then, bowing his head to the side of him at the floor, "You have no idea how badly I wanted to just pull everyone away and continue past here..."

"He-He had a favor for that girl?" Rein said in a depressed and confused tone.

"Y-Yeah... That was when he asked her to take your place in next weeks shows until you got back. He only wanted to help you but..." And Ash suddenly realized that what he said was true. He wasn't trying to ruin his life. It wasn't his fault that he'd fallen completely for his best friend. And it was no mistake on her part for doing the same thing... But it still seemed inappropriate to him that they'd just kiss then, "...But, in a way, it seemed to damage your name. Misty's been going through a lot for you. She's tried to do signings and rehearsal to learn the lines and the actions and to bring every part of the script to life. She's been working really hard to give you a good name. Especially since the shows are so close to opening. She didn't have much time to rehearse like you did..."

Rein was silent for a moment but Ash was sure that he'd seen another one of those depressing grins on her face. Her eyes were glittering, as though she were going to cry. He could almost smell the salt of the tears.

"Yes, I suppose, then, that it is for the best. They seem so-so perfect for each other. Can you tell me how she's doing? Where they're rehearsing? I-I want to watch and see how the smallest of the beautiful Waterflower Sisters is doing in holding up my reputation..."

Ash was shocked in hearing Rein call Misty 'Beautiful'. Though, in thought, she could have just said that because she'd also be referring to herself in that they both looked exactly alike. Yet, He was almost thinking to himself that, at that very moment, it couldn't have been more true.

He looked to the sky and saw nothing but misty rain pouring from its depths. He turned back to the girl in front of him. He wasn't rude enough to drop the conversation right as she'd asked for more answers but he'd have to make it quick in order to find Misty in such an endless gale.

"I don't know much but I will find it out for you..." He began.

***

Misty came to a halt as her resolve came crashing down on her. It was bitter cold out, the rain making it feel like she wore nothing over her bare skin. She'd been looking for over a half hour but there was still no sign of him. It was hard for her to travel very fast when the wind was continuously pushing her back.

Putting that aside, she tried to recollect herself in order to keep searching. Could he have possibly gone back to the Hotel? Could he be wandering around in this weather, just like her? Could he have maybe pulled Brock away from that Evette-Woman and dragged him out of town, leaving her behind?

... Somehow, that didn't seem very Ash-like of him. She sighed, then he must still be around. She moved ahead, trying to forget that look of absolute disgust and hatred on his face at the sight of her in Imuru's arms. She didn't know why it mattered so much. Sure, it wasn't exactly fun to be caught kissing the guy but it wasn't like she was double-crossing him! She'd never really given Ash's feelings a thought, though, on the subject.

But did it matter?

It was her life and if she chose to like Imuru then nothing, especially her friend of six years, should have the ability to stand in her way. But, nevertheless, he deserved an apology, even if she felt that she shouldn't be the one to give it. Somehow, it seemed right that she get one as well.

"But first things first... Gotta find the guy..." And she ran through the ever-darkening weather, calling for her friend.

It was only a couple minutes later that she came across her bag strewn about on the ground. In all of the confusing mess, she'd forgotten about it. But that didn't seem to count for why it was here in the wood. She put all of her things back inside and looked in the direction of town. Had he gone back?

She turned towards the entrance and shoved all of the branches out of her way as she crossed the threshold.

***

"As far as I know, the two of them have been practicing in a huge cathedral--" Ash began.

"--The one that Imuru and I were going to post our shows at." Rein interrupted, "Yeah, I guess that would make it easier for her. She'd be in one Hell of a shock if she saw the hundreds upon hundreds of seats on opening night and not a second before. Though, if what you say is true, the Cerulean Gym puts up quite a hold as well. I'm sure she's atleast a little familiar with the procedure."

"A little, yes, but her sisters have always tended to hog the glory." Ash seethed, "I'm sure that she's doing nothing to sabotage your reputation. I'm positive that she's doing the best that she can..."

"How do you know where they study to begin with? I'm sure that Imuru wouldn't want you there because he hates distraction. Who told you, your friend?"

"Well, no... Actually it was that agent of his, Mr. Gerou." Ash shrugged his shoulders, "Very big guy, cool, letting me know where they were. But at the same time I thought that he was a little creepy."

"You felt that too?" Rein asked in an appalled sort of way. Ash looked to her.

"Yeah, why? Is that normal?"

"Let's put it this way, you'd never want to get on his bad side..." She began and he could feel a story coming on, "Don't worry, this is nothing frivolous, I wouldn't waste you time on things that didn't matter. This is something that you should-and would probably like to-know. This is the main purpose for my running off...

"Imuru and I began dating two years ago. We were mainly starting the whole thing because of the publicity. We knew that our romantic pleasures would, to the fans, be great promotion. And so it began. After a while we started to think of ourselves in a more romantic way and so the plot was changed into reality. Every once and a while I'd want to escape, act a little ambitious and impractical. It was so hard trying to be one of the perfect couple, you could say. I can tell you now that I did happen to get into a lot of trouble for what I did. Imuru always enjoyed a good laugh out of it though, so I thought it was all right. At least, in the beginning. My main problem was snooping. I've always thought that if I didn't become a star, I'd like to serve in the CSI... I'm pretty good at picking up scoops. This led to a crisis that I felt I wasn't ready to face. A crisis and a truth...

"I was moseying around on my day off, just cause I needed a break. I was walking along the top floor when I heard this familiar voice... It was strange because whoever it was, was speaking in a low hurried tone. I listened in and-sure enough-I'd heard of a scandal. It was almost too much to believe when the conversation was over... The person who'd been planning all sorts of horrible things was Him, Mr. Gerou. But there was no evident proof and so nobody chose to believe me. I called a staff meeting with the authorities and before it began, told Imuru what I'd thought. It was definitely something that he'd chosen not to laugh about.

"After the call had ended with Him getting off the hook because of my lack of substantiation, Imuru had pulled me to the side and told me of his disappointment. That was when he decided to end everything. I knew that my superstitious side wasn't enough to convince him that I was right about his agent and he didn't listen anyway. In the end, I ran for it. I got away so that I could think. Try and find out what that guy was up to. And, even today, I still have no clue...

"But that doesn't mean that I'm not afraid for him, for Imuru. And for your friend, Misty was it? I'm afraid that she may have been pulled into this whole thing. And now she might not be able to get out. I can't say anything for certain now, because I need more facts. I'd keep an eye on your friend, and on yourself. Be positive that if she or anyone comes upon any strange notices, they let you know of them so that you can report them to me. I'm pretty sure that Mr. Gerou moved right on in once I left..."

Ash had been silent through the whole story. He'd never thought that he'd be caught in this type of a conspiracy before! And with his best friend in the middle of it!

"So-uh--" He began but, again, she interrupted.

"--This conversation is over for now. Meet me again the day after tomorrow right here at four o'clock in the afternoon to discuss anymore information you may have found. If worse comes to worse, bring your friend. I'm sure you have to go locate her now. Don't want to keep you from her too long..." She smiled and got up to leave.

"Well-Wait!" Ash shouted and turned in his seat, "Aren't you going to go to Imuru and at least tell him that you're back?!"

"No..." She said sadly, "I feel that it's better to stay in the background at the moment..."

"Huh? Why don't you want to let him know that you're back?! I can tell that you still care for the guy!" Ash yelled half-angrily.

"...Yes, I suppose that I do..." She concluded after a moment, "But, it is hard to be around somebody that you can't have, isn't it..?" And without waiting for him to reply, she walked off. Ash followed after her but she had merely disappeared into the crowd, leaving him to be soaked in the rainfall.

Without thinking, he headed in the direction of the Hotel. He couldn't stand to be out in that weather in the mood that he was in. Reins' last words kept rattling over and over in his head and they didn't make him feel any better.

"But, it is hard to be around somebody that you can't have, isn't it..?"

He tried to ignore it but he could tell that he'd be hearing it over and over for at least the next couple of days...

***

Misty had, herself, returned to the Hotel and was currently drying her hair off with a towel. It was so frustrating at the moment. Life for her seemed to turn upside down in a matter of seconds just because of her friend and her position in the former matter.

She was stepping down the main staircase to head into the kitchen for a drink when Ash came tumbling through the front door, shaking his head in a dog-like way. She laughed slightly, which she felt that she really needed to do right then, and protected herself by placing the towel in front of her body.

"Stop it, Ash! Get a hair dryer or something!" She shouted and he looked up, not even noticing that she was there to begin with.

"Oh-uh-Misty..." He began embarrassedly. It was so hard to talk to her now.

She seemed to feel the same way, "Yeah... I was looking everywhere for you out there... Where were you..?" After he shook his head without replying, she continued, "Listen, I'm sorry for being caught kissing Imuru. If I'd known that you were going to follow me everywhere then..." She broke off, then continued, "Why did you follow me anyway?!"

"Well, you see... As hard as it is to believe, I was worried about you and all. So I went to Mr. Gerou and he told me that you and Imuru were rehearsing at--"

"Oh, I get it... No need to say anything more." She said and continued to ask, "So, you're calling him by his first name now?"

"Just in certain decency and respect. In light of recent events, I guess that he came to bring pride to his own name. At least, when I say it anyway. I still feel awkward about you and him kissing and all--"

"Well, how do you expect that we make it work--?"

"--Don't do it..." He murmured and after a 'look' from her, "...Please. At least not until Brock and I have left and you and Imuru are a happy couple."

"Huh?!" She asked.

"You know... I can tell that you like the guy so I'm sure that you'd rather be here than traveling constantly with us, right?" She didn't reply, "...See?"

"Yeah, maybe I do like him. But I'm not in the position to say that we can date so freely. Remember, he still has Rein. I'm only filling in for her until the end of this week. It really doesn't matter that I want to go out with him more, or that I want him to let me work with him longer because he all ready has a partner to keep going with him..."

"Yeah, well, still... Can you at least promise that there will me no more kissing, no matter what the position that you're in, no matter the place, the time, the--Anything--?!" He asked pleadingly.

"Is it me or do you sound just a tad bit jealous?" She smirked at him but found no trace of denial on his face a moment later.

"I-I... Don't really know..." He said in a deadly calm voice. It shocked her. Normally he'd give anything to shut her up when she acted this way, "Just... Promise me, okay?" He felt so determined to get her to agree to the stakes.

Again, Reins words echoed through his numbing head...

"But, it is hard to be around somebody that you can't have, isn't it..?"

It was hard to say 'Yes' to something that complicated. She could say that she'd try, sure, but what if Imuru wasn't okay with that? Unfortunately, in order to stay on good terms with her friend, and with herself, she'd have to go along with it. She'd just have to explain to Imuru later about the situation.

" Ash?" She asked and he finally looked at her, "I hereby promise that I will not let Imuru touch me in any romantic way." And they smiled, Misty somewhat rather reluctantly, before continuing into the kitchen together.

Something told them that things were going to be fine at the moment. But they were both breaking down, slowly, piece by piece, in order to find what they really wanted...

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A/N: This chapter is over. Don't think that things are so easily forgiven either. There will be a later scene where the last straw will be tugged and pulled completely apart. Anyway, if this chapter has appealed to you in any way possible, then let me know so I can post another and brag about my fantastic skill--!

And, um, about Ash's admittance to maybe, possibly feeling envious, I thought that was one of my best idea's because, though the author's may have him feeling a little jealous towards Misty and her relationships, you know, inside, they've never had him actually confess it to anyone so it was something a little different.

**Note: Ash refuses to tell anyone about his meeting Rein because he feels that she doesn't want anybody to know, not just Imuru alone...

 

**Sniff, sniffle** T-Thank you, thank you to all of those who've reviewed my fic. You've all been a big help! I never would've reached/broken my record if it weren't for you. **Sniff** You're all so sweet and kind. There are no words I could use to describe my gratefulness so just take this measly update and be on your way... No shout-outs this time. I prefer to flip off the names of all those who were **Sniff** kind enough to review this... **Sigh** Well, here we go:

Car

Rosie Rubix

Uranasu

getfuzzyfan90

Darkness4ever_fades

akmw4eva

Chibimatchmaker

Rae8

KawaiiCherryBlossom

Amber Myst

Deja Know I Been Lookin For Vu

Schillok

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qtloveskittles

jessie

Spiraea Kozak

Maria

Kasumi Yawa

GoThBaRbIe

Satan'sAdvocate

Midnight_Mist

Twin-Dragon

AND...

Crystal Mew

 

Thanks to you all. This chapter is dedicated to the reviews you've given me and the kindness that you've shown. I'll be more than willing to chat with ya, send me an email! IM me! I don't care! (.^_^.)

Until next time! Be sure to keep on reviewing for continuation!

-- Chibi-Suiko