Professor Oak watched as Ash walked away with his head hung and a sudden urge came over him. As Ash passed by Oak he placed his hand on Ash's shoulder and looked at him seriously as he said in the softest tone, "We really need to talk." A single tear fell from Ash's eye as he hugged the plush toy tighter as he looked at it.

"Come on lad."

Professor Oak had taken Ash to a town outside of Pallet Town. Ana had a facility outside of Manchester Town where she was expecting Professor Oak and Ash. Professor Oak had pulled up in front of a gray building with glass doors at the front, it was three stories high and a young woman was standing in front of the doors. The young woman was short, had green hair which was up on a donut as several flicks of her hair fell on her eyes. She was wearing a gray skirt that fell a little under her knees, a gray suit that for some reason annoyingly blended into the background of the building she was standing in front of.

The young woman fixed her glasses and walked towards Professor Oak and Ash as they descended from the car. Ash looked around in despise, the only thing he wanted to do was to just lie in bed and forget about the rest of the world until he could feel he was ready to care about anything else. But to be fair with himself he had not given "caring" a second thought since the only thing in his mind was what had happened to his mother and still those haunting words.

Ana stood several feet from Ash and walked with Oak as both of them walked towards the building. "Why can't they just leave me alone?" Ash thought to himself as he watched the two adults walk away slowly. He wanted to just stop and scream his lungs out and run as far as he could, that thought had become more and more solid by the minute.

"Run away…"

"Ash, come on." Professor Oak said as he and Ana turned to look at him. Ash was standing in front of the car thinking whether to run away or not. He thought about running away to a place where he could just feel safe and be by himself so he could deal with the situation as best as he could. Ash knew Professor Oak and the others were worried but he simply wanted to be left alone, all he could picture himself doing was just to lay in bed and sleep. Sleep until he could be ready to face the world again or not.

Ash had to be honest with him at least; he did not care about anything else for the time being. It was as if he had locked all of his feelings and the ability to feel in an old chest he kept buried and hidden away from the light.

"Run away…and don't come back…"

Ash took a step back and as soon as Professor Oak and Ana saw him step back they readied themselves in case Ash would run. It felt like time itself had stopped and looking at one another were the three of them staring at each other as if studying what move they would make.

Without a second thought Ash took off quickly and ran towards Pallet Town. H e wanted to go home; he wanted to be somewhere he knew was safe and comforting even though the memories were too painful to withstand.

Professor Oak and Ana took off after him to stop him but Professor Oak in his older years was soon caught breathless but Ana who had to deal with troubled teenagers knew they always ran away from time to time. Ana was running after Ash as fast as she could but alas it was not fast enough for a few minutes later she lost track of him as both of them had entered into the forest.

Ana watched as Ash fled and disappeared into the blackness of the forest. She stopped and leaned on a tree as she tried to catch her breath. Soon after Professor Oak had caught up with Ana but once he looked at her he knew Ash had gotten away. They had to find him, for his own sake.

"Quick, call Officer Jenny while I alert everyone else."

"Yes, Professor."

Professor Oak ran towards the car while Ana ran back inside the building to call Officer Jenny. They only hoped that they could find Ash before something bad would happen and even though Oak tried to deny it as much as he could the sight of Ash holding the knife and staring blankly into the shattered mirror was all too disturbing and it only made him think.

"No, not Ash. No matter how bad things got he would never—oh, stop it Sam!"

Meanwhile Ash was running as fast as his legs could carry him. He thought about going back to his room but knowing Oak and the others would come looking for him he decided to turn somewhere else. Somewhere he knew would buy him a few minutes of peace and quiet.

"What? You can't be serious! Do you know where he could be?" Brock shouted into the phone as the grave news of Ash's running spread through out Pallet Town and Viridian City. Brock, May and Max remained in Ash's house until things would cool down and they could decide what to do next.

"We're looking everywhere," Officer Jenny said on the other line, "But we have no idea where he has gone. We've searched everywhere. He couldn't have gone out of Pallet Town."

"No…he's here somewhere. We've just got to keep looking." As he said that he looked at May and Max as they both nodded in determination to help find their friend. Pikachu also stepped forward and nodded as well as Mr. Mime.

Once Brock hung up the phone he turned to the two younger kids and said as he unpacked his Pokemon and released them to ask for their help, "May, let your Pokemon out and Max let Ash's out."

The two kids nodded and did as Brock told them to do. May released Beautyfly, Skitty, Cumbusken and Munchlax. Max released Grovyle, Snorunt, Swellow, Corphish, and Torkoal and of course Pikachu jumped into the pack. Brock also released his Pokemon and a huge group of Pokemon stood before the trainers and awaited orders.

"Guys we need each and every single one of you to help us find Ash before something bad happens to him. We don't know where exactly he could be but we must try and find him and fast."

The herd of Pokemon wailed in agreement which gave Brock and May a bit of hope seeing as how they should prepare for a long search. Soon the huge group set out in search of Ash.

As night's last breath sighed softly through Pallet Town a gentle orchestra of rain fell over the town. It was a beautiful morning. The wild yet tranquil colors in the heavens painted an enchanting canvas. The baby blues and pinks danced an ethereal waltz with the soft purples and yellows as well as the soft and pale oranges. A most inspiring view indeed. The wind was picking up speed but not at a brute force, it was gentle enough to caress one's skin but its presence was felt. The sun was yet too shy too peak through the mountain tops of Pallet Town but its light was becoming noticeable giving a guiding light to all in the land.

To all except for a certain young boy with nothing left in his life. At least that's how Ash felt. He felt as if everything had been taken away and it felt as if it was his very own fault.

"Hi mom…," Ash softly said as he placed one hand on his mother's tombstone and used the other to support his weight as he kneeled in front of the grave and looked into the stone which represented his mother, "…um…I know it's too late but I just wanted to tell you that I—"

Ash chocked in his own breath as he tried his hardest to keep the tears back so he could clearly see his mother's name carved into the cold stone. The words he wanted to say were echoing in the back of his mind causing the tears he so badly wanted to keep away fall. Ash whimpered as he removed his hand from the tombstone and placed it in front of his mouth. He silently wept as he sniffled trying to clear his mind so that the words he needed to say were said.

"I did want to spend the day with you. I never wanted to—to hurt you. Much less did I want…this to happen." The warm tears fell down his cold cheeks and Ash felt his entire body tremble not from the cold but from something else. Something he could not explain, something he had never felt before.

"Oh…you're not stupid and you never were. I was being stupid…and selfish and arrogant." Ash swallowed hard as he shut his eyes and once more placed his hand on the tombstone. He leaned in closer and said in a whisper, "I'd give anything to have you come back…"

Those words were the hardest to say for he knew there was nothing he could do to bring his mother back. Ash gasped loudly as he tried not to choke on his own breath and tears. He sighed in a shuddering kind of way as he said the next set of words as another set of tears fell from his eyes.

"Mom, I am so…so sorry. I didn't mean it; I swear I didn't mean it!"

The wind blew and his hair flew in all sorts of directions. The cold breeze set a chill down his spine as a horrid thought crossed his mind despite what he had been taught about it. Ash had always been a stubborn person and never quit easily but this was something he had burned into his heart. The guilt was slowly tearing him inside and even though he had been in pain before this pain he could not subside. This newly found pain, he knew very well, was going to be the end of him for he could not see a way out. Except for the one he had been considering for a few days.

Ash looked directly into the tombstone and said in a sweet and gentle tone, "I can't stay here. Not anymore…"

Ash slowly stood up as he kept looking into his mother's final resting place. At his feet was the torn Teddiursa he had slashed in rage. He picked it up and for the first time in what felt like a long time ago he smiled. The smile was full of hope but it was a hope of high levels but not of overcoming. Ash gently placed the Teddiursa plush toy in front of the tombstone and saw as it leaned its back on it. The smile faded from his face and emptiness conquered it once more.

Ash stood there for a few minutes, his back facing the now rising sun. The sky had become gray with a few streaks of light coming from the sun as it tried its best to break through the gloomy clouds running about in the sky. The breeze suddenly picked up and the grass on the cemetery hill danced in the most morbid way Ash had ever seen. Everything about that morning felt morbid and even more so as he careful planned his next and final move.

Ash turned around and headed back for his house to where he knew he could hide away safely. He took two small steps but then froze as he hung his head and lowered his gaze at the grass. He felt the breeze pick up speed and felt as the rain intensified and fell on him. Ash sighed deeply and said in a sad and trembling voice, "…love you mom…"

After he said those final words Ash slowly made his way towards his house which he had hoped would be empty. As he walked he kept his head hung and quietly hummed a lullaby his mother sang whenever he felt down. The walk from the cemetery to his house was short but it felt longer. All through out he kept humming the lullaby in a soft tone as every single place he passed by reminded him of a memory of his childhood with his mother.

Everywhere he looked the ghosts of the past cried out to him, stabbing him in the heart with a fond memory of his mother. Her warm smile in midsummer as they walked around the fields, her playfulness as they played hide and seek in the town, the messes they would make whenever they sat down on the hills as they ate ice cream and watched the sunset over the mountains. And all of that was now gone.

Ash shuddered and bit his lower lip as he tried to keep a steady tone as he hummed the lullaby, remembering every single word of it. Finally he came face to face with his house. Ash looked at the dying garden of Roses and Orchids, the sight of it set his mood even deeper and his decision firmer.

Ash walked into the garden and opened the front door never bothering to close it behind him. Once inside the house he could swear he heard his mother's voice since she always told him to wipe his feet whenever coming in from the rain and muddy ground.

Ash walked on and headed towards the living room. The TV was off and he remembered how every Friday night both of them would sit on the couch and watch movies while snacking on popcorn. As he passed through the house the pain deepened and his tears flowed even more. Ash made his way up the stairs as he remembered that night where he lost everything.

He walked down the hall and walked into his mother's room. Everything felt so empty but the feeling of safe was still there as he remembered when on stormy nights he would race across the hall and jump into bed and hide under the covers as his mom kept him safe from the thunder and lightning.

Ash stood in front of the shattered looking glass and stared deeply into it. On the drawer he saw a piece of glass had fallen and he noticed it was sharp. Perfect for what he had in mind. Ash grabbed the piece of glass as he kept staring into the mirror. The shattered image of himself was what he was searching for when he first stared into it the day before.

With the piece of glass firmly in his right hand he lifted his left arm and placed the glass over his wrist. Ash swallowed hard and slowly began to rip through his flesh. Ash's breathing became fast as the pain got worse but the worse the pain got the deeper he would sink the piece of glass so that he would not be able to be saved if found before his departure.

The blood flowed rapidly and circled the back of his hand and fell on the floor. To all of this he still kept his eyes placed on the shattered looking glass. After Ash reached the other side of his wrist he dropped both arms and the piece of glass hit the floor as his blood spattered on the glass. Regretting he did not feel a need to explain to his dear friends he thought of the next best thing.

Ash gripped his left wrist with his right hand and walked towards the looking glass. He wrote a simple statement in crimson letters which read:

I'm sorry

With that Ash felt dazed and collapsed onto the floor. The blood loss was rapidly taking its toll and Ash felt as his last minutes were drawing closer. He was feeling weak and rather cold but he still managed to turn sideways so that he would face the ceiling, he placed his fatally wounded hand on his stomach and felt as his blood adorned his shirt. Ash felt as his life was slowly drifting away and as he waited he softly sang the lullaby in a weak tone.

"Stay by my side, don't stray and hide…soon we'll be…in each…other's…arms…"