It was that time of the year when the leaves started to change color and the days became shorter and the nights longer. The sun was beginning to descend behind the peak of the nearest mountain and the orange rays reflected off the leaves already on the ground.

Yet another day had gone by and for Serena the same thing was on her mind. Ash. It was becoming a bit of a routine for her to be thinking of him when her mind started to wander. Random details like his laugh, his hair and what might be under his clothes…

She suddenly gasped as a deep crimson blush appeared on her face. She mentally scolded herself for thinking of such things yet she couldn't help but enjoy the thought...

"Hey Serena are you ok?" Serena startled, turned around to address the speaker. It was Ash. Yet another blush.

"Yep everything's fine! Just zoned out for a minute." She smiled at the boy who looked both concerned and confused. She thought to herself how compassionate Ash was without him ever realizing it. He really was something special.

"Well if something's bothering you just let me know, ok?"

"Will do" She said while blushing again. Ash failed to notice. Serena sighed, that doesn't mean he can be oblivious sometimes.

The group was camping out at a lean to off of the side of the trail as to save some time and to stay out of the elements should it rain. It was big enough that all four of them could easily sleep in it together. The surrounding area was a basic campsite with a firepit that was being used by Clemont, the group's main cook. He was preparing dinner while his little sister, Bonnie was playing with the three older trainer's pokemon in the grass nearby. Laughter could be heard from the innocent yet incredibly mature little girl. Everything in her world might as well have been perfect.

Serena couldn't help but feel jealous of Bonnie's ignorance of just what kind of pain could be felt with growing up.

"Dinner's ready!" Shouted Clemont, snapping Serena out of her thoughts.

"All right I'm starving!" yelled Ash in reply as he charged towards the firepit to claim his dinner. Serena couldn't help giggling at his behavior.

After dinner Clemont and Ash went off to a nearby river to wash the dishes and Serena was left alone with Bonnie back at the lean to. Bonnie was obviously tired and starting to slow down.

Meanwhile the sky was beginning to darken. Clouds were forming quickly and the sun was almost hidden from the camp's view. Serena thought it would be smart to begin setting up for the night so they wouldn't be fumbling around in the dark. However one thought crossed her mind.

The lean to was completely open so what was stopping a wild pokemon like Ursaring from attacking them at night? Not to mention the thunder that could be heard in the distance. What if a storm hit them?

Rather slyly Serena arranged the sleeping bags so that Ash and Clemont were on the outside while Serena and Bonnie were on the inside of the formation. Serena blushed as she put her bag next to Ash's. She would feel a lot safer if she slept next to him tonight. She then cleaned up the camp a little and retired to tending to the fire.

Footsteps could be heard as Ash and Clemont returned from the river. Both of them exhausted and cold from a hard day of traveling in the mountains. The sun had finally dipped below the horizon and the headlamps were broken out. The four traveling companions sat around the warm fire talking about everything from Ash's latest gym battle to Bonnie's goals when she became a trainer in a few years. After some silence, Bonnie let out a yawn and leaned on Clemont's shoulder.

"Bonnie and I are gonna go to bed, see you in the morning you two." Clemont carried Bonnie to the lean to placing her in her sleeping bag before climbing into his own. Light snoring could be heard as the duo transcended into sleep.

Ash and Serena remained sitting next to each other at the fire in a comfortable silence.

Serena's mind began to wander like it did earlier. Noticing how the fire's flickering orange light bounced off of Ash's face and arms. How she wanted to be held by those arms…. should she say something before it gets awkward?

Before she got the chance though, Ash spoke up.

"What are you thinking about?" He said with a yawn.

"N-Nothing" She replied quickly and turned her head to hide her blush. Not that is was visible in the near darkness.

"If you say so" said Ash with another yawn. "Man I'm tired."

"Yeah me too" replied Serena.

A far away boom could be heard and the wind started to pick up. "Looks like that storm is going to hit us after all" Serena said quietly.

"We should probably get to bed" Ash said while looking in the direction the thunder came from.

"Yeah that would be smart" Said Serena absent-mindedly.

Both Ash and Serena started towards the lean to. The wind started to blow harder and it got noticeably colder. Serena smiled as she looked at Bonnie who was leaning her head on Clemonts chest in an attempt to get warmer. Serena thought it might be funny to tease her about it in the morning. She had really become like her big sister.

Ash had already climbed into his sleeping bag and was beginning to curl up and go to sleep. Serena claimed her spot between Ash and Bonnie with a small blush as she realized exactly how close she was to Ash. She could feel his body heat radiating off of him and watched his chest rise and fall with his slow breathing.

Suddenly a bright flash with a louder boom following it startled both Ash and Serena as they were still awake. Serena let out a little yelp and Ash looked over at her.

"Sorry" She said bashfully.

"Don't worry about it" Ash said back with a warm smile.

Their faces were really only inches apart. Serena suddenly felt incredibly self conscious as she stared into his amber eyes. Ash stared back into her powerful blue ones.

Another flash and this time a deafening boom immediately afterwards. Rain started pelting down on the roof of the lean to and into the fire pit's red coals. Both Clemont and Bonnie were awakened by this one. Serena's eyes opened wide and she grabbed Ash surprising both herself and Ash alike.

"Um...are you alright Serena?" Ash asked with confusion and concern in his voice.

Serena didn't reply as another bolt of lightning hit nearby. Instead she buried her face into Ash's chest and hugged him tighter. Ash out of instinct hugged her back and whispered quietly into Serena's ear that everything was ok. He was still very confused but completely willing to help Serena is any way she needed.

Serena had calmed down by now but was immensely enjoying herself. She decided she could fake it for a while just to be held by Ash like this. His body heat was starting to make her drowsy. She felt herself melt in his embrace and closed her eyes. She soon fell into a comfortable sleep with a smile on her face.

Ash meanwhile could feel Serena's breasts against his body. He developed a blush of his own which was pretty rare for the confident trainer. He too was beginning to succumb to the body heat of Serena. His mind however was thinking about things completely new to him. He felt himself "attracted" to this girl sleeping on him. He had always thought of her as one of his best friends but then again there always this weird sort of feeling he got in his stomach when he thought about her. He had never encountered it before with his other female traveling companions. He struggled to describe it. It was like a warm fluttering sensation that he had really come to love.

Soon enough Ash's eyes slowly closed, but before he drifted into his own slumber, he swore he saw a smile on Serena's face.

Little did they know that Bonnie was watching them after being woken up by the thunder which had now passed. She had a huge grin on her face as she looked at the two in each other's embrace. She thought to herself just how close Ash and Serena were about to come in the next few days.