Author's Notes: Several people requested a sequel. So I did, sort of. This is same sequence of events, but through Ash's eyes.
I will remember you,
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life, pass you by,
Weep not for, the memories.
The forest was dark. Ash could barely see where he was running, even with the flashlight, but he couldn't slow down. He had to find her. He had to find Misty. How could he have been so stupid? Could one sentence uttered in a moment of anger destroy a relationship before it even had had a chance to bloom? Could one fight, one that had started like so many others, end it all?
Remember the good times, that we had,
We let them slip away from us when things got bad
Clearly I first saw you, smilin' in the sun,
I wanna feel your warmth upon me, I wanna be the one
He would always remember the day they had met. He had been running away from a wild pack of Spearows when had fallen into a creek, only to fished out of the cold water by one Misty Waterflower. A spark lit inside Ash the moment he saw her, even though he had been too young then to realize it. At first he thought that she was a loud, annoying, headstrong girl that wouldn't stop complaining about her accursed bicycle. Sometimes it was the second impression that truly mattered.
I will remember you,
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life, pass you by,
Weep not for, the memories.
An unseen branch scraped his cheek, but Ash didn't slow. He had to find her. He had to apologize. He had to beg for forgiveness if that's what it took. He would do anything. How had one moment brought them to this? One moment, the argument had been like any other. The next… Something inside snapped when he had heard her say that the only reason she had been following him was to get her bike back. He had felt rage build in him like at no other time in his life. He was mad at himself for thinking there was something there that hadn't been. He was mad at her for letting him believe it, even though he had never said a word to her. He was mad at himself for being mad at her. In this firestorm of emotion he had stormed into his tent, grabbed the money he had been saving over the last year, and threw it in her face. "There!" he shouted, and told her that now nothing was holding her back. He told her she should go.
I'm so tired, but I can't sleep,
Standing on the edge of something much too deep
It's funny how we feel so much, yet cannot say a word,
We are screaming inside but we, can't be heard
The air in his lungs burned and his legs protested every step he took, but he knew he couldn't stop. He jumped over a small creek and slid in the mud falling to his hands and knees. He struggled back up and continued to run. Ash wasn't sure exactly he had realized that he had liked her. He did know, however, when he had first loved her. It had been at the carnival they had visited during the first year of traveling together. Misty, Brock, and he had gotten dressed up for the last night of celebrations. It wasn't that her hair was down or the Kimono she had on. No, it was something he saw in her eyes. For the first time, he saw her more than a companion and more than a friend. It was an experience hard to explain but one that would never leave his mind, or his heart.
I will remember you,
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life, pass you by,
Weep not for, the memories.
The look in Misty's eyes after he told her to leave was also one that would haunt him forever. Silently he watched her pack her things and get ready to leave, every moment willing himself to tell he didn't mean a word of it, tell her he was sorry, tell her to stay. But he didn't. Brock tried to stop her, but she shrugged him off and left without a word. For long minutes he did nothing but stare in the direction she had left. What had he done? He was too confused and angry at himself to hear Brock's questions over what he had just done or his cries to go after her. He just sat there in a trance, mentally watching the seconds ticking away, each one lengthening the distance between him and Misty.
So afraid to love you, more afraid to lose,
Clinging to a past that doesn't let me choose
Once there was a darkness, a deep and endless night,
You gave me everything you had, oh you gave me light
If he had only had had the courage to tell her the truth. He was afraid, though. As long as he didn't say anything, there was a chance. But if he told her his feelings for her, and she didn't return them, he would have nothing. He couldn't risk that. He needed Misty. He didn't think he could live without her. He couldn't. He wouldn't. Even if it meant having to live with his feelings bottle up inside him, that's what he would do.
I will remember you,
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life, pass you by,
Weep not for, the memories.
He called her name over and over, but there was no reply. She had to be out here. He had to find her. There was no other option. Every shadow tricked him. He saw her every where he turned, but like a desert mirage, they all disappeared as he closed on them. He was losing hope. He knew, that no matter how much he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to keep running for much longer. He called her name again. Then suddenly she was there. Standing in front of him, only yards away. Certain it was another mirage, he almost kept running, but this mirage didn't disappear. This Misty remained, standing up, looking at him with tear stained eyes. He knew now the time for being afraid was over. If he didn't tell her what was in his heart, he would lose her forever. It surprised him how easy the words flowed…
"Misty! I found you! Misty, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please don't go. I love you, can't you see? Please don't leave me."
I will remember you,
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life, pass you by,
Weep not for, the memories.
All he could do was stand there and wait for her response. Those moments ticked by slower than any other and were more tortuous that any horror he could imagine.
"I'll buy you the best bike ever. Just don't leave."
Misty began to laugh, small chuckles through her tears. Ash knew he had blown it. He had chased her, unfilled his heart before her, and she laughed? Misty must have noticed the look on his face and spoke for the first time.
"You stupid dolt, " she said, none of the emotion usually behind such word evident. "Can't you see I don't want a bike." She paused. "I want you."
Tears filled his eyes once more and happiness filled the heart he had just emptied.
He drew his face closer to her, staring deep in her eyes. The look she returned was to become the third such gaze etched in his mind. He felt her lips touch his, salty with the tears she had shed before.
Weep not for, the memories.
Ash felt Misty next to him. She had fallen asleep several minutes before. They had decided to stay where they were until morning, Ash's flashlight having long since died out. Brock would be worried, but as he watched the girl beside him sleep soundly, he couldn't think of anything else but her. The night had begun as the worst in his life, and had ended as the best. As sleep finally claimed him, he silently thanked fate for its intervention. No matter what tomorrow held, tonight he had everything. Ash knew they had found each other at last.