Author's Note: I said I was going to, and I did! Here's the next chapter for Elite Protection, everyone! I hope you like it...It kinda helped that I set out what I wanted to accomplish with this chapter beforehand. That way, I was able to focus on what I wanted and what the chapter needed more then what I could do for filler. D: So read and enjoy!

Disclaimer: Wonnykins does not own Pokemon, Ash Ketchem, Gary Oak, Brock, Misty, the Elite Four, etc. There is no reason to sue me for this purely fan-made story. I promise.

Chapter 5: The Faults of Others

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"This is all your fault!"

Misty Waterflower's body shot at him from the front door like a coiled spring, knocking Gary to the floor. Her thin, smooth and delicate hands wrapped around the older man's throat. "I could kill you for hurting him that way!" Indeed, she was rather close to it.

"Misty, that's enough." Brock yanked the woman off of the blue-faced Gary with one swipe. "We need him alive. Remember? Besides, he's already a mess as it is."

This was true. As Gary sat up, one could see the dark circles under his eyes, the redness around them, and the overall paleness of his skin. His eyes were dull, and he even looked a little weak. Misty wasn't moved, however.

She put her hands on her hips, glaring down her nose at him as he rose to his feet. "You don't have a right to be upset, you selfish son of a bitch. Don't you DARE try to sway us with your Feralligator tears."

Gary's eyes narrowed. "Where the fuck do you and Squinty-Eye here get off telling ME how I feel in MY house?"

"Cut it out, you two. Call a momentary truce, for the love of God..." Brock exclaimed. "This is serious!"

Misty shut herself up before she could go any further, but she continued to look steamed.

"...Gary..." Brock said, softly, "...We need you to help us."

"With what? I don't think I owe you our your little Time Bomb any favors."

The older man's gaze could have frozen an ocean miles away. "I believe you do. It's partially, no, MOSTLY your fault that Ash is missing."

A silence reined.

"...What?"

"You heard him." Misty murmured, tone deadly, "Ash up and left two weeks ago. Just like that. May I remind you that it was YOUR behavior that made him so freaking jumpy."

"She's right." Brock chimed in, solemnly, "The way you've treated Ash all this time has changed him, Gary. He fled because he overheard Misty and I discussing him over the phone."

Gary snorted, stuffing one hand into his pants pocket while examining imaginary dirt on the other. "Yeah, so what? I don't see how I fit into the picture. Sounds like you and Waterflower were the problem, there."

"He was afraid. For himself and for that child. And you made him that way." Misty hissed. "We saw the nice little 'souvenir' you left on his head, Gary. He's scared to death you're going to injure him, and that he's going to loose that baby because of you." When Gary looked stunned at her words, she plowed on, "And don't think you wouldn't do it. He said you acted so humble after you smacked the shit out of him a couple weeks ago, begging for forgiveness. Then you up and strangle him in a doctor's office." She shook her head, red tresses bouncing. "As if there couldn't be anymore scum on this planet..."

"I never meant to-!"

Brock silenced him. "We're not sure you did or not, Gary. That's what worries us, and what's terrifying him. It's what's keeping him from returning. Which brings us back to the issue at hand..." The taller man stepped into the threshold, peering around. Gary hadn't cleaned the place in the two weeks that Ash had been gone; that had always been Ash's job...or had it seemed that way in his mind...?

"We need to know where he may have gone."

The auburn-haired man shook himself out of his musings to stare at Brock in confusion. "...What?"

"Where did he go?" Misty growled. "You only lived with him, what, five years, now. Surely you know where he goes when you two fight. Or should I say, when you beat the hell out of him while he's down."

Gary flinched, rubbing the back of his head in a guilty fashion. "I guess...I never asked him..."

"Oh, this is going to be VERY helpful..."

"Misty, that's enough." Brock snapped. She, again, quieted on command. It struck Gary how their worry over Ash had changed them; Misty was so desperate to find him that she was actually obeying orders, and Brock's fuse seemed to have been cut almost down to nothing. Already, he was becoming more impatient with Gary's silence.

"...He told me...that he's usually with one of you two...have you tried his mother?"

Brock nodded curtly. "We have. She was hysterical. We all figured he would have gone to her, but it appears not. That's a big problem, because that broadens the places he could be by several hundred."

"Several hundred?!" Gary cried, shocked.

Misty nodded. "Ash met all sorts of people on his travels. Any one of them could be helping him hide, and they're scattered all around the regions, the islands...there are even a couple over seas, if I remember correctly. And many of them live in remote areas that are hard to gain access to. If we searched them all, we wouldn't find him before the baby came along, and it all would have been for nothing."

"He's smart, but not smart enough to get the proper medical attention he'd need in some of those places." Brock added. "Which makes the search a top priority. We've been phoning a lot of people...putting up news bulletins, but there's nothing coming in."

Gary let this all sink in.

"Gary...Ash has literally vanished into thin air..." The man felt a pang of pain as he heard the quiver in Misty's voice, "We need to find him before...something happens to him...And I know you treated him like dirt but..." She stared at him, and he saw hope in her eyes, "I know, I KNOW, that you care about him, deep down. You love him. So please, help us find him. I-I...don't want to loose one of my very best friends...Ash has meant so much to me since I first met him all that time ago..."

"He means a lot to everyone who's had the pleasure to know him." Brock added, softly. "It'd be like a huge part of the world suddenly had a piece of their hearts ripped out if something bad happened to Ash...You most of all, Gary. And you know that."

For a moment, the two of them stared at Gary Oak, who had once been a proud, cocky person, yet a very caring soul. The person who had, recently, become every spouse's nightmare, and who didn't give a damn anymore about the feelings of someone he loved above everything else. Someone who used to be strong, but was now weak without that other shoulder to help him stand up. And Gary realized, then, how much he wanted...needed...Ash Ketchem in his life.

"I'll help you find him." He muttered, not paying attention to the few tears that were falling down his face. "Whatever it takes, I'll help you find him and bring him back home..." 'Where he belongs...with me.'

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"Better luck next time."

The defeated trainer scuffed her feet. She looked close to tears, and Bruno hated to see anyone cry...

He placed one of his big hands on her shoulders, giving her a reassuring smile. "There will be a next time, I assure you. You just have to practice hard."

She sniffled, but she looked up at him with hope shining in her eyes. "You mean that?"

"Of course. Took me a really long time to be what I am, you know. It may take you a lot less." And he winked at her. She grinned and wiped her eyes hurriedly.

"Thanks! I'll come back!" She turned and ran to the doors, waving, "Don't think I'll go easy on you!"

Bruno laughed heartily and waved back. "Till next time!" When the door closed, he sighed, shaking his head with a smile still on his face.

"You were awfully kind to her."

The muscle-man glanced over his shoulder, seeing Lorelei striding towards him. He shuddered; the woman was his friend, but she still gave him chills. It was her eyes, he supposed. While Lorelei was a beautiful woman indeed, her eyes were icy cold.

"I feel guilty...I acted so harsh when she advanced past me..." She stated, though her tone conveyed that the mere thought that such a child could have beaten her irritated her. "But they say tough love produces better results."

"You and your 'results', Lorelei." Bruno replied, chuckling, "You've got to learn that not everything in life can be explained with statistics. Sometimes, it takes a little thinking outside the box."

She frowned, but he knew her well enough by now to know that she wasn't angry with him. "Yes...I know...Come to think of it, didn't you say something along those lines to Ash Ketchem when he came here?"

Bruno placed his hand to the back of his head, thinking. "I may have...that was years ago, Lorelei, I doubt if I did or not..." He grinned, "But he did come back...We all knew he would."

"Yes, but I doubt it did him any good. He's only here hiding." She said, coldly. "Really, I could kill that boy..."

"Err...I thought we agreed on him staying-?"

"Not Ash, you big lummox, I meant his spouse. His boyfriend...whatever term he used..." The blue-haired woman narrowed her eyes into slits. "That low life...You know, I've heard of women being treated so harshly, but I never, never, in all my time, have heard of something like this..."

The man nodded solemnly. "It's a down-right shame..."

"Not only that," She continued, "But of all the nerve!" She crossed her arms, gripping them so tightly that Bruno feared her dagger-like nails would punch through her blouse's sleeves, "You'd think that after the way that little piece of...of...trash treated Ash all those years before they finally started...living together...you'd think he'd be GRATEFUL that Ash decided to give him a second chance!"

"I certainly would think so."

The two whipped around to see the new arrival. Lance approached calmly, as he had sounded.

"I would have waited on him hand and foot..." The magenta-haired man continued, "But Gary is, unfortunately, a rather spoiled child. He has been for years. We know this." When the other two nodded, he went on, "So of course he would act as though Ash was only another possession...He'd love him, play with him, and get bored with him, and toss him aside. But Ash isn't a material thing, and unlike all of Gary's other toys, he desires love and affection. Something Gary didn't want to give him, anymore."

"Sounds about right." Lorelei grumbled. "What a spoiled little brat..."

The youngest of them made a tittering noise of agreement. "And, of course, when Ash persisted, it pissed Gary off, and so we have here the result: A broken home. One that was never meant to exist in the first place. It's a tragedy, really..." The dragon-tamer gave a forlorn sigh.

His well-muscled companion also sighed. "Never should have happened to Ash. He was a good kid."

"Is a good kid." Lorelei corrected, and the men looked at her in surprise. It was rare that the frosty Lorelei softened to anyone. To say that someone was 'a good kid' was like God telling a man that he was Jesus. You were blessed if Lorelei favored you.

"Yes." Lance agreed, after shaking off the initial surprise of her good-nature. "He is."

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air for a couple minutes. After that, Bruno made an excuse to side step into the gymnasium for some quick tune-ups. Lance also snapped out of his daze to mumble something about checking on Agatha before quickly rushing out of the gym. Only Lorelei noticed the strange warmth in his eyes as he spoke about their guest...

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He was feverish and shaking, pale and clammy to the touch.
"Boy, I would sit down if I were you. And believe me, I'm old, I know when somebody should sit."

Ash didn't look at Agatha. She wouldn't have seen him do so, anyway. Her back was to him, and she was stirring something on the large stove top nearby. He merely sat as she's asked. The morning had been...not so great. He didn't hold anything down until noon rolled around, and by then, he was dehydrated and empty. He'd gone to find Lance to ask him about checking on Brock and Misty for him, but couldn't find the dragon-trainer anywhere.

Thank God for Agatha...

"I'll get you something to drink in a second. I'd rather not have this boiling over onto my feet; with Lance and his beasts around, they're hot enough." Whether that was meant to be a joke or not eluded Ash, who didn't want to think about anything, much less about whether Agatha had been trying to get a laugh out of him. She'd be sorely disappointed, because he didn't laugh.

She wasn't perturbed. "I hope this stage you have doesn't last much longer. Can't have anyone around hear looking like some kind of skeleton...except myself. Especially you, young man. Can't have you looking worse-for-wear with this baby you've got coming along."

"I can't hold a decent meal for more then five minutes..." The boy replied, resting one of his elbows on the table in front of him, trying to steady his shaking. "You and I both hope this doesn't last too long."She turned and swatted at his arm quickly, earning a protesting yelp.

"No elbows on the table. Manners." She muttered in explanation. How she'd known with her back turned that he'd been sitting like that, Ash didn't know, but for his arm's sake, he didn't dare touch the table again. "Anyway, I know for certain that you'll be feeling better in a few weeks at the very most." The old woman poured a thick broth into a bowl, ladling noodles and chicken into it.

Ash took the bowl from her with a soft thank you. "What makes you say that?"

"Dear, I'm old, not senile." Agatha replied, bluntly, ladling another bowl for herself. "About the time a pregnancy reaches its forth month, the morning sickness will stop." She sat herself beside him, and gave him a stern look which made him set the bowl back down on the table before resuming to eat. Only then did she turn her eyes to her own food and begin to eat, herself.

The boy let the warmth slid over his tongue briefly as he contemplated his next statement. "...Did you ever...have children, Agatha?"

She stopped eating and sighed in a tired way. "No, but my sister did. She was a foolish girl...Had them when she was seventeen and eighteen. Barely old enough to get a half-decent job, and, of course, their good-for-nothing father took to the hills. Foolish, foolish wretch..."

"...For...having the kids, or for-?"

"For everything she did." Agatha murmured, narrowing her eyes and placing her spoon down. She folded her hands and brought them to her face, closing her wrinkled old eyes. "...Those children never had a good home...she was always away, with men or work, and they never saw much of her. My mother had to watch them while she was out fooling around. I hated that." A pause. "...She was my sister, but I absolutely hated her for what she did, or didn't, do to those children. I was fond of them...They were always so happy to have someone around..."

By this point, the dark-haired boy had stopped eating to give Agatha his full attention. "...What happened to them?"

A tired sigh came from weathered lips. "They were taken away. A neighbor found them all alone one day, their mother had been gone for a week, they had said. She never told us, that bitch...left them alone to starve and cry and...and beg God for someone, anyone...to find them." A shudder passed Agatha's lips as she plowed on, "Social Services came while my mother and I watched over them...they took them away, and we never saw them again."

"And your sister?"

The old woman's face grew stony. "We found out that she had been staying with a man who was a dealer with drugs. She'd stupidly gotten herself so messed up that she said that she'd had 'no choice but to stay there'." A snort. "A load of cock-and-bull is what that all was. She said the most awful things when she found out her children were gone...said that it was more money for her...And I wanted to kill her for it."

"It's because of her that those children are somewhere far away, growing up not knowing who their real family is. It's because of her incompetence that two more children are in harm's way." She sniffed once, dabbing her eyes. "I did so love those precious children...So you listen here, boy." Her eyes flew open, and she fixed Ash with a gaze hard enough to send Charizard scurrying. "Don't you dare deny or neglect this child's wants and needs. I will not tolerate anything that will risk a child, do you understand me? That is why I allowed you to stay. We took you in. You are merely a child yourself, and we took you out of a bad situation. Don't make us regret that, boy. Especially not I, because I will rein hell upon you if you do unto that child what my sister did unto hers."

Ash nodded wearily. "I understand..."

"Do you?" She asked, voice still steely, eyes still questioning. "Do you really?"

"...Yes, Agatha. I promise you, I won't make you regret it."

A silence formed between them, as if it had left the conversation between the other three of the Elite Four and had come to rest on the last of them and their guest.

Finally, though, Agatha softened, reaching over to clasp Ash's hand in her wrinkled, knobby hand. "You're a good boy. A very good boy. And I trust you will do the right thing." She did not smile, but it was good enough.

They ate the rest of their lunch in silence.

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The window was open. A faint breeze was making itself present in Ash's temporary room, making the air in it a little warmer. Because Lorelei had a lot of ice pokemon, (this was her excuse; the woman preferred the cold), the headquarters of the Elite Four were extremely cold, perhaps even to the point of freezing. Ash couldn't stand it at all, and was thankful that the weather outside was warmer then his room. He would have gone out, had it not been for the fact that no one would let him.

'If someone catches sight of you and happens to report it, we have no choice but to let the claim be investigated...' Agatha had warned. 'You're a face that's easy to recognize, and your disappearance has more then likely caused a lot of people to jump at the opportunity to find you. Don't be a twit; if you need to go outside, have one of us go with you.' At this point, though, when he'd asked for her to accompany him, she'd sheepishly told him that she had to tend to her Haunter, who seemed to be doing poorly since its last battle.

This would have gone over well, had it not been for the fact that the other three of the Elite Four also appeared to be rather busy with something. Thus, Ash was inside. He wasn't happy about it, but there wasn't anything he could do.

Actually, the boy was rather tired, and could have used a nap, but the cold of the building prevented it, even with the window open. He was forced to be content with day dreaming while being wrapped tightly in a heavy blanket. Having nothing else to do, the dark-haired trainer found himself reminiscing; mostly on the recently past relationship he'd shared with Gary Oak...

Ash missed that. The whole love thing had been so filling, so purposeful to him. He doubted that he'd ever forget it, of course; he'd given too much into the affair and to Gary for it to ever cease it's nagging at his heart strings. In a way, he believed that he was emotional split. On one hand, he wanted to forget Gary, and all they'd had, for the better of his mental state. After all, he didn't need to be upset and concerned with a thing of the past at the moment, not with someone else he had to take care of.

And yet...

The part that Ash couldn't and wouldn't give in to was the one that wanted to cling on to the faint hope that, somehow, things would go back to the way they were in the beginning, when he and Gary had been in actual love. It was, he thought, a natural thing to think; many others felt that way after parting ways with a lover or a spouse. He thought, also, that for him to want such a thing was unhealthy, and that he needed to forget the feeling of want.

The want to hold, to be held, to love and to be loved in return. It was very different to want all those things...and not have them. He only realized this once he'd gotten over the initial shock of the relationship coming to an end, which was when he'd gotten settled into his quarters here with the Elite Four. Even during the more recent times, when Gary was clearly not interested in what Ash had to give him any longer, the feeling of want was satisfied, no matter if it was out of love or rather, more often, from lust. Now, he couldn't even have that.

With a soft sigh, the dark-haired boy rested his head back against the wall. He was sitting on his bed, feet straight out in front of him, hands in his lap. He wished things could have remained the way they had started; a fresh, new love with all the perks. With all the laughter, the sweet moments, the tender touches and chaste kisses. He desired the return of that love more then anything else.

Exhaustion finally over came Ash, and he allowed himself to be flooded with memories that were warm and pleasant, and yet, at the same time, burned...

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The summer air is warm against them, the wind kind to their hair as they lay in the grass. Soft laughter escapes them, and small touches are received with shy smiles and pink cheeks. Neither will meet the eyes of the other, but not out of guilt, of shyness. They are young, around fifteen years of age each, with the auburn-haired boy being slightly older, and slightly more experienced with the emotions that teenagers receive.

It is only by chance that they have chosen to be with each other in such a way as this. So much fighting had passed between them in the days before that it is a wonder such a love as the one they share could exist between them. This reality never fazes them, and they pay it no mind when friends mention it. The two shrug it off as if it is of no importance. And perhaps it isn't.

The fingers of the younger one intertwine with the older one's own, and he smiles up at him rather bashfully. The older doesn't seem to mind the action, and in fact tightens his hold on the hand so lovingly clutched in his own. He presses a kiss to the dark-haired boy's cheek, which prompts another giggle. The sound excites the older boy, who smiles with playful deviousness in his eyes and leans in to press another kiss to the smaller boy, this time to his lips. A quiet sigh leaves the dark-haired boy, and he closes his eyes.

Seeds blowing off the dandelions of the late summer gently brush the two figures in the grass, as though gently taking some of their love to spread to farther places. The seeds drift, the grass ripples, the leaves in the trees whisper. A call of a bird breaks the silence, but only for a moment, and even then, the melody playing around the two boys is harmonious.

"I love you."

Even those three simple words work into the sound of the world around them pleasantly. The smaller of the two looks up at the speaker with a pair of gracious and loving eyes.

"I love you, too."

The summer air continues to drift, carrying the words spoken away, for others to hear. The warm summer air over a blanket of grass, covering two new lovers. A summer breeze that holds them together in this point in time, not knowing that what has come to pass will not hold in the end...

A summer breeze in a memory...a memory that brings tears...tears of the sorrow of a young love now lost to time and bitterness.

A breeze in a memory. Nothing more.

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So! Tell me what you thought of this one! It may seem a little different in style then anything else I've written, and if it is, I'd like to know. D: I was wondering how my style's improved.

ALSO!

I need the reviewing population's help! I need you all to tell me what you want to see in this next chapter, because, honestly, I haven't written it yet. I want YOUR imput! Tell me in your review what you'd really like to see happen soon. I'll take the best five ideas and put them in the next chapter. Try not to make it something like 'Ash has twins!', because I'd really like to keep the story long, and having have twins is a LONG while off. Even for ultra sounds. He's only a couple months along! ...Or, maybe he can go in for those now...D: Research is required for further involvement in that!

But getting back on topic; tell me what YOU want! You're the audience, and I aim to please! If you'd rather keep your idea private, pm me here, or on GaiaOnline: Wonnykins. You can also e-mail me at Eryncheeta(atsign)msn(dot)com. Looking forward to the ideas you can come up with!

-Wonnykins