Thunder cracked above them in the steel gray sky, the lightning flashes blinding. Rain was coming down in streaming torrents, harder then either of them had ever seen. It was like standing under a waterfall.

Ash and Misty ran down a deserted forest trail. They burst out from the trees into a clearing, a steep rock face towering above them to their left, more trees to their right. The path forked in front of them.

Misty turned to Ash, her temper flaring. She was completely drenched from head to toe and exhausted from their frantic running. Her hair had escaped from its usual side ponytail, and it hung over her shoulders in dripping waves.

'You complete IDIOT, Ash Ketchum!' she yelled over the roar of the pouring rain. 'How on earth did you manage to get us separated from Brock and Pikachu? Now we have NO idea where we are!!!' she howled at him, balling up her fists. She gave an involuntary shiver and wrapped her arms around her waist.

Ash flinched and gritted his teeth. He was in no mood to put up with her ungrateful bad temper.

'In case you had forgotten, I got us separated by pulling YOU out of the way of Team Rocket's bomb! I SAVED YOU!!! You'd be toast now if it wasn't for me!!!' He snarled back, glaring at her.

Misty bit her lip, unwilling to acknowledge he was right. She should have gotten control of her temper there and then, but something inside of her had snapped, what with the trauma of nearly being blown up and then suddenly being saved by Ash, only to end up alone in a dark forest with him.

'I had it under control!!! So could you at least TRY to get us out of here?' she snapped.

'And which way do YOU think we should go, since YOU'RE so clever?!' Ash shouted.

'IT"S NOT MY FAULT WE'RE OUT HERE!' Misty shrieked.

'IT'S NOT MINE EITHER! BUT OF COURSE YOU'RE BLAMING ME AS USUAL!' Ash yelled, getting right in Misty's face. The stress of seeing his best friend narrowly avoid being blown to smithereens had already stretched his nerves to breaking point.

'WELL STOP FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF AND GET US OUT OF HERE!' she screamed, inches away from his face.

Something is Ash stirred as he watched her mouth move so close to his face. The electricity between them sizzled. Ash didn't know what to do with the feeling so he let his anger take over.

'AND HOW DO YOU SUPPOSE I DO THAT WHEN I HAVEN'T A CLUE WHERE WE ARE?!?!' Ash howled, pushing his face even closer.

Misty glared furiously back at Ash. Drops of rain were trickling down his face as he stared back at her, his dark eyes enraged at her unbelievable behavior. Misty opened her mouth to holler back, but her heart had suddenly stopped beating. Her anger vanished when she realized Ash's mouth was an inch from hers.

Ash saw her expression change. Suddenly something broke loose inside of him, and before he could even stop to think about what he was doing, he plunged his mouth down onto Misty's open one, pushing his body up against her. His anger instantly dissolved, pure passion taking its place.

Misty gasped as he kissed her fiercely, her knees almost giving way with the force of it. She responded instantly by pushing her body back against his, knocking the hat off his head and twisting her fingers into his damp hair.

Ash forced her to step back, thrusting her up against the cliff face and pinning her there with his body. His hands traced her face, tugged at her hair and caressed her shoulders, her arms as they kissed. She trembled when they found the exposed skin at her waist.

Ash's mind had gone blissfully blank, adrenaline shooting through his veins. He lost himself in her, barely noticing the rain hammering down upon them. He hadn't known that sensations like this existed.

Misty was swept away by the strength of her passion. She bit his lower lip and arched her back into him, never wanting him to stop.

The thunder crashed right above them, and Ash forced himself to pull back, gasping. He could still taste her on his lips; he could feel the heat radiating out from her body…

'We…gotta…move…' he stuttered out, breathing hard, his face still close to hers.

Misty nodded wildly, suddenly becoming aware of the darkening sky. Ash kissed her once more, hard, before he grabbed her hand and tried to lead her down the path closest to the rock face. She stumbled, her legs flailing and stiff. The shock of the near-death explosion was starting to kick in. She looked up at him desperately. Ash snatched his cap off the ground before sweeping her up into his arms and running for it. The storm had gotten even more violent and it was dangerous to be exposed.

Luckily, he soon came across a little wooden cabin, built especially for Pokemon trainers traveling through the region. He kicked the door open and stepped into the room, careful to avoid bumping Misty in any way.

Ash set her carefully down on the floor, leaning her up against a wall. The rain hammered on the roof, and water was dripping from the ceiling in places.

'Are you ok, Misty?' he asked worriedly, peering at her in the dim light. She looked up at him and shivered, but her eyes were shining. She smiled at him.

'I'll be just fine.'

Ash wasn't convinced. He opened her backpack, trying to find a dry sweater, but the rain had soaked everything. He tried his own pack. No luck.

Ash swallowed hard as he gently pulled her off her soaking shoes, his hands brushing her soft skin. Electricity was still coursing through his veins from their kiss. His brain was trying to process what it all meant.

He removed his own shoes and his jacket, and his still semi-dry t-shirt. Misty didn't say anything but tried to avoid looking at his smooth, muscular chest.

'Put this on.' He said quietly as he handed her the shirt.

Misty took the shirt, trembling a little but not even bothering to protest. Ash diplomatically turned his back, but his hands were shaking and he felt very hot all of a sudden.

Misty slipped her suspenders off, and eased her yellow tank over her head. She pulled Ash's black t-shirt over her head, feeling a little dizzy as she breathed in the scent that clung to it.

'I'm ready.' She said quietly.

Ash turned around quickly. His breath caught in his chest at the sight of her in his clothes. But he ignored the hammering of his heart and various suggestion that arose in his head, and simply sat down beside her. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. Misty wound her arm around his waist and laid her head on his bare chest.

She was safe.

This is an unusual take on how Ash and Misty could end up together, different from the usual 'I love you Ash!' 'I love you too Misty!'…you know what I mean. I wanted to write something that was a little different (and non soppy) that showed Ash and Misty's passionate sides without being too graphic. I also wanted to show how all their fighting is just to cover up how much they really care. Hope you like it. Comment please.