. . .H-hello, readers. –hides- I know that this is really late. . .and I'm SO SORRY! But it was Halloween weekend when I started this chapter, so I was really distracted by the holiday, and I'm in the children's show at my college and that takes up my time like you wouldn't believe! Needless to say, I'm very sorry, and I hope that you haven't just given up on me.

On the bright side, I got a cover drawn by the wonderful IvyBean! I love it, it's absolutely brilliant! I put a link for it on my profile if you want to check it out (and you want to check it out, believe me!).

Well, enough with the formalities. Enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or the song Cat's in the Cradle by Harry Chapin. I do own the OCs used/mentioned in this fic and the plot of it, so please do not steal either.

Dedication: This story is officially dedicated to IvyBean. She has been a loyal follower of this story and a wonderful reviewer, and the cover she drew for it is absolutely fabulous. I love you, girlie!

Cat's in the Cradle

By: Sally White (a.k.a. RDH)

Part VI

For the next week or so, Misty stayed with the Ketchums. Deliah was near inconsolable for those first few days, pacing around the house and randomly bursting into tears over the littlest of things. After those first few days, though, she seemed to realize that crying and mourning would not make everything alright, and she went back to being herself, albeit a bit more sad than she usually would have been. Misty was the one who helped with the chores and cooking while Deliah was not herself. Misty still helped out after the woman returned to normal, saying that she might as well make herself useful.

Ash spent that week trying to contact Richie. He visited Professor Oak to see if his twin had stopped at the lab after he had left. Oak confirmed that Richie had visited, and that the Brown boy had left all of his Pokémon except Sparky with the Professor. This worried Ash, for one rule in Pokémon training was that one never went anywhere without their Pokémon. He then checked in with the ferry harbor to see if his brother had perhaps bought a ticket. As it just so turned out, Richie had bought a ticket but he'd had no specific destination set. Ash had returned home, more worried than ever. He knew that his twin was going to need time to sort his thoughts; he just hoped that Richie would be alright, wherever he was going.

The rest of the week passed with no other upsets or memorable events. Deliah cooked and cleaned, Ash and Misty hung out and trained their Pokémon. The three of them never once talked about what had transpired the past week. The topic of Richie, Giovanni, Red, or anything to do with the Ketchum family name past had, once again, become a delicate topic.

And it was driving Ash insane.

…..

"Do you have any threes?"

"Go fish. Do you have any sixes?"

"Go fish."

Ash and Misty sat on the floor of Ash's room, playing a game of Go Fish. Neither of them were really into the game, however, and were just trying to pass the time.

Ash sighed and put his cards face-down on the floor in front of him, flopping back on his back on the floor. "I'm bored. Mist, let's do something."

The red-head rolled her eyes. "Like what? There's nothing to do."

Ash stared up at the ceiling, thinking. "We could make out."

"Or not," Misty immediately replied, her face blushing pink.

Ash thought again. "Well, I don't know, then. My brain's blank."

"And that's different from usual how?" Misty sneered playfully.

He lifted his head and glared at his girlfriend. "Shut it." He laid his head back down.

After a few moments of silence Ash said quietly, "I wonder how Richie is."

Misty's expression softened. "I'm sure he's just fine, Ash. If he's anything like his brother, he'll bounce back quick enough."

"I know," he sighed. "I just . . . he left all his Pokémon except Sparky. He's really upset, and he's trying to deal with it alone." His expression turned sad. "If he had just stayed here, me and mom could've helped him sort through this. But he ran away . . ." He sat up quickly, reaching out for her and pulling her into his arms. He buried his face in her hair, trying to calm himself by breathing her sweet familiar scent.

She wrapped her arms around his torso, letting him take whatever comfort he needed from her. She knew that this was hard for him and that this was one of the only ways that she could help him.

Watching from the bed, Pikachu and Azurill watched their trainers with sad eyes. Pikachu had no idea how to help Ash, and Azurill did not completely understand the situation because she was a baby, but she still felt sad for them.

Ash sighed again and lifted his head, staring at the ceiling as he tried to loose himself in thought. But, oddly enough, he found that his mind had gone completely blank. He smiled and held the girl in his arms just a little bit tighter. You're so good for me, he voiced silently in his mind. And he decided to tell her so.

Misty was slightly surprised when Ash suddenly pulled her away from himself, though not very far. She gazed up at him, her eyes softening as she saw the love in his brown eyes that was directed towards her. She chuckled softly. "What?"

"You're so good for me," he declared quietly, leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers.

She blushed and giggled nervously. "Why do you say that?"

He cuddled her close again, this time his embrace affectionate instead of sad as it had been a few moments ago. "You just are. Just being around you makes me feel better and helps clear my head."

"It doesn't take much to clear your head," she said cheekily, gripping his shirt at his chest in her hands, a teasing glimmer in her blue-green eyes.

Ash pouted. "Not cool, Misty."

She laughed out loud, having to lean against him to keep from toppling over in her humor. After a few moments she finally calmed down, wiping away a tear of mirth. She leaned up and pressed her lips to his in a very brief but sweet kiss. She pulled away, smiling at him. "You love me, though."

"Yeah," he agreed, a goofy grin gracing his lips.

Pikachu rolled his eyes at the teenagers while Azurill squealed with mirth.

Ash suddenly had an idea. He looked down at the red-head in his arms. "Hey, do you wanna go for a walk?"

"Sure," she agreed immediately, starting to pull away from him.

He growled playfully and pulled her back to himself. "I didn't say that you could get up," he said, wrapping his arms tighter around her. "Just one more kiss." He started to lower his head to hers when –

BAM!

Ash groaned from where he lay on the floor, a large bump on his head. Misty stood over him, her mallet in her left hand resting on her left shoulder. Her eye twitched with irritation. "Do NOT tell me what to do," she warned, her eyes narrowed at him.

"Got it," he said weakly, giving her a thumbs-up before dropping his hand back on the floor.

…..

"This was a good idea," Misty commented as she walked down the path with Azurill in her arms.

Ash walked beside her with his arm around her waist, Pikachu on his shoulder. He grinned. "Well, I'm glad I suggested it then."

She nodded, smiling.

They walked down the path a ways more before they saw a figure leaning against a tree that was off the side of the path. As they walked closer, Ash tensed up, his eyes narrowing. He unwrapped his arms from around Misty and gently pushed her behind him.

She gave him a concerned look. "What is it, Ash?"

He did not answer her, just continued to glare at the person. He yelled, "What are you doing here? What do you want this time?"

It was the girl from a few days ago. Her long white hair blew in the breeze as did the black short skirt that she wore. Around her shoulders was a dark brown leather jacket, and she also wore a white button up blouse. On her feet were the same boots as last time, and the newest change was the black belt hanging around her hips with a long sword sheathe attached to it, the hilt of the sword sticking out of the top.

The girl's crimson-red eyes gazed lazily at the boy, a smirk adorning her lips. "Ash Ketchum. Fancy meeting you again." She pushed herself off the tree and walked over to the two. She stopped a few feet from Ash, her expression never changing.

Ash met her gaze with his fierce stare, his hands twitching as if he wanted to hit her.

She pushed her hair behind her right ear before speaking. "So, did you take my advice to heart? Did you learn about your family name?"

Ash only nodded curtly in reply.

Misty glanced around him to get a good look at the girl. "Ash? Who is she? How do you know her?"

"Oh, we don't know each other," the girl said flippantly, waving her hand. "We're total strangers. Or at least, I'm a stranger to you all." She smirked. "I, however, know quite a bit about him. And about you, too, Miss Waterflower."

"Leave her out of this," Ash snarled, his hands forming fists. "I'll ask you again: what are you doing here and what do you want this time?"

The girl lifted her hands in front of herself. "Now, now, no need to be defensive." She lowered her hands. "I was just wondering if you learned anything new since we last met."

"Yeah, I did," he said gruffly. "I learned about my family."

"Oh, goody," the girl said, clapping her hands in false cheer.

"Why is it so important to you?" Ash demanded.

The girl chuckled darkly, ducking her head so that her hair hid her face. "Oh, what a question. You see, it's important for a . . . client of mine. It's of great importance to . . . them, that you know all about your family name and the cruelty surrounding it." She looked up, her red eyes darkened with rage. "You have no idea, Ketchum. No idea."

Ash hesitated, then took a deep breath before saying slowly, "Look, I can see that whatever is wrong really upsets you," he held out his hand to her, "so let us help you. There's no need for us to be enemies." He gave her his most brilliant smile.

The girl seemed to consider it, slowly stretching her hand to his. Then she smacked his hand away, hard. She snorted. "You really are naïve, aren't you? You think that you can offer friendship to anyone and everything will be alright. Well, you're wrong!" She scowled at him.

He held his hand that she had just hit, rubbing the sore spot on it. Misty glared at the girl, furious.

The girl suddenly smirked again. "So, you learned about your family. Good. Keep in mind everything you learned. Oh, and don't worry about your brother; we'll be sure to watch him, wherever he goes."

"You keep away from Richie!" Ash yelled, angry again.

The girl chuckled again and turned to walk away. Angry, Ash growled, "Hey, don't you just leave like this! You at least owe us a name!"

The girl glanced over her shoulder at him. "I suppose that's true enough. My name is Reina; Reina Parker."

Ash suddenly gasped, his eyes going wide. "I know you!" he yelled. "Or at least, I know who you are. You're Joey's sister!"

The girl whirled around, a look of shock adorning her features. "You . . . you know my little brother?" Her eyes narrowed. "How?"

"I met up with him in Sinnoh," Ash told her. "He's been looking for you, him and Alice. They miss you."

Reina was very quiet, then said softly, "I'm glad he's well, but his quest for me is pointless." She glared at Ash again. "And if you even breathe a word about me to him, I will take off your head." She gripped the hilt of her sword. "Is that understood?"

Ash slowly nodded.

Reina nodded curtly, then turned back around. "Au revoir, Ash Ketchum. Keep in mind everything that you have learned. You'll need it in the near future." With that she walked off into the woods, the shadows hiding her the further she walked until she was out of sight.

Ash let out a breath that he had not known that he was keeping in. "Well, that could've gone better."

"Who was she?" Misty demanded.

Ash turned to look at his girlfriend. "She's the one who told me to find out about my family. But I didn't know that she was Joey's sister." He frowned. "Something is up. I don't like the way she kept insinuating that something is gonna happen." He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Something tells me that this won't be the last we hear from them."

Misty just looked at him with confusion and worry in her eyes. "Who's Joey? And what can we do?"

Ash pulled her into his arms, careful not to squish Azurill. "I'll tell you Joey's story later. And right now, I guess all we can do is hope and pray for the best." He sighed again, his eyes narrowing. "But I'm glad I learned about my family. I bet Grandpa Red will have some answers."

Misty nodded, leaning her head against his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat.

The breeze blew leaves around the couple, seeming to be a sign that things would work out, somehow, someway.

…..

Meanwhile, back at the Ketchum residence. . .

Ring. Ring. Ri –

"Hello? Deliah speaking, how can I help you?"

". . .It's been a while, hasn't it Del?"

". . .Yes, it has . . . Gio."

And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me
My boy was just like me

The End . . .?

Well, that's it! The conclusion to Cat's! I know, you all probably hate the ending. But it was necessary for there to be follow up stories. You'll appreciate it later on.

IMPORTANT NOTE! On my profile is a poll. If you want a follow up story to Cat's, I suggest that you go vote! The poll deals with if I should write a sequel or prequel to Cat's first. The sequel will be about Richie, and the prequel will tell of Reina's little brother (though he's not really part of the main plot). So, go vote, you silly things!

Well, that's all from me for now. I hope to see you all very soon! I love you guys! Peace – Sally White

P.S. Over 2,000 words in this chapter! And over 15,000 words for the whole story! I'm so happy! This is the first chapter story I've ever finished! Whee!