Author's Notes:

I'm not going to lie, my faithful readers, this chapter is a dousy. If that's how that's spelled...whatever. But yeah, we've reached the end of CLWY at long last and to be perfectly honest, I'm relieved at finally being done. Hopefully you guys haven't completely given up on this and want to see the end...I put my best effort into it, at least, I think I did. Deep down, I believe I could have done better, but I was getting sick of changing things so I just went with my gut and let all this shit spill out.

Ash: Can we just read this? You don't need to monologue x.x

Me: *sighs* Probably, since I promised this chapter awhile ago. Eesh. Well...um, I hope you enjoy this...sloppiness XD

Chapter 10- The Fork in the Road

Zoey's eyes were wide and in them was a wild look he'd never seen before, like a trapped animal. She was panting and jittering around as though the house was on fire, mumbling how she was the biggest idiot and how she could have prevented something. She met Ash's eyes and something flashed in them, and he realized it was fury and hatred, but he couldn't tell if it was directed at him or toward the cause of her hysterics.

"What's the matter?"

"Dawn is missing!"

It was growing very late, and Zoey had been holding Dawn for awhile now, trying to get her to calm down. She'd long since stopped wailing and sobbing, and was now just sniffling feebly and hugging herself. Zoey let her head rest on her chest, not minding the blunette's presence, and feeling comforted that Dawn had relaxed into a semi-normal state. She fingered her long hair with one hand and kept her arm around the girl's midriff, counting her breaths and glad that they had slowed down and were no longer being puffed out in a quick rapidity.

May had flitted in and out, first to resolve some commotion down the hallway and then to sit by herself in the living room, trying to relax. Zoey had heard from her something similar happening between her and Drew and she was obviously having bad nostalgia from seeing Dawn in such a state so Zoey told her to go have some time to herself and relax. Of course, Zoey didn't mind the solitude with the blunette, in fact, she cherished it, glad to have an excuse to have Dawn to herself, as selfish as that sounded. Though she could hardly be blamed, seeing as how Dawn was either being crowded by everyone or else in the company of Ash throughout the trip.

Ash. What an ass he'd made of himself. 'What had come over him?' she wondered, blue strands sliding between her fingers and falling before she picked them back up and repeated the process. Ash's temper was never exerted on the blunette, at least, not in a state as bad as his had been and a fight between them was usually two-sided, both bickering back and forth about something before they could drop their prides and resolve it later. Zoey had never thought the dark haired boy was capable of anything that violent, and if his fist had not been aimed correctly, the shivering girl in her arms might be sporting a broken nose. The redhead normally would have found it in her heart of hearts and sensible mind to forgive him, but his lack of self control had pushed some buttons that far exceeded her friendship with Ash, a trigger that snapped when Dawn was put in potential danger. If she hadn't composed herself, she might have unleashed her adrenaline rush of protectiveness onto the offender targeting the one she aimed to protect, the one she admired, the one that meant so much to her…

This, above all else, was Zoey's drive, her ultimate goal, her heart's desire; she wished to protect and guide the blunette, support her, push her, do everything in her power to help her keep going. Contests were important to Zoey, but on that day of the blue haired girl's first contest, upon seeing the girl's nervous expression and jittering hands, she realized she saw herself, the part of her closed within her walls. In that moment, Zoey wanted to shield her from suffering, lead her towards the light of success and above all else, prevent her from shutting down like Zoey had prior to that. She'd snapped back because no one was there to wipe her tears, no one there to hold her and tell her it was okay, no one to tell her to keep pushing on...it had all been self independence. She didn't want that girl to be alone, didn't want her to be subjected to the internal struggle of fear and no self confidence Zoey had endeared. She decided to save her. The princess locked away in terror within the walls of her tower, and Zoey being the knight in shining armour coming to rescue her.

What she hadn't expected was to find that position had been already filled. She remembered seeing them sitting together for the first time, the comforting and encouraging way he spoke to her, how his brown eyes had been full of such adoration and care. Zoey was human, and as irrational as they are, she felt jealous. She was glad to see her princess hadn't been fighting a frightening battle on her own, but at the same time, she wanted those blue eyes to look at her the way she looked into Ash's, that same glow that brought her whole complexion to life and made her even more beautiful than she already was. Ash had mistakenly (and because of his ignorance of love) thought that Zoey detested him at first because of his battling gyms and participating in contests, but that had been only a small portion of it; the majority of it was envy, one that she was embarrassed to say was badly concealed. If he'd recognized the way she looked at him that day, and compared it with Kenny's, he would have figured it out sooner. Dawn's mind had been distracted, and if she couldn't even see Ash's obvious attraction to her, she never in a million years would know how Zoey felt.

"Zoey…?" The redhead jerked from her musings and fixed dark eyes onto the owner of the voice, making sure to keep her thoughts off of her countenance.

"Yeah?"

Dawn swallowed, and it looked like it took a lot of effort to do so. "What….what am I...going to do?"

The question felt more like a punch in the ribs, the sadness and the defeated expression on the girl's face eating at Zoey's heart, which beat frantically and demanded her to heal the girl. Zoey couldn't though, it wasn't in her power to repair Dawn's heart- only Dawn could, and that would only happen if she made some sort of resolution with Ash.

"You talk it out, and accept that things will probably never be the same again," the redhead instructed, using the firm tone she often used when guiding the blunette, trying to mask any special treatment for her and also to ensure the blunette didn't know what she felt inside. "You have to decide if he's worth it or not, and if not, you move on and pursue your goals in life. You can't let a boy drag you down."

Dawn lowered her eyes to her lap, playing with her fingers in a morbid way that delivered another blow to Zoey's heart. "You're right...but I don't know if I can." Her voice was low and suddenly like it would break in two at any moment. Zoey had to be careful on how to lecture her lest she make Dawn dissolve into more tears.

"You can, Dawn, you're strong. You succeeded this long without him, what makes you think your life will fall apart because of this?"

"I…" Dawn's mouth trembled. "I'm not strong like you are."

What a strange thing to say, especially seeing as Zoey felt like the weak one right now. "You are strong, and you're stubborn as hell. It's annoying, but you've survived because of it."

Dawn remained quiet, and Zoey didn't push her, hoping she'd come back to her senses soon, it was torture to watch her go through the thing she wanted to keep Dawn away from, that sickening fear that had constantly crept into her system and slowly made its way to her heart…

She caught sight of a pair of black eyes staring in their direction from the doorway. She shifted so Dawn wouldn't be in the line of sight, and just as she suspected, the eyes moved to try to follow the blunette, and immediately she knew who those eyes belonged to.

'Kenny...'

Something like a smirk crossed his face before he melted into shadow, disappearing down the hallway. Zoey didn't like the jittering sensation that filled her stomach. She kissed the side of Dawn's head, laid her down in the blankets, and followed the retreating figure down the hall.

He was waiting for her the next room, his smile broad enough to break his face in half. The ease of his stature boiled Zoey's insides, furious he'd think of his own happiness before the girl he supposedly loved. The pleasure he took in seeing them ripped apart was enough to wipe away any pity Zoey had left for him, and was instead replaced by a savage urge to knock that ugly expression from his face, to siphon off the pain Dawn felt and put it into the boy before her, make him feel something other than triumph.

"It appears as if they're damaged beyond repair," Kenny observed slyly, leaning back further against the bedpost.

"I think not," Zoey disagreed softly, her hands twisting with the effort to not wring them around his throat. "Their bond is very strong."

"So are their prides," Kenny said, the statement working like a lash over Zoey, making her inwardly wince. "I wonder- will they high five and make up this time?" That awful note in his voice, that one bursting with happiness was making it harder to control herself.

"You know better than all of us that they have no eyes for anyone but each other." (OOHHHH)

He took the bait; his smile faltered at the corners. "As if," he said, his voice now low and defensive. "Ash will never forgive the things Dawn said to him, and he won't let her fool him again."

Zoey raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't under the impression that Ash had told anyone his side of the story, least of all yourself. Besides," she continued as he blanched in fury, "you were with us in the living room when the supposed offense occurred. How would you know what had happened?"

Kenny had underestimated her. He should have known never to go toe to toe with Zoey; she was much cleverer than he was. For his ego, however, he brought the sneer across his face again.

"He is a fool in any case for accusing her of such terrible things. She wouldn't ever do that to someone."

"True," she concurred, trying to see if she could get him to slip up something else he shouldn't have said. "I think Ash did in fact make a grave error, but Dawn is forgiving, particularly with him." Her heart twinged painfully, but she ignored it. "And their relationship isn't as pliable as you think it is."

The auburn haired boy had a nasty glint in his eye that the redhead didn't like, something like a sword he was going to use against her. "Not if it is hurt in the right places."

""Right places'? Are you saying that you hurting their relationship is 'right' because it suits you?"

"No, I was using a figure of speech." His face had shifted again though, and she knew she tripped him up once more.

"Perhaps you meant the chinks in the armour of their relationship?"

"Precisely…"

"You seem very knowledgeable of these."

That creepy light was back in his black eyes. "Not as much as you are."

It was hard to breathe for a moment. "I don't know what you-"

"Oh, c'mon Zoey, don't pretend, I know that you know much more, and you can't hide it. We've all be able to see it in your face, and how arrogant of you to think you hid it so well."

Zoey swallowed; this time, she had done the underestimating. Was Kenny really that clever? Ten minutes ago, she would have said no with all the assurance of it to back her up, but now, she wasn't sure if perhaps he'd been playing them for fools this entire time. Had he hid his cunning side behind a persona of a ditzy, emotional person?

"A hypocrite really, for telling me all this time to leave them alone and let them be happy when you've been pining jealously after them as well, for even longer than me."

"You're wrong."

"Am I? I don't think so. We're in the same boat, you and I, and honestly, we're not so different."

What a disgusting notion. "I repeat, you're wrong. We are nothing alike-"

"Aren't we?" The mad light gleamed brighter and temporarily blinded the redhead. "We thought we were hiding our jealousy so meticulously, but in fact, everyone's been able to tell from the beginning we were in love with the same person. In truth, we want revenge on the same person, the person who has got between our chances with the one we love and we're angry, very angry. We want their relationship tarnished, blown to pieces, obliterated from existence, and we want to be the hero in the end, the one the broken falls in love with."

Zoey's heart whined in fear and her stomach turned over from nausea. It couldn't be true, she wasn't twisted like Kenny was, she didn't like seeing Ash being hurt by lies from someone he loved and she certainly didn't take any pleasure in seeing Dawn's heart sprawled on the floor after being stepped on, nor the tears that flooded those gorgeous blue eyes...

"You love her, Zoey, don't you?" Kenny said in a low voice, his eyes alive with malice. "So in love with her...admit it, you can't hide it from us."

Zoey gulped, and spit out, "Yes, I'm in love with Dawn, but I'm not like you, Kenny; I learned that you can't have everything you want and you have to make sacrifices. That is the right thing to do."

Kenny's face bunched up in disgust as though he swallowed a lemon. "You never thought for one second how much happier you would be if she became yours?"

"Of course I did, I think about it all the time. But despite everything, she is more important to me than myself, so if she's happy, I am. I will learn to grow and move on."

"Such empty words."

"No, what was empty was my attempts at concealing it with my false positive attitude and the sulking that followed it when she confirmed her feelings. I'm angry at Ash, but if she and him find their way back together, I'm not going to come between it. It's up to Dawn to decide her paths."

Kenny's sneer was grotesque. "Practical Zoey! The noble prince that wants to once again swoop in and save the day."

"I suppose it's a bad habit."

"For your happiness, yes, it's a killer."

"If it's for Dawn-"

"'If it's for Dawn!'" He jeered, letting out a loud whoop of laughter. "Oh Zoey, you're such a fool, a noble fool in fact! If my dear princess is happy, then the world is bright and joyous!" He laughed some more before abruptly spitting out, "How pathetic."

Zoey wasn't perturbed at her feelings being made fun of, because she knew she was doing the right thing, if not the painful thing.

"We're done talking, Kenny- you can't be saved. You're the true fool."

The angry look from the auburn haired boy burned into her back as she turned on her heel and departed the room, seeking the company of another, though afraid to face Dawn after what she had said. She'd never admitted her feelings for the blunette aloud to another human before (at least, not by name), and she never dreamed it would be to the enemy, but now it was out, stuck firmly in the air for everyone to see. She crossed into the living room and found the brunette lounging on the couch, looking like she was half asleep.

"May?"

The girl jumped. "Oh, Zoey, you startled me." She frowned through her sleepy haze. "Hey, are you okay? You look all hot and bothered."

Zoey let out a soft sigh, trying to erase the aftermath of the heated conversation off of her face. "Nothing, it's just about Dawn and Ash."

May smiled in sympathy. "Yeah, it seems to have taken a toll on everyone...but good in some ways. Iris and Cilan are an item now."

Zoey smiled fondly, glad the two boneheads finally confessed. "That's good."

"I saw them kissing earlier," she murmured slyly, watching Zoey carefully. "It was quite the sight."

"You ought not to be prying on their privacy," Zoey admonished her, though without her usual firmness. May just shrugged.

"They didn't do a good job at hiding it."

"Regardless-"

"Yeah, I know, but I was too tired to move from my spot and I needed to see something happy or I was going to lose my mind." She looked distraught. "How long do you think it will take for them to forgive each other? They were making such progress…"

Zoey's heart sank. They were back onto the subject of Ash and Dawn and she didn't wish to tread further on it. "I don't know, May. It depends on them."

May seemed to regress further into the couch, her eyes somber. "That's...very troubling."

Zoey knew what she meant; they were depending on two slightly immature people with big heads to make up from a horrid fight. It was disconcerting, but hope lingered on the boundaries of fear, trying to find an entrance in. It was difficult to open a door for it considering the situation, and even Zoey had her doubts.

"Is anyone with Dawn right now?" May asked suddenly, jerking Zoey from her brooding. She looked at May, and then the impact of her words hit her.

"No…" Her breathing ragged, she leaped up, running for the blunette's room. "D-Dawn!" She whipped the door open, staring wildly about. "Dawn!" The girl was gone from the bed, the sheets tossed furiously around as though there had been a struggle. "Dawn!" She yelled out again, more in frustration at her own stupidity for leaving her alone. "Dawn!"

"What's going on?" Iris' voice shouted from the hallway. Zoey turned and ran back out, her hands wringing from agitation. May came running, and grasped Zoey's arm, looking at Iris and Cilan in confusion. The bedroom door beside them opened and out game the viridescent haired boy along with the dark haired boy, making Zoey steadily more hysterical. She was furious, but she couldn't blame Ash if he'd been with Drew this whole time.

"May, what's the matter?" Her boyfriend asked her, but Zoey's focus wasn't on either of them. She met the chocolate orbs, but was too worked up to settle down.

"Zoey...?" Ash asked weakly. She looked at him again, muttering incoherently between heavy breaths and gripping her hair, feeling like the dumbest person to ever breathe.

"What's the matter?" Drew pushed.

"Dawn is missing!" Zoey yelled, her feet bouncing beneath her as if on full energy. May tried to console her, but she was far from sensible thought. "And I know who took her!"

"What? Who?"

"Him...Kenny!"

"Kenny?" Everyone chorused in shock.

"Yes, you notice he's the only one who isn't here!"

Cilan swallowed. "Zoey, that's quite the accusation to make-"

"It's true!" She shrieked at him. "That twisted bastard took her!"

"Well, we have to track them down!" May cried. She firmly believed in what Zoey said based on Kenny's jealous behavior of the past few weeks, how creepy he had been acting, just his character in general that she had seen.

"I agree," Ash growled, his mood abruptly heated. "Let's go!" He started for the door, but Drew grabbed his collar and stopped him.

"Whoa there, Skippy, let's not get ahead of ourselves. How do you propose we track them?"

"My Glaceon can track them!" May piped up, rummaging in her bag for her Pokeball. The trainers had put their Pokemon in their balls because of the situation, afraid they'd get overwhelmed at everyone's high emotions and the problem at hand. The only exception had been Pikachu, who had decided to give Ash his space, but the sound of yelling had attracted the electric mouse and he tentatively climbed on his trainer's shoulder.

Glaceon emerged in a flash from her ball, shaking out her coat before fixing her intense eyes on her trainer.

"Glaceon, could you find Dawn for us?"

She nodded, and Zoey outstretched a scarf of Dawn's to the ice type. She sniffed at it for a minute before barking a little and running for Dawn's room. Everyone followed, watching the Pokemon leap for the window and paw at it while growling. Zoey opened it for her, and she jumped out, Ash in hot pursuit, the look in his eyes dangerous and foreboding. Zoey wasn't sure what was running through his mind, but it didn't sit well with her as she followed him through the underbrush and in the direction of the woods nearby. Glaceon was moving fast, but Ash was right beside her, looking like he wanted to urge the animal to go faster, but he decided he didn't want to anger it.

They continued to run for several minutes, struggling through the thorns and snarls that would appear out of nowhere and grab at their clothes and ankles. It seemed like hours to Ash, his heart pounding roughly against his throat and his palms beginning to sweat from the adrenaline that was starting to surge through his veins. His mind was focused on finding the girl, but the horrible memory of her scathing expression and spiteful words haunted him alongside the one where her face was broken and in tears. He shook his head and kept going.

They arrived in a clearing, a closed off place that was bathed in moonlight except for a shadowed place at the other side of the clearing. Figures were moving there, and a voice could be heard faintly.

"Kenny!" Ash yelled recklessly, charging forward with the others in his wake. One of the figures turned and stepped out of the shadow, pulling a limp form with him, one with a mane of blue hair and fair skin. "Dawn…" He skidded to halt several meters from his quarry, staring at the blunette. She didn't appear to be dead, but unconscious, and she looked a bit ruffled, like she had fought back, or perhaps that Kenny had put his hands on her while she was incapacitated. The thought burned fury through his system.

"Ah, Ash, so you've come at last!" He chuckled, spreading his hands as if welcoming him, but his dark eyes were full of hatred. He smirked and leaned on one hip, watching him carefully. "You arrived quicker than I thought."

"Let her go, Kenny," Ash snarled, clenching his fists. Pikachu growled as well, his cheeks crackling with electricity.

"I can't, Ash, she's rightfully mine after your rejection," he said as if that solved everything. "As annoying as that is...but I'm a patient man."

"Oh, you're something, but a man is not one of them," Ash said furiously. "How did you make her say those things?"

Kenny began to laugh, and it seemed loud in the silence. "I didn't make her do anything."

Ash frowned, but he held firm to his beliefs. "Liar! She'd never say those things of her own free will!"

His smirk was disturbing, morphing his face into something twisted and creepy that was the evillest thing Ash ever saw, sending a shiver down his spine. "Well, I guess since the cat's out of the bag.." He looked sideways at his companion, who shifted and stepped out into the moonlight. Ash's breath froze in his throat. It was…

"Darkrai!" Cilan yelped in surprise, staring at the dark creature before them with wide green eyes. The others were too shocked to speak. The nightmare inducing Pokemon watched them with one beady blue eye, its expression unreadable and blank.

"He caused Dawn to have a bad dream!" Ash realized, staring at him in horror. Darkrai said nothing but Kenny laughed like a mad man, confirming Ash's epiphany.

"He was also kind enough to possess your dear princess and made her say some interesting things."

"'Interesting'?!" Ash raged.

Kenny never stopped smiling. "Uh huh, it was entertaining watching you feel her rejection…" His eye twitched a little.

Ash clenched his teeth. "Why? Glad it wasn't directed at you for once?" (OHHHH)

Kenny grimaced, but he felt the blow no less. "Enough of this chatter! You're here to face your destruction!"

"Why Kenny?" Ash burst out, unable to comprehend why he would do such horrible things. "Why would you hurt me, hurt Dawn so badly if you love her?!"

Kenny advanced forward a few steps. "You're the reason we can't be together! I've known her longer, loved her longer, followed her for as long as I can remember, but she chose you! You, of all people! You don't deserve her love, you haven't worked like I have for her to notice me, to love me! Why should your insignificant self be an obstacle in the way of me?!"

Ash exhaled in surprise. Was he really that…? "You...you think that's how someone falls in love, by something like that? Perhaps you worked TOO hard and scared her off!"

Kenny stomped forward and came nose to nose with his rival. "Don't talk to me like you know her better!" He yelled in his face, grabbing a hunk of his shirt and shaking it. "YOU DON'T KNOW HER LIKE I DO!"

"Obviously I know her enough to know that she wouldn't fall in love with the person who caused her so much pain and misery by restlessly pursuing her. Your love for her is unhealthy, wrong even."

The auburn haired boy wrinkled his nose. "I had to punish her some for loving another and avoiding me."

Ash looked exasperated. "That's pretty shallow, even for you."

"My goal initially was to punish you more, and the best way to do it is hurting her, and using her to hurt you. See, I know your weaknesses and I knew you'd come charging here without a plan if your darling was in danger."

Ash didn't reply, just glared at him. He didn't know that even Kenny would stoop this low to win Dawn, to be rid of him, to hurt him. How had love driven him down this path? The boy who helped his Turtwig learn energy ball, a worthy rival that defeated him with his Empoleon- how had he become this horrible monster?

"It's time you lived in an eternity of maddening torture so you can experience what I suffered!" Kenny cried, shoving Ash back and retreating backwards toward the edge of the shadows. Ash jumped up, but a dark blanket seemed to be circling him and Kenny, swirling quickly and enclosing them in a strange cocoon that shut out Ash's friends, their shouts barely heard from beyond the dark energy. It kept swirling and sparking, preventing Ash from escaping the dome and forcing him and Pikachu to face the crazed boy across from him, the darkness creeping not only through the air, but in his eyes and darkening them to a disturbing shade.

Darkrai solidified into place in the middle of the dome, positioning himself as Kenny's ally. Pikachu, catching on, stood in front of Ash, his cheeks crackling with charged electricity again, facing his opponent with a determined expression. If they had to fight Kenny, so be it.

Dawn stirred on the grass beside Kenny and Ash's heart leaped. She was okay! Her eyelids fluttered and peered blearily out at the scene, the royal orbs coming to focus on Ash. Her lips moved, but the wind was howling so loud he couldn't hear, and he barely had time to gave her a confused look before a blast of energy was thrown at him.

Pikachu evaded easily, but Ash had to dive aside to avoid a collision. Kenny was dueling for the win right off the bat. That had always been a fault in him that Ash knew he was guilty of as well.

"Pikachu, thunder bolt!" He called over the screeching wind, his hat blowing off and tousling his already messy hair around. Pikachu charged up and struck, the volts shooting toward Darkrai in a powerful blast from the Mouse Pokemon's body.

Darkrai swiftly avoided it and moved in for a quick strike, his fist turning purple from the attack. Pikachu danced around, trying to steer clear of the dark type, but he wasn't as quick and was knocked aside from the force of the blow.

"Pikachu!" Ash yelped, watching as his best friend got haphazardly to his feet, wincing. A sucker punch that dealt that much damage already….things weren't looking too good. He had a sudden flashback to Unova, when he'd been battling Trip, and how he's Serperior had taken out Pikachu in a storm of leaves. Ash squeezed his eyes shut.

'Get it together, Ash, Pikachu needs you right now! Dawn needs you!'

He reached to turn his hat around, trying to regain his old confidence, and found a mop of raven hair instead. He dropped his hands and clenched them at his sides, feeling the nails biting into his palms and relishing in the feel of it all, the wave of familiarity that could only be brought by the heat of battle, the desire to succeed, to defeat the enemy, to be victorious. With empty fists, he declared to the night air, "Pikachu, volt tackle, let's go!"

Pikachu could feel the ripple of energy coming from his trainer and accepted it, channeling it into powering the electric blanket that wrapped itself around his small form, and used it to carry himself forward at top speed toward the electric blue eyes shining out of the darkness. His quarry tried to swerve at the last moment and evade the strike, but Pikachu was ready for the quick movement and turned with him, feeling the collision of electricity with a solid body.

Darkrai staggered and Pikachu retreated backwards, waiting for the next command he knew would come.

"Iron tail, full blast!"

The lightning bolt shaped tail hardened and swung forward, slamming the other Pokemon backwards onto the dirt. The dome shivered and the wind seemed to lose some of its energy. And that's when Ash realized…

"Pikachu, slam him with all you got!" He yelled over Kenny's furious shrieking at the fallen Pokemon. "He's already tired from possessing Dawn and making that dome- a few strikes will take him down! Get in close and use thunderbolt!"

The electric mouse complied, and Darkrai was beaten farther into the ground, his strength waning with each passing blow Pikachu inflicted, and the dome was starting to shake and fade.

"BEAT HIM BACK, BEAT HIM BACK!" Kenny bellowed, his dark eyes crackling furiously.

"Keep it up, Pikachu!"

Pikachu started to pant, but he gave his trainer a nod and delivered another fatal strike with his tail, and Darkrai managed to swing a frozen fist into Pikachu's exposed side, pulling a cry of pain from the smaller Pokemon.

"Pikachu!" Ash ran forward as his Pokemon hit the ground, his breathing shallow and losing energy fast. He knelt and gathered his friend into his arms, trying to soothe him with his presence, but Pikachu looked on the brink of fainting.

"Ash, watch out!" Dawn's voice carried to him over the dying wind, sounding strained. Ash looked up too late and saw Darkrai's last attempt at defeating him.

A ball of purple-ish black energy shot forward toward him and without thinking, he tucked Pikachu safely in his chest and turned his body away, protecting his companion from the onslaught of the attack.

Several screams of horror from his friends couldn't prepare him for the pain that followed. The dark orb hit his side and enveloped him, sucking the breath and the earth from Ash, plunging him into a tumbling darkness. He could no longer feel the mouse, his empty arms instead grasping his sides and trying to gasp for breath, but no air could be found and he plummeted farther down into the blackness.

He wasn't aware of finding a bottom to the pit, but he found himself lying in wetness. When he opened his eyes, the world didn't seem to have a discernible background or layout- he was just aware of his own beating heart and the liquid beneath him. He blinked, his eyes adjusting to the lack of light provided for it. He brushed his hair off his face and sat up, and as he did so, he felt some of the liquid smear onto his cheek and across his eyebrow, living a sticky stain.

"What the….?" He blinked some more and squinted at his hand. Red….red stickiness. Red...was it red? "Huh…" He stood up and almost slipped in the liquid, causing him to stumble into something firm and human sized.

"Huh…?" Ash bent down and peered into the semi darkness, trying to see what he tripped on. A mound of dark hair, a shoulder...someone sleeping? He gave them a shake and the hair slid over his fingers, familiar, soft hair that had a particular shade...a shade of…

Blue.

"Dawn? Hey, are you okay?" He turned her over and touched her cheek. "Dawn-" He froze; the same liquid was on her face too, and across her neck. Red...red liquid. Sticky, sticky red liquid. The pieces fell into place. "N-no, Dawn, hey! Hey, say something! Speak to me! Dawn!" He kept shaking her, but her neck flopped helplessly from side to side, her eyes staring blankly ahead. Those eyes shouldn't be frozen in her cold face, her lips parted and pale instead of cherry red and upturned in a smile. The life was gone from her entirely, her heart not pumping beneath his cheek desperately pressed to her chest. An empty chasm that had lost the brightness her heart had provided for it, now deserted, lonely, and dark.

"No!" He cried, shaking her and starting to choke on sobs erupting from his chest. "Dawn! Dawn! Wake up! Wake up, this can't be real! It can't, it can't-"

"Ash!"

An echoing voice...he looked down at her broken body, unmoving, lifeless...

'Your voice lingers...I'm going mad.'

"Ash! Ash, get up, please!"

He gasped, and the dark world started to slip away, leaving the body and the pool of liquid behind. He struggled slightly in the rush of air enveloping him, and suddenly he was blinking in the faint light of the clearing, the moon concealed by a face that far outstripped its beauty. Large, blue eyes filled his vision, eyes alive and full of fear.

"Ash?" The beautiful, musical voice filled his ears and soothed him and he found himself pulling her into his arms, the need to make sure she was breathing and functioning too strong to fight. He sat up and gripped her back and the back of her head, his eyes wet with the tears he had wanted to let loose at the sight of her body, that had looked so much like a rag doll…

"Ash...Ash, don't worry, it's alright, I'm right here, nothing will get you." That was familiar. Hadn't he said something similar to a post nightmare experiencing blunette? Now she was comforting him, like she knew what he had seen and felt.

And maybe she had, but that didn't matter to Ash; what mattered most was the sensation of her beating heart against his own heaving chest. Her warm breath brushed his neck and he looked down at her, the need arising in him, a particular need he'd been interrupted at up until this point. He needed to convey this much to her, she deserved to know a true, pure feeling of love, one that she hadn't gotten from the cruel auburn haired boy and his games.

He lifted her chin and touched their foreheads, letting the air between them thicken with their hot breaths and the nervous tension aroused by the close proximity. This time, nothing could stop them, and Ash wasn't going to let the moment slip away.

The distance was closed and all the things he needed to say was put into that one kiss, the first one they'd ever experienced from another person, and even if the moment was rocky and full of emotional turmoil, it was just right. The remnants of the battle and the scars of the night were blown away in the soft breeze, and the only anchor to the earth was each other, that one moment of blissful forgetfulness that they clung to for dear life in hopes of not having to return to reality. They didn't worry about anyone or anything, not while they were safe in each other's arms and when they were warmed by the embrace. Their hands scrambled for the other's, and when their fingers interlocked, it sent a shiver of longing down both their spines and fireworks danced in their minds.

The kiss was only brief, but it had felt like a lifetime to the raven haired boy. It wasn't enough though, so when the blunette gently broke the kiss, Ash felt a groan escape his lips, wanting to go back on cloud nine and escape with her quiet warmth. He tried to sneak in with another kiss but Dawn's hand stopped him.

He couldn't stop the words from escaping his lips again. "I love you, Dawn, I love you so much." If he couldn't kiss her, he wanted to at least hold her close and let her bright presence illuminate his dimness with a soft, inviting blue light. She shifted as he pulled her in, and Ash couldn't stop another noise of displeasure from escaping him. Couldn't she tell he wanted her so much right then, how much he wanted her to understand that he needed to hear her declaration of love in return?

Dawn held onto his hands, but the enthusiasm and passion wasn't there. Something was off, her light was flickering because she wasn't happy. Ash tried to even out the balance by putting more feeling into his grip, to convey to her that he was right there and wouldn't move from her side if she didn't want him to go. When she didn't speak, Ash lightly pushed her chin up again, wanting to see the beautiful eyes he would drown in willingly.

"Dawn? What's wrong?" He asked tenderly, not wanting to speak above a whisper and shatter the fragile moment. She blinked, and carefully separated their hands. His frown deepened.

"Ash….maybe we shouldn't do this."

"Wh-what do you mean?" His poor heart, it was already so beaten and wounded from her last rejection, despite it not being her. It beat feebly, scared of having another blow delivered to it.

Dawn gnawed on her lip, watching him with the utmost pain on her pale features. Her eyes were full of fresh tears and Ash reached up to wipe them, ignoring her attempt to lean away. Was it so wrong for him to want her close and happy?

"Ash….I love you, I really do, from the bottom of my heart, but I'm just….not sure about acting on it. After everything tonight, it made me realize…" She let out a shuddering breath and tried to calm her screaming soul. "I think we've become too….emotionally dependent on each other and we blamed our reasons for failing on not having each other."

She was right, of course, but it didn't soothe the fresh wound being made and it proceeded to rip the new bandage that had been put over the pain from her last (unconscious) infliction off without warning, leaving two exposed stings to be infected.

He opened his mouth to speak, but the blunette's finger lightly touched his lips, stopping him. "Let me finish...please." He quieted and waited. "I think we need to get ourselves back on our feet first, and chase our dreams for awhile longer before we can look deeper into our relationship; see other people, try new things, and then if the love is still there, we can go from there. Right now though, we're both a mess. We both lost battles and contests recently and we thought our only solution was to jump into each other's arms and hope that would make everything better and….look where it lead us. Kenny wasn't our faults, but...it could be a sign that we impulsively did things and got punished for it." Dawn released a breath and stared into Ash's pained chocolate eyes, wishing she didn't have to let him go, but knowing what she was doing in the end could only benefit them. The decision came from her mind this time, and even though her heart whimpered to take it back and snapped more, she couldn't back down from the decision- she had to save her goals and her true love.

Ash dipped his head and he vigorously wiped at his eyes, trying to keep liquid from spilling out of them. "I...I don't want to separate from you, Dawn. I'm in love with you, you're only helping me by being close."

"We can't be each other's crutch, Ash, we have to build our dreams back up on our own. A relationship cannot be solely based on succeeding only when the other is present. We can succeed together and apart, but we cannot be dependent on the other being there so we feel confident."

"We're not-" Ash started to say, but he stopped when he realized that she was right. He had lost those battles and immediately rushed to see Dawn to build himself back up and be together again, craving that sense of comfort, familiarity, and confidence he only had when he knew she was nearby. He had let himself fall to pieces when she unknowingly pulled away from him and couldn't even pick himself back up until Drew had slapped him around and persuaded him to fix things with Dawn. The emotional dependency had been there the entire time and Dawn knew hers before Ash did, making him feel all the more stupid at not realizing it sooner.

However, he didn't want to just pack up and separate again. Hadn't that been the catalyst of their problems? No, their lack of self control and emotions had stirred the pot and Kenny had stood over it, adding fuel to the fire until they went up in flames. They had tried to pursue their dreams before after parting ways, but with such unresolved business unaddressed by either, they had been left to feel empty inside; it slowly filled with more and more unanswered questions and finally, a moment happened to both where they had been pushed over their edge and used their misery and need to see each other as a scapegoat to their problems. Seeing each other would ease the pain, would bring joy and maybe start something new and beautiful between them, but left their true problems only pushed beneath the surface. Those needed to be solved first before the question of something more the friendship between them could be acted upon.

"You guys!" Someone squealed, and both teens jumped as their friends moved closer to check on them, both having temporarily forgotten about them during their moment of realization at the situation at hand.

"You guys are so cute, finally kissing and everything!" May clapped her hands, tousling both heads with playful affection and giggling. "I know Kenny was a total ass, but at least he's gone now and look what replaced him!"

Cilan smiled in a worried sort of way. "Indeed. We should be very cautious- him and Darkrai could be anywhere now. I have a feeling he isn't done yet."

His girlfriend laughed and laced her fingers through his; Ash's heart painfully throbbed at the sight, wishing he could hold Dawn's hand like that. "After that humiliating spectacle? I don't think so! He got totally whupped!"

"Even so, he is right, we should head back," Drew said with nervous twitch toward his hair, a habit that showed him to be a little nervous (not that he'd admit that). "The darkness is the prime and ideal time to attack. Darkrai could probably heal quicker than we imagine."

The blunette and raven haired boy didn't move though, just continued to stare at their hands in their laps.

"Why so morose?" May pressed on, giving her best friend a nudge. "Shouldn't you be hugging your prince right now? You did save each other, after all." She winked. Dawn couldn't bring herself to meet the excited, cerulean eyes that burned into the side of her face.

"May...we're not a couple, don't jump to conclusions," she said with forced effort to keep her voice from cracking, her throat feeling constricted and full to the brim with the words her heart demanded she say.

They were met with shocked silence.

"Not...a couple?" Iris repeated hoarsely, looking around at the group's fellow bewildered and shocked eyes. "What the hell does that mean?!"

"It means exactly what it states, Iris," Ash mumbled, rising to his feet without raising his gaze. "Dawn and I aren't dating."

Everyone, apart from the two downcast teens, began firing questions of their own at them and voicing their displeasures at the ambiguous statements given by both, demanding explanations for this unwanted outcome. Both waited for them to stop babbling before they opened their mouths.

"Dawn says we've become too emotionally dependent on each other and that we need to find ourselves in our dreams and goals before we explore our relationship any farther."

Once again, complaints and disappointed expressions showed, but felt the heaviness of the situation in the eyes of the two heart broken teens before them.

"...I think she makes a fair point," Zoey said in a low voice, her dark eyes looking at no one but the blue haired girl, her expression unreadable. Her eyes betrayed the sadness she felt, but also the shine of admiration for the blunette for making a logical decision to save her relationship with Ash.

Cilan and Drew nodded solemnly in agreement while Iris and May just looked disappointed and concerned for their friends.

Dawn finally got to her feet, brushing grass off of her skirt and legs, and turned in the direction of the trees, the wind scooping her hair off her neck to blow around her face. It was hard to say what she was thinking, but she seemed to be making a decision through some very quick thinking. She finally turned to Ash, and with an uneasy smile, outstretched her hand to him.

"Until we meet again, I will cherish that kiss, and hope only the best for you, Ash Ketchum."

Ash looked at her, her shining eyes in the moonlight, her beautiful hair being teased by the wind and that small hand waiting for his to embrace it. He somehow managed to work the muscles in his face into a small smile, even though parting was unendurable agony on his insides.

"Same to you, Dawn," He said, playfully giving her hand a mock slap in imitation of their famous high fives even though the moment wasn't a glorious, adrenaline rushing moment. He grasped her hand, regretting using a high five in this moment of pain, but he tried to see it as the beginning of a new chapter rather than the ending of a tragic story. Her fingers were warm and soothing on his hand, but the moment they let go, freezing air enveloped his hand again. It reminded him of the separation they were about to go through again when they parted ways.

The untapped potential of their relationship could be met one day, perhaps, in the near future, after both experienced new beauties and mysteries in their lives, after both made new friends and said farewell to others and let their hearts dwell on the bittersweet memories lingering in their hearts. Maybe one day fate would cross their paths again and light the fire of their flammable love, blossoming it into a reassuring heat and hopefully not a small spark that could lead to utter destruction.

As for now, the teens could only watch each other, ocean blue eyes into earth colored brown ones, their lips longing to utter the simple phrase of their feelings, their arms longing to lock around each other and never let go. Parting was not sweet, it was definitely sour and stung their wounds painfully, but it had to hurt first before it got better, and only time could tell how long that would take. In that moment, their journeys took them elsewhere and the hardest moment for the pair of them was reaching the fork in the road and taking different paths equal in dedication and hardship so that hopefully one day, the two paths could become a single, shining one once again that lead to hope and the promise of a bright future hand-in-hand.

Author's Notes:

Everyone: O: *dead*

Ash: WHAT THE HELL KIND OF ENDING WAS THAT?

Me: Eh...yes, I knew you'd be displeased- not only did this chapter take forever to post, sucked and was short, but then all that crap happened. I bet you all were expecting a happy ending...yeah, not this time around. My original ending I made two years ago was happy and pretty, but since I've grown as a person, I realized how Dawn and Ash's emotions looked to the readers- the title itself dictates the unhealthy turn they took. "Can't live without you"- come on, let's be realistic, that's a bit ridiculous. They're a beautiful couple, but let's not have a Romeo and Juliet feel here. Trust me, I hated that story enough and I don't want to compare Ash and Dawn's relationship to theirs. T.T

Besides, this deliberately sets up the sequel I'm hoping to write. Yes, I can sense the reactions- there better be one to clear up this mess, but you take forever to update! Well...I'm not posting it right away because I have lots of ideas for it, but I have to sort them into an organized plot first. Also, I want to post more Death Note and Ghost Hunt stories first before I attack the sequel of this. Hopefully, the sequel with be a little better and less predictable. I can tell you as of now, there will be A LOT of romance struggles in it, lots of drama, some Yaoi and Yuri (WOOHOOOO YESSS), and new characters introduced! I'll try to put more effort into shocking twists and heart breaks because there will be plenty- that story will make this one look like a Disney fairy tale.

So...if anyone is still there, do me a favor and leave a review- I'd like to hear your thoughts on this chapter and story overall and what you think of a sequel and what conflicting shippings and characters will come into play! I'd like to hear your feedback! (: Also, I want to know if you were expecting Zoey's love for Dawn- they'd be a sweet couple, but Pearlshipping is a lot better to me so XD Let me know! Also, for the sequel, I might not use the Pokemon as much, just warning some of you. They are quite difficult to write and they feel tedious sometimes- especially Pokemon battles, good lord. x.x They'll be very minor in the sequel so...sorry to anyone who wanted more of them! I love the Pokemon to death, but I'm mainly writing conflicting human relationships so...

Until next time, my lovely jewels!

~ demon alice.