Wait for You

The full moon of Sinnoh added light to the already bright paper laterns of the small town's festival.  Below the laterns a celebration was held.  Excitment filled the streets as children in kimonos dashed to and fro and others chatted endlessly of what they hoped the night held.  Amongst the people, a raven haired teen watched the excitment from afar and waited for the arrival of his own friends.

"Kinda reminds me of the festival in Kanto.  Huh Pikachu?"

"Pi."  The yellow mouse said, before being thrown off by the loud rumble of Ash's stomach.

Quickly apologizing, he pulled the mouse to his shoulder and brought a hand to his rumbling stomach.  "What's taking them so long, I'm starving."

"Looking for someone Ash."  Brock said as he and Dawn appeared at Ash's side.

"Sorry we took so long, but someone wouldn't leave Nurse Joy alone."    

Rolling his eyes, Ash nodded in agreement and led the way through the crowd.  Guided by the sound of his stomach, he never noticed that Dawn and Brock were shouting his name as they were entangled by the crowd.

Traveling a few feet from the crowds, he came to a stop at the outskirts of the town.  "I thought we'd never make it out of there, what about you Pikachu?"  He asked, only to find no response.  Turning around he found himself alone.   'Way to go Ketchum' he thought as his stomach rumbled again.

A light breeze blew through the air and subconsicously Ash brought his hand to his head, to keep his hat from blowing away, but found himself remembering that he had removed it when dressing for the festival.  Letting out a sigh, he brought his hand to his rumbling stomach and groaned.  

"Your searching for something."  Said a gravely voice traveling through the wind.

Turning his head, Ash was caught off guard by the sight of a campfire just a few feet from himself.  "Hello?  Is anyone there?"
"Come dear."  Said the voice as Ash stepped closer to the campfire.  By the glow of the fire, Ash found himself face to face with an old woman.  "You're looking searching for something."

"How...how did you know?"  He managed to stammer as he mentally cursed himself for losing Pikachu and the others.

Laughing slightly the woman rose from her place and stirred the pot before her.  "Your stomach dear.  Why I could hear your stomach over the festival's music it was so loud."

"Sorry about that."  Ash replied nervously as he took another closer to the woman.  "I'm looking for my friends.  You haven't seen them have you?"

"I'm sorry dear, I haven't.  But while your here, why don't you join me for dinner."  The old woman replied as she ladeled some soup into a bowl.

Thinking with his stomach, Ash quickly agreed and took a seat next the old woman.  Before handing him the bowl, the old woman smiled as she read the lines in his soup.

"Why dear it seems that your searching for someone you love?

"Well yeah, I already told you I'm searching for my friends and I lost my Pikachu, oh course I love them."  Ash said before slurping down the soup from its bowl.

"You may dear, but I can tell that what your really searching for is a love you previously learned of having.  A lost friend perhaps."

At the sound of those words, Ash immediatly began to choke on his soup and cough for any relief.  "I..I..what are you talking about?  You're crazy."  He found himself saying as his cheeks lit with a blush.  The old woman only smiled at the boy beside her and retrieved her own bowl of soup.  

"You're crazy."  He repeated before running away from the mysterious woman and running into the night that surrounded them.

What guided him, he wasn't sure, but he now found himself away from the woman and walking towards a forrest of cherry blossom trees.  Enclosing on the trees a speck of blue came into his vision and for a reason unknown Ash found himself walking toward the speck.  Coming closer and closer he found his breath stuck in his throat, for sitting under the cherry blossom tree wasn't the girl in the pink kimono who had left butterfrees in his stomach, but a young woman who had stolen his breath.

"Misty?"  He managed to say.

Without even turning her head the young woman nodded and motioned for him to join her under the tree.  "You look so differnt Ash, I almost didn't recognzie you without Pikachu on your shoulder."

"What are you doing here Misty?"  He said as more of a demand then a question.  "I mean first the old lady and now you're here.  What's going on?"

"I had to tell you something Ash and it couldn't wait."  She said as she began to stand; cherry blossoms floating in the wind and falling to wherever the wind took them.

"What is it?"  Ash asked, not taking notice of the space between them closing in.

"This."  She said before pressing her lips to his.

Wheather it was the kiss or if it was real, Ash wasn't sure all he knew was that the ground beneath them began to shake as their lips parted.  "What's going on?"  He questioned as he found himself further and further away from Misty and the wind of cherry blossoms blowing harder.  

"I'll wait for you."  She called as her form was swallowed by the cherry blossoms.
        
"Misty come back."  Ash found himself screaming as the ground beneath him shook harder and the cherry blossoms blew faster.

"Ash come on its time to wake up."  Brock said as he continued to shake Ash.

"You goes go ahead, I think I'm just going to say here for awhile.  I'll catch up later."

"Are you sure?"  Dawn asked.

"Yeah."

Waiting until Brock and Dawn were lost in the crowds, Ash pulled his yellow companion into his arms and stepped outside the Pokemon Center.  "Just a dream, Pikachu."  He said as he brought a hand to his hair, only to find a fallen cherry blossom.  "Or was it?"