Gary/Ash pokemon fanfic
WARNING! Slash and- bad bad English. This story is not beta readed : D
Home is where the heart is
Warnings: shounen ai - Shishi = palletshipping .. and a plot that is cliché. But I love clichés!
If you do not like do not read it-is
Rating: PG13
Gary = Shigeru;
Satoshi = Ash;
Kasumi = Misty;
Brock = Takeshi;
Tracey = Kenji;
Professor Oak Professor Ookido =;
Haruka = true;
Pallet Town = Town Masara.
Satoshi finished to add the new pokemon in the Pokédex. He had searched him for four days, but it was worth it. He had knew that sooner or later he would have succeeded, Satoshi was not a guy capable to accept defeat.
At twenty-three years, with blacks and tousled hair, dark hazel eyes, Satoshi was one of the leading pokemon trainers in the continent.
He had been the famous Pokemon Master for three years but he had been not content to remain at the League challenging young coaches waiting to sign autographs for little girls or handsome boys. At the end he left the title and started training again.
Because he loved to raise his pokemon and especially loved to discover and capture new ones.
Now Satoshi was near Touk City. Haruka, his old friend and traveling companion, had called him last week to warn him about that new pokemon and maybe even to challenge him and defeat him.
Well, she always tried to defeat him, thought Satoshi resuming his sack on his back and walking towards the city, along with his beloved Pikachu.
How many adventures he and the little yellow mouse had spent together! Sometimes he had a terrible longing. Traveling without worries and responsabilities was something fascinating but also childish.
"Would you like to travel again Pikachu?" the boy asked.
The pokemon smiled with a cheerful pikapika and jumped on his shoulder. Even he knew that his master had changed. Now there was always something that prevented him from leaving.
Something that kept him in Masara Town.
And that something was not exactly a thing. It was a person.
Shigeru Ookido.
His best childhood friend. Then his best rival.
And now?
Now he and Shigeru were .. something.
Shigeru worked at the University of pokemon of Masara Town and currently lived with his grandfather, Professor Ookido, hoping to find a suitable apartment only fo himself.
Shigeru had a long period of research around the continent, but for three years he had accepted the job offered by the prestigious university. He always said that in the future he loved to travel again but he needed the money.
When Satoshi had come home and, for the first time, discovered that Shigeru was staying in Masara Town he had been filled with emotion.
In fact he had been endlessy worried. Meeting him like that had been different from the brief pokemon meetings they had had along the years of their friendship.
And when Shigeru had started visiting Satoshi's house (because of the strong friendship between Satoshi's mother and the professor's family) slowly the things had improved and their ancient relationship was restored in a more adult, and certainly less grumpy way.
The two had also worked together for several months because of a project for the university.
And Satoshi had forgot about his plan to leave again Masara Town.
In the town there was was his mother, there was the professor. Nearby there were also his friends Kasumi, Kenji and Takeshi. And there was Shigeru.
He did not like to admit to himself but he was terribly addicted to the sight of Shigeru every day. Or at his own home, or at his home or at the university.
It was nice to talk with him, teasing, fighting, debate, just remain silent. Wasn't it nice and comfortable?
And surely even Shigeru thought so, otherwise he would have left long ago. Shigeru was not really the type of person who helps others only for their own good.
Satoshi sighed and rubbed his cheek against Pikachu's.
He and Shigeru .. how to say? They had not even spoken to each other about it.
Two weeks before it had happened. A kiss, a simple kiss but it was a kiss which had nothing of adolescent curiosity or experimentation.
It seemed so natural, as the flow of water in a waterfall. Shigeru one day had asked him what, why? What was happening? What were two of them?
He had been embarrassed, but did not appear angry or unhappy, just curious, full of expectations.
Satoshi had diverted the conversation. He did not know what was happening he didn't have all the answers.
And the week after that they had drank a few glasses too many, to celebrate some funding given to the university and they had ended up making love. It had been so cliche it hurted.
And the next morning they had laughed. Of all the things they could do, thr disgust, the screams, they had chosen to laugh. Of course there also was a moment of terrible and embarassed exchange of looks.
"Pikachu, Pikachu. You think I'm in love with Shigeru?"
"PikaPika."
Satoshi shrugged and walked on. He'd love to be able to read the mind of Pikachu to know what were the thought of his beloved yellow mouse.
"I do not have time to find out... I'm so busy and I don't have tell him now, do I? I can wait," continued the trainer.
Pikachu looked at him sternly. His dear master had a tendency to put off the things he was afraid of.
"PikaPika," insisted the pokemon, trying to transmit to his friend what he thought and felt.
"We are almost there, Haruka will host us for the night and tomorrow we return to Masara Town," Satoshi reassured him, misinterpreting his impatience.
The city of Touka was slightly smaller than Masara Town. Everyone knew each other and everyone knew Satoshi and not only because of its reputation for Pokemon Master. They were friendly and definitely in hope Satoshi would fall in love with Haruka.
The sun was setting and Satoshi started to feel his own belly growled with hunger.
A pidgey passed noisily over him, in the sky.
"Oh, dear," an elderly woman with gray hair greeted him. It was Mrs. Otori, a woman in her sixties who run a small shop of medicines made by herself with herbs and berries in the woods near town.
"Hello Mrs. Otori, how are you?"
"Fine, thanks dear. Did you met with Haruka?"
"Not yet, but I'm going to her home. I'll sleep at her place tonight."
A small Mareep, which belonged to Otori, trotted by, bleating softly and sitting on the floor, his head leaning against the woman's knee.
"A dear girl Haruka, yes. Before I forget to tell you: her brother was looking for you and he was so rushed but he didn't want to tell me what happened."
The lady was a great gossip and people tried not to confide her great secrets.
"He was looking for me?" Satoshi asked unnecessarily. He did not need confirmation, he had already heard the woman very well.
"Better to go then, dear," advised Otori, pointing the way to the girl's house with a wave of his left hand.
Perhaps they had found a new pokemon, thought the optimistic part of his soul, and perhaps they wanted him captured him ..
Satoshi thanked her and with a nod he began to walk up to Haruka's house, eventually finding himself running along the last stretch.
The girl's house was large and painted in a red warm and welcoming colour. It was surrounded by a large garden with some of the pokemon of the house playing in the grass.
Just in the garden, Haruka was feeding a baby Ponyta with what appeared to be fresh hay.
"Haruka!" called, almost breathless, running through the opened gate, and Pikachu jumped nimbly from his shoulder to that of the girl to say hello.
"Pikachu! Satoshi! " she exclaimed "You've been away a long time."
"Yes, but I caught him," Satoshi said, referring to the rare pokemon he had come there for and smiled proudly.
Haruka nodded but did not smile back. Her face had a pained expression.
"Oh, Satoshi, I've looked for you everywhere, I just could not find you .." she began heatedly ".. your mother had called and told me to tell you to call you but you were not here!" she continued, dropping the bag of hay.
Ponyta took the opportunity to eat alone all the hay she wanted.
"I heard. What happaned?" Satoshi questioned, feeling that with every breath there was the appearing of icy hands carissing his lungs.
"Your friend at the university has had an accident. I do not know exactly what-"
"An accident? How?" Satoshi whispered, while a cold liquid of anxiety and fear going down his spine, slippery and sinuous.
Haruka looked at him surprised, perhaps affected by the sudden pallor on the face of his friend.
"I do not know, perhaps you should call your mother," she advised.
"Yes, yes, maybe .." Satoshi said, feeling suddenly tired and without energy. He began to walk towards the entrance of the house but suddenly turned to Haruka. "Can I use the phone?"
"Sure, do not worry."
Satoshi nodded and Pikachu jumped back on his shoulder.
Haruka's house was very large. A house with two floors and on the back, a small study fresh of blue painting. It was where Haruka's father worked and where sometimes he kept the pokemon stuff.
He wasted no time in greeting Haruka's parents, he had not seen them, but went straight to the phone and quickly dialed the number of his mother.
The phone began to ring, vacuum for interminable seconds and the screen remained stubbornly black.
Haruka walked silently behind him. She did not want to disturb him but just to make sure he was okay.
Pikachu's yellow nose rubbed his cheek against his master "Pika, pika."
"It's nothing, do not worry, Pikachu, it's nothing.They're all good, you'll see," Satoshi said, softly, with a shaky voice.
The screen suddenly flashed and Satoshi started, almost biting his own tongue to the nervousness. Pikachu's ears stood up in the air and with a sharp click the image of Satoshi's mother appeared in front of them.
"Satoshi! Here at last, where were you?" immediately asked the woman. He wore a long blue robe and a dark blue shawl she had made herself some years ago. His hair was slightly disheveled, poorly collected in a ponytail.
"Mom, what happened?"
Oh something had happened to Shigeru, he suddenly realized for the first time. It seemed so real. And his mother seemed so tired.
"This is-"
"Shigeru?" Satoshi asked so quietly that he was astonished that his mother had heard heard him.
"Yes there was an explosion in the university laboratory of the electrodes," she said, clutching her shawl, "Oh, I'm sorry, honey, I look horrible but I could not sleep and-"
"What does this mean? How is he?" Where? Where is Shigeru? Say he is all right, he wanted to beg her, please tell me.
"Do not worry, he is quite fine. Do not do that face, he has a concussion and burnet a little his arm but he will not die for so little. He's just a bit bruised and needs antibiotics. I did not want to leave the hospital you know that his grandfather is at Takeshi's for that Onyx ... "
Satoshi closed his own eyes for a moment. Oh thanks, could only record his brain, oh God, thanks.
"I have to go come home."
"And your pokemon?"
"I caught him," said Satoshi without the usual pride. But it was not a response that was fine. "But I would come back even if I had not caught. I'll be there soon... Are you sure he is fine? What do you mean he hit his head?"
"A slight head injury, they decided to keep him in the hospital to be on the safe side and-"
"Okay," Satoshi said curtly, though in reality he wanted to scream because he did not like at all the word Shigeru combined with head trauma.
"I'm coming home, I'll ask Haruka if I can borrow a Pidgeot or... somehow I'll be at home. Hello, mom."
And he hung up when his mother sent him a kiss.
Haruka coughed a little, embarrassed by the personal conversation he had witnessed, and Satoshi turned suddenly and quickly towards her.
He looked at her for a moment, undecided what to do. "Can I ..?"
His friend and past traveling companion nodded. "You can take Nyana, I'm sure Dad will agree. It 's our Pidegot."
"Thank you, Haruka," Satoshi finally smiled.
She quickly returned the smile, then ran into the other room, the kitchen and hurried upstair, probably to take Nyana's pokeball.
Feeling terribly without energy, the young Pokemon master dragged himself out the door and sat, or rather dropped on the marble steps leading to the garden.
The flames of the small Ponyta shone beside the gate in the sunset.
"Pika pika," whispered his trusty Pikachu, going from his shoulder to the master's lap.
"Pikachu, if it had really happened...? If-if-I do not know if he died?"
"Pika!" scolded the pokemon. His master became very pessimistic and his imagination worked a bit too much when he was worried.
"He had asked me if he and I were something and I diverted the conversation, you know he could have died with the idea that I made fun of him, and for me he was only one night or- he could have really been hurt."
Pikachu bit one of his master's fingers and Satoshi jumped at the sharp pain. "You're right, I'm worrying too much. It's just that-"
It was just that he had thought of having all the time of the world for talking to Shigeru. He they would live together and be fine together. That Shigeru would have been fine, would have not look for someone else or got tired.
And he always postponed.
Nyana was an excellent Pidgeot, well trained and of high level. She knew the direction despite the darkness, because Haruka sometimes used her to visit Satoshi in Masara Satoshi Town.
Satoshi, Pikachu and Nyana flew for nearly one hour and half, then stood on the shore of an unnamed lake for a rest. The stop lasted only an hour or less, and they immediately left for the last bit to the birthplace of Satoshi.
After another hour they arrived and Nyana gave a sharp cry of joy.
Masara Town was not a metropolis in fact it was little more than a village but it was certainly larger than that old love country city Satoshi remembered in his childhood.
From there Satoshi could see the harbor, the supermarket and the hospital, close to the pokemon center.
The hospital... Professor Ookido, Shigeru's grandfather, had certainly asked the hospital that the mother of Satoshi was treated as a relative of Shigeru and therefore could visit him, but probably the professor had been to worried to tell the nurses about Satoshi too.
The pidgeot continued flying till they start seeing the little hill with the professor's house and near then Satoshi's house.
"Come down here, Nyana, please," he whispered to the pokemon and Pikachu, who was asleep in his coat, straightened his ears.
"Pika?"
"We are at home."
The big bird pokemon plan cleverly, and finally landed with two powerful beats of her wings right in the backyard.
"Nyana, thanks, I'll take you home soon," promised the Pokemon Master, taking her in the poke ball.
The boy walked past the rushing yards that separated him from the door and Pikachu woke up completely. But before he could knock, the door opened and his beloved mother hugged him.
"Satoshi Oh, finally!" said the woman.
"Mom, I was only six days away!"
"Are you okay? Do you want to rest or eat?"
Satoshi broke away from her embrace, thus saving himself from a possible suffocation. "I want to see Shigeru."
"But it's night now and I don't think the hospital will accept visits at this hour. And you have traveled a lot and-" she began to protest, but then her face brightened and smiled, "Ok, I understand. Very well."
She tousled his hair and Mr. Mime gave her the keys of the car. She had have the license for only a year and she had never loved to drive but this was an emergency.
"Who knows, perhaps if you use a bif of your charm they'll let you in, Mr. famous Pokemon Master," she suggested, almost gaily.
In almost ten minutes they arrived at the small hospital.
"Shigeru Ookido? But you can't visit him now," replied a young nurse with short black hair and clear blues eyes.
'It's importand" Satoshi tried but his mother interrupted him with one hand.
"Please!" exclaimed the woman, putting her son in front of her, "he is the famous Satoshi, the Pokemon Master!"
Satoshi glanced at her angrily and so did the nurse.
"Using such a frivolous fame to circumvent the rules is very regrettable."
Satoshi's mother chuckled awkwardly.
"Shigeru is a good guy. Has helped my son at university," the nurse suddenly said.
"Yeah?" Satoshi intervened, hopefully.
"Yes, I'm sorry for the incident. I spoke to him yesterday," she added, although the two statements had no logical connection between them. "I think if you would like to go you could. He talked about you".
Satoshi almost thought to embrace her. Almost. He opted for a smile and a thank you very much felt, after which overtook and ran to the room 112.
"Satoshi," called the nurse.
"You can't run in the corridors."
"Oh. Oh I'm sorry,"
"And no pokemon."
Satoshi turned back toward the woman and looked at the little Pikachu who was sitting comfortably on his head. "Excuse me," she whispered again and Pikachu, intelligent and caring, jumped on his shoulder and rubbed his nose against the cheek of the young man before running into Satoshi's mother's open arms. He would stay with her.
The room 112 was one of the last in the hallway and the door was open.
"Shi-" whispered Satoshi, but stopped immediately. Probably Shigeru was sleeping. The young man went on tiptoe into the room pointed out by the nurse.
It was an ordinary hospital room with three beds, all three with employees, a huge window on the right wall and a small table and a cupboard, above which there was an old TV.
Everything would have been completely dark if not for the light of the corridor and the lamplight outside the window. Someone had forgotten to draw the curtains.
Shigeru was lying in the bed by the window, but he seemed asleep despite the light.
Satoshi passed the other two beds occupied by a child and a middle-aged man, careful not to stumble into anything and not make unnecessary noise. Then he quietly took the chair at the table and sat down near Shigeru's bed.
And everything was allright because he was where he wanted to be.
Shigeru stood motionless, oblivious to the loving presence beside him. The brown hair was disheveled and covered in part a dark bruise and some scratches that was on the left side of the face. He was wearing a long sleeved blue pijamas and the left sleeve was a bit rolled up to give space to the tube of a drip, it was probably the antibiotic his mother mentioned.
Satoshi took Shiger's hand into his own hand and felt that the man's right wrist was bandaged.
Does it hurt? He had an urgent need to ask, to wake him. Does it hurt? I'm here! As if this could change something, in fact it was absurd. If it hurts, it hurts.
"Shi-ge-ru," he sang, soflty.
He knew that he could leave and return when the other one was awake, but something told him that he was to remain there. Probably something that was the sense of guilt for not arriving sooner, not being there when he was needed.
"I think I love my ex-best friend and former rival and now .. I'm also talking to himself like an idiot while everyone is asleep."
And Satoshi leaned into Shigeru's bed and fell asleep.
The morning sun and the child in the first bed sneezing suddenly woke Satoshi from his light sleep.
He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. His back replied with a twinge of pain in protest to ridiculously and uncomfortable position he had slept in.
Shigeru was exactly in the same position of the previous night, his face paler than waht had appeared.
"Shi-ge-ru," he enjoyed singing and spell his name.
"Sa-to-shi," smiled the fake asleep man, opening his own eyes and turning toward him.
"You're awake! How are you? I'm sorry for not coming yesterday... does it hurt?" he ended, pointing to the other one's head.
"You're destroying my hand," complained Shigeru, referring to their hands still bound.
"Sorry," whispered the Pokemon Master, loosening his hold, "How are you?"
"Just a little headaches, the rest all goes perfectly smooth," smiled the injured man.
Satoshi looked worried to the bandages around Shigeru's arm. "Are you thirsty? Hungry? You can eat, right? Do you need something?"
"No," said Shigeru, firmly but with a laugh, taking again Satoshi's hand, "Satoshi, don't worry. If I need something I'll let you know, okay?"
"Ok."
An old nurse entered in the room and stopped to exchange a few words with the man in the second bad, glancing birefly to Satoshi.
"She probably saw us," said Shigeru, when she was gone, and raised their hands to clarify the statement.
"Maybe .. does it bother you?"
"No," said Shigeru surprised, implying that he would have expected Satoshi to be the annoyed one.
Satoshi watched him in silence for some minutes. Has he been so stupid?
"I want this thing off from my arm," groaned the victim, looking carefully to his own left wrist.
"Iloveyou."
"What?" asked Shigeru widening his own eyes in a highly comic way and sounding confused.
"What?" Satoshi said, blushing foolishly.
"You said..." Shigeru tried.
The Pokemon Master sighed. He had promised to make things clear between them, he could not hold back right now just because he saw that Shigeru was physical fine and it was possible to postpone again.
"I love you .." Satoshi repeated, uncertain, "I love you?" he said with a shrug, as if asking forgiveness. "I'm late, I know, but you asked me what was happening."
Shigeru looked at him and Satoshi almost blushed even more under his inquisitive and almost angry eyes.
"Are you saying it because I'm hurt? To make me happy?"
"You're kidding right? I'm serious," replied Satoshi slowly..
Shigeru watched, irritated, he never lowered his eyes or look away and so did Satoshi. What was it? Had become a kind of contest of looks?
"Maybe I misunderstood," replied Satoshi. Maybe Shigeru was really not interested in something more.
"No," Shigeru stopped him, drily, "Kiss me."
Satoshi raised an eyebrow, confused but he decided to go along with the test and he leaned toward the young man on the bed and kissed him on cracked lips.
"This is not a kiss, if you-" Shigeru started to argue and Satoshi put one hand behind Shigeru's neck and he bent to kiss him again.
Ok, that was a kiss. You happy 'Geru?
"Ah, I see," Satoshi whispered suddenly interrupting the kiss and startling the poor Shigeru.
"What?"
"You pretend to be angry because you're embarrassed! Or you are really angry just because you're embarrassed."
Shigeru, who was putting in place his own blankets, turned abruptly to the former rival and Satoshi swore he saw him blush.
"Do not psychoanalyze me, 'Toshi."
"As you wish," Satoshi kept smiling, with the air of someone who has just unveiled a great mystery.
A pidgey fluttered to the window, stopping on the windowsill and analyzing the glass.
Shigeru turned to observe it and returned the pidgey's curious eyes.
It was almost completely lost in thought, or so it seemed then another leaned against him, slowly, to allow time to reject it if he wanted.
"And what about you?"
"Hn?" Me too," said Shigeru.
"You do not know what I'm talking about," complained the Pokemon Master.
"Yes I do. And my answer is I loveyoutoo."
"You said it rather quickly, can you repeat, please?"
"I'll let my Arcanine roast you for this," threatened the other, crossing his arms to his chest.
"Then repeat after me-"
Shigeru never managed to repeat anything because in that moment Satoshi's mother entered the room. She has a big and bright smile on her face and she seemed restored by a good long sleep.
"Hello, boys. Shigeru, how do you feel today?" asked the womand, with a bunch ov various fruits in her hands. She set it on the bedside table of the patient and patted Satoshi's shoulder.
"Better, thanks," smiled Shigeru.
The woman raised her hand to her cheek and smiled. "Well, I'm happy. So I'd better go back home and this afternoon I'll go get Professor Ookido the station."
"He is back already?" Shigeru inquired.
"Yes. And they decided to release you today so Satoshi can take you home. You can take a taxi," continued the mother of the Pokemon Master, smiling in a very bright and a bit euphoric way, "I leave you the money, Satoshi, okay? "
The woman rummaged in a little bag and pulled out some bills which she gave to his son.
"Do you have the house keys, right?" the mother said solemnly, "I'll be away for a while '."
"Mommy what's between the money?" Satoshi noticed at that time. "What? It's a rubber," he recognised, whispering and then blushed brigtly, "Mom!"
But the woman was already running away from the door and walked away.
How did she know?!
Fortunately Shigeru was too busy going over the fruits and chosing a red apple.
"So you'll take me home?"
"Yes, I think so."
Home is where the heart is
Warnings: shounen ai - Shishi = palletshipping .. and a plot that is cliché. But I love clichés!
If you do not like do not read it-is
Rating: PG13
Gary = Shigeru;
Satoshi = Ash;
Kasumi = Misty;
Brock = Takeshi;
Tracey = Kenji;
Professor Oak Professor Ookido =;
Haruka = true;
Pallet Town = Town Masara.
Satoshi finished to add the new pokemon in the Pokédex. He had searched him for four days, but it was worth it. He had knew that sooner or later he would have succeeded, Satoshi was not a guy capable to accept defeat.
At twenty-three years, with blacks and tousled hair, dark hazel eyes, Satoshi was one of the leading pokemon trainers in the continent.
He had been the famous Pokemon Master for three years but he had been not content to remain at the League challenging young coaches waiting to sign autographs for little girls or handsome boys. At the end he left the title and started training again.
Because he loved to raise his pokemon and especially loved to discover and capture new ones.
Now Satoshi was near Touk City. Haruka, his old friend and traveling companion, had called him last week to warn him about that new pokemon and maybe even to challenge him and defeat him.
Well, she always tried to defeat him, thought Satoshi resuming his sack on his back and walking towards the city, along with his beloved Pikachu.
How many adventures he and the little yellow mouse had spent together! Sometimes he had a terrible longing. Traveling without worries and responsabilities was something fascinating but also childish.
"Would you like to travel again Pikachu?" the boy asked.
The pokemon smiled with a cheerful pikapika and jumped on his shoulder. Even he knew that his master had changed. Now there was always something that prevented him from leaving.
Something that kept him in Masara Town.
And that something was not exactly a thing. It was a person.
Shigeru Ookido.
His best childhood friend. Then his best rival.
And now?
Now he and Shigeru were .. something.
Shigeru worked at the University of pokemon of Masara Town and currently lived with his grandfather, Professor Ookido, hoping to find a suitable apartment only fo himself.
Shigeru had a long period of research around the continent, but for three years he had accepted the job offered by the prestigious university. He always said that in the future he loved to travel again but he needed the money.
When Satoshi had come home and, for the first time, discovered that Shigeru was staying in Masara Town he had been filled with emotion.
In fact he had been endlessy worried. Meeting him like that had been different from the brief pokemon meetings they had had along the years of their friendship.
And when Shigeru had started visiting Satoshi's house (because of the strong friendship between Satoshi's mother and the professor's family) slowly the things had improved and their ancient relationship was restored in a more adult, and certainly less grumpy way.
The two had also worked together for several months because of a project for the university.
And Satoshi had forgot about his plan to leave again Masara Town.
In the town there was was his mother, there was the professor. Nearby there were also his friends Kasumi, Kenji and Takeshi. And there was Shigeru.
He did not like to admit to himself but he was terribly addicted to the sight of Shigeru every day. Or at his own home, or at his home or at the university.
It was nice to talk with him, teasing, fighting, debate, just remain silent. Wasn't it nice and comfortable?
And surely even Shigeru thought so, otherwise he would have left long ago. Shigeru was not really the type of person who helps others only for their own good.
Satoshi sighed and rubbed his cheek against Pikachu's.
He and Shigeru .. how to say? They had not even spoken to each other about it.
Two weeks before it had happened. A kiss, a simple kiss but it was a kiss which had nothing of adolescent curiosity or experimentation.
It seemed so natural, as the flow of water in a waterfall. Shigeru one day had asked him what, why? What was happening? What were two of them?
He had been embarrassed, but did not appear angry or unhappy, just curious, full of expectations.
Satoshi had diverted the conversation. He did not know what was happening he didn't have all the answers.
And the week after that they had drank a few glasses too many, to celebrate some funding given to the university and they had ended up making love. It had been so cliche it hurted.
And the next morning they had laughed. Of all the things they could do, thr disgust, the screams, they had chosen to laugh. Of course there also was a moment of terrible and embarassed exchange of looks.
"Pikachu, Pikachu. You think I'm in love with Shigeru?"
"PikaPika."
Satoshi shrugged and walked on. He'd love to be able to read the mind of Pikachu to know what were the thought of his beloved yellow mouse.
"I do not have time to find out... I'm so busy and I don't have tell him now, do I? I can wait," continued the trainer.
Pikachu looked at him sternly. His dear master had a tendency to put off the things he was afraid of.
"PikaPika," insisted the pokemon, trying to transmit to his friend what he thought and felt.
"We are almost there, Haruka will host us for the night and tomorrow we return to Masara Town," Satoshi reassured him, misinterpreting his impatience.
The city of Touka was slightly smaller than Masara Town. Everyone knew each other and everyone knew Satoshi and not only because of its reputation for Pokemon Master. They were friendly and definitely in hope Satoshi would fall in love with Haruka.
The sun was setting and Satoshi started to feel his own belly growled with hunger.
A pidgey passed noisily over him, in the sky.
"Oh, dear," an elderly woman with gray hair greeted him. It was Mrs. Otori, a woman in her sixties who run a small shop of medicines made by herself with herbs and berries in the woods near town.
"Hello Mrs. Otori, how are you?"
"Fine, thanks dear. Did you met with Haruka?"
"Not yet, but I'm going to her home. I'll sleep at her place tonight."
A small Mareep, which belonged to Otori, trotted by, bleating softly and sitting on the floor, his head leaning against the woman's knee.
"A dear girl Haruka, yes. Before I forget to tell you: her brother was looking for you and he was so rushed but he didn't want to tell me what happened."
The lady was a great gossip and people tried not to confide her great secrets.
"He was looking for me?" Satoshi asked unnecessarily. He did not need confirmation, he had already heard the woman very well.
"Better to go then, dear," advised Otori, pointing the way to the girl's house with a wave of his left hand.
Perhaps they had found a new pokemon, thought the optimistic part of his soul, and perhaps they wanted him captured him ..
Satoshi thanked her and with a nod he began to walk up to Haruka's house, eventually finding himself running along the last stretch.
The girl's house was large and painted in a red warm and welcoming colour. It was surrounded by a large garden with some of the pokemon of the house playing in the grass.
Just in the garden, Haruka was feeding a baby Ponyta with what appeared to be fresh hay.
"Haruka!" called, almost breathless, running through the opened gate, and Pikachu jumped nimbly from his shoulder to that of the girl to say hello.
"Pikachu! Satoshi! " she exclaimed "You've been away a long time."
"Yes, but I caught him," Satoshi said, referring to the rare pokemon he had come there for and smiled proudly.
Haruka nodded but did not smile back. Her face had a pained expression.
"Oh, Satoshi, I've looked for you everywhere, I just could not find you .." she began heatedly ".. your mother had called and told me to tell you to call you but you were not here!" she continued, dropping the bag of hay.
Ponyta took the opportunity to eat alone all the hay she wanted.
"I heard. What happaned?" Satoshi questioned, feeling that with every breath there was the appearing of icy hands carissing his lungs.
"Your friend at the university has had an accident. I do not know exactly what-"
"An accident? How?" Satoshi whispered, while a cold liquid of anxiety and fear going down his spine, slippery and sinuous.
Haruka looked at him surprised, perhaps affected by the sudden pallor on the face of his friend.
"I do not know, perhaps you should call your mother," she advised.
"Yes, yes, maybe .." Satoshi said, feeling suddenly tired and without energy. He began to walk towards the entrance of the house but suddenly turned to Haruka. "Can I use the phone?"
"Sure, do not worry."
Satoshi nodded and Pikachu jumped back on his shoulder.
Haruka's house was very large. A house with two floors and on the back, a small study fresh of blue painting. It was where Haruka's father worked and where sometimes he kept the pokemon stuff.
He wasted no time in greeting Haruka's parents, he had not seen them, but went straight to the phone and quickly dialed the number of his mother.
The phone began to ring, vacuum for interminable seconds and the screen remained stubbornly black.
Haruka walked silently behind him. She did not want to disturb him but just to make sure he was okay.
Pikachu's yellow nose rubbed his cheek against his master "Pika, pika."
"It's nothing, do not worry, Pikachu, it's nothing.They're all good, you'll see," Satoshi said, softly, with a shaky voice.
The screen suddenly flashed and Satoshi started, almost biting his own tongue to the nervousness. Pikachu's ears stood up in the air and with a sharp click the image of Satoshi's mother appeared in front of them.
"Satoshi! Here at last, where were you?" immediately asked the woman. He wore a long blue robe and a dark blue shawl she had made herself some years ago. His hair was slightly disheveled, poorly collected in a ponytail.
"Mom, what happened?"
Oh something had happened to Shigeru, he suddenly realized for the first time. It seemed so real. And his mother seemed so tired.
"This is-"
"Shigeru?" Satoshi asked so quietly that he was astonished that his mother had heard heard him.
"Yes there was an explosion in the university laboratory of the electrodes," she said, clutching her shawl, "Oh, I'm sorry, honey, I look horrible but I could not sleep and-"
"What does this mean? How is he?" Where? Where is Shigeru? Say he is all right, he wanted to beg her, please tell me.
"Do not worry, he is quite fine. Do not do that face, he has a concussion and burnet a little his arm but he will not die for so little. He's just a bit bruised and needs antibiotics. I did not want to leave the hospital you know that his grandfather is at Takeshi's for that Onyx ... "
Satoshi closed his own eyes for a moment. Oh thanks, could only record his brain, oh God, thanks.
"I have to go come home."
"And your pokemon?"
"I caught him," said Satoshi without the usual pride. But it was not a response that was fine. "But I would come back even if I had not caught. I'll be there soon... Are you sure he is fine? What do you mean he hit his head?"
"A slight head injury, they decided to keep him in the hospital to be on the safe side and-"
"Okay," Satoshi said curtly, though in reality he wanted to scream because he did not like at all the word Shigeru combined with head trauma.
"I'm coming home, I'll ask Haruka if I can borrow a Pidgeot or... somehow I'll be at home. Hello, mom."
And he hung up when his mother sent him a kiss.
Haruka coughed a little, embarrassed by the personal conversation he had witnessed, and Satoshi turned suddenly and quickly towards her.
He looked at her for a moment, undecided what to do. "Can I ..?"
His friend and past traveling companion nodded. "You can take Nyana, I'm sure Dad will agree. It 's our Pidegot."
"Thank you, Haruka," Satoshi finally smiled.
She quickly returned the smile, then ran into the other room, the kitchen and hurried upstair, probably to take Nyana's pokeball.
Feeling terribly without energy, the young Pokemon master dragged himself out the door and sat, or rather dropped on the marble steps leading to the garden.
The flames of the small Ponyta shone beside the gate in the sunset.
"Pika pika," whispered his trusty Pikachu, going from his shoulder to the master's lap.
"Pikachu, if it had really happened...? If-if-I do not know if he died?"
"Pika!" scolded the pokemon. His master became very pessimistic and his imagination worked a bit too much when he was worried.
"He had asked me if he and I were something and I diverted the conversation, you know he could have died with the idea that I made fun of him, and for me he was only one night or- he could have really been hurt."
Pikachu bit one of his master's fingers and Satoshi jumped at the sharp pain. "You're right, I'm worrying too much. It's just that-"
It was just that he had thought of having all the time of the world for talking to Shigeru. He they would live together and be fine together. That Shigeru would have been fine, would have not look for someone else or got tired.
And he always postponed.
Nyana was an excellent Pidgeot, well trained and of high level. She knew the direction despite the darkness, because Haruka sometimes used her to visit Satoshi in Masara Satoshi Town.
Satoshi, Pikachu and Nyana flew for nearly one hour and half, then stood on the shore of an unnamed lake for a rest. The stop lasted only an hour or less, and they immediately left for the last bit to the birthplace of Satoshi.
After another hour they arrived and Nyana gave a sharp cry of joy.
Masara Town was not a metropolis in fact it was little more than a village but it was certainly larger than that old love country city Satoshi remembered in his childhood.
From there Satoshi could see the harbor, the supermarket and the hospital, close to the pokemon center.
The hospital... Professor Ookido, Shigeru's grandfather, had certainly asked the hospital that the mother of Satoshi was treated as a relative of Shigeru and therefore could visit him, but probably the professor had been to worried to tell the nurses about Satoshi too.
The pidgeot continued flying till they start seeing the little hill with the professor's house and near then Satoshi's house.
"Come down here, Nyana, please," he whispered to the pokemon and Pikachu, who was asleep in his coat, straightened his ears.
"Pika?"
"We are at home."
The big bird pokemon plan cleverly, and finally landed with two powerful beats of her wings right in the backyard.
"Nyana, thanks, I'll take you home soon," promised the Pokemon Master, taking her in the poke ball.
The boy walked past the rushing yards that separated him from the door and Pikachu woke up completely. But before he could knock, the door opened and his beloved mother hugged him.
"Satoshi Oh, finally!" said the woman.
"Mom, I was only six days away!"
"Are you okay? Do you want to rest or eat?"
Satoshi broke away from her embrace, thus saving himself from a possible suffocation. "I want to see Shigeru."
"But it's night now and I don't think the hospital will accept visits at this hour. And you have traveled a lot and-" she began to protest, but then her face brightened and smiled, "Ok, I understand. Very well."
She tousled his hair and Mr. Mime gave her the keys of the car. She had have the license for only a year and she had never loved to drive but this was an emergency.
"Who knows, perhaps if you use a bif of your charm they'll let you in, Mr. famous Pokemon Master," she suggested, almost gaily.
In almost ten minutes they arrived at the small hospital.
"Shigeru Ookido? But you can't visit him now," replied a young nurse with short black hair and clear blues eyes.
'It's importand" Satoshi tried but his mother interrupted him with one hand.
"Please!" exclaimed the woman, putting her son in front of her, "he is the famous Satoshi, the Pokemon Master!"
Satoshi glanced at her angrily and so did the nurse.
"Using such a frivolous fame to circumvent the rules is very regrettable."
Satoshi's mother chuckled awkwardly.
"Shigeru is a good guy. Has helped my son at university," the nurse suddenly said.
"Yeah?" Satoshi intervened, hopefully.
"Yes, I'm sorry for the incident. I spoke to him yesterday," she added, although the two statements had no logical connection between them. "I think if you would like to go you could. He talked about you".
Satoshi almost thought to embrace her. Almost. He opted for a smile and a thank you very much felt, after which overtook and ran to the room 112.
"Satoshi," called the nurse.
"You can't run in the corridors."
"Oh. Oh I'm sorry,"
"And no pokemon."
Satoshi turned back toward the woman and looked at the little Pikachu who was sitting comfortably on his head. "Excuse me," she whispered again and Pikachu, intelligent and caring, jumped on his shoulder and rubbed his nose against the cheek of the young man before running into Satoshi's mother's open arms. He would stay with her.
The room 112 was one of the last in the hallway and the door was open.
"Shi-" whispered Satoshi, but stopped immediately. Probably Shigeru was sleeping. The young man went on tiptoe into the room pointed out by the nurse.
It was an ordinary hospital room with three beds, all three with employees, a huge window on the right wall and a small table and a cupboard, above which there was an old TV.
Everything would have been completely dark if not for the light of the corridor and the lamplight outside the window. Someone had forgotten to draw the curtains.
Shigeru was lying in the bed by the window, but he seemed asleep despite the light.
Satoshi passed the other two beds occupied by a child and a middle-aged man, careful not to stumble into anything and not make unnecessary noise. Then he quietly took the chair at the table and sat down near Shigeru's bed.
And everything was allright because he was where he wanted to be.
Shigeru stood motionless, oblivious to the loving presence beside him. The brown hair was disheveled and covered in part a dark bruise and some scratches that was on the left side of the face. He was wearing a long sleeved blue pijamas and the left sleeve was a bit rolled up to give space to the tube of a drip, it was probably the antibiotic his mother mentioned.
Satoshi took Shiger's hand into his own hand and felt that the man's right wrist was bandaged.
Does it hurt? He had an urgent need to ask, to wake him. Does it hurt? I'm here! As if this could change something, in fact it was absurd. If it hurts, it hurts.
"Shi-ge-ru," he sang, soflty.
He knew that he could leave and return when the other one was awake, but something told him that he was to remain there. Probably something that was the sense of guilt for not arriving sooner, not being there when he was needed.
"I think I love my ex-best friend and former rival and now .. I'm also talking to himself like an idiot while everyone is asleep."
And Satoshi leaned into Shigeru's bed and fell asleep.
The morning sun and the child in the first bed sneezing suddenly woke Satoshi from his light sleep.
He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. His back replied with a twinge of pain in protest to ridiculously and uncomfortable position he had slept in.
Shigeru was exactly in the same position of the previous night, his face paler than waht had appeared.
"Shi-ge-ru," he enjoyed singing and spell his name.
"Sa-to-shi," smiled the fake asleep man, opening his own eyes and turning toward him.
"You're awake! How are you? I'm sorry for not coming yesterday... does it hurt?" he ended, pointing to the other one's head.
"You're destroying my hand," complained Shigeru, referring to their hands still bound.
"Sorry," whispered the Pokemon Master, loosening his hold, "How are you?"
"Just a little headaches, the rest all goes perfectly smooth," smiled the injured man.
Satoshi looked worried to the bandages around Shigeru's arm. "Are you thirsty? Hungry? You can eat, right? Do you need something?"
"No," said Shigeru, firmly but with a laugh, taking again Satoshi's hand, "Satoshi, don't worry. If I need something I'll let you know, okay?"
"Ok."
An old nurse entered in the room and stopped to exchange a few words with the man in the second bad, glancing birefly to Satoshi.
"She probably saw us," said Shigeru, when she was gone, and raised their hands to clarify the statement.
"Maybe .. does it bother you?"
"No," said Shigeru surprised, implying that he would have expected Satoshi to be the annoyed one.
Satoshi watched him in silence for some minutes. Has he been so stupid?
"I want this thing off from my arm," groaned the victim, looking carefully to his own left wrist.
"Iloveyou."
"What?" asked Shigeru widening his own eyes in a highly comic way and sounding confused.
"What?" Satoshi said, blushing foolishly.
"You said..." Shigeru tried.
The Pokemon Master sighed. He had promised to make things clear between them, he could not hold back right now just because he saw that Shigeru was physical fine and it was possible to postpone again.
"I love you .." Satoshi repeated, uncertain, "I love you?" he said with a shrug, as if asking forgiveness. "I'm late, I know, but you asked me what was happening."
Shigeru looked at him and Satoshi almost blushed even more under his inquisitive and almost angry eyes.
"Are you saying it because I'm hurt? To make me happy?"
"You're kidding right? I'm serious," replied Satoshi slowly..
Shigeru watched, irritated, he never lowered his eyes or look away and so did Satoshi. What was it? Had become a kind of contest of looks?
"Maybe I misunderstood," replied Satoshi. Maybe Shigeru was really not interested in something more.
"No," Shigeru stopped him, drily, "Kiss me."
Satoshi raised an eyebrow, confused but he decided to go along with the test and he leaned toward the young man on the bed and kissed him on cracked lips.
"This is not a kiss, if you-" Shigeru started to argue and Satoshi put one hand behind Shigeru's neck and he bent to kiss him again.
Ok, that was a kiss. You happy 'Geru?
"Ah, I see," Satoshi whispered suddenly interrupting the kiss and startling the poor Shigeru.
"What?"
"You pretend to be angry because you're embarrassed! Or you are really angry just because you're embarrassed."
Shigeru, who was putting in place his own blankets, turned abruptly to the former rival and Satoshi swore he saw him blush.
"Do not psychoanalyze me, 'Toshi."
"As you wish," Satoshi kept smiling, with the air of someone who has just unveiled a great mystery.
A pidgey fluttered to the window, stopping on the windowsill and analyzing the glass.
Shigeru turned to observe it and returned the pidgey's curious eyes.
It was almost completely lost in thought, or so it seemed then another leaned against him, slowly, to allow time to reject it if he wanted.
"And what about you?"
"Hn?" Me too," said Shigeru.
"You do not know what I'm talking about," complained the Pokemon Master.
"Yes I do. And my answer is I loveyoutoo."
"You said it rather quickly, can you repeat, please?"
"I'll let my Arcanine roast you for this," threatened the other, crossing his arms to his chest.
"Then repeat after me-"
Shigeru never managed to repeat anything because in that moment Satoshi's mother entered the room. She has a big and bright smile on her face and she seemed restored by a good long sleep.
"Hello, boys. Shigeru, how do you feel today?" asked the womand, with a bunch ov various fruits in her hands. She set it on the bedside table of the patient and patted Satoshi's shoulder.
"Better, thanks," smiled Shigeru.
The woman raised her hand to her cheek and smiled. "Well, I'm happy. So I'd better go back home and this afternoon I'll go get Professor Ookido the station."
"He is back already?" Shigeru inquired.
"Yes. And they decided to release you today so Satoshi can take you home. You can take a taxi," continued the mother of the Pokemon Master, smiling in a very bright and a bit euphoric way, "I leave you the money, Satoshi, okay? "
The woman rummaged in a little bag and pulled out some bills which she gave to his son.
"Do you have the house keys, right?" the mother said solemnly, "I'll be away for a while '."
"Mommy what's between the money?" Satoshi noticed at that time. "What? It's a rubber," he recognised, whispering and then blushed brigtly, "Mom!"
But the woman was already running away from the door and walked away.
How did she know?!
Fortunately Shigeru was too busy going over the fruits and chosing a red apple.
"So you'll take me home?"
"Yes, I think so."