Blessed- Ash and Misty

Blessed

Misty took a deep breath, "I missed you." 

"I missed you too." Ash said, feeling like his voice might crack. Without giving himself a chance to wonder if it was a stupid idea, he closed the distance between himself and his first ever traveling companion, hugging her tightly to his body. Misty slackened, uncertain, before resting her head against his bare chest, breathing in the scent of the Pokemon Trainer she'd been missing for such a long time. He was warm, just as she remembered, and being wrapped in his arms felt like home. Just a split second of being here, safe and secure with him, felt more peaceful than all the years of being home in Cerulean combined. 

Ash began to pull away, but Misty wrapped her arms around his back tightly, "No."  

He hugged her tightly, feeling the waves swirl around them, the wind blow against them, the softness of her skin and the silkiness of her hair. Her body curved perfectly against his and everything felt right with the world for the first time since he could remember.  

Ash rocked her back and forth and there was no reason for words between them. Why would they speak when they knew each other so well? It didn't matter that they only saw each other once, maybe twice, a year. Through the years, they'd developed a bond that distance, time, and circumstances could not break. Through letters and late night phone calls, they had kept in touch. Through visits, they would rekindle the unspoken attraction towards each other, making it grow with each passing year. Love was not something that could only be communicated in words. Love, their love, was bigger than that, bigger than words could describe, stronger than anything but six years spent apart could really show. 

Ash squeezed Misty to him tighter, burying his face in her hair. 

Misty felt like crying. She hadn't been able to take being away from Ash anymore. She'd boarded a plane without telling anyone where she was going, abandoning the gym and only being thoughtful enough to hastily write a note saying she didn't know when she'd be back. She'd flown straight to Kalos, knowing Ash was in Ambrette Town, and went to the Pokemon Center, finding Nurse Joy who had introduced her to Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena. She hadn't even cared about seeing a new girl Ash had traveled with in person. Yes, she was jealous beyond belief, especially knowing how Serena had met Ash before she herself had, but her desire to see Ash was stronger than any other feelings she could have, so she stayed only long enough to discover Ash had gone to the beach. 

Misty had changed into her bathing suit, which was of course one thing Water Pokemon Trainers always packed, and had gone straight down to the beach, finding the beach empty except for Ash Ketchum standing thirty feet away from shore, facing the full moon. 

All those memories with Ash had brought her to this moment. The moment she had fished him out of that river as she tried to catch Water Pokemon, finding a pathetically whiny boy and a hurt Pikachu instead. The moment she first held his hand in a foggy forest. All the moments she'd thought he'd died, or would die. The amount of change they'd gone through during the Orange Islands. The blushes, the fights, the emotions behind it all.  

The time she thought she'd never see him again. 

But here he was, holding her, his grip gentle, yet strong at the same time. She knew he wouldn't ever hurt her and that it was here, with him, that she really belonged.  

The ocean lit up with hundreds of bright lights, pulsating slowly. Ash and Misty broke apart enough to look at the water. It was like dozens of light bulbs floating underneath the surface, slowly lighting up and dimming in a mysterious dance. 

"Staryu." Misty said in explanation, looking at Ash's furrowed brow. She smiled at his confusion. She'd never admitted it to anyone, but she usually enjoyed the look on his face when he had no idea what he was seeing or hearing. She'd been irritated by that face at first, but she realized that when Ash learned something new, his face lit up. His face would light up and that was an even more amazing sight than the Staryu to her.