Chapter 2

Misty was jostled awake as the truck hit a bump in the road. Her sleep-blurred vision caught a passing road sign. "Route 3, Mount Moon next left," it read.

"You're awake," said Miranda quietly, giving her lover a sideways glance as she drove and reached over to take her hand.

Misty nodded. "I wasn't totally asleep," she replied, unbuckling her seat belt and sliding over closer to Miranda, "I was just thinking about the other day."

Miranda looked thoughtfully out at the road ahead, sliding an arm around Misty as the girl snuggled in close. "Any thing you wanted to talk about?" she inquired sympathetically, turning the wheel slightly to avoid another pothole.

"No, not really," Misty explained, looking out the front window at the way the headlights barely illuminated the poorly maintained road, "You got a large delivery call, and I needed a boulder badge. Simple as that."

"Bad memories, eh?"

"Kinda," Misty admitted, smiling in spite of herself as Miranda half hugged her, "But at least we both won our challenges. I suppose that kinda counts as closure."

"One more ghost of the past not haunting you," replied Miranda mostly rhetorically, trying not to yawn, "But are you sure that you're okay with us heading to Cerulean? It's not like either of us actually needs a Cascade Badge."

Misty watched the road for a few moments before answering. "It's no big deal," she said, a small smile coming to her as she snuggled against Miranda, "I have you to look out for me, and with you by my side I know I can stand up to my sisters."

"That's good," replied Miranda, giving Misty a small hug, wishing she could kiss her, but the thought of going off the road wasn't the least bit intriguing, "Just remember, you're your own person. Not your sister's plaything."

Misty nodded in agreement; trying not to dwell upon the literally hundreds of times her sisters had manipulated her into doing things she didn't want to. "Last time you were there," asked Misty, trying to change the subject a little, "how did you get along with them?"

Miranda shrugged. "It really wasn't a social call," she explained as the passed another sign advertising a rest stop just a ways ahead, "You see, I kinda got into a small argument with this trainer about which one of us had better pokemon. It was silly really, but he insulted Nezumi, and I couldn't let go by..."

Misty glanced up at Miranda and smiled. "You really love him, don't you?" she asked rhetorically.

Miranda thought about it for a moment, her mind becoming a bit cloudy after the long drive over rough terrain. "He's my second acquisition," explained the courier, "But he's favorite. I suppose it's because he makes me laugh and reminds me how to smile when I forget but also he's just too darn cute sometimes."

Misty smiled, snuggling closer and awkwardly putting her arms around Miranda. "I love you too," she sighed contently, her heart swelling with emotion, "I just hope Umi, Wraith or especially Nezumi don't get jealous!"

"Yeah," chuckled Miranda, giving Misty a gentle half hug, "but I think they understand. If not, Nezumi will explain it to them. They listen to him, and he's good at understanding humans it seems. Which is odd, because dratini are the one's who're mildly empathic."

"Maybe it's because Nezumi spends more time outside of his pokeball," Misty suggested, "And Umi is still quite young in dragon years."

"She'll be fifteen in November," Miranda agreed, slowing as the exit off Route 4 to a rest stop loomed closer, "Nezumi's only five, but he's older in rattata years. Anyway, I wound up having to show that guy in Cerulean why rattatas are just as good as eevees-"

"Did, did you say 'eevee'?" interrupted Misty, glancing up at Miranda with an expression that crossed shocking realization with bemusement.

The woman nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"No reason," chuckled Misty, "Go on."

Miranda gave Misty a suspiciously amused glance as she pulled into the parking area and killed the engine. "Anyway," she continued, adding so much emphasis to the word that Misty almost burst out laughing, "we went to the park and had it out. And that's about it."

Misty gave Miranda a look of unsatisfied curiosity, making it her turn to laugh.

"Okay, okay," she chuckled, shutting off the headlights and unbuckling her seatbelt, "It was a tie. Now then, what's with the eevee?"

Misty exhaled her held breath, smiling and shaking her head as she unbuckled herself as well before getting a little more comfortable. "By any chance, was his name 'Gary'?" she asked, "With an eevee named 'Lilith'?"

Miranda glanced out the windshield at the now more visible stars. "Yeah, Gary something or other," she replied thoughtfully, "I don't really remember, though. Is he another friend of yours?"

"Goodness, no!" laughed Misty, "He's an obnoxious braggart! But then, I'm beginning to think that's a common trait amongst Pallet boys."

"Ah, I see," replied Miranda, turning back to Misty, "he's a friend of Ash's."

"More like a rival," corrected Misty, swinging her legs onto the seat so she could sit in Miranda's lap with her back against the door.

Miranda smirked. "You know," she said slyly, wrapping her arms around her beloved, "it's a good thing he's got a real attitude problem..."

"Oh? Why's that?" inquired Misty in amused suspicion, resting her arms on Miranda's shoulders, awkwardly encircling her neck.

"Because he's kinda cute," Miranda responded, almost unable to keep from laughing.

"Should I be jealous?" Misty asked, bowing her head a little so that she could look up at Miranda with a pitiful look.

"Only if he suddenly becomes an irresistibly beautiful trainer specializing in water pokemon," Miranda replied, her voice becoming quiet as their lips moved closer, "And of course he'd have to change his disposition to be that of someone who is both sweet and full of fire. Becoming someone that I would treasure even beyond death. Someone so special that my heart nearly bursts every time I look into her eyes and her devotion reflected in them."

Misty pressed her lips against Miranda's, cutting her off again in an attempt to ease the emotional buildup she felt. Her lover offered up no resistance, instead holding the girl closer, and tilting her head obligingly as they kissed, running her hands down Misty's back affectionately.

"I do love you," assured Misty breathlessly as she pulled back, "More than I've ever loved anyone or anything."

"Thank you," Miranda replied, brushing her nose against Misty's, "I never grow wary of hearing that."

Misty nodded slowly, the feeling of safety in Miranda's arms making her wish the courier could hold her forever. "If I wasn't so tired I'd show you just how much I love you," she assured, kissing Miranda teasingly, playfully nibbling her bottom lip.

"That's okay," Miranda assured, sighing contentedly as Misty's fingers brushed her bangs out of her eyes, "I love you for you, not for what you can do 'for' me. If I was suddenly cursed so that all I could do was hold you; that would be enough. If the Heavens above decreed that may only kiss you but once a day, my heart would almost burst, but it would still be enough. And if distance itself separated us physically, even staring across a bottomless chasm into your eyes would be enough. I love you, Misty. With out condition, and without regret."

Her beloved let out a long sigh, resting her head on Miranda's shoulder, basking in the moment. "You're as beautiful as your poetry," she sighed, closing her eyes and nuzzling Miranda's neck.

"My muse gives me little rest, my love," assured Miranda with a chuckle, "But I guess I'm just hunting for a perfect moment."

"A perfect moment?" inquired Misty, looking up suddenly into the stormy gray depths of Miranda's suddenly distant gaze.

"Yes," the woman explained reminiscently, "In my Father's diary, he wrote that he had two such moments. He would even ponder them, trying to decide which was more perfect, because you can only have one perfect moment. He never wrote which it was, so I suppose they both were..."

"What were they?" asked Misty in a quiet tone, knowing how thoughts of her deceased father affected the woman.

Miranda smiled. "The day he found Selece was the first," she explained quietly, "He found a clutch of eggs on the beach one summer when he was in Porta Vista, but most of them had been broken open and devoured by sea birds. He never found out what happened to the parents, but he brought the surviving egg home and hatched it. That's why I have Umi..." Miranda smiled at the memory, "But the 'perfect' moment came when that egg hatched. The first thing little Selece saw was my father. Their eyes met, and there was instant love. And somehow, that dratini conveyed his desire to be named Selece. So he basically named himself."

"Was it the same for you with Umi?" Misty inquired, wiping away Miranda's tear for her.

The courier nodded. "Yes, I remember my parents waking me up at three in the morning and rushing me into the Cavern. I was only wearing a nightdress, and didn't have time to even dawn some slippers, so the hot sands beneath my feet was almost unbearable. But when I walked in, and saw that Undine was backing away from her eggs, I knew it was something important! My Father wanted my experience with my dratini to be even more special that his own. And it was... I'll never forget the first few cracks that appeared upon the shell. The pitiful cries as that the sweet baby dragon pushed against the walls of her egg, until finally shattering it into a thousand pieces! Then her little eyes shifting from red to green as she saw me... I knew her name in that instant. Just like with my Father. And I knew she hungry too! Although I wasn't officially 'given' Umi until Umi was old enough to leave her parents, and I was old enough to handle the responsibility. Those were very happy years, though..."

"Before it all ended," concluded Misty, seeing the sad look in Miranda's eyes, "But at least you still have Umi..."

"That's true," whispered Miranda, determined not to cry as she continued her story, "The second moment for my Father, though, was when I was born. I have a picture at home of him and my mom together that day. They look so happy with me, little more than a bundle of blankets between them. It was a long harsh Winter, but I added warmth to both their lives."

"You, you don't resent your Mother's decision to remarry, do you?" Misty asked carefully.

"Goodness no," Miranda chuckled quietly, shaking her head in amusement, "I like Bob. He makes my mother happy, and that's all that matters. But, much like my Father, my moments keep competing for the title of Perfection."

"And may I ask, what moments are currently in the running?" inquired Misty a touch coyly.

Miranda closed her eyes and smiled. "Right now is something of a front runner," she admitted, "But I think the first time you told you loved me ranks pretty high. As does Umi's hatching... Like father like daughter, I suppose. Hm, I have his eyes, you know. Gray as the sky on a cloudy day, just before a storm. Except that in my case, I guess it's a snow storm, because that's what I was born during."

"That's okay," assured Misty, thinking back to their last vid- phone conversation with Vivian Lilcamp, "I think you look better with gray eyes, rather than magenta."

Miranda suppressed a laugh as she removed her glasses. "That's true," she agreed, "but I received my vision defect from my Father."

"That's okay," assured Misty, "I think your glasses add a certain intelligent look to your over all appearance. I like that."

"I'm glad!" replied Miranda, giving Misty a sarcastically relieved look.

"How about me, though?" the trainer inquired, taking Miranda's glasses from her and sliding them onto her own face.

Miranda leaned back a little, examining the effect. "I never realized how big those make my eyes look!" she commented, reaching up to untie Misty's hair so that it fell free, "Hey, not bad..."

"Think so?" Misty giggled, trying unsuccessfully to focus, even though Miranda's prescription wasn't that strong.

"Yes," Miranda agreed with a smile, sliding the spectacles off, "Very cute. But you'll hurt yourself if you wear these for too long."

"Oh, my heroine," said Misty jokingly as Miranda put them away, taking a moment to stretch her legs out, "Oh! Sorry!"

There was a suddenly dull thud as Miranda's clipboard slid off the far end of the seat. "Tis okay," the courier assured, looking over and trying to make out the image of the clipboard in the darkness, "I'm sure its fine."

"Hey, what's on here, anyway?" commented Misty, suddenly struck by her impulsive curiosity as she leaned forward and reached under the dashboard, "I never thought to ask."

"Food for some fancy restaurant," answered Miranda with a shrug, "We get that sometimes. It's usually local delicacies that need to be shipped from far away to please immigrants. That's why the back of the truck is refrigerated."

"I noticed," said Misty, leafing through the papers and squinting to read the words, "Twenty-eight boxes of an eighty piece order. I guess someone else is delivering the next load."

"It's probably something that needs an over night shipment," Miranda explained, "Like sushi or something. Oh well, the job's not glamorous, but I prefer it to working in Admin. It pays better too!"

"And this from the sole heir to the family fortune," Misty commented slyly, sending Miranda a sideways glance.

"Hey! You're right!" gasped Miranda in mock surprise, "I'd better call mom and Bob to tell them to get crackin' and make me some step siblings soon, or I'll have to become a 'real' responsible adult by the time I'm like fifty! What'll I do?!"

"Well, I'd better be careful too!" added Misty, laughing in spite of her wariness, "Because if something happens to my sisters, I'll inherit a pokemon gym!"

Miranda smiled, taking Misty's chin in her hand and tilting Misty's head to making eye contact. "Then I shall bequeath my fortune to my Aunt Laurna and learn to raise fish!" she concluded, "For a few thousand credits and some cracked china cannot compare to the treasure of your love..."

Misty sighed contently as Miranda's lips pressed against her own for a few precious moments. "And in my case," she chuckled between kisses, "I'd rather have you than the world's biggest fish tank any day!"

Miranda pulled back, unable to keep from laughing. "It's more than that," she chuckled, smiling adoringly at Misty as she shook her head, "A pokemon gym's supposed to be a sacred place, something to be taken seriously. They don't give official gym status to just anyone."

"I know," assured Misty wistfully, "but so is love. It's a precious thing and should never just be cast aside, or put off. It should take precedence over everything!"

"I must be rubbing off on you," replied Miranda with an amused smile before sitting up a little straighter and stretching out, "Which isn't a bad thing, really. But sleeping in this position just might be."

"You're probably right," Misty agreed, backing away and setting the clipboard on the dash, "Do you think we'll be warm enough tonight, though?"

"More than likely," replied Miranda teasingly, making Misty blush as she shuffled down to the opposite door and pulled it open.

"Yeah, you're probably right," responded Misty coyly, bowing her head to hide her reaction as she unlocked the backrest and pulled it forward a short distance, "It'll be at least a few weeks before the cooler weather comes."

Miranda leaned forward as she opened her door and slid out. "I guess that means we'll hit Cerulean in time for the End Of Summer Festival," she commented, taking in a deep lungful of the cool night air.

"Hey! You're right," responded Misty, pulling her sleeping bag out from behind the seat, and waiting for Miranda to retrieve her own before slamming the backrest into place once more, "I wonder if this delivery's for the festival?"

"More than likely," replied Miranda, making her way around the truck to make sure everything was in order, "Eighty some odd creates of food does seem a bit much."

"I wonder if there's any ice-cream..." pondered Misty hopefully as Miranda came around to her side and gave one of the tires a light tap with her shoe.

"That's dishonest," said the courier in an amused tone, "Besides, I thought you were worried about keeping warm."

Misty blushed again, causing Miranda to catch her breath as a flood of emotion hit her out of nowhere. "Okay," Misty conceded, in a tone that suggested a scolded child, "I'll be good..."

Miranda shook her head, and put an arm around Misty's shoulders. "But, it can't hurt to look," she replied.

"Yay," Misty responded with token enthusiasm and a mischievous smile as Miranda lead her around to the back of the truck, "But just remember, Miri, we're just looking!"

Miranda gave her an amused sideways glance. "I promise if you do," she replied, dropping her sleeping bag on the ground and letting go of Misty so she could open the back doors.

"Well, okay," giggled Misty as the metal latches strained against Miranda's efforts to unhinge them.

"Must be the temperature," the woman commented as the mechanism unlocked and she strained against the door, "It's frozen shut."

"No problem!" announced Misty, her enthusiasm getting the best of her as she pulled out a pokeball, "Leviathan, you're up!"

Miranda's eyes widened as she took a step back, trying to stammer out an appropriate objection while her beloved tossed out the pokeball. It opened a moment later, and from the crimson light Misty's gyarados materialized.

The monstrous sea serpent bowed its head and turned his gaze towards his mistress. "Gyaaaa," he growled contentedly as Misty scratched his eye ridges affectionately and Miranda could only shake her head in amused dismay.

"I need to you heat the doors up," his trainer explained in a maternal tone, her voice going up and octave as she spoke to her latest pokemon acquisition, "But just a little, okay?"

Leviathan leaned back and nodded, something resembling a smile coming to his lips as he stared down at Misty adoringly. "This- this could be misconstrued as a touch excessive," stammered Miranda, giving the pokemon a wide breadth as she went to stand at Misty's side while the gyarados began making a sinister hissing sound.

"Well, he does have to practice his dragon rage technique," chuckled Misty as small orange flames flickered between Leviathan's twin rows of razor sharp teeth, "And neither of us really have any fire pokemon."

"I've always found them a touch unreliable," admitted Miranda. "Except for growlithes. Cops use them for that reason, I suppose. Too bad their unavailable as starter poke's for Lavender Brats."

"'Lavender Brats'?" inquired Misty, the flames lighting up her face in the dim light.

Miranda nodded, smiling reminiscently. "That's what a lot of people call pokemon trainers from Lavender," she explained, "It started out as derogatory, something about a disagreement with some Sunny Town residence as I recall, but we're proud of the nickname now."

"I have trouble seeing you as a 'brat'," laughed Misty, leaning against Miranda as Leviathan carefully blew a light dusting of orange flame against the back doors of the panel truck, "A 'Lavender Girl', maybe, but not a 'Lavender Brat'."

Miranda titled her head and looked down at Misty with a serious look. "I wasn't always the person I am today," she said teasingly, "And I'm sure you were quite a handful for your parents when you were young too!"

"My, my parents..." muttered Misty, suddenly looking glum before becoming alarmed, "Leviathan! That's enough!" The gyarados gave his trainer a sideways glance. "Dooosss?" he inquired, blinking his huge amber eyes innocently, oblivious to the fact that the paint had peeled off and the door was beginning to melt.

"Stop!" Misty ordered, holding out Leviathan's pokeball and activating it, "That's enough for now."

The pokemon gave an apologetic sound, and looked downcast as he dematerialized and was once again and drawn back into his pokeball.

"I'm sorry," came Miranda's quiet apology as Misty stepped forward, leaving Miranda suddenly feeling very cold and alone, "I, I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay," assured Misty, staring off into the space between herself and the now smoking doors, "It my fault for never mentioning it to you. I, I think that you of all people have right to know."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," assured Miranda, her stomach twisting into knots as guilt hit her conscience rather hard.

Misty shook her head. "There's not much to tell," she continued after taking a deep breath, "My parent's Fate was nowhere near as dramatic or even interesting as you might think. They were lost at sea, that's all. It was supposed to be a second honeymoon to the Orange Islands, and their ship went down in a storm..."

"I see," Miranda replied, coming up behind Misty and placing her hands carefully upon Misty's shoulders, half wondering if she should.

"Don't worry," assured Misty, closing her eyes and bowing her head to hide her tears as she put her hands over Miranda's, "It's just that I'm not as strong as you are, Miranda. As you've said, I'm full of life. It makes it hard to deal with death, so I ignore it, or try to forget about it. You're comment just caught me off guard, 'tis all."

"I'm still sorry," said Miranda, sliding her arms around Misty from behind and holding her close, "I guess that I'm just so used to mourning my own losses, that I forget that other people have them too."

Misty snickered in spite of herself. "It's funny," she commented, resting her head upon Miranda's shoulder and staring up at the stars, "I almost envy you."

"How so?"

The trainer inhaled the now warm air and held it for a moment before speaking, hoping that her tears would stop. "It's stupid really," she replied, "just a silly childish jealousy. You'd only laugh at me."

"No," corrected Miranda, "Nothing you say or feel is silly. You mean everything to me, and if there's something on your mind, I want to hear it."

"Okay," continued Misty, glancing into Miranda's caring eyes, "Here goes. You see, you have a story to tell when it comes to your family tragedy. The Rockets came to steal your parent's pokemon, and everything went horribly wrong. You have someone you can point to, and say 'You killed my Father, you murdered Undine and Selece, and your stupid machoke paralyzed your Mother. Who do I have blame? Who do can I seek revenge upon for dramatically changing my life for the worse? Nature? Fate? Blind luck?!"

"Misty..." choked Miranda, holding the girl as close as she could, the sight of her beloved tears, and the pain in her voice cutting though her usual calm and leaving behind a numb sorrow.

"I, I told you it was stupid and childish," replied Misty, her small fingers digging into Miranda's forearms as she held on for support, "Being envious of such a thing... I'm nothing like my sisters!"

"Misty!" exclaimed Miranda through her own tears, turning her beloved around before taking hold of her shoulders and meeting her gaze, "It's- It's all right. And not being like your sisters is a good thing."

Misty met Miranda's gaze and nodded. "Thank you," she whispered; falling into her lover's embrace, "You seem to be able to put up with so much..."

"I'm not putting up with anything," assured Miranda a little indignantly, "And it's not childish, it's just human. It's not stupid, it just means that you aspire to greatness. And that's a good thing."

Misty pulled away and looked up at Miranda once again, smiling weakly. "Is this what it's like?" she inquired, her heart feeling a little less burdened to have someone love me? To put up with my moods? To listen to my problems? To not just cast me aside because I don't live up to some stupid outdated 'beauty myth'?!"