"Whispers in the Dark"

Prologue: In the Arms of an Angel

by: Crichton55

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A/N: This is my first fanfiction (actually it's a songfic, but whatever...who cares), so bear with me. The song I used is called "In the Arms of an Angel" by Sarah McLachlan. Once again, this is my first fic, so some feedback is greatly appreciated. If you're going to flame, please flame in a way that you would want someone to flame you with. But enough of that stuff, and on with the fic!

Disclaimer: I swear, officer!! I don't own Pokémon, nor do I own the song I used here!!

Ages: (I'm not entirely sure here, so I'll just wing it.)

Ash: 14

Misty: 15

Brock: 17

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Misty was sure she was going to die. She could feel the increasing grip of immediate doom plague her mind as she ran as fast as she could through the base of Team Rocket, away from the room in which she had found herself imprisoned only minutes before. With each step she took as she ran, she became more and more aware of the fact that their plan of infiltrating Team Rocket's base had failed and was going to cost them all their lives.

Doors everywhere flew open, revealing countless soldiers dressed in black uniforms, a big red "R" adorning each one. Without hesitation, the Rockets that surrounded the perimeter of the large hallway began to close in, guns drawn, towards Ash, Misty, and Brock, who screeched to a halt, realizing that their luck had run completely out.

"Hold your fire!" roared a deep and ominous voice. The Rockets withdrew their AK-47s and retreated a few yards back. It didn't take Misty long to find the source of the distraction that had arisen amongst the Rockets. A tall man dressed in a red suit had abandoned the darkness of the shadows in which he had been encased and proceeded to approach Ash, Misty, and Brock.

"It took you all thirty minutes to escape. With your reputation, I had expected a plot of escape to conglomerate together long before that, Ash Ketchum," the man growled, removing a pocket watch from his pocket and opening it. "But it does not matter. Either way, Team Rocket will triumph. The region of Johto will soon be under our control," the man continued calmly yet darkly.

"Who are you?" growled Misty, realizing that the center of attention had focused on her. The man merely crossed his arms and chuckled, amused at how much spunk adrenaline can present a person with. "My name is Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket," the man replied.

Ash growled deeply behind Misty. "What do you want with us? Why are you so interested with me?" he snarled, glaring at Giovanni with hatred in his eyes. A sinister smirk spread across Giovanni's face. "I merely want you three out of the way," he answered coldly. "Far too much time and trouble has gone into making sure you are no longer a problem for Team Rocket. I do not wish to kill you, no. I do not want to see innocent blood spilt, but I am prepared to do what is necessary to ensure Team Rocket emerges victorious. I assume your little girlfriend here knows how to battle?"

Giovanni took a PokéBall from his pocket and tossed them into the air. A Rhydon appeared in a brilliant flash of light, roaring triumphantly and glaring at Ash, Misty, and Brock. "You can always give up now and save yourself and your friends from needless death, girl," Giovanni taunted coldly. "But we both know what you're going to do. You cannot hope to win."

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Giovanni began to slowly advance towards his defeated and weary opponent. "Do you believe it now, girl? Do you now realize that I am undefeatable?" He took out a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and aimed it at Misty, stopping twenty feet from his target. Misty closed her eyes braced herself for the barrage of bullets that she knew was destined for her. A single shot was fired, but the sensation of immense pain she had been expecting never came.

Misty opened her eyes wide enough to view Ash standing in front of her with outstretched arms. In that split-second, all fear of being killed and all other concerns of their present situation were instantaneously erased from her mind as she realized what Ash had done. He had taken the bullet for her. The ear shattering scream never made it to her lips.

Ash started to lose his balance as the immense pain crashed over him. He teetered from side to side, struggling to maintain his deteriorating balance. "Why, Ash Ketchum, why? Why do you do it? Why sacrifice yourself for someone who's going to die anyway?" Giovanni's low growl rippled throughout the hallway as his smirk grew wider and darker with each word that escaped his lips.

Ash, with tremendous effort he didn't possess, raised his head to stare into his arch enemy's dark eyes. "You think I would just stand around and let you kill my friends? You will never understand, Giovanni," he wheezed, and with a loud groan, his strength failed him and he collapsed onto the cold, tile-covered floor.

Spend all your time waiting for that second chance

For the break that will make it ok

There's always some reason to feel not good enough

And it's hard at the end of the day

I need some distraction oh beautiful release

Memories seep from my veins

They may be empty and weightless and maybe

I'll find some peace tonight

The scream of terror finally leapt from Misty's mouth and permeated the long hallway. She fell to his side, tears streaming down her face. "No, Ash! Don't die on me," she sobbed, clutching and squeezing his outstretched hand. "Everyone dies, Misty, and it might as well be me that dies here if it means that you survive," said Ash hoarsely knowing that he had only seconds until he had one last breath left.

In the arms of an Angel fly away from here

From this dark, cold hotel room, and the endlessness that you fear

You are pulled from the wreckage of your silent reverie

You're in the arms of an Angel; may you find some comfort here

Fighting the extreme pain of the bullet wound in his chest, Ash unclipped his belt of PokeBalls and painfully handed it to Misty, his arm visibly trembling. "Here, Misty. Take them, keep them safe. Pikachu's there as well," he said softly, pushing the belt hard into Misty's arms. She resisted his gift and sobbed harder. "N-No, Ash, no! I c-can't," she wailed. "Take it!" Ash hissed with a raised voice, and Misty's shaking fingers enclosed around the black belt.

So tired of the straight line, and everywhere you turn

There's vultures and thieves at your back

The storm keeps on twisting, you keep on building the lies

That you make up for all that you lack

It don't make no difference, escaping one last time

It's easier to believe

In this sweet madness, oh this glorious sadness

That brings me to my knees

Ash lifted his whitening hand to his love's face and wiped the river of tears from her face. "No, Ash. P-Please don't leave me! Y-You c-can't die here! I love you too much!" Misty howled, unable to accept the fact that Ash's grip was loosening on hers, unable to accept the undeniable reality that Ash's consciousness was gradually slipping away and becoming nonexistent. "I love you, too. Kiss me like you did the first time, like you should have done long ago," he whispered softly, smiling despite the excessive pain in his torso, a sign that his time was almost up.

In the arms of an Angel far away from here

From this dark, cold hotel room, and the endlessness that you fear

You are pulled from the wreckage of your silent reverie

In the arms of an Angel; may you find some comfort here

Misty, grinning for the first real time in hours, bent down and kissed him with newly-found passion, passion that had accumulated from all those times of being in a state of fear. Seconds seemed to last for hours. As Ash and Misty broke apart, the last of Ash's remaining life became void from his weak and beaten body, and his hand fell limp to his side, head turning to one side. Misty stared at his broken and lifeless body, tears gushing from her eyes. She could not accept it; she didn't know how. He died in her arms, in her loving embrace once believed to be strong enough to last forever.

You're in the arms of an Angel; may you find some comfort here

The sound of footsteps echoed through the hallway. Misty looked up to see Giovanni stop in front of her, pistol drawn. "You are dead, girl."

Misty lurched upwards in her sleeping bag, unaware of the countless drops of sweat that dotted her body. Her breathing was heavy and her heart was racing, mind void of all conscious thinking. She franticly looked around at her surroundings, nothing but a dirt trail and a bunch of trees greeting her.

She looked down at her side. Ash lay snoring on his stomach, his head turned towards Misty. His mouth was open slightly, which had allowed a quarter-sized stain of drool to form on his pillow. Pikachu dozed by his side, muttering unintelligible words in his own Pokemon language as he slept. Misty felt her heart begin to slow down as she breathed a sigh of relief. It had all just been a dream, a hellish nightmare she never wanted to relive.

Misty bent down and gave Ash a slight kiss on the lips, and action from which he did not stir, much to her satisfaction. She lay back down to sleep a bit more, for the sun's faint light was barely visible above the skyscrapers of Goldenrod City, an indicator that there was a little more time to snooze.

Thoughts began to race through Misty's mind. What did the horrific nightmare mean? How was she supposed to summon up the courage to tell Ash how she felt about him? As the feeling of sleep began to take its hold on her, the questions that were speeding through her mind began to slow down. The thought of her love for Ash and her lust for the day that she would become his girlfriend fluttered across her thought-filled mind, causing her to smile and slowly coaxing her into the deep realms of dreamless slumber.

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A/N: Thank you for taking the time to read my first fic (well, prologue, actually)! I hope you enjoyed it! Please review.