Here We Are
by S. Muffin

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"Absence diminishes small loves and increases great ones, as the wind blows out the candle and blows up the bonfire." - Francois de la Rouchefoucauld

Here she was.

Finally, after traveling, battling, competing, writing letters back and forth, exchanging countless phone calls, and waiting for so long...here she was.

And it took all the self control she had to curb the overwhelming amount of excitement that was building inside of her and threatening to burst.

May, now a young woman of nineteen, had accomplished a great deal since her early days as a Coordinator when she was just ten years old. It was hard to believe she had once been that young; the time had passed so quickly that she barely even noticed how everything had changed. It was even more mind-blowing to think she had spent a total of nine years chasing and accomplishing her goals and aspirations. With all of those years of experience under her belt, May had made a name for herself in the contest world. People knew who she was. They admired and respected her, and that was something May would always respond to with humility and modesty. She never thought of herself as a celebrity by any means. In her opinion, she was still the same girl she'd always been.

Of course, she was much more mature now. Being sent out to travel the world at such a young age in the first place had forced May to grow up earlier than most kids. But, it was when she decided to pursue her dreams in Johto completely alone that she really started to gain wisdom. Once she began her own adventure she quickly learned what it was like to not have anybody to depend on but herself. She had to prepare her own meals, spend her money carefully, and manage her time sensibly and effectively. It started out as one of the biggest challenges she had ever been faced with, but she was soon able to adjust to her new situation, and as a result she had grown into a self-sufficient young woman. That independence was, what she believed to be, the key ingredient to her success.

During this time, however, there was something that was always missing.

Someone that was always missing.

From the moment her shiny red bike had been fried to a crisp at Professor Birch's lab, to the moment where she received her first pokemon and then set out on her journey, which she later decided to change direction with and compete in contests instead of battling in gyms, leading to the moment where she won her first ribbon, where she also met her first rivals, eventually followed by her first time entering a Grand Festival, proceeded by traveling to a new continent altogether...there had always been someone who had stood by her. Someone who had helped her and supported her throughout the journey they shared. Someone who was always there to give encouragement and advice whenever she needed it. Someone that had stood out from the crowd and eventually became her closest friend. Someone that she had grown to love. Someone that, while they had kept in touch through letters and phone conversations, she had to go without physically seeing for so many years she had to count them over and over again in her head: six years.

And that someone was Ash Ketchum.

But now that was going to change. Because here she was, standing at the dock in her hometown of Petalburg City, waiting for Ash's boat to arrive. He was finally on his way over to see her in person for the first time in years, and she could barely stand to wait any longer.

May's eyes remained fixated on the large basin of water before her, watching the horizon line carefully for any sign of life.

She sighed impatiently moments later when nothing changed. While it had allowed the past few years of her life to practically fly by, time was now deciding to move painfully slow. Minutes felt like days and seconds like hours. She frowned slightly as she leaned forward and rested her arms on the cool metal railing in front of her. She felt like she was starting to go crazy. How much longer would she have to wait?

Just as the thought crossed her mind, she felt the pocket of her jeans vibrate. She stood upright and fished it out, looking down at the screen to see who was calling her.

She gasped. Her hands now shaking, she slid open the device and held it to her ear.

"H-Hello?"

She could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke. "Can you see me?"

May didn't respond at first, confused by his question. She looked around, left and right, expecting to see his face among the crowds of people that were walking in the streets. But he wasn't there.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "I don't..."

She heard him laugh to himself as she trailed off. "Straight ahead, May."

Her eyes widened as she caught on to what he meant. Looking out at the sea once more, May's eyes met with the large boat that was slowly coming towards her.

He was coming.

"Ash..."

His name felt foreign on her tongue. She couldn't even remember the last time she had said it aloud.

Her heart began beating faster.

"Can you see me?" he asked again. He sounded more excited this time around. "Here, I'll wave to you."

As the boat continued to approach the dock, May was gradually able to make out a figure standing at the front end of the ship, one hand holding a cell phone to his ear, the other stretched out in the air and moving side to side.

A smile suddenly erupted onto her face. "I can see you!" she exclaimed, her emotions starting to take over. "Ash, I see you! I see you!"

Ash laughed again and put his arm down. May couldn't help but laugh either. She felt so much joy that she was almost tripping over it. She couldn't believe that he was almost here. Words just couldn't define how much this moment meant to her, how long she had waited to see his face for the first time in years. She was so excitedly impatient that she could barely stand still. She wanted to jump around and celebrate right on the spot. She even had to fight back the urge to dive into the water and swim to him.

"I'll see you real soon, okay?" Ash finally said. Now that he was even closer than before May could see him grinning. "Don't go anywhere."

"I won't, I swear!" May smiled back at him. "As long as you come straight here as soon as you get off that boat."

"I will," he promised, his voice comforting and soft. "I swear."

A warm, tingling feeling came over May's body as she hung up the phone and slid it back into her pocket. Her hand then traveled up to lightly grasp the pendant hanging from a string around her neck. It was her half of the contest ribbon she and Ash had split all those years ago. The other half was finally here.

Ash...

Before she could even comprehend what was happening, the boat at long last pulled up alongside the dock. She waited as it docked, and a small bridge was put into place so all of the passengers could exit onto the wooden platform.

And then there he was...

May thought her heart would burst right out of her it was beating so loudly.

As soon as he stepped off of the boat and onto the dock, Ash locked eyes with the girl waiting for him and began walking.

May stood completely still, so overwhelmed now that she couldn't move. He was heading right for her.

All she could do was stare at him and take him in with each step he took. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. It felt like she was being approached by a complete stranger, yet at the same time she knew she'd be able to pick him out of a crowd at any given moment. He was so tall now, no longer built like the skinny teenage boy he was the last time they were face to face. Even the clothes he was wearing were different; a white, long-sleeve shirt and black cargo shorts. It was his face in particular, though, that had matured the most. His jaw had become more defined, the angles of his face prominent and sharp. He didn't look like a wide-eyed, innocent boy anymore. The strong expression on his face carried all of the experience and knowledge that he had acquired over the years they'd been apart.

Then he smiled widely at her. That alone was enough to prove that this was still the same Ash Ketchum that May remembered. His grin lit up his entire face, just like it always had, and his brown eyes were warm and inviting as if they were smiling at her too.

But of course, the hat atop his head, the backpack strapped to his shoulders, and the yellow creature following closely at his feet were what really gave his identity away.

May returned his smile and then decided that she simply couldn't hold back any longer. She ran to him, closing the rest of the distance between them in a matter of seconds, and threw her arms around him.

She thought Ash might have been taken aback by her sudden action, once she'd realized what she'd done. But to her surprise he welcomed her into his arms and held her tightly, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around. May laughed joyously and lowered her head onto his shoulder. Every last bit of her was trembling with excitement.

"I can't believe it," she murmured into the cotton fabric of his shirt. "I just can't believe it..."

Ash lowered May to the ground and stepped back so he could look down at her. Smiling again, he asked, "Miss me?"

"Of course I did!" she answered. "Don't you see me? I'm shaking and everything!" She held up one of her wobbly hands and her cheeks turned a light shade of red. "I've missed you so much..."

Ash laughed and gently took her hand into his. "I've missed you too," he said. His spoke softly again. "I wish I'd visited sooner, May. I'm really sorry."

May shrugged. "We've both been really busy. Better late then never, though, right?"

Ash nodded in agreement. Still wearing that imperishable grin of his, he let go of her hand and reached for the side of her face instead, his fingertips grazing over her cheek.

"A-Ash," May stuttered, her voice faint. "What—"

"I'm staying," he interrupted. He moved his hand up to push a strand of hair away from her blue eyes. "For good."

May gaped at him. "Really?" she managed to squeak.

Again, he nodded firmly, emphasizing the truth behind his words, before winking at her to further reassure her. "Really."

May couldn't contain the large smile that spread over her face. She jumped and hugged Ash once more, having absolutely no intention of ever letting him go. He laughed again as he returned the embrace wholeheartedly and held her close.

The missing piece from her life had returned to her at long last; the other half to her ribbon and the other half to her heart. This was the moment that she had been living for the past few years, imagining it and playing it in her mind like a movie. But it was so much better than anything she could have ever dreamed of. They could pick things up right where they left off, only this time May knew that their relationship would be even better than it was before.

Because here they were, together. And everything was the way it should be.

Well I really hope this doesn't suck, considering I haven't actually finished and posted a story in like 200 years xD

Anyway, a few notes on the story specifically. I really wanted to make the characters seem more grown up and mature, considering they're nineteen and twenty-something here. But I did try to keep their core personalities alive. I've also given them gift of modern technology by making them have cellphones because, let's face it, you can't really live without one once you've had one. As for the level of romance, my goal was to make this story as cheese-less as possible, considering there are hundreds of other reunion fics out there that, unfortunately, tend to sound the same. Thus, I chose not to have them confess their undying love for each other after sharing a long, passionate kiss by the sea. I wanted to make it believable and genuine. They do love each other, I just wanted to convey that without actually having a cliche confession.

So there's my shpeal. Happy reading everyone! It feels good being able to post something again!