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Message-ID: <31790asstr$996865803@assm.asstr-mirror.org>
From: "Nikolai Mirovich" <nikolai@nergal.org>
Subject: {ASSM} Cerulean Dreams (1-2) (Pokemon Fanfiction, Ff, Rom, Solo, Lt.Bond)
Date: Fri,  3 Aug 2001 15:10:03 -0400
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<1st attachment, "CD 1-2.txt" begin>


Cerulean Dreams (Chapters 1-2)

By 

Nikolai Mirovich


Author's Note: This is the second story in my series of Pokemon 
based fanfics. It continues the plot from "The Courier", but for 
the record, I'm not completely happy with it. But that happens; 
all I can do is make the third story even better! Anyway, there's 
many people I'd like to thank, but mentioning their names could 
get me killed, so I won't. Oh! And I'm preparing an FAQ for this 
series which should be at my ASSTR page some time soon, so 
hopefully this ride will be less confusing to some of you.

Legal Stuff: If for some reason legal reasons keep you from 
reading this story (Ie: Your age is too young in your country to 
be reading such filth), I'm obligated to tell you to go away. Not 
that I think that'll stop you. And certainly not that I care who 
reads my stories, so long as somebody does! So, with out anymore 
of my ranting, on with the show!



Chapter I

Misty gritted her teeth as she stood at one end of the fairly 
uninteresting playing field. Rocks and boulders really weren't her 
idea of fine d'core, but it seemed to suit the Pewter Gym's style, 
and the trainer wasn't planning on staying any longer than she had 
to. 

"If you're ready then," the burly fellow at the other end of the 
field replied with a shrug, almost absently tossing a pokeball a 
few feet away and calling out his pokemon, "Time to defend our 
Gym's honor, Grinder!"

Grinder turned out to be the second biggest onyx Misty had ever 
seen. And this one also seemed to have been through a whole lot 
more than the others. The enormous stone serpent had many large 
scars across his body as testament to the many years that he and 
his trainer had been traveling the world, avoiding the 
responsibilities of family life and battling against others who 
knew them only by reputation. 

Misty glanced over at Miranda, who was calmly leaning against the 
wall, her arms folded across her chest with a confident smile upon 
her face, her eyes half closed. Upon her shoulder Nezumi sat on 
his haunches, mimicking his trainer's pose.

"I have faith in you," said Miranda quietly, speaking softly even 
as her voice echoed off the vaulted ceiling.

Misty smiled, knowing the fight would be one sided. She knew that 
the old onyx was tough, but his kind was known for their incessant 
hydrophobia. "Shadow," she commanded, holding a small pokeball up 
with two fingers in an attempt at copying Miranda's sense of 
melodrama, "Time to win you first badge!"

She tossed the ball into the air as it expanded before popping 
open with the characteristic mechanical noise they all made. A 
half second later, a wash of crimson light spilled forth from the 
split sphere, forming a large five-pointed pokemon out of seeming 
nothingness. 

The trainer at the far end of the field gave a stern look to hide 
his disappointment. "A staryu, eh?" he commented, rubbing his 
stubbly chin, "alright then, let's get this over with! Grinder, 
tackle attack!"

"Shadow, power-up!" Misty ordered in response, causing her 
levitating staryu to turn sideways and begin spinning in a 
counter-clockwise direction as the stone snake bore down upon him.

The onyx roared, a sound akin to a mountain avalanche, as he arced 
his way into the air before slithering quickly across the field 
and swooping down upon the smaller pokemon, his jaws agape. 
Seemingly undaunted by the prospect of becoming a star shaped 
stain on the rock strewn floor, Shadow's speed increased, spinning 
faster until his five arms were but a blur, the red orb at his 
center glowing fiercely with the exertion.

"Now, Shadow!" called Misty, the tension coming across in the 
slight quaver in her voice, "Neptune's Might!"

The staryu gave a quick affirmative that was lost in the cacophony 
of sound that followed the powerful water technique he unleashed. 
The spinning pokemon now appeared to be more of a circle than a 
star, and with an exclamation akin to a battle cry, Shadow let 
loose with quintuple blasts of high-pressure water. 

The onyx, now doing something of a power dive let out a roar of 
terrified panic, even before the spinning wall of water bisected 
him. Unable to pull back from the attack, the silicate-based 
pokemon followed through, although it seemed that he more fell 
forward more than actually attempted to tackle, but the effect was 
similar.

However, as he hit the spinning arms of Shadow, Grinder's head was 
violently jerked upwards in a movement that would have given a 
creature with an actual spine whiplash. He let out a sound that 
could have been construed as a yelp of surprise, but sounded more 
like two rocks crushing a diamond, as the staryu hit him several 
dozen times in the jaw.

Misty smiled at the effect. "Just as I planned," she replied, 
knowing that the water would more than soften the onyx's armor, 
allowing her pokemon to knock the nearly invulnerable beast into 
unconsciousness. 

Just then, Shadow's multiple jets of water slowed to a dribble, 
and the starfish pokemon flew off into the air on sheer momentum, 
leaving the wounded Grinder to fall beneath him.

"Not a bad victory," Flint replied, returning the onyx before he 
turned in to mud, "But I'm getting a little sick of being beaten 
on by you water obsessed trainers."

"Try getting more diverse pokemon," replied Miranda, running onto 
the field with open arms just in time to catch the falling staryu, 
"Ah! Gotcha! Oh goodness you're heavy!"

The staryu almost seemed offended by the comment, but levitated 
slightly as Miranda set him down on the ground. "Nice going, 
Shadow!" his trainer exclaimed happily, holding up two fingers in 
the traditional symbol for victory, "Couldn't have done it without 
ya!"

"And congratulations to you, dear," commented Miranda as she stood 
up, untucking her now wet t-shirt so she could wring it out a bit 
and smiled.

Misty returned the smile as she walked past the woman. "It was 
easy," she told Miranda as their fingers entwined, "You were my 
inspiration..."

Miranda turned as Misty continued on, her shoes making squishing 
noises in the now muddy floor as the two held out their arms to 
maintain contact for as long as possible.

"I think that's my line," Miranda chuckled as their fingers slid 
over one another until contact was reluctantly broken, "But I'll 
let you get away with it this time."

Misty glanced over her shoulder as she approached the gym leader. 
The girl caught Miranda's gaze and smiled mischievously. "That'll 
be one Boulder Badge, sir," she said, walking towards Flint 
without breaking eye contact with her lover.

The man grunted in reply, holding out his large hand. Misty turned 
back to him and nodded as she reached out with her much smaller 
fingers to take the badge. "Thank you," she replied politely, her 
voice a sounding a little sad as she took the small object.

"Not a problem, lady," said Flint with a shrug, in a tone that 
implied that he was getting too old for this, "Just make sure you 
tell my son to get his butt down here next time you see him." 

Misty shuddered involuntarily as she turned away, the look on her 
face causing Miranda's heart to sink. "I'll be sure to do that," 
Misty answered quietly before running over to Shadow and hugging 
him happily, covering her mood with a bright smile, "Look what you 
one us!" she laughed, but Miranda could see the turmoil in her 
eyes.

"We'll talk later," the courier responded, putting a hand on 
Misty's shoulder. 

The water trainer glanced up, her expression becoming more 
serious, and nodded before standing up and leading her pokemon off 
the field. "It's just bad memories, dear," Misty said with a shrug 
as Miranda stood ready for her crack at a Boulder Badge.

The gym leader met her calm, serious gaze with a slight shiver, 
and Miranda smiled a little at the thought of such a large man 
being afraid of her. "Are you ready?" she inquired politely, "Or 
would you like to establish some extra ground rules?"

Flint nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, actually," he answered with a 
gruff, but not unfriendly tone, "One on one as with your friend 
there, but this time, please no water pokemon. Okay?"

Miranda's half smile became a full-fledged grin. "Not a problem," 
she said glancing at the rattata on her shoulder, "You're up, 
dearest."

The man nearly burst out laughing as the rattata leaped to the 
floor where he stood upon his hind legs. "Nez, umi!" he exclaimed 
in challenge, rolling one small forepaw into a fist and raising 
into the air.

With a polite cough Flint pulled a second pokeball from his belt. 
"A rattata, eh?" he said rhetorically, tossing the sphere onto the 
field, causing a squat, round rock-type to materialize, "It'll be 
nice to have the advantage for once. Go, Krystal!"

"Don't bet on it," chuckled Misty, kneeling beside her exhausted 
staryu on the sidelines, "That's no ordinary rattata!"

"Indeed," replied Miranda, reaching into her shirt, and pulling 
out the small, rounded, and very well polished dark, stone she now 
wore on the end of a silver chain, "Nezumi, show the nice golem 
what you can do."

With a confident grin, the rattata took a deep breath before 
firing an ice beam over the golem's head. Both trainer and pokemon 
ducked instinctively, their heads moving to follow the path of the 
beam as it struck the wall near the ceiling. Then, as the beam 
faded out, a small section of wall began making unpleasant 
crackling noises as a small sheet of ice formed upon it.

"A- An ice beam?!" stammered Flint, looking back at Miranda in 
astonishment, "Where the heck did he learn that?!"

Miranda folded her arms across her chest, shifting slightly as she 
put most of her weight onto her left leg. "Nezumi's quite an 
exceptional rattata," she said simply, keeping her smile polite, 
"You would do well not to underestimate him."

"I see," the gym leader said thoughtfully, shaking his head in 
disbelief, "Oh well, at least if the rumors are true I won't spend 
so much time getting my butt kicked..."

"Firstly," replied Miranda, raising her index finger slowly into 
the air, "Never assume you've lost until after the battle, and 
secondly," she lifted a second finger, "What rumor?"

"Oh, haven't you heard?" Flint exclaimed in surprise as his golem 
sat down heavily and Nezumi yawned, looking bored, "They're 
opening a ninth gym."

"Ninth gym?" inquired both Miranda and Misty in unison.

The aging Gym Leader nodded. "I thought you trainers were always 
up on such news?" he pondered, "Oh well. Hasn't been officially 
confirmed yet anyway."

"We've been on the road for a while," replied Miranda with a 
shrug, "And this badge collecting thing is just a hobby for me. 
Misty's the one who's serious about it."

"Irregardless," he continued, glancing down at his golem as she 
staggered awkwardly to her feet, "Shall we begin?"

"So be it," answered Miranda dramatically, as the previously prone 
Nezumi kippupped to attention and grinned toothily at his 
opponent, "Nezumi, prepare for battle."    

"Go!" exclaimed Misty from the sidelines, as anxious to see 
Miranda win, as she was to leave the town of Pewter behind.

Without hesitation, the Pewter Gym's leader pointed dramatically 
at Nezumi. "Krystal! Avalanche attack!"

The golem didn't hesitate to obey her trainer, withdrawing her 
stubby limbs and even head like some strange round turtle made of 
stone, and beginning to spin in place.

"Nezumi, 'there not there'," Miranda replied simply in a calm 
voice.

Flint blinked loudly as his golem spun off with the sound of 
scraping stone, hurtling herself at the little rattata. Nezumi 
narrowed his eyes slightly as the spinning boulder barreled 
towards him before leaping into the air at high speed. The golem 
flew past his original position, but stopped herself after only a 
few feet, before sailing off in the direction Nezumi had leapt.

"Nice variation on the 'quick attack'," the gym leader commented, 
having trouble following Nezumi as he bounded off several large 
boulders and short stone pillars.

"Effective use of the 'withdraw' technique as well," Miranda 
complimented, enjoying the game as Krystal smashed her way through 
the rocky outcroppings that Nezumi began continually using to 
propel himself through the air, dodging the giant sentient boulder 
without much of a problem. 

"But your pokemon is running out of room to maneuver," the man 
replied, watching with satisfaction as Nezumi barely rebounded in 
time to avoid becoming a part of a pile of dust that was once a 
boulder.

"Ne! Ratta!" taunted Nezumi, the purple blur streaking towards the 
final stationary object on the field.

Krystal gave an angry exclamation, turning at such a high speed 
that she dug out a small trench in the stony ground before 
rocketing towards the infuriatingly rebounding rattata.

"Now, Nezumi!" exclaimed Miranda, expressing a rare emotional 
outburst, "Cone of cold!"

"Raaaa!" Nezumi shouted triumphantly as he hurtled towards 
Krystal, the unstoppable force verse the immovable object, and let 
loose with the crackling blue hued energy wave known commonly as 
an ice beam.

Krystal's trainer gritted his teeth, and nearly had an aneurysm as 
the beam went wide, sailing overtop of the rock pokemon to impact 
with the far wall.

"Nezumi!" exclaimed both Miranda and Misty in unison as Nezumi 
went flying end over end through the air.

"Give up?" the gym leader inquired as Krystal rolled after the 
rattata, the loud stone on stone noises of her passage almost 
drowned out by Nezumi's unhappy wail.

"I-! I-!" stammered Miranda, her mind too focused on Nezumi's 
well-being to think straight, but as her mouth began to form the 
words, Nezumi's blur began to glow.

"Nezumi!" called Miranda, "What are you-?!"

But the woman cut herself off, understanding perfectly her 
pokemon's intentions and motivations as his form expanded in size. 
The rattata's mass becoming at least ten times its former stature 
for the second time in his life.

Then, just as the glowing white light dissipated, and Nezumi 
landed on his feet, the golem gave out a loud surprised shriek. 
"Nez!" exclaimed the raticate as he leaped forward and grabbed 
hold of the golem's round body before using Krystal's momentum 
against her, tossing the huge boulder into the air behind him.

The three humans followed the suddenly airborne pokemon with their 
eyes as she sailed up into the air and crashed into the wall, 
taking a considerable chunk out of it. 
 
"Nezumi! You evolved again!" commented Miranda, uncertain as to 
whether to be happy or just amazed.

"Nez, nezumi," the raticate replied, with a nonchalant shrug.

Meanwhile, Krystal had managed to unfurl her limbs and was 
glowering darkly at the over grown rodent before her. "Goooolem," 
she growled menacingly, grabbing a fair sized chunk of rock from 
the ground in front of her, and hefting it into the air.

The raticate looked from his trainer to the golem with his usual 
confidence, and smiled as he filled his lungs, anticipating the 
attack. It came in short order, with a loud exclamation from 
Krystal. Nezumi watched the hurtled rock as it flew unerringly 
towards him for a moment before unleashing his now much larger ice 
beam. 

The rock didn't seem affected at first as a thin coating of ice 
covered its dull gray surface, but as it fell towards Nezumi with 
all the force of a Second Impact, its intended victim sprang into 
action.

With a sound that could have been a triumphant laugh as much as it 
could have been a smart assed remark, Nezumi spun on his heel and 
swung his now much longer tail around. He hit the rock while it 
was still in the air, eliciting a face-fault from Krystal as the 
projectile shattered into a thousand pieces.

"Wow!" laughed Misty from the sidelines as Nezumi brushed the 
gravel from his shoulder like it was nothing, "When'd he learn 
that trick?"

"You amaze even me, dearest!" agreed Miranda, laughing as Nezumi 
held up a paw, waving it dismissively.

"He certainly is something," agreed Flint, focusing on his own 
pokemon, "Krystal! Underground, now!"

The golem nodded once, before retracting her limbs again and 
spinning in place. As if by magic, the ground rumbled beneath 
their collective feet, opening up under Krystal before swallowing 
her up seemingly without a trace. Thus leaving Nezumi alone on the 
field. For a moment the silence was almost deafening.

"Ratta?" the rodent pokemon exclaimed, looking at the golem's 
trainer like he was an idiot before leaping forwards and burrowing 
underground himself, his sharp claws ripping and tearing at the 
dirt floor in a method far less stylish than the golem, but no 
less effective. 

"That's quite a versatile pokemon you have," commented Flint in 
the dreadful calm that followed.

"Normal types always have the advantage," assured Miranda, her 
eyes focused on the hole Nezumi had disappeared into.

"Except of course, against fighting types," the man corrected her, 
causing the woman to flinch. 

"Don't remind me!" Miranda growled, her hands becoming fists as 
bad memories assaulted her mental defenses.

"My apologies," the man replied a little too offhandedly, paying 
attention to the sudden rumbling sound beneath their feet, "What 
the-?!"

"An earthquake?" inquired Misty rhetorically as the walls of the 
old warehouse that held the Gym began to shudder visibly.

"No," responded Flint, looking thoughtful, "Definitely not an 
earthquake. More like our pokemon just found each other!"

Both trainers glanced down at the floor as the rumbling became 
louder and more ominous. Just on the edge of their hearing they 
could hear scratching noises, interspaced by the voices of both 
pokemon scrambling around in the dark.

"What do you suppose they're doing down there?" inquired Misty, 
looking worried and hugging Shadow protectively.

Miranda shook her head, seemingly unconcerned. "I have faith in my 
Nezumi," she said simply, glancing up at Flint as a peculiar white 
light suddenly burst forth from both holes the raticate had dug.

"Evolution?!" the gym leader exclaimed, immediately recognizing 
the source of the light.

"Interesting," commented Miranda, her calm unbroken by the tension 
in the air, the strange light, or the fact that the rumbling was 
getting louder, and that the floor was cracking at its center.

"But golems and raticates don't evolve any further," muttered 
Flint, shaking his head.

"Perhaps they found another pokemon," Miranda postulated, smiling 
as the floor began to buckle and small jets of water began 
spraying out of the cracks, "Or maybe not..."

With that, the center of the floor exploded upwards and outwards, 
sending chunks of rock and cold water flying in all directions. In 
the middle of it all, a large rounded shape was scrambling in mid 
air, its stubby limbs scrambling for purchase. 

"Krystal!" exclaimed Flint, running onto the field, becoming 
soaked and bruised in the process.

"Nezumi?" inquired Miranda, sudden concern gripping her as a small 
shape became visible on top of a panicking golem.

"Nez, ra!" the once again little pokemon called back reassuringly, 
laughing as he scampered across the continually rotating surface 
of Krystal. 

For its part, the water seemed unwilling to let up, traveling at 
high speed most of the way to the ceiling before raining down in 
all directions like a geyser. At first it seemed that a simple 
water main had burst, but as the smell caught up with them, all 
those present realized it was high-pressure sewer pipe.

"Nezumi!" called Miranda, her voice sounding odd as she held her 
nose.

"Krystal!" called Flint, his gruff voice almost comical as he 
followed suit.

"Return!" commanded both trainers, each holding out pokeballs and 
sending out crimson beams of light that dematerialized their 
pokemon for easy storage...


Chapter II

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'?!"

Miranda found a smile tugging at the edges of her mouth as well, 
and quickly succumbed to it. "I'm thinking that it might be," she 
replied with mock uncertainty, feeling her heart rejoice 
proportionately to Misty's mood improvement, "But I'm not sure. We 
may need to research this theorem."

Misty laughed as Miranda leaned down to give her a light kiss. 
"Oh, and it was a Machop at the time," the woman added, finding it 
surprisingly easy to contain her negative feelings at speaking the 
word, "When we saw him last, he'd evolved."

"Oh, sorry," replied Misty thoughtfully, "But let's change the 
subject, okay? Hm. You never did finish telling me about that time 
you won a cascade badge..."

Miranda smirked reminiscently. "Oh yeah, that," she chuckled, "You 
know, I only challenged them because I tied with Gary. It seemed 
like a logical choice at the time. Which one of us could walk away 
with a badge."

"And you both did," finished Misty, placing her head upon 
Miranda's shoulder and nuzzling her neck, "So I guess you're still 
even. Oh, and I hate to mention it, but you forgot your glasses."

"Yeah, I know," responded Miranda jokingly, "just don't go too far 
or else I'll loose sight of you!"

"Even if we weren't in the middle of nowhere, I'd still prefer to 
be safe in your arms," the girl replied as Miranda reached out her 
hand testingly to see if the metal had cooled.

"Not even to perchance snag a few mouthfuls of your favorite 
dessert?" Miranda inquired slyly, "I think we can get in now."

"No," said Misty, shaking her head and laughing at Miranda's 
sudden sarcastically shocked look, "I'm sorry, but I'd rather just 
get ready for bed. Ice-cream can wait until tomorrow."

"Wow..." replied Miranda, barely keeping from laughing as she 
tried keep acting like she as in shock, suddenly realizing that 
the door was indeed melted shut, and thankful for the change of 
subject, "I- I don't believe it! Like, this is the big one!"

Misty laughed out loud as Miranda backed away, clutching her heart 
melodramatically, and waving her free hand in the air. "M-Misty 
doesn't want ice-cream! Ah! My heart can't take that kind of a 
shock! Quick, call a doctor! Oh no, It's too late, make that an 
undertaker!"

"Oh you!" laughed Misty as Miranda fell carefully backwards onto 
the ground and faked a heart attack as her voice echoed off the 
nearby mountain range. 

"Me?" inquired Miranda all too innocently, looking up with a 
toothy grin, "You're the one we should worry about! My poor 
Misty... Loosing her appetite for ice-cream... Oh! What is this 
cruel world coming to?"

"Stop it!" the girl laughed, walking over and straddling Miranda's 
hips, "You're embarrassing me!" 

Miranda held out her arms and smiled. "There's only one way to 
stop me," she teased.

Misty laughed and fell into Miranda's arms, kissing her repeatedly 
as the two rolled over several times, both of them giggling at 
themselves, laughing until their stomachs ached from the humorous 
exertion, and their hair and clothes were damp and covered in 
loose bits of grass.

"Had enough?" teased Misty as she lay atop Miranda, staring down 
at the courier with her hair full of twigs and dead leaves.

Miranda smiled, playfully kissing Misty on the nose as she tried 
not to laugh. "For now," she promised with a sigh, "I guess you're 
just too much for me."

Misty sat up, a sad look crossing her face as she straddled 
Miranda's hips. "Don't you love me?" she inquired with false 
sadness, causing Miranda to sit straight up and hug Misty 
protectively.

"I don't think that love's a strong enough word," she teased, 
making Misty laugh as she tried to find a stronger word, "Looove, 
perhaps? Or lub? Or loolooove?!"

"Just 'love' will do!" Misty laughed, kissing Miranda before 
getting to her feet and holding out her hands, "And I 
'looooloooove you too!"

Miranda grinned at her own silliness accepting Misty's offer to 
help her up. "Come on," she said, picking a twig from Misty's 
hair, "let's get cleaned up a bit and make use of those sleeping 
bags. It's kinda late and I'd rather not go off the road in the 
morning."

Misty nodded slowly, enjoying the feeling of Miranda's fingers 
searching her hair for more bits of foliage. "I'll find us 
something to wear," she offered, tugging her damp shirt away from 
her body, "'cause I dread the thought of sleeping in wet clothes!"

"Especially socks," shuddered Miranda as they walked back to the 
truck, "Oh, and can you grab the keys? I'd rather keep them with 
me."

Misty nodded and headed towards the cab as Miranda grabbed their 
sleeping bags so she could unfurl and zip them together. "Is the 
nightshirt with the rattata okay for you?" called Misty from a 
short distance away.

Miranda glanced up from her work and smiled as she saw Misty 
climbing part way into the truck's cab in search of their 
backpacks. A moment later, Misty was lying across the front seat, 
only her lower half visible as she rifled through their belongings 
for what was needed. As she watched for a moment, feeling a bit of 
a voyeuristic thrill as her lover's denim clad legs flailed a bit 
as Misty went about her work, the water-trainer's bottom making 
and all too tempting target.

"That's, that's just fine dear!" called Miranda suppressing shiver 
that had nothing to do with the chill in the night air.

The courier then found it a little difficult to concentrate on her 
work, watching Misty scramble a little farther inside as the light 
from the overhead lamp illuminated Misty's visible bottom half. 
Misty then issued a small curse as some inanimate object or other 
incurred a slight portion of her wrath, and lifted her leg to 
maintain balance, yet the effect remained unbroken.

"I'm such a pervert," sighed Miranda, shaking her head at the 
thoughts running through her mind as she stood contemplating 
Misty's shapely legs while her hands worked on their sleeping 
arrangements with practiced moves she could have done in her 
sleep, "But I just can't help it. She's just so cute..."

"You say something?" inquired Misty, pulling herself out of the 
truck and slamming the door shut.

"Oh, nothing," replied Miranda as Misty tossed her the keys, "Just 
acquiring some inspiration."

"You've been writing quite a bit lately," Misty commented as she 
began to strip off her damp clothes, "Are you ever going to get 
any of that stuff published?"

"Maybe," said Miranda with a noncommittal shrug as she dropped the 
keys on to the now merged and Twice as spacious sleeping bags a 
slipped her shirt over her head, "Brr! It's a little chilly out 
here."

"Try standing by the engine," offered Misty, now standing naked 
except for her undergarments.

Miranda nodded and went to join her, only to find Misty's arms 
about her naked torso. "Gotcha," she whispered with a giggle, 
giving Miranda a hug before letting go and donning a long 
nightshirt that covered her to the knees.

"Oh, you're no fun!" laughed Miranda with mock disappointment as 
she slipped off her jeans and hung them over the hood of the truck 
to dry.

"No, but at least I'm warm!" countered Misty mischievously.

Miranda glanced over her shoulder as she struggled into a loose 
fitting shirt with the aforementioned rattata on it. She could 
only smile as Misty buried herself within the warmth of their 
joined sleeping bags, and shiver as a cool breeze blew past her 
own bare legs.

"Well, you'd best be moving over," Miranda warned, rushing over 
and finding the opening, "It's positively freezing out here!"

"Oh, poor you!" Misty sighed in amusement, making room and sighing 
contentedly as Miranda slid inside the sleeping bag, her arms 
intent on holding her beloved. "But you know," replied Misty 
thoughtfully as their arms wrapped around one another, and their 
legs entwined, "You never finished telling me about that time you 
challenged my sisters."

"There's not much more to tell," admitted Miranda, thankful for 
their shared warmth, "As I said, myself and Gary had a little 
battle, and it turned out to be a draw. So we decided to see who 
could win out in a battle against the allegedly 'sensational' 
Cerulean sisters."

Misty chuckled as Miranda rolled her eyes and shook her head. "So 
I take it you both won then?" asked Misty, to which Miranda 
shrugged and nodded, "But what happened afterwards? Did you ever 
resolve the issue?"

Miranda blushed and tried to stammer out a reply. "It's... It's a 
little odd," she admitted, rousing Misty's curiosity.

"Odd?" she inquired, moving closer and trying to catch Miranda's 
averted gaze.

"Um, well you see," began Miranda, desperately trying to avoid the 
topic, but failing miserably, "Well, to be blunt. Gary slept with 
Violet."

Misty's expression became on of surprise before she burst out 
laughing. "So," she inquired after calming down enough to breath, 
"Which one did you sleep with?"

"You," replied Miranda in such a serious tone and with such 
intensity that Misty was taken back.

"Me?" the trainer inquired, her tone giving away a sudden growing 
anxiety, "Just me, and only me?"

"Just you," assured Miranda, "Gary said he only did it because he 
knew I couldn't. I know it was just because he couldn't stand 
being upstaged. Besides, she's not my type. To... Prissy."

"Yeah, but still," pondered Misty, shaking her head in disbelief, 
"I can't believe she'd do that!"

"Would your sisters believe that you're here in my arms?" the 
courier countered, extenuating her point by giving Misty a gentle 
squeeze.

"No, I suppose not," she agreed, glancing up at the stars, "I 
guess they're in for quite a shock tomorrow."

"We don't have to go there if you don't want to," Miranda offered, 
"we can just book a hotel or whatever."

"No," said Misty firmly, "I'm willing to face them so that I can 
look them in the eye and say 'Hey! I have a right to be happy 
too!' and if they don't like it, then too bad!"

Miranda smiled, kissing Misty upon the forehead affectionately. 
"You know what?" she commented wistfully, snuggling closer as she 
spoke and whispering her words directly into Misty's ear, "I just 
find your delightful combination of power and vulnerability 
appealing beyond the dreams of Midas."

"Yes, but Midas was only interested in money," Misty pointed out 
teasingly.

"Ah, but you are a beautiful treasure that even he would have 
appreciated," countered Miranda, kissing her playfully, "One that 
I shall never trade for all the money in the world."

"Promises, promises," chuckled Misty, sighing contentedly as 
Miranda's fingertips lightly traced a path down Misty's side, 
causing her to jump a little. 

"I never make a promise I can't keep," replied Miranda, gently 
kissing Misty's neck, savoring the warmth of her lover's skin upon 
her lips as her fingers touched bare hip where Misty's nightshirt 
had ridden up. Part of Miranda's mind wondered if it was a 
coincidence, or on purpose, but it hardly mattered.

Misty of moaned softly, feeling perfectly safe and content, even 
as her lover's hand slid beneath her nightshirt and over her 
stomach. "Looking for something?" she asked coyly.

"You need only to tell me to stop," responded Miranda, giving 
Misty's earlobe a gentle nibble as her fingers playfully 
threatened to slide within her undergarment.

"That's funny," replied Misty, her voice sounding a little 
distracted, "'cause I- I can't seem to remember how..."

"Just. Say. Stop," said Miranda, speaking each word between kisses 
along Misty's neck, causing her lover to shiver despite the 
warmth.

"But I just can't," sighed Misty contentedly, jumping a little in 
sudden excited anticipation as Miranda's fingers slipped 
underneath her panties and slowly traced their way across her soft 
skin.

"But if you don't tell me to stop," countered Miranda as her 
middle finger slid slowly along the line between Misty's labia, 
and smiled as she felt a subtle moisture growing there, "I won't. 
I'll just keep going and going until your cries of passion fill 
the night, and all the creatures of this place know that this is 
but one expression of the love that I have for you."

Misty let out a small whimper, closing her eyes and breathing 
slowly through her mouth as she tried to speak, somehow unable to 
find the words. Clutching desperately at her lover's back as 
Miranda's fingers teased her womanhood, sending pleasant chills 
through her, causing Misty's entire body to tingle. 

She couldn't help but let out a small gasp as she felt Miranda's 
gently probing middle finger slide a little deeper, drawing it 
slowly back and forth between Misty's labia. She then couldn't 
help but push herself closer, abandoning herself to the sensation 
as her fingers clenched and she panted breathlessly in Miranda's 
ear.
 
"Patience," her beloved whispered teasingly in her ear, kissing 
Misty's neck as she spoke, her free hand moving closer to her own 
womanhood, "there's no need to rush things."

Misty managed to catch her breath as Miranda's pace slowed. She 
could still feel the warmth of her lover's hand between her legs, 
the gentle caress just enough to give her a gentle sensation of 
euphoria. 

"What are you doing?" whispered Misty, feeling Miranda's body 
shiver a little.

"N-nothing," came Miranda's giddy reply, and Misty's eyes widened 
as she reached between them and touched Miranda's hand.

"I-I could help you, you know," she offered, taking hold of both 
Miranda's hands and gently guiding them. 

"I'm fine," the courier replied with a smile, shivering pleasantly 
at her lover's touch, "But for now, just show me what you want."

Misty smiled, gently pushing the Miranda's middle finger inside 
herself. The little cry she let out in response, causing Miranda a 
convulsive shiver as she closed her eyes and held onto the moment.

"Right there..." Misty gasped, her voice breathless as Miranda 
felt a deep need building inside herself.

"Like this?" teased Miranda, dragging her wetted fingers up to 
Misty's clit as she let Misty guide her other hand, copying the 
motion almost exactly.

"No," whimpered Misty, her breathing coming in long drawn out 
breathes, "I need to feel you inside me. Like this..."

Miranda gasped, shivering happily as Misty pushed her hand back 
down and felt her finger slide inside herself. The courier 
couldn't help but smile, knowing that that was exactly what Misty 
suddenly desperately wanted as she made slow playful circles upon 
Misty's clit, teasing her lover as she rotated the small nub with 
a wetted finger that seemed to know just what to do. 
 
"Here," the girl offered, sliding one hand between Miranda's 
gently rubbing thigh and her own womanhood. With a small-
embarrassed exclamation, Misty slid her finger inside herself 
before bringing her hand up to her shoulder, 

"Please, Miri," came Misty's almost desperate tone, the pressure 
of her fingers upon the courier's back increasing, "I need you so 
much!" 

Misty's voice bordered on pleading and Miranda felt as though 
she'd melt at the sound. "As you wish, my beloved," she whispered, 
at last obeying the request.

Misty arched her back in reaction to the sudden sensation, her 
breasts pressing invitingly against Miranda's as she tried to 
stifle her voice. For a moment, she merely clung to Miranda, her 
mind swimming as her lover's finger did its work, barely noticing 
as the courier abandoned her own pleasure and moved her free hand 
up under Misty's shirt.

She couldn't help but shiver and move as close as possible as 
Miranda's hand cupped her small breast, the woman's fingers 
clasping the nipple and gently squeezing it as the others caressed 
her skin.

"Wha- What are you-?" Misty began, hardly thinking straight as the 
sensation filled her and she kissed Miranda's neck affectionately 
in hopes of letting some of it out.

"Nothing..." chuckled Miranda, her voice full of mischief, her 
middle finger sliding deeper as her thumb moved to rub Misty's 
clit, "Just making you the center of my undivided attention."

"But- But what a- about you?" Misty gasped, but Miranda leaned her 
head back, and caught her lover's lips in a kiss. One Misty 
couldn't the desire to pull away from as she kissing back with 
every ounce of passion she could muster.

"Just- Just don't stop," she panted, pulling away to catch her 
breath and Miranda smiled at the look in Misty's eyes.

"Not unless you tell me to," Miranda assured, the sound of Misty's 
now incoherent, yet lovely voice filling her ears and bringing 
moisture to her nether regions even without the girl's touch and 
making her shiver unconsciously.

"Miri-?" Misty inquired helplessly, first feeling Miranda stop, 
then noticing the way Miranda's body quivered, and finally heard 
the gasping sound of the courier's quiet exclamation that 
accompanied the sudden look upon her face.

Misty giggled quietly, enjoying the feeling Miranda's body against 
her own before mischievously reaching down to continue guiding her 
lover's fingers. 
"Sorry, dearest," replied Miranda after a moment, an embarrassed 
tone to her voice, "I guess you just 'pushed the right buttons' 
there for a second. Now then, were was I...?"

As her finger slid back and forth, Misty's inner walls pressing 
firmly against it, Miranda's other hand traced its fingertips 
across her lover's breast. Touching lightly against the soft, yet 
firm flesh she found, Miranda moved across from one to the other, 
lightly dragging her fingers as she went. 

"Is this okay?" she whispered, watching Misty's expression, 
knowing that there was little she could do that her lover would 
object to, but selfishly loving the sound of Misty's voice when it 
was lost in ecstasy.

"Wo- wonderful-!" Misty stammered, to which Miranda could only 
sigh happily as her lovingly cupped the breast she had found, 
squeezing it with fond gentleness and half wishing to be rid of 
the nightshirts they both wore.

"What's wonderful?" inquired Miranda, leaning forward and tracing 
the tip of her tongue along Misty's earlobe, following its natural 
curve in a gesture as teasing as her tone, "Tell me, dearest. I 
want to know..."

Misty shuddered a little, and Miranda could feel her body heat 
intensify from both the building sensation as well as her 
embarrassment. "Your- your fingers..." Misty managed to stammer 
after several shallow breaths.

"My fingers?" inquired Miranda, slowing her pace despite the way 
her lover tried to move her hand, "what about them?"

Miranda gave Misty's nipple a playful squeeze as the girl tried to 
speak again, causing her to suddenly stretch out and dig her nails 
into Miranda's back almost painfully. She then let out a sound 
that started out low, and slowly grew into a long, drawn out cry 
of ecstasy that though not loud, spoke volumes. The sound was 
musical in its own way, and Miranda could almost feel the waves of 
pleasure coursing through her lover as Misty's body shuddered 
before going limp, all the tension in her body finally relaxing.

"You- You know well enough..." panted Misty with a smile, glancing 
over up at Miranda, the courier's stormy gray eyes still holding a 
hint of mischief.

"Hm, can I help it if I'm verbally stimulated?" replied Miranda 
innocently, before laughing and giving Misty a kiss on the cheek. 

Misty closed her eyes, smiling as she snuggled closer. "If that's 
all it took," pondered Misty, "Then all I'd have to do is whisper 
things to you, and there you'd go."

"That wouldn't be much fun," commented Miranda, her tone shifting 
from thoughtful to amused as her fingers continued to idly caress 
her lover's intimated areas, "Unless you did it at awkward 
moments..."

Misty laughed at the prospect, but caught her breath and let out a 
giggling moan as her mind focused on the sensation once more. "And 
speaking of which," she inquired, "What about you?"

"What about me?" inquired Miranda, her arms going around Misty's 
body as one leg moved to hold hers, thus holding Misty as closely 
as possible.

"You're willing to just lie there, bringing me to ecstasy again, 
and again, with out worrying about yourself?" she asked 
rhetorically.

"Sometimes just holding you is enough," answered Miranda, giving 
Misty a playful kiss upon the nose, "And besides, it's not as 
though I'm bored. I rather enjoy 'watching' you..."

Misty bowed her head and smiled. "You're too much," she replied, 
glancing up and giving Miranda a serious look, "But are you sure 
you're alright? It may be rather late at night, but I-"

"Shhh," whispered Miranda, placing a finger against her lover's 
lips to silence her. "I'm fine," she explained with a small, 
reassuring smile, "That's just it. It's late, and I have a fair 
bit of driving to do in the morning. Besides you know me. When I 
get too hot and bothered, I'm up half the night!"

"That's true," laughed Misty, shaking her head in wonder, "But I 
think you had just one tiny one while you were 'pleasing' me."

"One tiny what?" inquired Miranda, her tone teasing as she leaned 
close and gave Misty a conspirative look. 

"You know!" whispered Misty as loudly as she dared, her cheeks 
turning red as she glanced around nervously.

"Tell me," her lover replied playfully, her fingers moving down 
Misty's flank in a gentle tickling motion.

"Why?" the girl laughed, twitching as the sensation finally became 
too much to bear.

"Maybe I just like hearing you say things like that," chuckled 
Miranda, idly running her fingertips down under Misty's nightshirt 
before coming up again and brushing her skin more attentively.

"Do you have any other fetishes I should worry about?" asked 
Misty, jerking forward suddenly, arching her back to avoid being 
tickled.

"Maybe..." the courier replied, playfully kissing the end of 
Misty's nose before laying her palm flat and running her hand over 
her lover's back, "But I'd have to say that bringing you to the 
brink of ecstasy again and again is fairly high on the list."

Misty smiled as Miranda moved closer. "So, how about you?" her 
lover countered, causing Misty to smile nervously and glance away, 
"Anything I should be worried about? Anything I should take a book 
out on and study?"

"I-! I-!" stammered Misty, giving up and simply burying her face 
in Miranda's ample hair and making her laugh at the gesture. "I 
really wouldn't know," Misty confessed, relaxing as she felt 
Miranda's warm touch upon her back, her beloved's fingers no 
longer tickling, but caressing in a familiar, comforting way.

"Well, I'm here to help if you need me," Miranda assured, unable 
to keep the amusement from her tone as Misty moved her head back 
to face her.

"I know," she replied softly, giving Miranda a gentle kiss upon 
the lips, "but right now, I'm happy and totally content. Thank 
you, Miranda."

Her lover closed her eyes, basking in the moment of well-being as 
wariness began to creep up on her. "You're welcome, my love," she 
replied, opening her eyes just enough to hold Misty's image in her 
mind while she slept, "sleep well."

Misty nodded, snuggling closer to Miranda, and waiting patiently 
for the courier's breathing to begin to slow. "Miranda," whispered 
Misty into her ear, a smile she couldn't contain crossing her 
face.

"Yes?" she inquired quietly, feeling a touch guilty for drifting 
off so quickly.

"Orgasm!" whispered Misty directly into Miranda's ear, causing her 
to laugh despite her wariness.

"Oh, go to sleep you!" the courier replied, trying to sound stern, 
but only succeeding in laughing as Misty gave her one final hug 
goodnight...


Copywrite
Nikolai Mirovich (Nikolai@Nergal.Org)
"http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Nikolai_Mirovich"
June 9, 2001






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