A Dream of Family....

"I'm guessing that you're going to accept my offer?" Ash inquired quietly as he and the group was having dinner.

Night descended upon the group rather quickly, and the tension was still suffocating. Misty, May, and Dawn were still ignoring Ash, and he did not even show that he cared, much to the disappointment of the girls.

The tension in the group was so intense that even Max was slightly frazzled, and was not able to completely show his excitement at the fact that two champion caliber trainers were travelling with the group.

Brock was at cloud nine as he served his food to three stunning women, yet even he could feel the hostility that her female friends were showing Ash. How Ash ignored the hostility so perfectly was beyond him?

Cynthia, who was also feeling the tension, could not help but feel sorry for the girl, as well as find them pitiful, as cruel as it may be. She felt sorry for them because of the fact that the person they love was with another person, and she finds them pitiful because they weren't able to take advantage of the opportunity to take him for themselves.

Ash travelled with them for long periods of time, surely that was enough for them to tell and express to Ash their feelings, but they cowered out and allowed somebody brave enough to claim him.

Cynthia admired and respect Elena for that, albeit begrudgingly.

Sarah, she just doesn't care, in fact, she finds the current circumstances to be her liking. She knew that if she lost Ash to someone else, then she would never have a chance to be with him anymore. But if she lost him to Elena, she can at least coerce Elena to share him.

Sarah, in the name of love, would settle for second place, she would settle to be a mistress.

Jane, she doesn't care either, and was merely having a hush conversation with Ash.

"Yeah, I'll accept." Jane answered quietly. "It's better than seeing that in a 24 hour basis."

"If you take my offer, there will be no turning back. You will be suck into my world, and believe me; my world is much harsher than the world you are currently living." Ash warned her sincerely. Since he learned how to use Aura, a brand new reality opened up to him, and he saw the dark side of the world that he did not wish anyone to experience.

"You worry too much. Trust me, whatever this world can throw at me, I can handle." Jane said with confidence, but Ash could not help but feel pity for her and self-loathing for himself.

He hated himself that he was going to drag the elder sister of his lover to his world, the world filled with darkness.

But it was either this, or the Legends would kill her for her crimes, and he refuse to have that in his conscious.

"Will start tonight then." Ash told her firmly. "Training you how to use Aura would probably take me a year."

"You sound confident."

"I was able to reach the pinnacle of Aura in less than two years, teaching you how to be Knight or a Sage in a year is child's play." Ash assured her, and to be frank, he was very confident with his skills. "Will start with the basics tonight, knowing you, you'll probably get the first step down."

Jane was about to ask what the first step is, but was interrupted when she was hit by a potato.

"Hey, don't seduce our sister's boyfriend, you shameless flirt." Sarah taunted Jane with a rather humorous tone, yet it has a slight edge in it. She did not like how close Jane was to Ash, regardless if it was not compromising.

Jane's eye twitched as she glared at Sarah. "I'm not like you, you trash for brain. I'm doing my job as an elder sister, and interrogating him about his intentions with regards to Elena."

Ash found this humorous. Jane knew full well what his intentions are with regards to Elena. He was hell bent in marrying her and having a family with her.

"Yeah right, what do you of think of this genius anyway, an idiot?"

"Yes, kumquat,"

And again, much to the amusement everyone, Sarah and Jane was again arguing.

Ash had to control himself from laughing. It was hilarious that the infamous Hunter J could act like in the presence of her family. It was comforting to know that Jane was not as ruthless and evil like she portrayed herself to be…

"Ash," Somebody from the group called, causing the said person to turn his attention to the person who called him, which happens to be Misty.

Ash looked at her intently, studying her aura, and after a while, he let out a sigh. "Okay, why are you three upset with me?" Ash asked the question that has been irritating him since the day began. He hasn't confronted his friends about this because he was happy to finally have his relationship with Elena in the open, but it was time to have the tension over with.

"That girl is really your girlfriend?" May asked sullenly, forcing herself to say the g-word.

"Yes, and I am very happy." Ash told them bluntly, not noticing how much his words were affecting them, and because it involves Elena, and he will not bring himself to care.

That is the reason why he was able to say his next words honestly and frankly, without the care in the world. "I love her, I love her very much."

For the three girls that Ash travelled with, that was like a stabbed in the heart.

"But are you okay with this arrangement, Ash. I mean, long range relationship tends to be shallow." Dawn stated knowingly, her mother suffering from the same kind of relationship for almost a decade.

"I was able to stay in touch with all of my friends. Keeping this relationship with Elena would be a piece of cake." Ash stated calmly. He and Elena, they've been having long distances relationship for over three years now, and this year would be the last if Ash has any say to it.

"Ash, staying contact with your friends, and maintaining a relationship is two different things." Misty commented, hoping to at least plant a seed of doubt in Ash's heart.

"I know that Misty, but this is Elena and I. We can do anything together." Ash said with a fond tone. "Nothing is impossible for the two of us."

"Why her?" Dawn asked suddenly, all the attention suddenly being diverted to her. "Why do you adore that girl so much?" Dawn asked, trying and failing to hide her jealousy.

"Why do you guys want to know?" Ash asked sharply.

"Because that was the first time they ever saw you treat a girl so…" Max shudder a bit as the memories of Ash treating Elena so lovingly surface in his mind. "…I don't even have the words to describe how mushy you treated that girl."

"It's called courting and flirting, Max." Ash corrected his young friend exasperatedly. "You'll understand someday when you find somebody that you know you can love." Ash assured him with a smile, and Max could only grimace.

The thought of him treating a girl like that made Max want to hurl. "No chance," Max whispered defiantly.

Pikachu chuckled at Max's reaction. How the little power house miss the days when his partner acted like that.

"Ash, please answer the question." Misty demanded softly as Ash's attention once again turned his attention back to them.

"Do you guys really want to know?"

"YES!" The three girls answered resoundingly.

Ash smiled at them before closing his eyes. "You see, when I look at Elena, I can see myself having a life and a family with her." Ash confessed to them with a sincere tone and smile. "And that is one of the many reason why I fell in love with her."

There was a silence the enveloped the group after that confession as everybody stared at Ash.

"A family?" Jane inquired, surprised that somebody so young would even think of that word.

"Aren't you too young to even consider that?" Cynthia inquired, startled that a person as young as Ash would even say the word when looking at a woman. Usually, men of Ash's age would usually focus on physical appearance, not something of that magnitude.

"My dad died when I was five, and my mother raised me singlehandedly after his death. I never experience having a father in my childhood." Only Elena had seen the mature side of Ash, and as his friends first time seeing him act like this, they were slightly overwhelmed. "My dream in the future is to raise a family of my own, as a great father that my dad wasn't able to be."

Ash smiled brightly one more time. "Elena would make a wonderful wife and mother, I know it since the first time I saw her…" At that memory, Ash chuckled. "Maybe that's the reason why I was drawn to her."