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The first encounter with Death was when Ash was five. She greeted him at the table of what he assumed was her home in the dark abyss that shrouded the kitchen and living room from what he saw. The kitchen and living room was shrouded in candle light and the smell of forest spine wasn’t as strong as Ash was used from smelling from those kinds of candles.
“Too young.” Death muttered into her cup as Ash struggled to get into the high stool that even had her own feet dangling off the ground. “What brings you here son?” Her voice was melodic, a weird mix of soft scratchy and high silky, Ash really liked it. She poured another cup of tea from a gold kettle that was sitting between her and Ash on a hot plate. “Don’t even think about lying to me, because I can smell Lier’s, and I don’t like people who lie.”
“Gary pushes me too hard and I fell off the bridge by our town and hit my head on something hard.” Ash answered. He surprisingly didn’t feel anxious for some reason, Ash actually felt calm and the house felt warm to him, he was actually quite interested into the women before him. Ash put his lips up to his own cup that Death pushed toward him. It was a Pikachu style cup with the tail as the handle of the cup, the edges felt nice to grip onto.
The liquid reminded Ash of one of Nana’s bitter Tea’s she imported from Galar every month that she would force Ash to drink every time he comes to her house, just less bitter and more sweet. Ash could even taste some yellow nectre his Papa, Nana’s late husband, used to grow in his backyard and would let Ash have a tiny sip from a flower every spring he came to upper Kanto.
“Such a shame.” Death nodded her head like Ash had said something completely different. “Finish your cup of tea now Little Storm,” the nickname rolled easily off her tongue and Ash felt it press against his chest and felt little sparks of electricity skitter across his skin, “for our shared company won’t last for much longer.”
Ash felt his eyes droop the more he drank the tea, it was nice and settled deep into his little stomach. Warming something he didn’t know could be warmed. “Will I see you again?” Ash asked as he eyed the last mouthful swishing at the bottom with a mournful look. He really liked that tea the nice lady made and the Pikachu cup as well. “You’re really nice and people usually don’t ask me for my side of the story.” He didn’t mean to say it in such a sad tone to the nice woman sitting in front of him. But it was true, Everyone took Gary’s word over Ash’s and it wasn’t fair at all!
“Maybe later down the line.” Was Death’s response. She really didn’t want to see Ash at all if she could help it, but fate is such a fickle thing that even her son and daughter can’t quite control no matter what. “Now drink the rest of your tea.” Death watched passively as Ash tipped his head and the cup back, little throat bobbing up and down as he swallowed, and then promptly disappeared back to the living crust of the Earth. No doubt brought back by paramedics and stand by doctors.
Death sighed as she leaned back a little on her stool, closer her eyes and concentrating on the Gods Aura. Death itself is such a stupid and fickle little thing, but it’s necessary for survival of any planet. Things get too crowded and it doesn’t help that Death herself had a bleeding heart. Especially for her only great Grandson, human yet oh so Godly like her.
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“You won’t remember this meeting.” Death called over her shoulders as she balanced a dry layer of cake and a knife between her hands. “There’s chocolates on the counter that you would like, eat some before you go back.” she didn’t turn to see if Ash followed her order. Too busy trying to set the layer of cake down on top of the third one she frosted. The creaking of one of the bar counter chairs alerted her along with the clink of the glass bowl. Wrappers were crinkled and before she could turn around and look at Ash the kid let out a yelp and he was gone when she fully faced where the half eaten piece of chocolate was. Sitting innocently on the counter, at least it was on the wrapper. Walking over she popped the other half into her own mouth and griminced when dark chocolate coated her tongue. So Ash liked a bit of bitterness with his candies apparently. shrugging Death went back to her cake, picking up one of the frosting bags sitting in a glass cup and started to frost the layers.
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Death meets Ash a third time when he’s ten, the second time to his own memory and knowledge. Soaking wet and dripping sea water onto her black wooden kitchen floors and sobbing into his tiny hands, Pikachu is equally water logged and down by his feet and clinging to his trainers wet pant legs. Death doesn’t greet him with words but with a fluffy warm towel dropped onto his head and another to scoop Pikachu up.
She placed her hand on his shoulder and guided him into the kitchen, mentally preparing for whatever is currently happening on the Earth’s crust. The discorded harmony surrounding the Orange Isles where her unspoken favorite grandchild lives with her three baby great godly grandchildren was very disheartening. “So you finally found out.” Death muttered as she helped Ash into the chair at her dining room table and hand a swaddled Pikachu over. Something sour stung her throat as her Great Grandson shook like a leaf in heavy winds.
“My-my,” Ash stuttered out as he was bodily forced down into the kitchen table chair, “My Dad is Lugia.”
“He is.” Death agreed as she went back to the kitchen, picking up the bowl of chocolate and setting it down firmly in front of Ash. “Eat.” she commanded before sitting down directly next to Ash and plucking up a milk chocolate, unwrapping it, and popped it into her mouth.
“My Father’s a God.” Ash whispered in horror as he stared down at Pikachu who hid their face into Ash wet shirt that was still dripping water throughout Death’s kitchen and living room.
“No.” Death coughed into her fist and made a face. She had forgotten that she hated milk chocolate, chocolate in general actually. That's what happens when you don’t keep tags after a few hundred years. “Your Father’s Giovanni, Team Rocket's leader.” Death ignored the gutteral noise that ripped it’s way out of Ash’s throat and Pikachus concerned chitters. “Your Dad is Lugia, your makuakāne is Tapu Koko.”
Ash couldn’t really hear Death over the roaring sound pounding in his ears, distant screaming could be heard and Ash felt a familiar pull he experienced all the other times he ended back here. Where ever here is, that is. Before he could open his mouth the nice Lady placed a hand on top of the towel on top of his wet hair and forced a piece of chocolate into his mouth, shoving something in Pikachu’s mouth as well.
“Go.” Death whispered to her Great Godson. “Go and help your dad save your siblings, the world needs you. Our little Chosen One.” And just like that both Ash and Pikachu dissipated into nothing and brought back to the Earth where their friend Misty is desperately trying to revive him. The only things left were the two wet towels sitting on the chair. Picking them up while she hummed, Death moved to the clothe room. Take another piece of chocolate and cursing once more at her tiny stupid little mistake.
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“What’s a makuakāne?” Ash asked as he popped up into Death’s garden. Progressively ignoring the black inky abyss that circles the floating house and garden area he didn’t see the last few times he was transported here.
“Not a what,” Death waved a trowel in Ash’s direction over her shoulder, “but a who.”
“Alright.” Ash mumbled. For once choosing to ignore the pull on his heart and walked over to sit besides the nice lady. “Who’s my makuakāne?” The word wasn’t something he learned before but it felt right when it passed his lips easily. Like Ash is meant to call someone this.
“Impatient Little Storm.” The first nickname she gave Ash reared up again. “Your makuakāne is Koko.” Death faced her cabbages again with a small smirk on her face as Ash stewed next to her.
“There's something before ‘Koko’ though, you said something before that last time!” Aah objected.
“Keen memory,” Death hummed as she plucked the weeds out between the leafy globes, “but I’m not telling you.” Ash whined loudly behind her, a barrage of ‘why not?!’ Were thrown at Death but she ignored the child for a while. Frowning when five minutes went by and Ash was still here.
Death turned back to Ash quickly, starting the poor boy and made his back go ramrod straight. “Go back,” Death hissed threateningly without any real heat, “you still have a job to do.” With that she pushes her trowel forward and lightly stabbed at Ash’s chest where his heart is. Effectively thrusting him back into the waking world immediately.
She felt her two children’s emotions whip up and thrust themselves to the front of her heart. Death ignored Arceus’s clear disapproval at dispersing Ash’s soul and instead focused on Mew’s clear enjoyment and entertainment.
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“So your Death.” Ash popped up the next time on her bed. Pikachu in his lap and looking at Death with wide whiskey brown eyes like their trainer.
“Yes,” Death drawled as she pursues a golden brush through her only black hair like the stuff that surrounds the house in her bathroom, checking for more knots in the gold lined mirror, “and it took around four deaths to figure it out?” It was harsh but Death couldn’t care. She was harsh with all her babies at times, Ash wouldn’t be any different. Great grandchild or not.
“No,” Ash sniffed and patted a small burning back in his clothes, “Lugia told me that the nice lady that I met was you, Death, and how you’re my great grandma.”
“Oh,” Death hummed as she made her way back into her room and over to her close, robe securely closed for Ash and Pikachus sake, “did he tell you about Koko?”
“No.” Ash mumbled this time. Clearly disappointed with the lack of answer the Beast of The Sea gave him back then a couple of years ago.
In all honesty Death wasn’t surprised. “You’re needed still Ash,” she called over her shoulder as she sighed through the pile of clothes on the bottom of her closest to find that one fucking sweater she really wanted to wear.
“I’m always needed,” Ash was frowning down at Pikachu who looked up at him chittering in concern, “but no ones there when I need help.” He’s gone in milliseconds and left Death standing there with something hard settling in her gut and anger at her idiotic grandchildren.
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“You're tired.” Death advised as Ash stood over her as she rocked on one of those rocking benches on her front porch. She placed her book, Priory Of The Orange Tree, on the gavel where her foot is rested to keep the rocking motion going and reached for the hand Ash limply held out for her to take. It was too easy to pull Ash down next to her. The boy was too light for her liking and Death made a mental note to stuff him full the next time he ends up dead.
“Unova’s tiring.” Ash whined into her jumper. Tune slowly turned back to happiness when Death carded her hand through his hair. “My traveling companions are tiring.”
“Then rest here until you need to go once more.” Death answered easily. Reaching for her book and using some of her magic to hold it aloft in the air. Turning the pages when she needed to and ignoring Ash who was lazily staring at her silvery magic dancing in the air.
“Alder is dumb and fucking stupid.” Ash huffed before turning to say something Death couldn’t make out into her jumper.
“He is.” Death agreed. Turning another page and rubbing at the back of Ash’s neck. She absentmindedly moved her head to place a kiss on Ash’s head. “You need to go back.”
“I do.” Ash sighed heavily. “I don’t want to though.”
“Ya need to.” Death mumbled into his hair.
Ash left but not before pressing his lips to her clothed collarbone. Death hasn’t felt that cold in a very long time after Ash’s soul went back to the Earth's surface.
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“You didn’t tell me Lysander was my uncle!” Ash barged into her kitchen. Covered in blood, mud, and cuts.
“I didn’t need to,” Death was standing precariously on a stool, dusting the fan that’s above her kitchen table, “you would have found out anyways.”
Ash stood there heaving for breath like he ran a very long marathon to get down here just to shout an accusation at his great grandma. “Oh,” he mumbled before turning around and bolting back out the door and back to the people he needs to save and keep alive.
Death greets Lysandre no more than a half a day later. Teeth bared and a cake day out in the middle of her kitchen table with a piece of cake already sliced and sat on a dish where Lysandre is supposed to sit.
“Come now,” Death was neger this loud with Ash, “sit down and have some cake with me.” Her Magic reared up and struck out to the old Kalosian soul and bound it tightly that it couldn’t even try and wiggle. “We have so much to discuss.”
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“Found my makuakāne,” Ash frowned at his cup of tea, the same cup from the first time he died at the age of five, he hadn’t tea since, “he’s an asshole… yet not at the same time.”
“Give him time. Gods as young as they are at this point in time are so fickle with their emotions.” Death chuckled at the thought of her grandchild, technically teens if comparing their age to a human equivalent.
“So…” Aah pauses to take a sip, mulling over his words. “My Dad and makuakāne are teen parents?”
Death never really laughed like she is now in front of anyone, even her own two kids, but she couldn’t help it with Ash. “Yes! Oh such a smart boy, here, have a cookie.” Death handed Ash a chocolate chip cookie and Ash quickly shoved it in his mouth and gulped down the burning tea before quickly apologizing and running out her kitchen door and back to Earth. Yelling something about his Alola Friends and the newly brought back Solgaleo.
“Such an interesting boy.” Death hummed and grabbed the cup while brushing the cribs to the floor. Arceus’s aura perked up at her words and Mew’s giggles echoed faintly behind her ears. “He’ll rule the world alright.”