Unforgivable Errors (Rewrite)

Missing

Delia had never believed that she would ever find someone who wanted to marry her. She wasn't particularly ugly, but she was far from beautiful, and nor did she come from an extremely wealthy family. Her friends had told her that she was nice enough, but she had never known many men that looked for personality rather than looks or money. 

Then she met Red, and her whole life changed. For the first time, there was a man who liked her for who she was, not how much money she had or what she looked like. From the moment they met, Delia just knew that this man would be the right one for her, if she just played her cards right. 

Sure enough, they were married only a few months after they met. They had a small wedding, only inviting a few of their closest friends and family members. Red wanted to give her a big wedding, but they hadn't been able to afford it. Delia hadn't cared, however, as long as she got to marry him. 

When Ash was born, both parents were ecstatic. Red had always wanted a child of his own, and Delia felt that the birth of her son was the final step in cementing the life she had always wanted to have. She had a loving family, a wonderful son, and a good relationship with her friends. It felt as though nothing in the world could go wrong again. 

But then Red died, and the young woman's entire world shattered. Suddenly, Delia couldn't even bear to look at her son. He just looked so much like his father that it was like someone tore open a giant hole in her heart every time she had to look upon his face. She began to ignore his needs, turning all her attention onto the young Oak heir instead. It was just too painful for her to take care of Ash, but she knew that if he were ever taken away from her, it would break her heart. She just did her best to ignore that. 

Professor Samuel Oak knew Delia neglected her young son. He knew his own grandson was spoiled and thought too highly of himself simply because he was the grandson of a famous researcher. And he knew that he should do something to make Ash's life better, but he didn't know what that was. 

Gary and Ash were as different as night and day. Whereas Gary was more outgoing, Ash was a serious and shut up kind of person. The black-haired boy rarely spoke unless necessary, and he seemed less interested in playing with the other children than staying in his room, doing whatever it was he did in there. 

It was easy to see that Delia still cared about Ash, but she couldn't bring herself to show it. If he had to be honest, Professor Oak couldn't blame her. She and Red had been as close as any husband and wife, and his death had crushed her. There was no set time for anyone to recover from a loss. Maybe Delia just needed more time, and once she was ready, she would be there to take care of Ash. 

He felt all these things, but in the back of his mind, he knew it was wrong. He knew Gary was too wrapped up in being the son of a famous professor. He knew Delia should have been spending more time with her son, but he ignored all this. He pushed these feelings aside, and that left room only for ignorance and negligience. 

Two days after Ash had run away from home, Professor Oak was cleaning up his office when a frantic-looking Delia burst into his lab. He dropped his papers in alarm, scattering them about the floor, and rushed over to his distraught neighbor. 

"Delia, whatever is the matter?" he asked in alarm. 

Delia took a moment to catch her breath before gasping out, "It's Ash, Samuel-I can't find him anywhere!" 

"What do you mean?" the Kanto researcher asked worriedly. "Did he run away? Why would he do that?" 

But deep inside, Professor Oak had a terrible feeling he knew why Ash was suddenly missing. The inevitable had finally happened. Their negligience had finally become too much, and Ash had decided to run away. 

"It's all my fault," Delia cried, sinking down into a nearby chair. "I've been a horrible mother. If I had just paid more attention to him, this wouldn't have happened." 

"You're not a terrible mother and this is not your fault," Professor Oak said firmly. In all honesty, he knew it was, but he wasn't about to say that when she was already feeling miserable enough as it was. "You were grieving, nothing more. You didn't ignore Ash to be cruel. We'll organize a search for him, and once we find him, you two can build up your relationship again." 

"Okay," Delia whispered. She didn't say anything else, or perhaps that was all she could bring herself to say. 

Professor Oak nodded and went to go contact Gary, who was already off on his own Pokemon journey. He waited for a few minutes before Gary finally answered, from a Pokemon Center in Cerulean City. 

"Hey, Gramps. What's up?" Gary greeted him. "I just destroyed the Cerulean gym. And I caught a bunch of new Pokemon." 

"That's wonderful, Gary," Professor Oak said, trying to maintain his patience. "Listen, you know your neighbor, Ash Ketchum?" 

"Oh, that kid? Yeah, I know him. Why do you ask?" Gary asked, evidently confused as to why his grandfather was suddenly bringing up someone neither of them had interacted with for several years. 

"He's gone missing, and none of us know where he is. If you see him, call us and let us know," the Kanto researcher ordered, in a tone that left no room for argument. 

"Okay, I will. Bye, Gramps," Gary said, waving at his grandfather and hanging up. 

Professor Oak watched the video phone screen go blank before turning back to Delia with a small sigh. The brown-haired woman was staring blankly at the wall and didn't seem to notice that he had finished his call. He walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, which she barely reacted to. 

"It's going to be okay. Ash will come home," he said softly. 

"Maybe," Delia agreed quietly. "But if he doesn't....then what have we done?" 

I apologize for the delay with this chapter, everyone. But don't worry, I have a very good explanation for this.....

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....I was lazy. 

No, but seriously, writer's block is a bitch. I'll try to keep updates more consistent, but I don't make any promises since my muse hates me.