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Ash pulled down a lock of his hair from the front and saw it was now getting in front of his eyes.
It’s getting too long. It’s time, he thought. Maybe I could grow it out more?
He thought to those health magazines he’d seen in stores, which had a chiseled guy, five o’clock shadow, with his hair tied into a bun. His face faulted slightly. He looked at himself trying to picture it in the mirror.
Definitely not me.
Ash shook his head, the image disappearing from his mind. The look didn’t fit him at all. Sure, he could go back to his old hairstyle, and just get a trim, but it made him look too young. Too wild. No, he needed something shorter, but not so dissimilar.
He drifted to another memory. It was a sequel manga to one he really liked. One of the legacy characters got a new hairstyle and, in Ash's view and of his friends, it made the character look out of place. It look too drastic a departure from his old look. Some even called it silly.
Other legacy characters from the same manga had similar hairstyles they had in older volumes. Others grew facial hair.
Facial hair? Should I go for that?
Nope. He shaved every day. He liked his clean look, and hated how itchy his face felt if he let the hair grow.
A mustache?
A picture of a 1970s or 80s wrestler popped up in his head.
No. No. Absolutely not.
Ash pursed his lips, then decided on which he’d pick. Something simple, but sometimes simple can make the whole package.
Misty looked into her vanity mirror, wondering what to do with her own look. She’d grown out her hair, her locks now reaching down her back. She stopped getting her hair cut awhile ago, even letting it grow out further, past her jawline. For awhile, she let her hair stop at that length, getting it cut before it got longer. Then, one day, she just decided to let it grow out, and down.
She turned her head this way and that. A smile grew on her lips.
I definitely made the right choice, she thought. No more accusations of being a tomboy.
Misty then pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes.
I still can’t believe how long I kept my hair up in that side tail! I mean, sure it was cute, but that was back then!
Another image came to her mind, one of her younger self. She had not only changed into a kimono for the festival and dance, but also had let her hair down from her usual style. The look upon Ash’s face was priceless.
When he turned around, Misty could see his face blush, and his jaw dropped in surprise. Not like those cartoons she’s seen on TV as a kid, but one of being struck in shock. Misty giggled, and blushed a little.
I should’ve just kept my hair down. Then Ash would’ve seen me differently. Oh well. This time, I’ll knock him dead!
Taking a brush, Misty smoothed out the stray locks back into place.
Ash checked his watch. 4:30 PM at the Green Dragon. Thirty minutes before he was supposed to meet up with Misty, whom he hadn’t seen in a while. Smiling, he remembered something his mother said, ‘Never leave your date waiting.’
Whether it was from his mother’s personal experience or not, Ash took it to heart. He saw his reflection in a pane of glass in a store window. Yep, everything was still in place. Now, all he had to do was wait.
It wasn’t long when they saw each other. And, like many times in the past, Misty stunned Ash with her beauty. One that always captivated him. Long, wavy auburn hair, a yellow dress, ending around her knees, with a red, cloth belt wrapped around her waist. All of it just seemed to stop him in his tracks. He wanted to say something, but words could come out from his mouth. Only with the small movements could Misty tell he was trying to speak.
Misty giggled, and took in Ash’s look. He was no longer the boy she had followed in those few days from the outskirts of Viridian to the end of their journey; back home as gym leader of Cerulean City.
His hair was now short, less messy and spiked, but still had just a little bit left to look like his old self. She reached out to ruffle his hair, but Ash stepped back, out of her reach.
“Nuh-uh,” he teased, “not unless I get to mess with your hair too, Misty.”
Misty puffed out her cheeks in indignation. “No way! I styled my hair, and I’m not letting anyone mess with it! Even you, Ketchum.”
He just chuckled. “I got it, I got it.”
She chuckled as well, both understanding one another.
“You always did look your best when you had your hair down,” Ash admitted. “First time I saw you wear it like that, part of me wish you wore it like that more often instead of that side-tail.”
Misty raised an eyebrow. “How come you didn’t tell me back then?”
“I was still a kid,” Ash answered. “Besides, I pretty sure I’d fumble my words, and it’d come out as an insult.”
The self-deprecation in his voice made Misty chuckle even more. “And now,” she asked.
“Now, I like it even more.” Ash pulled her close and kissed her forehead. Misty leaned up and kissed Ash on the lips. He returned the kiss, and the two of them snuggled into one another.