Anomaly; Part 1: Trials

Chapter 4 – Paris, the City of Fights Part 2

"What're you doing here?"

"What're you doing here?"

"Blazen!" Blazen lifted his head and groaned again when Phantom dropped down to the ground. He easily landed on his feet and pulled his wings in. They disappeared beneath his shirt as he moved over to his brother. "What have I told you about running off like that?" Phantom demanded. Blazen rolled his eyes and pulled his wings in himself. He hated it when Phantom talked to him like that. It was as if Phantom thought of him as his five year old little brother that got into trouble and not his twin.

"Um…not to?" Blazen questioned innocently even though he really wanted to punch his brother in the face.

"Right, yet you always do it anyway. One day you're going to run straight into trap or something," Phantom continued. "God, you're just like Zack. You're like Riley even."

"Now if Riles heard that she'd have you in a headlock, Guardian status or no Guardian status," Crystal Manning commented with a grin as she stood and brushed herself off. She pushed her jet black hair out of her water-like blue eyes and looked at them both. "It's great seeing you guys again. How long has it been?"

"Too long," Phantom replied. "But seven months to be exact. What have you been doing the whole time? We haven't heard from you or Dricer in a while."

"Been here and there," the sixteen-year-old said with a shrug. "I've mainly kept it low key for a while, staying in New York with Dad and Aaron. I have to say living a normal life is boring now. For a while I wanted to go back to being normal but now…" she shook her head. "It's not for me."

"You like living every day thinking that you had the chance of dying?" Blazen asked her, giving her an odd look as if she had just sprouted another head.

"No, but I miss the adventure," Crystal replied chuckling a bit. "That's partially why I'm here. Dad said we needed a vacation so we decided to come to come to Paris. Dad's been here before and I wanted to see what it was like. I gotta say, the French really hate Americans." She shrugged in a 'what-can-you-do?' way.

"The other reason?" Phantom prompted.

"Aaron got one of his feelings that we had to come," Crystal replied. "For the first few days everything around here was normal and then suddenly, out of nowhere, I felt this…presence. Then I saw this…thing. I don't know if it was a person or what, but I followed him around the city until it led me here and I crashed into Blazen." She then rubbed her arm where a bruise had formed. "I never knew how much it would hurt to run into one of you guys."

"Your human body can take a lot of punches but it probably won't stand up against ours," Blazen said proudly as he lightly thumped himself on the chest.

"So what're you two doing here?" Crystal questioned. "Wait, Zack and Cody are here too, right?" Her eyes lit up. "Can I see them?" Blazen and Phantom looked at each other as if they were having a silent conversation. She frowned. "Better question, why don't you want me to see them?"

"It's not that we don't want you to see them," Phantom said slowly as he glanced at Blazen. Blazen shrugged. "It's just…um."

"Wow, you suck at lying almost as much as Cody does," Crystal commented, chuckling a bit. "It's cool; I'll just catch up with them later. Dad's probably looking for me anyway." She rubbed the back of her neck. "I kinda ran off on him when I saw this figure."

Blazen's head snapped in her direction. "You saw one too? I was chasing one when I crashed into you." He tilted his head a bit. "Sorry I crashed into you. Did it hurt?"

Crystal studied the bruise on her arm. "Nah, I've had worse."

"I'll bet. Falling from heaven must've hurt even worse."

Phantom looked at Blazen as if he were crazy and Crystal burst out laughing. Phantom slapped his forehead and shook it, letting out a sigh. He and Zack were too much alike sometimes. Phantom was surprised that they were twins, let alone related. "Don't ever try that on anyone…ever." Blazen just shrugged as Phantom sighed. "I heard something about them going to this club later. You could meet up with us there," said Phantom.

"Got it." Crystal nodded and looked around. "I'll keep my guard up," she added, noticing Blazen's tense look on his face. The twin guardians nodded as she ran off down the alleys.

"Should we tell Zack and Cody?" Blazen asked.

"About Crystal or about the thing?" Phantom questioned.

"Both."

"Yeah we should." Phantom paused. "But I'm not going to."

"Me neither. They just got here. Let them relax.'

"Right."

"Where is she?"

Cody stood on his tiptoes and tried to see over the bouncing, bobbing, dancing crowd. Loud music thumped as if it matched his pulse and strobe lights flashed off in every direction, practically blinding him. Zack and Jolie sat down at the table, looking around and commenting here and there. Cody started bouncing on his toes to try and see through the thick crowd but gave up, sighing, and sat down.

"Calm down, Codes. Bailey will be here, she said she'd meet up with us and it's not like we're going to miss the boat," Zack shouted to be heard.

"She's out there by herself with London of all people. I just want to make sure she's ok," Cody replied.

"She's fine! London wouldn't pass up a party like this," Zack said, taking a sip of his drink. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some French hunnies that I'd like to rendez-vous with." He gave a little laugh and a small wave and shoved his way into the dancing throng of people.

"Don't worry Cody. I'm sure zat Bay-lee eez ok," Jolie said, lightly touching his arm. "Paris is big, yes. Ze traffic is probably the cause for her tardiness." She smiled when he visibly relaxed. "Now, Monsieur Spicy, come and share a dance with me, yes?"

Cody laughed at the name and nodded, allowing her to pull him to his feet and onto the dance floor. They pushed their way into the crowd and were engulfed in the beat and the lights. Cody gave Jolie a hesitant smiled as she turned around and backed up against him, taking his hands and putting them on her waist before moving to the music. Cody sighed and started to move, letting the music pulse through him. He tried to see through the moving bodies to try and get a glance of Bailey if she came in but it was no use. He glanced around and saw Zack dancing with a very pretty brunette with big, green eyes. He looked up at Cody and flashed him a thumbs up and Cody shook his head slightly. He was dancing with a beautiful girl yet he couldn't get his mind off of Bailey.

Sometimes he wondered if he really was the stupid twin. After all here was a girl who was obviously into him but he was waiting for Bailey. He knew his feelings for her weren't fake but he didn't know on what grounds they stood/ Did she feel the same way? She was pretty friendly towards him but she was that way to everyone. Or was she more friendly to just him?

Cody sighed, pushing away his conflicting thoughts.

It was time for him to live in the moment and have fun.

"London! We were supposed to meet them there ten minutes ago!" Bailey called out, trailing behind the beautiful Asian as she strutted down the sidewalks. Her head was held high, a huge smile on her face, bags dangling from her arms. However, a majority of London's bags were held tight in Bailey's fist, wearing her down.

"You can't put a time limit on shopping, Bailey!" London protested without turning around.

"That's it!" Bailey threw her hands up in frustration, well, as much as she could with the bags in her hands. "Get someone else to carry your own bags, London. I'm going to meet Zack and Cody like I promised. I'm in Paris, the city of love, and I want to be with Cody…not you."

"But…I have better fashion sense than Cody," London protested, finally turning around. "And I can get you those earrings you've had your eye on…"

"London, I don't care," Bailey sighed. "I want to be with Cody."

"Since when do you care about Cody so much?" London asked, raising her eyebrows. "Before you guys were just friends."

"I know. It's just…he's so nice and smart and giving," Bailey listed off letting out a content sigh. 'He's the perfect guy for me and I know it's taken me a while to figure it out but I figured being here in Paris would be a perfect time to tell him how I feel. Which is what I was trying to do all day but you've continually dragged me around and it impossible for me to do. Now I don't even think I have the guts to tell him."

"Tell me, what's the worst that can happen?" London asked.

"He says he doesn't feel the same way," Bailey replied automatically.

"Now, would you rather stay friends over that or not stay friends at all?"

"Stay friends of course."

"So I don't see the problem. Either you guys become boyfriend and girlfriend or you stay friends. Either way he's still in your life." Bailey stared at London who had a knowing look on her face. Who knew that London could be smart?

"You're right," Bailey said slowly.

"Had to happen sooner or later," London said with a shrug.

"Thanks for the talk, London! I have to go tell Cody." She dropped her bags and ran down the street. She almost crashed into a few people earning dirty looks and curses from under some people's breaths. She apologized profusely as she tried to remember where the nightclub was located but it wasn't that hard to find when she noticed a bunch of teenagers trying to force their way into a building.

As soon as Bailey stepped inside her ears were met with deafening, pumping music and loud talking. She stood on her tiptoes and looked around, walking around the perimeter of the room. She finally spotted Cody sitting at a table, talking with Zack, their heads practically pressed together. Bailey was about to make her way over to them when she saw a brown haired girl join them. They instantly backed away from each other and smiled at her. Bailey bit her lip, let out a breath, and walked over to the table with a big smile on her face.

"Hey guys!" She greeted them cheerfully although keeping an eye on the girl.

"Bailey! What took you so long to get here?" Cody asked, standing.

"London wanted to keep shopping. She practically held me hostage," Bailey replied with a small chuckle. "I finally left her at a purse store. She should be there for a few more hours." Zack laughed as Bailey turned her attention to the girl and stuck her hand under her nose. "Hi, I'm Bailey. Zack's and Cody's friend."

'Friend' Cody repeated sadly in his head.

"Bailey, this is Jolie. We met her four years ago when she came to stay at the Tipton Hotel," Cody said as the two girls shook her hands. "We ran into her earlier and she agreed to show us around the city later tonight before we have to head back to the boat."

"That's cool, thank you for giving us your time," Bailey said, smiling at Jolie and sitting down at the table. Jolie smiled in return and turned her attention back to the crowded room. She suddenly stiffened in her seat. Bailey noticed and turned around, following her gaze. Her mouth dropped open partly when she saw the boy from before, standing across the room, staring hard at them. "Cody."

Cody and Zack both looked at Bailey before looking at where the girls were looking. Zack's jaw clenched when his eyes rested on Koto. Koto lifted his head, as if motioning them to follow him, and turned to leave the club. Cody and Zack looked at each other as if exchanging words through their eyes.

"Wait here, we'll be back in a second," Cody told the girls before he and Zack quickly shoved their way through the crowds to get to the other door. They pushed and shoved, moving inches through the packed crowd. Finally, after what felt like eternity, tey made their way to the otherside and burst out the side door. They stepped out into the alley as the door closed shut behind them, the sound echoing through the alley.

"Show yourself, you coward!" Zack shouted.

"Am I really the coward here? Really? I mean, you're the one who is yelling into the darkness instead of trying to find me," Koto's voice seemed to swirl around them. Cody and Zack stood back to back, hands clenched into fists, waiting for him. "You're going to pull something if you stay tense like that." His voice seemed to come from beside them.

Without thinking, they both waved their arms which were closest to the door. A jet of water and flames shot a few inches away from their palms. A trashcan fell over as a shadow jumped out of the way just in time. Zack wheeled around, brought up his other hand, palms facing out, and shot another jet of fire from his other hand. The shadow jumped out of the way once more, his feet barely touched the ground before Cody sent a stronge current flying at him.

"Close, but you have to be quicker than that," Koto taunted. Suddenly Cody was knocked backwards off of his feet when he felt something slam into his stomach. He landed on his back, hard, the wind knocked out of him. He looked up and saw a shadow of a wolf staring at him, his white teeth gleaming in the moonlight. Cody struggled to get his air back as he tried to get to his feet. The wolf sprung into the air, it's jaws snapping.

He brought up his hand and a jet of water caught the shadow wolf, causing a hole to form before it disappeared into a whisp. Cody lowered his hand, finally getting his breath back before letting out a shriek of surprised when water splashed onto his head.

"You still can't control your powers?" Koto laughed, appearing behind Zack. As Zack whirled around to deliver a punch Koto simply leaned to the side, causing Zack's arm to go flying past his shoulder. He grabbed Zack's fist and easily threw him over his shoulder, landing hard on his back in front of Cody. Before Zack could get up Koto placed a foot on Zack's chest and looked at Cody who seemed ready to use an attack. "Save your energy, you're fighting the wrong person," Koto sighed.

"That's a new one. Remind me, who was the one who followed us for months on end trying to kill us?" Cody demanded, hands glowing blue faintly but he didn't send an attack the wolf's way.

"That was me, I'll admit, but as I said you're attacking the wrong person. This time," Koto said, pressing his heel into Zack's chest a little bit harder when he noticed Zack trying to get up. "You see, it's not us you want to fight. It's not you we want to kill. We're not against each other for once. We're against something, someone, bigger than us."

"Yeah? Who is it then?" Cody demanded.

Koto chuckled. "We're up against your own race, boy. We're up against your own government."