Hello again, everyone!
Sorry for the disappearing act I performed over the past few weeks. I know I said that the next oneshot would be up quickly, but I made a mistake in the order of the lyrics (which is also the order I'm posting these oneshots). I forgot that I hadn't posted a fic for the chorus before the bridge... and this was the only oneshot that I wasn't quite sure of. I had one idea for this fic, but I didn't like it and wanted to come up with something else. Then the good weather came and my friends got out of school/got home from university, so I've been spending time enjoying both their company and the warm temperatures. It has been raining the past two days, so I finally found some motivation to come back and work on this oneshot collection.
Now that the lengthly explanation is out of the way, I just want to thank all of my reviewers! I hope you like my latest creation!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Storm Hawks, nor the song "May I" by Trading Yesterday.
Note: Italics represent flashbacks.
May I Be Your Shield
"May I hold you as you fall to sleep.
When the world is closing in and you can't breathe,
May I love you.
May I be your shield.
When no one can be found, may I lay you down."
Aerrow and Piper occupied the sofa on the bridge of the brand-new Condor. Their squadron mates had retired to their rooms hours ago, exhausted from a day full of redesigns and arguments. The day's events of the pair remaining on the bridge had caused an opposite affect. Their minds were buzzing with all they had discovered. The time flew by as the sky knight and crystals specialist discussed Piper's newfound power and the possibilities of reclaiming the key from Master Cyclonis.
As the wee hours of the morning slipped away, Aerrow began to feel sleep weighing down on his eyelids. Stifling a yawn, he turned to the girl next to him to suggest they get some sleep and continue their discussion when they were both awake and thinking clearly. However, it appeared that Piper had beat him to this decision.
Piper's breathing was deep and even, her face lax in peaceful slumber. Aerrow hadn't even noticed the weight of his petit friend against his shoulder, where her head was now pillowed.
A small smile graced Aerrow's lips as he gazed down at the crystals specialist, finding himself unwilling to wake the tired girl. She had accomplished a lot that day, and deserved some rest more then anyone else.
Aerrow turned his skimmer sharply, zooming back to find three Talons in pursuit of Piper. His face was set in determination, his steely gaze never leaving the enemy skimmers as he flew closer and closer.
However, the sky knight didn't even get near enough to draw his blades before a blue energy appeared to pulsate from Piper's body. Mouth agape, Aerrow watched in amazement as the Talons were flung from their rides like rag dolls.
Flying passed the three men that were now parachuting towards the wastelands below, Aerrow caught up with his friend, coming up to hover beside her. Piper's victorious smile was hard to miss.
"Ah, Aerrow, do you need help?" she called lightheartedly.
"Ah, no. I'm fine. Thanks." Aerrow replied, adverting his eyes momentarily in the hopes of hiding the surprise and sudden uneasiness he felt.
Still beaming with pride, Piper replaced the crystals in her pouch and the pair flew on to the Forbidden City.
Aerrow had done his best to hide his surprise at his first glance of Piper's true power and potential, but he knew he had not done a good job. His awkward words had been a dead giveaway, especially to someone who knew him as well as Piper did.
It was just so... unexpected.
What he had expected was to fly back to Piper's defence - to knock the Talons out of the sky with one of his crazy stunts and be greeted by Piper's grateful smile. But with that blast of crystal energy, Piper had turned Aerrow's world upside down.
It wasn't that Aerrow felt angry or jealous or anything like that. It was just, he had always seen himself as Piper's protector, her shield... her knight in shining armour. Now, realizing that she had this great power, it made him feel empty, unneeded. Like life was a play and his role had been cut.
Aerrow groaned softly as he came back into consciousness. Through his blurry vision, the sky knight could just make out the his nemesis looming over him, glowing an eery green and posed ready to crush him with a massive stone held effortlessly above his head.
"Goodbye, Aerrow." the Dark Ace's menacing voice rang through Aerrow's fuzzy mind.
The only thing the sky knight could do as the Talon commander threw the colossal rock towards him was lift an arm to cover his face and brace for impact.
To Aerrow's surprise, it wasn't the stone's black surface that obscured his vision, but a blinding flash of blue light, as the fatal object was ripped from the Dark Ace's hands. Both males were momentarily stunned by the sudden change of events, their eyes wide in disbelief. Quickly recovering from their shock, sky knight and Talon turned to see Piper grinning triumphantly, holding a glowing crystal at arms length.
Piper didn't need him anymore. This was painfully obvious to Aerrow. Now, it was he who needed her.
Without this power Piper had been able to give him, Aerrow knew that he wound never have beaten the Dark Ace that day.
The tables were turned once again, as a bolt of red energy hit Piper from behind. She gave a shriek as she tumbled across the rocky floor. Aerrow felt a jolt of concern tighten his chest, but his worry was short-lived. Piper was soon back on her feet, glaring at Master Cyclonis with a determined look that rivaled his own.
As Piper's eyes widened in shock, Aerrow turned to Cyclonis herself, just in time to see the crystal key float up into the empress' grasp.
"At last!" Master Cyclonis seethed as her lanky fingers curled around the glowing key.
"No!" Piper cried.
At the buzzing sound of an activating crystal weapon, Aerrow turned back towards the Dark Ace to find the Talon commander's sword pointed at his chest.
"Enough games." the Dark Ace snarled, his weapon's red light gleaming, "It's over."
"Leave him alone!" Aerrow heard Piper's angry voice shout from behind him.
The sky knight gasped as a sudden surge of energy flew through him. He could feel a newfound strength running through his veins. This new power seemed to join with his very being. Glancing down at his hands, Aerrow realized that his whole body was glowing a bright blue, much like the Dark Ace had been moments before.
Realization hit him. This was just like the power Cyclonis had been using to give the Dark Ace his superhuman strength and agility.
Grinning, Aerrow turned to face the Dark Ace.
Looking back, Aerrow realized that Piper had never really needed his protection. Though he had kept an eye on her and watched her back, Piper had always been able to fend for herself and hold her own. Really, he had been eluding himself into believing she had ever really needed his protection and watchful eye.
It had been a selfish illusion, his role as Piper's knight in shining armour. He was no more her shield then he was any of his other squadron mates. They all worked together to beat all odds and accomplish their goals. They were a team.
Piper allowed the glowing blue bubble of energy to fade as the last stones crumbled to the ground.
"Aerrow, the key!" Piper said, exasperated, "Uh, I can't believe I lost it... to her."
"We'll get it back." Aerrow assured.
"How?" Piper questioned, unbelieving, "Didn't you see what happened in there? I can never fight against a power like that." her entire being seemed to droop in defeat.
"But you have it too." Aerrow said, stepping towards Piper and putting a comforting hand on her back, "I saw it! I felt it. If you can learn to control it, we could have a fair fight. We can still stop them."
"I don't know Aerrow." Piper hung her head, her voice filled with uncertainty, "There's something else I felt with that power. Something dark ... very dark."
Aerrow and Piper would work together to beat the Master Cyclonis, just as they always had. He would help her to hone her gift and she would lend him the power he needed to bring peace to the Atmos. Just like any good team, they needed each other to succeed: her power and his vessel.
Aerrow was no longer - nor had he ever been - Piper's saviour, but her partner. And he liked this role a lot better.
Careful, so not to wake the sleeping crystals specialist, the sky knight wrapped a protective arm around Piper's shoulders. They would figure out this unknown power together, evil or not. He would never let anything happen to her. Even if she didn't need his help, Aerrow knew he would always be close by, just in case - someday - she did.
Aerrow couldn't help but smile as Piper snuggled closer, burring her head into his chest. He took comfort in Piper's closeness, and the feeling that maybe she would need a protector every now and then.
To get some inspiration for this oneshot, I took a look back at some of the later episodes, and when I came to the part in epsiode 50 when Piper talks to Aerrow after knocking the Talons of their skimmers with her binding, I wondered why Aerrow looked so put down and spoke kind of awkwardly, and this is what came from my wondering.
Also, I'm planning on taking a break from writing fanfiction over the summer (after I've finished this collection, of course) and work on some non-fanfic related writing. This will most likely mean putting "Shattered" on hold. I do have plans for this fic, but I'm still not totally sure of the style/ structure I want to write it in and I really need to reread "Hide and Seek" before I start writing this fic. Right now, I can't find the motivation to write this fic, and I don't think that anyone wants to read it that badly.... so I think I'll put it off until the fall....
Anyway, this time, the next oneshot is written, so if I get some reviews, I'll definately post it tomorrow!
Thanks for reading, and please review!