One Week to Go
Shadows were bursting into black vapor left and right as The Blade of Heroes went through them. The shining steel blade was as sharp as it had ever been. T.J. had cleaned it up and sharpened it. The iron guard was wrapped in thin, bright wires of silver. The handle sported diamond shaped iron depressions.
T.J. spun in midair and destroyed four Shadows that had him surrounded. As the time for their departure grew shorter, more and more Shadows were attacking. He knew something was up. Three more Shadows flew toward him. He braced for impact as the speed they were flying could have knocked him out of the air. They never made it to him, however, because an arrow flew through them and they disappeared in a cloud of Shadow Aura. He followed the arrows path and saw Sovia on the ground. Slaying two more Shadows, he made her way down to her.
"Sovia, what have I told you about coming with me on patrols", he asked sternly.
"Relax, I can handle it now", she replied, holding up the bow she picked up three weeks ago.
"Until you're faced against a Shadow Elite or General", he continued for her. He swung around and slaughtered another Shadow.
She didn't have a comeback for his statement and remained silent.
"Go home", he said. Sovia could feel tears forming in her eyes. Over the last three weeks, she only saw T.J. when it was time for him to teach her and the others combat techniques and help them with their Kinesis Powers. She turned around, but stopped. Her anger was starting to rise.
T.J. noticed that her grip on the bow was so tight it was shaking. His eyes slowly widened as she turned around once more.
"You listen to me!" she shouted, scaring away a stray cat that was feasting from a garbage can nearby, "I rarely get to see you anymore! If the only way to spend time with you is to help you fight Shadows then so be it! For a while now, you've spent more time with yourself more than you have with me! I'm staying!"
To keep the Shadows from interrupting them, T.J. created a bubble of fire around them, blocking out all of the incoming Shadows. He returned the Blade of Heroes to its hiding place and sighed.
"Sovia, please, I'll make it up to you. Tonight, as a matter of fact", he said. Sweat poured down his face as he said this. He was growing tired from using the fire as their shield. His stamina was running out quick and if he didn't hurry this up, he would faint and Sovia would be left defending them both.
"How", she asked, more calmly.
"Meet me at Tootie's, I'll explain there", he answered, straining the words. She noted that he was tired and as soon as he dropped their shield, she ran as fast as she could back to her best friend's house.
T.J. quickly blasted the rest of the Shadows with his Pyrokinesis. Sweating, he dropped to his knees, unable to fight anymore. More Shadows dropped out of the sky and encircled him. He hated himself for using his energy up. The closest Shadows raised their oversized swords. Before one of them could move any further a shower of ninja stars struck the ground. Someone dressed in a white ninja uniform dropped from the sky and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. He was whisked away as the ninja jumped away as the ninja stars detonated, causing a small explosion. The Shadows were vaporized as they exploded.
"You okay?" Trixie asked, pulling off her mask. He was breathing heavily.
"Yeah", he gasped. He stood up and examined the surrounding area. It seemed empty of Shadows.
"AMANDA, get the repair drones out at my coordinates. We have a small explosion that needs cleaning up", T.J. said into his communicator.
"Copy that", AMANDA replied.
"Are we done?" Trixie asked.
"For tonight", T.J. answered. He looked at Trixie and saw that she had a black mark on her left side just below her rib cage. She traced his gaze and saw the mark.
"What's this", she asked, rubbing the area.
"Probably a scorch stain", T.J. said, "or a Shadow's Touch mark."
"Shadow's Touch mark", she inquired.
"If you touch a Shadow, it will leave an area of Shadow Aura. If it was a prolonged touch, the Shadow Aura can spread and eventually take over the person touched. You weren't touched long by a Shadow, were you?" he explained.
"No, I don't remember touching a Shadow at all", she replied.
"Lift up your shirt enough for me to see the area that's covered up by your suit", he said. She did as he said, hesitantly of course. There was a black mark on her skin just as there was on her jumpsuit. He ran the back of one of his fingers over the affected area. She flinched when he touched her exposed skin.
"Keep an eye on that, if it starts to spread, let me know immediately", he said. She put top half of her suit back down. When she looked up, T.J. had left, leaving her alone in the dark. She shrugged and started to walk in the direction of home too.
T.J. quietly entered his home. It was at least two in the morning and the family inside the house was a bunch of light sleepers. He silently made his way to his roommate's room. Inside, he found Sovia waiting for him on his bed. The light was dimmed as not to wake Tootie.
"Hey", she said softly.
"Hey there, Angel Eyes", he said.
"What's that for", she asked, noting the bag in his hand.
"I went by your house and picked up some pajamas and a change of clothes for you", he whispered.
"So how are you going to make it up to me", she asked. He tossed the bag to her.
"Get changed and I'll tell you", he said. She rolled her eyes and left the room for the bathroom. She quickly changed into the nightgown T.J. had brought for her. It was her plain white one that reached her feet.
When she got back to the room, T.J. was in bed.
"So how are you making it up to me", she yawned. He lifted up the blanket that was over him, inviting her in. He had changed too and was wearing his blue and white camouflaged pajama pants and shirt.
"Get in, you're spending the night with me", he said. Blushing, she happily slid underneath the covers. T.J. wrapped his arms around her. She was really surprised, normally T.J. wouldn't be this intimate.
"Goodnight Sovia", he whispered into her ear. She rolled over and gave him a tender kiss on his lips.
"Goodnight", she said, turning back over.
The next morning Tootie scowled at the sight in the corner. She couldn't blame Sovia for wanting to spend time with T.J. but sleeping together?
"Nothing happened", T.J. yawned after he woke up.
"I believe that part", Tootie said, "I just can't believe you would go this far."
"Fine, I accept what I did was wrong", T.J. said. He stood to leave. Tootie wasn't ready to stop scolding him. She raised her hand and shot a stream of ice at his feet. He shook his head. Using his strength, he cracked the ice and pulled his feet free.
"You're getting better, but like I always say, don't mess with the best", he said coolly, giving her a brief chill of ice which she knocked away. Too many times had she fallen for that.
Later, at the combat rangeā¦
"Okay everyone, today is a very special day!" T.J. said excitingly. Tootie, Timmy, Sovia, Fortune, and Trixie stood side by side as he paced with anxiety back and forth.
"What is it", Fortune asked with smile on her face. T.J. had told everyone to look forward to this day and the anticipation couldn't be hidden. He looked at her.
"Why's your arm bandaged?" he asked. There was a very noticeable white cover bandage that covered a decent amount of her arm. She looked away, embarrassed.
"I have a rash", she replied. He nodded, not to give it another thought for now.
"Right", he called, hopping into a spot in front of them. "Today, you each receive your Spirit Weapon!"
They all looked at him with expressions of pure excitement.
Location: Unknown
"She's becoming stronger", the Shadow Overlord observed.
"Yes, and the transformation is beginning. She already has the Shadow's Mark", Cascade agreed.
"I'll be sure to activate the Egg as soon as I see fit", the Overlord said. After his statement he added an evil and vile laugh.
"They won't know what hit them", Cascade said. The window showed a giddy girl that couldn't keep still as T.J. explained to them what was about to happen.
Uh oh, I wonder who the spy is. Any ideas? Be sure to answer in your review.
