Ch. 13- Decision

Marina changed into her nightclothes once she was back in her room and lay down in her make shift bed. Kai had asked her to at least think about joining their team. She just didn't think that there was any way she could. She wasn't exactly a team player and she didn't want her past haunting them as well as her. But they seemed like they really wanted her to join and they were the first nice people she had met in a long time. She thought that maybe she should get to know people better, because most of her contact with other people was negative, in her eyes. She slowly drifted off to a light sleep, hoping that it would help her make a decision.

Kai woke at dawn, as always, and slowly opened his gray eyes to the ceiling. He could hear his companions' heavy breathing and knew that they were asleep. They usually didn't get up until seven or eight in the morning, and Tyson around ten. Kenny had gone home after pizza last night, so it was just Kai, Ray, Tyson and Max. He heard an odd noise on the roof and bolted upright. He got dressed quickly, careful not to wake his teammates and silently walked outside to find out what the noise was.

He looked up and slowly walked around the dojo to where Grandpa was standing, looking at a figure on the roof. [What is Marina doing on the roof?] he wondered, as he saw who the figure was.

"She's been up there a while now," said Grandpa good-naturedly, "you shoulda seem her climb up there. I've never seen anything like it. She's fixing the roof for me." He walked back inside the dojo and left Kai staring upwards.

Marina felt more eyes on her and thought, [Oh well, I'm pretty much done up here anyway.] She surveyed her handiwork as she picked up the hammer she'd borrowed from Tyson's grandfather. [Well, at least the roof won't leak next rainfall. Now, how to get down?] She was standing on the highest peak of the roof, which had been difficult to climb, even though the roof was not sharply inclined. She saw something in the mountains that surprised her. She hoped it was a coincidence and ignored it, instead looking down at Kai's puzzled look and half-smiling. [I've always wanted to do this.] She stepped onto the slant and immediately started sliding down the roof's tiles. She bent her knees and put her arms out, as if she was snowboarding down the roof. The tiles made a 'chink' sound each time she hit one. When she quickly reached the gutter she leaped up, Matrix style, arms up and bent, one knee up, and landed lightly on the ground in front of Kai, who looked slightly startled. Marina smiled to herself as she walked past Kai; she liked to shock people.

Two people almost banged into Marina as she was heading inside the dojo, hammer in hand. It was Max and Ray, as the noise of her descent had woken the two bladers up. "Hey, do you know what that weird noise was?" asked Max.

"I was on the roof," she replied simply before heading into the kitchen and grabbing an apple from the counter.

Ray and Max looked at each other, then shrugged while Ray started making pancakes for the rest of his team. Marina tried the finished product, but didn't really like the result so she just had another fruit from the counter instead. She watched as Max and Tyson (who had woken up as soon as he had smelled breakfast cooking) fight to consume the most pancakes. Tyson's grandfather came into the kitchen shortly after and joined them in trying to eat the most. Marina thought that it was odd that he acted like a child, and not his age. But she actually kind of liked his attitude, because it was so opposite her glass-half-empty, pessimistic view.

After Grandpa, as he liked to be called by all, won the competition he thanked Marina for fixing the roof and she returned the hammer.

"It was no problem," she replied casually, "just returning your hospitality."

"No problem?" he laughed, "If climbing a roof was no problem then I'd hate to see what actually is."

She flashed him a small smile (AN/ very rare!) and followed the Bladebreakers outside to where they met Kenny and a girl with short brown hair who introduced herself to Marina as Hilary. Marina wasn't sure of what to think of the shorter girl, so she acted like herself, and caused Hilary to think that she was colder than Kai (which is partly true).

They set up an obstacle course out of pop cans and tried to maneuver their blades through it without knocking over any cans. It was harder than it looked, but Marina launched her blade first and made it through in record time. While Tyson was trying unsuccessfully for the third time to complete the course Ray asked tentatively, "So, have you made your decision yet? Whether or not you want to join our team."

She tore her eyes away from scene that showed Hilary berating Tyson for failing again and said, "Yes, I've made my decision."

Max joined their group and Kai leaned against the wall behind them trying to appear uninterested. Tyson and Kenny paid no attention whatsoever to their conversation, as Kenny was talking to Dizzi and Tyson was too busy arguing with Hilary to notice.

Marina looked at each of them in turn before answering, "I've decided to decline your offer of joining the Bladebreakers."

"Aww, come on, it'll be fun," said Max disappointedly.

"Let her finish," said Kai forcefully.

Marina glanced at Kai before continuing, "I've decided not to join your team, but I will stay with you as a trainer, to help you guys get better and work on your weaknesses in battle."

"Alright!" said Max enthusiastically.

"If you're going to stay and train here," Ray began, his golden eyes confused, "why don't you just join the team. It would make more sense."

Marina stared into Ray's cat-like eyes and answered stonily, "I'm not really a team player."

"Well neither is Kai, but we got him to join," Ray said before glancing at Kai and adding, "No offense Kai."

A 'hmf' was all the response out of Kai as he closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall.

"Trust me," Marina began coldly, with a faraway look in her eyes, "you wouldn't want me on your team."

She turned around and headed back into the dojo as Tyson groaned in frustration as he failed the obstacle course for a fifth time.

--Another chapter done! Please click the button below and review. If you have any questions about my fic, then just ask and I will see what I can do to help. ;)