Chapter 20 - A Long Week
"Hurry back, Katrina is making her world famous Miso Soup, Rice Balls and Dumplings!" Brian yelled as Hez stepped out to make a phone call. He almost stopped mid stride as his mind drifted to the day she surprised him with her prize winning dish. His stomach rumbled silently as it suddenly felt empty. He sighed to himself, calming his stomach as he exited the cabin.
"Is it me or has Hez been a bit closed off?" Donna asked as she sat into Brian's lap. He instinctively planted a kiss on her left cheek and brought her head to his shoulder.
"Shouldn't we be more worried about how open your sister and Ren are?" Brian asked as he motioned his eyes to the couple who were in a battle of lips. Donna simply smiled, happy her sister had been happy.
"Who's the master!" Aj yelled as he just beat NC and Neil back to back in tekken.
"Dammit," NC said as he looked on in defeat at the screen. The cabin was lovely with the smell of cooking in the kitchen.
"Hey where did Hez go?" Aj asked.
"Phone call," Brian replied.
"In the snow? In the mountains? With no reception?" Aj's questions each sounding more confused than the last. Ren stopped kissing Arianna as they both attempted to keep the look of worry from their faces.
"You guys know Hez, he loves this stuff. Maybe he just wants to take it all in." Ren said in his usual tone. The group looked to each other, eyes slowly shifting to one another before locking back into Ren and Arianna.
"I'm sure you're right," Donna said. Only Arianna was able to pick up the hint of disbelief in her voice. She gave Ren a worried squeeze. Before getting up, she kisses Ren again and made her way to one of the three bathrooms.
"Foods ready!" Katrina yelled, snapping everyone out of their awkward silence and promoting them to make a mad dash for the dining room. "Well damn don't run me over!" She scuffed as her friends charged towards the table to smell and gaze upon her delicious spread. Katrina smiled as she removed the apron from her body and noticed Hez was missing. "Hey, where's your twin Aj?"
Hez wandered into the snow, inhaling the cool air through his nostrils and breathing out warm vapors. His phone vibrated three times before he answered. "You love to keep me waiting don't you?"
"What's the situation in Angel Grove?" Hez asked bluntly.
"Right to the point? Well then, the putty have been pretty much nonexistent. We believe Zed is planning something and big but we don't know what. When you return I will need you and Garren to scout a few areas." The voice said.
"Normal work, no problem. Is that everything?" Hez asked, wanting to end the conversation.
"Yea, enjoy your snowy vacation Chalice." The voice sent a chill down his spine. As he hung up he could hear the sound of footprints in the snow. They were light and almost predatory. He lowered his stance, pressing his fingers into the cold cloud of stow on the ground before quietly making his way to the base of a tree. The sound was coming from just beyond the tree. It was a deer slowly passing through the area. Hez sighed in relief and stood to his feet, laughing to himself. He sighed before leaning into a back handspring to evade an arrow that soared through the air.
"Well your reflexes are better," a voice said. He could tell who's it was without even needing a moment's thought.
"Was that real?!" He yelled as he looked at the arrow burrowed into the bark. He rubbed at his temple, where the place of the arrow struck. "Your aim isn't half bad either." Katrina wasn't in sight but he could hear her every footstep. She was close and growing closer. "Is this some kind of game?"
"Only if you're willing to play," her voice trailed as it was replaced by the sound of another arrow slicing the air. He ducked and dove behind the tree. Silence took over, his heart still calm and his breath lowered to a gentle blow to hide the vaper. In his mind the area around him flashed. He quickly thought of the angle she shot the arrow from and wondered how long it would take her to find him. "Shit!" He yelled as he rolled to his left. Another arrow avoided.
"You're getting faster!" She yelled. Hez was starting to grow annoyed. His mind raced as he calculated where she was and where she would be. He couldn't get it before she fired another arrow and he was forced to move and rethink.
Shit she's fast, he thought then he realised, she wasn't on the ground. He pulled the knife he had in his left pocket and flipped the blade up. Here goes nothing! He shouted in his head as he spun from his hiding place and launched the blade into the sky at a tree. A slight Yelp before she fell from the tree. Hez rushes to her as she fell, sliding through the cloud of snow to catch her in his arms. She felt heavier than usual, more firm with muscle. The drop winded them both as Hez laid there with Katrina in his arms.
"You know, I'm starting to like being this way every time we see each other," Katrina said before Hez could open his eyes. He sighed as he opened his eyes to see hers looking down at him. He studied every detail of her iris between blinks. "I hope there's another knife in your pocket because it doesn't look like you're happy to see me. At least, not the look on your face." Hex's face flushed with a red pigment as he thrusted his hips upward, causing Katrina to roll over him as he rolled over and stood up.
She laughed as she made her way to her feet. "I don't get you. Do you hate me that much for the break up?" She looked him in the eyes and he could see the tears wanting to build.
"No, I don't hate you." He said in a low tone.
"Then what?! What do I have to do to win you back?!" Her shouts echoed in the distance. The sun began to set, casting an orange hue over the white of the snow. Her question was met with a silence that angered her. She drew closer and boiled over as she threw a punch. Hez caught it with his left hand as he pulled her forcefully, past him. He took a step forward to create more distance. Her anger boiled into rage as she rifles a round kick to his head. He slapped her shin to parry it away.
"Dot do this Trini." He said. Her tears began to fall as she rushed forward with a barrage of punches. Her wild fists were blocked, parried and evaded. As she grew tired, she pressed her head against his chest, softly pounding on him with her fists. "Trini, stop." He asked her as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She jumped slightly before the sobbing began to slow. She sighed deepest, seemingly taking in his smell. The smell of olive oil and Japanese cherry blossom filled her nostrils. She looked up to him as the sun continued to fall behind the treeline, casting a darker shade of orange over them.
"I love you," she said in a hushed tone. Her eyes met his, his eyes seemingly shining with a new fire as the hue of orange meshed with his brown iris. She felt his lips press against hers. She melted into him as she gripped him tighter.
"I love you too," she heard as he gently pulled away. Their faces both red as he took her left hand into his right, leading her back to the cabin.
"Well you guys sure were gone for- holy shit!" Brian yelled as the two returned,fingers intertwined as they held hands.
"Finally!" Donna and Arianna yelled in unison as they got up and charged Katrina, almost carrying her out of the living room and up the stairs.
"So… how did it go?" Aj asked in his usual joking tone.
"You guys suck you know that right?" Hez said as he sat on the recliner.
"Well what happened?" Ren asked. Everyone leaned in for the story as Hez sighed.
"Aight so boom, I was having a phone call with Dad, checking in on everyone back home and Katrina popped up shooting arrows at me!"
"Well, she always did have weird ways of saying she liked you." Neil said.
"Remember the time she drop kicked you during that sparring match?" Aj added with a smirk.
"Anyway, I found a way to knock her out of the tree she was hiding in but I had to catch her. Of course it got awkward-"
"Like almost kisses awkward or R Kelly style?" Ren asked.
"How do you even know that reference?" Aj asked. Ren simply shrugged as everyone laughed.
"Back to the point, we fought, no surprise there and then… we kissed." The group fell silent.
"Well… are you guys back?" Brian asked.
"Yea bro, you haven't been the same since the break up so are you guys a thing?" NC asked.
"It's safe to say… I don't know," Hez replied. Everyone sighed deeply and groaned.
"Oh come on dude, you know she's probably explaining this situation in a whole different way to the girls right?" Neil said.
As the girls finally got Katrina to her bed, Donna locked the door as they huddled around her. "Oh my god so what happened?!" Arianna asked in excitement.
"Well I saw him out in the open, being his normal weird self. He was watching a deer." Katrina said with a smile.
"Of course you like that kind of stuff," Donna said rolling her eyes.
"Hey I find it adorable that he likes nature. So I did what only I knew to do." Arianna's eyes grew wide.
"You didn't?"
"I did," Katrina said looking away. "I shot my arrows at him. He dodged like… like a bird. He even found my hiding place and knocked me out of it."
"Really? Did this have to turn into a fight?" Donna asked.
"He caught me," her words silenced them both. "I could see it in his eyes, the love but when I spoke on it, he threw me off him."
"Uh oh," Arianna said in a low tone.
"Yup, I wanted to beat him within an inch of his life but he's so damn fast. I couldn't lay a finger on him until I just laid my head against his chest, slapping him. Then, he looked me in my eyes, kissed me and told me he loves me." The two sisters gasped and made sounds only comparable to nails dragging across a chalkboard.
"Oh my god! Does this mean you guys are together?!" The two asked in unison. Katrina's face grew bright red as she paused to think.
"I would like to believe we are," she said confidently and smiling for the first time.
The dinner table was filled with laughter and conversation. Everyone had changed into more comfortable wear. Neil wore black sweat shorts and a black tank top. NC wore black joggers and a t shirt with the UTA logo in the chest. Donna wore tights and a t shirt with pikachu sitting with its fingers up. Ren wore shorts and a black t shirt. Aj and Brian both wore the black UTA sweatpants with t shirts. Arianna wore sweatpants and a loose fitting t shirt that hung off her left shoulder, exposing the right. Katrina wore a baggy t shirt that came to the middle of her thighs, hiding her short tights. Hez came to the table in grey sweat shorts and a muscle shirt. Katrina glared at him instantly, prompting Arianna and Donna to laugh. As he sat down besides Aj, he started to make his plate.
"Day one and we already got a whole couple!" Brian said as he raised his bottle. "Drinks for everyone!"
"Really?" NC said,"do you always find a reason to drink?"
"Well I am the drinking king here," Brian joked.
"Excuse me sir, I remember drinking you under the table," Neil added.
"I remember outlasting both of y'all during the Henny challenge," Aj said.
"We don't even speak of that sir," Hez said with his face in his left hand. Katrina giggled and she continued eating.
"I'm down for it-"
"No you're not," Ren said cutting off Arianna.
"Ugh, no fun," Arianna said with a huff as she crossed her arms over her chest. Dinner went smoothly and everyone still ended up drinking besides Hez.
"You guys are idiots," Hez said as he realized Ren was laying on his shoulder. He slightly shoved his blond haired friend off him.
"I love you guys, so much" Brian said with a slight slur.
"Oh my god…. I love you too!" Donna yelled before she sloppily kisses his cheek.
"Oh yea, I'm done," Hez said as he got up from the table, taking his dishes to the sink. He cleaned behind the team as they stumbled to their rooms. His phone vibrated and his face twisted into a scowl was he answered. "What is it now?"
"Outside," the voice said before hanging up. Hez quickly motioned to the back door and could see an Asian man. He wore black BDUs and a black puff coat. "It's cold as hell Chalice, not even sure how you guys do it out here.
"What do you want?" Hez was already annoyed.
"It's Zed, he's made his move." The man said as he pulled out a tablet. "This was broadcasted to all of Angel Grove."
"Angel Grove, you will be the first city to fall in my conquest of your peutred planet. I will kill every man, woman and child who defy my will!" The tablet was cut off.
"No need to continue on, you get the point. Myself and G4 have been mobilised as well as the Zet initiative. We estimate that it will take him two weeks to build the strength he needs to start his conquest."
"So I take it you're the face behind G3," Hez said with his arms crossed.
"That is correct, my name is Sho. I know Yho has been a hard ass but we will need you and the rangers to save this city and the world." Sho said.
"Don't worry about that, we will handle Zed and his forces-"
"How do you know about Zed?" Katrina asked as she stumbled towards Hez. He whipped around in shock as he figured she was sleeping. Shit! He shouted in his mind. Sho quickly stepped back.
"Chalice, I think it's time they knew." Sho said before walking farther into the darkness.
"Did he just call you Chalice?!" Katrina yelled, suddenly feeling sober.
"Yes he did… Yellow ranger." Hez said coldly. Katrina was taken by his words. Her mind flashed of the multiple battles they had against each other then the few instances they worked together and were even protected by him.
"So you knew?" Katrina asked, "when did you find out?"
"Why didn't you tell me?" He snapped. "You know, the break up hurt but I felt I had to avoid you in order to protect you from the life I was beginning to live." He explained.
"That's why I broke up with you," she said, her voice lowering. "It was to protect you from my life, I never wanted it."
"Well, the cats out of the bag now. Ren is Kamen Rider Garren by the way," Hez said as he sighed.
"Wait what?" Katrina asked before sighing in defeat. "You know you have to tell everyone in the morning right?"
"I know, and worse, Zed is coming for Angel Grove. When this vacation is over, we have work to do." Hex's tone grew serious as he started for the stairs but was stopped by Katrina's hand.
"Who said you get to go off on your own? You've obviously done enough of that," she said as she gripped his arm. He looked into her eyes and couldn't help but smile at her determination.
"Fine, then it looks like we will share a bed," he said with a grin. As the two walked to his door he couldn't help but think, it's always calmest before the storm.
As the day broke, Donna, NC, Ren, Neil, Aj and Brian all made their way to the living room. They found Hez and Katrina there already dressed.
"You guys are gonna wunna sit down for this." Katrina said sternly. Everyone took note of her serious tone and sat. "Where's Arianna?"
"She's still sleeping, you know she can't exactly handle alcohol," Ren answered.
"What's going on?" Brian asked.
"Hez and Ren have a secret, one they are going to tell us today." Katrina said as she cut her eyes to Hez.
"I am Kamen Rider Chalice," Hez said standing up. He held his card between his index and middle fingers. Ren's eyes grew wide and before he could protest, Hez pointed to him, "and there's Kamen Rider Garren." The group gasped, all but Katrina were shocked.
"He's not finished," Katrina said.
"As of a few months ago, we know who you are too," Hez lowered his eyes. "We stopped fighting you the moment we found out who you were."
"What the hell Hez?!" Ren snapped.
"What the fuck both of you!" Aj snapped. "You couldn't even tell us what the hell was going on? How could you keep this from us?!"
"You're one to talk, when we're any of you going to tell us what you were doing?" Ren snapped back. "What did you think we didn't notice you guys acted weird. How you guys became distant? We found out the moment we saw you in the field."
"This will get us nowhere!" Brian yelled to get everyone's attention.
"I'm not done," Hez cut in. "Lord Zed plots to start his conquest for earth as soon as his army is complete in a calculated thirteen days. That means after this little vacation, we have a week to get ready for what could be the final war." Everyone grew quiet, their eyes shifting as they processed what was said.
"Guys, no matter what we are friends and this makes us even stronger." Brian explained as he stood up. "Hez and Ren are on our side and Lord Zed can't throw anything our way to defeat us." Aj stood face to face with Hez for a while in silence. Hez met Aj's fiery eyes without fear.
"You'll always be my bro, but I owe you for a few of those fights," Aj said in a joking tone as he extended his hand to Hez. Hez grinned and clasped hands with his friend.
"We follow each other to the end. We save the world and send Zed back to the cave he crawled out of." Ren stood up first before the others joined in.
"For Angel Grove," Brian said.
"For the people," Donna added.
"For the world," they said in unison.
"What the hell is going on?" Arianna asked as she groggily descended down the stairs. She rubbed at her eyes while the there laughed. "What's so funny?"