blackamber- chapter 25! YAY!
Amy- again with the hyper behaviour
Tala- you should be used to it by now
blackamber- (sniff) It's so good to have you both up here again
Kai- cry baby
blackamber- I AM NOT!
Mel- Oh dear...
blackamber- Bryan, I have another annoucement for you
Bryan- o...kay? (takes note) hmmm... interesting... (reads note) blackamber would like to know if, in the final match, her readers would like for Cole to a) be hospitilatized b) killed or c)your own idea of what to happen to him
blackamber- I'm at a dilema... I kinda want him to die... but at the same time he is my own character so I don't...
Bryan- please include your decision in a review
Brook- Usual disclaimer
Amy blinked her eyes, finding herself in a painfully white room. She swallowed, finding her throat not as dry as she remembered it being, and glanced around the room.
"Oh, thank god you're awake!" Norah's caring voice praised, as she hugged the girl, "we were fearing for the worst."
"Where… am I?" Amy asked, then wishing she hadn't for her jaw really hurt.
"You're home," Norah explained, "your brother and that red haired boy brought you home last night. What happened to you? They tried to explain it to us, but they got much too angry with what had happened to make heads or tails of what they were saying."
"I was taken," Amy paused, "to that place. The place I was at before I was found by Mel and Kaylie." She closed her eyes, thinking of someone, "Cole's father runs it," she added hurtfully.
"Oh Amy," gasped Norah, pulling the girl into another hug. Amy grunted in pain as the woman put pressure on her injured shoulder, which, to her surprise, was bandaged. "I take it, those people who took you there were the ones who shot you in the shoulder," it wasn't a question, yet Amy nodded regardless.
"Where is everyone?" Amy asked, noticing how quiet the house was.
"At the Tournament," answered Norah, "though they wanted to stay, I told them to go ahead so that they wouldn't get disqualified. The only ones still here are you brother and that red haired bo-
"Tala," Amy interrupted.
"Pardon?"
"His name… is Tala."
"Ah," Norah smiled, "well, Tala and your brother are still here. Their team didn't have a match today so they decided to stay with you."
"Can I see them?" Amy asked, hopefully.
Norah shook her head, "you should rest a little first."
"Norah, I'm wide awake. If anything I should be at the tournament with my team! What if they need me?" Amy argued.
"Then they'll have to do without, you're in no condition to go to the tournament, let alone participate."
"That doesn't matter," Amy muttered, half under her breath, "I've never let them down, just because I'm a little hurt doesn't mean I have to sit out."
"You are more than just a little hurt Amy," bickered Norah.
"How can I sleep when-
"Enough! You will sleep," commanded Norah.
"But-
"No buts, sleep," ordered the motherly woman.
She is right, little warrior, you need sleep, Hien's voice echoed through her head.
Amy sighed, letting her head fall back onto the pillow and closing her eyes.
Norah quietly exited the room, walking over to the kitchen and immediately gaining the attention of the two remaining boys. "She'll be fine," she said, before either could ask, "she was awake for a little while, enough to argue with me about how she shouldn't be sleeping when her team is fighting in the tournament." The woman shook her head, "she is stubborn… poor girl."
Tala looked towards the hallway that the woman had just left. Most of him wanted to check on the girl for himself, but he respectfully retained himself from doing so.
"When will we see her?" Kai asked, having a similar inner battle.
"If you wish, you can go see here now. There's no harm since she should be asleep," Norah smiled at the two as they practically leapt towards the room the young Hiwatari occupied.
The first thing the two boys noted upon entering the room was the dark bruising around the young girl's jaw and left side of her face. The two already knew about the state of the rest of her, having observed the actions to which the wounds and bruises were caused. But the bruising around her face had surprised them; they hadn't thought she had been beaten so harshly there.
A couple of minutes passed before Amy opened an eye and breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought you were Norah for a moment there," she grinned.
"You should be asleep," Kai folded his arms across his chest, giving her a dark look.
"Key word: should, reason: can't," Amy plainly stated, sitting up on her elbows. "Thank you… for saving me."
"What was that place?" Tala asked.
Amy looked down at the ground, "it was once used as a military fort… but it was rebuilt for bit beast experimentation. They hoped to create the ultimate bit beast by combining a human's mind with a bit beast, but to get to that stage, they had to…" Amy paused, squeezing her eyes shut.
"You were…"
Amy nodded, "they had to cure the mind of all abnormalities. For example, my stammering… was cured through repetitive beatings, my insomnia, also beatings… and my epilepsy… well they couldn't cure that. They tried though," Amy winced inwardly, "by God did they ever try." Her fingers grazed an unseen, fine scar that ran through her right eyebrow, across her eye and down towards her right ear. It was so thin that if she hadn't just traced it, no one would have known it was there.
"Umm… Kai," Amy looked up at her brother, taking a deep breath for the reaction that she suspected for her next question. "Could I… talk to Tala alone?"
Kai flinched at the question, clenching his fists. "Why?" he countered.
"There's… something we need to sort out," Amy couldn't meet his gaze.
Kai glanced between the two, and then sighed heavily. "Fine," he huffed, before leaving. As soon as the door was securely closed, Tala moved closer to the bed.
"Aim, I-
"I'm sorry," Amy interrupted him.
Tala blinked in surprised.
"I've treated you so horribly… I should never have believed Bryan… but I've had so much happen to me in my life… and I couldn't completely shake the feeling that you were going to turn back into your old self. I was stupid and childish… and I'm sorry," Amy apologized, heart fully.
Tala smiled at her, "it's alright… no harm done. Though, I nearly killed Bryan for making you believe what he had said."
Amy laughed slightly, "poor Bryan."
"You know… I'm surprised Kai actually left us alone," Tala mused, leaning over her.
"Tala behave, he could be on the other side of the door," Amy warned, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Do I have to?" Tala asked, winking.
"I'll make it up to you, I promise," Amy smiled.
Tala settled with kissing her forehead with a sigh. "Alright," he muttered against her bruised skin.
Amy closed her eyes beneath the feeling. It was much sweeter than when Cole had kissed her, much more welcomed. She smiled contently, passing out into an easy sleep.
Tala exited the room to find, just to Amy's prediction, Kai standing outside the door, his arms crossed and his expression dark. "What? Are you going to kill me now?" Tala asked in all seriousness.
"I want your honest answer," demanded Kai, "what are you two?"
"Why ask me that when you know already," Tala nonchalantly responded.
"I want you to understand this, I'm not happy about what's between you two…" Kai paused and heaved a heavy sigh, "but since you did help me get her out of that fort… I'll butt out. But be warned, Tala, if you hurt her in any way, you'll wish to God you'd never been born."
Tala let out a sigh of relief. Glad you're so understanding, Kai, he sarcastically thought, looking back to the closed door to Amy's current room, but at least we won't have to hide it anymore.
blackamber- I'm not sure if I like this chapter as much... it's not as... exciting...
Mel- (GASP!) an actual chapter you do not like? it's the apocalypse!!
Courtney- she can not like a chapter if she wants Mel, the world is not going to end
Mel- but you don't know that
Tyson- (looks through blackamber's notes to herself) huh... Move Along is almost done? Since when!?
blackamber- since always! Don't worry there's at least another three-four chapters... maybe five
Ray- have you decided what you're going to do for the sequel
blackamber- (nods) yup! The sequel's going to focus a little more on the other Silver Fangs though... hopefully... depends on how interesting their lives are
Mel- our lives are plenty interesting!
blackamber- Your lives are however interesting I make them!
Bryan- R&R