Hello lovelies. With the Thanksgiving holiday for us Americans, I decided to post this chapter since this features some Thanksgiving celebration. To be honest, I have been trying for the last couple of days to finish this chapter so that I could have it done for today. I also apologize that it has been so long since I had posted a chapter for any of my stories. This last couple of months have been super busy with a semester at college with six classes, two of them labs, plus work. I don't know what I thought the last semester that I would be fine doing all of these classes, but I am going to be able to graduate from undergrad after next semester after taking one more class. Well anyways, I am done with the beginning of the A/N, so I will get started with the quote.
"Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast."
-William Shakespeare
Alright, that is everything so I will get on with the story!
o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o Ninja of the Stars Ch. 12 o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
When Belle confirmed the plans with her mother, Mama Luna was all too happy to pass the news onto her friends back home. As soon as they heard that they were going to be picking her up along with four others, they called her to see who was coming.
"Who are we picking up?" Maddie asked while trying to keep the others quiet.
"Me, my friend Cam, his father, Blake, and Hunter."
"Hunter," Xander hissed in distaste at the name.
"Don't hate him 'cause he has the courage to-," Vida started to say only to be cut off by what Belle believed to be Xander's hand over her mouth.
"Shut up V."
"Why are they coming to your house for Thanksgiving?" Chip questioned.
"Well, Cam and his father only have themselves at home and I wanted to give them something for looking after me while I'm training," Belle answered.
"As for Hunter and Blake, they don't have anyone and I couldn't think about letting them celebrate by themselves."
"That is so nice of you," Maddie smiled into the phone while Xander continued to grumble.
"So when are you guys going to be heading down here?"
"We're thinking that we'll be leaving here around nine am on Tuesday then picking you up around eleven," Xander said while calculating travel time.
"Where are we picking up at again?" Vida voiced.
"9317 Bridgeton Drive," Belle told them, flipping through the papers in front of her on her desk.
"Alright, looks like we have everything that we need," Maddie said.
"We'll see you on Tuesday Anna," Chip chimed in.
"See you guys on Tuesday," Belle chuckled before she hung up the phone. Satisfied that the plans were set, she rose from her desk chair to make her way to the computer room where Cam was typing away.
"Hey Ron," Belle greeted him while wrapping her arms around his shoulders.
"Hey Anna," Cam smiled at the feeling of Belle's warm and comforting hold on him.
"I just got off the phone with my mom and my friends back home," she told him.
"Oh?"
"They're coming to pick us up on Tuesday at eleven at the Thunder brothers' house."
"That sounds great."
"Do you know where Sensei is?"
"I think he might be meditating in the training room."
"Thanks Ron."
Belle pressed a brief kiss to his temple then waltzed over to the doorway that led to the training room. Behind her, Cam had stopped his coding to relish the feeling of Belle's kiss. Just like her hug, her kiss was warm. She definitely reminds me of a warm home, Cam thought to himself as he went back to his computer. True to Cam's words, Belle found the guinea pig master sitting on another one of his habitats with his dark eyes closed.
"Sensei," Belle ventured softly. Slowly Sensei Watanabe's eyes opened to see that Belle was standing before him.
"What can I help you with Anna?" he asked kindly.
"I just wanted to tell you that plans are in place for Thanksgiving," Belle said. "My friends said that they are going to pick us up at eleven on Tuesday."
"Thank you for the news. I will be ready at ten to head over to the Thunder brothers' home."
"Wonderful! I'll go tell the brothers then."
She then walked out of the training room to tell Cam she was heading out into town before teleporting to an alley a little ways from Storm Chargers.
o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
The first thing Belle saw when she entered the store were Blake and Hunter bringing in boxes for Kelly.
"Hello there Hunter and Blake," Belle grinned as she came to a stop beside them.
"Hey Anna," both returned happily.
"I wanted to talk with the both of you."
"What about?" Hunter asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I got the plans for Thanksgiving ironed out," Belle announced. "My friends are going to pick us up at eleven at your place on Tuesday."
"Okay," Blake grinned. "We already asked the others to watch our house for us along with Ninja Ops."
"Perfect," Belle said. "How are you guys liking your new jobs?"
"It's great work," Blake offered as he sat his box down.
"Yeah," Hunter agreed. "I didn't like it at first, but it's kind of growing on me."
"That's great you two. Well, that was all I wanted to tell you so I'll let you boys get back to work. You're still coming over for dinner, right?"
Even though Belle phrased it like she was asking a question, the brothers knew that she was telling them that they were coming over.
"We'll be there Lil' Firecracker," Hunter chuckled while shaking his head. Satisfied with his answer, Belle pulled him in for a quick hug before she left back for Ninja Ops.
For the next couple days, Belle worked hard to perfect the transformation spell so that it would work when she cast it on Sensei Watanabe. Before long, the days seemed to pass by quickly until it was time for Belle's friends from home to come get them. That morning, Belle opted to make her workout routine a little shorter so that she could make sure that everyone had had breakfast and that she was packed for the weekend. Honestly, she really didn't need to pack her things by going back home, but she needed to keep up the pretense that she was just a normal girl. Sensei Watanabe and Cam were all packed so Belle quickly teleported them all over to the Thunder Brothers' house where Hunter and Blake were already ready in the living room with their own suitcases.
"You guys are going to love Briarwood," Belle grinned in excitement.
"I can't wait to show you guys all my favorite parts of the forest and maybe introduce my mythical creature friends to you."
Everyone couldn't help the smiles that blossomed on their faces at the animated energy Belle was giving off as she listed the different things that they could do during the weekend. It was when Belle stopped to take a breath that she realized that she hadn't cast the spell on Sensei Watanabe yet.
"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "I'll take care of that for you Sensei."
"Epantuo morma."
With a wave of her wand, her white gold magic swirled around the small guinea pig as he was lifted into the air only to be completely covered by the magic. Belle bit her lip while she watched her magic work and anxiously watched the white gold dust turn into a vortex before slowly dissipating. When the dust was all but gone, there stood Sensei Watanabe in his full human glory.
"Oh thank god," Belle sighed in relief.
"Dad," Cam grinned at his now human father, reaching forward to hug him. Sensei Watanabe smiled at his son and happily returned the hug.
"It is good to be human again," he chuckled. "Even if it is only for a few days."
Cam frowned at the fact that he only had his father like this for the smallest amount of days, yet his smile returned when he reminded himself that he was lucky to have those days at all.
"Thank you Anna," Sensei Watanbe smiled over to the petite kunoichi.
"You're welcome Sensei," Belle smiled, stashing her wand from view.
"I did promise you after all."
Cam made to say something else, but the sound of a car horn got our attention.
"I think they're here," Belle told the group before picking up her backpack and small bag and heading out the door.
"Belle!" Xander exclaimed when he saw his best friend, quickly leaving the driver seat to rush towards the galaxy haired girl.
"Xander!" Belle returned with equal enthusiasm.
When Xander reached her, he did not hesitate to scoop her up into his arms and spin her in circles.
"Calm down Xan," Belle laughed at his excitement. "We saw each other not that long ago."
"When you were injured, you mean," Xander sassed that had Hunter, who had just left the front door, stiffening at the mention of Belle being hurt. The only ones who were able to see Hunter's reaction to the words were his brother, Cam, and Sensei Watanabe. Rather than put a hand on his brother's shoulder, Blake gave his brother a look that said 'are you okay?' that had Hunter giving a small, short nod of his head. By this time, Xander had set Belle back on her feet so she turned so that her friends from home could see the newcomers.
"Guys," Belle began while addressing her home friends.
"You've already met Hunter. This is his brother Blake Bradley, my friend Cam Watanabe and his father Kanoi Watanabe."
Belle then turned to face her teammates and Sensei.
"Everyone, these are my friends from back home. This is Xander Bly, Vida Rocca, Maddy Rocca, and Chip Thorn."
"It's nice to meet you all," Sensei Watanabe greeted the group of teens with a small smile.
"Is that all you guys brought?" Vida asked when she saw the luggage at their feet.
"Yeah," Belle answered.
"I'll open the back for you guys," Maddy offered while moving to the back hatch.
Blake followed behind her to help her get it open and to also place his duffle bag in the trunk. Hunter was close behind him followed by Cam and Sensei Watanabe. Belle was the last one to come to the back so that she could place her luggage in the back. Since she was the last one, she made sure that the back hatch closed correctly before walking towards the sliding door. In the nine seater van, Blake, Cam, and Sensei Watanabe sat in the back in the three seater bench while the rest stood outside of the van so that Belle and Hunter could hop in in the next couple seats. In the nest two seats sat Maddy and Chip with Xander in the driver seat and Vida in the passenger seat.
"Is everyone all set?" Xander called back to everyone as he grabbed his seat belt to buckle up.
After hearing everyone say that they were good, Xander started the van then started driving. To add in some background noise, Vida switched on the music and turned it down a bit.
"How long have you all known Anna?" Sensei Watanabe asked after a few minutes of hearing the radio.
"Basically our whole lives," Chip grinned as he turned to face the group at the back.
"Since the kindergarden for Chip, Maddy, and Vida," Belle clarified.
"And since first grade for Xander."
"How did you all become friends?" Cam joined in.
"Anna/Belle," Xander, Vida, Maddy, and Chip chorused that had Belle rolling her eyes.
"Looks like you have a habit of bringing people together Lil Firecracker," Hunter teased with a spark of mirth in his eyes.
Belle rolled her eyes yet she gave a huge grin at his words. The car then lapsed into idle chatter that filled the rest of the ride until they were nearing the welcome sign to Briarwood. As soon as the Briarwood natives saw the sign, they all adopted a bright smile.
"Welcome to Briarwood!" they all exclaimed in unison.
The non-natives couldn't help but laugh at their enthusiasm as the town sign passed by them through the windows.
It didn't take long for Xander to drive through town to get to the Devereaux residence that was on the very edge of town near the forest. When Xander pulled up in the driveway, Mama Luna was standing outside between the front porch and the garage. A huge smile brightened Belle's face when she saw her mother waiting for them. As soon as Xander parked the van, Belle was out of her seat and was opening the side door.
"Mom!" Belle exclaimed as she threw her arms around her mother's shoulders.
Everyone in the van couldn't help the smiles on their faces as they watched Mama Luna eagerly wrap her daughter up in her arms. While mother and daughter greeted each other, Cam, Sensei Watanabe, Blake, and Hunter climbed out of the van to grab their luggage from the trunk. Hunter even made sure to grab Belle's bags for her so that she didn't have to come back to the van. They then made their way over towards the two sorceresses.
"I know you've met Ron and Sensei Watanabe," Belle began when she saw that the group had joined them.
"But I have two new people to introduce to you. Mom, this is the Bradley brothers Hunter and Blake. Blake, Hunter, this is my mother Luna Deveraux."
When Belle said Hunter's name, Mama Luna's eyes narrowed slightly. So this is the boy that nearly killed my Annabelle, she thought to herself. The moment was quick to pass, however, so that Mama Luna could greet the Thunder brothers with a smile.
"Welcome to our home," Mama Luna graciously greeted the brothers plus Cam and Sensei Watanabe.
"I'm sure Anna can show you to your rooms and around the house while I go drop the others off home."
"Can do," Belle piped up with a smile.
"Wonderful," Mama Luna smiled. "Be ready for baking when I get back."
"I'll have everything ready when you get back," Belle answered with a roll of her eyes.
An amused smile graced Mama Luna's lips at her daughter's words before she placed a kiss on Belle's forehead then made her way to the now vacated driver's seat. Belle watched her mother pull out of the driveway before she turned to her guests.
"Right this way guys, I'll show you to your rooms so that you can get unpacked and then I'll give you a tour."
The other followed behind Belle without a word as she led them up onto the porch. From the way the porch was decorated, the group could tell that the space was designed to host guests with how many seats were situated towards the left of the stairs and the front door. As soon as they passed the front doorway, they were engulfed in a sort of atmosphere that was welcoming and comforting. They couldn't help but think that it suited the two sorceresses. Since no one was wearing any coats, Belle led the group past the coat closet only to see a large dining room table to their left through an open floor plan. They didn't walk very far before Belle was leading the group up the stairs then took a right when reaching the second floor. Some doors were passed on their way past the hallway until they reached a lot of doors at the end of the hallway. Belle led the group to the doors directly at the end and the one on their left that led to two rooms that housed two full sized mattresses with a bedside table between the two beds with a lamp and an alarm clock. Across from the beds were two dressers with a door in the room that led to walk in closets.
"You can put some of your clothes in these dressers," Belle told Cam and Sensei Watanabe since theirs was the first room that she stopped in.
"The bottom two drawers are empty so you can use those and the closet has a lot of space with some empty hangers so it shouldn't be a problem with room. It's the same with the other room."
She led the Thunder brothers to their room before she beckoned her guests to the door kiddy corner to the Thunder brothers and across from Cam and his father.
"This is the bathroom you four will be sharing. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask me. I can show you where my room is during the tour so that you know where you can find me if I'm not downstairs. For right now, I'll leave you to get settled in. When you're done and you want to find me, I'll be downstairs. Call for me when you come back down and we'll start the tour."
Belle then went back down the stairs to walk across from the stairwell to get to the kitchen. She immediately set about getting all of the ingredients ready for the desserts for dinner the next day as well as looking over the prep her mother had started for Thanksgiving to see if there was anything she needed to do to help. Upon seeing the bread crumbs and the completed cranberry sauce, she reasoned that she didn't need to help with the food prep. With that in mind, she got out all of the ingredients that would be needed to make the various desserts for the Thanksgiving meal. She even went about measuring out the different ingredients as well as setting out the bowls they would need. After so many years of doing this with her mother, Belle was able to get everything out and ready with surprising efficiency. Just as she was measuring the last ingredient, she heard Cam and Hunter calling for her.
"Be right there!" she called back, finishing up measuring and putting it into a small dish.
She made sure to wash her hands before she ventured out towards the bottom of the stairway.
"Alright," she said when she met up with the group. "You've already seen the porch and through the front door, so we'll start with the foyer."
She led them back towards the front door where she pointed out the coat closet as well as the place to put wet or muddy shoes when it was rainy or during winter. From there she pointed out the dining room that housed the large dining table.
"This is the dining room," she told them.
"That's where we will be eating Thanksgiving dinner with my Aunt Udonna and my cousin Clare."
The next stop was across from the dining room to a door that turned out to be a bathroom.
"Here's one of the bathrooms of the first floor."
She then led them through the swing door that led to the pantry then through another swing door that led to the kitchen. The boys did not fail to notice all of the ingredients that Belle had set out all along the counters and the island.
"How many desserts are you gonna make?" Hunter questioned the petite sorceresses.
"About five," Belle told him without missing a beat.
"We'll be having pumpkin roll, apple pie, bread pudding, bananas foster, and beignets."
At the mention of all the desserts they were going to have, the boys could feel their mouths water a little.
"Will you and your mom need help?" Cam asked while taking in all that was set up.
Even though Belle knew that her and her mother would be able to get all of this done pretty easily, she couldn't help but think that it would be fun to have others bake with them.
"We'd love the help," Belle said with a smile.
"If you guys want to help, feel free once she gets back."
Belle then led the group out of the kitchen through another door then went to the walkway right next to the kitchen door that led to the living room. To the left side of the room, there were overstuffed chairs on either side of a large overstuffed sofa with a large coffee table in front of the sofa while end tables were placed between the sofa and the chairs. On the other side of the coffee table towards the right of the room were a couple bean bag chairs and a fireplace on the right side wall with a flatscreen tv above the fireplace.
"This is the living room," Belle said with a flourish of her hands.
"Through the sliding door is the back porch that has the firepit and the grill."
Next Belle led them back out and passed the stairway to reach the mudroom that was connected to the garage.
"This is the mud room and that door leads to the garage," Belle told the group while gesturing to her right.
"However, through this door…,"
Belle paused enough to open a door that led to a room that was filled with dried herbs and jars along with a large cauldron with a book stand standing next to said cauldron. Cam was the first to catch on to what the room was.
"Is this your potion room?" he ventured when he realized that the room resembled the small corner of her room back at Ninja Ops.
"Exactly," Belle grinned at Cam's guess.
She also showed them the closet that had even more stores of ingredients right next to the door to the room and the full bathroom all the way next to the furthest wall.
"That's all for the first floor," Belle told the group.
"Now for the second floor."
Again the group ventured up the stairway except they veered to the left at the top. Directly to the left was a linen closet that had all of the extra sheets and blankets. At the end of the small hallway was a door that Belle opened a crack.
"This is my room," she told the group.
"If on the off chance that something happens while we're away, we can travel back to Ninja Ops through my closet."
Belle closed the door to her room only to open the only other door
"This is the laundry room," Belle said.
On their way circling back around, Belle pulled down a ladder from the ceiling with her magic.
"This leads to the attic where Mom and I practice our magic if we can't get to my Aunt's."
With a wave of her hand, the ladder sailed back up towards the ceiling. Belle continued down the hallway until she reached just before the first guest bedroom's door.
"Here is the closet to get towels if you need them."
The last stop was the door across from the guest room on the same wall as the towel closet.
"This is my mother's room, so that's the end of the tour."
Just as Belle finished her words, she felt a rush of magic in the house that told her that her mother had come back home.
"Looks like Mom's home," Belle told the group.
"You're free to join us downstairs to bake if you want."
Everyone came with Belle downstairs to the kitchen where Mama Luna was already putting her hair up into a ponytail and putting on an apron. Belle didn't hesitate to do the same as she made her way into the kitchen. Sensei Watanabe chose to sit at the kitchen table so that he could watch the teens and Mama Luna bake.
"So, I see that a few of you want to bake," Mama Luna smiled when she saw all of the boys with aprons over their clothes.
"They volunteered themselves," Belle added.
"Aren't you boys sweet," Mama Luna commented before turning her eyes to her daughter.
"Will you put on the music Anna?"
"Sure. Who do you want to listen to first?"
"Surprise me."
Belle then walked over to the kitchen counter to a speaker docking station that didn't have any sort of technology inside. Instead of trying to find some form of music playing device, Belle swiped her hand over the speaker that brought up a holographic screen with many playlists displayed before she selected one that had the beginning notes of "The Girl From Ipanema" by Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto filled the room. A smile grew on both Belle's and Mama Luna's faces at the music while they both started moving a bit to the beat.
"Tall and tan and young and lovely," Belle sang along to the music.
"The girl from Ipanema goes walking," Mama Luna continued after her daughter.
The boys didn't know the song, so they all just watched mother and daughter sing together until Belle joined the group back at the kitchen island.
"Alright boys," Mama Luna said while the song continued to play in the background.
"Get ready for some baking."
For the rest of the day, the boys helped Belle and Mama Luna make the desserts for the next day then ventured into the living room to relax until Mama Luna made dinner. That night they had cajun pasta with sausage with the teens deciding to go out to the back porch. They talked with each other a bit before they all turned in for the night. However, the next morning saw all of the house's inhabitants up early. Mama Luna was up early to start the cooking for the Thanksgiving meal while Sensei Watanabe was up early because of his usual routine. He was a great conversation partner for the sorceresses while she cooked. The teens on the other hand got up early so that they could still train like normal. Instead of leading the others towards the town, Belle led the group to the forest where they could train without the eyes of the normal townsfolk on them. If the creatures of the forest saw them, it wouldn't be a big deal. The first workout that Belle put the shinobis and the lone samurai through was a run through the forest. Belle was able to maneuver through fallen branches and some ditches since she had grown up there, but the others were not that far behind her in navigating the terrain. Once they had finished their run, Belle suggested that they go jumping through the trees to get the rest of their workout. At first the boys were a little skeptical at Belle's suggestion, but they still followed Belle's lead. After the first few trees that the teens jumped from, they started enjoying the activity. They continued on for about fifteen minutes before Belle dropped from the tree she had landed in with the boys following suit.
"Alright boys," Belle began as she turned to talk to them.
"I'll need each of you to touch a part of me for this next trip."
"Why do we need to do that?" Blake asked Belle with a raised eyebrow.
"Do it and you'll find out," was all Belle said, mischief sparkling in her chocolate brown eyes.
While Cam and Hunter were a little hesitant about what Belle was going to do, but they were the first to place a hand on her arms. When Blake saw that the two complied, he placed his hand on Belle's back that made Belle smirk just a little.
"Hold on," she warned all of the boys, reaching out to touch the bark of the tree in front of her.
The boys had little to no warning about the rush of tree travel before they were spit out of a tree lining the backyard of Belle's house.
"What the hell was that," Blake breathed out while trying to catch his breath.
"That, my friend, was tree travel," Belle told him.
"This is another way to travel in the city besides teleporting or riding my broom. It doesn't really work back at Blue Bay except for the forest."
As the boys continued to get their bearings, Belle started walking towards the house.
"Come on boys, let's get in a shower then eat some breakfast."
The boys followed after Belle into the house and they all went their separate ways to a shower. After Belle was done with her shower, she dressed in leggings with a large cream colored sweater whose sleeves she pushed up to her elbows plus ankle boots. As for her hair, she left a few strands to frame her face while the rest was pulled into a side braid that rested over her shoulder. Once done, she deemed herself ready then hopped down the stairs to the kitchen where breakfast was already waiting for her. When Belle headed to the kitchen table, she saw that Hunter was already washed, dressed, and eating breakfast.
"Morning Mom, morning Sensei," Belle greeted the two adults.
Mama Luna was currently bustling about the kitchen to keep up with the cooking of Thanksgiving dinner while Sensei Watanabe was sipping on a mug of tea after already eating his breakfast.
"Good morning Anna," Sensei Watanabe returned with a warm smile on his lips.
"Morning ma étoile," Mama Luna said to her daughter.
"Are you taking the boys out into the forest today?"
"No, I'm saving that for tomorrow," Belle denied with a wave of her hand.
"Today is all about non-magical fun."
By the time Belle had finished her sentence, Blake then Cam filed into the room to sit at the kitchen table. They both greeted the two adults before they dug into their breakfast. One thing that Cam noticed, since he was the one who has eaten Belle's food for longer, was able to see that Belle's cooking was almost exactly like her mother's. It wasn't long before Belle finished her breakfast and waited for the boys to finish theirs.
"Ok boys," Belle began as she brought her dishes to the sink.
"Who's ready for some dodgeball?"
"Dodgeball?" Cam questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, dodgeball."
"Isn't that too childish?" Blake asked.
"What, too afraid you'll lose?" Belle taunted, putting a hand on her hip.
Hunter couldn't help but smirk at the confidence and sass that the petite sorceress was oozing through all of her pores.
"I think you should just agree to the game," Hunter advised his brother.
"I don't think she'll stop until we do."
"That is correct," Belle agreed.
Both Mama Luna and Sensei Watanabe watched the interaction with humor shining in their eyes.
"Alright," Blake sighed when he saw that Belle wasn't changing her stance at all.
"Wonderful," Belle beamed. "Follow me and we'll go set up in the backyard."
Cam was the first to stand and bring his dishes to the sink followed closely by Hunter and Blake. This is going to be so much fun, Belle thought to herself with a smirk on her lips.
ooo0ooo
The teams for the dodgeball games were Belle and Hunter vs Cam and Blake. Hunter and Cam wanted to keep a friendly game between the two groups, but Belle was all about going all out on Blake just for the fact that he had made the comment about the game being childish. Because of that determination, Belle and Hunter were the winners. The group also played a large, physical version of snakes and ladders game that they played until lunch and then played again until Mama Luna called them in to get ready for Thanksgiving dinner. They all washed their hands then ventured into the kitchen to help Mama Luna bring all of the dishes into the dining room while Belle set up the seat settings for the table. Just as the teens were doing the first trip into the dining room, there was the telltale sound of teleportation. At the sound, Belle gave a large grin before she hurried over towards the sound. As she had expected, her red headed aunt and her cousin were waiting for her.
"Aunt Udonna! Clare!"
Both had a large smile on their faces as they held their arms open for a hug.
"Come this way," Belle insisted, leading the two into the dining room.
"I have some people to introduce to you."
When going through the introductions, both Udonna and Clare were a little wary of Hunter just on the fact that they knew that he was the one that almost killed Belle. However, they didn't show any outward signs of hostility although Clare sometimes sent a glare Hunter's way when she was sure that he wasn't looking. Dinner didn't take long to be placed on the table which meant that everyone could be seated. At the head of the dining room table sat Mama Luna and Udonna followed by Belle to Mama Luna's right and Clare to Udonna's left. On the side of the table where Belle was sitting was Hunter then Blake with an extra chair on that side. On the side that Clare was sitting was Cam followed by Sensei Watanabe and an empty seat. On the opposite side of the table were also empty seats. After they had all sat at the table, the different dishes started to hover above the table then float over to the person who beconded it over. At first the non-magical people are a little taken aback at the scene, but they soon jumped in and began to fill their plates. While they were filling their plates, bottles of what looked to be wine rose to fill the wine glasses at each of their place settings. Sensei Watanabe looked over to Belle's glass filling with wine with apprehension, but he held himself back from saying anything. Who wasn't to say that the physiology of sorceresses made them more resistant to alcohol. And like that, everyone began to tuck into a delicious meal.
"You are truly a great cook," Sensei Watanabe told Mama Luna after he had tasted all that he had on his plate.
"Thank you Kenoi," Mama Luna smiled at him.
"I've always loved cooking whether it be food or potions."
"You don't have your potions master license for nothing," Udonna teased her older sister.
All Mama Luna did was roll her eyes at her younger sister's antics.
"Potions master?" Cam echoed in surprise.
"I didn't tell you?" Belle questioned.
"No. Is that why your potion instruments are so meticulous."
"I would hope so," Mama Luna commented with a teasing smile on her lips.
"Even if my equipment was a mess, there would be a method to my madness," Belle defended with a straight face.
Both Udonna and Mama Luna laughed at Belle's words while Clare had a small smile on her lips.
"Oh, that reminds me," Clare spoke up after having a startling moment of remembrance.
"Anna, Cal said that he and the others are going to be waiting for you tomorrow at the usual place."
"Thank you Clare," Belle said to her cousin before turning to her fellow ninja plus Cam.
"What do you boys say to going to meet some of my friends tomorrow?"
"I'd be happy to," Cam agreed at once.
"Are they your magical creature friends?" Hunter asked.
"Yeah," Belle confirmed.
"I have a feeling you guys will like them, although we'll have to wait 'til nightfall to see Kei(pronounced "key")."
"Why do we have to wait to meet him?" Blake threw in.
"He's a vampire," Belle answered.
While the boys knew that there were different creatures that existed due to Belle, but it still took them a minute to process that they were going to meet a real life vampire.
"I can see you uniting the two worlds," Udonna remarked after hearing her niece.
"I won't be that important," Belle denied with a dismissive hand gesture.
"That will be a task given to the future Rangers."
Udonna said nothing more about the subject seeing as though Belle would only continue to deny anything she said. Instead of having an awkward silence following the conversation, Sensei Watanabe changed the subject.
"Anna did mention that you were going to look after your own rangers," he directed towards the elder sorceresses.
"That is correct," Udonna confirmed.
"Would you all like to hear the story?"
All she got were excited nods from the boys while Sensei Watanabe gave a smile.
"Yes, we would like that very much."
"The story starts with our original dimension that is filled with so much magic," Udonna began amidst the undivided attention she had from the non-magical guests while the others simply continued to eat their dinner.
"We lived in peace until darkness took over with an army of the Undead led by Morticon. Five great wizards decided to take up the fight against Morticon and his army. They managed to drive him back to the edge of the human world before my husband Lanbow sealed them back in the Underworld. This act came at a great cost in which the wizards, and my husband, lost their lives."
"My husband also fought in the war," Mama Luna spoke up.
"In the aftermath, it appears that he too perished."
The boys and Sensei Watanabe didn't know what to say after such a sad story, but Cam was the first to try to change the subject.
"Have you always lived here?"
"I have," Udonna said.
"But I haven't," Mama Luna replied.
"Anna and I lived in New Orleans for a time. Then we moved back here before Anna started elementary."
There was a pause as she seemed to think about something before speaking again.
"I think we might have some pictures from that time. Would you all like to see after dinner?"
At the mention of the others seeing her baby and childhood pictures, any smile that Belle had fell and she shook her head towards her mother. While she wasn't that concerned with Cam, Blake, or Sensei Watanabe seeing her pictures, she was a little apprehensive about Hunter seeing them. Most of them weren't bad, but there were a couple that Hunter would most likely tease her about and would continue to do so after seeing it.
"We would love to," Hunter smiled after seeing Belle's reaction.
More conversation flowed after that, none having went as far and deep as the one before, that lasted from dinner into dessert.
Once everyone was done eating, Clare and Belle helped Udonna and Mama Luna store away the leftovers then everyone headed into the living room. The adults got the larger couch in the middle of the wall to themselves while Cam and Clare pulled the overstuffed chairs to the sides of the coffee table with Belle, Hunter, and Blake took the stacked beanbags and moved them to sit across from the adults.
"So, we were promised baby pictures," Hunter brought up when he was comfortable in his chair.
Mama Luna laughed at Hunter's words while beckoning over to a stand that had thick books lined up on the top shelf. Two of these books floated off the shelf that turned out to be two photo albums. One of them came to rest on Mama Luna's lap while the other came to rest to the side of the coffee table.
"This is the photo album that has all of Anna's early years," Mama Luna told the boys as she sat the now open book on the coffee table.
Pictures upon pictures of a small babe with large chocolate brown eyes and a head of light brown curls.
"This is Anna?" Cam questioned in mild surprise.
While he could see Belle's dimples hiding in her chubby cheeks and her eyes hadn't changed much but to better fit her face, the lack of color in Belle's hair threw him off.
"It's weird not seeing her with her weird colored hair," Blake commented with a tilt of his head.
"It's galaxy colored Bradley," Belle huffed.
"Anna didn't color her hair until middle school," Mama Luna told them.
"She wanted the color so bad that she made up her own potion to get it."
"You mean that's not hair dye?" Hunter joined in.
"Please," Belle sniffed.
"I wouldn't use all of those toxic chemicals on my hair. It would never get my hair to be as silky as it is now."
All Mama Luna, Clare, and Udonna could do was think back all those years ago when Belle had first embarked on her hair color crusade. There were many failed attempts before Belle got the desired result.
"Who is the man?" Cam voiced when he saw a picture of Mama Luna, who had to be an infant Belle, and an unknown man with dark curly hair and dark eyes.
Mama Luna's hazel eyes softened at the picture while a finger lovingly stroked the edge of the photograph.
"That's my husband Daggeron," Mama Luna said.
"He was so happy when he found out we were going to have Anna. He wanted to name her Astra, but I chose Annabelle when we moved to New Orleans."
There was a moment of silence as Mama Luna's mind raced with thoughts, but she forced herself to focus more on the pictures.
"I have to say, Anna was certainly a wild child," she remarked when she saw the picture of a three year old Belle standing at the top of a very high tree.
"What do you mean was?" Hunter commented that earned him a nudge in the ribs from Belle.
"Shut up CB."
"You haven't called me that in a while."
Instead of saying anything back, Belle left the conversation as is and put her attention back on the photo album. Mama Luna went on to show the others little moments in Belle's life like her first holidays and the milemarks in her sorceress training. That was all in the first photo album. In the second one was pictures of Belle along with Chip, Xander, Maddie, and Vida when they had first met and throughout the years. Some of them were of Belle and Chip going to watch superhero movies, some were of Xander and Belle going to watch the Harry Potter movies with some pictures they had taken after going to Universal Studios. Even more were of Belle and Vida in dancing competitions, Maddie and Belle posing together, and quite a few were of the whole group winning laser tag tournaments. There were also pictures of Belle winning multiple dance competitions with her friends and mother there to cheer her on. One thing that Sensei Watanabe and the boys were able to see was that Belle was beaming a large smile in each and every one of the pictures. It only served to make the petite kunoichi even more dear to them.
"Don't even get me started on the chaos she liked to cause when she was little," Mama Luna continued.
"When she was first learning how to use magic with her wand, so many things in the house were broken. Not to mention the scares we had about her revealing our secret to her friends."
"Ok, so I wasn't the best at keeping secrets then," Belle admitted while slipping down more into her seat.
Everyone stayed in the living room for just a few more pictures before Udonna decided that it was time for her and Clare to head back home. Sensei Watanabe then also decided to head up to bed.
"You boys should get some sleep too," Belle told them as she got up from her seat.
" 'Cause we are going to have a full day of meeting my friends in the other dimension."
The boys did look a little apprehensive about her words, but they heeded her words and headed up to bed. Belle watched and made sure the boys went up the stairs before she headed for the back door.
"You're going to warn your friends about bringing humans?" Mama Luna asked her daughter, watching her open the sliding door.
"Yeah," Belle admitted.
"They are not very fond of humans. I was hoping to break the news so that they aren't too aggressive."
"Good luck with that."
As soon as Belle was outside, she called for her broom then whizzed off towards the forest. Thanks to her quick transportation, Belle was able to reach the place in the other dimension's forest that she and her group of friends had claimed as their spot. When Belle arrived, she saw that all four of her closest friends from the other dimension were already there.
"Hey guys!" she greeted the male creatures, lowering to the ground and hopping off her broom.
"Anna," a male elf with tan skin, platinum blonde hair that flowed down to his upper back, and green eyes returned warmly.
"Hey Cal."
Instead of answering, a male naga with tan skin, green hair, purple eyes, and a green tail wrapped his tail around Belle to bring her closer to him.
"Hi Aji," Belle laughed at his display of affection.
"No fair Aji," a new male with pale skin, black hair to the middle of his back, and very bright blue eyes spoke up with a smirk showing pearly white fangs.
"You shouldn't hog Anna."
"Like you wouldn't do the same Kei," Belle commented with a roll of her eyes.
"I don't think they missed you at all Anna," a male with pale skin, dark eyes, and black hair to his shoulders teased with his arms crossed over his chest.
"I missed you guys too Wain," Belle assured the males, her feet touching the ground again when Aji set her down.
"I actually came to talk with you guys about tomorrow."
This immediately had each of their attention as they waited for her to speak more.
"I am bringing human friends here who know about this dimension and I would appreciate it if you were to be civil with them."
A look akin to disgust came over their faces at the mention of humans, but Cal was the first to try to make the look disappear from his face and talk.
"We will try," Cal sighed. "But we can't promise more than that."
"That's all I ask," Belle said to the group.
Aji was the first to leave, without a word, followed closely by Wain. Belle looked a little conflicted at the action, but Cal put a hand on her shoulder. She gave a small smile as thanks while Kei walked over to place a hand on her other shoulder. The support that she got from the two was enough to tell her that things wouldn't go too badly tomorrow which was a huge relief for her.
"I'll see you guys tomorrow then."
Cal and Kei both watched Belle hop back on her broom and fly off into the sky.
o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o Ninja of the Stars Ch. 12 o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
And there we have it folks, the next chapter for Ninja of the Stars. I myself did not intend for this part to come out around this time, but I'm not gonna lie, I think it's kind of cool that it is coming out today. I've never had a holiday chapter out so I'm kind of excited. What do you guys think of the new friends of Belle. Does anyone think that they recognize any one of the new friends from their description? I would love to hear what you guys think and to get some first reactions you guys have to this chapter as well as the other chapters that I have posted for this story. A lot of your guys reviews give me fuel to write and post more chapters. Well, I will leave this A/N here and sign off. If you have any questions or comments, please shoot me a pm or leave a review. Remember, reviews are magic!
-White Wolf