Hello lovelies, I have nothing much to say for this part of the A/N due to how far I had gotten before I remembered to put the A/N before what I had written. However, starting at chapter four, I will have a little bit more to say since I will be typing the A/N as I rewrite the chapters from there. So, I will just get on with the quote and on with the story.
"Sometimes, it's just great to bring new people into the mix"
-John Oates
ooo0 Ninja of the Stars 0ooo
It was safe to say that V dragged the rest of the teens all over town, thinking of different things that they could do to cram as much time into the few hours until the sun started to go down. Not one of the other teens had the will to tell V that she was doing too much and that she should slow down. They too wanted to spend as much time as they could do together. Belle had told the others that they would still be able to call each other and schedule dates for them to come visit, but it did little to lift the sadness. In the end, they all went home so that Belle could make it back to her home to pack her things. The first thing Belle did when she got home was grab her tan backpack and cast an extension charm on the bag so that she could have more room to pack things. Just as Belle started to pack away some clothes in the bag, her mother came to her door to sadly watch her pack.
"How did the kids take it?"
"Pretty well considering," Belle admitted with a shrug.
"Although V ended up dragging us all over town so that we could hang out."
"I swear that V is as hot headed as you," Luna chuckled in amusement as she shook her head.
"I'm not that hotheaded," Belle denied with a frown.
All Luna had to do was give her daughter a look that had Belle looking away with a small blush on her cheeks.
"How much are you packing?"
"Not a lot," Belle said.
"When I find where I'm going to stay, I'll put up a portal back here. I need it in case of an emergency, and in case I get homesick."
A grateful smile showed on Luna's face as she walked forward to give her daughter a hug. It didn't take much longer for Belle to finish up her packing then turn in for the night. The next morning found Belle waking up with butterflies flying in her stomach. Now that she was actually going to leave her hometown for a different, unfamiliar town, she was starting to feel nervous. She had never left the town without at least her mother and now she had to leave and find the other rangers on her own. She took in a deep breath to steady her nerves and let it out. She felt a little bit better after the action and reluctantly pushed herself up from her bed so that she could get dressed for the day. Her outfit of the day was a pair of white jeans, a shirt that left her shoulder bare and had frills down to the tops of her jeans and the tops of her forearms, and white chunky heeled sandals. She also decided to accessorize to make a good impression on her fellow rangers. She chose to wear white gold bangles sat on her right wrist, a golden heart necklace rested between her breasts, and white gold moon and star earrings hung from her earlobes. As a final touch, she put her galaxy colored hair into a thick braid over her shoulder and a spritz of her Air White perfume by Dilis. With her outfit complete, Belle slipped her white purse over her torso and shouldered her tan backpack then hopped down the stairs to make her way to the kitchen. When she came through the door, she saw that Xander was sitting at the breakfast table while her mother was bringing food over to the table. Xander was able to see that she was there as soon as she stepped foot in the room and instantly greeted her with a large smile that showed his charming dimples.
"Morning Belle," he greeted her brightly.
"Good morning Xan," Belle returned with her own dimpled smile as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders to give him a hug.
He readily put down his cutlery so that he could return her hug by placing his hands on her upper arms and rubbed the skin with his thumbs.
"I wasn't expecting you this morning."
"Well, I wasn't going to say no to your mother's cooking," Xander said cheekily as Belle removed her arms.
Belle couldn't help the eye roll she gave at his words.
"No, but really, I wanted to eat breakfast with you before you left."
"I appreciate it Xan," Belle told him, her mother placing a plate of strawberry cream Belgian waffles in front of her with other sides such as scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns, bacon, and traditional New Orleans beignets. Belle was taken aback with the feast her mother had whipped up for breakfast that morning, but she couldn't find herself complaining. It didn't take long for Luna to join the teens in eating breakfast that had a content atmosphere settling around the three. Xander was the first one to finish with his food and was happy to watch Belle just be as she ate her breakfast. There was still a part of him, in the back of his mind, that still fought against Belle leaving town to continue her training. He had had her in his life for the past eleven years and he couldn't see this school year without Belle with him. And everyone else, he quickly reminded himself. The whole group dynamic would be off. At least that is what he told himself. It had taken a few moments, but Belle had finally noticed Xander staring at her.
"Penny for your thoughts, my charming Slytherin?"
"Just thinking about you, my lovely Hufflepuff."
"You are incorrigible Xander," Belle chuckled while she shook her head.
Now that everyone was done eating, Luna began clearing the table and putting the leftover beignets in tupperware so that Belle could take them with her.
"Are you leaving after breakfast?" Xander asked Belle when she got up to help her mother.
"Yes, but I can drop you off with the others on my way out of town."
"How are you gonna do that?" Xander asked. "You don't have a car."
"Au contraire mon chéri," Belle smirked.
Without Xander seeing, Belle pulled a miniature version of her broom behind her back and gave a small flick of her wrist which made the broom disappear only to reappear as a white motorcycle framed in white gold metal around the whole vehicle. Belle made to usher Xander out of the kitchen towards the front door, but her mother stopped her.
"Take these with you Anna," her mother insisted.
"Maybe your new friends would like some good old fashioned beignets when you get there."
"Thanks Mom."
"Both of you give me a hug before you go," Belle's mother requested with a motion for the two of them to come closer. Belle was the first to skip over to her mother for a warm hug and a kiss to her cheek. As soon as she stepped back, Xander wrapped her mother up in a hug and picked her up to spin her around. Her mother laughed heartily as Xander sat her down and she placed a kiss on his cheek.
"Don't be a stranger now Xander James."
"I won't Mamma Luna," he promised with a wide smile.
Both Xander and Belle then began to walk out to the front door when Xander scooped Belle up in his arms in one fell swoop and placed her over his shoulder.
"Xander James Bly! You put me down right now, you big dork!"
He ignored Belle's shout and continued on his way out the door.
"Don't you forget to call me Annabelle Lee," Luna reminded her daughter.
"I won't Mom."
Xander was now out the door and he stopped when he saw the sleek ride in the driveway right next to Luna's car.
"Is that yours?" Xander whistled, admiring the motorcycle.
"Yep. This is what I'm riding to Blue Bay Harbor."
Xander still looked amazed while he gently sat Belle back on the ground. Belle quickly swung a leg over the side of the bike and settled down comfortably on the seat.
"C'mon Xander. Hop on behind me."
"Where are the helmets?" he questioned uneasily, his eyes darting around to try to find the nonexistent helmets.
"Do you trust me?" she directed up to him with a mischievous smile with her chocolate brown eyes sparkling from under her galaxy colored bangs.
"I don't like where this is going."
Belle let out an exasperated huff that made some of her hair fly up slightly in the air and gave him a look.
"Do you trust me?"
Seeing the seriousness in her tone, there was no hesitation in his answer.
"Yes."
"Then hop on and hold on."
He looked reluctant to do so, but he eventually hopped on behind Belle and wrapped his arms around her waist. Belle couldn't help the smirk that graced her lips at the way Xander was holding onto her for dear life. We haven't even started riding yet, she thought to herself. Belle then quickly started the engine with a mighty kick and eased the bike off its kickstand. Now that the engine was purring under their bodies, Xander settled his chin into the crook of Belle's neck where her neck and shoulder met.
"Are you okay there Xander?" Belle teased when she saw his deep breath.
"Yeah. Let's just get going."
"Sure."
With a rev of the engine, Belle sped the bike out of the driveway which caused Xander to curl into Belle's back. Throughout the whole ride, Xander kept a tight hold on Belle with his eyes shut tight. He had never rode a motorcycle before and he wasn't quite sure if he could handle what he would see during the ride.
Within minutes the two pulled up on the side of the street where the three teens from the day before were walking. As soon as the bike pulled up, the teens walking had stopped and did a double take at who was sitting on it.
"Hey Chip, V, Maddie!" Belle called out to the group.
Xander on the other hand was slowly peeling himself away from Belle's back. He had to say that he enjoyed the ride overall, but he felt more secure during the ride leaning against Belle's small but strong form even if his body felt like jello when he got off the death machine.
"Well look at you Anna," V grinned. "You look so hot Xander can't keep his hands off you."
"V/Vida," Belle and Xander both groaned to the girl.
"V is kind of right," the long haired latina said. "You do look good."
"Thanks Maddie."
"Where'd you get the cool bike?" the redhead gushed over the new motorcycle.
"It must have cost a fortune."
"It was a present from my aunt."
"Your aunt is the best."
"I'll make sure to pass that along Chip."
By then Xander had climbed off the bike and was wobbling over to the group.
"Was her driving that bad Xander?" Vida joked when she saw his fawn legs.
"I'm not a bad driver," Belle interjected with a playful scoff.
"I'm just not used to riding something so fast without being in a car," Xander offered.
The group stood in relative silence as it sunk in that Belle was leaving and they couldn't think of anything to say. Belle was the first to speak.
"Why don't we all get in one group hug before I go?" she suggested as she eased herself off her bike after putting the kickstand up.
She had barely stepped onto the curve of the sidewalk before she was tackled into a hug by V followed closely by everyone else. Belle gave a chuckle at their eagerness, but she also felt some tears well up in her eyes at the comfort she felt from her friends. I know that I will see them again, Belle thought to herself. But I sure am going to miss them until I do. She held tight onto her friends for a few more moments before she reluctantly backed away back towards her bike.
"Then I'll see you guys later," Belle said.
"Don't forget to call if you need me and I'll call you when I can."
The four teens watched with heavy hearts as Belle hopped back on her bike and kicked it to life again. She walked the bike forward to get some momentum and couldn't help looking back at her friends as she went. They gave a small smile and a wave that spurred Belle to drive off so that she didn't try to go back for another hug. The teens that she left behind watched Belle speed away on her bike, weaving elegantly through cars.
"Where is her helmet?" Vida frowned when she realized that the multi-color haired girl wore nothing to protect her head while she rode.
"That's what I'd like to know," Xander huffed.
After what seemed like a small heavenly piece of eternity, Belle pulled into the peaceful town of Blue Bay Harbor. The smell of the salt water permeated through the whole town which Belle breathed in deeply while the cries of the seagulls echoed. Devil birds, Belle thought with a glare up at said birds. She only spared the birds a shred of attention before she focused on the task at hand. Sensei Tsukiyomi didn't tell me where the Wind Ninja Academy was so I have no idea where exactly the academy is. I would wager that it would be in the forest, but I could comb all of the forests close by the town and I could overlook it. I guess my only option is to try to find the Wind ninjas somewhere in town and have them take me to their headquarters. With a sigh, she parked her motorcycle by a large park that was filled to the brim with nature. Hmm, Belle thought in contentment. This reminds me of home even if there isn't a forest.
"This is so peaceful," she sighed to herself while a soft breeze ruffled through the leaves of the trees all around her and made her messy braid flutter in the wind.
"I can see why people would want to live here."
While she sat on the grassy hill of the park, she couldn't help but take in all of the people that were there. There were joggers here and there, some with their dogs trotting alongside them. There were also groups of people who were having parties or get togethers at the picnic tables. Children were almost everywhere running around and playing tag. Belle couldn't help but think that this is what she wanted to protect followed by flashes of Sensei Tsukiyomi and her academy as things that she would fight to reclaim. She remembered her promise to her sensei and she felt a sense of resolve came over her in response. The sound of the children's laughter and giggles was enough to break Belle from her thoughts. Such sweet kids, she thought to herself. Everything was peaceful until an explosion shook the ground around her. What the fuck?! She quickly leapt to her feet and scanned her surroundings for the source of the disturbance. What in the hell could have-She got her answer in the form of weird red and black creatures that were entering the park followed closely by a canine like monster on two feet. Belle's eyes widened at the sight before her body jumped up to her feet. If the monster and its lackeys were going to try to mess with the civilians, they would have to get through her first. To give herself more mobility than her civilian clothes would offer, Belle switched to her black and white gold ninja uniform with a white gold star over her heart and the daimon for the Cosmic Ninja Academy on her back. There was hardly a break in between swapping her clothes and her jumping into the group of the red and black creatures to take them down. As she fought, she made sure that civilians were fleeing the park and that none of the creatures she was fighting even thought about getting close to the civilians.
"No! My Kelzacks!" exclaimed the monster. "How could you?!"
"It wasn't hard!" Belle yelled back at him. "They're really weak!"
A growl left the monster that pleased Belle greatly. I should really take them down quickly, Belle thought to herself while her eyes scanned the park to make sure that no one was left and that she was in the clear. When she saw that there were no civilians left in the park and no one could see her, Belle held up her morpher to transform.
"Cosmic Storm! Ranger Form!"
Bright golden, silver, and white light enveloped Belle until she emerged garbed in a form fitting ninja ranger uniform. Her main scheme was white lined with metal that shifted from gold to silver and back with a black cover going from the top of her neck to the bottom of her breasts under her top with a white star emblem on her chest, a white kimono like white material lined with the metallic color opened on either side of the emblem that was sleeveless, a black obi like wrap around her waist where a forehead protector sat with the Cosmic Ninja Academy daimon, a white with metallic color lined skirt that went to her knees in the front and back with slits up to her hips, thigh length white high heeled boots that had white gold metal lining the tops, and upper arm length white gloves that were lined at the top with white gold and white gold hand guards with white gloves. Along her limbs that weren't covered by her outfit were shielded with a dark gray mesh like material. For the final touch, she had a white helmet that only had the black visor and white gold for the metal plating around the visor with white wolf ears atop her helmet.
"Power of the Stars!"
"A new ranger, huh?" the monster mused out loud. "This should be interesting."
And with that the battle began, Belle launching punch after kick at the monster. One punch was aimed at the monster's face, but the monster dodged and instead Belle instituted a roundhouse kick that sent the monster sailing backwards.
"You're tough for a girl," he ground out, wiping blood from the side of his canine mouth.
"Oh, I can do so much better," Belle promised. "Wolf Fans!"
Two fans then appeared, both white but one had a silver backbone while the other had gold. Under her helmet, Belle grinned at the familiar weight that now rested in her hands. Throughout her entire weapon training, she had always favored the fan even though she had mastered the other weapons.
"Fans?!" the monster cackled harshly. "I'm so scared! What are you gonna do, fan me to death?!"
"You know what, that actually sounds like a good idea."
That's all Belle needed to say before she launched herself at the monster and sliced her fans across the monster's fur that left deep cuts that leaked blood.
"You little bitch," the monster growled as he stood clutching his arm in pain.
"Why thank you," Belle smirked while she launched herself into the sky with her arms crossed over the other and her fans facing her body.
"Shining Slicer!"
With a flick of her fans outward, a wide arc of white gold stars flew from each of her fans that showered down heavily on the monster. He didn't even get a chance to let out a cry of pain before his whole being disintegrated without a trace. That was some power, Belle thought to herself while gazing down at her gloved hands. Is this the power that is entrusted to the protectors of the schools?
"That was awesome!" came a male voice from behind Belle that had her whipping around with her fans at the ready in case it was another attacker that turned out to be another ranger in yellow.
"Woah!" cried another male cried out in alarm when he saw that Belle was ready to attack.
"We're not going to attack you!"
Belle's eyes quickly snapped over to the newcomer to see that he was a ranger in red. Slightly behind the two male rangers, Belle saw a female ranger in light blue. When her eyes darted down to the mon on their chests, Belle relaxed slightly. The symbol they wore was from the Wind Ninja Academy.
"Are you the students from the Wind Ninja Academy?" Belle asked for a confirmation of her hunch.
"Yeah," the blue ranger answered.
"What school are you from? I've never seen that symbol before."
"I'm from the Cosmic Ninja Academy," she offered happily.
"My school was the last one to be taken down so my sensei prepared a morpher for me and sent me here before Lothor could get to it."
"We'll get them back," the red ranger nodded to Belle, his ranger uniform falling to reveal a tan male with dark hair and eyes in a red hoodie and shorts. The yellow and blue rangers were quick to follow leaving a laid back dark haired male and a blonde female.
"Of course we will," Belle grinned as her own uniform left her to show her interesting hair color and her all white outfit.
"That's what I'm talking about," the yellow ranger laughed in joy.
"How about I go grab my bike and then we'll head back to the academy," Belle offered the group.
"I have a feeling we should do introductions in private."
The red ranger nodded in agreement along with the others after they had shared a look. With a wave to follow, Belle led the group from the park and towards where she had parked her broom turned motorcycle.
"Oh dude!" the yellow ranger shouted in surprise when he saw her bike. "Is that seriously yours?!"
"Yep," Belle grinned in earnest. "Isn't she beautiful?"
"She is," the yellow ranger gushed.
"Do you want a ride?" Belle offered to the yellow ranger whose eyes went wide.
"I would love a ride!"
Belle easily swung her leg around the bike and settled on the seat. The yellow ranger was quick to hop on behind her and wrap his arms around her waist. Belle flashed a wink to the other rangers before she sped off in the direction that the yellow ranger pointed out.
"Who got you your sweet ride?" the yellow ranger yelled over the purr of the engine.
"My aunt did!"
After a few more turns and a secret passage, Belle pulled up right at the edge of a forest. Both rangers hopped off the bike with the yellow ranger leading the way with his back to Belle.
"You'll have to watch your step," he advised Belle, keeping his back to her. This gave Belle enough time to switch her broom back to its original form and shrank it down to the size of her palm. She quickly stashed it away in her purse then hastened to catch up with the yellow ranger so that he wouldn't see her missing bike.
"I'll be okay," she assured him as she linked arms with him.
"Dude, how can you walk around in the forest in those heels?" the yellow ranger questioned when he got a closer look at her choice of footwear.
"It's easy," Belle said with a dismissive hand motion.
As soon as Belle said that, a smirk came over her lips when an idea popped into her head. Let's see how fast he can run.
"Watch this," was all Belle said to the tall ranger before she took off into the forest.
The tall ranger's eyes widened at Belle's take off and he started running after her when he realized how fast Belle was running.
"Hey! Wait up!"
"You'll just have to be faster!" Belle laughed.
When Belle reached a very large tree where the red and blue rangers were waiting, the two looked at her with suspicion.
"Where's Dustin?" the red ranger demanded with suspicion plain in his dark eyes when he didn't see the tall ranger anywhere near Belle.
"He's coming," Belle told him, gesturing a thumb back in the direction she had come from.
"Not….fair," the yellow ranger, now dubbed Dustin, gasped when he caught up with Belle and the group.
"You'll just have to be faster dear," Belle teased with a pat to his back. "Lead the way."
The red ranger took the lead through the vegetation with Belle bouncing through to each of their sides up the hill.
"How much energy do you have?" the blue ranger inquired with an amused smile.
"I'm not even breaking a sweat," Belle told them.
"For training at my school, we go for 3 mile runs."
"Miles?" Dustin echoed in disbelief.
All Belle did was nod. The other three couldn't help but feel impressed with their new member as well as feel lucky that their sensei didn't put them through the same torture.
ooo0ooo
Before long, the four came to a majestic waterfall that fell into a beautiful lake. Belle's eyes widened when she caught sight of the serene scene. The entrance to her school may have been her favored portal, but she couldn't help but admire the beauty of their portal.
"Ladies first," Dustin grinned while he playfully gestured for Belle to walk forward.
"Why thank you ever so kindly dear sir," Belle uttered playfully with a curtsy.
The red and blue ranger were the first to go through, quickly followed by Belle with Dustin bringing up the rear. The first thing Belle noticed was that there was no longer a large Japanese structure that indicated this place was a school. If they don't have the building, Belle mused to herself, where is their headquarters? As if they could hear her thoughts, the rangers guided Belle over to a trapdoor-like entrance that led them down a spiral staircase carved out in the stone underground. Belle felt a little confined stepping down into the base, but she held in her urge to claw her way back out to nature. She was a sorceress of the stars after all.
"Hey guys, how was...," an Asian man who looked to be around eighteen years old began from his seat in front of a large computer, but let his question die out when he saw the girl standing beside the other rangers. At first he was on high alert at the new edition, however, when he saw that the others weren't wary of her he relaxed.
"Who is this?" a guinea pig in a kimono questioned from his perch on a little stand that was decorated with a Japanese influence. That must be their Sensei, Belle thought in shock to herself when she saw the small rodent talk. When it sank in, Belle was quick to trade her clothes for her ninja uniform and rushed to sit seiza style in front of the guinea pig.
"It is an honor to meet you, Sensei Watanabe," Belle greeted him with a deep bow of respect.
"I am Annabelle Dervereaux, a student from Cosmic Ninja Academy who specializes in the Star Style. My school was the last one to be attacked and my sensei urged me to come and give my aid to the Wind Rangers."
"I didn't know that the Cosmic Academy had a Star Style," the blue ranger commented.
"They usually do not," Belle said.
"I am the only one in a hundred years to specialize in the Star Style."
"I believe our introductions are in order," Sensei Watanabe said as he pointed out everybody in the room.
The first person was the serious cinnamon skinned boy.
"This is Shane Clarke, the Red Wind Ninja Ranger."
Then came the blonde.
"This is Tori Hanson, the Blue Wind Ninja Ranger."
Next came Dustin.
"This is Dustin Brooks, the Yellow Wind Ninja Ranger."
It all came to an end with the man at the computer.
"And this is Cameron Watanabe. He is my son."
"It is an absolute pleasure to meet all of you," Belle bowed again in respect to those older than her.
"Do you have any place to stay child?" Sensei Watanabe asked her as she rose from her bow.
"No, I do not. My first order of business was to find all of you."
"You could stay here," Cameron offered, making everyone turn to look his way in confusion.
"We have the extra room that we're not using. Plus that would make it easier for her to be near Ninja Ops."
Everyone thought over his words with Sensei Watanabe nodding.
"I agree Cam. Annabelle, would you like to live here?"
"I would love to Sensei Watanabe."
"Please child, there is no need for such formality. You may stand."
Belle hesitantly rose back to her feet but her posture was still straight as if she was at attention.
"Oh! Before I forget!" Belle exclaimed softly as she reached into her backpack. "My mother had packed some beignets for you guys"
"She knows about this?" Shane questioned in disbelief.
"She knows that I had to move martial arts schools to continue my training," Belle offered instead of outright lying.
"She made a feast for breakfast this morning because I was leaving so she packed up the rest saying you might want some."
Everyone was able to reach in and grab one themselves while Belle sat one down for Sensei Watanabe. Just as Belle was sitting the bowls down, she was lifted quite high into the air. Belle let out a curse at the surprise and her body moved to clutch whatever could stabilize her up in the air. Which happened to be Dustin's neck.
"Dude! Your Mom is such a good cook!"
"Mettez-moi au géant (Put me down giant)!"
"What language is that?" Dustin asked, taken aback at the language change.
"It's French Dustin," Cam deadpanned before he turned his attention to Belle.
"Anna, avez-vous peur des hauteurs (Anna, are you afraid of heights)?"
"Non, je ne veux pas qu'il me lâche (No, I just don't want him to drop me)," Belle let out in a breath.
"Dustin, put her down," Cam told the tall yellow ranger. "You're scaring her."
Carefully Belle was settled onto her feet and she instantly leaned against Cam's shoulder.
"Merci Cam."
"Vous êtes les bienvenus Anna (You're welcome Anna)."
"How tall are you?" Dustin questioned when he saw just how much of a height difference they had.
"5'0"."
"How old are you?" Tori added.
"Fifteen. I turn sixteen in October."
All present were shocked at her age. They couldn't believe that something like this had been put on the shoulders of a child.
"Your sensei trusted the world and the safety of his school to a child?" Shane almost exploded in shock and anger.
Belle's eyes instantly hardened at Shane's words.
"I may be a child," she said coolly. "But I know how serious this is. I know that every time I go out there to fight, I have the safety of seven billion people on my shoulders. Seven billion people I have to protect. One wrong move could cost them everything."
Everyone but Shane looked surprised at Belle's words, not having expected her to grasp the severity of the situation so easily.
"You're still a kid," Shane pointed out. "You don't even know how to use all of your powers or are strong enough."
"Do you know how to use all of your powers?" Belle challenged evenly. "As for not being strong enough, why don't we find out during training?"
"You're on."
With a sharp turn on his heel, Shane left back up the staircase. Tori and Dustin looked apologetic at their leader's actions.
"Don't worry about it you guys," she waved them off. "If I was to join a team of people older than me, and probably more experienced than me, I knew I would have to prove myself. He is doing a good job as a leader to worry, even if he had a horrible way of wording it."
"Well," Dustin began while he rubbed the back of his neck. "I've got to head back to work. Bye Shorty."
To say his goodbye, he placed a hand on top of Belle's head with a pat. That only served to make Belle mumble in French.
"I've got to head out too," Tori added. "We'll see you later Anna."
Belle waved bye to the two rangers as they too trudged up the staircase back up to the outside world.
"I'll show you to your room," Cam offered once the other rangers had left.
"Thanks, but before we go….Sensei Watanabe, when is training for today?"
"Training will be held at three."
"Thank you. I'm ready when you are Cam."
Cam then took the lead back past the large supercomputer to the actual living quarters of the hideout. Down a ways through a hallway led to a large open room that had an open kitchen to the left and a living room to the right. Past them led to another hallway that housed three doors.
"The door to the right is my father's," Cam told Belle. "My room is in the middle, and your room is to the left. You have a bathroom connected and you have some towels. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."
"Thank you Cam. I really...I really appreciate what you and your father are doing for me," Belle whispered softly when the two came to stand before her new room.
"We're happy to help," Cam assured her.
"We should be thanking you for helping us with Lothor."
Belle couldn't help but give Cam a small smile.
"There is one thing I want to say before I go unpack," Belle told him.
"What?"
"I'm going to be doing my schoolwork online now, but would you be willing to help me if I get stuck on something?"
Cam was a little taken aback at her request, but he found himself agreeing after thinking about it.
"I'd be happy to."
"Thank you."
When Cam left Belle to her own devices, she slipped in through the door to her left and took in the bare room. Belle's brows furrowed a bit at the bareness of the room, but she felt a little bit of happiness when she saw that the room was on the larger side. Nothing a little magic can't fix, she thought to herself. All she needed to do was pull out her wand from her purse and went to work. With a flourish of her wand, she pushed the extra-long twin sized bed to the far back wall and made it a queen-sized bed instead. On each side of the bed, she made a bedside table appear that each had a lamp on top. At the foot of the bed she put a trunk there both as decoration and a storage space. On the left wall stood a sliding door with a normal door which turned out to be her closet and bathroom respectively. Between the closet and the bathroom, Belle moved the small dresser there from one of the walls. Against the wall closest to her on her left, Belle made a white vanity table appear along with a comfortable white stool. In the right corner of the room closest to Belle, she made all of her magical supplies appear. Her cauldron was snug in the corner with shelves above it covered with ingredients and dried herbs hanging on the wall above. In the middle of the wall to the far right, was a large bookcase that took up almost the whole wall. In the little space that wasn't taken up by the bookcase held a beautiful mahogany desk that Belle moved. Once everything was where she wanted it, she unpacked everything where it needed to go. Her clothes went into the closet and dresser while her toiletries went into the bathroom. As for her papers and what not, they went into the desk. Her spell books went into the free space in the bookcase and she magicked pillows and bedspread onto the bed which marked her room all but done. All she needed was to put up pictures of her family and friends all around the room. To fill up any empty space on her walls, she put up fandom posters that were arranged to fit around her pictures.
"And done," she sighed to herself in satisfaction.
"Now how much time do I have before training?"
When she checked the time on her phone, she frowned when she saw that she had about two hours before training was to start. What the hell can I do so that time will go faster? After looking through her magical potion and salve store, Belle decided that she should whip some more up to keep her stores stocked. She had just lit the fire under the cauldron and started a base for a pain reliever potion while she ground up some dried herbs to make a burn healing salve when her phone rang. A flick of her finger was all she needed to levitate her phone over so that she could accept the call.
"Anna!" Chip's voice rang over the phone.
"Hey Chip," Belle chuckled while she continued work on her medicine.
"How did you like the town," Maddie asked from the other side of the call.
"It's beautiful," Belle smiled, adding in ingredients for the pain potion and starting on finishing the burn salve.
"There's some beaches around here that I want to go to during my free time."
"Did you pack the white bathing suit I made you buy?" Vida cut in before Belle could say another word.
"Yes," Belle laughed.
"Wait, do you mean the one that I forbid you from wearing?" Xander demanded.
"You're not my father Xander. I can wear it if I want."
"Take pictures!" Vida encouraged Belle.
"Don't give her any ideas!" Xander complained at once. Belle couldn't help but laugh at their antics. She missed her friends. Right now if she was back in Briarwood, she would be at school right now on their lunch break in the picnic area outside in the courtyard.
"Will you be able to be back home for Thanksgiving?" Chip spoke up.
"I'm not sure. I'm going to try. What about your birthday Xan, Maddie? They're coming up in a few days. I won't be able to be there for it."
"We could always come up and visit you for it," Vida suggested.
"That's a great idea V!" Belle agreed brightly while skilled and deft fingers worked on the medicine.
"If you guys pick a definite time to be here, I'll meet you and we could do things together."
"We'll definitely do that," Maddie confirmed happily. "I love it when we all get together to celebrate our birthdays."
"Then it's settled except for the exact day and time."
"We have to go Belle," Xander spoke into the phone. "Our lunch hour is almost up."
"Alright. I'll talk to you all later. Just to let you know, I have training at three o'clock."
"Got it," four voices chimed in at once before the line clicked to an end.
Belle had her magic levitate her phone back over to her bed and had managed to get five more potions and six salves made before she ventured from her room in her white dress from earlier to make herself something to eat for lunch.
Even with making more potions and salves, Belle still had some time before training so she decided to make herself something to eat. I might as well make something for Cam and Sensei Watanabe too, Belle thought to herself. She made sure to put everything away and douse the fire under her cauldron before she makes her way to the kitchen. Maybe some subs and some broccoli cheddar soup would be a good, simple lunch for us. The first thing that Belle did was start the soup by sautéing some onions in some butter. While that was frying, she beat a few eggs in a bowl with milk. As Belle cooked, she saw in her mind's eye her and her mother cooking together. A small smile grew on Belle's lips and she felt happy enough that she started to sing to herself.
"Des yeux qui font baisser les miens (A gaze that make me lower my own)
Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche (A laugh that is lost on his lips)
Voila le portrait sans retouches (That is the unretouched portrait)
De l'homme auquel j'appartiens (Of the man to whom I belong),"
By now she was making the basis of the soup and was putting together the sandwiches that would need to be dipped in an egg mixture.
"Quand il me prend dans ses bras (When he takes me into his arms)," Belle continued to sing while she swayed from side to side with her arms around her waist before she went back to cooking.
"Il me parle l'a tout bas (He speaks to me softly)
Je vois la vie en rose (And I see life through rose-colored glasses)
Il me dit des mots d'amour (He speaks words of love to me)
Des mots de tous les jours (They are everyday words)
Et ça m' fait quelque chose (And they do something to me),"
By now she had the soup on its last legs so she began to dip the sandwiches in the mixture and brown them on each side on a skillet.
"Il est entré dans mon coeur (He has entered into my heart)
Une part de bonheur (A bit of happiness)
Dont je connais la cause (That I know the cause of)
C'est lui pour moi (It's only him for me)
Moi pour lui dans la vie (And me for him, for life)
Il me l'a dit, l'a jure pour la vie (He told me, he swore to me, for life)-,"
"That's a pretty song ," came Cam's voice who had entered the kitchen without Belle noticing. Belle tensed in surprise, but she was quick to talk herself down from throwing something at him when her mind registered that it was Cam who spoke. She then relaxed and continued making their lunch.
"It's La Vie en Rose by Edith Piaf," Belle told him with a small smile.
"My mom sings it a lot."
Neither Cam nor Belle said anything while Belle plated up the lunch she made for Cam and herself. Belle had just sat down at one of the chairs at the kitchen table when she realized that Sensei Watanabe was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is Sensei Watanabe?" Belle asked Cam. "I made him some lunch."
"I can go grab him," Cam offered, rising from his seat at the kitchen table.
While Cam was going to grab his father, Belle got glasses of water for herself and Cam. When she realised that none of the glasses in the cupboard didn't have a glass small enough for Sensei Watanabe, Belle looked frantically behind her to make sure that Cam wasn't back yet. Luckily for Belle, she was alone so that she could cast a shrinking spell on a glass so that it was the perfect size for Sensei Watanabe. She too filled it with water then sat it on the table next to the meal that she had ready for him. Just as she sat the glass of water down, both Cam and Sensei Watanabe came in through the doorway that led to the computer room of Ninja Ops.
"Thank you for lunch Anna," Sensei Watanabe said as he settled down to eat.
"Think nothing of it Sensei," Anna smiled happily.
"Since you are letting me stay here, I should help out."
The three settled into silence as they began eating. Sensei Watanabe wasn't impressed much with his food, since it all had to be agreeable with a guinea pig's stomach, but Cam was surprised by his food. He was used to eating simple meals like sandwiches, rice and baked meat, and the like. While this wasn't much different from his usual meals, it tasted different. It must be the way that she prepared it, he reasoned with himself. She is a great cook.
"You came from Briarwood right?" Cam asked to get light conversation going.
"Yeah, we're well known for our forest," Belle told him with a small smile on her lips.
"What is Blue Bay known for?"
"Mostly our beaches," Cam answered after a moment's deliberation.
"That is great," Belle grinned happily.
"My friends from home are talking about coming up in a few days for some fun for their birthdays. It's nice to know that the beaches are popular. I thought so, but I wanted to double check."
"How long have you known them?"
"Hmm, since first grade for one of my friends and since kindergarten for the rest. So, ten years for the first friend and eleven for the rest."
"Wow," Cam breathed in awe.
"They must be really good friends."
"They are. They're like family to me."
Belle's happiness about her friends seemed to be contagious because Cam and Sensei Watanabe found themselves smiling. They were happy to learn about the kunoichi who would be residing with them until they were able to defeat Lothor. As they finished up their meal, conversation drew to a close. Sensei Watanabe bid Cam and Belle goodbye, which left Belle gathering the dirty dishes and placing them in the sink. When she looked in the pot that she made the soup in, she saw that there was still some soup left that she placed in a tupperware bowl then placed it in the fridge.
"Do you want some help with dishes," Cam offered. "It's the least I can do after you made us lunch."
"It's alright Cam," Belle assured him. "I've got this. Consider this my chore."
"If you're sure…"
"I'm sure. Though I do have a request for you later tonight?"
Cam looked a little apprehensive at Belle's words, but he wanted to see what favor she wanted.
"What is it?"
"Would you want to watch a movie with me tonight at 8?"
"Is that your way of asking for a date?" Cam questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"No," Belle denied at once with a slight blush on her cheeks.
"I've wanted to watch this movie for a week, but I'd thought I'd extend an invitation."
"Are you going to do this every week?"
"It depends," Belle shrugged while she rinsed dishes to put in the dishwasher.
"I've wanted to watch this movie since last week, but we can make it a weekly thing if you want."
"What movie did you want to watch?"
"Underworld."
"Hmm, I've been meaning to watch that," Cam remarked thoughtfully.
"That movie night looking good yet?"
"All right, you're twisting my arm."
Belle smirked at Cam's sassiness.
"I have a feeling we'll be great friends Cam."
Cam gave her a smile before he too left through the kitchen doorway beach towards the computer room. Once Cam was gone, Belle put the last of the dishes into the dishwasher that made it full then ran it before she wiped down all of the counter plus the kitchen table. Satisfied that everything was as clean as before she started cooking, Belle ventured back to her room until it was time for training.
Some time later found all of the rangers in the dojo seated in the seiza position in front of Sensei Watanabe.
"I understand you wished to spar against Anna, Shane," Sensei Watanabe spoke in a calm, authoritative voice.
"Yes, Sensei," the red ranger replied steadily.
"Anna, do you accept the terms?"
"Yes."
"Then I give you both the permission to do so."
Both rangers stood from their kneeling positions to face each other. Shane held a look of haughtiness while Belle had one of determination. Belle was going to show him what she was made of. The two bowed to each other before they sank into their own style stances.
"Hajime!"
Belle was the first to attack with a punch with her right fist. Shane easily moved to the opposite side and then dropped to sweep kick Belle. However, she saw the beginning of him dropping so she had already jumped up before his foot could come any closer to her. Instead of landing back in front of Shane, Belle urged her body back into a backflip. While Belle was moving through the air, her eyes scanned over Shane's posture. Alright, she analyzed. He's fast but his style is too evasive. He is going to keep being evasive to wear me down. Right as her feet touched the ground, she came up with her solution to Shane's evasiveness. I'll just watch how he dodges and study his moves so that I can find out when to attack. Fifteen minutes went on with Belle attacking and Shane dodging, although he was beginning to tire as well as Belle even though she didn't show it. There is no way I'm losing to a kid, Shane thought to himself. By the end of those fifteen minutes, Belle had picked up Shane's rhythm. Got'cha. When Shane had moved out from her latest attack, Belle acted with a snap movement that flowed over with grace and landed with power to his stomach. An 'omph' left him as air was forced up from his gut and his body was forced to curve to go along with the blow to lessen the effects. Belle didn't even give him time to register her attacks as she floored him with kicks and punches until Shane was on his back with Belle standing in a ready stance.
"Yame!" Sensei Watanabe called out to stop the match. "Good job Anna."
On the sidelines, Tori and Dustin were silent as the fact that tiny, 5'0" Belle had just defeated their leader.
"You are a good opponent," Belle smiled down at Shane while she held out her hand to help him up.
"That was brutal," he admitted with a wince when he felt the places Belle had struck him.
"Sorry Shane. I was taught that you were not to underestimate your opponent."
"I'm glad we have you on our team," Dustin commented with wide eyes.
This had Belle smiling with delight. She now had the approval of her fellow rangers that she had aimed for in the beginning. Could this day get any better?
ooo0ooo
After about two hours of training, Belle went back to her room to take a shower and get everything ready for the movie night. She made sure to shave everything, moisturize, and to go through her nightly face routine. For her pajamas she wore a pair of yellow plaid short shorts with a black t-shirt that ended right around her belly button with the Hufflepuff crest on it. On her feet went a pair of badger slippers which deemed her ready for the movie night. Alright, now I just have to set up the living room and pop some popcorn. With that in mind, Belle picked up her copy of Underworld then ventured out to the living room. Because the large tv was already hooked up to a DVD player, it didn't take long to get the movie to the title screen. To set up the floor for both her and Cam, she magicked a foam-like mattress in front of the TV with three layers of sheets on top. Tons upon tons of pillows went on top of the sheets along with a TMNT 2003 blanket for Belle and a plush green blanket. Perfect, she thought to herself. Now I just have to make the popcorn and get some pop. Humming to herself, Belle took about five minutes to pop a large bowl full of popcorn and grab the two cans of Pepsi. When she made it back to the living room, Cam was already there in plaid green pajama bottoms and a green t-shirt eyeing the little pile that Belle had made.
"Sit, sit," Belle urged, gesturing towards the green blanket. "I already have the snacks so we're all set to start the movie."
"I take it you like a lot of things," Cam remarked after glancing at the TMNT blanket and her Hufflepuff themed pajamas.
"Yep," she chirped.
"My best friend Xander and I love Harry Potter. I'm a Hufflepuff and he's a Slytherin. We complement each other nicely."
Cam quickly sat beside Belle on the little nest that Belle had made, and once Cam was settled, Belle eagerly leaned into Cam's side. Cam was a little taken aback at Belle's friendly gesture, but he brushed it off when Belle pressed play on the DVD remote. They both then fell into a comfortable silence as the beginning credits played across the screen. The narrative female voice then came over the screen when a female with short black hair was shown crouching on a balcony appeared. Both Cam's and Belle's eyes were glued to the screen as they watched the woman and her companion jump down from their perches. When the fighting between the vampires and the lycans put the humans in the subway in the middle, Belle frowned but didn't give any other reaction. Both Cam and Belle were sucked into the storyline as Selene tried to get to the bottom of what was happening around her. However, when the two learned that the elder Viktor had killed his daughter, an almost intense look of anger crossed Belle's face. She couldn't believe that anyone would be so willing to kill their family for any reason. The movie was quick to head towards the ending until they were watching the credits roll by.
"I don't like Viktor," Belle commented with a frown.
"Why's that?" Cam asked.
"How could someone kill their own child?"
"That was pretty extreme," Cam agreed.
"Family should come first before some feud."
Cam gave a noise of agreement as the movie went back to the title screen. When they saw that the movie was over, they both stretched above their heads to work out any kninks from sitting/laying on the floor throughout the whole movie.
"I think this was a great movie night," Belle commented softly.
"Yeah, it was," Cam admitted with a smile.
"Would you want to do this every Monday night?"
"Yeah, I think I would."
"Great. You get to pick a movie for next week then."
"I think we should call it a night," Cam said, standing up from his spot on the ground.
"Ok."
When Belle made to stand up and take care of the snacks and the blankets, Cam put a hand on hers to stop her.
"I'll take care of this," he told her. "You set it up, so the least I can do is clean up."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I've got this."
"Thanks Ron(pronounced Rin)."
Before Belle headed to her room, she stood on her tiptoes a bit to place a kiss on his cheek then bid him goodnight.
"Goodnight Anna," he called after her.
She's such a charming girl, Cam thought to himself while he cleaned up. I bet her living here will be interesting.
ooo0 Ninja of the Stars 0ooo
Alright lovelies, this chapter certainly is a lot longer than the last chapter with a lot more happening. We have Belle arriving in Blue Bay and meeting the ranger team. When I was rereading the movie part of this chapter, I realized that I wanted to change how it happened. I would love to hear what you guys think about it. I would love to hear what you guys think about aloof the changes that I made to the story. It would be so amazing if we could have a conversation about the story, although I have to admit there is not a lot of lore that we can discuss in length like in some of my other stories. Nonetheless, I would like to have a steady connection with my readers so that I can see their reactions to my stories as they read it. Anyways, I will leave my A/N here and get on with the outro. If you have any questions or comments feel free to shoot me a pm or leave a review. Remember, reviews are magic!
-White Wolf