Disclaimer - I do not own the rights to any of the characters in this fanfic. They belong to their proper creators and/or companies. Enjoy!
AN - Hey everyone! *waves* I hope you all enjoyed "Unity - Amy and Sai." Well, I will be writing a story for all the couples, so all I ask of you is to leave your comments. It would be appreciated.
Unity - Lita and Sage
This takes place during "This Time Around, Part 8," when everyone is off doing their own thing, and Sage finds Lita in the training room.
Lita sat on the floor by herself in the training room, early in the morning. She was thinking of the previous night, and the training Sage had helped her complete. "He really did help me out a lot," she reflected out loud. She slowly stretched, careful not to strain her already sore muscles. As she finished her stretching exercises, her mind wandered back to the previous night. She brought her hand up to her mouth as she remembered the kiss she and Sage had shared. "He's so sweet," she thought with a smile, and sighed. "Sage …" She looked up from her position as she heard a dull thump on the ground.
"Good morning, Lita," Sage greeted as he kicked aside the towel and water bottle that he had just dropped. She stood up and smiled at him.
"Oh, good morning," she replied, quickly disregarding her thoughts. She looked at him and gave a mischievous grin. "I'm surprised you even showed up this morning."
Sage raised an eyebrow. "Oh, and why is that," he asked.
"You mean to tell me your pride wasn't crushed after I wiped the ground with you," she mocked teasingly.
"Oh, I think it was the other way around, Lita," he replied good-naturedly. "If I remember correctly, you took more falls than I did …"
~~ the previous night ~~
"Alright, Lita," Sage said as she stood in front of him. "I want you to run at me like you have a spear in your hands." She looked at him with a confused look on her face. "Well, our enemies use weapons, right?"
"Well, yeah," she replied slowly.
"Then we've got to train as if we're holding weapons," he replied. He looked around the room, and grabbed a practice stick off of the wall. "Here," he said, tossing it to her. He grabbed a second stick from the wall. "Okay, Lita," he said. "Just try to defend yourself from my attacks." He charged at her, and tripped her with the stick. He thrust it down towards her, and tapped her on the stomach with the end. "I just got you," he said simply.
"Hey, go easy on me, Sage," she said. "I'm not used to this kind of combat!" His brow furrowed into a thoughtful frown, and he tossed his stick aside.
"Well, then, you be on the offensive," he said, helping her stand. "Now, run at me with the stick, and try to hit me." She shrugged her shoulders, and then did as he said. As she drew nearer to him, he swiftly stepped aside. As he did this, he grabbed Lita's wrists, and flipped her over onto her back. As she stared up with a shocked look on her face, Sage offered his hand to help her stand.
"You could have warned me, you know," she said irritably. "I wasn't expecting that!"
"That's the point," he replied. "The soldiers can often be taken by surprise with that move." He picked up the stick and handed it to her. "Try again." She set a determined look on her face, and then charged at Sage again. This time, he allowed her to thrust out with the stick. He sidestepped the attack, and grabbed the stick away from her. He spun around her, with the "weapon" in his hand, and lightly pressed the end into her back. "If you had been that soldier, Lita, the spear just went through your back, and you were destroyed …"
~~ present morning ~~
Lita gave a wry smile. "Okay, you have a point there," she exclaimed. "But you have to admit. I did a pretty good job defending myself as I got better. And I got you back for all the times I messed up."
"Don't remind me," Sage said, grabbing his shoulder. "I have a bruise there, you know!"
"I didn't mean to hit you that hard with the stick," she replied sheepishly. "I was losing my hold on it, and when I got a firmer grasp, I guess I just swung it around too hard."
"I'll say," he said, rubbing the slightly swollen area on his shoulder.
"Oh, poor little Sage," she said in a baby tone. "Do you want me to kiss it for you and make it feel all better?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Well, actually, that might be nice, Lita," he replied slyly. He laughed as she began to blush. "I'm only kidding!"
"Oh," she replied, cringing slightly as she allowed a bit of disappointment to creep into her voice. "I thought for sure he meant something when he kissed me last night," she thought to herself, biting her lower lip. "But how could he feel anything? We'll all be leaving pretty soon, most likely. Why would he want to get involved with someone, only to have her leave?"
"Lita," Sage asked, breaking into her thoughts.
She shook her head and looked up at him. "Oh, sorry Sage," she replied. "I must have just zoned out." She lightly tapped on her head to illustrate her point. "You know me!"
"Well, where do you want to start today," he asked.
"Get a grip, Lita," she scolded herself inwardly. She looked up at him and shrugged. "How about we just spar," she suggested.
"Alright," he replied. "Let me stretch, first." She nodded her head in silent agreement, and watched him as he stretched and warmed up his muscles. Without realizing it, she began studying him.
"What is it about him that I like so much," she asked herself. She smiled sadly. "Well, aside from his good looks, his charms, the way he makes me feel …." Her eyes trailed along the length of his body, and came to rest on his face. "Well, he is a great fighter. And … he's a kind person," she concluded. She quickly averted her gaze as Sage looked over towards her.
"Are you ready, Lita," he asked.
"Sure," she said, standing from her spot and joining him. As they stood apart, they bowed to each out of courtesy. "Ready," she asked.
"Ready," he replied. He watched her movements as she swung at him. He blocked, and then swung at her in retaliation. They continued to throw and block punches. He saw Lita frown in contemplation, and then blocked the knee she brought up with his elbow. "She's a lot better at sparring," he thought as he threw a few punches. "I feel sorry for the person who underestimates her. But if it's anything, her opponent is probably distracted by her gracefulness and beauty." He absently threw a punch at Lita, and she grabbed his arm, and flipped him over. He quickly regained his balance, and as he landed in a crouched position, he tried to sweep her feet. She flipped backwards, and landed in a defensive position.
"Are you losing your nerve, Sage," she asked, teasing him good-naturedly.
He smirked, and shook his head. "Nah, that was just a lucky shot, Lita," he replied. "Don't worry, it won't happen again." He gave himself a mental shake. "Where did that come from," he asked himself, eyeing her warily. "I'd better not let that happen again."
Lita shrugged. "Well, it was a good counter, anyway," she stated. She slowly inched toward him, and then threw her leg out. He caught her leg, and then swept her feet out from under her. As she landed on the ground, Sage threw a punch at her, and stopped his fist inches above her nose.
"That's a point for me," he said. He grabbed her arm gently, and pulled her up from the ground.
"No, just a lucky shot," she commented with a wink. He threw a punch at her, and she moved aside, grabbing his arm in the process. With a firm grasp on his arm, she twirled around towards him, and brought her elbow up, stopping just in front of his throat. "And that's a point for me." She looked up towards him and smiled, and a gasp caught in her throat. "That look," she thought. "That's the same look he had on his face last night, before he kissed me!" She searched her mind for something to say, however a voice cut her off.
"Well, isn't this cozy," the voice said from the doorway. Sage and Lita looked towards the door, and saw Rowen standing there with his arms crossed. "I'd say that the two of you are evenly matched. Fighting-wise, of course," he added as an after thought. He gave a small wave, and then left. They stepped away from each other, slightly embarrassed, and stood face to face.
"So," they began at the same time. Lita motioned for him to continue. "Do you want to wrap this up," he asked. He thought for a second, and then smirked. "No pun intended. Let's go take a jog around the lake, and then we can find something for breakfast."
"Okay," she replied. They left the training room, and then headed for the front door, passing Mia as they went through the living room. "We're going jogging around the lake, Mia," Lita said. "But we'll call if we run into any trouble."
"Alright, Lita," Mia replied. "Do you have your communicator?"
"Right here," Lita said as she held up her wrist. Mia nodded her head, and then headed into the kitchen as Lita and Sage headed out the door. The two warriors began a light jog as they went down the path leading to the lake, and once they reached the lake, they sprinted into a light run. They ran in silence for a while. Lita glanced over at Sage and smirked, and he saw her from the corner of his eye.
"What's so funny," he asked, somewhat amused himself.
"I was just wondering how long you can keep this up," she replied. "Do you think you can keep up with my pace?"
"I can keep up with you, and surpass you," he replied as he increased his speed slightly. She sped up as well, matching his pace perfectly. They continued to run, and when one of them increased their speed, the other matched and eventually increased their pace a little more. Soon the two had broken out into a full run.
"I'm impressed, Sage," Lita exclaimed as she leveled her breathing. She took the lead, and as Sage tried to catch up, he smiled mischievously. Taking one final stride, Sage grabbed Lita around her waist, and tackled her to the ground. She gasped in surprise as the two went down. They rolled to as stop, and then both broke out into a fit of laughter. "You … you cheated," she gasped.
"Call it what you want, but I think our race was a tie, Lita," he replied, taking deep breaths of air. "And the plus side, I got you laughing again. I really hated seeing you crying, like you were last night." He laid back against the sand, resting his head on his arms.
"I really hate being weak like that, you know," Lita replied thoughtfully. She sat up and wrapped her arms around her legs as she brought her knees up to her chest. "But I'm glad you came along when you did." She paused, and a tear rolled down her face.
"Lita, what's the matter," Sage asked as he sat up.
"It's just that … Sometimes, I forget that I have people that care about me," she began, blinking to keep the tears from falling. "For the longest time, everyone around me either thought I was a bully who liked to pick fights, or just thought that I was weird. And when I met Serena, she saw a side to me that few other people did. I guess that's why I feel especially responsible for her well being. I owe her more than she realizes." Sage scooted closer to her, and she allowed him to comfort her as he pulled her towards him in an embrace. After a few minutes of silence, he cleared his throat.
"Lita, do you know why I kissed you last night," he asked. She shook her head against his chest, and he smiled. She looked up at him, and he brushed away a tear with his thumb. "Because I'm one of those people that see a different side to you. I think you're beautiful, smart, and talented. But overall, it's because of your personality. You make me want to always be around you, to try to take care of you, even though I know you wouldn't stand for it."
"I feel the same way about you, Sage," she said, looking away. "But, it would never work! I'm sure me and the girls will be returning to our own world soon. And if we allow something to develop in between us, we'd only end up getting hurt."
"But do you really want to always wonder what if, Lita," he asked, taking her face in his hands. He brought his lips to hers, and kissed her softly. As the kiss deepened, he felt her tears against his face, and they broke apart. "Is it really worth it?"
Lita shook her head and smiled shyly. "You have a point," she replied. "It would drive me crazy wondering how things could have turned out. I like this feeling, even if it may only be temporary."
"Perhaps this is fate, Lita," he said, wrapping his arms around her. "Maybe it was meant for us to meet and to feel this way."
Lita snuggled against him and sighed contently. "It feels as if a weight has been lifted from my shoulders," she said quietly, squeezing his arm. "Thank you, Sage." He kissed the top of her head, and the two sat on the beach, watching the waves from the lake gently crash against the sand.
"Lita," Sage began. She murmured in response. "You know, I'm getting kind of hungry." She laughed, and then pushed him away from her.
"Oh sure, just as I was getting comfortable," she replied, standing up. She brushed the sand off of her, and then looked at Sage. "Well, I'll tell you what. Let's have a little race back to the house, and whoever loses has to cook for the both of us."
"That sounds good," he commented. "But, I can't cook." He stood up quickly as she began to walk off. "Hey, you can't have a head start!"
"Well, then if you want to beat me, you better do less talking, and more running," she called back towards him. She blew him a kiss, and then started into a light sprint. He smiled, and then ran after her.
Fin.
Hey all! Two down, three to go! ^_^ Keep in mind that this all happened before the Scouts and Ronins decided to merge their realms together. I almost forgot just when they merged their worlds, so I figured I'd better clear that up! *sweatdrops* Well, thank you for your reviews, because I'm sure you'll leave 'em. ^_~
BTW, who should be next? Mina and Rowen, or Rei and Ryo … I'm leaning towards Rei and Ryo, but I only have to think of a situation/plot! If you have any ideas, please feel free to run them by me. Bye for now!