Téa and Cali sat in the waiting room of the principal's office, fuming
silently. :I can't believe I got caught!: Calypso sent silently to Téa.
:Believe it dear,: Téa replied, :I think you've lost your touch. Don't worry about it though, I don't think we'll be getting into too much trouble, after all, there were tons of witnesses that saw we were only acting in self defense.: She smiled softly, "I really hate men right now." She and Cali had been walking down the hallway after PE when a couple of guys from Ryo's team, who had lost once again, came up behind them. One of them slapped Téa on the ass. The girls had reacted quickly, each of them slamming one of the guys up against the lockers. Unfortunately, Mr. Ho had been walking by at that moment and caught the girls. He had immediately taken the four to his office where Téa and Cali were currently awaiting their turn to speak to him. The door to his office opened and the two offenders stepped out, a satisfied look on each of their faces.
::Hmm, I wonder why they look so smug,:: Cali sent to Téa. The other girl shrugged and lead the way into the principal's office. Mr. Ho sat behind his desk, studying the girls' files. He looked up when Cali closed the door behind her.
"Hello ladies, please sit," he said. He looked back down at their files, "Téa, I do believe this isn't your first fight at school, is it?"
Téa spoke softly, "No sir. But we weren't…"
Mr. Ho waved his hand, cutting her off, "I've heard it before miss. You weren't fighting, I know. The boys told me that you two attacked them for giving you a few compliments on your appearance."
Cali shot up out of her chair, "But sir, they weren't complimenting us!" The principal looked at her calmly and gestured to her chair. Reluctantly, Cali sat back down.
"What were they doing then Miss Ravana?" he asked.
"One of them slapped Téa on the rear," Cali said.
He looked at Téa, "Is this true Miss Jackson?"
Téa nodded, "There were plenty of witnesses, ask some of the people that were nearby."
He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Okay, I'll do that. Until I have talked to them, though, I want you two to stay at home. You are not to go to any more of your classes today, you are to go directly home. Is that understood?"
The two girls nodded and stood up. "Yes sir," Téa said with no expression in her voice. She and Cali left the principal's office and headed for their lockers. ::I can't believe this!:: Téa sent to Cali, ::He's completely ready to believe those two punks!:: She slammed her locker shut and stalked towards the doors of the school.
Cali followed closely behind. ::Damn Téa! Calm down!:: she sent in reply, ::Hold up, I'm going to go tell the group where we're gonna be.::
Téa nodded and followed behind Cali, trying to calm her temper. She jogged the short distance to catch up. "Well, what are we gonna do for the rest of the day after we head home?" she said aloud when she reached her friend.
"Oh, I dunno. Why don't we go to the beach or something?" Cali laughed, "I'm beginning to like the idea of getting kicked out of school for fighting, it gives us more free time."
Téa laughed as well, "You know, that must be the reason I always get caught. My subconscious is trying to tell me it wants some time to play. Unfortunately it also makes things more difficult later on at other schools, as you witnessed today with Mr. Ho." She and Cali stopped in front of the others who were sitting under the cherry trees.
Cali grinned at the look she saw in Elisa's eyes as they joined the group, "Yup, you're thinking along the right lines Elisa, me and Téa got kicked out of school for…"
Téa snickered, "…fighting. If you could call it that."
Cali nodded, "No kidding. We slammed a couple of guys against the lockers…in fact, Ryo, they were from your team in PE."
Ryo looked up at Cali, concern in his eyes, "Who was it and what'd they do?" He had a pretty good idea of who it was, there were a few guys on his team who weren't enjoying their losses against Kento's team. He had heard them grumbling in the locker room about girls shouldn't play so well.
"Alex and Bryce," Téa answered, "Bryce came up behind me and slapped me on the ass. Unfortunately, Mr. Ho happened to walk by when we reacted and caught us both. The guys got to talk to Mr. Ho first and they told him we just attacked them. He didn't believe us when we told him what really happened because of my record of fighting. I guess he's going to ask for witnesses to the incident, but until he knows what really happened, we aren't supposed to come back to school."
Ryo's eyes flashed. "I'll be sure to talk to them tomorrow in PE," he said ominously.
Cali fixed a glare on Ryo, "Don't worry about it Ryo, we can handle it. If you get kicked out of school, I'm gonna hurt you."
Ryo glared right back, "Fine Cali, I won't start anything, but I am going to talk to them tomorrow."
Téa tapped Cali on the shoulder and directed her gaze to the window of Mr. Ho's office, Mr. Ho was watching them with disapproval on his face. "We gotta get going you guys," she said to the others, "No point in getting into more trouble for not following orders. We'll be at the beach." She smiled sweetly and started to walk away from the school, Cali joining her. "So Cali, shall we?"
"I could go for some surfing," Cali smiled slyly, "Ya know, we should go visit your dad in Hawaii sometime."
Téa laughed, that was usually what the she and Cali said when they wanted to go surfing in Hawaii. "Sounds like a plan to me, how about this weekend?"
Cali grinned, "Woohoo!!! Can we?"
Téa nodded, "Sure, why don't we invite everyone?" "The guys, too," she added, then laughed as Cali nearly burst with excitement. "I'll pay for the tickets and we can leave on Friday night."
Cali sobered, "But what about Talpa?" she asked.
Téa looked thoughtful for a second, "I think Talpa needs our armors in order to join our two worlds, I mean, why else would he keep sending the warlords to defeat us? In fact, I'm pretty sure that's the case because our armors are all a part of Talpa's original armor…you know, the one that the Ancient separated when he defeated Talpa?"
Cali nodded, "That makes sense, I mean, his armor was what gave Talpa his power wasn't it?"
"That's what I figured from what the Ancient told us, he said that we were to keep Talpa from gaining control of our armors no matter what the cost. Sometimes I'd just like to be a normal teenage girl, and not have to risk my life for the safety of the world, ya know?"
Cali's reply was cut off by a familiar voice. "Awww, poor Angelfire," Cale said from above them on a telephone pole, "I'm sooo sorry that I can't grant your wish, at least not while you still have your armor." He leapt off the pole and landed directly in front of Téa. "Of course, there are other choices," he said, holding her chin between his thumb and finger and tilting her face up.
Téa gave him an icy look, "Are we going into that again? I've already told you that I will never be yours Cale. I don't know why you are so interested in me but get over it." She jerked her chin out of his grasp and stepped back, "If you want to fight, we'll fight. If not, get away from me." She pulled out her armor orb, "What'll it be?"
Cale smiled maliciously, "I'm not in the mood to fight you right now Angelfire, but rest assured, I will be back. You will be mine." Without another word, he disappeared, leaving Téa and Cali alone on the street once again.
Cali looked at Téa, who was shaking slightly. "Are you okay?"
Téa looked up and shook her head to clear it. She smiled unsteadily, "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be? Let's get going, I want to get to the beach." She started walking again, slightly faster than she had before.
Cali jogged to catch up. :What's wrong Téa? His "advances" have never bothered you before,: she Sent.
"Nothing. I'm fine, just drop it Cali," she replied aloud. Cali gave her a concerned look, but didn't say anymore. A few minutes later, the girls arrived home. Téa headed to her room without speaking. Closing the door behind her, she leaned up against it and sighed. "What's wrong with me? I've never been so upset by Cale before, but this time his threat really scared me. What's so different about this time?" She was drawn away from her thoughts by a warm ball of fuzz rubbing against her ankle. She reached down and lifted the Siamese kitten off the floor. "Hey Miko," she said, scratching him behind the ears, "I suppose you're wondering why I'm home so early huh?" The kitten causing her to forget her troubles, she launched into a description of the entire incident for him as she got her things together to go to the beach.
- = ^ * ^ = -
The beach, as was to be expected so early in the afternoon on a weekday, was nearly empty. Cali and Téa spent most of the time on their surfboards. After about three hours of surfing, both girls decided to take a break and get some sun. They were still relaxing when the beach started filling up with the after-school crowd. Elisa, Nina, Nahla, and the guys were some of the first to arrive, ready to enjoy an afternoon in the sun. Téa noticed their approach long before they were aware of it, and she took the time to watch Sai out of the corner of her eye. "Wow, he looks soooooo good!" she thought to herself. She realized that Sai was watching her as well, and he obviously didn't realize that Téa knew. Finally, Téa turned her head so that it was clear that she saw him. She caught his eyes for a couple of heartbeats before he looked away, blushing furiously.
"I wonder if she realized I was watching her," Sai thought to himself as he and the others approached Téa and Cali.
Téa jumped up just before the others got to where she and Cali were tanning and turned to Cali, "I'm going for a swim, coming?"
Cali glanced significantly towards an unaware Ryo and shook her head, "No thanks Téa, I think I'll just stay here a little longer."
Téa grinned, "Okay." She turned to the others, who finally arrived, "Anyone wanna come swim with me?"
Kento dropped his stuff and pulled off his shirt. "I'll go," he said, smiling.
Sai followed suit, "I suppose I'll come as well."
"You suppose?" Kento asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, who else is gonna keep you from drowning?" Sai asked innocently.
"What the…" Kento began.
Téa shut them both up by covering their mouths. "Hush!" she said, uncovering their mouths and taking their hands, "Come children, we're going to swim now." She began to walk towards the water, Kento and Sai trailing silently behind.
Rowen fainted dramatically, "It's amazing! Not only has she managed to embarrass Sage, but she's stopped a fight between Kento and Sai! Now I've seen everything!" Sage and Ryo burst out laughing.
"Well, I've noticed she seems to have the gift of getting others to do what she wants," Nahla said, "She can be very persuasive."
Elisa giggled, "You mean bossy, don't you Nahla?" The girls also dissolved into laughter. The group sat down and began to trade stories about each other.
Meanwhile, in the water, Téa had managed to instigate a water fight between Kento and Sai. Kento, not being the best of swimmers, was at a disadvantage in the deeper water, while Sai was having no problems whatsoever. Téa watched the two for a few minutes before deciding to even up the odds in Kento's favor. She waited until Sai's back was to her, then dove beneath the surface, coming up silently right behind him. He noticed her presence, but not in time. She dragged him under the water. They both came up at the same time, Sai spluttering in surprise. Téa's laugh turned into a squeal when he began to swim towards her too quickly for her to get away. He caught her just as she was about to reach the shallow water and pulled her back into the deeper water. Kento watched from the shallow water as Téa tried to fight her way out of Sai's grasp. Both of them were laughing so hard they were having trouble staying at the surface. Kento laughed loudly when Sai learned that Téa was ticklish and headed towards the shore.
Sai tickled Téa mercilessly, having the advantage in the deeper water. She struggled to get out of his grasp, but only managed to turn herself around until she was facing him. Their eyes met for the second time that day. "She's so gorgeous!" Sai thought to himself as he unsuccessfully fought down a blush.
Téa brushed away a wet lock of hair that had fallen into his eyes. "You're blushing dear," she said sweetly, "That is soooo cute!!!" Sai blushed even more.
"Are you ready to head back to shore?" Sai asked, avoiding her eyes once more.
"Are you?" she countered.
"Actually, I'd like to stay in the water a little longer," he replied, risking a glance at her face. She was still watching him with those strange colored eyes. They're amber colored, he thought to himself, I've never seen eyes like that before.
"Then I'll stay out here with you," she said.
"Why would you want to stay out here? The water's cold," he asked.
"No it isn't," she replied.
:Téa,: Cali's voice sounded in Téa's mind, :We're leaving. Are you coming with?:
Téa looked at Sai, "Cali just told me that they're leaving, do you want to go now or should we stay for a while longer?"
Sai shrugged, "It's up to you."
:We're going to stay and swim for a while longer, where are you going to be?: she Sent to Cali.
There was a moment of silence before Cali replied. :We're going to head up to the lake house since it's Friday night. The guys are going to stay with us at the mansion. Do you just want to come up later with your truck?:
:Okay. We'll see you later.: Téa turned to Sai, "Everybody's heading out to the lake for the weekend. I guess you guys are staying at the mansion up there. We can head up later in my truck, okay?"
"Sounds good to me," Sai replied, "So, you up for a swim?"
"What kind of swim?"
Sai pointed to the small "island" about a quarter of a mile out to sea. "Out there. It's a great place to watch the sunset, and there's a current that goes right back to shore, so we won't have to worry too much about getting lost in the dark."
"Last one there is slow," Téa said as she started towards the island at a fast pace.
Sai caught up with her a few minutes later. "Wow," he said, breathing a little heavily, "You're a good swimmer." Téa just smiled at him and continued to swim.
She got to the island a few body lengths ahead of Sai and they both crawled up onto the beach breathing heavily. Téa smiled sweetly, "You're slow."
Sai laughed. "I just let you win. I didn't want to make you mad," he replied jokingly.
"Nice try sweetie but just admit it, you're slow," she replied with a haughty laugh. She sat up and looked down at Sai. "That was fun," she said, "We should do this more often."
"I don't know about that, I may get tired of you beating me," he replied. "Where'd you learn to swim so well?"
"Hawaii. Cali taught me how to surf so I spent a lot of time in the water. With the waves so big, you have to be able to swim to some extent," she answered, "What about you?"
He shrugged, "I think it's partially because of my armor. Water is its element, but then again, I kinda naturally swim. It's in my blood."
Téa shuddered, his mention of armors reminding her of earlier's incident with Cale. Sai noticed it and asked her what was wrong. "Oh, I don't know. Cale surprised me and Cali when we were heading home from school today…"
"What happened? Why didn't you tell us you got into a fight with one of the warlords?" he asked.
"Because we didn't," Téa replied. Sai looked at her questioningly and she continued, "I think I'll start at the beginning. I've had my armor for about a year. I've known the warlords for about the same amount of time. From the very beginning Cale has had an…interest in me. I am the only one that is pressured into joining Talpa rather than just getting myself killed. Cale has been the main one pressuring me. I guess it's because of the aforementioned interest he has in me. Once in a while, he'll show up alone and "chat" with me. Our…conversations are usually centered around his desire to have me for himself. For some reason, I always hear him out. He usually says something along the lines of there being other choices than fighting against him and the Dynasty in general. Today, he decided to have another little chat with me. When I ignored him, he said he would be back and that I would be his. For the first time since I have met him, I was upset by what he said. I don't know, maybe it was the way he said it, but it really worried me." She rested her chin on her knees and stared out at the water.
Sai moved closer to her and put an arm around her shoulders, "Don't worry Téa, Cale will not get his hands on you as long as I'm around. I promise."
Téa looked at him, "No." At his surprised expression, she continued, "I don't want you to get hurt protecting me, Sai. I would not be able to forgive myself."
"I understand, but I'm not taking back my promise," he replied stubbornly. He quieted her reply with a finger to her lips. Pointing to the sky, he said, "The sun is about to set. Just hush and watch it." Téa nodded and fixed her attention on the sunset.
"That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen," she said after the sun disappeared below the horizon. "We are definitely coming back here sometime."
Sai smiled, "I told you so. Well, I suppose we should head to shore before the water gets too cold." He stood and helped her to her feet. He gestured to the water with a little bow, "Ladies first."
Téa grinned and dove into the water. Sai followed right behind her. A few feet away from the island, they found themselves caught in the current leading to the shore. Both of them swam slowly, allowing the current to do most of the work for them. When they reached the beach, they were both more rested than they had been after the swim out. After grabbing their things, the pair headed to the parking lot near the beach and stowed it in the back of Téa's truck. They climbed in and began the two hour drive to Jewel Lake.
When they arrived at the mansion, Sai moved around the truck to where Téa was standing. He smiled at her and she smiled back. "Listen," he began shyly, "Would you like to go out tomorrow night? I mean, it's okay if you don't but…"
Téa put a finger to his lips, "I'd love to Sai. We'll figure out what we want to do tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay. Let's get inside, it's getting late."
Téa leaned over and kissed his cheek softly, "All right. Good night sweetie." Without another word, she turned and headed into the house, leaving Sai standing next to the truck, a surprised look on his face. A few minutes later, he followed her into the house.
:Believe it dear,: Téa replied, :I think you've lost your touch. Don't worry about it though, I don't think we'll be getting into too much trouble, after all, there were tons of witnesses that saw we were only acting in self defense.: She smiled softly, "I really hate men right now." She and Cali had been walking down the hallway after PE when a couple of guys from Ryo's team, who had lost once again, came up behind them. One of them slapped Téa on the ass. The girls had reacted quickly, each of them slamming one of the guys up against the lockers. Unfortunately, Mr. Ho had been walking by at that moment and caught the girls. He had immediately taken the four to his office where Téa and Cali were currently awaiting their turn to speak to him. The door to his office opened and the two offenders stepped out, a satisfied look on each of their faces.
::Hmm, I wonder why they look so smug,:: Cali sent to Téa. The other girl shrugged and lead the way into the principal's office. Mr. Ho sat behind his desk, studying the girls' files. He looked up when Cali closed the door behind her.
"Hello ladies, please sit," he said. He looked back down at their files, "Téa, I do believe this isn't your first fight at school, is it?"
Téa spoke softly, "No sir. But we weren't…"
Mr. Ho waved his hand, cutting her off, "I've heard it before miss. You weren't fighting, I know. The boys told me that you two attacked them for giving you a few compliments on your appearance."
Cali shot up out of her chair, "But sir, they weren't complimenting us!" The principal looked at her calmly and gestured to her chair. Reluctantly, Cali sat back down.
"What were they doing then Miss Ravana?" he asked.
"One of them slapped Téa on the rear," Cali said.
He looked at Téa, "Is this true Miss Jackson?"
Téa nodded, "There were plenty of witnesses, ask some of the people that were nearby."
He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Okay, I'll do that. Until I have talked to them, though, I want you two to stay at home. You are not to go to any more of your classes today, you are to go directly home. Is that understood?"
The two girls nodded and stood up. "Yes sir," Téa said with no expression in her voice. She and Cali left the principal's office and headed for their lockers. ::I can't believe this!:: Téa sent to Cali, ::He's completely ready to believe those two punks!:: She slammed her locker shut and stalked towards the doors of the school.
Cali followed closely behind. ::Damn Téa! Calm down!:: she sent in reply, ::Hold up, I'm going to go tell the group where we're gonna be.::
Téa nodded and followed behind Cali, trying to calm her temper. She jogged the short distance to catch up. "Well, what are we gonna do for the rest of the day after we head home?" she said aloud when she reached her friend.
"Oh, I dunno. Why don't we go to the beach or something?" Cali laughed, "I'm beginning to like the idea of getting kicked out of school for fighting, it gives us more free time."
Téa laughed as well, "You know, that must be the reason I always get caught. My subconscious is trying to tell me it wants some time to play. Unfortunately it also makes things more difficult later on at other schools, as you witnessed today with Mr. Ho." She and Cali stopped in front of the others who were sitting under the cherry trees.
Cali grinned at the look she saw in Elisa's eyes as they joined the group, "Yup, you're thinking along the right lines Elisa, me and Téa got kicked out of school for…"
Téa snickered, "…fighting. If you could call it that."
Cali nodded, "No kidding. We slammed a couple of guys against the lockers…in fact, Ryo, they were from your team in PE."
Ryo looked up at Cali, concern in his eyes, "Who was it and what'd they do?" He had a pretty good idea of who it was, there were a few guys on his team who weren't enjoying their losses against Kento's team. He had heard them grumbling in the locker room about girls shouldn't play so well.
"Alex and Bryce," Téa answered, "Bryce came up behind me and slapped me on the ass. Unfortunately, Mr. Ho happened to walk by when we reacted and caught us both. The guys got to talk to Mr. Ho first and they told him we just attacked them. He didn't believe us when we told him what really happened because of my record of fighting. I guess he's going to ask for witnesses to the incident, but until he knows what really happened, we aren't supposed to come back to school."
Ryo's eyes flashed. "I'll be sure to talk to them tomorrow in PE," he said ominously.
Cali fixed a glare on Ryo, "Don't worry about it Ryo, we can handle it. If you get kicked out of school, I'm gonna hurt you."
Ryo glared right back, "Fine Cali, I won't start anything, but I am going to talk to them tomorrow."
Téa tapped Cali on the shoulder and directed her gaze to the window of Mr. Ho's office, Mr. Ho was watching them with disapproval on his face. "We gotta get going you guys," she said to the others, "No point in getting into more trouble for not following orders. We'll be at the beach." She smiled sweetly and started to walk away from the school, Cali joining her. "So Cali, shall we?"
"I could go for some surfing," Cali smiled slyly, "Ya know, we should go visit your dad in Hawaii sometime."
Téa laughed, that was usually what the she and Cali said when they wanted to go surfing in Hawaii. "Sounds like a plan to me, how about this weekend?"
Cali grinned, "Woohoo!!! Can we?"
Téa nodded, "Sure, why don't we invite everyone?" "The guys, too," she added, then laughed as Cali nearly burst with excitement. "I'll pay for the tickets and we can leave on Friday night."
Cali sobered, "But what about Talpa?" she asked.
Téa looked thoughtful for a second, "I think Talpa needs our armors in order to join our two worlds, I mean, why else would he keep sending the warlords to defeat us? In fact, I'm pretty sure that's the case because our armors are all a part of Talpa's original armor…you know, the one that the Ancient separated when he defeated Talpa?"
Cali nodded, "That makes sense, I mean, his armor was what gave Talpa his power wasn't it?"
"That's what I figured from what the Ancient told us, he said that we were to keep Talpa from gaining control of our armors no matter what the cost. Sometimes I'd just like to be a normal teenage girl, and not have to risk my life for the safety of the world, ya know?"
Cali's reply was cut off by a familiar voice. "Awww, poor Angelfire," Cale said from above them on a telephone pole, "I'm sooo sorry that I can't grant your wish, at least not while you still have your armor." He leapt off the pole and landed directly in front of Téa. "Of course, there are other choices," he said, holding her chin between his thumb and finger and tilting her face up.
Téa gave him an icy look, "Are we going into that again? I've already told you that I will never be yours Cale. I don't know why you are so interested in me but get over it." She jerked her chin out of his grasp and stepped back, "If you want to fight, we'll fight. If not, get away from me." She pulled out her armor orb, "What'll it be?"
Cale smiled maliciously, "I'm not in the mood to fight you right now Angelfire, but rest assured, I will be back. You will be mine." Without another word, he disappeared, leaving Téa and Cali alone on the street once again.
Cali looked at Téa, who was shaking slightly. "Are you okay?"
Téa looked up and shook her head to clear it. She smiled unsteadily, "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be? Let's get going, I want to get to the beach." She started walking again, slightly faster than she had before.
Cali jogged to catch up. :What's wrong Téa? His "advances" have never bothered you before,: she Sent.
"Nothing. I'm fine, just drop it Cali," she replied aloud. Cali gave her a concerned look, but didn't say anymore. A few minutes later, the girls arrived home. Téa headed to her room without speaking. Closing the door behind her, she leaned up against it and sighed. "What's wrong with me? I've never been so upset by Cale before, but this time his threat really scared me. What's so different about this time?" She was drawn away from her thoughts by a warm ball of fuzz rubbing against her ankle. She reached down and lifted the Siamese kitten off the floor. "Hey Miko," she said, scratching him behind the ears, "I suppose you're wondering why I'm home so early huh?" The kitten causing her to forget her troubles, she launched into a description of the entire incident for him as she got her things together to go to the beach.
- = ^ * ^ = -
The beach, as was to be expected so early in the afternoon on a weekday, was nearly empty. Cali and Téa spent most of the time on their surfboards. After about three hours of surfing, both girls decided to take a break and get some sun. They were still relaxing when the beach started filling up with the after-school crowd. Elisa, Nina, Nahla, and the guys were some of the first to arrive, ready to enjoy an afternoon in the sun. Téa noticed their approach long before they were aware of it, and she took the time to watch Sai out of the corner of her eye. "Wow, he looks soooooo good!" she thought to herself. She realized that Sai was watching her as well, and he obviously didn't realize that Téa knew. Finally, Téa turned her head so that it was clear that she saw him. She caught his eyes for a couple of heartbeats before he looked away, blushing furiously.
"I wonder if she realized I was watching her," Sai thought to himself as he and the others approached Téa and Cali.
Téa jumped up just before the others got to where she and Cali were tanning and turned to Cali, "I'm going for a swim, coming?"
Cali glanced significantly towards an unaware Ryo and shook her head, "No thanks Téa, I think I'll just stay here a little longer."
Téa grinned, "Okay." She turned to the others, who finally arrived, "Anyone wanna come swim with me?"
Kento dropped his stuff and pulled off his shirt. "I'll go," he said, smiling.
Sai followed suit, "I suppose I'll come as well."
"You suppose?" Kento asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, who else is gonna keep you from drowning?" Sai asked innocently.
"What the…" Kento began.
Téa shut them both up by covering their mouths. "Hush!" she said, uncovering their mouths and taking their hands, "Come children, we're going to swim now." She began to walk towards the water, Kento and Sai trailing silently behind.
Rowen fainted dramatically, "It's amazing! Not only has she managed to embarrass Sage, but she's stopped a fight between Kento and Sai! Now I've seen everything!" Sage and Ryo burst out laughing.
"Well, I've noticed she seems to have the gift of getting others to do what she wants," Nahla said, "She can be very persuasive."
Elisa giggled, "You mean bossy, don't you Nahla?" The girls also dissolved into laughter. The group sat down and began to trade stories about each other.
Meanwhile, in the water, Téa had managed to instigate a water fight between Kento and Sai. Kento, not being the best of swimmers, was at a disadvantage in the deeper water, while Sai was having no problems whatsoever. Téa watched the two for a few minutes before deciding to even up the odds in Kento's favor. She waited until Sai's back was to her, then dove beneath the surface, coming up silently right behind him. He noticed her presence, but not in time. She dragged him under the water. They both came up at the same time, Sai spluttering in surprise. Téa's laugh turned into a squeal when he began to swim towards her too quickly for her to get away. He caught her just as she was about to reach the shallow water and pulled her back into the deeper water. Kento watched from the shallow water as Téa tried to fight her way out of Sai's grasp. Both of them were laughing so hard they were having trouble staying at the surface. Kento laughed loudly when Sai learned that Téa was ticklish and headed towards the shore.
Sai tickled Téa mercilessly, having the advantage in the deeper water. She struggled to get out of his grasp, but only managed to turn herself around until she was facing him. Their eyes met for the second time that day. "She's so gorgeous!" Sai thought to himself as he unsuccessfully fought down a blush.
Téa brushed away a wet lock of hair that had fallen into his eyes. "You're blushing dear," she said sweetly, "That is soooo cute!!!" Sai blushed even more.
"Are you ready to head back to shore?" Sai asked, avoiding her eyes once more.
"Are you?" she countered.
"Actually, I'd like to stay in the water a little longer," he replied, risking a glance at her face. She was still watching him with those strange colored eyes. They're amber colored, he thought to himself, I've never seen eyes like that before.
"Then I'll stay out here with you," she said.
"Why would you want to stay out here? The water's cold," he asked.
"No it isn't," she replied.
:Téa,: Cali's voice sounded in Téa's mind, :We're leaving. Are you coming with?:
Téa looked at Sai, "Cali just told me that they're leaving, do you want to go now or should we stay for a while longer?"
Sai shrugged, "It's up to you."
:We're going to stay and swim for a while longer, where are you going to be?: she Sent to Cali.
There was a moment of silence before Cali replied. :We're going to head up to the lake house since it's Friday night. The guys are going to stay with us at the mansion. Do you just want to come up later with your truck?:
:Okay. We'll see you later.: Téa turned to Sai, "Everybody's heading out to the lake for the weekend. I guess you guys are staying at the mansion up there. We can head up later in my truck, okay?"
"Sounds good to me," Sai replied, "So, you up for a swim?"
"What kind of swim?"
Sai pointed to the small "island" about a quarter of a mile out to sea. "Out there. It's a great place to watch the sunset, and there's a current that goes right back to shore, so we won't have to worry too much about getting lost in the dark."
"Last one there is slow," Téa said as she started towards the island at a fast pace.
Sai caught up with her a few minutes later. "Wow," he said, breathing a little heavily, "You're a good swimmer." Téa just smiled at him and continued to swim.
She got to the island a few body lengths ahead of Sai and they both crawled up onto the beach breathing heavily. Téa smiled sweetly, "You're slow."
Sai laughed. "I just let you win. I didn't want to make you mad," he replied jokingly.
"Nice try sweetie but just admit it, you're slow," she replied with a haughty laugh. She sat up and looked down at Sai. "That was fun," she said, "We should do this more often."
"I don't know about that, I may get tired of you beating me," he replied. "Where'd you learn to swim so well?"
"Hawaii. Cali taught me how to surf so I spent a lot of time in the water. With the waves so big, you have to be able to swim to some extent," she answered, "What about you?"
He shrugged, "I think it's partially because of my armor. Water is its element, but then again, I kinda naturally swim. It's in my blood."
Téa shuddered, his mention of armors reminding her of earlier's incident with Cale. Sai noticed it and asked her what was wrong. "Oh, I don't know. Cale surprised me and Cali when we were heading home from school today…"
"What happened? Why didn't you tell us you got into a fight with one of the warlords?" he asked.
"Because we didn't," Téa replied. Sai looked at her questioningly and she continued, "I think I'll start at the beginning. I've had my armor for about a year. I've known the warlords for about the same amount of time. From the very beginning Cale has had an…interest in me. I am the only one that is pressured into joining Talpa rather than just getting myself killed. Cale has been the main one pressuring me. I guess it's because of the aforementioned interest he has in me. Once in a while, he'll show up alone and "chat" with me. Our…conversations are usually centered around his desire to have me for himself. For some reason, I always hear him out. He usually says something along the lines of there being other choices than fighting against him and the Dynasty in general. Today, he decided to have another little chat with me. When I ignored him, he said he would be back and that I would be his. For the first time since I have met him, I was upset by what he said. I don't know, maybe it was the way he said it, but it really worried me." She rested her chin on her knees and stared out at the water.
Sai moved closer to her and put an arm around her shoulders, "Don't worry Téa, Cale will not get his hands on you as long as I'm around. I promise."
Téa looked at him, "No." At his surprised expression, she continued, "I don't want you to get hurt protecting me, Sai. I would not be able to forgive myself."
"I understand, but I'm not taking back my promise," he replied stubbornly. He quieted her reply with a finger to her lips. Pointing to the sky, he said, "The sun is about to set. Just hush and watch it." Téa nodded and fixed her attention on the sunset.
"That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen," she said after the sun disappeared below the horizon. "We are definitely coming back here sometime."
Sai smiled, "I told you so. Well, I suppose we should head to shore before the water gets too cold." He stood and helped her to her feet. He gestured to the water with a little bow, "Ladies first."
Téa grinned and dove into the water. Sai followed right behind her. A few feet away from the island, they found themselves caught in the current leading to the shore. Both of them swam slowly, allowing the current to do most of the work for them. When they reached the beach, they were both more rested than they had been after the swim out. After grabbing their things, the pair headed to the parking lot near the beach and stowed it in the back of Téa's truck. They climbed in and began the two hour drive to Jewel Lake.
When they arrived at the mansion, Sai moved around the truck to where Téa was standing. He smiled at her and she smiled back. "Listen," he began shyly, "Would you like to go out tomorrow night? I mean, it's okay if you don't but…"
Téa put a finger to his lips, "I'd love to Sai. We'll figure out what we want to do tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay. Let's get inside, it's getting late."
Téa leaned over and kissed his cheek softly, "All right. Good night sweetie." Without another word, she turned and headed into the house, leaving Sai standing next to the truck, a surprised look on his face. A few minutes later, he followed her into the house.
