The Last Amazons

By Dixxy

Chapter Three: Beginning to Unfold

(Sam)

The movie stunk. It was some really cheap horror flick. Why we went is still a mystery to this day, but we were all showing signs of boredom. Sara and Cye joined in with a bunch of other kids at throwing popcorn at the screen. Kento and Keisha reverted to Mystery Science Theatre mode and started to make wisecracks about the movie. Rona joined in soon after, adding in some really. . . colorful, wisecracks. Yes, colorful is the best term to come up with some of the comments.

After the movie, we all figured that we'd better check on Ria. If she had gone through with her plan to bombard Sheila with paint filled water balloons, then she'd obviously forgotten that Sheila has a lot of friends. Okay, I would rather call them vultures or groupies. And despite the fact that Ria is a trained Ronin Senshi with some minor training in martial arts and major training in street fighting (the other girls all left the studio after our instructor wouldn't promote them), she was still outnumbered.

Luckily, we found Ria inside the Quincy Market Place cafeteria amongst five or six food containers. Her head was down on the table and she looked, depressed. "Ria, what did you do?" asked Sara.

"I saw Sheila with a crew of football players looking for some action and realized that my idea wasn't a good idea," she said miserably. "It would only end with my own complete humiliation anyways."

Kento sighed heavily. "It was a dumb idea to begin with," he said. He eyed one of the food containers that still had an untouched piece of pizza. "Are you-"
"No, Kento, you can have it," said Ria, pushing the container over before lazily dropping her head back onto her hands.

"Okay, Ria, there was must be a better reason that you're depressed, since you never let her get the best of you," I said. "What made you so upset?"

Ria sniffed. "They said I was a dike, okay? They said that I was a lesbian. Sheila said that the way I act and the way I dress and the way I talk, it sounds like I'm gay. What if I am!?" It was then I noticed tears were pouring down her face.

"Oh, come on, Ria, what does she know?" said Rona. She sat down next to Ria. "I know for a fact that you've turned your head as many times as I have towards a hot guy with a tight butt if not more so."

"Yes, and you were checking out Kento just as much as I was when we went to the studio-" Sara started, then paused, obviously just then remembering that Kento was staring at her bug eyed with the pizza hanging out of his mouth. "I'll. . . go get an ice cream now." With that, she bolted, screaming as she bumped into poor Kento on her way out. The Ronin of Hardrock just stared at Sage and Cye in confusion, while Keisha started to laugh.

Ria watched Sara run. "I don't see why she ran off. All three of you guys are cute," she said. "There is no doubting that."

I sighed heavily. "Ria, it's not a big deal. You know how many times people have thought I was gay? I'm not. I'm just edgy around guys because of what happened between my parents," I said.

"Yeah, and people in Japan accused me of Cye being lovers because we hung out and went on camping trips together. Plus, he was living at my house with my family," said Kento.

"Where did you get that idea?" asked Cye, like he was hearing this for the first time.

Kento shrugged. "'Cause every time someone said that I told them I'd strangle them with their own intestines if they said it again," he said. "I thought you knew about that." Cye shook his head. "Oh. Well now you know."

Sage cleared his throat. "Whether or not they call you gay is beside the point. I have a gay uncle on my adopted mother's side of the family, and there's nothing wrong with him," he said. "Homosexuality is not something that shouldn't be made fun of. Some people just like the same gender in a sexual way, that's all."

Ria looked up at us. "Is that true?" she said.

"Yes!" said Sage. He stood up on the table and began to flail his arms around. This got the attention of a few people. "I bet that there's someone- a guy- out there that's right for you!"

"Maybe even your Wildfire in Shining Mystical Armor," I whispered to Ria, who blushed in response.

"You will find a heterosexual life partner some day, and you will be happily in love! Do not let her get in the way of who you are!" Sage said.

"Kid, get down off the table and shut up!" someone yelled. "You're a complete moron!"

Sage flipped the bird to the offender and sat down. "What does HE know?"

Keisha bit her lip. "Um, Sage, that was probably the wrong man to finger."

"Why?" asked Sage.

Rona and Sara took on identical looks of concern. When I looked in the direction of who it was, I suddenly realized why they were all so worried about Sage's act of defiance. "That's Mr. Wimbly. In a few weeks, he's going to be your principal, Sage" I rambled off.

Sage's eyes (well, the visible one, anyways) went bug-eyed and he looked like he choked. "Oops."

Ria sighed heavily. "Thanks for your words of encouragement, guys. My reputation as a straight woman might be ruined thanks to the human bicycle, but at least I feel better about it."

"Human bicycle?" asked Cye. "What does she-"

Kento coughed. "I believe that she's implying that everyone's been for a ride." Cye's mouth made an "o" and he quieted.

Rona sighed heavily, blinked, then looked at her watch. "Crap! I forgot that I have to baby-sit for my neighbor! Dad'll kill me if I don't get over there in time!" she said.

"Then why did you make plans to hang out with us?" I asked.

Rona laughed sheepishly. "Hey, I sat through a two and a half hour movie, didn't I? I was planning on leaving around this time anyways," she said before running out and waving her good-bye.

Cye stood up. "You know, I'd better go get Sara. She might be doing what Ria did and that can't be healthy," he said.

"Thanks for your concern," Ria added, standing up. She then put her hands over her stomach. "Then again, go get her. I don't think the sweet and sour chicken is agreeing with the triple-fudge sundae."

"They never do," said Kento. "I learned that one the hard way. Get to the bathroom and buy some good anti-acids on your way home." Ria nodded before running to the bathrooms with her hand over her mouth. Cye took that opportunity to look for Sara.

"Well, this day worked out well," said Sage. He sighed heavily. "I'm gonna go lick my wounds from that last stunt. I'll be at the docks by the aquarium if anyone needs me." With that, the sulky Flitteree headed off, his head hanging down and his shoulders drooped. If his wings were out, they would've been sagging, too. I watched him leave and walk towards the aquarium.

Keisha cleared her throat, looking at me. "Go after him," she insisted.

I blinked. "Why?"

Kento grinned. "'Cause you'll have the best luck at cheering him up, that's why."

"Why me?" I asked.

Hardrock of the Senshi began to tick off her fingers as she began to list of reasons. "Because you're both lightning bugs, you have some feelings for each other that neither one of you will admit, and it's the right thing to do because. . . because you're going to go talk to him!" she listed.

"Fine, fine, I'm going, I'm going!" I said. I went off after him.

~

After I arrived at the docks, I started to look for Sage and think over what Keisha had said. I knew we were both Halos, but the feelings? I knew I had some weird emotions about Sage, but did he have the same thoughts?

I decided to take a quick break and leaned up against a wood post. Let's see. . . when I think about Sage, I think about. . . Flitterees, hair, and his smile, and his laugh, and his butt, his Flitteree induced personality, warm sunsets on the beach, romantic candlelit dinners-

I stopped myself. These thought about beaches and candlelit dinners. . . what they heck was happening to me?!

Okay, I'll admit that when Trulpa kidnapped the boys after they finally figured out how to rid Cye of the whole Child of Destiny/Jewel of Death thing, I thought I loved him. After all was said and done with that, though, I wasn't so sure. Was I in love with him, or was it just my armor getting worried about him?

That was when I spotted him down the gangway, leaning up against the rope side rails and staring out at the ocean. I slowly made my way over to him, my stomach beginning to feel weird. Oh, c'mon, Sam, you've been alone with Sage before. . . why the butterflies know? Well, the times I'd been alone with him before weren't exactly casual situations, now were they?

"Sam?"

Sage caught me off guard by seeing me before I got over there. "Oh, uh, hi Sage."

"What are you doing here?" he inquired. Sage turned to look at me. "Is there something you wanted to talk about?"

I cleared my throat. "Well. . . um. . . about what you did. . . Mr. Wimbly. . . he's a jerk anyways. . . he shouldn't have said what he said. . ."

Sage raised his (visible) eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yeah!" I said. "Even after the majority of the school requested a student council, he denied it. And he used our fund raising money to fix up the conference rooms and the teacher's lounge when we wanted to use it to fix up the bathrooms and the cafeteria! Plus, he also has a few hired stool pigeons that bust kids up for some really stupid things." I grinned. "I'm actually kind of happy, now that I think about it, someone finally gave him the finger. He's going to be afraid of you, you know."

Sage laughed. "Really?" I nodded. "Well, I guess I showed him!"

"You sure did," I said. I laughed. "I'm sure that'll earn you a ton of respect amongst some of the kids in school."

"Yeah, the reputation as a troublemaker from the teachers and staff," said Sage. He sighed heavily. "I've always been the good child, too."

"Oh, everyone knows Mr. Wimbly a jackass," I said. "The teachers will probably just tell you that as long as you don't deface school property or do anything too-too bad you'll be fine."

Sage's eyes brightened. "Really?"

I nodded. "Feel better?" I asked.

Sage stepped a little closer and put a hand on my shoulder. "Yes, I do feel better."

"Good, I'm glad," I said. I looked into his eyes and smiled, placing the back of my hand against his cheek. "You're going to fit in just fine."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he said, laughing softly. Before either of us said anything else, the two of us just leaned in close to each other, closed our eyes, and kissed.