Hello everybody! Hm…well…I got two reviews. Better than none I guess! ^__^ Response is at the bottom. Enjoy the chapter!
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"Are you insane?" Jade asked. Sky and Kirin looked at each other, then at her.
"Come on," Kirin said. "What could go wrong?"
Jade crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Oh gee, I dunno" she commented sarcastically. "But water skiing isn't what I had in mind for a vacation."
"Your funeral." Kirin said.
"Yours more likely." Jade muttered. Climbing out of the boat, she stood on the dock in her black and blue swimsuit. Sky looked up at her.
"You're not coming?" she asked. Jade shook her head.
"Nah, think I'll just soak in the sun."
"Use sunscreen." Kirin grinned. "Wouldn't want to be as red as a tomato if you see 'Blondie' again."
Jade glared at him, while Sky hid her smile behind a slender hand.
"Okay," the older girl said. "We'll meet you for lunch."
"Whatever." Jade commented, walking away. Shaking his head, Kirin looked at Sky.
"You or me first?"
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"And why are you making me do this?" Bit asked, in a bored tone.
"Because," Leena answered. "I'm not allowed to walk for long distances by myself and –"
"Harry wasn't available?" Bit asked, grinning. Leena rewarded him with an icy death glare.
"You're an idiot." She muttered. Leena was about to add more comments to this, when a fit of coughing and splashing behind them caught both hers and Bit's attention. They turned, to see a short, well-built girl stumble out of the ocean, coughing.
"Go help her!" Leena hissed. Bit walked over, but was unsure of what to do.
"Uh…" he grimaced, and tried patting her back. The girl jumped away, her wide blue eyes even wider.
"Are you okay?" Bit asked, cautiously. The girl nodded, then began coughing again. Leena came over, concern in her violet eyes.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Tripped." The girl gasped. "Stupid hole. Couldn't see and couldn't get back up for a while." The girl was shaking. Leena put a hand on her shoulder.
"You should probably get back to the resort." She said. "Who are you with?"
"My brother and a friend. But they went water-skiing." The girl brushed a wet lock of hair out of her face. She was breathing a little more normally now and seemed to have a bit more control of herself. Bit frowned. She looked a little familiar, now that he could actually see her face.
"You want us to walk you back?" Leena was asking.
"No, I'm fine." The girl answered. "Right now, I just want a shower, thanks."
"You're sure?" Leena asked. The girl nodded.
"I'll be fine." She said. "Thanks…um…?"
"Leena Tauros."
"Jade Morgan."
Leena smiled. "This is my friend. Bit Cloud."
"Oh." Jade's cheeks went pink. "Are you okay now?"
Bit blinked in confusion, then he remembered. "Oh, yeah. Thanks."
Jade smiled shakily. "Nice meeting you." She murmured, then began to walk away.
"Are you okay now?" Leena echoed Jade's words in confusion. "Wait, is that the girl you were telling us about last night?"
"Yeah, I guess."
Leena raised her eyebrows. "Nice fifteen year old."
"Look, I had a headache, okay?" Bit grumbled. Leena just laughed and began walking the beach again.
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"A tournament?" Dr. Tauros looked at Brad doubtfully. "I don't know. It's a little soon-"
"Leena doesn't have to be in it." He said. Dr. Tauros raised an eyebrow.
"And what, pray tell," he commented. "Will we be telling her? I may be her father, but not even I can tell Leena not to compete unless she's strapped to a medical bed."
Jamie sighed. "That is a problem. But we're running low on reserves, Doc. It's not going to be long before we're deleted completely. And unless you plan on asking Leon for more money-"
"No." Dr. Tauros frowned, then sighed. "I guess you're both right." He ran his fingers through graying brown hair. "I wasn't thinking about it that's all. We do need the money."
There was a pause.
"So…?" Jamie said.
"Sign us up, I guess." Dr. Tauros stood. "And pray that Leena doesn't kill us when she finds out we've excluded her.
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"Hm." Kirin said. "Looks like somebody's sulking."
Jade glared at her older brother and threw the pillow she had been hugging. He laughed as he caught it and flopped down on the couch next to her.
"What's wrong sis?"
"Nothing." Jade answered tersely. Just made a fool of myself, that's all. She silently added.
"Oh?" Kirin raised an eyebrow. "It's okay J, you can tell me."
Jade shut off the TV and stood. "It's a…girl thing." She said, then walked to her room.
"Right." Kirin sighed. "A girl thing."
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Harry sighed with satisfaction as he entered his room. It had been rather gratifying to add that new gun to his Dark Horn. Now what he needed to do was clean-up before he went to see Leena.
Humming to himself, he turned away from the door…his mouth dropping in the process.
"Mary?" he asked. His older sister smiled.
"Hello, Harry! I thought I would visit Aunt Martha and I find that you're here! Mother and Father will be glad to know where you are." She said in a sickly sweet tone.
I bet they will. Harry thought with a grimace. "You never visit Aunt Martha. After she married Uncle Saul, Mother and Father thought them both 'beneath us'." He pointed out. Mary shrugged her slim shoulders as she sat.
"What have you been doing?" she asked, the smile gone and replaced by a dis-approving frown. "You smell and you're dirty."
"That's what happens when you work." Harry commented, crossing his arms stubbornly.
"Well, get cleaned up." Mary waved her hand at him. "And then get ready to leave."
"Pardon?"
"Get ready to leave." Mary said in a louder tone.
"I heard that part." Harry told her. "Why?"
"Mother and Father have decided it's time for you to come home." She said. "Settle down, get married and take over soon."
"No."
"Excuse me?"
"No." Harry's fists were clenched. "I am not doing that."
"Oh?" Mary raised an eyebrow. "I should tell you that Father is not going to be sending any more money."
"Fine." Harry snapped. "I'll make my own."
Mary burst into laughter. "How? It's not like you have any skills. And don't tell me that you plan to win it in Zoid battles. You've proven to be a total incompetent as a pilot."
Harry snorted. "Goes to show how much you know." He said. "I have won several tournaments and I have managed to stay in the fight."
"But not lately, hmm?" Mary asked, looking as she wanted to laugh at him.
Harry wanted snap something back, but he knew that she was right. After Leena's accident, his hearing had never fully returned, handi-capping him. To add to that, Benjamin and Sebastian had been destroyed in that fight and he never had the heart to re-build them.
"Then I'll be a mechanic or work computers." He muttered. "I can do that."
"And you won't come back?" Mary asked.
"No."
There was a silence. Mary was now standing, looking at her younger brother. They stayed that way for awhile, almost as if they were silently challenging each other to make the first move. A few moments later, Mary tore her blue eyes away from her brother.
"As you wish." She said softly, then walked to the door. Mary paused, then turned. "But Harry, Mother and Father won't give up so easily. If they have to drag you back kicking and screaming, they will."
"They can try." Harry said confidently. Mary shook her head almost sadly and left. As soon as she was gone, Harry sank onto the couch. Right now, he had to figure out what to do. How to get a job. Maybe he could sell his Zoids. That and the leftover allowance money he had should see him through for a good while. Maybe Aunt Martha would let him stay, if he promised to earn his keep. Shaking his head, he stood. He'd think about it after some sleep.
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Jade looked bleakly at her muffing and coffee. It's too early for breakfast. She stared at Sky and Kirin who were laughing and scowled. It's too early to be cheerful. Groaning, she slammed her head on the table.
"You okay, J?" Kirin asked, worry in his ice blue eyes.
"It's too early!!!" Jade moaned, her voice muffled by the table surface.
"I'm guessing you're not much of a morning person." Sky commented. Jade looked up.
"Gee," she commented. "Whatever gave you that idea?"
"What time did you go to bed last night?" the dark-haired woman asked.
"Same as you." Jade said defensively. "I just couldn't sleep."
"Why?" Kirin asked. Jade shot him a sour look.
"I don't know." She laid her head back on the table. "Don't mind me. I'm taking a nap."
Sky looked at Kirin. He sighed and shrugged.
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"Hey." Leena grabbed Bit's arm, nearly making him drop his tray of food. "It's that girl."
"Oh, so it is." He commented blandly. Leena made a face as they sat down.
"Why don't you go and talk to her?" she asked. Bit glanced at the girl, then back at his friend.
"Why?" he asked.
Leena shrugged. "I dunno. I just thought, that maybe…you liked her."
"Pardon?"
"Cut that out." Leena smacked his arm lightly. "You're starting to sound like Harry."
Bit grimaced. "I don't see why I should go talk to-"
"An extremely attractive girl you met in a very romantic circumstance?" Leena finished. Bit glared, but she waved it away. "Come on, Bit! It was romantic. Even Jamie thought so."
"Yeah well, Jamie's a-" Bit began, but Leena threw a napkin at him before he could finish his opinion of the Raynos pilot.
"Fine." Leena said, taking a bite of breakfast. "But you're just scared."
Bit rolled his sea-green eyes. "Right. Scared. Of some girl?"
"Yep." Leena waved her fork around. "Brad told me once that men will face death, charge into machine gun fire, but woe is the man that makes a fool of himself in front of a woman he likes. Apparently it's a fate worse than death."
"Look-"
"You're scared, Bit Cloud." Leena's violet eyes were dancing. "And you can't admit it."
Bit looked ready to commit murder right there and then, when Jamie and Brad joined them at the table.
"What's wrong?" Jamie asked, looking at Bit's face. "What'd you say Leena?"
"Me?" Leena looked completely innocent. "What makes you think-?"
"Whatever." Brad muttered. "What is she teasing you about Bit?"
"Nothing." Bit growled. "Let's just eat breakfast, okay?"
"You should go talk to Jade." Leena said, after a few moments.
"Who?" the three boys asked. Leena sweatdropped.
"Bit!" she shouted. "We met her yesterday and you can't even remember her name?!"
"Well, excuse me!" he shouted back.
Brad and Jamie sighed.
"Excuse me."
Everyone looked up to see Harry. He smiled.
"All right if I join you?"
"Yeah." Leena answered. Jamie scooted his chair over so that Harry could sit next to her.
"Thanks." Harry grabbed a chair from another table and sat down. "How's it going?"
"Pretty good." Brad answered neutrally. "You?"
Harry smiled and nodded.
"There's a lot more people here at the resort than at first." Jamie commented. Harry nodded again, seemingly not talkative.
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"Jade?" Sky shook the girl a little.
"Hmm?" Jade blinked her blue eyes. "Yeah?"
"Kirin and I are going to the hangar." Sky said. "You coming?"
Jade looked past Sky at her brother. He shook his head in the negative, and Jade tried not to smile.
"Nah." She said. "I think I'll stay out here for a while. I still have to eat this muffin anyway."
"Okay." Sky smiled. "Catch ya later."
"Bye." Jade waved.
"Thanks, sis." Kirin murmured as he left. Jade shook her head.
"Hopeless." She said, smiling.
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"She's alone." Leena said. "You should go talk to her now."
"About what?" Bit answered, in an exasperated way.
"I dunno." Leena shrugged.
"Ask her how she is, does she like the resort. Does she have a Zoid? If so, what type and are there any modifications? Does she battle? Does she like it? What about family?" Harry said. "Just make small talk."
Everyone stared. He looked at them. "What?"
"I don't believe this." Bit muttered. "I'm taking romantic advice from Harry Champ of all people."
"What?" Harry leaned forward, green eyes wide with curiosity.
"Nothing." Leena commented. "Bit's just being stupid."
"Oh."
Bit sighed. "You're obviously not going to leave me alone, so-" he stood. "I'm going."
Leena smiled.
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Jade picked at her muffin. She wasn't hungry either. Sighing, she pushed the plate away. Bit stood behind her, for once, at a loss for words.
"Not hungry?" he finally asked lightly. Jade spun around and looked up at him.
"Oh, Hi." She said shyly. "And no, I'm not. I'm not a morning person."
"Me neither." Bit admitted. "Can I-?"
"Oh, yeah. Go ahead."
Bit smiled and sat down. "Um, how are you?"
"Tired." Jade said. "But fine. What about you? That bruise looks like its fading."
"Yeah." Bit nodded.
"How did it happen?" Jade asked. "I mean, if you don't mind me-"
"No, that's okay." He said. "I wasn't paying attention and ended up hitting a tree root or something and um…ended up getting rammed into another one."
Jade's eyes were wide. "And you didn't see a doctor?" she asked.
"Didn't think I needed too."
Jade looked as if she was sure if she should laugh or scold. "Oh."
There was a pause.
"You didn't think you needed a doctor." Jade said.
"No…?"
She looked at him. "You're crazy."
"So I've been told." Bit commented. She smiled again.
"Are you a Zoid pilot?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"I figured." She said dryly.
"Hey!" Bit said in mock-offense. She laughed.
"Kidding. You own a Organoid, right?"
"You've done your homework, I see." Bit grinned.
"That's why your name sounded familiar." Jade said. "I'm a pilot too, but we're new-comers."
"We?"
"My brother Kirin and I. Our other team-mate is Sky Williams and she seems pretty experienced." Jade said. "We're here for the tournament."
"Maybe we'll meet each other." Bit said.
"Yeah, maybe." Jade said, looking down. There was a pause.
Bit looked around.
"It's nice here." He commented.
Jade nodded, but didn't offer any comment.
"Jade?"
"Yeah?" she looked up at him.
"Nothing." He said, not sure why he had said her name in the first place.
"Oh." Jade looked at the lake again. "It's so big."
"Not as big as the ocean." Bit said.
"You've seen the ocean?" Jade asked.
"Yeah."
Jade's eyes were wide. "What's it like?"
"Well, it's…really big. I mean, when you look at it, you feel really small and you realize just how big the world really is. It just stretches out as far as you can see, like there's no end to it. And when the sun hits it, it sparkles so bright, you can even look at it anymore."
"Wow." Jade sighed wistfully. "I've always wanted to go to the ocean. I love water."
"Really?" Bit asked. Jade nodded.
"Yeah. I just hate swimming."
Bit began to laugh. After a few moments, Jade did too.
"Pretty silly I guess." She said.
Bit shrugged. "Ever been on a water bike?"
"No." Jade shook her head. "And I don't think you should either, considering your record."
Bit rolled his eyes and she laughed again. "Okay, so would a boat be safe enough for you?"
"You're asking me to go out on the lake with you?" Jade asked.
"Yeah." Bit said. "Want to?"
Jade was quiet for a moment, then smiled. "Yeah, okay. Sounds like fun."
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Thunderstorm – Cool! I like that idea a lot. I will use it; but not till the later half probably. ^__^ Thank you.
December – Yup! There aren't enough around and I like them so much…Really? Good. *sighs with relief* And I'm glad you like the OC's. Me and my friend worked hard on making sure that they were realistic. Um, yes, he is deaf by the incident. I think it's brought up later, if not in this chapter. Oh, if you have any suggestions, plz tell me! Titling things is my major weak point. ^__^