Chapter 9 for the best
Pain, that was her first thought as she woke, and then there was a hand, a hand holding hers and voices, so loud, so loud and sooo annoying, asking her questions, talking to her…
"Tori can you hear me?"
"Hey, you're ok, just take it easy."
"Move back, give her room."
"Dude talk about a big bandage."
"Dork." That was Shane wasn't' it?"
"What?" Oh yeah cause that was Dustin.
"She nearly drowns and all you can say is big…" Shane was going on annoyed with his friend. She was just in pain, her head thrumming with an ache she couldn't even pinpoint.
***
As the blue orbs slitted open Hunter felt his heart leap, was she really ok? Would she remember everything? Would she be ok?
"Will you guys quiet down some of us have headaches here?" She asked trying for a touch of sarcasm but ending it in a groan.
"Well, at least we know your you." Cam said shaking his head.
"Cam who else would I be?" Tori asked.
"You could have had amnesia." Hunter was pointing out and she looked up t him once more. He looked awful, she thought. The hair that had been combed when she'd driven him home that morning was a mess again, this time as if he'd run his hands through it time and time again.
"'Did we get attacked again?" Tori asked trying to figure out why she was there. She so couldn't remember it…
"No, why?" Cam asked.
"The last thing I remember was taking out the board." She admitted and her head ached harder every minute she tried to think.
"You had an accident on your board." Blake put in quietly. He'd been watching his big brother with Tori and there was something new there, not what he'd expected. It was not passion as much as an intangible thing.
"Oh," She closed her eyes. At least the city was not in dire danger.
"Tori?" Hunter asked leaning in close as Dustin and Shane continued to argue and Blake was lost in thought.
"Yeah?" She asked opening her eyes once more to peer into his concerned face.
"'Are you really ok?" He asked and his hand was brushing a stray tress from her pretty face.
"Yeah, yeah I really am." She managed to smile wanly and he looked at her a long moment before nodding.
"Right well I think she should get some rest." Cam broke in.
"Me too." Hunter agreed.
As she watched them file out Tori wanted to call out to Hunter, to ask him to stay with her but she didn't have the words, she just didn't know how…
***
"You're not staying?" Shane asked his friend as he, Dustin, Blake and hunter headed out into the morning light.
"No, she doesn't need me now." The navy thunder ranger told him as if it didn't matter.
"Blake…" Hunter spoke quietly and his brother was silent for a minute
"Maybe," Blake began, not sure what to say or even how he felt just then. "I don't know about the soul mate thing but I know you two have something that isn't even in our realm of understanding." The younger Bradley brother spoke slowly, as if with a great wisdom.
"But…" Hunter felt as if things were falling down around his head, because he was bound to Tori he was losing his baby brother. It wasn't fair and he didn't know what to do about it.
"Its ok bro, it can wait, you go in and do what eve you can." Blake said clapping a hand on his brother's shoulder. He gilt a sudden pang for him; he looked so confused and lost. That more than anything told him the truth; he did love Tori, or would soon. Hunter rarely ever got confused or scared. He was strong and brave beyond anyone else Blake had ever known.
"Right." Hunter said and they exchanged a look saying they'd talk later and Hunter headed back inside.
***
"Here, this should help you rest without the nuclear headache." Cyber-Cam told Tori as he slid the syringe into her upper arm.
"Thanks." She said grateful that she'd be free of these feelings, of this headache and everything causing it.
"No problem." The doppelganger replied and moved back to the control consol in the corner.
Tori lay there, staring up at the ceiling of the chamber, trying to sort out her feelings when she heard the sliding of fabric and then felt the hand on heirs.
"Hey," Hunter's deep voice murmured softly, as if not to add to her distress.
"Hey yourself," She tried to sit up a little more. "Thought you went on home." She said and he shook his head.
"No, I thought I'd hang a while, you know see if your really ok." He informed her. She felt the tears stinging the back of her eyes and wanted to outright cry.
"Oh, Hunter, you don't have to. I'm fine." She managed but his hand only squeezed her.
"Could have fooled me." He said and she looked into those mesmerizing eyes. Heavens had it really only been ad day since she'd not been able to read them? Since she'd not been able to see the strength, loss and confusion?
"You know you nearly gave me a heart attack when I felt the tugging on my mind." He said quietly and promptly at when Cyber-Cam brought him a stool.
"You felt a tug?" She asked a little surprised.
"Yeah, it was like a kind of rope or something like that." he admitted, remembering the terror that had gripped him at the thought of no longer feeling the soft presence that was humming in the back of his mind.
"The soul mate connection." Sensei said and Hunter nodded. "Well, then, it's a good thing it kicked in so quickly otherwise…"
"You knew about this?" They both turned to look at the Ginny pig that was now standing on the diagnostic table beside Tori's head.
"Yes, after you two got hit with that beam I suspected there was more than just attraction, you Hunter cared for her in more than a…" the Ninja master was speaking but Tori and Hunter were just so shell shocked, he'd known the whole time?
"She's my friend." Hunter said at last, uncertain what else to say.
"Yes and deep in your heart you love her, as she does you." The sage little creature said taking a seat beside Tori's shoulder.
"Oh, well…" What could either of them say to one another?
"It won't work Sensei." Tori began thinking of the rift this would cause between the brothers. "There's just too much involved, I mean look at Blake…"
"He will adjust." Sensei informed them as if it were already written as such.
"No, I won't come between them." She said and tried to get up but Hunter was pushing her back down.
"You won't, Tori, I told you it would be ok." The crimson clad young man mumbled, trying to calm her fears when he too shared them.
"But…" She argued as the dizzying feeling of the sedative kicked in.
"Just rest, we'll talk about this later." Hunter urged gently and he was now stroking her cheek, trying to soothe as much as be soothed.
"Hunter?" Tori asked, as her speech began to slur.
"Hmm?" He asked pressing a kiss to her knuckles as she was falling away, as the world was falling away…
"Stay… At least… For now?" She asked and
"You got it." He smiled and kissed her nose again.
***
Standing there, out on the rocks overlooking the bay Blake looked out over the water the town was name for. He had come back here after leaving Ninja ops. He needed to think and this had to do it. In the last day so much had happened, he'd gone from pursuing Tori to the truth, that there was more between the blond and his brother.
True, Blake had never really thought it could happen in a million years but the facts were all right there. Ok, yes he'd come to think of Tori as a little bit more than just a conquest but was she really worth losing his brother?
Was it all worth the pain of having his last link to their parents severed? The last family member turn from him? No, he couldn't' do that, as much at it stung he knew it was for the best. Besides maybe that was how it was meant to be, Tori as more of a sister to him than anything else?
"Thought I'd find you out here." Hunter said and Blake looked over at his brother, Hunter looked exhausted and Blake knew this was the right thing to do.
"Oh yeah hey bro." He said.
"How you doing?" Hunter asked and Blake shrugged.
"Better than Tori." He said honestly.
"She's not so bad," Hunter reminded him.
"Still in ops?" Blake asked picking up a pebble to toss out to the gulls.
"Yeah incase there are any problems."
"'Good, she needs to be watched over." Blake nodded to himself as a turn dove after the rock.
"Listen bro…" Hunter began but Blake cut him off.
"It's for the best you know." The younger brother said at last. "I don't know what happened with you two but I know you both deserve to be happy."
"Blake…" What could he say? Hunter hadn't expected this from his little brother, he was usually so Blake, but this was so mature…
"Besides it might be nice to have a sister." The blue clad young man tossed out another stone.
"Come on man we're not even twenty." Hunter laughed.
"Naw, you'll get hitched." Blake said knowing for some odd reason it was true, there was just something now when he saw his brother with Tori.
"What makes you say that?" Hunter asked and Blake dint' even have to think about it as he remembered how tender Hunter had been with Tori.
"Love bro, love."
TBC
***
There it is, in it's entirety. Well, all but the epilogue so go on and read it. *smiles*