Chapter 16: Truth & Insight
Tori woke up the next morning. Blake was still fast asleep. He looked so peaceful. She softly kissed him on the forehead and headed off to the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later she emerged from the bathroom after her shower. She went to get her light blue and white motocross shirt from her closet. Blake finally stirred awake. He was watching Tori pull her hair back into a ponytail. She looked so cute in nothing, but a motocross shirt. 'Cute didn't even describe her, sexy was more like it.' Blake thought. Tori felt a pair of chocolate brown eyes boring into her back. She turned to find Blake staring intently at her. "Its' nice to see that you are finally awake." She said as she sat beside him on her bed.
"Good morning to you too. Do you know how sexy you look in that shirt?" Blake whispered in her ear.
"I bet and my bike riding is a turn on too now right?" She asked in disbelief.
"Tor, you have no clue how much more sexier that makes you." Blake responded.
"Thanks, but flattery is not going work right now. I still have to meet Dustin at the track. He's too use to waking up this early and even though I won the bet, I'm still going to ride with him every morning. Want to come?" She asked as she went to the bathroom to finish getting dressed.
"No thanks, maybe later. I'm going to go back to my house and hang with Hunter for a bit."
"Okay. You'll find a spare key in the top drawer of my nightstand. Please lock up before you leave." She said as she gave him a quick kiss and then she left for the track.
Blake left about an hour later. He pulled up in his navy blue pick up truck and walked into his and Hunter's house. Blake found his brother in the kitchen drinking some hot cocoa and munching on a doughnut.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in." Hunter said as he looked up to see his brother enter the kitchen. "I assume your Valentine's evening went well." He added.
"Yes, it did." Blake said as he sat across from Hunter. "So, what's on the agenda for today?"
"Well, we're suppose to meet up at Ninja Ops for an important meeting. It probably has something to with Cam and Leann getting engaged." The elder of the Thunder brothers answered.
"I would have never guessed that him and Leann would be getting married, let alone date. I wonder what that will mean for the two academies." Blake wondered.
"I don't know, I guess we'll find out. Where's your girlfriend?" Hunter asked.
"She's out riding with Dustin. I guess those two are going to keep up with their morning ritual. You like riding with her, bro?"
"Huh, oh yeah. She's okay to ride with. She's come a long way you know." Hunter said as he smiled. He was thinking of the months the two spent together night riding. He liked riding with her. It was more relaxing than when he would ride with Blake or Dustin. Whenever he would ride with them, it was always a competitive thing whereas riding with Tori was calm, but fun. They would always sit off to the side of the track after riding and talk about everything and anything. Hunter was never really an open person, but whenever he was with Tori, she would always some how break down the barriers he put around himself.
Hunter sat at the table staring out into space. This did not go unnoticed by Blake. 'Wonder what's up with him.' Blake thought as he watched his brother find something fascinating on the wall. "Um bro, you okay? You seem a little distracted."
"Huh? Oh no, I'm fine. I was just thinking about yesterday and how Tori beat you." Hunter lied, but thought it would get Blake's mind off the fact that he just caught him in a daydream. "The look on your face was priceless!"
"Gee thanks bro, but that's cool. Honestly, I am so in love with her. She's perfect man! She's fine, nice, caring, athletic, and the girl can ride! I couldn't ask for more." Blake completed. His eyes had a playful gleam in them. You could tell that he was so in love with Tori and he had this smile on his face that he couldn't get rid of.
Hunter felt a weird tugging at his heart and a feeling in the pit of his stomach. His thoughts were running rampant. 'What in the heck is wrong with me, I should be happy for him and here I am having some sort of anxiety attack over my brother spilling out his guts about his girlfriend.' Blake looked to Hunter for a response and Hunter noticed. He decided to say something before Blake would start asking if he was okay again. "Yeah, that's nice man. Uh, what did you get her for Valentine's Day?" 'That was a safe question right?' Was Hunter's last thought before Blake responded.
As Hunter took another sip of his hot cocoa Blake answered, "I gave her a promise ring."
"Speeeeeeew!" Hunter had spit out his drink in Blake's face and said, "You what!"
Blake grabbed a napkin and began to wipe off the hot cocoa from his face. "I gave her a promise ring. Are you okay man, you are acting real weird today. Is there something that I should know?" Blake was now worried. Hunter had been acting differently today. First he was a little spacey then he looked a little anxious and now he spit his drink all over him. 'I must have missed something', Blake thought as he waited for Hunter to answer. "No, nothing is wrong bro. You are the one acting weird. I have never seen you go ga-ga for a girl before that's all." Hunter lied. "So, you are going to ask her to marry you huh?"
"Yeah, but don't tell her. I already bought the ring. I bought them at the same time. I wanted to see how she would react to the promise ring and since she liked it, I am going to ask her to marry me when I finish this tour. What do you think?"
"Um... I think that's great. It's getting late, why don't we get ready to head to Ninja Ops alright?" Hunter couldn't take any more of this conversation and got up from the table to head upstairs.
"Yeah, we better get ready." Blake said and left for his room also.
~*~*An Hour Later~*~*
Everyone was gathered at Ninja Ops. Shane, Dustin and Hunter were on one side of the table. Tori and Blake sat on the other end. Sensei was standing with Cam and Leann with his arms around them both. Sensei cleared his throat to get their attention. "Today I call you all here to announce the engagement of my son, Cameron and my dear friend's daughter, Leann. Their union will impact us all. After talking with Sensei Amano, we have come to an agreement to combine our schools together and call The Storm Academy. There will still be two locations to accommodate all the students however, the ways of the Wind, Thunder and Samurai ninjas will be taught at both schools. This will take affect by the end of the year since Cam and Leann have decided to have their wedding then. We have much to prepare for. Are there any questions?"
Dustin was the first to thrust his hand in the air. Sensei nodded towards him signaling him to speak. "Uh Sensei," he started as he scratched his head. "Can a person use more than one power? Like can I be an Earth ninja and learn the way of the Samurai?" Everyone looked at Dustin like he was crazy, but they all had to admit that was a good question.
"Dustin, it takes a lot of work and dedication to harness one power alone, but yes, one person can harness more than one power. Those individuals are far and few between. Anyone else have any questions?"
All the ninjas just exchanged looks with each other, but no one else seem to have any other questions. So, Sensei dismissed the group. Outside of Ninja Ops everyone gathered around Cam and Leann to congratulate the two.
"Congratulations Cam and Leann," Tori said as she hugged the two. As Tori finished hugging Cam, Leann noticed something sparkle and grabbed Tori's left hand.
"Ooh Tori, what is this?" Leann inquired. The rest of the group minus Hunter leaned forward to take a look.
Tori smiled and turned red. She let out a nervous giggle and bit down on her lower lip before she answered her. "It's a promise ring from Blake."
"Yahoo! Dudes that is so totally awesome!" Dustin commented.
"So, I guess this means you two will eventually being getting engaged too then huh?" Shane asked.
Blake placed his arm around Tori's waist and kissed her on the cheek. "Yup, I love this girl and I promise when I come back that she'll get the real deal. She deserves the best." Tori snuggled closer to Blake as Hunter finally got fed up. He couldn't take it anymore. He made up an excuse and left.
"I've gotta get to the store," and with that Hunter was gone.
"What's with him?" Leann asked the group.
Shane watched on and felt bad for his friend. Then he replied, "He's got a lot to do at the store. Kelly has been really workin' him to death plus the classes at school are a killer." Shane had made all that up, but he didn't want anyone to suspect anything.
"Well, we've got to run too. Tor and I are going to spend the rest of the day together since I leave tomorrow." Blake said as he started to lead her away from the group.
"Bye guys! See you bright and early at Blake and Hunter's tomorrow!" Tori said.
The group then parted ways. They would all meet up at the Bradley Brothers' House tomorrow to see Blake off. Shane decided to look for the other half of the duo and find Hunter. "Man, I hope Hunter is alright." Shane thought as he left to search for Hunter.
Tori woke up the next morning. Blake was still fast asleep. He looked so peaceful. She softly kissed him on the forehead and headed off to the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later she emerged from the bathroom after her shower. She went to get her light blue and white motocross shirt from her closet. Blake finally stirred awake. He was watching Tori pull her hair back into a ponytail. She looked so cute in nothing, but a motocross shirt. 'Cute didn't even describe her, sexy was more like it.' Blake thought. Tori felt a pair of chocolate brown eyes boring into her back. She turned to find Blake staring intently at her. "Its' nice to see that you are finally awake." She said as she sat beside him on her bed.
"Good morning to you too. Do you know how sexy you look in that shirt?" Blake whispered in her ear.
"I bet and my bike riding is a turn on too now right?" She asked in disbelief.
"Tor, you have no clue how much more sexier that makes you." Blake responded.
"Thanks, but flattery is not going work right now. I still have to meet Dustin at the track. He's too use to waking up this early and even though I won the bet, I'm still going to ride with him every morning. Want to come?" She asked as she went to the bathroom to finish getting dressed.
"No thanks, maybe later. I'm going to go back to my house and hang with Hunter for a bit."
"Okay. You'll find a spare key in the top drawer of my nightstand. Please lock up before you leave." She said as she gave him a quick kiss and then she left for the track.
Blake left about an hour later. He pulled up in his navy blue pick up truck and walked into his and Hunter's house. Blake found his brother in the kitchen drinking some hot cocoa and munching on a doughnut.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in." Hunter said as he looked up to see his brother enter the kitchen. "I assume your Valentine's evening went well." He added.
"Yes, it did." Blake said as he sat across from Hunter. "So, what's on the agenda for today?"
"Well, we're suppose to meet up at Ninja Ops for an important meeting. It probably has something to with Cam and Leann getting engaged." The elder of the Thunder brothers answered.
"I would have never guessed that him and Leann would be getting married, let alone date. I wonder what that will mean for the two academies." Blake wondered.
"I don't know, I guess we'll find out. Where's your girlfriend?" Hunter asked.
"She's out riding with Dustin. I guess those two are going to keep up with their morning ritual. You like riding with her, bro?"
"Huh, oh yeah. She's okay to ride with. She's come a long way you know." Hunter said as he smiled. He was thinking of the months the two spent together night riding. He liked riding with her. It was more relaxing than when he would ride with Blake or Dustin. Whenever he would ride with them, it was always a competitive thing whereas riding with Tori was calm, but fun. They would always sit off to the side of the track after riding and talk about everything and anything. Hunter was never really an open person, but whenever he was with Tori, she would always some how break down the barriers he put around himself.
Hunter sat at the table staring out into space. This did not go unnoticed by Blake. 'Wonder what's up with him.' Blake thought as he watched his brother find something fascinating on the wall. "Um bro, you okay? You seem a little distracted."
"Huh? Oh no, I'm fine. I was just thinking about yesterday and how Tori beat you." Hunter lied, but thought it would get Blake's mind off the fact that he just caught him in a daydream. "The look on your face was priceless!"
"Gee thanks bro, but that's cool. Honestly, I am so in love with her. She's perfect man! She's fine, nice, caring, athletic, and the girl can ride! I couldn't ask for more." Blake completed. His eyes had a playful gleam in them. You could tell that he was so in love with Tori and he had this smile on his face that he couldn't get rid of.
Hunter felt a weird tugging at his heart and a feeling in the pit of his stomach. His thoughts were running rampant. 'What in the heck is wrong with me, I should be happy for him and here I am having some sort of anxiety attack over my brother spilling out his guts about his girlfriend.' Blake looked to Hunter for a response and Hunter noticed. He decided to say something before Blake would start asking if he was okay again. "Yeah, that's nice man. Uh, what did you get her for Valentine's Day?" 'That was a safe question right?' Was Hunter's last thought before Blake responded.
As Hunter took another sip of his hot cocoa Blake answered, "I gave her a promise ring."
"Speeeeeeew!" Hunter had spit out his drink in Blake's face and said, "You what!"
Blake grabbed a napkin and began to wipe off the hot cocoa from his face. "I gave her a promise ring. Are you okay man, you are acting real weird today. Is there something that I should know?" Blake was now worried. Hunter had been acting differently today. First he was a little spacey then he looked a little anxious and now he spit his drink all over him. 'I must have missed something', Blake thought as he waited for Hunter to answer. "No, nothing is wrong bro. You are the one acting weird. I have never seen you go ga-ga for a girl before that's all." Hunter lied. "So, you are going to ask her to marry you huh?"
"Yeah, but don't tell her. I already bought the ring. I bought them at the same time. I wanted to see how she would react to the promise ring and since she liked it, I am going to ask her to marry me when I finish this tour. What do you think?"
"Um... I think that's great. It's getting late, why don't we get ready to head to Ninja Ops alright?" Hunter couldn't take any more of this conversation and got up from the table to head upstairs.
"Yeah, we better get ready." Blake said and left for his room also.
~*~*An Hour Later~*~*
Everyone was gathered at Ninja Ops. Shane, Dustin and Hunter were on one side of the table. Tori and Blake sat on the other end. Sensei was standing with Cam and Leann with his arms around them both. Sensei cleared his throat to get their attention. "Today I call you all here to announce the engagement of my son, Cameron and my dear friend's daughter, Leann. Their union will impact us all. After talking with Sensei Amano, we have come to an agreement to combine our schools together and call The Storm Academy. There will still be two locations to accommodate all the students however, the ways of the Wind, Thunder and Samurai ninjas will be taught at both schools. This will take affect by the end of the year since Cam and Leann have decided to have their wedding then. We have much to prepare for. Are there any questions?"
Dustin was the first to thrust his hand in the air. Sensei nodded towards him signaling him to speak. "Uh Sensei," he started as he scratched his head. "Can a person use more than one power? Like can I be an Earth ninja and learn the way of the Samurai?" Everyone looked at Dustin like he was crazy, but they all had to admit that was a good question.
"Dustin, it takes a lot of work and dedication to harness one power alone, but yes, one person can harness more than one power. Those individuals are far and few between. Anyone else have any questions?"
All the ninjas just exchanged looks with each other, but no one else seem to have any other questions. So, Sensei dismissed the group. Outside of Ninja Ops everyone gathered around Cam and Leann to congratulate the two.
"Congratulations Cam and Leann," Tori said as she hugged the two. As Tori finished hugging Cam, Leann noticed something sparkle and grabbed Tori's left hand.
"Ooh Tori, what is this?" Leann inquired. The rest of the group minus Hunter leaned forward to take a look.
Tori smiled and turned red. She let out a nervous giggle and bit down on her lower lip before she answered her. "It's a promise ring from Blake."
"Yahoo! Dudes that is so totally awesome!" Dustin commented.
"So, I guess this means you two will eventually being getting engaged too then huh?" Shane asked.
Blake placed his arm around Tori's waist and kissed her on the cheek. "Yup, I love this girl and I promise when I come back that she'll get the real deal. She deserves the best." Tori snuggled closer to Blake as Hunter finally got fed up. He couldn't take it anymore. He made up an excuse and left.
"I've gotta get to the store," and with that Hunter was gone.
"What's with him?" Leann asked the group.
Shane watched on and felt bad for his friend. Then he replied, "He's got a lot to do at the store. Kelly has been really workin' him to death plus the classes at school are a killer." Shane had made all that up, but he didn't want anyone to suspect anything.
"Well, we've got to run too. Tor and I are going to spend the rest of the day together since I leave tomorrow." Blake said as he started to lead her away from the group.
"Bye guys! See you bright and early at Blake and Hunter's tomorrow!" Tori said.
The group then parted ways. They would all meet up at the Bradley Brothers' House tomorrow to see Blake off. Shane decided to look for the other half of the duo and find Hunter. "Man, I hope Hunter is alright." Shane thought as he left to search for Hunter.