Hey everyone, I'm back! I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to update. I
have been crazy busy lately. However, here are the next two chapters to my
fic. I will try to update weekly as I have done in the past. Thanks to
all those who have been reading this and reviewing! As always, you are all
awesome!
Chapter 20: Aftershock
It's been about a three months since Blake's death. There were two memorial services held for him; a private one at the Wind Ninja Academy and a public one held in Arizona the "home track" for Factory Blue. The media attention had finally started to settle a bit, but unfortunately the mystery for the cause of the plane crash had yet to be solved. All of the bodies and remains of the passengers had yet to be found however the investigators said it was pretty safe to assume that all on board had died on impact.
The group tried their best to move on with their daily lives. Cam and Leann continue to plan for their November wedding. Sensei Amano, Sensei Watanbe, Cam, Hunter, and Leann have been incredibly busy with the preparations for the merging of the two academies. Hunter has been spending more and more time at the Thunder Ninja Academy, but he still was living in Blue Bay Harbor. Him and Tori still spent a lot of time together whenever they were not busy. Tori was busy with her classes at the Academy, getting ready for college and she was secretly training at the Thunder Ninja Academy with Leann. Tori approached Leann in regards to training and harnessing this new power of hers not long after the incident at the beach with Hunter. However, Hunter nor anyone else knew of her training. Tori found this new power to be different and bizarre. She wanted to make sure that she could understand and control this power before telling anyone else about it. Shane was now dating Kapri. She helped him get through a lot of his emotions since Blake's death had hit him hard. He had lost Skyla nearly a year ago then to lose someone who was like a brother to him just was too much. So, Kapri was there for him every step of the way. Dustin and Marah were still together also. The four had become inseparable in the passing months.
It's Thursday afternoon and classes just ended at the Thunder Ninja Academy. A tired Hunter walks into the office that he shares with Leann. He plopped down into his leather chair and ran a hand through his dirty blond locks. He then rested his head in his hands that were upon his desk. He looked worst for wear as he had in the past few months. There was so much going on between the two academies and with Blake's death still somewhat fresh in his mind and in his heart. Hunter still couldn't believe that the last of his family was gone...really gone. Although he had the rest of the group, things just weren't the same. Hunter suddenly heard a knock on the door. "Come in," he said.
"Here is the new student roster and attendance sheets you asked for," the student that walked in had said. He placed the reports in front of Hunter and then walked out. 'Wow, the Head Master looks really bad, poor guy.' The student then continued down the long and narrow hall of the academy.
Hunter watched as the student walked in and out of his office. His eyes then fell upon a picture that was on his desk. It was a picture that he had brought from home to the academy not long after Blake's death. It was the picture of him, Blake and Tori in front of a tree at the Wind Ninja Academy. This picture meant so much to him since this was the picture that Blake gave to him before he left for Arizona to train for Factory Blue. Blake had told him that this picture was his favorite since the two most important people in his life were in it. It was ironic how Hunter felt the same way about the two people with him in the picture. Hunter took the framed picture and stared hard at it. Blake was truly gone and although he had everyone else around him, Tori was the one who truly helped him keep his head above water. The two were constantly there for each other. They continued to ride together every moment possible. They spent a lot of time together talking the nights away or just letting out their tears. The two had connected in so many ways that Hunter couldn't help, but fall more in love with the blond surfer turned motocross rider. Unfortunately, the timing of everything has forced him to keep his emotions to himself. The passing weeks had been hard on the two since Hunter had been spending so much time at the academy. He was coming home late so he had not seen Tori in at least a week or two. Hunter rubbed a finger over her face in the picture and said aloud, "Someday the timing will be right." He placed the picture back in its spot on his desk and decided to flip through the new student roster and attendance sheet. "Let's see here, 10 new students this month." As he skimmed through the names a particular one caught his eye, "Victoria Hanson," he said to himself. 'No wonder Tori has been so busy according to Shane and Dustin. I need to talk to Leann.' Hunter thought to himself. Hunter placed the report down and decided to walk around the grounds to search for Leann.
In the meantime...
Tori was sitting at her desk at the Wind Ninja Academy. Her, Shane and Dustin all shared one office in the main building of the academy. She was staring at a picture that Blake had given her. It was the same one he gave to Hunter before he left. Tori was staring off into space as all of her thoughts went swimming around in her head. She had missed Blake deeply and was still in shock that he truly was gone. In the passing months she had started training with Leann at the other academy. She liked learning something new and the ways of the Thunder Ninjas was very intriguing and interesting to her. She was also training in using the Thunder Blade. She was mastering that quite well and Leann has been trying to convince her to join in the annual Thunder Blade tournament. Tori had been feeling a little stressed out lately and her body felt fatigued. She was so busy with teaching classes at the Wind Ninja Academy, taking classes at the Thunder Ninja Academy, surfing and riding early mornings with Dustin, and just hanging out with the group. She had also missed Hunter. He had been so busy at the other academy that she had not seen him for about two weeks. She had a lot on her plate at the moment. Tori was sparked out of her reverie when the phone rang, "Thank you for calling the Wind Ninja Academy. This is Tori Hanson, how may I help you."
"Hey Tor, it's Leann. I just wanted to make sure that you were up to doing some more training on the Thunder Blade when I come up this weekend?"
"Yeah Leann, I've been working with it in my spare time."
"That's great Tor. So, what do you have planned for tomorrow evening?"
"Nothing, why?" Tori replied curiously into the phone
Leann smiled to herself as she answered, "Oh nothing. I was just making conversation."
"Sure Leann. Well, I will see you this weekend, bye."
"Bye."
As Leann closed her cell phone she felt a presence behind her, "You know Hunter it's not good to sneak up on people."
Hunter stopped dead in his tracks. "I hate when you do that."
Leann let out a small giggle. "So, what brings you out here since you are always cooped up in our office."
"Leann, since when was Tori a student at our academy?" The way Hunter had asked left no room for lies.
Leann looked to the ground and then into his eyes, "For about a month now."
Hunter was in shock, "Why didn't you two tell me anything. I know about her powers, I was there when she discovered it!" Hunter felt betrayed somehow. 'Why would Tori hide this from me?' He thought as he waited for Leann to reply.
Leann walked up to Hunter and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Look, this was just something that she had to figure out on her own. Please don't be mad. She meant no harm and she already feels bad for not telling you. No one in the group knows except for me. We are just trying to figure out why and where this other power of hers is coming from. Just give us the space and time and I promise there will be no more secrets."
Hunter calmed a little and flashed Leann a slight smile, "Okay, but no more secrets."
She saluted him and replied, "Yes sir!" The two both let out a chuckle. Then Leann asked, "Hey Hunter, you know I checked the schedule and I see that you are off tomorrow. So, what are you up to?"
Hunter let out another chuckle and replied, "If you really have to know, I am going back home tonight and I am going to surprise Tori. I haven't seen her in a week."
"Well, that's great! I think she misses you...a lot. I just got off the phone with her and she sounded like she was a little stressed or distracted."
Hunter crossed his arms in front of him and replied, "Yeah, well, aren't we all?"
"I would have to agree with you there. Look Hunter, I know that you have feelings for Tori. It's completely obvious."
"Leann, my bro just passed away a few months ago. The timing couldn't be worse for me to even tell Tori how I feel. So, what are you suggesting?"
Leann felt bad for starting the conversation, but she just had to know how Hunter felt about Tori especially after Blake's death. "I am not suggesting anything. It's completely up to you. I think you two will end up together once everything settles, like you said when the timing is right. Just continue to be there for each other and I am pretty sure she will reciprocate the same feelings in time." Leann then walked up to Hunter and gave him a quick hug. "Well, I better let you get ready to go back to Blue Bay Harbor. Have a good time." She then walked back towards the academy.
"Thanks Leann!" Hunter replied to her retreating form. "Well better get this show on the road." Hunter then walked towards the academy himself to grab his stuff and return home.
Chapter 20: Aftershock
It's been about a three months since Blake's death. There were two memorial services held for him; a private one at the Wind Ninja Academy and a public one held in Arizona the "home track" for Factory Blue. The media attention had finally started to settle a bit, but unfortunately the mystery for the cause of the plane crash had yet to be solved. All of the bodies and remains of the passengers had yet to be found however the investigators said it was pretty safe to assume that all on board had died on impact.
The group tried their best to move on with their daily lives. Cam and Leann continue to plan for their November wedding. Sensei Amano, Sensei Watanbe, Cam, Hunter, and Leann have been incredibly busy with the preparations for the merging of the two academies. Hunter has been spending more and more time at the Thunder Ninja Academy, but he still was living in Blue Bay Harbor. Him and Tori still spent a lot of time together whenever they were not busy. Tori was busy with her classes at the Academy, getting ready for college and she was secretly training at the Thunder Ninja Academy with Leann. Tori approached Leann in regards to training and harnessing this new power of hers not long after the incident at the beach with Hunter. However, Hunter nor anyone else knew of her training. Tori found this new power to be different and bizarre. She wanted to make sure that she could understand and control this power before telling anyone else about it. Shane was now dating Kapri. She helped him get through a lot of his emotions since Blake's death had hit him hard. He had lost Skyla nearly a year ago then to lose someone who was like a brother to him just was too much. So, Kapri was there for him every step of the way. Dustin and Marah were still together also. The four had become inseparable in the passing months.
It's Thursday afternoon and classes just ended at the Thunder Ninja Academy. A tired Hunter walks into the office that he shares with Leann. He plopped down into his leather chair and ran a hand through his dirty blond locks. He then rested his head in his hands that were upon his desk. He looked worst for wear as he had in the past few months. There was so much going on between the two academies and with Blake's death still somewhat fresh in his mind and in his heart. Hunter still couldn't believe that the last of his family was gone...really gone. Although he had the rest of the group, things just weren't the same. Hunter suddenly heard a knock on the door. "Come in," he said.
"Here is the new student roster and attendance sheets you asked for," the student that walked in had said. He placed the reports in front of Hunter and then walked out. 'Wow, the Head Master looks really bad, poor guy.' The student then continued down the long and narrow hall of the academy.
Hunter watched as the student walked in and out of his office. His eyes then fell upon a picture that was on his desk. It was a picture that he had brought from home to the academy not long after Blake's death. It was the picture of him, Blake and Tori in front of a tree at the Wind Ninja Academy. This picture meant so much to him since this was the picture that Blake gave to him before he left for Arizona to train for Factory Blue. Blake had told him that this picture was his favorite since the two most important people in his life were in it. It was ironic how Hunter felt the same way about the two people with him in the picture. Hunter took the framed picture and stared hard at it. Blake was truly gone and although he had everyone else around him, Tori was the one who truly helped him keep his head above water. The two were constantly there for each other. They continued to ride together every moment possible. They spent a lot of time together talking the nights away or just letting out their tears. The two had connected in so many ways that Hunter couldn't help, but fall more in love with the blond surfer turned motocross rider. Unfortunately, the timing of everything has forced him to keep his emotions to himself. The passing weeks had been hard on the two since Hunter had been spending so much time at the academy. He was coming home late so he had not seen Tori in at least a week or two. Hunter rubbed a finger over her face in the picture and said aloud, "Someday the timing will be right." He placed the picture back in its spot on his desk and decided to flip through the new student roster and attendance sheet. "Let's see here, 10 new students this month." As he skimmed through the names a particular one caught his eye, "Victoria Hanson," he said to himself. 'No wonder Tori has been so busy according to Shane and Dustin. I need to talk to Leann.' Hunter thought to himself. Hunter placed the report down and decided to walk around the grounds to search for Leann.
In the meantime...
Tori was sitting at her desk at the Wind Ninja Academy. Her, Shane and Dustin all shared one office in the main building of the academy. She was staring at a picture that Blake had given her. It was the same one he gave to Hunter before he left. Tori was staring off into space as all of her thoughts went swimming around in her head. She had missed Blake deeply and was still in shock that he truly was gone. In the passing months she had started training with Leann at the other academy. She liked learning something new and the ways of the Thunder Ninjas was very intriguing and interesting to her. She was also training in using the Thunder Blade. She was mastering that quite well and Leann has been trying to convince her to join in the annual Thunder Blade tournament. Tori had been feeling a little stressed out lately and her body felt fatigued. She was so busy with teaching classes at the Wind Ninja Academy, taking classes at the Thunder Ninja Academy, surfing and riding early mornings with Dustin, and just hanging out with the group. She had also missed Hunter. He had been so busy at the other academy that she had not seen him for about two weeks. She had a lot on her plate at the moment. Tori was sparked out of her reverie when the phone rang, "Thank you for calling the Wind Ninja Academy. This is Tori Hanson, how may I help you."
"Hey Tor, it's Leann. I just wanted to make sure that you were up to doing some more training on the Thunder Blade when I come up this weekend?"
"Yeah Leann, I've been working with it in my spare time."
"That's great Tor. So, what do you have planned for tomorrow evening?"
"Nothing, why?" Tori replied curiously into the phone
Leann smiled to herself as she answered, "Oh nothing. I was just making conversation."
"Sure Leann. Well, I will see you this weekend, bye."
"Bye."
As Leann closed her cell phone she felt a presence behind her, "You know Hunter it's not good to sneak up on people."
Hunter stopped dead in his tracks. "I hate when you do that."
Leann let out a small giggle. "So, what brings you out here since you are always cooped up in our office."
"Leann, since when was Tori a student at our academy?" The way Hunter had asked left no room for lies.
Leann looked to the ground and then into his eyes, "For about a month now."
Hunter was in shock, "Why didn't you two tell me anything. I know about her powers, I was there when she discovered it!" Hunter felt betrayed somehow. 'Why would Tori hide this from me?' He thought as he waited for Leann to reply.
Leann walked up to Hunter and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Look, this was just something that she had to figure out on her own. Please don't be mad. She meant no harm and she already feels bad for not telling you. No one in the group knows except for me. We are just trying to figure out why and where this other power of hers is coming from. Just give us the space and time and I promise there will be no more secrets."
Hunter calmed a little and flashed Leann a slight smile, "Okay, but no more secrets."
She saluted him and replied, "Yes sir!" The two both let out a chuckle. Then Leann asked, "Hey Hunter, you know I checked the schedule and I see that you are off tomorrow. So, what are you up to?"
Hunter let out another chuckle and replied, "If you really have to know, I am going back home tonight and I am going to surprise Tori. I haven't seen her in a week."
"Well, that's great! I think she misses you...a lot. I just got off the phone with her and she sounded like she was a little stressed or distracted."
Hunter crossed his arms in front of him and replied, "Yeah, well, aren't we all?"
"I would have to agree with you there. Look Hunter, I know that you have feelings for Tori. It's completely obvious."
"Leann, my bro just passed away a few months ago. The timing couldn't be worse for me to even tell Tori how I feel. So, what are you suggesting?"
Leann felt bad for starting the conversation, but she just had to know how Hunter felt about Tori especially after Blake's death. "I am not suggesting anything. It's completely up to you. I think you two will end up together once everything settles, like you said when the timing is right. Just continue to be there for each other and I am pretty sure she will reciprocate the same feelings in time." Leann then walked up to Hunter and gave him a quick hug. "Well, I better let you get ready to go back to Blue Bay Harbor. Have a good time." She then walked back towards the academy.
"Thanks Leann!" Hunter replied to her retreating form. "Well better get this show on the road." Hunter then walked towards the academy himself to grab his stuff and return home.