Chapter 26: These Are The Days
It has been a month since Blake's "visit" to Tori and things seemed to be back to normal. Tori was back at the academy as a teacher and she was now training part time with Leann once a week. She was getting really good with the Thunder Blade and learning to harness the power of thunder pretty well. However, nowadays her powers weren't as strong as they were when she was pregnant, but Leann told her not to worry so much about it. Tori was also back to living in her apartment again. She didn't want to intrude in on Hunter's space and she wasn't sure if she was ready to move this fast with Hunter. She loved Hunter and she was so in love with him, but she was scared. It had nothing to do with guilt or whatever since Blake gave them his blessing, but for some reason something kept her from wanting to take that leap.
Tori was at the Wind Ninja Academy meditating on the water beside the waterfall as she usually did after teaching her class. She felt calm and at peace for the first time in a long time. She had her eyes closed and a smile on her face as the afternoon sun shone down on her beautiful features. She then sensed the presence of someone and slowly stood on the water and walked across towards the field of dirt and slowly opened her eyes.
Hunter had a smile on his face as he noticed his beautiful girlfriend meditating. He saw her approaching and he couldn't help, but smile all the more. "Hey gorgeous!"
Tori ran into Hunter's open arms and replied, "Hey handsome! Nice try sneaking up on me, but it didn't work."
Hunter planted a quick kiss on her lips and answered, "I wasn't trying to sneak up on you, I was just observing." He let out a light chuckle.
Tori flashed him her thousand-watt smile and flirtatiously replied, "If that's what you want to call it, then fine by me." She then ran off around the academy grounds.
Hunter let out a grunt and chased after her. As they were chasing each other around Cam was watching them from his office window, "Dad, do you think those two have it?"
Sensei walked up to his son's spot by the window and answered, "What do you mean by, 'have it'?"
"You know dad, do you think those two are connected by a tie or twists of fate?"
"Son, I cannot answer that, only time will tell."
Cam turned away from the window and took a seat at his desk. He looked at the picture that he had of Leann at his desk. "I wonder if we have it," he said aloud.
"That I cannot answer either my son. You will have to wait and see, but remember than you should not dwell on that."
"Yes father, you are correct."
"Now come on Cam, we still have a lot to plan before November."
Cam rolled his eyes and replied, "Yes father."
"And Cam..."
"Hmmm..."
"I saw that. A ninja can feel all and see all."
"Yes, father."
Back outside...
Tori hid behind a tree. She silently watched Hunter search for her then he suddenly disappeared. Tori was about to make a run for the next tree when she felt strong arms grab her around the waist from behind. "Ahh!"
"Gotcha!" Hunter said as he turned Tori around and captured her lips in a hot and passionate kiss.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and the two kissed for what seemed like forever. She felt chills run up and down her spine. The butterflies in her stomach were running rampant in her abdomen and her knees felt weak. Hunter then released his hold on her lips and trailed kisses around her neck as a soft moan escaped her lips. "Hunter, not here. Sensei or someone else might see us."
Hunter kissed her one last time on her lips and then said, "Okay, fine. I'll behave."
Tori straightened out her uniform and ran a hand through her hair. "Wow, where did that come from anyway?"
Hunter shrugged his shoulder and said, "I don't know, I thought that you needed a little excitement in your day."
Tori let out a chuckle and replied, "Ok, if you say so."
"So, you want to go riding tonight?"
"Yeah, I just want to run to my place real quick and change. Then I'll just meet you at your house, okay?" "Okay, do you want to stay at my place tonight?"
"Umm, I'm not sure," Tori answered nervously. She would have loved to, but for some reason she couldn't get herself to say, 'yes'.
"Uh, okay Tor. Are you feeling alright?"
"Umm, you know what, actually no. Why don't you go see if Dustin wants to go riding with you. I'm exhausted, maybe I over did it today or something."
Now Hunter was concerned, "Do you want me to drive you home?"
"No, that's okay. Why don't call me later." She planted a quick kiss on his cheek and ran across the academy grounds. "Bye, Hunter."
Hunter waved bye to Tori's retreating form, "Uh yeah, bye!" Hunter was confused. Tori was acting a little weird and she had been the last few days. "I guess, I will have to talk to Dustin about this," Hunter thought aloud as he headed over to his truck.
Hunter called Dustin and the two met at the track. The two rode around for an hour and were now sitting off to the side of the track. Hunter was staring out at the track as memories of the nights that he and Tori spent riding around filled his head. They weren't even a couple then, but somehow he missed the way things felt back then.
Dustin noticed Hunter's intense gaze on the track and decided to get his friend's attention, "So, how are things going between you and Tor?"
Hunter snapped out of his ride down memory lane and turned to answer Dustin, "Fine, I guess."
"Just fine or fine?"
Hunter flashed him a quirky look and answered, "Just fine."
"Well her birthday is around the corner, do you have anything planned for her?"
"Actually, I do. I want to give her a promise ring. What do you think, bro?"
"Umm, are you sure about that dude?" Dustin asked. He was just a little concerned that Tori may not be ready, but it was none of his business.
"Yeah, I know she's the one! Why do you think that it's too soon?" Hunter asked his goofy yet insightful friend.
"No, it's totally up to you what you do dude! Do whatever you feel is right." Dustin then got ready to get up since it was starting to get late. "Hey Dustin, wait! I have the ring already, do you want to at least see it?" Hunter asked as he too got up.
"Sure bro, of course."
Hunter took a black velvet box out of his pocket and opened it for Dustin to see. The box contained a white gold ring with a heart shaped ruby in the center. The ring was simple yet beautiful. Hunter smiled at the thought of how good this ring would look on Tori. "So dude, what do you think?"
"It looks great bro, I think she will like it. So, going to give this to her next week?"
"Yeah, after the surprise birthday party we are throwing her at my place."
"Cool. Well, we better get going man...I've got to call Marah when I get home. She loves to talk so, I don't want to be up all night."
"Yeah, I hear ya bro, let's go." The two then when their own separate ways home.
Dustin finally pulled up to his apartment complex and got out of his truck. He was about to go up to his floor when he noticed a lone figure sitting out on the beach. He walked up to the figure and sat next to them. "A penny for your thoughts?"
Tori took a deep breath and flashed a smile towards her old childhood friend. "Have you ever been afraid of loving someone?" Tori then turned her attention back towards the ocean. She was intently watching the waves lap onto shore.
Dustin placed an arm around Tori and gave her a side way hug. "Yes Tori, I have. It wasn't all that easy to let Marah in. She betrayed me, but I knew there was good somewhere inside of her. Once I saw that, I eventually forgave her. I love her Tor, she's great and I wouldn't change anything about us. Why, what are you afraid of?"
"I don't know Dustin. I love Hunter with all my heart, but I am so afraid that if I love him too much or if I go further into our relationship that something bad will happen. I don't think I can take losing another person that I love."
"Tori, I know Hunter loves you as much as you love him. You have got to get over this fear or you could someday lose him because of it and not because of anything else."
Tori let out a small chuckle and replied, "Dustin, when did you get so logical?"
Dustin let out a chuckle of his own, "After all these years, maybe some of you is rubbing off on me."
"If you say so. Well, I'm tired and Hunter should be calling me soon. What do you say we call it a night?"
Dustin got up and then he helped Tori up, "Yeah, I've got to call Marah. Good night Tor."
"Good night Dustin."
Tori walked into her apartment and turned her TV on. She sat on her couch and decided to call Hunter herself instead.
(Ring...ring...) "Hello."
"Hey Hunter..."
"Hey Tor, feeling any better?"
"Yeah, I just wanted to call you before I went to bed."
"Okay, do you want to hang at place tomorrow night, its Friday after all?"
"Umm...sure. We can rent some movies or something."
"Cool, I'll see you tomorrow then. I love you, Tori."
"I love you too Hunter, good night."
"Night."
Tori then went to her room and went to lie down on her bed. She looked up at the ceiling silently thinking of Blake, their son and finally Hunter before closing her eyes for the night.
It has been a month since Blake's "visit" to Tori and things seemed to be back to normal. Tori was back at the academy as a teacher and she was now training part time with Leann once a week. She was getting really good with the Thunder Blade and learning to harness the power of thunder pretty well. However, nowadays her powers weren't as strong as they were when she was pregnant, but Leann told her not to worry so much about it. Tori was also back to living in her apartment again. She didn't want to intrude in on Hunter's space and she wasn't sure if she was ready to move this fast with Hunter. She loved Hunter and she was so in love with him, but she was scared. It had nothing to do with guilt or whatever since Blake gave them his blessing, but for some reason something kept her from wanting to take that leap.
Tori was at the Wind Ninja Academy meditating on the water beside the waterfall as she usually did after teaching her class. She felt calm and at peace for the first time in a long time. She had her eyes closed and a smile on her face as the afternoon sun shone down on her beautiful features. She then sensed the presence of someone and slowly stood on the water and walked across towards the field of dirt and slowly opened her eyes.
Hunter had a smile on his face as he noticed his beautiful girlfriend meditating. He saw her approaching and he couldn't help, but smile all the more. "Hey gorgeous!"
Tori ran into Hunter's open arms and replied, "Hey handsome! Nice try sneaking up on me, but it didn't work."
Hunter planted a quick kiss on her lips and answered, "I wasn't trying to sneak up on you, I was just observing." He let out a light chuckle.
Tori flashed him her thousand-watt smile and flirtatiously replied, "If that's what you want to call it, then fine by me." She then ran off around the academy grounds.
Hunter let out a grunt and chased after her. As they were chasing each other around Cam was watching them from his office window, "Dad, do you think those two have it?"
Sensei walked up to his son's spot by the window and answered, "What do you mean by, 'have it'?"
"You know dad, do you think those two are connected by a tie or twists of fate?"
"Son, I cannot answer that, only time will tell."
Cam turned away from the window and took a seat at his desk. He looked at the picture that he had of Leann at his desk. "I wonder if we have it," he said aloud.
"That I cannot answer either my son. You will have to wait and see, but remember than you should not dwell on that."
"Yes father, you are correct."
"Now come on Cam, we still have a lot to plan before November."
Cam rolled his eyes and replied, "Yes father."
"And Cam..."
"Hmmm..."
"I saw that. A ninja can feel all and see all."
"Yes, father."
Back outside...
Tori hid behind a tree. She silently watched Hunter search for her then he suddenly disappeared. Tori was about to make a run for the next tree when she felt strong arms grab her around the waist from behind. "Ahh!"
"Gotcha!" Hunter said as he turned Tori around and captured her lips in a hot and passionate kiss.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and the two kissed for what seemed like forever. She felt chills run up and down her spine. The butterflies in her stomach were running rampant in her abdomen and her knees felt weak. Hunter then released his hold on her lips and trailed kisses around her neck as a soft moan escaped her lips. "Hunter, not here. Sensei or someone else might see us."
Hunter kissed her one last time on her lips and then said, "Okay, fine. I'll behave."
Tori straightened out her uniform and ran a hand through her hair. "Wow, where did that come from anyway?"
Hunter shrugged his shoulder and said, "I don't know, I thought that you needed a little excitement in your day."
Tori let out a chuckle and replied, "Ok, if you say so."
"So, you want to go riding tonight?"
"Yeah, I just want to run to my place real quick and change. Then I'll just meet you at your house, okay?" "Okay, do you want to stay at my place tonight?"
"Umm, I'm not sure," Tori answered nervously. She would have loved to, but for some reason she couldn't get herself to say, 'yes'.
"Uh, okay Tor. Are you feeling alright?"
"Umm, you know what, actually no. Why don't you go see if Dustin wants to go riding with you. I'm exhausted, maybe I over did it today or something."
Now Hunter was concerned, "Do you want me to drive you home?"
"No, that's okay. Why don't call me later." She planted a quick kiss on his cheek and ran across the academy grounds. "Bye, Hunter."
Hunter waved bye to Tori's retreating form, "Uh yeah, bye!" Hunter was confused. Tori was acting a little weird and she had been the last few days. "I guess, I will have to talk to Dustin about this," Hunter thought aloud as he headed over to his truck.
Hunter called Dustin and the two met at the track. The two rode around for an hour and were now sitting off to the side of the track. Hunter was staring out at the track as memories of the nights that he and Tori spent riding around filled his head. They weren't even a couple then, but somehow he missed the way things felt back then.
Dustin noticed Hunter's intense gaze on the track and decided to get his friend's attention, "So, how are things going between you and Tor?"
Hunter snapped out of his ride down memory lane and turned to answer Dustin, "Fine, I guess."
"Just fine or fine?"
Hunter flashed him a quirky look and answered, "Just fine."
"Well her birthday is around the corner, do you have anything planned for her?"
"Actually, I do. I want to give her a promise ring. What do you think, bro?"
"Umm, are you sure about that dude?" Dustin asked. He was just a little concerned that Tori may not be ready, but it was none of his business.
"Yeah, I know she's the one! Why do you think that it's too soon?" Hunter asked his goofy yet insightful friend.
"No, it's totally up to you what you do dude! Do whatever you feel is right." Dustin then got ready to get up since it was starting to get late. "Hey Dustin, wait! I have the ring already, do you want to at least see it?" Hunter asked as he too got up.
"Sure bro, of course."
Hunter took a black velvet box out of his pocket and opened it for Dustin to see. The box contained a white gold ring with a heart shaped ruby in the center. The ring was simple yet beautiful. Hunter smiled at the thought of how good this ring would look on Tori. "So dude, what do you think?"
"It looks great bro, I think she will like it. So, going to give this to her next week?"
"Yeah, after the surprise birthday party we are throwing her at my place."
"Cool. Well, we better get going man...I've got to call Marah when I get home. She loves to talk so, I don't want to be up all night."
"Yeah, I hear ya bro, let's go." The two then when their own separate ways home.
Dustin finally pulled up to his apartment complex and got out of his truck. He was about to go up to his floor when he noticed a lone figure sitting out on the beach. He walked up to the figure and sat next to them. "A penny for your thoughts?"
Tori took a deep breath and flashed a smile towards her old childhood friend. "Have you ever been afraid of loving someone?" Tori then turned her attention back towards the ocean. She was intently watching the waves lap onto shore.
Dustin placed an arm around Tori and gave her a side way hug. "Yes Tori, I have. It wasn't all that easy to let Marah in. She betrayed me, but I knew there was good somewhere inside of her. Once I saw that, I eventually forgave her. I love her Tor, she's great and I wouldn't change anything about us. Why, what are you afraid of?"
"I don't know Dustin. I love Hunter with all my heart, but I am so afraid that if I love him too much or if I go further into our relationship that something bad will happen. I don't think I can take losing another person that I love."
"Tori, I know Hunter loves you as much as you love him. You have got to get over this fear or you could someday lose him because of it and not because of anything else."
Tori let out a small chuckle and replied, "Dustin, when did you get so logical?"
Dustin let out a chuckle of his own, "After all these years, maybe some of you is rubbing off on me."
"If you say so. Well, I'm tired and Hunter should be calling me soon. What do you say we call it a night?"
Dustin got up and then he helped Tori up, "Yeah, I've got to call Marah. Good night Tor."
"Good night Dustin."
Tori walked into her apartment and turned her TV on. She sat on her couch and decided to call Hunter herself instead.
(Ring...ring...) "Hello."
"Hey Hunter..."
"Hey Tor, feeling any better?"
"Yeah, I just wanted to call you before I went to bed."
"Okay, do you want to hang at place tomorrow night, its Friday after all?"
"Umm...sure. We can rent some movies or something."
"Cool, I'll see you tomorrow then. I love you, Tori."
"I love you too Hunter, good night."
"Night."
Tori then went to her room and went to lie down on her bed. She looked up at the ceiling silently thinking of Blake, their son and finally Hunter before closing her eyes for the night.