shout outs

Jorgitosbabe from Dana Grayson: I'm glad you liked the first chapter and I hope you like this one too.

Luciusz from Lady Lightspeed: It's 3:27 am so I hope this was fast enough for an update. Lady Lightspeed yawns

to mallisa from Dana Grayson" I love Hunter Tori fics too so we both hope this will be as fun for you to read as it is for us to write..

Chapter 2

That evening as Tori was leaving ER office to head home she was a little surprised to find Hunter lounging against the wall, just across from her door.

"It's almost seven I'd have thought you'd be gone."

"Thought we could grab a bite, you know catch up on old times."

"Oh well I don't know, I have to get home and pack for tomorrow." She said and she did, she would have to find a way to slide back into the happy go lucky kid she'd been, if a little more mature. It would be rough since she'd spent the last year trying to shake out of the beach bunny stereotype she'd been in school. Then there were the files and she'd have to look into find out about lightening ninjas and how their power would work. It was very possible that Hunter was right. The question would be who were they and why were they after them?

"I'll cook."

"Excuse me?"

"Come on tor, I know how much you love my fettuccini Hunter said and again she saw that sullen kid he used to be challenging her. "Besides, I brought info on lightening ninjas."

"Fine." She gave in with a sigh. If he already had info it would just be a waste of time to look it up because if he was as methodical about this as he'd been about avenging his parents there would be no stone unturned.

"Great we'll take my car." He said matter-of-factly and Tori frowned.

"Hunter if you drive you'll have to bring me back here later."

"Actually, I was thinking that I'll drive you home that way you can leave your car here, you know better security."

"That's silly I can…"

"Tor if you're going to fight me on every little thing this mission's going to be harder than cleaning sensei's old hamster cage."

Look I'm not trying to fight with you, I just…"

"Hey good I was hoping I wouldn't miss you." Justin called as he came running down the hall.

"What is it?" Tori immediately asked, going on full alert.

"Some guy hit your car." The blue clad young man said and Tori sighed with a glance at Hunter.

"Looks like you win."

Two and a half hours later Hunter was taking the noodles off the stove.

"You know it surprised me that you remembered I like pasta."

"I have a good memory."

"Besides Blake used to talk about you nonstop."

"Oh,"

"I am sorry that didn't work out for you to."

"Yeah." She murmured not wanting to think of why things hadn't worked out. No, she'd not think about finding her so-called boyfriend making out in the pit just after a race in Silver Hills. She'd not think about how he'd tried to play it down or how the red head had asked Blake if she was the beach bunny he'd broken up with back home.

"I was surprised he did that to you, I mean he really seemed to have feelings for you." Hunter said watching Tori out of the corner of his eye. She didn't look as starched as she had at the office. True she still wore the black slacks and the Azure blouse but her tie was gone and she'd let her hair down. He'd noticed on the ride there that she seemed to be much more restrained; her eyes seemed to have a shadow he'd never seen. He didn't like it and had thought that maybe it had partially been put there by his little brother.

"Alright which dressing did you want?"

"I make my own." He said and she glanced over at him, taking in his T-shirt clad form as he poured the pasta from the strainer into a serving bowl. It was odd that even as she was learning more and more about Hunter she didn't feel out of it. He didn't make a big deal about their having been friends before, no he just moved around her as if they'd always done so. It was kind of nice, she mused.

Nice too to have someone else to talk too after a long day in the trenches.

She then watched as he placed the bowl on the table and went back to the refrigerator for a bottle of olive oil, the vinegar and headed to the counter where a large spice rack sat. She couldn't see what he was doing but he probably didn't want her too otherwise he'd have told her what else he was adding to the mix.

"I called sensei Omeano and he told me everything he knew about the fifth breed of ninjas." Hunter began once they'd both taken a seat on either side of the breakfast bar. "Lightening ninjas like other ninjas get their power from within and so it would explain the focused power and lack of bruising or external damage to the three bodies." Tori took a sip of her iced tea and asked.

"Hunter?"

"Hmm?"

"In your time on Lothor's ship did you ever see anyone different, someone we never did?" The question seeming to have come from out of thin air stopped Hunter mid forking lettuce onto his fork.

"No why?"

"Well, if someone is trying to hurt us because of what we did to Lothor maybe you might have seen something, heard something…" She shrugged thoughtfully.

"You know I always did admire how your mind works." Hunter's lips quarked up at the corners in a mini smile.

"Well great minds think alike." She shrugged and waited for him to get back on topic.

"Alright, as to your question, no," Hunter murmured, stroking his chin with his free hand. "I don't remember ever seeing anyone other than Marah and Capri or his goons."

"I wonder…"

"What?"

"Well after our meeting today I did a little digging into the Mirinoi file and got to thinking that maybe Lothor might just have another family member we don't know She explained and paused to take a bit of ripe tomato. About."

"Wait, if he did wouldn't he have used he or she against us?" Hunter asked logically and Tori shrugged.

"Not necessarily, if the person was too young or too old they'd probably have been kept out of sight."

"That would make sense, but you know we shouldn't jump the gun, before we even get back to town, you know see for ourselves." Hunter said as he finished the last bite of his salad.

"Your right I was going a little conspiracy theory on you wasn't I?" Tori asked with a self deprecating laugh.

"Just a bit." He smirked a little, he'd never admit how nice it was to have someone to eat with again or to sort out his thoughts but it felt better than anything had in a long time.

"Sorry, I do that whenever I get going on an idea, you know like the game clue." She gestured with a slice of green pepper.

"Yeah Shane mentioned that he refused to play that if you were, never said why." Hunter laughed at his old friend's sour expression as he had

Made that admission.

"Now you know." She blushed a little and wiped her mouth with her napkin.

"Alright back to the lightening angle." Hunter said once he'd taken sometimes of the still hot noodles and cheese sauce.

"I think what we'd need to do is see the bodies first, be sure there was nothing that the medical examiner missed during the autopsy." Tori murmured thoughtfully and Hunter nodded. "The problem is Dr. Grayson usually does that on cases."

"Well since I'm going and have some experience in the field I'll have a look." Hunter said and Tori frowned.

"You have experience with medicine?"

"There's a lot about me you don't know." He smirked again and Tori had a feeling this trip would be anything but boring.

By the time he drove Tori back to her apartment and they'd made plans for him to pick her up at six the next morning it was after midnight and Tori was exhausted. Still she headed into her room and pulled out the old clothing she'd worn back when she'd been living in BlueBayHarbor, being nothing but a surf bunny. She might as well look the part if she had to play it right?

Just the thought of being taken as a chump had Tori gritting her teeth s she set the last pair of jams in her bag. The one good thing was she'd not be alone and it would be nice to see Dustin and Shane again. Thinking of that by itself let Tori slip into slip soon after locking her suitcase and setting it by her front door.

To Be Continued

Dana Grayson: Alright while we go sleep you know what to do, review review review… Z Z Z…

"Wacks Lady Lightspeed on the arm

Lady Lightspeed: good night or good morning everyone…