Hey people! Sorry for the wait! I've actually had a life for da past coupla days!
Okay, review responses first…
Midgett; Okay! Okay! U pushy little muse you…
Karone-Sakura; well I'm glad u feel that way. You are special…
Tiamath; ah, we'll see about that, we'll see…
Elwing; you brought up an interesting point, but I think I kinda evened them all out (there's twelve freakin characters people!)
Also, thanks to Elwing, I've decided to leave this up to a vote. Should Jade have a boy or girl? You guys decide completely…
Jade
A month later it was obvious to everyone. Not even the ribbon kept my now humungous bulge from showing. I could feel the stares from a lot of the boys… maybe from Cassie too… but I couldn't be sure…
Jake pretty much explained to them that it was the damn H.Bs playing another trick on us. He didn't tell them about… he and I going… you know.
Sakura, because that's what we now just called her, led us to an abandoned Chinese house. It was fairly big, and had the sliding doors everywhere.
"This used to be the house of Yu" she explained as Jake and Amanda helped me to sit down against one of the walls inside "They were a powerful family, but when the war started far west, they lost many things. Soon, the family was slaughtered. The men in battle, and the women by the hands of their enemies"
"That's horrible" Rachel muttered, looking down at me. I looked up at her as she looked at Jake, and then walked off. Jake must've given her a look or something…
"Yes, quite. But it is where I come to think sometimes. It is a safe place" she said, smiling at me. We all settled down in different places in the room, mostly in pairs, some not, and Sakura and Robert went to get firewood or whatever for the small hearth or whatever that was in the middle of the room. I had a feeling Robert was really starting to like her…
"Are you ok?" Ithiell was suddenly in front of me, frowning a little.
"I'll live" I managed to smile up at him, and he ran a gentle hand through my hair, making me shiver a little, before leaving me to go and check on the others. Even now, even when we were all pretty hopeless anyway, Ithiell was still being the leader I know he was born to be… it gave me some sort of hope…
I watched as he went over to Ax and Rtaia, who were huddled together on the floor. I swear, those two were meant for each other… freaky aliens they were…
"Well, Ithiell took the words out of my mouth" Jake faked a laugh, sitting right beside me. His arm went slowly around my back, and the other was soon stroking my slightly exposed belly. My clothes had changed very slightly… but not enough to be a little more than embarrassing… my emotions ruled me these days…
Damn, I had baby brain! I couldn't even think straight!
"I'm all right Jake. Are you?"
"I could be worse"
"Oh Jake…" I sighed, leaning my head on his shoulder and wrapping my own arms around him from the side. I knew he still had to be the leader… had to be strong… but… I was here for him…
"I'm sick of this, that's all" he muttered, still playing with my tummy.
"I know. Gee, how do you think I feel?" I barked a laugh, and got a strange look from Tobias.
"I know. I wonder what it'll be?"
"Whatever it is, if those bastards try to take it…" I was suddenly filled with unexplainable anger, and something else too hard to explain. I wanted to protect my baby, not have it ripped from my body the moment it was introduced to the world…
Then I realised it… baby… I'd… I was actually bringing another life into this world!
I felt more emotions than I think I'd ever felt at once. Fear, joy, hatred… hurt… happiness… and so many others.
"Look, if they try to take it, they'll answer to me first" Jake's anger seemed to cut through all that, and I felt his grip tighten a little. I smiled a little.
"That's really comforting to hear Jake. And I know you'll do exactly that" I looked up at him, and he looked at me. I smiled, and he managed a hint of a smile.
We'd become a little uneasy with each other the past month or so, but that smile made me realise he really did care about me. He might even…
But my thoughts were lost again, and I cursed the dreaded symptom of baby brain in pregnancy.
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When I woke up I was cold. Jake wasn't behind me, and there was a hell of a lot more noise than there should have been. Footsteps walking hurriedly, but trying to be quietly, around the room. I realised the fire in the middle of the room was out, and there were more than one pair of legs that I saw rushing around the room.
"Where is it? Which way?"
"I don't know, I thought I just…"
"Over here! I just heard something coming from this place" whispered voices, and I managed to get to my knees, looking around to see Jake, Marco and Amanda were awake, and they were the ones walking around the room. Ithiell was standing quietly in a corner, his eyes closed. Listening? I guess. But to what I didn't know.
Jake and Marco nearly bumped into each other, then kind of shoved each other slightly aside as they passed, going to opposite ends of the room. Amanda didn't look like she knew what she was doing. I got up, listening as well.
I grabbed Amanda's arm when she went past me.
"What's going on?" I hissed.
"Someone… or something's… outside" she whispered, looking afraid. Jake and Marco came to us.
"Wake the others. But quietly. We might need them" Jake hissed. I nodded, and Amanda and I went to wake them up. Jake and Marco kept moving silently around the room, almost bumping into each other. Ithiell was still silent.
Clop-clop-cl
"Ax!" ten pairs of voices hissed. Ax soon stopped moving. Then I realised something. Sakura wasn't there. Neither, in fact, was Robert.
"Oh no… please don't…"
"Don't what?" Ithiell asked me. He was now beside me. I told him.
"Jiirrtittt ghuann!" he suddenly snapped in a low voice, and Rtaia said something to him. He said something back, and she shook her head, rolling her eyes. At least, I think she was rolling them…
I heard a clank of something, a swooshing sound, then it all erupted into madness.
(I am trapped!) Ax yelled. He was under a weighted net with Cassie and Rachel!
"Ithiell!" Jake cried. But Ithiell was on the ground, the end of a heavy staff being brought down on his head.
Left! Right! They were everywhere! Shadows that we couldn't see… couldn't fight!
"Shift!" Someone yelled, just as someone else yelled "Morph"
Right. Shift. In my condition.
Well, I guess I could shift my arms and legs and face…
I focused, firstly on changing my hands into claws. But… nothing happened!
I stared down at my hand, seeing I wasn't dreaming; I couldn't shift!
"I can't do it! Nothing's happening!" Someone's shrill cry as I dodged a blow that most likely could have knocked me out. But the act sent my body windmilling into a corner. I slammed against it, then turned to watch the madness!
Everyone! My friends… all fighting… but all loosing…
And I couldn't help them!
"TTTEEEEEEEYYYAAAAAA!" A yell, and all of a sudden, in the mists of the black shadows, came Sakura. She was wielding a sword. A samurai sword…
She struck the shadows hurting my friends! Downed them!
They… they cried out in pain? Hang on…
Then the whole scene came into focus, like when you have your eyes half closed, then open them all the way. These shadows… they were men dressed in black!
Sakura struck and struck and struck, and soon Robert was in the mix, going at it with all he had. And what was left of the men… vanished into the night.
Slowly, they went and checked on my friends. They were all ok.
Then Cassie and Jake were in front of me, both looking concerned.
"Are you ok? Did they hurt you at all?" Jake was nervous as he checked me over, even as blood gushed from a fresh wound on his cheek. Cassie soon took care of him for me.
I collapsed. I couldn't stop myself. My knees just refused to hold me up!
"Jade?" Sakura was suddenly kneeling beside me, checking my face and arms over for any scratches or whatever.
"I'm ok. They didn't hurt me" I managed to get out. But the scare… I just had to breathe deep… try not to panic too much…
"What… who the heck where they!" Amanda cried shrilly, and Ithiell was soon over there, holding her gently. Sakura frowned, then turned to my friends.
"They are mercenaries who call themselves the Black Daggers. They work for our enemy, and are skilled in many forms of martial arts. I am sorry you had the bad luck to meet them"
"Bad luck, jeez, that was more than bad luck…" Marco muttered, shaking his head.
"Bad luck! BAD LUCK! You want to know what bad luck is! I can't MORPH!" Rachel screamed, kicking clear through a delicate sliding door. She yanked her leg back in, infuriated.
"We couldn't shift either" I told her, looking at Amanda, then at Robert and Ithiell.
"Oh this is bad" Cassie said, her eyes wide.
"It seems… this is yet one more test by our unknown higher beings?" Rtaia surmised.
"No shit Sherlock" I snarled.
I was getting very, very, VERY pissed at these things. More so than I'd ever been in my life.
Heaven help them if we ever met.
I know, I know, it sucks! But… yeah… all questions and comments are appreciated! Review please, and if you do… I will give u tons and tons of cookies and cake and chocolate and ice-cream…
Okay, I lied. THEY'RE ALL MINE CAUSE I'M HUNGRY!
V; just give em the damn things…
Me; awright! Just twist my arm…
V; I didn't have to. I gave you chocolate chip ice-cream with cookies!
Me; oh YUM!
