Two Sides to Everything
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Jak trilogy of games, they belong to Naughty Dog. The only things I own are my original characters like Colle and Zack.
Sushi: I have finally finished chapter 10! It took me two weeks to write it and then have it all typed. Right now I'm having a prom issue. I really want to go but have yet to ask my mom. It's not cheap either. Enough chatting about my little life, on with the story. There have been many changes to this from the original.
(A/N: This chapter and the next will be almost without action, there will be a summary at the end of each chapter after chapter twelve gining some insight of the chapters to come.)
Chapter 11: What Training?
The next two days passed by solomly. Jak had gotten down in the dumps once the fact that Ashelin was missing finally sunk in. He spent hours either with Vin talking of the possible places she could be or arguing with Torn over the slightest thing.
One afternoon Jak made a visit to HQ in the New Haven area of the city. Colle had gone with him. Jak looked over the same map again and again until he heard a conversation over near where Colle had been sitting. It was stupid really to be listening to them when he should have been looking for Ashelin.
"You must be the distraction I keep hearing about from Torn." A woman with short dark red hair walked over and stood looking down at Colle. She was smiling meaning she hadn't been trying to be mean when speaking.
"I suppose you're right. My name's Colle." She had left Zack with Daxter at the Naughty Ottsel. He had wanted to stay there. He said it got boring just sitting all day. Standing up she held out her hand.
"Name's Mora. I suppose I also have you to thank for all of the extra assignments I've recieved. Don't worry, it's not a bad thing. I kind of enjoyed them." Seeing the guilty look on the young girls face. "Torn had been training me himself and he told me that the best way to get stronger is to fight your enemies and learn from them. I see you've also been getting some lessons."
"I have. I'm really not too good at the whole hand-to-hand thing. I fight better with a gun." Colle hadn't left her morph gun anywhere since the incident at the rosrucerps' hide out.
"You won't always have a gun around to protect you. You need to learn to fight." Mora seemed to be thinking of something. "I know, why don't you train with me for a day. You can bring glow boy over there. It's not heathly to stand around looking at maps and computers all hours of the day. What do you say?"
"That would be great. I'll go ask Jak if he wants to come." Colle hadn't been around another woman in over two weeks. Not that she didn't like Jak or her little brother, she cared about them greatly, but things just got old after awhile. Now she could have someone to talk to other than Jak. Whom of which was still hovering over the same map. "Jak?"
"Hmmm?" Not really paying attention any more.
"You want to come with us? We're going outside. I would be good for you to get some freash air."
"I'm fine. You go on ahead. I have to keep looking." He replyed in a hollow voice.
"No you're not. You've hardly slept and you haven't eatten a thing. You're going to make yourself sick and then you won't be of any use to Ashelin. You're coming with us." It was now her turn to feel bad for him, though she was much better at hiding it than he was. "Listen, I'll help you find her. I'll even help you find this Precursor Stone you're looking for, but right now you need to take care of yourself."
"Thanks." That was all he said as he left with the two of then and headed for the Naughty Ottsel to pick up Zack and Daxter. Then they all went to Haven Forest.
Training continued for hours until Colle could no longer stand it.
"I have to rest. I don't know how you two can go for so long." Sitting down on the brick wall that surrounded the large tree of the forest.
"You're just not in shape." Jak replied smiling to himself. The fresh air had done wonders for him. His mood had grown better. In the back of his mind, though, something was telling him to not flurt with this girl he had his own priorities and they were telling him to go find Ashelin.
"I'll have you know that I'm in great shape. Back home I'd walk for two hours everyday." She said matter-of-factly. Meanwhile Mora and Daxter were sitting away from the two as they took their own break. Zack was off somewhere playing on Jak's jet board.
"I have a question." Mora whispered to the ottsel. "Do those two, you know, like eachother or something?"
"Yeah, but they're both too stubburn to see for themselves. They would never admit it." Daxter guessed something had happened between the two of them, but either were too afraid to talk about it or they were unsure themselves what evactly was going on. He on the other hand knew better than anyone. Jak had never been this involved. He hardly ever said more than a few words to anybody. This girl that they had found in the middle of the desert had changed all of that.
Back to the 'arguing' couple, they hadn't gotten much farther. "If you call getting into shape sitting on your butt all the time playing this so called game of yours them I'm sure you're the healthiest person alive."
"I only play those games for a reason, remember?"
"Reasons that you no longer have to worry about." Jak had become somewhat protective of this girl's feelings over the time he had gotten to know her. He knew now that with her brother back, Colle would be able to live her life the way it was meant to be lived. He would see to that himself.
With Jak's last comment, Colle thought of something she hadn't realised. 'What if I do have to go back home? What's going to happen then?'
"This is rediculous." Jak looked through his things hoping to find his communicator.
"What?" Colle had gone to get water at the lake.
"My communicator. I had some questions for Vin. It seems that everytime I need time to relaxe everything's in chaos. When I have time to relaxe, I have to do something."
"Funny how things work out isn't it?"
"It's histarical." Jak couldn't help himself from laughing a little. This girl had done something to him. He smiled more with her around and he enjoyed himself more. He then realized he had been stairing at her. Jak turned away and tried to think of something else. He couldn't like this girl when he was in love with Ashelin.
Colle noticed but said nothing of it. She had a small smile on her lips. She realised Jak was a little embarassed and changed the topic for his benifit. "How are we going to get Zack? We don't even know where to look."
"We'll have some help. Vin can find anything anywhere." Jak relaxed. He unpacked everyone's lunch and started eating.
"Did you notice that it has gotten quiet?"
"Now that you mention it, where are Dax and Zack?" Jak asked while swollowing bread.
"I don't know." Colle ate her lunch, but somwthing was eating at the back of her mind. Daxter was up to something and he had an acomplise. She looked over at Mora sitting under the tree a few feet away. She was talking on her comm. "I'm getting a bad feeling about this." She whispered to Jak.
"Hey, guys. Torn just called. I have to go." Mora turned off her comm. and shuved it in her pocket.
"It was nice to meet you, Mora. By the way, have you seen Daxter anywhere?" When Colle asked, she noticed Mora's eyes. She looked as if she was going to start laughing. What in the world was going on with these people!
"Nope. Haven't got a clue where he is. Anyway, I've got to go." She walked arround the cornor and was gone.
"That was weird, did you see-? Where did this come from?" Jak found his comm. It was lying right beside him. It wasn't there a second ago.
"Do you have the feeling that we're about to be the fools of some big joke?" Colle looked around her becoming more paranoid by the second.
"Yep." It was as simple as that.
Mora snuck through the bushes and trees to meet up with Daxter. It was now or never. This would bring the two 'love birds' out in the open. She couldn't wait. Now all she had to do was find Daxter then the plan would be in motion.
"Over here." Daxter stepped out of the bushes with Zack close behind.
"What's the plan?"
"It's already in action." Daxter had an unnearvingly confident grin on his furry face.
"That was quick. What do I do?"
"Sit back and enjoy the show. It should be starting shortly." Seconds later a rumble passed through the ground. One the cliff's edge not far from where they were, rocks crumbeled to the forest floor below. "That should get their attention." Something then happened that Daxter hadn't meant to. Metal heads began to crawl into Haven Forest. "That wasn't part of the plan."
Five grunt metal heads crawled over the fallen rubble. They weren't your ordinary metal heads. Spikes protruded from their backs. Their eyes were glowing a bright red. The first one walked toward the two under the large tree.
Jak stepped forward. He could handel them easily. He stepped forward ready for the fight to come.
"Wait." Colle placed her hand on his shoulder to stop him. "I want a try. It looks like they only want to fight one on one." She was right. The other four kept back when one walked forward from the others.
"No. You haven't had enough practice. Those things could rip you apart."
"How did 'you' become a good fighter? You fought off enemies. If you don't let me do this now, then how am I supposed to get any better?" Anger was begining to show in her eyes.
"I didn't have anyone to show me how to do anything. All I had was something worth fighting for. That kept me alive all these years." As soon as he said that he wished that he hadn't.
"You had something worth fighting for? You think revenge is more important than trying to protect someone you care about?" Colle wanted to hit something. Jak could be so heartless! Colle turned back to the grunts. They had been watching the two of them the whole time. Since when did metal heads fight fairly? "This is mine. If you interfear then I'm through. I'm leaving, I'll find that Precursor Stone on my own."
"Colle, you're being reckless! You could be killed." Jak couldn't stand this. Why did she have to be so stubborn! Jak took out his Vulcan Fury and loaded it quickly. He wasn't going to let Colle take them alone. Even he had help at soom point or another.
Colle remembered the moves she had learned earlier that day. One thing she liked about living in this world was that it's people were very flexable. It helped her a lot. She had yet to fight a real weapons free battle. She ran up to the first grunt. It was ready for her. Colle kicked it square in the face as it got ready to charge her. The grunt fell backwards.
Colle jumped out of the way when the grunt made another charge. This time she was able to get behind it. With a well placed spin kick the first grunt fell to the ground unmoving.
"See. It only takes practice. I can handel myself." She smirked at Jak taking her eyes from the remaining metal heads.
"Colle!" The other four metal heads jumped into battle. Jak took aim at one of them, but he couldn't fire. They were too close to Colle. He might miss and hit her. He wouldn't risk that.
"So much for fighting fairly!" Colle hit one of the grunts away from her. The other grunts surrounded her ready to pounce. Colle was unable to do anything right after she had attacked the grunt before. She didn't have any time to recover.
Jak took his chances with the Fury and fired at the metal heads. He was able to kill two of them before the got to Colle. He wasn't fast enough to get the other two.
The last two metal heads clawed at Colle. She screamed as one tried to dig it's claws into her arm. A gash formed across her lower arm were the claws had been. The other grunt swipped at her legs wanting to make her fall. Fortunatly, Jak came in and fought them off. The spikes on their back rubbing against the palm of his hand. Colle held her arm and watched as Jak finished off the final two grunts.
Jak looked at his hand from where the spikes had hit him. No real damage. Jak walked over to where Colle was sitting on the grass. "You okay?" He knelt down to look at her arm. When he touched her she pulled away.
"Stop it." She was ashamed. She thought she could take the weaker meatal heads. In the game it had looked so easy. She had humiliated herself infront of Jak. "You don't have to say anything." She sounded so misirable.
Jak sighed then sat down. "I know what's it's like. You want to go out and do things on your own."
"I should've listened to you. Now look at me." The burning feel of tears began to form at the edge of Colle's eyes. She wasn't going to cry. She had learned to deal with pain along time ago. The only thing hurt now was her pride. She would feel even worse if Jak saw her that way. It was bad enough now.
"Don't take it so hard. You didn't do half bad." Jak knew what she was going through for once. He had to learn to fight somehow and it wasn't easy.
"I was horrible. I shouldn't have said those things to you. I'm sorry." It was getting harder to keep from crying. Ashelin wouldn't have needed help. It was another reason why she would lose Jak to her.
"It's normal. It proves you have what it takes to be a better warrior." Jak tried again to look at Colle's arm. She moved her hand away from her injury. Two deep cuts came from her elbow almost all the way down to her wrist. They cuts were clean though and would heal easily enough.
"Realy?" She looked at Jak sencerly.
"Yeah. Look at me. I was like you once, it was back in Sandover. I was younger. With the increase in Lurkers people needed to know how to fight. It takes time, there isn't as much of a need for people to fight these days." Jak pulled out cloth from his bag and got it wet from the river. He cleaned Colle's wound an wrapped it in another cloth rag. "That should do it."
With the metal heads defeated and Colle's arm bandaged, Jak helped her up.
"You don't think their just gonna leave do you?" Zack asked Daxter. After all of that they had to do something more than just talk!
"Shhh." Both Daxter and Mora were still watching.
"I just wanted to be able to do something on my own for once." Colle helped Jak to pack their things away. That day's training was over, obvously. "I didn't want to have to rely on others."
"Sometimes you have to. It's just that simple." Once finished, Jak sat on the grass.
"I understand that now. Too bad I wouldn't listen, maybe I wouldn't have a useless arm right now." Pain still pulsed through her arm but she wasn't complaining. The two of them were having a decent conversation that didn't involve Jeremy or something from her past.
Jak let Colle talk. He listened with one ear but didn't realy comprihend what she was saying. He was thinking about what had gone through his mind while Colle fought the grunts. Why did he feel like this? What was wrong with him? He cared about Ashelin. He loved her. Didn't he?
"They're just sitting there! Do something!" Mora whispered to Daxter.
"Like what?"
"I don't know. Just something." She was getting desprate. She loved playing match maker. She just hated when people didn't get a clue about eachother.
Colle saw that Jak was no longer paying attention to her and felt content to go over her thoughts. What did Jak think of her now? She was probably still getting in his way. She had almost gotten him killed. He had to save her again. 'He has other things he would rather be doing, I'm sure.'
"I'm sorry."
"For what?" This took Jak completely by surprise. She appoligised a lot.
"For not listening and always getting in the way. You have other things that are more important that you should be doing than to baby sit me all day." She was feeling bad again.
This was another thing Jak hated. Her self confidence had dwindeled to almost nothing after what happened.. She didn't beleive in herself enough. "You have nothing to appoligise for. I don't mind hanging around you. It makes things interseting."
Jak's face began to warm at the thought of what he was about to say to the girl. For some very strange reason, Jak had never NEVER been this nervous about anything before. Perhaps it was because when he was with Keira or Ashelin they never mentioned their feelings. They were together and that was how things were. "I enjoy being around you. If you left like you said you would I'd more than likely would go insaine." Things were getting really hard now. "I care about you."
"I worry about you too. You take so many risks that I pull my hair out because of it." Colle said more to Jak of her feelings than Jeremy would have heard in the two years they dated.
All of the feelings the two of them had for eachother rushed to the surface leaving them uterly confused. The feelings were new to Jak and Colle was finding it difficult to believe she was falling in love with a game character. Unable to determine what to do, they allowed their emotions to take over.
Jak took hold of Colle's uninjured arm and leaned forward. Colle closed the gap until their lips were touching in a gental but passionate kiss. Their feelings for one another flowed into this one kiss and into eachother. Seconds later they slowly pulled apart.
Realizing what had just happened Colle began to appologise. "I'm sor-" Jak kissed her once more to let her know everything was alright.
"Don't appologise anymore." He whispered when they pulled away again. "You don't have to."
Over in the near by bushes Daxter and Mora smiled at eachother. They watched as Jak held onto Colle waiting for Daxter to make his way back to them.
It had finaly happened. Jak and Colle were now officaly together. Hopefully they would admit to it later on. Mora was estatic. Now it was a certain ex-Krimson Guard's turn. This would be fun.
Sushi: This was my first idea for chapter 10, then I decided to add something else and have Zack show up (Zack was still captured in the original version). That is how this chapter came out so quickly compaired to my others. Don't forget to review: tell me wahat was bad or good and what I could fix about it in later chapters.