Last time, Tarane and Hay Lin, along with Yan Lin, arrived in Konohamaru, 'The Village Hidden in the Leaves.' There, Taranee was cured of the curse inflicted on her by the Naz'riak, by one Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja with drams of being the best. On with the show!
Chapter 5: An Unexpected Arrival
Back in Meridian, the tension amongst the population was growing from bad to worse by the hour. Will had returned from Candracar just after Elyon finished speaking to the masses. "What's going on?" asked Will. "You just missed a near collapse of ordered society." Said Irma. "Talking only gets you so far," said Elyon, "Things have calmed down somewhat. But if we don't do something to stop these Naz'riak from taking any more children, we'll have a full-blown 'soccer riot' on our hands."
"How's Taranee?" asked Cornelia. "Last I saw," said Will, "She, Hay Lin and Hay Lin's grandmother were heading to a ninja village to get the cure for her." "Ninjas?" asked Irma. "Yes," said Will, "And maybe they'll find someone there willing to come here and help with the demons." "One can only hope." Said Elyon. "Oh Irma," said Will, "The Oracle says we can't control time." "Well that sucks." Said Irma
As the day faded into night, Will anxiously waited for the return of her friends. "Still no sign of them," said Elyon. "How long does it take to remove a curse?" asked Irma impatiently. "As long as it takes." Said Elyon. "Where's Cornelia?" asked Will. "Where else," said Irma, "With Caleb." At this, Will sighed. "You know what I wish more than anything else right now?" asked Will. "No, what?" asked Irma scarcasticly. "I wish that Matt was here." Answered Will.
Suddenly, the Heart of Candracar glowed from Will's hand. It shot an energy beam that created a Fold in midair. And from this Fold fell not only Matt, but Taranee's boyfriend, Nigel. "You really ought to be more careful with that thing," said Irma, "It might go off." Will rushed over to help up Matt, who was a little more than confused. "Next time you want to see me," said Matt, "A less 'dimension hopping' method would be better." "Sorry," apologized Will, "My bad."
Just then, Nigel recovered, and was really confused. "What's going on here?" he asked, "One minute, Matt and I were playing basketball, the next, we get sucked into 'Middle-Earth' or something." "This is going to take some explaining," said Irma, "So you'd better sit down."
And so Will, Irma and Cornelia each took turns filling Nigel in on what's been going on ever since the five found out they were the Guardians. Then Elyon explained the present situation with the abducted children and the Naz'riak. "This is too much," said Nigel, "This is way too much." "I know," said Matt, "I couldn't believe it at first." "Where's Taranee?" asked Nigel earnestly. "It's complicated," said Irma, "You see, these demons put a curse on her, so she and Hay Lin went to another dimension to get the cure."
"Now I know this is too much." Said Nigel." "look," said Will, "When I send you back to Heatherfield, you can't tell anyone, and I mean anyone." "Who'd believe me anyway?" asked Nigel, "Besides, I'm not going back." "Of course you're going back," said Elyon, "This city is just about ready to explode from the tension." "And those demons might come back again tonight." Said Cornelia.
"That's fine with me," said Nigel, "I want to help." "Look man," said Matt, "I know how you feel about Taranee, but this is a dangerous situation." "You're staying," said Nigel, "Why can't I?" "For one thing," said Matt, "I've been trained to be a warrior, and you haven't." "Well let me show you what I can do." Said Nigel.
He walked over to a large oak table (assuming they have oak in Meridian) and lifted it with just one hand. "Woah!" exclaimed Cornelia. "That's the understatement of the year." Said Irma. "How did you do that?" asked Will. "You girls aren't the only ones in Heatherfield with secrets." Said Nigel.
Just then, Vathek burst into the room. "My Queen! The green fog has returned!" "They're early tonight," said Elyon, "But this time they're going down. Where is it?" "The fog has appeared right outside the castle!" exclaimed Vathek. "Mobilize the guard!" exclaimed Elyon, "If the want a fight, I'll give them one!" As they rushed outside to face the coming demon attack, Nigel asked, "Was that guy blue or was it my imagination?" "It wasn't your imagination," said Will, "You'll get used to seeing strange things soon enough."
The end of chapter 5. Next chapter, we switch back to Hay Lin and Taranee as Naruto gathers his ninja allies. Please read and review. See you next time!
