Here is chapter eight...for your viewing, er ...reading pleasure.

(This chapter's theme song is "The Chemicals React" by Ashley and Alison Michalka)
Once again, thanks for the reviews! Enjoy....

Sinedd leaned in against the weight machine and gave the bar another laborious pull into his shoulder blades. The gym was colder than usual but despite that, sweat glistened all over his body.
Now he had a reason to push himself harder than ever.

Just that morning, Artegor had announced that their next friendly match would be against the Snow Kids.
Oh yeah, that match was gonna be "friendly" alright.

This was the moment Sinedd had been waiting for...or at least a taste of it before the real thing in the tournament. Whatever about getting back to that floating ice cube of a planet, he just wanted to shove his skill straight into D'Jok's face. He wanted to make Aarch regret making him second-best. He wanted to show Artegor that the little "drama" they had suffered during their last training session.

That hadn't been his first smog attack, his first attack of severe flux poisoning, but it had felt miles worse this time. It had felt like the smog was eating him alive, from the inside out. When the medics had finally decided to let him out of bed, his dear coach and mentor had decided to confine him to the gym for the whole day to "work off" the medication before their final big training session before the match.

Sinedd switched the weights on the machine, making them heavier, pressed his back against the tight leather and gripped the handles, ready to begin again.
"One...two...three..."
He silently cursed the fact that all the other players were off until later (that had been Artegor's condition: "You want to play this evening with your team-mates? You go shape up in your free time") and had cleared off into the City of Shadows for the day.

Well, almost all of them. Go on, just guess who Artegor had assigned to keep Sinedd company for the day- as punishment for her "inexcusable recklessness."

"Good afternoon, invalid!" said Ebony cheerily as she strode into the gym with a tray in her hands. "Having fun lugging weights?"

"Afternoon, loser!" he smiled back. "Well, I was until you got in here..."

"Always the charmer, aren't we?"
"Only when I'm with you, blondie..," Sinedd sneered, voice dripping in sarcasm. He dropped the weight-bar and started to pull his jersey off, displaying the tight white vest top underneath...and a set of very impressive arms, lined with snowy, shining muscle.

Ebony had to promptly spin around and fling the tray on to the coffee table to stop herself from staring so much. She bent forward a little, checking her reflection in the shiny panel of the rowing machine.
"So, feeling any better then?"

Sinedd raised an eyebrow, suddenly burying his face into a towel to stop himself from staring at the very short shorts Ebony was now sporting. "Since when do you care?"

"I'm not playing next to a clone! How stupid would that be?"
Sinedd paused thoughtfully. "You should feel right at ease! The clones are manufactured, empty-headed and play like robots...just like you!"

Ebony gritted her teeth. "Oh ha, ha, ha. Ugh, take a shower...you smell awful..."
Sinedd grinned, knowing he had her on the ropes. "Sorry, my shower's not exactly working lately."

"Oh? Really?"
"Yeah, I've been washing my lips for the past 24 hours and they still feel dirty..."
"Don't you think that being forced to babysit you is punishment for me enough? Must you bring back the most horrific eleven minutes of my life?"
"You were counting!? Besides, I didn't ask you to do that. No one was forcing you to, honey."
"Well, I didn't want to end up on the pitch alone and...fuck, what happened to you?"

Ebony was staring at Sinedd's arms with a suddenly unflatteringly curious look on her face. He
followed her gaze to the several foggy clouds of purple bruises that tattooed his arms.
"How did...?"

Sinedd gave a cold laugh and then hesitated for a moment. He opened his mouth, eyeing her warily and then spoke one word with a tinge of bitterness, slight fear and powerful pride on his lips:
"Netherball."

"Nether-what?"
"Netherball," Sinedd repeated, hesitating again in the thought of whether or not he should be talking to her about it. "It's a game..."
"Like one of your silly little video games?" Ebony teased, taking a seat in front of him. "Looks pretty dangerous."

"It is," Sinedd went on, coolly, his pride and desire to put her in her place taking over. "But it's no silly video game. It's real. Like football, only with no rules, no coaches and no referees...I, of course, was a champion player." For a brief moment, in Ebony's interested silence, Sinedd allowed those flashing memories of the Sphere flood back to him. "It was played underground on Genesis. Ever been?"

Ebony shook her head. "Nope."
Sinedd raised an eyebrow. "Really, princess? Well, it's a big place and Netherball's only for professional players, but it was illegal. We never got caught though. I used to run those matches...you'd be surprised at who was having a go..."

"Sounds like some dirty fun," Ebony smirked, she nodded at his arms, eyes wide. "Looks like it too...and I thought I had a dark ink-job."
The jet black haired striker gave a curt nod for a moment and leaned back, giving a gentle bite on his index finger in thought. He recalled the swirling black pattern he had seen, inked out on to the small of her back.

Then he leaned forward, inquisitively. "Did you cry much when you got your tattoo?"
Ebony frowned. "No. I didn't cry! It hurt a lot though...does it hurt much getting your ears done?"
"Yeah, sure it does," said Sinedd, stroking the gold studs along his earlobe tentatively. "But it was no problem for me."

For a moment, the two smiled to themselves, reminiscing on the moment of receiving their first tokens of rebellion and teenage revolution, not taking much notice of the other.

"So is that soda for me?" asked Sinedd, gesturing to the tray she had brought in.

"What? Oh yeah. I was ordered to bring this to you." Ebony handed him over the purple can and a plate of sugary looking biscuits. "Just a little pick-me-up for Artegor's pet."

"And you didn't get something for yourself? That's pretty hard to believe."
"I'll have you know, I'm watching my weight!"

Sinedd took a long gulp from the can and wiped his mouth with the palm of his hand.
"Yeah!" he laughed. "You'd want to keep an eye on the pounds, wouldn't you? Careful! If Artegor thinks you're getting a bit on the weighty side, he won't be slow to kick you off the team..."

Ebony smirked and preened at her reflection in the metallic tray beneath them. "I have my natural advantages though. Unlike some people, that is."

Sinedd helped himself to a cookie. "So, we're back to Akillian for our match against those idiots, the Snow Kids. Home, in a weird way...gonna go see your mom?"

"Doubt it," she replied. "Gonna go see your foster parents?"

"Doubt it. I don't really bother with them anymore," he muttered crudely. "Hey, blondie?"

"Ebony," she corrected, annoyed. "Use my real name or I won't answer. What is it?"

"I never actually got to ask you properly," he went on. "Why did you save me ...in the way you did? Why didn't you just wait for the medics?"

Ebony's eyes widened for a moment and straightaway her finger wound around her silver necklace.
"If I waited for the medics then you'd be sick to the stomach right now," she began. "But well, I didn't want to have to deal with having to find a replacement for you when I'm on my rise to fame and I-I...I well I owed you one a-anyway...and I-I-I guess, I wanted to pay you back for giving me the free kick, ok?"

"Ok," Sinedd chuckled. "No need to get all hot and bothered, I was just asking and geez, if you wanted a kiss that badly...you have to wait and get turned down like everyone else!"

"Oh don't flatter yourself! You wish, loser," pouted Ebony, but she was laughing. "You wish."

Sinedd took another took another sip of his soda and leaned back in the seat with a contented sigh.
"How long until...?"

Artegor's voice interrupted him, pouring out of the speakers.

"All players are to report directly to the holo-trainer for today's main training session. Any late comers will be made run laps around the stadium...regardless of how many photographers are out there!"

He rolled his eyes. "Ugh. Go figure."
"Go on then, put some clothes on and let's go," muttered Ebony. "I don't want to be late because of you..."

Sinedd stuck his tongue out at her and pulled the black jersey back over his head, turning away to turn off the weights machine again. "Awww, and I thought you were enjoying it."
Ebony looked disgusted. "Why!? What makes you think that?"

The young man spun around and crushed the can in the palm of his hand. "You may have not noticed, Ebony, but your face has gone red..."

The match simulation was intense.
Artegor's time with the Snow Kids had given him plenty of information to upload on to the holo-trainer mainframe. Now the holographic players played as hard as the real Snow Kids and trying to constantly keep them in check was tough.

Fulmugus wrestled the ball away from Rocket and slid past Tia with a quick flash of the smog. Sinedd crouched down and took a few laboured breaths as the Shadow's captain sent the ball flying in his direction. He could feel his heart start to pound as the ball got closer.
"Here we go...let's go smog, don't fail me now."

He released the dark flux from inside of him, performing a vanishing act right in front of a stunned Thran, who stumbled backwards and left him a clear path to Yuki in goal.

Or not.
D'Jok's clone was suddenly at his back, surrounded by the bluish glow of the breath. Sinedd swore violently as he was forced to dribble backwards, out of shooting range.
His eyes swivelled around the pitch, quickly assessing his options.

"Come on Sinedd!" came Artegor's coaxing in his ear. "Remember! You can do this. You are invincible!"

Sinedd threw his head back, shaking off D'Jok's advances. "I know! I know...I.."
Then he had an idea.

"Hey Ebony!"
She looked over him. "I know, I know...your side of the pitch!"
"No!" he shouted back, shooting her the ball. "Take it into the air!"

For a brief moment, Ebony looked surprised. She quickly got over it though, when Mei's hologram was fast, infringing on her territory.
The girl disappeared in a cloud of black haze and then snapped back into existence in the air above the cross-bar.

"Yes!"
Sinedd appeared beside her in his own shroud of shimmering black fog. "Right now pa-"

He was interrupted by Mei and D'Jok's pixelated clones shooting up before them with a shower of icy blue.
"Again!" shouted Sinedd. "Use the smog again!"

The two were swept up higher in another cloud of black cloud, the pitch rapidly shrinking beneath them. "Ok now pass to me!"
Ebony complied, (for once and somewhat irritably), kicking the ball into Sinedd's possession.

The Shadow's superstar pulled his leg back and in one fluid kick that was loaded with sheer ferocity. A kick that sent the ball soaring straight between the two shocked Snow Kids and straight into the back of the net, Yuki looking around in confusion.

"That's the way to do it!" shouted Artegor. "Nice work!"

Sinedd crashed back to the ground beside Ebony, punching the air in triumph. "Hell yeah."
Ebony rolled her eyes. "It's just a goal. Big whoop." But she was smiling.
"Eh, jealous much?" sneered Sinedd, preparing for Yuki's throw out.
"Hey, you couldn't have done it without me."
"Because you're listening to me on the pitch. Good girl! Do what your told and I might just send you a pass like that in the real match."
"No one tells me what to do," she retorted.
Sinedd laughed. "Yeah, no one except your precious papa and-"

"Both of you! Get back into position and prepare for the next play!" shouted Artegor into the intercom. "Save the flirty chit-chat for later."

"Y-yes coach," they both chorused, hurrying back into their places and rejoining their laughing team-mates.

Artegor leaned back into his seat thoughtfully. He was watching Sinedd just that little bit more closely ever since yesterday's incident.
The man squeezed his eyes shut behind his sunglasses; Artegor never thought that he would have to witness another horrific case of flux-poisoning...watching someone he cared about, rolling helplessly around on the pitch, paralyzed and dead to the world. All because they were trying to please him...

He swiftly diverted his attention back to the monitor and back to his players. Sinedd's smog was under control now, thankfully and he was back to his usual cocky, serious-about-the-sport self.

"He and Ebony haven't been doing much fighting lately," he thought, watching Nilhis slice past Tia on the screen.
In the background, Sinedd shouted something inaudible across at Ebony. Whatever he had said must have been fairly "ornate" because the second he had finished, she was storming across the pitch, red-faced to deliver a punch to his arm.

"Ok," Artegor conceded. "They haven't been fighting as badly as they were before...but at least they're playing as a duo. We'll need that against Aarch's lot. Hmmm..."

He leaned in towards the monitor, watching as Ebony blocked another pass before it managed to slide past Sinedd, which he acknowledged with a begrudging tilt of his chin.
Sinedd then proceeded to follow the curly-haired striker up the pitch, surveying every attacker like a vulture.
"Sinedd," Artegor ordered into the mike, switching to "private-mode". "Leave Ebony dribble up the field alone..."

"Hmph!" snorted the young man. "I just want to be there to clean up her mess when she screws up."
But all the same, he reluctantly slowed up.

"Hmmm," thought the coach, leaning back into his seat. "Between catching passes for each other and blocking attacks for one and other...you're both playing a bit protectively aren't you two? One would think that you didn't hate each other as much as you claim to..."

"Nice. Now keep it up," he said aloud into the microphone as Kai blocked another shot, before dissolving back into his thoughts.
"And it was very unlike our dear Ebony not to whine about having to keep an eye on Sinedd all day...oh well, at least they're finally playing together on the pitch," he concluded.

"But still, what changed between you two? What stopped all the harsh conflict? Aarch is right, these bloody kids are more complicated then they look..."

"No...mom! Dad! Don't go!....Harris, he wants to...we have to....NO!"

Sinedd woke with a jump, looking around the room shakily. It was only his bedroom in the Shadow's compound. Nowhere else.
"It was just a nightmare," he told himself, wiping sweat from his face. "It was just another fucking night-"

Suddenly a strangled gasp followed by a high pitched squeal of anguish sounded off out in the hallway. Sinedd sat up, listening intently and heart racing beneath the t-shirt he was wearing.
There it was again.

"If Nilhis and Fulmugus are at it again..."

Again. Pretty loudly too. Close by.
Ebony's room.

"What the-?"
He listened carefully, eyes furtive in the darkness. "I swear to god, if that bitch keeps me awake all night, I'll..."

The gasp was louder this time, pain lacing each laboured breath. Then there was a loud splashing sound, like water being thrown around. Then a crash.

Sinedd got up, pulling his bathrobe on, (his favourite one with the Shadows logo), and walked slowly out into the hallway. He didn't really have a clue what he was planning on doing exactly. Just that he had heard some weird noises and wanted to investigate.

His heart gave an uncomfortable thump when the door of Ebony's room slid open, only to reveal an empty bed. The light in the bathroom was on though, shining out across the room.
Another thump.

What was up with her?
Sinedd padded cautiously across the room and peered around the door of the bathroom.

"Ebony? You in here?" he called out quietly. "What's with all the noise? You're keeping me up..."

Ebony was kneeling by the rim of the toilet, head hanging and hands tangled up in her hair. She shivered and jumped a little, hearing Sinedd's voice but her eyes were fierce and stony when her head twisted around.
"Si-Sinedd? G-et out of here! Wh-what are y-ou doing in m-m-my...?"
Suddenly her entire body lurched forward and she was forced to throw herself back over the lid, vomiting.

Her shoulders heaved for a moment and a tiny spray of black smog materialised around her head but it faded as she sat back, shaking violently and wiping her mouth and eyes.
Nonchalantly, Sinedd walked across the cold, tiled floor and placed both hands on her shoulders.
"Now who's taking care of who? Come on, stand up."

Ebony's mascara was running at the corners of her eyes and her hair was in knots and slicked against her very red face. She felt the three things she swore she would never let herself feel again.
(a) Humiliatingly ugly.
(b) Vulnerable.
(c) Totally devoid of any decent eye-shadow.

But all the same, she begrudgingly allowed herself to be helped to her feet by her dark haired contender. He stood behind her for a moment as she blearily tried to steady herself.

"Are you...ok?" Sinedd finally asked, letting go of her and taking a step back. "Want me to go get Artegor or something? You shouldn't be training with us if you're that sick..."

Ebony gave a curt nod. "I'm fine. I'm fine. I'll be ok."
"Good," replied Sinedd, somewhat airily. "Now clean yourself up. You smell disgusting."
She narrowed her eyes and gave him a flabby, weak punch in the chest. "Get out of here then! I'm not changing my pyjamas in front of you! Besides what are you doing out of bed anyway?"

Sinedd scowled as he stepped out of the bathroom and slid the door shut behind him. "You know, it's a little hard to sleep with you thrashing and splashing around in here."
A vein of uneasiness and discomfort slipped beneath the running, cheeky, attitude-loaded feel of the conversation.

"So does this kind of thing happen to you...often?"
Behind the door, Ebony's tone faltered a little. "No. Not always."
"Look, blond-...er Ebony," Sinedd began. "Those cracks I made about your weight earlier...I wasn't..."

"It's not an eating disorder," she retorted sharply.
"Oh well, good," he snorted in reply as he sank down on to her bed. "Because you're already such a scrawny little bitch, one hard tackle from any defender and you'll probably snap in two."

"Oh witty...very witty..."

Then Sinedd spotted the empty canister on her bedside table. That was when his uncomfortable feeling returned. "So if you didn't make yourself sick, then what did?"

"Oh! Em...just my medication," Ebony shouted out, lightly. "I took a little too much...medication. But forget me, it happens all the time..."

She reappeared at the door, now snug in her own Shadows bathrobe, yellow curls brushed back into place and face shockingly naked-looking without its usual layer of make-up. The female striker leaned against the doorpost. "You didn't have to stay you know."

Sinedd cocked an eyebrow. "Oh no, I'm just making sure you get back to bed and stop fucking keeping me awake and..." He hesitated for a moment. "...I wanted to ask you something."
Now it was Ebony's turn to raise her eyebrows as she sat down beside him. "Oh? And what would that be?"

"Your dad," said Sinedd, looking straight ahead into the dark void of Ebony's bedroom. "Does he work with a man called...Harris? Like one who would have come to see the practice session the day that your dad visited?"
"And you're suddenly so eager to get nosy with my father's private life because?" Ebony asked, looking a little stunned.

Sinedd swallowed. "I've been having these nightmares lately...about a man I used to work for, called Harris. I thought I saw him with your daddy dearest, last time he came to visit us while we were training. Look, I know it sounds stupid and weird but...," he looked at her. "There's something strange about that man. Like something crazy. I never really got to know him properly...or get paid for that matter, but I just know there was never something "right" about him and well...I don't want him coming after me if he ever came here..."

"Ah, so this is the man of your dreams you've been shouting about...but come after you?" said Ebony, incredulously. "Why would he be coming after you?"

Part of Sinedd made a mental note to slice Ebony down for her sudden nosiness, but that part of him deteriorated as soon as he opened his mouth. "It's kind of to do with Netherball. Like I said, I used to run the show down there but well, things kind of...fell apart. Harris never delivered the pay when I came looking for him and I don't know. I was supposed to meet Harris' employer but the address he gave me didn't check out...the whole thing felt like a set up...and now just seeing him re-appear after all this time...I just have a bad feeling..."

He mentally cursed himself for not shutting up when he should have.

Sinedd was expecting Ebony to smirk, toss her curls and take the mickey out of him as usual but she didn't. She simply turned away from him and murmured:
"No, my dad doesn't have any associates called "Harris." But then again, he never talks to me about that kind of thing so I'm only working off who I've seen come to his office for meetings. I'll let you know though," she added offhandedly.

"Erm, thanks, I gue-, wait! I'm not thanking you! You owe me! I'm the one who's done everything for you lately."
"And who's babysat you for a whole day?"
"Who's had to babysit you just now!?"

Someone stirred in the room beside them, causing them both to jump and fall silent. Sinedd and Ebony looked at each other, nearly laughing at how quickly the mood had changed.
The dark haired young man held a hand up to silence the blonde young woman, ensuring that they hadn't given any of their team-mates a rude awakening.
Waking a Shadows player in the middle of the night after an intense training session was about as safe as trying to flirt with the Kernor's boyfriend in her presence.
Pretty suicidal.

In the cover of silence and darkness, the two could only stare at each others' half-lit silhouettes.
Under a shadowy sheath, Sinedd's shimmering violet eyes flickered beneath the veil of his long, soft black fringe and his skin was a ghostly ivory pale. Ebony's was also very white and snowy and her own bluish green eyes were a cool denim contrast to the honey coloured ringlets that hung either side of her face.

Sinedd was the first to blink out of the stare. "Well, I should go...em, don't wake me up again or I'll get Artegor."
He turned to leave as she slipped back beneath the covers.

"Close the door behind you," she mumbled, turning over.

"Night."
"Night."

Hope you enjoyed that! Sorry for the delay! Thanks again!