Winds of Change Book II Distant Thunder

by RGZ Archer

Kai has assembled his team, and the group of seven must now race against both Cyclonia and time itself to prevent a weapon of unimaginable power from falling into the wrong hands. But just whose hands are the wrong hands? Who is their true enemy?

11. Song of the Valkyrie!

Winds of Change Book II: Distant Thunder

Chapter 11: Song of the Valkyrie!

AN: Beep Boop All passengers, please keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times. We want to thank you for riding our newest attraction the Tempest. We hope you will enjoy the ride; barf bags are located in the pouch in front of you.

Ok, I know that came out of nowhere, but trust me, if you thought the previous chapters of this little gem were in any way an emotional and/or psychological rollercoaster, then you've been on the Scooby Doo coaster and are now in for a real ride. This chapter, in some places, will be rough, but, I KNOW you'll enjoy it.

Also don't forget check out Arashi21's new story: Fighting Wings! Which ties in with the Winds of Change serie, but is told through the eyes of Kestrel!

Oh, and in case anyone didn't know, I still accept anon reviews!

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks, and never will, also I do not own anything related to Legend of the Dragoon or Legend of Zelda. They are the property of Asaph "Ace" Fipke and made by Nerd Corps Entertainment, Sony Entertainment and Nintendo, however I DO own Kai, Rose, the Shadow crystal, the Wasps, and this story.

Shadow,Griffy and Nagera are the property of ShadowQueen25

Tigger belongs to Mrs J Black

Marina is Star Wars Nut's

Rondana was made, and is owned by MissDedodakes

Scarlett is the creation of Love Flame

Landing on the next outcropping of rock, the lone figure looked up and gasped.

"A sandstorm? I need to get out of here!"

Looking around, and seeing that she didn't have time to climb the cliff, she took a deep breath. "I just hope they don't see me."

"How long do you think before the storm dies out Marina?"

Looking up from her spot on the cold rocky floor, Marina sighed. "Shadow, it could last anywhere from an hour to a day, it depends on the storm itself. My advice to you is to go ahead and get comfortable."

Frowning, Shadow decided to do just that, and laid out her sleeping bag as a cushion. Griffy hopped out of his sidecar and made himself a spot next to her.

Smirking at her friend, Shadow was about to ask him something when she noticed Piper drop her bag and stand ramrod straight.

"Uhhh Piper, you ok over there? You're acting like you sat on a pin or something."

"Shhh!" Looking around with narrowed eyes, Piper leaned her head to one side.

"Did any of you hear that?" She asked skeptically.

Rondana looked up from her book with a raised eyebrow. "Hear what?"

"I could have sworn I heard…singing?" She replied furrowing her brows.

"If someone was singing in here, I think we all would have heard it Piper. You're probably just a bit shook up from the storm. Sometimes I've heard stuff when I'm coming down from a rush like that; I don't think it's anything to worry about."

"Yeah, besides, with those ears you know she would have heard it!" Shadow shouted before breaking into a small fit of laughs.

Marina's nose twitched, but she ignored the remark and went back to checking her skimmer for any damage the sand could have inflected on it last night or in the storm.

Turning from the others Piper tried to focus her hearing, but only heard the sounds coming from the others. "I know what I heard, and I heard singing. It almost sounded like back at the arena when Kai fought Naboroou….but…not quite the same. It was actually beautiful."

Shaking her head, Piper accepted that there was nothing she could do right now, but she would be on alert from now on.

Clearing her throat, Tigger approached Kai and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hmm? Look I offered you the chicken and you turned it down. It's a bit late to be making any take backs and," Tigger cut him off before he could continue.

"It's not about the food, I was just wondering if you would mind taking care of the internal repairs while I finish up topside."

Kai looked at her slightly confused. "You sure? Yesterday you said to keep away from doing anything cause you didn't trust my work."

With an aggravated sigh Tigger answered. "Yes Kai, I am sure. I have a bad feeling about this terra and think we should be ready for anything. I can give the ship a better once over when we get somewhere that's not a hundred and ten at five in the morning."

In truth, Tigger didn't have a bad feeling, but since Kai seemed to be the type that always listened to his instincts, she figured that he would buy it.

"Huh, I didn't feel anything, but I guess it never hurts to be prepared," Kai said with a shrug.

As soon as Kai's form disappeared down the corner, Tigger began rubbing her hands together with an evil smirk. "Now we'll see just what little miss perfect has been hiding from us." Spinning on her heel, she hopped onto the lift that went to the ships topside.

Wiping her brow on the backside of her sleeve, Starling surveyed her work with a satisfied smile.

"Not to shabby if I do say so myself."

Just as she was about to turn she heard Tigger's voice and nearly jumped.

Key word nearly.

"Where'd you learn to do patch work like that?"

Remaining calm, but mentally berating herself for getting caught off guard again, Starling responded.

"Back on Mesa, when I was little. It was one of the ways I used to make money before being knighted."

"One of the ways?" Tigger asked skeptically.

"Yes, one of the ways. You don't seriously believe that I made enough to live on just by baby sitting did you?"

That one had her stumped.

"Well, actually, I kinda did. I mean, the way Kai makes it sound the two of you were pretty much glued to the hip till after you got in the Interceptors."

To her surprise, Starling nodded her head and confirmed what she had just said.

"That's about right. He used to help me most of the time. Unless he was sick of course."

Pulling out her wrench and getting to work on one of the nearby panels, Tigger started her 'mission'.

Flashback

"Look, while we're gone, try to keep an eye on Starling and Kai. I know they want to help, but right now."

"Yeah yeah, I know Rondana, their in no shape to be doing anything. Don't worry about it, I'll keep an eye on them."

"There's one other…little thing, if you don't mind that is." The doctor said with a sly grin.

"Sure, shoot away."

"See if you can dig up anything on Kai and Starling's past. Piper wont spill anything juicy from Kai's little confession, but we can still go through her. Just don't come across as being nosey ok?"

"Hey! I resent that!" Tigger said before waving off her friend. "Don't worry about it. I'll see what I can do. But I'm not making any promises alright."

Flashback end

"So what else did you two do?" She asked almost offhandedly.

Chuckling, Starling went to work on a nearby section of exposed wiring and actually answered her question.

"Well, we couldn't exactly rake leaves since Mesa had very few trees around its town, and we couldn't shovel snow since it never did. That left us with mostly housekeeping work. Cleaning houses, mowing lawns, picking up groceries, and on rare occasion, small mechanical work, such as fixing a busted lawnmower."

"Sounds like you two were busy." Tigger replied. "Ok, she's talking, you've got her opening up, now just don't do anything Kai or Piper would and tick her off or spook her," she instructed herself mentally.

"Well, that's the way things were on Mesa….for me anyways."

Hearing her tone, Tigger decided to remain silent and see if the older woman would continue on her own.

For once, since she had joined this mission, luck was on her side.

"Kai didn't need the money…and he actually gave most of it to me at the end of each day, but even with his help, it was pretty hard just getting by."

"That's right, I forgot, she was orphaned when she was like, ten. She had to try and provide for and take care of herself for all those years." Taking a deep breath, and hoping that her run of luck would continue, Tigger pushed the matter slightly.

"How did you do it?"

The older woman turned to her with a critical eye. "Do what?"

Schooling her face to be as calm as possible, Tigger looked up and met her eye to eye.

"How did you do it? How did you survive on your own for all those years? I don't think I could have," Tigger replied softly.

Starling starred at her for several long seconds before going back to work.

"Like I said. It was not easy. I was bloody lucky to get that job as Kai's babysitter." The older woman paused for a moment as she fit the wires back into the panel they had been pulled from.

"I had had nothing to eat for several days, and my house lacked running water or electricity at the time. So I took advantage of everything that came my way. After Kai's mother left in the morning I would shower, when I did their laundry, I added my own, and since Kai was a growing boy, I helped myself to their food."

Tigger's eyes widened.

"You were using him the whole time? I thought you were his friend?!" Tigger nearly shouted with more than just a hint of hostility.

Starling's face darkened slightly as her bangs hid her eyes from view.

"For the first few days, yes, I did use him. What other choice did I have? Starve to death? Go without bathing? I was a half starved, frightened ten year old girl that had just lost her parents. I needed help but I was too proud to just take what would have been given to me had I asked."

Seeing the purple haired Sky Knight trembling slightly, Tigger feared she had screwed up majorly and was about to apologize, when she continued.

"It wasn't until a few days had passed that my mind….healed enough to come out of that frenzied state, but when it did, I was ashamed of what I had done. Here I was taking advantage of someone half my age that had gone through something almost exactly the same as myself. Someone that had not only fought to keep me there, but had covered for me, and took the blame when his mother questioned why so much food was missing or why the water bill had mysteriously gone up."

Shaking her head, the older woman went back to work silently.

"Oh no, she is not dropping me off here! She just left me with even more questions than I had to start with!"

Clearing her throat, Tigger spoke up. "You said the first few days, what happened after that?"

Pausing for a moment, Starling didn't answer her, but once she resumed working, she also resumed speaking.

"After about a week or so, I…fell asleep on the couch. When I woke up, Kai was curled up beside me and had thrown a blanket on top of me. I was surprised at first, but then…then I started to think back, and I remembered everything else that had happened that week. Everything had been a blur before, since my mind was focused solely on survival. But I started remembering little things, things like how he had eaten so little, and tried to sneak food onto my plate without my noticing. Little things that hadn't seemed to add up at the time."

Tigger was floored at what she was hearing. She knew that Kai always seemed to pick up on things, no matter how tiny they were, but for him to be so perceptive at a young age?

"He of course felt me move and woke up himself, but do you know what the first thing he said was?"

Tigger found enough sense of mind to shake her head 'no'.

"He asked me if I was still cold. He had seen me shivering in my sleep and dragged his quilt to cover me."

Tigger, needing to break the tense atmosphere, spoke up.

"Sound like he hasn't changed all that much to me," she offered.

Starling nodded as she worked with her back to the younger girl.

"And he's still just as dense as he was then," she added.

To her surprise, Starling giggled. Not laugh, giggle.

"I'm afraid you're right about that as well," she said warmly.

Kai's eyes narrowed after blowing his nose. "Great, so not only do they stink, but I'm allergic to them too? I haven't sneezed that bad since helping clean out mom's attic." He muttered before sneezing again. "Blasted bugs, never cut you any slack."

"So that's when you decided to be his friend?" Tigger asked, knowing she was pushing her luck, but not willing to let this chance get away from her until it was as used as the Rock Hearts Carriers and skimmers.

"Not exactly," Starling said slowly. "I never actually decided to be his friend; it would be more accurate to say he decided for himself that he was my friend."

Tigger shot her an odd look, clearly asking for more detail.

"It's almost like he was a cat. He found me and chose to 'adopt' me as 'his'. Nothing I did or said short of moving to another terra would have changed his mind, and even then I have doubts," Starling said with a small hint of humor in her voice.

"Don't you mean 'you' were the cat and he adopted you?" Tigger asked confused.

Starling shook her head. "I take it you've never had a cat before have you?" Seeing Tigger's confused look intensify, she continued. "People don't adopt cats, the cat adopts the person or family it lives with. If it doesn't like you, it won't matter how much you try to give it, it will either ignore you or avoid you. On the other hand, if it does like you, then you're hard pressed to get away from it."

Tigger thought it over, it was true that she had heard stuff like that before, but she had just chalked it up to 'animal lovers' spouting off about how wonderful their cat or dog or whatever was.

"Anyways, after that first week we did become closer, almost to the point of siblings. We both had parts of our heart ripped away from us, and we tried to fill them in as best we could for each other. I had lost my parents and had no one to look out for me; he had lost his best friend and had nobody to look up to."

"Hmmm, I wonder….is that the way she still sees's it now?"

"When did things…change?" Tigger asked carefully.

That made her flinch.

"I can't talk about that, you'd have to ask Kai," she replied almost coldly.

"No no no no! Not THAT, I mean when did you two stop being close friends? I know your still friends now; I was just wondering…you know…" Tigger said meekly, hoping she hadn't just snapped the cookie jar shut on her hand.

Starling seemed to think it over for a few seconds, and then shrugged.

"Why not, I've already told you more than I've told that blasted shrink the Council sent me to."

Tigger of course filled that little tidbit away for later.

"I guess we started drifting apart when I went to the Academy, to train as a Sky Knight. We wrote to each other quite a bit at first,…..but then…well….I got so busy that…I just didn't have the time to write back."

"Wait a minute, he kept writing to you, but you were to busy to write back to him?" Tigger asked skeptically.

"Look, it's not something I'm proud of ok? In my first month there I was found to have a high aptitude for close quarter's combat and stealth, so they gave me the choice of entering special ops training. Of course I accepted it, but I had no idea at the time just how much more training was involved. I had to get up at four in the morning, and train until close to ten at night, every day, Monday through Sunday, for an entire year. No breaks, no vacations, no rest."

"Training? That sounds more like torture to me."

"Well, what about when you came back?" She asked carefully.

Seeing Starling's form slump, she knew this had to be a key point where things had started going down hill.

"Tigger, you must realize that special ops training is meant for specific missions, ones that are very risky and require precision of the upmost degree. To do this, it is important that as many obstacles or hindrances to the mission be removed as possible."

Tigger knew right then and there, that she was not going to like what she was about to hear.

"That is why, only orphans are chosen for that type of training. People that have no family or close attachments. People that….can do without….their emotions."

Tigger felt her heart stop cold.

"So what's for lunch today? More sand filled oatmeal? Or how about sand filled soup like last night?" Shadow said sarcastically as she scratched Griffy's chin.

"You're complaining about sand getting in your food in the middle of a desert?" Marina asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey! Not my fault you're used to it! I grew up in the sticks, but at least our food was clean!" Shadow barked back crossing her arms. Griffy made a sound of irritation at his scratching session having been stopped, but gave up when he figured it was a waste of his time.

Piper just shook her head at the scene. "Figures. Just when I thought she was growing up, she goes and proves me wrong again."

"Oh like your not thinking the exact same thing?"

Piper narrowed her eyes.

"You again? I thought you were just some heat induced hallucination?"

She could feel the grin coming from the 'new' Piper she had just found the other day.

"Nope! I'm as real as you are! And I'm not going anywhere," she said teasingly.

"Great, now I've got a voice stuck in my head. Maybe Aerrow was right, Kai is a hazard to people's health, physical and mental," she muttered.

Just then she could have sworn that she felt somebody bop her on the head.

"Hey! That's our friend you're talking about! Be nice!"

Feeling an oncoming headache, Piper started to prepare lunch herself.

"Hopefully you'll go away after I get some food in me," Piper thought.

Of course the giggle she heard in the back of her head told her otherwise.

"Looks like its sand filled soup again after all," she muttered.

Rondana looked up from her book with a smile. "I'll take some if you don't mind."

Piper shrugged her shoulders before dumping a second can of soup into the pot.

Smiling, Rondana dived back into her book. "Arazona Indigo, when will you figure it out? The princess is just using you to get back the sacred idol! She'll probably try to sacrifice you when you bring it back to her!"

"Wait a minute, you're telling me, that they …they strip away a persons emotions? Is that even legal?"

Starling surprised her by snorting.

"I'm starting to believe that legal or not matters very little when it comes to the Council. But yes, that is what they do. Since the person has no living family, they usually have nobody, and nothing to think about other than training. Couple that with living conditions that are nearly identical to solitary confinement in a prison and nonstop grueling training and that is the end result. The person loses touch with what makes them human and most if not all interpersonal skills they once had."

Tigger studied the older woman for a moment. Something wasn't adding up.

"She said that she went through that training, but…does she fake emotion? I know it's possible to do, but.."

"You don't seem to be lacking any emotion in my book. You're a bit guarded, but that's not much of a surprise coming from a Sky Knight."

Closing the panel behind her, Starling turned to face the younger girl with a face that showed a mixture of sadness with just a hint of happiness. Without a doubt, it was one of the strangest facial expressions she had ever seen.

"Because I'm not. Remember what I told you? I didn't have time to write back to Kai, but he kept writing to me. I read every one of those letters he sent me; I even managed to save a few after….after Mesa's fall."

Now she was even more confused. "Ok Tigger, thinking cap on! She said they chose orphans because they don't have family, the training she went through removes a person's emotions, but hers weren't. And somehow Kai fits into all this? What's the link?" A few seconds passed, and her eyes widened.

"The letters! It was contact with another person! Even if you didn't see him or talk to him, you were still in contact with him!"

Starling nodded her head. "That is correct Tigger. Although I did not make it through the training completely unscathed I'm afraid. When I returned to Mesa, I was…different from before I left. I hadn't expressed much in the way of emotion other than frustration and anger for close to a year. So even though the others had survived, those emotions had suffered atrophied from disuse you could say."

Groaning, Tigger hit the back of her head on one of the raised panels behind her.

"And knowing Kai, he was bouncing off the walls when you came back."

Starling nodded sadly. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that things must have been pretty rough for awhile.

"Look, I know I've made some mistakes in the past. I'm not completely blameless with the way our friendship has turned out to be, but I'm hoping to at least salvage part of it, something, anything. Time….and occurrence have this nasty little habit of changing things, no matter how much we may wish they could remain the same. I'll never be able to have what I once had with him, but I'll take what I can get. Just….don't think that I hate him, or blame him, entirely."

Tigger had to force down her smile and be as solemn as she could at hearing this.

"I won't, but make sure he's the one that knows that ok?"

With a small smile on her face, Starling nodded and went to the front of the ship, where she continued working.

Several feet away, under an open access hatch, dull golden eyes opened slowly before their owner walked away as though nothing had happened.

One bright green eye peeked out from behind the safety of a stalagmite.

"They're armed, all of them. But why would they be here? There is nothing left of any value….unless…are they looking for me?"

The head bulled back and the figure leaded against the wall of rock nervously. Then, turned and crept down the pitch black passage silently.

"They must be after me. But, who are they? And why are they after me?"

Griffy stirred from his sleep and looked around the dimly lit cave.

"Wha's matter?"

Looking up at Shadow's half awake face; Griffy tapped his beak, and then motioned to the area of the cave in front of them.

Shadow's mind was still buried in the depths of slumber, but she recognized the way Griffy was acting immediately.

Getting up as quietly as she could, she pulled her crystal ax free from her holster and a glow crystal from her pocket.

"Stay quite ok? I'll go check it out."

Nodding his head, Griffy watched as Shadow crept down the cave and out of sight. After a few seconds passed, he got up and followed.

Nighttime had arrived and the remaining trio found themselves in the ships galley eating dinner. Tigger ate nervously as she watched the ships other two occupants eat in silence.

"How can three people be in the same room eating, and it still be as quiet as a graveyard?" She thought. She had thought that Kai and Starling had patched things up that morning, but evidently she was wrong. The two ate in silence while once every now and then shooting the others a quick glance.

This was not unusual on Kai's part. Tigger knew that was normal for him. But for Starling? The woman might not be the most personable individual she had ever met, but she had never acted like this before.

"I'm going to take a shower. I'll see you tomorrow," she said quickly excusing herself after finishing her meal.

Mulling the situation over, Tigger couldn't tell if it was a blessing or a curse.

On the one hand, she now had a chance to try and grill Kai for more information, on the other; she had to be careful that she didn't let anything that Starling had told her slip out.

It only took her a few seconds to decide however, as luck seemed to be with her today.

"Ok, I can't start asking him questions about his past or he'll clam up. I need something that he'll actually answer, but won't seem to….snoopy." A small grin spread across her face as an idea came to her.

Pushing her glasses up, Tigger leaned back and let out a sigh.

"You alright?" Kai asked looking up at her.

Pushing back her grin, Tigger mentally gave herself a pat on the back. "Like shooting sky fish in a bucket."

"Hmm? Oh, yeah…I'm alright…I guess."

Kai leaned forward and rested he's arms on the table. "What's up? Homesick?"

"Actually, that'll work."

"Yeah, just a little. How'd you know?"

Kai grinned. "Oh come on. I'm not that dense. Besides, you sleep talk."

Turning slightly red, Tigger stuttered. "I I I I do not!"

With a toothy grin, Kai leaned forward, and in a perfect imitation of her voice, started speaking. "Oh Aladd, my love for you is as deep as the great sky's."

Now bright red from a mixture of embarrassment and anger, Tigger huffed.

"At least I've got a boyfriend," she said pouting.

Kai snorted. "Uh, guy, remember!" He said before letting out a few laughs. Seeing Tigger's face turn an even darker shade or red, however he stopped and gave her a warm smile.

"You know I'm just teasing you. But seriously, you do talk in your sleep."

Huffing, Tigger turned away from Kai, refusing to respond.

Sighing, Kai chuckled. "Hey, I might not like him, but if it makes you happy, that's what's important right? Just as long as he doesn't try anything funny or hurts you…again."

Rolling her eyes, Tigger finally relented. "I don't need your help with dating….mother," she said dryly.

This time it was Kai's turn to pout. "I'm not your mother….I'm your big brother, and I'm just doing my job."

"Oh? And what might that be?" Tigger asked with a slight grin.

"Protecting you from idiots and perverts of course." He shot back quickly.

"You're doing a pretty lousy job then if you let Aladd get by," she said laughing.

"Hey, he snuck in before my shift started. Sides, I would have tossed him out if you didn't keep protecting him," Kai pointed out.

"Awww, well thank you big brother," she said sweetly as she smiled.

That warm smile however quickly changed into a predatory grin. One that Kai found eerily familiar.

"Oh no, not this again," he groaned.

"So when's big brother going to settle down? Your not getting any younger you know.

Kai's left eye twitched. "I'm nineteen, that's not old."

"Actually it is. I mean, I know plenty of people your age that are married and have at least one kid on the way," she said tapping her chin as she looked up at the ceiling.

"Hey! I'm not that old! I'm not!"

Tigger leaned forward and squinted her eyes. "Is that a grey?" She asked calmly.

Again, Kai's eyebrow twitched. "I'm young, I'm hip, and I'm with it! And I do not have grey hair!"

"I think it is. Actually, I see a couple," she said reaching forward.

Kai lightly smacked away her hand and leaned back.

"If I have any greys, you guys gave them to me," he muttered.

"Ok Tigger, you've got him on the defense, now, FORWARD!" In her mind, she saw a great fortress with high walls, a moat, and a raised draw bridge being guarded by a fierce dragon. She herself was riding on a horse leading a large army that all looked suspiciously like Tom Cruse charging said fortress.

"Hey hey, no pressure. Just because you're fifteen year old little sister has already found her souls other half, while you've never even been on a date, is no reason to feel bad," she teased.

Slowly raising a single eyebrow, Kai's face grew a large smirk of its own. One that just screamed 'I know something you don't!'

"Who ever said I've never been on a date?"

With slow, purposeful steps, Shadow sneaked down the dimly lit cave. She had thought that she was lost for sure when her glow crystal died out on her, but was shocked to see a path of faintly glowing crystals on the caves ceiling. She followed it back to camp, and after she was sure that the others were still out cold, went back to see where they led.

The tunnels seemed to go on for miles, but it could have just been that she was tired and her mind made it seem that way.

Once or twice she could have sworn that she heard something moving ahead, but it was always out of her field of vision.

Finally, she saw something.

Rather, someone.

She was about to call out when she heard the person speak.

"I know it's been awhile. I'm sorry that I haven't visited," came a soft female voice.

"There's more of them? This is bad!" Just as she turned to leave, she heard the voice continue.

"I miss you….but...you knew this would happen….you knew it from the very beginning."

Stopping, she turned back and decided to listen a bit more. It was almost like something didn't want her to leave.

"I…I'll never be able to thank you enough…for everything….I wish…..I wish we could still….be together….but…you knew…it wouldn't last."

"It sounds like…she's talking to…"

Looking down, she saw a faint blue glow from under her shirt, and felt a strange warmness. Reaching inside her neckline, she pulled out her necklace, and was surprised to see the Griffin stone glowing faintly, bathing her in an icy blue light.

"What is this?"

"Of all the things we faced….I guess, time was the only one we could never defeat…no matter how strong we were back them."

Swallowing a large lump in her throat, Shadow stepped forward.

"Oh come on! You're the single most reclusive and evasive person I've ever met! There is no way you've got a girlfriend!"

Kai leaned back and closed his eyes. The only proof that he was awake being the smug grin on his face as he listened to Tigger vent.

"Finished?" He asked with mock politeness.

"Yes," she replied crossing her arms.

"Now, you are right, I don't have a girlfriend, but you forget that I wasn't always like this. I've only been in hiding, and working for Arygyn for a little over a year now. But before that, I did have a life beyond training."

"Ok, so who was she?"

Again, Kai raised his eyebrow. "This is your business how?"

"You're no fun," she said before sticking out her tongue.

"Fine, I'll humor you, but only if you answer my question first. Why?"

"Why what?" She asked twirling a lock of hair on her finger.

"Why do you care? Why does my personal life seem to be such an interesting topic with you six?"

"Duh! We're girls! Gossip is to us what belching is to guys." Tigger replied smoothly.

"You establish an order of dominance and order of command through gossip?" He asked more than just a little stunned.

"What?"

Shaking his head, Kai sighed. "Fine."

"Establish an order of dominance and order of command? Do they really? Naaa, he's joking…..right?"

"There were a few, but the only one that went anywhere was Pellegri. There, does that answer your question?" He asked tiredly.

"Pellga who?"

She was surprised to see Kai blink like someone had just hit him upside the head with a beach ball.

"You actually don't know who Pellegri is?"

Tigger shook her head.

"Blond, acts a little on the ditzy side, kinda like Piper but without the crystal obsession?"

Again, Tigger shook her head.

"Second in command and number two wingman for the Rex Guardians?"

Tigger's eyes widened.

"YOU DATED HARRIER'S FANGIRL!"

Kai winced. Geeze, can you shout that a little louder? I don't think Lark heard you."

"But…but…but she's an idiot! A complete airhead!"

Kai frowned. "She's still my friend, so I would appreciate it if you didn't talk about her like that." Seeing her still shocked face, he groaned. "She's not that bad, honestly."

"Yes! Yes she is! Whenever I get dragged to one of those godforsaken squad meets I'm stuck listening to her go on and on about how great he is and how much everyone can learn from him.

Kai snorted, and then broke out laughing.

"That's because she has no other choice!" He said laughing.

"What?"

"Tigger, she acts like that when she's in public because the media watches the Rex Guardians like a hawk. They're the Councils propaganda machine. Trust me; she's not really like that."

Seeing her 'yeah right' look, Kai laughed.

"Look, it's no small secret that I burn the ground that Harrier walks on, so why would I even think about going out with his wingman if I didn't have good reason to overlook that?"

"I don't know, uh, to get back at him for some reason?"

Kai's eyes narrowed into a glare and a scowl flashed across his face.

"Tigger, I would never, ever, fool around with someone's emotions like that. I'm cynical, not cruel."

"Ok, fine, I apologize," Tigger said raising her hands in defeat. "But you're going to have to back that one up," she added.

Grinning, Kai leaned back. "Well, first of all, she's a master of Sky Fu, that's how we met actually."

"You met her in a fight?"

Kai flinched and seemed more than just a little uncomfortable, but continued. "Not exactly. She was one of my….instructors. She taught me a few Bá Bù steps as well as Lǐng Lù stances when I…stayed on terra Rex."

Record scratch

"You lived on terra Rex?"

"Look, just….drop it for now ok? Another time maybe, but not right now."

Tigger again raised her hands in defeat, signaling Kai to continue.

"Anyways, she was one of my…instructors, and we just kind of…hit it off."

"If you hit if off, what happened?" Tigger asked curiously.

"Wellll…we just….decided that it didn't work out," Kai said uneasily.

"Uh huh, she dumped you didn't she?"

Kai nodded. "Oh yeah, big time. But, we're still friends…at least I think we are…it's been awhile, hiding out from the Council and all ya know," he said darkly.

"Well, why did you stop trying?"

"That's it Tigger, go in for the kill!"

Kai shot her a deadpan look.

"Oh yeah, I can see the ad now. Single renegade outlaw on run from Free Atmos seeks accomplice with possible romantic potential. Must be willing to endure random excursions for unknown lengths of time to distant terras and explore lost temples and forgotten cities. Also must be willing to live on the run from Sky Knight's, Cyclonian's and occasional Murk Raider incursions. Cooking and cleaning skills appreciated but not required. Who'd want to date a pirate on the run from the law?"

Tigger's jaw dropped.

"Kai…that's like, the fantasy of every teenage girl that has ever lived!"

Groaning, Kai rolled his eyes. "I'm trying to be realistic here. Being associated with me hazardous to ones health and lethal for their career."

"So, then why not someone that would be willing, and able?"

Kai shot Tigger a 'don't push it' look, but she ignored it.

"There are people out there that can deal with that kind of lifestyle; you just have to look for them."

"Tigger, I'm not interested, I answered your question, now drop it."

"What's the matter? Chicken?"

"I'm not taking your bait again Tigger. Twice is enough for one night."

"Wait a minute, you knew?"

Kai chuckled. "I think your forgetting just who you're talking too."

Rising to leave, Kai turned to her one last time. "Look, I know what you're doing, but I'm not what she wants, or what she needs. Tell the others to stop this little game of theirs before one of you does something foolish."

"Snap! How'd he know?!"

"You knew all along?"

"I do now," Kai said grinning.

"You mean..you…I just…but….AAAAGGHHH YOU LITTLE!" Leaping from her seat, Tigger tackled Kai to the floor with speed that surprised even him.

"What did you mean by that?" She asked narrowing her eyes.

"Which part?"

"Oh no you don't, Piper told me all about that little trick." Seeing his eyes narrow, she continued. "It was the only thing we could get out of Piper the night you finally moved out of our room. I know how you try to shift people off a topic you don't want to talk about, but I'm not letting you, not this time." She said with a serious tone.

Closing his eyes, Kai rose up as though he were doing a sit up, then rolled partially to his side before standing up straight. Then taking hold of her small wrists, he effortlessly peeled her arms off of his shoulders and set her on the ground.

"He did that without any trouble at all? What is he?"

"I'm going to tell you this one time, and one time only. So you had better listen very, very carefully, ok?"

Seeing her nod, he lowered himself to face level with her, and spoke. "First of all, I'm not even sure that I'm still….human, and no, I'm not going to elaborate on that. Secondly, a few years back, I asked Starling what she was looking for in a person were she ever to settle down, and you know what she said?"

Tigger felt a small amount of fear pass through her as Kai spoke. His voice was cold and emotionless, and she felt like he was looking right through her. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was within an inch of losing his cool.

"She told me that she would, and I quote, 'Fancy a writer, or perhaps an author. That she wishes to live a quiet simple life, away from the hustle and bustle of adventure and away from the madness of war.' That is not something I will ever have, nor will ever be able to give anyone."

"My lot in life is to act like a worried mother over a bunch of squabbling children that wish nothing more than to remove the other from this plain of existence. That is why I have cut most, if not all ties with everyone I know, and why I focus completly on my job. I can think of no person on this planet that I hate enough to condemn such a life on, let alone a friend. Now, this is your last warning, drop it."

Tigger nodded her head and swallowed quickly. After Kai left the room, she leaned against the wall and sunk to the floor.

"That was the scariest thing I have ever seen in my life. And I've been to Oblivion," she thought as she tried to calm her breathing.

"Great, now what do I tell the others?"

"That Kai isn't as dumb as he acts and not to tick him off, duh!" The entire situation seemed odd to her though. "Why was he so…angry? No, that wasn't anger…what was it?" Knowing that this battle was beyond lost, she decided to run what she had learned over until the others returned.

"Things just got a lot more complicated," she thought as she tapped the back of her head on the wall behind her.

"Mmmm, Aerrow…" Opening one eye, Piper saw Radarr wrapped in her arms and tapping his fingers patiently. Seeing that she was awake, he gave her a look that said, 'You can let go of me anytime now.'

Chuckling uneasily she loosened her gripe and he quickly pulled free. After brushing himself off and cracking his bones back into place, she watched as he dragged himself over to where their fire had been last night and plopped down.

Piper smiled as she unpacked her breakfast supplies. Last night she had a rather good dream. It had actually felt so real that she thought it was until she had woken up.

"I hope it's one of those series type dreams I get sometimes. I have no complaints with picking that one up where it left off." Piper thought happily.

"You and me both sister! Seeing Aerrow working out like that in the gym, then sparring with him, growl."

Piper's eye twitched. "Shut up brain before I stab you with a Q-tip."

"Hey, I'm just saying it was a nice….view to some prime real-estate, that's all," 'new' Piper replied before bursting into a fit of laughs.

"Your as bad as Shadow, I swear," Piper said before looking around. "Speaking of which, where is she?"

Marina rolled out of her sleeping bag when she heard Piper's voice.

"Something wrong?"

"Yeah, Shadow's missing; did you see or hear her leave?"

"I saw her get up last night, but I thought she was just going to use the bathroom," Rondana replied sleepily.

"How long ago was that?"

Rondana shook her head. "I don't know, I don't have a watch, it was quite some time ago though. I was sure that she would be back soon, so I went back to sleep."

"I don't like this," Piper said before cupping her hands together. "SHADOW! Where are you?!" She shouted.

Blast blast

"That was crystal fire!" Rondana shouted.

Marina and Piper both pulled their weapons free and ran towards the source of the sound. Rondana grabbed her medkit and weapon before following.

They heard several more blasts of weapons fire, then,

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

"That was Shadow! She's hurt!" Piper screamed as her running speed suddenly increased.

Marian and Rondana looked at each other, then back at Piper's quickly disappearing form.

"Since when could she run like that?" Marina asked in surprise.

"Don't look at me! I've never seen anyone move that fast before!" Rondana shouted almost tripping. "Come on, we need to catch up! If Shadow's in trouble, then Piper's going to get there first, and then they'll both need our help!"

Marina nodded and put as much umph into her step as she could, pushing her tired and still not awake body to its limit.

"That scream, Shadow's hurt, but…why don't I hear blaster fire anymore?" Piper thought as she barreled down the cave.

She then heard a strange sound. The closest thing she could think of was when two clothes were held together by static electricity and you peeled them apart. The sound continued for several seconds, getting louder in intensity before it reached its limit.

BLLLLAAAAAST

The next thing she heard was a hissing roar, followed by a large explosion.

Piper nearly tripped over her own feet as the cavern shook from the power of the explosion. She found her footing however and continued without slowing down.

"Shadow, please be ok!"

"Ugghh."

"Shhh. You're injured, don't try to move ok?"

Shadow did the only thing she could, and nodded her head tiredly.

"You're friends are coming, but their not going to make it in time."

Shadow blinked her eyes and let out a groaning whine. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the person looking down at her. She couldn't see much since the light was so dim, but she could make out what appeared to be body armor of some sort. Judging by the voice, she thought it might be a girl close to her age, but everything was just so fuzzy, she couldn't tell.

Slowly, the person knelt down on their knees beside her, and placed both hands on her back.

"Ahh!"

"Shhh sh sh sh, I know it hurts, but it'll be alright soon, I promise."

Hearing Shadow cry out in pain a second time, Piper pushed herself even harder. Taking long, smooth strides, she easily jumped over anything in her path.

"Hang in there Shadow, I'm coming!"

Were the situation not so serious, she would have been amazed at how fast she was running, but right now, her thoughts were focused on her friend, and reaching her as fast as possible.

"Wait a minute, there it is again! That song! It's the same as before!"

Just as she had the day before, Piper heard the ghostly melody echo through the cave. It started off with a low cry that steadily rose in volume before lowering, then rising again.

"That's a woman's voice, but it's not the same as before."

Thinking back to the song she heard at the arena with Kai, she tried to see if she could understand it.

"It's not the same song as the one from the arena, but…it's just as sad. Why is such a beautiful voice singing such a sad song?"

"Because even someone whose voice is beautiful can feel pain."

"What?"

"Think about it, a song is an expression of emotion. This is a song of the Ancients, just like with Kai back at the arena, or when he fought the Virage."

"So…what? I don't understand it. I can read Ancient, but I don't speak it well enough to understand it!" Piper chided her 'new' side.

"Then don't try to understand it, try to feel it."

"I…don't understand."

Sigh

"Look, a song, is an expression of emotion right?"

Piper ran the thought over as she jumped over several mid sized boulders in her path.

"I..guess so…but what do you mean feel it?"

"What I mean is STOP THINKING! Don't try to figure it out. Not everything in life is a puzzle, and even if it is, not every puzzle is meant to be solved! Don't think, feel!"

Decided that it might be better to try and do what 'new' Piper was telling her to, Piper focused on the song itself instead of the words.

"It…it sounds sad."

She could feel 'new' Piper smile.

"Good, now, feel it a little more. Why does it feel sad? What emotion is it using as a carrier?"

Focusing on the song again, Piper felt a slight pain in her chest, like she had been stabbed, or shot.

"It's pain."

'New' Piper nodded her head.

"Now you're getting it. We'll talk again later ok? Right now you need to focus on helping Shadow." With that, the mental image of 'new' Piper disappeared, leaving Piper alone with her thoughts.

"The song, it stopped. But…is that a good thing….or a bad thing?"

Coming to a skidding stop in a large, half lit room, Piper made her decision.

"Bad, it's definitely a bad thing!"

There, in the middle of the room, lay Shadow, still as a rock, with Griffy lying beside her and looking back to Piper.

"Oh my God, she's hurt bad. MARINA! RONDANA! HURRY UP!" Looking back down, she felt her breathing speed up and a lead weight drop in her stomach.

In the center of Shadow's back was a large visible hole in the flight suit. Even worse, there was blood.

A lot, of blood.

Piper's voice echoed throughout the cavern, blistering with pain, anger, and rage.

"SHADOW!"

A short distance away, a lone figure watched with a small smile. Sliding her one drawn sword back into the scabbard on her back, she calmly walked down the dark, lightless cavern.

"Hopefully now."

Taking one last look back, the figure waved its right hand and watched as a wall of crystal rose up and covered the path she had taken shut.

"They will leave me be."

End chapter 11

Ok, show of hands, how many people out there want to kill me right now?

(Ducks bricks and rocks thrown)

Hey, I told you this one was a rollercoaster, but believe me when I say I'm not going to leave you hanging like this every time. I've been planning on a few specific parts of this story since I started writting it, and this was one of them. As for the Sky Fu Kai mentioned, its part of the Gu Ruzhang curriculum of Northern Shaolin kung fu. I've done a bit of research, and have come up with individual styles of martial arts for most of the squadrons in Storm Hawks based on the characters in that squad. That will be incorporated into my and Arashi21's future work.