In this circle of friends, we share this prayer—that we'll gather together, no matter how the highway bends. I will not lose this circle of friends. Point of Grace, Circle of Friends
Chapter 8: Meet the Group
TL got up in the early hours of the morning and left another note on where he left the other one. He was ready to jump out the window and begin surfing through the trees to find Hanabi. However…
"Where are you going?"
TL wheeled around to see Sylar.
"Morning, Sy." TL greeted with a nervous expression.
"Where are you going?" Sylar asked again.
"Well, I COULD say looking for the lost treasure of Atlantis, but you'd never believe me." TL replied with a nervous laugh to augment his expression. Sylar just kept up a stern look at the hedgehog, "Tree surfing."
"After that?" Sylar asked, "You're going to a training session with little miss Hyuga, aren't you?"
"No." TL replied.
"You're lying." Sylar stated. TL would've made a comment, but then he remembered Sylar's super-hearing. He, literally, could hear the change in his heartbeat…and his lie-detection ability made it so he would be in even MORE hot water.
"Alright, I've been doing training sessions with her for the last two days." TL admitted, "She wanted me to teach her how to fight Fictorian Snake-Style."
"Have you made ANY references to us?" Sylar asked.
"Only once." TL replied, "I said I had friends waiting."
"Care to bring her over to see who she's got herself, inadvertently, acquainted with?" Sylar asked.
"Uh…sure." TL replied as he jumped out of the window and latched onto a tree via Aura Arm.
"See you…in a matter of minutes." Sylar said.
TWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTW
TL swung through the trees like a primate of sorts until he came, skidding, to a halt. He saw Hanabi, fast asleep under a tree. The hedgehog leaned over and tapped her forehead.
"DRAKE, WE MIGHT GET CAUGHT!" she shouted, eyes snapping open.
"If I asked what the heck you were dreaming about, would I regret it?" TL asked, nervously.
"Uh…yes, you would." Hanabi replied, calming down.
"You've been out for a while to just doze off like that." TL said with a smile, "Why'd you stake out like that?"
"B-because…my father…" Hanabi said, trying to find a polite way to broach the subject, "Said you did something a while back…"
"Oh. THAT." TL said, somewhat surprised that THIS subject should pop up NOW, "Yeah…last time I was here before joining the Author Fighters, I wrote something on the back of the Hyuga Compound."
"What?" Hanabi simply asked.
TL looked ready to answer, but seemed to remember something, "I…don't remember. Still feel kinda guilty about it." Hanabi gave TL a flat look, "What? A lot's happened since!"
"TL, you're the weirdest person I've ever met." Hanabi stated.
"Oh thank you. You're so kind." TL replied. He then said, "So, ready for the third lesson?"
"Yeah, I am." Hanabi replied.
"Alright, THIS is where things get even MORE difficult." TL said, "Which are you? A cobra or an anaconda?"
"What?" Hanabi asked.
"The two variations of Snake-Style Combat." TL explained, "Are you a cobra, who uses its abilities to enhance its hand-to-hand combat or are you an anaconda, who uses its abilities to hold its enemies down while its physical abilities take care of the rest?"
"Which are you?" Hanabi asked.
"Cobra." TL replied. He thrust out his right hand and caused a burst of red electricity to hit a tree. He then jumped over and delivered a series of kicks to it. He held up his fingers, which were still smoking, "Fingers smokin'."
"What now?" Hanabi simply asked.
"We fight each other, no holds barred." TL replied, standing in a somewhat relaxed position. Hanabi tensed up, ready for combat, "Wait! Wait!"
"We haven't even started yet!" Hanabi snapped, somewhat irritated.
"You're tense." TL replied, "If you want to make the best hit you can, you have to relax and focus all tension into one particular area. I put it in my feet, which enhances my kicks. Pick a spot and focus all your tension into it."
Hanabi rolled her eyes before relaxing her body, focusing the tension into her hands.
"Alright, NOW!"
TL flew at Hanabi with his right arm out. A neural disruption blast came out and hit Hanabi, full in the face. Her mind went all fuzzy for a few seconds, but got on the receiving end of TL's boot. She was sent, tumbling, but grabbed the ground and brought her foot onto TL's head. The hedgehog was driven into the ground. Hanabi smirked, but it wasn't over. Far from it.
TL grabbed Hanabi's leg and sent a couple volts of electricity through her. Hanabi thrashed around as her nerves responded to the electrical current. However, that didn't stop her. She pulled out a kunai and slashed the hedgehog's arm. TL made a small yelp in pain, as he dropped Hanabi.
"Not so tough NOW." Hanabi said.
TL looked at the wound with an expression fitting to one who saw something that was pretty unusual, but not entirely out of the ordinary.
"Just another scar." TL smirked as he jumped out and brought his foot down. Hanabi blocked with an upward strike of the Gentle Fist, "Oh, fudge crackers…"
TL screamed as his foot was hit with a full blast of chakra and he was sent flying. Hanabi looked up, but soon had to dodge as an arm made of bluish green aura slammed down and reeled the hedgehog back down.
"OW." TL moaned as he fell to one knee, "But…I'M NOT THROUGH YET!"
TL thrust out his Aura Arm again and caught a above him. He then rose into the branches and swung his foot into Hanabi's face, which the Hyuga girl blocked as TL swung to another branch to send a burst of electricity at her. She dodged and threw three shuriken. TL swung his free foot upward. The thick leather blocked the majority of the force behind the shuriken. The most he felt were three small pricks on his foot. He heaved himself up and plucked them out.
"Unpleasant." He simply said.
"THAT'S all you have to say?" Hanabi asked.
"I'm overly AND underly dramatic." TL replied with his usual cocky grin. He then used his telekinesis to grab a vine and made a tight strap around his leg, "There, that should do it…"
TL then let go of the branch and landed on his hands before swinging his feet at Hanabi. The Hyuga girl blocked the oncoming blows and threw another Gentle Fist at the hedgehog. TL brought his hand up, making sure it hit just behind the wrist. Enough force not to cause any damage, but enough to divert the blow.
"YOU are so frustrating!" Hanabi growled.
"All just my way of saying 'thank you'." TL replied before throwing a punch with his Aura Arm. What happened next was the equivalent of sending Hanabi into the tree via catapult. She left a figure in the wood and fell to the ground.
She shot back up and grabbed all the kunai and shuriken in her pouch before hurling them at the hedgehog. TL simply held out his hand and used telekinesis to stop them all in their tracks and surround Hanabi.
"If I was an enemy, THIS would be where you die." TL said, all jokes gone from his voice, "Just be thankful I'm not."
TL released his hand and the weapons fell, uselessly, to the ground.
"This test is over." TL said, "You've still got much to learn."
Hanabi simply fell to her knees. TL looked down with a somewhat apologetic look on his face.
"Hey, don't sweat it." TL said, putting a hand on Hanabi's shoulder, "I had problems with that, too."
"Th-thanks." Hanabi replied with a shaky smile.
"Hey, y'know those friends I mentioned a while back?" TL asked, remembering his conversation with Sylar earlier.
"Only that you DID mention them." Hanabi replied as she rose to her feet.
"Well, how'd ya like to meet them?" TL asked.
Hanabi thought a bit about this before simply saying, "Sure."
"Alright, just grab on and hold tight." TL said as he heaved Hanabi onto his back. He jumped over to the nearest tree and began clambering up it. He then took off, jumping, "In the trees, I'm at home…"
He continued making a series of movements that seemed to make them go faster. They then arrived at the apartment that TL and the rest were staying at.
"You live HERE?" Hanabi asked.
"We live where we want." TL replied as he opened the windows. He let Hanabi off his back and shouted, "YO, GUYS! I'M BACK!"
"'Bout time, too." Xem said as he walked in, "Where've you…" Xem then saw Hanabi and froze in place. The two had expressions that said 'What the heck?'.
"Uh…TL?" the two asked, "Who's this?"
"Hanabi, Xem. Xem, Hanabi." TL said, shakily, "Guess you haven't seen a Roswellian before, huh?"
"No." Hanabi simply replied, still staring at Xem.
"What?" Xem simply asked.
"Sorry." Hanabi apologized with a small bow, "I didn't mean to offend you."
"Uh…okay." Xem replied, uneasily, "I'm Xemnas1992."
"And I'm Hanabi Hyuga." Hanabi replied as Xem shook her hand.
'Didn't I already introduce 'em?' TL thought.
"Not to seem rude, but what's she doin' here?" Xem asked.
"She's a…guest." TL replied.
"Never expected any house calls." Rattrap said as he sprung out, actually startling Hanabi, "What? Are my guy gears hangin' out or somethin'?"
"Alright, a talking hedgehog and tiger were a bit hard to swallow." Hanabi muttered as she regained her composure, "But THIS?"
"Uh…intros?" TL asked, "She IS a guest, buddy."
"Oh, fine. I AM TRANSFORMED." Rattrap said. In a burst of red light, he shifted into his robot form, "The name's Rattrap."
"Hanabi Hyuga." Hanabi replied.
"I was wondering when you'd bring her." Sylar said as he walked in.
"About time a NORMAL person walks in." Hanabi sighed.
"Normal?" Sylar asked. He looked over to a glass and it moved across the table it was sitting on, "Not exactly the best word for me. I'm Sylar, by the way. Nice to finally meet you in person, Hanabi Hyuga."
Hanabi looked ready to ask how he knew, but TL gave her a 'don't ask or else you'll get the worst headache in your life' look.
"And we're a team." TL said, walking in front of the three and putting his arms around them.
"Don't touch me." Sylar simply said. TL recoiled at that statement.
"You guys are…" Hanabi searched for the right word to fit the group…in a polite word.
"Dysfunctional?" Rattrap asked.
"Weird?" Xem asked.
"Good-looking?" TL asked (yes, he IS a bit of a braggart).
"Special?" Sylar asked.
"Different." Hanabi simply finished.
"Is that it?" Rattrap asked.
"Guess so." Xem murmured, "Well, what's for lunch?"
"My guess—instant macaroni again." Sylar replied.
"Why's it called 'instant' if you've still gotta wait two minutes?" Rattrap asked.
"They took that well." Hanabi said as the other three walked off.
"Well, it wasn't really a harsh criticism." TL replied, "Being different isn't so bad."
"But…doesn't it get lonely?" Hanabi asked.
"Only once in a while." TL replied, "Every other time, it makes things better. Sometimes being the same as everyone isn't so bad. If you were in a waiting room filled with sick people, would you get nervous for not being like them?"
"He's like that." Rattrap said as he shifted back into his rat mode, "The mac's done already. Gotta hand it to Sylar's abilities when it comes to cookin'."
TL took a cup filled with instant macaroni and cheese. He handed it to Hanabi.
"Here. Lunch of champions." TL said, "It's got next to no flavor, but hey. It's filling. And, once you get used to it, you'll wonder how you ever got by without."
"Are you endorsing?" Hanabi asked with a small smirk as she took the cup and began eating.
"Pretty much." TL replied as he took a cup and began digging in.
"This is pretty good." Hanabi stated as she swallowed what was left of her macaroni.
"Try having nothing except it for the next seven days." Xem stated as he chucked his empty cup over his shoulder, "I'd give anything for some steak or tuna fish…mmm…tuna…"
"He IS a cat. So, it's natural, I guess." Sylar said as he wiped the cheesy residue off his face, "But…I gotta agree. It gets old fast."
"But still, it keeps a guy filled on a trip." TL replied.
"What?" Hanabi asked.
"Uh…well, ya didn't expect us to stay around FOREVER, right?" TL asked, rubbing the back of his head, nervously, "And…well, we're goin' on a universal road trip and…"
Whatever TL was going to add was silenced by the crumple of Hanabi's cup in her grip.
"Why didn't you tell me you were going on a trip?!" Hanabi demanded. TL broke out into a nervous sweat at this. He had been on the receiving end of an enraged female before. He had no desire to repeat the experience.
"Well…Hanabi, I was gonna tell you, but…" out of excuses, TL looked over his shoulder, "Guys, help me!"
The Fictorian hedgehog found, to his horror, that Sylar, Xem, and Rattrap had left the space vacant.
"Well, I'm coming with you." Hanabi said.
"WHAT?" TL asked.
"We haven't finished my training, have we?" Hanabi asked, "And we ARE friends, right?"
"Uh…guess so." TL replied, "But…you're a Hyuga and this could cause an even BIGGER misunderstanding with old codger…I mean Hiashi."
"What happened?" Xem asked.
"I don't wanna talk about it." TL deadpanned.
"We'll figure something out, I guess." Hanabi said.
"Well, until then, I guess you're our guest." Sylar said, "You get the bed tonight."
"WHAT?!" TL shouted.
"A GOOD host lets the guests have the bed." Sylar explained, barely concealing an 'agree with me or die' tone in his voice, "YOU get the couch with Xem."
"Sure, throw him in with me." Xem growled.
'Apparently TL isn't the ONLY one who's weird…' Hanabi thought as an argument ensued.