Author's Note: This is the Author's Note.
There's this concept in human relations known as the "fire-forged friend." The idea that sharing dangerous or otherwise challenging tasks tends to turn people into close friends rather quicker that, say, a quick chat at a café table. It is perhaps why the term "war buddies" is so often heard to describe a friend. And while dragging a motorcycle a great walking distance in a thunderstorm is not even close to the horrors of war, it does tend to stick with you long after you're back home. Especially for Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long.
It was a warm spring evening, and the two Huntresses-in-training were enjoying spring break on the island of Patch. That was the evening that Blake discovered Yang's rather impressive motorcycle, Bumblebee. Yang suggested a sunset ride on the coastline, circling the whole island before sundown. Blake accepted, being a bit of a thrillseeker.
Unfortunately, whether it was due to an unclean exhaust, or water in the tank, or the bike achieving sentience and wishing to spoil their fun, it suddenly broke down. Fortunately, Yang was able to pull over before they both got hurt. Unfortunately, they were out of Scroll reception to call for a tow, so the only reliable way to fix it would be via a DIY, and most of Yang's tools were in her garage, at her house, on the far side of the island. Fortunately, Bumblebee gave out near a main highway that cut through the center of the island, right back to her house. Unfortunately, it had started to rain.
That rain soon became a downpour, which progressed into one of the roughest thunderstorms either Blake or Yang had ever seen. Both girls pushed the bike in earnest, desperately trying to make it home before sundown. It was, quite literally, an uphill struggle, for Yang's house sat 200 feet above sea level, on the highest point on the island. At one point, Blake's bow undid itself, and was blown away in the storm. But she cared not that her ears were exposed. All that mattered was that the motorcycle got home.
It took the both of them until an hour past sundown to reach the garage. The rain was coming down harder than ever, almost becoming a wall of water. Thunder echoed around them, heralded by the lightning that flashed across the sky. And by the time Yang had deduced the problem (a faulty radiator), fixed it, and got her motorcycle running once more, it could almost be classified as a tropical storm.
Two hours later saw them all washed and dried, sprawled on the couch and basking in their victory. With the television having been blown out by the storm, they instead found entertainment in each other, recounting their hike through the rain as an epic journey, as though they were heroes of old reminiscing in some tavern.
And so it went, until sleep overtook them. At some time in that night, Blake was affected by a chill in the air, and drawn to Yang's latent semblance of heat, moved herself closer to the warmth in her sleep. Or at least, that's what Yang's sister Ruby surmised when she woke up the next day to find the two of them curled up together on the couch.
Author's Note: And there's another piece of fluff to keep you warm this winter.
Now, all four keys have been brought together, and the gate can be opened… Stay tuned.