Chapter Nine

Lene

***

Aerrow rubbed his eyes with his fingers as he sat up and swung his legs over the side of his bunk before he stretched and yawned as he blinked barely as he body tried to wake up. He stretched again as he stood up and dressed before walking out onto the deck, the fresh smell of a new morning welcomed him as well as coffee and toast which piper was making. He smiled as he stroked the Condor's portable Time Pulse globe; he loved the Condor; it was and always would be his home. Then he noticed someone standing out on the balcony just slightly below him; Aerrow walked around and met Reo, leaning on the rail and daydreaming.

"Morning Reo." Aerrow said with a friendly smile

"Good morning." Reo replied with a soft tone his eyes still focused on the sunrise.

"What you doing out here? It's pretty cold out here-then again I guess you love the cold." Aerrow said with a chuckle as he leant on the rail in similar fashion to Reo.

"That's true but I was thinking about something out here…I don't know, something is really bugging me lately…it won't leave me alone."

Aerrow glanced at the rushing pale clouds for a moment as he tried to think about what could be bothering the shadow, in the end he decided to just go and guess; with Reo there was only a limited amount of subjects. "Is it your homeland? Or Firno? ...Jade?"

"Bingo."

"Aha, girl troubles." Aerrow said before he chuckled amused

"Oh please you sound like my brother." Reo sighed in annoyance.

"Sorry Reo but it's so obvious to everyone that you two have massive feelings for each other." Aerrow said amused "Well…maybe you're a little harder to figure out but Jade might as well have a huge Neon sign above her head saying 'I LIKE REO' in bright neon letters"

"You believe what you want but I'm not willing to." Reo said with a slight frown before he became silent again for a moment "But that's not the only thing bothering me, Aerrow..."

"Oh? Then what else is there?"

"I did something-"

Reo ducked as a pale blue bird flew in with a scroll in his beak. Aerrow took the bird's package. "Piper's newspaper bird really hates me." Reo frowned, the bird had often tried to attack him over the weeks he had lived on the Condor. Aerrow grinned.

"We all have that attention some days." Aerrow laughed at Reo's glare.

Aerrow unravelled the scroll and scanned through...then almost dropped the paper into the gathering wind as his eyes widened at the news in shock "I have to tell the guys..." Aerrow ran back inside and started waking everyone up, Reo rolled his eyes and looked back forward at the rising sun.

"I got there before you this time, Sky Knight..."

***

"Cyclonis is DEAD?!" Piper shrieked as she read the paper again and again her eyes wide in surprised at this news "An assassin? Like who?! Cyclonis has always been well guarded no one has ever been able to touch her!"

"Who would have the guts to do that?" Finn asked as he looked over Pipers shoulder with a raised eyebrow, suddenly Jade snatched the paper and looked at the picture which was from a security camera, which held a very blurry picture of the person in question, Firno peering over her shoulder amused. Reo still was outside, waiting for things to settle.

"Oh for Atmos' sake! I know who!" Jade gave the paper back to Piper and walked out, leaving the gang confused. "Reo!" She barked when she got outside.

"Good morning to you too, Jade." He sighed not even bothering to turn around

"How could you?!" She demanded, sure Cyclonis being dead made things easier for everyone but what bothered her was that he'd gone ALONE.

"What! I thought you'd be-" Reo stared surprised she looked so…well MAD.

"How could you without us?" She specified looking a little put out as she folded her arms a little annoyed; she couldn't stay mad at Reo, not really but she was a little upset he hadn't even told them what he was doing, especially something as BIG as this.

"...I didn't really think about it-"

Firno suddenly grabbed Reo's shoulders out of nowhere "Reo, you always think. What's the real reason, and don't try to lie to me." Firno stared at him the brothers knew each other far too well to tell if they were lying or not so Reo decided to be honest.

"I wanted to go alone because I, way too late, realized what she was..." Jade glanced at him, confused. "Cyclonis was a shadow, or part of one at least. Last night she intercepted my thoughts and tried to get into the Condor, I dragged her to Horizon, the point between Atmos and the Shadow Realm, and I killed her...it was why she never died at any other attempts, because she can only be killed..."

"By another shadow..." Firno finished surprised before he smiled "Of course! It makes perfect sense!"

"You could have told us!" Jade huffed still put out but she was forgiving him inside her head already..

"Hey, you were both sleeping at the time, it only happened last night."

"The press got it kinda fast..." Jade muttered.

"I put the body back in Cyclonia, the Talons must have brought it up."

"What of the Dark Ace?" Firno raised an eyebrow.

"Who cares? He's nothing compared to anything I've been against." Reo chuckled. "Besides, its over now, right?"

Reo still noticed the exasperated look on Jade's face "Jade, I would have told you when you woke up but Aerrow decided to blurt it all out. Come on you know I would have told you." He said.
Jade was silent a moment before she dropped her arms and her shoulders relaxed, all pretense of being mad at him dropped "Hmm...alright fine you win this time." Jade smiled weakly. "It's not like I could have gone even if I was around."

"Exactly..."

Firno, while this conversation was going on, was looking to the clouds "I think theirs a storm brewing...a big one at that, we should inform the Storm Hawks." Reo too looked up at the sky.

"Oh yes...very bad one."

"I'll go tell Aerrow." Jade ran back inside as the Brothers stood side by side and analysed the surroundings.

"Very strange even for Atmos..." Reo mused to himself, his brother simply nodded at this. "We'll keep our eye's open."

***

Reo clung to the railings and to Jade as the storm ripped through the hidden Condor, the hurricane was tossing them back and forth. As they tried and failed to escape

"Maybe we should have found BETTER cover." Firno growled as gripped Reo so he didn't fall back like Finn and Junko as they were squishes against the window, Radarr was currently clinging at Firno's leg.

"It'll be over soon...let's hope." Jade sighed. Aerrow was (attempting) to run around trying to keep all the barricades from closing in on them.

"This is going to be a long night..."

As the storm began to die down, the gang were still in one piece with no injuries...but the Condor would need a good paint job. As the group cleaned up the Condor the Brothers stayed on edge. Something about that storm was so familiar to them. Reo was picking up some equipment when something came to his ears; a vibrating sound and the roar...of an engine.

"We have company..." Reo turned to Piper who was working behind him.

"What? How can you tell?"

"I can hear things a lot more then humans...far out for miles, and right now I can hear skimmers on the way here...and in a rush."Within minutes, sirens were ringing and everyone jolted.

"Oh why now?!" Aerrow sighed in annoyed as he abandoned what he was doing and kitted up before running for his ride.

"Always us..." He sighed before following his Sky Knight to the hanger bay.

The Brothers and Jade had helped fight Cyclonian's before with the Storm Hawks, but something about this group threw the Brothers off, comething was wrong. But they flew out with the rest of them, there was a fleet of about twenty or thirty men. As Reo got closer he realized a female was at the front. Unfazed, he jumped from the wings of his ride and dived to the next as the battle started, keeping count of those he took down.

"Seven already Sky Knight!" he called over with a chuckle.

"Eight!" Aerrow grinned.

"Not for long!" Using a complicated combo move, he took down five men at once. "Twelve!"

"How did you-Reo look out!"

Reo twisted around but faster then he could blink he was struck by a crystal.

"Brother!" Firno yelled and struggled to make his way through, hitting anyone who crosses him with his crossbow, but Reo couldn't move, he was frozen...and falling. Jade screamed, Aerrow was trying to grab him, but none caught him.

The female leader grasped him by the waist and threw him behind her, blinking Reo found he could talk, "Who the heck are you?" Was his first question, he hadn't even seen her coming...and that had never happened before.

"We'll talk more down here." The girl chuckled; her voice...Reo's eyes widened slightly as they flew down to the caves not far down, the Storm Hawks, Firno and Jade were struggling to get at them but the talons were keeping them at bay so far. The girl let the crystal wear off and Reo just sat there in the middle of the cave as the girl blocked the entrance, trapping them back in. Reo remained calm as he studied the girl as she pulled down the hood of her cloak; she had the same features...if a little changes here in there, it had to be...

Jade's shadow...

"What do you want with me?" Reo growled, standing up, but blinked when the girl, see-able through the cracks and holes in the ceiling, bowed ever so slightly with a kind smile.

"I've heard a lot about you, Reo War." She said as she stood back up. "You're names been floating around lots lately."

"And you're point-"

"You were kidnapped from the Shadow Realm." Reo had her full attention. "Forced into joining Cyclonia, soon joined by you're younger brother."

"Who are you, tell me right now or I swear I'll..." He took out his blades and lit them, the cave glowing in a deadly red.

"Come now, you wouldn't hurt you're own kind would you?" The girl took out her long cutlass like blade and let it crackle deep purple. "And you can call me Lene."

She leaped to attack, Reo responded with ease, sparks and cackles, clashes and smashes, leaps and falls; they battled to the best of their ability but they were on par, they were equals and Reo had never met someone with such challenge. Save his brother, and that was for fun; Lene was defiantly a shadow.

Soon, she purposely fell to the ground. "You're really good!" She chuckled. "He was right about you! Listen, I have all the answers you and your brother desire...everything you have forgotten will be restored... but only if you come back to Cyclonia with me"

"Never! What's there of value to us, we can find answers on our own." Reo said with a snarl; he did NOT want to go back to that place that had kept him trapped.

"Aren't you interested in getting home?" Lene grinned darkly Reo turned to the entrance as the Storm Hawks, Firno and Jade tried to get rid of the blockage.

"Reo! Reo are you okay?!" Jade called as she tried to find him Lene growled at her voice and turned to Reo.

"If you come, don't bring her!" She hissed.

Reo turned back around to see Lene had disappeared, frowning he paused for a second before helping the guys outside tear down the blockade. Jade dived on him and hugged him hard before checking him over like a mother. Reo responded, but his mind wasn't in it, he was too busy thinking about what Lene said...

***

"Reo...?" Jade whispered as she stood at the glass doorway that lead out to the balcony almost sheepishly; Reo was out on the balcony again, admiring the stars, as he did every night.

"Hey..." Reo smiled weakly as Jade slowly stepped outside and stood next to him leaning on the large railings

"You okay out here?" She asked softly smiled back.

"Yeah, fine." Reo looked back out. "Just thinking about what she told me..."

"What happened down there, really?" The lilac haired girl asked seriously, Reo had been kidnap silent about it on the way back; he probably didn't want the Storm Hawks to know what had happen yet until he thought it over.

"We fought for a bit...then she suggested that I go to Cyclonia for answers on me and Firno finding a way back home...but I don't think I should go." He said softly

"Good idea, it's probably a trap." Jade agreed; she didn't want them to go back anymore then the brothers did that was like going back inside a lions den even WITH Cyclonis dead; of course if the brothers DID go back she would follow them.

"But here's the thing, she was a shadow."

"Wait-what?" Jade turned and faced him surprised at that "She was!?

"She was you're shadow Jade I could feel it in my gut...Lene...that was her name."

"My shadows here...why?" The girl asked confused before she looked behind her and realized that like Aerrow and Finn HER shadow had disappeared as well.

"That's what I want to know..."

There was a moment of silence between then it was uncomfortable at all just there hanging between them like a sort of comfort blanket before Jade spoke "Well…whichever you choose...I'll come with you guys." Jade said.

Reo blinked and faced her at that half of him was surprised she'd be willing to go BACK to that hellhole despite what she'd endured. "Despite everything, you're willing to go back to Cyclonia...well, visit."

"If I have you two with me, I got nothing to fear." Jade said with a little shrug and a smile. Reo smiled back, that was reassuring to his ears. "Thank you." Reo said gratefully with a kind smile, Jade smiled at the expression on his face; when Reo smiled, REALLY genuinely smiled he looked so much...softer, and sweeter. The lilac haired girl couldn't resist as she leaned up and kissed his cheek, Reo's eyes widened and he blinked at that...it felt...wonderful...

Jade was walking away from him with a slight blush on her face that she had done that AND gotten away with it (Or so it seemed), when he returned to reality, he grabbed her arm softly. "Jade wait..."

"Hm?" Jade returned to his side, Reo facing her.

"What was that for...?" He whispered.

"For reassurance..." she said still looking embarrassed.

"And the real reason?" Reo raised his eyebrow, of course then Jade blushed deeply, she had never been this close to Reo before, not without him freaking that is, now he just…didn't care how close she was.

"Because...I-I...um..." She stuttered, she was tongue tied, as she looked deeply into his mysterious eyes; those eyes that could see right into your soul and past you, those eyes that's seemed to know everything and nothing all at once.

He looked back, his features glowing in the moonlight, slowly she leaned a little closer. "I really, really like you Reo..." He smiled...was this it? Was this what he had been feeling? Well...it was all he needed to here. He leaned closer and follows his instinct and kissed her, she jumped slightly but like hell she'd turn away, she was just more surprised that it was him initiating the kiss and not her but she wasn't complaining as her hands gripped onto the front of his uniform gently

It lasted a second, maybe two, it was short but it meant so much to both of the, Jade laughed in relief and kisses him back for much longer, one hand reaching up and playing with his hair.

Meanwhile Firno and Aerrow sniggered in the background, but did not intrude; it was a moment thy had both waited for and they didn't want to ruin it "Looks like I win the bet, Aerrow." Firno whispered, but inside, he was so happy for them...

***

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