Torn

Kai

"I've changed my mind," Finn smiled. "I don't want to dive."

"Huh? You said you were dying to check out the reef!" I complained.

He shrugged. "Turns out there's this weird type of coral that can kill you… I don't want to get anywhere near it."

I laughed at the stupidity of the excuse. "All right… so what do you want to do, then?"

He shrugged again.

I sighed. Great… I just blew off Aerrow to keep plans that end up falling through. I felt like such an ass. "If you don't want to go diving, I can always take Aerrow. Piper wants to go see the tide pools but she doesn't want to go alone. Aerrow was going to go with her, you can always take his—"

"No!" he cut me off. "No… Can't we just swim?" he laughed nervously.

I looked at him, confused. "What's up with you today?"

"Just jumpy, I guess." He then sighed. "Look, you're new... to the team, I mean. None of us have really gotten the chance to know you, you know?"

"You spent all yesterday teaching me how to surf. You learned I have a terrible sense of balance—"

He cut me off, counting off other things he'd learned on his fingers, "A great body, hilarious sense of humor, the ability to learn things quickly…"

"Okay, okay," I laughed.

"The point is… I know your name and I know how you act. I know nothing of where you're from, your family…"

"Since… since when are you so interested in learning something?" I put my hand on my hip, raising a brow.

He smiled slyly. "Maybe I'm really just interested in you…"

I forced a smile, but somewhere behind it an aching feeling brewed. Somehow I felt torn… Finn, though more forward, was giving off the same signals as Aerrow. I shook the strange thoughts from my mind and went along with the blond. "Oh really, now…"

"Dude, you're hot, you're funny, and you haven't told me to get lost… I already have more of a chance with you than anyone else I've met."

The little voice in my head laughed, You got that right.

I honestly could understand why the other girls had blatantly rejected him—he's an annoying, hyper-active, immature kid. But he's also got this sincerity about him… The few times we'd left the water to eat or drink, I'd watched him outright flirt with the nearest girl. He was obviously trying to score, but with me… though goofy and overdone, his ways said the boy was honestly trying. Immature and roundabout, yes, but somewhere behind that cheesy grin was sincerity.

I laughed quietly. "You're not kidding, are you…?"

He shook his head. "You're the first girl that hasn't turned me down on the spot… Who knows, maybe I have a shot?"

I was unsure how to respond. I was torn between right and wrong, as well as what my heart told me. "Finn…"

"Just forget I said anything, all right? Let's go to the tide pools and help Aerrow out so he doesn't totally make a fool of himself in front of Piper."

I sighed and followed after the blond as he trudged toward the rocky shoreline. If Finn was right, then Aerrow was after Piper and I wouldn't have to worry. I could just let things be and see what happened between Finn and I.

If nothing were wrong… why did I feel so terrible?

ooo

I leaned against the rock wall, watching Finn, Piper, and Aerrow dig through the pools for evidence of life. Radarr sat on one of the taller rocks, governing the situation. I wondered why Junko had chosen to stay back on the beach. I noticed half the team was really missing out on the vacation—hell, I barely knew Stork and Junko. I wondered if they would remain absent the entire time I was on the team.

Aerrow caught my gaze and sent me a smile. I forcibly returned his smile before looking away, seeing other families search through the other pools quite a distance down the shore. He soon joined me against the wall, overlooking our team.

"What did Junko end up doing?" I asked, unsure if he'd really stuck it out on the beach.

"Ehh… he went back to the ship to try and urge Stork out," he laughed.

I sighed, scanning the horizon.

"Is everything all right?" he asked. "You seem a little distant."

I lied, "I really wanted to go diving, but Finn changed his mind."

"Well, why didn't you?"

I looked at my feet. "You're supposed to dive with a buddy in case anything goes wrong. In fact, I don't think they'll let you rent equipment alone for liability reasons. I think… I don't know."

"We're leaving tomorrow," he added quietly. "Junko said we got a call to help stop a rebellion on Terra Lynn… Then we've got to go to Terra Neon."

"Back to business, eh?" I looked at him. "There's really no break from it… is there?"

He shook his head. "This is about as good as it gets for vacation. You can stop working, but the world around you won't."

I sighed. "Welcome to the Storm Hawks, Kai…," I laughed at myself. "Is the day over yet…?"

He laughed in disbelief. "Do you really want to leave?"

I shook my head. "I just want today to be over. It's getting hectic."

"Kai, it's vacation. What's so hectic about it?"

I shook my head. "Never mind…" Mixed feelings and thoughts were really beginning to stress me out. Times like that made me wish I could read minds.

Finn brushed off his hands, rushing over to us. "Hey, I'm going to go get some food, you guys want to come with?"

Aerrow shook his head. "Did Piper want anything?"

"She said she'll get something to eat later. Kai, you want to come?" he asked, smiling.

I sighed. "Might as well…"

Finn started off toward the sand, taking the lead.

I began walking off, looking at Aerrow before I got too far away. "I'll be back soon."

He gave a hopeless wave, his hand falling to his side as he walked back toward Piper.

"Finn!" I called out, sprinting to his side.

"What's up with Aerrow?" he asked.

"It's not him, it's me."

"Wait, what?"

I shook my head. "Today's just going to shit."

He gave me a half-smile. "Can I make it up to you? How about a burger?"

I smiled. "That actually sounds really good."

Finn put his arm around me, leading me off toward the shops. "Today will get better; I will see to it myself."

The fact that Finn was actually putting effort in must mean something.

ooo

"So… Aerrow said we're leaving tomorrow…"

He looked away, toying with a french-fry. "Really…?"

"I guess the bright side of leaving is that we're heading toward Terra Neon. My dad took me there when I was younger, so it's got a bit of sentimental value."

He smiled. "Any idea why we're heading over there?" he asked, stuffing a french-fry into his mouth.

I shrugged. "He said we're stopping a rebellion on Terra Lynn… Neon isn't too far away, but I'm not sure why we're going there."

"Lynn?" Finn suddenly perked up. "Awesome! I'll get to go see my friends!"

I smiled. "Are you from there?"

He nodded. "Yeah… Not looking forward to seeing my family, so maybe I can avoid that."

"It seems like everyone in this squadron has family issues. Aerrow's parents are dead, Piper doesn't have a family, Stork ran from his, Junko… Well, I'm not sure about his. Radarr's family… He's a creature, so I suppose we're his family, now.

"My family…," I continued sighing. "My father isn't. He's never there and when he is, the only thing he's interested in is food! If he'd asked a favor of me while he's gone, a job well done on it was never done well enough."

"Kai…"

"On top of it all, divorce wasn't an issue. My father is a widower—she died when I was two." I looked away from him, tears filling my eyes as I brought old memories to the surface.

Finn whined quietly, unsure of what to say. "You… you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

I shook my head. "It's my fault for bringing it up anyway." I pushed the empty food baskets toward Finn, resting my head on the table. I began to think over what a grim life I've had, sheltered from so much of the world. I brought my arms up to hug my skull, keeping the sunlight off of my face.

"Hey guys…," Aerrow said cheerfully, walking up to the table. "Kai… are you all right?"

When I answered with a simple groan, that's when things got worse.

"What the hell did you say to her?!" Aerrow accused Finn.

The boy quickly shot up from his seat and backed away. "I-I didn't say anything! I swear!"

"Aerrow!" I shouted. "He didn't do anything!"

Aerrow glared at the boy for a moment more before assessing any problem I may have had. "Are you all right?" he asked, taking Finn's seat.

"Yeah… Just opened old wounds… I'll be fine, don't worry." I lifted my head to meet his gaze, forcing a smile. I wiped my face off and reached across the table, stealing Finn's fries.

The blond soon returned to the table, though it wasn't without caution. He whined quietly when he saw I was polishing off the last of his meal.

Aerrow tried to lighten the mood, changing the subject. "Piper's almost done at the tide pools—she's collecting a few shells. Once she's back… I was thinking we could get the team together and have some last-minute fun. It may be a while before we see any relief…."

I shrugged. "I guess it really depends what exactly you had in mind!"

"Dude, it's Tropica. Anything Tropica-related is fun."

Aerrow nodded. "However, we aren't limited to Tropica. If we can come to a unanimous decision, and as long as it isn't more than an hour away, we can pretty much do anything."

"Hey, guys." Piper sat down, setting a sandy bucket on the table. I was glad none of us planned on eating the remaining food, now that it was dusted with sand. "…Are you all right?" she asked, resting a hand on my own.

I nodded, smiling. I felt glad that Piper was a bit more compassionate toward me. When we first met… it was like talking to a brick wall. Ever since the academy, however, she seemed a little more forgiving. Maybe Aerrow had gotten to her while Finn and I were gone?

"I'm fine, really. The heat's just getting to me."

Aerrow's gaze shot over to me, noting the unwillingness to share what had happened—not only with her, but with him as well.

Piper sighed. "If you're sure…"

Junko joined the table as well, Radarr clinging to his shoulder like a backpack. He took the seat next to Finn. "Hey, buddy. What's going on?"

"We're trying to decide what to do until vacation's over. We're running out of things to do here… Did you ever get Stork to come out?"

The Wallop shook his head. "Nope… he said being in the Condor alone was vacation enough for him. Said something about the… lack of Finn's pranks and silence was his ideal… something-or-other."

I smiled. "Pranks, eh?"

Finn laughed, though it was quickly silenced by a glare from Aerrow.

"I suppose… if we can't find anything to do, we could always get a head start toward Lynn." With a neutral vote from everyone at the table, even little Radarr, Aerrow sighed. "Honestly… I don't want to leave. I'll make you guys a deal. Why don't we stick it out for a few more hours and if your vote hasn't changed, we'll leave." I could hear the sadness in his voice—he knew it would be months, if even that, until he saw another break. For being so young, he was expected of acting so much older. He had the stress level of a working adult and he hid it so well…

I smiled. "Aerrow… the tide's picked up a bit, do you want to go surfing?" Though the water was just as calm as it had been at five A.M., I figured that excuse was as good as any.

The red-head smiled.

"Finn, you don't mind if he steals your board, do you?" When he whined, complaining that he wanted to surf too, I sighed. "Fine, we'll go rent one. Come with?" I asked, glancing back toward Aerrow.

"We'll meet you guys back at camp when we get bored."

As I continued toward the shop, I readjusted my top and smoothed out my hair, noting my braid was still quite a bit wet. I'd gotten hit by quite a few waves while searching through the tide pools which pushed my decision to stick it out by the rock wall.

"Liar," Aerrow laughed, catching up with me.

"What do you mean?"

"You couldn't catch a wave out there even if you tried. What are you up to?"

I smiled. "I'm picking up where this morning left off." I stood up on my toes and rested my arms on the counter, trying to catch the clerk's attention.

"Aerrow!" the surfer smiled. "Back again, eh? I see you're still hangin' around the stubborn girl," he eyed me warily, turning back toward the red-head.

"Stubborn?" I repeated, laughing.

Aerrow laughed nervously. "She's… a part of the team now."

"Ahh, you're really determined, aren't ya?"

Aerrow looked away, smiling.

"Anyway," I quickly changed the topic. "Aerrow needs a board. We're going surfing and he can't steal Finn's board." I pulled the rental fee from my pocket and placed it on the counter—though soaked and dried five times over, and a bit wrinkled, it was still legal tender.

The man smiled, pulling a pink rubber wristband out from behind the counter. "There's a line-up of boards on the side of the shack. Take your pick, mate."

I handed the band to Aerrow, thanking the man as Aerrow went around to pick out a board. "So… what's this about Aerrow's determination?"

"Ahh… Well, when you two were here last, it seemed like the boy was really trying to get under your skin. I'm honestly quite surprised to see you two together here."

"Oh, we're not alone," I corrected him. "His… I mean, our team's here on vacation. We're… leaving tomorrow, though…"

He laughed. "He just seems quite determined with you. I know it don't seem like much but I can tell the boy's not good with big things. He'll show it in the small details."

"What exactly are you saying…?"

"Come on, you're not blind are ya? Mate, the boy's got a little crush on ya," he laughed. "Young, yes, but there's no mistaking that look in his eyes."

Just as that was said, Aerrow returned with his pick of the lot. "Ready?"

"Don't push it," the surfer whispered to me. "You'll see what I mean soon enough, girly."

"Hm." I turned around, smiling. "Sure. Let's go."