A/N: As I continue to edit and revise my stories I will, when possible, replace the old, sloppy chapters with the new and freshly edited ones as soon as they are to my standards. You will see this note, along with possible variations of it, above all the chapters I have edited. Once all chapters are completely edited I will remove all author notes pertaining to the revision of the story.
Nox sat at the wooden table in the kitchen. A bowl of cereal was in front of her. She swirled the last few remaining cornflakes around in the residual milk. She glanced over at the clock hanging on the beige wall behind her.
It read, "Six o'clock."
"About a half-hour till Maya wakes up and an hour till training starts," she sighed. She rested her tired head on her hand as she continued to swirl the cornflakes around. Her tired eyes became mesmerized by the whirlpool of milk and drowning cornflakes. Finally she scooped up a couple cornflakes and swallowed them. They were soggy and tasteless and she nearly cringed as they made their voyage down her esophagus. "At least they taste better than some of the things Mookee cooks," she admitted. She began to swirl the final remaining soggy cornflakes around once more. After a few seconds, she gently released the metal spoon. It made a soft clank as it collided with the edge of the bowl.
Glancing back at the clock, Nox sighed. Only two minutes had passed since the last time she checked. Full of false hope and desperation she glared intensely at the clock, trying to will it to move, to no avail. She frowned and looked at the server table beneath the clock. On top of it was a picture of Boaddai and some other man. Next to the picture was bonsai tree. It was neatly trimmed and well cared for.
Boaddai cleared his throat to get Nox's attention. "I see you're admiring my bonsai tree," he smiled.
"I must say, it is a very nice tree," she said as she turned to face him.
"Why thank you," Boaddai replied. "I try my best to take good care of it."
"Well, you seem to be doing a pretty good job," she nodded.
Boaddai observed Nox with his grey eyes. It was obvious by her tone of voice that she couldn't care less about the tree and that she was tired. "Something tells me you're not up this early just to admire my bonsai tree," he commented.
"I don't know," she said cheekily, "it's an amazing tree, especially in this lighting."
He raised an eyebrow at Nox.
"Fine," she said with mock defeat. "I woke up early and I couldn't fall back asleep."
"So you thought it would be better just to get the day started with breakfast?" Boaddai asked as he sat down across from her.
"Pretty much," she shrugged.
"And you're certain that the fact that you dislike Mookee's cooking doesn't play any part in your decision to stay awake at six in the morning?" he inquired further.
Nox rubbed the back of her neck and smiled sheepishly. "Well," she began, her pale-blue eyes glimmering with guilt, "that might have something to do with it. Plus, sometimes he cooks bacon and since I'm a vegetarian I must resist the urge to eat meat. I find it easier to avoid those temptations when I have a full stomach."
"I admire your dedication to your vegetarianism but Mookee's cooking is not that bad, you know," he stated. He knew that if Nox kept avoiding Mookee's cooking like this, the little alien would eventually figure out what was going on and his feelings would ultimately be crushed.
"Then shall I inform Mookee that you will be joining us for breakfast, lunch, and dinner from now on?" she scoffed.
"On a different note, have I ever told you about the time I visited the Asteria Galaxy?" he asked hastily.
"You're changing the subject! Don't have the taste buds to admit your wrong?" Nox laughed.
"Some people might consider your behavior very disrespectful, especially when speaking to your elders," he retorted.
"But I'm not talking to an elder, I'm talking to you," she replied smoothly.
"Nox, I always find our battles of wit most enjoyable," Boaddai sighed softly with a smile.
"Thanks," she grinned. "I try my best to be The Sass Master."
"'The Sass Master'?" he repeated.
"Yeah," she said sincerely, "because I'm the Master of Sass."
Boaddai smiled softly down at Nox. He couldn't help but think about the first time he had met her. "You've grown a lot since you first started training here," he said warmly.
"Thanks," she said with a hint of discomfort.
"I mean it," he nodded. "You've come such a long way since when I first found you in South Africa."
Three years ago, while Boaddai was visiting an old colleague of his, he found Nox wandering the streets of a remote village in South Africa.
The poor girl was alone, famished, and was rejected by several of the villagers. Many believed she was a bad omen. Her pale skin led people believe that she carried some type of disease. To avoid any possibility of infection, the community ostracized her.
Her pale eyes also drove people away. They found the way her eyes sometimes switched from grey-blue to violet in certain lighting disturbing. They didn't understand that her eyes had extremely low quantities of melanin because she was albino. When the red blood vessels in her eyes mixed with the blue reflections they would at times appear violet and, on rare occasions, red. Disturbed and afraid, the villagers often chased Nox out of the bazaars that littered the streets.
Boaddai witness this awful act and could not bear to watch. He took Nox under his care right away. After he restored her health, he planned to return her to her family. When he learned she didn't have a family to return to, he decided to take her in as a student.
That was when he noticed Nox had light-blue markings on her outer forearms. The same markings Maya had on her face. Those light-blue, lighting boltlike markings were known as the Mark of the Dark Master. Despite this, he saw no treacherous evil within Nox or Maya.
"Master B., please," Nox rubbed the back of her neck and shifted uncomfortably. She hated talking and thinking about her past before she started living at the monastery. Despite her openness to new things and people, she was unwilling to talk about subjects like her past.
Boaddai mistook her discomfort as a sign of modesty. "There is such a thing as being too humble, Nox," he frowned.
"Modesty is the best policy," she retorted in hopes of changing the topic.
"I'm fairly certain that the saying is honesty is the best policy," he replied.
"They are both equally good policies," Nox said thoughtfully. She fidgeted with her hands beneath the table. She really wanted to change the topic.
"Just know that I am both proud and amazed at your development as a Kairu Warrior," he acknowledged. He glanced at the clock behind Nox. "Training will begin in forty-five minutes," he stated. "Please inform Maya that the two of you will be sparring for today."
"Okay," she said dully.
"Enjoy the rest of your soggy cornflakes," he said, standing up. He made his way over to the door.
"I'll try," Nox called after Boaddai as he walked out of the kitchen.
Glancing down at her cereal, she frowned. The soggy cornflakes had discolored the milk. She hated the taste of cornflakes sodden with milk. "Bottoms up, I guess," she sighed. As she lifted the bowl to her mouth, she tightly squeezed her left thumb to suppress the gag reflex. She gulped down the, now warm, leftover milk, and the soggy cornflakes. She shuddered and cringed but didn't gag.
After taking a moment to recover from the warm milk and soggy cornflakes, she decided to go see if Maya was up so they wouldn't be late for training.
When Maya had got dressed and finished her breakfast, she and Nox headed over to the main training area.
The main training area was located on the west side of the monastery and perched upon an elevated rock that was high above the sea making it only accessible by a network of wooden bridges. Surrounding the training area were four tall, blue and grey pillars positioned like the four edges of a square.
On the ground in the middle between the four pillars was a large circular pattern carved into the ground and a similar, yet much smaller, circular pattern was carved in the inside of the larger one creating something very much like an alchemy circle.
Both the circular patterns and pillars were specially designed to help young Kairu Warriors channel their Inner Kairu and help them maintain a stable level of control over their powers during training.
Behind the main training area were a set of stairs carved into a rock that led up to a beautiful tree and flattened area where Boaddai would often mediate or watch his students as they trained.
Nox and Maya began to have a sparring match as soon as they reached the training arena. Both girls bowed and Maya immediately pulled out her X-Reader, a high tech computer that was just a bit bigger than an iPhone. It is used to collect and store Kairu energy. It can analyze, store, and activate the Kairu energy stored within it. When a new type of energy is discovered, the device draws it is like a magnet to analyze its structure and gives the user a detailed report on the type of Kairu and the level of its power.
"Harrier!" Maya said as whipped out her X-Reader and called upon her signature monster. She transformed into the large, green bird humanoid monster for extra strength. "Blinding Light!" A bright orb of light emitted from her hand with a large flash.
Unfortunately Nox hadn't predicted Maya's attack and was now temporarily blinded. A swirling swarm of black spots clouded her vision. "Hate that…" she groaned. She rubbed her eyes and waited impatiently for her vision to recover.
Maya was putting up a strong offence now that she had the upper hand. "Feather Daggers!" she yelled. Several daggers constructed out of green Kairu energy jettisoned from Harrier's large hand and lunched themselves after Nox.
Just in time, Nox's vision recovered enough for her to dodge the green energy attack. Unfortunately, she failed to avoid one of the daggers and it caught her in the arm. The Speed attack forced her to the ground with a loud thud. Standing up, despite being in pain, Nox pulled out her very own X-Reader, it was black with a red trim. "Armorite!" she demanded. Using her Inner Kairu, Nox transformed into a large, bright orange, tank-like, humanoid machine.
Boaddai watched carefully from his usual spot atop the large rock. He frowned at Nox's actions and thought, Reckless. Ignoring pain in a battle can undermine a Warrior's abilities in battle.
"Frenzy Rush," Nox said. From the robotic arms of Armorite, a swirling vortex of deep-red abstract faces swallowed Maya and thrust her backwards.
Maya transformed back into her true psychical form in a flash of green light as she reluctantly flew through the air towards one of the stone pillars. She tried her best to brace for impact.
Before Maya could hit the pillar, Nox caught her using Amorite's large robotic arms. She transformed into her true physical form and looked worriedly down at Maya.
"Maya, are you okay?" she asked, deeply concerned. She sometimes hated sparring with Maya because she was so afraid of harming her best friend.
Pushing Nox away, she winced, "No! I lost! I always lose to you. I'll never be good enough!" Despite being happy for her friend's victory, Maya was deeply upset that she lost so quickly. It made her feel like an inadequate sparring partner for Nox.
The sound of Maya's distress reached Boaddai's ears. He frowned at Maya's self-doubting remark. He began to walk down the stairs and over to little girl. In his head, he had prepared a confidence boosting speech.
Suddenly, something stabbed Nox in the chest like an invisible knife constructed of the melancholy of a sad childhood. "Maya, never say that you're not good enough," she said sternly.
"But, N, you're so much better than me!"
Nox gave Maya a soft, empathetic smile, "Maya, just a few years ago, this Kairu stuff wasn't easy for me either. To be honest, I had no idea what I was doing half the time! But that's not the point. The point is, every great Kairu Master we've ever learned about started out like us. They were just simple students. When they got pushed down, they didn't give up. They kept going. That's what you got to do too. Keep moving forward. Just you wait. You'll be a great Kairu Warrior in no time!"
Maya's eyes lit up, "You really think so?"
Nox knelt down to be at Maya's eye level. "No," she began tenderly, "I don't think so. I know so." She ruffled Maya's blue hair, "To think something means it might not be true. To know something means it definitely is true."
Maya instantly felt better. She didn't know how or why but whenever she felt sad Nox always had a way of making her smile. With her sudden burst of happiness, Maya threw her arms around Nox's neck and hugged her with all of her strength.
"Whoa!" Nox nearly stumbled backwards. "Easy there!" she laughed as she returned Maya's hug.
Maya stepped backwards with a big goofy smile.
Boaddai finally reached the scene. He felt the only thing left to do was to give Maya some positive reinforcement. He looked down at Maya with warm, grandfatherly-like eyes and said, "You are improving a lot for someone your age, Maya."
"Thanks, Master Boaddai," Maya smiled up at Boaddai.
"You too, Nox," he stared down at the kneeling girl. Even though he had already praised her on her skills, he felt the need to do so again, especially after her amazing motivational monologue. However, something bothered him. They way Nox had lectured Maya was bugging him. She spoke as though she had personal experience with a certain feeling of lack of self-worth. Although it had occurred to him that he didn't know all of Nox's past. She often changed the subject when he questioned her about it.
As Nox stood up, she smiled smugly, "Was there any doubt?" Her mind went back to the conversation she had with Boaddai early that day. She hopped that Boaddai wouldn't bring up anything about it.
Boaddai smiled at Nox's moment of flamboyancy. As humble as she was, she sometimes had little spurts of smugness that always amused Boaddai.
He then began to give Nox and Maya a quick lesson on how to better defend themselves in battle. While he taught, he often used Nox to help demonstrate how to perform several basic, yet effective, Kairu kata.
When Boaddai had finished the lesson, the sun was directly overhead, indicating it was the afternoon. Usually they would take a break from training and eat lunch but today Boaddai ended the lesson here.
"The Redakai has called a meeting regarding tomorrow's tournament," he explained. "So I will not return until later on tonight. Enjoy the rest of this fine day." He then left Nox and Maya in a flash of blue light as he teleported to the Redakai's outpost on Earth.
After lunch, both girls sat with their backs against a large rock at the edge of a small cove in the forests behind the monastery. Soft grass tickled their legs as they sat together shrouded in the shade of the several trees that enclosed the grassy clearing. This type of shade was something that greatly appealed to Nox.
Her albinism made her easily susceptible to sunburn. While avoiding the sun completely was impossible and wasn't something she desired, she found other ways to avoid getting sunburn. She normally stayed in shaded areas, practiced avoiding the sun when it was its strongest, and constantly wore SPF 45 UVA and UVB protection sunscreen when she absolutely had to face the mighty wrath of the sun.
The sound of the waves gently crashing onto the sand of the beach and rocky edge of the nearby cliff filled the air. Sometimes she and Maya would travel down to the small beach. When it would get extremely hot in the summer, Maya would often swim in the refreshing waters of the cove and Nox would watch. Nox didn't particularly care much about swimming, though she would occasionally join Maya if it was extremely hot out.
But today the heat was temperate and more than tolerable so they stayed in the shade beneath the trees at the edge of the cove. They sat here for quite some time before either one of them spoke.
"N," Maya said as she poked Nox in the arm. "You know it's not too late to sign up for the tournament."
"Maya, I told you already, I don't want to," Nox said in a surprisingly harsh voice.
Maya gaped at Nox and stuttered, "But… N…" She wasn't sure how to respond. Nox never used such a harsh voice while talking to Maya before. This new experience surprised the blue haired girl.
Realizing how harsh she was to her best friend, Nox felt terrible. "I'm sorry, Maya," she immediately said. "I didn't mean to snap at you like that. Besides, I want to see what the competition is like for next time."
"Okay, N, I forgive you," Maya yawned. She then rested her head on Nox's shoulder with another sleepy yawn.
It occurred to Nox that they had been sitting here for quite awhile. The light-blue sky had begun to turn a beautiful mix of light orange, hot pink, and blue. She watched it change into a magnificent purple and orange until it turned into a mix of hues like deep blue, and light blue illuminated by the stars that slowly popped out before her eyes.
"Maya, you're tired," Nox stated. "We should probably go to bed soon."
Maya made a small noise of approval and nestled into the crook of Nox's neck.
Nox felt her face redden. She smiled warmly down at Maya as she wrapped an arm around the little girl. She had never known such affection and friendliness quite like the way Maya always treated her with. While Boaddai often praised Nox on her accomplishments and treated her with similar compassion a grandfather might give to his grandchildren, it wasn't quite like the compassion Maya would express to her. Maya's affection always made Nox feel warm and wonderful inside.
"N," Maya whined, "I'm too tired to walk. I want a piggy back ride."
Nox chuckled, "Oh really?"
"Yeah," she yawned as she shifted into a more comfortable position.
"Okay, fine. But just this one, you hear me? You're getting too big," she said as they both stood up.
"That's what you said last time," Maya snickered sleepily. She grabbed Nox's shoulders and hopped onto her back. She wrapped her legs around Nox's waist and wrapped her arms around neck.
"I know," Nox smirked. She gently gripped Maya's thighs so the little girl wouldn't fall off her back.
As she carried the little girl across the monastery's grounds, the cool night breeze whipped Nox's white-blonde hair around. Worried that Maya would get chilly, Nox quickened her pace.
Maya had fallen asleep by the time Nox reached her room. Unfortunately the door to Maya's room was closed and Nox didn't want to disturb the little girl. So she strategically opened the door with her foot.
Nox gently deposited Maya onto the bed and tucked her in. "Goodnight, Maya," she whispered softly as she left the room. As quietly as possible, she closed the door to Maya's room.
She headed towards her own room but stopped dead in her tracks. Thoughts, thousands of them, raced through her head. They felt as though they were running through her brain faster than lightning. A skin crawling sensation crept over Nox's body. Her stomach churned as though she was about to vomit and her heart was beating rapidly. Suddenly, it felt as though she had tripped over tragedy and fallen off the edge of a large cliff of anxiety. Everything around Nox seemed to be spinning out of control. Nox hated this feeling. She'd often get these feelings of extreme nervousness whenever she had racing thoughts and sometimes they'd appear with no apparent cause. In truth, Nox had a very bad feeling about the tournament tomorrow.
Knowing that she would not be able to get any sleep, Nox decided to go straight to the library. Reading was one of the few things that calmed her down when she was like this.
Boaddai had just returned from the meeting. As he walked light-footedly across the monastery's grounds to his bedchambers, he noticed the lights were on in library.
"Now what's this?" he question as he made his way over to the library. "Maya is obviously in bed by now," Boaddai crossed that suspect off of his imaginary list. "Nox would definitely be in bed. She loves to sleep." Yet another name bit the dust. Though he was slightly disappointed by the fact that Nox was, at most times, lazy. "Perhaps Mookee is cleaning in there. But at this hour?" He quickened his pace.
When he reached the library, he was shocked to see his laziest student studying. He watched Nox as she sat at one of the wooden tables reading up on Kairu history. "Well, this is a surprise," he said as he walked over.
"Oh, Master B.," Nox pealed her eyes from the page she was on. She gazed up at Boaddai with a flash of violet eyes, "I didn't see you there." She seemed to be somewhat distraught.
"I didn't expect to find you in here," he said skeptically. "I figured you would be sleeping." He had begun to wonder if this was a regular occurrence. This would be the first time he had noticed it.
With a small frown, Nox closed the book and said, "I've actually done this quite a lot." She gave a subtle smile, "Believe it or not I love learning. I just don't let people know that."
"Now why is that?" he asked offhandedly, as he picked up the book and placed it on the proper shelf.
"Because, if people knew that then they would test my knowledge all the time," Nox said uneasily. She didn't want him to know the real reason why she was here. "They'd expect me to know lots of things, which I do, but the second I don't know the answer to something or I'm wrong everyone loses their minds. And the people. People are judgmental. I don't like that, the judging," her voice trailed off.
"You don't like to be judged or compared to other people?" Boaddai asked as he sat next to Nox. "Is that why you were so reluctant to be in the tournament?"
Nox sifted uncomfortably, "No. I just have a bad feeling about it. That's all." It felt good yet terrifying to tell the truth.
Boaddai took a moment to consider Nox's response. Finally Boaddai discovered a possibility, "Nox, are you scared you're going to lose if you participate in the tournament?" He remembered the first time he was in a tournament himself. He was frightened of the fact he might lose. The fear of losing was something that, ironically, cost him his victory.
"No," Nox shook her head. "I don't care if I win or lose. Well, I do a little. Victory is always a nice feeling. I don't mind losing as long as I learn something. But I just feel like something… Something bad is going to happen."
"Nox," Boaddai said contemplatively, "I think you're experiencing something we call, being nervous. I do not believe there is anything to be worrying about. However, if these feelings of worry continue tell me. All right? Try not to worry, Nox. Now, it's very late, so off to bed."
Nox stood up. "Okay, Master B, I hope you're right," she said distractedly.
Boaddai stood up as well and placed his hand on Nox's shoulder. "You go get some sleep. Don't worry," he tried placate her fears. "I will do everything in my power to make sure everything is safe tomorrow."
"All right," she nodded. Even though she felt a little bit better, her feeling of apprehension still lingered throughout her body and mind. "Goodnight then, Master B.," she yawned as she headed for the library's door.
As he watched the girl leave, a feeling of intense unease came over him. He hoped for the love of everything good and pure in the name of Kairu that Nox's bad feeling was nothing more that nervousness.
He knew that at times, even he, a well-respected Redakai, could be wrong. The Kairu Master also knew that at her age the ability to have visions begin to develop, especially for those who share a strong connection to Kairu like Nox and Maya. This led him to believe Nox's feeling of unease maybe something rather serious.
That very night Boaddai had informed the rest of the members of the Redakai that it would be prudent to step up the security for the tournament, especially because it was to take place aboard one of the universe's largest spaceships.