Chapter five: New friends
Alexus was asleep in her bed. Came day break, something disturbed her subconscious thoughts. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around her room. It only took her a second to realize that there was a cat, resting on her stomach, all curled up.
Her face broke into a terrified expression. She knocked on the wooden wall behind her bed. "Rylan!" She hissed, not wanting to wake the cat up. Rylan walked into her room, rubbing his eyes. "It's 5:30 in the morning, what's wrong?" He asked, yawning. "There's a cat on me! Get it off!" She whispered. "Oh, are you afraid of cats?" Rylan asked politely. "Yes! I'm terrified of cats, now get it off!" Alexus whispered desperately.
Binx heard the noise and looked to see. "Shadow!" She whispered and the cat immediately walked off and jumped into her arms. "Hey there, Shadow, " she said, petting the cat. Alexus frantically brushed off where the cat was. "Please tell me that the cat was sleeping on me because it likes me!" She still whispered. Binx laughed, "Oh yes it was! It! smelled you on me and wanted to thank you for keeping me safe! You see, this cat is almost human. I can even talk to it like one!"
"Gah, cats scare me!" Alexus said. "Wait, so you mean it's intelligent, like a human?" Rylan asked. "Yep. If not more. Let's just say it understands emotions better than me."
"Whoa. That's new." Say a voice from behind us. It was Zane and the other ninja. "Morning Zane," Alexus said. "I'll go make the morning tea, well, I'm the only one that drinks it, other than Zane, never mind, I'll make coco," Rylan said, excusing himself and walked out of the room. "Tea. Sounds good. Have not had it in a long time. But coco, even better!" Binx said. The cat took one look at Lloyd and hisses. "Gah, cats!" Alexus said, shuddering. "At least it likes you, but it hisses at me!" Lloyd said. "What you got against Lloyd?" Alexus asked, standing up, walking over to Binx, and getting eye level with the cat. All it did was blink and Alexus flinched back.
"One: blinking is good. Two: I kinda tell my cat everything so he can help me...seeing as I have problems..." Binx looked apologetic. "Oh! So you told him about..." Jay started before Kai knocks the side of his head. That didn't stop Alexus from smacking the back of his head too. "Ow! Stop that!" Jay said, rubbing the back of his head. "How did everyone get in my room? I called for Rylan!" Alexus said, ignoring Jay's complaint. Lloyd looked sheepish at her remark. "Well...I better go find some light. Shadow's best friend is another cat called Ray. Shadows made of shadows and Ray is made of light. The boy cats like to talk." Binx roles her eyes. "There more like humans than I am!" She complained.
"Not more cats!" Alexus said. "Calm down, Alexus, just look into my eyes," Cole said, grabbing her shoulders, and looked into hers. "Wow, I do feel better," Alexus said, smiling faintly. He smiled too and kissed her cheek. "I'm going to get ready," Cole said, leaving the room.
"Why do humans kiss?" Binx asked her cat who replyed, "To show affection."
"T-then why did Lloyd..." She trailed off. "The second one was a dare you said. Why it soft was just to be nice. The first, well I don't know. But not from liking you." "Ok I understand." Binx replys.
"Sounds like you know what it's saying," came Lloyd's voice from behind her. Binx hadn't been paying attention to the fact she was walking. They were in a room full of equipment; a training room if it was raining outside. Alexus was rushing down the hall again. This time, she one had one boot on, and had a bare foot. The other combat boot was tucked under her arm with her other sock stuffed in the boot, and midway through tying her hair back. "I'm always in a rush for training," she called to Binx as she passed. "Oh, okay!" She called to Alexus. Then, turning back to Lloyd, she says, "I can. When you befriend the cat of your same element, you can talk to other element cats. I befriended Shadow, the shadow element cat. Then, there is Ray, the light eliment cat. If you befriend him you can talk to Shadow." She explained.
Then reaching into the light, grabs a golden furred tabby long-hair cat. The cat immediately walks to Lloyd and sits, looking up at him with the sweetest golden eyes. "Pet it. If it purrs you have made a bond."
"Are you sure about this? If one of these cats scare Alexus even more, she can summon a pack of wolves just by whistling. Long story," Lloyd said, but he crouched down and pet the cat anyways. The cat started to pur and rub itself in his leg. Binx only laughed. "The cats won't hurt her! Shadow can tell someone's heart just by looking at them. That's his talent. Ray's talent is seeing there strength in will power. Shadow saw right away she was a good person. He would never harm her. In fact, he would protect any of my friends. And he can turn into a shadow just as Ray can turn into a ray of light. Nothing can harm them." She explained.
"Alright, but I hope for the sake of these cats that Alexus can get along with them," Lloyd said. Binx nodded and moved away from Lloyd and Ray, Shadow following her. Just as she's about to leave, Rylan almost bumps into her. "Oh! Terribly sorry, but the cocoa is done, I just came to tell you," he said a bit quickly. She smiles. "Thanks."
"You're welcome" Rylan said before turning around and disappeared down the hall. She walks past Lloyd to the dinning room. Alexus had finally gotten both shoes on and was now resting her head in her hand and staring absent-mindedly at the wall. No one had the heart to tell her that she had forgotten her sword, again
Afterwards, Binx walked out to watch them train when Zane asked, "Do you wish to join us?"
"Sure!" Was her reply, then she looked around. "Who should I pair up with?"
"Well, that depends. How well can you fight? Alexus, sorry for saying so, but is the least experience," Zane said. "I don't know. If you use powers, I would only use the counter power to it." She says matter-of-factly. Jay and Kai get those looks. "What?" She asks. "Lloyd!" They say at once and Jay adds, "Light vs shadows!" She smirks. "Okay."
"All powers?" The blond inquires. "Yep!" He makes a light so bright it hurt her eyes so she darkens the shadows around her and that was a mistake! He stops he light and makes a punch into the shadows, hitting it's mark at her stomach. Then, the shadows then disappear. She doubles over, her arms around her stomach. "Come on, it can't be that easy!" Lloyd said in a slightly taunting voice. "Easy?" She moved like a shadow around Lloyd, knocking him to the ground and using wind to lift him up to her knee caps and let him drop. "Yeah, you're right. It is easy!" She said, returning the taunt.
"Hey, don't be cocky!" Lloyd said, standing up. He summoned his ice power and froze her feet in place. She couldn't move. "Says the boy to taunted me first!" She said, summoning a sonic wave to brake the ice and make him fall. She then used her sound power and make a soft music only he could hear hoping it would dull his senses. It didn't work but she didn't know that when she went for another attack.
Binx rushed forward to punch him in the jaw, but he ducked, and grabbed her outstretched arm and tripped her. Falling on her stomach, she gave out a groan. Lloyd's compassion got the better of him, for he held his hand out and asked, "Are you okay?" Binx slowly stood up before flipping him into his back before he could even blink! "Yeah. Expect the unexpected," she quoted. Then she softened up and wanted no hard feelings. Holding out her and she said, "Sorry. But it is a fight."
Lloyd just grins and kicks her legs, making her trip. "All is fair in love and war!" He said, standing up. As memory's flood back, she remembered the only person who loved her and would go to war for her was her brother. "I wouldn't know." She said looking sad and down to the side. "I-I've never seen either." Then regaining her composure, she stands up and faces him. "Sorry, it's just an expression that I've heard Rylan say while running from Cole," Lloyd said. "It's ok..." Then she brightens up. "But you still has a fight to lose!" She says using the wind to raise him up into the air.
He only smirked like he knew something. She got a confused look. "Do I?" Lloyd asked himself before using his ice power to make a snowball. He threw it down on her, and it hit her in the face. He landed cleanly on his feet as he fell while Binx was rubbing the snow out of her eyes.
"Yes you do!" She says using shadow travel to appear behind him and grab his wrists. But before Binx could get them into a full lock, he slips them around and spins her, locking her arms behind her back and fourcing her to my knees. Binx could feel his breath on her neck as he says, "I think it's your fight to lose, not mine. Surrender Binx. It's the best option for you." Lloyd tightened his grip. Through gritted teeth she replies definitely, "No. I will NOT surrender!" He looks shocked but then smirks. "Very well then." He states slyly.
He threw her across the deck, and she skidded on the wooden boards until she hit the railing. He walked up and pulled out a sword. He placed the tip under her chin. "I think I just won," he said, smiling. "Nope," Binx said before using her power of wind and blowing him back to the railing like he did to her.
Though she will never admit it but the sword made her stomic twist in knots. It scared her to be that defenceless. She stood up and swinging her hand in a wide circular motion her ring turns into a black iron sword with gold Greek markings. Placing it under his chin she says. "I would think otherwise." But he just uses his sword to knock hers out of the way and did a set of thrust, strike, block, stoke, back and forth with her tell he manages to almost get her. It lightly falls down her spine, not even cutting her shirt, and she freezes. Without realizing she froze she side stepped and did it again but to her side. In that instant she fall to the ground with a small spasm, griping her side. No blood. No cut. Not even a ripped shirt. Just a light tap.
"Are you okay, or is this a trick?" Lloyd asked, keeping his sword close, but at the same time, examining her from a small distance. Tears were streaming from her eyes. She tried to stand but couldn't. Falling on her hands and knees, she starts to say, "A f-few years ago...my brother was killed. In trying to defend him I got two scars." She looked up into Lloyd's eyes with great sadness and more emotion than he's ever seen from her.
Voice shaking she continues. "That person, that Makhai, a spirit of battle and combat, was the person y-you saved me from t-that n-night..." Finaly regaining the ability to stand, she says, "When your sword slipped...it causes me to...one; freeze, two; fall, the memory's just come flooding back." Getting a better grip on her sword she says, "we're in the middle of a fight remember?" She says, trying to forget.
"No, this is something you should talk about, not to me if you don't want to, but you just need to confide in someone else. Don't keep your emotions bottled in," Lloyd said, putting his sword away. Turning her sword back into her ring she stated, "I'm fine. I've just revealed to you more than anyone else right now. Here I'll make you a deal. If we finish this fight, and you tell me why I should not keep my emotions 'bottled up', then I'll tell someone. Deal?" She asks. Lloyd looks torn between inststing and accepting, when Binx says, "unless you don't think you can beat me." Then he give a fake exasperated sigh and says, "Okay, okay, okay! If you insist!"
Binx smiled, forming her sword again as Lloyd pulled his out. "Ready to lose?" Lloyd asked. "I know you are!" Binx said. In one motion Lloyd hooks the hilt of her sword out of her and and throws it across the deck. At the same time, grabbing the collar of her shirt and ramming her against the wall, while pointing the tip of his sword under her chin again lifting it up and making her look into his laughing eyes.
"Now, now. Don't gloat before you lose," He laughs. She just stares definitely back. "I haven't lost. I just haven't found out how to win!" She states matter-of-factly. "Y-you h-haven't l-l-lost? Hahaha! Your cornered! No way out! Just surrender!" Lloyd says trying very hard to not bowl over laughing. "I. Will. Not!" Binx says strongly. She looked around before an idea formed. She swung her foot out, kicking him in the gut. He dropped his sword and doubled over, clutching his stomach. Binx was on her feet again. She grabbed his sword and pointed it at his chest this time, making him fall onto his back. Now he was cornered.
Pressing down a bit so he knew who was on top now, without cutting anything though, looked him right in the eyes and said, "check." She then broke into a smirk. "More like, check mate," Lloyd said, raising his arms in defense. "Congratulations, you win," he continued.