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Learning to Walk Again

By: Sinead

 

Chapter Ten

 

 

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Tempest and Savage circled each other. I sat next to my father, while the other fighters were pacing. There was no time limit for these finals, and this fight had been going on for over ten minutes. Savage slashed out experimentally, but Tempest wasn’t taking any preliminaries. He blocked it, and thrust at the smaller man, who parried it, gaining points as he hit Tempest’s shoulder.

 

I sighed, as they continued to circle and jab at each other, not really serious. “Da, Tempest isn’t even trying.”

 

“Neither is Savage.”

 

“Shouldn’t they get down to business?”

 

“Not in finals. You’ve never gotten this far, so you don’t know. You have to be careful, and not waste one move. Therefore, you move more slow, with more deliberation. You move as if there were something more than just the win riding upon your shoulders.” He ruffled my hair gently, and smiled. “You’ll see, once you enter the ring, that you’re not just fighting to win; you’re fighting to save your life.”

 

I looked back at the screen, and then sighed. But before I could ask my father any more questions, Tempest and Savage flew at each other in a flurry of movements, lightning-fast. I kept up, watching Tempest more than Savage. He would win. There was something about the way Savage reacted to him, that made known the fact that the taller man would win.

 

With a yell, Tempest swung his sword in an odd fashion, and hit the sword I had forged broadside.

 

Both swords shattered.

 

I winced. “Uh-oh.”

 

The crowd was silent.

 

Extinction roared with laughter, slapping my back enthusiastically. Factor looked at me, as I had started to grin. “Didn’t expect that, didya, Tempest?”

 

“What’s the matter with you two?” Factor asked. “Savage just got that sword forged the day before yesterday! And it’s broken!”

 

I grinned at him. “Yes, but so is Tempest’s!”

 

“And you’re so happy why? He’ll have to get it replaced!”

 

I sat back. “And I’ll replace it free of charge. It certainly stood up to the test, Da.”

 

Factor walked in front of me, and I moved slightly, so that I could see the screen. He leaned closer. “You forged that?”

 

I nodded. “Tempest had his forged in England by a famous blacksmith there. I’m sure that the man over there will come over, wondering why a sword of theirs broke in battle against a sword of a Yankie’s.”

 

The two had resorted to fighting with daggers, and I looked at the dagger that Savage wielded. And winced. Dad noticed the same thing. “I’m not sure that he’s liking his choice of daggers.”

 

Someone leaned upon my shoulders, and I looked up to see Brute there. Fear and Talon stood behind him. I sighed. “Guys . . .”

 

“Can you forge us some blades before tomorrow’s team death-match?” Brute asked playfully.

 

I swiped at him, and said, “I thought you knew that I already had! And each according to your style of fighting.”

 

He looked at me in complete shock. “Really?”

 

I nodded, and looked back at the screen. Tempest had managed to cause Savage to stumble, and fall hard on his left shoulder. I sighed, as the winner was announced. Tempest walked out, not even moving to help Savage up, who was clearly in pain. I could see why. His armor had bent in such a way, that it was pinching his shoulder. Factor started to run out, and I ran out with him. Even though the two were identical twins, Savage was noticeably larger in muscle, and heavier in build. As Factor struggled to help his brother up, I tapped his shoulder, and then helped him lower Savage to a sitting position. “Teamwork, this time, Factor. Ready?”

 

He nodded, gripping his brother’s armor fiercely. “Yeah.”

 

“One . . . two . . . up!”

 

We pulled him up off of the ground, and each of us draped one of his arms over our shoulders. The crowd cheered, as he came up off of the ground. As we waited for an attendant to open the gate, I carefully reached up, and pulled his helmet off, allowing him to breathe. He gasped for air, and looked at me. “Kedakai . . .”

 

I smiled. “I’m glad that the sword served you well. The shards will be brought back to you, so you can keep them in honor of the purpose it satisfied. I can tell metal from my father’s forge from that of other forges. We fire the metal differently.”

 

He smiled in return, and Factor looked at me. “As soon as this season is over, I’m coming to you for my next sword. I already go to Extinction for my armor, so . . .”

 

I smiled to the brothers, and the door opened. “Me and my fighters can take him to his rooms, Factor. You have to get ready for your fight with my father.”

 

He nodded, and Brute walked over, taking his place. I looked up, and saw Fear open the next door. Talon . . . Jett . . . he was with some brunette, who was all the curves a male could want. She glared at me, and I shook my head, looking back up at the other one helping me with Savage. “Brute, you’re an angel, pal.”

 

He snorted, chuckling. “I most certainly would hope not. Hey, hand that helmet to Talon. He’s doing nothing, except taking up space with that new item he has.”

 

The girl shot a glare to Brute. So. They didn’t approve, either. I held the helmet out, and Talon nearly ran to take it out of my hands. He walked next to me, as we walked through the halls, to Savage’s  rooms. There, at the door, was Yokio. He smiled at me, and opened the door. Fear looked up at him. “Hey! That was my job!”

 

Yokio looked at him blankly, and said, “Get over it.”

 

Fear grinned, and looked at me. “Kai, can you make him join the ranks? He’d fit in perfectly.”

 

I laughed, and we entered the room. Savage’s family smiled and talked with us, as we sat him upon a stool, and the guys started to disarmor him. I walked around a screen with the other females in the room, and one of his relatives handed me his bag. I then held it out, around the side, not looking. The brunette glared at me. “Just who do you think you are, huh?! How dare you tell Talon what to do!”

 

I looked at her in surprise, just as Yokio leaned around, took the bag, and kissed my cheek. I looked back at him, as he left, laughing at the look on my face. I covered my eyes, and leaned around the screen, “You’ll pay for that, Yokio Kenkokoro!” I turned back around to face the girl. “What do you mean?”

 

Talon leaned around the screen, and glared at the girl. “I don’t want to hear you talk to Kedakai in such a fashion, Cora. Do you hear me?”

 

“But . . . but, Jett . . .”

 

He sighed, and took her aside to a corner. I glared at her, and the signal for the start of the next fight sounded. I looked at the large screen that had been set up in every room. Savage reached out and touched my arm, saying, “Thank you.”

 

I looked at him. “Hm? For what?”

 

He smiled, and chuckled. “Helping my brother bring me out of the ring.”

I grinned, and rubbed his hair. “You’re more than welcome, Savage. It’s a honor, really, since you’re the first one who has broken one of my swords.”

 

He smiled, and Yokio wrapped his arms around my waist. [Just as a reminder of who you belong to.]

 

I looked up at him, and replied, [“Belong to”? Dinobot, what ideas are you getting in that head of yours?]

 

He blinked, and I looked at the screen, as my father stood still, facing Factor. The younger fighter was pacing restlessly. I sighed. “He’s going to wear himself out.”

 

Yokio whispered within the connection between us, [I love you, Alessa, and they are starting to look at you differently.]

 

[I’ve been a “guy” as long as they’ve known me, Dinobot. Except for Brute.]

 

[He’s acted as if you were his younger sibling.] I felt him shift his gaze around. [Yet . . . Talon looks at you hungrily . . . like a hunter.]

 

Factor rushed at my father, only to be batted aside easily. I sighed, as Dad started to really start testing Factor’s defenses. Yokio pulled me closer to him, resting his right cheek against my left. His scar  rested against mine, and I replied, [He doesn’t like that I’m being married, and that it was arranged without my consultation.]

 

[He doesn’t know that it was only by me giving you a part of my Spark, and taking upon the most fragile part of your soul, that you’re still living. He doesn’t know that your destiny . . .]

 

[Rested with you, and not with him,] I finished, looking at him from the corner of my eye. I sighed, as Factor executed a neat flip, only to be kicked aside easily by my father. [Still, I guess that in some universe, somewhere, him and I could have ended up together. Some universe that you never existed in.]

 

[Do you love him?]

 

I looked fully at Yokio, who looked at me in return, his green eyes wary. I kissed his chin, and felt the tension in the air rise. Jett was watching me. [Only as you would love a friend.]

 

Hoshi ran in, and said, “Hey, lovebirds! C’mon, there’s food!”

 

I looked at Savage, who blinked at the mention of nourishment. He looked at Hoshi, who was blushing at the fact that he was still shirtless. It didn’t help either, that Savage was just about as built as any guy can really get, without looking like a gross body-builder. “And, uh . . . you can bring him . . . with you, too, you know . . .”

 

I laughed. “Looks like you’re a part of the gang, Savage!”

 

The fighter grinned, and said, “Sounds good to me.”

 

 

After my father won, there was an hour intermission, where the reporters went up to various fighters, and the public was able to get autographs of their favorite fighters. I was swamped with people trying to talk to me. Yokio was nearly insane with anger, at all the leers I was receiving. I had made him promise to not leave my side, and to stay next to me. He was grumbling about it, as usual. [On Cybertron, males were never this . . . this crass! The worst that they got was Rattrap’s sense of females, and that’s bad enough. For slagging–]

 

I handed back a photo, with a smile. “Good luck with your training.” Another handed a photo to me, asking me to sign it for a girl, who was about ten. This was a new one done of me, with my helmet off, and the five scars upon my face showing.

 

[–crying out loud! I’m even seeing females look at you like . . . like that.] He shuddered, but continued on with his tirade. [Can’t I please go after one of them? It’ll teach everyone else to stay away. That, and that you’re not on the slagging market anymore! Why can’t they see that?!]

 

[No, Dinobot, you can’t go after them.] I replied silently, then saw my father waving over the crowds. They parted to let him through, and he embraced me, and ruffled my hair. “Kai, you’re really making a scene, you know. Tempest isn’t getting all this attention.”

 

I grinned. “He’s a rich city kid, Da. He’s used to everyone going out of their way to talk to him, and to pay him the ultimate respect, since he’s of a ‘higher authority.’ I’m not going to play into that.”

 

“There still is a chance that you will fight him. Then again, you could fight me, too.”

 

I nodded, and replied, “I know.”

 

The bell rang, for the five-minute warning, and I looked at the line of people who were still wanting an autograph. And I sighed. “Da, go get ready. I’ll finish this line off, since I’m not in for another while.”

 

He nodded, and I looked to Yokio. “Close the line off.”

 

“Can I scare people away, if they try to enter?”

 

“Depends.”

 

“Fine.”

 

I made a face at him, and he walked off huffily. The people closest to us laughed, and I smiled. “Alright, who’s next?”

We were by the arena door, watching my father fight. Mom was beside us, and worried about him, as usual. She always did this. I had my hand on her shoulder, as she was shorter than I was, and Yokio had my other hand held within his. Dad pulled off a rollover to a side, his armor moving easily around him, and he stood, sword at the ready, shield already worth scrap metal. He had tossed it off in the roll. I smiled. “Not one move wasted.”

 

“Your father’s going to get himself killed, Alessa.”

 

I sighed, and asked, “Has he ever been up against this one before?”

 

“No. Tempest transferred in from England, as you can tell by his accent, when another fighter went over there. It was an exchange program.”

 

I sighed. “Warlord.”

 

“Yes. You remember?”

 

“Mm-hm. He and Da were battle-partners when I was younger, and just starting to train. He was a cool guy. Remember when he taught me that leap-kick?” She was silent for a moment, and I looked at her, breaking my gaze away from the fighters. “Mom? What is it? Are you okay?”

 

She looked at me, and then down, at . . .

 

I released Yokio’s hand, and stood in front of my mother. “Are . . . are you serious?”

 

Mom smiled shyly up at me, and I embraced her carefully, then looked back at the fighters. “Does Dad know?”

 

“Not yet.”

 

“Are you sure about this? It’s not some mistake?”

 

“The bloodwork came back this morning.”

 

Yokio looked between us. “Please don’t mind my asking, but what are you talking about? Did I miss something important?”

 

I looked at him, then at Mom. “Can I tell?”

 

“Yes,” she replied, blushing.

 

I looked at Yokio, and said quietly, “I’m finally going to be a sister.”

 

He sat, and I chuckled, sitting upon a stool next to him. Dad and Tempest really started to go at it. Mom was gripping the doorframe so hard that her knuckles were turning white. Brute came up behind her, and took her hand down gently. “I’m sorry, Ma’am, but you shouldn’t do that. You could break your own hand.”

 

She looked up at Brute, then back at the fight. The older fighter looked at me, and I shook my head. He nodded, and I looked back at the fight. Dad kicked upwards, catching Tempest’s chin, and sending him flying back. Extinction’s style was one that incorporated both blatant swordfighting, and the acrobatic traits of a martial artist. His armor, as well as mine, was specifically designed to serve that purpose. Free movement was essential.

 

I kept my hands loose, not balled, and calmed my breathing, as I watched the fight.

 

Without even a warning, Tempest ran at my father, and pulled off some odd move, that twisted my father’s leg in an odd way, sending him to the ground. The bell rang, when Dad couldn’t stand up. Tempest pulled his helmet off, and spat on the ground next to my father. I ran at the chain-link, and gripped onto it, watching the fighter leave without a look backwards. Only a few ragged, weak cheers followed him out. An attendant opened the door to the arena, and I ran in, knowing that Yokio, my mother, and a few others ran in with me. I rolled my father over, and pulled his helmet off. He was breathing heavily. “Watch out for that one, Kai. It’s a killer move.”

 

As two larger fighters pulled him up, I asked, “Can you describe it to me?”

 

He blinked, and told me in the coding that he used, when training me. Only he, myself, my mother, and Warlord knew of it. Dad didn’t want the attendants to know what I should look out for. “L2 forward; R1 false; L1 grab OR1; R2 hook OL2; B turn; result: OL2 dislo.”

 

I stopped, then caught up. “‘Dislo?’ Da, are you kidding me?”

 

Brute looked at me. “You understood that?”

 

I ignored him, as my father shook his head. “It hurts like a bugger, Alessa. Watch out for it.”

 

“Any leading moves?” I asked, as I opened the door.

 

“R1 swipe at H.”

 

I nodded. “So O ducks, putting OR1 in perfect place for L1 . . .”

 

“Yes.”

 

I nodded. Brute looked to my mom, who was helping them disarmor my father. She looked meaningfully at some of the attendants, who left the room for a medic. Before I could ask anything more, she had leaned closer to Dad, and whispered something to him. I smiled, and pulled Brute and Yokio out of the room. “C’mon, guys. Let them be.”

 

Jett and the brunette were outside the door. As soon as the door was closed, the fighter walked up to me, put his hands on my shoulders, and asked, “Is he okay?”

 

Yokio, in a swift move, moved Jett’s hands from my shoulders, and stood between the two of us, one hand keeping me behind him. Brute sighed. “Right. Forgot about that issue. Look, Jett, we have a problem. Or rather, they do.”

 

“Oh?” he snapped. “And what would that problem be?”

 

I could feel Dinobot’s want to change into his beast mode, and go after Jett. I grabbed his hand, and he suppressed the feeling immediately. He knew I wouldn’t appreciate it. However, he replied in a growl, “Your intentions towards my wife . . . to be.”

 

[No slipping!] I hissed silently. [He doesn’t suspect anything yet, and hasn’t made the connection between you and your other modes. He thinks of you as the ’Raptor at the Pavilion!]

 

He nodded, although it was more like a twitch.

 

Jett snorted. “Alessa is free to make her own decisions, and she can declare the marriage null.” He looked at me. “You never let people tell you what to do before.”

 

I sighed, and chose my next words to him carefully. “Jett, I have no choice in this, nor would I want a choice in it. Yokio saved my life, and I’ve saved his. After Yokio had saved my life, not even knowing it on my behalf, my mother arranged with Yokio’s caretakers for us to be married.”

 

“Really. And when did he save your life?”

 

I glared at him. “When I was attacked, and given these scars on my hands, my chest, and this one on my cheek. He was the only one who was able to help me.”

 

The bell rang for another intermission. They had been making announcements about future events and exhibitions. Jett’s glare was piercing. Medics ran up, and looked at me. “Kedakai?”

 

I looked at them, masking my irritation on how Jett was acting. “Yes?”

 

“Where is your father?”

 

I indicated the door behind me, and they entered quietly, and closed it behind them. We regarded each other with silence, and I heard a popping noise from behind me, soon followed by a grunt of pain. I shuddered, grinned, and called through the door, “Didja feel that one, old man?”

 

“I most certainly did!” my father’s voice replied in a full-throated roar.

 

It was an old line between us, from my training days. If I fell awkwardly, and landed in pain, he would ask, “Did you feel that one, young rip?”

 

I’d answer, “Feel what?” unless it was something serious. And later on, when I was able to pull moves upon him that would send him crashing to the ground, I’d ask him, “Did you feel that one, old man?”

 

It was something that we laughed about, and something to begin a banter to get our minds off of the pain. I called back in, “Well? How else should you feel, if your leg was almost ripped off?”

 

“You never tried something like that!”

 

“’Course not! If I failed the move, then you would have maimed me!”

 

“As if I should have any reason not to?”

 

I grinned. “Hah! I could out-run you any day!”

 

“Not then! Now you can!”

 

“Hmm . . . good point.”

 

I heard him chuckle, and Talon snorted. “Why do you show one of the greatest fighters disrespect, when he’s flat on his back and in pain?”

 

I replied, “Because he’s my father, my trainer, and my mentor, and I love him.”

 

Jett glared at me, and took the brunette’s hand then left. I watched him, and Yokio sighed. Brute and Fear looked at me. “Are you sure that was a good thing to do?”

 

I shook my head. “Frankly, we’re too used to acting upon our own, and we haven’t trained as fighting as a team. Either way, I know that tomorrow in the team fight, Da will have to have a replacement. His leg is worse than he’s letting on, and we both know it. Mom knows, too.”

 

A hand touched my shoulder, and I turned to look at my mother. She smiled. “Bring Yokio.”

 

We walked in, waving for Brute, Fear, Factor and Savage to wait there. Dad looked to Yokio, then to me. “How is his fighting technique?”

 

I immediately closed my mind off from Dinobot’s. “Okay. Not exactly the type that you teach, but I’ll get him hooked sooner or later.”

 

“Skill level?”

 

“Mine or above.”

 

“Fought in an arena before?”

 

“Possibly. He’s hinted at it.”

 

“Used our armor?”

 

“Dunno. Most likely not.”

 

“Train him in that overnight. I’m sure that he’ll do fine.”

 

Yokio was looking between myself and my father. I smiled, grasped my Da’s hand, and then turned, bringing Yokio back out to the three fighters waiting in the hall. A fighter from the North PlainFoxBoro Arena walked up to me. He indicated the room. “Will he fight tomorrow?”

 

I shook my head. “But he has a replacement in mind. I only have to ask him.”

 

“Oh? Who’s that?”

 

I looked at Yokio, and my husband grinned, and popped his knuckles. “You’re on. But what about the armor? You’re father’s larger than I am, more broad-shouldered.”

 

I blinked, and then shrugged. “You’re a little shorter than him, but it shouldn’t matter. The shoulder straps are adjustable, as is everything else. When everything’s over tonight, I’ll help you into it, and we can get maybe a half-hour of practice, before my legs give out.”

 

Brute leaned upon one of my shoulders heavily in play, and I twisted easily, and landed him on his rear. “I have to go and rest, before the duel for Regional Champion. It’s gonna be tough.” I nodded to my father’s comrade, who was looking Yokio over. “Termination, he’s my fiancee. Stop looking at him like that.”

 

Termination glared at me, and mocked a swipe at my head. “Impudent little girl!”

 

I laughed, and replied, “Now, now! Your wife wouldn’t approve, and you know that, too!”

 

He chuckled, and shoved me gently towards my room, then knocked upon the door to my father’s room. I walked off with my friends, to sit and relax before the final fight. I knew that it would hurt.