Learning to Walk Again 6

Learning to Walk Again

Chapter Six

I leapt up, kicked , and followed through with a swipe downward from my left shoulder, ending around my right hip. With a few more moves, I felt a distinct splitting feeling, and I ran to the pond’s edge. It was still frozen over, so I had to kick at the ice, and then dump my right hand in, up past my wrist, jacket and all. I winced, and finally pulled my hand out, feeling the warm blood take place of the icy water. With a sigh, I turned, and walked back towards the house, seeing Dinobot frowning on the veranda, wrapped up within blankets. It was the twelfth day. Two more days, and I would be fighting and performing in the State Champs.

He stood, carefully, and then pulled me into the warmth of the blanket, holding me close to him, while he gently looked at my hand. “Again, eh?”

“Pain, Dinobot. Pain. I have to go in and bandage this again.”

We walked in, and Mom took one look at me, and glared, pointing to a stool. Dinobot sat in a chair, the blankets still around him, but looser. He hated the transition of going between warmth and cold, but he seemed to be getting better, each and every time that we came back in from my practice. Mom peeled off my jacket, as well as my sweater and my long-sleeve shirt, leaving me in my sleeve-less. She cut away the original light bandage, and then looked at my palm. “Well. Would you look at this.”

I looked down, and saw that it had stopped bleeding, and even started to heal again! Dinobot stood, stiffly, and looked as well. He shrugged. “Natural.”

“For you, perhaps, but for humans? It’s unheard of.”

I chuckled, and she bandaged it.

Dinobot lay back, panting, after sitting up straight from a dream. I leaned over him, and looked at him, waiting for him to speak. This had developed into our sort of routine. I ended up sleeping lightly, since he’s been around. He looked up at me, his optics begging. I embraced him, and he shuddered, hiding his face against my shoulder. I rocked back and forth slightly, as my mother used to do when I had a nightmares, and he soon quieted. What was it about this time, I asked him in a whisper.

“Death.” I looked at him, and he shuddered. “Your own. Not mine. In the arena.” I held him tighter, and he said, “I’m not going to ask you not to fight, because this is your life. I know better than that.”

“Dinobot, please, if you’re able, describe to me what my opponent looked like,” I requested.

He calmed, strangely, and said, “A tall man, almost my height.”

“Armor?”

“Black. Matte black, as if he were a shadow.”

I nodded. “I know him. He’s known to be brutal in the arena. ‘Extinction’ is his nick-name, but he’s also a forger. I told you about him before. He makes the best armor that fighters can get in America. I’ll be sporting his workmanship this year in the arena.”

“You mean . . .”

I chuckled. “He knows who I am. He’s always known. Were there any other marks on his armor?”

He thought, then nodded, and I set him back on the bed. “He had red gauntlets, as well as red streaks down on the sides of his armor.”

I blinked. “It isn’t Extinction. I don’t . . . wait.”

I got up, and walked over to a book that every fighter received before an official fight. It had every single other fighter that would be participating in the competition that you would also be competing in, and labeled them. There was some basic information, such as what Arena they were from, and what section. I flipped through it, finding a flashlight, and looked at each helmet, as well as armor designs. I found two that matched, but everything depended upon what style of armor that the man was wearing.

“That one,” Dinobot said, when I showed him the two. I looked at the name.

“Heh. Tempest, is it? I’ll watch out for him.” I sighed. “Day after tomorrow, Dinobot.”

He nodded, and I put the book on the floor, along with the flashlight. He shuddered, and I sighed again. He looked at me, and I smiled. “I’m going to have to rest tomorrow. The barest of work.”

With another nod, he asked, “Should I appear as I truly am?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

The door opened, and Mom leaned in. “Knew you two were still awake. Dinobot, what did you mean?”

I groaned, lay back, and said, “He’s got a human form, mode, whatever. He’s able to change into that.”

“Does he need clothes?”

I heard an embarrassed snort, and I chuckled. “Yep.”

Dinobot looked at me, and I smiled. Mom chuckled. “Right. You find his sizes, Alessa, and I’ll get the clothes.”

I got up, dug through my bag, and handed her five twenty-dollar bills. “Use this, please, Mum. It should cover a few outfit changes.”

She smiled, and nodded, and we said our good-nights. She left, and Dinobot asked, “Sizes?”

I shook my head, and settled down next to him again. He rubbed at his chest, and I took his hand away gently, then traced the scar with one finger, stopping where he had been rubbing, and felt that there was pain beneath the scar. “What hurts, Dinobot?”

It took him a moment to answer, but he then said, “My Spark.”

“How?”

“I don’t know. But it hurts.”

I sighed, and rubbed my nose against his. “I know what it is. Your body hasn’t gotten completely used to the fact that you’re married to a human. I feel the same thing sometimes.”

He nodded hesitantly, and I rested my head on his chest. He touched my head, and played with my bangs lightly. I sighed, and said, “You’re slipping.”

“I know. I feel it.”

“Why, Dinobot?”

He only shook his head. I reached up, and touched the side of his head, then moved, so that I was looking into his optics. “Please. I know that you know. Tell me. I’m here for you.”

“You’re a sap.”

I laughed, and kissed his cheek. “What else would you expect from me?” He smiled, and I said, “How about you and I take a walk tomorrow morning around the gardens? You can help me decide what bulbs I’ll plant in the meditation puzzle.”

He nodded, and I rested my head on his chest again, breathing in his scent, and falling asleep. Tomorrow was to be another day.

I was up, knowing that I had slept in longer than usual. I looked at Dinobot, already knowing subconsciously that he was still sleeping. I got out of bed, and then walked to my closet, pulling out a comfortable outfit for today. Just as my shirt was off, I heard, “What are you doing?”

I shut my eyes tightly, and said, “Close your eyes, and let me get behind that screen. I thought you were still asleep.”

“That’s the second time that you’ve assumed that I was asleep.”

“Dinobot!”

“Fine!”

I peeked over my shoulder, then grabbed everything, and scrambled over to behind the screen. Dinobot sighed, and grumbled, “But we’re married.”

“Really?” I replied sarcastically. “I never would have guessed! I still enjoy my privacy, Dinobot. I’m still like a young girl sometimes, about being seen. It was the way I was brought up. Besides.” I looked around, to see him sitting up, looking at the screen. “I don’t see you walking about, without a care in the world!”

He made a face at me, and I returned it with one, then finished changing. “And just out of curiosity, is there a shadow?” He didn’t answer, merely grinned somewhat evilly, and I laughed. Maybe things were going back to where they used to be, after all.

“No, slaggit!”

“Dinobot!”

“What?!”

“What was it that you wanted to see this morning, huh?! Well?!”

“You didn’t step around the screen!”

“Of course not!”

“Then I’m not!”

“Well, did I have to be sized for clothing?!”

There was a knock on the door, and I tossed a blanket around the screen, not looking, as Dinobot was acting like a spoiled brat. I gave him a pair of shorts to wear, but he threw it back at me! So what if they were cute boxers with the Deceptacon insignia on them? I liked them!

I slid open the door, and saw Michael, also called Brute, there. “Hey. I heard that Dinobot was in a fix.”

“Slagging straight!”

He chuckled, and handed me a plastic shopping bag. “Here.”

I looked in, and saw clothes. Michael smiled, and I looked back up at him. I sighed. “How did you find out?”

Itosugi peeked around the frame of the door. “Your mother called me, telling me about that last night, but I figured that Dinobot was going to end up being taller than I am, since you’re just my height. So I called Michael. Jett wasn’t anywhere to be found. That, and I don’t think telling him would be a good idea.”

I nodded, and handed the bag around the screen, then tossed three imported candy bars to the three guys. “I was saving these for tomorrow, but I decided that today would be better. I’ve got more. They’re from Ireland.”

Terrence said, “So, do we come in, or what?”

I shook my head. “I’ll meet you out by the fireplace. Ito-chan, can you put on some water for tea?”

He nodded, and closed the door. I tapped on the screen, and asked, “Are you done?”

“Nearly.”

“Common sense helping you?”

“Barely.”

I chuckled, and he came around, looking guilty. The scar on his right cheek stood out. I touched it. “It . . . it traveled over . . . Dinobot, what does this mean?”

He shook his head. “I wish I knew, Alessa. I only wish that I knew.”

Night, again. I was staring at the ceiling, worrying about tomorrow. Things were going to be hard. I’d be up against people who I’ve never seen before, never fought against before. I didn’t want to be hurt.

A hand touched my own, and I looked over to see Dinobot. He had enjoyed his human mode, but he preferred his robot self. “Stoppit. Sleep. Otherwise you will be hurt. And then I won’t be happy.”

I nodded, and said, “Yeah. You’re right.”

He pulled me into his arms, and I sighed, relaxing. I was asleep before I had even realized that I had closed my eyes.