"Pick your hands up, Stratton, before you get your nose broken!" These were the times when I missed training with Charlie, because enduring boredom was a hell of a lot easier than enduring an ass kicking.

Raphael yelled at me once again to 'pick up my fucking hands or he'd break them' and I hissed through my teeth, punching him in the shoulder. He hardly wavered before his other hand spun across his body and locked on my forearm, yanking me forward with such strength that it daunted me. 

How the hell was he so strong? His other hand hit my stomach, flipping me forwards. I soared in the air, feeling my body rotate as I experienced just a moment of weightlessness.

I hit the ground hard, making me gasp for air as a pain rippled through my back bone. Dirt, grass, and leaves were already covering my hair, and now I knew for sure that I would be a complete mess. A certain sogginess from a puddle I'd been hoping to avoid soaked into my back.

"You've gotten better, somewhat." Raphael replied, hardly out of breath and with his usual look of complete indifference and tedium. He'd pinned me to the ground around 15 times already and I couldn't get enough air back into my lungs before we went at it again. "Still think we're friends now, Stratton?"

"On the contrary," I huffed, pushing myself up onto my feet as I dusted off my back. Yep, I was covered in mud from my shoulder down to my lower back. I knew it was all in my hair and it only made me want to groan at the thought of having to wash it all out. "I think we're the best of friends since I'm getting all this special treatment and individualized attention."

This made his face contort as he narrowed his eyes at me, his lips giving a twitch before his face merged back to its wall of familiar stone. He'd almost succeeded at appearing unfazed by my remarks. Raphael turned, walking around me while clenching and unclenching his fists. "Let's go again. I've never given special treatment, and you are no exception nor will you ever be."

"Great. Let's do this, pal." I licked my lips, lifting up my fists. He glared at me; 'pal' was walking on a thin rope and I knew he slightly wanted to injure me just a little. "Though, no more dramatics."

"Dramatics?"

"The little flips you make me do. Very extra." My words made him narrow his eyes at me as I offered him a wicked smile. Raphael's shoulder's clenched, and I knew he was going to strike first in that moment. I'd heated him up and he usually liked to land the first punch when I happened to be an especially 'annoying little shit'.

His hand came forward with impressive speed, and to my amazement, I ducked to the left, rolling to my feet as though it were instinct. The footwork was paying off! I actually did a move right! He turned back around to look at me, advancing forward. "You should have struck." He commented, and then I did.

I leapt forward, punching low into his stomach and he even flinched just a little. I'd hit him in a good place, remembering Finn's lessons he'd given me on hand to hand combat. Raphael's fist came up, drilling me hard in the chest as his fingers wrapped around my shoulder blade. 

My legs were swept out from underneath me by his large boot, and I landed hard on my back with a loud smack, making me hiss as I clenched my eyes shut. I'd fallen straight on my backbone and it was tingling, burning with an acute pain that spread through my entire body.

"There. No flip for you. Better?" Raphael said with a smug expression on his face.

"Ha... ha..." I coughed, sitting up slowly as I stretched the muscles out in my back. It hurt to move anything at all, and I knew I'd need some form of massage to loosen up the giant knot forming in my right shoulder. "Fates, that hurt!"

"Get up. You barely made an indent in the dirt, and if you can't see where you hit the ground, you can't complain about it." Raphael crossed his arms over his chest as I glared up to him. "I can always hit you a lot harder, just for the sake of comparison. Maybe then you'd actually see all the different places on this field where your lack of skill or talent has cost you and will ultimately lead you to getting your head cut off in battle."

"Wow, that's the most words I've ever heard come from that asshole of a mouth. You are such a gentleman!" I balanced forward on my knees, offering him a wink. "Is that why you're so popular with the ladies? I mean, look around us! So many prospects."

The field was entirely empty, and Raphael let out a hiss of annoyance.

"The tattoos usually do it." He replied without interest, making me glance up to him. The tattoos. 

"Are you going to sit there, or are we going to continue, Stratton? Have you given up? Want to go inside and disappoint the people in there with your incompetence as well?"

"I feel like you're just using this time to beat me up for saying we were friends." I noted, standing to my feet. "It's not really working because I know that deep down you really like me a lot."

"You've figured it all out. You aren't as stupid as you appear. Praise Fates because what a pitfall for all mankind." The sarcasm was thick like a rich, chocolate cheesecake.

There was a set of voices that made me pause as I turned around, a group of figures settling down the hill from us. Raphael cleared his throat, "damn, they had to bring Torch out today?"

"Torch?"

"Her name's Tiffany, but Torch is a better name." A ring of fire shot around the group along the grass, the girl in the middle glowing a certain orange color with an aura around her body. "Fire meraki in training."

I saw Cybele standing nearby, instructing the girl as she made the ring glow brighter before making it disappear altogether. She clasped her hands together, her palms beginning to glow as a tingle ran through my body.

"Let's keep going, Kate."

The girl's aura was flickering and pulsing, making my eyes narrow. Suddenly, it was as if I was looking inside her body, watching at her core as the fire inside was beginning to swell. It was burning brighter and brighter, breaking past the limits she was trying to build. She was losing control as the flames started to eat away inside her.

"Raphael, something's wrong." I said, feeling a rush of energy run through my veins. I glanced down, a bright gold flowing along my arms.

Suddenly, I heard the girl scream as she fell to her knees, the ball of fire she was holding growing and growing uncontrollably as I took a step back.

"Get behind me!" Raphael was saying, but my eyes stayed trained on the girl. Her arms twitched and she let go of her fireball, the beast soaring into the air like a cannonball as I watched it rise before beginning its descent down.

It was coming down right at us.

"Move! Move!" I heard Raphael screaming at me, but I couldn't move, a pulsing energy inside my head and my chest that willed me to stand my ground. The fire inside of me was sparking and blistering, scorching me alive. Old memories were running through my head, images of East Sector on fire and the sound of dying children ringing like bells inside my brain.

Andrew. Home. Loss. Pain. Fear. The initial emotions coursed through my head, but they stopped short as a new voice echoed inside my brain.

No... Stop it. You can stop it.

I listened to the voice inside, and I raised my hand towards the sky, feeling my meraki run through my veins as it shot out of my hand to meet the fire. A sense of peace filled my core as everything in my vision turned brighter, a golden electricity streaming from my palm as a translucent shield wrapped around us. I shoved Raphael backwards with my other hand.

Then there was impact. The massive ball of fire hit my shield, sending a wave of painful vibrations through my arm and into my chest as I screamed. My vision went white and then gold before I was thrown backwards by the force, the loud sound of thunder clap burning my ear drums as I landed in the dirt. A siren buzzed inside my ears as a numbing tingle of pain ran through my body as though I were half dead, half alive.

I felt my body shudder, a pounding inside my head that went along with the ringing in my ears. My vision turned to black as I sucked in a deep breath, the calmness of my meraki coaxing me to sleep.

The music was loud, pulsing in my ears as I blinked my eyes. Wait, where am I?

I looked down at my hands, flexing the muscles before a set of voices drew my attention. It was dark and I realized I was in a back alley, a single lantern illuminating a doorway being the only source of light.

A huge wooden fence to my left blocked my vision as I looked at the row of buildings to my right. There was the distant sound of voices mingled into the music that made the ground shake. A dog was barking and the air smelt of liquor, a distinctly familiar smell from the past. Was I back at the pub? Was I home?

"... a child! I can't believe you!" My head snapped up as a set of figures walked down the alley, stopping for a moment in the light as the taller figure leapt in front of the former. It was Matilda and Malaki, nearly making me crumble to my knees as joy and longing filled my heart. They were such a sight for sore eyes that I thought I might sob in the middle of the alley.

Were they both ok? Was this real? Could they see me? What the hell was happening?

"I was only helping you!" Malaki seethed through clenched teeth, and I moved in closer, now aware that they both had no idea I was there. "You need someone to check in on you, Matilda."

"Who the hell said it was you?" Her eyes burned with an intensity and fire I hadn't seen in a long time as she looked at Malaki. "I don't want anyone to check on me and give me all this pity! No one can help me!"

"Well, I can definitely make sure no drunk imbeciles like Warren try to man handle you in the pub!" He shot back with barely a second to breath. "Why do you do that to yourself? Jack Warren is the biggest piece of shit!"

"You had no right to hurt him like you did, and I can take care of myself!"

"Right? Just like the other countless nights when Kate and I had to carry you home because you were so drunk that you couldn't even remember who we were."

"Don't!" Matilda screamed, shaking her head. Her eyes had become watery as she rubbed her tears away. "Don't hold that against me! I know I made terrible, awful choices, but I am done with it now! My family is gone, dead or taken off to some inspection by those bird people! I am alone, and I don't drink like that anymore because I've grown up. Jack is the only person left from when life was normal, and he cares about me..."

"And I don't?" Malaki asked, his voice soft but still audible over the music.

"What?" Matilda breathed, staring into his eyes. Her own were wide, and under the golden light of the lantern, she'd never looked more beautiful. "You... you?"

"I care about you, Matilda. I always have." He said, taking a step closer to my sister. "I hate Warren because of how he treats you, like how he acts like you're just any other girl. He hurts you too, and I know that you realize that. I think you're special and that he doesn't understand how lucky he is to have you. You're amazing in every sense of the word: intelligent, hilarious, fiery, courageous, beautiful and kind."

"You... think all those things about me?"

"Those and a thousand more."

"I thought that you... liked Kate. You two were so close."

Malaki licked his lips, "it was always you, Matilda. She knew that too, and she told me I shouldn't give up on... an us." His eyes bore deeply into hers. "Should I give up?"

"Malaki,"

"If you want to be with Jack," he took a deep breath, "I won't forgive you. You are too good for somebody like him to fuck up, and you deserve someone so much better. I'll understand if you don't want me or if you just want to be alone. I'll never speak of my feelings for you ever again if you tell me you don't feel the same. But, I swear that I won't let you go to Warren, Matilda."

His fingers took her wrist as his other hand pulled up her sleeve, a faded set of black and blue fingerprints on the skin. I sucked in a breath, a pool of anger and fear running through my veins. He hadn't stopped abusing her. Hell, he'd never stop, and I wasn't there to help her!

"I won't let him do this to you any longer. You deserve kisses instead of bruises. You deserve love instead of pain." Malaki let her hand go and Matilda covered her arm quickly. "Just tell me what you want."

Her eyes stared into Malaki's as she swallowed, her fingers trembling as she took a deep breath. "I don't want Jack, and I won't go back to him."

"Thank Fate." He let out a breath of air with relief. "I can be content with that even if you and I aren't..."

Matilda silenced him as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her lips softly brushing against his. Malaki seemed startled, his eyes still open and his body tense before his eyes closed. His hands rested now on either side of her face as they kissed one another with an unsure tenderness, exploring the possibilities of what they could be together.

They pulled back to look at each other, panting softly as Malaki brushed a stray hair from her face.

"Wow," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "I didn't expect it to be that..."

"Good?" Malaki raised a teasing eyebrow as Matilda smiled from ear to ear. My heart clenched; it was a smile I'd seen in a long time.

"I didn't see it." She confessed, "I always saw you and my sister, so I never thought of an us."

"I hope I cleared that up now." He smiled, "and I can keep providing you with more evidence." He leaned in closer, their lips just barely apart as he waited for her approval.

"I'd... like that a great deal." Malaki kissed her lips with confidence, a new ferocity between the two as Matilda's arms wrapped around his waist. Then, her back was up against the wall of the building as the two kissed and kissed as though they'd been long deprived. I guess they had. 

Time to go please! I can't watch him and my sister...

A new type of lightness took over my body as the scene began to fade. This had to be real, and it made my heart swell. They'd finally made it, and someone was taking care of my sister now when I couldn't.

Malaki and Matilda. Matilda and Malaki. Two of the people I love most together.