A little later after Shane's Karma:

Tori finds Shane sitting near the lake, idly looking at the waters. Here he is, isolated from the rest. And she's been looking for him everywhere.

He's been blaming himself for not being able to save the karminion who gave up her life all so he could power up and win a brutal battle. And it hurts her to see him like this...

"Shane..." She calls out his name.

"Shane!!"

One more loud shout and he finally looks at her, before turning to look at the water again.

"I couldn't... I couldn't save her, Tor... Damn the destiny.. damn everything... I--"

The way his voice breaks stirs her heart. Tori can't help but ask--

"Do you love Skyla?"

"No. I... why do you ask?"

Shane is quick to deny harbouring any kind of feeling, and Tori wrings her hands nervously, shaking her head.

"No... I was just wondering... I... uh..."

It relieves her to hear him say that for some reason, and she suddenly comes down with a feeling of embarrassment.

"I'll leave you alone for a bit. Talk to me when you feel like it, Shane."

There she hopes that came off naturally, and that she wasn't weird at all. Flashing him a small smile, she turns her back on him.

Shane had missed her birthday, and all he does these days is take Skyla's name... so she just assumed it's love. Is she wrong though? Can Tori Hanson be wrong?

And if what Shane said is true... but if it is, he might get over the whole thing soon.

***

Shane can't bring himself to stop Tori as she leaves. He simply watches from where he's seated by the lake. His thoughts return to where they were-- Skyla disappearing in his arms.

What made Tori think he loved that girl??

Cool wind touches his cheeks, and it only refreshes his memories.

He definitely didn't love her-- but he definitely misses her. That victory cost him her life. Skyla says it's the duty of karminion-- and that she's born to give up her life, her powers one day but-- is he worth it?

No matter what anyone says nobody in this world can be worth giving up your life.

***

Shane drops by the storm chargers that afternoon, mostly because there is nothing but calm after that big battle, and also because Dustin asked him to drop by.

"Hey!" Kelly's cheerful smile greets him as he enters the store.

"Hie."

Shane greets back. He forces a smile but nothing comes.

"Are you alright?" Kelly asks.

Shane frowns. Okay, after everyone... now Kelly's worried too! He needs to get over whatever happened soon, else he might--

"Try not too worry Tori too much, okay? A girl can't carry the burden of heartache for too long..."

Shane furrows his brows. He knows Tori would be worried... that everyone is worried. But--

"Heartache? What's this heartache and why?"

Kelly shrugs. "Why... 'cause the girl loves you, why else."

Shane's jaw drops. His heart nearly stops and he looks at Kelly incredulously.

"What the heck-- Kel, seriously? Did Tor tell you something? Or--"

"Oops! My bad! Spilled the beans.. Oh, just a hunch, though. Don't sweat!"

Kelly claps him on his shoulder and Shane doesn't know what to say.

But a small smile forms on his lips... somehow the idea of someone loving him floods his heart with a warm feeling. Tori may not love him like that but her loving him as a friend seems feasible. And oh, the possibility that he could mean more to her is utterly endearing.

With a goofy grin on his face, he dwells back into working around the shop. Well, he's only helping out in Dustin's stead today... maybe he can see Tori once this is over.

The girl put a smile on his face, and it's his turn now. He's worried her way too much, now that he realized it.. He did, yeah, and he needs to fix it asap.

***

"Hey!"

Shane greets Tori once he's back in the Ninja ops. He finds her in the courtyard. From the looks of it she's looking for someone--

"Hey!" She greets him, feeling surprised that he's chased after her. Normally it would be the other way around. That's how it is.

"You up for a match? Let's go to the Sims?"

Tori narrows her eyes at him. "You seem all perked up all of a sudden? I wonder who did this to you..."

Shane chuckles, resting his hand on her shoulder just as he always would. It's his usual gesture, but peering into her eyes, it almost seems like things changed-- just a bit.

"If there's someone who could do something to me it's you."

Tori looks taken aback. She blinks rapidly--

Shane nods, making his statement more clear-- "and by something, it's always something nice. You know?"

Now Tori's smiling, almost as wide as he does. And that smile is his respite. All the frustration, all the agitation Shane's felt seems to be slowly melting away.

"I'll beat you this time!" she exclaims, punching on his chest. "Race you to the sims!"

Shane has no doubt she's got the capability to beat him on her own. But just this once, he will make it easy for her.

"You're on!" he waggles his brows and challenges her.

Tori smirks, and the duo are soon laughing, running-- their faces as bright as the afternoon sky.

***

TBC!

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