Path of the Hunters [PART 3]

She grinned. "Oh, hell yeah."

He grinned back. "Then, let's take this to the mats, huh?" He started over to the open area.

She followed, smirking. Aurélie smiled, amused. "I can assure you that whatever they destroy, they will replace."

"We're just warmin' up," Nova said. "So we won't get too serious. Besides, it'd be kinda stupid to go into battle all gassed, right?"

"You break it, you get to stay behind and help fix it." Stated the marine, "Lord I've heard that too many times..."

Sunny snickered. "Trip, you hang out with Aurélie."

He nodded. "Okay..."

Nova sighed, loosening his joints some. "It's felt like an eternity since we last threw down."

"Yeah. After this is all over, how about we go all out?"

Aurélie twirled blades between her fingers, vaguely wishing Crescent had come along. She had no doubt as to her skill, but she wanted to be certain that the past few months hadn't dulled her agility.

She didn't notice Trip start to stay something, then stop and start edging away. He'd seen the familiar golden-furred hedgehog - who was supposed to be with Cross - and knew he needed to tell someone. But Sunny was about to fight and Aurélie really seemed intent on her blades.

So...

Deciding he'd only be gone a moment, he darted from the room to catch up to Yue.

"Sounds like a plan. Honeymoon won't be 'til about a week after, or so, so yeah."

*

The little hedgehog girl stopped her skipping along the hallway for a moment, looked back to the room she just passed. She thought she had just seen the familiar gray fox, and beamed. She turned around, made her way back to the door.

"Shit. We may as well wait til after. Honeymoon won't be much fun if you're all banged up."

*

Trip walked out and looked around, blushing when he saw her. He immediately regretting his actions, wanting to go back in. "H-hi..."

He laughed. "Oh, so that was your intention, huh? Well, yeah, you're right about that."

*

Her fur seemed to shine at the sight of him, walked right up to him. "Hi, Trip! Isn't this place cool?"

She shook her head, getting onto one of the mats. "The hell do you think I was talkin' about?"

*

"Uh... It's big?"

He raised an eyebrow, then shrugged, joining her on the mat. "Dunno. Hopin' you was gonna tell me."

*

"Yeah, it is..." She twirled, sighing reverently. "So much adventure!"

Her eyes rolled. "C'mon. Let's do this." Her stance remained relaxed, confidence exuding from her.

*

He only shrugged. It was safer with the adults.

"Gladly." He set into a relaxed stance himself, eyes gleaming with excitement. "Your move."

*

"...I just saw Cross, a while ago."

The mat at his feet was searched quickly. There was enough mineral in it for her to manipulate... Her lips quirked and the mat changed shape, snapping up and surrounding him.

*

His ears perked. "Yeah. Katherine told us."

He rolled out from a gap, slapped a hand to the floor, and a spike rose from the mat, aimed at Sunny's chest.

*

She suddenly pouted. "I don't like her. I'm not cute..."

It fell to dust before coming close, reforming and shooting at him. As she'd told the guy who'd brought them there, she'd honed her skills. She'd practiced, searched out everything she could morph and change. It all went down to basic chemistry, her absolute favorite.

*

"Yes, you are." Then, blush deepening, he took a step back.

He caught the spike easily, stuck it in the ground, used it to vault to her. Chemistry might've been her major, but he was a phys. ed. master. He pushed his body to the limit, and then some, so his reactions were phenomenal, almost god-like. Starting a family could never change that.

*

She suddenly blushed, stared at Trip with wide eyes. From everybody else, she didn't like being called cute, but from him... She shook herself, resumed her pouting. "No, I'm not..."

"Shit." But she was grinning as she put up steel columns, darting backwards. At the wall, she managed to slide into it and came out behind Nova.

*

"O-okay..." His tails flicked out nervously, twining themselves together. "Um... Why don't you wanna be cute?"

Not quick enough! Still gripping the spike in the ground, he continued to swing around, sending a powerful kick for Sunny's gut.

*

She ran a hand through her spines. "...I dunno. Guess I don't wanna look weak."

And she sank down into the floor, grabbed his leg when she popped back up and smacked him to the ground.

*

"I don't think cute is weak..." He rocked on his heels nervously. "It's like... an advantage. 'Cause people underestimate you? When you beat them at something, you just seem more strong."

He grinned. As soon as he hit the ground, a pillar shot out from behind her and slammed hard into her back.

*

"Maybe..." She crossed her arms, rocking from side to side. "I dunno. I think when people 'underresimate' you, they don't expect much from you... so they don't trust you with much."

"Fuckin' A," she snapped, grabbing it. In her hands it became a bat - not quite steel as she didn't really want to cause him too much damage... yet.

*

"I'd trust you," he said quietly.

He wrenched the spike from the ground, back-flipped away. The spike sharpened into a polearm, not steel but close enough to do good damage. "Havin' fun yet?"

*

Again, she blushed, looked up at Trip, smiled softly. "...That's good to know."