Hugs challenge - Tori
Written for the Hugs for Everyone (Power Rangers) challenge
Fandom: PR Ninja Storm (Crossing Paths 'verse)
Summary: Marah gets an unexpected hug. Did we slip into an alternate reality?"
Marah had no idea what was going on. There was some big, secret, something happening though it didn’t seem like much of anything at first. Senseis Shane, Tori and Dustin had gone to Reefside for the weekend; that wasn’t a big deal. But on Sunday Cam and Sensei Kanoi had vanished in a hurry and word was Hunter and Sensei Omino disappeared from the Thunder Academy as well. Then on Tuesday an apocalyptic storm had hit Reefside; that’s when Marah got really worried.
If she still had designs on being evil and trying to impress Uncle Lothor, Marah totally would’ve taken advantage of the serious power vacuum at the school, taken over the academy and done…something very evil. Very, VERY evil. Or, at least somewhat subversive.
But Marah didn’t care much for showing off anymore, and there was only one person she was trying to impress; sadly the damage she’d done to that relationship was all her own doing and the reality was that she might never get a chance to make amends. Not that she didn’t try, but in her new life she was trying to be less selfish and more thoughtful; she understood for the first time that her whims were not all-important and other people’s feelings needed to be considered too. So, when she was at the Wind Ninja Academy to train she worked hard, kept her comments to herself and tried not to pester Dustin.
Not that she had a heck of a lot of access to Dustin; Marah’s talents lay in Air, so she wasn’t one of Dustin’s students. That was a bummer because she thought he was probably a pretty good teacher, and if she’d been his student they’d at least have an excuse to see one another. At the same time she was so grateful not to possess the talent for Water. Having to face Tori even casually was uncomfortable in the extreme; the Water ninja wasn’t shy about displaying her hostility toward Marah in spite of the “open arms” philosophy of the school. Marah would not want to be one of her students. Kapri had a hard enough time training with Tori, and she hadn’t been the one to break Dustin’s heart.
Marah sighed wistfully as she finished her chores around the dojo. She’d been assigned the task of pruning the low bushes around the building and gardening chores always reminded her of Dustin. Whatever had happened in Reefside must’ve been resolved because Sensei Omino left word that all of the Wind Ninja’s were returning later that morning. A commotion near the main gate got Marah’s attention and she stood up from where she was kneeling, transferred the shears she was holding to her left hand and shielded her eyes with her right to get a better look at what was going on..
Sensei Kanoi, Cam, Shane, Tori and Dustin were walking toward the main building. Marah was glad to see that Dustin appeared uninjured; the rest of them looked okay too. Other students and teachers who were in the courtyard called out in greeting which the Wind Ninja’s cheerfully returned. The trio of former Rangers gazes fell on Marah simultaneously. She could feel the weight in their stares and her stomach condensed into a hard rock as they shared a glance between them. Marah’s breath caught in her throat though she couldn’t verbalize her apprehension.
The group of returning ninjas never stopped moving forward, though Marah felt frozen under their combined attention. She was thrilled to her core when Dustin raised a hand in greeting; that simple action and the shy smile that accompanied it would’ve been enough to keep her floating on cloud nine all day if the approach of Tori hadn’t genuinely scared the crap out of her. How had the Water Ninja gotten so close without Marah noticing? Tori didn’t appear to be angry, but she was notoriously difficult to read; her expression was resolved and determined, but determined to do what? That was the question.
If Marah hadn’t been so caught up in the moment she would’ve moved away, backed up or something. In an instant her ability to get away was gone as Tori reached out and pulled her into an embrace. Marah was too startled to react; she stood stiff as a poker as Tori hugged her warmly. She didn’t know what to do with her hands so she patted Tori’s back awkwardly with her free hand and tried not to get any dirt on her. Marah was unused to physical affection of any kind; Uncle Lothor wasn’t really the cuddly type and Kapri was more of a high-fiver than a hugger.
Tori stepped back slightly though she did not release Marah completely. The Wind Ninja kept her hands on Marah’s shoulders as she looked at Marah’s face. Suddenly Tori wasn’t so difficult to read, the genuineness of her words was reflected clearly in her face. “I’m so sorry,” Tori stated simply. “It has taken me far too long to say this but…you are welcome here.”
Marah free hand seemed to have a life of its own as it floated up and squeezed the hand on her shoulder. That small movement helped snap her out of the paralysis that had her in its grip. Marah was flooded with a warmth she never expected to feel from the previously hostile Water ninja. She managed to respond with some genuine warmth of her own, “Thank you.”
Just as quickly as she approached Tori moved on leaving Marah feeling like a character in a play; something monumental had happened but the scenery was exactly the same. Were they in an alternate reality or something? Marah looked around to see if anyone else noticed that the world had just shifted on its axis; shouldn’t the hiccup in the earth’s gravity have caused them all to go flying off into space? But all of the students and teachers in the courtyard continued working at their tasks as though nothing had happened.
Confused and still not quite able to process, Marah turned to follow the progress of the former Rangers as they continued into the main building. She hadn’t imagined it, had she?
At the top of the stairs, Dustin paused and looked back. He raised a hand again, and this time Marah managed to wave back. If this was the new world Tori had slipped them into, Marah thought it might be a good place to be.
Fandom: PR Ninja Storm (Crossing Paths 'verse)
Summary: Marah gets an unexpected hug. Did we slip into an alternate reality?"
Marah had no idea what was going on. There was some big, secret, something happening though it didn’t seem like much of anything at first. Senseis Shane, Tori and Dustin had gone to Reefside for the weekend; that wasn’t a big deal. But on Sunday Cam and Sensei Kanoi had vanished in a hurry and word was Hunter and Sensei Omino disappeared from the Thunder Academy as well. Then on Tuesday an apocalyptic storm had hit Reefside; that’s when Marah got really worried.
If she still had designs on being evil and trying to impress Uncle Lothor, Marah totally would’ve taken advantage of the serious power vacuum at the school, taken over the academy and done…something very evil. Very, VERY evil. Or, at least somewhat subversive.
But Marah didn’t care much for showing off anymore, and there was only one person she was trying to impress; sadly the damage she’d done to that relationship was all her own doing and the reality was that she might never get a chance to make amends. Not that she didn’t try, but in her new life she was trying to be less selfish and more thoughtful; she understood for the first time that her whims were not all-important and other people’s feelings needed to be considered too. So, when she was at the Wind Ninja Academy to train she worked hard, kept her comments to herself and tried not to pester Dustin.
Not that she had a heck of a lot of access to Dustin; Marah’s talents lay in Air, so she wasn’t one of Dustin’s students. That was a bummer because she thought he was probably a pretty good teacher, and if she’d been his student they’d at least have an excuse to see one another. At the same time she was so grateful not to possess the talent for Water. Having to face Tori even casually was uncomfortable in the extreme; the Water ninja wasn’t shy about displaying her hostility toward Marah in spite of the “open arms” philosophy of the school. Marah would not want to be one of her students. Kapri had a hard enough time training with Tori, and she hadn’t been the one to break Dustin’s heart.
Marah sighed wistfully as she finished her chores around the dojo. She’d been assigned the task of pruning the low bushes around the building and gardening chores always reminded her of Dustin. Whatever had happened in Reefside must’ve been resolved because Sensei Omino left word that all of the Wind Ninja’s were returning later that morning. A commotion near the main gate got Marah’s attention and she stood up from where she was kneeling, transferred the shears she was holding to her left hand and shielded her eyes with her right to get a better look at what was going on..
Sensei Kanoi, Cam, Shane, Tori and Dustin were walking toward the main building. Marah was glad to see that Dustin appeared uninjured; the rest of them looked okay too. Other students and teachers who were in the courtyard called out in greeting which the Wind Ninja’s cheerfully returned. The trio of former Rangers gazes fell on Marah simultaneously. She could feel the weight in their stares and her stomach condensed into a hard rock as they shared a glance between them. Marah’s breath caught in her throat though she couldn’t verbalize her apprehension.
The group of returning ninjas never stopped moving forward, though Marah felt frozen under their combined attention. She was thrilled to her core when Dustin raised a hand in greeting; that simple action and the shy smile that accompanied it would’ve been enough to keep her floating on cloud nine all day if the approach of Tori hadn’t genuinely scared the crap out of her. How had the Water Ninja gotten so close without Marah noticing? Tori didn’t appear to be angry, but she was notoriously difficult to read; her expression was resolved and determined, but determined to do what? That was the question.
If Marah hadn’t been so caught up in the moment she would’ve moved away, backed up or something. In an instant her ability to get away was gone as Tori reached out and pulled her into an embrace. Marah was too startled to react; she stood stiff as a poker as Tori hugged her warmly. She didn’t know what to do with her hands so she patted Tori’s back awkwardly with her free hand and tried not to get any dirt on her. Marah was unused to physical affection of any kind; Uncle Lothor wasn’t really the cuddly type and Kapri was more of a high-fiver than a hugger.
Tori stepped back slightly though she did not release Marah completely. The Wind Ninja kept her hands on Marah’s shoulders as she looked at Marah’s face. Suddenly Tori wasn’t so difficult to read, the genuineness of her words was reflected clearly in her face. “I’m so sorry,” Tori stated simply. “It has taken me far too long to say this but…you are welcome here.”
Marah free hand seemed to have a life of its own as it floated up and squeezed the hand on her shoulder. That small movement helped snap her out of the paralysis that had her in its grip. Marah was flooded with a warmth she never expected to feel from the previously hostile Water ninja. She managed to respond with some genuine warmth of her own, “Thank you.”
Just as quickly as she approached Tori moved on leaving Marah feeling like a character in a play; something monumental had happened but the scenery was exactly the same. Were they in an alternate reality or something? Marah looked around to see if anyone else noticed that the world had just shifted on its axis; shouldn’t the hiccup in the earth’s gravity have caused them all to go flying off into space? But all of the students and teachers in the courtyard continued working at their tasks as though nothing had happened.
Confused and still not quite able to process, Marah turned to follow the progress of the former Rangers as they continued into the main building. She hadn’t imagined it, had she?
At the top of the stairs, Dustin paused and looked back. He raised a hand again, and this time Marah managed to wave back. If this was the new world Tori had slipped them into, Marah thought it might be a good place to be.