Return of the Ninjas

Chapter 21- Peace at Last

                 

"Jake!" cried Emma. She would have followed, but she had no parachute, no rope. The cliff was at least 1,000 feet high. Nobody could survive a fall like that.

            Shakily, Emma peered down at the seemingly endless abyss, hoping to see a parachute or a plane or rocket boots Jake or the Master had somehow produced. But all she saw was rocks and all she heard was the ominous blowing of the wind.

            Emma collapsed on the hard rocks at the edge of the forest, shivering and crying and feeling absolutely miserable. Jake had the Captrenseize Jar, so he must have removed the spirit from Peter's body, but he had died trying. She only had one year to spend with him. One year. And she had fallen in love, but what kind of time was that to spend with someone she loved?

            No. She wouldn't let herself believe he had died. He was Jake Isop; he could have come up with some way to save himself. But what if- what if he hadn't?

            Emma took a deep breath and her vision cleared. What had she turned into? One year of little to no training and she was a wreck. A year ago, she would have no doubts pitching herself off the cliff to reach Jake, and potentially save him. But now, she was a sobbing mess sitting on the ground, contemplating her life.

            Emma rose. She stepped towards the cliff, ready to jump off. She would find a way to make it back. She always did. And when her toes were bent, ready to take off, she felt an arm on her shoulder and the one voice she yearned to hear most.

            "What in the world are you doing?" asked Jake.

            Emma spun around and threw her arms around him. She wiped her tears and demanded, "How did you get back? You had no parachute, no rocket boots, nothing!"

            Jake laughed. "I had my throwing stars, right?"

            Emma nodded.

            "So I attached a vine to them on the way down and threw them to a nearby cliff. From there, we had to climb up, but I managed it."

            "We?" asked Emma.

            Jake grinned. "I used the Captrenseize Jar to capture the Dark Master's spirit. Peter fell unconscious after, so I had to half carry, half drag him up."

            As if on cue, Peter groaned from a few feet behind them. He was propped up against the tree, his slumping head slowly rising.

            "Wha- Where am I? The last thing I remember is going to the arena for my little bro and Emma's fight."

            Jake quirked his lips into a smile, "So that's how long you've been possessed?"
             Peter frowned. "Possessed? What do you- Ohhh! I remember now! Hey, Little Bro, you got the girl!"

            Jake's cheeks turned redder than Emma's converses. He gave Emma a small smile. "Yeah I guess I did. And now I got you back too. I'm a pretty lucky guy, huh?"

            Emma smirked mischievously. "Now, now Jake. Don't change the subject. What does Peter mean by 'you got the girl'?"

            Peter laughed. "Oh man, it was hilarious. Ever since he was six, he had a crush on you. I don't remember much because it wasn't that obvious when he was younger, but it was hilarious when he got older. He refused to date anyone who asked him. So one day, I got really confused and asked him why he had turned down the hottest girl in our school. I mean, even I wanted to be asked out by her, and she was a year younger than me." He saw Emma's murderous expression and quickly continued. "Anyway, after a lot of pestering he finally told me."

            Emma leaned her head on Jake's shoulder and smiled up at him. "I should give you both some time," she suggested, walking back into the forest. After she had disappeared into the foliage, Jake turned back to his brother.

            "So," Peter started. "Possessed, huh?"

            Jake nodded. "It was pretty bad. You tried to kill me more than once..." he trailed off, remembering their recent encounter. "It was pretty bad," he repeated, not knowing what else to say.

            Peter raised his eyebrows at his brother's hesitance. "You don't say?" And then, unexpectedly, he threw his arms around his little brother and patted him on the back. Jake relaxed slightly. "At least I'm back now," Peter consoled.

            Jake pulled back and grinned at his brother. "I forgot how cheesy you could be," he laughed, punching him slightly in the arm. Both brothers turned back and headed into the forest.