Sunset pulled up to Val's house. It was a modest two story wit an attached garage. Val lived in a room above the garage. The house belonged to his Aunt Karen. His mom and him had moved in last year after getting evicted from their apartment.

Val's mother, Mary, was a thirty-two year old, high school drop out. She had met Val's father when she was fourteen and was nineteen. She'd gotten pregnant and gave birth to Val when she was fifteen. Her parents kicked her out of the house and Val's dad had runaway when he was sixteen to escape an abusive father. The family bounced around from homeless shelters, friends, and relatives.

The two eventually found a dilapidated trailer to live in. It was falling down, leaked, was cold in winter, hot in summer, sometimes had running water, and stank of urine, feces, trash, alcohol, and cigarette smoke, but it was a home and for a while the family kind of worked. Unfortunately, despite his best efforts, the apple didn't fall to far from the tree in Val's dad's case and he eventually starting to beat Val and his mom.

Mary did her best to put up with it. She would often tell herself she deserved as much being so stupid as to get pregnant to an obvious loser like Dominic. She said she had brought this all on herself and she just needed to accept it. It wasn't until Dom had put Val in the hospital with a broken arm and jaw that she finally had enough. She filed charges, got a restraining order, and left.

She tried to move back in with her parents but they refused. They said she made her bed and she had to lie in it. So she went from one low wage job to the next, bouncing from shabby apartment to shabby apartment. Eventually her older sister contacted her and said they could move in with her.

For Sunset, Val's past reminded her of her own. She had shared how her own father had died and how her and her mother had struggled. Both had had been hardened by the fires of adversity and suffering yet both had made it through (to a point). It's why despite a thirteen year age gap, Val seemed more mature than his years. He still had his boyishness to him, but it was tempered by a maturity that only a hard life could give.

Sunset walked around back and up the wooden steps as Val had told her. She knocked on the door. It opened up almost immediately and Val greeted her. Sunset was a bit taken aback by the fact he had on only a pair of jeans. She was also pleasantly surprised that he was superbly muscled. They weren't big like Bulk's bug excellently sculpted and detailed like a fine statue.

"Oh, hey; you're early," he said, somewhat embarrassed.

"Only fifteen minutes there slick. Not enough for you not to be ready." Sunset tried to sound cross but she really was amused. Men, especially young men, loved to peacock and show off their bodies. And while most heterosexual women did enjoy a physically handsome man; it wasn't the be all end all.

Val shrugged. "Eh, to me, being on time is early. I usually don't expect people until fifteen minutes after I told them to meet me."

"Well, that's not me." Sunset still tried to maintain her unhappy façade.

"Sorry m' lady. Wouldst thou like to come in and abide for a short time in my humble abode?" Val said with a horrible British accent, bowed, and motioned inside.

"Only if you promise to stop talking like that," she said and walked in.

The room was covered in 1970's faux wooden paneling which was peeling off in several spots. There was a bed, a couch, a bar, fridge, and bathroom without a door, only a shower curtain. There was a TV and DVD player on the floor and a stereo and a massive amount of CDs on some shelves made out of cinder blocks and planks of wood. Band and movie posters (as well as some "cheesecake" ones) hung on the walls. In the middle of the room was an old, rusted weight set as well as a canister that held various weapons (a sword, two wooden swords, a staff, and a lance as far as Sunset could see). Still, it was fairly clean for a teenage boys room.

"You like? It's not much, but it's mine," Val said as almost an after thought.

"Home is where the heart is," Sunset answered back almost as absently. "If you're heart is here, than that's all that counts."

Sunset pointed to the canister of weapons. "So, what's up with this?" She wasn't scared, just curious.

"After I got out of the hospital, our one neighbor, was a former martial arts teacher. He heard what happened and decided to take me in under his wing. All that stuff used to be his. He trained me until we had to move and he gave me it. It's a pain to haul around; but things seem pretty stable here now so hopefully I won't have to move it again," Val said matter-of-factly.

"Huh," Sunset said and walked over to the canister. She took one wooden sword out and swung it around. "Nice balance," she said and then threw the other wooden sword at Val who caught it with one hand. Sunset then took her jacket off and said, "Show me what you got."

Val laughed but decided he would humor her. He started out easy. He figured she wouldn't be any good and this was all for show. To his surprise she was able to match with little effort. Slowly he started to take things more seriously, slowly ramping up his moves until he was in full fight mode. Still Sunset was matching him strike for strike. It had been years since he had faced anyone, let alone anyone with any actual talent. He relished the challenge.

Sweat began to bead then pour from his body. He could Sunset was sweating as well. She might be matching him; but he was pushing her as well. A few times he thought he almost had her, only to watch her regain herself and comeback harder. Eventually he began to tire and Sunset slowly got the upper hand. She came and was able to knock his sword right of his hand.

"Very good. You got me," he said out of breath and with a smile.

Sunset put her wooden sword back in the canister and drew the real one; putting the point right to Val's heart. "Now I got you," she said in a stern yet somewhat teasing manner.

Val looked down in shock then he smiled and looked into Sunset's face. He brushed the point aside and stepped right up to her. He then reached up behind her, grabbed her hair, and pulled her head back. Sunset's eyes darted around Val's face which had grown very serious. He then leaned down and kissed her.

Sunset dropped the sword and gently ran her fingernails up Val's back before digging them in and scratching them down.

Val broke the kiss and took a half step back. He had a big smile on his face. "Well?" he asked.

Sunset just stood there for a second, then she punched him in the stomach. Val doubled over and Sunset threw him on his bed. She then pounced on him and started to passionately kiss him. Safe to say, the two never made it out that night.

*****************************************************************

Adagio sat at home, heart broken and sick. Sunset was out on a date and here she was alone. She had grown so found of Sunset, no, she loved Sunset. It crushed her inside to know she could never have her. She tried to take her mind off things by flipping through the channels, trying to find something. Eventually the flipping itself became a type of distraction.

Then the headache came.

"Well Adagio; what have you got for me?" Chrysalis' voice boomed in her head.

"I -I got . . . the . . . names. The names of her friends, their magic names. It's The Mystic, The Warrior, The Healer, The Trickster, and The Earth Mother," Adagio stammered out through the pain.

"This could be valuable. What of their real names? What are those? If I have those, I can take them out."

"I, I, " Adagio did know their names but she couldn't bring herself to say them. "I don't know. She never mentioned them. Not by name. Only nick names. AHHHHHH!" The pain increased tenfold.

"Don't lie to me Adagio. I can make you suffer for all eternity. Tell me, what are their names?"

"I . . .I . . .they . . . are," before she could break, the pain was gone. It took her awhile, but eventually she realized her phone was buzzing. She slowly got up off the floor and looked at her phone. It was Shimmer. Just by calling, a version of Sunset was able to block Chrysalis's attack.

"Shimmer?" Adagio said in both pain and joy.

"Adagio? Are you ok? Should I call later?" Shimmer asked concerned.

"No, no, please don't! Uh, I get pounding migraines sometimes. I just had a really bad one. It's gone now. Please, don't go. I'm good to talk." Adagio knew she couldn't keep Shimmer on all night and as soon as she left, Chrysalis could attack again; but hopefully she could keep her on long enough until Sunset got home.