Chapter 1
Valentine Day
'Valentine Sucks.'
Both guys had same opinion as they stood in market square smoking and staring at the couples who were having a romantic and merry time. Both were 17 and didn't have a girlfriend, while all of their friends were on date. They both had each other and of course Rho's little sister who was happy to get a jumbo strawberry ice-cream and was busy licking it off.
"1000 beli on that hot babe", declared Rho while observing the scene to the right.
"That girl is all talk. I guess I will have to apologize to you for taking 1000 beli from you.", replied Eddie while looking at the direction to which Rho was focused on.
"Do you two really have to keep on betting every time, brother?" Robin asked looking up at both of them, and continued "Most of the times I don't even understand what you two are betting upon".
Eddie and Rho just gave him a smile.
A couple was arguing loudly, providing free entertainment to the people present in the market. Those two stood out from the rest of smiling, happy, romantic sets of couple in the town.
"They sure know how to attract attention" joked Rho.
"Like anyone would miss her if she is going around" added Eddie.
"Being daughter of towns mayor sure has its drawback. You cannot simply walk around without anyone noticing", said Rho.
"She is even beautiful and too hot to not to be looked at!" chuckled Eddie.
SMACK! The girl walked away leaving the guy stunned, standing with his hand on his right cheek that was red, courtesy of the girls hard slap.
"Shit! Pathetic! Humiliating! If he had-"
"First get me my money and then you can continue your theories on what the boy should have done",Rho cut in whatever Eddie had to say, "and get two bottles for me today"
"Come on", said Eddie after returning with four beer bottles from the wine shop across the road, and handing two of it to Rho.
"Robin..." Rho said.
"Don't worry brother I know the way to dojo. I will brush my teeth and sleep early without waiting for you to return." said Robin jumping up and down as she mentioned what her elder brother was going to tell her.
"Did I ever tell you that you are a smart and cute little sister of mine?" Rho asked with his eyebrows raised.
"You say it every time!" Robin replied with a foolish grin that spread to her ears.
Eddie squatted down and kissed her on forehead. "Now go" he whispered. She ran off towards the dojo happily with the ice-cream still in her hand, melting off and leaving a trail.
Ten minutes of walk led them out of the bustling market area and into the silence of the woods. More walk through the steep woods and they reached the edge of the cliff to the south of Captown. They sat down, dangling their legs over the edge of a cliff that has a vertical slope leading straight down to the sea whose waves crashed on the base of the cliff.
"Scary". Both chuckled. It had been 8 years since they discovered this place, and still they found sitting at edge of the cliff 'Scary'.
"Its been half an hour and you are still holding on to those bottles.", Eddie stated his observation to Rho.
He didn't expect a reply.
Something was bothering Rho the entire last week. He knew that Rho would tell him when the time is right. So Eddie just waited patiently.
"Damn" said Rho exhaling loudly while staring to the east. Eddie scanned the eastern waters and saw something coming their way and now could hear roaring of a motor engine as well, and he got the answer to his question - 'why is his buddy behaving strange'. Answer was simple -Girl.
She was the same girl who slapped a guy in market around an hour ago and probably broke up with, today or few days ago. The same girl who rides her flashy motor powered speedboat every weekend around the coast of Captown island. The same girl who is soon going to empty one of the bottles that Rho is holding. She was the mayors daughter.
"Good Luck",Eddie wished.
Rho just nodded. They understood each other very well.
PUFF! And then Rho was gone.
Eddie smiled and said out loud to himself,"At least one of us is going to have a girlfriend after all this years, even if it is the Mayors daughter. Lucky Rich Bitch."
The sun was down completely. Rest of sky was now dark and dotted with sparkling stars. Eddie stared at his now empty bottles and then at the lighthouse and then vertically down into the dark roaring sea beneath his dangling feet. A feeling of vertigo hit him, 'scary' he thought and looked back at the lighthouse to west that stood out in the sea with a trail of rocks connecting it to the island. The trail was not visible as it was high tide. Only a few very high rocks just surfaced above the waves.
Out of corner of his eye in the dark waters he saw a ferry. The sweeping light of lighthouse flashed on the ferry, headed towards the light house, for a second. The ferry was coming from the docks that was on the western side of town. In that moment what Eddie saw brought fear and shock on his face.
Of course, Eddie was a guy who gets sacred easily.
He saw something shiny and sparkling in the hands of men who were on that small ferry that was being rowed towards the lighthouse. Around eight men were aboard it. "Swords!" muttered Eddie to himself in shock and fear.
It was obvious that he was out of the harms way, but still a lump formed in his throat and he started trembling.
"Rho . . . Hina . . .",he whispered to himself.
