Wish Upon a Falling Star: Part 1

Prequel to "Strata's Wish"

By: Snow Myth

OLD AN: I got a review for Strata's Wish from Enigma Jade saying that she was confused as to how Rowen got hurt. She suggested a prequel or a sequel. I thought that was a good idea, so here it is a prequel to Strata's Wish. I hope you people like it and will review it, ((~.~) and thanks for the idea Enigma Jade.

Disclaimer: The standard I don't own any of the Ronin Warriors. I do however own rights to Kaylee. Seeing as how Kaylee is not only me, but even before I used that name in my Pen Name I had Kaylee as a character in all of my stories. So no, I don't put myself in all the stories, she's merely a character of whom I liked the name to and put into my pen name. Just thought I would explain that.    

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Chapter One- Rowen

       Rowen watched the evening sky as the sun set and the stars he knew so well came out to greet the darkness. Rowen felt something coming, it was close and it felt wrong. Usually the one to feel these things was Sage, but for some reason, he had felt this feeling of wrongness for the last week and a half. He didn't like it one bit. He'd had enough fighting, he didn't want it anymore. It was nothing but a nuisance, something that kept him for his studying and from having a half way normal life.

       A star shot across the sky, weaving in and out of the evening stars, a shooting star. Rowen closed his eyes and wished upon it. I wish that all this fighting would stop. Rowen opened his eyes and looked down from the hill he was sitting on, down at the lake of which the full moon shone in brightly, its reflection, and rippled when small gusts of wind carried the water from one end of the pond to the other on the surface.

Would it ever stop? Would he ever be able to live a somewhat normal life? Would he always have to deal with having the armor of Strata? What about his children and his children's children, would they have to worry about fighting and protecting the world he had to? These questions and more raced through his head. What was his life coming to? What was his fate to be? Would he one day die in his feudal attempts to save the world he knew and loved even through all its imperfection, or would he live to a ripe old age? Would he even die or would he end up like the Warlords, immortal? Never to die unless killed by evil that he couldn't stop.

Why am I asking all of these questions? None of the other guys think like this. They all except their armors and the lives that they have been given. Why can't I.

His curious mind that's what it was. It was his curious minds' fault. Rowen pound his fist into the soft grass of the earth. I have to get away from here for a while. That's what I'll do. I'll get up early tomorrow and leave before anyone else is awake and Sage is in the woods meditating. I'll leave a note explaining where I've gone and how long I'll probably be gone. If they need me, they'll know where to find me.

Rowen's mind wandered to Kiyra. What would Kiyra think about his running away from the "Ronin Mansion" as it was now called by everyone who knew who they were. This mainly concerned the dynasty and Ronin Warriors.

Hesitantly, Rowen picked himself up from the cold ground and wrapped his letter jacket from High School around himself tighter. It was going to be incredibly cold tonight. All the guys would probably end up in the same room where they could hopefully keep warm by shutting in the heat by closing the bedroom door. Usually the doors stayed open so they could hear if anything happened through the night.

Rowen tried to move the single blue lock of hair that always fell between his eyes out of his way but it fell right back in his way. He wiped off the butt of his tight fitting jeans and started walking to the house glad that he was wearing a long sleeved dark blue flannel shirt. His black boots were keeping his feet warm and he really didn't feel like going in and changing into his night cloths and getting all cold before going to bed but he knew he had to. This just made his night even worse.

(The following chapters happen at the same time that chapter one happens.)

Chapter two- Sage

Sage sat at the window of the bedroom he and Rowen shared. He could faintly make out the figure of Rowen sitting up on the hill as the sun sank deeper and deeper into the horizon. He felt it and knew that Rowen felt it too. Something… something was coming, and it wasn't going to be nice. It would be back to fighting. After a good six months of nothing happening, of being able to return to the somewhat normal lives they led before everything with the dynasty and finding Kaylee.

Sage was getting sick of it all. He didn't want to fight anymore. All he wanted was silence. To be able to go into the woods and meditate without having to worry about being out to long for fear that something may happen to one of the guys and his healing abilities would be needed urgently. The fact that if he stayed gone to long by time they got to him to tell him that his help was needed that it would be to late. Fear and worry, that's all that his life consisted of for so long, that's it.

His only relief was in the night when he got to hold Kaylee in his arms and drift into a deep sleep as she sang in a soft whisper. Her voice as soft as silk. Even then he never slept all through the night, even the slightest noise woke him and made his cautious.

All through the night no matter how uncomfortable he would be with sleeping in the same position or how much Kaylee tossed and turned he stayed close to her, holding her all through the night, protecting her from anything that could possibly harm her. He knew she could protect herself but he had already lost so much to the dynasty… he didn't want to lose her too.

Sage watched as a falling star raced across the darkness of the night. He closed his eyes and wished on it I wish that this fighting would end soon. Sage opened his eyes again and a chill raced down and back up his spine. The whether tonight would be freezing cold. The guys would be dragging blankets and pillows along with futons into the room Rowen and he shared tonight to keep warm (seeing as how their room stayed warmest with the door closed.)

Kaylee would have no problem tonight, she would wear her kanji crystal on its chain tonight, around her neck, and stay perfectly warm, oblivious to the cold. He would worry about her but stay in his room knowing that she blocked off her vents to keep the warm air circulating through the rest of the house on nights like this making her room as cold as an ice box and keeping other rooms a little warmer. He would be reassured by the fact that no matter what happened her armor would protect her.

Why can't I live a normal life? Why can't I leave here for more then an hour without having to worry? Why did I have to be the one with the healing powers? Why am I suddenly asking so many questions? I have to get out of here. Just for a short while. I won't worry about the guys, they can take care of themselves and there's a hospital close by if they get hurt. I'll leave tomorrow after I've meditated.

Sage got up from the window seat and walked over to start packing his bags so he could leave tomorrow without having to pack them and risk waking Rowen, though the house could blow up and Rowen would sleep right through it. He had to be the soundest sleeper in the house. Then again Sage was curious as to how Cye managed to sleep with Kento snoring in their room all night. They truly were an odd group of friends, no not friends… more like brothers. Through everything that had happened to them in the last couple of years they were a lot closer then friends… the were brothers, maybe not blood brothers but what did blood matter.

What's Kaylee going to think about me running like this? Should I take her with me? No, she would be better off here. I'll leave a note.

Sage gathered his Tarot cards and other things such as pictures of his family, and his stash of money hidden in a small safe box beneath his dresser. He would probably just drive around and stay in little hotels. He would be gone at most a week. They would be able to deal without him for a week. Throwing on a white tank top and green flannel shirt, Sage walked over to his dresser and pulled out some dark green sweats and pulled them on over his green boxers. Well at least Kaylee is in her element tonight.

Chapter three- Cye

Cye sat at the waters edge watching the moons reflection ripple. The lake behind the mansion was the only place that he seemed to want to go to lately. Nowhere else appealed to him, he longed for the water. Unfortunately the cold didn't permit him to go swimming.

Cye looked up to the hill that sat to the west-side of the lake. He could just make out Rowen sitting there, gazing up at the sky. Cye also turned his gaze upward to the heavens. The setting sun caused the sky to go to shades of pastels before allowing the darkness to set in and take control, only to have the darkness taken over by the light of the full moon and stars. Proof that light always prevailed against darkness.

Hmm, when will this all end? Cye asked himself. So much for living a normal life. Cye pulled his letter jacket from High school tighter around himself. As he starred into the sky a shooting star raced across the sky in a large arch. Cye closed his eyes and wished on it. I wish all this fighting would stop.

He knew that with their luck they would never get to stop fighting until they were either killed during battle or they were to old to fight. Then of course, there was always the chance of being given the "gift" of immortality. Something he dreaded in a way. The last thing he wanted to do was live forever and fight the entire time. Knowing their luck that would also happen.

Maybe I should go away for a little while. Just a week or so. Just long enough to relax and maybe forget about all of the stuff that has happened. Tonight when everyone else is asleep I'll go. Kento's going to complain tons because I won't be here to make breakfast for him but he'll live. This will be good for me. Maybe I can go to a small hotel with an indoor pool. It wouldn't be the ocean but it would do.   

       Cye watched as Rowen got up from the hill and started back to the house. It was getting late and they should all probably go and start getting ready for bed. I guess I'd better go get the little heaters out of the garage. We may need them tonight.

       Cye still sat on the green grass for several more minutes before even trying to get up. The night was too peaceful. If it weren't so cold out tonight he would stay right where he was for several more hours before heading back to the chaos of the large mansion.

Cye pulled out his Kanji Orb. The pale blue color lit up the air around him. A strange kind of warmth, not the kind that warmed him from the cold, but the kind that comforted him, the kind he could feel flow through his blood, enveloped him. The Kanji was reconnecting with his soul. Cye hadn't taken it out of his small velvet pouch he carried with him for the last three months. In all that time his armor had been resting just now awaken to reconnect with its barer for what was coming.

Cye walked slowly back to the house. So slowly that it would take him at least twenty minutes to get home, but he didn't care. He could always make himself a hot mug of hot cocoa to warm himself. He was so tired right now that all he wanted to really do was go upstairs make his bed on the floor between Sage and Rowen's bed and crawl into the warmth of blankets and soft futon to sleep off the cold of the night.

Chapter Four- Ryo

 Ryo sat in a chair across from a huge window sipping Hot Cocoa as the sun descended into the horizon. The sky creased in pale pastel colors such as pale pink and lavender and a gold that made his tanned skin look golden itself. One by one the stars flickered on lighting the dark sky, pushing through the darkness of space that they lived in. Rowen was probably out star gazing right now. It was a perfect night to do so.

Ryo looked into his mug at the steaming liquid that was just a small half-inch from being gone. Sighing he got up and walked into the kitchen to refill his cup with the warmth of the drink. Walking back out he sat back in the same recliner and put up the leg rest pulling a small blanket from the back to cover himself. It was going to be a bitter night. I should probably go make my bed for tonight somewhere in Sage and Rowen's room.  

Ryo got back up several minutes later to build a fire in the fireplace before settling back into the comfortable position he had been in before leaving the plush recliner. As he drifted off to sleep he was shot back awake by the sight of a shooting star. The first wish that popped into his head was that he would no longer have to fight. Everything is so difficult. I've been so busy I haven't even gotten a chance to give the ring to Mia. I've got to get her out of here. Take her somewhere for a while then give it to her when things aren't so tense. It's official, I'll tell her tonight that she needs to pack, we'll go to visit her cousins she's been talking about for a while. That should make both of us forget about the dynasty for a little while, hopefully. Ryo's eyes drifted closed and he fell into a deep sleep.

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OLD A/N: I've been working on this for a while but I sort of ended up with a writer's block for a while there and so… I haven't written much of anything lately. You know how it goes. I haven't finished Wish Upon a Falling Star yet but I'm trying to get new stuff up to keep people interested. I'll have part two up as soon as the side effects of this darn writer's block have worn off. ((~.~) Hopefully that will be soon. I'll eventually get to what happens in Strata's Wish but until then… JA!!!!

NEW A/N: Well, it's been a LONG time since I've worked on this and posted it. I took it down and now I've decided to put it back up, so here it is. I might even finish it someday!

P.S. If anyone has any suggestions they would be much appreciated. Thank you, ~Snow Myth~