PART TWO: THE SECRET.....REVEALED?
By: Hoshi-chan
Jessica woke up Monday morning just as the sun began to peek in through her lace curtains. Magic began playing with the shadows as they darted across the room from the curtains blowing in the soft breeze. Jessica sat up in bed and stretched, then stood up and headed to the bathroom for her shower. She showered and got dressed, then walked downstairs and slipped a bagel in the toaster. She buttered the bagel and stuffed it into her mouth as she walked back upstairs to the bathroom where she expertly twisted her long hair into a neat bun, and let some strands cascade down her neck and upon her shoulders.
Then, hearing a knock on the door downstairs, she ran back downstairs and opened the door to the guys.
She smiled warmly. "Hi, guys! Hold on, let me grab my coat and books, oh, and feed Magic before heading out!!"
"Ai carumba. Girls have so much to do in the morning. I don't know about you," Kento said, "but all I do is get up, get dressed, eat, brush my teeth, eat something again, grab my books, brush my hair, grab a snack in case I get hungry......then I realize I AM hungry so I eat my snack, then I leave." Kento said, thoughtfully.
The guys laughed. "And I thought GIRLS had a lot to do in the morning!!" Cye laughed.
Jessica returned to the livingroom and grabbed her housekey from the table next to the door. She let them out, locked the door, then started walking to school. She turned to see Magic looking at her sadly through the window. She blew him a kiss, then turned around and started chatting with the group.
When they reached the courtyard of the school, Jessica saw some girlfriends from some of her classes and waved hi to them as she passed by. She has adapted to her new life well in the month. She can get around school expertly now, and even had her schedule memorized by the end of her first week!! She was acing every class, for she was very intellectual and smart.
"Well," Sage said, "I... guess I'll see you at lunch, then?"
Jessica smiled. "As usual. Have fun in class!!"
Sage looked back at her with a look of disgust on his face at the mention of 'have fun in class'! Rowen smacked him on his back and the two turned the corner.
Jessica then turned to Ryo, Cye, and Kento. "We're still going the same way. But...I have to stop by my locker first. You coming?" she said to the remaining three.
"Sure!" they all nodded in agreement and followed Jessica into the school building.
By the time Jessica got to her locker, the ten minute bell had already rung. She turned to Kento and Ryo. "I'll see you two later! You'd better get going before you're tardy to first hour!"
"Bye Jessica! Cye!" Kento and Ryo said as they headed off together to first hour.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's have fun in the won-derful world of science!!" Cye said jokingly.
Jessica threw back her head and laughed. "Actually, I don't find anything very funny at all about dissecting frogs.... blech!" Jessica said disgustedly, sticking out her tongue as the two headed to their first hour science class together.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Lunch that day was quite interesting as Jessica got in line with another one of her girlfriends, Chelsea, from her Math class.
"...and so I walked up to him and asked him what his problem was. And he, like, just looked at me with a blank look on his face like what I was saying didn't make any sense at all!!" Chelsea laughed, "Can you believe it??"
"That's crazy!" Jessica replied as they moved up in the lunch line. She selected some food items and had to laugh as Kento walked up to her and asked if she was going to eat the banana she picked up from the fruit section. "Yes, you big doof. If I didn't want it, then I wouldn't have taken it!! Go, shoo! I'll join you in a minute......"
"You're soo lucky to be hanging out with Sage Date!!" Chelsea said suddenly. "He's so....dreamy!"
"What?" Jessica retorted. "Oh, no! You're got it all wrong. Although Sage may seem to be a big flirt, which he IS, he's just like the other guys. He just likes hanging out and having fun...." when she caught the skeptical look that Chelsea was throwing at her "No, no!! We're just friends, and it's just staying at that!" she said. Chelsea was obviously not convinced.
"Sure....." she said teasingly, rolling her eyes. "You know, Sage has got a line of girls that would DIE to go out with him, much less be one of his good friends like you are!! You are lucky, whether you want to admit it or not. You're hanging out with the hottest bunch at the school, and you don't consider yourself lucky? Reality check!"
"Well," Jessica said as she paid for her lunch, "They may be the hottest, but when it comes to the love department," she said, "Sage could use a few pointers, not to mention pick-up lines!!"
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, or........ after school," Chelsea hinted. Jessica had to smile.
"See you later, Chelsea!" Jessica bid good-bye and headed over to the table where the war of the century was currently taking place.
"I DID NOT!!!" Kento exclaimed.
"DID TOO!!" Ryo almost shouted back.
'What is UP?' Jessica wondered as she sat down. 'Ryo almost NEVER gets mad. At least, I've never seen him mad. EVER!' "Um, is there something I should be let in on here....?" she implied.
"Actually," Rowen answered, "Kento's hunger has gotten the better of him, and, unfortunately, Ryo's slice of pepperoni pizza. And........ Ryo isn't exactly happy about it."
Rowen and Jessica glanced down to Kento and Ryo's end of the table where the two were seething mad at each other. Then they started staring at each other. Kento held his breath and his face started to grow a bright red. Ryo couldn't keep the anger on his face as he burst out laughing saying, "Guys, doesn't he look like a big, ripe tomato when he holds his breath??"
Cye looked thoughtfully at Kento a second before replying, "Actually, Ryo, you're right. He does!"
"Do not." Kento said.
"Too." Sage instigated.
"Do not..."
"Do too..."
"DO NOT!!!"
"Actually, look in the mirror and THEN try telling me that you don't." Sage added.
Jessica fished around in her purse until she found her compact which she handed to Kento. Kento repalled back. "Ugh! What would I want this girl stuff for?"
The look on Kento's face was enough to make them laugh, and when Kento looked in the mirror, so did he. "Just don't break my mirror!" Jessica giggled.
"Why, you little......" Kento yelled and jumped up towards Jessica. He picked her up and ran around the lunch room with her. Jessica pounded on his back.
"You beast!! Put me down you crazy beast!!" she laughed. Until finally Kento returned her to her chair, did she dare say that he looks cute when he gets angry. That embarrassed him so much and his face flushed red, which reminded them of the tomato joke and they all started rolling with laughter again, Kento included.
When finally the bell rang signaling the end of lunch, the group finished their jokes and Jessica met up with Chelsea again to go to the second half of Math, which was split by lunch. All the way back from lunch, though, Jessica kept getting weird vibes, and it definitely wasn't from Chelsea.
"Have you even heard a word I said, Jessica??" Chelsea asked her, a little annoyed.
"Oh, I'm sorry Chelsea. It's just that... I don't know. What were you saying...?" Jessica felt terrible that she hadn't heard a single word that her friend was saying, but she couldn't really concentrate on anything. 'What does this mean? Something is not stable. Something is terribly wrong!!' "Oh, no....." Jessica silently whispered to herself.
"What?" Chelsea asked, concerned.
"Oh, it's just that I'm not feeling well...and that I think it would be best if I headed home..... it might be contagious or something serious." Jessica said, trying her best not to sound well, which really wasn't that hard.
"Ok, do you need anything...? Are you sure that you're going to be ok by yourself?"
"Oh, I - I'll be just fine. Just, tell the teacher why I'm not there, that I suddenly became ill and that I had to go home. Try to tell the guys that, too, and not to worry; I'll be fine." She faked a smile.
"Ok...." Chelsea said, not sure whether she was serious or not. "Do you.... want me to get your homework or something?"
"Just send it home with one of the guys. I'll....see you hopefully tomorrow...." Jessica said and started down the hall, leaving Chelsea behind, more puzzled now than ever.
When Jessica reached her house, she immediately changed out of her itchy, uncomfortable school uniform and into baggy sweatpants and a t-shirt one size too big. Then she sat down at the table and lifted up a box, her name engraved into it. It had been given to her as a gift when she was very young, too young to remember exactly who had given it to her and why. She was soo lost in thought that when Magic jumped up into her lap, she nearly jumped five feet into the air. "Oh, Magic, you frightened me...." she said, burying her face in his soft, black fur. Magic purred contently then, just as soon as he jumped into her lap he jumped back down again.
"I guess I'm not the only crazy one around here," she said out loud to noone in particular, especially since there was noone to talk to. Magic returned a few minutes later with the necklace that she had worn the day she came to Japan. The silver necklace with the crystal blue jewel. 'What is it about this necklace?' she wondered. She was thinking so hard that she didn't even notice that someone was banging on her front door until Sage, Rowen and the other guys walked in.
"Hey, Jessica, what's up? Your friend, Chelsea, told us that you left early 'cause you were sick. She...sounded worried. Are you ok?" Rowen asked.
"Yes, I'm fine, thanks for coming over. I'm just...... it's just that I was expecting my mom and that....." she broke off, a sob escaped from her throat. 'How long am I going to keep this lie going? I can't lie to them forever, and I feel so bad lying to them, my friends...' She was crying more out of shame now than anything.
"Oh, hey! Chin up! It's ok!" Cye reassured her.
She smiled a weak smile. "Hey, thanks guys. I knew you'd be able to cheer me up."
"I know!" said Ryo. "There's a carnival this weekend and since that....today is Friday....that we could go to it tonight!!"
Jessica almost immediately perked up. A carnival! "I love rollercoasters...!" she said almost excitedly.
"Well, then, it opens around seven so....we'll be here to pick you up at six thirty then?? It'll give us some time to drive around beforehand." Ryo offered.
"Alright." She smiled, then, looking at the five guys just then. "Thanks, guys."
"Why don't you call your mom in St. Louis?" Sage suggested.
"Oh, n-no, I......I just couldn't....." she stammered.
"Why? What's wrong? She doesn't want to talk to you? Or......what? Tell us!" Kento said.
"Hey, Kento. Easy, boy! Just....let's leave her alone for now and," Sage said as he turned to Jessica, "we'll see you again at six, m'lady...." he said bowing, knowing it would make her laugh for sure.
She smiled a little, her eyes brightening. "Sure thing." she said and walked them to the door. "Bye guys! And....thanks." she said, waving to them until they disappeared around the bend in her street.
'I don't know how long I can keep going on like this. Sooner or later...someone is going to find out.....my secret..........' she turned away from the door, tears brimming her eyes. "I just can't do this anymore!! Something very bad is going to happen, very soon, and there's not going to be a thing that I can do about it! And it will be all my fault.......all my fault......." she said as she sank down to the floor in tears.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The guys had just left Jessica's house and were heading towards the nearest diner; hunger had gotten the best of them all. Sage looked thoughtfully at the sky, then said, "You know, it's been too quiet for too long. I have a feeling that something evil is going to happen. It's this strange.......oh, I don't know. This strange vibe that I get from Jessica suddenly. Like she's.......something else. Not human. Or human, but something else....oh, I don't know!!" he said, throwing his hands up into the air.
"I know." Ryo said quietly from the back of the group. He looked up at the rest of the guys. "I....haven't told you, but ever since Jessica arrived I've been getting nothing but mixed signals from her. NOT in that way, mind you. This weird feeling, like what Sage was trying to explain. She's.........different from us somehow......." he said thoughtfully and looked up into the sky as if to study the clouds, his hands in his jeans pockets.
"Well, whatever it is we've got to find out soon. I've been getting this weird feeling all day, as if something is about to happen, or already has." Rowen spoke up. "It started right after lunch."
"Yeah, me too!" Cye added.
"Me three. But now that you mention lunch...I'm hungry!! Let's grab a bite to eat!" Kento said as the group headed into a deli that they were standing in front of.
"But Jessica is soo nice. She can't be evil. You know, from the dynasty. We already took care of them a long time ago." Ryo added thoughtfully.
"Yes, but we don't know for certain. We've been communicating with Kayura and the other ex-Wardlords for years now, ever since we've last defeated Talpa. And they say that all is well....unless..." Cye sat, lost in thought. "Has the thought that Lady Kayura and the ex-Warlords may be lying to us, telling us that all is well when in reality they're just building up against us until the day that they can defeat us?"
"No! Don't say that! Cye! What are you talking about?? That's crazy! They fought with us against Talpa. They aren't evil anymore. They realized that Talpa was just using them for their armor. It's sad, really. But, in my heart, I just know that they wouldn't do something like that to us. Not after all we've been through. Together." Kento had to speak his mind on the subject, too, and did accordingly.
Kento had already finished his first sandwich and was about to order a second one when a lady, who strikingly resembled Lady Kayura, walked by the deli window. "Hey...!" Kento yelled. "What do you think you're doing, stopping me from ordering a sandwich?? A growing boy has to eat you know."
Sage laughed, "At least you got the boy part right."
Ryo was the only one to see the lady walk by the window. 'But it couldn't have been her,' he thought. 'Kayura has no way of getting into the mortal world, that I know of.' Ryo smirked, 'But if she does, that's Kayura for ya. I'd better not worry about it. It probably wasn't even her. That person had regular, japanese clothing on.' Ryo turned to the others. "Are ya ready to head out?"
"Heah ou ere?" Kento said, his mouth stuffed full of food. He swallowed it down, took a gulp of his soda, then said, "Head out where?"
"Just....walk around, I guess." was Ryo's answer.
Cye tossed some money onto the counter to pay for the bill, then the five walked out into the autumn weather.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Magic looked at Jessica sitting tearfully at the kitchen table, her necklace, the only link to her past, laying limply in her hand. 'Oh, how I wish that I could help you, mistress!' Magic meowed. 'I wish I could tell you all about it and what's happened, why you're here........' Magic rubbed up against Jessica's legs. Magic noticed the time. He meowed sweetly to let Jessica know that the guys were coming for her in an hour. It worked.
"Oh, Magic, what would I do without you?" She said lovingly, petting him softly underneath his chin.
Magic was a remarkable cat, his lovely, rich black fur with two startling white front paws. He had striking green eyes that Jessica just loved to gaze into....and Magic gazed back. Magic has known Jessica forever......but she doesn't remember anything, 'Until you remember your past, my mistress, I can not help you! I am helpless! You must try hard to think! But, oh, how to activate the jewel! That's something they NEVER tell you in the books.....' All Magic had to do to help speed along the remembrance of Jessica's past was to activate the jewel, but to do so was impossible. 'The legendary Ronin Warriors.....they're the key to this whole thing. And.......if they're not found soon........this could spell trouble! For the entire world!'
Magic jumped down from his perch on the table and sat in the sunlight pouring in from the window in the livingroom. Magic was given to Jessica as a gift, while he was still a tiny kitten, oh, so long ago. But, a little kitten of many words, as he has talked to............oh, his name? Magic strained to remember. It seems as if their memories are leaving by the day! Pretty soon, there will be nothing left to remember but the two together. And the days in the future of the two, cat and girl, together.
Magic remembered his brave sacrifice oh, so many years ago to save a small and beautiful young maiden whom he was deeply in love with. But he could not remember whom his sacrifice was for, what his sacrifice was, or anything. 'It's so frustrating!' Magic thought, whipping his tail angrily around his sleek, black body. 'It's just so frustrating how we all lost our memory...' Magic licked his lips and proceeded to clean his tail when Jessica stood up from the table and dried her tears from her eyes.
"I....guess I'd better get ready to go now...." she said to Magic. Magic meowed in response as Jessica picked him up and kissed him on his forehead. "You know, Magic, you're my only true friend. I mean, I know that I have the guys....who are my really good friends and tons of girls at school but....." she looked into Magic's eyes and he purred contentedly. "You'll always be my best. You'll never abandon me... and you know what I've been through...." she set Magic back down in his patch of sunlight that was growing slightly smaller with the setting sun.
She walked upstairs and changed from her sweats to a pair of attractive jeans and a body-hugging sky blue shirt. She then proceeded to the bathroom where she took down her hair and washed it, then pulled it up into a ponytail that curled up at the end.
She walked downstairs to grab her purse when there was a knock on the door. "It's 6:30 already?" she said in amazement to Magic as she walked over to open the door. Magic just looked at her with his wondering green eyes.
As she opened the door, she saw Kento and Sage leaning against either side of the door frame and Ryo, Cye, and Rowen in the middle all wearing their school jackets and jeans. She smiled happily and warmly, as Magic sadly looked on. Magic felt as if her were losing her to these five..... these..... strangers whom she hardly knew. She was almost spending all of her time with them now. And Magic didn't exactly approve, but if it made his mistress happy, it was ok with him.
"Hi, guys!" she said, pulling on her warm white jacket and stepped out into the doorstep, playfully pushing Kento and Sage away on either side of her.
"Whoa.........!" Kento cried as he crashed into Cye. He was accentuating the push a little too much as he fell flat on his butt in her front yard. The whole group cracked up, even Kento. "Well........" he said, putting his hands up on the back of his head.
"Let's go guys! What are we waiting for? I wanna ride some roller coasters!" Jessica said excitedly, her eyes beginning to sparkle. She'd loved roller coasters ever since she was a small child......
The six climbed into the car and drove to the Carnival, which was near the center of town. They talked excitedly the whole way there..... mostly about Kento and his eating habits, and Sage and his obsession with flirting with anything every chance he got.
"Well...." Jessica said smoothly, "Why is it that every time I see you in the hallway, or trying to walk to lunch, you're always surrounded with swarming girls?"
"Heh, well, that's just because of my startling good looks and great personality." he said rather self-assured.
"And Kento....?" Jessica said sweetly and slyly.
Kento turned to Jessica. "Yesss?"
"Next time that we get to a café....."
"Yeeeesss?"
"PLEASE LEAVE MY CHICKEN ALONE!!!" she almost shouted, jokingly.
Kento fell back astonished. "Wha....?"
The van bursted up laughing. "Ya, Kento, mine too!!" Cye added.
Kento balled his hand up into a fist and shook it warningly. "Why, I oughta........"
Sage, Rowen, and Cye did the same, "Why, we oughta......"
That just made them burst up laughing even more. Ryo did, although he was trying to concentrate on the road. But it wasn't easy with Kento bumping into the back of his seat. "You guys.......!" Ryo said laughingly. "Settle down!" Then, when Kento elbowed his seat once more on accident, Ryo said, "SETTLE DOWN, YOU OVERGROWN APE!!"
Rowen, Cye, and Sage were relieved when they finally reached the carnival. The grounds were bustling with activity when they arrived, and it was only a little before seven!!
They walked into the park, when a man selling cotton candy walked by. Kento looked at the man hungrily, and basically stalked him around the entire park, the rest of the group left him and finally rejoined with when Kento triumphantly came back with pink and blue cotton candy. "Heh, with my smooth talking, I can weasel anything out of anybody!!" Kento said.
"Huh?" Cye and Ryo said to Kento.
"Well, I followed the man around the park when these girls walked up to him. So I figured that I'd strike up a conversation with them, and I did. Then, finally, they bought me some cotton candy and walked away....." he said.
"Yeah, they probably only bought you the cotton candy to get rid of you," Cye said, knowing that it would aggravate him.
"Hey....!" Jessica said, tugging on Rowen's jacket sleeve. "There's a roller coaster!! Someone come ride it with me! Please?"
"I will!" all five said.
"Well, only one can sit with me, though," she said. "And you've got to get me to sit next to me!" she yelled behind her shoulder as she took off to the end of the line. The group took off after her.
"Hey......! Wait up!!" Kento yelled, lagging behind the group, cotton candy in one hand.
Rowen tagged her shoulder first, and right behind him, right on his tail was Ryo, then Cye, then Sage, and Kento, who was far behind.
Jessica laughed while saying, "Well, it looks as if Rowen is the one who'll be riding with me!"
"Aww, man!" the others cried. Rowen just laughed.
After the roller coaster, the group moved on to play some games, where Ryo won a huge stuffed teddy-bear and gave it to Jessica, and Sage and Kento both won goldfish and tried to give those to her, but she just said, "No, why don't you keep them at your houses. Magic might eat them!!"
"I'll name mine Jessica, after you......" Kento said.
"No, MINE's name is Jessica!!" Sage said heatedly.
"MINE MINE MINE!!" Kento said, swinging his arms around and shaking the poor fish in the bag.
"NO YOU OAF! MINE MINE MINE!!"
Ryo, Rowen, Cye, and Jessica walked away; leaving the two arguing behind them until they realized that the rest had left them, and they hurriedly ran to join up when Ryo glanced down at his pager which had begun to vibrate.
"Huh?" Ryo said, checking the number of who had paged him. He turned to Rowen and then said, "Rowen and I have a call to make. You can........ meet us in the back of the carnival in about fifteen minutes? Ok?" Ryo said as the two started towards the payphones.
"Ok..... what's up with that??" Kento said. Cye gave Kento a look, unseen by Jessica, and Kento said, "Ooooh........ yeah.... I forgot!!"
"You sure don't remember much when we're talking over food, huh Kento??" Cye said, grinning at Kento.
"Wha - hey! There's a funhouse!!" Kento exclaimed, totally forgetting what he was about to say to Cye. Kento grabbed Jessica's wrist saying, "C'mon guys!! You're coming with me, Jessica!"
"Ah! No!" she shrieked, laughing.
The other two caught up with Kento and Jessica in the funhouse in time to hear Kento exclaim, "Whoa! I slimmed down a bit!!"
"No, silly! That's just a curved mirror to alter your appearance!" Jessica said, playfully pinching his stomach.
"Really, Kento. After what you've eaten tonight....." Sage said, leaning against one of the mirrors next to Jessica and Kento.
"Hey, look! There's the moving floor up ahead!" Cye pointed out and they ran ahead, trying not to lose their balance and topple over onto one another. The very end of the funhouse there was a room where it looked as if you were inside a turning barrel. You were supposed to look straight ahead at the doorway, and if you're doing it right, the doorway seemed to tilt and you lose your balance. Kento and Sage did, and fell ontop of each other, knocking Jessica into Cye, who caught her.
"We're out acting like we're a bunch of drunks!" Sage said, laughing from on the floor. "Now, do you mind getting off from ontop of my legs? They're starting to loose circulation...."
"Huh? Oh, yeah...." Kento said and stood up. "Hey, aren't we supposed to meet Ryo and Rowen about now? Or soon?"
"Oh, that's right!" Jessica said, helping Sage up from the floor and the four, thankfully, walked out of the funhouse and proceeded towards the back of the carnival, where crowds were beginning to subside and thin out.
Kento was carrying Jessica's stuffed bear that Ryo won her on his shoulders and was pretending to strike up a conversation with it when Jessica thought 'There it is! That feeling again.....!' she screamed in her head. 'Except..... except his time it's different.' Her eyes darted around suspiciously from person to person. 'Someone is.... nearby?' When at last her gaze fell upon a figure hiding in the darkness. 'N-no! It CAN'T be! He - he's dead! He's been dead for 150 years........!' Jessica screamed in her head. "Oh, no! No!"
'What....... who is that?' she said, straining to see. As they got closer, however, she gasped as she suddenly realized who the figure was.
The other stopped joking around and turned to Jessica. "What is it? What's wrong?" Cye asked.
The figure darted farther into the darkness as Jessica's hand flew up to her mouth, then fainted, crumpling to the ground.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Ryo! Rowen! Hurry!" Kento said, running to the two who were walking back from the phone booths, talking to each other. They both looked up as they heard Kento's frightened and concerned voice.
"What's up?" Ryo asked.
"It - it's Jessica! She.... fainted while we were walking to meet you two!"
"Oh, no!" Rowen said as the three ran back to where Sage and Cye were watching Jessica.
"What happened?" Rowen demanded as they reached them.
"I - I don't know...." Kento wailed. "She was fine one minute and....... then she just fell down and blacked out!!"
"Well, she probably fainted from the fact that you WERE talking to a stuffed animal......" Cye said matter-of-factly.
"You two knock it off. We've got to get her back to Mia's..... That WAS Mia on the phone by the way..." Rowen announced as he bent to pick Jessica up.
"Oh, no! What's up? Is it the dynasty?" Sage said seriously.
"I - we don't know just yet..." Ryo admitted. "But Mia told us to come over to her house as soon as we could because she wanted to talk to us and... Kayura is supposed to arrive to give us further information on the situation tomorrow. And... since this happened we can't just leave her at house by herself... we don't know if she's ok or not yet. We have no choice but to bring her to Mia's with us..." Ryo said.
"Ya." the others nodded.
"She isn't exactly light, you know...." Rowen grunted. "I think that we'd better head to the van right about now..."
They arrived at the van and Rowen laid Jessica across the front seat in the van, Ryo and Sage sat in front, Cye and Kento sat in back, and Rowen sat on the floor between the middle seat and the front seats.
"Well, I thought we took care of the dynasty, what? four years ago? Or was it three?" Sage said grumpily.
"Uh, I think it was three...." Ryo responded.
"So what could be causing disturbances in the netherworld to make Kayura come into the mortal and talk to us? I thought they had it pretty much under control." Cye said.
"Yeah, I thought they were looking out for the place and fixing it up from after we defeated Talpa."
"I..... don't think that it's Talpa, you guys." Ryo said.
"What is UP with Talpa, anyway? First he's alive, then we kill him, then he comes back to life so we kill him again...... so.... is he alive or dead or....or what?" Kento said angrily from the back seat.
"I think we've finished him off for good this time. Hopefully......... Kayura will know a little of what's going on...... I really hope it's not much of anything. You know that we've had situations like this before, right after we defeated Talpa - the second time - where every little disturbance was thought of as a threat by Kayura and the Warlords? They contacted us every time but it always turned out to be nothing." Rowen stated from his place on the floor.
"No, guys, this time I think that it's serious....... that this threat IS real..... it's those feelings that we've been getting lately." Ryo said, turning down Mia's road then info her driveway finally.
Rowen, once again, picked up Jessica from her place on the seat and carried her to the front door where Mia gave them a skeptical look. "What happened to her?" she said, glancing sideways at Jessica laying limp in Rowen's arms.
"Do you.... have an extra bed?" Ryo asked. "She sort of....... fainted...... at the carnival. Right after we hung up with you."
"Oh! the poor thing! Here, go ahead and give her this room down here," Mia said, opening a door, "so that Rowen won't break his legs by trying to carry her any farther."
"Phew!" Rowen said as he laid Jessica down in the bed and covered her up. "That's a relief. I hope she wakes up by tomorrow!"
"Yes, me too." Cye said.
"Anyways, you guys, let's get down to business." Mia said as the six sat at the kitchen table and started talking into the hours of morning.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Jessica awoke in a strange bed doused in sweat. 'Where am I?' she thought as she sat up. She had a terrible headache. 'What happened? What am I doing here?'
That's when she noticed Ryo sleeping in a chair next to her bed and Sage sleeping in another chair opposite to the room. She looked at the clock next to her bedside. It read 2:45 a.m. 'Whoa...' she thought.
She sat up on the edge of the bed and tried to stand up. But dizziness overcame her and she fell back onto the bed, waking Ryo up.
"Hey." he said, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "What happened last night? Are you ok?"
"Yeah.... I'm fine. It's just this.... headache I have." She laid back down onto the bed, rolled over to face Ryo, and asked, "So... where am I, anyway?"
"Hmm? Oh! We're at Mia's. That's who we were on the phone with when Rowen and I went to make a phone call. We... didn't want to leave you alone at your house..... and, well, not knowing if you were ok we brought you here."
Jessica smiled in the darkness. "That's ok, thanks, I appreciate that."
Ryo stood up. "Well, I guess Sage and I should leave you to get some rest..." He walked over to Sage and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, Sage. C'mon buddy, let's go."
"Hmm? W-what?" Sage said, startled by the awakening. "Oh, Jessica! You're alright?"
"Yes, thanks." Jessica smiled over at him from the bed. 'He looks cute with the moonlight shining on him... on BOTH of them... Maybe...'
"I guess we'll leave now. We'll see ya tomorrow at breakfast, then?" Sage said, heading towards the door.
Jessica almost laughed. "Sure. Where else would I be?"
"G'nite...... Jessica." Sage said as he and Ryo shut the door behind them.
Jessica laid back down in her bed, gazing out the window at the moonlight. What is Whitney doing back here? That only meant one thing - trouble. Although Whitney was on their side, he only comes to Earth whenever there's trouble...... when the two world's were dangerously unstable. 'But - there still can't be too much going on. I would have sensed it when I first arrived here....' She sat up. Then a look of dread washed over her face. 'Unless..... these five guys. I've..... been getting weird vibes from them ever since I met them at the airport that day..... one month ago.....' Jessica started to cry. 'I just.... don't know! I don't know!' she said softly into her hands and cried herself to sleep.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Jessica awoke the next morning to Sage and Kento quietly tip-toeing into her room. She smiled into her pillow. The two crept up to the side of her bed and were about to tickle her when she rolled over and playfully whacked Sage with her pillow and lightly kicked Kento in his stomach.
"Oomph!" Kento exclaimed.
"Hey...what was that for??" Sage said, rubbing his head.
"Oh, you two....." she giggled and sat up. "What's for breakfast??"
"Oh! Cye's in there cooking up a feast. Bacon, eggs, sausage, muffins, toast.... and pancakes!!"
"Really, oh, my faves!!" Jessica cried.
"What a coincidence!! That's MY fave, too!!" Kento said.
Sage just rolled his eyes and said, "Kento, EVERYTHING is your favorite to you... "
Kento looked thoughtful for a moment before replying, "Yeah......... you do have a point. I guess you're right!!"
"Ok, then," Jessica said, standing up. "Let's eat!! I'm starved."
"I won't object to that! You.... have me convinced!! Let's go!" said Kento happily as he bounded into the kitchen.
"Mmmmm.......... it smells so good!!" Jessica exclaimed.
"That's because you have a very excellent chef, if I do say so myself." Cye said, turning from the oven, a spatula in one hand and a frying pan in the other, wearing a light-blue checkered apron.
The others were seated at the table. "Hey, Jessica!! How are you feeling??" Rowen asked.
"Oh, much better!! Thanks for letting me stay here, Mia!!"
"Oh, it's really no problem at all. The guys hang out here all the time, and I've got MORE than enough room!!"
The seven were in the middle of eating breakfast when there was a knock on the door. "I'll get it," Mia said, standing up. She answered the door, then called to Ryo who stood up and walked to the door. The others, all except for Jessica, because she didn't want to be rude and Kento, who was too busy eating to notice that someone had knocked on the door, stood up, straining to see who was at the door.
At the door, Mia whispered to Ryo, "It's Lady Kayura!! What are we going to do about Jessica?"
"Oh! I - I don't know. How could Jessica possibly know Kayura, though? Invite her in but whisper for her to keep quiet about the warrior business until Jessica leaves."
"Alright." Mia said and talked to Kayura who then walked in through the door.
Back at the table, the guys were sitting back down. Jessica had finished eating and rose to carry her dishes to the sink; her back to the kitchen doorway as Mia, Ryo, and Kayura joined the others Kento, Cye, and Rowen all said "Hi!".
Jessica finished washing her dishes and was drying off her hands when she looked up and saw Kayura standing in the kitchen. Jessica gasped and stopped in the middle of drying her hands. 'W-what is SHE doing here??' she thought. 'Oh, no!! This MUST mean trouble if SHE'S here!!'
Her gasp quieted the group and they all turned to face her. "K-Kayura!!" she gasped again.
Everyone turned to look at Jessica. "H-how do you know Kayura?" Cye demanded.
"Hello, Jessica." Kayura said calmly.
Then the truth hit Jessica like a diesel truck out of control as she sank into a chair. "I-if you're here... then... y-you're the... R-Ronin..." she stuttered.
"Yes, Jessica. They're the Ronin Warriors." Kayura explained.
'Oh, no...' Jessica thought as she covered her face with her hands and sank even farther into the chair.