Chapter Seven: A Quiet Night

"No!" Drake yelled, grabbing her arm and spinning her around. "I don't have it as good as you think. You know that scar Masamune gave to me? It went without proper treatment for the two weeks that I wandered about looking for civilization. When they found me, they said it was a miracle that I didn't die from blood loss. The only reason I'm still alive is that Sora was out looking for me. If it wasn't for him, I would be dead in a jungle somewhere.

"When we got back, Masamune was surprised to see me. He said that after he injured me, he tried to carry me to a hospital but there was some sort of heavy rainstorm and I fell out of the boat he was using. I was unconscious at the time so wouldn't have remembered it. He said that every hour of those two weeks he was looking for me in the jungle. He spent every penny he had and called in old favors; as well as new ones.

"I became a legend after that. I wasn't able to go anywhere without people knowing who I was. When things finally calmed down, I was able to get the full story. He didn't want to admit it, but he was willing to sacrifice himself to get me back. Shortly afterwards, he left in the middle of the night on a journey. Today was the first time I've seen him in a while." Drake said with a little laugh. He let go of Jade's shoulder."If you don't consider that a problem then maybe you should get someone to replace you." Drake said, turning around to his door.

Jade sighed heavily. "I guess you've got a point. It would seem I was wrong, it's not that you don't have problems; you just don't let them get you down." Jade said apologizing. "Hmph…" Drake said, smiling quietly. "You were right about one thing; I act like I can do whatever I want. It's not because I don't know the consequences, it's because I know I can do whatever I want; I know I have the power to. If I wanted to I could kick the ass of anyone in this place.

"That offer still stands if you're interested." Drake said, glancing back at Jade. "I don't know I still have things to-" Jade was interrupted by a large growl from her stomach. Jade blushed. "Yes, I could use some food." Drake opened his door and said "Then get in here already." Drake walked in and looked around his new home. The flooring was made of oak and looked very clean. The living room was sunken about a foot into the floor.

A path circled around it; a small section of wood about two feet wide that continued in straight line from the door past the living room and into a hallway. A few steps in, and the kitchen popped up to the left. It had stone flooring and granite countertops circling around until it met the edge of the living room. A small strip of counter sat like an Island between the kitchen and living room. It came fully furnished with a high quality stove, microwave, sink, and dishwasher.

The living room had a long couch that circled around with the small path. Multiple coffee tables were pushed together in front of the couch. In the far corner sat a large plasma screen T.V on top of a complete entertainment center that looked completely untouched. The most impressive thing about the living room was the large window that stretched to the ceiling; overlooking the ocean.

"Nice place. You don't see floor plans like this very often. "Drake commented, pulling off his boots and putting them in the corner behind the couch. Jade dropped hers next to his and jumped onto the couch. She yawned and leaned back into the couch. "So what do you want?" Drake asked. "Toast." Jade replied. "Just toast?" Drake asked, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe garlic toast." Jade said tilting her head, ignoring Drake's question.

"Maybe with some pasta…?" Drake said vaguely, rolling his wrist. "Chicken!" Jade shouted out, startling Drake. "Chicken, pasta and toast. Sounds like we have a plan." Drake said. "Check the fridge so we'll know what we need." Jade said, jumping off the couch to check the cabinets. Drake open the fridge door as Jade frantically searched behind him. "Let's see; butter, a jar of garlic, carrots, a few stalks of celery, lots of various juices and a bottle of rum." Drake listed off. Jade pushed Drake out of her way with her hip and pulled out the rum.

"Oooh. Captain Morgan Spiced Rum. Too bad for you Drake, another four years till you can drink." Jade said before putting the rum back. "Don't worry I won't drink it…yet." Drake whispered the last part under his breath. "When you turn 21 we'll find out if you can handle it. " Jade said as she shut the fridge door."So chicken alfredo? "Drake asked "As long as there's toast I'm good." Jade replied. "Do you think we should invite anyone?" Drake asked as he pulled a pencil and notepad out of one of his pockets. "I don't know if anyone would come though, they're probably already eating." Jade replied.

There was a sharp knock at the door. Drake walked over to the door. "I wonder who it is." Drake said opening the door. On the other side was a man wearing a large black coat that looked like it was made of a strange black fur. He had a black cotton tee-shirt and brown pants. He looked older than Drake and stood a few inches taller than him. His hair was tied back and consisted of alternating blue and red streaks. He had wide thick shoulders and had a rather large bulk. The most striking thing about him was his eyes.

They were a yellow-orange color with flecks and streaks of gold. Drake stared in silence at the man's eyes, entranced by how the light glanced off them and gave the effect that they were glowing. "Hello?" He asked waving his hand in front of Drake's face. "Oh sorry! Hello, may I ask why you're here?" Drake asked. The man pushed Drake aside and walked in. "You know Jade; you need to teach him how to greet people, especially those that can kick his ass." The man said, walking into the living room.

"No way!" Jade exclaimed turning towards him. "Mayonaka! It's been too long!" Jade yelled as she jumped up and hugged him. Drake was a little more than irritated. "This is Drake." Jade said gesturing to Drake. "Mayonaka Karyuudo." Mayonaka said holding out his hand. Drake shook it replying, "Drake Ryutamashii." Drake thought to himself: These names are getting really out of hand. Electric Lightning Wheel, Midnight Hunter, what's next, Flying Coconut Tree?"Why are you here?" Jade asked Mayonaka. "I overheard that someone is cooking some free food." He said glancing at Drake.

"And you're hoping to join us?" Drake asked. "As long as you don't mind, Jade." He said turning to Jade. "Why don't you bring some of that salad you're famous for?" Jade suggested. "I'll have to gather some ingredients." Mayonaka replied. "So do we." Drake said putting on his boots. "Not me, you're going by yourself." Jade said still lounging on the couch."Money." Drake said nonchalantly. "Chh…" Jade said as she got up."Might as well go with you, seeing as you're a freaking moron." "I'd be careful if I were you." Mayonaka whispered to Drake as Jade put her shoes on. "Otherwise she might fire you."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Drake asked. Mayonaka blinked. "You mean you're not her assistant?" He asked. "No, if anything she's the one assisting me right now." Drake replied. "Hurry up you two!" Jade said as she walked out the door. Drake and Mayonaka quickly followed her out the door. "So who are you?" Mayonaka asked Drake as they walked down the hall. "If you bothered to come to the weekly meetings you would know. He's Masamune's little protégé. I'm surprised you haven't heard of him before." Jade replied.

"Ohh. So he's that Drake." Mayonaka said nodding. They walked down the staircase and back onto the second floor. The floor was empty and the majority of the lights were off. They continued to walk across a path that cut across a large section of hardwood flooring. While they did so, Jade explained what was going on with Drake. "I see. So he killed a Kontonseishin." Mayonaka commented. "What's that?" Drake asked. "It's when a person is taken over by Chaos energy. I'm sure you could offer a better explanation later, it's really, really complicated." Mayonaka replied.

Once on the other side of the path, Drake could smell a variety of foods and could hear the hustle and bustle of a busy marketplace. After they walked down a hallway, they came across a pair of large metal doors. "Why are they so thick?" Drake asked tapping one door with his knuckle. Mayonaka grabbed the handle of the other door. "This is why." He said pulling it open. Immediately, Drake was bombarded by the sound of a bustling marketplace. After his ears adjusted to the sound, Drake spoke.

"What are these doors made of?" Drake asked trying to be heard over the noise. "There's no need to shout! Just get in here already." Jade said pulling Drake in after her. Mayonaka shut the door behind them. Almost immediately, the noise in Drake's ears dulled down to a quite buzzing. "The hell?" Drake said scratching his head.

"There's a special kind of metal that absorbs and transforms the vibrations from the sound into electricity, coupled with remarkable architecture; the extremely loud noise is reduced greatly. Unfortunately, when these doors are opened, the same astounding architecture causes the sound to 'expand'" Mayonaka explained, throwing up quotes.

"So a combination friction and static." Drake said, poking the door. "That's correct." Mayonaka replied, surprised. "If you two are done, do you think we can finish this?" Jade asked, tapping her foot. Drake and Mayonaka looked at each other, nodded and quickly followed Jade down a staircase to the lower level. Mayonaka left to gather his own ingredients as Drake and Jade went to get theirs. They found the noodles, chicken and bread at cheap prices. They agreed that it was a good idea to buy lots of it.

After a while, Drake thought that they might have gotten too much, 15lbs of chicken is a bit much. Drake had to carry all of it, and it was getting increasingly difficult with the amount of bread Jade bought. When they finally found the alfredo sauce, Jade bought seven jars. She was kind enough to carry them as Drake struggled to keep up with her with his giant pile of food. They met back up with Mayonaka at the metal doors. He was carrying a couple heads of lettuce and a bag of some kind of green leafy plant.

"You have a bit much don't you?" Mayonaka asked, raising an eyebrow. "It was cheap." Jade replied as she hurried back to Drake's room. "Help me…" Drake said struggling to keep all the food together. Suddenly, the weight lessened as someone started to remove the food from the top of the pile. He was soon able to see who was helping him out. "Thanks Tidus, It's kind of hard to carry all that." Drake said as he walked in the direction of his room.

"No problem." Tidus replied. "So what are you doing here?" Drake asked.

"I live here! And not by myself either." Tidus replied, looking back. "Hey Drake!" Shiro said when Drake looked back. He and Denki were carrying their own food."Jade and I are having a few people over, why don't you guys come to?" Drake suggested. "Sounds good, at least then I don't have to cook as much." Denki replied. "Mind if we invite some people?"Shiro asked. "Sure, but tell them to bring something." Drake replied.

Tidus and Drake parted with Shiro and Denki at the other end of the wooden flooring. "I thought you lived with Denki and Shiro." Drake said as they walked up the outer staircase. "No, they live in their own place somewhere else. I'm not quite sure where though actually." Tidus said thoughtfully. "Do you think they'll be interested in the party?" Drake asked. "I'll ask them. So how did you manage to get up here on your first day? Masamune pull some strings for you?" Tidus asked.

"Yeah, apparently, he retired and I got his old room." Drake replied.

"It's about time. He's been rather tired lately." Tidus said as they walked into the hallway. "It seems like it isn't such a big deal to anyone." Drake replied. "Well, he has been here a while and he recently found a significant replacement." Tidus said as they walked through the first crossroad. "Sounds like this leader is really something if he can be considered Masamune's replacement." Drake replied.

"He sure is, he trained under Masamune and beat him in a fight." Tidus said. "I'd like to meet him sometime." Drake replied. As they walked into the second crossroad, someone called out. "Hey Drake come over here!" Dart called from the sofas. "What's up?" Drake asked walking up with Tidus. Dart was wearing a red tee-shirt with the word volcano in dark red with an erupting volcano above it and a pair of blue jeans.

"There's someone I want you to meet." Dart said standing up. "Lloyd, would you come over here a second?" Dart called out to someone leaning up against a door in the hall that crossed the main hall. He was wearing a black cloak with red trim. He had a hood over his head and walked quickly and silently over to Drake. Drake put his food down on the table and held out his hand to Lloyd. "Hello! My name's Drake." Drake said introducing himself.

Lloyd ignored Drake's introduction and simply asked a question. "So you are the one who fought Jade?" He asked with a deep, raspy voice. "Yeah." Drake replied, lowering his hand. "I have one thing to say to you." He said drawing a silver bladed wakizashi from his waist, pointing it at Drake. "Don't think I'm weaker than that woman." Lloyd said aggressively. Drake stood still and didn't react. Because of his quick movement, the hood of Lloyd's cloak shifted.

It revealed a black wolf-like muzzle. He had silver hair that shimmered even in the dark hood. Drake noticed he had pale white bandages wrapped around his hands, with tufts of black fur showing through. His light hazel eyes seemed accusing as Lloyd stared at Drake. "Why would I think that?" Drake asked, wondering what he was. "It's because she's a-" Lloyd was interrupted by a swift punch to his jaw. Lloyd was sent sprawling onto the floor.

Looking up, Lloyd saw Jade glaring down at him with terrifying intensity. He stood up and lowered his hood. "Get your food and get to your room." Jade growled to Drake, still staring at Lloyd. Drake decided it wasn't the best time for questions and quickly gathered his stuff and walked to his room. "Why keep what you are a secret, Jade?" Lloyd asked, rubbing his jaw. "Because I don't want him knowing who I am." Jade replied. "I don't know what else you're hiding, but it's none of my business." Lloyd said walking away and opening the door he was leaning on.

"I just hope I don't have to show him." Jade whispered to herself. She sighed and turned to a slight nervous Dart. "Why don't you join us for dinner? We both know you're not going to cook." Jade suggested. "Might as well. It does sound like fun." Dart said, standing up and following Jade. "Let's just hope he hasn't burned it." Jade said to herself. When Dart and Jade walked into Drake's room, they could smell the chicken cooking in the air.

Peeking around the corner, Jade could see Drake scrambling in the kitchen with nothing but a tee-shirt. Tidus was helping Drake stir the noodles and flipping the chicken. "I see you have everything under control." Jade commented as she walked into the kitchen. Behind her, Dart walked into the living room and took off his shoes. "Yes, and if you don't want to work, get out of the way." Drake said as he carried a pot of steaming noodles to the sink to strain.

Jade quickly started to back out of the kitchen. "We're going to need cups by the way." Drake said before she made it all the way out. "I'll go get some, we still have some plastic ones from the new year's party." Dart said, running out of the living room and out into the hall, in his socks. Soon after, there was a knocking at the door. "I'll get it." Jade said as she got off the long couch in the living room. On the other side were Denki Shiro, and a few others that Jade didn't know.

"We're here for the party." Denki said with a smile. He handed Jade a ceramic pot. "What's this?" She asked, sniffing it. "Tuna casserole." Shiro said, pushing his glasses up. "Ah well, come in, make yourselves at home." Jade said, walking down the hall way. She put the casserole down on the counter separating the kitchen and living room. "You can put your food down on the counter." Jade said as their guests walked in.

Three of the people Jade didn't know put their dishes down next to Denki's. Jade could smell the aroma of the different foods: mashed potatoes and gravy, the delicious smell of steak and some kind of chilled beverage. She was about to taste it when a female voice spoke from behind her. "That's for later." Jade turned around slowly. A young woman with dark hair and dark purple eyes was standing behind her. She was wearing a dark purple dress that went down to her knees; it was the same color as her eyes.

"Okay." Jade said slowly as she lowered the jug the beverage was in. "My name is Jace Nijihoshi. It's nice to meet you. "The woman said, holding out her hand. "You can call me Jade." Jade replied. "You're hiding something." Jace said, leaning closer to Jade. "You're starting to creep me out." Jade said, leaning away from Jace. "I can only imagine what it is." She said getting very close to Jade's face. From the living room, a young man's voice called out. "Hey Jace! You need to check out this computer! I think it's better than yours."

"If you don't mind Jade, I'll be going now." Jace said as she walked into the living room. Jade could hear her say "So where's this piece of crap computer?" Jade sighed and leaned back on the counter. "Don't worry about her; she just has a thing for secrets." A young man said getting plates out of the cabinet under the counter. He was dressed in a vest that had ripped sleeves and jagged frills on the inside. He had a pair of orange pants and a red belt loosely tied at his front.

He had amber eyes that seemed to glow. Jade could hear his bare feet on the stone floor as he stood up and set the plates down on the counter. "She seemed like she was a little skeptical about me." Jade replied. "She gets like that around strong people. " He explained. "Jake Arashi" He said holding out his hand. "Jade." Jade said shaking his hand. "I don't know why you don't tell people your last name, but it's none of my business." Jake said, squatting down to get more plates.

There was a knock at the door. Jade opened it to find Cloud and the other Red Dragons wearing slightly formal clothes. They were carrying various house hold items. Cloud had a set of knifes, Squall had a toaster, Allen had a spice rack, Dante had a stereo, Zoro had a cutting board, and Dart had a coffee pot and a package of red plastic cups. "What's going on?" Jade asked, confused out of her mind. "Apparently, Masamune made a final order before he retired; we have to give Drake a house warming party." Dart explained.

"And why didn't you inform me of this before?" Jade asked. "We were just told a couple minutes ago." Dart explained as the others walked past him and put their presents on the counter next to the stove. "Hey, where's Drake?" Dart asked when he walked into the kitchen. "I don't know." Jade replied as she looked into the living room. "Hey Tidus where is he?" Dart asked Tidus as he watched the chicken, noodles and garlic toast.

"I don't know. He said he had something he needed to do and left." Tidus replied, not looking away from the food. Jade sighed and grabbed her shoes from the pile behind the couch. "I'll go find him." She said walking out the door. She met Mayonaka on his way out his door. "Have you seen Drake around here?" Jade asked. "No. Why, is he in trouble?" Mayonaka asked. "No, but we're going to need him at the party." Jade said with and irritated sigh.

"Don't worry, he'll show up. In the meantime why don't you help me with the salad, it kind of got out of hand." Mayonaka suggested. "Might as well, but I wonder what he's up to." Jade said as she walked into Mayonaka's room.