Warnings: Stalking

Chapter 11

—8—

Rowen had finally found something in a bookstore that he wanted more than a book.

Unfortunately, that "something" was instead a "someone."

Someone who was already spoken for.

'How did I even end up here?' he wondered darkly, taking another sip of his now lukewarm coffee. Part of him knew that answer—his so-called comrades had deliberately set him up. Even though he couldn't prove it, he knew they were conspiring against him.

They had all walked in together. Naturally, he'd gravitated toward the Starbucks, craving his third coffee of the day after the bucket of sludge they'd given him at the police station. As soon as he held the blissfully warm cup between his hands, however, Cye and Kento had pointed out that Tessa was already deep inside the bookstore, and "None of us should really be alone right now, don't you think?"

Damn them for preying on his protective instincts.

Rowen had known he was being inordinately grumpy when he didn't immediately greet Tessa (who had found herself a cozy little niche in the fantasy and sci-fi section), instead allowing Suiko and Kongo to do the talking. That mood hadn't been helped any by the redhead detective back at the station ruffling Sage's feathers, especially when he'd dared call into question the Ronin's motives for helping the twins. As if they were suspects—and on top of mispronouncing "Date"!

Pretending not to observe the trio while actually observing them, however, had proven somewhat advantageous. He had noticed Tessa seemed to be avoiding him—or at least his general direction—as much as he was.

'Curiouser and curiouser.'

He had tuned back into the conversation as Cye was asking, "Do you ever read in other languages?"

She gave a modest little shrug. "Sometimes. Not as much as I'd like, to be honest. And so far I only have that much experience with Japanese and Spanish, really—and I find Spanish far easier because I've been around it longer." Wrinkling her nose, she added, "And the formatting of recreational reading in other languages just feels weird. Considering that's where I spend most of my reading time, I just…find it easier to stay in English."

Cye sympathized. "That was my hang-up when I started reading in English. I only ever heard it in class or on the beach from tourists. I swear the main reason Rowen picked up Mandarin and Cantonese so quickly is because he had Kento to practice casually with."

Kento nudged Cye in the ribs. "Hey, now, you're picking it up, too. And we're getting some great practice with English on this trip."

"Like we really need the practice on that account," Rowen muttered, sipping his coffee.

The brunet shrugged casually. "Suit yourself, then. I'll go browse the more obscure genres. It can be hard to get English novels in Japan, and I've just about read out my shelves."

"I'll go with ya, Cye," Kento quickly volunteered—before Rowen could open his mouth.

Before he could even think to realize that would mean they'd stranded him with Tessa.

Damn them. He'd guessed it was a set-up before, but now he knew it.

"Wa—"

As was his luck, they were at the end of the aisle and around the corner before he could voice "wait" in protest. Heaving a big sigh, he glanced back to Tessa. "Well…sorry about that. Guess you're stuck with me, now," he joked brightly, trying to cover for the awkwardness that suddenly hung between them.

He couldn't quite have said why it was there…but it was.

The girl laughed, nervously, and tucked a lock of hair behind one ear. "I'm only stuck if I can't go anywhere."

Clearing his throat with equal nerves, Rowen chose his words carefully. "Well…it might not be the best idea to wander off alone, right now."

Guilt stabbed his heart at the little flash of a look like a frightened animal that darted across her expression. Realizing she'd probably jumped to imagining something bad lurking nearby, he soothed, "We just—think everyone ought to be careful, is all." He gestured in the direction the others had gone. "Why Cye and Kento dragged me along to find you."

Rowen internally winced at how that had come out. She looked away sadly, turning to fiddle with a book on the shelf beside her. "I do kinda forget situational awareness when I hyperfocus on something…"

His heart dragged him around by the scruff, hearing the self-deprecation in her voice. Softening, he reassured, "Naw, it's okay. I can't count the number of times someone's had to remind me to look up while I'm walking and reading, among other things. Kento's story about how we met is case in point."

That pulled a chuckle from her, to his relief.

And that was how, an hour later, he found himself wandering after Tessa around the bookstore with the remnants of a lukewarm coffee dangling from his fingers.

Which, in turn, brought him back to the point of his internal monologue.

They'd started with small talk, trying to stave off the awkwardness Cye and Kento had left them in. Then she had spied a favorite book series of hers that made her squeal with delight and turn on the metaphorical waterfall. Her gushing had at first taken him by surprise—but he couldn't deny how nice a change it was from the terrified, tearful girl he'd comforted last night.

At thinking how much prettier she was happy, though, Rowen mentally shook himself. 'Stop it, Touma! She's taken!'

He knew Sage, if he were there, would point out that the Ronin of Air would treat her far better than that dirtbag of a boyfriend, who had so far consistently proven himself to be insensitive. But just like the kendoka, he had his own code of honor to uphold. He couldn't—wouldn't—jeopardize her honor like that, just because Cupid's arrow had played a sick joke on its own archer.

Even though he was head over heels for a girl he'd known less than seventy-two hours.

But damn was it a struggle. Tessa wasn't just cute, with a bubbly laugh that brightened the room. She was incredibly intellectual and possessed a mind that gathered facts like he held onto theorems. Where she wasn't well-versed in a topic, she was nonetheless open to learning and soaked it up like a sponge.

'Gods give me strength.'

It wasn't until they reached a long lull in the conversation that Rowen suddenly noticed a change in the bookstore's atmosphere. Tenku's shields had slacked while he was distracted, but now the yoroi was alerting him to a possible threat.

Something nearby felt like youja. Something that was too close for comfort.

Sharpening his focus, he allowed his eyes to rake across the nearest shelves for signs of anything amiss. In the course of their wanderings, they had ended up in the vicinity of the children's section. While mercifully empty at the moment, it did back up to the edge of the mall with ground floor windows that made him inexplicably nervous.

Akatsuki caught on to his wariness. "Rowen?" she murmured uncertainly, edging closer.

He risked a quick glance at the girl. "You feel it, too?" he questioned, so quiet as to be nearly under his breath.

A tiny nod followed. Tossing caution to the wind, he reached out to take her hand. "Let's head back to the others."

Rowen still couldn't get a bead on where, exactly, the feeling originated. While he doubted the cult would do anything drastic in broad daylight and the middle of a busy mall, that didn't mean they couldn't have already tracked the warriors down. The sheer amount of energy the yoroi put out had long proven themselves to be like flames to the moths that were youja and demons.

Adding to his paranoia was the eerie stillness to the store. The late afternoon rush crowd of families, college students, and business people had emptied the building like a tide. Rowen almost felt as if he and Tessa were the only two humans left, for how quiet it had become. It reminded him of abandoned, mist-coated Shinjuku.

So when the little hairs on the back of his neck stood up, he listened first and asked questions later.

Without warning, the Ronin spun on a heel while simultaneously maneuvering Tessa behind him. She gasped with the surprise—but Rowen hardly heard it.

He stared slack-jawed at the figure before them.

The modern clothes were new. But he would recognize that white hair and eyepatch in any world.

His exhale released less tension than he would have liked. "Do you want me to spill hot coffee on you?" he demanded in a low, terse tone. "Geeze, Dais."

The gen mashou simply crossed his arms. "You have had that cup for over an hour. I doubt at this point it's hot enough to do more than surprise me."

Rowen's blood ran cold at realizing they had been watched without him noticing for who knew how long. The rational part of his mind said it was a good thing it had been one of the mashou; the part that still had a foot in the past was appalled at how badly he had let his guard down.

He couldn't quite keep the growl out of his voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Watching your back," Dais said simply. "Lady Kayura informed us of the…situation. We felt it prudent that, should you walk in public, one of us be nearby in case of emergency. I'd had no intention of letting you find out, but Kure is much more on guard than I anticipated."

Tessa's confusion finally slipped through Tenku's shields, as she quipped, "Of course she could spot you—she writes about spies and assassins for fun."

"Fitting," he replied dryly. Without elaborating on why, and nothing in his demeanor to hint at its reasoning, he continued, "I thought I would offer my services, should you wish to make a clean escape."

"That might require knowing exactly what we're escaping from and where," Rowen pointed out. Telepathically, he answered Tessa's unspoken question. "Dais is the…former Warlord of Illusion. He can weave spells of incredible realism. I didn't personally come up against him very often, but the others and Kento especially had their hands full."

Dais shifted into Japanese, though his words remained cryptic. "The walls can have eyes, as you are likely already aware. Even when somebody isn't around."

Grimly—catching onto his meaning—Rowen responded in kind. "Then we can talk about this later. We should probably leave."

The mashou nodded. Turning toward the store's entrance, the Ronin let go of Tessa's hand only to hover his at her back, putting himself between her and Dais while escorting her away from the nebulous threat. Sensing the return of tension and concern in Akatsuki's posture, he ran a quick look of appraisal over her.

Like him, she was scanning the large maze of merchandise for danger. The book she had snagged from the fantasy section—still debating, earlier, whether to purchase it—was clutched tightly in one hand, hugged protectively against her chest.

"Are you alright?"

Her head twisted around sharply to look at him. After a moment, she found her voice. "I'll be okay." Glancing back at the white-haired man trailing them, she questioned, "What, exactly, did he mean?"

Rowen hesitated, trying to decide how much to say in public. "We…may be followed," he murmured.

Tessa was remarkably unfazed by the realization. She sighed. "Of course we are."

Sympathetic to the note of resignation in her words, he allowed his arm to slip around her shoulders in a half-hug as they walked. Searching for something to comfort her with, his eyes landed again on the book she held. "Looking forward to reading that?"

She blinked, processed what he meant, then frowned uncertainly. "Still…not sure if I should get it. It'd be nice to complete the set…but I really don't need it…"

Rowen spotted Sage standing in line at the register. He let his arm slide from Tessa's shoulder, but laid his hand on the joint reassuringly. "Tell you what. I'll buy it for you."

That offer caused her jaw to drop. Smiling crookedly, he continued, "But only as long as you make sure to tell me all about it, okay?"

Chuckling warmly, Tessa smiled back and held the book out to him. "Okay." She laughed briefly. "Just…don't fall asleep when I do."

Feeling Kourin's attention on him, Rowen nodded and quickly accepted the paperback volume. Luckily for him, Sage himself had been too preoccupied making his purchase to catch the exchange. Tenku raised an eyebrow at noticing a glimpse of pink nestled against black in his shopping bag.

The kendoka saw his friend watching. He stepped aside to chat while Rowen paid. "She wanted one notebook for the police, and one notebook for all the good things in her life."

He didn't have to specify which "she" he meant. A recently-forgotten memory tickled at the back of his mind. Something he'd mentioned to Sage in early conversations about the twins…

The object of his thoughts raised an eyebrow at the book Rowen laid on the counter. "That seems like a departure from your usual readings."

He tried to keep his shrug nonchalant, as he handed the cashier his card. "Figured I'd try giving new material a chance."

Rowen held his breath, hoping he wouldn't realize it wasn't the first in its series and call him out. Sage cast a dubious look at his friend, but let it slide. "Very well."

Tessa had rejoined the others already when the pair walked over to the gaggle around Alexa's table. The sisters sat close together, the younger with an arm around the older's shoulders.

The looks on the assembled Ronin's faces were grim. Rowen shifted awkwardly upon figuring why. "So…I was the last to hear about Dais?"

Four yoroi agreed in tandem. "Tessa mentioned you thought you were being followed," Ryo supplied.

Realizing as he tried to drink that his coffee was empty, he tossed the cup in a nearby trash can. "Dais said the cult is using youja to find us. He offered to cover our tracks when we leave."

Sage seemed to feel the most positive of them all at the revelation that Dais had offered his assistance. "I'm sure Alexa would appreciate that. The thought she was being stalked again nearly sent her into a panic attack. Dais never actually said what he was doing here, except to watch."

Despite the significant unease—from Kongo in particular—at having a mashou involved, there was only more agreement in the connection.

"Anyone else feel like we've overstayed our welcome in Toronto?" Cye said.

No one debated that sentiment.

Ryo turned to Rowen, again. "Any idea how easy it is to change tickets?"

He shook his head. "Not really. But we should have enough lead time on the Montreal train that we can try to push forward the departure to Ottawa with little issue. I'll give the company a call."

The others turned to discuss the change with the twins while Rowen stepped away to give himself space. As the phone rang, he watched them—or, more accurately, he watched Tessa. She had hardly strayed from Alexa's side since they plucked her from the farmhouse, except when she had had to out of necessity. That level of devotion reminded him of, well, himself and Sage.

A devotion that was entirely platonic, but as meaningful if not more so than a romantic relationship.

An epiphany struck him almost with the force of lightning. It rattled around in the back of his brain even as half of him was forced to focus on the voice that had answered his phone call and subsequent queries.

Even if she had a boyfriend, that didn't mean he couldn't be there for her. Just because she was a committed woman and he was a single man didn't mean he had to walk on eggshells around her. There was a reason he called the four men crowded around their table his brothers in all but name. On the battlefield of the yoroi's secret world, they couldn't afford to maintain this awkward limbo of not-quite-stranger-not-quite-friend. Sage had allowed his crush on Tenku to nearly tear him apart. Tessa had described her military-related experiences and future commissioning before—she would understand the need to set those feelings aside.

Rowen could be the knight to her queen on the chessboard of this new conflict. There was no way he could not in good conscience be there for her. He couldn't afford to repeat the mistakes of the past and helplessly wallow in emotion. So the Ronin decided he would keep his cards close to his chest; but right there, right then, he made himself a promise.

Even if she could never be his…he would always be hers.

—=—

Kento wished there was a nearby wall he could punch through, when the others told him who had popped up at the bookstore. Better yet, a Dais might've been nice.

Keeping his temper while they boarded the new train to Ottawa— that would get them in late but they'd already set up a hotel reservation— was a challenge. They all ended up sprawled in the dining car, Sage and Rowen at one table with the girls, Ryo, Cye, and himself at the table across the way. Kento's temper made it he wolfed down the meal in front of them… and he'd already gone through half a travel bag worth of snacks. He was debating ordering a second meal.

'First Dais shows up, then there's youja following us,' Kento spat, crossing his arms. 'And all we can do is run.'

'Dais made sure they wouldn't follow us,' Ryo responded. 'And none of us have sensed anything since.'

Kento glanced over at the girls, spending more time chatting with the guys across from them than eating. 'And one of these days somebody's going to catch up. We can't keep running forever— I'm sure carrot top would file something, for how he talked…'

Suiko rolled with the beginnings of a storm. '"Did you put those bruises on her", insisting that was possible even after Ottawa told them there was a known history of harassment. All because of a lack of violence previously. There had been a lack of kidnapping previously!'

That got Kento and Ryo to crack up. Sage and Rowen wondered, very quietly, what was going on. The others passed information to them, hiding it from the girls. Cye's comment generated smiles but not much physical reaction so as not to have them ask.

Who knew how they'd take the concept the Ronin had to be cleared as accomplices.

Kento was unsettled with that enough on his own. If Alexa was as fragile as she looked, that would probably crush her.

Ryo kept going on their old track. 'Who knows what they're capable of. If they can follow us without being physically present…'

Kento grumbled. 'Alexa knows, but I sure as hell ain't asking her now.' He watched Sage and Rowen gently coax the girls out of their shells, slowly but surely generating smiles and even some laughter. 'Leave it to the flirts to get those two to open up.'

Ryo twisted to look at them more directly. 'Looks like Alexa needs it. She got nervous when it was the three of us.'

Cye, as per usual, took a slightly more rational approach. 'It might be her autism. She doesn't know the 'rules' of being around us, so to speak, so she's not interacting until she learns.'

'Sounds a little like Sage,' Ryo added softly. 'Only he was less skittish than she is.'

Cye nodded. 'Hopefully having a chance to go back to her apartment helps. Sage had the advantage of a familiar environment— she doesn't.'

Ryo paused, Kento catching his thought a little faster than he could voice it. Kongo dropped out again as he said, 'They took her on the way home, didn't they?'

'Pretty sure they did…' Ryo said, now that his thoughts were in order. 'Rowen mentioned youja energy near her apartment, and Sage said something, too.'

'The apartment could be watched.'

Everyone got quiet at Cye's observation. While they had already planned to get a hotel, the concept of giving Alexa some time to recharge had been proposed. Now, it was hard to tell if they should— if Rowen was right, then she only had a one bedroom apartment and there were seven of them. Leaving her with only a few of them so she could breathe wasn't a possibility, now, and if she hated being crowded…

She was going to be forced out of her apartment in as little time as possible, just for her safety.

None of them could quite shake the melancholy at that. All three of them ended up watching; Kento had a small smile that Alexa had eaten half her sizable portion already. His mom would've filled her plate three times already, just to make sure she was fed. It was hard for Kento not to constantly offer more food, for how he'd grown up with that as the main display of hosting.

Ryo broke out in an easy, albeit slightly forced, smile. "Whatcha talking about?"

Alexa froze, eyes flicking towards Tessa. Her sister just said, "I'm grilling Rowen on how many sports he plays." She raised an eyebrow. "Apparently, hybrid nerd-jocks exist."

That seemed to relax Alexa. She added, "And I'm asking about all the art Sage apparently does."

Ryo laughed. "Is Rowen getting the itch for his baseball glove?"

Rowen gave a good-natured glare. "None of your business."

Kento smirked at his long-suffering friend. "Nah, just pining for Ryuusei."

Rowen's eyes narrowed further, with the promise of getting this resolved later. Probably in the dojo.

Sage glanced at the girls, his ploy to get Rowen and Tessa together flowing through Kourin. "Want to join us in this episode of The Bachelor?"

Tessa's jaw just about dropped. "B—B-But…!"

Sage laughed. "I take it you heard rumours?"

Tessa blushed faintly, ducking her head but nonetheless nodding. Tenku, meanwhile, had the light of realization— and Kento couldn't help but have an internal smirk at how smoothly Sage had set that little reveal up.

His easy smile betrayed none of that plotting. "Rowen and I pretend to date, when I can't stand romantic attention."

Tessa seemed thoroughly shy at that realization. Whatever she'd been thinking about, she didn't say— instead casting her eyes down self-consciously.

Sage, once again, seemed to know exactly what to continue with. "We're all close friends. We hold each other at our darkest, because sometimes all you need is a hug."

Tessa glanced at her sister then back down to her lap. "Like…us."

Sage nodded; Alexa leaned into Tessa, gently nuzzling her at the notes of self-deprecation in Tessa's voice. It was hard not to wonder why Tessa hadn't realized that, for how close the two girls had been throughout the trip.

Cye broke the quiet by hooking a thumb at Kento. "If you're looking for hidden soft sides, Kento gardens. He especially loves teaching his little siblings and cousins how to grow things."

Before Kento had a chance to respond and give stories for Cye and children at his EMT job, Rowen snorted. "There's not a whole lot of "hidden" about that. Kento's the most transparent softie of all of us."

Kento raised an eyebrow. Telling stories about Cye could wait. "You're just saying that cuz you hide your soft insides behind hardcovers."

Sage chuckled. "Ojiisama insisted I be a proper samurai, which meant artistic pursuits on top of martial arts."

Tessa tilted her head at that. "So that explains the bamboo flute?"

He nodded, mock-exasperation in his tone as he continued the list. "And the bonsai. And the calligraphy."

That seemed to warm Alexa up. She glanced at the three. "What about you, Cye?"

Cye gave a smile that made Kento wonder why he was still single. "Pottery. It's a family tradition, and I enjoy it. My sister plans on making it part of her career."

"If you want softy stories, ask him about kids. Lifeguarding or EMT. It's enough to make you melt." Kento hooked a thumb at the one who'd been dodging questions. "Rowen's the only one of us who doesn't do anything artistic. And not for lack of trying."

Rowen, of course, gave a smug smile. "I live art. The art of science!"

Alexa smiled at that. "Art and science are pretty closely related."

Rowen's smirk morphed into a grin as he gestured to her. "She gets it!"

Now it was Alexa's turn to blush.

Ryo gave a soft smile at her slight integration into the group. "What about you?"

She swallowed down nerves. "I… kinda live and breathe art. I mean, I work in advertising, writing for a living, I dance in my spare time, I try to draw, I have a novel I've been working on…"

That topic seemed to be raw for reasons unknown. Her breath shook, voice wavering with uncertainty. Kento tried to soothe it with knowledge she wasn't alone. "I kinda feel like cooking's the same, for me. I'm making stuff that looks and tastes good, and I'm putting in all the hours to learn how to do that." He chuckled. "And messing up a lot along the way."

Rowen wasn't going to let an opportunity to tease his brother get away. "And if pretty boy over here isn't in the dojo or studying, he's doing something artistic."

Yep, matched. No matter how much either side would deny it— and they would deny it— Kongo, Suiko, and Rekka could all see how well those four fit together. And how interested the two men were. Older with older, younger with younger.

Sage shoved Rowen playfully. "He's about the only guy who lives in his head. Probably why he plays so many sports."

Alexa seemed to be in the middle between relaxing and wanting to hide under the table. Tessa put her arm around her sister, whispers passing between their yoroi that the Ronin made sure to ignore. She needed all the privacy she could get.

After a few moments of silence, Kento asked, "Do you enjoy what you do?"

She seemed to light up at the initial thought, getting halfway through nodding before the light inside died with a bitter laugh. "She always encouraged my art. It's about the only thing I'm good at, as a result. Kept saying… h-how cold my biological dad was for going into the sciences…"

Tessa snorted. "Like a doctor would be driven by anything but compassion…"

Alexa's voice was back to shaking. "My step-dad's mom was a nurse and she was… pretty… cold…"

"Compassion fatigue happens," Cye said softly, leaning forward. "And while I know a handful of people who don't seem like they're entering medicine for the best reasons, most of my classmates want to help others."

She rubbed the back of her head self consciously. "I wanted to go into tech or science or something but she refused to support me. I had to be an artist whether I liked it or not."

So that's why she seemed nervous around Rowen offering to teach her about his fields, and that's why she didn't really seem proud of her art. Kento tried to stay quiet on that topic; she had dodged his question, avoiding all attention on her, and he wanted to give her space to hold an opinion. "Still didn't answer my question of if you enjoyed it, or not."

She paused, licking her lips and swallowing. The look of fear over her face just made Kento's heart bruise. Eventually, she took a breath. "I guess I do. It's fun to be able to build something from just an idea and get paid to do it."

Tessa rubbed Alexa's arm. "You amaze me, y'know. What you're able to do."

That got Alexa to smile, leaning into her sister and relaxing slightly. Ryo picked up on the underlying notes of insecurity, what they had all noticed where she shrunk her life, down to nothing, practically.

"Even if it's a small life, where hardly anyone knows you, you can still be part of something," Ryo said. "A family. A group of friends. You might not change the world, might never be recognized, but you can mean a lot to the people around you."

Sage let out a soft laugh. "Even if you have a large life, it's the smallest, most personal bonds that mean the most. I can't say I'm terribly happy to be recognized around Japan, but being with the Ronin is my greatest treasure."

That got a small smile out of the girls, enough that Alexa went back to eating. The wall Kure put up was enough to have the three back off, but there was significantly less worry about what would happen, now. The unnatural hopelessness— too familiar to the Ronin— had lessened.

Hopefully seeing her city would help her. And hopefully, nothing would be waiting for them.