And we're back!
This next chapter is pretty meaty and I hope you'll all hang in there to there as best you can!
This chapter is the high point of the story and everything will snowball from here. I enjoyed writing this one, and even though it's a little long winded, I hope you all will enjoy it!
Also, I would like to say that I'm not expert at any kind of rituals, so this one took some research and I hope I don't accidentally offend anyone. If I do, please accept my sincere apologies.
I guess that's it for the Author's notes. So read on and I'll see everyone at the bottom!
The Manor
Katsume was once again, the first Miscreant to wake up; he got dressed quickly and headed to the Manor. When he walked into the kitchen, he saw that it was full of people.
Trent sat at the table looking cheerful as he sipped his coffee. When he walked in, his foster father smiled at him. "Good morning."
"Hey Trent." He said as he looked around the room. At the breakfast counter sat two men looking over a very high-tech laptop. They dressed casually, but from their spotless black t-shirts, with the silver lettering, he could tell that they were the Silver Guardians that Connor had told him about.
"You must be Katsume." One of them said. He had a square jaw and looked way more intimidating then the guy next to him who looked 'rich' and was a little more approachable.
"Yeah, that's me. Conner told me you were coming over."
The other man nodded. "Yep, we're here to help you. I'm Wes Collins and this is Eric Myers. How are you feeling this morning?"
"Overwhelmed. Roughed up. I didn't expect to find out that my worst nightmare and the asshat teacher were friends. Stupid me for thinking I could leave my past in LA; it's only followed me here."
Eric nodded thoughtfully. "Well, that's why we're here." He paused to look Katsume in the eye. "We've been briefed on everything and we're going to put this nightmare to bed. Ranook gave me all the audio and video he had and then Trent handed me the audio recorder from the hospital room. It's enough to give us grounds to deal with both of them."
Eric paused and then gave Katsume a calculating look. "I know it's a touchy subject, but if you want us to hunt down those girls…"
Katsume shook his head furiously as the color drained from his face. "No. Leave it alone, please. It's bad enough that they drugged and r…raped me. I just want to forget it happened and move on. I'll be happy if I never saw them again."
Trent grimaced as Wes continued. "That's just it. They did it again, to someone your age from the same shelter. They got sloppy and the victim went to the police. They've been caught and interrogated. They confessed to everything and are going away for a long time."
Katsume dropped his head to the table as an immense feeling of relief flooded through him. In the next moment, he felt a comforting hand rubbing his back. "Just to be safe, I'm going to get a restraining order against both those guys. They either leave you alone, or go to jail."
Eric grinned at the sight. "In the meantime, we'll get to work on bringing those men down the rest of the way."
When the moment was over, Rocky brought over a big plate loaded down with breakfast food. As if they could smell the food from the kitchen. The rest of the teens showed up and started to settle into the meal. The only ones not present were the Space Teens. Their parents had taken them on a two-day trip in order to give a sense of privacy to what was going to happen this day.
Conner and his father, David were the last ones to show up. it was an off day for Kira so she was fast asleep in their cottage. Tris was at her master's side as they walked into the kitchen. They both looked so different in their tribal gear.
Katsume could feel the immense power and wisdom emanating from the both of them as they walked in and began to get their own plates of food. He could feel David's assessing eyes on him as they sat down at the table.
He found he couldn't look him in the eye, so he kept his eyes on his plate as he ate.
David on the other hand looked at the boy with compassion seeing everything with his Shaman eyes. He grimaced slightly and then gave his son a nod of confirmation.
Kyle noticed and decided to help smooth out the situation. "How are you doing, Miscreant?"
At the name, Katsume looked up and a smile flashed across his face. He grinned at Kyle. "I'm good, trouble maker."
Rocky gave them all a look. "Did I miss something?"
Kyle grinned at Autumn and then at his father. "We named our crew 'The Miscreants.' We're going to make it all official tonight."
Adam walked in as they were saying this. "Miscreants…where did you guys come up with that name?"
Kyle told them as the rest of the group grinned at each other. "It's the one positive thing to come from that whole mess."
"That's my son." Rocky said with a note of pride in his voice. "You've got code names or anything like that yet?"
"Not yet. But we have time."
"So, what's next…how are you going to make it official?" Adam asked.
"We don't know just yet. We were thinking that we should do it after the cleansing ceremony, that way we can start clean."
"It's a good idea." David said thoughtfully. "Before we do any kind of smudging, everyone needs to do at least 30 minutes of meditation so that you can be fully present in the moment and able to take it all in."
"I think that after breakfast, you guys should think long and hard about it." Adam interjected. "The only thing I ask is that if any kind of bloodletting is involved that you tell me first."
The teens all looked up at him in confusion. "What? Adam asked. "It is a part of some rituals."
A few hours later
"So, I have an idea." Autumn said as the Miscreants sat in a circle near the camper.
"I'm all ears." Katsume said as they sat around eating brats they roasted on the little grill.
"Well, tonight is about rebirth, right? Leaving the old behind and embracing the new."
"Yeah?" Katsume prompted. "I don't want to be the son of a whore anymore."
"Well, fire is a symbol of destruction, but it's also a symbol of rebirth. Farmers use fire to burn fields and it makes the land more fertile…to begin again. So, what if we all write down on paper the things we want to burn away. Our worst traits and memories, things from our old lives that we want to do away with. Tonight, after the smudging, we wrap them around a stick and tie it with string and throw it in the bonfire."
"While the sticks are burning, we take on our new names and become something different?" Katsume asked.
"It sounds right to me, but if we're going to do this, no holding back." Kyle added quietly. "No one will know what we write down, so let's purge everything. Do any of you guys have anything to add?"
"I think we should add a couple drops of blood." Leif said after a few moments of silence. "We collect it in one of those small paper cups. When we go to burn the paper, we pour the blood on top of it. That way, it'll be like a physical part of us being burned away."
"It'll be exactly like dying and being reborn." Katsume said looking satisfied.
"I like that." Ranook said looking thoughtful. "I'm ready for a do-over"
Just before dusk
Katsume packed up his book bag that he'd kept by his bunk and left the trailer. Kyle had taken him aside and subtly told him that he needed to clear out his bunk for a couple days. He knew what Kyle was implying and so said nothing, not wanting any awkwardness.
He didn't really keep much in his bunk anyhow, but the one thing he kept with him was in a big manila envelope. It was his backstory and secret project for over a year before Trent had saved him. But now, he was ready to let that go. Along with his paper, he wanted to burn this reminder of his ugly past.
With his bag slung over his shoulder, he left the trailer and walked across the yard to the manor. Walking in the kitchen door, he saw that Eric and Wes were in deep discussion with two women. By their wedding rings, he figured out real fast that they were the wives.
Eric looked up seeing hearing him come through the door. "Hey there, Mr. Shen"
"It's Katsume, please."
The women looked at him in a maternal fashion and he found he couldn't meet their eyes.
"What brings you here? I thought you'd be meditating and preparing for the ceremony tonight." Wes asked.
"I'm sleeping in the manor tonight. "What's going on?"
"We're just going over some files." Eric answered looking back at his computer. "We're trying to find out what could have possibly gotten you in trouble with that asshat probation officer. There's nothing in your record that links you two."
Katsume bit his lip. "I know why."
Wes looked at him. "You do?"
He felt his face heat up. "Yeah, I've known for a while. It's not something I like to talk about…and I have proof. I was hoping to burn this during the ritual, but I guess you need it more."
"We can always make copy for you and keep the original." Jen answered softly. That way you'll still having something to burn."
Katsume nodded, and put his backpack down on the table and pulled out the manila envelope. He handed it to Eric who began to look through it.
"I just wanted to find out who I was…to be more than just a foster kid in the shelter. I should never have gone digging."
Eric scanned the records and looked up at Katsume doing his best to hide his shock.
"These are pretty extensive, how did you get a hold of state files?"
"My social worker was helping me to figure out my history. After she got them, she was hesitant and only glossed over most of it. My mother was a partier with an addiction to Ecstasy. When she got pregnant with me, she did her best to stay clean and accepted help from a catholic charity. I'm not a drug baby, but I found out that as soon as she had me, she left me at a convent and never looked back. The rest I can't talk about, because it makes me want to vomit, but it will explain everything."
Wes gave him a grave look. "You do know that your parents' mistakes don't define you, right?"
Katsume nodded softly. "That's why I need this ritual tonight. I just want a clean start."
"You'll have it." Said David as he made himself known. "That's what tonight is all about."
Katsume nodded numbly. "I'll just go start that mediation now. Gotta be ready for the ritual tonight."
David nodded as Katsume went up the stairs to the kid floor. When he was gone Trent walked into the room having heard everything. His face was guarded as he looked over the pages and then his eyes narrowed. "Sonofabitch." He said in a steely voice.
"Not just a bitch." Eric answered as he pointed out the relevant paragraph. It was the sworn statement of Katsume's mother about the incident. "She could never prove it as she died a few weeks before the trial. The charges were dropped, and that asshole got away with his crimes and became a parole officer for the LAPD. Though it may be a complete coincidence that he was assigned to Katsume, the fact that he tried so hard to destroy that boy…it makes too much sense to ignore."
This only makes me want to go through with the plan even more." Trent said. "Before I only meant to hide Katsume from that asshat by giving him my name. But knowing what I know now, it only feels more right."
"I agree." David answered. "But it is up to Katsume and I think we should hold off any talk about that until after tonight. We need him to have a clear head."
Sunset
It was time.
A small bonfire had been started out behind the dojo. The fire was crackling softly and the group of adults stood in the outer circle as if protecting what was about to happen that night.
Tommy stood next to the wooden table as Conner and David, both in their native garments, took turns wafting the smudging stick over each other. On the table were the ceremonial items that David had brought with him. A few moments before, the clay bowl the smudging stick, and the eagle feather had rested on this table, but now were in use by David who was in full shaman mode.
Tommy, Rocky, Aisha, and Adam stood in their full ninjetti regalia; Their hoods were down and so were their face masks, but their emblems shown softly in the light of the fire. Though their bodies had aged slightly, their gear still fit perfectly. Tanya couldn't help but feel like the odd girl out, her uniform was long gone, but still, she stood next to her mate in a soft yellow tank top and matching capris. Trent stood directly behind Katsume in a white linen shirt and blue jeans with his morpher on his wrist. In the same manor, the parents stood behind their kids and all were present in the moment.
The Miscreants all stood in a line waiting for their turned to be ceremonially cleansed.
Finally, David stood before them at the entrance to the circle and began to waft the smudge stick over the teenagers as he did this, he prayed softly in his native language.
Kyle was first. He was once again in his phoenix shirt and blue jeans along with his black canvas shoes. On his brow, he wore a fiery bandana and his eyes were bright and clear as he walked into the circle and stood before the fire.
Autumn followed her mate into the circle. She wore one of the more casual tops with a dragon print on the front of it along with a pair of blue jean capris and comfortable sandals. Copying her boyfriend, she wore a light purple bandana and the ring on her finger, with its opal in the center shown like a little flame in the light from the bonfire.
After her, came Katsume. His eyes were full of emotion as he entered the circle in his plain white tank top and blue jeans. He wore his black canvas shoes and a white bandana on his head.
Next was Leif. His goth clothes were gone and so was any hit of eyeliner or spiky hair. Tonight he wore a distressed black graphic t-shirt that depicted a gargoyle in a pose that suggested that he was poised to fight should a threat make itself known. These were paired with a pair of dark black jeans and black canvas shoes. Bandanas were the one thing they wore in common, his was black and rested on his brow.
Following her mate into the circle was Sapphire. Like her name suggested, she wore a Sapphire blue tank top along with a pendant baring a crescent moon. These she wore with a pair of capris and simple black sandals. Her bandana was a little different as it had little studs attached to it and in the light of the fire, they glittered like little stars on her brow. She walked into the circle and stood beside her mate.
Lastly, it was Ranook's turn. He wore a gray camouflage t-shirt and black jeans. Along with these he wore a basic grey bandana and his basic black combat boots. Hanging from his neck, his dog tags shone in the light of the blaze and he walked with purpose towards his friends and stood beside them as Conner and his father completed the circle.
David handed the smudging stick to his son who returned it to the table and set it in the bowl where the sweet-smelling smoke continued to spread its fragrance.
David walked to the center of the circle and began the ceremony.
"Tonight, is a night of rebirth. These fighters that stand before us have each been through a hard battle. As I stand before you all tonight, I can confirm that with my shaman vision I saw through to their souls and though the wounds are all healed the scars remain. Originally, I had planned to only do a ceremonial cleansing on Katsume, but now they have all joined him in a show of solidarity. In doing so, they have become their own tribe within this tribe and that is something that is rarely seen nowadays. You as parents should be very proud of them all."
"The battles they have endured have made them all stronger and now, they have asked me to oversee this ceremony that will change them from battle weary teenagers to a group of warriors reborn into something new."
Saying this, he summoned Connor towards him. As the son of the shaman, and the friend of the teenagers, he was the one that Kyle asked to be apart of the ritual. His hair was a little longer and he wore only his buckskin trousers and his tribal necklace. His tattoo was proudly displayed on his lean and muscular arm.
He walked towards Adam and held his hands out for the stick that was thick with the notebook paper that was tied around it with strands of twine. Adam simply handed the stick over and then joined hands with his wife.
Before the ceremony the teens had told him what they wanted to do, and he was going to do everything they asked of him.
"These strong young people that stand before you have written on these pages, paragraphs of negative traits they want to burn away. Before this ceremony, Adam helped them make a cut in their hands and collect small amounts of blood in sterile vials. They will pour the blood out on this stick to show the symbolic death of their old selves."
He held the stick parallel in his hands and turned to the teenagers. One after another, they opened up the vials that they kept in their pockets and poured the thick red liquid on the paper. (They were originally going with paper cups, but Adam talked them out of it and Wes provided the vials.)
"As we burn this stick with your blood upon it, your old selves with die a symbolic death."
The teens nodded and stepped back from Connor.
He turned to the fire and slowly tossed it in to the blaze. It took a minute for the flames to catch fire, but soon the stick was engulfed in fire and with it, a subtle change came over the teenagers.
Conner felt it as well and he smiled at them all.
He took the smudging stick from the table as the teens knelt on the ground. Conner wafted the stick over him and said in a soft voice. The old Kyle is gone, now. With the blessing of the spirits, you shall rise and be known as Pyre."
When Kyle stood back up, he felt the old fears burn away and a new confidence take its place. The ritual had worked!
He worked to contain his excitement as Connor moved on to his girlfriend.
The smudge stick was wafted over her and Conner spoke again. "The Old Autumn is gone. With the blessing of the spirits, rise, and be known as Wyvern!"
When Autumn rose, she felt any lingering feels of inadequacy leave her and she suddenly felt absolutely radiant! She beamed and took Kyle's hand in hers and felt his subtle shaking.
She whispered in his ear. "Not long now, my lord Phoenix." Kyle could only nod as Connor stood in front of Katsume. "The Old Katsume is gone. With the Blessing of the Spirits, rise and be known as Paladin!"
The moment Katsume stood up, the last of his shame left him and he felt a relief sweep over him. He rose with tears in his eyes and he was beaming at Connor and then at Trent whose visage mirrored his own.
On and on the ceremony went; Leif became known as Cold-stone and Sapphire became Nocturne. Out went his anger at the bullies that attacked him; with the final waft of the stick over her, she felt the last of her hesitation over this new direction of her life with Leif leave her and she felt so very positive and an equal to her lover. They would walk this new path together, no matter what was next for them!
Finally, Conner stepped in front of Ranook and he met his eyes with expectation. He lowered his gaze and listened to his voice.
"With the blessing of the spirits, rise and be known as Rookery!"
As he did, he felt the last shreds of boyhood leave him. Gone was that scared child that freaked out after the attack. Now he felt more self-confident and he would never have to pretend to be cool calm and collected again. For the first time, he felt like a real man.
Connor turned back to his father.
"The ritual is complete. I hand this over to you father."
"You have done well, my son. Go and join the others."
Connor made a small bow and stood next to Trent. David raised his hands to the sky again.
"I give thanks to the Creator who blessed this ceremony. May these warriors that stand before us be worthy of it!"
When he lowered his hands, he looked at the teenagers.
"You are reborn. You came here as wounded children now you leave as one tribe. Go in peace and celebrate, Miscreants!"
As they left the circle, two spirits appeared and soared into the sky and around each other! One was a Phoenix and the other a Dragon. They flew around each other and cried out in ethereal joy!
Adam, Tanya, Rocky, and Aisha looked up in quiet amazement. When they looked down at their offspring, they saw that look on their faces and it mirrored their own as well as the subtle trembling from way back in the day. They immediately knew what it meant.
Adam grimaced in understanding. "I guess any celebration will have to wait."
Tanya put an arm around him. "Then we better leave them to it. We can talk once this thing is over. Come on, my love. Let's go back to the manor, I'll take care of you tonight."
Rocky looked at Aisha. "I didn't think it would happen so soon. But they are the offspring of the Ninjetti."
Aisha rested her head on his shoulder. "There's nothing much to say to this, we knew this might happen soon; it is the reason we got them their own place. Let's just take this party inside, I trust that our son is prepared for this. It's between them now."
The teens stood in a circle. Kyle was fighting the need to claim his mate, but it would be rude to just walk away from his crew without at least saying goodnight.
They let a moment pass before Leif smirked at them. "I guess we'll see you on the flip side. Have a good night!"
As they walked off on their own towards the trailer, Kyle could feel his mate's trembling; he could feel his own trembling and it got stronger as they entered their domain.
Once they came up for air…everything had changed.
Katsume and Trent stood before the fire, as David completed the smudging ritual and buried the final ashes from the herbs into the earth.
Connor stood a little way off, ready to put out the bonfire. "If you're going to do it, now's the time."
Trent nodded and handed Katsume the copies of the papers from before in another manila envelope. "Do it, Son."
Katsume took the papers and after a moment's pause, threw the envelope into the fire and together, they watched it burn.
As I said in the last chapter, I don't write smut involving couples under 18 years old. So there'll be nothing lemony involving Kyle and Autumn right now. Maybe once they're older, but that's not going to happen for a while.
In writing this story, I didn't plan on making that asshat probation officer Katsume's possible sire. But it's the only thing that makes sense. I'm not saying that he is, since Katsume's mother was an addict and slept with many men. But in that idiot's mind, he might think so.
Anyhow, if you liked the chapter, please leave a review!
I'm gonna take a few days to relax after this long chapter. But as soon as I'm rested, I'll start work on the next one!
See you all soon!