Sorry, if it seems angsty.

Chapter Twenty Four

Kento groaned as a commotion woke him from his nap. He didn't even remember falling asleep, but being anemic, injured, and just laying in bed must have made it easy. He groaned as regained some cognitive ability and looked around. The commotion was coming from down stairs, so he slowly got up. He was being far more careful than he was earlier, he didn't want to be chewed out again. He slowly walked down the stairs, and fuming Mia sitting in her recliner.

Ryo was trying to calm her down, "Mia, I'm sure she'll bring it back."

Mia rolled her eyes up at Kento, "you didn't tell me she was a thief."

"What," he asked in a clueless manner.

Ryo sighed, Mia had obviously been chewing him out for some time, "she hot wired Mia's car."

Kento laughed, but winced from his wound, "I don't know what they taught her in the military."

"She socked both Sage and Kayura pretty hard too," Ryo sighed softly. "She has a bit of a temper."

"Not normally, what did Sage say," Kento paused as Yuli came in.

"Nakano Sensei is not normally like that," he insisted with Kento's comment.

"I don't think you know your teacher too well," Mia said with a roll of her eyes. "Where's Sekh and Kale? You're supposed to be watching them after that incident with the microwave."

Kento wish he had been awake for that, but Yuli said, "it's fine. They're 'nursing' Kayura."

"So where is hoshi," Kento asked and Ryo shrugged.

"Sage and Cye went after her," he said with a pause. "No offense, Kento, but she's really starting to bug me. We haven't been a team once since you brought her into the picture."

"Don't you dare blame Sensei," Yuli fumed but Ryo just rubbed the hair out of his face. "You guys haven't been a team far before that."

Ryo turned his blue eyes to the young man who seemed to be speaking honestly, "Yuli?"

"Look, I'm sad about Ro too," he paused, "but you guys were already going your own ways when Suzunagi gave your armors back. Why do you think I stopped bothering you guys?"

"Bothering," Ryo asked and Mia looked away, she knew where Yuli was going with his comment.

"Yeah, bothering," he replied crossing his arms. "After we went Africa, it was like you guys were 'free' to be yourselves again. I was happy for you, but it was like you had nothing in common anymore even after Suzunagi gave you back the armors."

Ryo starred at the young man who was visibly irritated with him. He remembered when he was a kid, and how he used to make him cry at times. He wondered if that affected anything he had said. Sure, they had grown up a bit and went on with their own lives but wasn't that the purpose of winning those battles? So they could go on with their normal lives?

Ryo nodded, "you're right, Yuli."

Kento frowned as he sat down slowly, "can we clear up drama later?"

Mia gave him a look that could kill, "look who's talking. You bring a girl into it."

Kento was fed up now, "do I hear some jealousy in there, Mia?"

She frowned, "jealous of what exactly?"

"You tell me," he shrugged painfully but it wasn't as painful as laughing.

She took a deep breath, and she noticed Ryo was watching her, "remember how I went chasing after you guys in the beginning? I had a kid, and a tiger, and some scrap of a poem to hold me all together. What does she have? She had you and Rowen to hold onto, but now its just you, and you're playing Batman. You're not immortal, Kento. I didn't have armor, and I knew that when I went up to an active Volcano."

Ryo was quiet, and caught Kento's eyes. Mia's words were harsh, but true. He looked to Yuli, who was looking uncomfortable. He sighed, "okay, Kento. Let's go after her as well, we need to be working as a team. Like we did when Mia was looking for us."

Yuli reached into his pocket, and pulled out the black orb of Owari and the orb of Strata, "she forgot these."

Kento took them into his hand and asked, "are you coming along?"

"I can't," he snorted, "I'm too big to ride on your shoulders, and White Blaze was my only ride."

Mia snorted at his comment as the two men laughed but Kento ended up wincing again. Ryo nodded, "can you guys do me a favor? Can you see if your grandfather had anything on this red kingdom, Mia?"

She nodded as watched Ryo help Kento up and they started out the door. She looked at Yuli with a deep sigh, and he gave her a big smile. He suggested as he heard the front door slam, "at least I can read well enough to give you a hand this time."

"Come on," she said with a roll of her eyes. "You're learning to be a smart ass like them."