I made it to chapter 2! This one has less comedy than the first and more action. The way I do the memory sequence is pretty odd (Gomen!) but hopefully this will help sort out the confusion…
Italics = Thought
Gray words = A memory
Gray italics = Thoughts that took place during the memory
Thx to everyone who reviewed chapter one!
{I don't own anything worth suing me over, so put any thoughts of cash from me out the window. And if I DO ever wind up owning the Ronins you can bet the three OAV's would be on Cartoon Network faster than Kento at an all you can eat restaurant}
Rowen smiled yet again as he congratulated himself on getting someone to make dinner. Even better, he'd gotten Cye to make dinner. Cye was the best cook Rowen had ever met, no, the best cook any of them had ever met. Getting him to cook was the perfect end to any type of day.
It's so easy though. A cold breeze hit Rowen causing him to shiver a little. He zipped up the front of his blue windbreaker and looked around. It was nearing the end of October and the days were becoming cooler and shorter. The sun was just starting to set over the lake in front of Mia's home.
The light from the setting sun was magnificent. The sun was still a bright circle hovering what seemed a few inches above the lake, casting a perfect reflection of itself into the water. Rowen reached up a hand to shade his eyes and smiled a little at how golden his skin looked in the light.
Rowen walked around the lake at first, then turned to a path that went between the trees of the forest and a stream from the lake. Walking like this, I always feel so peaceful. And at the same time… He drew a deep breath and looked above to the darkening sky. A slight shudder ran through his body. It brings the memories back.
"Armor of Strata!" the world spun away and only the stars were real. The armor formed a piece at a time. Once the transformation was complete he stood again in the world of the real, only now power flowed in his arms. Always the memories come while I walk… It is the only way my mind can remind me everything that happened was real.
PAIN! The sound of laughter… Kyura! Metallic faces staring down, weapons raised. Down they came. More pain, can't breath. Now the memories began to seize control. Faces, warlords, laughter, Talpa, Ryo, Sage, pain, armor, power, it's swirling. Rowen clutched his head in pain. Too much. Why so fast? They never come so fast. Not all at once!
Faster they came. Talpa's voice, "Give up. You can not control me… I control you!" Ryo! He was raising his bow to Ryo! No! Not Ryo, don't make me please! Ryo looking up in wonder, "Rowen?" ARROW SHOCK WAVE!!! Ryo screaming in confusion and pain. The pain… I feel it?! Rowen lowered to the ground moaning in pain. What's wrong with me?? No!!! Make it stop! Enemy, destroy, Life Force, Cye, Kento, Ancient, Anubis. The intensity grew. Rowen slumped to the ground in agony, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Blackness.
Kento's eyes reflected the oven. The oven reflected Kento sitting at the table, looking very bored with his head resting on his folded arms. His head slumped lower. He blew a strand of hair off of his nose. Finally he could bear it no longer.
Cye will never even notice… All I need to do is make sure he stays occupied, heh heh, and then they're all mine. The timer above the stove read 0:05. Kento had been patient. Cye hadn't had to hit him with the spoon since 0:10. Now it was time to get a reward for his good behavior.
"Let's see. A distraction... A distraction… Hmm. Yes, that will do nicely. Excellent," said Kento as he tapped his fingers like Mr.Burns.
"OH MY STARS! I CAN'T BELEVE MIA BROUGHT HOME SEAFOOD WITHOUT TELLING ANYONE! THERE SHE GOES NOW!"
"MIIIIIAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!" bellowed Cye.
"That should do it." Kento whispered as he ran quietly for the oven. Kento put on the brakes and he skidded to a stop in front of the oven. Panting from fear, and from moving at the speed of light, he opened the oven door a crack.
DANGER! Kento leaped just a second ahead of the frying pan. It hit the floor in a loud crash. Kento looked up from his crouch quickly. Standing several feet away there was a terrible red aura emanating from Cye, his arm still stretched out from when he released the pan. Kento did what he did every time this happened.
"AHHHHHHHHH!"
To Kento's credit he dodged the cauldron nicely, did a beautiful flip over the metal sieve, and even ducked several BOILING balls of water (when Cye is mad, water is mad). Sadly, he failed to notice the tree when he turned around to stick his tongue out.
BAM. And down he went. "Fool," muttered Cye, then as the aura faded, "And stay out of my kitchen!" SLAM. Cye didn't usually slam doors, but this was different. Because of Kento the taquitos had been done for three minutes and now they were over cooked. Cye would have wept, but he took consolation in the fact that he'd locked the door on the way in and dinner was being served without Kento. "I wonder where Rowen's gotten to. He's never late for dinner unless he's reading," Cye wondered aloud. Ryo looked up from his meal, "When did you last see him Cye?" "Just as he left for a walk. About an hour ago." Sage drank some water and swallowed before speaking, (a skill that most of the house hold lacks), "Did he have a book with him?" "I don't think so," answered Cye.
Mia turned to Sage, "Sage, has anything been bothering him lately? Maybe he needed to work off a little steam, you know?" "You are his closest friend Sage. What do you think?" asked Ryo. Sage stared down at his plate in deep concentration. Aside from a pillow fight over the cute girl at the mall before bed, nothing about Rowen stuck out in his memory. He seemed perfectly Rowen.
"Nothing… Nothing comes to mind. But then, Rowen isn't known for 'sharing' his feelings. If something is bothering him, then he likes to work it out on his own and not let on that he's upset. He can be complicated at times, but that's what's really unique about Rowen. He's as complex as those problems he solves. Sometimes more so…" Sage snapped his head up and grinned. "Rowen's anything but dumb. If he needed us, he'd come to us. So maybe he found a cute hiker and they're watching the stars." Everyone fell down with sweat drops.
"Come now, be serious! He's no Casanova like you Sage." Mia said. The smiles appeared around the table. "Hey, haven't we forgotten something here?" Cye asked.
I won't beg you too review… yet… Next chapter, what everyone forgot!