Return of Rowen

Chapter 4 - Letters

By Rowen

Sage stood in the doorway of Rowen's room debating whether to enter or not. It had been two days since Rowen had learned of his true power- power that the Dynasty

would stop at nothing to obtain. Since then, Sage had noticed some changes in his best friend. Subtle changes- so subtle the other Ronin Warriors hadn't noticed. Rowen was

becoming more and more reclusive, spending hours in seclusion brooding. When Rowen was with the others, he did everything he could to make the others happy, no matter

how much it inconvenienced him. Rowen's nature was caring and selfless, but things were getting excessive. It was as if Rowen felt that he was a threat to his friends and

avoided them in order to protect them, while feeling that he had to prove that he was still their friend. But he didn't need to. Rowen was the best friend anyone could ask for.

"Why Rowen? Why do you blame yourself for what isn't your fault? Come back to us. We miss your laughter and company," thought Sage as he looked out the window of the

room, watching the stars emerge one by one. He slowly turned his gaze to Rowen, whom sat at his desk writing.

"Hey Rowen! What are you doing?" greeted Sage as Rowen turned around from his desk.

"Hey Sage! I'm not doing much. Just writing," he replied as he folded some pieces of paper and put them in an envelope.

"Letter to your dad?" asked Sage, leaning against the wall.

"No. Sage there's something I need to tell you. It's hard for me to ask this of you, because I know how hard it will be for you to do what I ask, but I must," he said.

"What do you mean?" asked Sage. "No!" he cried, suddenly realizing what Rowen had to say and what was in the letters.

"I'm sorry Sage, but you've got to promise me. If the only way to stop the Dynasty is to hurt me, you've got to do it," said Rowen.

"I can't do it," protested Sage.

"Ryo made that sacrifice, and we were ready to as well. It may be the only way to save the world," he insisted.

"But," started Sage. He stopped, hanging his head in defeat. He knew Rowen was right, and that if he were in Rowen's position he would do the same. "Rowen, I will do as

you ask, but only if we have to," he relented.

"Thanks. I guess I should tell the others," said Rowen.

"Yeah. I'll come with you," said Sage as Rowen rose from his desk.

"You mean the thought's never crossed your mind?" asked Kento in astonishment.

"No," answered Cye.

"Kento does have a point, Cye. It's possible that Rowen's turned against us. You saw how he attacked me and was ready to kill Sage," argued Ryo.

"But he was under the Dynasty's control," countered Cye.

"Then why couldn't he resist them? He could against Talpa!" Kento pointed out. Cye groaned and Kento said ,"Look, all I'm trying to say is that there's a possibility that

Rowen's not on our side any more."

"The way you talk it sounds like more than just a possibility!" retorted Cye.

"And with this new power of his there's,"

"Guys, there's someth..." started Rowen as he entered Ryo's room.

"...no telling what Rowen might do to us!" Ryo practically shouted.

"What was that?" asked Kento as their conversation was interrupted with a loud crash.

Ryo gasped as he saw Rowen backed up against the wall, tears streaming down his face. "Oh my, God!" he stammered, but he turned and ran down the hallway.

"Rowen!" called Sage as he ran after his friend.

"Guys? What's going on up there?" asked Mia from the den. She had been working at her computer trying to find learn more about Rowen's new armor until she had been

interrupted by the loud noises from upstairs. "This doesn't look good," she sighed as she watched Rowen run out the front door.

"What did I do?" asked Kento.

"Kento, you just can't keep your mouth shut sometimes, can you?" muttered Cye as he got up from his seat. "What's this? Letters to us, from Rowen?" He opened his and

began reading.

"Ryo! Kento! What is going on in here? And who broke this vase?" asked Mia, her hands on her hips as she stood in the doorway.

"It's my fault," said Ryo guiltily. "We were just talking."

"Just talking?" she asked suspiciously.

"Not exactly," admitted Kento.

"We were talking about whether Rowen was still on our side or not," explained Ryo.

"How can you two even question Rowen's loyalty? You especially, Ryo! I can't tell you how many times he's nearly gotten killed trying to save you from the Dynasty! The past

few days he's tried so hard to show you that he's still your friend- not sleeping in till one in the afternoon so nobody has to wake him up, going shopping with me so you

wouldn't have to, Kento, and playing with Yuli so you could have sometime alone, Ryo. I could go on and on! He needs your support more than ever right now!" shouted Mia.

Before Mia could continue, she was stopped by a soft cry from behind.

"Rowen... I'm so sorry," she heard a voice whisper. She turned to see Cye kneeling on the ground. His sea-green eyes were misty and he held a few sheets of paper in his

hands.

"What is it, Cye?" she asked.

"What are you looking at, Cye?" asked Ryo as he joined Mia in the hall.

"Hey, what are these?" wondered Kento as he picked up three envelopes that were scattered on the floor. Cye said nothing but gave Mia the letter he had been reading.

"Here, Ryo," said Kento, handing him an envelope.

"Guys, what's going on?" asked Yuli sleepily, emerging from his room at the commotion. "Where are Sage and Rowen?" He surveyed the scene trying to find out what Ryo,

Kento, Cye, and Mia were doing. "It must be important, or Mia would have told me to go back to bed by now. But if something's come up, why aren't Sage and Rowen

here?" he pondered.

Rowen ran down the brick path leading to the lake, not stopping until he reached the end of the dock. He collapsed against the railing, his body quaking with each sob.

"Rowen," said Sage gently as he went to his friend.

"I'm sorry, Sage. Ryo and Kento are right. I am a tr..."

"No! Don't say that! You're not a traitor," cut in Sage.

"You saw what I did to them, and what I was ready to do to you," continued Rowen.

"It wasn't you, Rowen. It was the Dynasty. They put you under a spell and forced you to do what they wanted. It wasn't by your free will. I know you would never hurt your

friends. No matter what you do under the Dynasty's control, I will always trust and believe in you," comforted Sage.

"Then why do Ryo and Kento feel that I'm evil? And why do I question where my loyalty lies?" asked Rowen.

"It's part of your nature. You're undyingly faithful to those you care about, and you feel guilty because you've hurt us, even when it wasn't your fault. That shows your true

colors, Rowen. If you didn't care about us, you wouldn't blame yourself for what happened," he explained. He smiled and continued, "It's how you've always been- starting

from day one."

[flashback]

"Class, today we have a new student. Please welcome Rowen Hashiba," announced Mrs. Omoto. "Why don't you sit next to Sage Date? Sage raise your hand," she directed.

Sage did as she asked, but Rowen hesitated. He stood for a moment looking at Sage. He wore a crisp white shirt and brown pants. His hair was blond and neatly combed

over his right eye. Rowen froze even stiller as he looked into Sage's left eye, feeling its fierceness. Suddenly, Rowen felt himself walking toward the boy. When he looked into

Sage's eye he now felt its warmth. Finally he sat down at the desk next to Sage's.

"Hi! I'm Sage," he said in a friendly voice, trying to make his new classmate feel at ease.

"Hi... I'm Rowen," replied Rowen quietly. Sage looked at the blue-haired boy for a moment. He was so timid. It seemed as if the boy was afraid of something. But what? Sage

knew that it was Rowen's first day at Han'a Elementary, but sensed the fear went deeper than the new surroundings. He could feel pain- loneliness coming from Rowen. "I

should try to become friends with him," thought Sage as he watched Rowen fidgeting nervously in his chair.

"Where are you from?" he asked.

"Osaka," answered Rowen.

"Why did you move to Toyoma?" inquired Sage.

"My parents got divorced. My mother and I moved here after that," answered Rowen.

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Sage.

"It's hard, but I'm getting used to it," said Rowen. He stooped suddenly. For some reason, he felt close to Sage, even though it had only been a few minutes since they had

become acquainted.

"Sage! Please do not disturb your classmate! You will have to stay after class!" snapped a voice causing Rowen to nearly jump out of his seat.

"Mrs. Omoto, don't punish Sage. It was my fault," he burst, but his words fell on deaf ears. "I'm sorry I got you in trouble," apologized Rowen.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just want to be your friend," said Sage.

"Really? Even after?" he asked in astonishment.

"Yes, Rowen," he replied...

[end of flashback]

"I still remember that expression on your face. You felt so bad that I had to stay after class. You thought that it was your fault, I got in trouble, but it wasn't. See? You've

always been that way- always caring about other people," said Sage. Rowen nodded. "Now come on, the others are probably worried about us," he finished. As they turned

to return to the house, footsteps pounded down the dock. The two looked up to see Ryo, Kento, Cye, Mia, and Yuli running toward them. Ryo stopped a few feet away from

Rowen, his eyes moist with tears. He slowly walked to Rowen and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Rowen. I'm sorry," Ryo started his voice cracking.

"Yeah, me too. It was stupid of us to think that you were a traitor. Can you forgive us?" Kento said solemnly.

Rowen smiled at them and said, "Yes."

"We'll do everything we can to make sure that you don't have to sacrifice yourself to save the world," added Ryo.

"Thanks," replied Rowen, letting his friends embrace him. He glanced into the sky, watching the stars brightly twinkle. "Isn't this beautiful?" he asked.

"Yes, it sure is, Rowen. I wish it could last forever," agreed Ryo.