The standard disclaimers apply.
Chapter Two: Something In My HouseOne of these days, I have got to organize this whole "getting home" thing, Rowen Hashiba thought. Juggling two full grocery bags while trying to find his house keys was tougher than it looked. Funny, he mused wryly. I can take down Dynasty Warlords, I can fight the greatest evils ever unleashed on the mortal world, I can help avert an apocalypse, for crying out loud. So why can't I find my stupid keys?
A lock of his bright blue hair fell into his indigo eyes and he shook it aside with an exasperated sigh, finally admitting defeat in the battle with his groceries. He set the bags down on the porch and located his keys in the pocket of his jeans. Unlocking the door, he picked up his bags and walked into the house.
Rowen could not help the small thrill of pride he felt every time he entered his new home. He knew he could have simply found an apartment in town, one that would have been closer to the university, but he wanted something a bit more…homelike. When he had found the old townhouse in this quiet suburb, he had known at once that it was his dream home. It wasn't tremendously big, and it certainly wasn't Japanese, but it was just what he wanted. The day he had signed the final papers and received the house keys had been one of the happiest days of his life.
Humming softly to himself, Rowen set the groceries on the kitchen counter and began to sort through the contents. Let's see, the salad mix should go in the fridge, and I need to start on the lasagna. Where did I put the dressing? He bustled about the kitchen, setting out what he needed as neatly as if he were performing surgery. Silently he thanked whatever higher power there was for the fact that he had taken Cye up on those cooking lessons all those years ago. Tonight he was fixing a very special meal --- his first dinner party in the new house.
As he slid the lasagna into the oven, Rowen's eye fell on a cream-and-gold card tacked to his refrigerator. His smile widened as he read:
Ms. Carey Rosa Navarro
and
Mr. Sage Philip Date
request the honor of your presence
as they exchange marriage vows
Saturday, May 23, 1998
at five o'clock in the evening
Church of the Sacred Heart
So much has changed, Rowen mused. He remembered when they had first become the Ronin Warriors --- five very different teenage boys, faced with a destiny they didn't really understand and were not entirely sure they wanted. He remembered the battles, the horrors, the dark days when he had wondered if they would ever have the chance to be like everyone else, if they would even survive to see another day. It was hard and it was brutal and there were times when we all just wanted to give up…but survive we did, and look at us now. Sage is getting married, I'm a homeowner, Cye is becoming one of the top experts in the field of Marine Biology, Kento is making noises about becoming a police officer, and Ryo is working with the animals he's always loved. We finally have the normal lives we always wanted, and, yeah…it was all worth it.
Suddenly the lights went out, plunging the kitchen into darkness. Startled, Rowen felt his hand brush the edge of a hot saucepan, and he jerked it back with a muffled curse. "Oh, great," he muttered, groping along the edge of the counter. Fumbling through a drawer, he pulled out a flashlight and shined it around the dim kitchen. "Must have blown a fuse. Why does stuff like this always happen at the worst possible time?" Grumbling, Rowen headed for the basement, noting in irritation that the rest of the house was dark as well. Note to self, he thought, put extra fuses on next shopping list.
At the top of the basement stairs, Rowen reached for the light switch and flicked it upward, expecting light to fill the pitch-dark room. Nothing happened. Now severely annoyed, Rowen moved the switch up and down several times, but the basement stayed dark. This doesn't make sense. I can't have blown all the fuses at the same time. He knew the house needed a little work, but not that much. Muttering curses beneath his breath, he stomped down the stairs and into the basement.
A sudden noise stopped him in his tracks. Rowen froze. "Who's there?" he called out. His old Ronin Warrior instincts were on full alert, making him very aware that he was in an extremely dark, windowless basement with no weapon but a plastic flashlight. "Show yourself!"
A movement in one corner caught his eye. Rowen whirled, shining the flashlight beam in that direction. The beam illuminated the washer and the fuse box, but there was no sign of anything unusual. "Must have been a mouse," he murmured, more to reassure himself than anything else. "Guess I need to call the exterminator tomorrow."
"Rowen."
The sound of his name made Rowen jump about a foot. He whirled sharply, ready to bash the intruder with his flashlight if he had to. Then he saw who had spoken, and he sagged with relief. "Ryo?"
Ryo Sanada stepped into the circle of weak light. "Oh, man, you scared the hell out of me," Rowen breathed. "What are you doing down here?"
"You thought it was over, didn't you?" Ryo said tonelessly. "It's not over yet."
"What are you talking about?" Rowen asked, puzzled. Then his face lightened. "Oh, I get it. This is some sort of weird housewarming prank. Okay, you got me. So where are the others?"
"It can never be over because of what you are," Ryo said, as if he were explaining something to a rather slow-witted child. "I've been looking for you…for all of you…for a very long time."
Rowen had no idea what Ryo was talking about. "Ryo, you're not making sense. Come on, buddy, tell me what you did to the fuse box, or was it the circuit breaker? I promise I won't get mad. Just let me turn the lights on, and --- "
The heavy wrench came out of nowhere, smashing into Rowen's hand and sending his flashlight flying. Rowen cried out in pain, clutching his injured hand. The flashlight rolled away, leaving only the dimmest of illumination. "Ryo, what the hell is wrong with you?" Rowen demanded. "What are you doing?"
The wrench swung again, and Rowen just barely managed to get out of the way. "The armors made you what you are," Ryo murmured, his face expressionless. "But they can't protect you anymore…not from me." He swung the wrench in a lethal arc at Rowen's head.
Rowen ducked and began to stumble backwards, cradling his bruised hand to his chest. "Okay, this isn't funny anymore," he stammered, his mind racing. I'm trapped in a very dark basement, unarmed and hurt, and my friend has gone psychotic on me. I have two choices: I can stay and try to fight him off with the hand he didn't break, or I can run like hell and hope I can reach the stairs before he reaches me. The wrench missed him by a fraction. Yeah, option two looks pretty good right about now.
Rowen turned and ran for the stairs, desperately hoping he was headed the right way. He tripped over the first step and nearly fell, but quickly righted himself and scrambled frantically up the steps. Behind him he head the soft, deadly swish as Ryo swung the wrench in ever-widening arcs; ahead of him he saw the faintly lighter opening that led to the first floor of the house. Almost there, he thought wildly, just a few more steps ---
He heard himself scream as the cold hand latched onto his ankle with a merciless grip. He felt his feet go out from under him, and he felt an instant of blinding pain as his head hit the stair tread.
Then he didn't feel anything at all.