Disclaimer: Oh joy…legal stuff. All right…I do not own the Ronin Warriors…but god, I wish I did.
Chapter Two
~ The Five Elements ~
By: Lady Ava
The next few weeks of school seemed to go as smoothly as possible. The five teens became close friends and did pretty much everything together. Not one of them had ever had such a strong bond with a group of friends before, with made it all the better of them.
Ryo had been having strange dreams ever since he met his four new friends. It was always the same thing. A figure shrouded in darkness stood before him, whispering something to him. Although the words had been almost inaudible, Ryo seemed to understand him. But he would always awake with a start from these dreams and would never be able to get back to sleep.
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That day during Chemistry class, Rowen and Ryo had to be lab partners for an experiment. Since it was late December, the class had to do the experiment inside, although to their teacher's dismay. "Although we should be doing this outdoors, I feel there is no time like the present to do this experiment." The woman educator told her students happily. She had long curly red hair that was pulled up into a high ponytail. Her white lab coat was a bit ash stained from previous experiments and her clouded goggles sat squarely on top of her head.
Leaning over to Ryo, Rowen whispered, "She sounds like Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus. I find the resemblance uncanny."
"Is there something you would like to share with the class, Mr. Rowen?" The woman asked, interrupting her class.
Turning a bright shade of red, the blue haired boy simply shook his head. "No Miss Kero."
"Good. Now, everyone get started!" She sang as the students began to talk and work.
Ryo placed his goggles over his eyes. "Nice save…" He told his friend in a sarcastic tone.
Rowen turned up the collar to his lab coat. "Hey I can't help it if I'm just slick like that." He shot back.
Looking over the directions, Ryo sweatdropped. "Um…I'm already lost." He sighed.
Grabbing the instructions from his friend, Rowen looked them over quickly. Then he smiled at Ryo. "It's simple. All we have to do is mix the two acids over the burner for three minutes at 45 degrees. Then add in just three drops of the correct bases in others for the balloon to fill with the gas needed to inflate it." The genius blurted out.
"Oh yea…Real easy." Ryo's sarcastic tone stated once again.
Rowen rolled his eyes. "Just let me handle it. You read the instructions." The adolescent told his friend.
As they moved into the experiment, Ryo sighed. Looking out the window that was next to the lab table, his thoughts began to wonder. 'That monk with the staff in my dream. What does it mean?' Resting his head onto his arms, the youth began to remember his dream.
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A man stood before him in an ancient shrine. The walls were lined with old samurai armor that was left over from the feudal days of ancient Japan. Tall cold stone pillars supported the roof over his head as he stood there, in front of the mysterious man. The figure stood within the shadows of the temple. His facial features hidden under the rim of a large hat that he wore. Within his hand, he held a staff. It was gold on the top with, what appeared to be, blackened wood on the bottom.
As Ryo stood there, a giant fire spun up from the large stone alter behind the man. 'This is your element, Wildfire.' The figure stated, his voice echoing.
'Wildfire?' Ryo asked as he took a few steps forward. 'I don't understand.'
'You will…' With those as his last words, the figure vanished.
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"Ryo? Ryo?" Rowen's voice echoed through Ryo's mind. "Wake up!" It said softly but at the same time harshly.
The black haired teen slowly began to become aware of his surroundings once again. A splash of cold water suddenly came across his face. Shaking his head, Ryo shot his head up from the lab table. Looking over next to him, he saw Rowen standing there, holding a small beaker that was still a bit full of water. "Dude, what the hell? Why did you do that?" Ryo asked angrily.
Placing the beaker onto the lab table, Rowen turned back towards the experiment. "Because you fell asleep." The youth stated simply.
"Ya know, you could of just smacked the back of my head, ya know." Ryo stated as he stood from the stool.
Looking away from the experiment again, Rowen told his friend harshly, "And get a detention? No way!"
"Rowen, I think you should watch what you're doing." Ryo suggested as his friend grabbed a beaker full of the wrong chemical.
"Why? I know exactly what I'm doing." The blue haired youth explained, sounding extremely confident.
As Rowen poured one drop of the bluish chemical into the beaker over the flames, a loud bubbling began from inside. Looking into the bubbling concoction, the teenagers watched it begun to rumble. Suddenly, it exploded, covering Rowen and Ryo in a thick layer of ash.
"What happened? What did you two boys do?" Miss Kero screamed as she and the rest of the class ran over to the two teens.
Hacking from the smoke, Ryo and Rowen removed their goggles. "I told you Rowen. You should have been watching what you were doing." Ryo stated, removing his gloves.
"Well, if you hadn't fallen asleep, than nothing like this would have happened." Rowen shot back.
"I don't care whose fault it is!" Miss Kero shouted, causing the two teens to stop fighting. "Both of you…to the principal's office. For sleeping and for causing an explosion in class."
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The two minors sat outside the principal's office, still in their lab coats. They looked like they had just come back from a rough battle. Both of the youth's hair had been messed up even more than usual. Their faces where covered in ash and so were their lab coats, the bottoms of the jeans, and their shoes. They had their, now tinted gray, goggles hanging around their necks as they sat there.
"I can't believe she sent us to the principal's office." Ryo sighed running his hand through his hair, causing some of the ash to fall from his hair and onto his shoulder.
Looking over at his friend, Rowen grinned through his blackened face. "Hey, I've done that more than once. The principal knows my name by heart." The teen joked.
As they continued to sit there, the door to the principal's main office opened with creepy squeak. A plump women with white hair and large round glasses walked out and over to the two teens. She was carrying a clipboard and kept murmuring under her breath about something. Finally, she removed her eyes from the notes and looked at the two adolescences. "Sanada, Ryo?" She asked.
Standing from his seat, Ryo bowed. "That's me." He told the woman softly.
"The principal will see you now." She explained, pointing to the door.
Gulping, the black haired teen headed towards the door. Looking behind him, he saw Rowen stand and smile. "Don't worry Ryo. You'll be just fine." He shouted as his friend walked into the office.
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The principal's office had to be one of the nicest rooms in the entire school. The walls were lined with oak paneling and there was a fireplace against the back wall behind the desk. There were large windows that stretched up to the ceiling. In the center of the room, a wooden desk that matched the walls was placed.
Behind the desk, a large burly man sat in the large chair. He had the beginnings of a dark beard that matched his hair perfectly. His black business suit was neat and pressed and his matching tie was perfectly straight. Looking up from his paperwork, the man smiled. "Ah, Mr. Sanada. Come in. Come in." He stated happily.
Walking away from the door, Ryo sat in the chair that was provided for him. As the principal finished writing a few things, he sat there silently. Finally, the man spoke. "Ryo, why did you fall asleep in class?"
"I didn't mean to. It was a complete accident." Ryo stated quickly.
Looking up from his work, the principal looked at the teen with a great compassion. "Is the class too hard for you? Or maybe it is too easy? Whatever it is, you can tell me." The man stated, a calming grin spreading across his harsh features.
Looking away, Ryo sighed. "I've had trouble sleeping for the past few days. I keep have nightmares."
"About what?"
Ryo stared at his principal. 'Oh yea. Like I'm gonna tell him that this freaky ancient guy keeps appearing before me and calls me Wildfire. That's a laugh.' He thought, smiling.
"What about Ryo?" The principal repeated, a bit more firmly this time.
Quickly, the teen thought of a lie. "I keep watching these horror flicks late at night. That is what probably is triggering them." He said casually.
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Rowen, Kento, Sai, and Sage sat outside the Principal's office. The others were on their way home for the day and had seen Rowen sitting outside the office, looking pretty concerned.
"So, how long has he been in there?" Kento asked, yawning loudly.
Looking over from the door, the still ash covered teen sighed. "Almost a half an hour. I wonder what's happening?"
"He couldn't have gotten in that much trouble for sleeping in class." Sai told simply.
Suddenly, the door creaked opened. Jumping to their feet, expecting to see the Head Master walk out, the four youths sighed when they saw Ryo emerge from the office.
"Dude, there you are. What took so long?" Kento asked, hitting Ryo hard on his back.
Catching his footing, the black haired teenager smiled. " I was just given a lecture on why I shouldn't stay up so late and how important it is to stay awake during class." Ryo stated, crossing his arms.
"Yea, I always get the same speech from him when I fall asleep in class." Kento stated understandingly.
"What are you boys still doing here? It's late you know." The principal told the five teens suddenly, causing them to jump.
Turning, the adolescents came face to face with the Head Master. "Sir, we had no idea. We're really sorry. We were waiting for our friends so that we could walk home together." Sai explained, trying to sound completely innocent.
"Mr. Mouri, I understand you and your friends wanted to walk home together, but it is now getting late. I suggest you leave now so that your families don't scold you for being late for dinner." The principal told the teens firmly.
Bowing, the five boys said in unison. "Yes sir." As the youths straightened up again, the principal smiled. "Now, off with ya. Get on home now. After all, it is Friday."
As the teens bowed again and turned to walk away, the man's strong hand came down upon Rowen's shoulder. "All except for you, Rowen. There is still the little incident with the 17th Science Lab explosion you have caused this year alone."
Sweatdropping, Rowen turned and headed into the principal's office muttering. "Yes sir."
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When Sage arrived home, he was greeted by the smell of something good coming from the kitchen. After removing his shoes, coat, and backpack, the teen followed the scent down the hallway. Upon reaching the doorway that lead to the kitchen, Sage sighed. "Man mom. That smells good."
A short brown haired woman turned from the stove and smiled. "Why thank you Sage dear. Your sister helped me cook it." She stated.
Looking past his mother, another young girl stood next to her. She was a bit shorter than Sage with the same brown hair as he and his mother. Her blue eyes met her brother's and then turned back to the stove. "That's right. I helped too." The young girl of nine stated, a proud grin on her face.
Rolling his eyes, Sage returned the grin. Then, looking back at his mother, the teen asked. "May I go to the dojo until dinner is ready?"
Looking up from the stove, Mrs. Date smiled sweetly. "Okay honey. I'll have Setine go down to get you when dinner is ready."
Setine frowned at her brother. "Why do you always have to go and do that dumb little meditation thingy after school? It's so stupid." The girl told to her mother and older sibling.
"Setine! You say you're sorry to your brother." Mrs. Date scolded.
Sage placed a hand onto his mother's shoulder. "It's okay mom. She'll understand when she gets older." Then, kissing his mother on the cheek, he murmured, "I'll be back in time for dinner. Don't worry, I'm starving."
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Upon arriving down at the dojo, Sage removed his shoes and placed on his dojo sandals. Then, closing the door quietly behind him, he walked down the hallway towards the meditation room. The shrine was quiet as usual at this time of night. The sounds of the city seemed to disappear as soon as Sage entered the temple.
Walking past his grandfather's room, Sage stopped and slid the door opened. "Grandfather, I'm going to meditate. Please tell me when my sister shows up?" He asked the old man.
Grandfather Date sat at a small table, sipping at some tea. Looking up at his grandson, he smiled. "For course. Go on." The man said with a grin.
Bowing, Sage slid the door shut and continued down to the room that he had been in earlier that day. Opening the door to the room, Sage removed his sandals and placed them by the door. Then walking over to the small altar at the far end of the room, Sage removed three sticks of incense from a small pot on the stone table. Then, after placing them into the burners that were in a circle on the floor, Sage stepped into the middle of the ring and sat cross-legged on the floor. Closing his eyes, the brown haired teen breathed in the sweet smelling herbs and sighed.
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Sage instantly fell into a deep trance. Then a vision came to him. He was standing in the middle of a battlefield in feudal Japan. Standing across from him, at least a half a mile away, stood a monstrous army. But the soldiers weren't human. They were some form of demon creatures who seemed eager to shed blood. As the creatures stood there, five figures appeared in front of the army. They appeared to be human: four men and a woman, all wearing fearsome samurai armor that was shades of black and other dark colors.
'Where am I? Who are these people? Why do they want to fight me?' Sage thought as he watched the scene before him.
Suddenly, the clanging of metal came from behind the teen. Turning around, Sage saw the outline of a man. He had a staff clenched tightly in his hand, which was the sorce of the sound that Sage had heard. He appeared to be a monk, for he wore a monk's hat. 'Halo…you are growing stronger…' He whispered.
Sage stared at the man in question. 'What is Halo? What do you mean?' The teen asked.
'You will find out soon enough…' And with that, the man vanished.
Reaching out towards the vanished figure, Sage called, 'Wait!' Suddenly, there was a loud crack of thunder over head. Looking up towards the sky, he saw a lighting bolt fly across the darkened heavens. Then, the rush of energy came flying down, striking Sage squarely in the chest.
****************
Sage's eyes flew opened and he flung forward onto the ground. He was sweating and felt the color drain from his face. He felt his hands shaking under him as he kept his head against the floor. "What was that?" He panted out, closing his eyes quickly and gulping.
As the youth knelt there, there was a tinge of a green glow in the darkness. "Huh? What was glowing green?" He asked. Pain pulsated through the teen's head as he knelt there.
All of a sudden, Sage heard the door slide open. "Sage, are you alright? I heard you shout." His grandfather's voice asked as he walked quickly over to him. The teen felt his grandfather's hand rest on his back, trying to calm his breathing. "Calm down, Sage." He said.
"Grandfather? What happened? What's wrong with Sage?" Setine's voice echoed through the room.
Sitting up slowly, Sage turned to see his little sister standing in the doorway, fear written across her face. "I'm alright. I just feel dizzy." He told his little sister, a small weak grin on his face.
"Are you sure you are okay?" Grandfather Date asked again.
Looking down at the floor, Sage thought to himself about the vision. 'That army. The demons and the figures in covered in shadow. What does it mean?' He thought. Looking up at the concerned expressions of his loved ones, the teen smiled. "I'm sure."
Setine placed her hands onto her hips and sighed. "Well, mom has dinner ready. So come on." She smiled, motioning towards the door.
Climbing to his feet, Sage nodded as he walked over to get the water to extinguish the sweet burning herbs. As he picked up the small pitcher in his trembling hands, Grandfather Date took the container from him. "Go Sage. You're mother is waiting. I'll take care of it."
"But I can do it." Sage said, wiping some of the sweat from his brow.
"No. Now go." The older man stated firmly.
Bowing in thanks, Sage walked over to his little sister. "You ready?" He asked as he walked into the brighter lights of the hallway.
"Yea. But I think you should have mom take your temperature when you get home. You look all white." Setine said, acting and sounding like her age.
Smiling down at his sibling, Sage took her hand. "I'm fine. You don't have to worry 'bout me."
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When Sage and Setine reentered the main house, Sage's complexion hadn't changed at all. He was still pale and seemed to be still a little weak all over. As he removed his varsity jacket, Sage heard his little sister run down the hallway towards the kitchen. Then, not even a minute later, Mrs. Date appeared in the kitchen doorway. "Sage, would you please come into the kitchen for a minute?" She called.
'Setine…you just had to blab…' He thought grimly as he lugged his body down the hallway.
Upon entering the kitchen, Sage was greeted by his whole family staring at him. His father stood from the table, placing his newspaper onto the placemate. He was a tall man with built shoulders and the beginnings of a beard on his face. His short brown hair was a bit messed and his blue eyes stared at his son, full of concern. "Setine told us that you aren't feeling well. Are you alright?" The man inquired, his deep voice sounding very powerful.
Looking away from his parents, Sage dropped his gaze to the floor. "I just feel a bit dizzy from my meditation. That's all. I must of breathed in too much incense." He said, but he knew they could tell that he was lying.
"Sage, you have been meditating ever since you could reach the incense. Don't lie to us." His father said, anger rising in his voice.
Running his hand through his brown locks, Sage's hair fell out of the position he had it in all day long. It was now off to the side, revealing both his blue eyes. That's when Mrs. Date questioned, "Sage? Did you lighten your hair?"
"No. Why do you ask?" The youth asked, his world now spinning from his headache.
"Because your roots look a bit blond." She stated.
"Cassandra, talk to the boy about his hair later." Mr. Date told his wife. Looking at his son, the man studied him for a moment. "You seem pale."
Grasping his head, Sage saw the room black out for a minute. Then, shaking the darkness away, the teen pleaded quietly, "May I go and lye down?"
Smiling at her son, Mrs. Date said sweetly, "Of course you can honey."
Turning, Sage walked back into the hallway. Turning back to his family, he bowed. "I'm sorry that I will not be having dinner with you." He apologized.
He strolled down the hallway slowly, for it seemed like it was a passage on ship in a storm. 'Man, why am I feeling like this? I've never felt like this after a meditation.' He thought.
Suddenly, he heard his father's voice. "Something wrong with him, Cassandra. He hasn't been himself for a while."
"Oh Sean, you're overreacting. He's a teenager. He's suppost to act a little weird. It's part of the job description." His mother shot back in his defense.
Sage smiled as he reached the stairs. "Thanks mom. You always stick up for…me." Sage whispered. Suddenly, he became overwhelmed by dizziness and collapsed onto the floor, clutching his head. Since it was a wooden entranceway, Sage's body made a sickening thud when it hit.
That's when he heard footsteps walk out of the kitchen. "Sage!" Mrs. Date shouted as she and Mr. Date ran over to their son.
Turning Sage onto his back, Mr. Date lightly tapped his teenager's cheek. "Sage. Sage, wake up. Come on Sage. Open your eyes." He coaxed.
"Dad? Mom?" The youth whispered, opening his eyes a bit. "I feel dizzy." He murmured quietly.
Smiling softly at him, Sage's dad reached down and picked him up into his arms. "You are going straight to bed. No ifs, ands, or buts about it." The man said as he headed up towards Sage's room.
"Don't worry. I won't say…a…word…" Sage whispered, falling back into the darkness.
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Rowen tiredly walked through the front door of his home. The house was completely silent, for his father was still at work and wouldn't be home until late that night. The teen still had a bit of ash on his face from the Chemistry accident he had been in with Ryo earlier that day. "Man I'm beat." He said to no one. Slipping his shoes off, Rowen lugged his heavy backpack up the stairs towards his bedroom.
Upon reaching his room, he opened door to reveal something completely unexpected. All of his books and papers had been straightened up and placed into new book and paper organizers on either side of his desk. All of his dirty clothes were gone from the floor and the top of his desk was visible again. "Okay? What happened here? Did the cleaner fairy visit my room while I was at school or something?" He asked.
"If that is what you want to call me, that's okay. But if you want to call me mom, that works too." A woman's voice stated. Walking into his room, Rowen looked over at his closet. His eyes widened as he saw a woman standing there, smiling at him. She had on a black skirt with a dark blue three-quarter shirt. Her dirty blond hair hung down to her mid back and she had a press pass hanging around her neck. Rowen just stood there in shock. He did didn't know what to say. "I'm waiting for my hug, Rowen." The woman joked, opening her arms.
"Mom! We weren't expecting you for another three days. When did you get here?" Rowen asked as he ran into his mother's open arms.
Smiling down at her son, the woman stated, "I finished my reports early. So, I got the first plane from Egypt to Tokyo. I thought I would surprise you and your father."
"Well, you did." The blue haired youth said with a smile on his face.
As the mother and son separated, Mrs. Hashiba clapped her hands together. "I have an idea. Let's go to the new observatory that just opened. It's only a block away, what do you say?"
Rowen nodded. "Okay. It sounds like it might be interesting. Besides, we're starting that in Science class next week."
As the woman walked over towards the door, she looked back and brushed some of the left over ash from Rowen's shoulder. "Um, Rowen honey. How did you get ash all over you?"
"Chemistry accident." He sighed. "My third one this week."
Covering her mouth, Mrs. Hashiba laughed. "Oh Rowen. That's what I miss about you. I can never concentrate when I'm writing without loud explosions around. When I was still living here when you were about six, I would always be writing and hear explosions coming from the kitchen. I would always run in and see you standing there in your dad's lab coat and your toy Chemistry set smoking strange colored smoke. And you would always be covered in ash."
"I know where this is leading." The teen stated. Walking into his closet, Rowen rummaged around and returned with a towel thrown over his shoulder. "I'm going in the shower…don't even say it…I'm going."
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After Rowen's shower, the teenager's mother took her son out for a large dinner. When the mother and son duo reached the Tokyo observatory, Mrs. Hashiba bought two tickets for them to go into the new holographic star presentation. As they entered the theater, they sat in the middle of the audience because they been told that those had been the best seats you could grab. The entire theater was filled as the lights turned off.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the Tokyo Observatory's grand opening of its new show, 'A Holographic Look into Space.' We hope that you enjoy this beautiful look into the depths of our universe." An announcer's voice stated.
As a small picture of Earth appeared on the ceiling, the seats slowly tilted backwards so that the audience could view the show. "The Earth. Our home. It seems so massive to us and yet…it is nothing compared to the other parts of our universe." A deep man's voice stated.
While the show progressed, Rowen relaxed completely in the comfortable chair. He felt content in his darkened surroundings. As he stared up into the star patterns overhead, he thought to himself, 'The stars…the Strata…'
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Rowen was surrounded by thousands of stars. The tiny lights were spread out in front of him, all placed as if carelessly by a child. 'This is amazing.' Rowen thought as he floated there, his eyes still gazing out at the beautiful landscape of stars.
'Strata…you are wise beyond your years…' A voice stated from behind him. Turning around, the blue haired saw the Earth in front of him. The massive orb that was home to the entire human and animal population of the entire universe was right beneath the teen. The countries of the world were just like the maps and charts had told him. He saw the massive blue ocean, in all its beauty and grace. Looking over towards China, Rowen stated to himself. 'Hey, you can see the Great Wall from here.'
That's when he saw that he wasn't alone. There was the silhouette of a man floating there. He was dressed in ancient robs and his face was shielded by his hat. 'You have proved yourself worthy of being the Life warrior.' The man whispered.
'Life Warrior? What does that mean?' Rowen asked, as tried to approach the man.
But he was being held back by something. A force that he was unable to break was holding him at bay. 'You will know soon enough.' The figure stated and suddenly vanished.
'Hey, wait a sec!' Rowen called. That was when he felt himself beginning to move out of his orbit. Looking down, he was being pulled back down to Earth at a massive speed. Rowen felt the burning of reentry against his flesh as he fell…fell…fell…
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Rowen shot awake, his forehead burning. He thought he was about to die. "Rowen? Rowen? Rise and shine." His mother's sang softly in his ear. Rubbing his eyes slowly, Rowen came face to face with his mother's smiling face. She was staring at him lovingly her blue eyes glistening in the darkness.
Suddenly, he heard a familiar deep voice. "Is he awake?" Looking over next to him, Rowen saw his father sitting next to a window of a car. "Nice to see you decided to join us." The man said with a smile.
"Are…are we moving?" The youth questioned, feeling the floor moving under him as he sat.
Rolling her eyes, Mrs. Hashiba played with her son's hair. "You fell asleep. Luckily for me, your father was there on business to help carry you. You really must have been exhausted. So we took a cab home."
Holding his head in his hands, Rowen thought back to his dream. 'Who is that guy? Why did he call me the life warrior?' He pondered.
"Hey, are you alright?" His dad asked, causing the teen to jump a bit.
"Yea. I'm just have a headache. That's all." He told his parents. "I just need some sleep."
Suddenly, the car came to a halt. "Here ya are. 1030 Mishero Avenue. That will 15 bucks." The cab driver stated.
Getting out of the car, Mr. Hashiba handed the cab driver the money and then helped his son and ex-wife from the car. As the car sped away, the three people walked up the stone steps and opened the door. Then after removing their shoes, Rowen bowed to his parents. "I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow morning." He said tiredly.
"Good night." His father stated, walking into the kitchen.
Kissing her son on the forehead, Mrs. Hashiba smiled. "I'll bring you something for your headache, okay?"
Returning the grin, Rowen nodded. "Thanks mom." With that, the youth vanished up the stairs to his room and sleep.
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"Mom! I'm home!" Kento shouted as he entered his humble home. Kento lived in an extremely large house in one of the richer parts of the city. Because his parents owned a popular Chinese restaurant, the Fuan family could afford to live very well. It was a beautiful brick building with a few trees out front on the sidewalk. There was a small backyard that was cluttered with a climber and a trampoline. The house was three floors, but the third one was the attic.
Kento lived with his mother, father, and four younger siblings. Their age raged from four to twelve. Although the oldest of the children loved them all, they could get very annoying at sometimes.
After removing his shoes, Kento ran into the family room His mother and three of his younger siblings were sitting and watching television. Looking up from the screen, Mrs. Rei Fuan smiled as her eldest son strolled into the room. She was a short woman, a bit shorter than her son was. She had short brown hair that rest just above her shoulder. "Hello Kento. How was school?" She sang happily, rising to her feet.
"Same old. Same old. I can't complain." He stated as he kissed his mother on the cheek.
Suddenly, the teen felt two sets of arms wrap around each of his legs. Looking down, he saw two smiling faces staring up at him. On his left leg, there was a small girl with similar looks to his own. She had brilliant violet eyes and a bit darker ash toned hair. Then on his right leg, there was a younger boy wrapped tightly to him. He had dark brown hair with green eyes and was younger than the girl.
"Hi Kento!" They both said in unison.
Smiling, Kento bent down and lifted the little girl into his arms. "Hey Kristen. Hello Dominic. Did you two have a nice day?" He inquired. Kento may have been tough when it came to other things, but he was a big softy when it was his family he was dealing with.
"We're fine." Kristen stated, her grin growing even wider than before. "Do you want to watch Sailor Moon with us?" She asked, fluttering her eyelashes.
"Sailor Moon? No way!" A voice said from the floor. Looking downward, Kento saw his ten-year-old sibling, lying on her stomach in front of the television. Her long ash hair fell to just about her mid-back and her green eyes were shooting dangerous looks at the young girl. She was still in her school uniform, for she had gotten home an hour before Kento and probably didn't feel like changing. "We're watching Ranma½. It is suppost to be good today."
Dominic let go of his brother's leg and stormed up to his older sister. "I'm not watching any mushy girly stuff. Not again, Cassie! We're gonna watch Dragonball Z. It is the beginning of the Cell games today. I want to know what happens." He declared.
Kristen jumped down and ran over to join the minor scuffle. "Sailor Moon!"
"Ranma½!" Cassie shouted, jumping to her feet.
"Dragonball Z!" Dominic called loudly.
"Enough!" Kento shouted, causing all three of them to go silent. "Cassie, it is you're turn to help make dinner tonight, so Ranma½ is out of the question. Dominic, you go outside and practice your basketball. After all you have a game tomorrow. And Kristen, you can watch Sailor Moon." The eldest declared.
Flinging her hair, Cassie stormed out of the room. "Just because you're the oldest doesn't make you the boss of me." She stated as she walked by.
"Until I go to college, I'm in charge." The teen sang back, causing the girl to sulk even more.
As Dominic ran out of the room, Kristen jumped up and down happily. "Thank you, Kento!"
Smiling, the built teen turned and started upstairs. "Anytime, Kris."
"Aren't you going to watch it with me?" She asked, running to the bottom of the stairs, a sad puppy expression gracing her features.
Turning to face his sibling on the landing, Kento sadly shook his head. "Sorry. I have too much homework to do."
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Walking down the hallway, Kento passed the many rooms belonging to his family. His parents room as at the end of the hallway, since it was the master bedroom. At the far right at the end of the corridor, loud music blasted from inside the bedroom. Running down the passageway, the teen stopped at the opened door.
The oldest of his siblings, the twelve year old Scott, was blasting his favorite band so that the entire upstairs shook. The youth stood on top of his bed with his baseball bat in hand, pretending to play the guitar solo. "SCOTT!" Kento shouted, causing the pre-teen to fall onto the floor.
"Kento! Don't scare me like that! You have no right to do that!" The youth complained, trying to regain his composure after his 'graceful' fall onto his carpeted floor.
"Just turn down the volume, dude." Kento requested and with that turned and headed for his room.
Kento was just across the hallway from his brother Scott. On his door, he had signs that read things like 'Business hours: Whenever I'm in to until I decide to leave.' And 'Caution: Chemical Waste Dump Ahead.' Although, these signs were completely untrue. The teen's room was surprising clean. There was a large bed that was pushed all the way in a side little opening that had the sky light over head. There was a desk that was cluttered with magazines and other books. There was white carpeting on the floor and the walls were decorated with posters of sports teams that Kento loved. On the ceiling, there hung a large ceiling fan that spun quickly, trying to cool down the teen's room. That was pretty much it. That was Kento's room.
Walking over to his bed, Kento fell face first onto the soft sheets. "Ah, this feels great. I just need to stretch out a bit before dinner and I…will start my homework after." He told himself aloud, covering his mouth to quiet a yawn. Before he knew it, the youth had fallen asleep.
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A starry night sky hung over head when Kento opened his eyes. He was standing in the middle of a vast desert, a gentle breeze blowing through his hair and hitting his face. The teen stood atop a large sand hill that gave him a look out over the land. There wasn't any civilization for miles in any direction. Piles upon piles of sand where mounted about the landscape. Because it was night, it wasn't boiling hot like it would have been during the day.
Looking around closely at his surroundings, Kento sighed. 'I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore.' He said aloud.
'Hard Rock…warrior that represents Justice. You are the strongest of the five.' A voice whispered through the winds that blew.
Staring out into the emptiness of the wasteland, Kento cupped his hands together and shouted, 'Who's there? Who are you? Show yourself!' He shouted, he voice disappearing into the desert night.
Turning around, the adolescent jumped in shock. A man draped in ancient Japanese monk robes stood sternly. His long silver hair swayed gently in the breeze and his eyes were shielded by a large hat that he wore. 'Hard Rock, the time of awaking is almost upon you. Do not resist it, embrace it.' The old monk told the youth softly.
'The time of awaking? What is that suppost to mean? Who are you?' Kento demanded, taking a small step forward.
'All of your questions will be answered when you are ready.' He said not even above a whisper.
Suddenly, there was a strong gust of wind that blew up some of the sand. Shielding his eyes, Kento took a trip backwards, falling flat on his back. As the wind died down, he looked up, expecting to see the old man still standing there. But, the monk had vanished.
'Okay…now I'm freaked out.' He told to no one as he clamoring to his feet. All of a sudden, the ground beneath him opened up into a black pit. The hole began to suck in the surrounding air and Kento as well. He tried to grab onto something, but all he could grab was loose sand. As he was falling into the darkness, a soft, yet familiar voice was calling from above him.
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"Kento? Kento? It's time for dinner sweet heart. Come on, time to get up." Mrs. Rei Fuan's voice stated softly into his ear.
Opening his eyes, Kento saw that he was back in his room and was still laying on his stomach on his bed. Turning over, he came eye to eye with his mother. "Mom? What time is it?" He questioned as he sat up into a cross-legged position.
Looking down at her wristwatch, the woman laughed. "It's now 6:00. You've been asleep for three hours. It's time to get up." She joked.
But Kento's mind wasn't on getting up or going downstairs to eat dinner. The youth's thoughts were still on his dream. He just couldn't get it out of his head. Resting his head against the wall of room, he swallowed hard. "I'm not hungry. Do you mind if I skip dinner?" He finally asked his mom.
"Oh my god! My brother Kento. MY older sibling who has never missed a single dinner in his lifetime, isn't hungry." Scott's voice said from the hallway. "Mom, I think this is the first sign of the Apocalypse." The pre-teen child added on with a sly grin.
Turning from her eldest son, the mother figure scolded the boy. "Don't joke like that Scott. You get downstairs and wash up." She ordered, causing the boy to fly out of the doorframe and down the stair well.
"Are you not feeling well?" The woman asked, her attention returning to Kento.
Averting his gaze, he nodded. "Yea, I'm not feeling well. I just really want to sleep." The dazed teen said flatly.
Smiling, Kento's mother reached down to the end of the bed and pulled up the teen's blankets to his bed. "Go back to sleep. If you need me, I'll be downstairs." She whispered as she placed the sheets over Kento's crossed legs.
"Night Mom." He yawned, sliding back into bed.
Walking over to the door, the mother smiled back at her teen. "Good night honey." She murmured as she turned off the lights and shut the door. The only light that shown in the room was the glow of the full moon that hung high above the city that shown through the skylight.
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The smell of the pool was what greeted Sai. The chlorine smell of the health spa's pool was as strong as ever as the youth entered the room where the swimming area was.
Every Friday, after school, Sai would go to a large health club downtown that his mother had a membership to. The only reason he went was to practice his high diving and swim some laps. Sai was very athletic when it came to sports that involved water.
The pool was seemed so beautiful in the late afternoon. It was on the roof of the spa and had windows running all the way around it. Since the sun could actually shine inside, it felt like is was a real outdoor pool. There was a small hot tub at the far end near the high dive and starting blocks. Small potted plants lined the windows as a sorce of some privacy.
Usually on Fridays, the swim area would be semi-busy. But that night, it was almost completely empty. The only other people there was a group of girls who were on the swim team from Sai's old school and a few people just swimming laps.
Sighing to himself, Sai placed his duffel bag onto one of the plastic lawn chairs that lined the pool and withdrew his towel. Then, as he removed his shirt, he felt a finger run up and down his spine quickly. Pulling the shirt off quickly, he turned to see a girl standing there. She was a bit older than Sai, but had the same appearance about her. She had long brown hair that hung down her back in a long braid. Her blue eyes matched the water perfectly, as clear as anything. She was dressed in a pair of very short red shorts and her bathing suit, which was a mix of black and different shades of green.
Smiling at him, the girl stated in the same charming Australian accent. "So, how's my baby brother?"
"Lily, don't call me your 'baby' brother. I'm fourteen, that's three years younger than you." Sai told his sister in a loving sort of tone.
Turning back to his bag, Sai felt his sister place her arms around his shoulders. "I call you that because that's what you are. My baby brother Sai." She sang into the adolescent's ear.
That's when he felt himself rise off the floor. He knew were this was going. Ripping his warm-up pants off, so that he was in his swim trunks, Sai was thrown into the pool. The cool water welcomed him as he collided with the soothing liquid.
Swimming to the surface, the youth broke the surface dramatically. He brown spiky hair was no longer spiky, but now flat against his head. "Damn you Sai. You are getting too quick for me." Lily wined as Sai ran a hand threw his hair.
Laughing, Sai flashed a victory sign. "I'm just good like that." He stated.
"Whatever. I need to get back to my post. See ya later." She groaned as she walked back towards the lifeguard chair. Lily was the head lifeguard at the spa. She had the job since the summer that they had moved to Japan. Now, she was training Sai to take over the position after she left for college.
Smiling, Sai dove under the water. The pool seemed to greet him with open arms. As he flips and turns along the bottom, the youth felt as if he had just been welcomed home into his natural environment.
Breaking the surface after what seemed like an eternity, Sai found himself now in the deepest part of the pool. Looking up, he saw the three girls from his old swim team standing there, smiling at him. "Hey Sai. Long time no see." She said happily.
Bowing his head a bit as he treaded water, Sai grinned. "Hello Sandy, Mili, Summer. How are you?"
"We've been fine. The team just isn't the same without you, ya know." Mili said to him as he hopped out of the pool.
Raising an eyebrow, Sai shook his hair out. "Really? How so?" He questioned.
"When you were still with us, we rocked. But now, we just suck." Summer told him as he walked past them over to the high dive.
Laughing, Sai began to ascend to the top. "You are overreacting. You guys are doing just fine without me." Stopping mid way on the ladder, Sai stepped onto the mid-high dive. Walking out onto the stiff board, the teen turned so that his back faced the pool. Then, placing his arms out in front of him, Sai bent his knees and flipped off the platform. He spun his body into a spiral and then quickly straightened himself out. He went into the water perfectly, without a hint of a splash.
Coming up to the surface, he gasped for air. The three girls were sitting on the edge of the pool, smiling. "You are the only teenage guy in the entire city would can do such a complex move like that without killing yourself. That's what we meant." Sandy said, flicking her blond hair over her left shoulder.
Swimming over to the ladder, Sai climbed out. Once again shaking the water from his hair, he walked back over to the ladder. This time, he didn't stop halfway up. Instead, he went straight to the top.
The top platform was the highest place inside the entire spa. But Sai wasn't afraid of it. He had dove from the highest platform when he was seven, which was a record in the pool's history. Walking to the edge, Sai placed his toes over the end of the stone platform. Then, placing his hands over his head, he just fell forward. Sai felt the air rush past him as he fell faster and faster. That's when he realized it. 'Damn, I'm going too fast for this jump. I need to land it some other…' But before he could move an inch, the teen collided with the water…hard.
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Sai stood in the shallow waters on a sunny beach. The breeze was calming as the palm trees over head created a nice bit of shade for him. The waves lapped up against the shore and were crashing up against the wave cut cliffs in the distance. Looking around, Sai saw no one. 'It is such a nice day. The waves are perfect for surfing. So why isn't anyone out and swimming or surfing?' He asked aloud.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps crunching in the sand. Then, the footsteps were replaced by the sound of something ringing. It was the sound of metal hitting metal. Turning around, Sai saw an old gentleman walking towards him, an ancient staff clenched tightly in his hand. His white and blue robes hung loosely on him and there was a spice bag made of the same type of material as his clothing hanging around his neck. His eyes were hidden under the rim of his hat and his long white hair hung down his back, blowing a bit in the light breeze.
'Sai of the Torrent…you are the defender of Trust.' He whispered just loud enough from the youth to hear him.
Turning to face the mysterious old man completely, Sai raised an eyebrow in question. 'The Torrent? What does that have to do with me?' He asked as politely as possible.
Smiling, the man began to walk away. 'The answer…is in your heart and in the hearts of the other four.' As he concluded his all words, the man vanished without a trace.
Rubbing his eyes, Sai stared wide-eyed at what he had just saw. 'He just vanished. Right into thin air.' All of a sudden, the beach vanished from in front of Sai and he was only in the water. Then, the level of the water rapidly changed. Before Sai could shout for help, he was too far under the water to open his mouth. He just kept sinking deeper and deeper into the ocean's depths.
*******************
Sai's eyes shot opened. He had no idea where he was or what had happened to him. That's when he realized that he was no longer in the pool. He was stretched out on one of the lawn chairs with his towel drawn over him. He tried to move his head, but it pulsed with pain. Groaning, the teen asked, "What happened?"
"Sai! Oh good, you're awake. Thank god." Lily's voice suddenly said sounding very gladdened. Looking up, the girl appeared over him a smile on her face and tears in her eyes. "I was so worried about you." She told him.
"What happened?" He repeated. Glancing from side to side, his memories began to come back to him. "I remember diving off the high dive and I was going too fast and then…I woke up."
Sitting her little brother up a bit, the girl began her explanation. "After you hit the water, I saw that you didn't come back up. That's when I saw you lying at the bottom of the pool. I dove in and got you out, but you weren't breathing. I did CPR and you hacked up a large amount of water. You've been out for about a half an hour."
Rubbing his head, Sai winced in pain. "Don't try to move to much. I sent Mili to get the doctor so that he can look you over. Does anything hurt?" Lily asked, acting all big sister like.
"My head is throbbing." Sai said flatly. Closing his eyes, he thought back to his dream. 'The Torrent? What did he mean?' He thought.
Suddenly, he heard Mili's voice echo through the pool and through his head. "Lily, I found the doctor." She called, walking quickly over to where Sai and his sister were sitting.
.
A man dressed in jeans and a black tee shirt with a stethoscope around his neck walked up to Sai. Bending down, Sai came eye to eye with the man. He had deep brown eyes and black hair was cut into a mushroom cut. "Hello Sai. I'm Dr. Speedwell. Now, do you hurt anywhere?"
"My head is throbbing. But everything else in working order." He said, a slight smile on his face.
Smiling back at him, Dr. Speedwell sighed. "Sai, do you remember what happened?"
Sai started to shake his head, but pain coursed threw it once again. So, he simply stated, "No."
Turning to Lily, the young man, told her, "You're his sister?" She nodded. "Take him home so that he can rest in more comfortable surroundings."
Nodding, Lily shook the Doctor's hand. "Thank you." As the man turned to leave, Lily helped Sai sit up straight. Then, placing his arm around her shoulder, she lifted him to his feet. "Let's get you home baby brother." She whispered, as she threw Sai's stuff over her shoulder.
Looking over at his sister, Sai smiled. "Lily…Thanks."
"You're welcome Sai." The brown haired girl said softly as they left the pool.
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~ What do you think so far? This part of the story was the hardest and longest to write. (I just couldn't get any ideas about what to do. ^-^;) But now that it is out of the way, the rest of the story should be easier to post quicker…I hope. Well, Please R&R. ~