Ronins Interrupted
By: Ghost of the Dawn
Chapter Eight: Ghosts From the Past
Cye blinked and looked at his surroundings. How they ended up here was a mystery to him.
"Uh, Robyn, why are we going down the pet food isle?"
The young redhead seemed to be only slightly listening to him as she sighed sadly. "I wish I had a pet to buy food for Cye," she relayed to him.
Cye breathed out. They had been through his conversation before.
"Robyn, I've told you several times already--" he started his usual argument.
"But at my friend's house they had a kitty and he was soooo sweet and I want one Cye. I'm lonely."
"Lonely?" Cye defended. "Aren't I around enough?"
"Yeah, but you don't meow or purr or snuggle up in my lap to sleep."
And the look on Cye's face told he wasn't about to start either. "Come on, let's get back to shopping for regular food."
Grocery shopping was pretty much a weekly tradition for the both of them now. Mrs. Mouri never liked to do it much, and since Cye did most of the cooking she would merely give him the money and let him go buy whatever he needed for the things he wanted to make. Cye didn't mind Robyn's company. It sure beat shopping alone. Though when Robyn shopped while she was hungry, she did tend to get on his nerves as she would constantly try to slip extra things into the cart.
"Robyn, I said put the ice cream back," Cye warned.
"Awww..." Robyn slumped her shoulders as she returned the double fudge chocolate deluxe back to the freezer. "Can I at least get a candy bar?"
"Fine," Cye relented and Robyn happily skipped off to choose one. Sometimes it was like shopping with a four-year-old. Though not nearly as bad as shopping with a hungry Kento. After trying that once, Cye had vowed never again.
He wheeled the cart full of groceries to the check out stand where Robyn found him and donated her choices to the haul. She had picked out two candy bars--one for Cye as well. And if he didn't want it she would be glad to eat it for him. Cye didn't mind. It was just nice to see her happy. Robyn didn't say much to him any more. The stress of school and perhaps other things as well were getting to her. She didn't show it, but he could tell.
Robyn didn't deal with stress as most people did. She always stayed happy no matter what was bothering her. That was her gift. It sometimes worried Cye how easily she could hide such things, but then again he could always find other ways to tell. Robyn had gotten very absentminded lately. Often she forgot to turn off lights, or even the oven. She would misplace things or forget what she was doing or where she was going. If Cye hadn't insisted on driving, she probably would have locked the keys in the car as well.
It was school that was doing this to her. Robyn had recently confessed that if she didn't pass her history class she wouldn't graduate. It was her worst subject and she had been studying as much as she could for the finals which were only two days away. Cye did what he could to help her when he wasn't working on his own school work. But until the finals were over, all he could really do was pray they would all get through this and Robyn wouldn't accidentally burn the house down in the meantime.
When they got home from their trip, Robyn started putting things away while Cye set about making dinner. As he was cleaning vegetables in the sink, Cye once again noticed Robyn's eerie stillness as she set about her chores. It wasn't like her and Cye wasn't about to have any of that. Robyn looked up at him with wide, indignant eyes when he flicked cold water at her.
"CYE!" she protested as he did it again.
The rusty haired young man just laughed and stuck out his tongue at her--causing them to almost seem like they switched personalities for a moment. Robyn, however, was quick to regain her roll and tried to splash him back. But with water being Cye's element, she did a poor job of it. Only when Robyn threatened to throw Cye's veggies across the room then he let her be.
"Sheesh, you're such a cheater Robyn," Cye had to get one more lick in.
Robyn merely razzed him before heading upstairs to continue her studies.
Rowen tapped his pencil for what had to be the billionth time as he stared at the blank sheet of paper in front of him. Not only was he doomed to take nothing but college finals in the next two days, but, being the sucker that he was, he also happened to be that year's valedictorian (surprise, surprise) and was therefore expected to have a speech ready come the graduation date. Rowen sighed and leaned back in his squeaky chair. What a horrible task. He had been thinking about it for days now and every time he tried to start, his mind just went as blank as the paper before him.
He had decided multiple times already that his eraser didn't taste all that great, but for some reason, that didn't stop him from chewing on it. It was just too quiet. Too deathly quiet to think. And thinking about the quiet made Rowen turn to the pile of pictures in the corner of his desk. The representation of the only thing that took away that horrible, empty stillness he lived with.
Abandoning his pencil for the photographs, Rowen slowly went through them. It was a few weekends ago when the group went up camping in the mountains. Rowen, who was also taking a photography class, brought his camera up with him and each of them had passed it around and took some pictures. There were a few of wildlife. That was Sage; he always had a good eye for composition. A nice, clear picture of a thumb and a blurry background. That had to be Ryo. He didn't exactly carry on his father's photography skills.
Rowen paused when he reached a certain picture. He couldn't remember who had taken that one. They had all gone fishing in this river--yes, even Cye. Though he made quite a fuss about the whole deal and how it wasn't right. But Kento, the ever present voice of reason (Not!) stated that "If God hadn't meant animals to be eaten, he wouldn't have made them out of meat." And who can argue with that logic?
The picture was of him and Robyn. He was sitting on a rock and proudly holding up his catch with Robyn hugging his neck from behind. The fish was a good sized one and they had more or less caught it together. Cye was in the background, looking put out as always. Rowen chuckled as he recalled Cye snuck all the lures off the end of his line so he wouldn't catch anything. He was always so funny that way. The next picture he recalled taking himself and Rowen laughed right out when he saw it. Kento had one of the fish and was acting like he was going to kiss its scaly, puckered lips. Rowen was going to have to send that one to Cye. He'd flip.
The rest of the pictures were of random members of the group either playing in the stream or the forest. They were fun to look at, but when he was done, Rowen found himself going back to that one picture of him......and her. She looked so different than when he had first met her. Lighter and happier. He took note of her arm resting against his collar bone and wished he had taken time to notice it then. Rowen took the picture and folded it so it would stand up on his desk. That very same action also folded Cye out of the picture as well.
Rowen rubbed his arm indecisively as he glanced at the clock. The time was approximately "freaking late" as Kento often called it when referring to the long hours Rowen stayed awake. Rowen chewed on his lip for a bit and then finally grabbed the phone and dialed. He waited with baited breath as it rang and rang. Just as he was about to hang up, someone picked up.
"This is Rowen, isn't it?" stated the voice on the other end.
"Hi Robyn," he grinned into the receiver. His voice disguised any of the anticipation he was feeling earlier. "How did you know it was me?"
"Look at your clock and do the math genius boy," came the retort. "You're lucky you didn't wake anyone up over here."
"Sorry, I just felt like calling somebody....."
"And you figured I'd be the only one up," Robyn replied dully. "Thanks for the thought. So how's the speech coming?"
Rowen glanced over at his empty paper. "It's going okay."
"You haven't even started yet, have you?"
"Well, no."
Robyn let out a loud breath into the phone. "And you're calling me, why? I don't think I'll be much help."
"You don't have any ideas at all?" Rowen asked hopefully.
"I dunno. Just don't do what everyone else does, like tell some stupid story and then make a comment at the end. You get to say something to the entire student body. I'd make it count if I were you."
"Yeah right. I've been at the college all year. I'm hardly even at the high school. I'll tell them all how great it was not to have to look at them."
"Wise ass."
Rowen grinned. "I'd rather be a wise ass than a dumb ass."
He could hear Robyn snort on the other end. "Kiss MY ass." And then. "Okay, well I'm going to hang up now. Get some sleep, okay Rowen? You'll think of something in the morning."
"Okay. Good night Robyn."
"Night, Ro."
The other end of the line went still as Robyn hung up. Rowen kept the phone to his ear as if he had one last thing to say. But eventually, he returned the receiver back to its cradle.
Robyn trudged heavily into the kitchen. It was still the middle of the night and she was hating every second of it. Her whole body was fatigued and her eyes were killing her, but her brain was still on over drive. She had been cramming all night so when she tried to get to sleep dates and names and all other kinds of information would not stop whizzing through her recollection. Robyn almost whimpered as she turned on the searing kitchen light and shuffled to the fridge. Being too tired to sleep sucked royally.
The inside of the fridge consoled her only slightly. She rummaged around the contents and finally decided to grab some milk for the cookies stashed in the cupboard. Robyn closed the door and turned around. As a reaction to what her eyes beheld, her wrist went limp and the carton of milk fell to the kitchen floor. Milk splattered every which way; on her bare feet and pajamas. But that was the least of Robyn's worries.
Cye rolled over in bed. Something was probing through his dreams. Something urgent and relentless. A feeling of anxiety that came from out of nowhere. It invaded every part of his consciousness until his only way to escape it was to wake up. Cye's eyes popped open and he immediately felt stress in his knotted muscles and an anxious beating in his chest. Faster and faster his heart was pounding as if he were about to start a race. What was going on?
He felt like he was back standing before Talpa's gates or facing off with the Warlords. The way his nerves stood on end; it was the way he felt when he knew evil was near. Cye sat up when his instincts wouldn't let him rest. Something was amiss around here. He stood and crept out into the dark, silent hall. Listening to the stillness, he couldn't find anything wrong. Next he slipped down the stairs and was surprised to see the kitchen light was on. He crept closer as his keen ears picked up a low voice that was not part of the household.
Robyn stood deathly still. She didn't move--didn't dare breathe. Her bottom lip quivered uncontrollably and her eyes were wide in fear. She was staring down the barrel of a silver pistol which was aimed straight at her face. Its holder was fingering the trigger. When Robyn saw who was pointing it at her, her heart broke and her blood froze in her veins simultaneously.
"You never should have come back," her father growled. There was murder in his beady, unfeeling eyes.
Robyn's heart wanted to jump out of her chest and run far away. It pounded relentlessly at her rib cage. A lump formed in her throat and she was very much aware how alone she was right now, even in her own home. Her family--her real family--was so close, yet so far away. They would never know what happened.
"But you just had to return and torment me again," continued the gruff, heavy man. "How could you after what you did? Now you pay the price of coming back. You will never haunt me again."
Robyn closed her eyes. This was it; she was going to die right here. Just a few more moments and Robyn would never have to worry, never have to cry, never have another chance to laugh ever again. It would be the end of everything.
"Robyn! Duck!" Cye cried from the kitchen doorway. He had a plate in his hand and he threw it frisbee style at the hand holding the gun.
The plate connected. The gun went off. Robyn screamed and fell to the floor, eyes shut. The plate shattered. Cye charged. The gun went off again. The kitchen light exploded and the room was plunged into darkness. Cye looked around wildly in the pitch black. There was no sound of a retreat, but he couldn't sense anyone anywhere.
"Cye? CYE!" Robyn's high pitched voice was hysterical. The darkness only heightened her fear of who was dead and who was still alive in the room with her.
"I'm coming," he called back as he followed the sound of her voice. He jumped when his barefoot came in contact with the broken glass on the floor and lost his balance. Robyn half caught him in his fall whether she meant to or not. Both crashed into the cabinets before Robyn clung to him and started sobbing uncontrollably. Cye put one arm around her quivering form while he tried to blindly remove a large piece of glass from his foot with his free hand.
In the moment he felt strangely detached from it all. Even from the sobbing girl on his chest. Everything around him felt muddy but his mind was crystal clear. It was the soul of his armor that had awakened him in time. Who knows what would have happened without it. His armor had shared in the protective feelings he felt for his friend. So strange, for the armor was never protective of anything but its wearer. For whatever reason it chose to act, Cye was thankful for it.
Mrs. Mouri had been awoken by the gunshots and ran downstairs soon after. Incredibly calm despite what happened, Cye herded the now two hysterical females back upstairs where they all waited together in his mother's room for the police to arrive.
Cye gazed over at the digital clock next to the couch which now read 4:25. Policemen had been crawling around his house for a few hours now. Each of them had relayed the story of what happened several different times and were all tired of repeating it. The police had combed and recombed the entire house. Although there was plenty of evidence to show what had happened, it still remained a mystery how the intruder got in and out of the house so quickly and quietly. Cye was too tired to think about it himself and hardly cared as long as that low life was no longer posed an immediate threat.
He gazed over at Robyn next. She was the only one who hadn't gotten any sleep before the incident and it showed. She was slumped forward and staring at the floor with her elbows resting on her knees. The only time she ever said anything was when a cop asked her a question. They were all leaving now; having done everything they could. One officer assured Cye's mother that there would be a team keeping watch on the house twenty-four/seven until the culprit was found. Cye promised himself he would keep a watch out, too.
Cye turned to Robyn when all but two of the officers had left. The remaining pair had been assigned to stay inside the house at least until the morning so the family could get some sleep. They all needed it.
"Come on Robyn, let's go upstairs and go to bed," Cye said gently. "We still have finals tomorrow; or today, I guess." His little attempt at humor went unnoticed as Robyn quietly stood.
"Yes," Mrs. Mouri agreed. She had been sitting in the other chair across the room. "It will be hard, but we should all try to get some sleep. Things will look better in the morning."
The two officers assured them they would stay on guard as the small family split off to their respective bedrooms. Cye was about ready to plop into bed again when he noticed Robyn standing in the doorway.
"What is it?" he wondered.
"Can--can I stay in here with you tonight?" she asked weakly. "I'll even sleep on the floor if you'll let me. I--I just don't want to be alone."
Her eyes were filled with not only lingering fear, but heart break. To have her own father turn on her, not that she hadn't experienced something like that before. But Cye could hardly comprehend what it would feel like.
"Come here," he said and motioned for her to approach. Robyn walked in timidly, but Cye continued to give her encouraging signals and allowed her to crawl into his bed. He plopped himself next to her and pulled up the covers before reaching over to turn off the lamp.
"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Robyn gave him a dubious glance. Cye was usually pretty wary about such situations.
"Just promise me you'll get some sleep," came the reply in the darkness.
"I'll try."
The two went silent for quite a while. Cye thought Robyn had actually gone to sleep when he started to notice small sniffling coming from her side of the bed. He turned his head ever so slightly so he could watch her out of the corner of his eye. Just as he thought, she was attempting to hide it, but he couldn't miss her trying to inconspicuously wipe the tears from her cheeks.
"Robyn?" Cye shifted himself up on an elbow and placed the opposite hand on her shoulder.
"Sorry," Robyn rasped as she wiped her face more hastily. "I know I've done this too much already. But I really thought I was going to die there. All alone. Nothing is so terrifying as taking your last breath all by yourself. I--I never would have thought it a million years you would have--"
"Don't," Cye whispered, forceful but gentle. He put his arms around her and pulled her tight against him. "Don't think about it any more. It doesn't matter what might have happened; it's all over now." Robyn just buried her face in his shoulder and clung to his T-shirt tightly. "I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to you."
After that revelation, Cye blinked in the dark. Perhaps that was why the armor chose to wake him. With the armor's symbol of trust, it wouldn't allow Cye to break his promises if it could help it. With that in mind, Cye almost smiled to himself. Robyn eventually relaxed in his embrace and the two teens fell together in a fitful sleep, both feeling very much protected.
Despite the lack of sleep, Cye woke up nearly the same time he did every morning out of pure habit. With eyes still refusing to focus, he managed to half roll himself over to check the clock. He groaned at the time. He needed a few more hours, not the twenty odd minutes he could afford to waste in bed and still have enough time to get ready for school. He settled onto his back again before recalling he wasn't alone this morning. Robyn was still fast asleep beside him. Her face was half buried in the pillow next to his shoulder while her wild, red hair spilled about and her arm draped loosely across Cye's midsection.
The bearer of Torrent pulled himself up slowly into a more sitting position and grabbed the phone at his bedside. As he dialed a familiar number, his mother popped her head into his room to see if he was awake or not. She looked like she had gotten about as much sleep as he did, but she also had to make sure her son made it to school on this important day. Cye waved to her self-consciously as he listened to the phone ring on the other end. He hoped he wouldn't catch too much flack for being caught with a girl in his bed. All Mrs. Mouri did was smile her understanding and then head back downstairs.
"Hullo?" came as scratchy voice as the phone was finally answered. Cye could tell from the depth of the voice that it was Kento--even though he sounded like he had just gotten up as well. The rest of his family had most likely been up for a while. He had a habit of sleeping in later since he could just drive to school.
"Kento? It's Cye."
"'Sup dude," came the tired reply. "Why the heck are you ca--" He paused to stifle a yawn. "Calling so early?"
"Kento, something happened last night," Cye began and proceeded to relay last night's horrifying ordeal.
"WHAT?!" Kento shrieked, now fully awake. He proceeded in letting out a long string of curses into the phone. He was cut off quickly by Mama Faun who let off her own string of threats for swearing around the younger kids. After arguing with his parents for a moment--all this was done within Cye's hearing--Kento retreated to the other room where he could speak his mind without being censored.
The bearer of Hardrock was in rare form after that. All Cye had to do was give the word and he would hunt the bastard down and Iron Rock Crush his ass. Cye had to spend several more minutes just to calm him down.
"I'm not trying to hire a hitman," he insisted. "I just wanted to let you know what happened since you're my friend."
That confession succeeded in softening the edges. "Thanks buddy," was the delayed reply. "So, you still want me to pick you guys up at the usual?"
"Yes, that would be great. I think we'll wait until we get to school to tell the others."
"Right, I'll see you in a bit."
"Bye Kento." Cye hung up the phone and then looked down at the still slumbering girl beside him. He hated the thought of waking her up, but it had to be done. "Come on Robyn," he said as he nudged her. "It's time for school."
Robyn moaned softly and rolled onto her back. She scrunched up her face and then rubbed her nose as if something had been tickling in. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and sighed at him.
"Morning."
Cye managed a small smile back. "Good morning. Did you dream anything last night?"
"Nothing besides the obvious," Robyn replied, instantly going back to what happened that night. Cye couldn't let her dwell on that.
"I dreamed that a big, giant fat man was trying to sit on me."
Robyn let out a snort of laughter, then a sniffle. She rubbed her nose again and let out a deep breath. "Man Cye, I'm so freaking tired. Today's gonna suck."
Cye nodded, hardly able to disagree. "Well, let's get up and get it over with. Then we can go to bed early tonight."
Robyn nodded and dragged herself to the shower.
When they got to school that morning, Robyn ditched Kento and Cye right off to go to her first hour class early. Kento was horrible when he had arrived at their door that morning. Robyn guessed he would fuss over her to some degree, but she didn't predict he would be the same way with Cye, too. He even offered to carry his best friend to the jeep when he saw he was limping. Cye about smacked him with his backpack. And if that wasn't bad enough, to imagine three more like that when they got to school was more than Robyn could handle at the moment. Plus, she needed the extra time to study. Right now she had to focus all her remaining energy on her school work and manage to get through the day without bombing any finals.
The schedule for finals was different than a normal day. Each final took two class hours and they went on for two days. The first day would be spent with two hours of first and second period, lunch, then two hours of third period and an hour of seventh. The second day would go the same with fourth, fifth, lunch, sixth, and then the second half of seventh. So even though it was technically third period, Rowen was hurrying to his second hour class. He had heard from Cye what had happened and was anxious to see Robyn before the college trigonometry final began. Unfortunately, his last college final ran longer than he had wanted and he had arrived to the class late. There was no time for talk, just for testing now.
Rowen had only put his name on his paper when he looked up to check on Robyn. The seating was further apart today as prior the professor's request. Of course, there was no talking either so Rowen was really finding himself in a bind. When he glanced over at his friend his heart went out to her. She was slumped over her paper; staring at it, trying to concentrate through her fatigue. It was obvious she was getting frustrated. She kept rubbing her face and erasing her answers. Rowen found himself clutching his own pencil. If only he could stop time so he could tell her he was there for her. Calm her down and help her focus. Let the poor girl get some sleep for crying out loud! But his wishing was inconsequential. The only thing that did result from it was to cause Rowen to take longer than his usual time to finish the test.
Even then, Rowen still finished before Robyn did. She was one of the last people to complete it. Lunch period had already started by the time she staggered out of the college building. Robyn blinked in the bright sunlight before she realized the blue haired ronin had been waiting for her. Rowen quickly caught up and fell in step beside her as she made her way towards the cluster of tables stationed outside where the group usually ate. Robyn didn't say anything, but she was thankful that he had remained silent just this once.
The others were already eating at one table when they arrived. Kento and Ryo had their backs turned to the late arrivals, but as they approached, the former turned to them with a half eaten burger still hanging from his mouth. He managed to somehow mumble Robyn's name while padding the space between him and Ryo. Robyn sat down with a weak smile. Her presence was very small and timid today; unlike the bright, mischievous aura she usually gave out. Rowen frowned momentarily at this, obviously wanting to sit beside her. But since those spots were taken, he settled for the empty spot next to Sage and sulked while he pulled out his lunch.
"So anyways, as I was saying," Kento continued after swallowing his burger in one huge gulp. "I couldn't believe where that old bat got all her questions for that final. There was some clear from the first of the year. Like I can remember all the stuff we learned back then! If I didn't have Cye's notes, I would have been screwed. Biology. Bah! Who needs it!"
Cye managed to throw his friend a warning look from the other end of the table. It happened to be his favorite subject, thank you very much. And it was his notes that helped him pass. He should show a little respect and gratitude. Robyn, who would have characteristically taken this cue to start teasing whomever she could, sat quietly with her hands in her lap and her head down. She didn't even bother to pull out her lunch. She was too tired and disheartened to be hungry.
Kento, while acting like it was the norm, gave her shoulders a small squeeze as he continued on with the conversation. Robyn leaned into him a little. How she wanted to just curl up next to him and fall asleep. Or, somehow, borrow his strength to get her through this horror of a day.
"Well, now that we know all about Kento's day," Cye announced. "Anyone else have problems with finals so far?"
"They haven't been too bad," Sage admitted. "My worst ones are tomorrow."
Robyn clenched her fists as the others gave their spill. Hers had been horrible. She couldn't remember anything; she couldn't even think straight. She was so exhausted. And after how hard she studied over the past few days. She had put so much effort into it and wanted so badly to do well. It wasn't fair! Unbidden tears we beginning to sting her eyes.
Her thoughts were cut off when a hand closed around the trembling fist in her lap. Robyn looked up to see Ryo giving her an encouraging smile. He didn't say anything; didn't have to. And Robyn was grateful for it. She didn't need to hear it, but knowing they were there for her through simple actions were enough. She almost smiled herself when another's grip fell on her shoulders. It was Rowen. She hadn't even noticed he had gotten up.
"I'm going now," he announced to whoever it may concern. "I want to get an early start on my next final so I'll have time to finish it. I'll see you guys later."
Robyn thought his grip was kind of tight. Sometimes he grabbed her shoulders when teasing her and would give them that horribly uncomfortable grip that made you want to immediately shrug them off. This time was different. He simply felt tense. He was also gone before Robyn could analyze it further.
Cye covered a yawn as he trudged to his seventh hour class. This was it. The last one for today. He could make it just one more hour. But by the Ancient he was tired! Still, he had gotten by with less sleep than this before. When fighting Talpa, any of them hardly slept. They lived by quick naps alone, stealing sleep whenever they could. He was a bit used to it, but that didn't mean he enjoyed it. And he could only imagine how Robyn was faring with even less sleep than him.
"Cye!"
The bearer of Torrent paused when he heard his name barked over the hustle of the crowded hall. He turned around to see Rowen, of all people, weaving up the hall towards him. Now there was something to see. The Warrior of Strata actually inside the high school building was a rare site indeed.
"Rowen, what is it?" Cye wondered and with good reason.
The taller ronin seemed a bit more nervous than usual as he pulled him off to the side. "I've been surfing around the internet," he confessed. "And I found something--"
"Didn't you say you had a final?" Cye interrupted.
"Look, I lied, okay?" Rowen cried. "I had Photography and my final project was already turned in. Can we focus on the point I'm trying to make here, please?"
Cye raised a tolerant eye brow at him. With his lack of sleep, he was just daring Rowen to make this message worth his while.
"It's about Robyn's father," Rowen relayed slowly. "He--he's dead Cye."
Cye, whose arms had been folded impatiently, now dropped to his side in surprise. "What?! What happened? Did something happen to him today?"
Rowen grimly shook his head. "No. He's been dead far longer than that. Try two years."
"You're crazy Rowen," Cye insisted. "I saw him last night with my own eyes. He was there. It was him. How on earth did you come up with such an incredibly illogical--"
"Here," Rowen said flatly as he shoved a paper in Cye's face. "That's him, isn't it?"
Cye took the document in his hands and studied it. The picture in the top left corner was of the same man. But what was this? A newspaper clipping?
"An obituary," Rowen clarified. "Dated more than two years ago. The cause of death was alcohol abuse. Doesn't that sound more like your man?"
Cye just continued to stare with a puzzled expression at the paper in his hands. It told time and date of death along with the date of the funeral and where he was buried. Could this be possible? If this really was Robyn's father, then who was in his house last night? Was it a faked death two years ago?
"I doubt very much Robyn's real father survived," Rowen said to answer his thoughts. "Think about it. From what I've heard, the man was an abusive drunk, not a stalking psycho path. Men like that are also cowards. I doubt he'd dare to pull a gun or do anything like that. And at the park in Tokyo, wasn't it an incredible coincidence that he just happened to be there? Also amazing how he found out your address only a few days later. And I don't know about the last time, but from what I saw of him, he seemed incredibly sober for an alcoholic."
Cye furrowed his brows deeper as Rowen continued his argument. "So just what are you getting at?"
"I'm not sure, really," Rowen admitted. "But something is definitely going on. Something unnatural. I've already ran all the facts by Sage. He wants to come over after school and see what he can find."
"And Robyn?"
"Sage decided it would be best if she weren't there at the time."
Cye tapped his foot impatiently. "So where is she going to be then?"
Rowen put a hand on his shoulder just as a short bell rang, signaling the students all had one minute left to get to class. "I've got it all covered."
"Rowen's so full of crap," Robyn grouched as she wandered down the city sidewalks. "I hate him."
Kento, who was strolling beside her with his hands in his pockets, gave a lop sided grin. "Why is that?"
Robyn made a noise of frustration. "Would it kill that guy to just once to give me a straight answer? I don't know why he gets such morbid pleasure out of conspiring against poor, stupid me. Who does he think he is; kicking me out of my own home? 'Oh Robyn, just go hang out with Kento while we take care of some stuff'. What kind of stuff? It's a bunch of BS is what it is! He thinks he's so--" She paused when she heard chuckling in the background. "Excuse me? How can you find this amusing?"
"Sorry," Kento apologized with a smile. "I think it's just funny the way you go on sometimes."
Robyn stopped in her tracks and threw him an indignant look. "Humph! I'd like to see how funny you think everything is when you relive the last 24 hours I've had!"
That sobered the warrior up quickly. Kento's stance was changed at an instant. Now he walked slightly behind her with a bit of guilt in his stride. But was it for making fun of her, or from regret for not being there for her earlier when the incident had happened?
"So," Robyn then said after a while. "Just what are Rowen and Sage doing over there?"
"I'm not sure," Kento replied. "They didn't really tell me much. I guess because if I didn't know then you wouldn't make me tell you."
Robyn nodded. She would have made him spill it if he did know. "And Ryo's the only one not there?"
"Yeah, he'd be with us if he didn't have detention." Kento snorted. "Like there's a time when he doesn't have it."
Robyn made a sound in her throat similar to a laugh. It was a sad truth. Poor Ryo. They should pay him a janitor's wage for all the detention hours he had spent cleaning that school. It was one of the great mysteries of the world how such a kind hearted kid could get in trouble so often.
"I know this whole thing is all about last night," Robyn stated. "I just wish I knew what they were trying to do. Couldn't they do it with me home? I'm so tired Kento. I just want to curl up in bed and sleep for as long as the world will let me."
"I'd offer you my place, but it's so noisy you know you won't get any sleep there."
Robyn frowned. Yes, Mei Ryu and Chun Fa would be bouncing all around her the second she arrived. That definitely wasn't something she could handle at the moment. "It would have been nice to have the keys to Rowen's place. We know that's empty. You'd think he'd give me that much after all this."
Kento shook his head. He was starting to think Robyn liked complaining about all the things Rowen did. Robyn made a sound of surprise when he grabbed her arm and guided her down a different direction than Robyn was planning to go.
"I've got a place where we can relax for a while," he explained before Robyn could start demanding answers.
Willing to take just about anything at this point, Robyn allowed him to lead her into one of the taller city buildings. It was quiet inside; as well as neat and clean. A few people walked around with purpose in their stride, but not many noticed to two teens. Kento led the way through the lobby and to the elevator where the two rode to the top floor. Once out, they continued up two more flights of stairs until they emerged on the roof of the building. The four sides of the roof had guard rails strung along them and a few people were already up there enjoying the view. The two teens wandered over to a place unoccupied by any other sightseers.
"Nice," Robyn said as she leaned on the rail and looked over the city. The sun shone warm upon her face and a slight breeze played with her thin bangs. Robyn closed her eyes and let the gentle warmth calm and sooth her.
"I thought you'd like it," Kento said. "We can just sit around here and take it easy until Cye calls us to come back."
Robyn nodded, but then glanced behind her curiously when she realized Kento wasn't by her side, but a few paces away from the building's edge.
"Kento Rei Faun, what are you doing back there?" she demanded. "You're not afraid of heights, are you?"
"No," Kento insisted. He stepped closer to prove his point though one could not ignore the hesitance in his movements. "Not really. It just makes me feel....a bit out of my element, I guess." He leaned carefully over the rail to see the cars and people like tiny ants below. "Being up high kind of makes me feel like far away from what I know to be familiar and solid, you know?"
Robyn nodded despite the fact that she was silently struggling to understand the difference in solidity between the top of a building and the sidewalk.
"This isn't my place," Kento went on to explain. "It's Rowen's. He likes being way up in the air with nothing solid and sure beneath him. So when I'm up here, it feels kind of like walking into someone else's bed room. Sure, there's nothing wrong with it. But you can't stay there forever because it's not yours."
Robyn glanced over at his face. The bearer of Hardrock wasn't nearly as versed in the spoken language as say maybe Sage or even herself. While he understood such things well, translating such things into words was something completely different. Robyn could tell by the way he furrowed his brows he was doing his best to help her understand how he was. She tried to see past just the words and get from the tone of his voice what he was meaning. Kento glanced at her, hoping she wasn't giving him that blank look his comrades often gave him when he tried to explain things. Robyn did the best she could, but it was difficult for her to even begin to understand what it was like to have an element that was like you in the first place; let alone how it made you react to others.
She smiled at him, wishing she could understand. But she could not. Not entirely. Just as there were parts of her they could never fully understand as well. But that was okay. It was the differences that made friendship worth while and getting to know what you didn't understand was what made the adventure.
"I wish I knew what it was like," Robyn announced. "Perhaps it's bad, but I can't help wishing sometimes that I have what you have."
Kento looked over at her with an ironic smile. "Be careful Robyn, there's far more to it than what you think you know. You don't know what you ask for."
"Exactly," Robyn insisted. "How can I even begin to understand? I only know a little bit of what you guys went through. I wish I understood it more."
Kento turned at looked at her seriously. "No, you don't," he insisted. "You don't need to know any more about it. I know most of us all wish we could forget it."
"Like Cye," Robyn reflected. "I know how much he hates to fight. It must have been tough for him. But you also had your armors. So much power to help and protect you so you wouldn't have to be afraid."
Kento's eyes lit up when he realized what she was getting at. All her life she had been running in fear. From her stand point it would have been great to have a strong, mystical armor to scare all her troubles away. But nothing is that easy.
"You didn't think we were scared?" Kento asked.
Robyn blinked at him in confusion. "You won, didn't you? You beat that Talpa guy and your armors helped you do it. You had all the power you needed right there. How--"
She was cut off as Kento shook his head. "There was more to it than just that." So much more. "Not only did we have to fight Talpa, but just to get to him we had to deal with armies of his undead solders. Not to mention his four warlords. One who particularly had it out for me." Kento sat down and rested his back against the railing. Robyn soon joined him, curiosity plastered all over her face as he stared at the blue sky.
"This one was a master of illusion," Kento went on to explain. "He liked playing head games and disguising the truth. I'm not much of a thinker, especially when I'm hyped up for battle. So needless to say, he often confused the hell out of me." Robyn smiled slightly and let him continue.
"The solders were all attacking the city and we got split up trying to fight them and also trying to protect Mia and Yulie; the only two people left in the city that hadn't been captured. Rowen and I met up in the subway but got separated again and when I was all alone, that's when Dais, the Warlord of Illusion, appeared."
Robyn looked dubiously at him. "So, you're scared of this Dais guy?"
"I AM NOT SCARED OF THAT ONE EYED FREAK SHOW AND HIS CHEAP PARLOR TRICKS!" Kento suddenly burst out. "Nor was I then! If he EVER shows his face around here again I'll kick his ass clear across Japan just like I did the last time! Got it?!"
Robyn jumped back, her eyes wide with surprise. The few other people with them on the roof had all stopped and were now staring at the two.
"Heh, heh, sorry," Kento said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "I got carried away."
Robyn nodded, still almost in awe. "This guy must have really done or said something to you that you still can't get over."
Kento slumped and looked away guiltily. "When we were alone, he showed me with his illusions our armors and the destruction they could do--or perhaps, what they have done in the past. He showed me my anger and how easily it could turn me into one of them. He said my armor--all our armors were once a part of Talpa. That they were evil; that evil men had once worn them before us and that they would turn us evil, too" Kento was subconsciously clenching his fists until they shook. "I didn't want to be like that! I would kill myself before I'd let myself become like what they were! The guys just thought I was being my stupid self like always. But I couldn't help it. I didn't have the faith in myself like the others did. I couldn't trust myself. It even got to the point that I would refuse to put on my armor; even when Anubis, another of the warlords attacked us. And when the guys yelled at me enough to do it, my armor wouldn't come. All because of my fear."
He looked up when Robyn touched his arm. Her friendly green eyes looked into his, searching for something. When she had first heard the story of their armors escapades, it felt like just that. Another once upon a time. How could they have gone through so much chaos when the city looked fine? And they were the only ones who remembered it. Does anything truly happen if no one remembers it? But the more she heard about it, the more real it became. It had happened. And these five young men were all scarred in one way or another because it had.
"How could you possibly think you could ever be capable of evil when you care so much about it like that?" she asked him.
Kento had to chuckle. "Robyn, if only I had known you back then, I--" He paused as his body suddenly tensed. Someone was watching them.
Cye looked up from his reading as Rowen paced in front of him for what seemed like the hundred billionth time. The bearer of Strata paused only to run his fingers through his hair--another action he did when stressed or worried--then resumed his pacing. Not only was the blue haired young man wearing a hole in the kitchen tile, but it was starting to get on Cye's nerves. Sage was over by the kitchen counter, sitting on the floor. Shoes off and in lotus position, he hadn't moved from that spot for the last hour and Cye didn't want to disturb him. So he sat there and seethed silently, clutching his book tighter and tighter with each round Rowen made. It finally got to the point where Cye was going to make a curt comment when Sage did it for him.
"Rowen, sit down and calm down," the blonde said without even opening an eye. "You're agitating Cye and I can't concentrate with the two of you throwing out such negative energy."
Rowen made a face at him and then plopped down on the seat across from Cye at the kitchen table. He took a deep breath to calm himself as Sage had ordered.
"Man, Robyn's pissed at me right now, isn't she?" he stated out of the blue.
Cye looked up at him. "I've noticed these days there's hardly a time when she isn't," was his retort.
Rowen chose not to take offense to that. "Yeah, I'm always doing the dirty work. She didn't look too happy when I told her she had to stay with Kento instead of going home. I wish Ryo would have been able to go with them."
"Yeah, but he's got to work off his detention hours before graduation or he won't get his diploma," Cye replied. But on the inside his brain was churning. Was that what Rowen had been pacing about? He wasn't impatient with Sage's meditating, but the fact that Kento was the only one with Robyn? Did he think something was going to happen? It seemed very unlikely that if something did happen, Kento wouldn't be able to take care of it on his own--of which Cye was very doubtful anything would happen at all.
"What do you think she'll say when she get's back?" Rowen then wondered.
"Would you two be quiet please?" Sage interjected from the floor. "I'm trying to concentrate here."
"Oh please," Rowen rolled his eyes. "If you haven't found anything by now, then I doubt--"
"I can feel it," Sage interrupted as he got to his feet. Both his teammates turned in their chairs to look at him. "There's a negative energy floating all about this room. I could feel it the second I walked it. But it's just a lingering essence of whatever presence was here last night. I was trying to figure out where it's coming from."
"And?" Rowen pressed.
"And SOMEONE kept ruining my concentration," Sage accused and then turned to Cye. Rowen sulked. "All I know is that it's definitely not from the Dynasty nor any other power we have encountered before. It has a different feel to it. I'm not sure where it came from, but it feels unnatural. As in not of this world."
"So perhaps another world like the Dynasty?" Cye wondered. "Is it possible there are more dimensions out there?"
"If not one, then why not an infinite number of different worlds?" Rowen reflected. "I'm not surprised. The possibilities are endless."
"The question is," Sage stated. "What exactly is it that has come to our world and why? Why here? And what were they after?"
The three ronins turned as the phone hanging on the wall behind them began to ring. A silence fell over them. Cye's mind instantly went back to earlier that afternoon when the three of them confronted Kento to stay with Robyn. Sage had given him his cell phone so they could let them know when they were finished with their investigation. It was also to be used if Kento ran into any trouble. Cye still didn't believe that anything would happen in such a short amount of time. But the phone kept ringing and Cye had a sickening feeling in his gut that on the other line was Kento.