Same disclaimer as usual.

I know it's been a while! Sorry! I hope it's worth the wait. Enjoy!


Part VI: Decisions

Mia lowered herself onto a couch, her attention turned to the small table beside it. On the table was a framed photograph of the Ronin Warriors. They were in their undergear standing in a circle with their hands stacked between them. "Oh guys," she sighed. "It just doesn't end does it?" She held the picture in her hands. "We thought you had beaten Talpa once, and then he came back… You defeated him again, but it looks like you're still not done, not if Kayura… Will the Dynasty ever leave us alone?" She put the picture back down. "Oh, Anubis… If only you were still with us…" She remembered how gently Anubis had placed the Jewel of Life around her neck, his soft words. "How little time we spent together Anubis, it's not fair, I think I was beginning to fall in love with you…" she sighed again, her eyes tearing up. She stood up and walked across the room.

"Come on Mia, you need to focus on the current situation, not think about Anubis…" She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them they were dry. "So, Kayura is in love with Rowen and stalking him… nice… Who would have thought that this would happen? And poor Rowen, he has enough to deal with…"

"I should have thought you would say that," a bitter voice snapped. Mia spun around and saw a woman standing in the entrance to the room. Her blue hair was disheveled, and her gold obi hung loosely around her narrow hips, the bow limp.

"Kayura!" Mia exclaimed. "What happened to you!"

"What happened to me? What hasn't happened to me! I live in the Dynasty!" she screeched, tossing her arms around to emphasize certain words.

"Okay… but… what are you doing here?" Mia asked calmly.

"What am I doing here?"

"You keep repeating everything I say…" Mia muttered.

"I am here because I needed a friend!" she screamed, her eyes filling with tears. Her kimono slipped down a little, exposing her shoulder. "But I should have assumed that you would not support me, that you would not be kind to me, or understand me! You still blame me for Anubis don't you!"

"What!"

"You do! I heard you earlier… 'Oh Anubis, it's not fair, I was in loooooovvvveeeeeee with yoooooooooouuuuuuuuu!" Kayura said, her voice simpering in a mock impression of Mia.

"You were spying on me!" Mia shouted.

"Just for a little while…" Kayura murmured.

"And you're mocking me! About Anubis! You….!" Mia lunged forward and grabbed Kayura by the shoulders. Kayura pushed back against Mia's shoulders. The two women fought each other's grips, and then toppled onto the floor. They rolled across the carpeted floor, each releasing one hand which they used to rip at the others' hair. All the while Mia was releasing a torrent of epithets upon Kayura, who was shouting incoherently at her. Suddenly they heard the door open. They stopped shouting for a moment and waited. "Mia? Are you here?" Kento's voice called. Both of them sighed, it was just Kento. However, Kayura took Mia's moment of distraction to launch a second attack on Mia. Kayura savagely grabbed Mia's hair, and pulled her hand back full of auburn locks. This was too much for Mia. She rolled on top of Kayura, pulled her right hand back and then released a firm punch into Kayura's face.

"Mia!" Kento exclaimed as he entered the room. Mia stood up and watched Kayura hurry to her feet. Kayura attempted to straighten her kimono which hand fallen completely off of her left shoulder, revealing the silk she wrapped around her chest.

"What exactly do you want Kayura?" Mia screamed.

"I want Rowen!" Kayura shouted, bursting into tears.

Kento stood in the back of the room, stunned into silence. Kayura sank to her knees, sobbing into her hands. "Kayura…" Mia began, kneeling before her. She reached out to touch Kayura's shoulder, but the heiress to the Ancient's power viciously pushed her hand away.

"Don't touch me," she said, her voice cold and shaking. "I was wrong to come here, I can't trust you, I can't trust Sage, I can't trust anyone! But that's alright, I don't need any of you, I will get Rowen myself, and once he falls in love with me, you will all feel very foolish!" With that Kayura disappeared, leaving a glimmer of violet light in her wake.

"Mia, are you okay?" Kento asked, reaching out to her. Mia slowly stood, but she was shaking. "Are you okay?" Kento asked more urgently.

"When she disappeared… it was violet… not gold…" she turned to Kento, who stared wide-eyed back at her.

Ryo and Rowen walked through the woods near Ryo's cabin, the July sun beating down on them. They were both silent, staring at the lush landscape around them. Rowen stared up at the cloudless sky, sweat forming on his brow. Finally Ryo nervously broke the silence.

"Hey, Ro…" he began. Rowen turned to look at his black-haired friend. "I just thought you should know… Sage told us… about… you know… Kayura… and what you said…" Ryo mumbled.

Rowen nodded thoughtfully. Ryo regarded him anxiously, Sage never said if they should bring it up or not. "Well I guess that's better then. I would rather not have to repeat it again and again." He took two steps and then turned around to face Ryo. "You know what though, talking about it with Sage really helped. Now that everything's out in the open I feel a lot better. I've also decided to give Kayura a second chance."

"Really Rowen! That's great!" Ryo exclaimed, clapping his friend on the back. The two teens walked through the forest side by side.

The next day, Rowen sat at his kitchen table, a stack of mail in front of him. He put his father's mail to the side and then began looking at the letters addressed to him. There was a postcard from his mother (she was in New Zealand, and the postcard showed a lush green landscape and a river), his scores from the computer class he had taken in the spring, a letter from Han'a High about his science aptitude tests, and one more letter. He broke the official-looking seal on the back of it and pulled out a folded piece of paper. It was expensive paper, the kind with the company's name stamped into it. The letter was handwritten in blue ink. He carefully read it:

Dear Mister Rowen Hashiba,

Upon review of your cram school results, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into our transfer program. This is a very prestigious achievement! We have attached admissions forms and information on the school itself, including the on-campus housing information you requested. We look forward to your enrollment.

Sincerely,

Ayame Kounzoku

President of the Hachime Prep School

Nakano, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan

Rowen reread the letter several times, then he sighed and placed it on the table. As he did he pulled the packets out of the envelope. The picture on the cover showed a large Prep School campus enclosed by a stone wall and wrought iron gate. The curvy font above the picture read "Hachime Prep School – the gateway to your future". He flipped the book open and saw floor plans for student housing. The first floorplan was of a small one bedroom apartment, complete with kitchen, bath, and a spacious study area with a desk and computer. The others were similar, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms varying. Rowen put the booklet down and sighed again. Then he got up, put his shoes on and left the apartment.

Kayura called up one of the Dyansty screens. "Rowen of Strata," she whispered. The screen flickered to life with an image of Rowen. He was standing in the park, the sunlight making his blue hair shine. He leaned against the railing around the park as if he was deep in thought. "Oh Rowen, what can I do?" she whispered. "You're the only person I care about, I never knew I could feel this way. After everything I've done in my life, this one feeling was beyond my grasp. I never thought I could fall in love… Can't you love me back? Won't you?" she asked quietly.

In a park in Toyama, Rowen Hashiba suddenly had the disturbing feeling that someone was watching him; that someone was closing in on him. He looked around nervously. He could feel the Dynasty's presence all around him. "Who's there!" he shouted, and then immediately felt dumb when the people in the park stared at him and no one else appeared. As he walked away he could still feel the presence, and nervously wondered what would happen when he was alone.