Whack!...Whack!...Whack!
Rowen watched as Sakura pouched the pouching bag. She bounced on the balls of her feet like a boxer in a ring. She hit the bag ever few moments, sending it swinging.
Whap!
She kicked the bag so hard it swung up, becoming parallel to the floor. Rowen smirked and clapped. Sakura turned around. The pouching bag came toward her and she stopped it with one hand. She took off the boxing gloves, threw them to the side, and smiled at him.
"Oh, hey, Rowen. I forgot that you were supposed to come by," she said. She walked over to him and gave him a quick kiss. "I thought that you had basketball practice."
"Coach's sick," Rowen said. He kissed her again. "So I thought that I would stop by to see how you were doin'."
"I'm doin' okay."
"I can see that. When does practice end?"
"At five. That gives me fifteen minutes. I have to do a new floor routine for the next competition. Wanna see it?"
"Sure." He set his backpack on the floor and pulled up a chair. "Whenever you're ready."
She gave him a smile and headed on to the floor. She went over to the farther corner of the floor mat and stood just within the white lines that went all the way around, indicting the out-of-bounds. She stood facing him and ran until about the center before executing a cartwheel and then a round off. She landed with her back towards Rowen. She did a front flip with a roll out ending. She did somersaults, cartwheels, round offs, pikes, rollouts, and front and back flips in combination for the rest of her routine. She landed perfectly in front of Rowen well within the limits of the lines.
"That was awesome, Sakura," said Rowen, his applause echoing in the large, empty practice room.
"Thanks, Rowen." She smiled at him and picked up her towel. She wiped the sweat from her face. "What do you think? Did you see anything wrong?"
"I told you that I thought it was awesome. You know that everything you do, I think is perfect. There's never anything wrong with anything that you do," replied Rowen.
"I know who to come to if I want flattering compliments," said Sakura. She picked up her gym bag and, after making sure everything was in it, left with Rowen.
They left together, talking and laughing about varies things. They walked to the park, holding hands. When they stopped to rest on a park bench, Sakura seemed suddenly very tired to him.
"Hey, Sakura, are you okay?" Rowen asked.
"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine. I'm just really tired. I don't know why. Practice probably wore me out. I'm going to bed earlier than I normally I do, yet I'm still tired," answered Sakura, leaning against his shoulder.
"Well you know that too much sleep makes you tired, too."
"Really? I didn't know that." She yawned and covered her mouth with her hand. "Sorry, maybe I should head home."
"That's okay. I'll come with you," offered Rowen. He stood and helped her up.
"Thanks for the offer, but no. I'll manage. I'll be fine. See you tomorrow." She walked off, leaving Rowen staring after her.
That was definitely strange, he thought some time later while he was riding the bus to his own apartment. She always accepts my offer, usually. I wonder what's wrong with her. He got home and went inside. His dad was home from the lab at the Tokyo University. He was always working. Rowen hardly ever saw his dad, sometimes Rowen just missed him or they didn't see each other for days at a time. His dad was a workaholic and Rowen hated it.
"Hi, Dad," said Rowen, dropping his keys on the kitchen counter. "How was work?"
"I suppose it was alright," his father answered. "How's school? Are you're grades as good as ever?" He was reading a newspaper at the kitchen counter.
"School's okay. My grades are the same I guess." Rowen went to the fridge and grabbed a can of soda.
"You guess? Rowen, what did I tell you about guessing? Everything is exact or it's not. There is no 'I guess', understand?" his father shot at him.
"Of course, Dad," Rowen responded. "Not everything is an exact science, you know."
"Don't be a smart ass," he father snapped. Rowen supposed in an instant that his father's work at the university hadn't gone 'alright', but rather badly.
"It's true, though. History isn't an exact science."
"History isn't a science, Rowen. It's…something else."
"Well, life science isn't an exact science," argued Rowen, after taking a drink from his soda. He almost enjoyed arguing with his dad. If he ever was right about something, his father would sit and ponder for hours, thinking if Rowen was indeed correct.
His father was silent for a long time. Rowen was about heading towards his room to start his homework when his father's voice stopped him.
"Your mother called today. She's going to drop by the day after tomorrow for a little while. You should be here. She wants to now how you're doing, since you never call to talk to her."
Rowen stiffened. His father and mother had been divorced for almost fifteen years. They had gotten the divorce when he was about two years old. With his father always being away at the university lab and his mother constantly away with her job, they hadn't had time to get to know each other the way a married couple should. And it didn't help that they were a dozen years apart in age either. His father ended up treating his mother more like a daughter then a wife, or at least that's what his parents' friends had said when he had asked them.
"Rowen, did you hear me?" his father asked over the top of his paper.
"Yeah, Dad, I heard you," answered Rowen. "I'll be in my room doing homework if you need me."
If his father had said anything, Rowen had missed it. He walked into his room and shut the door firmly. He never liked talking about his mother, especially to his father. It was like trying to play hopscotch in a minefield – impossible.
He sat at his desk, opened his book bag, pulled out his books, and began to work.
At school the next day, Rowen sat with the other Ronins during lunch. They were talking about all sorts of things when he noticed that Sakura was walking into the cafeteria. He waved her over to their table.
"You guys don't mind, do you?" he asked after she began to come over.
"No. It's fine," answered Cye for all of them.
"Hello," said Sakura. "May I sit down?"
"Sure," said Ryo.
She sat down between Rowen and Ryo and across from Sage, Cye, and Kento. "Thanks," she said.
"You look really tired, Sakura," commented Rowen. "Did you get some sleep last night?"
"Yeah, but I'm still tired. I was so tired last night that I went to sleep about eight-thirty. I normally don't go to sleep until ten or so. I'd really like to know what's wrong with me," answered Sakura, resting her elbow on the table and leaning into her palm. "Oh, here; I got the paper this morning. Look at the front page."
She grabbed a rolled up newspaper out of her school bag that she had rested behind her on the floor when she had sat down. She handed it to Sage and he looked at it.
"This person sure is busy," Sage commented.
"What person?" asked Kento through a mouthful of food.
"What other person have we been talking about? The armored person, Kento," said Ryo.
"Right. I knew that," answered Kento.
Sage dropped the paper on the table for all of them to look at. There was another picture on the front. This time the incident was more serious than just breaking windows and streetlights. According to the caption beneath the photo, it said that it had happened in the park. Trees had been uprooted, benches over turned, and the small lake that was in the center of the park was frozen solid.
"It says that the fish were frozen in the water. Just suspended in the water," read Rowen, scanning the article.
"That's horrible!" said Cye.
"Sounds like fish sticks to me," muttered Kento.
"Kento! That is not funny!" declared Cye angrily while Sakura hid her smile behind her hand. She noticed that Ryo was the only other one that was attempting not to smile or laugh. Sage and Rowen didn't seem to find that amusing at all.
"Kento, you know better," scolded Sage.
"You like fish?" Sakura asked Cye.
"Yes, and other marine life, too," responded Cye, still throwing dark looks at Kento. "I grew up by the ocean and I swam with them a lot when I was little."
"And he doesn't eat fish either," reported Kento.
"I personally don't blame him," said Sakura. "I see Cye's point. I couldn't eat dog while I was in Korea with my mother a few years ago."
"What do your parents do, Sakura?" asked Sage.
"Well, my dad's an archeologist and my mum's mythologist/linguist," answered Sakura.
"That certainly explains a lot of things. That's how you know so much about the armors and the legend behind them," said Ryo.
"Yep." She yawned. "Sorry about that. I have to go now. See you guys later."
"Bye," they all chorused.
She left them, pulling her shoulder bag over her shoulder. Rowen watched her leave, worried. She was naturally a "night owl" type of person. She wasn't exactly a morning person, normally being crabby and snappish with people, but never really tired. He decided that he'd check up on her later.
"Hey, Rowen, the bell rang. Hurry up, or you'll be late for class," said Cye.
"Coming," said Rowen, picking up his tray, putting it away, and heading to his locker to get his books for his afternoon classes.
Later that evening, the Ronin boys were walking towards Kento's house to get dinner before each going home. The streetlights were just flickering on.
"What's your mum making for dinner?" asked Cye. Kento's parents run a popular restaurant in Chinatown.
"I dunno, but long as there's lots of it, it's fine with me. I'm starving!" said Kento.
"I hope it's hot," said Ryo. "It's freezing out here."
"Yeah, it is rather cold," agreed Sage. "I wonder why. It normally doesn't get weather like this in late September."
"The weather guy was wrong this morning then," said Kento. "He said that the low today would only be 54, not 34."
"Stop complaining, Kento," said Rowen. "We don't want to hear it."
They walked on silence for anther block or so before rounding a corner and seeing something shocking. It was the armored being. He was standing in front of a building where people could tan. The figure was dressed in a black armor that looked to have parts from each of the Ronin Armors. He removed a long sword from a sheath on his back and held it ready to slash the window in front of him.
"Hey!" called Ryo.
The figure turned when Ryo shouted. A face protector covered his eyes and nose with a solid piece of metal that had a ridge for the nose. They could only see his mouth. A puff of smoke came out of his mouth as he breathed. The Ronins all had a feeling that they would be fighting. They quickly put on their under gear.
"Who are you?" the figure asked, and the voice sounded feminine, not masculine as they had expected.
"We're the Ronin Warriors," answered Ryo, proudly. "And who are you?"
"That is not important. Get out of here. You are wasting my time." The figure, who the boys were now sure was a girl, turned away from them.
"What do you want?" asked Rowen.
"I want you to go away," she answered, and Rowen was vaguely reminded of someone he knew.
"Have a sense of humor, do you?" said Kento.
"I have no time for you Ronin idiots," she said. "Leave before I make you."
"Then make us because we're not going anywhere," said Ryo.
"Very well then. I will."
She turned back towards them and raised her sword. The Ronins took up defensive stances. Rowen blinked and the figure was gone.
"Where?" he started but he got his answer before finishing the question.
The figure was right in front of him. She struck him with her sword across the chest. He fell backwards, a hand over the cut that was in his under gear.
"Hey!" shouted Ryo.
He ran for the figure, but she had disappeared again. He stopped just in front of Rowen, looking around. The figure appeared behind him, slashing him across the back. He hit the ground with a dull thud.
"Are you two okay?" asked Sage.
"Just fine," said Ryo.
"I'm good," said Rowen.
They got up and formed a circle, their backs towards each other.
"Stay on guard," warned Cye.
A cool gust of wind came from above them. They all looked up and saw the figure dropping down on them. The Ronins barely were able to leap out of the way. There was a cloud of dust and smoke where they had been standing. When it cleared, they could see a large crater and the girl. Her sword was held carelessly in one hand at her side. She smiled nastily.
"You are a little quicker than I thought, but you're not fast enough," she said.
She disappeared again. She appeared behind Sage and he turned around just in time to see a wave of black energy come at him. The attack sent him flying back into a light post. The light went out and the glass of the light rained down on him.
She was about to attack again when she paused. They could hear the sirens of police cars coming in their direction. She straightened and looked at them.
"We will have to finish this later," she said, and disappeared.
"Sage, are you okay?" asked Cye.
"Yeah, I fine," Sage answered, getting up.
"I think that we should get outta here before we get caught," said Rowen.
When the police cars and the reporters arrived on the scene two minutes later, the Ronins were gone.
A/N: How was that? A cliffhanger. Don't you just hate those? R&R, please! Thanks!