Okay, this is a fic that I started YEARS ago! I never finished this one, either, but was happy that I could even find it. Ah well... I hope you like it.
For all those times you stood by me,
For all the truth that you made me see,
For all the joy you brought to my life,
For all the wrong that you made right,
For all the dreams you made come true,
For all the love I found in you,
I'm grateful for each day you gave me,
You're the one who held me up, Never let me fall.
You're the one who saw me through, Through it all...
You were my faith when I was weak.
You were my voice when I couldn't speak.
You were my eyes when I couldn't see.
You saw the best there was in me.
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach.
You gave me faith 'cause you believed…
I'm everything I am because you loved me.
Celine Dionne
Chapter 1: Reunion
The battles had been fought. The war was now over. Talpa had finally been defeated and the Ronins were victorious. Yuli had rejoined his parents, bidding a fond farewell to the five young heroes that he had grown to admire and love.
Jammed in Mia's little red jeep, the remainder of the group made their way home, discussing the events of the past, and those of the future.
"Do you think he's really dead?" Kento asked.
"I hope so." Cye replied. "This is getting old."
"Yeah, but we can't really be sure." Sage added. "We thought he was dead before but he came back. If he comes back again we have to be ready for him. We can't let our guard down."
Cye sighed, dropping his chin in his palm. "I'm so tired of fighting." He thought. "Why does it have to be us anyway?"
A soft hand graced his shoulder. He turned to see Sage smiling at him.
"I know you don't like to fight, Cye. None of us do, really." He shrugged. "Except maybe Kento."
"HEY! WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN, SAGE?" Kento yelled, punching Sage in his arm, knocking him into Cye.
"OUCH!" Cye yelped.
"I think you just proved what I meant, KENTO!" he returned, slamming his fist upon Kento's head, initiating a battle between the two.
"DON'T HIT ME!" one yelled.
"YOU SHOULD TALK!" the other shot back.
"Will you both just knock it off!" Rowen demanded from his seat in the front. "Geez! You'd think we had enough of fighting. Apparently not, the way you two a-…OOF!" he exclaimed as his head hit the dashboard after Kento and Sage kicked the back of his seat. Enraged, Rowen launched himself from the passenger seat and onto his two assailants. Cye tried to remain out of the battle but found it impossible as he was frequently struck by a stray arm or knee. Finally, he had taken all that he could withstand.
"Okay, that does it!" he said, finally joining the rumble.
Mia, for her part, allowed the boys their moment, stealing glances from the rear view mirror and chuckling at the sight. She glanced out the window, taking note of the white tiger running beside them. He had been keeping perfect stride with the vehicle during the entire trip. His strength and endurance never ceased to impress her.
Equally as impressive was the young man riding atop the great beast. His thick mane of ebony hair, tousled by the wind, and radiant blue eyes, challenging the very depths of the sea, made him quite the rider. He seemed to be one with the tiger as they traveled along the roadside. She smiled, inwardly. He seemed to be well enough, despite the great battle he had just participated in. For that, she was glad.
Stealing one final glance from the mirror, she granted the road her full attention as she and the rowdy bunch of troopers made their way home.
--------
"I can't wait to get something to eat." Kento said, as he leapt from the car. "Man, I'm starved."
"So what else is new?" Rowen asked.
Kento glowered at him, but found himself too hungry to formulate a response. "Yeah…well…whatever." He concluded.
The remaining boys made their way out of the car, while Ryo climbed down from his shaggy mount. He showed his appreciation to the tiger by giving him a thorough belly rub and an occasional scratch behind his ear. White Blaze growled his delight.
"C'mon, Ryo! I'm starvin'!" Kento shouted from the porch.
"Alright, alright! I'm coming." he shouted back. "You comin' or stayin', boy?"
The tiger yawned and stretched its snowy body across the grass. Ryo shrugged, but accepted his friend's desire. Finding his feet, he stood and joined his friends on the porch. Mia was fishing through her pockets, searching for her house keys.
"Ah. Here they are." she announced, withdrawing her keys. She slid the key into its slot and turned the knob. They had all just entered the house when…
"Mia!" a voice called.
Mia recognized the voice immediately. "Nara?" she called back.
A young girl appeared at the top of the staircase. She came running down the stairs with tears streaming down her cheeks. After her, three more girls appeared, following her lead. Upon reaching her, the first of the four girls greeted Mia with a warm and fierce embrace.
"Oh, Mia!" she sobbed. "Where were you? Where have you been? I had all of Japan out looking for you! What happened?"
"Oh…Nara." Mia began, stroking the girl's abundant hair. "I-…Ooohh!" she exclaimed as she was knocked over by the remaining females in their eagerness to see her.
"GEEZ, MIA! What happened to you? We've been looking all over!" one said.
"We were so worried, Mia! Are you okay?" another asked.
"Who the heck are these guys?" the last one said.
The girls looked at the five handsome boys. It was the first time that they had actually acknowledged their presence. Now that their existence had been established, they, too, wondered just who they were.
"Well,…" Mia started. "If you let me up, I can introduce you to them." They scrambled off of her and with a bit of assistance from the courteous young men surrounding them, arose to their feet. Rowen and Kento quickly moved to help Mia up.
"Thank you." she said. "Ladies. These young men are friends of mine. This," she said, gesturing toward Kento, "is Kento Shuu. And this is Rowen Hashiba. The person standing beside you, Nara, is Sage Date and beside him is Cye Mouri, and finally, Ryo Sanada."
"Ryo?" Nara asked.
"Yep." He replied, smiling.
She studied him for a moment, then shook her head lightly and averted her gaze from him. His smile widened a bit, but he said nothing further.
"Okay…" one of the girls said. "Anyway, I'm Yuriko Matsuri, but everyone just calls me Yas."
"I'm Ami Ujima." Another said.
"I'm Kristal Tomas."
"And I'm Nara Koji."
"Koji?" Kento asked, looking over at Mia. She smiled and nodded.
"Nara's my little sister."
A look of surprise overtook the faces of the five warriors. Sisters? The two women could not have been more unrelated, at least from first an appearance stand point. Like day and night, they were complete opposites. Mia's pearly white skin greatly contrasted to Nara's earthen brown. Her auburn hair was that of fine silk while her sibling's was likened to soft, dark cotton. Even her leafy green eyes were vastly dissimilar to the black, coal-like eyes of her sister's. About the only thing they did share was height and even there, Mia was granted a few inches over her.
"Well that was certainly rude of all of you." Ami said, crossing her arms. "Talk about indecency."
"It's okay, Ami." Nara said. "I'm used to those sort of responses from people. I'm Mia's adopted little sister. I was orphaned when I was very young. Get it?"
"We're terribly sorry." Cye said. "We didn't mean any disrespect."
"Yeah." Kento added. "It's just that you two don't look anything alike."
"IDIOT!" Rowen hissed, jabbing his elbow into Kento's side.
"You'll have to excuse him." Sage said. "Kento has a tendency to act without thinking."
"SHUT UP, SAGE!" Kento yelled, grabbing the blonde youth by the collar of his shirt.
Nara chuckled. "It's okay, really. Please let him go. I don't want anybody to get hurt on my account."
Kento looked at her for a moment before reluctantly releasing his victim. "It's only because she asked me that I'm letting you off, Sage."
"Mmmhmmm…" he replied.
"What an interesting bunch of people." Kristal commented. "I hope you all come over often. You may actually make life a little more interesting around here."
"True." Yas said, plainly. "Anyway, Mia. Where exactly have you been? And why are you with all these guys?"
"More importantly," Nara interrupted. "Where's Grandpa?"
----
The scene that followed Nara's innocent question made for a very quiet night. Tears were shed and embraces shared. Cries of sorrow and grief seemed to fill the household. Even Mia, who thought herself to be over the loss of her beloved grandfather, found herself weeping along with the others four. The guys could only watch and offer their sympathy to the mourning women. It hurt them to see them in this way, but it hurt just as much to know that they were powerless to relieve their hurt. They, with all their awesome powers, could protect the world from destruction and doom and yet they simply could not protect the hearts of the young women before them from the loss of one dear soul.
It was only when the grieving party left the house to visit the gravesite of their beloved that the silence was restored.
A quiet house was something that Sage usually welcomed, but this quiet was torturous. He sat on the couch, looking over a newspaper, though actually reading it was impossible. His focus was lacking and his mind was elsewhere. He sighed then neatly placed the paper on the couch beside him.
"Hey."
"Hmmm…" Sage responded, looking up to see Rowen standing over him. "Oh. Hi, Rowen."
"Couldn't read?" he asked, gesturing to the discarded newspaper.
Sage looked over at the item then sighed once more. "Couldn't concentrate." he replied.
"Thinking about what happened earlier?"
"Yeah,…I don't even know those girls and yet I can't help feeling bad for them."
"And Mia, too."
"Mmmm…yeah. I thought she'd be over it by now."
"Losing someone you love is something you never quite get over, Sage." Cye said, coming around the corner from the kitchen. "Sure the pain you feel lessens a bit, but it never fully goes away. Part of that sorrow will always remain with you, sometimes showing itself unexpectedly."
Both Sage and Rowen knew that he was speaking from experience. He had lost his father when he was very young. He didn't talk about it much, though when he did, one could tell that he still missed his father.
"Anyway," he began. "Supper is ready if anyone is hungry."
"Yeah, I can go for that right about now." Rowen said. "C'mon, Sage. Some food might actually help to get our minds off of everything."
"Maybe…" he replied, dragging himself from the couch.
"Sure it will. C'mon." The two exited the living room and made their way into the kitchen. His task of announcing dinner not yet complete, Cye made his way up the stairs and into the room that he shared with Rowen, Sage, and Kento to finish his job.
Kento was in the room, lying on his cot. His pillow was thrown over his head and his arms folded over his torso. Had he not known him better, Cye would have assumed he was sleeping.
"Hey, Kento!" he called. "Come and eat."
Kento raised the pillow from covering his face. "Thanks, man. But, I'm not really hungry."
Cye was momentarily speechless. "Not…hungry?" he repeated, walking into the bedroom. "Well that's not like you at all. Are you alright?"
"Yeah. I'm just not hungry right now. That's all." He replaced the pillow over his face and refolded his arms over his chest.
Cye was silent, once again. He analyzed the situation for a moment then began again. "Would you like me to save you a plate, then?"
"If you want." Kento replied, his voice muffled by the pillow.
"Nonchalance isn't exactly like you either, Kento."
He raised the pillow from covering his face. With a cocky grin he replied, "Well, nagging is just like you, Cye."
Returning his smile, Cye replied, "And I'll keep nagging at you until I can get you out of this stuffy room and downstairs with the rest of us."
Kento studied him for a second, acknowledging the fact that any resistance on his part against his best friend would be futile. Pulling himself up from his reclined position, he sat perched at the edge of the bed. He yawned and stretched then finally arose and stood facing his companion.
"So…" he began. "What's for dinner?"
"You'll see when you get down there."
Kento pouted. "Here I crawl out of bed because of your whining and nagging and you won't even tell me what's for dinner?"
Smiling, Cye simply replied, "Sorry, Kento."
"If you were really sorry you'd tell me what's for dinner." Kento mumbled as he left the room. He had been gone but for an instant when his head popped back in the doorway. "Oh…thanks, Cye." he said, then dashed away and down the stairs.
Cye couldn't help but laugh inwardly at his moody friend. "At least he's not as down-hearted as before." he thought. A warm smile touched his lips as he set off to retrieve the final member of the group.
He walked down the hall to Ryo's room. The door was closed. Respecting his privacy, he gently knocked on the door. When he received no response he knocked again. Still no answer. His concern now peaked, he gingerly opened the door and peered into the room.
"Ryo?" he called.
It was dark. Not a single lamp was on. The only source of light came from the moon as it cast its silver moonbeams through the window and streaming onto…
"Ryo?" Cye repeated, softly, upon spotting him in the dim enclosure.
The dark-haired warrior sat huddled against the wall. His knees were drawn up against his chest while his arms were wound tightly around them. His head was down and his visage not visible beneath the mask of hair that covered it. Though not the first time he witnessed his leader in this condition, it was certainly something that Cye could never find himself accustomed to. He approached him hesitantly, mentally gathering the words and the strength to help ease the burden that was obviously weighing heavily on his troubled spirit.
"Ryo?" he said again, as he lowered himself beside him.
"…just go away, Cye. I don't want to talk right now."
"You know I won't do that. You're a friend, so I can't just leave you here like this."
"You don't understand. …please, just leave me alone."
"…no. I won't. Because this burden isn't only yours to bear. When one of his suffers, we all do. You know that." He turned to face him. "Ryo, I've been sad for far too long to keep being sad now. I don't want that, not for me or you or anyone else. That's why I'm here. To try and put an end to all this. I can't force you to tell me anything, nor would I want to. All I want is for you to know that we're here for you. Don't shut us out. Let us help you."
There was a long and uncomfortable pause. Nothing was said between them after that. Only the sound of two heartbeats echoed in the silence. Finally, the silence was broken, by the sound of a car pulling into the driveway.
"Well, that's Mia and Nara." Cye said. "I'm going to go down stairs, now. Supper is ready if you want it. You probably don't want any right now, so I'll leave a plate for you in the fridge. You can get it whenever you're ready."
He patted his shoulder lightly, then got up and departed the room leaving Ryo alone to his thoughts, whatever they were.
Though he wasn't happy with leaving Ryo the way he did, Cye felt that he had done the right thing. He hiked down the stairs just as Mia and Nara were entering the house. Sage, Rowen, and Kento were already at the door, assisting them with their jackets and inquiring about their condition. Mia did her best to assure them they were okay, but with Nara's withdrawn expression and lack of responses, Mia found her own words a little less than convincing.
"Nara, why don't you go upstairs and go to bed?" Mia suggested.
She shrugged. "I…I'm not really sleepy,…Mia." She choked on the last word. She lowered her head as she felt the sting of tears welling in her eyes.
"Uh…" Cye began, "Maybe you should just go and relax a bit, then. I could bring you a cup of tea if you want. It might help you to relax and may even help you feel a little better."
Nara managed a weak smile as she looked up at him. "Thank you. I guess that'll do. …ummm…Kento, is it?"
"Good Heavens, no!" he exclaimed. "I'm Cye. He…" he said, jabbing his thumb in Kento's direction, "…is Kento."
"You didn't have to say it like that, Cye." Kento grumbled.
"Aye, I did, Kento. Really I did."
Nara giggled, her first sign of emotional recovery she had displayed all night. Mia's heart rejoiced at her sister's happiness. It pained her to no end to see her in the depressing state that she was in. Sorrow was a characteristic that did not suit Nara. Hers was a soul filled with jubilance and joy. Pain and anguish had no place there.
She smiled as she watched her younger sibling climb the staircase, her spirit lifting with each step. She glanced over at the four boys gathered about her.
"Even without their mystical armor, they still hold an enchanting quality." She thought. "These boys, these…Ronin Warriors…"
The sound of something scratching at the door pulled her out of her silent reverie. Without even having to look, she knew who it was.
"White Blaze." She said, cheerfully, as she opened the door allowing the snowy feline in. The tiger greeted her by rubbing his massive body against her. The force of his affectionate display was so powerful that she nearly toppled over.
"Woah! Okay, White Blaze. I'm glad to see you, too." She laughed. The tiger growled, softly, then turned away. He stopped, suddenly, scenting something in the air. With ears perked, he quickly trotted away to the source of his interests.
"Odd." Sage mused.
"Do you think something's up?" Rowen asked.
Sage pondered the question for a moment before replying, "No."
Rowen shrugged, dismissing the event as irrelevant. "Anyway, Mia, maybe you should get some rest, too. You've been through a lot in the last couple of hours."
She briefly studied the faces of the four young men. There was a barrage of questions lying in the eyes of each one, though out of respect, they didn't voice their inquiries. She smiled, warmly, an unspoken sign of thanks for their courteousness.
"Thank you, Rowen. I'm alright, really. Besides, I haven't eaten anything since this morning and I smell something delicious coming from the kitchen. Did you boys eat already?"
Guiltily, Rowen, Sage, and Kento lowered their heads.
"Well," Cye began. "I haven't eaten just yet, Mia. That is, if you don't mind my company."
The other three troopers shot him a unified dirty look that he avoided noticing…or so it would seem.
"Why, thank you, Cye." she replied. "But I would also like the company of you all as well." she added, gesturing to the outcast trio. "There's a lot that needs to be said and I'd rather get it off my chest tonight than let it wait until morning."
The boys nodded their understanding and, with Mia, headed into the kitchen. Once there, Cye set about preparing two plates of food and a kettle of water for Nara's tea. Kento took out a chair and spun it around so that the backrest was facing him then dropped into the seat. Rowen pulled out a chair for Mia. She graciously accepted his gesture and sat down. He gently pushed her to the table then seated himself. Sage opted to stand. It was his habit to receive news, whether good or bad, on his feet.
Cye, having finished with the dinner plates, set one before Mia, then took a seat beside Kento.
"Thank you, Cye." Mia said. She took a deep breath, inhaling the wonderful scent of spices and fresh vegetables. "This looks great. Well…" she piled a bit of food neatly onto her fork, as eating with chopsticks was a skill that she never quite acquired. She tasted it and as always, found its taste most pleasing. "Cye, this is really wonderful. You have a great talent."
He blushed a bright crimson then replied, shyly, "Thank you, Mia."
She smiled at his modesty then began again. "Well, I'm sure you're all wondering just who Nara is and why she's here. Not to mention the…well,…her rowdy group of friends. I suppose I should start from the beginning.
"A long time ago, when I was a little girl, about eight or so, Mama and Papa decided to have another child. However, they found that that would be impossible as Mama contracted an illness that left her barren. Though devastated by this unforeseen tragedy, Mama and Papa still wanted desperately to have a child. So, they decided to adopt.
"When we came here, to Japan in the summer as we always did, they decided to checkout the local orphanage."
"Wait a minute." Kento interrupted. "Where were you at before?"
"That is hardly relevant to the story, Kento." Sage scolded.
"Sage?" Mia chided. "It's okay. My family was living in France, Kento. I'm half-French and half-Japanese. Mama, who's French, found it...difficult living in Japan, as the language was difficult for her to speak. So, before I was born, they moved to France and I was born there."
"So, you're a French citizen, then?" Cye asked.
"That's right. That's how I got my drivers' license. It perfectly legal for a person who's my age to own or operate a car in France. Hey, isn't it the same in England?"
"Yeah. That's how I got mine."
"But you're not yet, sixteen."
"They granted it to me under stipulations since I was leaving the country. I can't legally use it until I turn sixteen. Since my birthday fell between the grace period, they permitted me to receive it."
"Okay, that's enough about Cye." Kento said, pushing Cye away from him. "Let's get back to Nara and the gang."
"You were the one who got us off the topic, anyway, Kento."
"Yeah, well now I'm gettin' us back on it."
Cye let out an exasperated sigh, then decided to give his own food a little attention.
Smiling, Mia continued. "Where was I…oh! So Mama and Papa decided to adopt. They went to the orphanage and about a week later, came home with a little dark-eyed, brown-skinned girl that the orphanage had named, Nara."
"Hmmm…" Sage murmured. "But how in the world did a girl fitting that description end up in Japan? I mean, she isn't your typical Japanese girl."
"Well, that's the weird thing. No one knows exactly where she came from. She was found lying on a beach with no form of identification and no one else in sight. And what was more puzzling was that they found a salt in her hair that is only found in the oceans of the Atlantic."
"But that's nearly on the other side of the planet." Rowen said. "There's no way a girl, or anyone else for that matter could have made that kind of trip and survived."
"That's not true." Cye replied. "Many creatures have been carried on the currents of the seas for hundreds of miles and have survived."
"She's not an animal, Cye." Rowen added. "She was a little girl. And I just don't think that kind of journey is possible especially for someone that small."
"Were they sure that's where the salt was from, Mia?" Cye asked.
"Yeah. They did several tests confirming it."
"Hmmmm…" Sage murmured. They all turned to look at him, wondering what was going through his mind.
"Whatcha thinkin', Sage?" Kento asked.
"Nothing. Just thinking." he replied. "Anyway, what about her friends?"
"Oh. Well, Mama, Papa, Nara, and I always spent our summers here with Grandpa. Nara is such and outgoing and friendly person that she made friends with the local kids easily. But, her closest friends were and still are Kris, Yas, and Ami, though Ami came much later."
"Ami's not your average Japanese girl, either." Kento said.
"That's because Ami's from Africa. She came to Japan about a year ago, all by herself. She lives in a townhouse not too far from here, twenty minutes if you walk. She'll be studying illustration this year with Kitt and the girls. They'll be studying animation, though."
"Wow! They're all artists?" Kento asked, eagerly.
"Yes, and very good at it, too. They were actually awarded a study abroad scholarship last year. They've all been in New York these passed few months studying at one of the art schools there."
"Maybe they can draw a picture of me sometime."
"Why don't you give them a subject worth drawing, Kento." Cye said.
"Hey! He's worth drawing. If you're drawing a poster for a horror movie, maybe." Rowen added.
"That'd be a real scream. Everyone would be terrified before they even saw the movie." Sage finished.
The three mischievous boys laughed at their friend's folly until Mia called them to order.
"Alright you three!" she said. "That's enough! Stop picking on poor Kento. He is your friend, after all."
"Not the way they talk." Kento grumbled.
"Aww,…c'mon, Kento. You know we're just teasing you." Cye said, patting his friend's shoulder.
"Yeah. You know we couldn't get along without you." Rowen added.
There was a long silence as everyone waited for Sage to add a response to reassuring statements. When he offered none, they turned to look at him, once more. He shrugged, then said, "So what about the other two girls?"
There was a unified sigh among the group seated at the table.
"Oh, Sage." Mia said. She shook her head then returned to the question. "Well, Kris isn't exactly Japanese, either. She's from Spain. She came here for the same reasons that Ami did, to get a good artistic education."
"Did she come here by herself, too?" Rowen asked.
"No. She's actually here with her father and brother. Unfortunately, her mother died a long time ago." She sighed at the thought. "Finally, there's Yas. And she actually is Japanese."
"Wow! One out of four. That's not bad, considering how large Japan is." Rowen said, humorously.
"Rowen!" Mia exclaimed. He smiled in response. "Anyway. She lives with her father and mother near Ami's place. In fact, they're in the same neighborhood."
"Cool. Does Kristal live in their neighborhood, too?" Kento asked.
"No. She lives in a house like this one a little ways away from here. About ten minutes or so."
"Oh."
"And that's everyone. Ami, Yas, Kris, and Nara. They're all good friends and they're all good girls. …though they have their moments."
"It sounds like there'll never be a dull moment." Sage said.
"That's not necessarily a bad thing, Sage." Cye replied.
"Yeah. We might actually get to enjoy ourselves for a change." Rowen added.
"Maybe even go on a date with one of the four pretty ladies." Kento said.
"Ahem!" Mia said, clearing her throat.
"…or not." Kento added, hastily. The other three boys chuckled, softly.
"That's more like it." Mia said, smiling at him. "Anyway, it's late and we should all get to bed right about now."
"Yeah, I'm ready to turn in." Sage said.
"Me, too." Rowen added with a yawn.
"Me, three." Kento added.
"I'll stay down here and clean up before I call it a night." Cye said.
"Oh, no, Cye." Mia said. "You go to bed."
"But…"
"No 'buts'! You cooked, I can clean. Go!" she said, pointing to the doorway.
With a smile, he scratched the back of his head and headed out with the other three. Mia gathered the two plates up from the table and set about cleaning the kitchen. She thought of the day's events as she did them.
"Oh, Nara. I know you'll get over this. You just need a little time before you're your old jubilant self again. And with the guys here, you'll be better in no time."
The sound of a whistling teakettle pulled her from her thoughts.
"Oh! Nara's tea."
----
Nara had managed to crawl up the stairs and into her room. The lights were off and she rather preferred it that way. She found her bed and dropped into it. The feel of the soft mattress against her tired form was very pleasing, though the scent was questionable. She sat up and brought the pillow to her nose.
"What's this?" she mused aloud. "Smells like…cologne? A guy has been sleeping in my bed?"
"Sorry, I didn't know it was yours." a voice said.
She gasped, audibly and turned to where the sound of the voice came from.
"Oh gosh! You scared me!" she said, her voice filled with relief. "…I'm sorry, I forgot your name."
"Ryo." he said, plainly.
"Oh, that's right." She looked at him and then at the bed. "So you've been sleeping in my bed?"
"Yeah. I didn't know it was yours, though. It's the one Mia told me to use."
"Oh, so Mia's to blame, eh? I'll have to get her for it later."
He smiled, his first all night.
"Anyway," she began. "I don't mind. You can sleep in here if you want."
"No, no. If it's yours then you should have it."
"Not with it smelling like a football team, I won't." She smiled at him, despite the dimness of the surroundings. "Besides, I can sleep in Mia's bed. You certainly can't sleep in there."
He blushed at the notion, silently thanking the darkness for concealing his embarrassment. "Thank you." he managed.
Just then, the door slowly opened revealing the form of…
"Oh my gosh it's a tiger!" Nara exclaimed.
"Don't be afraid." Ryo said. "He won't hurt you."
"No, no…it's not that. It's just that he's beautiful. Come here, pretty tiger." she called.
Obediently, the tiger came to her. She crawled off the bed and draped her arms around his thick neck. He nuzzled her cheek with his dark, damp nose. She giggled as his touch tickled her.
"Okay, okay." she laughed. "So what's your name, pussycat?"
He growled at her.
"His name's White…"
"…Blaze." she finished.
Ryo blinked his amazement, then smiled. "Oh, yeah. I forgot you could do that." he said. "You could always talk to the animals when we were kids."
Nara turned to him. "Excuse me?" she asked.
His smiled widened. "You mean you still don't remember me?"
She shook her head.
"Lemme see if I can jog your memory." He closed his eyes in silent thought. Speaking with his eyes still shut he began. "There was an annoying little girl there that we took it upon ourselves to protect the other kids from. She used to pal around with Masaki and Niyoshi proclaiming to the world that she was the boss and that she ran things. Her name was…"
"…Kimoko!" Nara said, thoughtfully. "Oh my gosh, I remember that. Back at the orphanage." She chuckled, remembering the days in the establishment. She smiled at her ebony-haired friend of her youth. "Look at you. Little Ryo. Aawwwwww…"
She lunged at him, wrapping him in a bear hug. He laughed and hugged her back.
"And to think it took you all this time to recognize me." he said.
"Oh come on!" she exclaimed. "You don't look anything like the way you did when we were kids,…you were cute back then."
"Hey!"
"I'm just teasin' you." She looked at him, oddly. "Gosh! Who would have thought that that little boy would grow up to be the bearer of Wildfire?"
Surprise was written over his face. "How did you know that?"
"Mia told us about you and the others."
"Oh."
"So what happened to you after I left the orphanage?"
"Well, I found out that I wasn't an orphan after all."
"Really?"
"Yeah. It turns out that my father was still alive. He still is, actually, though I hardly ever see him."
"Why so infrequent?"
"He's a nature photographer. He's married to his work. I do see him once in a while, though."
"Oh. Well, how did you get out of the orphanage?"
"You make it sound like I was escaping from prison."
She smiled. "Oh the memories…"
He chuckled. "Anyway, my dad's mom, my grandmother, finally got news of what happened to me and took me in."
"That's nice."
"Yeah. She's cool. She actually has pictures from when I was little…and of my mother. It's all I have left of her now."
"Oh, Ryo. That's not true. She's still a part of you. She'll always be part of you."
"I know that, but it's not the same. I mean, there are times that wish I could just…just…reach out and hold her hand or give her a kiss goodnight. There are times that I think about her, but can't remember the sound of her voice or what she looked like. Having her here," he said, placing his hand over his heart. "…isn't the same as having her here." he added, gesturing to the room and the world that it represented. "I…I guess I'm afraid I'll forget her."
Nara didn't know what to say. She leaned her head on his shoulder and wrapped herself around his arm.
"Ryo, you can't forget her." she whispered. "You love her too much for her to be forgotten. But I know how you feel. I was afraid of the same thing. But I know that I will never forget Grandpa. He played such an important role in my life. He was the only person in this whole world that understood me. He used to tell me that I was his special little fish, because of the way I was found washed up on shore. He would say that I was…I…was…" Finding it too difficult to speak any longer, she cried.
"Nara?"
She couldn't respond. Her sorrow had returned anew. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "Don't cry, Nara." he whispered. "Crying won't bring him back. And I don't think he'd want you to be sad."
"But I miss him so much." she sobbed. "I don't know what I'm going to do without him."
"You'll do what you've been doing. You'll go on and be happy and do…whatever it is girls do. I don't know exactly what that might be, though."
She half laughed, half sobbed at his comment. "Silly." she choked. "You could always make me laugh."
"And what about you? You could always cheer me up whenever I was bummed out. You were always a good friend, Nara. I missed you when you left."
She held him, tightly. "As happy as I was to be adopted, part of me was saddened at the revelation of being parted from you." She chuckled. "And, yet, here we are. Again. Huddled in the corner in the moonlight like we used to do when were kids. You remember."
"Mmmhmm. When Kimoko and co. would tell one of the supervisors on us and we got…disciplined."
"It certainly wasn't funny then, but it kinda is, now."
"Maybe for you, but my butt is still sore from those days."
Nara let out a hearty laugh. "Sorry, Ryo." she said, still laughing.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." he replied. "I should kick you out for that."
"Kick me out? It's my room!"
"Oh yeah. Well…never mind, then."
"Silly." she replied. She yawned, then, sighing, she snuggled against him and closed her eyes.
"Sleepy?" he asked.
"Yeah." she replied.
"Me, too."
White Blaze crawled behind them, serving as a most comfortable pillow.
"Thanks, White Blaze." Ryo said, already drifting asleep.
The tiger growled, then rested his head on his paws. He rarely slept, only catnapped, especially when Ryo slept. He always felt it his duty to guard and protect the house and its occupants. Tonight was just as any other night except that now he had an extra person to watch over.
Shortly after the two had fallen asleep, Mia peeked in with a hot cup of tea, though its uses were no longer needed. White Blaze looked up at her, then growled softly and reset his head upon his paws. She smiled at him and at the touching scene that lay about him. Safely in each other's arms, the two slept. Not a stir or a sound between them. Just a child-like tranquility.
She didn't fully understand the nature of their union, but she was sure that it was one of innocence. Setting the cup on a nearby table, she quietly entered the room and drew a blanket out of the closet. Silently, she walked over to the two sleeping figures and neatly set the blanket atop them. She knelt beside them and kissed them both, feeling as though she were a mother watching over her children.
"Goodnight." she whispered. "We'll talk about this in the morning."
----
Elsewhere, in darker part of the world, a dark figure sat in a dark abode looking into a mystical viewing apparatus that portrayed the scene that went on in Nara's room. As he sat, another figure approached him.
"Should we get her now, Lord?" the latter asked. "Her heart is weak from grief, she could be easily captured now."
"No. Sorrow is a very powerful emotion. It can change a person's entire demeanor, granting them attributes that aren't commonly owned by them. Better to wait, I think. An opportunity will present itself in the future. Until then, scout around. I want you to keep an eye on her. I want to know everything. I cannot maintain the viewing sphere much longer so I'm counting on you to keep me informed."
"Yes, Lord." the servant replied and dashed away. The man looked, once again, into the viewing sphere.
"I'll have her power. And once I have it everything will be mine…everything."
The sphere's power sputtered to its death on his final words, leaving nothing but darkness in its wake. "No matter. I will still have her. One way or another, she will be mine…she will be."