New Blood
by Saber Alexander McConnell
Rated PG13

CHAPTER 14: Friendship

Nohano felt absolutely wretched. On top of losing Robert, on top of the terror of being attacked by otherworldly assassins, he had to deal with this.

He had reunited with the other members of No Quarter, who had nearly finished being tended. None of them were hurt badly enough to be taken to the hospital, especially since they were only taking the worst-hurt in the vehicles until they could get more there. No one had spoken much as they all rode home, Nohano sitting on the floor as usual. He couldn't quite bring himself to take advantage of the newly vacant seat in the group's van.

They'd gotten home and eaten a very light meal, sandwiches and milk, and still no one had said anything; it wasn't right, only the four of them. The others felt as horrible as Nohano did, and he could see they'd all cried at least once.

Suddenly, Gregory turned to Nohano, his eyes narrowing. "They were after you," he said softly, as grim, sudden comprehension crept into his voice.

Nohano looked up, his eyes widening, and stared. "What?"

"There were after you! That one, the one who pointed you out, called you...called you Wildfire! They were after you!"

Nohano couldn't manage to articulate anything, sputtering incoherently, hearing the accusation in Gregory's voice, and feeling sudden guilt clutch his heart. They had been after him and Killian!

"You bastard!" Gregory suddenly bellowed, clenching his fists and glaring with such hatred that Nohano found himself standing, and taking a hasty step backwards. "They were after you, you brought this down on us—Robert's dead because of you!"

Anger pulsed somewhere in his mind, but Nohano could barely feel it, it was smothered by the sudden, awful, stifling blanket of guilt, responsibility for his friend's death. "I-I didn't--" he started, shaking his head in denial, trying hard to convince himself that it wasn't true. The other guys stared, not seeming to know how to react.

"Get out!" Gregory snarled, grabbing Nohano by the shoulder of his tunic and yanking him violently towards the door.

"Gregory, hold on!" exclaimed Aaron, taking a hesitant step forward, but Gregory ignored him, yanking the door open and glaring at Nohano, shaking from head to foot, his fists clenched so tightly the knuckles were deadly white.

Nohano couldn't say anything more, or even bring himself to try. Clenching his teeth on a sob, he ran from the apartment, the slamming door echoing in the hallway as he tore down the stairs, tears obscuring his vision. 'Stop,' he thought desperately as he ran, not even knowing where he was going. 'Stop, enough—I can't take this!' For the first time since he'd left the foster home, he wished he was back there.

Ten minutes later, Nohano was huddled behind the abandoned building whose parking lot they'd been using as their personal dojo. The grief that had begun to numb in the aftermath of the disaster came back in force, compounded by the horrifying realization that if it weren't for him, for the damned armor he'd found, no one would have died that day.

Unable to hold it in any longer, Nohano began to sob, his head resting heavily on the dirty stone of the abandoned supermarket. He hadn't thought he could cry any more that day, but it was as if a new dam had crumbled.

He didn't know how long he cried, and he didn't care, but by the time he had wound down into an exhausted sort of hitch, it had begun to grow dark outside. The awful misery didn't depart, but he hadn't the energy left to cry anymore, and only slumped against the wall, shivering as the sun set. It wasn't particularly cold out, but he had always been more susceptible to it than most, and the day's events had lowered his resistance even more.

When he suddenly began to calm, he at first did not think anything of it, only hoping that perhaps the hysteria had passed on its own. However quite soon it was clear that was not the case. There seemed to be something easing into his mind, soothing his thoughts, a presence that was not his own, filling his head with images of water. Normally the thought would intimidate him, but it was strange; the images brought calm and comfort, warmth and safety. He didn't understand it, but he was willing to grasp anything, even if it was only in his head, and he let the feelings envelop him.

He distinctly felt a question in his mind, a general query of direction, and Nohano thought of the abandoned supermarket, letting the thought cross his mind, without giving up the security of the unnatural water. It had to be unnatural, because he didn't fear it, and he wondered suddenly if he was dreaming.

Nohano did not think he had fallen asleep, but had let himself drift into a state of mental numbness, drifting on the brink of consciousness. He was physically awake, but his mind had taken a nap, so when a hand gently grasped his shoulder, he was badly startled.

He spun around, sprawling slightly on the dirt-strewn asphalt, and stared up into the face of Killian Zale, who stood looking slightly startled at Nohano's reaction. But then Killian was sitting down, his arm around Nohano's shoulders, and Nohano slumped exhaustedly against him. He couldn't begin to describe the gratitude he felt on being with someone he could trust, who didn't accuse him of anything, or shame him for things he couldn't help. Someone who was solidly on his side.

He didn't cry again. He was far too drained to do that, but he let Killian hold him, and told him what Gregory had said, trying to describe the awful weight it had pressed on him. At that point, Killian stopped rocking him for a moment, holding up a hand. "It's all right," he said to Nohano, "I know. I—well I can't really explain it, but I felt it. Almost as if it was my own feelings. I didn't know exactly what happened, but I felt what you were feeling, like you were a lighthouse."

Stunned, Nohano slowly sat up, pulling away from Killian and staring at him. "You," he said softly. "The water, it was you!"

Killian smiled, looking pleased. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah it was—I didn't know how well it worked, but it seemed to calm you." He blinked, sudden concern flitting across his face. "Damn, I forgot you've got that phobia—it didn't--"

Nohano shook his head quickly, then winced as it began to ache. "No," he said, rubbing his temples. "No, it didn't scare me at all. It was like being in a warm blanket." He felt his face flush as he described it, a little embarrassed to be admitting the kind of sensation he'd felt from the mental contact, but was glad he'd said it all the same.

"Good," said Killian softly. "Look. The rest of us did some talking—I told Amaya off and she actually apologized—I'm hoping she'll be a little more reasonable next time we meet."

She'd apologized? "For what she said to me?' he asked tentatively.

"Well no. She got pretty insensitive with me, actually. But I think she's taken a look at how she's acted, and I hope she'll apologize to you, too."

"I see." Truth to tell, he was surprised she'd relented, period. She was a strange girl, so much more mature than fourteen sometimes, and other times seeming so much younger. He didn't understand her.

"Anyway, that's for another day. For now, well, we should get home. I know the last thing you probably want is to go back there, but I'll be there, and if that Gregory bloke messes with you again..." He let his words trail off, but the threat was there.

Nohano gave his friend a grateful smile for his protectiveness, wishing he wasn't so weak to need it, but appreciating it all the same. "Okay," he finally said.

He shook with exhaustion as he stood, but he stayed on his feet, and stumbled wearily beside Killian, who seemed nearly as tired. They were quiet as they made their way home, and Nohano figured Killian was too tired to talk any more. Nohano certainly was.

He tensed the nearer they got to the apartments, nearly freezing up and refusing to go inside when they reached the door. But he finally stepped forward and grasped the doorknob, cautiously opening the door.

The guys were all there, sitting on the floor and eating what looked like soup and sandwiches, and they all looked up as Nohano opened the door. Everyone was still for just a moment, and Nohano looked to Gregory, wanting to gauge his reaction, but all Gregory did was turn back to his meal. Manny gave the boys a sort of encouraging grin, and motioned them in. "Got soup on the stove," he said, looking them over. "Looks like you might wanna get a shower, too."

As Nohano and Killian stepped in, Killian shutting the door, Nohano looked the guys over and judged they'd all already bathed. They were no longer in their Renaissance Faire garb, either; neither Killian nor Nohano had gotten the chance to change. "Thanks," he said quietly to Manny, heading for the kitchen.

Killian and Nohano ate their supper quickly, then played a quick game of Rock, Paper, Scissors to determine who got the shower first. Nohano won.

He had to admit, the shower felt wonderful. Water wasn't all bad, after all—only when there was enough of it to drown in! He cranked the water up as hot as he could stand, filling the little bathroom with steam, and relishing in the warmth. Finally, he scrubbed himself down, wincing as he encountered several sore spots, remembering the battle once more. "Those bastards," he thought irritably, unable to muster any more animosity at the moment than that. He was too exhausted.

He collapsed in his hammock while Killian took his turn, and fell into sleep before the water stopped running.

---

The next morning, Nohano was surprised by two things; first, he woke having had no nightmares, and secondly, Gregory was not treating him with open hostility. In fact he spoke very calmly about No Quarter while the fivesome ate breakfast. "I guess we've got to make a decision," he said quietly. Being the unofficial second-in-command, or First Mate as they called it, it now fell to Gregory to manage the group's affairs.

"About...the group?" said Manny cautiously.

"Yeah." The Englishman sighed, running a hand through his long hair. "Phil called my c-phone this morning, said the rest of the Faire had been canceled." No one was surprised in the least. "So we've got a week or two to decide. But...the question is...do we want to continue with No Quarter?"

Nohano did not know how he felt about this. He didn't like sitting here, casually talking about disbanding or not disbanding the group, not with Robert less than a day dead. And as for the decision itself, he didn't know what he wanted. The thought of not singing with No Quarter left him feeling miserable, like he'd lost something dear. But the idea of continuing with Robert gone seemed equally horrible.

"Don't answer now," said Gregory suddenly, looking at Manny and Aaron. He glanced quickly at Nohano, but looked away again. Nohano was a little stung, but he said nothing; it was certainly better than screaming and accusations. "Think of it over the week. We're fine, finance wise, for at least a month, and we've got another gig by then in San Francisco."

San Francisco was where the group lived normally, though not all together. Nohano had normally roomed with Robert, and the other three shared an apartment somewhere across the city.

"We can have an answer by then," said Manny. "We'll take a break from rehearsing and all for a few days."

Gregory nodded, then turned abruptly to Killian. Nohano tensed, afraid for a moment he was going to tell him to get out, but he didn't. "You still want in, if we decide to continue, you're in," he said.

Killian nodded his head politely and managed a smile. "Thanks."

Gregory had said nothing to Nohano, but he obviously wasn't being kicked out, and Nohano didn't think Gregory would ask Killian to stay, if he intended to throw Nohano out of the group. Still, he couldn't help feeling hurt.

Gregory only smiled. "All right then. Robert." He took a big breath and let it out slowly. Nohano shoved the rest of his oatmeal away, no longer hungry. "His family's been notified. His funeral is in two days, two PM."

A funeral. Nohano felt cold at the thought. He had never been to a funeral before, and seemed to be panicking mildly at the idea of attending one. Skipping it wasn't an option, but the idea was almost as frightening as the Dynasty beings had been.

He jumped a little at a hand on his arm, and turned. Killian smiled at him, and a soothing calm came over Nohano. He was becoming more and more certain that Killian's ability to calm people down wasn't just a skill, but a mystical power. He nodded his thanks.

"I'm gonna head out then," said Gregory, standing and bringing his bowl into the kitchen to rinse it out. "I'll be back for supper." Without so much as a goodbye, Gregory left, letting the door shut loudly behind him. Nohano watched him go.

"Hey kid," said Manny, and Nohano turned around to face him. Manny, not good with words, hesitated, then said, "Look—Gregory—ya gotta understand--"

Aaron came to Manny's rescue, articulating the point a little more smoothly. "He doesn't really blame you, Nohano," said Aaron quietly. "Not truly. And he doesn't hate you. Last night when you left, Manny said 'You're not throwing the kid out, are you?' and Gregory said of course not, and not to be stupid."

Nohano scowled. Not that he wanted to be thrown out, but that Gregory wasn't rude only to Nohano, but to the others, who had to be hurting just as badly.

"It's just—well we're all torn up about it. No one ever thought this could happen. Gregory's havin' a hard time dealing with it, you know he's known Robert since they were kids. You just—he knows you, and he saw what happened at the faire--"

"That wasn't Nohano's fault!" Killian exclaimed angrily.

Aaron held up a calming hand. "I know, kid. And Gregory knows it too. But he needed an outlet, he just—he did it all the wrong way."

"We don't blame ya either," Manny put in. "At all. Somehow I don't think you contacted those freaky pricks and said, 'Hey, come try and kill me and my friends!'."

The grim humor should have been inappropriate, but amazingly Nohano found himself chuckling. It was Manny's way, and he appreciated the sentiment.

"He'll come around," said Aaron. "Just...try...try to ignore him."

Nohano nodded, unhappy, but not able to do anything about the whole thing. "I'll try. Thanks."

Manny grinned, though it seemed a tired one. "Seems to me a good day to drown my sorrows in some booze," he said. "Too bad I don't have any. What're you two gonna do?"

"I dunno," said Nohano. "Probably just wander around."

"All right, well...be careful you two, okay?"

Manny had never admonished them to be careful before, but after the day before, Nohano didn't blame him, and he had a really good point. Did they really want to be caught alone? They more than any of them were known to the Dynasty jerks.

"Maybe we'll hang around here," said Nohano with a humorless laugh. "You guys going out?"

"I think so, yeah. You'll have the place to yourselves for once."

That would be all right, Nohano decided. He certainly felt safer inside, and there was even a phone there for the guests' use. The place they were at was a sort of home/hotel. It could be rented for short or long term, and came with appliances and phone. Though Nohano didn't think calling the cops would do him any good if the Dynasty attacked again.

Manny and Aaron left soon thereafter, and Killian and Nohano stayed behind, talking of the events of the previous day. Killian filled Nohano in on what the group had discussed at Amaya's house, and more details about their minor altercation. "I got pretty bloody angry," Killian admitted, looking a little sheepish. "I don't usually get angry like that, but the way she was talking about war, like I didn't know what the word meant just made me see red."

"Bet she felt like an ass once she remembered where you're from and what's happening there," said Nohano in a tone of satisfaction. "That oughta teach her to think before she opens her mouth."

"Yeah," said Killian with a sigh. "I dunno if she really meant it. It's her way of coping. She hides behind the legacy her father or grandfather or whatever left, and behind her traditions. I guess more and more people in Japan are dispensing with the old traditions, and it irritates her."

"Just like Gregory, I'm a convenient scapegoat," said Nohano bitterly.

"'Fraid so. It'll ease though, as we get to know each other better. Amaya needs to learn that martial skills aren't the only ones worth knowing, and that there's plenty you could teach her if she'd come down off her high horse and appreciate the value of what you could teach. I swear, that girl acts like an adult. Sometimes traditions aren't a good thing when they take you too quickly into maturity, or make you forget what's important."

"You have a way with words," said Nohano respectfully.

"Thanks, I try," said Killian with a chuckle. "And you, my mate, need to get a lid on your temper." Nohano blinked and frowned at Killian, but Killian didn't stop. "I'm serious. I mean jeez, I never saw a temper as quick as yours in my life."

Nohano glared for a few moments, even more irritated by the fact that he couldn't dispute the accusation. "Yeah, well, I guess," he muttered when Killian merely gazed at him.

"Anyway," said Killian, now that his point was made, "we talked about this armor. That Middle East girl, Rashida I think her name is, found out a lot about them. Ways to summon the full armor. You were able to get yours because you jumped into that fire. You've got fire armor—that orb is bloody hot, by the way, damn near burned my fingers yesterday—so you got a huge influx of what energies it. Energizes. Whatever. I'd bet if I wore that subgear in a stream...hey I meant to ask you, are there any lakes or streams around here? Preferably away from view?"

Nohano frowned, thinking for several moments. "I think there's a pond somewhere nearby in one of the parks," said Nohano, "but I couldn't say for sure. Maybe a couple of streams. I don't exactly seek them out."

"I'd like to check it out," said Killian. "You don't swim at all, do you?"

Nohano shook his head. "No, I've got that major phobia of water. I don't get too close."

"Not a good thing," said Killian. "You ever get caught in the water..."

Nohano closed his eyes, holding up his hand curtly to stop Killian finishing the sentence. "Don't. Please. I'm serious, it really freaks me out."

Killian looked at him a moment, his head cocked. "You got it bad, huh? You know, I could help you out with that. You know, start out small, get you a little used to the water. I'd feel a lot better if you knew how to swim."

The very idea of voluntarily getting into enough water to swim in made Nohano want to shudder. He didn't even care for baths, preferring to take showers instead. "Maybe," he said noncommittally, and Killian didn't push the issue. "I guess if we're careful, though, we could check out some of the streams around here. I guess you want to try out your armor?"

"Definitely! After seeing yours, I wanna see what mine looks like."

'Japanese airplane.' The phrase drifted into Nohano's mind, and he shook his head. If Killian's looked anything like his, it was going to be really weird.

Thirty minutes later, after having left the guys a note saying where they were going, Nohano and Killian stood in the middle of a largish park, complete with a fountain, a playground, and picnic area, and a foliage-covered gorge with a sizeable stream. Once nearby, Killian didn't seem to need to be told where the stream was, he only headed for the gorge and grinned, looking into the water.

Nohano stayed at the top of the gorge, looking down with a good degree of distaste and hoping that the warlord jerks didn't decide to attack them again, as Killian crept down among the weeds. "Psycho."

"I heard that!" Killian didn't even turn around, only looked around to make sure they weren't being watched, before reaching into his pocket. A moment later, his riot gear had coalesced around him, and he'd leapt into the water. Nohano winced as Killian surfaced, looking happier than he had in several days. He sort of floated on the surface, his eyes closed, a silly grin on his face. "Much better," he said.

Finally, Nohano had to laugh, amazed he could still do so. He looked like some kind of miniature blue whale floating there in the stream. After a moment, Killian righted himself, shaking his hair out of his eyes, and grinned, diving down into the water.

'How can he hold his breath that long?' Nohano thought a minute later, shaking his head and frowning. If Nohano had been the one down there-- The image of him down there, in the depths of the water, murky and cold, soundless, airless... He gasped in a breath, closing his eyes tightly and thinking of the sun instead, letting himself feel the warmth of it above him. 'I'm not in the water. I'm on the warm grass. Sun. Air. No water.' After several moment, it helped enough that he was able to let himself open his eyes again and look at the muddy surface of the stream, though not without a degree of disgust.

There was no sign of Killian, even though the stream could not be that deep, and Nohano was seized with sudden panic. Not even Killian could hold his breath that long, could he? What if he'd hit his head, or gotten caught in some vile undertow, or bitten by a friggin' snake? A hundred different scenarios flashed through Nohano's mind as he stood up, eyes frantically sweeping the water's surface. There was no way he could get down there and find him, if Killian couldn't handle it, Nohano wouldn't be able to! He couldn't even bring himself to get near! Should he run for help?

He had turned to do just that when a sudden splash made him spin back around, his heart feeling like it had leapt out of his throat. At first he wasn't sure what he was seeing, and the confusion made him stop and blink. His mind said that logically it must be Killian, but the sight was odd enough that he wasn't yet making the connection.

The figure was clad almost entirely in the aqua blue of Killian's sub-armor, from head to toe, and Nohano's first impression was that he was looking at a blue unicorn. As he realized it was, indeed, Killian, he began noting the details of the armor, the layered shoulder guards and the raised shield on their tops he assumed was a sort of neck protection. He took in the broad chest plate and the same sort of leg guards Nohano's own armor had. His eyes traveled up to the helmet, which covered the sides of his face and the back of his neck as well, and had a strange sort of unicornish blade-horn on the top. It was the helmet, more than anything, that was strange.

Killian was laughing as he treaded water, looking down at himself in amazement. "Completely ace," Killian whispered, obviously delighted with the armor. "Nohano, I don't even have to breathe when I've got this thing on underwater! It sucks the oxygen out of the water, or something!"

"You scared the hell out of me!" Nohano exclaimed, relieved and angry and amused all at the same time. "I thought you'd drowned or something!"

The smiled faded on Killian's face, replaced with one of repentance. "Sorry, mate," he said. "Guess I lost track of time down there. But this—this is great. I feel like I've just slept for about ten hours, then drunk five cups of coffee." Laughing, the boy climbed up out of the water to sit next to Nohano, who glanced behind them to make sure they were alone.

"I know how you feel," he finally said, remembering his own armor. "I'll stick with fire, thanks."

Killian pointed a white-clad finger at him. "I will teach you to swim," he said. "Eventually."

"In the meantime, you should probably lose the armor," said Nohano, looking around once more. "The last thing we need to do is attract attention."

"Er—how?"

"Same way you get rid of the riot gear." He'd called it "riot gear" from the beginning, and probably wasn't going to stop any time soon. He watched as Killian concentrated for a moment, the armor sort of melting away into the riot gear, and then to Killian's clothing. "Now we just gotta figure out how to call it when we're nowhere near the water. Or fire, or whatever. You said that Rashida girl, she had some ideas?"

Killian nodded. "We have to find the armor's name, and call it by name. Like the Russian kid—is he an albino? He looks like it, kinda, but his eyes are blue, not pink."

Nohano shrugged. "Ask him I guess. Anyway, you were saying?"

"Well, his armor's name is—well I forget the word, it's Japanese. But his armor is earth and stone, and the name means 'diamond'."

Comprehension widened Nohano's eyes. "I get it!" he said. "Kinda like uber-stone."

"Exactly. So you, being Wildfire, and me being Torrent...we just gotta figure out the right Japanese terms. I figure Amaya or Suisei could help us with that." Nohano wasn't all that willing to ask Amaya anything, but didn't say so. Killian still seemed to know how he was feeling anyway, because he added, "Suisei, if you're not up to talking with Amaya yet."

Nohano blinked, cocking his head. "You reading my thoughts?"

Looking surprised, Killian said, "Well no, of course not. Not on purpose, anyway. I can't believe it, I almost forgot about that. You think that's...that it's the armor, or do you think it's some kind of weird gift we have?"

"Maybe it's a little of both."

"We should try and strengthen it. It'd be right useful if we got it mastered and one of us needed the other. Then we wouldn't have to worry about c-phones." "C-phones" being the term for cell phones, which were now more common than "landlines" as the old-fashioned phones were called.

Killian had a point, Nohano realized. "Let's go to the library," said Nohano, "and look up some Japanese words."

Half an hour later, the two boys had compiled a list of words that took up two sides of a piece of printer paper they'd borrowed surreptitiously from the copier. They'd both had a good time finding the Japanese books and dictionaries, and looking up all the words they could find that had to do with their armor. They'd begun to forget, or at least to put into a less horrible perspective, the events of the day previous as they researched. One of them would snicker and nudge the other on seeing the translation of a swear word or other equally amusing word, and as a result there were a few impolite things written on the list as well.

"Here's what yours must be," Nohano said after a moment, smirking and shoving the large dictionary over for Killian to read.

Interested, Killian looked at the definition, reading in a voice that quickly turned from curiosity to indignation. "Gesuikouji," he pronounced awkwardly, the Japanese word sounding even more alien in his Australian accent. It was then the indignation hit. "Sewer works!"

Nohano could barely contain the snicker as Killian looked sharply up to glare at him. Shaking slightly with restrained laughter, Nohano shrugged. "Hey...it's right there with all the water words." The dictionary had words grouped by similarity, not alphabet.

Killian muttered something that was not a compliment, and refused to give the book back. Instead he began looking over the section Nohano had found, his eyes narrowed. Nohano might have normally worried that he was angry, but for some reason, he knew Killian was trying very hard not to appear as amused as he was.

So instead, Nohano grabbed another from their pile of books.

When they went home that night, they endured a rather tense supper, during which no one spoke much. Afterwards, Nohano and Killian retreated to the corner they'd staked out as their own, poring over their list and speculating how they'd know if they had the right name.

"I need to ask Rashida if you just...call the thing, or what," said Killian.

"We need to meet," said Nohano suddenly. "I mean all of us, and start getting this thing figured out.

"Yeah," said Killian. "But not...not yet." Nohano looked down at him from his hammock, frowning in bewilderment. "Well, the others are going about getting lodging, and, well...you've got the funeral to go to. We need to all sorta...get our stuff done."

Mention of the funeral set Nohano's spirits plummeting within a second to fairly content to absolutely miserable. Killian shot an apologetic look his way, but it wasn't Killian's fault. He was right, really. Nohano wasn't going to be able to concentrate on this crap with Robert's funeral hanging over him. "Yeah," he said quietly, taking their list and rising from his hammock, going over to stuff the list into his suitcase. "I just hope we won't need it again before that."

"Don't even think that," said Killian, his eyes wide and his hands held up. "I've seen enough of those jerks to last me a lifetime."

Nohano nodded in complete agreement, lying down on his hammock and letting the slight sway soothe him into a state of semi-sleep. He listened to Gregory talking to someone on his c-phone, Manny and Aaron playing a card game of sort, and Killian softly singing one of the sea shanties he'd been learning. He found that the sounds were comforting, and kept himself awake a little longer than he'd intended to, listening to them. 'My life has become totally surreal,' he thought before his eyes finally drifted closed.