New Blood
by Saber Alexander McConnell
Rated PG13

CHAPTER 17: Getting Accustomed

The next day, Killian and Nohano dropped by Amaya's house. Killian had told Nohano about the "no visitors" thing the Japanese believed in, but Nohano thought this was good enough reason to break a rule of etiquette.

He convinced Robert to drive him and Killian there, with Killian giving directions, then walked up to knock on the door. It was opened by a sleepy-looking Amaya, who peered at the boys for a moment, cocking her head.

"Hey," said Nohano a little uncomfortably. Their last meeting had not been a friendly one.

"We've got to meet with the others," said Killian. "Nohano and I will be leaving the city soon. We're going to have to start getting our stuff together here if we're gonna have any chance against those whackers that attacked the faire."

Amaya was obviously taken aback, and having just gotten out of bed for that matter, but to her credit, she only nodded and opened the door for them. She looked at Nohano and asked him, rather civilly in fact, to take off his shoes; he looked to Killian who had already shed the thong sandals he normally wore. "Tradition," Amaya said with a faint smile, and Nohano nodded, slipping his sandals off.

"No problem."

"I will get some lemonade out," said Amaya, but Killian shook his head.

"That's all right, Amaya," said Killian. "I know it's custom and all, but we're here on business, not to mention inviting ourselves over. Nohano and I have already eaten, anyway."

Nohano couldn't tell if Amaya was offended or not; she only nodded once and headed into the house. "Then please make yourselves comfortable while I call the others," she said, "and get out of my pajamas."

Nohano felt himself flush as he realized she was in her pajamas, and turned his back to her as she left the room. Killian raised a brow at Nohano's reaction. "You're red," he commented, looking amused.

"Never seen a girl in her night clothes," he muttered.

Killian laughed, which irritated Nohano; it wasn't funny, it was embarrassing! "Oh come on," said Killian. "They're just clothes. It's not like she's wearing a teddy or anything."

Nohano hadn't thought his face could get hotter, but it did, as a brief mental image flashed behind his eyes. He smacked Killian hard on the arm and invited him to kiss off. Killian at least muffled the laughter, shaking his head ruefully. Nohano hadn't ever seen any females in pajamas in real life; his foster mother had generally dressed before leaving her bedroom.

Nohano was saved from further embarrassment when Amaya came out of the back room fully dressed and looking far more awake. "The others will be here soon,' she said. "You are right, we must plan."

Nohano didn't say anything; after their last encounter, he was a little reluctant to possibly stir things up, and what resulted was a sort of uncomfortable pause in the whole scene. Finally, he gave a mental shrug, and said, "Look, I'm sorry I tried to deck you back at the faire."

He caught Killian's look of approval, and smiled, looking to Amaya. She looked a little surprised, but bowed and said that she was sorry for her cruel words. "I realized soon that I was wrong," she said. "Killian helped me to realize it."

"Yeah, he's really good at that kinda thing." Nohano's smile strengthened, and he looked at Amaya for a moment, wondering if she'd ever been much around people her own age either, because she didn't seem to know how to relate to them much better than Nohano did. He'd gone to school of course, but didn't hang out much with the other kids outside of it. "Where'd you go to school?" he finally asked.

Amaya blinked and peered at him for a moment, before shrugging. "Shinozuka Gakuin, Shinozuka Academy, in English. Named of the man who made the school."

"Really traditional, I guess?"

"Of course," said Amaya, as if the possibility of it being anything else were silly. "My parents hold to the old ways. Even when much of Japan has rid of tradition, we hold to them." Amaya sat down on the mat, inviting the boys to do the same with the sweep of her hand.

Killian and Nohano sat, and Nohano looked around the room. There wasn't much in the way of furniture, and the strange mat that sat on the carpet had him wondering. It was a Japanese thing, he supposed. "Guess we must seem pretty barbaric here to you," he said after a moment, looking to her once more. His tone wasn't resentful, really; he personally didn't mind being considered barbaric. He wouldn't be able to stand the kind of rigid customs Amaya seemed to adhere to.

He'd obviously caught her by surprise. "Of course not," she said, though a little color rose to her face. Nohano raised his brows, but said nothing, and Amaya sighed. "Perhaps a little," she admitted, "though it is rude to say. Even the places in Japan who have shed old tradition are not so...different as people here are. My mother said that in my great grandfather's time, especially an adult, to be different than others was a mark of shame to most. In past fifty years, it has changed much. People act different."

"Well," said Killian quietly, "is that a bad thing?"

Amaya frowned again, obviously not used to being questioned about her beliefs. "I...suppose it can be," she said, peering at him. "When people must be different, to not do what the others do, when they stop respecting elders or rank, or--"

"Whoa, hold on," said Nohano, frowning a bit. "Individuality doesn't mean lack of respect."

"Perhaps not always," sand Amaya calmly. "But it can lead if one is not careful. It lead to chaos and--"

Killian chuckled, surprising both Nohano and Amaya, and they turned to look at him. "Nothing wrong with a little chaos," he said to Amaya, who looked mildly offended. "Everyone's different. Not two people on this earth are exactly the same, and that's as it should be. So long as they keep in mind the important things, respecting other people, not hurting them, doing the right thing and all of that...how they express who they are is no mark of shame. It's all a matter of identity. You can't force a person into a mold they don't fit into."

Amaya didn't answer, and at first Nohano thought she was angry, but after a moment, she nodded. Had Nohano been standing, he might just have fallen down in shock. "Maybe," she said. "Maybe...in some things you are right."

After a moment's thought, Nohano decided he really wasn't surprised. He'd already seen Killian's skill with words, and ability to make someone else at least see his point of view.

The conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the Indian boy and his guardian—Nohano really needed to learn everyone's name—and then the albino boy and Middle Eastern girl Rashida, he remembered suddenly. The girl was Rashida. The last to arrive was Xan, who looked a little bedraggled. Nohano wondered at his appearance, but said nothing, only saying hello to them all as they came into the house.

Once everyone was seated in Amaya's living room, everyone seemed a little uncomfortable, and Nohano sighed quietly. That had to change. There were pairs among the group who knew one another well, but otherwise they were all strangers, and very different. That had to change if they were going to work together. This whole tension-you-can-cut-with-a-knife had to stop. "Well, I guess I'll open my big mouth and say what's going on," he said with a shaky grin, and got a couple of chuckles in return. "Okay. Well, Killian and I are going to be moving to San Francisco in a couple of days. I was here only for a few weeks for the...Renaissance Faire."

"Where's San Francisco?" asked the Indian boy.

"It's up north a bit," said Nohano. "It's where we normally live, me and the guys from No Quarter I mean. And Killian's joined the group, so he'll be going with us. I wondered—I mean I dunno where everyone's staying, but I wondered if we should all be in the same city or not. I dunno how long we'll all be, well, working together."

Everyone was quiet for a moment, and Nohano wondered if he'd said something wrong, when the tall Japanese boy spoke up. "Amaya, you know the most of this Dynasty. Where will they be most likely to attack? Will they even attack here in this country?"

"I think they will," said Amaya. "If not, we would not all be here. The Americans would have got told to meet in another place. Not have us come here."

"What city, then?" asked the albino boy through his translator.

"If this demon jerk really wants to take over the world, he'd probably start with a big city," said Xan. "Washington D. C., I'd say. The President lives there after all, and all the government buildings are there."

"Yeah," said Nohano, "but it's also the most heavily guarded place in the world practically. This demon—what's his name, Amaya? I don't know that you've ever told us."

"Arago," said the girl. "Though most English speakers call him Talpa."

"Can Talpa stand up to mortal military forces?"

"Possibly," said Amaya slowly. "But I think he will not want to, not at first, if he can avoid. And I think that he will attack in this area. This state."

"She's right," said Xander suddenly, looking to Nohano. "You live here right? Did you ever have any dreams telling you you had to go somewhere else?"

"Well no," said Nohano. "Only about all of you guys so I'd recognize you, I guess."

"We did. Well I did, at least," said Xander. "I'm from Washington D.C., myself. But I had to head here. I bet he's gonna attack here first."

Nohano felt like he'd been punched in the gut. Being attacked personally was one thing, but for some demon to attack his whole state! "What will he do when he attacks, Amaya?" he asked, hearing the worry in his own voice.

"There will be much damage," said Amaya unhappily. "Much death."

'Death?' Nohano thought. 'No, I can't take any more death...'

"He will capture before he kills, though I do not know what is worse," Amaya went on. "My mother say that my honored ancestor told her once that Arago, he feeds off of pain and fear. He will cause as much of this as he can, because it give him power."

"What does Arago look like?" asked Nohano.

"I don't know," said Amaya ruefully. "I never asked. I never thought to have to know what he looks like."

It was a good point; two months ago, Nohano wouldn't have thought he would need to recognize some demon jerk, either. He caught a flash of the nightmare he'd had, of the glimpse he'd gotten of the figure in armor... Maybe he would recognize it again by sight. Maybe.

"So where here are the biggest cities?" asked the albino boy.

"Well," said Nohano, taking a bit breath. "Los Angeles is right nearby, it's probably the biggest. Then I guess San Diego and San Francisco."

"Which has more people?" Amaya asked.

"Man, it's really close," said Nohano, "But I'd say San Francisco and Los Angeles. Will he just attack one city?"

"I think so," said Amaya. "He must get a foot step here first. Then go on to conquer more."

Nohano managed not to chuckle at the "foot step" comment, assuming she had meant "foothold".

"Then we need to kick his butt!" said the boy—Tarun, Nohano suddenly remembered. The speed demon. "Then he can't conquer any more." He'd stood, clenching his fists, looking all ready to go to battle.

Most everyone chuckled appreciatively; kicking this Talpa's butt seemed like a great idea to Nohano, but the memory of the faire stopped him from feeling too confident. "Yeah sounds good," he said to the kid. "If we can. Will it just be him and his warlords?"

"No," said Amaya quietly. "This attack—I—it will not be something we can stop. He will have warriors—armor, like a mechanical person, but magical. He will have his warlords. He will have powerful magic. It will be a long fight. We must defeat him, and his armies will fade when he is defeat. When he attack, he will open gates. They will be huge doors I think. His forces come from those."

'Oh, great,' Nohano thought frantically. 'This guy's gonna destroy my home and loose armies of magical-mechanical-armor-robots on the people, and we can't stop it, she says?' A hand on his arm startled him, but almost immediately calmed his panic. He turned to smile shakily at Killian, who smiled back.

"Easy, mate," he said, his tone grim. "It's not a great start. But at least we can do something to help. And things are a lot better for public safety than they were a hundred years ago. If it weren't, there'd—there'd be nothing left of Australia by now."

Nohano squeezed his hand before turning to the others. "Well then. I guess we really can't do anything until he attacks, can we?"

"No," said Amaya.

"So what do we do?"

No one spoke, though at least half of the others looked at Nohano expectantly, as if waiting for him to answer his own question. He frowned, looking around the circle, when Tarun's guardian spoke. "That would be your decision, wouldn't it?"

Huh? Nohano stared at the tall boy, cocking his head and looking at him, expecting some kind of joke to follow the comment. When none did, he asked in disbelief, "Me? Why my decision?"

"You lead us, don't you?" asked Tarun cheerfully, shrugging and sending a bright grin his way.

Nohano spluttered a moment before managing to form a coherent word. "Me? I don't lead you—what—why do you think that?"

A few people including Killian seemed surprised as well, but the others were taken aback by Nohano's reaction. Obviously Nohano had missed something important somewhere along the line! Demetrius smiled a little, and explained. "The dreams I had told me that I will find the one who would lead us into battle here, in the United States."

"Yeah, I got that too," said Suisei. "When I dreamed of you, and of Yasuo—he's the one who brought Tarun to me—he told me you'd be leading us."

Nohano felt like he'd been hit in the gut—had everyone known this before he had?

"You are Wildfire," said Amaya quietly. "Wildfire leads. The Wildfire armor chooses he who can lead. I am sorry I did not tell you before. I thought you knew."

Nohano could only stare at her, all the while thinking, 'That's ridiculous! I'm a fifteen year old drummer in a pirate singing group! I'm supposed to lead people into battle? Ludicrous!' Aloud, he said finally, "There's been a mistake. I'm no leader! I don't know how to lead! I'm not even an adult! He should be leading," he said, pointing to Tarun's guardian. "Or—or Rashida or you, Amaya! You guys know more about this than me! Or--" Anyone but him!

"Whoa, calm down," said Killian, actually laughing a little. "Being a leader's got nothing to do with knowledge or age. You really do know how. Don't you remember at the fight? You just knew what people should do. You wanted to protect us. You sorta...took charge. It's not like you've got to start barking out orders. You're not a drill sergeant."

Everyone chuckled a little bit, except for Nohano, who was still freaking out about having to lead this band into battle.

"For now, let's talk of other things," said Rashida, smiling at Nohano, who thought it was a grand idea. "Such as where we'll go. Demetrius and I are staying in a hotel room. I believe that Suisei and Tarun are, also."

Xander muttered that he hadn't been able to find a place to stay that he could afford. He'd been getting odd jobs, but didn't dare spend his money on a hotel room, and he hadn't any identification, anyway.

Nohano frowned at Xan, shaking his head. "No way," he said. "That's not cool. Why don't you stay with me and Killian?" He glanced quickly at Killian, who sent over a brief feeling of approval.

Xan's ruddy skin darkened, and he muttered that he could handle it.

"Hey," said Killian. "It's just us three, mate. We can't have anyone out on their own. The more protection the better. How could we leave someone out in the streets?"

"He's right," said Suisei. "We're a team, now. We'll act like one. No one gets left out or left to fend for themselves. "

Nohano thought suddenly of a Hawaiian term he'd come across a year or so ago when he'd tried to learn his native language, a word "ohana", which meant family. But it was more than that. It was exactly the kind of camaraderie that Suisei was describing. He looked to Xan, who was still looking very undecided. "You saved my life," said Nohano finally. "There's no way I'm gonna let you sleep in some alleyway when I can do something about it."

"And until we reach San Francisco," said Suisei, "you must stay with Tarun and me. Tarun would love to have someone else to pester besides me. I would too, for that matter."

Xander finally laughed, and agreed. "Okay," he said. "Thanks."

"So that just leaves where we others will stay," said Demetrius.

Nohano sighed, looking down at the mat he sat on, thinking. Should they all be in the same city? His first reaction to that was "yes". But which city? Nohano and Killian would be in San Francisco, but Amaya was already renting a house here on the outskirts of Los Angeles. It didn't seem fair to ask her to uproot herself, but he didn't like the idea of being split up, either. But ultimately they agreed they would relocate north, so that they could stay close by.

"When?" asked Suisei.

"We're moving tomorrow," said Killian. "The eighteenth—we could all meet at the edge of the city, maybe. Then we can figure out where to look for apartments or whatever."

"Actually," said Suisei, "We should likely choose lodging that is close to one another. We shouldn't leave anyone else on their own."

A very confusing discussion followed then, about how they would travel to San Francisco and with whom everyone would ride. Suisei finally said that he could take most of them if need be, and Nohano promised to ask Robert if he'd mind helping out as well.

"We've got a van," he said. "It wouldn't put any of us out, really, I can't see how they'd mind. I can get everyone's phone numbers, and contact you Saturday afternoon. Does...that sound okay?"

Most of them nodded, but Killian grinned at Nohano. "Sounds great, honored leader. See? You're doing just fine."

Nohano blinked, feeling his face heat up, and for a moment was torn between hugging Killian for his support, or slugging him for being a smart-ass. Finally he laughed, feeling inexplicably shy. "I guess."

Nohano borrowed a piece of paper and a pen from Rashida and wrote down the c-phone numbers of the others, sticking it into his pocket. He gave them Manny's c-phone number; Manny usually let Nohano use his phone as a contact point for his friends, since he had none of his own. "This is Manny's phone, so be careful what you say on it until I'm holding it in my hands," said Nohano. "But I don't have my own phone. I should have one once we get an apartment, though. Most of them provide a landline."

After that, the group spent the next two hours simply talking and getting to know each other. It was such an odd assortment of people, but as he interacted with them, Nohano decided that he liked them. Even Amaya, once she got past her "tradition" face. Once he got past that, he began to see the same personality he'd seen that day in the library; a little shy and uncertain, and very polite.

Demetrius was a strange one, but quite likable. He was good-natured and took most things in stride. He was quick to laugh, and slow to annoyance and anger. His favorite thing to do was rock collecting, and Nohano said that he knew of a couple of places where people could go to do that in San Francisco.

Killian asked why his eyes weren't pink, and Demetrius laughed, explaining that not all people with albinism had them. "It's not common among albinos," he said. "There are three different traits of albinism—white or light hair, pale skin, pink or light blue eyes—some only have one trait." He grinned. "Some even have violet eyes, which is pretty cool."

"I'd like to see that!"

"I don't see well, though," added Demetrius. "I have to wear glasses to improve it, but even then I don't see that well. I don't wear them if I can help it—they are not comfortable, and I lose them at least once a week." Nohano had noticed that one of his eyes pointed in a different direction from the other. Lazy eye, he believed it was called.

"But you look cool," said Tarun, making Demetrius laugh. The boy's accent was strong, but he seemed to have a very firm grasp of the language, including its slang. Nohano asked how long he'd been in the United States.

"A year, I think!" said Tarun. "I just turned ten. I go to school here, too. But I knew English before I did. I learned it at the home."

"You speak it very well," said Amaya, and the boy beamed.

Rashida said she'd left home at sixteen, as was custom for her people. "It was not always that way," she said. "But the whole world has changed in the last century. When I was younger, I had always wanted to be a doctor, helping the poor people of my country. But soon I realized my way was that of the warrior." She was a difficult one to get to know; she was so stoic and determined, but friendly, also. Still, there was a certain amount of a "don't mess with her" feeling about her, which made it difficult to relax completely when talking to her.

Not to mention she was probably smarter than the whole group. That made Nohano feel a little inferior, but also glad to have her knowledge and brains in the group. He found out she was hypoglycemic, which explained why she ate so often, but ate very little at a time.

Tarun endeared himself to everyone. He grinned more than not, and had a gift for making people laugh, or at least smile. His cheer never seemed to fade, and his optimism seemed unnatural in a country where it sometimes seemed to Nohano that pessimism was a mainstream religion. Tarun also seemed to brim with energy every second of the day. He fidgeted around, stood and paced, bounced where he sat—he was like an engine that never shut off. Suisei seemed quite used to it, though Nohano caught him rolling his eyes in a fond sort of way every once in a while.

Suisei was another odd one. Sometimes he seemed quite serene, but at other times was nearly as eager as Tarun was. When speaking of the things he enjoyed doing, his eyes would seem to light up and he'd grin and talk your ear off. Nohano found himself liking the man a great deal. He was highly amused when Suisei and Amaya got into a friendly argument about what was weirder for a Japanese person, Suisei's unusual height or Amaya's bright blue eyes. Killian declared the match a draw when no one could figure out which was odder. Nohano was glad to see the less serious side of the girl though, and thought that this casual gathering had been the best thing that they could have done.

Xander was a bit of an enigma. He was friendly enough, though not very open at all, and seemed to hang back from the group in general. Having seen a little of Xan's home life, Nohano supposed he didn't blame him. That kind of emotional stress tended to make one wary of people. He hoped that Xan would loosen up a little in time. It had to be miserably lonely!

They didn't talk about armor or warlords at all after that first part. They didn't discuss cities or battles or weaponry. Nohano was glad for it. He had the idea they were all in for a miserable, dark time, and he wasn't sure how long it would last. 'Enjoy it while you can,' he thought, to himself as much as the others.

Killian spun to look at him, his eyes wide, Nohano cocked his head, frowning in silent query. But Killian didn't answer just then, he only shook his head and mouthed the word, "later". Nohano shrugged and nodded in acknowledgement, but couldn't help wondering. Was it what he had thought? Remembering the strange mental link they'd forged, he wondered if more than feelings and vague ideas could be transmitted.

While Demetrius told a story about a trick his older brother had played on him when Demetrius was a child, Nohano closed his eyes and focused on the calm, blue waters he'd come to associate with Killian. He spent a couple of moments trying to recapture what it had felt like to have Killian's presence in his mind, how comforting it was, and how strange. 'Killian?'

Killian's eyes widened—Nohano knew that, even without opening his own eyes—and after several moments, the weirdest thing happened. Nohano heard Killian's voice—but it wasn't really a voice, and he didn't hear it so much as feel it. He seemed to be translating it into Killian's voice, because it made a little more sense, but it was really just a feeling, a feeling that defined Killian himself, forming into thoughts. Holy shit, Nohano.

Nohano grinned, opening his eyes and looking on Killian's astonished expression. 'Fantastic,' Nohano thought, though not directed at Killian. That was great. If they could all learn to do that...

But that was for another time. For now, he settled back to listen to the others talk.

By the end of the day, taking a break around noon to go and get some McDonald's for lunch, Nohano felt they'd all gone a long way towards becoming friends. It wouldn't be nearly as difficult as Nohano had feared. Tarun and Suisei were already close, like a father and son. Nohano was beginning to think of Killian as his brother, and Demetrius and Rashida behaved like the best of friends. Xan and Amaya were the only ones who hadn't bonded yet with anyone, but even they were beginning to warm up towards the others.

"I-I think we'll be okay, Killian," Nohano said later that night, after Manny had come and picked them up from Amaya's house (not able to resist teasing Nohano about having a girlfriend. Nohano was not amused.)

"I think you're right, mate," said Killian, though in a dismissive way as if that wasn't what he wanted to talk about at all. They were sitting in their accustomed corner, speaking very quietly. "But tell me about this...how'd you know we could speak through that telepathic link?"

Nohano grinned in a self-satisfied way. "I didn't know. But I had that thought, and I was kinda directing it to everyone, and then you looked shocked. I put two and two together."

Killian laughed. "I've never been more shocked. But it's cool, too! I mean really cool! We've got to see if the others have been able to do this, and figure out how to teach them, if they haven't. I'd bet anything it's this armor that's letting us do it."

"Helping us, at least," said Nohano. "It's pretty cool, actually. When I connect with you, I feel like smooth water. But it doesn't scare me. Probably because it's not really water, it's you. And you don't scare me."

"Well then we're even," said Killian. "That first time I didn't notice anything but how unhappy you were. This time, though—talk about a raging inferno. I thought I'd wandered into hell for a minute."

Nohano narrowed his eyes and glared at Killian, who snickered behind his hand. "Thanks," said Nohano, trying very hard to be aggravated, as difficult as it was. "Thanks a whole lot!"

"No problem," said Killian, no trace of apology in his voice. "Well...things might not look great, Nohano. But they're lookin' a whole hell of a lot better."

Nohano couldn't argue with that.

The new Ronin in a group - not my best picture. Killian came out the best, I think. (That's Tarun's sports uniform)

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