Chapter Two


Disclaimer: I own nothing except plot and unrecognizable characters. All rights reserved to Bandai and other co-creators. Elayne/An belongs to LegendsGuardian (LG)


The sky turned a dusky orange over the city. Hands in pockets, Rowen Hashiba couldn't find a better reason not to be out. It had been raining the past few nights and the Ronin of Air needed something to calm his rising anxiety. He hadn't felt like this in a while...so long in fact that he forgot exactly why he felt this way. Rowen pushed his hands into his pockets and steered himself against the onslaught of the wind that rushed by.

The end of Spring was nigh, and he was slightly dreading the winter months. Closing his eyes and then reopening them, he realized how far he had walked. He was near a convenience store that was about two miles away from his own apartment he shared with his father. He was here in Osaka Fu for the semester break to 'spend time' with his father.

In reality, it was a complete mistake to come here. He should have known better than to rely heavily on his father for company. His father had proven once again his job was far more important than his only son. Rowen shook his head in disgust. Who cared what his father did or didn't do? Rowen only arrived to clear his head. Nothing more, nothing less.

Dreams of the past kept him barely functioning through society these days. They consisted of defeats more than of triumphs. Rowen would wake from nightmares so terrifying, he couldn't go back to sleep. His average sleep these days were two to three hours. Looking up at the sky, he longed for the winds guiding him, but quelled the thought back. No. He couldn't do that anymore. As much as he wanted to don the armor, he couldn't get himself to.

He didn't know when it started, but fear of the armor had somehow settled even worse than before. Rowen couldn't explain the intense hatred he had against the armor. In the past, he could see how it would develop, but this? The armor Suzunagi gifted was pure. There was no trace of Talpa's influence to be found. Was it because his heart wasn't in the right place? Was it because he grew indifferent over the year he was away from his comrades?

There was an explanation, some tangible reasoning why restlessness settled into his soul; but to the genius, that reasoning was as elusive as his flighty mother. For a time, he put that feeling aside because he had things to curve his growing discomfort. Books, schoolwork, and even for a while his mother's sudden appearance distracted him, however; the last few months leading to this particular evening out, those once distracting things weren't anymore.

Rowen shook himself out of his stupor. He looked around to begin his trek back home. He would try to get some homework done and focus on getting his mind away from the negative.

As he turned to walk, Rowen caught a glimpse of a black haired individual whose violet eyes pierced through his. As fast as it happened, the girl disappeared in the sea of the crowd.

He frowned. That girl looked quite familiar. Shaking his head out of his stupor, Rowen took one more cursory glance around before turning to walk back to his father's apartment.


Downtown Tokyo was packed for a Thursday afternoon. Cye Mouri could only guess why, maybe because of the Cherry Blossom Festival going on or because of the interlude between school years for the students. Everyone was excited for some reason or another.

In a way, Cye didn't particularly care - and that's what frightened him. The Cherry Blossom Festival was one of his most favorite times of the year. He always looked forward to it since he was a child. He had fond memories of his parents and sister coming straight to Tokyo once per year to see the Cherry Blossoms. This was before his mother's heart condition got worse, and his father's death.

Running a hand through his reddish-brown hair, he closed his sea-blue eyes and then let the emotions flicker before pushing them back. He wasn't here to reminisce fondly of his once happy childhood. He was here to meet up with a friend he hadn't seen in a few months.

It had been quite a while since he had seen any of his friends, if he were being honest with himself. Seeing the restaurant in sight over the taller pedestrians lingering around, he stopped to take in the scenery in front of him. The restaurant was Chinese infused: Rei Faun Restaurant printed on a neon sign billboard over ornate brown double doors. Patrons lingered in front, talking among each other. He grimaced as he got closer. He forgot how long it had been since he ate at this particular restaurant. Memories flooded through his mind as he continued pushing through the milling crowd.

He remembered his time with Kento and his family, endless laughter and happier times. Sighing, he finally, after some time, managed to get to the entrance.

"Cye!"

Cye jolted out of his deep thought. His sea-blue eyes scanned the crowd and came across a young woman with black hair in twin braids and light brown eyes who was pushing against the crowd.

A smile crept across his face as he waved at her. "Midori! There you are."

"Sorry I'm late. It's more crowded today than I anticipated." Midori let out a breath as she came to a halt in front of him.

"I just arrived as well. No fuss." Cye gently said.

"Oh good," Midori said, a sigh of relief escaping between her lips. "I thought I was late. We did say four." She looked at her watch and smiled, "Well, we're both a bit late. I hope the restaurant isn't full."

"It may not be too bad."

He opened the door for Midori and walked towards the podium, occupied by a petite woman with long black hair pushed up into a bun. "Table for two." Cye put two fingers up, just in case she didn't hear over the bustling crowd that filled the establishment.

The hostess nodded, signaling for a waiter to bring them to their table. Once seated in a booth near some orange hue lights, they were handed menus and left to their own devices for the time being.

"The restaurant is packed," Midori said, bemused.

"I think it's because of the Hanami." Cye looked around with a small frown, then looked at Midori who was perusing over her menu. "So how has school been?" He already picked out what he wanted and put his menu down close to the edge of the table.

Midori looked up from her menu, put it down on the table's edge and responded, "It's been okay. This is my last year coming up."

"Is it?" Cye asked, a touch of surprise in his tone. "I don't know why I thought you were younger than that." He let out a chortle and put his hands up against the glare he received from her.

"You're already a sophomore in college, Fishboy. You're practically an elder." Midori ignored Cye's protest and glare. "I'm only stating facts."

Cye couldn't help himself - he laughed. He really had missed this type of interaction. There wasn't enough time in a day to get time to visit with people he loved. Sure, he met with classmates, colleagues from his job, and his family, but that wasn't enough. He missed the people he had a deep connection with. He really missed his best friends who shared the biggest secret of their lives - one he couldn't tell his own family or even Midori who was close to him as a sister. He let out a melancholy sigh, alerting Midori.

Before Midori could question him, the server came back. They gave their orders and the server left.

"What's wrong?" Midori asked, a frown on her lips. Cye averted her eyes, not wanting to look at her, knowing she would be able to read him like a book. The elders always said, "Eyes are the window to the soul and tell every secret." He piddled with the utensils, methodically placing them on each side of him, then took the napkins and placed them on each side. He took the chopsticks, broke them apart and laid them on the small porcelain plate.

"Cye?" Again, he acted as if he hadn't heard her. Hearing her groan, he heard a sharp squeak and felt the pain on his shin ignite. He let out a small guttural yelp. "I asked you a question, fishboy. I know you heard me."

"Must you be so violent?" Cye hissed, gritting his teeth. Whatever she had in the toe part of her shoe, hurt like hell.

"If you wouldn't act like you didn't hear me, I wouldn't have to resort to violence." Midori grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. She stared at him square in the eyes. "Don't you dare ignore me, Mouri Shin, you know how I feel about you trying to play off as if you're fine, when you're really not."

"Are you sure you're really not related to my sister?" Cye asked, amused. She growled and he put his hands up in a peace offering. "I'm sorry, I'm just–tired and…" He hesitated. Should he mention this side of him? Of what he really was feeling? Well, it wouldn't hurt to express some, even though if revealed, it could go much deeper. He let out a sigh, preparing himself to speak. "I'm unsure how I feel." There, that was a proper answer. He really was confused and couldn't narrowly pinpoint why he felt the way he felt or why he acted the way he acted. "There's so much going on and – the guys…" He swallowed but didn't continue.

"The guys and you stopped talking again, didn't you?" Midori asked while leaning on her open palm - her elbow propped up on the table. He only nodded and looked at his clasped hands. She used her free hand to stretch over to grasp his intertwined hands and laced her fingers with his. "Cye?"

He looked up with a few tears in his eyes. He wiped them quickly with his free hand and squeezed her comforting warm ones. "I haven't spoken to anyone in almost six months. One day we're hanging out with each other, the next we're avoiding each other's calls, and even each other." He let out a shaky breath, "I know friends part for a while, but they always make time to contact each other…but every time I call each one, they ignore it, or they ignore me when I see them on the street."

"Even when you meet them on the street? Even Kento?" Midori asked, shaking her head when he nodded. "That's awful." They stayed like this until the waiter came with their food, breaking the melancholy spell. They made light conversation and soon their meal was completed, all plates and utensils pushed to the side.

After paying and walking out, Cye noted that he didn't see any one Rei Faun family member while they ate – which was unusual even for them.

"I'm surprised not to see Rinfi today or Ma…usually they're here on a busy day such as this." Midori commented as they walked out of the bustling restaurant.

"Usually, they're out of town at this time." Cye said, putting his hands in his pockets. At her confused face, he added, "They take a much-needed family vacation to China for a couple of weeks, leaving the restaurant in the care of their other family members who opt out of going overseas."

"Oh," Midori said, looking at the darkening night sky. The clouds were rolling in as the sun set in the west, casting the sky in a myriad of colors: reds, purples, and soft hues of orange and blue. The streetlamps winked on as the sun sunk farther. "So Kento isn't here at all."

"Not until probably next week sometime when school starts up again." Cye said, looking at his watch as they had made their way further downtown. "Do you want to go watch the fireworks tonight?"

Midori contemplated for a moment before nodding, "Sure, I haven't seen fireworks in a while."

Cye smiled at her, "All right. Let's head up this street. It's less crowded." He held out his hand, and she took it. She laced her fingers around his and squeezed his hand. His heart felt comforted, and his feelings of isolation slowly seeped away. He was thankful to Kami that he still had Midori, who had been his childhood friend, around and still willing to see him. He just wished and hoped one day that his four other friends would come together once more. And not just because there was an enemy to fight.


Note: Updates will be sporadic. Going back to school here soon, so updates will be limited until summer. Trying to get all of my unfinished fanfics finished. Thanks for reading!