dis-claim'er, noun: a denial or disavowal of legal claim: relinquishment of or formal refusal to accept an interest or estate; b: a writing that embodies a legal disclaimer; c: a statement made to save one's on ass.

Chapter 7: A Small Taste

The bright lights of the library gave Rowen plenty of visibility to study. Fall term started two weeks ago. He was in his first of two mini terms for the semester. Mini terms moved faster than others and were designed to cram twenty week courses into only ten. His friends told him he was crazy, but doing this ensured he would have his first master's degree in two years.

He didn't get a chance to start college after high school. The incidents with Shikaisen, Mukala, and Suzanagi had happened so quickly that it would have been impossible to start school. He had taken his basic courses online while in high school to get them out of the way. After receiving the new armors, he started full college the year he turned nineteen. He will be twenty this year and already have his bachelor's degree because of taking mini term courses.

He would, of course, slow down after he got his master's, but not by a lot. He had plans to have two masters' and a doctorate by thirty. He would have a masters in Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics – specializing in general relativity – and a PhD in Quantum Mechanics. He wanted to work for NASA. He wanted to help expand the knowledge of the galaxy and universe.

He hadn't realized how late it had gotten until he glanced at the clock. He checked his phone and saw he had seven text messages and three missed calls. His phone was always on silent when he came here. It was probably Sage or one of the other guys blowing him up. He chuckled. After all the years of friendship, one would think they would know his routine by now.

He quickly packed up his books into his bag and turned to leave, but was startled when he bumped into someone. He reached out to steady the other person.

It was a girl. She had dark, deep colored red hair and stimulating sapphire blue eyes. She wasn't very tall, but she did come up to the middle of his chest. His eyes couldn't help but look her over. She was petite and very well endowed to be of such small stature. He looked away quickly before she could notice where his eyes had gone.

He cleared his throat, "I'm sorry. I didn't see you there."

"Oh, you're fine," she smiled in response as she took a step back. "But it isn't every day that I run into someone so handsome."

Rowen couldn't help but blush. The last person to compliment him like that was Kayura, "Uh, thank you."

She extended her hand, "Invidia. Invidia Loren."

"Rowen Hashiba," he shook her head. Her smile was almost as bright as a star. "Oh! Cosmology?"

Invidia laughed nervously, "Y-yeah. I study it for fun. You know of it?"

"Mm. Very much. The study of the origin, evolution, and eventual fate of the universe. In physical study, it is the scientific study of the universe's origin, the large-scale structures and dynamics, and its ultimate fate including the scientific laws that govern these areas. Religious or mythological cosmology is based on beliefs of religion, myths, and esoteric literature. Science versus religion. Stephen Hawking was-"

Her laughing stopped him instantly. He forgot that he tended to rant about things that excited him and usually ended up scaring people off. That was why he never had a girlfriend. He scared them off with his useful and random knowledge.

"I've never met someone who knew so much about it off hand. You should like a dictionary."

Rowen bit the inside of his cheek nervously, "Yeah. I get that. A lot, actually."

Invidia smiled and touched his wrist flirtatiously, "Could I hear more? There is a hangout down the road that has some pretty decent coffee."

He thought for a second. Girls made him nervous, and this girl was especially pretty. He made a quick glance at the clock. He could always text Sage and let him know he would be home late.

"S-sure. Sounds like a good plan."

Rekino sat in the break room at the hospital lounge as she munched slowly on her banana chips. She was scrolling through her social media website to see all of her friend's posts. She had to blink twice when someone called her name, except it wasn't her name.

You're still legally Candace Askea.

"Sorry, girl. I space out. What did you say?"

One of the other ER assistants just waved it off, "I asked how your night was going since I just got here."

"We have been pretty slow actually. Not much going on except some sick people. Had a wreck with two injured, but nothing too severe."

"All right! Hopefully the graveyard shift will be just as slow."

Rekino watched the girl leave just as Hana came around the corner. She raised two fingers in acknowledgement as the voluptuous blonde sat down beside her. Rekino made an ugly grunting sound when Hana stole one of her chips.

"Bitch."

"What? It's not like you don't have a million bags of those at home."

Rekino elbowed her longtime friend. She looked at the clock. They both got off in twenty minutes. Then, she would go home and do anatomy homework.

"Oh gurl!" the Halo guardian said in a sing-song voice. "Have you seen the new doctor? He is fine. I mean, he's like a Channing Tatum meats nineties Brad Pitt except with dark hair."

The raven haired girl turned excitedly, "Do tell."

"I won't have to. Here he comes."

Amethyst and midnight blue eyes watched as someone entered the room. He was of average height and build. He had hair darker than black that seemed to match his eyes. He had the sleeves of his button up shirt rolled up to reveal the sleek, muscular skin of his forearm. As he walked over to the vending machine, Rekino heard Hana whisper "that ass".

That's when he turned to look at the two. They pretended as if they were minding their own business.

"Good evening, ladies."

They both greeted him in sync. That couldn't have been more strange, Rekino noted, since they were both supposed to be not staring at him. She put another chip in her mouth. The man retrieved his snack.

"I'm Dorian Reeves, the new resident on call."

"I'm Hana Utano."

"Candace Askea."

He flashed his brilliant, perfect white teeth as he smiled at them, "It's good to meet you ladies. I hope you have a good night."

The minute he was out of view, Rekino and Hana both squealed with excitement. The black hair girl slammed her hand down on the table.

"I haven't seen a man that fine since…" Rekino stopped in mid sentence. She blushed with embarrassment.

Hana laughed, "Since Mia showed you a picture of Rowen Hashiba."

"Shut ya mouth," the fiery tempered youth said. Hana was the only one who knew about her secret crush on the armor bearer of Strata. She had never met him, or met any of them, but she felt an odd connection to the blue haired genius. It was almost as if she could see a small string tying them together.

She was brought out of her musings by her phone vibrating in her hand. Hana's had also made a noise. She opened the message to see it was from Amaya telling her to meet at the clinic as quickly as possible. The two guardians looked at one another oddly.

"I wonder what this is about?"

Hana stood up, "I have no idea, but it seems we are needed. Let's go clock out."

Rekino rolled up her bag of banana chips, "I'll drive."

"Oh, hell no," the blonde got her purse out of her locked. "I am not riding with you."

The ebony hair girl rolled her eyes, "Just because I've hit a mailbox or two doesn't make me a bad driver."

"Girl. Yes it does."

The sky was full of clouds covering the quarter moon. The energies in the air were giving off an eerie feeling. The wind was starting to pick up by the hour. Amaya looked up as Josephine pulled up on her orange Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R motorcycle. The French girl didn't understand why her friend chose to drive such a dangerous vehicle.

"Yo, Frenchie," Jo removed her helmet as she greeted her friend like they didn't live together and see one another every day.

Amaya narrowed her eyes, "Ignoring your rude nickname, I must insist that you not drive that thing. Why didn't you bring your truck?"

"Because this is gas efficient and I like going fast. Why do you drive that Prius?"

"It is better on the environment. Climate change is a real issue."

A dark green Honda Accord pulled up behind Josephine's bike in the middle of their discussion. Rekino got out of the passenger's side looking slightly aggravated.

"You just drive too slow."

"Rekino, for the last time, I don't drive slow. I'm sorry I'm not interested in going ninety to nothing everywhere I go. It's not like we are in a life or death situation."

"I swear to God-"

"Rekino Sanada!" Amaya said harshly, "you better not finish that sentence."

One thing that Amaya took seriously was her religion. She could tolerate some cursing, but taking the Lord's name in vain was the one thing she would not sit and listen to.

"Ah," the bearer of Lady Wildfire looked apologetic, "Sorry, 'Mya. I forgot, but it's not like I meant it."

The brunette shook her head, "You did, but I shall pray for you."

The door of the clinic opened accompanied by the sound of a bell. The four turned around to see Mia in the doorway.

"That didn't take long," the eldest of the five said. "Come on. The other ladies are waiting."

The five Lady Guardians walked into the clinic and towards the back where patients waited to be seen. The clinic was decorated with pictures and other works of art all native to the four females origin country along with some Japanese themed art. The walls were painted a very clean white that made the place appear sterile. The couches and chairs were cream colored with a variety color pillows on them. There were magazines on the end tables and a large wooden table in the middle of the room.

Fiona MacAlpin was entering something into her laptop. She was a native of Scotland and was proud of her heritage. She stood out with her big emerald green eyes and fiery red hair. She was the bearer of the Armor of Ogre and Spring. She was the guardian of Anubis's former armor which Kayura now bore. She was a nurse practitioner who was going to Tokyo University for her master's degree.

On the couch to the left of Fiona sat Anayis Skarsten and Rubi Mercado. They appeared to be looking over some kind of paperwork.

Anayis was petite with strawberry blonde hair, brown eyes, and cream colored skin. She was a native of Switzerland and was the bearer of the Armor of the Jackal and winter. She was Cale's counterpart. Anayis used the ability of her armor - summoning darkness - to help people who had fallen into darkness and guided them back to the light. She was a licensed psychologist.

Rubi Mercado, bearer of the Armor of Spider and Spring, had black hair that was styled with layers that went down to her breasts, brown eyes that had white spots in them like a newborn deer, and mulatto colored skin that was native to her Puerto Rican ancestry. She was the Guardian of Dias and also a licensed psychologist. She used her armor's power of illusion to dive into the minds of people who suffer mild to extreme cases of psychosis to cast images that keep them tethered to reality. She also assisted people who had multiple personality disorders to keep one personality dominant.

Nefertiti Sorenson entered the room from a door to the left. She was swirling some kind of purple colored mixture in a glass. She bore the Armor of the Spider and Autumn. She was tall - taller than Josephine who stood at five foot eleven inches - with shiny silver hair that stopped at her butt, mesmerizing turquoise eyes, and skin the color of snow. Her exotic appearance, however, caused her to be an outcast from her native home of Egypt. She was a licensed botanist and toxinologist. Despite her young age, she has worked and achieved many accolades with the World Health Organization for her studies and breakthroughs. She was an apothecary in the clinic where she makes medicines from plants and toxins that are specific to each individual patient.

"So," Jo put her helmet down on one of the tables, "when does the party start?"

"Or rather," Rekino sat on the arm rest of the closest chair, "why aren't there any appetizers?"

Amaya nudged Rekino off of the chair, "It's rude to do that."

"Oh, don't you worry, my fine feathered friend," Fiona sat her laptop to the side. "There are plenty of appetizers coming your way."

Everyone sat down in random vacant spots. They watched Nefertiti skillfully suck her liquid creation into two syringes.

"I'm drug free. Just putting that out there," Rekino said sassily.

The Egyptian woman mildly chuckled, "Trust me. This is something you don't want inside you."

"I said that to one of my ex-boyfriends," Hana mused, "except I wasn't the one putting anything inside."

Most of the occupants in the room laughed at the blonde's crude joke, but Amaya and Rubi took no part. They were the two religious females of the group and found no humor in sexual jokes.

"There is a patient here," Rubi said sternly, "that has been coming to the clinic for several months. He suffers from extreme psychosis and isn't in reality most of the time. His rantings are usually nothing we haven't heard, but today he said some things that weren't normal even for him."

Mia crossed her legs and nodded slowly, "What was said?"

There was an odd, uneasy silence in the room. The Lady Guardians looked quizzically at the Lady Seasonals. Fiona cleared her throat. Her emerald green eyes seemed full of worry and seriousness. When she spoke, her Scottish accent became deeper.

"'Abandon hope ye who enter here. Your pound of flesh isn't enough. It will not satisfy the place of evil. Gather the nine and I will tell.'"

The air in the room became cold and foreboding. Chills crawled down Rekino's spine. She shivered in response.

"It feels like someone just walked over my grave."

"That's fitting," Nefertiti tossed her braid over her shoulder.

"More like uncool," Josephine said quickly.

Hana pursed her lips together, rubbing her chin, "But why are we here?"

Anayis was nodding her head, "He said, 'Gather the nine.'. We assume he means the nine of us."

Rekino rubbed her hands up and down the material of her pants anxiously, "Aight, y'all know my rules. I don't do possessed people. Nope. Not in my contract. Take that shit elsewhere."

Fiona rolled her eyes, "He isn't possessed, Wildfire, he's sick mentally."

"Calling us out like that? Sounds like possession to me."

"Rekino," Amaya said softly, "you cannot believe in possession without believing in God."

"Bullsh-crap. I believe in demons. Hell, Kayura has told us of other realms existing outside of ours and the Nether Realm. I don't have to be religious to know that there are evil and malevolent things out there that wanna do bad juujuu things to people."

"Ladies," Mia, being true to her guiding virtue of Wisdom, held out her hands to stop the small talk, "whatever this man may be or may not be doesn't answer the question as to why are we all here."

Nefertiti quickly said, "We want all of us to enter his room together."

There was an uncomfortable silence then-

"Hell. Naw."

"Rekino!" Several voices said in unison.

"Y'all want me in a room with a psycho? I've seen some strange things working in the E.R. Ain't nothing stronger than a crackhead wanting some drugs, mmkay? But you crazy bitches want me in a room with someone who might be possessed by the devil?"

Amaya snapped her fingers at the ebony haired kunoichi, "Calm down and stop using that atrocious language."

Josephine was gripping her sides in laughter, "I cannot believe you're scared of a crazy person."

"Possessed, bitch."

Fiona waved her hand as if denying the other's statement, "Mentally ill. Not possessed."

Hana jumped up quickly, "It doesn't matter, but I feel like we all need to go in there. Something just tells me it's right."

"Great," Anayis stood up. "Let's go."

"No."

Mia rolled her eyes, "Rekino!"

The Guardian of the Armor of Fire crossed her legs and turned her nose up in the air, "I refuse."

Josephine popped up, "But the world might be at stake."

"My ability to sleep in the dark without having nightmares is at stake."

Rubi pointed her finger while narrowing her dark colored eyes, "If you don't get up off that couch and go with us I will send your mind so deep into an illusion you'll be comatose for the rest of your life."

"You wouldn't get the chance to utter a word. I'll body arch off this couch so fast and hit you with enough force to give you amnesia."

"This bantering is getting us nowhere," Mia said sadly. She didn't understand what the deal was.

Fiona smacked her lips and was going to say something involving physical harm, but she smirked slyly instead, "What will it take to get you in there?"

If Rekino had been a cat, her ears would have twitched and perked up. She gave the Scottish woman a side glance, "What are you offering, lass?" She tried not to sound too silly with a Southern accent mixed with a terrible attempt at a Scottish one.

"I'll make you a Shepard's Pie."

"You're really bribing her with food?" Amaya looked shocked.

Josephine nodded in agreement, "This is my kind of talk."

"Just a Shepard's Pie to go head-to-head with a possibly possessed crazy person?" Rekino raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"Shepard's Pie and banana pudding. Final offer," Fiona's smirk grew. She knew she had this in the bag.

Anayis rolled her eyes, "This is ridicu-"

"Done!" Rekino jumped up excitedly.

Hana threw her arms up in disbelief, "I cannot believe this conversation just happened."

Amaya gripped her rosary, stroking the crucifix, "Let's just do this as quickly as possible." She couldn't help the pure sickly feeling she felt inside. As she followed the other eight women into the back of the clinic, the darkness of the corridor seemed to swallow them up. Was this the right thing to do? What were they walking into?

Rowen didn't know how much time had passed since he and Invidia had entered the coffee shop. Having someone actually take interest and listen to him ramble on was rare and exciting. He could tell by the way her eyes glimmered and her body language that she was truly interested in everything he had to say. Every time she took a drink of her espresso her eyes would lock onto his. Time almost came to a standstill.

"So," she tucked some of her blood red hair behind her left ear, "other than physics and math what do you do for fun?"

"I-uh," he stuttered as he tried to find his bearings, "I practice archery."

"Oh!" Invidia smiled. "I was on my archery team in high school."

"I'm proficient in Eastern and Western style," he placed his empty cup on the saucer. "I have a group of guys I hang out with in my spare time. I live with one of them, actually."

The female raised an eyebrow, "He's your partner?"

"No! God, no! Sage and I are just friends. He and the guys are my only friends, really. And Mia. She is engaged to Ryo."

"I have someone who has been my only friend for my entire life," she reached in the middle of the table and took one of the sweet wafers from the dish. "I know where you are coming from, tho."

Rowen took this time to glance at his phone. Thirty unread messages and fifteen missed calls. What the hell could be going on that his phone was getting blown up? He put the cellular device back in his pocket. He needed to leave, but didn't know how to actually go about it.

Invidia raised an eyebrow, "Is everything okay?"

Good. She brought it up first. It made him feel less awkward.

"Unfortunately. I really hate to cut this short, but I'm going to have to leave."

She redhead smiled, "I'm not offended, but maybe we can do this again?"

Rowen bit the inside of his cheek. Was she asking him out again? He had narrowed down the possibility that she might do it, but the fact it was actually happening wasn't what his equation added up to be.

Calm down, Hashiba. She might just want to be friends.

"Y-yeah. That sounds great."

"Wonderful!" Invidia handed him a small piece of paper. "Here is my number. I hope to hear from you, Rowen Hashiba."

The way she said his set a fire off inside his belly. A warm sensation washed over his entire body. Was he aroused? Excited? He didn't know how to compute his emotions. Instead of saying something in return he stood up from his chair and nodded his head. She stood up as a reaction to his action, but did something unexpected. She pushed herself up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek tenderly.

"Until next time."

The only thing he could do was watch as she sashayed out of the shop and made her way down the street. She turned to wave at him before disappearing into the crowd. He knew he looked stupid just standing in the middle of the shop waving to someone who was no longer there. It was almost as if he had a small taste of what it would be like to go on a date.

As he gathered his stuff to leave, he knew a cold shower was in his near future.

But not before answering all of the unread text messages and missed phone calls.

Next chapter: A new prophecy is revealed and a phone call is made to bring reinforcements ! As always, read and review!

Name: Anayis Skarsten (Ah-nay-us Sk-arhs-ten)
Age: 27
Height: 5'1"
Weight: 115lbs
Hair Color: Strawberry blonde (chin length)
Eye Color: Brown
Ethnicity: Swedish
Birthdate: September 11th
Birthplace: Sweden
Astrological sign: Virgo
Blood Type: B
Favorite Sport: Lacrosse
Martial Art: Karate
Interests: Boys, reading, sewing
Dislikes: Racism
Language: English
Armor: Armor of the Jackal/Winter
Virtue: Filial piety
Weapon: No-datchi without the shurikan
Profile: Works in a clinic as a licensed psychologist for people who suffer from PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Uses her armor powers to help bring those who have fallen into darkness back into light.
Armor of the Jackal: She can transfer over into the darkness and uses it against an opponent, but it affects her sense of piety and goodness which causes her to constantly have to battle between the good and evil within herself. The summoned darkness can cause an enemy - and even herself - to lose themselves in the darkest corner of their mind where doubts and fear reside.
Anayis's Closet: Anayis enjoys fashion in all forms. She enjoys going to thrift stores and turning trash into gold. When she goes out you will find her wearing leggings with a long shirt or dress to short shorts and a t-shirt. At home she likes to wear adult onsies. Going out to a high profile place Anayis will pull out all the stops from shiny dresses and shoes to sparkling eye makeup.