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 own ass.
Surprise?! I know you!
The preparations for Kento's birthday had taken most of the day. At the Guardian household, Josephine got sent into town to try and find a suitable present for her older cousin. Hana, who had been with Sage, used the invitation as the perfect opportunity to go out and buy a new outfit. Amaya spent most of the day cooking before realizing she hadn't even chosen what she would wear to the event. Rekino, who decided not to go for obvious reasons, helped her friend pick out a wardrobe.
At the Koji-Sanada Manor, Ryo had gone into town to gather decorations for the party. While he was gone, Mia was practicing on how to react around the group of girls she was supposed to not know. Instead of lying outright, she decided to just slightly bend the truth by saying the three girls had taken one of her history classes before transferring to another University. She sent out the plan in a group chat to which Amaya replied she didn't like to lie. It was better than blowing their cover.
The rest of the Ronin's were busy as well. While Sage was out shopping with Hana, Rowen and Invidya returned to his apartment so he could get a change of clothes before going into the city with his girlfriend to get his friend a gift. Cye's job was to keep Kento clueless as possible. He had wanted to help with the cooking, but Amaya informed him that she had everything taken care of. While he was slightly disappointed, he was looking forward to tasting authentic French cuisine.
Kento was in a mixture of emotion. He felt like everyone had forgotten what day it was. While not hearing from his friends hurt, he felt some kind of other emotion at the knowledge that Amaya had even forgotten. He had been telling her all week his birthday was Saturday. Bummed was not the word to describe how he felt. He carried on with the day, but when Cye said they were going to the Manor that evening he had gotten a little bit of hope. His friends had probably remembered his birthday and he would be happy even if Amaya wasn't there.
What none of them realized was that an even bigger surprise was going to take place.
"Are you sure this is okay, Rowen?" Invidya stepped out of her boyfriend's royal blue Nissan GT-R. Her heeled shoes crunched against the gravel and dirt of the driveway. She smoothed her hands up and down the cotton material of her knee length, sleeveless silver dress. "This is a party for a very close friend. I don't want to make things weird."
"Don't be silly," Rowen shut the car door. He was dressed in a pair of khaki slacks with black tennis shoes. His dark blue pin-stripped shirt was half tucked into his pants. The long sleeves of his top were rolled up to his elbow. "Ryo and Mia are my only friends you haven't met. This is the perfect opportunity. Plus, we won't have to worry about dinner."
Invidya laughed, locked elbows with the male, and started walking towards the door, "You are horrible, but right. You need to fix your shirt."
"Never," he smirked. He noticed a light blue Toyota Prius in the driveway along with Mia's Jeep, Ryo's red Toyota Camry, and an apparently brand new dark blue Jeep. He figured the Prius belonged to one of the girls that was attending. He pushed the door bell to announce their arrival, but opened the door before anyone else got to it. Invidya sounded shocked at his lack of decorum.
"Rowen!" Ryo jumped off the ladder and ran to give his close friend a hug. The leader of the Ronin Warriors chose to wear dark khaki pants, a short sleeve solid red shirt, and black dress shoes. He let his friend go while they did a quick handshake. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever, buddy! I'm glad you're here."
"Likewise!" The Strata warrior held out his hand. "I would like for you to meet Invidya. Invidya, this is Ryo Sanada, one of my closest friends. Ryo, this is Invidya Starkov, my girlfriend."
"It is a pleasure to meet you," the forgeign girl said softly.
Ryo took her hand and kissed her knuckles, "The pleasure is all mine, Invidya. Kento wasn't joking when he said you were gorgeous. How did my pal manage to get you?"
Invidya blushed, looking at Rowen. The other male gave his friend a rather angry yet playful look.
"Careful there, bud. I'd hate to kick your ass."
Ryo merely laughed, unaffected by the empty threat, "Please. You know I have my one." He straightened his posture. "Everyone is in the dining room. I'll introduce you, Invidya."
On the way to the gathering area, Invidya was in awe of the gigantic home, "This place is beautiful! My goodness. It's so spacious."
"You have no idea," Rowen chuckled. "At one point, the guys and I were all living here."
"It belongs to my fiancee," Ryo said proudly. He stepped aside to allow the two lovers to enter first before announcing them. "Rowen plus one is here!"
Three pairs of eyes looked at the duo. Mia smiled and made her way to greet Rowen, giving him a sisterly kiss on the cheek after a hug. She turned to the female accompanying him and held out her hand.
"I'm Mia Koji," the brunette gave her a welcoming smile. She was dressed in a pair of dark blue slacks, black slip ons, and a silk pink shirt. Her diamond earrings matched the diamond ring on her left ring finger.
"Invidya Starkov," instead of shaking her hand, she bowed. She blushed when she realized what she did before taking the extended hand. "Sorry. I thought it was custom in this country to bow."
"It isn't a necessity, but we do both," Mia moved to kiss her lover on the lips. "Did you finish the decorations in the sitting room?"
"Yep. All are up and ready," Ryo wrapped an arm around her waist. He looked at Rowen. "You remember Josephine Rei Faun and Amaya Blanchett?"
"How could I forget that nerd? OW!" Josephine rubbed the spot on her exposed arm where Amaya hit her with a wooden spoon. "I was only joking! He knows that. Right, man?"
The French baker absently twirled the utensil expertly between her fingers, "I don't care. That is like calling you calling me 'Napoleon'. Some people find your jokes insulting." She was wearing an ankle length, mid sleeved maxi dress the color of the sea with brown loafers. A pearl necklace adorned her neck as well as a pair of matching earrings.
"Jokes are funny because I joke on the truth!" Josephine was wearing a pair of black leather pants, dress boots, and a burnt orange color sleeveless shirt. "He's a nerd so I say nerd. Do you think it's offensive?"
Rowen scratched the back of his head, "You're fine, Josephine." He motioned to the female at his side. "Ladies, you remember Invidya?"
Amaya curtsied while Josephine held up two fingers in a greeting. Invidya smiled at them. She then noticed the table.
"My goodness at all of the food!" She exclaimed. "You cooked all of this?"
"Indeed," the French girl smiled at the praise. "I grew up in a medium sized family so cooking in bulk is nothing I'm not used to. Josephine also helped."
"And as everyone knows Kento and I come from rather large families. We also own several chain restaurants. Managing food rotation isn't something I learned as a kid, yo."
Rowen was also in awe of the amount of food on the large, long table, "I'm curious as to what we are having."
"I will not discuss the contents of my creation until everyone has arrived," Amaya said factly.
Ryo leaned over to his friend, "She said that to us too. I even got smacked for trying to sneak a peek."
"Yeah," Jo nodded to Ryo, "hurts like hell, don't it? She's lethal with that spoon. Tried to tell everyone, but nooooo."
The group laughed except for Amaya. She acted offended, but managed a smile. After all the table was set with plates and utensils, the group moved to the decorated sitting room. Ryo and Mia sat on one couch. Amaya and Josephine sat in one of the loveseats. Rowen took one of the unoccupied chairs, while patting his lap for Invidya to sit there. The Chinese female made an unrecognizable sound at the sight, but it went unnoticed by everyone but Amaya. Casual talk ensued.
"It's very weird," Ryo said smoothly, "that this group of girls Kento ran into seemed to know everyone but me."
"Oh?" Rowen asked quizzically.
"Seems these four girls had all taken one of Mia's classes at Shinjuku."
"Yeah, that class was so interesting," Josephine tried to carry on the conversation. It just so happened she knew quite a bit of historical facts. "Like how there is evidence of civilization in the fifth dynasty in China that just so happened to take place during the great flood. I wonder if Noah made it all the way there to save the pandas."
Amaya's face contorted, "That is improper to discuss with people you barely know."
"Sorry," Jo shrugged, "she's Catholic. Overlook her."
Mia sucked on her teeth, "She's right, though. That is a topic for a theology class. Also, you know she finds things like that offensive."
Light conversation resumed about the weather and topics that had been hot in the news as of late. Mia checked the time on her phone, pursing her lips in bewilderment. Ryo put a concerned hand on her upper thigh.
"Is everything okay?"
"It is almost five. Kento and Cye should be close, but Sage and Hana should have been here by now."
Josephine intertwined her fingers on both hands, putting them behind her head. "Yeah, I wonder where the two blondie's are."
"Oh!" Amaya was slightly alarmed when her phone went off. She checked it quickly. "Hana says she and Sage are on their way. They were caught in a traffic jam."
"Don't look now," Rowen's gaze concentrated at the pair of headlights he saw through the curtain, "but I think that's Cye and Kento now."
"Sure of alotta cars here," Kento muttered. He looked at Cye with hope sparkling in his eyes, "Is this a surprise party?"
Cye put his light blue Honda Civic in park, "I am neither confirming or denying that statement."
"Oh, dude!" Kento opened the passenger side door before turning to look at Cye. "This is totally a party!" He got out quickly making a run for the door. "C'mon, man!"
The Torrent Warrior laughed at his friend before following him. The two rang the bell when arriving at the door. Without displaying an ounce of patience, Kento opened the door quickly with Cye behind him. When they turned the corner into the large sitting room, he was met with confetti in his face.
"SURPRISE!"
Kento laughed loudly while Cye patted him on the back affectionately. The blue haired, granite eye male looked at all of his friends gathered in the room.
"I knew no one had forgotten!"
"How can we do that when you have nagged us about it all week?" Ryo held out his arms before enveloping his friend in a strong hug while laughing.
Rowen, Mia, and Invidya all greeted him with affection. After Mia finished kissing his cheek, his granite eyes landed on the petite figure of the brunette standing across from him. The light blue maxi dress's hem looked like she was wearing a dress of water. He could feel his cheeks heating up at the sight of Amaya. His heart, for some reason, felt relieved and lighter.
"You remembered?"
Mia smiled, "She was the one that came up with the idea."
"I would never forget," Amaya walked to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck in a kind, gentle hug. His hands rested on her hips, mindful of their position the whole time. She smelled of sugar and spices. As she pulled away, she placed a tender kiss on his cheek.
"Happy birthday, Kento."
Her face was beet red and was getting redder with every passing second they were so close. Trying to not make a scene, Kento just gave her a big smile. He wanted to thank her, but it didn't come out but above a whisper as if it was meant for her ears only.
"Uh, hello?" Josephine appeared behind Amaya. "What am I? Chopped liver? I'm the most important person here!"
Kento reluctantly moved away from Amaya to give his cousin a hug. The two relatives laughed loudly and their hands sounded louder patting one another's back while they embraced. When the two broke up, he looked around. Someone was missing.
"Where's Sage?"
Rowen spoke up, "He and Hana are on their way. They got held up in traffic."
Kento wanted to make a joke about what happened the last time Sage wasn't at a birthday party, but knew if he did the company, unaware about the armors, wouldn't understand. Then it would have to be revealed that the five males were actually mystical armor donning super heroes. That topic was something that would need to happen later. Way later.
"It's still a party without them!" Kento said happily. "Do I get gifts? Ooohhh, will there be food?"
"We will not be eating until everyone arrives," Amaya huffed.
Josephine pointed at her friend with her thumb, "She also cooked all the food." The comment made Amaya blush.
"I remember he said he would enjoy some French cuisine. The opportunity simply could not be overlooked."
"Wow," Kento was truly surprised by that statement. "You cooked just for me?"
She blushed again, "Yes, but also for everyone else to also enjoy. It is my gift to you."
"Ah, enough of this mushy stuff!" Josephine poked Kento in the chest. "Open your gifts while we wait for the blonde duo! I can't wait for you to see what I got you!"
It was quiet in the communal house of the Lady Guardians. Rekino was honestly lost on what she could do. She had already done punching and kicking drills, ran two miles, and did some weight lifting that isolated her bicep and tricep muscles. Then she made herself some supper, ate, cleaned up her dirty dishes, and even started a load of clothes. Now, she was staring at the TV with little interest at the show that was playing. She could hear the bell on Kitty's collar jingle as the feline played with a ball of rubber bands on the kitchen floor.
She was alone. All of her friends had gone to Mia's house to give Kento his surprise party. Rekino laughed out loud a little at the memory of helping Amaya get ready. She had teased her French friend that for someone who was only Kento's friend she sure cared about what she was going to wear that night. That resulted in Amaya getting flustered and chastising her for the remark. She had helped load all of the food into Amaya's vehicle shortly after the dress rehearsal before the other two left.
That was forever ago, she mused. She had accomplished many things in what felt like so much time when in reality it had only been two hours. Rekino was efficient when it came to working out so she got done faster than she expected most times. It was a pro and con of her training.
In all honesty, she would have given up half of her life span to be at that party right now. To be able to walk in and surprise her brother. To see his face light up. He would probably cry. Hell, she knew she would cry. That small stint she pulled as a waitress a few weeks ago filled her with so much emotion she could have wept by being close to him. She had held it together, though. Controlling her emotions had always been a problem, but that's also where martial arts and meditation came into play.
Wait…
She sat up on the couch so fast it made her head spin. She was such an idiot! Why didn't she think about it before? She turned off the television and darted to her room as fast as her legs could carry her to retrieve the armor orb of Lady Wildfire that was resting on her bedside table. She returned to the living room turning off all lights as she did so. Darkness and silence was what she needed. Another thought came to mind so she placed some wood in the fireplace to start a small fire.
If her idea worked, she would be able to attend the party through meditation with her armor! Kayura had said that astral projection was something they could achieve if one worked hard enough. She had been a master of meditation for years. All she had to do was link with her armor and reach out with her spirit to connect with the other girls. It was a perfect plan.
Doing a few quick and simple stretches to relax her body, Rekino sat cross legged in front of the fireplace, which she was going to use as another source of energy since it was the element of her armor. The orb was resting between her body and the crackling fire. Easy, steady breaths. She linked her fingers together before lifting her forefingers and thumbs to where the tips touched while her elbows rested at her side.
Concentrate. Reach out to the others.
The sound of the fire and her feline's collar bell formed a melody in her head. Breathe in through the nose, breathe out of the mouth. Repeat. She could feel her consciousness moving away as her spirit separated from her physical body. She was moving so fast it appeared like she was in hyperspace. Suddenly, she found herself floating in a room filled with laughter and mirth. She opened her eyes to see her friends and the Ronin Warriors gathered in a room.
It worked! Hot damn, she was a genius. It was almost like she could see everyone by the color of their souls that corresponded to the colors of their respective armor. She forced her spirit to descend next to Ryo. She laughed as Josephine was excitedly showing Kento the gift she had gotten him.
"The Rack is an all in one gym, man! I even got you the weights that can add to it. It may not be heavy, but once you go through a whole workout with this bad boy you will definitely feel the burn. Candace and I invested in this nifty thing and haven't been to the gym since. No more fees."
"Where is she? Candace, I mean. I expected her to be here as well since you're all friends."
That voice. That voice that was soft like velvet. That voice that haunted her dreams and caused tremors to her soul. Her attention turned to Rowen Hashiba and his dark blue aura. He looked so sexy as he leaned against the wall with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. She shuddered at the sight of his muscles flexing in his forearms.
"Is this Candace someone I should be wary of, Ro?"
That was when she saw the female that had been hiding as his other side. Curly, red hair and piercing green eyes. She was slender and curvy with an hourglass figure. This must have been the female Josephine had mentioned.
"Don't be silly, Invidya."
She watched in disdain as Rowen placed a loving kiss on the female's forehead. As the figure came more into view, something about her appeared strange. This particular soul looked like a swirling vortex of white that became clear in the middle. While Rekino wasn't an expert on spirit sight, she definitely knew that wasn't normal.
The sound of an opening door drew her attention away from the couple.
"Stupid traffic jam."
Sage locked the doors to his forest green Mazda Miada putting the keys in the pocket of his black dinner jacket. Underneath that was a silk dark green shirt accompanied with black slacks and dress shoes. He looked at his date and was in awe of her despite having spent the past several hours sneaking glances.
Hana was wearing a high-low style dress in the color gradient of a dark green at the top that faded to a lighter green at the bottom. The dress was longer in the back and shorter in the front so the three inch high heels were a perfect match for it. She had on an emerald bracelet and necklace combo with some dark green hoop earrings. A small strap that connected to a gold clutch was resting on her shoulder. She only brought it because the dress had no pockets for her cell phone.
"I'm sure it isn't that big of a deal. We aren't that late."
Hana huffed as they walked, "I hate being late to anything. It makes me look unorganized and messy."
"That is your military upbringing, I assume?" Sage grabbed the doorknob and twisted it as he knocked at the same time.
"Correct, sir," Hana said factily. "But at least we will enter fashionably late."
Sage went in first. His arrival was welcomed with joyous shouts and laughter. Hana walked in behind him, holding her arms out to Josephine and Amaya. The latter greeted her with a hug, naturally. Josephine just gave her a quizzical look.
"We live together, heffer."
"I haven't been home in two days! At least act like you miss me."
"Meh," the Hardrock Guardian said teasingly, but smiled at her, "I'll hug you when it's been at least five days. You do look cute, though."
There was an odd sensation in the area. Hana could feel the presence of another person in the air. She could almost see a trail of silver and gold dust in the air that stopped close to Mia. What was it? Furthermore, was it a 'who' rather than a 'what'? Her face contorted in confusion. Hana was oblivious to the equally confused look Mia was giving her in return.
"Hana?"
It wasn't Sage who had called out to her. Rather, it was the person beside Mia that had said her name.
"Hana Utano?" Ryo was pointing at her. He looked like he was shocked, happy, and sad to see her at the same time.
Oh no. She hadn't even thought about the fact that she and Rekino had been friends for several years before the cabin fire. The astonishment that she missed that key piece of evidence mirrored Ryo's look. She could pull this off, hopefully. It was probably about to be an emotional reunion.
"Oh, my God," she ignored the disgruntled noise Amaya made. She pointed a finger at the male, but focused her gaze on Mia. "You're engaged to Ryo Sanada?"
Everyone looked equally confused, even more so when Ryo made a noise no one could define and embraced Hana in a way one would do a loved one they hadn't seen in a long time. The group of onlookers moved around the two in a way so everyone could see. Ryo pulled away from Hana with tears in his eyes before ansound of sorrow mixed with happiness escaped him. The blonde mimicked him, kissing his cheek before hugging him again.
"You disappeared after the accident," Ryo had his face buried in her neck. "I didn't know if I would ever see you again."
Kento scratched the back of his head, "I…am so lost right now."
The bearer of Wildfire pulled away looking at the party apologetically, "I'm sorry, guys and Sage. I, I just had no idea this was the Hana you were talking about. It's such a common name here I didn't think about it."
Hana used her knuckle to touch the corner of her eyes, mindful not to smudge her mascara. Good thing it was waterproof, "The same. When Mia said her fiance's name was Ryo it never occurred to me that it was you."
When she looked at Josephine and Amaya, they both realized what was going on. Mia then recognized the severity of the display. No one else knew what was going on, but Hana could see Rowen's facial expression changing from unknowing to quizzical and analytical. What was he cooking in that big brain?
Kento crossed his arms over his chest, "I wanna know what the deal is. Consider it a gift or something." He yelped when Cye elbowed him in the ribs giving him a disapproving look.
"We really need to work on your manners."
"It's okay, Cye," Ryo said softly. He wiped the tears away before clearing his throat. "I don't know if any of you remember me telling you I had a little sister. Well, Hana was her best friend."
"I'm sorry, Sage," Hana reached out to her lover. He took her hand compassionately. "If I had known I would have told you before we got here."
Josephine took this as an opportunity to play along, "I know I just met ya, Ryo, but you said had a sister. That's past tense."
When Ryo made an emotional, choking noise in his throat, Mia ran to him immediately to embrace her lover. He buried his face in her neck while Mia whispered to him things no one could hear. Hana cleared her throat.
"Sh-she died in a fire ten years ago."
The room instantly went icy. Even Invidya, who didn't know any of them personally, looked sad. The air in the room was thick, and Hana noticed Amaya saying she needed to sit down. All the emotions had to be too much for her. Josephine sat down next to their friend to show support and encouragement. Sage was rubbing his thumb over her knuckles affectionately. He mouthed "I'm sorry" to her so as to not break the silence.
But it was an inquisitive mind that spoke first.
"What was her name?"
Hana tried to suppress her emotions and body language when Rowen asked that question. It was almost as if he wasn't shocked or surprised by anything that was happening. It seemed like he was putting puzzle pieces together in his mind.
Ryo said her name, but it was muffled by Mia's skin. It looked like the Wildfire bearer was gathering every ounce of strength he could muster to pull away from Mia. His eyes were red and puffy. Hana genuinely felt sorry for him to the point that it pulled on her heart strings.
"Her name," he started to choke up again, "was Rekino. Rekino Sanada."
Hana swore she heard the blue haired Strata warrior gasp in amazement. He looked like he had been hit with a ton of bricks. It almost seemed like he was expecting to hear that name.
"I haven't said her name out loud in a decade," Hana whispered affectionately despite the statement being a solid lie.
That's when a full sob escaped from Ryo's mouth. He crumbled to his knees as Mia's body followed him down. She was determined not to let him go. Amaya closed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to block the swarm of sadness coming to her. Josephine put an arm around her shoulders only to realize the French girl was shaking. The males in the room were unsure of what to do.
"Sa,saying her name," Ryo said between sobs, "is…it's…this is too mu-much. I gotta h-have a moment."
He was up and out of Mia's embrace quicker than anyone realized. He rushed up the stairs and disappeared. Mia, uncaring about anyone else, went after him. Hana looked bewildered. It sounded as if it was muffled and far off, but she swore she heard someone else call out Ryo's name.
Rekino forced her spirit to follow him up the stairs, but about halfway she felt as if some sort of binding was stopping her. She called out to him at the top of her lungs as her essence was being pulled away. Her spirit returned to her body with such force it caused her to fall backwards. She was still screaming. She inhaled deeply when she realized she was back in her body. She closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face that was contorted in pain, while her mouth was open, but no sound came out.
A strangled, guttural cry finally broke free from her throat. She grasped at her chest like she was attempting to reach inside herself and hold her heart. This pain. This sheer, agonizing pain was something she had never experienced. It was ripping through her heart and body like a merciless assailant she couldn't fight off. Her body curled into the fetal position as she was still attempting to reach inside her chest to ease her pain.
"Ryo! Ryo!" She sobbed uncontrollably. "I'm right he-here. I haven't-haven't left you."
Kitty bounded into the living room at hearing her master's distress. The munchkin cat mewed several times before it managed to fit its tiny body into Rekino's arms. The bearer of the guardian armor of fire couldn't control the sobs or tremors. All she could do was lay on the floor and scream her older brother's name.
You taught me the courage of stars before you left
How light carries on endlessly, even after death
With shortness of breath
You explained the infinite
And how rare and beautiful it is to even exist
I couldn't help but ask for you to say it all again
I tried to write it down, but I could never find a pen
I'd give anything to hear you say it one more time
That the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes
"Saturn" by Sleeping at Last
Next chapter: To Lament
Just and FYI…that was a rough chapter to write because we've all been in that state of sadness. Also, longest chapter to date at over 5k words!