End of Innocence v2.0

By Dixxy

Chapter Five: Surprise, Surprise

Months passed since Sheila left the school. I was happy again for the first time in a long time. I felt free. I felt like a heavy burden had been suddenly lifted off my shoulders. I finally had time to just ENJOY being a teenager and not having to worry about evil demons or psychotic rapist girlfriends. Something I hadn't really gotten a chance to do in a very long time.

Only God knew it would be the last time I would be able to do that. . .

Kojiro started to hang out with us a lot, probably to check on me. He got along well with the other Ronins, though we didn't tell him about our "secret" (how was I going to explain to him that with all the demons I've trashed I couldn't overpower my own girlfriend?). He would be happier not knowing about it. After all, ignorance is bliss.

As soon as summer came, though, Kojiro just. . . left. He stopped coming over, there weren't any answers at his house when we called, and none of his other friends had seen hide nor hair of him. We all got worried, not having any idea what had happened. I went to his house once to find it eerily quiet.

I tried to not worry about it. Kojiro was stronger than he looked- he'd helped me during an awful time in my life. The green haired artist had a good heart and was stronger than one would think he'd be. But despite all of that, there were still small concerns on my part. What had happened to him? Had he moved away or gotten sick or something?

Somewhere around the eighteenth of the month, I woken up in the middle of the night was a strange sensation. I had immediately run towards the window, wondering if something was outside. I saw nothing and tried to settle down, but something deep inside me told me that something very, very important had just happened.

"Hey, Cye!"

I had been sitting in our room when Kento came in (it was a few days after the strange sensation had hit). He dove onto his bed, already in his pajamas. "Yes, Kento?" I asked. I was in my own night clothes, which were usually just a T-shirt and a pair of boxers. Before the rape, I would sleep in just my boxers, but ever since then, that's been hard to do. The long, red scratches Sheila had left on my back were still there and I didn't want the other to know about them. Hell, I never even took my shirt off at the beach or pool anymore.

"It's almost the end of July. You know what that means?" he asked.

I blinked. "We're in the middle of summer? School's been out for a little over a month? More trips to the beach? The days are getting hotter and sunnier and longer? It'll be AUGUST in a few days?" I asked. "What, Kento? What are you getting at? What is so significant about it being the end of July?"

Kento waved his hand in front of my face, looking a little exasperated. "Um, hello? One year anniversary? The BIG anniversary? Mystical armors? Dark Warlords? Ancient One? The Staff? Dynasty war? Kicking Talpa's tin can army?" he said. "You know, that little thing?"

My eyes widened in remembrance. "Oh yeah!" I said. I laughed, then sat back on my heels as I thought it over. One year ago we'd fought against the Dynasty, getting our butts kicked and somehow managing to live through it. "It's been a year already? Seems like it was just yesterday."

"Yup," said Kento. "Just another week. Ryo's going to try and get Kayura and the Warlords to come up for a celebration. We can catch up on how we've all been doing the past year, you know?"

"That does sound nice," I said. "What do you suppose we'll be talking about, though?"

"School, your little four month relationship with that hot ticket, you know, stuff," he said.

I went a little quiet after he mentioned Sheila. No Cye, that's BEHIND you. Sheila is GONE. The rape is OVER. You did NOT contract any STDs from what happened. No one but you, Kojiro, Sheila and the Lord Himself know what happened that night, and no one else is going to find out. Not even Kento.

"Cye? Are you all right, dude?" he asked. A look of sudden worry had plastered my best friend's face as he asked the question. He knew that something was wrong and he wanted to know what was bothering me. Kento, please, just let this secret lie with me, please. . .

"I'm fine," I said, shaking the feeling off. "Just. . . thinking, that's all."

Kento smiled. "This summer has been GREAT so far. Nothing but food, fun, and sun!" he said cheerily. Then, he sighed in a mock depression. "A few cute girls in some little string bikinis probably wouldn't hurt too much, but hey, we're doing okay, right? I mean, we're having a great time."

"Right," I said. "You don't need girls to have FUN."

Kento raised an eyebrow. "You're not suggesting that you're GAY, are you?"

I stared at him through narrowed eyes. "No!"

Kento let out a loud belly laugh. "I'm only teasing you, Cye. We all know you need to be roughed up once in a while," he said. He placed one hand on his hip and began to give an invisible body (supposed to be me) a noogie, sending me a warning grin as he continued to mime.

"Just like you need to be roughed up, Kento?" I said, deciding to test my limits. Kento took on a look of surprise and dislike, causing me to laugh. "You know, Kento, in all the years I've known you, and all the crap that's been thrown at us, you haven't changed a bit."

"Oh, I believe you're very wrong," said Kento. "I learned my lesson that time Talpa captured us. I kept seeing that just rushing into battle only lead to harm, but. . . it took the capture to teach me just how dangerous it was. It didn't hit me until after the war was over, but you, Sage and I know exactly what I'm talking about, right?"

I nodded in remembering. Countless nightmares, flashbacks, and breakdowns had consumed us the week following Talpa's final defeat. It took a LOT of patience and hard work to get the three of us in good enough condition to go to school. We still had the occasional problem with the ordeal, but had been getting more and more steadily under control. By that summer, it was just a bad memory.

"Well. . . it's getting late," said Kento, crawling under the covers of his bed. He sighed happily, placing his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. He looked over at me, smiling brightly. "G'night, Cye. Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite, and remember-if you die before you wake, I get your stereo."

I laughed, recalling Kento's old joke (which usually didn't make sense since I didn't OWN a stereo system) "Good night, Kento," I said. I got into my own bed, closed my eyes, and fell asleep, unaware that it would be the last night I would spend in it for a very, very long while.

The following day went as well as any other day could've gone. We spent the day at home, just kind of lounging, sunning on the roof, and training. It was a typical summer day for us all. We were just being (somewhat) normal teenagers. Teenagers without any responsibilities other than protecting the Mortal Realm if something attacked it (which, at the time, nothing WAS attacking it). Teenagers who had time to play, horse-around, and just generally have fun.

For one of us, that comfortable peace would end very soon.

It was around five in the evening or so. I was kind of wandering around the house, wondering what to do. Mia had insisted apon ordering pizza ("I love your cooking and all, Cye, but right now I need the grease and cheese only delivery can serve, and if I don't get it, SOMEONE DIES!"), so I didn't have to cook.

I found Ryo in Mia's computer lab, typing away at the computer. Ryo had been taking a few computer courses in school since he had been computer illiterate before the year started. Knowing that just about every profession required some computer knowledge, he'd started practicing with them and now he was just as knowledgeable about them as Mia and Rowen were. "Hello," I said, taking a seat on the desk.

"Hi, Cye," he said, looking up at me. "What's on your mind?"
"Nothing," I said. "Just a little. . . bored, I guess."

"Yeah, not much to do around here is there?" he said, clicking on a few folders. "Bingo."

"What are you looking for?" I asked.

"Information on how to get into the Nether Realm. In a few days it'll be the one year anniversary since we defeated Talpa," he said, leaning back into his chair. He bit his bottom lip as his tiger blue eyes skimmed over the screen. "Looks like I'll have to borrow the Jewel of Life from Yuli for a little while."

"Oh," I said. "What's planned for the party?"

"Well, we're going to by a lot of finger foods, we're hoping to get a wide variety of main dishes and sides made up- Kento's making a bunch of his mom's recipes and Rowen wants to order pizza-, plan some games, you know, that kind of stuff. We just have to let Kayura and the Warlords know that just because they're old enough to drink sake, we aren't."

I laughed at the comment, then looked outside. It's nice outside. It should be warm despite the house. Why don't you go out for a walk, Cye? A nice, long walk will do you good, a little voice inside my head told me. "You know, despite the fact it's getting dark, I think I'll go for a walk," I said, sliding off the desk.

"All right, just be back before ten," said Ryo.

"I know, I know," I said. "I'm not ROWEN for crying out loud."

"Yeah, I know, just checking," said Ryo, smiling. "See you later, Cye."

"Bye, Ryo," I said, leaving the computer room.

After making sure I had my wallet and my armor orbe, I went outside. I waved to Sage, who was practicing with his sword. He smiled back, nodding his head as he continued his training. I went down the driveway, down the hill, and started towards the city.

At night, Toyama has a way of lighting up like a Christmas Tree. It's actually very pretty, and it's nice to walk through. I wandered aimlessly through the streets, looking at the bright array of lights and people. I enjoyed nights like that. Just me and the world, it seemed. It was something I cherished and loved.

I walked for a few hours, looked at my watch, and saw it was a little past eight. I had just under two hours to get home, which, from the looks of the area I was in, wouldn't be too difficult. If push went to shove (as in I caught the wrong bus or subway), I'd just find a pay phone, tell Mia or Ryo or whoever answered I was going to be a little late and apologize for being so.

I heard the sounds of children screaming. I winced, knowing where it was coming from. I was in the downtown area, near one of the hospitals and, most notably, the orphanage. Sad to say, the woman in charge of the orphanage was cruel old woman with a short temper and a mean backhand. Ryo, who spent some of his childhood there, thinks she was an alcoholic, too, maybe taking some other drugs, too. Every child there rushed to get adopted as soon as possible to escape from the old woman, hoping and praying that some couple would soon become their new mom and dad.

You're probably wondering why that place hasn't been shut down by the cops or at the very least the old woman hasn't been brought to jail. Well, it isn't like the police haven't TRIED to get something on her. They'd been working at it for years, with Ryo and several other children who had left the orphanage trying to help with testimonials and offering to go to the stand should a trial start. But any evidence they got was never solid, any paper trails always led to dead ends, and whenever something that looked hopeful came up, there was nothing to back it up.

I leaned up against the wall of the orphanage, taking in a heavy breath. I hated to hear them in there, begging for mercy and their parents. The old witch continued to scream, undoubtedly beating one of the poor children senseless. Why couldn't the authorities just stand outside here one night, listening to the children scream? Listen to the woman's swears? Wasn't that enough to can her? Wasn't it?

It was then that I heard the heavy breathing.

I looked up to see a figure carrying a bundle and a folder, coming from the general direction of the hospital. I raised an eyebrow in confusion. The person seemed a bit suspicious, and my senses told me something was seriously wrong with that picture. Especially when I realized they were heading towards the orphanage.

The figure drew closer, and I got a better look at them. Whoever they were, they were wearing a very loose fitting sweat suit, their hair a tangled red mess hanging over their face. Whoever it was, they were a complete wreck. As the person got even closer, I recognized exactly who it was.

Sheila.

I froze. Once the shock wore off, I looked around, wondering where an escape was. No, no, no, Sheila couldn't be coming back! What did she want? I was afraid she was after me again, still sex crazed and psychotic. No, Cye, you can run away this time. You're not as vulnerable as you were all that time ago.

Sheila looked up and spotted me. Her face was flushed, and it was a little bit chubbier. She certainly wasn't the girl that every boy at school had been swooning over nearly a year ago. Had their first impression of her been what I was looking at, they would have hummed a very different tune. She looked something like a drowned rat (though I will admit that the idea of her being a drowned rat is a bit appealing to me).

The look on my former girlfriend's face was one of sincere distaste and disgust. Her eyes were almost bloodshot, like she'd just gotten off of some sort of a drug. What little green I could see was looking at me in a rage similar to one I'd seen nearly a year earlier, only this time, they seemed to be blaming me for something. "Hello, maggot," she said.

I wasn't sure what to say. How was I going to greet a person who had toyed with my heart and raped me? "What are you doing here?" I finally asked. "I thought you skipped town."

"Thanks to you, I had no choice but to skip town," she said.

"What do you mean 'thanks to me' you had to skip town?" I said. "What the hell did I ever do to you? You're the one that raped me!"

Sheila looked up at me, blinking. Then, she chuckled. "You never figured it out, did you, Cye? You never figured out why I left," she said coolly.

"Why should I have given a damn about it?" I said, putting my hand up to the cross, which now had a new chain. "You wouldn't respect my wishes of abstinence. The scrape-job you did on my back is still there today. I could barely function for a damned month! Having you leave school was one of the best things that ever happened to me over the course of our entire damned relationship!"

Sheila grinned. "You really don't have a clue, do you? Though, I suppose you wouldn't. Poor, poor little Cye is so naïve to the ways of the modern world today. So sweet and innocent. Cye is the good little boy who never gets into trouble, always gets good grades, and doesn't have a thing against anybody in the entire world."

"At the very least I have something against you, and you know what it is," I said.

Sheila gave me a delirious smile. "Ask me why I left school, Cye."

"Why the hell do I care why you left school?" I said.

Sheila gave me a smug smile. "Okay, I'll ask the questions. How long has it been since I left school?" she asked.

I looked slightly down, counting the months. "Eight."

"How long was it between the time I had sex with you until the time I left?" she asked.

"One month," I said. "Sheila, what on Earth are you. . ." I started. Then, I froze. One month after the rape that she disappeared. Eight months that she was missing. One and eight was nine. Nine months had passed since Sheila raped me. Nine solid months. One human gestation period.

Suddenly, I knew why Sheila had left.

Sheila had gotten pregnant.

And I was the father of the baby.