New Friends
Part 2
By Mrs. Strata
Venus opened her locker, taking her time as she did so. The halls of Han`a High were empty, the end of the school day having passed. She and Selena had been made to stay after for some final paper signing. Selena was still talking with the principal, leaving Venus by herself.
Or so she thought.
As she pulled a book from the top shelf of her locker, a hand rested next to her face. She jumped as she turned around to see the blond haired kid Saya had talked about standing in front of her.
"Hi," he said. "You're the new girl - Venus Yasu?"
Venus wrinkled her nose a little and nodded. How could he not know she was the new student; she'd only been made to stand in front of the whole school today.
He continued on. "My name is-"
"Sage," Venus finished, nodding. "Yes, Saya told me about you."
"Hope it was all good," Sage said, flashing her a smile. Venus was about to answer when Sage went on with his flirting. "I have to say, you have a beautiful name. And it suits you so well!"
"Well, it's just a name. And the Venus in mythology had blonde hair and blue eyes." Venus turned to get more books out of her locker.
Strike one.
Sage wasn't ready to be brushed off so easily. "Yes, but if it had been different, I'm sure she'd have looked just like you. Let me guess, you were born in a seashell?"
"Nope," said Venus.
Strike two.
"I was born in a hospital like everyone else."
Sage tried once more. "I was wondering if you let me walk you home. Someone as pretty as you shouldn't be out walking by herself."
"No thanks," smiled Venus. "I've already got someone to walk home with."
Strike three. Venus closed the locker and began walking away from it, leaving Sage in complete shock. Had he just been turned down? By a girl?!
"Oh," Venus turned around and for a moment and Sage thought she'd changed her mind. Wrong. "If you see that blue haired friend of yours, Rowen I think was his name, will you tell him I said hi? Domo!" She disappeared through the double doors, leaving Sage with a slack jaw. This was the icing on the cake. Not only had she turned him down, but she was interested in Rowen?! Without even knowing what she had done, Venus had caught Sage hook, line, and sinker. He was determined to win her over if it took the rest of the school year.
"Sage! Hey man what took you so long?" Kento asked, he and the others were waiting for Cye to get out of the principal's office.
"I was busy, okay?" Sage growled.
"Doin' what, Casanova? Talking with the beautiful Miss Yasu?"
"Shut up, Kento."
Rowen looked concerned. "What happened Sage?"
"She totally ignored me. She turned me down," moaned Sage. Ryo, Kento, and Rowen looked utterly surprised.
"You're kidding me right?" asked Kento. "She turned you down?!" He and Ryo both burst into fits of loud, uncontrollable, laughter.
Sage glared at them.
"It isn't funny you two!" he yelled. "And she's gonna go out with me by the year if it kills me!"
Rowen, who was not laughing along with the others, looked even more worried. "Sage, she's just a girl."
"A girl who wanted me to tell you hi, but wouldn't give me the time of day if I asked her!"
"She wanted you to tell Rowen hi for her?!" Ryo gasped. "Oh this is rich!"
"You two can shut up now," Sage hissed.
"What is so funny?" asked Cye, having come out of the school.
"Oh Cye, wait till you hear what the new girl, Venus, did to Sage! He tried to score with her and she totally struck him out!"
Cye's jaw dropped. "No way!" He began to laugh too as the five headed down the walk.
"And what's even better-" Kento was cut off by a hateful look from Sage.
"And what?" Cye asked.
"Nothing," snapped Sage.
Cye shrugged. He'd find out from Kento later.
"Well, here's where I get off, you guys," said Ryo, turning down a street. "See ya tomorrow."
The four said good-bye and Ryo walked away. He stepped up onto the sidewalk, taking his time to admire how nice the neighborhood looked in the fading light of the setting sun. Things were fairly quiet, most people not willing to venture out into the cold. Ryo shivered a little. He would have to start bringing his jacket to school.
He turned down another block, now walking up his street. The houses were lined neatly along either side of a well paved road. A couple even had painted fences around them. Ryo smiled as he remembered the guys teasing him about "living in an all-american home - in Japan".
"Ryo! Ryo!" a voice called. Ryo looked up to see his neighbor, Jun playing in his front yard.
"Konban wa Ryo!"
"Konban wa Jun." Ryo returned, stopping for a minute. "What are you doing?"
"I'm playing with my new action figures. When are you going to come over again Ryo?" The child idolized Ryo and often Jun would request him when his parents needed a baby-sitter.
"That depends on when your parents want some time away from you again," Ryo teased. Jun was a bit of an active child.
"I hope it's soon!" Jun tossed one of the figures into the air.
Most likely, thought Ryo. Then out loud, "I'm sure it will be. Sayonara."
"Bye-bye, Ryo!"
Ryo walked away and out his driveway. Opening the door he called, "Obaasan, I'm hom-" A familiar roar echoed through the house. "Oh no! Not-" White Blaze came tearing around the corner and pounced on Ryo, knocking him to the ground. "ACK! White Blaze you baka! Get off of me! You're ruining my school uniform!" White Blaze only growled and licked Ryo on the cheek. Ryo laughed. "I'm glad to see you, too. Now can I get up?" White Blaze moved and Ryo sat up, scratching the huge white tiger behind the ear. White Blaze growled again in delight, then plopped himself in Ryo's lap, tuning over so his tummy could be rubbed. "You're spoiled rotten you know that?" Ryo whispered in his furry ear, while patting the tiger's huge stomach. White Blaze licked his cheek again.
"Riyo! What are you doing?" Ryo looked up to see his grandmother, Emiko, frowning at him. He frowned back, to show his irritation at her calling him by his Japanese name.
"I was just saying hello to White Blaze."
"You know I don't like you to play with that animal until you've finished your homework. And you didn't even say hello to me."
Ryo got up and smiled. "I'm sorry, Obannsan. He gave her a hug, which produced a smile on the wrinkled face.
"How was your day?"
"Good. We met the new students," Ryo's voice faded as he left for the laundry room to remove his uniform top. "Well, actually we didn't meet them in person," he returned to the living room, "only in the gym. They were two girls."
"Were they very pretty?"
Ryo shrugged. "I guess so. I didn't take that hard of a look. Did I get any calls?" He was gone again, this time into his bedroom. Emiko followed.
"No. I would like to meet these new girls, Riyo."
"Why?" asked Ryo suspiciously. "You're not trying to set me up again are you'? You know I hate
that."
"But Riyo-"
"It's RYO!"
"Riyo," she continued, stubbornly. "You need to look for a good wife who is knowledgeable in the old ways. They are very hard to find now and I don't like to see you put it off."
"Obannsan, we're not living in the l3th century any more. This is the 90's, I can take care of myself and I can find someone on my own. Preferably not someone who's 'knowledgeable' in the old ways."
Emiko frowned. "The Sanada name is not something I want you giving to some, some, silly girl who knows nothing."
Ryo rolled his eyes. "I'm glad you have such faith in me." Emiko wanted to push the matter further, but for the moment let it drop.
"You win this one Riyo," she laughed. "Now off to work with you. I have dinner to make." With a quick kiss of the forehead and a turn of her kimono she was gone.
Ryo sat down and sighed. When would she give up with her "old ways" and this thing about setting him up? He opened his history book, doing it first, since it was his favorite subject. Math would be later, maybe after supper.
"Hey White Blaze," he poked the tiger, now asleep at his feet. "How about making yourself useful and eating my homework?" White Blaze's whiskers twitched. "Well, okay, but I'm telling you it would save me some trouble."
The hour passed quickly, and soon Ryo heard his grandmother calling him to supper. He got up, stretching a little, and bent down to pat White Blaze on the head. "I'll bring you something back, okay boy?"
White Blaze's tail thumped in the floor in delight. Ryo walked out of his bedroom and had a seat at the low table where his grandmother was setting the food. "Obannsan, why can't we have a western style table?" Ryo asked as she dipped up some udon into his bowl. "They're so much nicer than sitting on one of these mats and-"
"Riyo, you know I don't not like such things in my house. We live in Japan, not America."
"Sage's family has one. Have you even seen it? It's made of oak, shines like the sun."
Emiko was not impressed. "Sage's mother is American Riyo, that's why they have one. You are
Japanese. You will continue to eat at a Japanese table."
Ryo sighed and said nothing more about the matter. It had been rather pointless to bring it up in the first place, knowing Emiko. The rest of the meal was eaten in silence and when Emiko looked up again, Ryo was staring at the picture on the far wall. A picture of his father, during a trip to India. Emiko smiled warmly.
"Your father liked India, Riyo. He called you his "little rajah", because you looked like the boy king of that land."
Ryo stopped looking at the picture and instead focused on his grandmother and her story. A story he'd heard a hundred times, but never grew tired of hearing once more. "Sometimes it seemed as if you were a rajah, with that white tiger of yours. Do you remember that Riyo?"
Ryo shook his head. It had been too long ago. "I miss him," he said simply, staring at the picture again.
Emiko nodded. "Yes, I know you do." She smiled. "I have dessert - are you still hungry?"
Ryo nodded. "Are we having something American?"
"Riyo!"
"It's Ryo!" he laughed.
Ryo climbed in bed, making sure to set his alarm before he pulled the covers up to his chin. He turned on his side, propping himself up on an elbow. White Blaze looked up at him from his spot on the floor.
"I know you don't like to sleep on that cold floor, but Obannsan won't let you up here with me." The big cat looked at him for a moment, before resting his head in his paws. Ryo leaned over and stroked his back.
"I wish you could talk. Then maybe you could tell me more about Dad. Every time I try to remember him... the accident... I come up blank." He sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't be trying to remember, huh?" He patted White Blaze one more time, before turning out the light and falling asleep.
The nightmares. They were Ryo's only witness to what happened to his father. They were there, lurking in his subconscious, waiting to take over whenever they could. And Ryo could not block them out...
"Ryo."A tall, well-built man, with beautiful blue eyes and black hair, entered the large tent, looking for relief from the heat. Africa had to be one of the worst places he been assigned so far. And dragging his son all the way out here... The six year-old child looked up at him, a smile as bright as the sun outside lighting his face.
"Dad!" he cried, running into the man's arms. "Did you get any pictures of the animals yet?"
The man shook his head. "Not yet, Ryo. I will as soon as I know you're okay. The heat isn't bothering you, is it?"
"Nope. I'm fine. I was reading to White Blaze!" The tiger cocked his head sleepily at his name, but did not get up from his spot on the floor. Ryo's father laughed.
"Which book were you reading him, son?"
"'The Jungle Book' book. He likes it. It has a tiger in it, just like him, only he's orange."
Again, laughter echoed through the tent.
"I have to go now, but when I come back, I'll be sure to read you and White Blaze the story, okay?"
Ryo nodded. His father set him on the floor and he flopped himself down next to White Blaze. The tiger licked Ryo on the face.
"Take care of him, boy," Ryo 's father said. As if to respond, White Blaze gave Ryo another lick. The child giggled joyously, and with a final look, Ryo father left the tent.
White Blaze continued to lick Ryo, much to his protest.
"Cut it out, will ya?" Ryo cried, putting a small hand to the wet, black nose. "I don't wanna take
another bath tonight!"
White Blaze growled softly, almost a tiger type chuckle. He ran the rough tongue over Ryo's hand.
"YUK! " Ryo made a face and wiped his hand on the mat. "Cut that out, you."
Their play was interrupted by his father's scream from outside.
"Dad?" Ryo immediately got to his feet. "Dad!" He ran outside, White Blaze at his heels. "Dad?!" He stopped. He father lay on the ground, pinned down by a huge lion. It already had one arm in its mouth.
"DADDY!" Ryo tried to run forward, but was jerked back. He turned around to see White Blaze holding a piece of his shirt in his mouth. "Let go of me you stupid tiger!" Ryo yelled, tears already filling his eyes and spilling down his cheeks. "Let go!" He beat on his cherished pet, vainly trying to free his shirt.
SNAP!
Ryo looked back to his father at the sickening sound of the shoulder dislocating. "Daddy! No! Fight him!" But his father could not. The dislocated arm, and the profuse wounds he now suffered kept him from doing little more than waiting for the final blow. Within seconds, the massive jaws clamped down on his throat. His body shuddered and went limp.
"Daddy NOOOO!" Ryo sat up in bed, tears flowing down his cheeks, the sobs, making his entire body convulse in sorrow.
The hall light flipped on and Emiko ran into the room. She knew instantly what had happened. Ryo didn't see her enter, his face covered with his hands. She sat down on the bed and drew him to her shoulder, trying to calm his fears.
"Shhh, Riyo, shhh, it was just a bad dream." She stroked the soft black hair, almost in tears herself. Although she had been mostly successful in blocking out the horrors of his father's death from his mind, they were still there in his dreams. All she could do now was hold him, and wait. Soon the violent sobs changed to muffled whimpers, and those to light breathing – he had cried himself back to sleep.
Emiko kissed his head and laid it back down on his pillow. She tenderly brushed away the tears from his cheeks, making sure not to wake him. She looked at White Blaze, who promptly hopped on the bed, even though he was fully aware of the rules allowing him on it. But Emiko didn't protest, instead rising as White Blaze settled himself down next to Ryo.
"You protected him then tiger, but there's nothing you or I can do for him now," she said sadly. She gave Ryo one more look and left. White Blaze wuffed softly after she'd gone, as if to say she was wrong. Ryo sighed in his sleep, curling up next to the soft white fur and burying his face in it. White Blaze nudged him lovingly before putting his head between his paws and falling back to sleep.