Chapter Twenty One

Rowen didn't want to sulk, but that's really what he felt like doing. His friends were becoming strangers to him, Hoshi was ill, and he was sure he felt the nether realm open up. He pulled up his knees to his chest, was this what Cye felt when the inferno armors wanted to fight each other? Rowen didn't even want to move, much less fight. He understood why Cye punched him so long ago.

"Strata, what in blazes are you doing up there," said a cocky arrogant voice from the forest below. He recognized it as Lady Kayura.

He looked down, he disliked her a bit still, so he lied, "catching a nap."

The woman rolled her eyes and jumped up to meet him, "are all you boys so obvious when your moping?"

"What's it to you?"

"We're not enemies, Strata, why do you still talk like we are," she said as she sat next to him on the branch. He still kind of felt a grudge against her for how many times she whooped him, but at least she hadn't been good enough to kill him.

"Why are you here, you always bring trouble," he replied, avoiding her question.

"You need to go to her, the longer your gone, the weaker she will grow," Kayura said as she placed a hand on his. "Strata is the only willing to protect her, the rest of the armors will only feed on her energy."

Rowen looked at Kayura, "is everything alright in the nether realm?"

"We're doing our best, but our numbers are thin," she paused to think over the situation carefully. "Thankfully, the ancient's staff has been our most useful weapon against those monsters."

"Monsters?"

"The Hecatones, multi-handed monsters who want to devour human souls," she lifted up her kimono sleeve to show the scar of a vicious looking bite. "It bit through the armor of Cruelty."

He looked her arm over in shock, "it bit through?"

"Dais had it worse than I," she let it hang like that and he didn't want to know what that meant. If the armor of illusion had problems, they all did. "We can't hold out much longer Rowen. We're fighting on days without sleep."

Rowen looked her over, she looked extremely weary.

"What is it that comes our way?"

She shook her head, "I dare not say his name, but we call him the Prince."

"The prince?"

"He needs a human soul though, a very important human soul to take control of this realm," she paused. "I'm afraid if Hoshi is that soul, it would be better for her to die. We would be trapped in endless conflict forever, but alas... we could still fight."

"Don't say that. Why is she so important?"

"Oracles are very powerful Rowen. It was the reason the Old Ones were defeated so easily."

Rowen felt angry, it was a terrible fate for Hoshi and he would not accept it. He jumped down.

"Strata!"

He turned back to face Lady Kayura.

"Don't let your virtue become a vice," she said quickly. "It's all to easy that way."

Rowen ignored her and started to run towards the house. He still didn't know what he felt with in him, part angry, part sadness, part rage, confusion but underneath it all he felt love. Or the hunger for it at least, but he knew it was only for her. He came to the lake, and noticed a charred body being lapped by the waves of the lake. He picked up his running, while he had been moping, there had been a battle. He realized it was an enemy, and he hoped the only one. He burst in the house, and there was Mia.

She starred at him angrily, "and where have you been?"

"I had to think," he said and she smacked him instantly.

He raised a hand to his cheek, "Mia..."

"I don't get it, ever since Talpa left, all of you are so lost, even when it comes to something as important as the love of you life. Even after Suzunagi tried to help you as well, its like you guys have no purpose," she huffed angrily but then said, "look, I think that Ruby is Talpa's daughter."

"Ruby?"

Mia nodded, "she went out and helped the ronins destroy that thing that came out of the lake."

Rowen nodded like he understood as white blaze walked in the room. He said as he took a deep breath, "too many coincidences Mia, this is feeling like a loaded deck."

"I agree, Rowen, " she paused to place a hand on his shoulder. "Please, you must be the one whose wise in all this. I feel like everyone is just running around, and not seeing things clearly."

Rowen nodded, "where did they go?"

"Ruby said something about the ronins are slowly killing Hoshi when you're not around," she paused. "She said your armor protects her because it understands that you would destroy it before you gave her up."

Rowen wanted to smile, but he only smirked, "is Leea upstairs?"

"She is, I think she understands a bit more than I give her credit for, she's not mad just concerned," she said as White Blaze purred against his leg. "You should talk to her too."

Rowen nodded and headed up the stairs. Leea was sitting where he had been sitting when he first found out she was ill.

Leea looked at him sadly, "Look...I thought..."

"It's okay," he smiled as he sat across from her. He sighed as he thought of Sage, "I appreciate the passionate concern for her."

She smiled, "she loves you so much in such a short time, I just wanted to make sure you weren't a freak. Well...you kinda are...but not...you know...a serial killer freak."

"How did you meet Hoshi?"

"Well, I was friends with Mia since High school," she paused to push the hair out of Hoshi's eyes. She seemed to just be sleeping peacefully as she was earlier. "She even got me the internship to study under her grandfather in college and part of my curriculum was to visit other schools. He had been particularly fond of a person who debated his research..."

"Hoshi," Rowen laughed and she nodded.

"..I went to go see her for myself, and well I was surprised. She was my age. I kept going back to get her side of the debate...She was much worse then. She walked with a cane, didn't really cook for herself but I noticed the more I came to see her the better she got. So I begged Mr. Koji to get me a job there, I just had to stay with her," Leea smiled as she thought back to those days. "And then when she met you, I was certain she was gonna say you were another freak, but she's not the Hoshi I first met. I was a bit jealous that you made her so happy."

"That's all she talks about is how you and her are the best of friends," he laughed. "Your antics brought her a lot of cheer."

"Antics?" Leea laughed and nodded in agreement, "she's just a grump. I had to brighten up her day some way. So it's true, your some sort of mystical samurai?"

He nodded and she smiled, "It goes to figure that I'm the one who actually studied under professor koji, and Hoshi gets the mystical boyfriend before I do. Are any of your friends single?"

"Most of them," he chuckled, is that all she thought about?

"Good, I still have a chance," Leea grinned and there was a soft chuckle from Hoshi. They both looked down and saw her white lashes flutter open.

"I'm glad you guys are getting along," she murmured and Rowen quickly went to her side. Her moments of being awake were brief at best. She sat up easily, "that's one heck of a dream I've been having."

"Dream," Rowen asked as he supported her back.

" The five will break the seal of the black and white sun and the void will open. Power must replace power. One who is tainted will be healed by tears. The One who has forsaken the power, will return by hands scarred but wise. But before the Light can be found the smallest one will perish," she said solemnly and Leea looked concerned she had repeated the poem. Rowen remember Mia mentioning the rest of it, but he hadn't paid that close of attention to it. Hoshi continued on, "that Light is close, Rowen, but I fear that darkness is even closer. I need..."

"To rest," interjected Leea quickly.

She looked at her friend, "to say that you need to make sure Rowen uses his brain..." She leaned close to Rowen and laid her head against his heart, "...and make sure you don't lose hope..."

"...Of course not..."

She smiled and she looked at the corner of the room. She was starring at something in the corner, but there was nothing there. He assumed she was starring at some spirit. She turned and kissed him softly, "armor of Strata guide him to me, promise me that we'll be together again..."

He felt his virtue light up, and a tingle in his skin. His armor had just responded to what she just said.

She looked back at the corner, "...the deal is done..."

He felt her grow still in his arms, and she slumped against him. Her skin was cold as ice if not colder. Leea's eyes were welling with tears. He felt his heart breaking, but he felt his armor calm him. What was wrong with him? How could he feel so calm, didn't she just die?

Suddenly, he felt her fingers slip between his, and he saw Leea gasp. He looked down at the girl in his arms and a smile curled on her lips, like none he had ever seen on her face before. It was not his Hoshi.