Part Two ~ Leea
Hoshi smiled as she looked up from her papers at her. She was whole and perfect, just the way Leea always imagined her in this dream. She wished with all her might that this might be real, but the dream occurred often enough that she always knew it wasn't.
Hoshi smiled as she held out her hand with a small silver band on it, "you'll never guess!"
"Omgsh, Rowen proposed," Leea heard her mouth say. Even though she knew it was a dream, she had no control over the words or the actions she took in it each time.
"Isn't just perfect," the perfect girl grinned, no sign that there were ever scars on her face that prevented her from doing so. "He's amazing Leea, I love him so!"
"I know you do."
Then things changed suddenly, and her friend who was in perfect form returned to being scarred and crimpled. The office changed to blackness, and chains shot our wrapping her friend in them.
"I'm still here, Leea."
"But your body died."
"There was an equal exchange," Hoshi smiled softly as the chains tightened and she began to bleed. "He's still coming."
"How do we bring you back?!"
Hoshi said something to her, but she couldn't hear what she said. Leea begged her to repeat herself but the chains only tightened til she was gone.
Light stung her tear filled eyes as she woke up. She rolled onto her side carefully, it was hard with the new appendages on her back and tried to go back to sleep, but the warm sun was on her. She kicked the blankets off, and decided to get up. She mostly slept in the nude now, the wings made it hard to find anything comfortable to sleep in since she Mia could only buy her halter and tube taps, since her wings made it impossible to fit a tshirt over her head, or for that matter, a bra. She sighed as she slipped on one of the tube tops and jeans. She looked in the mirror, her now golden hair had grown out significantly since the nether realm had been sealed up. She stretched, and yawned, and ran her fingers loosely through it. It was going to be a long day, any day since then had been a really long day. Especially the first ones.
She was thankful for Mia and Yuli, those two always brought a smile to her face when she saw them. They did their best to help cheer them up, but it was really hard. It had been months, and there were no signs from the Nether Realm. It took them a while, but most of the ronins had gone back to their normal routines. Rowen tried, she supposed, but he remained here at Mia's with her. She couldn't go back, she had the wings to thank for that, and he spent most of his time wallowing in grief. He would go to the library and come back with stacks of books. If it wasn't for her, Mia, or Yuli forcing him to eat, he would have starved to death a long time ago. He also remained silent, she hadn't heard him say a word in months even when she woke him up. Today, she was tasked with such a duty again since Mia was at work and Yuli in school.
She padded down the hallway for his room, her feet liked coolness of the wood against her skin. She gently rapped at his door, but she heard only a soft grunt. She opened it, and went in. Rowen had fallen asleep at his desk with books piled around him. She sighed, and gently shook his shoulder. She would have to deal with a grumpy Rowen, because of the kink in his neck, but she had been dealing with it.
He rolled his head and looked up at the shining angel girl and grunted as she opened his blinds. He sat up and rubbed his neck, he did have a kink.
"Sage is coming by for lunch," Leea smiled at him. "I'm going to make egg salad sandwiches."
Rowen just nodded as he pulled his shirt from yesterday off, and slipped on another. She could see the more recent scars from their last battle still pink on his skin.
"Men,'' she chuckled, "were you always a pig?"
He just rolled his eyes and climbed into bed to read. She picked up one of the books he had been reading, and read Hoshi's pen name. She felt her heart hurt for him, he had grabbed every book of hers and read them over and over. She guessed it was the closest thing he could get to her right now. She told no one of her dreams of Hoshi, she didn't want to get their hopes up that she could get Hoshi back. She had done her own reading into the mythology books that Mr. Koji had kept besides the writings on the nether realm. She found it odd that the old man kept them as well, and was certain he knew something of the void and darkness beyond it. Her and Mia couldn't figure it out, despite knowing the Mr. Koji had left her with more of the information than his own grandchild.
She sat down at the edge of Rowen's bed, "what do you want for breakfast?"
He shrugged as he kept reading.
"You know, this whole silence thing is annoying," she mumbled as he looked up at her. "I'm not the cause of this!"
He turned his eyes back to his book and she stormed out. He made her so mad, she missed Hoshi too. Her irritable, and passionate friend made her life worth having. She had a good family she supposed, of which she texted that she had to leave the country urgently, but they were their own thing. They were normal as vanilla frosting on vanilla cake and didn't worry that would leave so suddenly. She saw White Blaze asleep on the couch and she sat next to him, he looked up and yawned. She smiled at the big cat and gave him a hug. She loved the big beast that Ryo let stay with them. He was their guard "dog" as he put it, but there hadn't been any sign of any trouble since that day.
She got up and stretched her wings, the cat got up with her and stretched out his paws. She was motivated to get breakfast started.
"What do you want White Blaze?"
The tiger roared, and she nodded, "eggs and hash browns it is!"
She walked back to the kitchen with the big cat in toe. She clicked on the the mp3 player, and started playing some groovy American music. She opened the fridge and tossed white blaze a slice of deli meat as she grabbed her ingredients. She danced to her music as she began to put her meal together. She heard Rowen shuffling down the stairs and she snickered, at least he was coming down to eat.
She saw him sit at the table, and she brought over an egg, "the potatoes aren't done yet."
He nodded in acknowledgment and she rolled her eyes. How was Sage supposed to do anything with him either.
She just rolled her eyes, and went back to cooking. She plated the potatoes with her eggs and then went to him to give him the rest of the potatoes.
She finished her meal in silence, Rowen barely touching his. He reminded her so much of how Hoshi was, and how she missed the mornings where she would go cook for her best friend. How her friend would come out of the shower, looking like a drowned rat, with a towel on. How she would eat while in the towel before she would get dressed so she wouldn't get any food on her good clothes. Rowen starred at her over the table for a moment and looked back to his book. She assumed he hated her, she blamed herself as well, but how was she supposed to know she was the Light?
She grumbled and went to go outside. There was mostly wilderness by the house, so it would do her some good for her to stretch her wings a bit. She had taught herself to fly, she was proud of herself for that, but it required a daily work out. She was surprised her wings were actually functional the first time she lifted her feet off the ground, she had plenty of scars though to prove all her failings to go with that success.
The air felt good under strengthened wings, as she raised above the tree line. She glided just a few feet above the trees, she didn't want to go too high and risk anyone from the highways seeing her. She had a few hikers notice her once, but they were just children and their parents laughed at them. She circled the lake a few times, and kept flapping til her wings were sore. She had to get them stronger, so she flew til they burned.
She landed back in the yard, greeted by White Blaze. She assumed it was almost noon and Sage would be coming soon. She admired how he went back to the dojo after all that, Cye took a while to return home himself because he couldn't leave Rowen to wallow. Ryo and Kento had stayed a while as well, but went back to their jobs as well. They still had to eat and pay rent, she didn't blame anyone for trying to keep up their utilities. They came to visit, and they came to hang out with Rowen, and train, but they didn't know how long the seal would last. Months and no sign of anything had left them to assume it could be a year or a hundred years. Or a thousand, as Mia reminded them how long it took for Talpa to come back when the ancient had sealed him up.
Leea scrunched her nose at the thought, she couldn't live the rest of her life with wings, as much as she adored them.
She went to the kitchen to begin lunch, but Rowen was still at the table with his food untouched. She shoved it in front of him, but he paid her no mind. She just grumbled and went on to make lunch. At least her and Sage would have a good meal.
She heard the door bell ring, and she looked at Rowen to get it. It was just a precaution because of her wings. He stood up, but he kept his book in his hand. She rolled her eyes, he had already read that one like fifty times. He should know it by heart by now.
She heard the door open and she assumed it was Sage who was coming in. She turned around to see the boys at the table. She smiled, "hello, Sage!"
He looked up at her, his cold lavender eyes were weary. They all were after they got back, even she supposed she did as well. He said, "hello, Leea. You're looking lovely."
She blushed, and fluttered her wings, "at least someone noticed."
Rowen just rolled his eyes up at her and then looked back down. Sage thanked her as she gave him a sandwich, and she sat down. Her flight had made her hungry. She ate the sandwich with them quietly. She was gonna go nuts because of it though, she quickly finished and walked up stairs. She was going to go something productive if the boys were going to be statues.
She found Sage had followed her, "he can't keep going like this, Leea."
"You're lucky to still have him," she said softly. "Grief like that kills a lot of people."
Sage frowned and sat on her bed, "people are starting ask about him, especially his dad."
"That's what family does," she said quietly as she looked out the window. "I know mine think I'm port of Vallarta."
"It's not just that," Sage paused. "It's so odd, I was thinking that there would be some investigation about Hoshi's and Ruby's disappearance, but the school doesn't even have them on record. It's like they vanished from history."
"I don't find this it all comforting," she glared at him. She found the man attractive, but she didn't really care for men who were prettier than her. "Are you saying that the Light erased them?"
"It's possible..."
She smacked him, tears running down her face, "I didn't want this, Sage. Had I known I would be the reason she was dead, I would have gladly stayed far away..."
"You didn't," he answered as she started sobbing. He had been hurt by Hoshi's death, but not half as bad as Rowen and Leea had. He only wondered how Rowen didn't just go crazy, maybe him delving into Hoshi's writings kept him from losing it, but he still didn't speak to him. He didn't speak to anyone.
He had even felt a part of himself change, he felt a little more fragile. It wasn't so much he felt her death, but Ruby's anger had possessed them all when her armor became Onyx. Such a deep infuriating anger.
He placed his hands on her bare shoulders, then looked into her blue eyes, they had remained the same, "I really didn't mean to bring any of this up. I really came by to come help you with Rowen. I just don't know how to get him out of this."
She shook her head, maybe she did know how, "we need Hoshi back."
Sage frowned as she went to the window of her room to look out at the lake, "and how do you propose that? Isn't she in Elysium, which is sealed in the nether realm?"
"Can't you just use your armors to open a gate," she asked him.
"It doesn't work like that," he paused, "we never could open the gates ourselves. It was always Talpa, or an ancient one, or someone along the lines of that."
She frowned, "I couldn't have been given this power just to sit back idly while her soul is stuck."
"Even if we did know how, we couldn't."
She looked back at the blonde, "Why?"
Sage reached in his pocket and pulled out what looked like a stone marble, "none of us have been able to use our armors."
She frowned deeply as she looked at the orb that used to be crystal, "wait...now the armors are hibernating?"
"I guess that's the word for it," he paused and she socked him and he crashed to floor.
"WHAT THE HELL, LEEA?!"
She huffed as she starred down at the man she just planted a right hook with, "how long as this been going on? Is this why you are all mopey?"
Sage rubbed his jaw, "damn, you hit hard."
Leea took her focus off of Sage and noticed Rowen leaning against the door, he said softly, "wouldn't you be hopeless?"
She almost gasped that he said anything as Sage scrambled to his feet. Sage looked at his friend, concerned at his comment, "Ro..."
"Look, Leeah," Rowen said softly and a bit sternly. "She's gone."
Leeah felt her eyes water up as he left them. She felt her eyes sting as the tears fall down her face, and she saw Sage go after Rowen. She knew Sage wouldn't try and quell her tears, he wasn't that sort of guy. She was assured that Sage went to scold Rowen, and she almost laughed at the irony.
She fell to her knees but she hear a soft whisper in the air and she turned around. She shifted in the drawer and found the orb that had appeared on that tragic day. It still shined bright, and she smiled, "you're still alive aren't you?"