….So yeah...so more mundane normal life stuff...or is it? :D

Chapter Thirty Nine

Rowen choked as Mia told them why she was late for their meeting. Leea was shifting uneasily as Mia recounted the tale for the whole group. She could never sit still, even her wings would twitch when she was still.

Sage's first question was, "do you have any relatives with that name?"

Rowen shook his head, "as far I know is that my father was the only one to receive the last name Hashiba. He was an only child, and his father only had sisters who obviously couldn't keep that name."

Ryo asked, "did she look like Rowen?"

"She had blue hair," Mia offered.

Rowen rolled his eyes, "like that's a definitive way to relate someone."

Mia shrugged, she didn't care for his attitude, "she was from the UN. She's obviously important Rowen, even if she isn't related to you in any way, why would she take your last name?"

Ryo frowned, he had cut his hair recently, which suited him and made him far older with the extra gone. White Blaze was snuggled on his lap as he said, "why did she ask you though? I mean, it's the UN. Didn't you go to the UN and they didn't believe a word you said?"

Cye nodded in agreement, "why didn't they just go to Rowen's dad or for that fact look for Rowen?"

Leea twitched her wings, "Rowen's dad is high ranking professor, detectives sometimes start with friends and family in that situation, because they could be hiding said person."

They starred at the girl and Kento asked bluntly, "and how would you know all this?"

"My dad's an undercover detective," she answered with a bright smile, gently fluttering her wings. They had now become part of her extremely expressive personality, and almost emoted more than the girl could through her face.

Rowen sighed, "you never cease to surprise us, Leea."

She grinned at his annoyance, "when I was younger, he was on some case that involved some high profile diplomat. A murder or something, I don't remember what, but he would always take me with him because people would talk to him more openly with a cute kid around." She pressed her fore fingers against her cheeks trying to be cute, "and he went to all the family's close friends and coworkers, because it's usually someone close who does that sort of stuff."

"She said she disappeared, not committed a crime," Mia said firmly.

Leea sighed, "she's probably wanted for something then!"

Ryo groaned, "an outlaw..."

Kento interjected, "...a terrorist..."

"...witness protection, "Cye ended, he didn't want to think the worst of the girl even if he didn't know her.

Mia looked at the guys even Sage seemed curious on the matter, so she said, "who wants to bet this has to do with the nether realm?"

Leea raised a hand enthusiastically acting like a high school student, and Mia wondered how she ever taught a college level class. Rowen sunk into his arms on the table, he didn't like it when the nether realm was mentioned. She tried to keep that sort of talk at a minimum but it was still a great possibility. Nothing had been a coincidence thus far.

Rowen rubbed his face, "so even if she is related to me, she's some sort of criminal or wanted by criminals? Just what I need."

Kento hugged the guy who decided to lay his forehead against the kitchen talble, "hey, having relatives is great!"

"So says the older brother of a big family," Rowen growled and Kento chuckled.

Rowen decided he had enough of the group for one night, his head hurt. He knew he was being kind of a jerk, but he had a lot on his mind. Although most of them just thought he was mourning, he wasn't. He got up and left the group to go to the library in the house with all of Mr. Koji's books. He had scoured them for information on how the nether realm had been sealed the first time. He felt as if he had become obsessive a bit, even missing the fall semester to take his time with this project of his. He had to get her back, she had even asked the armor to guide him to her so perhaps she knew her soul was going to be stuck there. He remembered Baroness, and Bastet as well. As much as he hated Bastet, he realized that she knew the fate that was coming to her, and made what she thought was a noble sacrifice. He didn't know how someone with an immortal soul would want to be sacrificed. It was all so odd. He was missing something he was sure.

He heard a soft knock on the door and he glanced to see Cye, he appreciated him for all he did when they got back. Cye never looked at him with pity, just was there. Cye asked, "maybe you should call your dad Rowen."

Rowen pulled out a large book from the shelf, "for what reason?"

"He needs to know your okay, he called Sage the other day because he heard from one of your professors that you needed a break from school," Cye paused to find the rest of what was thinking, "and what if he had fooled around?"

"Are you saying I have illegitimate sister?"

"Possibly."

"My dad barely found time for my airhead mom," Rowen replied harshly. "He didn't even have time for me, for the most part, what makes you think he would have time for a floozy?"

Cye shrugged, "it sounds to me like your still finding a way to avoid him."

"I'm not that fond of him," Rowen said as he flipped through the book. "Did Sage send you up here?"

"Well...he mentioned it to me."

Rowen shook his head, "Sage seems less likely to tell me what he thinks anymore."

"He's hurting, Rowen," Cye said softly as he came over to the diligent man who was so involved in the book. He looked up at the vast shelves, he knew Mia had plowed threw them as well and found nothing, but Rowen was far more persistent than she was. He remembered once when they were fighting the dynasty he had tucked a small textbook in his sub armor so that he could still study. Cye could have called him a Renaissance man if he could paint at all. "He thinks if he admits the advice he originally gave you about Hoshi was right, he'll lose you as a friend."

"That's ridiculous, he was right. She was hurt because of what we are."

"He also doesn't want to admit that he lost you as a friend."

"That's even more ridiculous."

Cye asked, "is it? You don't talk to any of us anymore unless we're here and you spend your days mesmerized by all of this. You used to ask Sage to train with you..."

"I don't feel much like fighting..."

"That's not the point and you know it," Cye yelled, Rowen could see tears welling up in his friends eyes. It was true that he was the most 'sensitive' among them, but the sensitivity could turn violent really fast. He still had a scar from the time Cye punched him when the inferno armors were trying to fight with each other. "You don't ask me too cook, or Kento to play video games, or even to go bar hopping with Ryo. You don't study with Yuli, or even talk to Mia about what you are looking for."

Rowen felt numb, even though he felt the words should have stung him, "...I..."

"No, you're going to listen to me," Cye said taking the book from him. "We told you that we would stand beside you looking for her, and dammit, we did! But we're in a position where our hands are tied, and you're blaming us for it! Or Leea! It's not the poor girls fault, she loved Hoshi just as much as you did and had no idea what was going on, much less that her best friend would be killed so that she could be some divine being. We've done all that we can do!"

Rowen lowered his head, "I...I knew what was going to happen, Cye."

Cye paused in shock, "what?"

"Ruby knew what exactly it took for the Light to appear..." Rowen paused, "she told me before we left exactly how the Light was brought forth. I...was left the decision of letting her live or die, and I feel that I would have let her live to be selfish but then whatever was going to come through would have killed us all."

He expected Cye to be mad, but the guy wrapped him in a big hug to his surprise. He pushed him off and Cye said solemnly, "but don't you see, you never had a decision to make in the first place? Bastet and Hoshi made a deal, the God knew she was going to die. You can't be blaming yourself for any of it!"

"I could have saved her!"

Cye sighed, "not even Ruby could! Baroness...who knows who sent Baroness and motivated her to do such a thing...but there's no way to punish her now!"

Rowen starred at the young man, he didn't know what to say. "But she asked the armor of Strata to save her," Rowen said softly as he pulled out his transformation orb which had also turned to stone. "The armor responded..."

Cye closed his hand on the orb, "I'm not telling you to let go of her because that girl...that girl was amazing Rowen. I dare say any one of us would have stolen her if you broke up with her."

Rowen couldn't help but laugh, "what?"

"You mean you didn't notice?"

"Notice what," asked Rowen with a frown, but Cye noticed he didn't seem sad at the moment.

Cye laughed softly and ran a hand through his hair, "never mind, you wouldn't like it."

"Tell me, dammit," Rowen cursed..

"We all thought she was hot as hell," Cye paused as a blush came on his cheeks.

Rowen barked out the first laugh he had in a while, "you did? I mean...you...did?"

Cye starred at him and nodded his head, "yes, Rowen, even I thought she was hot, do you really think that we didn't think that after spending that much time with her? We respect you Rowen, but she was still a really pretty girl with nice legs..."

Rowen shook his head and started laughing, a full gut laugh. "She figured as much, she even told me she thought you guys were flirting with her, and I even I told her I figured you guys would do as much."

Cye shook his head and said softly, "that's what you need to keep alive, her memories, not all this..."

Rowen didn't want to let go just yet...

Mia ran in the room, "guys...somebody broke into my office!"

The boys looked at and decided they would once again try and figure out how to cram six people in a jeep.