Chapter 8: The Final Touch

Rowen was sitting on his computer going over some research he had been finding about a mystical group of armors. He winced when he heard the front door slam closed. "ROWEN! Where are you boy?" he heard his father call out. Getting up from his chair he turned off the screen to his computer before slowly making his way downstairs.

"I'm here, dad," he answered.

Mr. Hashiba looked at his son with the deadliest glare that it sent chills up the teenager's back. "Why's this place such a pigsty?" he asked in a slur as he tossed a beer bottle on the freshly cleaned carpet that Rowen had tried to clean up.

"I did my best, sir," Rowen replied, his eyes staring at the ground.

Suddenly, his father reached out and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, yanking him closer. "Is that attitude I hear boy?" he spat.

"No, sir," Rowen replied, diverting his eyes.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you boy!" Mr. Hashiba snapped.

"Dad…I'm sorry," Rowen answered.

His father let him drop to the ground. "You had that Date kid over here again," Mr. Hashiba muttered. Rowen's eyes grew wide.

"How did you know?" he asked.

"I can always smell it when that kid's over here," Mr. Hashiba replied.

He stumbled into the kitchen as Rowen just stood in the living room. He knew he wasn't allowed to move, as long as his dad was talking to him he had to stay right where he was dropped. Mr. Hashiba suddenly was in front of the boy again and he shoved his son against the wall hard enough that Rowen winced when the back of his head hit it. "That little bastard doesn't know anything does he?" he spat.

"No sir," Rowen replied with wide eyes.

"You sure?" he demanded.

"I promise, no one knows! I swear!" Rowen replied when he felt his dad's hand go around his throat.

"I should kill you for bringing people into this house!" Mr. Hashiba snarled as his hand tightened around his throat.

Rowen closed his eyes tight, gripping his wrist tightly as he let out a cough. "You're not supposed to bring people here!" his father snapped.

"I'm sorry," Rowen gasped out, "He came over by surprise, I wasn't expecting him I swear!"

Mr. Hashiba threw him to the floor and Rowen held his throat, gasping for the air that was forced from his lungs. "You pathetic piece of waste," Mr. Hashiba spat before he kicked Rowen's side. Rowen bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from groaning in pain. It was only worse whenever he reacted to any of the hits or kicks. "You better not be lying to me, boy!" Mr. Hashiba snapped before he grabbed Rowen's shirt, hauling the teen to his feet.

Before Rowen could react, he was suddenly thrown against the wall only with his father's drunken induced rage he ended up hitting the corner of the wall and it knocked the air out of his lungs. "Stop being such a baby!" his father snapped as he was trying to catch his breath, "What does he know?!"

"Nothing!" Rowen wheezed out.

Mr. Hashiba backhanded him across the face hard enough that he felt his lip split again. "WHAT DOES HE KNOW?!" he shouted.

"Nothing, dad, I swear! I promise he doesn't know anything!" Rowen answered.

Mr. Hashiba grabbed his throat again only this time his grip was even tighter than before. "I wish you had never lived! You stupid excuse for a son! You're an embarrassment to me!" his father snarled. Rowen closed his eyes tight as he struggled to breathe. "What's the matter? Can't breathe?" Mr. Hashiba taunted.

Rowen suddenly felt something in his snap as his eyes snapped open and he glared at his father. Letting out a shout, he kicked his father in the gut sending him backwards. "I'm not five-years-old anymore!" Rowen snapped, coughing as he held his throat. Mr. Hashiba got up from the floor and then the panic went through Rowen when he realized what he did. He took off upstairs.

"YOU BETTER RUN!" Mr. Hashiba roared as he chased the teenager up the stairs.

Later in her home, Serena was in her room dozing off in front of the radio when she was supposed to be doing her homework when there was soft knocking on her window. "Huh?" she murmured tiredly. Opening her eyes, she looked over to see a bruised and battered Rowen sitting in a tree outside her window. "Rowen!" she gasped.

Rushing over, she opened the window and helped him in. "What happened to you?!" she exclaimed when he hushed her.

"Your parents are downstairs, I don't want them calling my dad," he answered.

She bit her lower lip as she had him sit down. The blond had him stay on her bed as she quietly tiptoed out of her room and down the hall towards the bathroom to get some of the things she needed to take care of his injuries.

When she came back in, she saw that he was still sitting exactly where she had left him. Quietly closing her door, she placed everything beside him. "Can I see?" she asked. Rowen looked at her with the saddest eyes she had ever seen.

Slowly he reached down and removed his shirt, revealing the new bruises on his body. "Rowen!" she gasped when he hushed her, "Oh my God! What's he done do you?!"

"Serena, please hush, your parents will hear then they'll call the police," he answered.

"Well they should," she told him.

"Then this was a mistake, I'll go somewhere else," he answered as he went to get up.

Her eyes grew wide. "No, Rowen, no!" she insisted quietly, grabbing his good arm, "Okay, I'll stay quiet." Rowen looked at her before he finally sat down on her bed again. She was able to sneak downstairs and get an ice pack out of the freezer, placing it on his bruised ribs once she came back in. "What happened?" she asked.

"I fought back," he replied, "He actually wasn't being so bad until his hand was around my throat."

Serena could see the bruises forming on his neck and tears welled up in her eyes. "This isn't right, Rowen. You don't deserve this," she said softly.

"It is what it is until I'm 18," he answered.

Tears welled up in her eyes, for some reason he meant so much to her even though he was just her friend. Was he just her friend? Something about him was familiar. Reaching up, she pushed some of the hair from his eyes and he looked at her. Rowen's heart sped up as he looked at her. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever known in his life and the most caring girl he had ever met. Leaning forward, he rested his forehead against hers as her hand moved along his good arm. He reached up with his sprained wrist, resting his hand over hers as their eyes slid closed.

Taking his chance he leaned forward and captured her lips with his in a sweet, gentle kiss. Before either one of them could make any sort of move, however, Rowen pulled back. "Sorry, I shouldn't have done that," He murmured. Serena looked at him as she rested her hands on his knees.

"I'm glad you did," she answered.

This time, Serena leaned forward and this time she kissed him. Rowen kissed her back, his hand resting on the back of her neck. Pulling away again, he rested his forehead against hers as they were trying to catch their breaths. "You have a boyfriend," he murmured as he stood up. Grabbing the wrist brace that she had brought in, he winced as he slid it over his twisted wrist before fastening it securely. "I have to go," he murmured as he grabbed his shirt, pulling it back on.

"Where will you go?" she asked.

"I'll be alright," he replied as he slipped out her window.

"No, don't go," she insisted as she rushed over to the window.

She rested her hands over his as he just hung on the windowsill. "I can't stay," he whispered.

"But why?" she asked.

"You have a boyfriend, the last thing I'm going to do is be the reason you're unhappy," he answered.

"You make me happy, he makes me unhappy," she insisted with tears in her eyes.

She held onto his hands tightly. "Rowen, please don't go" she begged softly.

"I have to," he replied, "If I don't, not only will I ruin your relationship, but my dad will use you against me."

He let her hands go and jumped down from her window before disappearing into the night. "ROWEN!" she called out. With no answer, she reluctantly closed her window and went back into her room.

Rowen had heard her call for him and he slowly slid to the ground, resting his forehead against his knees. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," he muttered to himself. Suddenly, he felt something fall beside him and he lifted his head up, looking to his let he saw a dark blue marble sitting next to him. "What's that?" he muttered as he picked it up and held it in the palm of his hand. His eyes grew wide as the marble began to glow and hovered in front of him.

"Rowen, even years later you sacrifice your own happiness to keep others happy. Still as honorable as you had been all those years ago. You are the last missing piece to be able to protect the galaxy from any dangers and to find your own happiness after living in nothing but a nightmare. Rowen, the Strata armor is yours once more," a voice told him.

Rowen lifted his head. "Who's there?" he called, standing up. He looked down at himself and he saw that armor covered his body. The teenager's eyes grew wide, it was the mystical armor he had been searching for! As he lifted his arm, he stared at the armor in complete wonder when his head started to ache. He groaned, pressing his hand to his forehead, removing his helmet to try to get the pain to go away but it gradually got worse. "What's happening to me?" he muttered as he collapsed to his knees.

(Flash)

Rowen saw himself as a young child over a thousand years ago hiding in the woods terrified, there were bruises on his little face and arms when a man stood in front of him. "Who are you?" the little boy asked terrified.

"Do not be afraid, Touma. I am going to take care of you," the man assured the young boy.

"My dad's going to find you and then I'm going to be in big trouble for talking to strangers," he answered fearfully.

The man shook his head slowly. "Your father won't hurt you anymore," the man insisted lightly. He held his hand out to the boy. "Come with me, and you will have a life filled with adventures," he added. The little boy looked at his hand, then at his cabin where he and his father were living before looking back at this man. He nodded his head slowly, but then the man crouched down, picking the injured boy up into his arms and carried him away.

(Flash)

Rowen saw himself at 12, grinning as he and Ryo were practicing their fight moves in a courtyard. "Too slow, Touma!" Ryo called out.

"You cheat!" Touma answered as he chased his friend.

"How do I cheat?" Ryo asked.

He jumped over Touma's head, landing behind him when Touma grabbed his bow from his back, blocking Ryo's wooden katana that almost struck his head. He kicked out with his foot when Ryo jumped back, then tried to do a sweep kick, but Touma jumped over his leg, aiming another punch at his head. Blocking the attack easily, the two boys aimed their weapons at each other when they were easily locked together. The friends just smirked at each other before Ryo shoved him back, aiming his katana at his middle.

Touma jumped back, aiming one of his fake arrows at Ryo's neck who ducked out of the way. Touma let out a shout as he jumped up, aiming a kick at his friend's chest when the other boy blocked the attack. After a long duel between the two, they just started laughing. "Draw again my friend," Ryo commented.

"Always," Touma answered as the two friends rushed over to the mess hall when the bell was run for dinner.

(Flash)

Rowen saw himself standing in the middle of a room, holding a golden bow. His eyes were wide in wonder as he held the weapon out in front of him. "Touma, you have been chosen to bear the armor of Strata. You carry the virtue of Life Force," the man told him. Touma just smiled as he held the bow out in front of him, having strung an arrow up into it. He let it go and it embedded itself in the middle of the target.

(Flash)

The image changed to a large garden with his friends, there were a group of girls in front of them. Yet his eyes were only for Serena. Her name wasn't Serena though, it was something else. What was it? He couldn't remember, what was her name? "I am Princess Serenity," she said softly. He bowed lowly to her, he had never seen a woman so beautiful.

"The stories I have heard of you do not do you justice, milady," he answered.

(Flash)

He saw himself lying in Serena's arms, it was hard to breathe. Why wasn't he in his armor? He could hear evil laughter surrounding them as he was lying in her arms. He stared up at her as she sobbed above him. "Touma, you're not supposed to leave me yet! We're supposed to grow old together," she said sobbing as darkness claimed him.

(End Flash)

Rowen let out a gasp as he stared at the marble lying in front of him on the ground. "I remember! Serenity, my love, I remember!" he exclaimed. His ribs were throbbing, he wrapped his arm around his front, groaning. "I remember!" he gasped out as he pulled himself to his feet.

Rushing back to Serena's house, he climbed back up to her window and knocked on it. Serena rushed over to the window, opening it. A smile appeared on her face. "You came back," she whispered. His answer was leaning forward and kissing her deeply. Pulling back, he rested his forehead against hers.

"I'm in love with you, Serena," he whispered.

Serena smiled as she rested her hand on his cheek. "I'm in love with you, Rowen," she whispered back. Rowen smiled before they leaned in to kiss again.