Chapter 12: I'd Come for You

Rowen groaned as he was lying on the floor, his ribs were throbbing from the constant kicking his dad did to him. "You're so weak," his father spat before he popped open another beer. He took a long drink of it as he glared down at the teenager. He kicked Rowen in the knees, making him wince in pain. "I see you have a pretty little girlfriend now," he sneered.

"Leave Serena alone," Rowen answered.

"Oh, Serena, such a pretty name. Sereeeeeeeeeenaaaaaaaaa," he said slowly with a slur.

Rowen slowly got up on all fours, letting out a deep breath. His ribs screamed in protest with every breath he took. "Dad, you better not touch her," Rowen told him.

"Just shut up, I'll do what I like," his father snapped.

As if to prove his point, he grabbed his son by the back of his head, dragging him to his feet. "You are mine, do you understand me boy? You are mine until I'm through with you," he snarled. Rowen gripped his father's wrist, closing his eyes tight from the constant pain going through it. "I need you to bring your pretty girlfriend over here, have her meet the dad," he told him.

"No," Rowen answered.

"What did you just say?" his father snarled.

Rowen glared at his father. "No," he snarled. His father threw him into the wall and the teenager slowly slid to the floor in pain.

"You will bring her here, for now, get out of my sight you pathetic piece of trash!" his father spat.

Rowen slowly stood to his feet, making his way up to his room while his father sat in a chair, turning on a game as his son stumbled into his room.

That night, Rowen woke up to the smell of smoke and frowned. He saw smoke seeping into his room and his eyes grew wide. "Shit!" he exclaimed, getting out of bed. He went for his window when he remembered his dad had barred the windows closed because he had caught him sneaking out to meet with Serena.

In the city, Ryo and Sage were out and about because they both suddenly couldn't sleep. "Feels like something's going to happen any minute," Ryo commented.

"No kidding," Sage answered.

Just then, they heard fire trucks speeding down the road and a few seconds later the trucks were racing by them. "Hey, what's that?" Sage asked, pointing to the smoke.

"That looks like Rowen's house," Ryo replied.

The two of them started walking over to the house. "It is!" Sage exclaimed.

"Shit!" Ryo exclaimed as they both took off towards the house.

The two of them reached the house to see the Hashiba house engulfed in flames. "ROWEN!" Sage shouted. Both of them tried to get through the barricade when police stopped them.

"I'm sorry, boys, you can't come any closer," an officer told them.

"Our friend is in there!" Ryo exclaimed.

The officers forced the two of them behind the barricade. Ryo stared at the house with wide eyes when they saw Serena run up. "What's happening?!" she exclaimed.

"Rowen's still inside," Sage answered.

Serena's eyes were wide and her hands went up to her mouth with a gasp as Sage hugged her. Ryo looked at the house to see the firemen trying to control the blaze. Letting out a shout, he leapt over the barricade, running right by the police. "RYO!" Sage shouted.

"HEY! GET BACK HERE!" an officer shouted as he tried to chase the teenager.

Ryo easily dodged him, jumping through the front window. The glass shattered around him and he felt the heat of the fire. He held his arms up to cover his face. "ROWEN!" Ryo shouted, "ROWEN! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" He searched the house for his friend to see everything engulfed in flames. He heard a door break upstairs and he ran up the steps to see Rowen struggling to breathe. "Rowen!" he exclaimed, running over to his friend.

"Ryo," Rowen coughed as his friend grabbed his arm.

"Hold onto me, man, we're getting out of here," Ryo answered as he pulled Rowen's arm over his shoulders.

Rowen held his side. "Where's my dad?" he asked.

"I don't know," Ryo answered, "We don't have time to search for him."

Ryo held onto Rowen as they two of them made their way through the burning house. They both looked up when they heard the roof start to collapse. "Watch it!" Ryo exclaimed. He pushed Rowen to the floor, covering his friend as he let his sub armor take the blunt of the roof's fall. "You okay?" Ryo asked.

"Yeah," Rowen replied.

Rowen coughed as Ryo led him through the house. "RYO!" Rowen shouted when the stairs started to collapsed under their feet.

"NO!" a voice shouted.

Rowen and Ryo looked just as Mr. Hashiba grabbed both teenagers, throwing them off the landing to the burning living room. "Get him out! Rowen, I'm sorry!" Mr. Hashiba called out just as the stairs collapsed.

"DAD!" Rowen shouted in horror.

"We have to go!" Ryo answered, grabbing Rowen, throwing him through the window.

Both teenagers rolled out of the window and the paramedics and police pulled the teenagers to their feet before Rowen was put onto a gurney.

The other Ronin Warriors and their girls surrounded the area with wide eyes. "Ryo!" Rei exclaimed with wide eyes as she rushed over to her boyfriend, hugging him. Ryo hugged her back, letting out a deep breath. He was led back to the barricade to see paramedics getting Rowen ready to get into the truck, an air mask over his face. "You okay?" he asked. Rowen smiled through the air mask as he reached up, gripping his friend's forearm. Ryo gripped his forearm back.

"I owe you one, buddy," Rowen answered.

"You just take care of yourself," Ryo told him.

Rowen smiled through the mask as the two friends just gripped arms, grateful that the other was alive. "We have to take him now," the paramedics told them. Serena kissed her boyfriend's cheek before backing up and Ryo let his arm go as they loaded him into the truck.

At the hospital, Rowen woke up to the sun shining in his window. It took him a minute to realize that he wasn't in his room. He looked at himself to see that his right hand was wrapped up to the wrist in gauze, his left arm was in a sling, and he could feel gauze over his right cheek when Serena came in. "Oh! You're awake!" she said smiling.

"I think so," he answered, "Unless I'm dreaming."

She smiled as she leaned forward, kissing his lips. "You think you're awake now?" she asked.

"I think this is a really awesome dream," he answered making her smile before kissing him again.

She pulled back, her hand stroking his good cheek. "The doctor said you're going to be okay, you have a few second degree burns on your hand from grabbing the bar on your window, you have a hairline fracture in your left arm, and you have a cut on your cheek from rolling in glass," Serena explained.

"What about my dad? Did they find him?" he asked.

He saw her frown and his heart went into his stomach. "Oh Rowen…I'm so sorry," she said softly.

"He wasn't always bad you know, he used to be a real good dad," he murmured.

The teenager suddenly found his comforter more appealing. "He taught me how to throw and catch a baseball, when I joined little league he was at every game," he told her. His girlfriend reached up, stroking the bangs from his face as tears welled up in his eyes. "I don't have any family now, my mom abandoned, my dad's dead I don't have anyone," he added.

"You have family, Rowen," she said softly.

She held his gauzed covered hand gently in her own. "You got us man," Kento told him as he and the guys walked in. Rowen looked up and smiled.

"You're not alone, you're never alone," Serena said smiling.

Rowen let out a sigh. "They're going to try to find my mom, because she's my only blood. I know that they're going to put me in with some family or something," he said with a sigh.

"Yeah, we overheard the social worker outside," Cye answered as he sat in the chair in the corner.

"Heard the family you're staying with are hardasses," Kento put in when Mina knocked her boyfriend upside the head.

Sage just rolled his eyes. "Only one hardass and he's only that way if you disobey his rule," he stated.

"You know who it is then?" Rowen asked.

"Only because he raised me since I was 8," Sage answered, "You're staying with me, Ro, grandfather pulled some strings."

Lita smiled as she sat in Sage's lap. "Well, you're living with all three of us," he added, "But keep in mind, grandfather is strict on his rules."

"But he's a kind old man, as much as Sage likes to point out that his grandfather is so strict," Lita answered.

Rowen smiled a little and let out a heavy sigh as Serena pressed her forehead against the side of his head.

Three days later, Rowen was staring at the casket that held his father. Tears welled up in his eyes as he rested his hand on the mahogany box that held what was left of him from the fire. "For a long time, dad, I despised you because you blamed me for mom. Yet…I think because I blamed you too, we both hated each other because we blamed each other for mom leaving," he explained. Tears welled up in his eyes as he gripped the white roses that were sitting on the top. He swallowed hard against the lump in his throat.

"I'm sorry!" his father's voice echoed in his head.

Rowen let out a shaky breath. "I'm still so mad at you, you took five years of my life away, you made me fear for my life," he added. Rowen let out a small so. "Yet, you're my dad so part of me still loved you because you're my dad," he told the casket. He rested his forehead against the casket as he let out a sob. He felt a hand on his shoulder, looking over he saw Sage standing there.

"It's alright, man," he murmured.

Rowen broke down sobbing and Sage gripped his friend's arm, hugging him tightly. "It'll be alright," Sage assured him. Lita walked into the room, resting her hand in the middle of his back.

During the funeral, Serena was sitting beside her boyfriend her arms going around his back as she rested her cheek on his shoulder. Rowen reached down, entwining his fingers with hers, resting their hands to his heart as she pressed a kiss to his shoulder. Serena loved him so much and her heart ached with the fact that his was so broken over the loss of his father. Rowen held her close and let out a heavy sigh.

Author's Note: A Late Christmas Present for you guys. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! :)