Chapter 16: A Night Out
The girls were walking down the street together. "Where are we going anyways?" Serena asked.
"For the hundredth time, Lita needs a dress for her engagement party Saturday," Rei answered, "Don't you ever listen?"
"Oh! A party, so Lita, who all can come to this party?" Serena asked.
Lita sighed as they entered the dress shop. "Sage's parents are inviting a lot of colleagues from his father's work as well as well as his grandfather's friends and colleagues," she replied.
"It's still weird to think that right when we graduate high school you're going to be getting married," Mina commented.
"You're telling me," Lita answered as she walked up to the counter.
"May I help you?" the woman asked.
"Yes, I'm Lita Kino, a Mrs. Date called last week for a dress appointment," she answered.
"Yes, yes! Of course, welcome Miss Kino, come," the woman said happily as she led her and the girls into the tore.
Lita was put in a room with the dress that Mrs. Date had picked out for her to try on. She was relieved that it wasn't to over the top. Yet…she still didn't like the fact that she was sixteen and getting ready for her engagement party that weekend. She loved Sage, more than anything. She decided to try on the dress and just smile, it could be worse.
Sage was on the other side of town getting his suit jacket fitted. "How do the shoulder feel?" Mr. Date asked his son.
"Fine," Sage replied.
His father walked over, shoving a box into his son's hands. "You'll be presenting her with this tonight," his stated. Sage glanced at his father as he opened the box to see a large, gaudy ring inside.
"What the hell is that?!" he exclaimed, earning a smack upside the head by his father.
"Watch your language, that's Lita's engagement ring," Mr. Date told him.
"Lita wouldn't wear something like this, it's too much! Lita's simple," he answered.
Mr. Date stared at his son. "Give her the ring," he ordered before leaving the room. Sage closed the box, letting out a sigh as he sat in a chair with his head in his hands. His parents were pushing for a wedding date. Every time one of his parents saw him either when he's visiting at their home or they come by the Dojo to see his grandfather they were asking him about a wedding date. He let out a deep breath, closing his eyes tight as frustration came over him. He pulled off the jacket, throwing it on the chair as he grabbed his navy blue jacket that hung on the chair across the room. Pulling it on, he snuck out of the room and out of the shop.
He walked down the street, heading into the jewelry story with the ring. "May I help you?" The man asked.
"Yeah, I want to trade in this ring," he answered, placing the box on the counter, "My father thinks he knows my fiancé but he's far from right."
The man looked at the ring. "And how may I help you, Mr. Date?" he asked, recognizing the design.
"My fiancé doesn't like fancy. She's a simple woman, she's a chef and a baker, she needs something that's not so…large that it'll hinder her cooking abilities," Sage answered.
"Alright, we do have these lovely rings here," the jeweler told him, taking out a box of rings, showing them to the teenager.
Sage looked at all the different designs in front of him, they were all magnificent in design. He wanted something beautiful, yet simple for Lita. Something fit for a princess without making her seem like she was one. He saw a ring in the middle of all the rings that looked perfect. It was a thin white gold band with a pear shaped emerald in the middle. It was beautiful, but not gaudy. "I'll take that one, sir," he told the man.
"Very good choice," the jeweler answered.
He took the ring and went to get it ready. With the even trade in, Sage left the store to try to go back home. "Oh Sage," a flirty, nasally voice greeted, making him flinch and wince.
"Hello, Mallory," he answered.
"Where are you going?" Mallory asked.
"I have to get fitted for a suit for my engagement party," he answered.
Mallory frowned. "That's so sad," she said with a sigh, "You're engaged, she gets you before any girl ever gets a chance." Sage flinched a little, he hated it that girls spoke about him as if he were some toy.
"I love Lita," he answered simply.
Mallory stared at him with wide eyes as he went to walk away. "Wait, Sage!" she called out.
"Go away," he answered, going back into the shop.
At the end of the week, Lita was standing in her room as Mrs. Date was doing up the many buttons on the back of her gown. "I don't know why you and Sage insisted on the color green," she said with a sigh. Lita just smiled a little as she looked at herself in the mirror.
"It's just the color we thought would be nice to coordinate," the teenager murmured.
Sage knocked on the door and Lita turned around. "Wow," he murmured. The dress looked stunning, it was an A-line dress with a white ribbon tied around her waist, and capped sleeves. Her hair was still in its usual high ponytail but she had an emerald hairpiece holding it in place. "Mom, can we have a minute?" he asked. Mrs. Date nodded, leaving the two teenagers alone. "I brought you something," he told her.
"Really?" she asked curiously.
Walking up to her, he opened the ring box, revealing the ring. Her eyes grew wide as she stared at it in disbelief. "I thought my future wife should wear something as a symbol of our future," he told her. Lita smiled as he held her hand up and slid the ring onto her finger.
"It's beautiful," she said softly.
She rested her hand on the side of his neck as she pulled him down for a kiss.
As the party continued on, it was stuffy as people kept coming up to congratulate the couple. Sage finally had to excuse himself, going outside. He leaned against the rail of the balcony letting out a deep breath. Lita walked out, resting her hand on his shoulder making him look at her. "You okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, just if I heard someone give me more marital advice I'm jumping of this balcony," he replied.
"Sage, Mr. Wei would like to speak to you," Mr. Date called out.
"That's it," Sage muttered, pulling himself up onto the rail.
"Hey, hey! I need you here, why don't you take a walk on the grounds I'll join you in a minute?" Lita suggested.
"Sounds good," he answered.
Lita kissed him briefly before he went through his bedroom window to sneak downstairs while Lita went to stall the guests.
Walking along his grandfather's grounds, Sage stuffed his hands in his pockets as he flipped his hair out of his eyes only to have the hair fall back in front of it. "Well, now we're alone," a voice commented, making the Warrior of Halo swing around.
"Who's there?" he demanded.
A soft cackle echoed through the forest. "Sage of the Halo, Warrior of Wisdom. It matches as you are the wisest of the five, an old soul trapped in a sixteen-year-old's body," the voice commented.
"Show yourself!" Sage demanded, wishing he had his armor orb with him.
Mallory stepped out of the forest making him back up. "Mallory?" he demanded.
"Oh such a foolish boy," she said with a sigh.
With a wave of her hand, standing in her place was a woman with waist-length blond almost white hair, piercing grey eyes, wearing a pair of red heels, a knee-length cocktail dress, and her hair was pulled back in a braid. She was smirking evilly at him as she circled slowly. Sage glared at her as he got in a fighting stance. "Just hold still, sweetie, this will just hurt for a minute," she told him. Before he could react, several minions surrounded him and pinned him to the nearest tree. "Hold him, boys," she ordered. Walking over, she tapped her long nails against his chest. "So handsome, so sad that I can't keep you for myself," she said with a pout. Sage's answer was head-butting her right in the forehead.
The woman let out a hiss, holding her head but then stood up from the ground again. Without another word, she pressed her hand against his chest. Sage's eyes grew wide when he felt his insides start to twist, but the pain was so atrocious he couldn't scream.
Lita was in the middle of a conversation when she suddenly felt a sharp pain go through her chest. She let out a soft gasp, her cup falling to the floor. "Lita?" Mina called to her friend as her friend backed up into the table.
"Something's wrong," Lita replied.
She looked towards the trees, the guys already running towards every exit they could get to. Rowen ran out of the balcony, grabbing the rail and throwing himself over transforming into his subarmor on his way down. Kento followed his friend's lead, flipping off the balcony while Ryo and Cye ran out of the back door. "He's this way!" Ryo called out.
The woman just smirked when a light green crystal began to form in the palm of her hand. "So beautiful," she commented. She stared at Sage's ashen face, her hand cupping his chin. "Still sad, he was cute," she said with a pout. She let out a gasp when an arrow whizzed by her head, embedding itself into the tree beside her.
"Make one more move and the next one will be in between your eyes!" Rowen snapped.
"You know, the four of you are getting really irritating," the woman commented, turning around to face them.
She held the crystal up. "Too late boys," she said with a small laugh. Swinging around, she threw her weight forward and nailed a charging White Blaze in the chest, sending the tiger to the ground. "Handle them, boys, I'm going home," she told them.
"JUPITER THUNDER CLAP ZAP!" Jupiter shouted.
The minions let Sage's arms go, the Warrior of Halo falling to his knees but then Jupiter caught him before he could hit the ground completely. "Dammit, Sage you're not doing this to me again," she told him, "Haven't you learned the first time that I can't live without you?!" She rested her forehead against his as her Jupiter symbol and his Wisdom symbol appeared on their foreheads, colliding together.
"We don't have much time, they'll both die if we don't do something," Kento told them.
"Then let's get her!" Ryo answered as he swung his katanas around, slicing through several minions.
The woman took off running. "GET HER, WHITE BLAZE!" Ryo shouted. The tiger roared, chasing her through the forest.
"I've got her!" Venus snarled as she ran into the forest after the tiger and the woman.
She ran after the woman, her eyes burning with anger. "VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SMASH!" she shouted. The woman screamed as she was hit and the crystal flew out of her hand.
Rowen ducked as a sword was aimed for his head, looking over at Jupiter desperately trying to keep Sage alive. His head started to throb from the memories of the last time his friend was killed and it made his stomach twist. "Sage, you can't leave me," Jupiter told him, "You can't leave me like this!" She could feel Sage slipping away and she let out a gasp. "No, no!" she exclaimed, "Sage! Stay with me!" She started shaking him. "SAGE!" she shouted.
The others could feel their "brother" slipping away. "We need to do something! He's dying, dammit!" Kento snapped as he threw a minion over his shoulder. Rowen thought fast, rushing over and slid across the ground to reach his friend.
"Move, Jupiter, move!" he told her, pushing her back.
He reached into his quiver, an arrow appearing between his fingertips. "Are you crazy?!" Jupiter snapped. Instead of answering he held the arrow up.
"Don't give up on me now, Sage!" he told him, "Don't you leave us again!"
Rowen took his arrow, thrusting it into Sage's chest. "NO!" Jupiter wailed. She was about to try to strangle the Warrior of Strata when the arrow suddenly faded right before her very eyes. Sage's eyes suddenly shot open and he let out a gasp.
"It'll only keep him alive until we get his crystal back," he told her.
He got up and rushed in the direction Venus had gone to with Sailor Moon right on his heels.
Venus ducked out of the way when the woman swung a punch at her head. "ARROW SHOCK WAVE!" Rowen shouted, aiming an arrow at the woman. She let out a scream, leaping out of the way as the arrow landed right at her feet.
"Grab the crystal!" Venus exclaimed.
The woman swung around trying to grab Sage's crystal. "NO!" Sailor Moon shouted, sliding across the ground and grabbing the object right before the woman. The woman snarled as she grabbed Sailor Moon by her throat, pinning her to a tree when Rowen ran up behind her, putting her in a chokehold.
"Go, Sailor Moon, my life force arrows won't last long!" he told her.
She nodded as she and Venus ran back to the others. Rowen let out a shout of shock and pain when something sharp went into his cheek. He stumbled backwards, reaching up to the attacked area and pulled it back to reveal blood. "You were a pain in Queen Beryl's side," she snarled as the two of them circled each other. Rowen just smirked at her. "Yet she's intrigued by you, you always intrigued her even before you went to the Moon Kingdom," she commented.
"Yeah well, she's not going to get the Ronin Warrior on her side," Rowen answered.
In the Negaverse, Queen Beryl was watching the fight. "It is as though he had never died," she commented, "Rowen of the Strata…he was always the true heir to the Earth Kingdom."
"My Queen?" Malakite asked, "I thought it was Prince Darien?"
"No, that boy just received the place by default when Touma went with the Ancient One," the evil queen snapped.
She stared at Rowen with a smirk. "I want him, Malakite, make sure no harm comes to him," she spat.
"Yes, my queen," he answered.
Rowen held up his bow as the woman brought her dagger down. "Lyanna!" a voice called out. They looked up to see Malakite there. "Leave him," he ordered.
"But…" Lyanna started to say.
"NOW!" Malakite snarled making her jump back.
She glared at Rowen. "Today is your lucky day," she spat before they disappeared. Rowen stood there shocked when White Blaze pulled on his bow.
"Right, let's get back to the others," Rowen told the tiger before they ran back.
Sage was slowly trying to get up with Kento and Ryo's help. "How do you feel?" Cye asked.
"Anyone get the license plate on the bus that ran me over?" Sage asked, holding his head.
Jupiter hugged him tight and he hugged her back when Rowen rushed back. "Rowen," Sage said smiling. He gripped his friend by the arm. "You saved my life, thanks," he told him.
"We're brothers, we live and die together," Rowen answered, gripping his forearm.
Sage nodded with a slight smile.
That night, Sage was looking at the bruise that had formed on his chest from his attack. Lita walked in and he stared at her. "How do you feel?" she asked.
"Exhausted," he answered.
She walked over, resting her hand on his chest with tears in her eyes. "I felt you go," she whispered. She suddenly hugged him tight with a sob. "I felt you leave me again," she told him. Sage rested his forehead against her shoulder.
"I'll never leave you, never again," he answered.
She hugged him tighter. "Don't you ever go where I can't go with you," she told him. They held each other, not knowing that his parents peeked on them.
"I knew this match would work," Mrs. Date stated.
His father nodded before they left the two of them alone.