dis-claim'er, noun: a denial or disavowal of legal claim: relinquishment of or formal refusal to accept an interest or estate; b: a writing that embodies a legal disclaimer; c: a statement made to save one's own ass.

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Halloween Aftermath

—

Rekino deduced that she was a sucker for doing stupid things. There was this one time she thought it would be a good idea to try and skip doing her forms training and lie to her teacher (shidoshi) and then proceed to get her ass kicked because she didn't do her sets. Then there was another time her friends dared her to steal the orange road cones in front of the school and rearrange them in a chaotic fashion. That had almost caused several accidents. Her senior year she spiked the punch at prom which got half the student body drunk.

There were so many things she had done that were irrational and made with no thought to the repercussions. It was all based on the situation is what she would tell people. Of all the stupid things she had done, nothing compared to this moment.

A drunk Rowen Hashiba was lying on the couch in her home.

In. Her. Home.

It hadn't taken much effort to beat the shit out of those thugs that had cornered him. Rekino knew she couldn't just leave him in the alleyway. She had no idea where the rest of the gang had disappeared. She had no idea where he lived so it wasn't like she could call an Uber for him. So, she did the only rational thing she could think of.

She put on her subarmor, picked him up, and jumped rooftops until they arrived at the home of the Lady Guardians. Now that she was staring at his unconscious body on her couch, she panicked. Why did she do this? How could she be a stupid? Gods, what would the girls think? She tried to call Hana, but got now answer.

Fuck. Fuck. What do I do?

She really needed to start making better judgement calls.

The jingle of a bell was the announcement that Kitty had entered the room. The munchkin cat came from the kitchen with the speed of a mongoose. The zoomies is what it was called. What the feline wasn't expecting was an unknown person in the house when she jumped on the couch. She landed on Rowen's stomach automatically tensing up.

"Kitty!" Rekino hissed.

"Meow~"

The Guardian of the Wildfire watched as her feline companion jumped up onto Rowen's chest to look at his face. She looked at her master then back at the stranger with a weird glow in her slit green eyes. Tentatively, Kitty put her paw on the Strata Warrior's cheek then licked the tip of his nose. Satisfied, she fluffed the clothing, turned a circle, and curled up on his chest.

"No, Kitty!" Rekino reached for her, but the feline hissed and pawed at her hand. "Don't be Bitch Kitty, Kitty! Get off of him."

When the cat growled, Rekino just flopped down on the floor. This was messed up beyond all reckoning. She and Josephine usually called situations like this "the fuckening": when the whole situation was beyond repair.

When Rowen made a noise, her eyes shot up to look at him. He wasn't moving, but she could see his chest rise and fall with each breath he took. The stench of alcohol radiated off of him. She was told that he wasn't much of a drinker, so she had to wonder what would make him take in that much liquor. Whatever the case, he was definitely gonna have a hangover when he woke up. Whenever that would be.

The small cuckoo clock chimed that it was eleven in the evening. Time was passing slowly, but she had to get a handle on this situation. First, she needed to get out of costume. After that, she decided to go with the flow.

She was a ninja, after all. Thinking crafty was part of it.

—

There was thirst, there was hunger, but mostly Rowen found it difficult to get his tongue unstuck from the roof of his mouth. His eyes were crusted over with something unknown. Once they were cleared, he blinked several times to adjust his eyes. He stared at the ceiling before he realized he didn't recognize it. He continued to look around the room slowly. He felt that if he moved too fast his whole body would fall apart.

Where the hell was he?

That was when he noticed the weight on his chest despite it not being a lot. He lowered his head to where his chin touched his chest. His dark blue eyes took in the ball of fur that was curled up on his shirt. It was black; the ears and tail of the animal were twitching randomly. When he coughed, he was met by a pair of slit, green eyes of a cat. It yawned, stretching out its body to wake up.

What friend had a cat?

There was some noise coming from another room. When the cat stood up and jumped off of him, he started to sit up slowly. That's when he saw Candace come around a corner holding a glass with red liquid in it.

"Finally awake, I see."

It had to have been the alcohol, but she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen with that insanely long black hair and those haunting amethyst eyes. That perfect Japanese dialect with her natural American Southern accent just made her even more desirable.

"You're at my house," she approached the side of the couch. "I could see the question in your eyes."

It didn't even cross his mind to ask how she got him here. That was honestly the last thing on his mind. He was at the house of a woman he had been constantly fantasizing about for weeks while he had a girlfriend that he loved. He knew they were alone because Sage had said everyone was supposed to be going back to Ryo and Mia's that night.

Oh, the cosmos sure had a sense of humor.

Once he was sat up fully, Candace crouched down half sitting on the couch. She held out the glass to him which he looked at with confusion.

"It's a Bloody Mary," she said. "My dad used to drink a lot. My mom made these for him to help sober him up and cure his hangover. I figured you would need it."

Rowen took the glass and sipped it. His face contorted in distaste.

"I didn't say it would taste good," she laughed. "If you feel like you're going to hurl, I gotcha a trash can right here." She pointed to the area right in front of her where a black can sat.

After a few more tiny sips of the drink, he found his voice, "What is this made of?"

"Tomato juice, hot sauce, black pepper, lemon juice, and vodka," she counted on her fingers as she listed off the ingredients. "And the celery stick is to stir it up with. Some people eat it, others don't. Just depends on the person." She stood up gracefully from her squatted position and sat down in the recliner not far from the couch.

Rowen was truly astonished when the drink actually cured his hangover and nausea. After he finished the drink, he tentatively munched on the celery stick as he watched Candace out of the corner of his eyes. She was dressed in a red tank top and Disney Princess pajama bottoms while scrolling through Netflix on the television.

When she turned to look at him, he almost choked.

"How you feelin'?"

He almost found it hard to speak, "Better. Much better, actually. Thank you."

Candace shrugged, "I like to help people. If I didn't I would make a shitty doctor."

"Doctor?"

"Yeah. Doctor, but not just any doctor. I want to be a Pediatric Doctor. I love working with kids."

He was genuinely shocked, "Wow. That's amazing."

"I'm not like you," she rested her chin against her hand. "A doctor at the age of twenty."

"It was going to take me longer," he finished off the celery, "but I found that some of my classes could be taken in mini terms. I switched my schedule around at the last minute."

"Ha," she continued to flip through Netflix not looking at him, "fuck a mini term. I'm not a genius like you, but I'm not stupid either. My anxiety can't handle one of those."

Rowen sat up fully, huffing, "It does take someone with a certain amount of fortitude."

"Hm," Candace was still staring at the television, "I have fortitude, but not for mini terms."

He didn't know what to say, and apparently neither did she. They both sat in an awkward silence for some time. Rowen watched as she kept her eyes on the television. He was still in his Doctor Who costume. While he loved the Fourth Doctor, he didn't realize it would make him so hot. He removed the scarf, folding it neatly and placing it beside him. Should he say something? Was the reason he was so hot was because he was simply alone with her? He could feel his heart rapidly beating in his chest.

Why did this female have such an effect on him?

He cleared his throat, "I suppose I should call an Uber."

Candace shrugged, "It's up to you. Y-you're welcome to stay. We could watch some movies or something."

"It isn't proper for us to be alone."

"Jesus…what?" Candace turned to look at him. "Are you from the fifties or some shit? We are friends. You have a girlfriend, and I am going to be single until I die."

Rowen choked, "That's a bit extreme, isn't it?"

"Nah," she waved her hand at him. "I'm too…uh, fiery? That's not the word. Passionate? Extreme? Too much is what I should say." She whipped her head around to look at him. "It doesn't matter. My point is, you are in a committed relationship and I am committed to being single. I don't give any fucks what people think. I do what I want."

This girl was full of surprises. He wanted to laugh, but would she find that offensive? Instead, he nodded in agreement with her statement.

"I wouldn't say I'm the same way."

"Life is easier when you don't care what people think," she put the remote down and moved her hands as if she was displaying something. "Behold my field of fucks. Notice that it is barren. Therefore, I give no fucks."

Rowen shook his head, "I have to disagree with you. People's opinion of you is what helps you to progress in the personal and professional world."

"Now you misunderstand," she shifted her body to where she was facing him. Her braid was resting over her shoulder while the rest of it was curled in her lap. "I wouldn't go to work acting like a jackass or treat anyone with disrespect unless they did it first. I'm a Southern girl; we wrote the book on manners. I'm saying I don't care what people think of how I live my life or what I do-"

His ability to hear left him at that moment during her rant. He couldn't concentrate on what she was saying because he was focused on the way her breasts moved in the tank top with her animated speech. The way her tiny body was curled in that chair made his mind wander to the various positions he would bend and twist her body if he ever got the chance to fuck her. Those plump red lips of hers moved so quickly it was as if they were begging him to close the distance and take her mouth in a passionate kiss. He wanted to wrap that long, black hair around his hand and pull on it while he vigorously took her from behind. The only thing he could hear was her screams and cries while he plunged himself inside her.

Rowen could feel himself getting an erection. Reality chose that moment to hit him like lightning.

Calm down, Hashiba. You're being a scumbag.

"...so I'm not like a total dick or anything."

When she said that word, his whole body went rigid.

Get yourself together!

"...I just live my life how I want. My life, my choice."

Say something, dammit! "E-exactly what I would say."

Candace looked confused, "But you said you didn't agree with my philosophy."

"That was until you went about it in such great detail." Good save.

"Mm," she was twirling the end of her braid around in her fingers. "Brevity has never been my strong suit. Sorry I got on my soapbox."

He decided to change the subject, "What movie are we going to watch?"

She genuinely appeared shocked before fumbling over her words, "The, da…um, I dunno! It's Halloween so I figured something scary."

"Let's go with that."

—

Rekino honestly didn't think that he was going to stay with her, but when he asked what movie they were going to watch her stomach did a somersault. Was this real? Was he really going to stay? She looked around the room trying to calm her anxiety. Focus on something else and breathe. Don't look like an idiot!

When Rowen took off the jacket to his costume, she cleared her throat, "I might have something more comfortable for you to wear. I mean, you know, if you wanna change."

He looked perplexed, "You just have random men's clothes laying around?"

"Josephine tends to wear men's t-shirts," she started, "but it's not really like that. It's something more along the lines of a sentimental value. I'll be right back."

Rekino jumped out of the chair and was in her room like the fires of Hell were on her heels. Shit, her heart was racing. The guy she was hardcore crushing on and fantasized about was in her living room and he was going to stay the night. She had to compose herself, though, because Rowen was in a committed relationship with Invidya. She wanted to hate her, but couldn't bring herself to do it. Invidya was a genuinely nice person. Plus, the girl got her jokes.

She hastily opened her closet door trying to find a certain black and red box she had been given before she left America. It didn't take her long to find it, thankfully. Rekino grabbed the box and left her room just as quickly as she had gotten there. Rowen was looking at something on his phone with a strange intensity in his eyes.

Gods above and below, he's like Adonis.

When Rekino cleared her throat, he turned off the screen to his phone.

"Quick story," she handed him the box, "before I left home my shidoshi, I mean, my sensei-"

"I know what a shidoshi is, Candace."

"-challenged me to one-on-one combat. He told me that if I won I could keep his gi as a sort of trophy. I just got my fourth degree black belt-"

"-Hana said you were a fifth degree."

Rekino shook her head, "I have to go to Kyoto to get that certification. I haven't even registered with a dojo here yet." She huffed at him. "Stop interrupting me, you sumbitch."

Rowen chuckled and held up his hands as a sign of surrender. That sound was almost like she got struck by lightning.

"Just leave the arms guards and the rest of the shit in there. I figure this would be more comfortable than what you have on. The bathroom is the third door on the left."

When the bathroom door closed, Rekino ran into the kitchen. She felt like she was a ferret on meth. What did he drink? Would he like water? She wondered if he was hungry. While she wasn't as good a cook as Amaya, Rekino could handle herself in a kitchen fairly well. She would ask him when he got out if he was hungry. Would that be too forward? She was starting to panic. She didn't know what to do at this point. She was raised in an American Southern family, dammit. Being a good host should not be a problem.

"I think it's a little big."

Fuck! He had snuck into the room while her thoughts were running rampant. So much for being a master ninja. But when she turned to look at him, it was like he was a blessed rain after a drought. Her sensei had been like a father to her, but Rowen Hashiba looked almost delectable in that gi.

"More or less," she got two glasses out of the cabinet. "He was about your height, but a bigger build." She opened the refrigerator and poured them both a drink.

He raised an eyebrow, "What is that?"

Rekino smiled at him, "Where I come from we drink tea cold and sweet. Give it a try."

Rowen took the cup from her, but she could tell he was hesitant to drink it. His face seemed genuinely surprised after he tasted it.

"It's not bad," he took another small sip, "but it's just strange. It's definitely sweet."

"Diabetes in a glass," she laughed.

It was almost like her nervousness had disappeared. She usually couldn't form sentences when he was around. Tonight was different. There was something about the fact she wasn't having to wear a costume to keep herself hidden. She still had to keep up the character of Candace Askea, but the mood wasn't as tense. Something seemed off yet right all at the same time.

"Since you're the guest," Rekino reached high into another cabinet and pulled out some popcorn, "you can pick the movies and stuff. I'll get the food."

Rekino tried to tell herself she was imagining his dark blue eyes, filled with sexual appreciation, watching every move she made. Maybe she was reading the situation all wrong. He had a girlfriend; he didn't need her. The popcorn in the microwave sounded like small explosions in her ear.

"Well," Rowen cleared his throat, "you said horror. I am particularly fond of horror movies."

She quickly got two small bowls from another cabinet, "That's fine, but I don't do zombies or possession. Nope. Shit terrifies me." She opened the microwave and divided the snack equally into the two bowls. When she turned around to see him grinning, she knew she had fucked up.

"Then you've never seen The Exorcist?"

She wanted to die, "Hell NO!"

"You said the guest gets to choose."

"Negative, Ghost Rider. No bueno."

"It's just a movie."

There was a small moment of silence as the two stood in the kitchen. When Rowen gave her a small, half smile Rekino's will crumbled. Her shoulders slumped combined with a sigh of defeat.

"Fine. Fine!" She marched back into the living room with the bowls of popcorn. "I'm gonna have nightmares for weeks."

—-

Three shadowy figures stood in a field across from the house where Rowen of the Strata and Rekino of the Lady Wildfire were located. The tallest of the three flicked a finished cigarette into the road.

"Master," the one on his left said, "preparations are almost complete. We need to strike before The Balance knows our plan."

"Tch, he already knows we are here," the man sneered, "but he doesn't know what we are planning to do."

"Sho Ahka," the female on the right spoke up, "I think we need to act sooner rather than later."

"Nonsense," the man looked up at the moonless sky. Even the stars seemed to shine dimmer. "A few more things need to be achieved before we make our move, and when we do…these foolish mortals will never forget it."

—-

Next chapter: The Arrival of Family

AN: Always remember to read and review! It is what keeps me going.