Chapter 3: One Again

Shin didn't want to go in. His anxiety was through the roof from the text to come to dinner. To be honest, if it wasn't Shuu nagging him he wouldn't have shown up. He leaned on his steering wheel and breathed deeply. He had let all those memories go years ago. He lived a quiet peaceful life at his bakery with not much more than the occasional business professional mad that their coffee wasn't hot enough. He could handle that.

He heard a knock on his window and looked up to see smiling Shuu in his well pressed suit. Detective looked good on him, "Those donuts for me?"

"Everyone," Shin smiled. Only he could lighten things up with a joke before they went in. He handed him the box through the window and then climbed his old Pontiac. His car honked as he locked it. Shuu grinned and the both looked back at the electric lime motorcycle that pulled up. "That must be Seiji ."

Sure enough it was confirmed when Seiji pulled his helmet off with a swish of blonde hair. He glanced at them as he got off his bike and walked past with his hands in his pockets.

Shuu shrugged and shin sighed as they walked after. Seiji pressed the doorbell and they were greeted almost immediately by Ryo.

He smiled, "Hey guys guys! Touma is in the living room with Jun."

Shin took the donuts, he took the doughnuts from Shuu. He could smell the spice coming from the kitchen someone had to in there cooking, "let me help you in the kitchen.". He said as he started walking that way.

Hoshi could hear the footsteps coming towards the kitchen. She was sitting down just winded. She looked up and saw a sweet brown haired man come in and stood up. "oh, hello. I'm Mia's house sitter."

He shook her hand. He knew none of the guys could cook, "I'm Shin."

She just smiled and sat back down. He seemed tense or sad. She had felt the pull of his armor but only a brief second as he walked to the cabinet to grab a plate for the doughnuts. "I can do that. Go say hi to your friends…."

He seemed to be fighting tears.

He was putting the doughnuts on the plate, "sorry, being here brings up some bad memories…"

"Ryo said you guys had a tough few years before going your separate ways," Hoshi said as she went to check on the roast. She saw White Blaze munching on the raw one she had left him. "Shin, right? He said you might come help me first. "

He was lean and built like a swimmer Hoshi noticed as she basted the meat with chili sauce. His auburn hair was long and pulled into a braid, "he really missed you all…"

"He could have called instead of running to fight off poachers," Shin grumbled. "Even between that stuff, he just left…"

Hoshi could see he looked hurt the most as she placed the roast back in the oven. She washed her hands and walked over to him and touched his arm softly. She could feel the ebb and pull of his armor even more now. His armor was tied to his emotions and he looked at her oddly, "you're…"

She gulped as she pulled back, "sorry, my power can soothe sometimes."

"You're one of us?"

"No." she laughed nervously and sat down feeling a bit tired from her power , "something more like a mage ... .Ryo is probably explaining it to the other's right now as well. But I'm an armor healer."

"Are you okay," he asked as he looked her over. She seemed a bit pale. He grabbed a glass of water for her and touched her hand, "did you use your power earlier?"

She blushed, "you can feel my powers?"

He nodded as he rubbed her hand. "Water is a funny thing. Anything that touches it leaves its traces behind.".

He then got her a cool rag, he knew more than just that from that brief moment, "you don't have to be here."

She blinked as he put the tag on her neck.

"You can choose a life without fighting and war and all of this," he said as he sat with her. "If you choose Ryo…. You choose that…"

She gulped. He was not wrong. She sighed and leaned her head down, "I get pulled in regardless… maybe If I choose to be here. I get to choose the outcome."

He rubbed her arm where the burns were, "how old were you?"

"17. Almost 18. I just met Z…" she paused as she leaned back and thought back. "He had almost died in front of me when my powers appeared….." she sighed. "I wasn't very useful at our final battle though."

Ryo was in the doorway when he heard part of her story, Touma had been catching up with Seiji and Shu so he thought he would step out to check on her. He stopped to listen. Shin saw him and motioned to him to not interrupt.

"He still died. He died trying to save as many as he could. Zaine was like that." She could see the flames climbing high and hearing the screams. "I don't even know how I got out. My sister said she found me under some debris that must have sheltered me …but when I woke up. I was covered in burns. Half my friends and Z were gone. But that's when I met Mia."

Ryo sat next to her at the kitchen table and squeezed her hand, "I do remember Mia running off when Suzunagi showed up saying she had more important issues to deal with."

"Yes, she saved our ass from the US government," Hoshi thought. "and I thinkk yours too. There's some watchdog group who knows about these events, like the CIA."

Shin thought about some more, "is that how she met her husband?"

"Yeah. He was friends with her grandfather. I think he used to run political interference too," she shrugged as the alarm on the stove went off.

"Sit," Shin ordered as he got up to pull out the roast. He could see White Blaze eyeing him. "You try anything and I'll skin you."

Ryo rubbed her hand soft and touched her face. She looked so sad. He asked, "who was Z?"

"Zaine Le Jaque, Dark Moth." She giggled at first. "corny ass name." She looked at him, "do you really want to know?" He nodded. "He was my boyfriend then husband."

"Oh…"

Tears stung her eyes and he hugged her tight. His warmth was nice and comforting. "He died saving San diego…" she kept crying into his shoulder and he squeezed her tighter. He wasn't letting go of her. She cried into his shoulder for a bit. It had been a long time since she had cried.

He kissed her eyes and wiped her tears with a napkin shin handed him, "I'm not that the best at this sort of thing…"

"..he's terrible at it," Shin added and Ryo shot him a look. "But we're not them. I'm not him. And you are a different you. Let's just take this one step at a time. Okay?"

Shin touched Ryo's forehead, "are you sick?"

Ryo smacked his hand away, "maybe I've grown up a bit."

Shin nodded some, "some time away helped you then?"

"I needed to see the world without the constant pending doom always looming," Ryo answered. "I missed you all every day. But I knew that we were falling apart because of the trauma this sort of stuff causes. Mia suggested I find my life for a bit. "

Ryo also didn't realize the others had walked in as well behind him.

Shuu scratched his head, "I mean….she wasn't wrong. She did tell us all that."

Ryo looked back, "and it's not like Africa has a lot of phones."

Touma scratched his scruffy chin, "Maria ain't that bad…might ask for my job back at Sweet Corp tomorrow ….."

Hoshi giggled, "Maria De La Cruz?"

"Yeah," Touma paused and Seiji shrugged quietly.

"That's my sister!"

"Small world," Seiji smirked as Touma groaned. There was two of them.

Seiji snorted, "welp, sounds like you're in trouble now."

Hoshi raised a brow, "what did you do???????!"

Jun walked by, "quit.and locked her in the mech room."

"Oh gawd. She's gonna murder ten ways from Sunday," Hoshi gasped and he groaned, making them all laugh.

She smiled. She felt their positive energy and was feeling better. "Are you all hungry?"

"Starved," Shuu complained.

Shin sighed, "that hasn't changed a bit either." Making them laugh together again.

He helped Hoshi prepare the tacos with cheese cheese and all the sides. Shuu helped dice up the cilantro and onion, "I went on a trip to Mexico a few years back… I ate tacos every day!"

Hoshi giggled, "my mom would love to feed you."

Shuu smirked as he stuffed his face, "sounds like an awesome mom."

The group ate and joked and drank til their hearts content. Hoshi dismissing herself at one part to let them settle their squabbles by themselves now because they seemed to have let some of it go earlier. She was going to do dishes but Shin scolded her and said the boys could do that. She cooked, they could clean.

So she went to sit on the roof and watch the stars. Maybe things were changing.

The stars.

Her namesake.

Great big balls of gas and metals churning up like cauldrons across the universe. Some big. Some small. some bright but so far away it took billions of years to see their light. She used to dream that she walked among them. Danced with them. But those were just dreams of a child. Why she wanted to be a dancer. To feel weightless and be a part of that structure and web.

She stood up, she had grabbed her cd player on the way up. She took a deep breath as she felt the music enter her mind and she started with first position.

Then she felt them.

She knew they were coming.

It was just one but she knew there were three more.

Odd.

She had felt the movement of the five in the house.

Cold steel was pressed against her neck and she gulped. The gentle touch of metal was all she needed to feel it.

It wasn't an element per say but a season: Spring. She felt the armor's grafted personality though without seeing the person and shivered. It was like having an Oni standing behind her. She breathed, if they wanted her dead. She would have died. "Can I help you?"

A female voice answered as she grabbed her back to the armor, "who are you."

Hoshi looked up as she painfully hit back against the armor and saw a beautiful pair of indigo eyes and alabaster skin under a fearsome Oni like mask. She gulped. Her mouth was dry, "Hoshi De La Cruz and you…"

"Stop playing around," she growled, pressing the sickle tighter against her skin. It stung as it cut skin.

"Knock it off Kayura. Clearly the girl thinks you were just asking her name," slithered a man as a green snake like armor appeared. She didn't feel that one either. He touched her face, "oh she's cute!"

Hoshi screamed at his touch, it felt like a million snakes had been poured all over her. Autumn.

"Curious," a third voice said as a spider-like armor appeared and touched her arm causing her to scream again. This time a million spiders on her skin. Summer.

She felt her head swimming and felt her legs get weak underneath. Her stomach churned from their armors. So much old power and rage.

Then there was one more. She felt him before she saw him. Cold like bitter witter and she begged the woman holding her, "please, please please don't let that one touch me."

The woman dropped her sickle and pulled her out of the way just seconds before a man in dark badger-like armor tried to touch her. At first, she had felt an immense power from her and had watched how she interacted with the robins. Wondering exactly what she wanted with them. But no. This was not what she thought it was.

A new enemy maybe.

Not someone who could feel their powers.

She shed her armor so she wore only her shrine maiden outfit. She looked terrified of them and she realized she had every right to be.

Hoshi sobbed loudly at the feeling of her skin crawling and she scrambled and scratched at her skin. She saw a flash of light but her body felt like it was having an allergic reaction. It was hot and itching and she heard a loud roar and saw blaze jump in front of her.

"Leave her alone," she heard Ryo yell. It felt far far away.

Shin touched her and she suddenly felt his soothing power flower into her and she regained some of her composure. She noticed the five men standing in front of her as well as the tiger. Jun knelt down, "you okay?"

Hoshi gulped and licked her lips. She breathed. She had felt bad powers but this wasn't something different. Old and terrible. She breathed, "took me by surprise is all…."

Ryo narrowed his eyes at the warlord's, "what are you doing here and why'd you go after her?"

Kayura sighed, "we all felt a new power touch yours. An old one. And we wanted to make sure you all were safe since the rodents started scurrying in the nether realm at the same time."

The snake-like armor licked his hand, "oh, she's sweet… and that power would attract them."

Hoshi shivered in disgust at that, "well, that's just harassment…at this point. You guys don't have HR?" Seiji stood closer to her. He didn't seem to like them much, glaring them down.

Kayura looked back at the snake armor, "Naza, you are making her uncomfortable. Please, refrain and I think removing your armors may help as well for you three."

"He's not wrong," the spider said as he shed his armor. He had long white Waverly hair and an eye covered in an eye patch. "Your power is sweet to those in the nether realm both from what it is and its age."

Hoshi groaned, "dammit. I can't go anywhere. Usually, my sister or my cousin or Juan…." She paused as she had a thought, "did Mia send me here knowing I would meet you all?"

Jun nodded, "that sounds like her."

"Yay…."

The one who wore badger like armor shed his armor and Hoshi almost snickered as he looked like wolverine in some ways. "A clever woman that Mia girl is, what a magnificent tactic."

Kayura sighed and looked at her, "what are you?"

Hoshi looked at them and started to feel anxiety from all the looks and the pondering. She felt her heart start racing, tears welled and she couldn't help but cry. Ryo sighed and hugged her. He looked at the warlords, "okay, maybe now is not the best time for that Kayura. She's not Arago. Was really threatening her the best way about this?"

The man in snake armor slithered as she sobbed, "reminds me of you Kayura…"

"Fine," she sighed.

Hoshi wiped her eyes, "there's still some food. You four are more than welcome to have dinner and stay. I need some sleep to figure this out tomorrow. I'm going to call Mia."