Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Awakening Angel ❯ Heart-Breaking Confrontation ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: Does everyone get tired of reading these things like I get tired of writing them? Okay, I don't own the Ronin Warriors. If I did, I'd be a rich girl and wouldn't spend my time sitting in my room decorated with nude Rowen pictures (kidding, kidding! Me es not ecchi.) and writing fanfics for the Internet. Shara, Miaka, Kenji, and the two new Dynasty guys are mine, though. And guess what! One of them is about to get a name! *gasp!* Anyway, no taking them!

Heart-Breaking Confrontation

"Fixed a huge feast as usual, eh, Cye?" Rowen wandered into the dining room, fresh out of the shower and now wearing jeans and a dark blue shirt that clung to his damp skin. "Good thing. After all that training, I'm starving!"

"And I'm suffering." Shara groaned as she limped into the room and collapsed in one of the dining table's chairs. "I gave myself a quick examination when I went to take my shower. My ribs are definitely cracked, if not broken, and I'm pretty sure you caused major damage to my elbow and knee. It could take weeks for me to recover!"

He walked over to stand behind her and ran his fingers through her wet ponytail. "I'm sorry, Shara… I got so carried away. Is there anything I can do to help?"

She shook her head. "Only if you can turn that wicked psychic blast of yours into healing energy, or something. You'd think the Warrior of Life would have some kind of regenerative power, right? Not just a destructive one."

"The honor of healing power belongs to the Warrior of Wisdom, Shar." Sage strolled into the room, and a wave of guilt seized control of Shara. She simply stared at him, feeling the heat rushing to her cheeks.

He tilted his head and gave her a strange look. "What's the matter, hon? You look embarrassed."

She fumbled for a good answer, her mind racing in circles. "I… umm… well… I'm just embarrassed that… I got beat up so easily… And that you can see me all battered and bruised like this. I've always wanted to be strong for you… but I'm just a typical easily-injured housewife, I guess…"

He chuckled and kneeled beside her chair. "You could never disappoint me, Shar. And you're anything but typical!" He planted a kiss on her hand, and another on the inside of her wrist. "Regardless, I can fix your injuries, I think. On this last training trip I was hurt when I fell off of a cliff, but the fall also seemed to help me master a new power. That's part of the reason I hurried back here," he said sheepishly. "I wanted to show off to the guys. Anyway, I fixed my own broken leg; maybe I can help you out, too." Sage lifted her out of the chair and carried her into the living room, stretching her slender body across Cye's couch. Cye and Rowen followed them, both curious to see Sage's miracle power.

Ryo wandered in, drying his hair with a towel. "Hey, what are you guys doing?"

Cye shushed his friend. "Quiet. Sage is trying to show us some new healing power he gained during his last training session."

"Oh. Cool." He sat down to watch.

"Umm… How, exactly, is this going to work?" She looked up at Sage nervously, the heat of embarrassment refusing to leave her cheeks.

"Just relax. Let me take care of you." He placed his hands delicately on her wounded knee and closed his eyes. A look of concentration passed over his face, his lips pressed tightly together as he thought. Shara watched his lithe fingers begin to slowly massage the afflicted area, sending waves of warmth rippling through her leg. It was a delightful feeling, one that sent her reeling with pleasure. His hands seemed to be growing warmer and warmer, as was the skin he touched. She gazed in amazement when a faint emerald light seemed to emit from his palms. It touched her skin and was slowly absorbed, turning her knee an iridescent green. A drowsy feeling of peace descended on Shara, and she laid flat on the couch. Her eyes drifted closed; the warm feeling easing her into sleep.

"Shara."

She felt a gentle touch on her shoulder. "Mmm…"

"Come on, wake up. You're all done."

She reluctantly opened her eyes and gazed up at Sage's smiling face. "Already…? Darn. Remind me to get hurt more often, as long as I get this treatment every time."

He laughed. "You enjoyed it, I take it?"
"Oh, yeah. Better than sex." She grinned playfully and sat up, rolling her shoulders and flexing the muscles of her right arm and leg. "And it really works, too. Very cool." Shara stood up and took a couple steps around the room, putting all her weight on her formerly injured knee to test its strength. "Seems good as new. Thanks a lot, Sage."

"My pleasure, Shar." He embraced his wife and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. Shara's cheeks burned pink: for the first time in her life, she felt uncomfortable in Sage's arms. The feeling terrified her.

She pulled out of his hug and forced a bright smile. "Well! Now that we're done with that. Let's go eat!" Shara strode quickly into the dining room, hoping no one had noticed the tense note in her voice. The other four Warriors followed closely behind her.

"Hey, guys!"

"…. Oh, great." Rowen stared in dismay at the table. "Guess we're not going to have much of a feast, after all."

Kento sat at the table, a stack of empty dishes beside his plate. A turkey drumstick was clutched in his fist, half-eaten. Beside it was a huge pile of bones: the rest of the two turkeys Cye had prepared. He picked up another bowl and downed the rest of the steamed rice in one gulp.

"You guys are missing a great meal! Come on, eat something!" He picked up three sushi rolls in his chopsticks and swallowed them practically whole.

"What's left to eat?" Ryo muttered, annoyance slipping into his voice. "Honestly, Kento, does your stomach ever get full?"

Shara shook her head and laughed. "I doubt it. Anyway, we better grab something before it's all gone!" As she started toward her plate, a sudden flash of gold light lit the room. Kayura stood on the table, a dark look in her eyes.

"I have tragic news. Miaka has been captured."

Ryo's face went white. "No… How… How did it happen?"

"The last image I saw from her mind was that of the castle's throne room. I assume the she was seen and knocked unconscious. The crystal I gave her has also been taken. If it was still in her possession, I could track her position and retrieving her would be rather simple. But now any rescue mission will be much more complicated." She looked at each Warrior gravely. "That is, if you think it would be wise to try and rescue her. If it is more important than adhering to the plan."

"Of course we'll try and get her back!" Sage look shocked that Kayura could even suggest leaving Miaka to endure the Dynasty's torture. "Our original plan was good, but it would only work if Miaka stayed out of sight. And she didn't. So now we need a brand new idea."

Ryo nodded. "And I have the perfect plan." He raised his hand and shouted to the heavens. "Armor of Wildfire! Tao chi!" His red and white armor appeared piece by piece in flashes of brilliant light, covering his muscular form from head to toe. Pink cherry blossoms carpeted the dining room's floor and table as they showered around the Warrior. After the transformation was complete, Ryo drew his two katanas and shifted into a fighting stance.

"Now we fight."

Each Ronin nodded slowly, seeing they had no other choice. One by one, the men called on the Armors they hadn't used for almost seven years.

"Armor of Hardrock!"

"Armor of Torrent!"

"Armor of Strata!"

"Armor of Halo!"

The five Warriors stood side-by-side, the same determined gleam in each set of blue eyes. They were ready for action. Five incredible powers of five extraordinary young men united by a common goal. No force on the earth could have stood against them.

But the Dynasty was not of Earth.

"You guys…" Shara bit her lip. "I don't want to burst your heroic bubbles, or anything, but… This is completely pointless. I mean, I don't want to abandon Miaka any more than the rest of you, but there's no way you five will be a match for the new level of Dynasty Warlords. You couldn't even beat the last ones! And the guy I saw was much stronger than I remember the last guys to be."

"Shara, there weren't any Warlords last time. Only an Emperor and some pathetic minions. As far as you know, the new guys could be much weaker than us." Sage tried to reassure her.

Ryo snorted. "The only reason the guy you faced seemed so tough is because you're a wimp, Shara. Without your Armor, a five-year-old could beat you up."

She stiffened, trying to suppress an angry retort. Shara took a deep breath and chose her words very carefully. "I'm going to let that slide, Ryo, because I know you're just worried about your wife. As I was saying-"

"No, I'm not 'just worried about my wife.' I'm angry at you. If it wasn't for your pathetic weakness, Miaka wouldn't be in trouble. If you were a good enough mother and had protected Kenji, none of this would've happened! It's all your fault, Shara!" Flames sparked in the depths of Ryo's eyes, burning with rage and, a little deeper, an unfathomable sadness. "Because of you, everything I hold dear has been taken from me! And I will never… ever… forgive you for that!"

She staggered back, each word, each insult like a physical blow. "No… It wasn't… I didn't mean… Guys? Do… do you all think that?" Shara looked from one Ronin to the next. Each man averted his gaze from her.

She collapsed in one of the chairs, a pain growing in her chest. "You… you all do. You agree with him…" Shara looked at Sage and Rowen again. "Even you two?" The two Ronins looked at each other, and then went back to studying the toes of their boots. The pain grew sharper, like someone had thrust a dagger into her heart and was now twisting it to deepen the wound. It was a new feeling, and one Shara wasn't thrilled about experiencing.

"Sage… my own husband… And Rowen…" Her words caught in her throat as she choked back tears. "I can't believe this…. You think I've doomed Ryo's wife? That I was just too careless when the Warlord attacked me?" With each word, her grief gave way to all-out fury. "You honestly think I just let Kenji be taken? Because I didn't want to try to help him?" She shot to her feet and glared at them all, eyes flashing with indignation. "I love my son! I can't believe any of you think I would just let him be stolen from me!"

She stepped in front of Ryo and poked a finger in his chest. "And you! I know how much Miaka means to you. She was my friend before you even met her! I care about her almost as much as you! I never want to see her hurt! I didn't send her out so she could get hurt. She volunteered, Ryo. Because she cared about me and my family. Because she wanted to help. And all you can do is point fingers and whine. If you didn't want her to go, you should've tried to stop her. Not that you really could've, or anything. But that isn't even the point!" She shook her head and jabbed him with her finger once more. "I didn't force Miaka to go, I didn't turn her over to the Dynasty. Sometimes bad things happen, and all you can do is try and fix them. They're not anyone's fault; that's just how life goes. So don't go blaming me for this."

She whirled to face the rest of the group. "How could any of you doubt me? After all I've done for you! I saved all of you once! If it wasn't for me, you'd all be dead! Can't I get a little respect?" Shara turned her gaze to Kento. "You only got to move in with Cye and continue your little… thing… because I saved you from the Dynasty! You'd be lost if it wasn't for me!"

She faced Cye next. "Same goes for you, little homemaker. Your life would be nothing without Kento, and I brought him back to you. Where's the gratitude?"

Next was Sage. "And you. My own husband! How could you turn on me like this? How could you think that I have anything less than the best intentions? You know me, Sage! You know I only want the best for everyone… I'd never try to hurt any of you intentionally…"

Last she switched her attention to Rowen. "As for you…" Shara lowered her head for a moment and took a deep breath. "… I don't know what to say to you. After all we've been through together… After all I've done to make things okay for you… To try to make you happy… How could you, Rowen…? How…?" She fell to her knees in front of him and wept openly, her fury finally conquered by sorrow.

Cye and Kento exchanged glances, each feeling the truth of Shara's words. Ryo gazed at the floor thoughtfully, partially ashamed of his behavior. Sage simply stared at his crying wife, feeling guilty for treating her with such cruelty. But not one of them moved to comfort her.

(AN: Warning, warning! Major cheesy lines ahead. *cringes*)

Rowen gazed down at her, and his heart almost broke. She had done everything for him, had done everything in her power to make sure his life went as smoothly as possible. That he wouldn't make any unnecessary enemies, or destroy his own soul with jealousy and bitterness. She was innocence and honesty and faith. But he had ripped that all away. He didn't have the right to condemn her after all he had done, after all he had taken away from her.

Rowen looked at the Warriors, all frozen in place. He couldn't understand why one of them didn't move to hold Shara, to comfort her, to offer apologies.

Well, if they won't, I will. Someone has to show Shara that she's still loved.

He kneeled beside her and wrapped the sobbing woman in a loving embrace. He pressed his lips against her silky golden hair before tilting her face up so he could kiss away her tears. "Don't cry any more, Shara… We all love you. No matter how upset and irrational we get, each of knows in his heart how important and wonderful you are. We'll never forget. I'll never forget…" Rowen ran his thumb over her damp cheek and smiled softly. "And I never want to see you cry. It hurts me to see you in pain… I hope you know that…"

She closed her eyes and nodded slowly. "Yes, Rowen… I know. I know. And it's the same for me…" She leaned forward, burying her face in his shoulder, and wrapped her arms around him. Exactly as before, the world around them began to fade away and the two lost themselves in the blissful silence of each other's presence.

Rowen… Oh, don't ever let me go… I don't want to leave here, I don't want to go back to having to deal with all these problems… I just want to stay safe and warm… and with you. Forever and always.

He seemed startled by that. With me? Forever…? Are you… are you serious, Shara? Do you truly think that you want to be with me? To love me? It was like his greatest wish was about to be granted.

Rowen… I lo--

Why was Rowen the first one to move? Why didn't I do anything? I love her more than anyone else. I should've done something… said something… But now she thinks I hate her, I bet… I'll be lucky if she ever forgives me… I threw away the one person in my life that would do anything for me. The one person I love more than life itself. I have nothing…

Shara lifted her head from Rowen's shoulder, the trance suddenly broken. She was feeling the anguish of her husband's thoughts. Hearing his words as he berated himself for hurting her, grieving for the love he thought he had destroyed. The feelings she had been experiencing with Rowen were swept away by the power of a sudden rush of overwhelming love for Sage. She pulled out of Rowen's arms.

"No… No, Sage…" She stood up and threw her arms around her husband's neck, placing kisses across his forehead and down the side of his face. "You won't lose me this easily. I love you. More than anything, more than anyone. I'll never leave your side, no matter how bad things get. Because you are my other half, Sage. Without you… I'm nothing. Nothing."

He looked at her strangely, trying to figure out how she had known what he was thinking. But then he smiled as she continued to shower his face with kisses. "I wouldn't know what to do without you, Shara… You're my life. I died for you, I live because of you. I'm sorry I acted so coldly, sweetheart… I'll never do it again. Never, ever." Sage cupped her chin in his hand and lowered his lips to hers, capturing them in a warm kiss.

Rowen stood, a bitter coldness creeping into his gaze as he stared at the couple. "Break it up already. It's really getting pathetic."

Kayura's wise gaze swept across the trio as she tried to analyze what was happening. Ryo, Kento, and Cye all stared at Rowen, shocked by his outburst. They backed up a few steps, afraid of the dark aura that seemed to be growing around the Warrior of Life. Of the cold wind that had begun to sweep through the room as the darkness grew. Of the dark cloud that had drifted into the room and caused everything to be in shadow.

Sage looked at his fellow Warrior and frowned. "Excuse me?"

"You heard what I said, Sage. Really, this whole thing between you and Shara is pathetic. There's no way she actually loves you as much as you think."

Shara turned to face Rowen, her eyes wide. "Rowen… Stop this. You shouldn't be saying such things…"

He snorted derisively and took a step toward the pair. His eyes were beginning to be invaded by a dark shadow, a black oil seeping across and obscuring the beautiful blue. "I can say whatever I want, Shara. At least the things I'll say will be the truth. Which is more than you can say, isn't it?"

Sage shook his head, confusion written across his face. "Slow down a minute. Are you saying Shara is a liar? Come on… we both know that isn't true."

"Oh, isn't it? Sage, Sage… Would you really like to hear about your darling wife? About all the lies she's told you? About how completely unfaithful she is to you?" Rowen tossed his head back and laughed. "Sit down, kiddies. Uncle Rowen is about to tell you the tale of Shara the slut."

She shrank back, her fingers curling around Sage's arm. "No, Rowen… You wouldn't… You can't…"

"I can, and I will. I'm sick of covering for you, Shara. I'm sick of feeling terrible so you can keep your illusion of purity and light. It's time to show the whole world your true colors."

He folded his arms across his chest and smiled wickedly. "So. Where to begin? Hmm… Ah, yes. Let's start at the beginning. Long, long ago, Sage. After you had died, but before you were brought back to life. Shara was simply devastated by your death, of course, as were the rest of us. So devastated was she, as a matter of fact, that she had to seek out… comfort in others. Other men, to be specific. Now, she came after me at one point. We had… an entertaining night. Under the stars, right by the lake that's behind her grandmother's house. Actually… I think it was the same place where you two had shared your first kiss. I think that's what Shara said. Regardless, Shara practically threw herself at me. I was shocked. The girl that had pledged her eternal love to someone was trying to get into another man's pants. Of course I did the noble thing and pushed her away, telling her that she was just grief-stricken and that these urges would pass as the pain lessened."

"How very decent of you, Rowen…" Sage muttered. He tightened his grasp on Shara, and kissed the top of her head.

"Wasn't it, though?" The blue-haired man grinned. "I'm a saint. Anyway, she left, but poor Shara wasn't satisfied. I imagine that she went out later that night and found herself some other guy to satisfy herself with-"

"That isn't true!" she shouted out. Then she grimaced, realizing that she had just confirmed the first part of Rowen's story. Sage looked at her, disbelief crossing his face like a shadow. Then his eyes grew more serious, smaller and darker, as he comprehended exactly what her interruption meant.

"No, perhaps that part of the story isn't entirely accurate. Would you like me to continue, Sage?"

Tears began to gather in Shara's eyes once more.. "No, Rowen… … Sage… Please… stop him…"

He simply ignored her and grimly nodded. "Yes, Rowen. Tell me everything."

"Very well." He tapped one finger against his chin and remained quiet for quite a while. "Oh, yes. The night you were resurrected. To be honest, I had fallen in love with Shara by then. She just seemed so vulnerable and innocent. It really is a clever façade. Anyway, we were embracing on a car, and I was just about to declare my love when you appeared to spoil the moment. I was crushed, of course, but I decided that Shara's happiness was all that should matter to me. So I let you two go on your merry way, and actually accepted your offer to be best man at your wedding three weeks later. Boy was that a stupid decision. Seeing the woman you love walking down the aisle with another man doesn't exactly stir warm feelings in you. Especially when you're best man and have to try and be happy about the entire thing. I don't know how I managed to keep it together that day. No man should have to go through that, let me tell you.

"But I digress. After you two returned from your little honeymoon, and after you were off on the first of your many training expeditions, I came over to your house to talk to Shara about what had been going on between us before you came back. It was your basic 'I love you, but I know there's nothing I can do about it' speech. Your wife was… very understanding, to say the least. She hugged me and told me how very sorry she was that I was hurting so badly. I cried, she comforted… We talked for hours and hours, holding each other… One thing led to another… I ended up staying the night in your house. In your connubial bed. With your lovely, lovely wife."

"I don't think you gave her enough on your honeymoon, Sage. I swear she was like an animal that night." Rowen's eyes glittered with devilish glee as he saw the anguish on Sage's face. "She just couldn't get enough! Four times, five times… I lost count after a while. But each time was just absolutely amazing. Shara's a virtual sex goddess. Which really isn't that surprising. A girl as beautiful and agile as Shara has no excuse to be anything less than perfect in bed."

He paused in his storytelling and took a step forward. Rowen extended one arm and ran his hand down Shara's face, to her neck, and then down across her chest. "Speaking of which, have you ever taken a moment and just really looked at what you have, Sage? The exquisite beauty of you wife? Long, slender legs. Creamy white skin, soft under your fingertips. Flat, smooth stomach. Long gold hair as soft as silk. Amazing emerald eyes as deep as the oceans. And, of course, the most lovely and luscious breasts in creation. Absolutely delicious. No man could stop himself from falling in love with her. So I did what I'd always dreamed of doing. What all of us have probably thought about at one time or another. Well, except for the Dynamic Duo over there." Rowen jerked his thumb in Cye and Kento's direction.

"Of course I felt a bit of guilt over sleeping with the wife of one of my best friends, but I pushed it aside the moment we began. And I never thought about it again that entire night.

"Of course, the next morning she felt just awful. She made me promise to never breathe a word of what had happened. What else could I do? I didn't want you to hate me, Sage. No matter how in love I am with your wife, I know I can't let it get in the way of how we work together. Our duty as Ronins is too important. So I walked out that morning and didn't look back."

Rowen lowered his hand and smiled coldly at Shara. "There. Story told, love. Unless you want me to continue with the latest news."

"No. You've done quite enough, Rowen." She stepped out of the circle of Sage's arms, feeling as if she had no right to be held by such a noble man. She felt sullied, polluted. Like a foul beast that had no place within this group of righteous men. But she could still sense the corrupted air of the room. Something was seriously wrong.

Shara took Rowen by the hand and touched his cheek. "I know this isn't you. Rowen would never say such horrid things. I don't know what's wrong, I don't know why you suddenly started spouting all those… those… terrible things, or why your eyes have turned so black… But I do know you, Rowen. I know that you don't think such things, and would certainly never say them." She ran her hand down his armored chest and sighed. "So please. Whatever you're doing, whatever's making you do this… Fight it off, Rowen. Stop it from controlling you."

His eyes widened. "Shara…" A sudden spasm shook his body, and a brilliant blue light flashed from his eyes. He threw his arms around Shara and pressed his face into her hair. "Let me go! I don't want to hurt them! I don't, I don't!" He began to sob and clutched the woman even more tightly. His tears seemed to be a trigger, and the darkness that had crept into the room slowly began to gather in one spot. A shadow of a man formed behind Shara and Rowen. It appeared in more detail, bit by bit, until an intimidating man dressed in red and black armor stood in the room.

"My, my. You two managed to shatter my magic. Impressive."

Sage drew his sword and advanced on the newcomer. "Who are you?"

"Me?" He chuckled. "Call me Eros."

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Author's Notes: Yeah, yeah, I know. Not the most original name ever. But it fits. And it sounds much better than "Cupid." =P So deal. Anyway. I know I reverted back to my "babbling" style for this chapter. I actually planned on making Rowen's tale a flashback with lots of *ahem* descriptive scenes, but then I decided I needed to add something to really anger Sage terribly and that would give me something to work with in the future. Which is where the whole "Rowen fondling and leering at Shara while he rambles on about her looks" thing came in. Besides, you guys need to know how very sexy this woman is! Think of the most perfect and beautiful supermodel you can imagine. Now. Subtract the part about weighing only 80 lbs (no female character of mine is going to weigh under 125 or maybe even 140, thank you very much. Women need curves, darn it!), then add curves in all the right places. Now add cat-like eyes, a mane of gold hair, flawless skin (that doesn't need make-up. Ha!), and an impeccable taste in clothes. Now you've got the general idea. ^_^ Anyway, the description wouldn't have fit in if I'd made the whole thing a flashback… so that's why you have a nice long speech from Rowen. Besides, if I'd gone with my original plan, I'd have to change the rating of my story quite a bit! ^_^ As it is now, I'm thinking of bumping it up to PG-13. Anyway! I'm digressing, too. I just want to say sorry to everyone that gets annoyed at my constant talking, but I didn't have much choice this time around. And now that I've proven that it just isn't my characters that babble (these AN's just keep getting longer and longer…), I'll start to work on the next chapter. Ta-ta!