Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Insanity's Requiem ❯ Settling in with the wild ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: Come on…you guys know by now! : P

 

Ok, here goes chapter 2. No clue where this one will lead, but since it's still the beginning parts of the story, gotta work on settling in, right? Sooo,….here comes that part of the story! Settling in.

 

Insanity's Requiem

 

Chapter 2: Settling In with the Wild

 

 

Lena smiled up at the three boys in front of her. Suddenly she knew that she had nothing to worry about. Each of these boys, while different, seemed to each have the friendly disposition. And DAMN! They were all cute to boot. Then again, she would never say…and she hated it when someone looked at her for only that reason, so she figured that she had better have the same respect for them as well.

 

Sage grinned smugly to himself, noticing that he hadn't lost his charm when he pulled it on new girls. She shrugged it off rather quickly, but then again, it wasn't like it was his best attempt.

 

Cye smiled shyly, nodding to her in greeting, “It's good to finally meet you. I hope you have fun while you're here, and I hope that we all get along just fine.”

 

He smiled as he saw hers in return. It just seemed to be infectious. Rowen pushed his hair from his face and stepped forward. Companionably, he slung an arm over the girl's shoulder and spoke, “No need to be shy! We don't bite. Besides, we can't be all that hard to get along with. Mia puts up with us just fine!”

 

Lena laughed at that and nodded at the young blue haired man as she stepped out of the arm grip, “No, I don't think you will be.”

 

Mia chuckled, stepping forward before Kento could, speaking up, “Alright. We have to get you set up before dinner, and if we work fast, it can be done. Let's get your bags, and we'll head up to your room.”

 

Lena nodded at the young woman with a smile, as she turned around to go to the jeep, only to be stopped by Kento, “I'll get `em for you. Not a problem, besides, it's what I'm good at.”

 

“Thanks! But I can get them, it isn't a problem for me either,” Lena laughed a bit cheerfully as she reached as if to stop him. Kento just shook his head as Ryo gripped her shoulder, “Let him do it, Lena. He says he doesn't mind, so he doesn't. Besides, we all help each other here. It's pretty natural.”

 

“Alright then,” She smiled up at Ryo as she stopped trying to stop the other young man. Kento cheerfully went to grab the bags from the car as Lena followed Mia and Ryo up the stairs as Cye turned to go back into the kitchen.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

 

The night found each of them at the table as each of them began to eat the food placed in front of them. Cye had obviously out done himself with all the effort placed in the food before them, and judging by Kento's slightly red hand, had defended his realm with an iron grip.

 

“Wow! This is awesome!” Lena said out loud, amazed at all the food and the quality of. She could cook, but almost all of it was western style. She could definitely learn a thing or two from this young man. Cye flushed a bit at the praise, unused to the outside source of it from someone other then those who lived there, “Thanks…I hoped everyone would like it.”

 

“Of course we would, Cye buddy! Why wouldn't we?” Kento cried out as he began to dig in to his heart's content.

 

“Kento, you are always happy as long as your stomach is getting full,” Sage teased in his own way, sending a wink at Lena. She just merely raised an eyebrow at him with a small chuckle. She had been warned about him and the fact that he was the renowned flirt king of the high school they were going to.

 

Rowen just laughed a bit, with Ryo joining in. All in all, this was a very pleasant gathering. No one forced their cheerfulness, and it did much to put the girl at ease. Pretty soon, she was relaxed enough to talk to each of them as if they had been friends forever and beyond.

 

“So, you come out of Colorado, right?” Mia asked as Lena nodded, “What's it like there?”

 

The guys listened closely to what Lena said as she answered, “Well, compared to here, the place I come from is almost as if I'm a country girl. But the area is nice, and the mountains are truly beautiful. We have plenty of places to shop, though not as many amusements. No oceans, of course, but we do have hiking trails, camping grounds and ski resorts which are truly amazing in the winter time!”

 

“That sounds nice, but I like it here a lot too. I mean, it is where home is,” Ryo said, smiling gently at Mia.

 

“What kind of family are you from?” Sage asked. Lena figured it was a fair question, since she had already ran that question by each of them and received the answer to it rather easily.

 

“Well, I have a large family. Mom and dad, of course. But I also have a younger brother, and three younger sisters. Cat, dog…I suppose it's pretty much the usual, but my dad has this awesome way of giving advice when it's needed. He knows just how to make you think so that you don't really forget what it is that you are asking about in the first place. I really look up to him…”

 

Blinking appreciatively, Sage smiled. He knew what it was like to admire those you loved. Rowen just shrugged, his hands inching towards the sweeter choices of food to eat. Mia smiled a bit as Ryo snuck scraps down to the white tiger close to his feet. Now there was a surprise, when she found out exactly what the giant white kitty that Mia had talked about was.

 

“OK, so this is your room. It's right across from mine, and Ryo's is right over there. Sage and Rowen sleep right next to your room,” Mia said to Lena as she opened the door. Kento came up behind Ryo, who was smiling like a mad man. Setting the bags inside, he gave a wink then went back downstairs as Lena stared wide eyed at the young man.

 

“Oh, he's probably gone back downstairs to pester Cye in the kitchen,” Ryo said, answering her unspoken question.

 

“OUCH!”

 

“See?” Ryo laughed as the others joined in on the chuckle.

 

“You guys…This is really nice. Thank you so much!” Lena said as the laughter died down, looking at the other four people who were up there with her.

 

“Nah, it isn't a big deal. Trust me, Mia's had us do a lot worse around this house,” Rowen teased as Mia punched him in the arm. He jokingly winced, then shrugged as if it proved his point as Mia glared indignantly.

 

“So, you all live here?” Lena asked, tilting her head.

 

“Yea, us and well, Ryo's giant cat,” Rowen said, evasively. Sage nodded, smirking to himself as he started guessing as to what her reaction was going to be.

 

“Really? Cat's are pretty cool…I respect the choice, Ryo,” Lena smiled as he just groaned and shrugged, responding, “I just hope you feel that way later on.”

 

Lena blinked cluelessly as the other guys moved away from the door and Ryo gave a shrill whistle. Suddenly, a white blur shot into the room and stopped at his master's feet. Black stripes decorated the otherwise flawlessly white coat and intelligent brown eyes looked up at Lena with keen interest.

 

“Holy! You have a tiger?!” Lena's eyes seemed to pop out of her head as her jaw dropped and she stood in shock. The others started chuckling softly; Rowen was getting the biggest kick out of it as Sage waited for the scream. It never came. Lena swallowed the saliva collecting in her mouth and gathered her resolve. Walking over to the tiger, which was obviously not going to jump on anyone right then, she held a shaking hand out to the creature. The tiger stepped forward, rumbling, and shoved his head under her hand.

 

Finally smiling, she knelt down and began to scratch behind his ears. Sage's mouth almost dropped then. No girl, with the exception of Mia as far as he had seen, had never been able to be around a tiger of this size and not freak out. True, she was only just now shaking off the fear that she had felt before hand, but she hadn't screamed. Looking over at Rowen, he knew that he now had to part with 1000 yen. Damn…

 

“What's his name?” Lena asked, now officially mesmerized by the all too smug looking tiger.

 

“White Blaze, and from the looks of it, he thinks of you already as part of the family. He looks a little too happy about your reaction to him,” Ryo raised an eyebrow at the scene in front of him as he shook his head, dumbfounded. Then again, the tiger did always know about the people before they knew about him. He was a good judge of character, after all.

 

“So, Lena. You are going to our high school, we hear,” Rowen struck up the conversation as she nodded.

 

“Yea, I believe so. I'm supposed to mainly study the differences between the two school structures and such. But I know that I'm all but clueless,” she laughed a bit as she took a bite into the food.

 

“We'll show you around. There isn't anything to worry about! Come on, you got five big strong men looking after you,” Kento grinned, jokingly flexed as Lena raised a hand and gave a quip.

 

“True, but where is the fifth one? I see four…”Lena looked around, as if counting up the other four guys before turning her attention to Kento with a small grin. She then blinked a bit and turned redder then Ryo's shirt, “Oh! I shouldn't have said that!”

 

The guys laughed as Kento looked a tad hurt, until he realized that it was a joke. He then started laughing as well at the embarrassed predicament as Lena covered her mouth with both hands. The red face, combined with that, was enough to make him forget all about what she had said. After all, the others gave him grief all the time, “No sweat! It was kinda funny. I'm used to it.”

 

Lena looked up at him, apologetically as the others laughed, “Sorry. I have no control over my mouth sometimes. I didn't mean to say that.”

 

Kento laughed, and shrugged it off as he usually did, “At least you are comfortable enough to joke! It's ok. Are you always like this? Joking around and stuff?”

 

Cye stopped gasping like a fish as he shook his head a bit, “That's what I wanna know. We haven't had a good laugh in a while.”

 

Rowen shrugged a bit, knowing he could find humor in just about anything, as he finally calmed down. Sage was smiling as Ryo laughed a bit more. Mia giggled a bit, raising her own eyebrows as she watched what was going on around the table.

 

“I guess so. It just happens when I'm comfortable around something or someone. I guess that's what happened…but I am sorry,” Lena said quickly, as if speaking to everyone.

 

“It's not a bit deal. I'm good natured!” Kento smiled as he shrugged to himself.

 

As the table calmed down, Lena learned that they honestly welcomed a joke or two, as they passed them around each other like wildfire. All too soon, dinner began to end as Mia stood up with a small sigh, “Tomorrow, we'll pick up your school uniform. From there, I believe just about everything is set, except for your books.”

 

Lena nodded, sending a smile at the kind woman who had opened her home to her. Mia smiled back, and everyone engaged in clean up. The night was, after all, a time to wind down. They all needed it.

 

~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Kayura looked up frustratedly as she shook her staff out with a sigh. Dais stood beside her, raising an eyebrow over his good eye as he voiced his mind, “What's wrong?”

 

“The readings, the fortunes…everything is telling me that something is about to happen. But nothing is revealing itself at this time. And nothing seems to be able to break through whatever barrier is placed,” Kayura said as she stood and looked up at her warlord. Turning, she saw that the others had come up behind her.

 

“Maybe it's just a block up in energy, and it will clear out?” Sekmet tried, to no avail. The ancient merely shook her head as she focused her gaze upon him, then upon Cale.

 

“Unfortunately, it isn't. I don't think it will stop, and the spirits have already given their say. The Jewel of Soul has already begun to react. I think the spirits are searching for the one who can understand and act upon their behalf. If so, this Jewel will go to that person,” Kayura explained as she looked to the side, the crease in her brow deepening.

 

“Which means, that if this trouble really is there, then we have to find who this person is before the other…creep does…is that right?” Dais asked.

 

Kayura nodded as the others sighed in thought. It seemed like they couldn't escape the torment that was meant to riddle their beings. Such was the curse they had all taken on the day they donned their armors for the first time. They could only pray that everything worked out in the end.

 

“Should we alert the Ronins yet?” Cale asked with a cringe. Despite fighting for a different side now, he could never get along with Halo at any point, no matter what he tried.

 

“No. The spirits haven't chosen their person yet. Once they do, we will know how to react. I'm pretty sure that is what they are waiting for. This other force that I'm picking up…” Kayura said.

 

“Which means that this game is all about patience,” Dais said.

 

“I hate waiting!” Sekmet cried.

 

“You had better stop that. You are starting to sound too much like Hardrock,” Cale said as Kayura sighed, and turned to leave the room. Those two were best left to their own devices when they fought. She chose not to intervene.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

 

It's been a week since the new arrival at the Koji manor, and nothing too exciting was happening. Lena had adjusted rather well, and her presence was no longer viewed as different. Now officially the first day of school, everyone hurried to get ready for the day. The school system was a tad bit different from the others in Japan, since people could be in different classes at different times, and not be stuck in the same classroom over and over again. Many of the classes could be shared with those of younger or older grades, and all this was explained to Lena the day before.

 

Getting dressed in her uniform, she sighed. She had never been a skirt kinda person, always having opted for the more conventional pants and t-shirts that she had chosen to wear. Hearing the thumps down the stairs, she figured that it was time to be down there for breakfast, since she could hear Kento's loud complaints already.

 

Giving the tie on the front of her uniform on last pull, she flattened the skirt and began to walk down the stairs. Smiling a bit, she walked into the kitchen to take in the sights. Sage was sitting at the table, calmly drinking tea and reading the paper. Rowen looked ready to fall into the food placed before him, fighting off the sleep that threatened to over take him. Kento was struggling to hold himself back from beginning to munch on the food as Cye worked to set it all out with Mia's help. Ryo had just walked in from feeding White Blaze. Yup, this was definitely a typical day for this household.

 

“Morning!” Lena said out loud, too cheerfully for Rowen, who sent a glare her way. Unperturbed, she walked forward to take her seat at the table in-between Sage and Ryo.

 

“Morning!” Chorused the rest as they responded without really looking up. Cye was the first to notice, who smiled at her choice in dress.

 

“The uniform looks good,” Cye commented, nodding to her. Ryo and Kento nodded agreement as Sage began to stare a bit, as was his custom when he was ready to begin his flirting trips.

 

“You...t-think so? I didn't think it was really my style,” Lena smiled slightly, embarrassed once more as she looked to the side with a small shrug.

 

Sage grinned a bit and gestured to the seat she stood beside, “Please, my dear. Sit and grace me with thine gorgeous continence.”

 

“You know…you don't have to pull that on me…” she blinked rapidly as she turned to a smug looking Mia, who had helped with all the shopping for the outfit, and a little bit more. Nodding, she shrugged a bit, and sat down.

 

“I know, “Sage grinned a bit, satisfied in his own way.

 

Breakfast went by with the usual bumps and twists in the road, and soon everyone was getting ready to go. Mia had her jeep ready for take off as soon as the others were ready, to be followed by Kento's van. Mia opted to go with, since Lena had to be taken care of at the front office at the school. Who better to do that then the Legal Guardian at this point?

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Waving Mia goodbye, Lena headed out of the front office and into the halls. There, the hustle and bustle of the students was almost too much as she stepped to the side to get her bearings. Blinking, she realized that this was a massively different type of schedule, since there were about seven classes in a day. One was a rest period, and another was physical education, which luckily, Mia had had the foresight to pick up the uniform as well.

 

Deciding to brave the crowd, she accidentally ran into someone by mistake, and ended up falling to the ground. With a wince, she looked up at the person she ran into and began apologizing, “I am SO sorry!”

 

A feminine laugh was heard as she looked up into the good natured face, “That's fine. It was an accident.”

 

Lena smiled as she looked up at the young woman. She had black hair that seemed to bounce around her face as she held out her hand. Lena gratefully accepted it and stood up, “I'm Lena.”

 

“Akiko. Pleased to meet you,” She smiled as she then nodded, “Well, I have to be off. Nice meeting you! Maybe we'll run into each other later!”

 

Lena smiled and nodded when she felt a hand land on her shoulder. Turning, she looked up into violet-grey eyes, “Graceful landing Lena.”

 

She chuckled a bit as she shrugged, “I try, Sage, I try. Anyways, what are you doing?”

 

“Just here to help a lady out. Aren't I allowed to do that?” Sage gave his wining smile, which she soon returned. Several girls seethed almost jealously as they then passed by, putting up charming smiles to the blond haired man.

 

“Well, I appreciate it,” Lena smiled as she held onto her schedule in her hand, “Can you tell me how to get to homeroom 2-A? I can't figure out where to go!”

 

Sage smiled once more, “Yea. I can do one better as well. All of us guys are in that same homeroom, so we meet up in there. I just have a bit more trouble with...erm…”

 

“The ladies?” Lena smiled as he nodded, “Look, you don't have to worry about that with me. I already know who you are. I refuse to fall at anyone's feet as it is. You area a human, not an idol…I'll think of you in that sense, thank you very much!”

 

Sage's smile seemed to spread as he nodded at her. This was an interesting turn of events, and while he did just loose another bet with Rowen on this, he found he really didn't mind. It looked like he had just gained a good friend in her, “Sounds good to me, little lady. Now then…the class is this way…”

 

Lena smiled as he grasped her books in the fashion that he always did, shrugging off her complaints that she could do it easily as he led her to the classroom to start the day.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

 

Author's notes: OK, this chapter was a bit more difficult, cause I had to begin to set in the ways that they guys are and the way that she will begin to react to them. Lena is, in truth, a more outgoing girl. The main thing that causes the back up is because she is in a different culture and place far from her normal comfort zones. Anyways, soo there we go. Akiko will appear in more parts, though her role yet is undetermined. Nooo...she isn't evil. So no sweat there! But the main action will probably begin about the 4th or 5th chapter because I have to show all the little bullies that come along in a high school setting. After all, that is the main reason that she is there…to study those systems. No, it isn't the main focus of the story, but I have to show some other aspects of a natural life before I hit the supernatural of the things. Anyways, let me know what you think so far. Your opinions are highly valued! And any questions are always considered! : P

 

Comments from Beta reader The Sacred Bovine: *sneaks in the back room with food from the Ronin's fridge*

 

Reviews (WhichI am very gratefulfor!))

 

From FFnet:

 

Meira Evenstar: You know, you really are encouraging me! And for that, I thank you very much! I hope it keeps your interest, since I have some big plans in the action of this fiction. Anyways, I really value your opinion, and want to say thanks! I'm constantly writing! SO no sweat!

 

Inda: You know, thanks about the encouragement. And yea, mine was down as well. So it was difficult for me to even post that chapter as well. And yea, it is something different as well. It's a bit hard though, cause one shots are just that. One shots…no worries about continuing. Lol but I think it will work out. As for whom she'll end up with? Probably Sage…cause Sage is my favorite! ^^ lol But not too sure as of yet. My main fluff focus will be Ryo and Mia. Hey, I like those types! : P

 

From mediaminer.org:

 

None so far.

 

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Preview of next time:

 

“Look, I don't know what I did to you…but there is no reason to do this. Leave me alone!”

 

!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*

 

“Oh my…why is there so much of it?”

!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*

 

“Crap! This isn't good!”