Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Melancholy of Flowers ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Chapter Eight
*For some reason when I upload my chapters to this site, some of the words are missing or random characters are placed where they shouldn't be. Everything looks fine when I open the document up on my computer, it's the site. I apologize for such a sloppy layout of my chapters. It really does bother me.


Hana slowly entered the bedroom that Kento and Cye shared. Kento agreed to help Ryo with some grocery shopping for Mia, so only the two women were left alone. She walked over to Cye’s neatly made bed and sat down on the mattress. Looking around the room, she let out a small sigh. After hearing that her uncle stopped by from Kento, her rage slowly started to disappear. In all that had happened over the past few weeks, she forgot about her uncle. He did seem to be the only one who truly cared about her well-being, something that made her feel at ease. However, the pain of her broken heart still stung and consumed most of her thoughts.
          S he lay down on the bed and looked to her right. On the nightstand next to the bed was the pendant she gave Cye. The gold that surrounded the tear drop-shaped pendant shimmered in the sunlight. Hana sat up on the bed, took the necklace from the stand and held it in the palm of her hand. She gave it to Cye before she left for her aunt’s last year. Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks as she looked at the object.

Kento walked into the room, but stopped when he saw Hana sitting on Cye’s bed. “Hana?” he asked.

“He told me he would take care of it,” Hana said quietly as if she were talking to herself more than to him. “He promised me.” Hana closed her hand tightly over the pendant and softly sobbed.

Kento looked at the poor woman sitting before him. He walked over and sat down next to her, putting an arm around her body. “Mia found the necklace in his bed when she was making it,” he said, looking down at her. “He wore that necklace every day after you left. I guess it must’ve come loose while he was sleeping.”

“If that’s the case, then why didn’t he realize it was missing?” Hana asked, looking right at Kento, her eyes red and puffy from crying.

Kento didn’t really know how to answer that question. It was true that Cye would have noticed it missing. “Maybe he thought he lost it and didn’t have the heart to tell you. You didn’t mention it until now.”

Hana didn’t say a word. She didn’t want to admit that she too forgot about the necklace. Getting to her feet, she headed toward the door and out into the hallway. Kento followed suit and watched as she slowly made her way back into her room. After seeing the door close behind her, he made his way back downstairs.

“Hana came out of her room?” Ryo asked as he saw his friend descend from the stairs. He was sitting on the couch watching a soccer game that was being broadcasted live.

“Yeah. I found her in my room sitting on Cye’s bed,” Kento said as he plopped himself down in an armchair. “She found the necklace she gave to Cye. She was really upset about it. We spoke, and after that, she went back into her room.” Kento tousled his hair back and forth with his hands as he groaned. “This is driving me insane!”

A small smile formed on Ryo’s lips as his friend continued to mess up his dark purple hair. “At least she’s not cold towards us anymore. She should really shower and eat something, though.”

Kento sighed and relaxed in his chair. “Nothing doing, buddy. I asked her if she wanted something to eat and she said no. I think she’s showering, but I guess it’s late at night. She doesn’t look completely dirty and she smelled nice when we had the talk.”

“Really, Kento? The things you say sometimes,” Ryo said with a shake of his head. “Try her again later tonight. Bring food into her room. I’m sure once she sees it, she’ll give in to hunger.” He turned the volume down on the tv with the remote and shifted in his seat. “Sage called earlier today.”

“He did?” Kento asked, sitting up straight in his chair. “How is he? What did he say?”

“He’s coming for a visit soon. He said that he has been sensing strong energy vibes coming from this direction. He wants to meet with us all,” Ryo looked at Kento with a serious face. “Have you sensed anything?” Kento shook his head. “Our armors are linked with one another. Why haven’t we been able to sense it, but Sage can?”

“Could it be that we aren’t in the same area? Don’t forget that Rowen is on the other side of the world,” Kento suggested.

“But that doesn’t explain why only one of us has felt something,” Ryo said. “Whatever it is, we need to be on alert just in case.”

heavy-set Chinese man made his way through the living room holding an envelope in his right hand. He approached the blue-haired boy who was sitting on the sofa; he was too busy with his nose in his book to notice his company.
“Rowen, my boy,” the man said loudly as he stopped in front of the young man. “You haven’t stopped reading all weekend.”
Rowen chuckled as he stretched his arms over his head and cracked his neck. “I know, Mr. Chin. I have this big test coming up and I need to be prepared.”
Chin looked at Rowen with a stern look. “How many times do I have to tell you? Call meUncleYou are like family, Rowen.”
“I’m sorry, Uncle Chin. I’ll remember, I promise,” Rowen said with a smile.
Chin was Kento’s uncle who lived in China Town, New York; he owned a famous restaurant. Since Rowen was studying abroad in the state, Kento asked his uncle if Rowen could stay with him. All Rowen did was study for school and didn’t get out much to see the sights of the city, much to Chin’s disapproval. Nonetheless it was good to have someone else in the household to liven things up.
Chin smiled widely then gasped as he took the envelope and handed it to Rowen. “This came in the mail for you.”
“Thank you,” Rowen said and ripped the top off. He took out the letter and read it; his face fell as he went deeper into the message. He set the letter aside and rubbed his temple with his hands. “Sage is telling me that he is sensing some kind of presence over by where Kento and the others are. He isn’t sure what it is, but he’s heading over there next week.”
Chin folded his arms and nodded with his eyes closed. “The job of a Ronin Warrior is never finished. Unwanted events occur when you least expect them and at the worst of times. What’ll you do?”
Rowen sat there for a moment. He knew what hehaddo. It’s what his heart and armor was telling him. On the other hand, he wanted to try to live a normal life and complete school. At this rate, it didn’t seem possible with enemies popping up everywhere. “I’m going to have to think about this one,” Rowen said as he got up from his seat. “I’m going to go for a walk.”
“Good idea. Some fresh air can do wonders on the mind,” Chin winked. “Also, listen to what your heart tells you. It will guide you in the right direction. It won’t steer you wrong, my friend.”
“Thank you, Uncle Chin. That helps a lot.” Rowen smiled and exited the room.

at a small café just down the road, Rowen sat at a table, deep in thought. He watched as people got their purchases and made their way out of the building; people who were rushing to work and the smiles on the faces after a sip of their drink. “What am I doing?” he asked himself. “I’m being selfish. My job is to protect these people from the evil that enters our world. Here I am sitting here feeling sorry for myself about school. The guys need me regardless if it’s a false premonition or not.”
“Rowen?” asked a female voice from behind him.
Rowen turned his back and saw a Chinese girl with emerald green eyes and forest green hair that was put into two buns on the side of her head. “Huan? What are you doing here?”
Huan worked at Chin’s restaurant as a waitress.was close with her family, but a tragedy happened, leaving Huan alone. Her family was brutally murdered. Apparently the person had a grudge against her father, who was a businessman. Luckily, she was out of the house when it happened. So, Chin took her in and she agreed to work at the restaurant for the room and board. Chin disagreed but she insisted on it. Despite the events that had occurred in her life, she moved on with a smile on her face.
“I always come here for my daily espresso,” she said in a soft voice. “What are you doing here?”
“Making a decision that wasn’t so hard to decide on. I’m going back to Japan for a little bit. Some unwanted business has turned up and I need to go,” Rowen said.
“Aw, well, I’m going to miss you,” Huan said with a frown. “It’s not going to be much fun with you gone.”
Rowen felt his cheeks grow warm and turned around in his seat before she could notice. “T-Thank you, Huan. I’ll miss you, too. I won’t be gone long.”
“That’s good to know. I better head back to the restaurant.” She gave him a smile and headed out the door with her cup in her hand. Rowen watched her until she was out of sight. He hated making promises, because in his line of work, he could never be certain whether he would return alive.

“Kento, where are you taking me?” Hana asked as she sat in the passenger side of Kento’s car. “I’m not in the mood for surprises.” It was hard to get Hana out of the house. She would stay in her room, and there were times where her emotions got the best of her; there were some things in the room that got destroyed completely due to her power. It was no use having her train on controlling her powers at the state she was in. It would just make matters worse.
“Trust me, Hana. All your stress will disappear once we get there,” Kento said with a wide smile. Hana grumbled and looked out the window. Pretty soon two-story houses came into view, all of them looking almost identical. Each house had a well-kept lawn and garden. Kento stopped in front of one of the house. The whole house was made of brick, and there was a wooden porch in the front. Kento got out of the car, walked over to the other side, and opened the passenger’s door. “After you,” he said as he stepped out of the way.
“Where are we?” Hana asked as she got out of the car and onto the sidewalk.
“This is my home,” Kento said proudly. “I told Mama that you’ll be coming for dinner.”
“Wait. What?” Hana didn’t have a chance to ask any more questions as Kento took her by the hand and guided her to the front door.
He took a key from his jean pocket and opened the door. “I’m home!” he yelled. Hana moved behind Kento when she heard stomping feet heading their way.
“Kento’s home!” cried a small child as she ran into Kento’s body at full force. “What took you so long?”
“I’m sorry, Chun Fa,” Kento said apologetically. “I’m really busy with school and Mia’s house is closer to the school.”
Chun Fa pouted for a second and then smiled wide showing her missing front tooth. She caught Hana’s gaze and moved to the side. Hana looked down at this little girl who had her jet black hair in pigtails. “Is she your girlfriend, Kento?”
“What?!” Hana blushed as she looked at Kento for an explanation.
“She’s a friend, Chun Fa. What made you think that?” Kento laughed. “This is Hana.”
“Mama said that when boys bring girls over, that means they are going out,” Chun Fa said.
“Your mother tells her these things?” Hana whispered into Kento’s ear. “What is she? Seven?”
“Close. She’s eight. She’s the youngest of the family. I don’t know if my other siblings are home,” Kento whispered back.
“Well, there he is! My little boy has finally come to visit his mama!” said another loud voice. A short, round lady with the same jet black hair came running up to Kento just like his sister. She had a ladle in one hand and a dish rag in the other. She gave Kento a giant hug before examining him over. “You look a little thin, Kento. Have you been eating right?”
Hana’s eyes widened at the comment his mother made to him. There was no way Kento was thin. The man ate everything except the kitchen sink.
“I eat every day, Mama,” Kento said proudly. “This is Hana.” Kento moved aside so that Hana could be seen well. “She’s a dear friend of mine who is going through some tough times.” Hana bowed slightly and smiled.
“Aw, well, there’s no need for that in this house. You just make yourself at home and let me know if you need anything. Let the stress fly away!” Mrs. Rei Fuan said as she threw her stubby arms up into the air. “Kento, Rinfi and Yun are out for the night. I told them you were coming but they had plans with their friends or something. Teenagers these days. Family always comes second.”
“Let’s go see Mei Ryu,” Chun Fa said as she grabbed Hana’s hand. “He likes video games and never comes out of his room. Do you like video games, too?”
“Not really,” Hana said as she walked with Chun Fa up the stairs. The walls were covered with picture frames. Not one spot was vacant. Chun Fa led Hana down the hall and stopped at the second door to the left. She watched as the little girl knocked on the door.
“Mei Ryu! I have someone new for you to meet,” she said to the closed door. “Kento’s home, too, so you should go see him.”
The door opened and a young boy of eleven stuck his head out. His hair was messy and he had the same tint of blue Kento had. He looked at Hana through his coca-cola glasses. “Nice to meet you. I’m Mei Ryu,” he said quietly as he adjusted his glasses on his face.
“I’m Hana. I’m a friend of your brother’s,” Hana said as she bowed slightly. “It’s a pleasure.”
Mei Ryu nodded and then turned his attention to his younger sister. “Tell Mama that I’ll be down later. I’m almost done with this level that I’ve been stuck on.”
“Okie dokie,” Chun Fa said and led Hana back downstairs. She turned the corner from the staircase and stopped at a door. “This is my playroom. Let’s play.”
“Okay,” Hana said and stepped into a room filled with dolls, board games, crayons, etc. Hana sat on the floor and watched as Chun Fa dragged out as many toys as she could carry. A sad feeling washed over her as she watched the little girl play.“Aika was like this at that age. She always wanted me to play with her and to be with her.”Images of her little sister trying to get her attention, but all Hana did was turn her back on her. The hole in her heart stung as her mind replayed the images over and over.
“And this is my favorite doll. I take her everywhere and that makes Mama mad,” Chun Fa said as she showed Hana her rag doll.
Hana came back to her senses and smiled at the girl. “Really? Why is Mama mad?”
Chun Fa frowned and tossed the doll aside on the floor. “I’m supposed to be a big girl now and big girls don’t carry dolls around.”
Hana couldn’t help but laugh, something that was foreign to her as of late. “I have a teddy that I sleep with.”
“I have fifty teddies that I sleep with,” Chun Fa said and raced to get another toy.
Dinner was served in the dining room on a long mahogany table. It was like a feast was being held and twenty people were coming to dine. There was Peking duck, lo mein, different types of dumplings, chow mein, fried rice, chicken, pork, and more. Hana sat in her seat and watched as the family took their helpings.
“Help yourself dear,” Mrs. Rei Fuan said. “Don’t be shy.”
Hana took a spoonful of rice and some dumplings with lo mein and ate slowly. Chun Fa had way more on her plate than Hana’s and she was almost done. Kento and Mei Ryu sat across from one another talking about different types of games and what was coming out. Chun Fa was busy telling Hana stories about random events that probably didn’t happen.
“I have a splendid idea,” Mrs. Rei Fuan said after she swallowed her food. “Hana, you should work at the restaurant. It’ll take your mind off things. You can even make up your own schedule. I just need a bit of help.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” Kento chimed in. “You should do it, Hana. Plus you’ll have some change in your pocket.”
With her fork still in her mouth, Hana pondered the idea. It would be good to have a change of scenery and it would give her something different to focus on. She looked at Mrs. Rei Fuan and nodded. “When do I start?”
Mrs. Rei Fuan’s wide smile was the same as Kento’s. “You can start on Monday,” she said cheerfully. “Welcome to the family!”
Hana’s eyes grew wide at the words she just heard and looked at Kento. He was smiling at her then continued to stuff his face with the food in front of him.
As the night drew to a close, Hana felt warmth just being in that house full of people. She could definitely see where Kento got his big heart from.
“We better go, Mama,” Kento said as he checked his watch. “We have school in the morning.”
“Aw, okay then. Just be careful out there. And, Hana, you are always welcome back to this house,” Mrs. Rei Fuan said with a warm smile.
“Thank you, Mrs. Rei Fuan,” Hana said with a smile.
A pointer finger showed up in front of Hana’s face as Mrs. Rei Fuan moved it side to side. “You don’t call me that, my dear. You are part of this family and you will address me as Mama Rei Fuan, got it?”
“I understand,” Hana said. “Thank you, Mama Rei Fuan. I’ll see you on Monday.”
“You are a good child. Don’t forget that and don’t let anything get in your way,” she said and gave Hana a wink.
“Hey, Hana. Come back and we’ll play some more,” Chun Fa said as she jumped excitedly. “I need an older sister who can play.”
“I’ll be back,” Hana said and patted Chun Fa on the head.

Once back in the car, Hana turned to Kento and looked at him with a quizzical look. “Why did you bring me to your family’s house? I still don’t get it.”
Kento smiled and chuckled. “You don’t get it? I brought you here so you can feel at ease. You feel at ease, don’t you?”
It was true that she didn’t feel as depressed as she was and she did laugh a lot during that one evening out of weeks of nothingness. It made her feel like she belonged. Hana smiled and nodded. “I do feel a lot better.”
“Nothing the Rei Fuan family can’t fix,” Kento said proudly as he turned on the ignition. “My little sister loves you to death. It’s hard being the youngest and have no one to play with.”
“Your mother spoils her, doesn’t she?” Hana asked, recalling all the toys in that one room.
“My Mama babies her to death. That’s part of the reason why she acts the way she does. She’s a good kid,” he said.
“Thank you, Kento, for everything,” Hana said softly.
“Don’t mention it, Hana. Like Mama said, you are part of the family now. You don’t have to be alone because we are here for you,” Kento said.
It made Hana feel good hearing those words, but there was still more that was troubling her. Deep inside her gut she knew something was off and she had to get herself together soon.