Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Melancholy of Flowers ❯ Chapter 9 ( Chapter 9 )

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

Chapter Nine

Mrs. Rei Fuan was busy putting Hana’s hair up into two buns for her first day of work. Hana stood there in a blue and gold Chinese dress with matching flats. Her nerves were getting the best of her as she fiddled with her hands in front of her. “There. You look stunning in that dress if I do say so myself,” Mrs. Rei Fuan said, putting in the last bobby pin in her jet-black hair. She moved back to get a better view of her work. She looked down to see Hana’s busy hands in front of her. “No need to be nervous. You are here to help me out with some things.”
“I’m sorry,” Hana said softly. “I’ve never done anything like this before. I’m afraid I might fail.” She hung her head in order to avoid eye contact with the middle-aged woman in front of her. Failure was something she was always afraid of. She hated the idea of letting people down; especially after what happened with her and her family, the fear kind of stuck.
Mrs. Rei Fuan walked over and placed both hands on Hana’s shoulders. “You won’t fail, my dear. I can sense potential in you.”
Hana smiled softly at the words when a knock on the door was heard. Kento swung the door open as he entered the room. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Hana standing with his mother. She was beautiful standing there with the dress hugging her body and the little bit of make-up she had on was the topping of the cake. He was speechless as he stood there gazing at his friend. His mother cleared her throat which brought Kento back to reality. After shaking his head of his thoughts, he looked back at Hana with a wide smile. “N-not bad, Hana,” he stuttered, trying to regain composure. The heat from his cheeks and the sweat on his palms wasn’t helping.
“Not bad?” Mrs. Rei Fuan asked in disbelief. “I think she looks beautiful standing there.” She took Hana’s hand into hers as she guided Hana out of the room. “Men don’t recognize a good woman if it slapped them across the face.”
“Bye, Kento,” Hana said as she followed his mother down the hall. Kento waved and then leaned up against the wall. He stared at the ceiling while images of Hana in that dress clouded his mind. He closed his eyes and shook his head. What was he doing? Hana was his best friend’s girl. To even have thought of her in that way, it seemed wrong. He let out a sigh and exited the room, closing the door behind him.
Hana placed her customers’ drinks on the table with a smile as she then wrote down the food orders. After a few tables, she was getting the hang of waitressing. She enjoyed bringing out the food to hungry customers and seeing their smiles. Her next table was located near the back of the building. “Welcome,” she said cheerfully. “What can I get for-” She stopped mid-sentence when she looked at her next guests; her heart skipping a beat.
“Hana? Since when did you start working here?” Cye asked. He was sitting across from Natsumi at the table.
A lump formed in Hana’s throat as she tried to answer the man’s question. She could see Natsumi staring at her which made it harder. Hesitating, she tried swallowing the lump. “I-I just started… today,” she said softly. She placed her hands behind her back to hide the fact that her hands were shaking. “What brings you here?”
Cye smiled at Hana, making her blush. “I wanted to bring Natsumi here,” he said simply. “We’ve been going out to so many places I forgot to bring her to the famous Rei Fuan’s restaurant.”
“I heard the food is out of this world,” Natsumi said as she looked at the menu. “Cye and I would just like to start with some water.”
Fumbling with her order booklet, she jotted the order down quickly. “I’ll get right on it,” she said and walked away from the couple as fast as her feet could carry her. She kept walking with her head down until she bumped into a body that was standing in front of her. She bowed, apologized and stepped aside so the person could pass. A pair of strong hands gripped her shoulders. Looking up, she saw that the person she bumped into was Kento. “Kento?”
Kento waved a waitress over with his hand. The waitress hurried over to see what the problem was. “Please take care of a few of Hana’s tables?” Kento asked with a serious expression on his face. The waitress bowed and hurried to the other side of the room. Kento turned his attention to Hana and grabbed her hand. “Come with me,” he said. He pulled Hana into the hallway and out of everyone’s sight. Standing there, he looked at the girl in front of him. With his thumb, he ran it over her eyes that were moist with tears. “I saw Cye and Natsumi enter this place. I just didn’t think you would get them.”
Shaking her head, Hana wiped her face with the back of her hand. “It’s not your fault,” she said quietly. “It’s my job to serve them…” She couldn’t look him straight in the eyes. Seeing his serious expression made her uneasy.
“This situation is different,” Kento stated. “You are not over him just yet. I don’t want you going out there and hurting yourself.”
“I’ll be fine,” Hana sighed. Of course she wasn’t fine. She could feel her heart chip into tiny pieces. The anger she felt before had evaporated, leaving behind the excruciating pain of heartbreak. As she started toward the dining room, Kento grabbed Hana’s arm, preventing her from taking another step. “Kento, let go of me.” His hand didn’t budge as Hana tried to wiggle her arm free.
“No. I can’t stand seeing you cry,” Kento said in a stern voice. He looked down, letting a shadow cover his features. “I don’t want you to suffer anymore.” He shut his eyes tightly as he held her in place. His heart ached for her because he knew he could do nothing for her.
“Kento, let go of me now,” Hana said softly. When she heard no answer, she closed her eyes. Purple aurora surrounded the two of them. Hana used her other hand to levitate Kento from the ground. He gasped as he felt himself float in air. His hand removed itself from Hana’s arm as she moved him down the hall, away from her. “I’m sorry, Kento.” The aurora faded and Kento landed softly back onto his feet. He watched as his heartbroken friend made her way into the busy crowd.
Hana continued to serve her tables with a smiling face. However, she couldn’t help glancing over at Cye’s table. The young couple were laughing and sharing their food. It was like someone chiseled to her heart each time she saw the two. After thanking her last table, she went over to take care of Cye.
“The food was amazing. I didn’t expect the portions to be huge,” Natsumi said as she handed Hana her empty plate. Hana smiled and took the plate. “I definitely want to come here again.”

Cye smiled at Natsumi and patted her on the head. “I didn’t expect you to eat as much as you did,” he said with a hearty laugh, then watched as Hana carefully stacked the dishes on top of each over. “Hana, you did a great job. I’m glad you are doing well.”
She stopped collecting the rest of the plates on the table. After smiling softly at him, she continued to what she was doing. Natsumi suggested that everyone should get together for dinner at some point, which resulted in Hana dropping a plate on the table. Cye looked at Hana as she scrambled to pick it back up. “I think it would be fun,” Natsumi smiled. “We don’t do anything together. I think Kento and Ryo would like the idea.”
“Like what?” Kento asked as he approached the table. He helped Hana with some dishes before turning his attention back to the brown-haired woman beside him. “What would we like?”
“Oh. Getting together for dinner,” Natsumi said. “I know that Cye’s mother has been sick for the past couple of weeks and that’s why we don’t hang out as much. That’s why I want us to get together.”
“Is she okay?” Hana asked, looking at her former lover.
Cye frowned. “She’s fine. The past of couple weeks has been difficult for her. My sister isn’t around as much to take care of her.”
“I could have helped you,” Hana suggested. “I could have watched over her to give you a break.”
“I’m already doing that,” Natsumi said softly. “I’ve been rotating with him every other day.” Feeling like an idiot, Hana avoided both gazes and continued to clean up the table. It didn’t surprise her that Natsumi would be helping Cye out.
Kento glanced at his comrade then to Hana. “I don’t know. We are pretty busy with school and as you can see, Hana has a job now,” Kento said matter-of-factly, getting back to the previous discussion. “But we’ll see.”
Natsumi pouted and got up from her seat. “It was just an idea. Think about it, okay?” Cye followed suit and the two of them walked towards the exit, their arms locked together.
“He didn’t even say goodbye,” Kento said in disgust as he watched his friend leave the building. “Let’s go, Hana.” He watched as Hana staggered her way to the kitchen, tears falling involuntarily down her cheeks.
It had been ten minutes until his luggage came through on the carousel. Picking it up by the worn out leather handle, he walked toward one of the exits. He stopped and looked around the busy area; people getting out of cars and busses as they ran into the building. That’s when he spotted a tall blonde standing against a 1986 silver Toyota Corolla. He walked up to the man and smiled brightly. “Mind if I hitch a ride?” he asked.
“Of course, but I’ll have to charge you,” Sage smiled. Rowen gave his friend a quick hug before throwing his luggage into the backseat of the car. The two men got into the car and drove off. It was like old times, driving down the road together, except they weren’t in Mia’s red truck. Sage explained that the car was his families and because he was in college, he needed transportation. The two friends exchanged stories about their college lives and how the classes were. Rowen told Sage that Chin always suggested to him that he go and explore the city. The Bearer of Halo laughed before returning to his serious state. “You know why I asked you to come back to Japan, right?”
Rowen turned his attention to the road in front of them. “You said that you sensed something, an aurora. Ryo and the others said that they haven’t felt anything weird?”
“No, but I think there is something going on,” Sage said. “I can feel a rift between our armors.” Rowen looked at his comrade. “We won’t know until we meet the others. I’m just concerned that there might be an evil in the works.”
“I knew the normal life wouldn’t last,” Rowen said as he stretched his arms over his head. “Let’s just hope it’s nothing too serious.” Sage nodded as the two friends continued their way down the road toward their destination.

The place looked haunted from where Natsumi was standing. The outside was bare with dead plants around the building. The building itself looked old with vines growing on the side. Even the gate gave off a creepy vibe as she pushed the black, rusted thing open. The creaking it made startled a bunch of black crows that were nesting in the tall grass. As she walked the uneven pavement the more she wanted to run the opposite way. Why did Kurushimi tell her to come to this place rather than the warehouse? The warehouse wasn’t much better but she preferred that place over this one. Her hands and feet started to sweat as she knocked on the aged wooden door. Her nerves bounced all over the place. After a few moments of silence, the door opened revealing Kurushimi in a frilly, short black dress, her long dark hair covering one side of her pale face.
“You got my message I see. Splendid,” Kurushimi said. Natusmi just nodded as she stood before the young woman. “Don’t just stand there, come in.” Slowly Natsumi stepped into the old castle and looked around. The whole place was filled with dust, sheets over the furniture, and antiques on the bookshelves. The place actually gave off the scent of an old library mixed with smoke. She watched dust fly up from the wooden floors until she followed Kurushimi up the rickety old stairs. To her right, she saw old pictures in frames on the walls. Some were of a woman and child, while the others were of Kurushimi as a kid. Just who was this girl? Once they made it to the second story, Kurushimi turned left and entered a room that had two tanks in it. “Welcome to my laboratory.”
Natsumi walked over to the two glowing tanks and examined them. “Two tanks?” she asked. “Why do you need two tanks?”
The girl just laughed at the question. “The other one isn’t finished yet. It’s for a special project I’m working on. Just get into the tank on the left and get your fill.”
Natsumi stripped of her clothing and proceeded with the procedure. The liquid entered her body, relieving her of the shakes and nausea. Her body drank up the fluid as if her entire being depended on the stuff. She felt amazing after she emerged from the tank. She dried herself off and got her clothes on. “How come I’ve gone from a couple of days, to a week and now two weeks to wait to get this stuff? Why is that?” Natsumi said in a demanding voice.
“Like I said before, I’m working on a new project. I don’t have time to waste with you anymore. You can still come over and get the serum, but you’ll have to wait every two weeks. My body needs rest as I regain my strength back. This new project is taking a lot out of me.,” Kurushimi explained. She grinned at Natsumi as she continued her work on the other tank. “You were a timid human being. However, with that serum running through your body, you are bolder. I hope you are watching yourself while you are with Cye and his friends. Don’t want them suspecting anything now. Not yet.”
“You keep saying ‘human being’ and yet I don’t know why,” Natsumi said. “What are you? Are you human?” She waited but no answer came from the girl in front of her.
Stopping what she was doing, Kurushimi sat down on her stool. “I was a human being once. My father was a great sorcerer. He could do anything he put his mind to.  As I got older, I wanted to learn the ways of sorcery. After my mother’s death I started experimenting with different things. It wasn’t necessarily sorcery, but it still had power,” she explained. Her face then contorted into anger. “However, there was a being who knew of my father’s work. My father quickly did a ritual where we would sell our souls but keep our shells.”
“Some sort of demonic ritual? So, you are immortal?” Natsumi asked in a low voice. The word was hard to get out because now she was truly scared. It seemed that with every breath she took, her boldness went with it.
“No, dear child. Before the powerful being arrived, my father sent me into a deep sleep. Afterwards, the being trapped my father in a seal. That’s what he told me of course. This is where Hana comes in. My father had an assistant during that time. He knew she wasn’t part of this world, but it didn’t matter to him. He was still stronger than her even though she possessed great power. The woman was in love with my father and would serve him no matter what the cost. She too was banished by the being, but was able to escape and plant her soul within a body. Hana was the less fortunate one. She was the one who resurrected my father and then he awoke me from my years of slumber. I was too weak to do anything at the time. Hana was free from her prison and my father was killed by Cye of Torrent. That’s why I want revenge of those two.”
“What you are telling me makes no sense,” Natsumi said. “For all I know you are some wack job who practices witchcraft.”
“That’s up to you if you believe me or not. Just know that I will get my revenge on Cye and Hana,” Kurushimi said and removed herself from her seat. “I’m getting tired. You need to leave so I can get some rest.”
Natsumi didn’t have a problem with that. Right now her head was swimming with all the information she was given. None of it made sense and had to be one big story. There was no such thing as real sorcerers and witches. However, Cye did mention something about armor and Hana did possess some weird ability.

Hana stood at the top of the stairs as she watched Cye bring his belongings into Mia’s living room. Since his mother was feeling better and his sister said she would watch over her, Cye had no reason to stay there. He was back at Mia’s house. He would be in the same house and close to her room. Just watching him was suicide because the pain was so bad. Cye made his way up the stairs with two pieces of luggage at his side. He looked straight into her eyes. Hana moved, almost mechanically, to the side to let him through. She heard him say thanks and move on into the room he shared with Kento.
“Seriously? You have been gone this long and now you show up?” Kento said out loud. He was sitting on his bed as Cye unpacked his things. “Did you even think what this might do to Hana?”
Cye looked at his friend. “Hana will be okay. It’s hard the first couple of months,” he said. His tone was almost too calm. It was like he didn’t even think of the consequences. He placed his shirts into the drawer and sighed. “She could always go back to her apartment.”
Something inside Kento snapped. “She left that apartment a long time ago! She didn’t want her uncle supporting her and not only that; we didn’t want her to be alone!” Cye didn’t say a word. “You have no idea what she has been through, do you? You don’t hear her crying every night. She got the job at my family’s restaurant so she can keep herself occupied. Then you show up with that girl.”
“Her name is Natsumi and we didn’t go on purpose,” Cye said defensively. “I just wanted her to taste your family’s cooking.” At this point, Cye was no longer into his unpacking. He was standing in front of Kento with folded arms over his chest. “Why are you like this? I told you I fell out of love with her. These things happen in everyday life. Why can’t you accept that?”
“Because I know deep down you still have feelings for her. I cannot except the fact that after she comes back you go from totally in love and then out of it. I’m not the brightest crayon in the box, but I do know when something is off,” Kento said as he got up from the bed.
“Well then, I feel sorry for you that you can accept change,” Cye said, his tone melancholy. “By the way, it’s ‘brightest bulb in the box.’” Cye exited the room, passing Hana who was standing outside their door. She could hear Ryo and Cye talking downstairs. The problem wasn’t Cye, it was her. He was there before she showed up. Why should he suffer because of her? Before Hana knew it, she was flying down the stairs. She could hear people calling out her name as she raced out the front door and into the chilled air. Tears started to leak from her eyes as she ran down the dirt path and away from the house. Finally, she stopped at the site that Cye brought her to what seemed like eons ago. There were now fallen trees that littered the ground with the destroyed waterfall. The images of her destroying the place that she once loved made her ache even more. She fell to her knees and sobbed into her hands. It seemed like the pain would never cease to exist.
She stopped crying when she heard a twig snap from behind her. Not bothering to turn around, she wiped the wetness from her eyes. “Now’s not the time, Kento,” she choked as she continued rubbing her eyes. However, the voice she heard wasn’t Kento.
“He wanted to run after you but I told him not to,” Ryo said calmly. “He’s too emotional right now.” The Bearer of Wildfire slowly walked into the littered area. He took a seat on a tree stump and looked down at his friend. “Would you like to talk? To someone other than Kento, that is.”
Hana didn’t budge from where she was. Suddenly the rocky ground became comfortable. “I have no reason to be in that house,” she said quietly. “Cye was there before me. I’m the one who should leave. I’m just tearing you guys apart.” She hated the thought, but she knew it was a true fact. The boys hardly hung out with each other because she’s always around.
Shaking his head, Ryo sighed through his nose. “You aren’t tearing us apart,” he said. “It’s just rough right now. Cye is still our friend and comrade in arms. There is nothing that’s going to change that.” Hana listened as she watched some ants on the ground in front of her. “You need to stop being hard on yourself. We are here for you, regardless.”
Hana sat there as she soaked everything in. In the time that she had known Ryo, they never really got a chance to be alone with each other. She knew that he was hot-headed in battle but warm-hearted, caring and doesn’t give up on others. Looking up, she starred into those tiger-blue eyes filled with passion and warmth. “I’ve made a mess of things here,” she said with a small laugh. “Everything is destroyed. I destroyed the one place that made me feel at ease.”
Ryo examined the area and smiled. “It’s not a loss cause. We can remove the fallen trees and plant new ones. We can even rebuild the waterfall,” he said looking down at her. “All we need to do is rearrange the rocks. I’m sure if we get Kento over here, he’ll do it with ease.”
“I guess we can give it a shot,” Hana said as she looked at the mess that was now the waterfall. She got up from her spot and dusted her pants off of the dirt. “I can actually remove the trees myself.” She focused on the fallen tree opposite of her and purple aurora surrounded it, lifting it up into the air.
“You have gotten better with your power,” Ryo said with a smile still on his face. “Those training sessions paid off.”
“Not exactly,” Hana said as she released the tree with a thump. “I’m not any better with my rage. This area is a prime example of what happens.”
Ryo got to his feet from where he was sitting. “Then you need to keep training. Once we get this place in order, we can help you,” he said with reassurance. “Don’t give up, Hana. Even when times are tough, you have to keep fighting.” Hana’s eyes flew open as she felt him embrace her. She relaxed into his arms, feeling his warmth against her. The pain she felt seemed to disappear and a calming feeling replaced it. Breaking the hug, he gave her smile. “Let’s go tell Kento about this place and see if he’ll help.”
“I’m sure he will,” Hana said confidently. “He’s been a big help lately. I’m sure something like this won’t be a problem for him.” Ryo smiled slightly, leading Hana out of the area and back onto the dirt path where they walked back to the mansion.