Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Requiem of Summer ❯ Chapter Seven ( Chapter 7 )

A heavy knock on the kitchen door drew everyone’s attention. Cye got up from his place on the leather sofa and headed toward the door. When he opened the door, Sage stood before him, fully clad in his green sub-armor. Lavender eyes met teal eyes as the two men looked at each other for what seemed like hours, Cye was grateful to see his close friend.

“So, that’s how you got here so fast,” Cye said as he pointed to the armor.

“This was the only way I could think of getting here in a short amount of time. I’m not exactly close by,” Sage explained, his demeanor calm and collected. He got straight to the point. “Where is she?”

“I’ll take you to her,” Cye said as he let his friend into the house.

He led his blonde-haired comrade down the small hallway that was next to the kitchen. He stopped at a closed door that was to the left. After slowly opening it, he stepped aside so Sage could enter the room. The moonlight cased a soft glow through the yellow curtains in the room. Ryo picked up his head from his folded arms; they were resting on the top of the wooden chair he was sitting in.

“It’s good to see you, Sage,” Ryo said in a low voice as he got up from his seat to greet his friend.

“Same here,” Sage agreed with a small smile. “It would have been better if it weren’t under these circumstances, though.”

Ryo glanced at Natsumi and then returned his attention to the man in front of him. “She has some pretty bad injuries,” Ryo said, a pained expression plastered on his face. “She won’t go to the hospital, so you were the only one we could think of to help her.”

Sage simply nodded his head. “I will do my best. I haven’t used my powers in a few months, so it shouldn’t be a problem.” He made his way to the woman that was resting in the bed. Her expression was neutral as she slept, unaware of his presence. He gently pulled the blankets from her body, exposing her bandaged arm and hand.

Carefully, he unraveled the bloodstained cloth from her wounds. The bleeding had finally stopped. With both hands placed over the clean cut in her arm, he concentrated on his armor’s power. A soft green glow emanated from his palms. The warm, green light gently filled the dark room. Natsumi stirred in her sleep as the warmth ran down her arm to her fingertips. The open wound started to slowly close together. The bearer of Halo continued his work on her injured hand.

“She got bruised, too, by her ribcage,” Ryo mentioned in a whisper. He was leaning against the wall that was facing the bed, his arms crossed over his chest tightly. Even though his friend was healing Natsumi, a feeling of unease still picked at his brain.

With one gentle hand, Sage moved the base of the red shirt she was wearing up to her chin. He examined the big black and blue marks on her torso. He glanced over at Cye who looked at him with a solemn expression. Sage returned his attention to Natsumi, his brows furrowed. What on Earth happened to her? The green glow of his powers made the blemishes slowly disappear.

“She’s going to be fine,” Sage whispered as he finished up his work.

“Psychically, yes,” Cye said solemnly. He looked at the brunette. “When she wakes up, I’m sure she’s going to have a hard time coping.”

After pulling the over-sized red shirt over her body, the blonde-haired man stood up. He looked at Ryo with a puzzled look on his face. “Mind telling me what happened to her? These injuries weren’t from something small.”

“Let’s go into the living room and we’ll explain,” Ryo sighed as he pushed himself from the wall, a shadow looming over his face.

The three men exited the room one by one and entered the living room. Hana was lying across the couch, a book in her hand, with her feet resting on Kento’s legs. She noticed the three figures and placed the book on the floor before getting to her feet.

“Thanks for coming, Sage,” she said softly while hugging her friend. “It means a lot.”

Sage gave Hana a smile before bringing his attention to Kento, who was standing next to her.

“Good to see you, buddy,” Kento said with a light tap on his friend’s shoulder.

“Ryo sounded desperate over the phone. I had to come,” Sage said. “Now, what’s going on with Natsumi?”

“Those injuries that you saw,” Cye said in a low voice, “were caused by her father.” Sage looked at his auburn-haired friend with wide eyes. Cye cleared his throat before continuing. “Her uncle showed up at our door with her unconscious body in his arms. He explained to us that she was physically and emotionally abused ever since her mother passed.”

“He’s a twisted son of a bitch,” Kento said, the words dripping with venom. “He loves to control things and basically treated her like an animal. Her uncle wasn’t much help, either, considering he had his tail between his legs all the time.”

“That’s enough, Kento,” Cye said, eyeing his friend in warning.

“Her father wanted to know more about us. Her uncle followed us and took pictures,” Hana added, her tone of voice was low and sad. “She didn’t want to tell him anything, so he beat her up.”

“And we aren’t going to do anything about it because she won’t let us,” Ryo said through clenched teeth. He sighed heavily through his nostrils while running a hand through his thick, black hair. “I want to say something, but the look she gave me…I don’t want to hurt her more.”

“That’s understandable,” Sage said. “When you are in that position, you don’t want anyone knowing what happened, at least not yet. It’s the fear of consequence.”

A strangled cry escaped from Ryo’s lips as he punched the nearest wall. Everyone looked at the bearer of Wildfire in silence. Hana’s eyes were wide open at the sudden outburst; she still wasn’t used to seeing Ryo in that state.

“I’ll go put the kettle on,” Hana said. She hastily went into the kitchen. She grabbed the stainless steel kettle from one of the cabinets and placed it under the faucet. After running cold water into it, she placed it on the gas stove where she turned the settings to high. She peered down the dark hall and at Natsumi’s bedroom door. Her heart ached for her friend. She didn’t blame Kento or Ryo for being upset. She would most likely throw the man off of a cliff for what he did. A sigh escaped her parted lips as she returned to the front of the stove, listening to the gas run. It was best that she left the men alone; she felt kind of awkward. Hana shook her head and maneuvered over to the top cabinets where the teacups were.

“Sorry,” Ryo said in a low voice after he rested his forehead against the wall, his breathing slowly evening out.

Cye simply shook his head with a small smile on his lips. “No need to apologize,” he said. “We know you are going through a tough time.”

“He’s right,” Kento said as he patted Ryo’s back. “If you weren’t all worked up after what happened, then we would have to worry. So, don’t worry about a thing.”

The corners of Ryo’s lips moved up into a small smile. “Thanks, guys.”

Hana emerged from the kitchen holding a medium-sized iron tray. On the tray were the tea kettle and four blue and white striped teacups. She placed the tray down on the polished wooden table that was in front of the couch.

“Anyone want tea?” she asked as she took a ceramic teacup and poured hot green tea into it. “I bought this new brand. It’s really good.”

“Sure. I’ll take a cup,” Cye said. He motioned over to his girlfriend and took the cup from her hands. He took a small sip, the hot liquid warming his throat; he could also taste a hint of mango. “It’s really good.”

“I’ve decided to give it a try. I never had mango green tea before,” Hana explained. “I’m glad you like it. Does anyone else want some?”

“Nah. I’m still good from the coffee I had earlier. Thank you, though,” Kento said as he headed back toward the couch.

“Sage?” Hana asked as she looked at the blonde-haired man.

“Yes, please,” Sage replied as he took a seat next to Kento on the leather couch.

“Always the well-mannered one,” Kento grinned. He yawned before placing his hands behind his head.

“Yes, unlike you,” Sage said with his eyes closed and a smile on his lips. He opened his eyes to see a steaming cup of green tea in front of him. “Thank you, Hana.”

A hint of pink appeared on her cheeks. “No problem,” she said and quickly turned around, hoping he didn’t notice her flushed cheeks. Sage took a sip of the hot liquid as he watched Hana walk toward Ryo.

A gentle hand was placed on Ryo’s shoulder, making him look right into a pair of solemn cobalt eyes. “Come and sit with us,” Hana whispered. “There isn’t much you can do for her right now, anyway.”

Ryo closed his eyes and sighed through his nostrils. “I know,” he whispered back. “That doesn’t mean I don’t feel regret.”

“Regret? For what?” Hana inquired. “It’s not like you did this to her.”

“No, but I should have been there to protect her,” Ryo said, looking away from his friend. He promised that he would protect her, and he let her down. “I’m sorry, Hana, but if you would excuse me…” Ryo had to get away from his friends for a bit. At least until his mind cleared. He felt smothered being in the living room

“Of course,” she said softly, watching Ryo exit the room. He walked down the small hallway and back into the room where Natsumi was. Her heart wept for her two friends, and she knew there wasn’t much she could do. A loud yawn could be heard to her left. She turned her head and saw Kento rubbing his eye with one of his hands. “Tired, are we?”

Kento nodded and slowly got to his feet. “Yeah. It’s been one hell of a day. This man needs his beauty sleep,” he said with a tired wink.

“You need all the beauty sleep you can get,” Hana teased. “What you have now isn’t making the cut, my friend.”

“Hey, watch it, missy,” Kento said with a playful grin.

“Why don’t you stay the night, Sage?” Cye suggested. “We have an extra bed upstairs for guests. Well, two beds, actually. You can leave first thing in the morning.”

“Thank you. I’ll take you up on that offer,” Sage said with a smile. “I agree that it’s a little too late to start traveling.”

“Awesome! I’ll make us breakfast in the morning,” Kento said with his signature grin on his face. “My treat.”

“Oh, it’s a treat, all right,” Cye said with a smirk of his own. He looked over and saw Hana still standing in the same spot, looking into the darkened hallway. “Hun, come sit. There isn’t anything you can do.”

Hana turned and looked at Cye with sad eyes. “I know. I just feel bad for them,” she said. “I hardly see Ryo like this.”

“That’s how he is. He sometimes secludes himself from the rest of us,” Sage explained. “It’s his way of coping with things.”

“He’ll be fine,” Cye said reassuringly. “He just needs time to himself.”

Hana just nodded her head in understanding. Her eyes turned toward Kento, who was stretching his arms above his head. “I’m heading in for the night. Today was just too much for me,” he said with another big yawn escaping his big mouth. “I’ll catch you all in the morning for breakfast.” Everyone said their good nights to their friend as he headed up the stairs to his room.

“I should turn in for the night myself. You coming, love?” Cye asked as he, too, got up from his spot.

Hana shook her head. “Not just yet. I’m not really that tired,” she replied. There were too many things running around in her mind. She maneuvered over to the couch and sat next to the Bearer of Halo.

“All right,” Cye said, leaning in to kiss her forehead. “I’ll see you in the morning. Have a good night’s rest, you two.”

Hana waved to her boyfriend before getting comfortable in her seat on the leather sofa. She turned her head to the left and looked at the man sitting next to her. “Aren’t you going to turn in for the night, too?” she asked curiously. “You had quite a trip.”

Sage simply looked up at the white ceiling, taking in a lung full of oxygen through his nostrils. “I’m not tired, to be honest with you,” he answered.

“I see,” was all Hana could say. The two of them sat there in silence. She never really had a one on one conversation with Sage before. It was kind of awkward. The Bearer of Halo seemed so mature for his age, especially when she first met him. Every once in a while, he would intimidate her by the way he acted. They only said their “hellos” and “goodbyes” to each other. The hands on her lap fiddled with one another as she sat next to him.

“This is a nice place,” Sage said, breaking the ice. He looked around the area. “I’m not surprised that Mrs. Rei Faun had something to do with it.”

“It is. She made sure there were enough rooms for everyone. There is even a basement,” Hana smiled as she looked down at her hands. “We were all surprised, of course. In the backyard, there is a wooded area that I use to train.”

Sage looked at the dark-haired woman sitting beside him. “How is your training going?”

Hana turned her head to the left and met with beautiful pools of lavender. His bangs were slightly to the side, showing both eyes. She could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks again. This was the first time she actually got to stare into both of his eyes. Sage only smiled, for he was used to most girls blushing at him. She cleared her throat before answering the man’s question.

“It’s going good, I guess. I still can’t seem to grasp control over my rage, though. To be honest, it’s been rather annoying,” Hana answered. She looked at her open palms that were resting on her lap, the feeling of defeat slowly showing its head. “I know Cye, Ryo, and Kento are doing the best they can to help, but some days I feel like it’s all pointless.” Her open palms became fists as she lowered her head.

A hand touched her left shoulder, making her head shoot up to look at him. “If you give up, then you won’t get anywhere,” Sage said with a serious expression on his face. “The struggles you face now will be worth it, trust me.”

“I know,” she whispered. “It’s just hard. I just have to keep pushing myself.”

“Not too hard, though,” he said. “You don’t want to destroy yourself, either.”

Hana gave Sage a small smile and relaxed her body again against the back of the couch. “I never properly thanked you for all the times you have helped me, healing wise, that is.”

“There is no need to thank me. I do what I can to help my friends,” Sage said nonchalantly. “Besides, I couldn’t let you bleed to death or anything.”

“After what I did, I’m surprised you didn’t,” Hana said, her tone serious. “I turned your best friend against you all. I even tortured him and hurt you guys…”

“And you were also possessed by an evil spirit,” Sage said matter-of-factly. “Your argument is invalid.”

Hana opened her mouth to rebuke, but closed it, knowing that she couldn’t win even if she tried. She did feel grateful that Sage had her back. “How’s school going?” she asked, changing the subject.

“It’s going well,” he replied. “I aced all my tests last semester.”

“That’s great news,” Hana said, her face brightening. “I was told by the others that your grandfather wants you to take over the family dojo.”

Her friend looked straight ahead of him; his face almost had a hard expression. “That is correct, but I told him that the classes I’m taking will benefit me in the future. He seemed to agree, but at the same time, I could tell that it was hard for him to do so,” Sage explained. “I didn’t really have a choice in the matter.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Hana said softly. “It must be hard being a Ronin Warrior and the heir to the family business. It’s a lot of pressure on your shoulders. I had no idea.” She wished she hadn’t brought up the dojo.

Sage just shrugged his shoulders. “I’m used to it. It’s been years now since I found the armor of Halo. I try not to dwell on the facts if I can.” Awkward silence filled the living room as the two figures just sat next to each other on the couch. Hana was trying to process all the new information she had obtained. “You and Kento seem to be real close.”

A chuckled erupted from Hana’s throat at the comment. “You can say that. I see him as a brother figure. I guess I’m trying to fill in a void that’s in my heart, the missing piece that used to be where my brother, Ken, used to be. I know it sounds horrible trying to replace someone…”

“You can never replace your brother even if you tried. He’ll always be a part of you no matter what,” Sage said, his tone of voice soft and sincere. “Even if you feel like there is something missing in your heart, your family will always remain with you.”

A single tear fell from her eyes and down her cheek at the gentle, wise words. With one hand, she wiped the wetness from her eyes. She felt the weight next to her leave the couch. She looked up and saw Sage standing on his feet.

“I’m going to bed. I’ll see you in the morning,” he said as he covered his mouth with his hand, a small yawn escaping.

“Okay. Thanks for the talk,” Hana said with a gentle smile. “I feel like I know a little bit more about you.”

“Likewise,” Sage said with a sincere smile on his lips. He headed up the staircase and disappeared from view. After a few moments, Hana removed herself from the sofa and into the bedroom that she shared with Cye for a much needed sleep.

The smell of pancakes and bacon made Hana open her eyes the next morning. She slowly sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She turned her head to her right and saw that it was 8:00. After swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, she got to her feet and shuffled out of the room. When she entered the kitchen, almost everyone was sitting on stools around the island that had delicious-looking food upon it.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Kento said as he flipped a huge pancake in the frying pan. “Just in time for breakfast.”

“I see that,” Hana said sleepily as she shuffled over to the stool that was next to Cye. “The smell woke me up.” She slowly sat down on the top of the stool and looked around the table. She spotted Sage sitting across from Cye, his hair neatly brushed. “Morning, Sage.”

“Good morning, Hana,” Sage said. He took a bite of his pancake and chewed it slowly. “Very good pancakes, Kento.”

“Thanks!” Kento said enthusiastically. “I knew how to cook before, but these culinary classes that I am taking are improving my skills. Who knows? Maybe one day I’ll be better than Cye, but I doubt that.”

“That’s fine by me,” Cye called out with a wave of his fork. “You can be on cooking duty instead of me.”

“Oh, no. You aren’t getting off that easy,” Kento said as he pointed the spatula at his water-loving comrade. “You are still top chef in this house.”

“I’m guessing Ryo is still in with Natsumi?” Hana asked as she looked around the room.

“Yeah. I asked him if he wanted breakfast and he didn’t reply,” Cye said before taking a gulp of his orange juice. “He’s got to come out sometime and eat.” Hana slowly chewed her pancake while looking at her plate with a solemn expression plastered on her face.

Sage cleaned his plate of his food and wiped his mouth with a white napkin. “I should be going. I need to be at the school by noon. If I leave now, I should get there in time.”

“Be careful,” Cye said as he got up from his seat at the island.

Hana followed suit and hugged Sage goodbye. “Let us know when you get there.”

“Will do,” Sage said with a nod. “Keep me updated on the situation here.”

“No problem, buddy,” Kento said, giving a hard pat on his friend’s back. “Thanks for coming by.”

Sage waved to everyone before making his departure. Once the front door was close shut, everyone resumed to their meal. Hana kept looking over her shoulder toward the closed door down the hall. She couldn’t help but wonder what kind of state the two of them were in, and when they would emerge from the bedroom.