Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Requiem of Summer ❯ Chapter Twelve ( Chapter 12 )

The overhead lights flickered on in the empty dojo. A thin layer of dust could be seen resting on the wooden floor; it looked like the place wasn’t used in months. Sage entered further into the room, examining it, taking in the musty smell it produced. He walked into the small office that was located toward the back. Papers were scattered all over the surface of the desk. An appointment book was open in the center. The month of February was blank. His grandfather must’ve stopped seeing students during that time.

The blonde-haired man looked up and saw an old photograph of him and his grandfather, both of them sitting on the wooden floor, cross-legged. His grandfather had his eyes closed, but Sage had one eye open, looking at the camera. He had to have been around seven years old. At that age, he didn’t fully understand the meaning of the lessons he was taught. He would get into some sort of trouble for not taking things seriously; then again, he was just a boy.

His face dropped as he walked out of the office and back into the training room. He maneuvered to his left to the closet that held the equipment. As he opened the old wooden door, masks and various clothing came pouring out. Beaten and used kendo sticks were messily placed on the rack above.

He took one of the bamboo swords into his hand and looked at it, remembering the first time he got to hold one. It was during class, and he was up against a kid a year older than he was. The kid easily beat him and teased him for being weak. He got upset and started swinging the kendo sword at the older kid. His grandfather took a firm hold of his tiny wrist. He made Sage drop the object to the ground.

“You must learn to control your temper, Sage. Let all the negative energy flow out of you,” he said in a firm voice. He had Sage meditate after the class was over. “Uncontrolled anger will result in failure.”

Sage smiled to himself. As the years went on, he was able to keep calm, even in the toughest situations. His grandfather was right.

He started to straighten up the equipment when he heard footsteps walking toward him. After setting a mask down, he turned his head and saw it was his older sister standing next to him.

“I guess the students failed in keeping their dojo neat,” Yayoi said with a smile as she spotted the heap of clothing and masks.

“It’s fine,” Sage said, and one by one picked up the article of clothing. “In time they will understand that in order for everything to balance, their environment must be, as well.”

His sister nodded. “Have you spoken to Rowen? He wasn’t at the wake,” she inquired.

“Rowen is in New York on a scholarship,” Sage explained as he sorted the clothes one by one. “I did notify him what had happened. He said he was coming back to Japan for a bit.”

“That’s good. It must be hard for him to be so far away,” she said.

“He’s doing fine. He’s staying at Kento’s uncle’s place. Besides, he’s too busy studying and doing homework to do anything else.”

“Always did have his nose in a book,” she said with a shake of her head. She glanced at her younger brother as he placed everything neatly in the closet. “Mother told me that you agreed to look after the dojo when things are at peace. Are you okay with this?”

“You were the one who wanted me to juggle both being a Ronin and head of the dojo,” Sage said matter-of-factly. “Besides, I dropped school and I didn’t want to burden Mother with my issues. She has enough to deal with.”

Yayoi stood where she was; a tinge of guilt hit her after she heard what her brother had said.

Outside of the building during the wake, she apologized for her behavior the previous day. She was always hard on him ever since they were kids. Maybe that’s why he always had a hard time talking to other women, and why he hadn’t started dating.

“Don’t worry about it, Yayoi,” Sage said reassuringly. “Things will get rolling again.”

All Yayoi could do was nod her head as she helped her brother clean up the dojo.

The sun was smiling down on the people in Central Park, New York. A gentle breeze made its way through the air. Horses that were pulling carriages were strolling down the pathway, along with runners and cyclists. One runner was on his fifth lap around a certain part of the park. His blue bangs were stuck to his forehead, damp with sweat. He stopped short when he noticed a green-haired woman sitting under one of the big trees, a book in her hand as she leaned against the thick trunk of a tree.

He made his way down a small hill and ran toward her. “Huan?” he panted. The woman picked up her head and looked up at her visitor. She was wearing a light blue skirt with a white polo tee. Her semi-wavy forest-green hair was draped over her shoulders. “I knew it was you.”

“Rowen,” she smiled. “What a surprise. I wondered where you went to. I didn’t see you when I left the house.”

“When I’m not doing homework, I try to keep in shape,” Rowen explained as he took a seat next to her on the freshly cut grass. “I can’t go back to my friends looking chubby, right?”

Huan let out a giggle. “I’m sure they wouldn’t care. You are going to see them, yes?”

“Yeah. In two days I’ll be back in Japan. I decided not to take a summer course. Besides, my friend Sage had a death in the family. The least thing I could do is go see him. I already notified them that I’m coming,” he replied.

“Hmm. It’s going to be different without you here,” she confessed, a hint of sadness in her tone. “I really enjoy your company.”

A tint of pink appeared both on Huan and Rowen’s cheeks. He always thought she was pretty and they got along great. She always made sure he had something to eat when he was too busy to get anything for himself. Her smile made everything better. He just didn’t know how to approach the situation. If only Cye was around for advice.

“Let’s go for a stroll,” Rowen suggested. He got up from his seat on the grass and extended his hand out. Huan placed the book she was reading in her messenger bag and took Rowen’s hand. The color on his cheeks became vivid as he felt how soft her skin was. He cleared his throat and smiled.

The two of them walked over to a small bridge. They were able to see the runners and cyclists as they made their way under the overpass. On the other side, there was a playground. Rowen leaned against the metal railing to the bridge, watching the little kids play. One little boy lost his balance and fell off the tiny wooden bridge and onto the ground of woodchips. The boy didn’t cry; he just got back up and resumed what he was doing.

“That little boy is tough. When I was at that age, I cried at everything,” Huan said with a smile. “Even a little bump made tears appear for me.”

“But you’re not like that now,” Rowen said with a laugh. “The many times I’ve seen you bump into walls…”

“Those times were because I was tired,” Huan interjected.

Rowen chuckled and continued to look out into the horizon of the huge park. The gentle breeze played with his bangs as he closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath through his nose.

“Why don’t we go get something to drink?” Huan suggested. “There is a new coffee spot a few blocks down from here. They are really good. I go there at least once a week.”

“That sounds good,” he smiled. “I am a little thirsty. Show me the way.” A big smile formed across Huan’s pink lips as she led Rowen to her coffee spot.

It was a quaint little café that was three blocks from the park. There were metal chairs and tables placed outside the building, the tables were dressed in brown table clothes while the chairs had the same colored cushions. Upon their arrival, the wonderful aroma of coffee teased their nostrils. Rowen noticed birdcages that had real-looking birds in them, hanging in each corner of the place. Various plants were placed against the olive-green walls. Unlike the tables and chairs that were placed outside, the ones inside were all made out of wood. Only the chairs had the brown cushions with them.

“Have a seat. I’ll get us drinks,” Huan said with a smile still on her face. “Don’t worry about paying. Oh, and you don’t have to tell me how you like your coffee. I know.”

She waltzed over to the front counter, leaving Rowen with his thoughts. How did she know how he liked his coffee? He took a seat in one of the wooden chairs and looked at the surface of the table. Everything was nicely polished. There was sugar and different types of flavored powder next to him in shakers.

He looked at his folded hands, deep in thought, the sound of the coffee makers were buzzing in the background. He knew the impact that Sage’s grandfather had on him. There was no doubt in his mind that there was conflict in the Date family. That was part of the reason why he decided to book a flight back home. He felt like he had to be there for his best friend during such a difficult time. Of course, he’d be a bit behind because of the skipped semester, but he didn’t really care.

He picked up his head when he saw a steaming cup of hot coffee being placed in front of him.

“What’s the matter? Did I startle you?” Huan asked with a giggle. She took the seat across from him. “You looked like you were deep in thought.”

Rowen smiled and nodded his head. “Yeah. I was just thinking about things… friend related,” he replied.

“The one who had a death in the family?” she asked before taking a sip of her mocha.

“You got it,” he said. “He’s like a brother to me.” Rowen brought the edge of the paper coffee cup to his lips and took a sip. It was exactly how he liked it: one spoonful of sugar and a little bit of milk. He swallowed the hot liquid and continued his story. “Sage’s grandfather ran a dojo that had been in the family for years. He told Sage that when his time was up, he wanted him to carry on the Date dojo. Of course, Sage had greater responsibilities that he had to worry about and wasn’t too keen on the idea.”

“He’s not married nor has a kid, right? What else could there be to worry about? School?” Huan asked, curiously.

The Bearer of the Strata just sat there, watching the steam gently dance its way up from his cup. He couldn’t tell her about the armors; she wouldn’t believe him even if he tried.

“I-It’s a complicated matter,” he said softly. “I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologize,” she said after finishing the last drop of her coffee. “It’s obviously something important. I hope all goes well for him.”

A smile formed across Rowen’s lips. “Thank you.”

Various destinations were being called over the intercom. People were saying their goodbyes to their friends and loved ones before getting on the long line to check in. Rowen eyed the line with dread in his eyes. He didn’t think the airport would be this crazy at five in the morning. A small hand touched his shoulder, making him turn his attention to the green-haired woman who accompanied him.

“Thanks for dropping me off,” he said with a smile. He readjusted the bag on his back; one of the straps was cutting off the circulation to his shoulder.

“Someone had to,” Huan blushed. “Uncle Chin couldn’t do it and you couldn’t go alone. Besides, I wanted to.” She glimpsed at the blue-haired man just long enough to see him smiling down at her. She quickly averted her gaze and dug into her purse, searching for something. “A-Anyway… I want you to have something. It’s nothing much…”

Rowen waited patiently, watching her move things around in her big pink bag. A smile formed across her lips as she took out a small, blue teddy bear that had fuzz on the top of its head. “A bear?”

Huan’s face turned even redder as she held it up in front of her face, only leaving her eyes exposed. “I saw it the other day. I-It reminded me of you… but if you don’t like it…” She started to feel embarrassed. It was silly to think he would accept something so childish.

Rowen took the small plush from her small hands and smiled at it. “I guess it does look like me. I have way more fuzz, though, on the head. Thanks, Huan. It’ll remind me of you while I’m in Japan.”

A huge smile graced her features as she leaned in and pecked him on the cheek. “I’ll miss you. Have a safe trip home.”

“I’ll write to you,” he replied, his cheeks still red. “Take care of Chin for me.”

“I will,” she said. Her eyes flew open when she felt soft lips press against her own. Time seemed to stop for the both of them. She didn’t want him to go. With both hands, she gently pushed him away from her. “You better get going. The line looks like it got longer.”

Rowen turned his head to view the line. She was right. “Yeah. I better go before more people come.” Huan waved solemnly, watching him get onto the long line to check in.

He placed his pointer and middle finger against his lips, almost in a daze. He didn’t know what had gotten into him. The kiss wasn’t planned. Huan didn’t protest, either. He merely shook his head and concentrated on his long flight back home.

A huge pile of books landed in front of the cashier. The young man started to ring the books of various sizes one by one, looking at the timid girl before him. He questioned two of the books in his head, like the Kama Sutra one. Natsumi looked at the white counter space, her cheeks red with embarrassment. Hana had purchased a few romance novels and was standing on the sidelines. Natsumi wasn’t joking when she said that she wanted to do more research on the whole intimate subject. The dark-haired woman shook her head.

The brunette fumbled around in her purse and took out her plain black wallet. She placed the money in the young man’s hand and grabbed the plastic bag containing her items. She looked at Hana and nodded her head, signaling that it was time to go. The two friends made their way out into the cool breeze.

“So… you weren’t kidding when you said you wanted to do research,” Hana said with a smile on her face. “The look on that guy’s face was priceless. It looked like he was blushing, too.” The two of them made their way down the sidewalk, side by side.

Natsumi hung her head as she felt the blood rushing to her cheeks once more. “It was very awkward for me. He kept looking at me,” she said softly. “At least this will keep me busy for a while.” She heard Hana chuckle softly next to her. Her Persian-blue eyes looked up and flew open with shock.

It was like her feet were cemented to the ground, preventing her from moving. Fear ran from the top of her spine to the tips of her toes. There, standing in front of them, was her father. He was dressed in a black suit and tie; his eyes were covered by his dark shades. His hands were in his pants pockets.

“What a coincidence meeting you here,” he said in a smooth voice. A smirk appeared in the corner of his mouth. “I was worried about you, my lovely Natsumi.”

Natsumi didn’t respond. Her hands started to quiver, making her drop her bag of books onto the concrete. Hana looked at her scared friend and then at the man in black standing before them, calm as a cucumber.

“Who are you?” she demanded. “What do you want with Natsumi?”

The older man let out a laugh. Hana’s rage was slowly climbing up the ladder. Was he laughing at her? “I am her father, young lady,” he answered smugly. “I’m here to collect her.”

“Collect?” Hana asked in bewilderment. She took a step in front of her frozen friend. “She’s not some sort of object.”

Aric ignored Hana and looked toward his daughter. “Natsumi, it’s time to go home,” he said in a low voice.

“You’re not taking her anywhere,” Hana growled. “I won’t allow you to even lay a finger on her!” Purple aura surrounded the dark-haired woman, forcing Aric to take a step back.

Natsumi snapped out of her trance and looked around the area. The surrounding group of people stopped at what they were doing to watch the scene unfold before them. She turned her attention to in front of her and saw the power growing around Hana’s body. She had to stop her before things got out of hand. “Stop, Hana!” Her friend turned her head and looked at her in question. “Let me handle this.” With a shaky step, she walked forward, trying to put on a brave face.

“Ah. I knew you would come back,” Aric said with a grin. “No matter what, you will always be my obedient daughter. I’ll even let the last incident slide.”

Natsumi took a shaky deep breath through her nose, her hands clenched into fists at her side. Her heart was hammering against her ribcage. “No, Father. I have a new home and family now. I won’t go back to that prison just to be tortured by you. I told you I was done… and I meant it…”

Hana eyed Aric carefully. A bulging vein appeared on his forehead. His teeth were clenched tightly together. The calm, smug demeanor that was once present was quickly evaporating. “You ungrateful brat! I will NOT tolerate disobedience!”

Moving quickly, Hana went in front of Natsumi, her arms extended outward in a protective manner. “Look at yourself,” she said in disgust. “Do you really want to draw attention to yourself in front of all these people? Leave us alone and go your separate way. She already told you that she doesn’t want anything to do with you.”

Whispers could be heard around them. Aric looked around and saw people staring at him, whispering things to their neighbor. He looked back at the two girls. “This isn’t over. I will get you back!” He turned on his heel and walked away, leaving a very shaken Natsumi in his wake.

“Are you okay?” Hana asked as she placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder, already knowing the answer. “Do you need to sit down?”

Natsumi picked up her bag and shook her head. “Let’s just… go home. I don’t want to be here anymore.”

Hana nodded in agreement and walked her friend back to the car.

“You saw who?!” Kento exclaimed as he placed the second slice of white bread on top of his huge turkey and lettuce sandwich. “He didn’t try anything smart, right?”

“No, Kento. I made sure of that,” Hana said with a shake of her head. She was sitting at the island with a glass of iced cold water in her hand. “Besides, Natsumi stuck up for herself. She was pretty courageous out there.”

The Bearer of Hardrock leaned over and looked at the closed door down the hall. “And now she has shut herself in her room again.”

Hana looked at the top of the island with hard eyes. “The man was bat-shit-crazy. He had this smug look on his face when he talked about collecting her, as if she was his property. The grin he had was almost sadistic. There was no telling what he would have done if he got his dirty hands on her.”

Kento joined his best friend with his sandwich. “He sounds like a real winner.”

“I’ll stay here with her when you guys go to pick up Rowen. I don’t want her to be alone just in case that creep followed us back here,” Hana said. “If he did, I’ll be waiting for him.” A small orb of energy appeared in the palm of her hand. The energy swirled around a bit before disappearing.

“Well, let’s just hope he didn’t,” Kento said before taking a bite out of his food.

“I wish we had Tim’s contact information. If we did, we could tell him about what happened,” she groaned. “He could have been extra protection.”

“Ha! That wimp? He didn’t even protect her all those years she was being abused,” Kento laughed. “I didn’t trust him then and I don’t trust him now.”

Hana didn’t say a word. She just looked at her folded hands that rested on the surface of the island. It was true that Tim didn’t help her in her time of need; instead he just stood there while her father hurt her mentally and physically. She sighed to herself, thinking of all the obstacles that they have faced. What else could go wrong?

Flashes of lighting stuck above the dark castle of the Nether Realm. Tin soldiers marched in rows as orders were barked at them. Terrifying spirits, who had their jaws hanging from their face, flew above. The empire was slowly growing stronger.

Jaaku made his way down the hall, his crystal ball secured tightly between his boney hands. He stopped at the iron door and knocked. After slowly opening the door, he walked into the dimly lit room.

“You have something to report, Jaaku?” Taikoku inquired. He was sitting in a chair made of iron, something that didn’t seem too comfortable. His hands were intertwined on his lap, and his long legs were crossed. His complexion was getting better since the last time Jaaku saw him.

“I see you have gained more strength,” Jaaku said, bowing his head.

“Yes. I have made some trips down to the mortal world. I managed to turn some mortals into my warriors,” Taikoku replied. “Of course I didn’t do much damage to have those people notice. Not yet at least. What do you have for me?”

The crystal ball floated in mid-air. One by one the Ronin Warriors appeared within the sphere as if it were a video player.

“These are the Ronins, sire. Ryo of Wildfire, Rowen of the Strata, Sage of the Halo, Kento of Hardrock, and Cye of the Torrent. The armors they possess were from your brother’s armor.” Images of each Ronin using their attacks appeared one after the other.

“They are nothing but children,” Taikoku commented.

“Yes, but look closely,” Jaaku encouraged. From within the ball, images of the armors merging into the Inferno Armor came into play. “The White Inferno Armor, sire. It has great power. Something Talpa couldn’t get his hands on.”

“Fascinating!” the emperor said. “I can’t wait to get a hold of that armor. It will make me stronger than I ever was.” His brow arched as he noticed a brunette with Ryo. “Who’s the girl?”

“I don’t know, my lord. This is the latest footage I was able to get. Perhaps it’s someone who is close to Wildfire?” he speculated.

Taikoku watched the ball as the scene switched to Natsumi standing up to her father. “Interesting. That girl might be useful to me.”

“Come again, my lord? I don’t quite understand what you are saying,” Jaaku asked.

“I’m not strong enough to be chasing these children around yet. I’m sure it won’t take much to get them to come to me, but I would like to have some fun with them. I’ll use those twin brats to weaken them while I get more energy from the mortal world,” Taikoku explained with an evil grin. “I will reign supreme once and for all.”