Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Why, Sage? ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Why, Sage?

Chapter 2

Sage snapped his eyes open about two hours into his sleep. The right side of his cerebrum was killing him, and he could barely stand it. He clutched his head and thought maybe an Advil or two would help.

Forcing himself out of bed, he staggered toward the bathroom where he kept his medicine. But then he began to feel angry, uncontrollable even. In a quick fit of rage, he suddenly knocked down his vase and smashed it to pieces with a single fist.

He didn’t care though. He headed into the bathroom and managed to grab two Advil and popped them in his mouth and swallowed.

‘Ugh, what is wrong with me? I’ve been so moody and cranky, and I have no idea why. My head hurts so bad.’

He splashed his face with water, and retreated to his room. The clock told him he should get up and attempt homework. Maybe it was better to wait until after his headache went away so he could concentrate.

Needing a distraction, he woke his computer and accessed the internet. The first thing he did was checked his e-mail. Most of it was junk mail, but there was an e-mail from a particular person. His lab partner.

‘Hey, what’s this about you spouting off about me not helping you with your project, man? Okay, yeah, so I backed out of it. It was too much for me, with everything else going on. Or maybe I just didn’t feel like doing it? I dunno. It’s not a life or death situation, man. ~Arata.

If Sage had been angry before, he was boiled over upset now. What he wouldn’t do to beat the living day lights out of Arata right now. Was he making excuses for himself? It was too much for him? The audacity of such idiocy!

Before he could stop himself, Sage typed a response. ‘Excuse me? It’s too much for you? You should have thought about that before you agreed to the college life. You didn’t want to do it? I’d believe that first before I believed your first pathetic excuse. Maybe you should drop out of college if you can’t handle it.’

Sage sent it without signing his name.

His headache began to subside, but he still felt the rage within. He opened his journal, ignoring the other e-mails, and decided to post a new entry.

Entry: Ouch, Ouch, Ouch.

My head hurts something terrible. I haven’t felt this much pain in years, but it seems worse. I am often prone to headaches due to having sensitive eyes, but this time it seems a lot worse. I took two Advil, so it’s slowly subsiding. I still feel angry though. I even broke my own vase. For some reason, I don’t care. Hahaha. Although in other news, I feel like beating the crap out of one particular person, mainly because he’s nothing but a coward and a lazy ignoramus. Screw it, I won’t hide his name. He needs to face facts anyway. Yes, Arata, I am calling you that. You lazy, selfish, impromptus, disgusting human being. No, you’re lower than a human being. You rate up right below where the plankton lies. I hope the college expels you for lack of commitment and responsibility.

Ah, that felt much better. And do I care if I hurt his feelings? No. He deserves this. My grandfather always used to say: If you don’t confront them directly, they will never learn.

My headache needs to go away. Ugh.

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Rowen had had a nice conversation with his mother, for at least an hour. He had also gotten other chores completed, and decided he would get some ice cream to congratulate himself.

As he headed for the kitchen, his cell phone suddenly rang. Taking it out, he saw it was Ryo. Wow, Ryo was calling him. That was rather surprising. He flipped it open. “Hello, Ryo.”

“Hey, how’s it going?” Ryo asked.

“It’s not too bad. I feel accomplished today.”

“Oh yeah? How come?”

“I got everything done that I planned to finish today.” Rowen couldn’t help smiling in victory.

“Hey, that’s great!” Ryo cheered.

“You seem like you’re in a good mood, Ryo,” Rowen pointed out as he retrieved Rocky Road from the freezer.

“I am actually. My team won again,” Ryo stated proudly.

“Really?! Congratulations! I wish I could have been there to see you in action.”

“Yeah,” Ryo said softly, “so did I. I wanted to invite a lot of people to the game, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You and Sage are both busy with jobs and college. My game was in the center of the semester with Mid-terms coming up. I didn’t invite you two out of respect to you finishing your tasks that you deemed important. As for Kento and Cye, Kento was too busy with his new family, and Cye wouldn’t be able to make it all the way down from England. He has too much on his plate anyway.”

Rowen took a bite of ice cream as he listened to this. He still didn’t understand Ryo sometimes, but oh well. However, he did feel grateful to him in some way. “Well, thanks,” he said. “I’m hoping maybe next time we can go see your game.”

“Are you angry with me?” Ryo asked, a bit dreadfully.

“Well, to be honest, I am hurt. But at the same time I’m thankful that you were in a way thinking of us. I don’t know about Sage though.”

“Heh, speaking of Sage,” Ryo began, “I had a bad dream about him the other night.”

This caught Rowen’s attention. “What was it about?” He hoped it wasn’t about Shikaisen or Cale, or even Talpa. He also hoped it wasn’t about the girl who attempted to seduce Sage and then later attempted rape. That girl was still in jail, even after a year.

“Well,” Ryo began hesitantly, “in the dream I saw Sage standing, watching the lake. It was day time in the dream, but it suddenly began to get darker. And then this dark monster appeared. I couldn’t begin to think of what type of creature it could be, except that it overpowered Sage.”

Rowen gasped as he frowned. At times Ryo was known to be clairvoyant, so could he be picking up the reason for Sage’s behavior? Maybe Sage was possessed!

‘Get over it, Rowen,’ he chided himself. “What do you think it was?” he asked.

“I wish I knew. All I know is that something isn’t right with Sage,” Ryo said heavily. “I’ve seen his aggressive behavior. His own sister Yayoi doesn’t want to come over and see him, and I guess from what Dr. Date told me, Satsuki has been crying because she misses her nii-chan.”

“Doesn’t Sage know about this?” Rowen asked.

“Dr. Date told me they attempted to reach him, but any time he answered the phone, he spouted off how they only wanted to use him as a leader of the dojo, how Yayoi always made fun of him as a child, and that his grandfather was too harsh.”

“Ouch,” Rowen said in shock.

“No kidding. Dr. Date thinks there’s something wrong with him. She thinks he’s sick, but she’s having a hell of a time getting him to come to the hospital for an examination.” Ryo sighed through the phone as if helpless for an answer.

Rowen sighed too as he began to think. “Well, maybe I can talk him into it.”

“Good luck.”

“Thanks. I’ll need it.”

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“No, I don’t give a damn about how you feel, Yayoi. You were nothing but cruel to me when we were kids. What did you think I was? A doll? Some play thing you could dress up in bows and force make up upon?”

“Sage, I’m sorry. I was young and stupid back then,” Yayoi tried to say before Sage cut her off.

“You’re sorry? I doubt that. You were stupid yes, and uncaring, selfish even. I did nothing to you, Yayoi, and yet you treated me like crap. All because you wanted to play.”

“And what was wrong with that?” Yayoi demanded as her temper finally snapped. “You were nothing but a sickly, weakly little baby anyway.”

“For someone who was sick and weak, and a little baby,” Sage challenged, “I guess the armor didn’t choose wisely did it?” With that last remark, Sage slammed the receiver down so hard, he was certain a few of the electrical pieces inside broke. Or maybe Yayoi’s hearing had been slightly altered. He hoped so.

Once again, his head pounded and he felt more than angry. After taking his anger out on his walls, thus putting a few holes here and there, he finally sat at his computer and typed away.

My Family stinks

That’s right. And I’m not talking about their odor either. If anything, my oldest sister is the most irritating person ever. Selfish, immature, and a user. My little sister, even though she looks up to me, is annoying. For one thing she talks way too much, and whenever you tell her, she apologizes and then talks some more. She’s also afraid of her own shadow. Kids at her school bully her, and she won’t stick up for herself. Maybe if she would take up lessons at the dojo she would. Oiy Ve. I am more than irritated right now. Like I mentioned my family could care less about me. My dad is hardly ever home, my grandfather too damn strict. I’m 18 years old, and still I have to do as he says? Because it’s in my best interest? Get over it, Gramps. I live in my own place, not with you. Stop treating me like a baby! And if my family wasn’t bad enough, my friends are about worse. Not one of them even remembered that my birthday was yesterday. I was hoping for a response of some kind, or maybe my friends to come over. Yeah, right. I guess they hate me. Whatever. I hate them too.

Sage posted his entry and moaned as he clutched his head. Why wouldn’t this headache just stay away?! Maybe he needed a double duce. Did he have any Orion? He went to check, when suddenly a beep alerted him. Now what?

He brought out his cell phone and saw it was Rowen. Sighing to himself, he debated about ignoring it, but then decided to answer anyway. “What do you want, Rowen?”

“That’s a great way to greet a friend,” Rowen replied, a bit hurt.

“I’m busy. Talk. Quick.”

Rowen sighed through the phone, and then got on with it. “Sage, Ryo was talking to me about the way you’ve been acting.”

“The way I’ve been acting? What about everyone else? Do you think any of you give two shits about me?”

“Sage, stop it. Listen to yourself, man. You were once so easy going. You smiled and laughed a lot, you listened to people’s problems. Hell, you even knew how to party and have fun. I don’t understand what made you like this.” Rowen took a shuddering breath as his voice choked. “I would blame Talpa or Shikaisen, but I feel there is something much more. I would even put the blame on that girl who tried to rape you. But again, I do not think that is it.”

Sage was silent for several moments, but the anger had not left him. How dare Rowen put all of this on him? How dare anyone do this to him. No one had the right to make him confront his own behavior, particularly when they did not understand how he felt. Then again, no one cared. He finally went after the Orion and popped it open. Taking three swallows, he began to calm down, somewhat.

“Oh, so you know what my problem is, Dr. Rowen? Tell me if you think you do. Hm?” The sarcasm was not hidden in Sage’s response.

“I don’t know what your problem is, Sage. But your mother may. She wants you to get checked out as soon as possible.”

“Why should I? She doesn’t care either. Nobody does. In fact, everyone forgot my birthday yesterday.” Sage drank some more, and this time let out a long, loud burp.

Rowen sighed through the phone, a sigh filled with pity, remorse, sympathy, and frustration. “Sage, your birthday wasn’t yesterday. It was in June, the 9th. Yesterday was September 27th.”

“What?” Sage frowned. Rowen had to be lying. He knew the date was still June, and that his birthday had indeed been yesterday.

“It’s true, Sage,” Rowen said softly.

“No! You’re lying and trying to confuse me!”

“I’m not, Sage! You need help!”

“You need to leave me be, blue boy,” Sage said. With that said, he slammed the phone shut and allowed himself to cry, the bottle of Orion to his lips.

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Rowen sighed, feeling immensely depressed as he held his head in his hands. Ryo looked at him sympathetically, having just arrived in time to hear the final bits of conversation. This was hard on all of them, and who knew how Sage’s family felt.

No one could figure out when it started. Perhaps it started when Sage was constantly asked to drive around for his family when they couldn’t do it due to busy schedules. Maybe it was from his father’s late night disappearances caused by his late night shift works. Didn’t his grandfather cause too much grief by even suggesting who Sage would marry and when? And what about his mother and father who dressed him like a girl? Or Yayoi who had forced doll clothes on him?

Still, Ryo did not feel those were the reasons. If any of them was hit the hardest by Sage’s eccentric behavior it was Rowen. Seeing the depressed look in his fellow Ronin’s eyes nearly made Ryo head out the door. But he held off. No, he would make things worse. It was best to wait and see if Sage calm down, and then approach the matter again.

“Ryo, he’s not the same any more,” Rowen said at last. “I miss his smile, his laughter. I miss the way he spoke about controversial subjects. He doesn’t do anything like that now. He goes to work, comes home, goes to his classes, comes home… And he complains about that no one cares about him.”

“He’s wrong. I don’t think this is just a phase he is going through. I would like to believe that, but something else is at work here. Do you know if he’s done anything else?”

Rowen became silent. Something else? What had Sage done that Rowen had not failed to see? His mind poured over memories as information and recollection began to head toward his mind. “Well, he has been complaining of a bad headache.”

“How long has this been going on?”

“I think a month if I’m not mistaken.” Rowen pulled himself up into a straight forward position. “Come to think of it, I think that’s when the trouble began. But I felt maybe he was just sick of the way life treated him. However, Ryo, he thought yesterday was his birthday.”

“Say what?”

“I don’t know what to do to help him,” Rowen lamented as he and Ryo sat at the small round table, unable to bring forth any ideas. The circumstances were rocky, and the two Ronins feared if things with Sage weren’t healed quickly, he would inevitably destroy himself. And even though Sage was hurting everyone, those he was hurting the most were his own family and Rowen.