The Ronin Warriors' Dilemma: Part 3

by SAW458

"Here you go," Mia said, handing Kento his plate.

"Thanks." He took it and attacked the eggs she had given him with less zeal than he usually would have. Ryo chewed slowly on his breakfast and Sage nursed a cup of tea. Whiteblaze lay on the kitchen floor, taking a fitful catnap.

Mia sighed and turned to Yuli, who was dragging his spoon through his cereal in slow, listless circles. "Come on, you have to eat something, Yuli."

Yuli reluctantly put his spoon in his mouth and swallowed the food in it. Then he set his utensil in the bowl and pushed it away, folding his arms and leaning onto the table. "I'm not hungry."

"You're going to starve if you keep this up," Ryo said worriedly.

The little boy sniffled, tears shimmering in his eyes. He miserably hid his face from view. "I miss Rowen," he said softly. Ryo and Mia exchanged looks; Yuli had already dealt with the loss of his parents and Anubis. He was too young to have to experience all that sadness in his life. There was only so much that a child could handle.

"Yuli?" Sage placed his hand on Yuli's shoulder. The bandage was gone now, thanks to his healing powers. But for some reason, a light pink scar still remained that he couldn't get rid of. Sage reached over and pushed the bowl of cereal back toward the boy. "Give it a try. Please?" He picked up the spoon and held it out for Yuli to take. Yuli lifted his eyes and meet Sage's pale, indigo gaze. The blond smiled faintly, and an unspoken message was voiced between the two. Yuli finally nodded and grasped the utensil in his small hand, proceeding to eat his food. Mia cast Sage a grateful glance, and he shrugged slightly.

Cye entered the kitchen and announced in a weary tone, "I'm going to town to pick up a few things."

"Okay," Mia replied, tossing him the keys to her jeep.

"Thanks." Cye turned to Sage expectantly. "Do you want to come along?"

Sage thought for a moment, and then stood. "Sure."

Kento opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it instead. Cye and Sage left the room, and soon the remaining four people heard the front door shut and the car roar away. Mia caught the expression on Kento's face and said, "Yuli, why don't you go outside and play awhile?"

"Okay," he said half-heartedly, sliding his chair back and getting up. Whiteblaze was on his feet and following Yuli as he walked by.

Once they were gone, Mia asked expectantly, "What's wrong, Kento?"

"Nothing really," Kento replied. "It's just that..." He paused as if debating his words, then continued. "Cye has been spending a lot of time with Sage lately, and I hardly see him anymore. It's like..."

"Like he's leaving you alone?" Ryo finished for him.

Kento nodded. "Yeah, I guess. I know I shouldn't think this way, but I feel like Sage is taking my best friend away to replace Rowen. And Cye is going along with it."

Mia shook her head. "That's not it at all. Cye isn't trying to be a substitute in Rowen's absence. And Sage isn't looking for one. No one is going to take Rowen's place in Sage's heart. Their friendship was something I had never seen before. They were closer than friends could ever be."

Kento stared at Mia for a second, not looking like he was understanding. "She's saying," Ryo said in explanation, "that Rowen and Sage were more like brothers than friends." He rested his chin in his hands, his expression solemn. "They often seemed to understand each other's feelings and thoughts. They had a connection, those two. And now Sage has lost that link. I think Cye knows that it wouldn't be good for Sage to be alone at this time. So Cye's trying to fill that gap for him, until Sage can deal with it. You see?"

"Yeah, I guess," Kento acknowledged. He let out a heavy sigh. "But I wish that things would go back to the way they were."

"So do I. But I don't think our lives are ever going to be the same again," Ryo said. He lowered his head, silence filling the room. Mia and Kento didn't say anything. This isn't the way it was supposed to be, Ryo thought. All of us were supposed to stay together until the very end. Ancient, I just don't know what to do anymore. We could really use your guidance now...

In a modest kitchen, the cozy smells of breakfast wafted through the air. The window over the sink was pulled up, letting a light breeze flutter the yellow curtains. At the table sat the elderly lady who had found Rowen. A newspaper sat in front of her, along with a steaming cup of coffee. She took a sip from brown liquid occasionally while reading the headlines.

"Good morning!" The lady looked up in surprise to see the young man with blue hair step into the room, a warm smile upon his lips.

"Rowen? What are you doing up? You should be resting." She stood up, concern etched on her face.

"I feel a lot better now actually."

"How so?"

"Well," he said, running a hand through his hair, "I still don't remember much of anything, but physically I think I'm fine."

The old woman peered at him for a moment, then appeared to be satisfied that he was well now. "Well then, you sit and I'll make you a good meal."

"That's not necessary," Rowen responded. "I don't want to trouble you. I should probably just go."

"And where would you go? You don't know who you are or where you live." Steering him towards a chair, the lady sat him down and said firmly, "It's best if you stay here for awhile until you get your head straightened out."

Rowen blinked, then finally agreed. "All right." He then realized something. "I never caught your name."

"It's Maggie," she said, her eyes sparkling. She took note of his outfit. "Oh, you found your clothes. They were such a mess after I got them off of you, so I washed and ironed them."

"You...you did?" Rowen stammered, suddenly becoming a bit red in the face.

Maggie sensed his embarrassment and chuckled. "Don't worry so much! I've had children of my own, you know. A son, in fact."

Rowen finally got rid of the flushing in his cheeks and asked curiously, "Where is he now?"

"Well, he's off living his life. Busy with his job as a scientist and such. But he calls sometimes to check up on me."

"And your husband?"

The old woman paused before answering, "Andy died a few years ago."

Rowen nearly kicked himself for asking such a delicate question without thinking first. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. He had a good life and we shared many happy times together. I'm not lonely; I just have to think of all the wonderful memories I have of him." Maggie sighed wistfully, then shook herself and smiled cheerfully. "But you must be hungry," she said, going to the refrigerator. She peered inside and frowned as a realization hit her. "Oh dear. I haven't gone to the store yet this week."

"Why don't you let me go for you?" Rowen asked. Maggie looked at him as he stood up with a grin. "It's the least I can do in return for all the kindness you've shown me."

She contemplated about it for a moment, debating if he would be all right, then nodded. "Thank you, Rowen," she said in mild, but pleasant surprise. "I don't have a car, but there's a bike near the front door you can use. Just follow the road and it will lead you right to the middle of town." Maggie walked over to a drawer and pulled it open, plucking out a piece of paper. "Here's the list of things I need."

Rowen took it and gave it a quick scan. "No problem!" He lifted his hand in a wave before heading out of the room.

Maggie sat down at the table, chuckling. That boy was such a wonderful young person; a rare thing in this day and age. Yet, despite the fact he had lost his memory, there seemed to be traces of pain and sadness from the past remaining in his features. What was his life like? As she mused about it, she didn't notice that the warm breeze from outside had suddenly turned colder, and the clear, blue sky had been replaced with dark clouds that blotted out the sun...

"Let's see...bread, flour, yogurt...I'm pretty sure we're out of orange juice," Cye mumbled to himself as he mentally checked off the things they needed to buy. Sage couldn't help but smile a little. When it came to grocery shopping, Cye always concentrated entirely on the task. The English boy truly was an odd person at times, but that was part of what made him such a likeable person. Oh well. Sage decided that Cye deserved a distraction from the misery enveloping him and everyone else right now. "Oh yeah!" Cye exclaimed with a snap of his fingers, startling Sage out of his thoughts. "Could you go and see if they have any sour cream? They didn't have any last time."

Sage nodded and went off to the dairy section while Cye pushed the cart over to the snack food aisle. He grabbed a bag of chips that Kento usually asked him to get and tossed them in. What am I missing, he pondered. Then Cye remembered and wheeled over to the other side of shelves, picking up a package of roasted sunflower seeds. Good thing I got them, Cye thought with a smirk. The last time I didn't buy these, Rowen threw a fit and I had to come all the way back here again. Then the cold slap of reality made Cye realize what he was doing. He froze, almost dropping the item in his hands. What was I thinking? I was so preoccupied that I completely forgot that Rowen is...God, how callous of me. I'm such an idiot!

Cye stared at the seeds in his now trembling hand. Rowen had developed a liking for them a few weeks before, and he always insisted that Cye get them. The blue-haired archer got such a simple joy out of munching on his prize while studying or reading, even though Cye always scolded him later for leaving the shells on the floor. Maybe I could buy them anyway, if only to keep Rowen's memory alive. Was there really a point though? Cye closed his eyes as grief welled up inside of him. Please, not here, he silently begged with himself. Not now.

"Excuse me." A voice broke through Cye's daze as a hand reached past him to pull one of the bags of sunflower seeds from the display.

"Oh! Yes, sorry." Cye gave the other room and looked up to give the shopper an apologetic smile. Then he gasped when he saw the young man standing next to him. A slight thud was heard as the package in fell from Cye's hand and landed on the floor. His legs wobbled as he backed up and bumped into his cart.

"Hey, are you okay?" The young man peered at him, half confused and half anxious. The expression on Cye's face was enough to cause him worry. It had gone very pale, almost white. He was afraid for a second that the auburn haired boy would faint or something.

Cye literally couldn't speak for a few seconds; his voice had caught in his throat. He wasn't sure it he should be happy or terrified, but he felt a mixture of both those emotions, clashing at each other in turmoil. He swallowed hard and stared in shock at the person's deep azure eyes, his lanky form, and that tell-tale blue hair that no one else could have. Cye finally whispered above a barely audible volume. "Rowen?" Then it came out stronger, and with more astonishment and joy in his tone. "Rowen! I can't believe it!" Cye grabbed the startled boy's arm and, to his relief, found that it was solid. "Where have you been? We thought you were dead!"

"Huh?" Rowen looked at Cye in puzzlement, trying to figure out what was going on. He had come to this section during his errand for Maggie because for some reason he had gotten a craving for sunflower seeds. He didn't know why. And now this stranger was clinging to his wrist, and to make things weirder, the guy knew his name! "Do I know you?"

"What?" Cye exclaimed, his eyes becoming round and stunned. "It's me, Cye!" Searching Rowen's face, he was a little alarmed to see no signs of recognition in his expression. "Rowen, what happened to you? Are you all right?"

Rowen scrutinized Cye carefully, hearing the pleading tone in his accented voice. He could tell just by looking at him that the English boy was not trying to pull a prank on him. A slight twinge of familiarity struck Rowen as he stood there. Perhaps this was a friend of his that he had forgotten. "I'm sorry," he said finally, feeling a bit guilty. "I don't remember you at all." Rowen was dismayed to see a saddened look of disbelief on the young man's face.

"Hey, Cye, you didn't tell me what type of that stuff you wanted." The two looked to see Sage striding down that aisle towards them, glancing over his shoulder at dairy products. "There's four different kinds, and..." He turned his vision forward as he spoke, then stopped dead in his tracks. His mouth dropped open slightly and his visible eye widened. "Rowen..." He had the brief idea that he was staring at a ghost. Then he reminded himself that things like that don't exist.

Rowen drew in a sharp breath, his heart suddenly going at double time. He wasn't sure what happened next; something just came over him. An intense terror gripped him at the sight of Sage. Those pale, icy eyes were staring at him, piercing his body like knives. The same person from my nightmare. No, he thought, numb as he began shaking his head without his awareness. This can't be real, it just can't! Fear and confusion assaulted Rowen's nerves, shutting down his reason and calmness. He was like a deer trapped in front of blinding headlights as a car beared down on him. His survival instincts took over for him, and he fled.

"Rowen!" Cye and Sage shouted his name as he bolted like a frightened rabbit. They both raced after him; neither of them understood why he had taken off like that.

Rowen's shoes pounded on the ground as he darted through a crowd of startled customers in his effort to escape; from what he didn't know. Maybe from Sage, or his fear. His panting was short and ragged, and his chest felt as if it was slowly being crushed. He literally couldn't breathe, but that was the least of his concerns at the time. The paralyzing terror that had taken possession of his actions were not slowing him down in the least. He was out of the grocery store in record time and dashing across the pavement. Rowen didn't even bother getting Maggie's bike. He probably would have kept running without anything in his way, but then something intervened.

Rowen was practically across the parking lot when an angry thunderclap roared from the now darkened sky. Stumbling to an abrupt stop, he stared up in horror at the brewing storm about to occur. It had been clear and blue when he had arrived here, but now the weather had become ugly. A jagged streak of lightning suddenly flashed brilliantly across the sky. Rowen watched as it snaked along the clouds and left behind a slight scent of ozone. Lightning...his dream...Sage...his distorted mind managed to connect these things together; for him, they meant pain. Rowen involuntarily crossed his arms and gripped his sides, his breathing getting more and more labored. "Help...me..." he weakly cried out, as if someone would hear him. Agony shot through him, causing his head to snap back. Consciousness faded from his eyes and he finally collapsed to the ground.

Cye and Sage caught up with the blue haired boy a few seconds later. "Oh, no!" Cye knelt down next to his fallen friend, an expression of worried distress on his face. Rowen was on his side, curled up into a fetal position as his entire body shook violently. His chest rose and dropped erratically as he wheezed shallowly, close to the point of hyperventilation. Cye pressed his thumb to Rowen's neck and was appalled to find the pulse dangerously fast. "Sage, at this rate, he'll die! We have to do something!"

"Give me a hand." Sage got to his knees, and with Cye's help they were able to lay Rowen flat on his back. The blond quickly put his hands on the archer's temples. There was rapid movement under Rowen's eyelids, and his head jerked back and forth in Sage's grasp. Closing his eyes, Sage spoke softly to his friend. "Calm down. You're safe now." A very faint green aura shimmered around Halo's body as he quieted the blue haired boy. Slowly but surely, Rowen's convulsions decreased until a time to time occasional twitch from one of his arms or legs was all that was seen. His expression relaxed and he sighed, looking like he was only resting.

"Is he all right?" Cye asked worriedly.

Sage nodded wearily, pulling his hands away from Rowen's head. "He should be."

"So, then what just happened?"

"I don't know," Sage lied, not wanting to say otherwise. He had a fairly good idea of what had just occurred, and what had caused it. Rowen had taken one look at him and had been scared out of his mind. What have I done to you, he thought. But amidst his remorse and guilt, Sage forced himself to not think like that. Rowen was alive; that was the most important thing.

"What should we do now?" Cye inquired.

"Let's get him home." Sage took off his jacket and gently slid it under Rowen's head to elevate it off the hard cement. "Could you get the car?"

Cye nodded and sprinted off to get Mia's jeep. As he waited, Sage raised his pale eyes to the sky for a moment. The black clouds were disappearing, and patches of sunlight bathed the parking lot. Sage felt it's warmth on his face and in his hair. The light coming from the heavens was like an omen of forgiveness. It was the first time since all this had started that Sage had considered the fact that he could be forgiven. Then he looked down again at the sleeping person next to him. Sage still couldn't believe; Rowen was all right. The emotions he had been hiding from view now surfaced, and a sob emerged from him as he reached out for Rowen. Sage finally knew how much he had really missed the other boy as he hugged him tightly. "Don't worry," he whispered tearfully, "everything is going to be fine. Somehow, I will make up for the pain I have caused you, my friend. I promise." He kissed the top of Rowen's head in a gesture of friendship and compassion, then rested his cheek on the same spot.

Rowen stirred slightly, and a faint murmur came from him. "Sage..." But the blond haired-boy didn't hear. Cye arrived with the car, and Sage picked up his charge. After settling the archer in the back seat, Sage climbed into the passenger front seat. The car rumbled off, and the three teens headed home.

Do you like? I don't know, I just write this. Anyway, see ya later!