An Unlikely Friendship

by SAW458

Part Three

Cye peered inside a dingy, scratched-up window on the side of the warehouse. The entire interior of the building was a large room with a cement floor and gray walls. At the far end, he could make out a door that looked like it might be a small office of some kind. A single bare light bulb burned from a lamp hanging attached to the ceiling. There were cardboard boxes stacked randomly around the area, lead pipes and various fragments of scrap metal in scattered piles, and other unrecognizable objects that had no use. These things obstructed Cye's view slightly and he shifted to the right of the window, trying to see around all the junk.

His eyes widened as he caught sight of four young men, one with spiky blond hair, another with greasy black hair, another with a stubbly shaved head, and the last with matted brown hair. They were rooting through his duffel bag, pulling out assorted items and examining them. To Cye's dismay, the blond haired one pulled out a familiar looking photo. It was a picture of his mother and sister. Cye cherished it very much while he was absent from his home.

Blondy showed the picture to the other three, who both laughed, then crumpled it in his fist and tossed it like a piece of trash. Cye's own fist clenched in fury as he watched that, his anger rising. How dare they do that! That was his property! He moved away from the window and leaned against the wall next to it. Okay, calm down, he thought, taking a deep breath. Losing your cool now won't help anything. Besides, although the photo had meant a lot to him, it wasn't the most important thing to worry about at the moment. He had to find his orb. And it looked like the only way he was going to find it was to go inside the warehouse.

Cye observed the window he was at. The edges of the frame were painted over, and Cye figured that the other windows were the same. He couldn't get in that way; he'd make too much noise in the process. Then he noticed something near the ceiling of the building. It looked like a narrow, metal catwalk attached to the wall. It was no doubt an alternate way of getting to the roof. Stepping back from the window, Cye looked right and left along the walls, searching for something he could use to get to the top of the warehouse. He spotted a shadow sticking out a bit from the rest of the enclosure and sprinted over to it. A small ladder was nailed into the wall, leading up to the roof. Cye couldn't believe how lucky he was as he grasped the rungs and climbed up.

Once to the top, he made his way through the darkness to where he thought the walkway was below him in the building. He realized he had found it when he stubbed his toe on the edge of a raised trapdoor. Swearing softly, he rubbed his foot for a moment before kneeling down and carefully pulling off the panel. He put it aside and peered through the opening. The catwalk was right below him at a reasonablely safe distance. Cye sat on the brim of the entry and leaned forward, grabbing the opposite edge. He slowly lowered himself until he was dangling over the walkway. Gulping nervously, he sent up a quick prayer that it would hold his weight and let go of the opening. Thankfully, he landed without a sound and quickly crouched down.

There was a damp, musty smell that caused Cye to wrinkle his nose. He cautiously inched his way along the catwalk, not daring to stand up and walk. At the end, he found another ladder and used it to get to the floor. Then he darted behind a pile of boxes, his heart and head pounding in sync. The pain in back of his skull was immense. This is stupid, he suddenly thought. No, this is insane! They'll probably kill me if they find me here. But Cye knew that it was a little late to be having these concerns.

Cye stuck to the shadows, moving along the walls. He could hear the four men talking, but he wasn't quite close enough to hear them. He needed to get closer and passed by the small office he had seen before. Cye was too absorbed to take note of the cloudy window in the door and passed right in front of it. He only got a few feet further when the door suddenly opened and a hand clamped over his mouth. An arm was wrapped around his torso, pinning his own arms to his sides. He struggled frantically for a moment, then the grip on him tightened to the point of pain. Cye froze in fear, taking in shaking breaths through his nose.

His captor leaned forward and hissed in Cye's ear. "Shut up and don't move if you don't want to get killed!"

Cye stayed totally still as he was dragged back into the office. What have I got myself into, he thought.

Rocky pulled the boy back into his room with him, then quietly shut the door with his foot. He waited for a moment to see if anyone was coming, then turned back to his prisoner. "Listen up," he whispered. "I'm gonna let you go now. You better keep quiet unless you want those guys out there to find you here. Got it?" His answer was a vigorous nod in agreement, so Rocky released him.

The boy stumbled forward slightly before whirling around to face him. Rocky was expecting a drugged-up lowlife, but none of those kinds had ever been dumb enough to come in here before. This kid was extremely lucky that Rocky had seen his shadow through the window. He'd been able to grab the guy and get him in here before the others noticed. If he was found here, there would be trouble for sure. Rocky himself was taking a huge risk by saving this kid, but his morals would not allow him to let the boy be caught if he could help it. "Do you have some kind of death wish to be coming here?" he asked in an annoyed manner. Then he stopped as he met the boy's eyes.

Those eyes were sea-green and they flashed at Rocky in anger and distrust under auburn bangs. But they were not the eyes of the punks he usually saw. They were bright and clear, not dulled by the effects of drugs or alcohol. And his clothes were not tattered or torn; they were clean and looked relatively new. These observations brought Rocky to one conclusion: this guy was not in a gang. He was just a normal kid. Like I used to be, Rocky thought with a tinge of sadness.

"I wouldn't be here at all if you and your friends hadn't stolen my things!" the boy said, his tone laced with hostility.

Rocky could hear a distinctive English accent in his voice. His eyes widened as he remembered something. "You're the one Yakasa and the others jumped earlier!"

The boy glared at him in disdain. "Yeah." Then his balance faltered suddenly and he collapsed to his hands and knees, gasping in pain.

Rocky was alarmed and went to help. As he stepped over, he noticed an ugly wound near the back of the kid's head. "What the hell?" He knelt next to the guy and asked him, "Did they do that to you?"

"What kind of question it that?" the boy snapped, irritated. He ignored Rocky and got to his feet shakily. "You were there, weren't you? So why should you care?"

Rocky opened his mouth to object, then stopped. This kid would never believe him. In a sense, he was as much involved in this as the others were by just being in this gang. Never mind, he thought, I've got to get him out of here. "Look," he said hurriedly, "I'm sorry about what happened, but you need to get out of this place before they find out you're here."

"No." Rocky was almost startled by the boy's sharp tone. The teen put a hand to his head to steady himself, and tried to shake the dizziness from his brain. "I can't leave, not until I find my....." His words halted abruptly and he quickly rephrased them. "I'm getting my things first!"

To Rocky's amazement, the kid tried to push past him to the door. That had to be the dumbest, most dangerous thing he had ever heard. Though he had to admit, this guy had guts. Nevertheless, Rocky wasn't going to let to him get himself killed. He placed himself between the door and the person trying to get out, his voice firm. "Whatever they took, forget about it. It's not worth getting yourself murdered over."

"Don't tell me what is and what's not worth dying for! Now get the hell out of my way!" The boy forcefully tried to get around him, but Rocky grabbed his wrist to hold him back. Then it happened. From Rocky's pocket, a light-blue and an orange radiance shone forth. The two teens gaped in awe and fear at the lights. Suddenly, Rocky heard a familiar, echoing voice in his mind. Kento...trust him.... After the glow faded, he immediately let go of the boy, staring at him in shock.

"What...what was that?" Rocky was seriously freaked out by that, and the other teen looked like he agreed wholeheartedly. Without really thinking about it, Rocky pulled the light- blue orb out of his pocket. "Is this yours?" he questioned, knowing exactly what the answer would be.

The boy gasped as he recognized the object and snatched it from Rocky's hand. "Thank goodness," he sighed in relief.

"That's what you were searching for?" Rocky asked.

"Yes." The teen's aggression was now gone, replaced by gratitude. This change of attitude was rather bewildering to Rocky. "Thank you so much!" Then the boy looked at Rocky in confusion. "But how did you know?"

Rocky reached for his own orb and brought it into the light. "I have one too."

The kid was astonished as he saw the almost identical orb. "But how....?"

"I don't know," Rocky replied, making a finalized decision. He may not have been the brightest person in the world, but if this was the sign he was waiting for, he was going to take it. "But we can't talk about it now. Let's get out of here."

"What?! You're going to help me?"

Rocky nodded. He hurried over to the door and opened it, peering through the crack. Yakasa and the others were still rummaging through the duffel bag. "Okay," he said, thinking quickly. "There's a ladder over on the other wall in here. Climb up to the catwalk and use the trapdoor in the ceiling to get to the roof. Then..."

The boy suddenly held up his hands to stop him. "I know. It's how I got in. But what are you going to do?"

"I'll go out first, then meet you outside." Rocky had a plan. "I just have to get something." He headed out the door, grabbing his jacket on the way.

"Wait!" Rocky paused to glance back at the teen.

"What?"

Stepping up to him, the kid smiled shyly and offered his hand. "My name is Cye Mouri."

Rocky blinked in surprise for a moment, then grinned and took Cye's hand. "Rocky."

Cye looked confused by that for a second, then it disappeared as they finished their handshake. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Sure thing," he replied, chuckling slightly. Funny guy, he thought. Then he turned and walked out.

Cye stood outside the warehouse, full of the jitters as he waited for Rocky. He shivered in the cool air and wrapped his arms around himself, though he wasn't cold. He squeezed his eyes shut as a wave of stinging pain pulsed in his brain, but he shook it off. What's taking so long? What if something is wrong, he thought nervously. Then the door to the building opened, shedding a beam of light across the pavement. Cye ducked out of sight behind the same cartons he had used before. Then he sighed in relief as he saw Rocky appear from the opening. After the door was shut, Rocky was walking away when he threw a glance over his shoulder. Though he couldn't quite tell from where he was, Cye could swear he saw Rocky's face twist in bitterness. He realized that Rocky hated that place. But, then why was he there?

Rocky took a moment to spit on the ground before turning his back on the warehouse, for good. Never again, he thought. He looked for Cye, his expression becoming amused when the boy timidly emerged from behind a stack of crates and sprinted over. "Come on, let's go," Rocky said in a serious voice. Cye nodded, and the two took off running.

They raced through the night, heading away from the docks and into the main part of the city. Rocky, who considered himself to be a fairly athletic, was mildly surprised to see Cye keeping his pace. He narrowed his eyes mischievously and gained a few feet in front of the other teen. Cye looked at him in confusion, then saw the devilish glint in his eyes. Grinning slyly, he picked up the momentum and matched Rocky's speed. Then the two both went full out, going as fast as they could. They were so absorbed in their race that they had no idea that they were mere blurs to anyone who saw them. Finally, Rocky stopped, not because he or Cye was tired, but because he felt they had gone far enough. He took a breath, his heart pounding and a huge grin on his face. To his amazement, he realized that he had just had fun. The first real enjoyment out of life that he had experienced for a long time.

"That was great!" Cye exclaimed between breaths, smiling broadly even though the throbbing sensation in his head had worsened.

"Yeah," Rocky agreed. "How'd you get to be so fast?"

Cye flushed a little bit in embarrassment at the compliment. "I swim frequently. I go out into the ocean almost every day. What about you? You're really quick too."

Rocky's face darkened as he spoke, his good mood suddenly fading. "Well, you get a lot of exercise when you have to constantly beat the crap out of guys trying to kill you."

Cye stayed quiet as he absorbed that comment. "I see," he said slowly. They walked along in silence for the rest of their trip. Cye was wise enough to know that Rocky needed time to think, and respected that. He only asked one other question. "Where are we going?"

"To find a place to stay for the night. It's too dangerous out here."

They arrived at a shoddy motel, small and dingy in appearance. Rocky motioned Cye to follow him in and the English boy obliged, though he was a little nervous about going into a place like this. They entered what must have been the lobby. It was a room with a chair, one desk with a lamp, a phone, and a T.V. A fat, greasy looking man sat with his feet on the desk top and was watching some old black and white horror movie. But as soon as he saw Rocky, he quickly sat up and nearly tipped the chair all the forward in the process. Rocky stepped up to the man and said in a cool manner, "My friend and I need a room for the night." The manager merely nodded and opened a drawer, pulling out a rusted metal key.

"Room 5, 2nd floor."

"Thanks." Rocky turned and headed out the door, with Cye at his heels. They didn't know that after they had left, the man hurriedly picked up the phone and began dialing.

As they climbed the outside stairs to the second floor of the motel, Cye asked Rocky, "What was that about?"

He explained simply as he unlocked the door. "That guy pays Yakasa to stay in business. I came with the others one or two times when they were collecting payment, so he knows who I am." He laughed dryly as they went into the dark room. "He knows better than to ask for me to pay for the room."

"But...." Cye began to protest, but Rocky cut him off.

"I didn't say I liked the idea. It's just the way things work around here."

Cye still didn't approve, but he wasn't going to argue about it now. His head was hurting too much. He fumbled around in the blackness until he found the light switch and flipped it up. A large bulb in the center of the ceiling lit up, revealing a single, gray-walled room. The floor was covered with thin, faded green carpet. Two twin beds were set at the opposite side of the room with cheap, peach blankets. A tiny bathroom was to the right of the beds.

"This gonna be ok?" Rocky asked, seeing Cye's faintly dismayed expression.

Cye glanced at him before carefully settling himself on one of the beds. "Well, it's not Buckingham Palace, but I'll live." He sighed tiredly, kicking off his shoes. "What took you so long in that warehouse before?"

Rocky reached into his jacket and retrieved the huge wad of cash that Yakasa and the others had stolen from `that pansy-assed English kid`. He tossed it to Cye, saying, "Getting something for you. I couldn't get your bag though; they've pretty much torn up most of your stuff." He shrugged as he took off his coat and tossed it on the floor near his bed, feeling guilty. "Sorry."

"Oh, don't worry about it." Cye shoved the money in his jeans, but was unable to get the huge lump in his pocket. Then his face lit up as he had an idea. Carefully leafing through the bills, he pulled out half the money and handed it to Rocky.

"What's this for?" Rocky asked, puzzled.

Cye smiled happily as he put the remainder of the cash in his pocket. "Please take it. I can never thank you enough for returning my orb and for saving my life." He lowered his head a little, his eyes filled with shame. "You were right; I could have gotten myself killed the way I rushed into things. But you must understand that I had to get my orb back."

"Well, yeah, sure," Rocky replied, slightly startled at Cye's generous nature. He took a moment to do a quick count and nearly gagged in shock as he saw the amount. "There's nearly three-hundred dollars here!"

"Yes," Cye said easily, not noticing Rocky's now dinner plate-sized eyes. "Mother insisted on giving me a substantial sum for my trip here." He chuckled lightly at the thought. "I really shouldn't have given in, but she was quite persistent."

"But..but..but..but.....!" Rocky sputtered, barely able to finish a sentence. He stopped, counted to five, then tried again. "I can't take this much just for that! It's not right!"

Cye smiled in a good-natured manner. "Don't worry about it. It's the least I can do. I just wish I could do more to show my gratitude."

Rocky was speechless. He was a rare type, this guy. Cye possessed qualities that Rocky had not seen since he had come to Toyama. Generous, trustworthy, and he had a kind soul. But it was the innocence Cye had that impressed Rocky. The English boy had obviously seen some sorrows in his life, but had not allowed it to harden his heart. Rocky then realized that Cye already knew that he hadn't been a part of the group that had robbed him. He also saw that it meant a lot to Cye for him to accept this gift, so he finally relented. "Thanks." Cye beamed in gladness. Rocky sat on the other bed, facing Cye. "Okay, first thing," he said in a now serious tone. "How'd you get that orb?"

A little surprised by the suddenness of the question, Cye gave him a startled look before answering. He unconsciously took out his orb out as he spoke. "I discovered it one day when I was diving in the ocean."

"I found mine when I was hiking in mountains," Rocky said simply. "Do you know what that symbol stands for?"

"Trust. And I know yours means Justice." Cye had a small note of pride in his voice, despite himself. "I apparently am now the owner of something called the Armor of Torrent. I assume you have a similar item?"

"Yeah. The Armor of Hardrock." Rocky said his next words tentatively. "Did someone calling himself the Ancient One talk to you?"

Cye nodded. "He told me of what was coming here." Then he frowned as he remembered something. "He also told me I was supposed to find someone." At the sight of Rocky's perplexed expression, he explained, "The ancient said that I was to find a young man who has lost his way in life, or something like that. But I have no idea where to look."

"Well," Rocky said, chuckling even though there was no joy in the sound. "At least he was considerate enough to give you a mission. I feel like I've been sent out here for no reason."

Cye caught the miserable frustration evident in Rocky's tone. "You mustn't get discouraged. We both have been given a great responsibility, and there's bound to be some dilemmas along the way. But I'm sure the ancient wouldn't have sent us if he didn't think......."

"The hell with the ancient!" Rocky interrupted sharply, causing Cye fall silent in shock. Standing up, Rocky began to pace the floor, his voice becoming more and more furious as he talked. "He ruined my life! I left my home, my family, everything I've ever known to come here. For all they know, I could be dead. I joined Yakasa's gang because the ancient told me to, and for what?"

"He told you to join that group?" Cye asked quietly.

"Yeah." Rocky stopped pacing and suddenly pulled out his orb. This thing...it had been the cause of all of this. He stared at it, his eyes full of rage. "There was no point to any of it! I hate him and I hate this life. I wish I'd never found this damn thing!" He turned and was fully prepared to throw it into the wall, to smash it to pieces. Maybe he felt in doing so he could escape from the misery he felt. But someone caught his arm and held it back. He looked to see Cye with his hand gripped on Rocky's wrist.

His eyes wide, Cye pleaded with him. "You can't!" He knew exactly what Rocky was intent on.

"Watch me. I don't care what he wants anymore!"

"But don't you see?" Cye tried to reason with him desperately. "It's because of him that we met!"

Rocky halted in his attempt to obliterate his orb and looked at Cye in bewilderment. "What?"

Having gotten Rocky's attention, Cye let go of his arm. He had been putting two and two together for the past couple of minutes and had finally figured things out. "He planned all of this. He must have known that those guys were going to attack me. If you hadn't been there, I might have gotten myself killed and then I wouldn't have been able to fight the evil that's coming."

"What're you saying?" Rocky asked, not really understanding.

"I'm saying that you're the one the ancient wanted me to find!" Cye exclaimed excitedly. "That's what all of this has been about. We're both Ronin Warriors, so the ancient must have intended us to fight this demon together!"

Rocky slowly lowered his arm, his shoulders sagging. Could what Cye was saying be true? After a minute, he spoke in a tired manner. "That's what he said. He said I wasn't alone, but I didn't get it until now." He trudged to his bed and sat heavily on it. A huge lump was in his throat. "But why?" he whispered weakly. "Why does this have to be so hard?" He leaned forward and covered his face with his hands, his voice shaking as he struggled to hold in his sobs. He felt so lost and alone; it was like his own emotions were going to rip him apart. Then someone sat beside him and Rocky glanced up.

Cye looked at him with a kind smile and Rocky saw something in this boy's shy expression. It was an offering that was so clear and simple, it was as if they were two children meeting for the first time at a playground sandbox. It was that innocent question that one of the children ultimately asks the other. Do you want to be friends? Or, more suitably to this situation, do you need a friend? "No one ever said this was going to be easy," Cye said gently, "but it won't be so bad if you have someone to help. We should stick together, my friend."

That empathetic comment was overwhelming. Rocky finally burst into long overdue tears, crying his eyes out as his body trembled. Cye reached out and hugged him in a gentle, comforting hold. It was all that was needed. For someone to just care and to listen. A friend. Rocky had almost forgotten what that word meant. The two sat for a long time as Rocky released his sadness, and Cye remained silent.

When Rocky had finished, Cye pulled back and asked, "Feel better?"

He wiped his nose and sniffed, looking sheepish. "Yeah." He was a bit embarrassed at having bawled like that. "I'm such a wimp."

Cye shook his head. "No, it takes a strong person to show his emotions like you just did. At least, that's what I was taught."

"Thanks," Rocky said gratefully. He took a deep breath, feeling a lot better than he had for the past month. "What should we do now?"

"Well," Cye said, looking thoughtful, "first of all, I think you should call your family and let them know that you're all right."

Rocky's eyes widened as he shook his head fearfully. "I can't! The things I've done.... I've been such a disappointment to them."

Cye almost laughed out loud, Rocky's reluctance seeming silly to him. "Rocky, I may not know that much about you, but I can tell that you are a good person." He patted the other boy's shoulder comfortingly. "Whatever happened in the past, leave it there. You made some mistakes, that's all. Don't punish yourself anymore than you have. I....." Abruptly, he stopped and put a hand to his head, wincing. Cye nearly fell over as the dull ache in his skull became stabbing pain.

Luckily, Rocky caught him and straightened him back into a sitting position. "Cye, you look awful," he said worriedly. "Maybe we better get you to a doctor." Cye started to agree, when someone knocked on the door. Rocky made sure Cye could keep his balance before getting up and walking to the door. He peered through the peephole to see the fat manager standing outside, looking rather nervous for some reason. But Rocky didn't really think anything of it as he turned the lock and opened the door. "What do you want?" he asked, barely finishing his question when he suddenly heard a sound similar to a car backfiring. It became crystal clear exactly what the noise had been as the man pitched forward. Rocky jumped back as the body toppled to the floor with a thud, a bullet hole in the head.

"Oh my god," Cye whispered in horror as he saw a dark red stain spreading through the carpet. Rocky had gone numb from shock, and nausea rose in his throat. The shot was taken at point-blank, and the manager's brains had literally been blown out. But he didn't get a chance to dwell on it as the gunman stepped into the room.

Yakasa disdainfully shoved the body out of the way with his foot, leveling his pistol at Rocky. "So here you are. Mind explaining what you're doing?" Taro, Leku, and Bakue also entered. Rocky's startled expression was quickly replaced by one of fury.

"What the hell are you doing?" he shouted angrily, then fell silent as Yakasa clicked back the gun's hammer.

"Let's just say, we don't want any witnesses left after this." Then he motioned to Leku, who nodded and shut the door behind them. The night outside was peaceful, a drastic comparison to what was about to occur. And it was unclear if everyone was going to come out alive........

Whoo, things are getting tense! What's going to happen to our guys? Well, quit reading this and get to the next part! When I finish writing it, that is. :)