An Unlikely Friendship

by SAW458

Part Four

Rocky backed up next to the bed, staying near Cye. He motioned for him to stay silent. His friend was in no condition to deal with these guys. He narrowed his eyes indignantly at the four intruders. "How did you find me?"

Yakasa looked bored as he answered. "The manager gave us a call and said that one of my underlings was here. He thought I might want to know." He glanced at the body on the carpet. "I think he may regret that decision now."

"You're sick," Rocky said in a seething tone.

"Oh, really?" Yakasa asked mockingly. "And you're not? You're in our group too, you know."

"Maybe I was." Rocky's eyes were full of shame, but there was also defiance in his gaze. "But I won't be a part of it anymore!"

Yakasa raised the gun and smiled coldly. "Then you won't be leaving this room alive. Too bad, you had real promise."

"You won't get away with this," Cye declared, ignoring Rocky's request to keep quiet and standing up unsteadily. "You think you can kill three people and no one is going to notice?"

"Who are you?" Yakasa asked in annoyance.

Bakue stepped up and tapped Yakasa's shoulder. "Isn't that the kid we jumped earlier?"

"So it is." Sighing, Yakasa threw a stony glance at Taro. "I thought you said he was dead."

"I thought he was!" Taro protested. "I hit him hard enough!"

Cye scoffed at that. "Well, maybe if you were man enough to do your own dirty work...." He was cut off as Leku stepped up and cuffed him hard across the face. Cye was sent crashing to the ground. He laid there for a minute in a dazed state before getting to his hands and knees. He gingerly put his hand to his cheek and glared at Yakasa, his vision blurring slightly.

Yakasa aimed his gun at Cye's forehead, his eyes looking at him mercilessly. "I've murdered more than that before and gotten away with it. This isn't any different."

Rocky abruptly put himself between Cye and the gun, shielding the English boy. "Back off!"

"What's this? You're protecting that little wimp?"

"He's not a wimp," Rocky said angrily, defending Cye. "He's my friend. And you're not gonna shoot him."

Yakasa stared at Rocky in astonishment, then sneered haughtily. "Then I'll shoot you instead," he said finally, now pointing the pistol at Rocky's chest. His finger was just ready to squeeze the trigger. But Cye had managed to edge himself around to Rocky's left side and suddenly lashed out with his foot, kicking the gun out of Yakasa's hand.

Rocky took Yakasa's moment of surprise to shove his fist into the spiky blond-haired boy's gut. Yakasa staggered back and collapsed on the ground, gasping. Rocky was going to punch him again when Leku rammed into him. For someone who didn't have that much weight on him, the gangly boy had a good amount of force behind that shove. Rocky was knocked sideways and skidded across the carpet. He leapt to his feet, but he saw something that didn't bode well for him.

Yakasa had gotten a hold of the gun again and had it aimed at Rocky's heart. His face had a maniacal expression as he pulled the trigger. The action only took a second, yet for Rocky reality suddenly slowed down to a crawl. He heard the explosion from the gun as the bullet was released and he actually saw the projectile traveling through the air toward him. But it was as if his body was on an even slower time frame. Rocky knew there was no way he could get out of the way in time.

"Look out!" someone shouted as he threw himself into Rocky. As he was knocked off balance and they both hit the ground, Rocky swore he heard that same voice cry out in pain. Oh, no.... He landed with a thump and his entire body was jarred by the impact. Time finally reinstated itself and Rocky sat up from the rough landing, none worse for wear. Looking around, he caught sight of a still figure out of the corner of his eye and turned his head to see a familiar person lying near him. Rocky's eyes widened in horror when he recognized the face. "Oh, God....." Please, no, don't let it be....

Cye was laying on his side, his eyes closed. A blood trail was trickling from out from a wound in his chest. He didn't move. "No...." Rocky whispered. Cye, his friend, had taken the bullet that was meant to kill him. Rocky scrambled to the injured boy's side and frantically began shaking him. "Cye? Cye, wake up! Come on!" His voice was on the borderline of hysterical and his insides had turned to ice. His brain was in a panic, but somehow he forced himself to calm down and think. He had to stop the bleeding right away or Cye would die. But he wasn't given the opportunity.

Bakue, Taro, and Leku jumped him at the same time. It took all three of them to hold Rocky down and keep him still. He was forced onto his front, with Taro and Bakue restraining his arms behind his back. Leku grabbed his hair and jerked Rocky's head up, forcing him to look at Yakasa. The blond haired teen glared at Rocky as he loomed over him. "I ought to kill you for that," he swore hostilely. Rocky merely stared back in an icy manner. Then Yakasa's lips curled up in an unpleasant smile that disturbed Rocky greatly. "But I won't," he said, stepping over to Cye's limp form. He shoved the boy with his foot, rolling Cye over onto his back. Then he raised the gun and pointed it at Cye's chest.

Rocky began to struggle frantically; he knew exactly what was about to happen. But he just couldn't get free. He could only watch in horror as Yakasa clicked the hammer and fired two bullets. The sound of the gun going off ripped through Rocky as though he had been the one who had been shot. His mind went numb from shock. The bitter smell of smoke filled the room, stinging his nose. Yakasa stepped back and scoffed smugly. "Good riddance."

This can't happen, Rocky thought as tears brimmed in his eyes. This just can't happen. Cye, no! My life wasn't worth yours! His sorrow was abruptly replaced by hatred. It wasn't just Yakasa he was enraged at. His angry was also directed at the Ancient One. How could he let this happen? How could he let Cye be killed like that? Unimaginable fury began to build up inside him like a bomb that was about to blow. What Rocky didn't know was that in his pocket, his orb had started glowing brightly. Then the light suddenly vanished, and the bomb exploded.

"NO!" Rocky screamed in rage. With an incredible burst of strength, he suddenly threw off the teens holding him down. Taro and Bakue were thrown across the room and slammed into the wall. They both crumpled to the ground as Rocky got to his feet. He turned his attention to Leku, who had only been tossed against the bed. He gripped Leku by the scuff of his collar before he had time to blink and then also flung him into the wall, hard. A loud thump was heard as Leku made contact and slumped to the floor.

Rocky turned to Yakasa, his eyes burning with enmity. To the blond boy, Rocky looked like a demon from hell. Yakasa's arm shook slightly as he whipped up his gun and fired. Rocky cried out when he felt the bullet hit him. He waited to feel pain, but when none came, he tentatively peered down at the spot on his chest where a wound should have been. "Huh?"

"What the.......?" Yakasa said in disbelief.

There was a hole in Rocky's shirt, but no blood. He noticed that instead of his bare skin, there was something orange under the clothing. Rocky suddenly realized he was wearing something else beneath his clothes. Some kind of body armor covered his entire body up to his lower neck. He could see part of it on his hands, fitting around them like a glove. He flexed his fingers, and saw that the material was very flexible. But it was also incredible strong, enough so to act as a bullet shield. Rocky knew this because he had finally located the bullet. It had landed on the carpet after slamming into him and being crushed against his new outfit. It's slender shape had been turned into a smashed-up piece of metal.

Yakasa's features contorted with hatred and fear as he shot several more rounds at Rocky. Rocky threw up his arms to protect himself, though something in his mind told him there was no danger. And indeed, the impact of the bullets to him was no worse then a mild jolt. He lowered his arms and that expression of rage spread across his face again. In the blink of an eye, he had Yakasa by the throat. Rocky raised his captive above him, leaving Yakasa's feet to dangle above the ground. He yanked the pistol from the gunman's hand and, to the extreme amazement and terror of Yakasa, totally crushed the weapon in his fist. Rocky's emotions of hate and fury were evident in his eyes. For the first time in his life, Yakasa was afraid.

Rocky said nothing, but merely began squeezing Yakasa's windpipe, feeling a strange sense of pleasure when the blond boy started gagging. Rocky wasn't just going to choke this guy; he was going break his neck. He wanted to rip Yakasa's heart out and shove it down his throat. Rocky would see to it that this murderer would die the most painful, excruciating death possible. But in the midst of his insanity, just before he was ready to snap every single bone in Yakasa's neck, someone spoke. A faint, imploring voice caught Rocky's ears.

"Rocky.....don't..."

Rocky froze, not daring to hope. He didn't want to look and find out it might not be true. That the voice he was hearing might not be real. But finally, he brought himself to turn his head toward the sound and he gasped in shock.

Cye winced in pain as he looked in the Rocky's direction, eyes pleading. His face was a pale color and his breathing was feeble. But the important thing was, he was alive.

"Cye?" Rocky's question was a mixture of disbelief and relief.

"Don't kill him, please," Cye begged at a volume barely above a whisper. He seemed to be having trouble talking, but he managed to get his next words out. "If you do......you'll be no better than him."

Rocky let that sink in. Cye was right. If he killed Yakasa, he would be the same kind of deplorable monster that he was. He didn't want to be that way, ever. Then he looked back at Yakasa's face. The blond boy's expression was full of fear. Rocky's eyes hardened at that. Finally, after a long tense moment, he flung Yakasa into the wall. The teen slid to the ground next to the other three. Rocky took a deep breath, his anger subsiding. He had almost done something he would have regretted for the rest of his life.

After calling an ambulance, Rocky hurried over to Cye and knelt down next to him.

Cye smiled weakly at his friend. "Thank you."

"Just stay still," Rocky said. He had pulled one of the sheets off the bed and proceeded to wrap it around Cye's torso to stop the bleeding. "Cye, I don't understand. How can you still be alive?" Rocky asked in confusion as he worked. "He shot you three times!"

A look of puzzlement also settled in Cye's expression. "Three times? I didn't know I had taken that many bullets for you. Only felt like one."

"But...." Then he suddenly had a thought. He started searching Cye's shirt for bullet holes other than the one where the blood was coming from. He found two more, but the clothing was still clean in those spots. The reason was a light-blue body armor like Rocky's was under Cye's clothes. "Whoa! Cye, look!"

Cye managed to lift his head a little to see what Rocky was talking about. After a moment of surprise, he chuckled as he laid back down. "My armor....it protected me." His eyes closed briefly, and his body armor flashed and vanished. Cye's orb suddenly materialized near him and fell to the floor with a small thud.

"How....?" Rocky began to ask, but Cye cut him off.

"Just tell it to come off."

Tell it to come off? No sooner did this thought enter his mind than his body armor also vanished and his orb reappeared. He stared at it a moment before grabbing and shoving it into his pocket. "It's like our armors are alive or something. What does it mean?"

Cye would have answered, but he didn't get the chance. He coughed violently, agony washing over him. He let out a pitiful gasp of pain and his voice trembled. "Rocky, I don't feel good. Why is it so cold in here?"

Rocky knew that wasn't a good sign. Cye had lost a lot of blood. His friend could still die. Cye's eyes started to flutter shut, but Rocky grabbed him and shook his shoulders. "No! Don't do that!"

"I can't help it," Cye said in protest, suddenly sucking a sharp breath. His back arched involuntarily as a stab of pain pierced his body. He could barely suppress his urge to scream out in agony.

Rocky got his hands under Cye's back and gently lifted the upper part of his form. He held Cye up, trying to give him some kind of comfort. "Come on, bud. Just hang on. The meds will be here any minute."

"It hurts," Cye whimpered, unable to stop shivering.

Tears sprang to Rocky's eyes. He didn't want his friend to be in this pain, but he wouldn't let Cye go. "I know, I know it does. Just try to stay awake until the ambulance gets here."

"I don't think I can." Cye said, his tone becoming weaker. "I'm so tired..."

"Dammit, Cye, don't act like this! You gotta stay awake!" Rocky swallowed hard, a lump developing in his throat. "You said we would stick together, remember? I'm not gonna let you bail out on me now." He wiped at his face as tears spilled over. "You have to help me. I can't fight this evil all by myself. It's just too much for me to do alone!"

Cye stared at him, absorbing his words. Rocky was asking for his help. And, on a deeper level, his friendship. He needed it. And Cye was not one to let a need like that go unwarranted. "Don't worry," he said finally. Cye's warm smile appeared and his trembling ceased as he reached up and feebly clasped Rocky's hand. "I won't leave you alone, my friend. After all, we are teammates. And teammates don't abandon each other, right?"

"Right," Rocky agreed gratefully, almost sobbing in relief. Somehow, he knew the English boy would be all right now. "Thanks, Cye." He noticed the light-blue orb was still on the floor and picked it up. Placing it in his friend's palm, he gently closed Cye's fingers around it.

Cye sighed contentedly and gripped the orb in his hand. It glowed softly, and it seemed to relieve his pain somewhat. They both sat in silence, waiting for the ambulance. Then Cye spoke up. "Hey Rocky?"

"Yeah?"

He winced, then asked quietly, "Could you tell me about your family?"

Rocky was startled for a moment, then he smiled and nodded. "Sure." He proceeded to tell Cye all about his home, his siblings and parents. While he did, Cye closed his eyes and listened. Even when the paramedics came rushing through the door, Rocky was still talking in a slightly nostalgic tone.....

A lone figure watched from a distance as several people wheeled out a young man on a stretcher. Another teen followed them and hopped into the back of the van that sped off. Then he focused on the three other boys being brought out. The ones that had caused so much trouble. Raising his staff, he began chanting softly. The rings on the staff began to make a chiming sound as they clanked against it. A golden glow surrounded him and three separate rays of light suddenly shot out, striking the teens in the forehead. The beams receded just as quickly, unnoticed by anyone. He lifted the brim of his wide, round hat and smiled finally, his work done. "Cye of the Torrent, Kento of Hardrock.......you have done well."

"Sir? Excuse me, sir?"

Rocky woke with a jolt, nearly falling off the hard plastic chair he had been dozing on. He'd gone to the hospital with the ambulance and had waited uneasily for five hours before falling asleep from exhaustion. He rubbed his eyes and looked blearily at the nurse who had woken him up. "Huh? Wha...?"

"Are you the one who came with the boy who had been shot?"

"Oh, yeah!" Suddenly wide awake, Rocky jumped up and asked anxiously, "Is he okay?"

The nurse smiled reassuringly. "He'll be fine. We were able to remove the bullet and he's healing nicely. He also has a concession, but we took care of that as well. His condition is now stable, so you can go and see him."

Rocky sighed in relief as he stood and followed her down the hall. The nurse showed him to a room and left him there. He tentatively opened the door and peered inside before entering. Rocky crept up to the bed side and quietly observed its occupant.

It was now early morning, and Cye was napping on the bed. Sunlight streamed in from the window, falling upon his peaceful, sleeping face and lighting up his auburn hair. A steady beeping emitted from a heart monitor that he was hooked to. A bag filled with blood was hanging from a metal post and a thin tube-like hose ran from it, connected to an IV in Cye's arm. White bandages were wrapped around his chest, and the back of his head was bound as well.

Rocky was debating whether or not he should just come back later when Cye stirred. His eyes opened slightly and he blinked a few times, not quite awake. Then he saw Rocky and smiled faintly when he recognized him. "Hi," he whispered tiredly.

"Hey, Cye." Rocky pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed side. "How you doing?"

"Better than I was," he replied weakly, a joking tone in his voice. "They gave me a lot of pain killers, so I'm kind of out of it right now."

Rocky nodded. "I'm just glad you're okay. You had me worried for a while there."

"I know," Cye said apologetically, "but you wouldn't have let me die, would you? You gave me the strength to keep going." He smiled gratefully at Rocky. "You saved my life."

"Nah," Rocky responded sheepishly. "You would have done the same for me." He sighed wearily, leaning back in his chair. "I'm just glad it's over."

"Yeah." Cye yawned suddenly, and Rocky chuckled a little.

"Why don't you get some more sleep? I think you earned it."

Cye nodded, his eyes already closing. "Okay..." he said drowsily, his voice slurring a bit. He turned his head to one side and rested it on his pillow. As he drifted off to sleep, he mumbled, "Could you stick around a while? I don't want to be alone here..."

Rocky reached out and took Cye's hand, giving it a squeeze. "Sure. I owe you that much." He smiled at his friend, speaking his thoughts aloud. "You know, I didn't save your life, Cye. You saved mine. You gave me hope again." While he watched over Cye, he sent up a silent message to the Ancient. Thank you, Ancient One. I wasn't alone after all...

Cye had been in the hospital for a week when Rocky burst into his room one afternoon. The English boy glanced up in surprise from the book he was reading. "Cye, you won't believe this!" Rocky proclaimed.

"Oh?" Cye asked, slightly amused. He set down the novel next to him on the bed, unconsciously rubbing at the spot where the IV used to be in his arm and peering at Rocky with a puzzled expression. "What happened?"

Rocky paced back and forth across the room, shaking his head in amazement. "The police had me come down to the station to identify your attackers."

Cye sat up abruptly, his face becoming concerned. He wasn't under the influence of painkillers anymore, due to the fact that his wounds had healed quickly. The doctors had been stunned and mystified at his rapid recovery, but Cye had a feeling that his new armor had something to do with it. Of course, he wasn't going to let them in on that information. "What happened?" he repeated, his voice now worried.

"I was trying to keep myself hidden while pointing them out. But when I had finished and they were leading them away, Yakasa saw me."

"And?"

Rocky turned and looked at Cye seriously. "He didn't recognize me."

"What?!" Cye exclaimed in astonishment. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Rocky acknowledged. "He stared right at me, but he didn't seem to know me. He and the others have forgotten all about me!" He finally stopped pacing and scratched the back of his head. "This is like a bad episode of the Twilight Zone or something."

"Hmmm...." Cye murmured, pondering to himself. "Somehow, their memories of you have been erased." His eyes widened suddenly. "Do you know what this means?" he asked excitedly.

"Not really," Rocky admitted, not sure as to what Cye was getting at.

"It means that you're free!" Cye said happily. "They don't know who you are anymore, so you aren't part of their group now!"

Rocky stared at Cye for a moment, then lowered his eyes. "It's not that simple, Cye. I still have a lot to answer for."

"No, you don't," Cye protested. "You only did what the Ancient told you to do, what you had to do! There's nothing wrong with that!"

"But..."

Cye held up his hand to quiet Rocky. "I said it before and I'll say it again. Forget about what happened in the past. You've been punished enough as it is." Then he looked at Rocky with a pleading expression. "Don't make yourself suffer anymore. Please?"

Rocky slowly sat down and closed his eyes, deep in thought. Cye watched him anxiously as a minute passed. Then, Rocky's eyes opened and he smiled at his friend. "Okay."

Cye was relieved. "Thank you, Rocky."

At the sound of that name, Rocky frowned. "Don't call me that," he said in disgust.

"Why not?" Cye asked in surprise and confusion.

Rocky stood and went to the window, gazing out at the sky. "It's not my name. I only used it while I was in that gang." He looked at Cye and grinned. "My name is Kento Rei Fan. That's who I really am."

The English boy saw something change in his friend's face as he made that declaration. The hurt and anger Rocky had possessed suddenly vanished from his features. It was if his original personality had stepped forward in place of the other. Cye then knew that Rocky was gone for good. Kento was back and there to stay. Cye finally nodded at him. "That name suits you better."

"Yeah," Kento agreed. He extended his hand and Cye took it. The two friends smiled at each other, now secure in the knowledge that they would always stick together. No matter what happened. And they would fight this evil together.

"Come on, Cye!" Kento whined. He hovered over Cye's shoulder, his stomach grumbling in hunger. "Aren't you done making breakfast yet?"

Cye growled in annoyance, turning to his friend and looking like he was ready to swat Kento with his spatula. "No, and I won't be until you stop distracting me. I can't cook with you flitting about like that." He pointed with his utensil in the direction of the kitchen door. "Now, leave so I can finish!"

"But...!" Kento protested, getting big puppy dog eyes as he pleaded with Cye. But the English boy wasn't buying it.

"Out!"

Kento sighed unhappily and trudged out of the room. He entered the living room of the apartment that he and Cye shared, plopping down onto the couch. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, smiling contentedly. Life couldn't be better for him now. After Cye had been discharged from the hospital, the two boys scoured the city and managed to find a place to stay. They had settled in easily and Kento was happy to discover that Cye was an amazing cook. And Kento revealed that he had voracious appetite, much to Cye's surprise.

Then, after much prompting from Cye, Kento finally called his family to let them know he was all right. There were tears of joy and relief on both sides of the phone. Once they had found out where Kento was staying, his parents and siblings raced down to the city and came to the apartment. It was a great reunion. He had hugged his parents like it had a hundred years since he had seen them, rather than just a few months. His two sisters and brothers had literally tackled him; they had missed their big brother immensely.

Cye had been a bit stand-offish at first, but once he was introduced, the children had swarmed all over him. They had taken to calling him `Uncle Cye`, which delighted the English boy. While Cye had entertained his siblings, Kento had explained to his parents that he was going to stay in the city for a few more weeks. His parents were a little disappointed, but they didn't try to stop him. They even insisted on helping to pay for Cye and Kento's apartment rent. When it came time for them to leave, both friends were sorry to see the Rei Fan family go. The children clung to him, but Kento said he would visit them soon.

By contrast, Cye's mother and sister had come to see their new place. Kento had been very nervous, despite Cye's assurances. But Cye's mother had been thrilled to meet him, and she wanted to know all about him. Sayoko got to hear the details of what had happened so far. She was turned fairly pale when she learned that Cye had been shot, but he guaranteed her that it was an unfortunate incident. She didn't like it, but he managed to convince her. The meeting had ended with hugs and promises to write.

All in all, things were now settled for both boys. The time that Kento had spent in Yakasa's gang now seemed like a distant memory. He knew he'd never really be able to forgive himself, but he swore he would make up for what he had done. Shaking his head, he tried not to think about that anymore. Kento grabbed the remote control and switched on the T.V. He flipped through the channels, attempting to find something interesting to watch. Then he suddenly came across the news program, and he stopped as a very strange scene appeared on the screen. Kento's brow furrowed as he listened to the reporter.

"This citizen's paradise has been thrown into a near panic because of the appearance of a boy and his large white tiger. I'm pretty sure it's not Siegfried and Roy. The riot squad is handling the crowd, but the boy is ignoring all warnings from the police." The reporter continued to talk, but Kento had focused on the young man being shown. He had black hair and wild blue eyes that seemed to match the tiger's that stared defiantly at the police surrounding him.

"Breakfast!" Cye announced as he came out of the kitchen carrying a tray.

Kento glanced over and said, "Hey, check this out."

"Huh?" Cye set the food down on the little table in front of the couch and looked at the T.V. His eyes widened slightly at the picture. "Goodness, you don't see that every day."

Kento started to respond when suddenly he and Cye felt a tremor run up their spines. They both straightened up, eyes wide. A voice spoke softly in their heads. Hardrock, Torrent, it is time. Then it faded as quickly as it had come.

Cye blinked for a second, then turned to Kento with a serious expression. "I think we may have to skip breakfast."

"No problem," Kento agreed as he jumped up and ran to get his coat. The two boys headed for the door. Before they exited, Kento and Cye exchanged glances with each other. Somehow, they both knew that their lives were about to change. But Kento flashed a confident grin, and Cye returned it. Then, the door closed as they went to meet their destiny.

Well, that's it! I hope you enjoyed it! I enjoyed writing it, after all. So, good bye and hopefully I'll see ya later!