Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Do You Remember Me? ❯ Let's Begin ( Chapter 2 )

Light streamed in through the windows of the tiny apartment, straight into the sleepy eyes of the young man who groggily shuffled into the kitchen area. Kento blinked, looking out the window at the glittering snow that covered the ground and reflected the cloudless brightness. Yawning he turned away from the blinding sight and went about making his coffee. It was another beautiful winter morning that would cheer even the darkest mood up, and even he couldn't deny it a little smile. His daze was broken swiftly by the obnoxious ringing of his telephone in his right ear.

" 'ello?" He answered it, swinging it to his left side while rubbing his other ear.

" Kento? You awake man?" The voice on the other end sounded far too perky for that hour of the morning.

" Ryo. Whadayawant?"

" Just wanted to see what you were doing for the day. Maybe we could get tickets for that cooking show you used to love." Ryo's voice sounded so hopeful Kento was fully aware in seconds.

He stood there for a while registering what he had heard and from who. For eleven years he had waited for this phone call, for three of them actually. Or one of them calling saying the others were waiting for them, that it was time to put things together again. Well, it may not have been too late for them to put their friendship back together, but now it was going to take more than this phone call. He couldn't help but see irony in the timing; he had waited all this time for this and when he gets it he has to refuse it, but they had to make up their own minds as he had done too.

" Sorry, Ryo but I can't."

" Wha...Why?"

" I have to catch a plane soon."

" Oh, well when will you be back."

"I don't know," he answered truthfully enough, he didn't know if he was even coming back, not here anyway.

" Where are you going?" Ryo sounded worried now.

" Back." That one word hung in the air between them before slamming across the lines into the man on the other end.

" Why, there isn't anything there for you...or us. Maybe we should just let this go, move on like we were doing, try building a new friendship."

" Is that what you really want?" He asked it softly, but firmly. He knew what his friend wanted to say, now if only he would say it.

"...No."

The click was gentle, not thrown down as it had been so many years ago, but it spoke volumes to Kento.

" But your not ready to do anything about it." He blew his breath out in a woosh as he hung up the phone, this day had started out so well, then to take that plunge.

Catching sight of the microwave clock he nearly choked and he whipped his watch up to his eyes, he was late. Kento quickly dashed about the small rooms of his home as he hurriedly got ready, leaving a mess of papers, clothes and furniture in his wake. Finally all that stood between him and the door were three bags that needed to be lugged out to his too small car, good thing he was on the ground floor. After making sure he had everything packed into this car, Kento checked his door one last time and crowded into the cramped space of the drivers seat and drove off toward the airport. If he went 80 he might just be able to make his plane.

Three hours of delay later and he finally allowed himself to relax in his second class seat. Squirming a bit Kento pulled his legs up, not able to stretch them too much in the limited space, and turned his gaze out the window, clouds streaming by in gentle white beauty. He sighed as he brushed a hand through dark bangs. Now that he was up here his mind wouldn't stay off of why he was here on a plane, heading back to a place he never though he would be again. His thoughts wandered to the last few days and the other pieces of this puzzle. Kento furrowed his brow as details that he hadn't paid attention to then came back to him now. It was funny how they had trained themselves so well not to say the words 'group' or 'team' anymore in each others presence, or to talk about anything from within that four year span of teenage year; for him it was more like most of his childhood. He hadn't paid attention to it then, but he remembered the way every time they sat together, which wasn't often, chair or not, there was always an empty space left, as if they were just waiting for the last person of their party to come sit down. He never would again. It didn't escape him that the others, and he, avoided all mention of his name like the plague. And suddenly he was mad, mad that they had pushed away even his memory, refused to acknowledge him ever existing in this world or other; but the worse, what made him let go of his anger, is that Rowen wouldn't want any of them to lose that closeness, not because of him, and that's what they had done. They had been face with a horrible situation, a challenge of their bond, and they had failed. That failure had cost them not only Rowen, but each other too.

" I'm so sorry." He whispered softly to the afternoon sky.

" Uhhh, dude? Who're you talking to?"

Kento jumped, spinning around in his seat as he felt a weight plop down in the seat next to his.

" Ryo?!" He was sure his eyes just bugged out of his head. The young man beside him waved with a smile and occupied himself with digging around in a carry on bag, pulling out two candy bars and tossing one at the stunned man.

" Ow, sorry 'bout that. Here have some ice." Ryo winced at the mark he had left of Kentos forehead handed him a cup of ice he had been about to pore his soda in.

" What are you doing here?" Kento snapped out of it just in time to catch the cup that had just slipped from Ryo's fingers and toward his lap.

" It's a free plane...you know what I mean." Ryo smirked at him, taking a big bite of the chocolate in his hand.

" Ryo..." Kento stared at his friend for a moment more before settling back into his seat. He had almost drifted to sleep when he head Ryo's voice softly answer him.

" I'm with you Kento, all the way." There was conviction, if not a little nervousness, in the other boys voice. " Besides, someone has to keep you out of trouble."

The little blue car kept getting smaller as it drove down the long drive toward the main highway, but Sage gave it one last wave before turning back toward the house. His wide smile of a moment before faded just like the old photo in his pocket, changing into a sigh and an imploring look to the heavens. It didn't make sense to him, not now. Just moments ago he had asked the woman of his life to marry him and she had said yes, but he wasn't happy. Hadn't he done as was expected of him? He was going to marry a beautiful, influential young woman whom his father approved of, so what was wrong? Shaking his head Sage Date quickly changed his direction and headed toward the dojo where his grandfather would be. Perhaps he could clear this up, and talk sense into his thick head today.

" You don't love her you dolt."

The voice stopped him dead in his tracks. The soft lilt had come from behind him in a blunt statement that had hit the mark perfectly. Sage spun on his heel to face whoever had addressed him, but what he found wasn't what he expected.

" Oh, sorry sir, didn't mean to startle you." The teen rubbed his head nervously and Sage looked at him closely. It wasn't him, it couldn't have been.

" What...did you say?" Sage felt his stomach tighten and his heart constrict for a moment.

" I..uh..just wanted to know where the elder Mr. Date was, sir. That's all." Large brown eyes curiously scrutinized him as he quickly turned his gaze to the sky again, looking for something no one else could see. Narrowed eyes met the young student's worried face.

"He should be in the practice room now." Sage attempted a smile and hurried the youth on, watching until he was out of sight and returning his gaze to the sky.

He had known something was missing from that relationship with his soon to be wife. There was no doubt he liked her, infatuated even, but he didn't love her. He smirked, now all he had to do was do something about this. Two steps were taken before he remembered the voice moments ago. Sage spun around in a complete circle, waiting for the person to show themselves. It took him another few seconds before he put a stop to the demanding sense that he knew the soft pitch and warm tones, and remember. It was then he became angry, his eyes turned hard and a cold iced violet.

" A joke then? Ryo? Kento? Cye?" The names came out in an angry growl.

A shift of shadow down a side path drew his attention and he took off after it. His steps took him down the winding path to an open area with a single standing stone in the center of a tiny pond. No one else was in the small clearing. All the anger drew out of him, replaced by shame that he would even think something like that of three of the only people who had ever gotten close to him.

" Has it been so long?" He asked himself. Sage reached up to rub his suddenly aching head when something caught at the corner of his eye. Quickly he kneeled by the small pond, reaching over the clear waters to pick up he small blue feather that lay upon the smooth surface of the center stone. " What?" It was then he saw his reflection in the mirror like water. Once warm violet eyes were colder now, even at there present warmest a certain ice chip stayed in there glass like globes, and his demeanor was that of an uncaring man. It struck him as odd someone could even fall for him now. When had he become so changed? The feather tickled his hand and he looked down, suddenly remembering and wishing he didn't. The feathers color was just the prefect shade of blue for him.

Sage shook himself out of his daze and pocketed the delicate blue treasure. Heading back to the house he was already making plans for his trip. It was time to make an impromptu visit to find some answers.

By the time he got to Cye's shop it was already late afternoon, but he was surprised to see Cye himself locking the door to the store. He jogged the last few steps through the crowd to catch the man as he lost sight of him in an oncoming rush. He somehow wasn't as surprised to see Cye waiting for him, his back to the street, looking at the closed sign that hung on the inside on his bookstore. Sage didn't speak, he had a feeling he didn't need to. Cye was the one who broke the silence.

" I saw him today."

The words swirled about the cold air around him, carrying away the whispered 'who' that barely left Sage's lips.

" Rowen." Cye lifted his bowed head.

" That's impossible Cye." This time Sage couldn't keep quite.

" Yeah, it is Sage." Cye turned to face him, eyes dry when his the rest of him seemed to be crying.

" Cye wha-"

" I know it wasn't him. But you must admit the boy really did look like him." Sage made no attempt to stop Cye as they started to walk together down the street. " He only stayed for a few minutes, but watching him, I could see the differences. The dye in his hair, his interest in the girls more than the books," they both chuckled, " his eyes were green, his voice..."

Sage nearly stopped walking, the strange event of earlier coming back to the forefront of his mind, but Cye kept talking.

" I think we've been going about this the wrong way my friend."