Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Family ❯ Of common ground and hugs ( Chapter 13 )

God I hate Algebra. X=Y if Y=X. Ya know what? X and Y will never equal each other because numbers and letters are two entirely different sets of symbols! Whoever came up with this concept needs to be shanked in the face repeatedly.

I felt something pulse in my pocket and reached down, pulling out the little blue marble. It glowed softly in my hands and I concealed it underneath the desk. The last thing I needed was for this thing to be taken up.

Every once in a while I'd look down as the soft blue and white streaks mixed together. Soon, though, a new, bright orange color appeared and began to combine itself with the blue and white, swirling together to create a gold-green color. Odd.

I was so lost in my reverie that I didn't even here Kento talking to me. I felt a sharp shake on my left shoulder and turned to see him looking at me intently.

“Where did you get that?” he asked in a hoarse, surprised whisper.

I raised my eyebrow a little and glanced down at the marble. Why the sudden surprise? And was it just me or did he sound a little angry too? I decided there was no point in lying considering I was having a hard time accepting how I had gotten it in the first place.

“Some guy gave it to me yesterday.” I replied honestly. “Why?”

“What did this guy look like?” Kento asked, turning away from me and digging around in his backpack.

I stared awkwardly for a minute. What was going on? “Well, I don't really remember, I didn't get a very good look at him. He kind of looked like one of those old samurai.

“Red hair, weird staff thing, goofy looking hat, couldn't see his face?”

“Uh…yeah I guess…why? What's going on?” I couldn't help but feel a little nervous about asking. Kento seemed really anxious about the guy and the marble I had. Had I done something wrong and not realized it?

Not noticing my internal conflict, Kento continued rummaging through his backpack. “Does the word “torrent” mean anything to you?” he muttered still hunched over.

I felt my eyes widen a little. “That's what that guy called me yesterday!” I nearly shouted. The teacher shot me an indignant glare. “SHHH!!” I smiled sheepishly and jumped as Kento jolted up and exclaimed, “AH HAH!”

“SHHHHHH!!”

Completely ignoring the teacher he turned to me and opened his hand to reveal what looked exactly like my marble only orange.

“Where did you mrp mphrm-?!” I started but only to receive a hand over my mouth to prevent me from finishing as I realized the teacher was now looking at us angrily.

After a moment, once the teacher had turned back to his lesson, Kento took his hand off my mouth and sat back in his desk. “Creepy red-headed guy.” He glanced from the front of the room to me and continued. “I got mine last year. Rowen and Sage got theirs two years ago and God knows how long Ryo's had his.”

I sat there dumbstruck because honestly, what could I say? After a minute, speech decided to play its card and I spoke up. “So that means all five of us--?

“Are connected somehow.” He finished for me.

“Huh…” I said after another awkward moment of silence. “So…where did you get yours? If you don't mind me asking.”

Kento leaned back a little and looked at the ceiling as if thinking. “You know, I don't really remember.”

I nodded and pretended to be taking notes as the teacher looked back at us again. “Well… he called me torrent.” I whispered softly. “Do the others have nicknames like that?”

“Yeah, Hardrock, Wildfire, Strata, and Halo.”

I sat quietly, letting all of this information sink in. “Well there has to be something about these marbles that's special.” I glanced down at mine to see that the orange and blue were still swirling together lazily. They seemed to glow brighter when closer together.

“Well, considering this odd turn of events,” Kento started and closed his text book. “We don't really know that much about each other. I know you're a freshman and live with a foster family but that's pretty much about it.”

I nodded. He had a point there. Aside from the obvious, how much did I really know about Kento?

“So tell me, what do you like to do in your spare time?” I asked, pulling out my sketch pad and glancing at my watch. 10:20, we still had about 20 minutes left before class was over. I flipped open the book to my almost finished drawing and picked up my pencil. I could sense another one in the back of my mind but I needed to finish this one first. Obsessive Compulsive much?

Kento checked his watch as well and leaned back a little bit, resting his arms behind his head. “Well, if you couldn't tell, I like to eat. My parents own a restaurant downtown in the older district. You should come by sometime, the food is killer and you're too skinny anyway.” He smirked at me.

I smiled a little back. “So I take it you live nearby?”

“Upstairs from the restaurant actually. I help out during my spare time to help clear my record.”

“Record? What record?”

He smiled sheepishly. “Well let's just say I get into fights on pretty regular basis. Not out of anger or anything, usually just for fun. I used to be on the wrestling team but my grades got me kicked from that so I usually jump into the middle of fights already going on or just pick little ones. Rowen's really fun to mess with but he hits pretty hard so I learned after about the 7th time I tried. And there`s no way I`d pick a fight with Sage. His family owns a dojo and he could whip my ass without even trying.”

I laughed in spite of myself. “I'm surprised no one's tried to file charges on you yet.”

He laughed back. “Well, that's the reason for the record. Most of the people I mess with know I'm just playing with them and don't care but every once in a while I'll get those kids who take everything personally and make up stories like “Oh, he mugged me in the bathroom” or “I was just walking home and he jumped me from the dark alleys!” You know, that kind of crap.”

I nodded and laughed. “Well, what did we learn?”

“Don't pick on the wimps?”

I covered my smirk. “No, you fail.”

“Well, shit.” He smirked again but got quiet.

I began outlining my drawing in black pen, glancing up every once in a while to make it look like I was paying attention.

“Hey Cye…”

I looked up to see him staring both at me and past me. It was pretty unnerving. It was like talking to someone who could see something behind you that you were unaware of.

“Yes?” I asked hesitantly. I had seen that look before. My mom usually did it when she would talk to me and most of the time it was never anything good.

“Can I ask you a personal question? I-I mean…i-if you don't mind…” He stammered.

I felt a lump suddenly rise in my throat and butterflies began to twitch nervously in my stomach. I pretty much knew what it was. “ Um…sure, mate. Go for it.”

“What happened to your parents…? I mean, did they die or something? “ He asked quietly, the way a kid usually asks their parents about sex.

I suddenly found the floor very entertaining and felt my face flush quickly. Damn, my ears burn.

“Cye I'm sorry,” Kento started. “ If it upsets you I'll-“

I waved my hand a little to stop him. “ No, no it's alright.” I said and put on a small smile. “ They…uh…they left one day. My parents abandoned me when I was about 7.”

Kento scooted closer, hanging on my every word. “ Why?”

I shrugged slowly and set my pen down. “ I'm not really sure. I just woke up one morning and they were both gone. It wasn't exactly a happy marriage though. My dad cheated on my mom about 95% of the time they were married and my mom just sat there and took it. Not a very healthy relationship if you ask me. But anyway, one morning I woke up and they were both gone…just like that.

“I'm so sorry, man.” he said softly after a minute, resting a hand on my shoulder.

I smiled a little. “ Thanks, but you have nothing to apologize for. It's not like it was your fault.”

Kento shrugged. “Yeah, but still. Is your new family any better?”

I coughed and nearly laughed. Better in a psychotic way maybe. “Yeah, they're great.” I muttered, trying to add a little enthusiasm into my voice to make it sound better than it had come out.

However, Kento seemed pleased and smiled lightly at me. “ Well I'm glad to hear that.” He watched me shade my drawing for a second and continued. “ Well I can see you like drawing, what else do you like to do in your spare time?”

I set my pencil down and thought for a second. “ Well, I love swimming and cooking I guess.”

Kento smirked and perked up a little. “ Well then hey, you'll be seeing plenty of me then.”

I laughed and grabbed my pencil again, shading the top of the armor's helmet.

“Could I see?”

I glanced up as Kento pointed at my sketch book. “ Oh yeah, sure.” I tucked the pencil in my bag, considering we only had about 5 minutes left now, and handed him the book.

He flipped through the book slowly, his eyes widening a little at the pictures. “ Cye, these are incredible. Where did you learn to draw like this?”

I shrugged a little, my face reddening slightly. “ I don't know. It's relaxing and doesn't require much concentration so I guess that's why I like it so much.” I looked over his shoulder to see which one he was looking at and smiled. That picture was one of my favorites.

The picture was of a young woman holding her infant son in her arms. I drew it when I was about 9 and it was my first really good sketch. My sister had taken her kids and me to Sea-world one weekend and on the way out a little boy way running and slipped. When he started to cry, his mother scooped him up and held him, singing softly until he calmed down. I remember staring at them for a long time, studying every feature of both of them. Later that night when we got home I found my sketch pad, which had childhood drawings of dogs and people in it, and began to sketch the scene from my memory. That image will be forever engraved in my mind.

“Cye, what's wrong? You look so sad.” Kento said, concern showing clearly on his face.

I was broken from my reverie and shook my head a little, smiling lightly. “It's nothing, I was just remembering when I drew that. It just kind of reminded me of some things I'd rather forget.”

“Like what?”

“Well, it's just…” I started, seriously contemplating if I should go on or not. I didn't want him to think I was aiming for pity or anything because I really wasn't.

“Just what?”

I sighed softly and decided to finish my original thought process. “When I was little my parents never really cared about me or my sister. Granted, my sister was older than me so she had come to accept that but I hadn't. I always wondered if there was something wrong with me or if I had done something to make them hate me.”

I laughed gently and looked at the sketch. “Every time I saw kinds with their parents I always felt envious because they had what I never did. I think I've only gotten one hug in my entire life from my family and that was from my sister the day she sent me to the foster home.”

I barely had time to finish my sentence before Kento had grabbed me in a tight embrace. He squeezed me hard and I felt the air leave my body.

“ACK!! Kento! Can't breathe!” I sputtered.

He laughed and pulled away, ruffling my hair. “Sorry man, but you seemed like you were due.”

“Ahem.” We both looked up to see nearly the entire class plus the teacher looking at us.

“If you boys are quite finished.” The teacher started and turned back to the board. Not entirely sure why, the bell would ring any minute now.

I sank down into my desk, my face burning. “ Thanks for that.” I said after a second. “ But if you ever pull anything like that again, I'm going to lynch you in front of the class.”

Kento only smirked in return. “ Yeah, sure you will.”

I wanted to shoot something back at him but instead I just smiled, still feeling my face red.

 

Cye: Wow, you make my life suck.

Me: I know but it gets better towards the end.

Cye: Really?

Me: Yeah but you go through a lot more crap before it happens…I'm sorry babe, it's just how I wrote it. It'll be okay.

Cye: No amount of therapy will ever make this okay…