End of Pain

Rowen awoke somewhat after 11 in the morning. Sage's bed was empty and Rowen figured he was already downstairs. He climbed out of bed, his body aching slightly. He changed out of yesterday's clothes and put fresh ones on. He would shower later, knowing that Sage and Kento probably already used up all the hot water.

He left the room and went downstairs where he joined the others in the kitchen. Cye was at the stove cooking lunch. Kento was already eating a grilled cheese sandwich, more like six of them, Sage was having a cup of coffee and reading the paper, Mia and Star were talking while eating, Ryo was finishing up last minute homework for tomorrow, and Firestorm was nowhere to be seen.

"Morning, Rowen," Cye greeted. "Hungry?"

Rowen nodded quietly. He caught the smile Star gave him and returned it the best he could. He sat down and stared ahead.

Star was watching him. Poor guy, she thought to herself. He must still be in pain.

Rowen ate, knowing he was being watched. Does she like me or something? he wondered. She is really nice looking, almost beautiful. With that white hair she looks like an angel. She's so sweet too. Rowen's thoughts drifted off when Cye asked, "Is your friend still sleeping?"

Star nodded. "Yeah, and I peer her to wake up on her own. She gets violent."

Kento looked up. "So does Rowen."

"Shut up, Kento."

Cye finished cooking and turned off the stove. He wiped his greasy hands on a dish towel. "Should I save her some of this?"

Star was about to answer when Firestorm came in, yawning, followed by White Blaze.

"So that's where you are!" Ryo said to his tiger.

White Blaze just gave him a look and went directly to his bowl where Cye had put something good for him.

Firestorm yawned. "Yeah, he slept with me last night."

Ryo nodded. "That's fine. I'm just not used to him sleeping with someone else."

"Want some lunch?" Cye offered. "We have grilled cheese."

"Yes, definitely!"

Cye smiled and her a plate and she sat down to eat.

After lunch, Cye began to clean up and Star and Firestorm jumped up to help.

"Uh, you don't have to help, you know," Cye said as he wiped the table off.

"Hey, it's the least we can do, you know?" Star said as she put the dirty dishes in the sink. "Um, where is your...." she stopped when Cye reached under the sink and got out the dish liquid.

"You don't have to do them. I can..."

"Nope! You've been cooking all morning. Go relax!"

Cye raised his eyebrows but smiled. "Alright then. Let me know if you need anything." He left the kitchen.

"He sure is helpful," Star commented as she filled the sink with hot soapy water.

"Yeah, most guys aren't," Firestorm replied as she filled White Blaze's empty bowl up with fresh cold water.

Sage was sitting outside on the porch, still reading that paper, when he heard a car pull up. He lowered the paper and saw the brown LTD Lincoln right away. His eyes narrowed angrily as Mr. Hashiba climbed out.

"Where's Rowen?" the man asked. For once he wasn't drunk, which was surprising. Sage stared back, the temptation to just get up and punch him was almost powerful. But he stayed where he was.

"I asked where Rowen was," Mr. Hashiba replied.

"I heard you," Sage replied as he lifted his paper to his face.

"Are you going to tell me or not?"

"No," Sage answered icily and went back to his reading.

Mr. Hashiba became very angry. He stormed over to Sage, and forced the paper down. "Listen, you punk! I want to know where my son is!"

Sage narrowed his eyes, staring angrily and coldly at the man with his one pale violet eye. Just that one eye was enough to send shivers down Mr. Hashiba's back. He backed away as Sage's cold look followed his every move

"What is going on here?"

Mr. Hashiba turned to see a teenaged boy with long black hair, looking furious. Ryo looked from Mr. Hashiba to Sage, and then back to Mr. Hashiba. (I don't know why I'm even bothering calling Rowen's dad Mr. Hashiba. I should call him Rowen's evil father. Oh well.)

"I'm looking for Rowen," Mr. Hashiba said as calmly as he could.

Ryo's glare was made of pure hatred. "Yeah, well he's not looking for you!" He started to walk away.

"Listen, I don't want any trouble. All I want is my son."

Sage snorted as Ryo spun around. "Your son? You don't even treat him like one! Parents who abuse their kids just because they can't get high or drunk ought to be shot, and you're one of them! Rowen's a good kid! You don't deserve him!"

If that hit the man where it hurt, he didn't show it. His blue eyes narrowed. "Listen, punk! I want my son and I want him now. If you don't tell me where he is, I'll...."

"You'll what? Beat me like you do your own son? Ha! I'd like to see you try!" Ryo retorted. "I don't back down from ones like you! And the only punk I see is you!"

Sage watched the whole thing going on. Mr. Hashiba glared at Ryo. "You don't get it do you, kid? I was up all night worrying about my son because he was gone all night long! I need to see if he's all right....."

A fist suddenly slammed into Mr. Hashiba's jaw, knocking him off his feet. Ryo stared in surprise, then glanced beside him. Sage stood there with his fist held out, his eyes full of anger and hate, his jaw set tightly as he glared down at the fallen man.

"What's going on?" came a voice.

Ryo turned his head to see Kento, Cye, and Rowen there. Rowen saw his dad sprawled on the ground with a swollen, slightly bleeding jaw. He quickly hid behind Kento and Cye.

Mr. Hashiba climbed to his feet. He didn't bother looking at Rowen's friends. "Get in the car, Rowen," he ordered.

"Rowen, you don't have to," Kento told him as he glared at Rowen's dad.

The glare was returned. "He doesn't, I'll come back with the cops."

Rowen sighed miserably. He had no choice. He stepped out from behind Kento. "Sorry guys. Thanks for everything."

The four Ronins watched in dismay as their friend followed his abusing father to the car. And all of them were forced to watch as he was taken away.

Rowen laid on his bed, thinking several things through. Out in the living room his dad was watching TV, most likely football, and was drinking again. Rowen was afraid. For a while he thought about sneaking out of the house, but his dad would just call the cops. And he would be forced to come back, and would just be beaten again. It wasn't worth it, he thought.

The thoughts continued through his head until he grew exhausted and fell asleep.

The thick smoke drifted through as flames crackled and snapped. The air was heavy with sulfur. As he slept, Rowen's kanji flashed repeatedly. Life.

A figure moved through the room, darting from the flames. It shook Rowen. "Rowen! Wake up now! Your house is on fire!!"

Rowen awoke and began coughing as the thick smoke got to him. Even through it, he could see that blond hair. "S.S.Sage?" he questioned.

"Rowen, let's go!" Sage said quickly as he broke the window. Rowen climbed out of bed, but the smoke was too much. He collapsed to his knees in a coughing fit. Sage quickly lifted him and jumped out the window, just as an inferno spread across his room.

Sage carried Rowen several feet away from the house where the other Ronins waited. Rowen stared in shock. The entire house was engulfed in flames, smoke as black as coal. He was laid down and wrapped in a blanket by Ryo. Cye put an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose while Sage healed him of any burns, and Kento called the fire department. There was nothing they could do for Rowen's dad.

Somewhere else the two girls were dreaming the same dream. Five armored boys, one armored tiger, three armored men, one armored giant, and two armored girls. Except toward the end the callings of their armors were different. For Firestorm it was, Armor of Firestorm! Dao Kirei! And for Star, it was Armor of Celestial Heaven! Dao Ne!

And the girls knew as they slept, they knew they were being called to do something they would have never had dreamt of.

Rowen was in the hospital, and everyone was there, including Star and Firestorm, both widely awake after their dreams had been interrupted by Mia when she told them Rowen was in the hospital. Star had wanted to go see him right away, concerned and worried about him, and Firestorm went along because she was worried about seeing her friend like this.

They were all in the waiting room, waiting for someone to come and talk to them.

"How did the fire happen?" Mia asked.

"We don't know, Mia," Ryo replied with a shake of his head. "Sage woke us up and said he felt like something was wrong, and he took off before any of us had a chance to ask him. Then we all followed him, and he was already coming out of the window with Rowen in his arms. The house was a complete inferno."

Mia sighed as she folded her hands. She thought of Rowen and felt terribly bad for him. First his mother leaves him, and there is no word from her, then he gets seriously abused by a drunken father, and last his house catches on fire, destroying everything he had. Sometimes life wasn't fair, at least not in Rowen's case.

"What do think is going to happen to Rowen?" Cye asked quietly.

"Well," Mia said, "his father is dead, we know that. So there are three options. One his mother could magically appear and reclaim him, and let's hope she's the non-abusive one, two the state could put him in a foster home, or three I could see about adopting him."

"Let's leave number two out," Kento said quietly.

"I like number three myself," Ryo put in.

Sage shook his head. "I don't want my friend going off into some foster home where I might never see him again."

Star and Firestorm were listening quietly as Mia nodded. They were shocked. Where was Rowen's mother? What happened to her? Was she still alive? Did she miss Rowen? Was she worried about him?

Star made up her mind. She was going to look for Rowen's mother. She only hoped that Mrs. Hashiba loved and missed her son.