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The Ronins laughed their heads
off when they saw Kento's attire for the Hard
Rock. A hippie's outfit complete with bell-bottom jeans and a
frayed leather
jacket.
"SURE AS SHOOTIN' YOU'RE NOT WEARING THAT!!" Christine's
jaw dropped to the
floor. She was wearing her usual outfit of a T-shirt and jeans.
It made her
feel a normal part of the mortal realm, instead of being an immortal
and
protecting the world from the Dynasty.
"Oh yes I am. Either that or you slap Ryo back in his jacket."
"No thanks." A few days earlier they had released Ryo
after he broke down and
sobbed all over the place. It was a very pathetic sight. They
released him
before they puked. Besides it was even harder to put it on him
than taking it
off. Kento still hadn't forgiven Ryo for what he had done, then
again Ryo was
still jealous of Anubis for what he had with Mia. Since both of
them could
keep it under control, they were allowed to live in peace.
"Like I said Kento, we don't know you!" Mia cracked
up at Kento's attire. He
looked pretty good in it though.
"Maybe Kento's a hippie." Sage suggested.
"Yeah, just as much as the flirt flirts with guys."
Kento reminded him. Sage
shut up quickly. He still had nightmares about it.
"Kento can't be a hippie. He has too much of a 80's-90's
slang in his
speech." Anubis defended Kento.
"Whatever. Just go on and enjoy it. Though I don't know how
if Kento's gonna
be there making a fool outta himself and Christine." Rowen
tried to shove
them out the door.
"Geez Rowen, aren't you being a little too pushy?"
"Just get out of here. The guys and I have plans."
Christine smiled cruelly. "Cool. Just make sure I'm around
to see Mia beat
the crap outta all of youse."
* * * * *
Mia drove them all in her jeep but stopped short about a block
from the
restaurant.
"OK you two." Mia swung around to face Kento and Christine
sitting in back.
"Out."
"What did we do now?"
"First up Kento, I will not be seen in public with you wearing
that. This is
Japan not America. It won't be so easily accepted nor ignored.
Get out here
and walk to the place. We'll catch up later. Then later you meet
us back here
and we'll drive you home."
"We told you, in the Hard Rock we don't know you." Anubis
turned around from
his front passenger seat. "And you," He pointed to Christine.
"Don't come
crying for help."
"No faith." Kento got out and slammed the door in Christine's
face.
"KENTO!!"
"Ooops."
"Ooops is right." She growled as she reopened the door
and slammed it shut.
Mia took off. "Why do I get myself into these things?"
She asked the sky.
"Because if you didn't I'd have spilled the new armors."
"At this rate, it be better that you have told Mia and Yuli
then me taking
Hardrock to the Hard Rock."
"No faith."
"Call me a predicator."
* * * * *
As it turned out Christine's predication turned out correct. Kento
made a pig
of himself and sang along to the songs with his poor singing voice.
It was
unbearable to listening ears. He ordered every dish they had on
the menu and
got testy when the waiter told him he had enough. Christine tried
to chill
him out but it was no use.
Anubis and Mia laughed at them. Nobody wanted to listen when everyone
told
them it was gonna end up like this.
"Christine's common sense has taken a vacation." Anubis
said before he took a
sip of his soda. "What did you say this stuff was again?"
Mia laughed. "It's Sprite! I told you earlier. You had it
before. I know it
was you who've been raiding my home stash. Not even Kento knows
where I hide
it."
"I thought it tasted familiar."
Mia muffled a giggle as she watched Christine dealing with an
angry waiter.
"I don't know, something's not right."
"What do you mean?" Anubis asked softly.
"I think Christine took him here on a bribe and because he
can't say or do
something he's determined to get even. So he's dressing weird
and really
creating havoc."
"Some of it is Kento himself, but I think you're right. This
hippie thing
he's wearing, that's Kento's own decision all the way. Look at
it this way,"
He turned her head towards him. "It gets us away from everyone."
"True." She whispered as she kissed him. "Uh oh."
Christine was fuming mad. "That's it. Your tail is mine Kento."
She dragged
him outside.
"We better get going. Christine's gonna kill him."
Mia paid the bill and brought the jeep to the appointed corner.
In the car
lights Anubis saw Kento had a black eye.
"Yeah I gave it to him. I would have gave him more but a
cop came snooping
around so be quiet Anubis!" Christine was very ticked off.
"I guess he knew what a trouble maker you were back in the
clan."
"Gab gab gab."
* * * * *
They pulled up to the house about three hours after they left.
Mia got out
and spotted Yuli and White Blaze sitting on the lawn waiting for
them.
"What are you two doing out here? Yuli, it's way past your
bedtime."
"After you left Rowen kicked us out. He said I was 'too young'
to be watching
what they were doing. White Blaze got a little defensive and Ryo
kicked him
out."
"Some Ronin Warriors…" She opened the front door
with her key and went
inside. The place was a mess! Garbage strewn over the floor, beer
bottles
covered the coffee table, lucky coincidence no one was old enough
to drink
except Mia and Anubis, and her stereo was playing nothing that
she'd allow,
whether Yuli was around to hear its corrupting lyrics or not.
What topped it
all off was she could hear girlish giggles coming from the upstairs.
Mia
stormed out of the house in a rage and went back to the car.
"WHOA!!!!!" Kento screamed as he dove out of the car.
He had never seen Mia
so angry. Christine grabbed Yuli and yanked him into the jeep.
She motioned
for White Blaze to follow. Without a word Mia started the jeep
and took off
like a shot.
Nobody said a word when she was driving down the highway doing
90 mph. White
Blaze grew farther and farther behind them. Luckily for all of
them barely
any cars were on the road, much less a cop car. She turned down
a secluded
road that went thru a forest the stopped at a lake. Anubis, Christine,
Yuli,
and a panting White Blaze wondered what they were doing here but
didn't dare
to ask. She got out of the jeep and sat on the sand, looking out
over the
water.
"Grandfather often came here when he was angry to calm his
feelings. He said
it calmed him down whenever the subject of me and my parents came
into his
mind. I can see he was right. It's secluded and peaceful."
Mia broke the
uncomfortable silence between themselves. Her voice certainly
was softer now
then it was back at the house. The anger had lost its rage and
now the tears
threatened to take over. Christine, Yuli, and White Blaze stayed
where they
were. They had no idea what to do. Anubis did, she needed someone
who cared
and he was the one for the job. He walked over to her and sat
beside with his
arm over her shoulder for comfort. "Tell me, what happened?"
"The house was a mess, they were drinking, someone had a
girl upstairs! They
purposely locked Yuli and White Blaze out of the house. I can't
take it
anymore…" She whispered.
Anubis took into his arms when he saw the silent tears slide down
her cheeks.
"I let them stay because they're my friends and I consider
them the only
family I have left. As usual family doesn't care about me."
"Hard to believe they saved the mortal world from Tulpa."
Yuli felt it was
safe enough to sit next to Anubis.
"Shoot, the only reason they did save the mortal world was
because they had
you three working behind 'em." Christine followed Yuli's
example, only she
sat by Mia. "If it weren't for you, the Jewel of Life would
still sit in its
shrine in Jewel Lake. They had no clue about its existence until
you guys
showed up in the Dynasty with it. Heck, there would be no Ronin
Warriors
without you Mia."
"I think you should kick them out and make them find their
own place if they
want to treat you like that." Anubis said softly.
"If I do, it has to be after if we stop Kaitan."
Anubis planted a kiss in her hair. "We will."
White Blaze stretched out his body like a couch behind everyone
and they all
rested quietly while watching the lake and stars shoot across
the sky.
Christine's light nap was awakened by someone snoring.
"Huh? Wha?" She looked over to see Mia sleeping nicely
in Anubis' arms. "Oh."
She poked his arm. "Hey man, we better get back home. Think
you can put her
in the jeep without waking her up?"
"Yeah." He did so quite nicely. "Maybe you should
drive. I don't want to
leave her."
"No prob." He handed her the keys. "Yuli, you riding
home on White Blaze or
coming with us?"
"I'm coming with you. White Blaze is tired."
"Sit up front will ya? Anubis needs the whole back-seat."
She smiled as she
started the engine. "Listen to this baby purr. I swear if
Mia wasn't sleeping
me and this puppy are joyriding!"
"Better not."
"Relax, loosen up. I need no Ancient watching me all the
time."
"Oh I'll loosen up alright. Just wait until tomorrow morning."
"That's the freaky part." She muttered under her breath.
* * * * *
Christine snuck her head thru the front door to make sure nobody
was around.
The living room was as clean as a whistle. "The boys must've
done a
heavy-duty job of cleaning. Kento must've been scared poopless!"
She turned
to Anubis. "Bring her in. Nobody's around." Yuli and
White Blaze crept in
after Anubis who was carrying Mia.
Yuli glanced at the VCR clock. Mia's skill with computers tangled
with
electronics. It was set for the right time. "It's 3 AM!"
He whispered loudly.
"Let's just get into bed." Anubis carefully ran up the
stairs. White Blaze
followed him and poked his head into Ryo's room. The bed was made
and Ryo
wasn't there! White Blaze growled softly to Christine. She entered
the room
and saw Ryo's bed without him in it. "We'll find him in the
morning." White
Blaze settled down on his rug and fell asleep almost immediately.
Chasing
after high-speed jeep was exhausting.
"None of the other Ronins are in their rooms either."
Anubis popped his head
thru the door.
"Mia settled in bed?"
"Never woke up."
"Good. I guess we got the choice of where to sleep tonight."
"Yuli already chose his spot. Look."
Yuli had fallen to the floor in the hallway in sleep. Anubis picked
him up
and tucked him in Ryo's bed.
"Since nobody's home but us and Mia's dead to the world anyways,
hop in next
to her. I know you loved the last time."
Anubis' tell-tale blush told the story. "Alright."
"I'll snuggle in on the couch. It's comfy."
The first rayes of the sun hit their sleeping faces as it rose
into the sky.
Sleep finally found them at 4:30 AM.