Title: The Sand and the Sea
Fandom: Ronin Warriors
Characters/Pairing: Cye/Kento
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine, anything mentioned here by name isn't mine
Warnings: Underage drinking, mentions of past bullying
Notes: More slice-of-life/remake AU!

The Nakamuras, a family that had close business ties to the Fangs, were holding a belated Christmas/early New Year’s dinner party for friends and associates. Kento’s parents could not make it to Tokyo in time, so his mother requested that Kento attend for appearances and to keep their daughter, Hanako, company. Kento wasn’t thrilled with having one more thing to do before packing for New York, and he definitely did not want to spend any part of his precious break with Mr. and Mrs. Nakamura, but he agreed. This was because while most of the kids of the families his parents worked with were brats, Hanako was one of the all too few exceptions. She was older, but kind and liked tennis so much she wanted to play professionally when she was an adult. He was looking forward to seeing her again.

At least, until he found her shut up in the library, drinking her mother’s wine straight from the bottle.

He acted without thinking, snatching the bottle from her hands. “I thought you said you had stopped drinking,” he whispered fiercely. Because while he was enraged, he was not going to risk her parents overhearing. Her parents were… sometimes he wandered how someone as sweet as Hanako could be related to them. And he was repulsed that his parents worked with them. “The whole reason I never said anything to my Ma in the first place was that you swore you’d stop. Hanako, you’re only sixteen, you’re too young to drink!”

“And you’re thirteen and way too young to lecture me on what I can and cannot do!” Hanako whispered back just as fiercely. She sighed heavily, retreating to the couch, falling onto the plush cushions. “Look, Kento, I don’t want to fight.” She smiled bitterly. “I get more than enough of that from my mother.”

“Okay, fine. But what about tennis?” It was fine if she didn’t want his help. But she needed to get someone to help her, otherwise, her tennis career might be dead before it started.

Hanako stared at him for a long time. Then she sniffled as tears slowly ran down her face. “Mother fired my tennis instructor, Kento. She also made me quit the team. She said it was distracting me from my studies.”

Kento felt rage bubble up in him, and it took every ounce of control he had not to march up to the Nakamuras and remind them that Hanako was their daughter, not their property. He settled for ripping off the blasted tie his mother insisted that he wear. “That’s not fair. I—we’ll talk to your coach; we’ll figure something out—”

“It’s too late.” Hanako wouldn’t look at him. “I… she told me that If I didn’t quit tennis, the family would cut me off financially as soon as I was a legal adult.” She sobbed. “I’m sorry, but I’m not brave enough to risk everything for what I love.”

Kento knelt next to her, taking her hands into his own. “Yes. Yes, you are. Everyone is, you just need to trust in your friends. They can help you. I can help you.”

Hanako smiled weakly, squeezing his hands. “I’m not, but thank you for believing otherwise.” She pulled away to wipe her eyes. “And no offense, but you’re the closest thing to a friend I have. You’re tough, Kento, but you alone aren’t enough to stop my parents.”

“I can try,” Kento offered, wishing he didn’t sound so young and helpless. “There has to be something I can do.”

“You can get me some aspirin and water,” Hanako told him. “I’m not that drunk, I promise. I just need a quick nap and I’ll be able to pretend that I’m fine for the dinner.”

The house was packed with fancily-dressed scum masquerading as human beings, so Kento was able to sneak into a bathroom, raid the medicine closet, and get a glass of water. He took some comfort that the wine bottle was still untouched when he returned. In his rush, he’d forgotten. He was so hardheaded sometimes…

He gave Hanako the medicine and the water soundlessly. She was also quiet as she downed the pills with a gulp of water. “Thanks, Kento. Could… could you stand guard until it’s time for dinner? I don’t want to deal with my parents right now.”

“Of course.” She thanked him and rested her head on the couch arm. The instant her breathing evened out, Kento grabbed his cordless phone from his pocket and dialed his mother.

“Yeah, Ma, it’s Kento. Listen, we can’t do business with the Nakamuras anymore.”

“Kento.” His mother’s voice was weary. “I know you don’t like them. To be honest, I hate their guts as well. But your father needs their financial backing to help build—”

“Ma, we have enough restaurants and we have enough money for me and all of my siblings to go to any university we want. I’m not saying to stop doing business altogether, just with these people. They’re evil.”

“I know you think that, but as you get older—”

“No. I don’t want to hear anything about grey morality. Not after what I saw today.” He took a breath to control himself. He didn’t want Hanako to hear him. “Ma, Mrs. Nakamura told Hanako she can’t play tennis anymore. And Hanako… she’s not handling it well.”

“I see,” Ma said in that blasted even tone of hers. “I’ll speak with Mrs. Nakamura. What I need you to do is finish this dinner.”

“I can’t.” This was something he could not tolerate anymore. “Ma, I’m sorry, but you can’t make me be civil to these monsters anymore.”

“Oh. So, what is your plan if I insist?”

“I…” Kento’s first thought was I’ll run away, but even he realized that would sound immature.

“What would you do if we cast you out of the family for refusing to obey us?”

Kento’s blood turned to ice. “Y-you… you would…”

“Oh, son, of course not.” Ma must have realized he took her words seriously because her voice took on a genuinely frightened tone, a rare occurrence for his kung fu expert mother. “But that is the situation Hanako is facing right now. I know you want to save her because you want to save everyone. However, please believe me when I say that right now, your best bet is to smile and nod.”

“I hate this.”

“I know.”

He hung up. He stood guard until it was time to eat. He woke up Hanako gently.

He put back on his tie.

He ate. He smiled at Mrs. Nakamura. He nodded at Mr. Nakamura.

Hanako mouthed ‘thank you’ as she did her best to keep it together during the meal.

He hated it, but he hated himself even more.

--

If it weren’t for the fact that he was supposed to hang out with Cye one more time before Cye left for London and he left for New York tomorrow, Kento probably would have stayed in bed. It wasn’t like packing would take that long. But Cye deserved a friend that was at least a little pulled together, so Kento dragged himself out of bed, showered, brushed his teeth, put on clean clothes, and went to find some breakfast.

“Good morning, nephew,” Uncle Shuu said over his coffee and newspaper. He gave Kento a concerned look. “The party didn’t go well?”

“Nope,” Kento replied bitterly as he grabbed some leftover sweet and sour pork that looked decent and tossed it in the microwave. “I don’t get it. My parents aren’t perfect, but they’re good people. How can they choose to work with such sleazes?”

Uncle Shuu shrugged sadly. “Now you know why I’m content with running the one restaurant. As for my bother… well, Kento, when you were born the family was wealthy. But when your father was only a little older than you are, he was having to work two jobs just to keep us fed. I’ve never asked him about this, but I think he’s terrified of being poor again.” He took a sip of coffee. “With five mouths to feed, I don’t blame him.”

“It’s still not right.” The microwave dinged. Kento grabbed and inhaled his breakfast. “And yeah, Ma gave the whole shades of grey speech last night over the phone.” Well, she had tried to at least.

“Well, I guess then I don’t need to,” Uncle Shuu said, putting down his coffee. “I will, however, remind you that no matter what, you do have control over how you choose to act in this grey world.”

Kento wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Still, he thanked his uncle and said goodbye before grabbing his coat.

--

“Hi, Kento!” Cye was dressed conservatively (by Cye standards) in a blue and white striped shirt, jeans, and his oversized beige coat. The ocean blue hat cap was an old knitting project that Kento recognized. His smile fell and his eyes grew wide with concern as he stood before Kento. “What’s wrong?”

His first impulse was to say Nothing, but Cye would know better. He always knew better. So instead, Kento placed a hand on Cye’s arm gently. “I think I need a distraction more than talking about it right now.”

“Oh.” Cye’s smile wasn’t as large as it had been a few moments earlier, but it was real. “Well, I have an idea. It’s too cold for the beach, but the aquarium is still open. I want to see the orcas one more time before I’m off to London.”

Good. He could pretend he was at the bottom of the ocean with Cye instead of being stuck in this awful world where he couldn’t help anyone. “Lead the way.”

They sat next to each other on the train. Cye was looking out the window as he nudged Kento gently. A simple reminder that even if he didn’t want to talk now, Cye was there if he changed his mind.

It was a little scary how well Cye knew him, but Kento appreciated it nonetheless.

--

“C’mere buddy, c’mere pal, I wanna be your best friend, it’s just me, Cye Mouri, ally to all aquatic life—oh, come on, mate!” Cye pressed his hands against the glass in despair as the crab retreated behind a rock. “What am I doing wrong?!”

“I didn’t think it was possible, but I guess we found the one denizen of the ocean that didn’t fall in love with you at first sight,” Kento said flatly as Cye cursed the world.

“Humph. Well, the orcas still like me,” Cye said to the crab more than Kento.

“They did. And the stingrays, and the otters, and pretty much every other creature we met today.” It was a running joke between the five of them that Cye was part merfolk, but after today, Kento wondered if there was some truth to that. The orcas kept trying to get Cye’s attention. The otters did their best to play with him. The fiercest shark to the smallest fish all wanted to at least look at him. Kento did not doubt that if Cye was in danger, they would do whatever they could to protect him.

And that was good because Kento couldn’t protect anyone.

“Kento.” Cye stood in front of him, expression resolute.

“Distraction, not talking, remember?”

“Fine,” Cye grumbled, linking his arm with Kento’s. “There’s a burger place within walking distance of the aquarium. Let’s go there.”

The sky was grey and the air was cold, but Cye was warm against him as they strode out of the aquarium and down the street where they would eventually get dinner. Despite his darker thoughts earlier, Kento found himself pulling Cye closer to him to keep him safe. There was something in the air that was setting him on edge.

And it turned out that his instincts were correct as some guy about their age in a fancy suit and slick hair gave Cye a cold stare. “Well, if it isn’t crybaby Mouri.”

Kento tensed up. Cye rolled his eyes. “Oh, this is just wonderful. That crab gave me the cold shoulder and now Inoue decided to take a trip to Tokyo. My luck is abysmal today.”

“Oh, the crybaby thinks he’s funny.” That Inoue creep gave Cye a toothy grin. “Because all those smart-alecky remarks of yours saved you last time.”

Now Cye tensed up, but he placed a hand on Kento’s arm before Kento could move in to punch the scumbag’s ugly face in. “It’s okay. I got this.”

“But Cye—”

“Trust me, I got this. But,” he added with a smile, “if I’m wrong, you have permission to save me.” Kento’s blood was boiling, but… but he stayed still as Cye calmly approached a guy who very clearly would get nothing but pleasure from hurting him.

“Yes, Inoue, it’s me, Mouri. And yes, I did cry a lot. I hated that school, that town, and almost all the people living there. Crying was the only vaguely healthy way I could cope with all that negativity in my heart. But then I moved to Tokyo and made some friendships that have changed my life for the better. I’ve moved on.” He smiled serenely. “You can, too. We’re both almost fifteen; we’re not little kids anymore. Why not just let things go? I’m willing if you are.”

But as Inoue’s face twisted, it was only too clear that he had no wish to move on. “You think you’re better than me, don’t you?”

“… Well, now I do, yeah.”

Kento screamed “Cye, look out!” the instant Inoue’s arm was raised to hit Cye. But Cye effortlessly dodged, shifted, and did an aikido throw that left Inoue gasping on the ground.

“As I said before, I’ve changed,” Cye said coolly after Inoue weakly demanded to know how Cye did that. “Which means that my head is a lot clearer, making it easier to put my aikido training to good use.” His voice was cool before. Now it was glacial. “Do yourself a favor and stay down.”

Cye grabbed Kento’s hand. “C’mon. He’ll stay down, but I don’t want to be here any longer than we have to.” Kento obediently followed Cye to the restaurant.

--

“Why didn’t you tell me that you know aikido?!” Kento said around his burger. “That’s so cool, man.”

Cye shrugged. “Well, it’s not a defining character trait. Frankly, if it weren’t for Mum and Sayoko, I probably never would have learned at all, much less get as far as I have.” He stuffed a handful of fries into his mouth, taking a moment to chew and swallow. “Although I am very glad that they both insisted today.”

“Me too.” Kento a sip of soda. “But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you never mentioned it. You hate fighting.”

Cye stared at what remained of his meal. “I do. It’s probably why I’m decent at aikido, however.”

Kento grinned. “You really are awesome, you know that? Not just that sick move you did. You were more than a match for that creep, but you still used your words first. I’m a fists-first guy, but I can respect your values.”

“Thank you. But it’s more than that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Fighting hurts my heart. Physically, I mean.” Cye shuddered. “I know that sounds weird, but when I’m surrounded by too much of that energy, I start getting chest pains and feeling light-headed, and… well, it’s not a fun time. That’s why I wanted to get away from Inoue as fast as I could, even after I kicked his butt. Well, that and Inoue is obnoxious.”

“I see.” Then guilt washed over Kento as he realized something. “Wait, does that mean while I’m sparring or in a judo match—”

“No, no those are fine!” Cye assured him. “It’s fine when I watch Ryo and Sage in kendo matches, too. That’s completely different. None of you are fighting because you’re all sadists or whatever; you’re striving to improve your skills. The only time I got sick from watching you fight was that intense match you had with Kenji last month, the one where he almost accidentally broke your arm.”

“Aw, yeah.” Kento had lost, but it had still been one of the best matches of his life. “That’s right, Rowen said you had an emergency, and when you came back to check on me after I lost, you were a little pale.” And Kento had planned on asking what was wrong, Ms. Akagi was already rushing a doctor to his side before he could say anything while poor Kenji was bawling that he had murdered Kento.

“I knew if I was physically ill in front of you, you’d lose your concentration. So, I ran to the bathroom.” He huffed. “And of course, it turns out that you needed me while I was being melodramatic.”

“Dude. You were throwing up from stress. And ‘sides, not only did I get better, but I whooped Kenji’s butt the next time.”

Cye shrugged. “I know, it’s just annoying that I have almost no control over it. But it’s not just people physically fighting that can cause an attack.” He laughed, but it wasn’t a happy sound. “Before I enrolled here, I was a first-year in a really posh private school back home. Lots of snobby rich kids competing with each other. So, with that kind of energy…”

“You were falling apart at the seams,” Kento finished for him.

“So, surprise, I’d break down crying in public a lot. And you know how some kids are. If anything is outside the accepted norm, they bully you for that. And that led me to a bad place for a long time.” Cye looked up at Kento. “If it hadn’t been for Sayoko asking me to move to Tokyo with her, I would still be stuck in that place. And if it hadn’t been for you, I know I never would have had the courage to make a friend.”

“Cye…”

Cye gazed at him, eyes so full of trust and gentleness that Kento felt like he was the one falling apart at the seams. “Please tell me what’s wrong.”

He told Cye everything. Hanako, her awful parents, his mother’s blasted calmness, and his horror when he, someone who prided himself on his independence and belief that he wasn’t like those fiends obsessed with money that populated his family’s social circle, froze at even the idea of not having money.

“Kento, you weren’t freezing up at that, you were freezing up at the idea of being cut off from your parents and siblings.” He moved, sliding into the booth next to Kento. “I can understand your mother’s intentions. But at the risk of sounding rude, it was unfair of her to say that, even if she was making a rhetorical point. You had just seen your friend suffer from that mentality. It makes sense that your mind would jump to the worst-case scenario.”

“I hate that they make me do this. I have to either pretend that I’m cool with these little monsters or see good people get destroyed by their money-obsessed parents.” Kento was crying and was grateful that Cye had positioned himself so that no one else in the restaurant could see him. “And…”

Cye took a deep breath, almost as if he was steeling himself. Then he placed Kento’s hands over his heart and looked him in the eye. “Please tell me everything.”

“I say that I’m disgusted that their actions. But I never say anything when I have more than enough to eat, or clean clothes, or money for whatever I want.”

Cye hummed thoughtfully. “Being rich solves a lot of problems. But it doesn’t necessarily spare you from having horrible parents—or parents who mean well, but make decisions you disagree with.”

“It doesn’t stop your parents from running your life for you.”

“You’re… you’re not just talking about Hanako now, are you?” Cye shuddered, but his voice was steady. “If you want, tell me more.”

“Sometimes it feels like they had me just so I could network for them. And…” He’d never told anyone this. Things had been so fun that summer it hadn’t even occurred to him until school started and his parents suddenly wanted him to visit “friends” every week it seemed like, and after that, it hurt to think about it, much less say it out loud.

“My parents sent me to Tokyo to live with Uncle Shuu. And they told me to go to the shrine where Rowen was staying in the summer. What if… what if…”

“What if they were hoping to make good with Professor Hashiba for whatever reason? Who cares if that’s true? Your friendship with Rowen is real, right?”

“Y-yeah. He’s cool, smart, and funny.”

Cye was even closer now, resting his forehead against Kento’s brow. They had always been touchy-feely but this was new. His heart was pounding, but the heaviness in his chest that had been there ever since he saw Hanako with the wine bottle was starting to ease. He was starting to feel like himself again.

“Besides,” Cye whispered, “does Prof Hashiba seem like the sort of guy who’d be interested in anything that’s not his family or his lab? What probably happened was that your parents met Rowen’s grandfather while visiting his shrine one day, learned that he had a grandson who needed a friend, and they know you’re good at making friends.”

“You mean that?”

Cye pulled away, looking tired but happy. “Yep. I mean, look at how close you are to Rowen. And everyone else. And… and me.” He slumped against Kento.

“Hey…” This weird, sudden bout of exhaustion had happened before when Cye had talked Kento down from killing that creep Tachikawa, but he hadn’t collapsed then. Thank goodness they were both sitting down. “It’s gonna be okay, Cye. I’ll call a doctor.”

“No.” His voice was sleepy but firm. “I just need to rest. We… we were talking about you, remember?”

“Trust me, Cye, I’ve said enough about myself for today. And I do feel better, thanks.” He helped Cye out of the booth gently. “So, let me thank you by taking you home.”

“’m fine,” Cye muttered against him. “Need to talk to the crab before we go.”

Kento helped him up. “When we come back to Japan, we will, okay?”

“We better.”

--

A few minutes after insisting he was fine, Cye’s legs started to give out under him. Kento managed to catch him before he hit the ground. He was about to ask Cye if he was all right, but then he heard snoring. So, what could one do then? Kento hoisted Cye on his back and carried him piggyback-style to the station. If anyone they passed by thought that was odd, they didn’t say anything.

Cye was light, so Kento didn’t lose much time even with a Cye-shaped burden on his back. He was thinking about what to say just in case Cye was still asleep when they got to his sister’s apartment when he heard a soft sob.

“Buddy,” Kento froze, keeping his voice as soft as he could when he was close to panic. “Do we need to see a doctor after all?”

“No,” Cye whimpered. “I’m just a bad friend…”

“What? Dude, no way. You exhausted yourself listening to me and making me feel better,” Kento said as he resumed walking.

“But you were so sad. You hid it well, even from me. If I had known you were dealing with this, I would’ve healed you right away. I’m sorry, Kento.”

Heal? Oh, he was probably talking about when Kento vented to him about his folks. “You didn’t know. You’re smart, Cye, but even you don’t know everything.” He laughed. “Rowen, on the other hand…”

“I’m supposed to sense stuff like this… you’re my best friend, I should have known you were hurting… I bet Dad could have…”

“Don’t even think about it anymore. Focus on the moment or whatever, right?” Speaking of, the train station was within eyesight. “Do you think you’re awake enough to get on board?”

Cye was snoring again.

Well, that answered that. Kento had the tickets in his pocket, but it was going to be interesting getting them out and both of them on the train. Oh, well. At least Cye was resting again. Poor guy was so tired, he had no idea what he was saying. Sense stuff Kento had never mentioned before now? Cye was perceptive, but not that perceptive. No one was, except on TV and in movies.

He did wonder why Cye mentioned his dad, though. Enh. Probably some part of a dream.

--

It took a lot of twisting, but Kento managed to hand over the tickets and board the train. He placed Cye next to the window and thanked whoever was out there that it was a long train ride home. The more sleep Cye got, the better.

They were about halfway home when Cye stirred. He looked at the window, then Kento. “Where…”

“We’re just on the train home.” Kento rubbed the back of his neck. “You… you call what happened to you at the restaurant spells, right? I think that’s what happened.”

“Yes. And it’s been a while since I’ve had one so bad.” Cye frowned. “That’s rather unnerving.” He must have noticed that Kento stilled at those words because he sat up. “Oh, but I’m fine now! All that sleep helped.”

“Good,” Kento breathed, leaning back in his seat. “Cye, I don’t know how you do it.”

Cye eyed him curiously. “Do what?”

“Well, you get tired super easy and you’ve dealt with all this sucky stuff, but you don’t let it get you down. You wear what you feel like, say what you feel like, do what you feel like.” He was everything Kento wished he had the bravery to be.

“Hmm. Most people would label that as eccentric.”

“One person’s eccentric is another’s courage to live life on their own terms. If you ask me, we need more eccentric people in the world. But it’s more than that. I mean, you just always know what to say and everyone’s favorite snack.” Kento shrugged. “Things are just lighter when you’re around.”

“Okay, you’re going to have to give me a moment to stop blushing so I can answer that, you dork,” Cye responded. He looked away almost shyly, took a breath, then redirected his gaze to Kento. “Thanks. Although to be honest, I don’t know how you do it, either. I went through some stuff that left me jaded about almost everything. If it wasn’t for you and the others, I’d probably still be hiding from the world. But you… even with everything against you, you’ve kept going. You keep shining. I admit, if it weren’t for me, you four probably would have starved to death at this point. But Kento, you’re the one who makes things lighter for me.” Cye took his hand. “Never lose that light, Kento.”

--

“I feel like I should clarify something,” Cye said as Kento insisted on escorting him home. “You might think that after today, my life has been a never-ending cesspool of misery or whatever. I’ve seen bad times, yes, but there have been some good parts as well.”

“Like what?”

“For starters, my friends in Tokyo and my family. Oh, and I’ve seen a decent amount of the world. When Dad passed, we lived in London for a few years. Then we moved to Vancouver. After that, I spent my last year of elementary school in New York.” He smiled slightly. “Not counting Tokyo, I think that was the happiest I’ve ever been. I even had a friend there, which back then, was kind of shocking.” He sighed gently. “I wish I could go with you to New York. I’d love to see Mrs. Watson’s daughter again. We’ve sent each other letters, but… well, both of us have had to deal with heavy things recently, so we’ve kind of let that slide.”

“Well, gimme the daughter’s name and description! I know New York’s a big city, but who knows? Maybe fate will step in.”

“Oh, yeah, you could find her!” Cye beamed at him. “Okay, her name’s Luna Watson. She’s my age. She has brown skin and long black hair. And… okay, that describes a lot of girls.” Cye closed his eyes unhappily. “And of course, I don’t have any pictures.”

“It’s better than nothing,” Kento reminded him. “I’ll keep my eyes open for a Luna Watson, okay?”

“Thanks,” Cye said as they reached his door. “Hey, do you wanna come in for a bit?”

“Wish I could, but I gotta pack for the flight tomorrow.”

Cye stared at his boots. “Same,” he confessed. “I… I just don’t want to say goodbye to you.”

Kento was about to say that it wasn’t goodbye forever, just until school started again… except Cye was in his personal space (not that he really had personal space as far as Cye was concerned, but still), eyes closed, lips parted. Kento took a deep, deep breath because if what was happening was actually happening, he was all for it but also scared to death that he’d mess it up—

Cye hugged him tightly. “So, I’ll say good night, instead.” Then he dashed to his front step, waving. “Good night, Kento!”

“Good night,” Kento managed as the door shut. “I’ll just deal with this heart attack you just gave me on my own or whatever.” Still, he wondered. Was Cye going to, well, kiss him, but then he lost his nerve? Or was he reading too much into it? Then again, they had always been touchy-feely, but that moment had felt like… oh, he didn’t know. He was tired. It’d been a long day.

“Maybe it’ll be easier to figure this out when there’s an ocean between us,” Kento grumbled as he headed home.

--

“Good evening, nephew.” Uncle Shuu’s mild greetings were one of the constants in Kento’s life. “Your phone was ringing. I didn’t want to impede on your privacy, so I let your machine get it.”

Kento hung up his jacket. “Thanks.” He then retreated to his room and hit the button.

“Hi, Kento.” He froze when he heard Hanako’s voice on the answering machine. She sounded better than last time. “I have some good news. Your mother came over for tea today, and she went on and on about how extracurricular activities are important for college applications and networking. So, for once, Mother relented and let me join the team again! I mean, things here still aren’t ideal, but I feel like this makes things bearable, you know? So, thanks. If you hadn’t told your mother… again, thank you so much. And I promise this time I’m not touching any more wine. You can check with me if you get worried.”

Kento doubted that Hanako’s problems at home were completely over. He wished that Hanako had given him more than a promise and an offer to check-in on her concerning her drinking. But in this grey world that seemed to take delight in hurting his friends, he would take whatever victories he would.

But for right now, he was going to pack and get hyped for his trip with Rowen. He’d miss Cye and the others, of course, but maybe a change of scenery was what he needed. No random guys trying to pick fights, no tigers suddenly appearing (although White Blaze was the coolest thing ever), no Sage breaking the speed limit before his fourteenth birthday with half a dozen swords stashed in the backseat of his Jaguar. He’d just chill with Rowen, their respective families, and enjoy the snow. Just a nice, boring vacation.

--

Final Notes. Kento, stuck in the car with Sage: WHY ARE YOU SPEEDING AND WHY DO YOU HAVE SO MANY SWORDS?!

Sage: W I S D O M.

For anyone wondering why Cye says fighting makes him physically ill when he was able to keep it together when Kento tried to kill a guy earlier: Kento’s beast mode was about protecting others, not killing because he wanted to. Also, Cye’s love for Kento kept him going, of course.

The Luna Cye mentions is indeed the Luna in Gaiden. I don’t want to give away spoilers, but (1) She will have a major role, (2) She won’t [spoilers for Gaiden], (3) She’s not a villain or antagonist, and (4) Ryo/Luna will be endgame because I ship them pretty darn hard. :,(