Sage walked slowly down the sidewalk, towards the setting sun. It was a glorious day, but he didn't even notice. His school uniform was perfect and the jacket buttoned up tightly against the chill spring air. He had his satchel slung up over his shoulder, and his eyes were almost closed.
{It seems too weird. After all that, destroying the Dynasty, being held hostage--} He shuddered. After a moment, he sighed. {Going to school seems so much more commonplace. And I can't even tell anyone what happened!} His eyes closed tightly against phantom tears.
"My, so pensive a face." The low, soft voice came from somewhere above and to his left. Sage glanced up sharply. As he did, his foot caught on an unseen crack in the sidewalk, and he tumbled forward with a startled squawk.
The girl jumped down from the top of the wall and extended a hand. Amusement rippled in her voice as she spoke again. "Sorry. I didn't think you were that deeply into your thoughts."
Sage accepted the hand and rose, dusting himself off. He noted, with some surprise, that the girl was the same height as he. He frowned, looking her over covertly. She had short, straight, baby-fine dark brown hair, twinkling honey-brown eyes, and a slender and trim form. "No apologies needed, Fair One," he said flirtatiously, smiling his best smile.
The girl laughed and backed up a few steps, more to retrieve the fallen satchel than to get away from him. Sage noted that she, too, wore a school uniform. "My name's Rumiya Kawase. I just moved into the area." She started walking slowly beside Sage.
"Oh? What school are you attending?" Sage asked, hoping it would be Han a' High.
"Akegata Girls' High School," Rumiya responded. "Today was my first day."
"I see," Sage said, slightly disappointed. "So . . . where do you live?"
"Down the street here a ways," Rumiya replied, waving her hand airily. "Technically, I'm supposed to be living with my aunt, but seeing as how she's fled the prefecture, I'm more or less on my own."
Sage's face took on an almost ludicrously crafty look. "You know, you shouldn't tell me that."
"Oh? Are you a satyr, then? Going to sneak in and have at me?" Rumiya teased. "You'll find it difficult."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes, really. I have an enslaved oni who sleeps in my closet and guards me from all harm," Rumiya said dramatically, her eyes sparkling with mischief. Sage laughed.
"I guess I'd better watch my step then, hadn't I?"
"Like you didn't earlier?" Rumiya said slyly. Sage flushed.
"Well, you distracted me!" he cried.
"I could distract you some more," Rumiya offered, walking backwards in front of him. "That way you wouldn't see the telephone pole you're about to walk into."
"I am not!" Sage protested, sidestepping said telephone pole. "See?"
"Oh, so you're smarter than you look!"
"Hey!"
Rumiya giggled and opened her mouth to say more. Then, there was the chilling howl of a wolf. Her eyes widened. "I have to go," she said. "Bye!" She ran off, waving.
"Hey, wait!" Sage cried, too late. Rumiya vanished around a corner. {Well, that has got to be the strangest encounter I've ever had!} He continued on his way, headed home. {I know we just met, but she made it seem like we'd known each other forever!} He frowned and puzzled on this the rest of the way home.
"Hey, Sage, where ya going!?" Ryo yelled.
"See you later!" Sage responded. Ryo turned to Rowen, Sai, and Kento and shrugged.
"Probably another girlfriend," Rowen said, rolling his eyes.
"Doesn't he ever give up?" Sai said, frowning.
"Sage?" Kento said in disbelief. Sai grinned.
"You're right," he agreed. "He's totally hopeless."
"He seems to have a lot of fun, though," Miya said, appearing out of nowhere. She wore the school uniform of Akegata Girls' High down the street. "We are all going out to the lake this weekend, right?"
"Yeah," Ryo agreed.
Sage raced down the street. {Hope I don't miss her!} he thought. Then, he saw Rumiya walking ahead, alone. "Rumiya! Hey, Rumiya!"
"Oh!" Rumiya gasped, turning. She blinked her wide eyes. "I wasn't expecting to see you again--not so soon!"
"Are you disappointed?" Sage asked, taking her hand. Rumiya giggled.
"Disappointed? No. Surprised? Yes. Suspicious? That too. But not disappointed."
"Suspicious?" Sage said blankly.
"What . . . exactly . . . are your intentions?" Rumiya asked playfully, walking her fingers up Sage's shirt and tapping his nose. He laughed.
"My what?"
"Your intentions. What you intend to do with me," Rumiya explained mock- seriously.
"I know what the word means," Sage replied. "I don't think I have any intentions. I could make some up, if you like."
"How about telling me your name first?" Rumiya said. "Then maybe I could form some intentions, myself."
"My name?" Sage blinked. "Oh, yeah. I guess I didn't introduce myself last time. Uh, I'm Sage--uh, Date."
"Sage Date, hmm?" Rumiya narrowed her eyes at him. "Now, what were you originally going to say?"
"Nothing." Rumiya gave him a hard-eyed stare. "Nothing important," Sage clarified, his smile fading. {Not anymore, anyway,} he thought. Rumiya touched his shoulder gently.
"What's wrong, Sage? You seem so sad . . . "
Sage banished his dark thoughts and smiled at her. "It's nothing. Hey, why don't I walk you home? I want to see this oni of yours, anyway."
"Well, you can walk me home, but I can't really let you come in. Auntie Shiiko expressly forbade me to let anyone in until she comes back."
"Where'd she go, anyway? You said she flew the prefecture," Sage reminded her, falling into step beside her.
"Oh, she and her latest boyfriend had a major fight and broke up, so Auntie Shiiko ran away home to her parents on Hokkaido. She's such a cry-baby." Rumiya's face held a fair amount of scorn. "You'd never have caught my mother doing that."
"Don't you like your aunt?" Sage asked, frowning.
"Oh, I get along okay with her," Rumiya said airily, waving her hand. "She's just an airhead, is all." She stopped in front of a traditional little house. "This is it--my place."
"Um, I know Akegata starts classes a little earlier, and lets out a little earlier, but--would you like to walk together in the mornings and afternoons? I go to Han a' High, just up the street from Akegata."
"Well . . . " Rumiya hesitated for a long moment. Then, she smiled. "That would be nice," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, then."
"Great," Sage said, smiling. "Uh, but I can't walk home with you tomorrow. Some friends and I are going out of town for the weekend, and we're leaving right after school."
"Well, that's okay, Sage. I can make it home on my own. I'll walk with you Monday morning again," Rumiya said serenely. She reached over and kissed him on the cheek. "Bye!" She skipped into the house and disappeared.
{Well!} Sage thought. {What an amazing girl!}
"Your new girlfriend, of course," Miya responded. Ryo, in the passenger seat, twisted around to look at him, too. Likewise, Kento and Sai leaned over the back of the seat on either side of him. Rowen turned away from the window to look at him. Sage looked around at each of them.
"I say again, 'Huh?'"
"You took off pretty fast yesterday," Ryo pointed out.
"And you were walking with someone this morning," Sai reminded him. Rowen, Miya, and Kento waited expectantly.
"Oh," Sage said, enlightened. "That was Rumiya Kawase. She just moved into the area."
"Kawase? Oh, I think I've met her!" Miya exclaimed. "She's in one of my history courses. She had to stay late her first day, but she seems pretty nice."
"Why'd she have to stay late the first day?" Sage asked, frowning. "I forgot to ask her about that."
"Maybe it was for the same reason you had to," Kento said, grinning. Sage reddened.
"Aw, c'mon, guys! It is not my fault Yoko's boyfriend is the jealous type! And it's not exactly like she told me she was already seeing somebody!"
"Yeah, but I did," Rowen said, frowning.
"You're not helping, Rowen," Sage informed him. "Besides, you only told me a half hour before Shion went ballistic."
"He went ballistic because you were flirting with Yoko," Sai said dryly.
"We're getting a little off track here, guys," Ryo said, grinning maliciously. Rowen, Sai, and Kento left off teasing Sage. "Tell us everything about Rumiya," Ryo demanded.
"I don't know much," Sage replied. "She just moved in, her aunt's out of town more or less indefinitely, and she says she's got an enslaved oni in her closet."
"What!?" Ryo spluttered.
"That's what she said, Ryo," Sage said.
"She's told people at school that, too," Miya said thoughtfully. "There's a lot of pressure on her to prove it by Monday."
"You do not believe that!" Rowen groaned.
"Most people don't believe in legendary warriors in mystic armor, either," Miya said pointedly. "Nobody knows much about her. The records from her old school haven't come yet, and her aunt left before she arrived. She also seems to have a few extraordinary talents, from what I've seen."
"Oh?" Sage said, his eyes brightening with interest. "Please, do tell!"
"Well, it's not extreme. It's really fairly subtle, at times," Miya said, frowning. "It's more like enhancements of normal abilities, beyond most peoples' ranges. For instance, in gym class yesterday, we were playing volleyball inside, and one of the lights fell--right over Rumiya's head. The rest of us thought for sure she was dead, but she jumped out of the way."
"That doesn't seem so unusual," Ryo said.
"That light was ten feet by fourteen feet." Ryo whistled, suddenly far more impressed.
"Anything else?" Sai asked curiously.
"She seems to be faster and more resistant to damage than other people," Miya said. "At lunch this afternoon, Rumiya sat by the window. Our cafeteria at Akegata is on the second floor, and she was looking out the window when she saw a major fight out by the football field. She jumped out the window and landed on her feet, then ran out and stopped the fight. I wouldn't have thought she would've been able to make it out there so fast. And the pair who were fighting were two of the most vicious girls in school. I saw one of them hit Rumiya, but she didn't even budge! If Asa hit anyone else, they would've been on the ground. And later, there wasn't even a bruise!"
"So what are you saying, Miya? You think she's a magic princess or somethin'?" Kento asked mockingly. Miya frowned at him irritably.
"Well, you were the ones who wanted to know about her!" she said defensively.
"Yo! Miya! Eyes on the road!" Ryo screeched suddenly. Miya jerked her eyes back to the road barely in time to get the van back on the right side of the road before the truck bearing down on them actually hit them. "Shit! Don't do that!"
"I'm sorry!" Miya cried back. "It's not like I meant to do that!"
"Hey, you two, just knock it off and get us all there in one piece!" Rowen said firmly. Miya and Ryo glared at each other for a moment before settling down.
Rumiya threw herself down on the couch and sighed. {I wonder what he's doing right now?} she thought. {Having fun, I bet. I wish I knew him well enough to have been invited along. It's so boring here by myself.}
There was a lupine whine by her ear, and Rumiya sat up. A silver-white timber wolf sat by the couch, its great golden eyes pleading. Rumiya smiled. "Okamiko, you want out? Sorry, darling, but I can't. You'd terrify the neighborhood." The wold whined again. "I know. I know. I don't enjoy being cooped up here in the house, either, but there's no help for it. Neither one of us can go out. There's nowhere to go."
Okamiko whined again, then turned and slunk out of the room, defeated. Rumiya stared after her and sighed. {I know, my poor little one. I should never have brought you; you're unhappy here.} She stood and sighed. She stretched and walked into the empty kitchen. {Guess I need to go to the market,} she thought, looking at the bare shelves in the refrigerator. {I'll pick something up for Okamiko, too, since she won't take a leash.}
Rumiya slipped on her sneakers and picked up her purse. Instead of her school uniform, she wore jeans and a simple mint-green sweater, and her purse and sneakers were white. She sighed and headed down the block.
The market wasn't far away, only five minutes' walk. Rumiya took longer to pick out her food than she did to get there. She surveyed the fresh-cut meat critically, occasionally bending closer to look at a piece. Finally, she chose a very large, thick steak. "I'll take that one," she said firmly. The clerk nodded and started to wrap it up.
"Excuse me, but do you have another piece just like that?" another person asked. Rumiya glanced over to see a girl of medium height, wearing tan shorts and a lavender mock-turtleneck with no sleeves, looking at both her and the clerk. The other girl had very long, thick dark blue hair and wide blue eyes that dominated her face. Rumiya frowned.
{Who's that? She looks kinda . . . familiar, somehow.}
"Sorry, Miss, but there's only what we got out. You'll have to choose another piece."
"Oh." The other girl looked disappointed. "I have three very hungry guys to feed, and they're very finicky eaters."
"I only have one mouth to feed," Rumiya said, smiling impishly. "But she's terribly vicious when she's hungry. I keep her well fed."
"Sounds like my friends," the other girl laughed. "They throw temper tantrums on occasion, like little boys."
"My friend bites," Rumiya said gravely.
"Bites!?"
"She's not human," Rumiya explained.
"You're going to feed a steak like that to an animal!?" the clerk sputtered. Rumiya shrugged.
"I told you she's vicious. She won't eat just anything. It has to be really good."
"I'm sure I'll be able to find something else," the other girl said. "Maybe I'll get some seafood instead."
"I bought a shark steak for myself," Rumiya advised. "They look very good today. They're about two booths down."
"I'll take a look," the other replied. "And maybe a lesser steak for a side dish from here."
"Thank you," Rumiya said to the clerk, handing him the money. "I'll be sure to return."
"Uh, sure," the clerk said. Rumiya smiled and bowed, then left.
Sage sat cross-legged beneath a tree, deep in the forest. He was trying to meditate, to force away the dark thoughts that had haunted him since Talpa's destruction. He was succeeding only in bringing them more sharply into his mind.
{Why do I feel this way?} he wondered. {So useless, so pointless? The other guys don't feel this . . . this sense of having no meaning in life!} He sighed, blinking open his eyes. He leaned back against the tree, legs outstretched, arms folded behind his head. {Gods! I feel like I'm barely even alive, at times! Even when I'm with a girl . . . even with the guys! What's the point of all this?}
A breeze ruffled the tops of the trees suddenly. Sage closed his eyes again with a sigh. {I fought for this! Why am I not satisfied with it? Thinking of being able to do this was what kept me going when things were their darkest. So why, now that I can, don't I want to anymore?}
:Sage of Halo . . . : Sage gasped and sat up straight. He looked around and finally saw a shimmering apparition across the small clearing.
"A-Anubis?" he stuttered.
:In a manner of speaking,: the ghost replied. :What troubles you so, my friend?:
"I--" Sage broke off, shaking his head. "Nothing."
:I can see the lie in your heart, Sage. How can I help if you won't speak of it?:
"It's just . . . well, I guess you could call it let-down. Life's boring now!" Sage burst out. "There's no reason to my life anymore! No meaning! Nothing to live for!"
Anubis' ghost looked concerned. :Sage, you must not think such things,: he chided gently.
"If you know how I can stop, please, enlighten me!" Sage snapped bitterly.
:I do not know,: the ghost admitted softly. :Would it help if I told you there is another task before you?: Sage frowned. :But you must have patience. This task is to begin shortly, but it will take you the rest of your life. Perhaps your feelings come from the instincts you have so finely honed, knowing another task awaits you, but has not yet begun.:
"What task?" Sage asked curiously. The ghost shook his head.
:That I cannot tell you. You will know in time.: With that, the apparition wavered and vanished. Sage stared at the spot it had been.
{What task?} he wondered again.
Miya and the guys teased Sage unmercifully about Rumiya. Knowing he'd brought it on himself, Sage just rolled his eyes and let them. He only made a couple of cracks about their own dateless states.
He found himself walking alone on Friday. Rumiya was sick. Sage skipped his last class, a study hall, and went to see if she was all right.
He was heading down the street he'd first met Rumiya on when he heard screaming. Then, Rumiya barrelled around the corner. She wore jeans and a sweater, Sage noticed, as the girl used his shoulders as a spring board and leapt up onto the ten-foot wall.
That was all he had time to notice before a large and very angry timber wolf appeared, obviously following Rumiya. It screeched to a halt, snapping and snarling at Sage. Prudently, Sage joined Rumiya.
It was nearly an hour later before Miya and the guys came that way. Sage and Rumiya lounged on the top of the wall, bored, as the wolf lay just below them, waiting for either of them to make a move.
"Guys!" Sage said, grinning. The wolf, without moving her head, growled warningly. Rumiya rolled her eyes. "Uh, do me a favor and let my parents know I'm gonna be a little late today?"
"What'd you do, Sage?" Ryo asked, too stunned to even think of a smart remark.
"Jumped," was Sage's laconic reply. His friends stared at him. He sighed. "Look, all I know is, Ru comes out of nowhere at top speed, screaming, and uses me as a step stool. Seconds later, that wolf follows, and I decide that discretion is the better part of valor."
"Okamiko," Rumiya said. "Her name is Okamiko, and she's more irritated than angry."
"Oh?" Sage said, his voice conveying an incredible depth of disbelief.
"She'd be up here with us if she were angry," Rumiya explained. With a graceful roll, she landed on one knee. Okamiko leapt to her feet, snarling and snapping for all she was worth. Rumiya caught her muzzle between her two hands and stared into the wolf's golden eyes. "I love you," she said softly, dropping a light kiss on Okamiko's snout. Okamiko pulled her muzzle loose and turned ostentatiously.
"Is it safe to come down?" Sage asked warily. Rumiya nodded, and Sage jumped down. Okamiko rushed him, snapping furiously. Sage backed up against the wall, eyes widening.
"Okamiko!" Rumiya gasped, throwing her arms around the wolf's neck. "Stop it! He's my friend!"
Okamiko lunged forward. Sage screamed in terror. His friends shouted, "No!" Rumiya covered her face with her hands.
There was the sound of tearing fabric, and half of Sage's pant leg was ripped away. Okamiko whined playfully and loped off, holding the fabric in her mouth.
"Okamiko!" Rumiya shouted. She stamped her foot angrily. "I am not chasing you all over the city!"
The wolf loped back and dropped the fabric, then trotted off towards Rumiya's house. Sage picked up his pant leg and looked at it. "I don't know how I'm gonna explain this one," he said, his eyes dancing.
"Are you sure?" Sage asked. "I mean, your aunt--"
"What she doesn't know, can't hurt me," Rumiya replied. She opened the door, gesturing Sage to enter. She paused and glanced at his friends. "Aren't you coming, too? I've got some cookies I picked up at the supermarket the other day."
"What kind?" Kento asked eagerly.
"Chocolate- dipped Oreos," Rumiya answered.
"I'm in," Ryo said, barely before Kento.
"Me, too," Rowen decided.
"Well, all right," Miya agreed.
Sai looked dubious. "My mother doesn't like me to have junk food," he said.
"Ah, come on, Sai!" Kento moaned. "Live a little!"
"I won't tell if you don't," Rumiya urged cheerfully. Sai gave in. The prospect of chocolate-dipped Oreos was obviously too much temptation.
Rumiya brought out the Oreos and milk. After everyone made themselves comfortable, she turned to Sage. "I need you to take off your pants," she said.
"E- Excuse me?" Sage stuttered, dropping his Oreos. A hint of a blush rose on his cheeks. His friends all stared at Rumiya, shocked.
The girl rolled her eyes. "So I can mend them," she explained.
"I'm not taking my pants off," Sage said flatly.
"What's the matter? Afraid I'll see your pink silk boxers?" Rumiya teased. Sage's blush deepened.
"I don't wear boxers," he mumbled. "I wear Speedos!" he hastened to add, glaring at Rowen, who had opened his mouth to make a crack.
"I noticed you didn't deny they were pink silk," Rumiya observed, rising.
"They're green!" Sage said defensively over his friends' laughter. Rumiya rolled her eyes and left the room. She returned a few moments later with a large, fluffy mint-green towel. This she handed to Sage.
"You can go right through there," she said, pointing. "And bring the other two-thirds of your pants back to me."
Sage nodded and obeyed. A few moments later, he returned, the lower half of his body wrapped in the towel. His dark glare dared his friends to speak.
Rumiya took that challenge. "You've got nice legs," she said. "For a guy." The others started to crack. Rumiya raised her voice just a little. "As a matter of fact, I think you've got the best legs of any guy here."
Sage had his turn to laugh as Rumiya vanished with his pants.
It was a bright, warm Sunday morning when Sage invited Rumiya to his house for dinner. Rumiya, extremely tired of her own filling-but-bland cooking, agreed enthusiastically. She arrived Sunday afternoon dressed in a very pretty mint-green kimono with tiny pink flowers on it, plus a pink obi and a matching ribbon in her short dark hair.
"Ru, what . . . ?" Sage said, blinking in bewilderment. Rumiya tossed her head.
"I was tired of jeans and a sweater," she explained a little defensively. Sage grinned.
"Well, you look positively breathtaking!" he complimented. Rumiya blushed lightly, knowing that his compliments to her were always sincere.
"Thank you," she replied, smiling. She looked him up and down, noting his usual casual shirt and slacks had been spiced up with a knit vest and some aftershave. "Did you dress up for me?" she asked, her eyes ingeniously wide.
Sage laughed. "Sure, why not?" he responded. "If I'd known you were going to wear that, though, I would've dragged out the really formal stuff!"
"Oh, no tuxes, please! My reputation would be in shreds!" Rumiya teased. Sage looked strangely at her. "It's well known that when you pull out the tux, a girl had better not get within ten feet of you, or she might just loose something very near and dear to her heart!"
Sage blushed furiously. "Where did you hear that!?" he demanded. Rumiya giggled.
"It's a common rumor," she told him. "Are you saying it's not true?" Sage's blush deepened. "Aha!" Rumiya cried gleefully. "It is true!"
"I only broke out the tux twice," Sage said, face still a-flame. Rumiya giggled again.
"For girls who couldn't keep their mouths shut if their lives depended on it," she teased. "Akari Mizuhara and Miku Sanzenin, am I right?" Sage shifted uncomfortably. "Oh, all right, I'll stop teasing you," Rumiya said, deciding to be merciful.
"Sage, is that your friend at the door? Invite him in!" a woman's voice drifted in from the kitchen.
"Yes, Mother!" Sage called back, rolling his eyes. He pulled the door open wider, and Rumiya entered.
"Him?" was all she said. Sage coughed into his hand.
"Come and meet my mother," he invited. Rumiya smiled and nodded, following Sage towards the kitchen. She ran her fingers lightly against a table in the hall.
"So little has changed," she murmured to herself.
"Hmm?" Sage said, his brow furrowing. Rumiya looked up and shook her head, smiling.
"Just talking to myself," she said. Sage dismissed the incident from his mind and led the girl into the kitchen.
"Mom, this is my friend Rumiya Kawase," he introduced. Mrs. Date blinked, startled, before assuming a warm, welcoming smile.
"It's nice to meet you, dear," she said. Rumiya giggled, her eyes dancing impishly.
"I take it Sagey-boy doesn't have any other female friends? Only conquests?"
"Ru!!!" Sage wailed, mortified. Mrs. Date laughed.
"That's about it. Well, Miya is his friend, but I think only because she turned him down." Sage blushed furiously and glared daggers at his mother. Rumiya shrugged.
"That's the only way to handle him," she confided. "Just let it breeze right past." The look on Sage's face was indescribably priceless. Both women started laughing. Rumiya kissed Sage's forehead lightly. "That's okay, Kimpatsu. I loves you anyway."
Surprisingly, Sage didn't take the opening. He just grinned and shook his head. Mrs. Date looked thoughtful. She cleared her throat. "Well, dinner will be ready in about ten minutes. Why don't you take Rumiya out to the dojo and introduce her to your father?"
"Do I have to?" Sage asked. "You know what he's going to say!"
"Exactly," Mrs. Date said, nodding. "Which is why you should get it over with now."
"It's never going to be over," Sage said morosely. Rumiya frowned thoughtfully. Sage turned and offered a hand to her. "Come on, Ru," he sighed. "I'll introduce you to my father."
Rumiya caught Sage's arm just before they entered the dojo. "What's the problem with your father?" she asked softly. Sage grimaced.
"He's bound and determined to see that I marry the 'right' kind of girl," he explained, rolling his eyes. "That's why I don't have girlfriends over very often. He puts them through all kinds of inquisition."
Rumiya smiled and opened the door. She took a no- datchi-sized bokken off the rack there and headed for the man who was just finishing up his practice with a similar instrument in the center of the room. "Well, then, I'll have to return the favor," she purred.
"Ru, what are you--" Sage broke off, horrified, as Rumiya rushed his father, screaming a war cry. He winced, unable to watch Rumiya be smeared across the dojo floor and walls.
Mr. Date parried sharply, spinning to face Rumiya. He took in the expression on Sage's face with a glance and began to smile. "So . . . you are the friend Sage brought over," he said.
"Hai," Rumiya nodded, keeping her eyes on the man. "Rumiya Kawase."
"Let's see if you're good enough for my son," Mr. Date responded, drawing back a step. Rumiya leapt over the blade of the bokken as it passed at ankle height.
"Why don't we?" she smiled.
Sage watched, awed, as the boundaries between contest and battle blurred before his eyes. {She's fantastic! She's as good as me!} he thought incredulously. He saw a slight grin tugging at his father's lips and waited, knowing the man was holding back.
Rumiya did a back flip and landed on one knee. She laid her weapon on the floor of the dojo, signalling surrender. Mr. Date blinked, lowering his own sword. Rumiya stood and bowed deeply. "The match is yours, honored sensei," she murmured.
Mr. Date kept his eyes on her as he scooped up her weapon. Rumiya stood meekly before him, her hands folded, her eyes downcast. Mr. Date eyed her warily. "What game do you play, girl?" he asked, pitching his voice so that Sage could not hear him.
"I sought only to prove my skills, honored sensei," Rumiya replied sotto voce, raising her eyes to Mr. Date's. "To prove worthy."
"You are a strange woman," Mr. Date replied. "But perhaps, I think, worthy of my son."
"I would ask that you say nothing more to him of that, honored sensei," Rumiya said softly. "His is a strong will, and I think he will not do as he is bid simply because of who bids him obey."
"I think you are worthy of my son," Mr. Date said, frowning thoughtfully. "I will say nothing more," he promised. He held the bokkens out to her. "Return these to the rack," he instructed more loudly.
Rumiya nodded and obeyed meekly. Sage eyed her suspiciously. "What were you two talking about?" he asked. Rumiya shrugged noncommittally.
"This and that," she replied evasively. "Can I was my face and hands someplace before dinner?"
Sage rolled his eyes, knowing he would get nothing more out of her. "This way," he said, gesturing.
Sage insisted on walking Rumiya home after dinner. It was very late and very dark, and the stars were very bright. Rumiya sighed and looked up at them. "Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to travel among them," she mused. "Going from place to place . . . seeing all the wonders of the heavens . . . "
"There are plenty of wonders right here on Earth," Sage replied, watching her. Rumiya turned and smiled at him. Sage stepped closer, suddenly filled with an overwhelming desire to kiss her.
A spear came out of nowhere and clattered against the wall just behind Rumiya's head. Both of them whirled to face the shadows. Sage heard, unbelievably, the sounds of Dynasty soldiers! "Ru, run," he ordered softly.
"Not a chance," Rumiya replied.
"Don't try to run," a demon voice said from the shadows. "Your friend dies if you do, Halo."
{How do they know--} Sage stiffened, ready for a fight. "Come on out, you animated tin cans!" he shouted.
"They're not after you, Sage," Rumiya said calmly. Sage glanced sharply at her. She stepped forward, eyeing the darkness coolly. "Do you honestly think you can take me out?"
"We're going to try, Halo!" the voice answered. Sage stared at Rumiya, stunned.