Note: I have nothing to do with Ronin Warriors and its characters except to be a fan who enjoys the series very much. This story is my extrapolation of the storylines as received in North America. I apologize if this story doesn't quite fit into the Japanese series.
Kento trudged dejectedly down the street.
It had been yet another fruitless day of job-hunting. There hadn't been a single opening available at any of the businesses he'd gone to. Well, maybe there had been, but each person he'd asked had told him that he wasn't qualified for what was available.
He sighed. Truth be told, there was very little he was qualified to do. He was strong and...he was strong. He wasn't as smart as Sage or Rowan, and--though he hated to admit it--he wasn't as likeable as Sai or Ryo. Not that he had trouble making friends, but sometimes being so big and strong counted against him.
Construction work would have been the best, he thought, and if not that then something involving manual labor. As it was, though, he didn't have the training to really do anything else. Which meant he was stuck searching for something--anything--that he could find.
He'd been hopeful when first Ryo, then Rowan had found jobs that they could be happy with. And Sage's choosing to remain at home and help Mia was certainly satisfying for the wearer of the Armor of Halo, since it would almost definitely guarantee him time to enjoy silent, solitary contemplation. Why couldn't he find a job that would help his friends yet also keep him happy and upbeat?
Kento had no doubt that Sai, too, would find a job well suited to his skills and personality. It would no doubt have something to do with water, and probably fish as well. Maybe at a pet store, or at the aquarium. He was surprised that Sai hadn't already checked those places out...but then again, maybe he had, and nothing had turned up. Still, it was only a matter of time.
Feeling a little tired and a lot thirsty, Kento decided to take a break from the job hunt. Seeing a familiar coffee shop nearby, he turned and began his hunt for liquid refreshment.
"Irrashaimase!" a voice called. "Oh, it's you, Kento. Haven't seen you around for a while."
"Hey, Genjo," Kento said as he sat down.
"Your usual?" the young man behind the counter asked.
Kento shook his head. "Just an iced tea today."
In a few moments Genjo set a brimming glass before him. "So, what have you been up to lately?"
Kento shrugged. "I'm looking for a job," he said. "You know I've been living with some friends, right? Well, money's tight now, so I thought I should help pay for expenses. To do that, though, I need an income."
Genjo nodded. "Too true," he said. "Any luck?"
Kento sighed and shook his head. "None," he said, sipping his drink. "Everywhere I went, people told me that either they didn't have any positions available, or I didn't meet the qualifications for those they had."
Genjo frowned. "Well, where did you check at?"
Kento told him the names of every single business he'd approached. By the end, Genjo was laughing.
"Kento!" he said, chuckling, "those are all restaurants!"
"I know," Kento said dreamily. "Wouldn't it be perfect? Working all day or all night, then being able to enjoy my favorite foods!"
Genjo laughed again. "No wonder they all turned you away!" They both laughed, then let their amusement trail off.
"If you're really serious about a job," Genjo said slowly, "maybe you should check with the hospital. I think they're looking for orderlies and interns to help deal with the overcrowding."
Kento wrinkled his nose. "A hospital?" he asked dubiously. Then he shrugged. "Well, I guess beggars can't be choosers." He nodded. "Which hospital?"
* * *
Kento approached the nurse's station slowly. The middle-aged woman sitting behind the counter didn't even look up when he finally reached it.
He cleared his throat. "Excuse me," he said loudly.
The nurse glanced up at him, then lowered her eyes to the clipboard in front of her. "Yes?" she asked curtly.
Kento felt his confidence ebbing. "I...I'd like to apply for a job," he stammered.
The nurse looked up again, her eyes narrowing. "You don't look like a doctor," she said suspiciously.
Kento shook his head frantically. "I'm not!" he said. "I...a friend told me you were looking for orderlies and interns to help out."
The nurse studied him for a moment longer, then shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice a little friendlier. "It's true, we can use all the help we can get, but unless you've had formal training in a health services profession, we can't hire you." She smiled wanly at him. "With all the problems lately, the last things the hospital needs are lawsuits for mistreating patients."
"I wouldn't--" Kento started.
"I'm not saying you would," the woman said, raising her hand to forestall him. "I'm sure you're a nice person, and you'd be very helpful, but there's always the chance that something could happen, and you'd be blamed for it." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, but it's a risk we can't take."
Kento sighed. "I guess I understand," he said slowly. "Thanks anyway." He turned to leave.
"You have to believe me!"
Kento swung around, startled.
A disheveled man in pajamas staggered down the corridor. At first glance he appeared to be just another patient, possibly one finishing up his recovery period after major surgery. At second glance, though, it was plain to see that he wasn't an average patient. It was the wildness in his eyes that gave it away, that...and the way he clutched the mop in his hand.
Kento's eyes narrowed. There was something familiar about it. If he wasn't mistaken, the man held the mop in almost the same way that Ryo handled his katana. It was as though the patient had trained--or been trained--in the arts of swordsmanship. And if that was so, then the man could pose a threat to the safety of the others in the hospital. And judging by the way the man was whirling wildly about, he wouldn't hesitate to lash out if he felt cornered. Already hospital staff was converging on the man, and his motions were becoming more and more spastic.
"Mr. Kumano!" a doctor shouted. "You have to calm down!"
"No!" the patient screamed. "You don't believe me! None of you believe me! There's something evil out there, and we have to stop it!"
Out of the corner of his eye Kento saw the nurse reaching for the phone. "Don't," he warned softly. She stared at him, confused.
Taking a deep breath, Kento started down the corridor towards the man. He glided calmly between doctors, nurses, and orderlies, always keeping his hands away from his sides, and never taking his eyes from the man's torso. He was strong, but he wasn't foolish: if the patient decided to attack, he'd see it and get out of the way.
The man was staring at him, his eyes wide and wild. "What are you doing?" he demanded.
Kento held his hands up. "Nothing," he said. "I just want to talk to you." Yeah, he thought to himself, at least until I can get that mop away from you.
The man backed up slowly. "You won't believe me," he spat. "They never believe me."
"I'm different," Kento said. "I'll believe you." For a moment, he thought the wildness in the man's eyes ebbed. Then, the man raised the mop over his head.
"Liar!" he screamed. Then he charged forward.
Kento waited for him to approach, then stepped aside as the mop plunged down towards him. It rebounded off the floor, and before the man could raise it up again, Kento caught hold of his wrists.
He froze as a strange chill washed over him. It was familiar somehow, and yet it was unknown to him as well. He might lack Ryo's and Sai's sensitivity, but to him it was like what he felt whenever he'd been around the Warlords, when he'd been in the presence of evil. There was that about the man's hands that seemed similar. The man might not be evil himself, but at sometime in the recent past he'd been touched by it. Kento released the patient's hands, causing the man to stumble. Kento put out an arm and caught the man. "I'll believe you," he said, locking eyes with the patient. "Tell me what you want me to know."
The man stared at him for a few long moments, then closed his eyes and sank to his knees. The mop dropped from his hand. "Thank you," he whispered.
Kento watched as two orderlies raised the man from the floor and led him back down the corridor. Another orderly picked up the mop and started after them.
"That was amazing," a voice at his elbow said. Blinking, Kento found himself looking down at the nurse from the nurse's station.
"If you want the job," the nurse said, "it's yours. It goes against all of the hospital procedures, but I think we'd be making a mistake if we let you go."
"Who was that?" Kento asked. "What's wrong with him?"
The nurse shook her head. "That's Kumano Toshiki," she said. "He was brought here after he collapsed at his place of business. Every single day something sets him off, and it takes three or four orderlies to get the day's weapon away from him and hold him still long enough for a nurse to administer a sedative." She looked up at him. "And you just talk to him and he calms down."
She shook her head again. "We could definitely use more people like you. She turned and started back to the nurse's station. "If you're still interested, come in tomorrow by 8 a.m."
Kento nodded. Then, glancing back at the retreating figure of the patient, he asked, "I wonder what his occupation was before he came here."
"He was a teacher," the nurse said as she sat back down behind her counter. "He taught swordsmanship to young students."
* * *
Sai heard someone calling out, but--with his mouth and arms full juggling spice bottles, bags of vegetables, and trays of meat--he was unable to respond. He staggered over to the counter and dropped his burdens down just as the door to the kitchen opened.
"Hey, something smells good!"
"Hey, Kento," Sai said, trying to work the taste of plastic bag off of his lips.
"Guess what, Sai!" Kento said. "I found a job!"
"That's great, Kento," Sai said, and he tried to smile, but his effort failed.
"Hey, man," Kento said, frowning, "what's wrong?"
Sai turned away and took out an onion. "Nothing," he said.
"Come on, Sai," Kento said, grabbing his arm and spinning him around. "Even I can tell that something's bothering you."
Sai closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "I don't know," he said softly. "I guess I just feel useless. You, Ryo, and Rowan have all found jobs, and Sage is helping Mia out here at home, and I still haven't found anything."
"Hey, it's all right," Kento said. "I"m sure you'll find something. I mean, if I could find a job at the hospital, then you--"
"Hold on," Sai interrupted. "The hospital?"
Kento grinned. "Yeah. I got a job as a candy stripper."
Sai choked. "A what?" he demanded.
"A candy stripper," Kento said. "See, I take the wrappers off all the candies for the kids in the children's ward."
Sai laughed. "I think you mean candy striper, Kento."
"Actually, it's a job as an orderly," Kento said. Then he grinned. "But I got you to laugh!"
Sai smiled. "Thanks, Kento," he said. "I needed that." Then he sighed, his smile slipping away. "Still, I feel sort of guilty."
"Why?" Kento asked.
"Well, Mia's taking me to the Aqua Park and Marine Sanctuary tomorrow," Said said. "You're all working, and I'm going on a field trip."
"Job hunting's hard work," Kento said. "A break from it will do you good." He looked around. "By the way, where are Mia and Sage?"
Sai turned away and started dicing the onion. "Mia's at the university. She needed to do an inventory of what belonged to her grandfather and what belongs to the university. Sage dropped her off. Then he was going into town to pick up Ryo, Rowan, and Yuli. They should be back soon."
"Will dinner be ready by then?" Kento asked, lifting the lid off a pot and inhaling deeply.
"It will be if you help out," Sai said.
Kento lowered the lid again. "What can I do to help, then?"
* * *
"The new one recovered faster than expected."
"Yes, master."
"There is something unusual about him. Something...arcane."
"Surely it isn't him, master?" "Fool! Would we be here now if it was? We would have killed him, or he us!"
"Forgive me, master."
"Besides, there are others with special...natures in the world. Others with strong spiritual powers."
"Yes, master."
"The new one may be such a person. But it does not matter. Strong spiritual powers mean nothing to us. They cannot harm us."
"Yes, master."
"On the other hand, such powers may prove a boon for us, especially if they help the new one recover quickly so we can leech more from him, yes?"
"Yes, master!"
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