Rated: G

The boys stopped the car in front of a temple.

“No do you see Sage? Lita is not so great.”

“She was trying to defend her friends. She just wasn’t smart in relation to it Ryo.”

“Enough bickering.” said Rowen. “You two remind me of my parents.”

They walked to a dark room with only two candles in it.

“Anubis.” said Ryo. “We’re here. We’re equipped for our instruction.”

“First order of preparation is to locate your enemy. Try and find me.”

“Oh this is just great. We’ve been reduced to hide ‘n seek.” said Cye.

“It’s an incredibly essential lesson.” said Sage. “If you can’t uncover your opponent, you’re screwed.”

“Sage always kicked butt at this game.”

“Okay so where might he….”

“Ryo I found him.” said Sage and Rowen together.

More candles were lit and Anubis was standing right in front of Ryo. Sage and Rowen were pointing at him. “Very excellent. Let’s just be hopeful that in favor of the rest of you, they’re among you whilst you get attacked in the dark.”

“Sage seize your blade. Today is my day to educate you in the appropriate method of the sword.”

“Okay Kale.” Sage’s No-Datchi appeared in his hand and he went off to the sword room.

“Kento, seeing as you couldn’t unearth Anubis, you can try and find me. Come on.”

“Coming Dais.”

“Cye, I don’t know why you can’t utilize that wretched weapon yet, however if God is my witness you will find out.”

“Sekhmet? I beg your pardon? What do you imply by that? I know how to use this.”

“I will instruct you how to cause ultimate damage.”

“Rowen, you are good at aiming that thing but trying to block the sword is a bit rusty. I will train you on that.” said Kayura.

“I presume that leaves us Anubis.”

“Well, we have to start you over.” The lights dimmed and Anubis went somewhere else. “Attempt to find me.”

“Oh what a grand idea. Now I am unaided. Where is Sage when I need him? Let’s see um Hey I have an idea. MARCO.”

“Ryo if you don’t shut up I am gonna polo you.”

“Okay…okay. Now it’s time to turn my brain on. There you are Anubis!”

“Very good. You have now accomplished that trial. Now lets struggle to discontinue your lack of knowledge.”

“Hey.”

“What?”

~

Rowen was standing outside of the Math class that he was supposed to be in. He was waiting for Sage to meet him later. He was about to go get a drink of water at the fountain when Amy walked out with the pass.

“Wow! What a surprise to see you this close to a class.”

“I know.” He laughed sarcastically. “What a shocker. Maybe tomorrow I might even turn in my homework. Wouldn’t that be something?”

“Why do you not go to class? I mean you are really smart, smarter than me even, and you are just throwing it all away. The world could use people like you. You have enough intelligence to become a doctor or a scientist.”

“Oh boo hoo. Like I don’t have the rest of my existence planned out.”

“What is the rest of your life?”

“Grow up, get married, breed, and then expire.”

“Lovely life you have planned there Rowen. You’d assume that even you could do a lot better.”

“It is possible and I am sure that I could, but I won’t.”

“Well I apologize for disturbing you then. See you around unfortunately.”

“Do you know what your problem is?”

“No, what is my problem?”

“You aren’t aggressive enough. Maybe if you were a little more angry, you could panic people.”

“Oh really?”

“Really.”

“Well then.” Amy elbowed his stomach, grabbed his neck and pushed him onto the wall.

“Tell me who you are!”

“What are you doing?”

“I am being angry. TELL ME WHO YOU ARE!!”

“Get off of me.”

She slapped him and gripped his neck tighter. “If you don’t tell me who you are I will kill you.”

Lita and Mina came out of the class across the hall just as Amy kicked Rowen in the dick. Rowen let out a masculine scream and slowly fell to his knees.

“Whoa Amy. You tell him.” said Lita. Amy grabbed his hair and pulled his head back.

Then she put her knee on his neck and gripped his shirt.

“Give up?”

“Not even close.” He grabbed her arm and flipped her over. “ Do you really think that other than the kick to the pants that you hurt me? Not only are you not assertive, you’re weak.” He got to his feet and stood prepared for anything else she could throw at him.

What’s up with this guy? Why does he never get hurt? He’s too strong for me. Or maybe I just can’t hurt him. Why? I couldn’t possibly…no it’s not impossible. I can’t love him. He’s a jerk, he will hurt me the first chance he gets. I, I, “I can’t hurt you.”

“You’re telling me? I’ve never met a weaker girl in my life and that’s saying something.”

“It’s not that I’m weak Rowen. I couldn’t live with myself if I hurt you.” She started tearing up. “I think that I love you.”

“What?! What brought that on? I’ve been trying to be mean to you and instead of you wanting to tear me limb from limb you tell me you’re in love with me. You’re a strange girl. What possessed you into saying that?” asked Rowen.

“Mina, Lita, can I talk with him alone.” They nodded and left. “Rowen, I don’t know why I do, but I just see something inside of you I have never seen in anybody before. I can tell you aren’t the bad boy you make your self out to be. Please let me get to know you.” He just stared at her but his eyes once full of anger showed compassion and sympathy for what she was saying. “I guess I’ll go then.” She began to walk away.

“Wait! Amy wait please.” She turned around. “Nobody’s ever told me that before. I guess nobody has ever felt the way that you do. But I still don’t think I will ever understand why you feel that way. But the point is that you feel that way and…I do too.” He held out his hand. When she took it he pulled her closer to him and put his other arm around her. Amy closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest. He bent down a little and kissed her on the top of the head.

“It’s funny how things end up.” said Amy. She looked up at Rowen. “Just a minute ago I was trying to hurt you and now…well look at us.”

“Yeah. Now, I want nothing more than just…to kiss you.” He bent down a little and she got onto her toes and they kissed. The world around them seemed to disappear and Amy felt as though they were floating above the earth. When they stopped they stared into each other’s eyes.

“Your eyes are beautiful.” Rowen told her.

“What do you see in them?”

“I see that your soul is pure and your spirit is lively. But there is a secret you are keeping that only your closest friends know. It troubles you sometimes but you wouldn’t give it up for the world. You are very capable of love and capable of being loved but you don’t believe it.”

“You know what I see? I see purity but strength. I’ve never seen that kind of strength in anybody before. I also see a secret that your friends only know and it also disturbs you but you accepted it. You have lots of love but you never show it. You are very reserved, why?”

“…I’m scared. I’m scared if I get close to anybody, I will lose them.” His eyes showed signs of crying. “Everybody I’ve ever loved has left me. My parents divorced shortly after I was born and I lived with my father.” He let his guard down and began to cry. “ I left one day. When I came back, the house was a mess. I found my father lying on the couch. He had a bullet in his head. My mother didn’t want me so I moved in with my best friend, Sage.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.” He wiped his eyes. “Then there was this girl. We hated each other at first, more than your friends hate mine. After a while Melody and I started to go out, but she had been wounded badly from someone. She died too. I started pushing myself away after that.”

“Rowen, don’t worry. I would rather die with your love than live without it.” She held him.

“You’re a good person Amy. I can’t believe I didn’t see it before now. You are beautiful not only on the outside…”

“You’re too kind. But I know I’m not beautiful.” He shook his head in disagreement and kissed her cheek.

“I have to go. My friends and I are training for something.”

“What?”

“It has something to do with that secret.” He kissed her again, hesitated, and walked away. She turned back towards her class. She was determined to find that secret out and was thinking of a way to tell him hers. For some reason, she wanted him to know that she was a Sailor Scout.

~

Rowen was outside of the temple. He had finished his training with Kayura and decided to go for a jog around the city. He was tying his shoe when a woman in a yellow top and an orange skirt walked up to him. Before she said anything she flipped her light blue hair.

“Excuse me. I am lost. Can you tell me where I am please?”

“You are at the Temple of Anubis. Where are you trying to go?”

“It doesn’t matter.” She ran off.

“That was weird.” He began his jog while up in a nearby tree Fish Eye stood watching.

“Just you wait Rowen. Pretty soon your beautiful dreams will belong to me.”

~

He had stopped to rest in front of an apartment complex.

“Come on.” He said to himself. “Just five more miles and I’m done for today.” He pushed himself off of the wall and that’s when he saw the same girl who had been lost near his temple. “Are you following me?” He asked.

She laughed wickedly. “Yes I am.” She flung off her disguise and was now wearing an ugly blue outfit with a fishbone down the middle.

“Sage told me about you. He said you aren’t very good at stealing dreams.”

“Yes, we do kind of fail every now and then at that it’s not our fault though. But the point is I came prepared for your strength. I know you train at the temple of Anubis.” Suddenly she took out a crossbow and shot his shoulder. “The arrow contains a poison that will put you to sleep allowing me to look into your dream. 1…2…3…” The dream catcher shot from the ground and he was locked to it.

His vision was getting hazy and his eyelids were getting heavy. He could feel his warm blood running down his arm.

In the apartment two stories above them the girls were having study buddies.

“Amy how would I do this one?” asked Mina. Raye was reading a history book when she got this strange feeling. Amy stopped in the middle of explaining Mina the problem and ran out of the apartment. The girls didn’t ask any questions but they got up and followed her.

“Oh my God. You guys, Rowen is in trouble.”

“Why should we help him?” asked Serena.

“We should help him because it’s our job. We have to help him or he will die.”

“But he would probably kill us if he didn’t die.” Raye said.

“I will do this with or without your help. MERCURY PLANET POWER!” She jumped over the side of the railing and landed right in front of Rowen. He struggled to lift his head to see who it was. She pulled the arrow out of his shoulder and wrapped her glove around his wound. “You’re going to be okay.”

He didn’t see her face but he recognized her voice. “Amy? Is that you?”

“Yes.”

“You have to get out of here. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“It’s okay. I’m Sailor Mercury. I’ve fought Fish Eye many times.”