Samurai Souls: part 4

Decisions

by Kajite Gray - YoroidenGi@aol.com

A girl shrieked indignantly, and Kento turned his head toward the sound.

CRACK!!

A resounding slap followed, echoing through the school hall. He shambled over to discover that the source of the disturbance was, as usual, Rowen. Kento groaned. It was obvious what he had done.

Missy scowled at him, one hand protectively clutching her skirt, the other curled into a fist. The livid mark from her hand still glowed on Rowen's cheek. But he was grinning. He gave a lecherous chuckle.

"Nice undies! Blue's my favorite color!!" The surrounding students burst into laughter. Color rose to Missy's face and she struck him again, this time on the other cheek. He let her do it - he wasn't about to hit a girl, and certainly not one who was so pretty. He cocked his head at her.

"So, Beautiful - you doin' anything Saturday night?"

"Pervert!!" she snapped. She flounced off, tossing her mane of black hair disdainfully. Rowen sighed after her, rubbing his sore cheeks. Maybe it was time for a new opening line.

"Idiot," mumbled Kento, dragging him into the Science Lab. "Yer gonna make us late. You keep screwin' around like that and your skinny little ass is gonna get busted for sure!" Rowen made a face at him, dumping his text books on the table.

"You never let me have any fun. Don't YOU ever look at girls?"

"I MEAN it - BEHAVE yourself," growled Kento. Rowen slouched against the lab table with a pouty look on his face.

"Spoil sport." Before Kento could reply, the bell rang and the students took their seats. A rather bedraggled-looking man with white hair and thick spectacles came running in, panting a little from the effort. Rowen's mouth twitched. Professer Yamaguchi was always a touch late. The teacher clapped his wrinkled hands for silence. All the pupils sat up straight, perfectly silent.

What good little Doobies, thought Rowen darkly. Yamaguchi was a fair teacher; there was no need to kiss up to him, though everybody did. Noticing his star pupil's black look, the elderly man smiled at him.

"Not having fun, Hashiba?" Shrugging indifferently, Rowen sat back in his chair.

"Not yet, Sensei," he admitted. Yamaguchi chuckled, used to his attitude.

"You'll find this interesting, trust me."

Rowen wasn't so sure about that. He loved Science, but the class was usually much too slow for him. There were advanced courses available, but his father was too cheap to foot the extra lab fees. So here he was, stuck in Basic Biology with Kento - who wouldn't know a microscope if it came up and bit him on the leg. He usually wound up bored out of his skull. Rowen watched with growing interest, however, as the instructor began laying out trays of scalpels.

"Hssst!" He nudged Kento. "What are we doing today?" Kento made a face at him, donning his smock.

"Where have YOU been? We're dissecting frogs - yeucch!" Hmmm. Rowen's morbid curiosity was up. The chance to pull something apart and see how it worked always interested him. The Professor set down a tray of scalpels and wires in front of them.

"What's this for?" asked Rowen, holding up a metal clamp. Kento gave him an irritated look.

"Pay attention, willya? He just told us. It's for some, uh... (he had a little trouble with the words) uh, responsible-reflexive experiment or something." He held up the instruction booklet, squinting at the purple diagram. "We're supposed to cut up our Kermits and then stick these wires up his butt to see if he jumps or somethin'. Some kinda electrical thing."

Oh. Rowen looked at the diagram. Electro-reflexive response. Like that American scientist What's-His-Name had done. He knew what it was supposed to do. If you hooked a dead frog up to an electrical source and ran a small current through it, the limbs would twitch. The electricity made the muscles contract. There was a power source at each table, with jacks for plugging the wires into. Yamaguchi was passing out the frogs, one for each pair of students. He plopped a cold, squashy thing into each labtray, giving rise to a chorus of "Ewwww" and "Oh, Gross." A couple of girls in the back looked even greener than their frogs.

Rowen looked down at the cold, rubbery amphibian laid out before him. Oh well. He picked up a knife. At least this was more interesting than a lecture. He slit the frog open according to the chart. Grimacing, Kento helped him pry loose the internal organs and label them accordingly. The frog ended up looking like the victim of a berserk, miniature sign-poster.

"Ugh," Kento muttered, fingers covered in guts. "I'm glad I don't have lunch next period." Rowen chuckled at his squeamishness. He nudged the frog, making it quiver realistically.

"Maybe they're serving up these guys?"

"Ewwwww..."

By now, most of the students had finished gutting their frogs. Some jobs were neater than others. Yamaguchi walked around, nodding approvingly at the skillful dissection of some, and wincing at the butchery of others.

Well, that was only vaugely amusing, thought Rowen wiping his hands. The Professor had launched into a long-winded discussion of the marvels of frogs' innards. Eventually, he got around to telling the students how to hook up their frogs to the wires. Rowen nudged his friend.

"Hey, Kento - how much juice do we give him?"

"Uh... chart says 35 amperes."

"Only??" Rowen was dissapointed. At that level, the frog's legs would do little more than kick feebly. Surely their power source could offer more than that. His eyes travelled slowly up the dial. The meter went all the way up to 275 amps. He looked down at the frog, a gleam flickering in his eye. He wondered what would happen.....

Rowen checked the clock on the wall. 10 minutes to 12. Professor Yamaguchi usually took his coffee break at 5 of. If only he would go a little early..... Rowen crossed his fingers, hoping he would leave. The Prof looked bored; he yawned and checked his watch.

Please go on your break, urged Rowen silently. C'mon!

Yamaguchi pushed his chair back, fishing his battered thermos out from underneath the desk. He ran a hand through his ruffled white hair, pushing his glasses back up the ridge of his nose.

"Studi-" They looked up. "Finish hooking up your frogs as I've instructed. Wait until I return before turning on the electricity. I will be back in 10 minutes." He nodded towards Rowen, giving an unexpected boost to his plan.

"If you need any help, I am sure Mr. Hashiba can assist help you." This was too good to be true. The class was in his hands. Rowen nodded agreeably at the Professor, who waved and shuffled out.

Rowen forced himself to wait a minute. He peered around - everyone was carefully setting their meters at 35 amps. Boi looked up at him.

"Hey Blue-Eyes - what's all this supposed to do?" Rowen smiled at the perfect opening. He looked around and winked at the students.

"Oh, not much. I really shouldn't tell you this, but..." he shrugged indifferently, as if the whole idea bored him. "When you turn on the juice, it'll make the frogs kick - but not very much. They're only gonna move a little."

"Gee whiz - is that all?" whined Boi. Several other students looked dissapointed. Rowen raised his eyebrows conspiratorially.

"Yeah, it's pretty dull, really. But...uh.... Do you wanna see 'em REALLY jump?" 28 pairs of eager eyes (and one one suspicious pair - Kento's) met his. Rowen tapped the meter with a slender finger.

"Try cranking 'er up to oh, say... 250 or so. You'll get a little more action out of them." An agreeable murmer rippled throughout the room. All meters were immediately cranked to their maximum levels. Rowen was a major science jock, so they trusted him. Surely he wouldn't lead them wrong.

"Don't tell Mr. Yamaguchi, though - he'll make you put it back down," warned Rowen. Kento gave him a wary look.

"Isn't this a little high?"

"Nah - it's fine. They'll just kick a little more is all."

"Ok....."He put it up all the way. As if on cue, Professor Yamaguchi came back in. He looked cool and composed. He clapped his hands together, a bright sparkle in his eye.

"Alrighty now - Is everyone wired for action?"

"Yes, Mr. Yamaguchi," chorused the class sweetly.

"Very well then, students. Turn on your frogs. I am sure you will see something interesting."

It was interesting, allright.

The overhead lights dimmed as power surged through thirty dessicated frogs. There was a slight hiss, and the odor of baking meat. Kento did a double take as his frog did a mad little dance and started smoking.

"Cool!!" cried Boi. "Lookit him kick! He's really-"

BLAM!! The frog exploded in his face.

BANG! POW!! WHAM!! P-POW!! BLAM!!

All over the room, frogs exploded. Students shrieked as the animals detonated.The back row of girls cleared out and ran, enmasse, screaming down the hall.

For a moment, no one spoke. Smouldering bits rained down silently. Chunks of frog clung to the walls and ceiling; an incredible stench hung in the air. The foul blue smoke cleared. Yamaguchi, a twitching frog leg dangling from his glasses, blinked owlishly. His face twisted, mustache bristling. He looked at one student, and one student only. A low rumble began, somewhere deep in the earth, rising to form a single name.

"HAASSHIIIIBAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!"

Rowen tried to look innocent, but ruined it by snickering. Kento, covered in frog carnage, glared at him furiously. He picked up his nice heavy clipboard and brought it down hard on Rowen's head.

"OW!!"

"You stupid SHIT!! You KNEW this would happen!"

"No," said Rowen, carefully flicking bits from his collar. "I knew it would do SOMETHING.... I just didn't know it would do THAT..." He rubbed his head. "DumbAss. That smarts."

"Want another?" offered Kento eagerly. Yamaguchi glared at them.

"Hashiba!! To the Superintendant's Office - NOW!" Kento grinned at him.

"Busss-ted!"

"You too, Fung."

"WHY ME?!"

"You saw what he was doing - you COULD have stopped him!"

"But," protested Kento feebly under his burning stare, "I swear! I had no idea-"

"He's right," offered Rowen. "He's utterly clueless." Yamaguchi's glower shut him up. Grumbling, Rowen slouched off. Kento slunk after him, still wondering why any of this was HIS fault. He caught up to Rowen, who was strutting down the hall and whistling.

"You stupid JERK!!" That failed to wipe the grin off Rowen's face. He would probably get his ass kicked for this, but he didn't care. It was worth it. Kento fell into step behind him, plucking some unidentified scrap off his sleeve in disgust.

"Thanks for draggin' me into this, butthead."

"Hey, you're in more trouble than I am," chimed Rowen, grinning.

"Wanna bet? What the hell did I do anyway?"

"You're not supposed to hit students, ya know."

"Is THAT what you're calling yourself these days?" Rowen punched him lightly on the arm. The two of them turned in to the Office to face the music together.

"Sheeze..." whistled Rowen, eyeing the yellow slip in his hand. They don't give a guy a break, do they?" Kento glared.

"Don't bitch. YOU started it."

They walked down the hall together, free at last. It was late, nearly five thirty. Both had detention for a week. Rowen had Janitorial duty for two weeks on top of that. AND they had had to clean the lab, a gruesome task to say the least.

"I still don't see why I'M getting punished," griped Kento. How was he going to explain this one to Mama? She'd dock his desert for a week, to be sure. But that was nothing compared to what Rowen's Father would do to HIM. Rowen, grim-faced, was obviously thinking the same thing.

"Man... You know what my Father's gonna DO to me?!"

"Shit..." Kento shuddered at the thought. Rowen handed him the paper.

"Here. Take care of this." Kento stuffed it in his mouth.

"Nfg prglm," he mumbled, choking down the dry paper. It wasn't any worse than the cafeteria's food. He washed it down at the water fountain, then turned to Rowen.

"But won't they phone? You'll really get it then."

"Nah," Rowen shrugged. "It got disconnected---- AGAIN."

"What happened to the money for the phone?" Rowen kicked at the ground.

"HE drank it, what else?"

"Man. Your Dad.... " Rowen gave him a foul look, shutting him up. He glanced at the darkening sky nervously. He was going to be very, very late. The thought of what was waiting for him made his back start hurting all over again. His Father had been drunk that morning, and would be no better tonight. Things might be worse if he didn't go back, but.....

Kento watched his friend struggling with himself. His friend, the dutiful son who was so devoted to the idea of family that he'd let his father beat him within an inch of his life before he'd ever dream of leaving home. Kento turned and walked towards the bus stop.

"You coming with me?" The subtle invitation was all Rowen needed. It took very little convincing to get him to come over for dinner. He'd missed lunch again, and the opportunity to have a real meal was to good to pass up. Better to face what his Father had in store for him on a full stomach. He tagged along silently at his friend's heels.

During the ride home, Rowen sat hunched in his seat and said nothing. Just stared at his hands and wondered if he'd raise them against his own kid someday. Kento nudged him out of his reverie.

"You think there'll be a problem?" Rowen shook his head.

"He probably won't even notice I'm not there. He's on a real bender today." He turned away, staring blankly out the window at passing cars. Kento suddenly noticed how worn and haggard his friend looked, how stiffly he was sitting.

"How's your back?" Rowen shifted in his seat, wincing a little.

"Better. I could... I could do with a soak, though." Kento nodded, picking up the hint. He had not been going to mention it, but Rowen didn't look very clean. It had little to do with the incident in the lab - the grime went deeper than that. He wondered to himself when Rowen last had a bath. The running water at the Hashiba household was unreliable at best, and Rowen had not been using the gym showers as of late. His bruises were too fresh for that. Too many questions got asked when he looked like he did now. Kento bent to whisper in his ear.

"Sure... sure," he agreed. "Just put your order in for dinner when we get home. While Mama's makin' it, you can, uh, do what ya need to do."

"Ok, thanks." Said Rowen gratefully. The subtlety was appreciated. It would not do for him to come down to dinner so dirty. He gave Kento his dinner preferences to pass on to Mama. As soon as they arrived at the apartment, Rowen headed for the main bathroom. Grateful for the chance to wash, he slipped inside and closed the door.

Now THIS was a bathroom. The floor was mosaiced blue and green tile done in a leaping fish design. The round tub was a huge affair, big enough for three or four people and made of polished hardwood. The air was pleasantly warm. A woodstove in the room kept the temperature up. There was even a cooking surface - the Fungs apparently liked to eat anywhere. There was a small refrigerator in the corner, stocked with fresh fruit and cold beverages. Rowen helped himself to an apple, grinning at the place in admiration. No one else he knew had a FRIDGE in their bathroom.

It was nothing like what he had at home. The "tub" was a pitiful European thing made of iron with clawed feet. It wasn't even big enough to stretch one's legs out in. The walls were dingy white tile and cracked stucco; the floor was water-stained wood. The JON was even in there, for crying out loud. It was hardly a room condusive to peace and relaxation. Unlike this place.

With a heavy sigh, he shed his clothing, still sore from his earlier beating. His body felt all tied up in knots. He caught sight of himself in the floor-length mirror and winced. When had he gotten so thin? He saw a skinny, shabby-looking kid standing there. Dark bruises marred his pale skin. His blue hair was lank and dirty. He ran his hand through it. Ugh. He felt grungy. He was certain he didn't smell too good, especially after that exploding frog episode. Kento had been VERY polite about it. The boy in the mirror looked like he'd been dragged through the streets. But it was the eyes that bothered him most. They held a frightened, hunted look.

Tearing his gaze from the mirror, he sat down on the low wooden bench to wash. He scrubbed himself down, wincing at the cold water. After washing his hair, he moved to the deep, welcoming tub to soak. He slid into the hot water with a sigh, his muscles unknotting slowly. It felt so good just to soak. Leaning his head against the edge of the tub, he relaxed for the first time in days. It was so peaceful. He closed his eyes, letting the heat erase his aches, and floated away on the heavenly warmth.

A hand touched his shoulder.

"You in there?" He jumped. Kento was right next to him. The bathwater was only lukewarm now, and he was wrinkled like a raisin. Rowen groaned, unhitching his back. He'd fallen asleep. Kento handed him a towel, trying not to look at the bruises.

"Come on, Sleeping Beauty. Dinner's waiting."

"Unf," was all Rowen said. He wasn't keen on leaving the tub just yet - he was too sore. Kento dropped a pile of clean clothes on the bench.

"Get dressed." Rowen eyed the heap of clothes, brow furrowing. They looked suspiciously familiar.

"What's them?"

"Put 'em on - your stuff's a wreck."

"Where'd you get 'em? These aren't yours..."

Kento shifted, grinning sheepishly. Rowen was going to hate him for this.

"Like mine would fit you anyway. They, um - Cye left 'em here the other day, and -"

"No way!!" Rowen's face was red. "Gimme back my clothes." Kento held them out of his reach.

"Come an' get 'em." The look Rowen gave him was enough to peel paint.

"Kento..." he warned.

"C'mon, they're clean."

"I don't care! I want my clothes!!" Kento shook his head, grinning at his friend's stubborness.

"Just wear 'em - it won't killya." Rowen rose up angrily; his face was livid.

"No way am I wearin' anything from that pus-"

KER-SPLASH!

Kento shoved him underwater, effectively cutting him off. Rowen came boiling out of the tub, ready to do mayhem. But Kento was already beyond his reach, heading out the door with the wad of dirty clothes under his arm.

"I ain't WEARIN' this!!" hissed Rowen furiously. Kento shrugged cheerfully.

"OK - see ya naked at dinner then!" Before Rowen could throw the soap at him, he was safely on the other side of the door. He glared after him, fuming.

Asshole. He'd taken ALL of his clothes, even his underwear. He poked disgustedly at Cyes' things. The happy fish on the boxers smiled moronically up at him. No way. He'd do without.

After towelling off, he ruefully began pulling on Cye's clothes. He put on the trousers and zipped them up - carefully. They were a little short on him, but he was surprised by the amount of room. They felt loose. He checked the size tag.

14s?! Hadn't he been almost big enough for those last summer? His stomach growled; he was hungry. It occurred to him that he'd been hungry a lot lately. The thought that he was too thin disturbed him. Was he going to waste away until he disappeared altogether? Shaking the thought out of his head, he did up the belt - one of Kento's old ones. He squinted at the skinny kid in the mirror. Damn. He WAS too thin.

With a sigh, he pulled on the soft hooded sweatshirt. At least it was blue. He wanted to put on the headband he always wore, but Kento had taken that too. Not finding anything else to tie his hair back with, he left it loose. His eyes felt gritty. He removed his contacts and took the wire-frame glasses out of his bag. He put them on and blinked. Things still looked a little fuzzy. Rowen sighed - he needed a new prescription, and there was no money for new glasses. There never was, for anything HE needed.

Brushing his still damp hair out of his face, he resigned himself to his blurry vision and headed downstairs.

"Konbonwa."

Looking up from his meal, Kento tried to hide a smile. Rowen looked like a different kid in the somewhat baggy clothes with his hair in his face and eyes blinking myopically behind the glasses. Kento lost his fight and grinned foolishly.

"Oh, shut up," muttered Rowen, sitting down to his roast chicken and vegetable chowmein. "This is YOUR fault." He gestured disgustedly at his attire. Choosing not to debate him, Kento instead turned his attention to his plate.

"I'm goin' home right after this," Rowen reminded him between mouthfuls. Kento made no comment. He was not making the decisions here. It was in Mama's hands now. There had been a quiet conversation between them while Rowen was upstairs bathing. Mama knew that he planned to go back that night, knew that he was still recovering from the last beating. She knew that Hashiba was drunk.

And she made her choice.

She slipped a little something extra into Rowen's food - nothing much, just something to relax him a little. He needed to sleep off the effects of his injuries. Even just one night of peace would help a lot. She could give him that much. There was no other way to make him stay. Right or not, Mama had no intention of letting him go home so soon. She could not let him make that decision for himself.

Rowen ate heartily, gulping his food down hungrily, eating almost as much as Kento. He looked half-starved. His eager, hopeful eyes all condemned Mama as he asked for seconds, then thirds. She felt badly about deceiving him, but it was the only way. After dinner, his eyes slid closed and he drooped in his chair. Feeling guilty but relieved, she helped him to his feet. She guided him, half-asleep and stumbling, up the stairs. Leaving it to Kento to put him to bed, she returned to her kitchen. Rowen would resent that his choice had been taken from him, but sometimes he needed protection from his own stubborness.

Kento managed to settle him in bed with little fuss. Rowen tried to protest that he really wasn't that sleepy, and he was only going to close his eyes for a little while before heading home. But he was no match for Mam's potion. That, combined with his weariness, sent him tumbling headlong into sleep.

The night was clear and cool above him. Rowen floated in the void, a thousand stars scattered against the sky like diamonds on black velvet. He wished he could touch them, but they seemed so far away. A chill wind blew over him and he shivered. The stars began to wink out, one by one, leaving him empty and afraid. He was all alone. Darkness surrounded him. He couldn't see where he was going. It was like that all the time, and he knew what was coming next. A gigantic hand came down, huge and hurting. It closed on him, squeezing the life out of him by agonizing degrees. He couldn't breathe... he was being crushed. There were no more stars, they had all been snuffed out. Rowen tried to scream as his body broke, but no sound came out. Dead but still alive, he twitched feebly, crushed in the hand that would not let him go. His blood slowly trailed down Hashiba's fingers, forming red star patterns beneath his feet. White agony corrupted his vision as the hand bagan shaking him, violently.

"Wake up, man, wake up!!" Rowen thrashed, trying to escape. He hit something solid that gave an exclamation of pain when he hit it.

Kento cursed, trying to rouse his friend from his nightmare without getting hit by his flailing fists. "Shit! Wake up, Rowen!!" Rowen twisted his head from side to side, gasping harshly. Sweat soaked the sheets. They'd gone through this before, but Kento was having one hell of a time trying to wake him up this time. Abandoning this tactic, he ran into the bathroom, got a glass of cold water and threw it on him.

Waves crashed over him, cold, shocking him back to reality.

Rowen gasped, snapping awake at the shock of cold water. He blinked at Kento in confusion. For a long minute, Rowen just stared at him. The terrified light slowly faded from his eyes, and he dropped back on the bed with a moan. He didn't say anything, just turned his face into the pillow and cried. Kento retrieved a towel and blotted the worst of the water from Rowen's hair, then wrapped it around his shaking shoulders. There were no words that could ease his agony. He had tried them all. The only thing he could do was sit up with him, rubbing his back until the sobbing ceased and sleep returned. When Rowen was quiet again, Kento slipped off to the bathroom. His lip was split and bleeding; Rowen had hit him right in the mouth. He winced, doctoring it with some peroxide. Things were getting out of hand. And if they were bad for HIM, they were a hundred times worse for Rowen.

Wearily, Kento went back into the bedroom and collapsed on the cot. He prayed there wouldn't be any more nightmares. Rowen twitched and muttered fitfully. Kento curled up and went to sleep beside him, one of his strong hands enfolding Rowen's thin ones. There were no more nightmares that evening.

Rowen hadn't planned it that way, but he ended up spending a very quiet weekend with the Fungs. He glanced at Kento's split lip, and wondered how he'd hurt himself. He had no memory of the night before. Shrugging, he dug into a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon - more of Mama's European cooking. No one said anything about it, but Rowen suspected he'd been drugged at dinner. He would never have fallen asleep at the table like that if he hadn't. Unwilling to upset Mama over it, he said nothing. What was done was done. He allowed himself to be fed and sheltered, not altogether upset that he wasn't at home.

That afternoon, Kento' father surprised him by dropping the boys off at the planetarium for awhile. Rowen's mood brightened considerably. He could not help but enjoy himself in a place like this. His own father would never have spent money on something "so frivolous". He walked among the exhibits, gazing at starmaps and touching the meteorites on display. He was fascinated by the energy they held. He wanted to take one home, but the smallest one was around 500kg. Kento followed him around, bored by the whole thing, but tolerant of Rowen's interest. It was good to see him happy for once.

Rowen tugged at his sleeve excitedly.

"C'mon!" he urged, pulling him towards a darkened room.

"What for?" asked Kento, gazing longingly back at the display of Astronaut IceCream in the gift shop window. It looked delicious.

"Uff-" Rowen dragged him along impatiently.

"Wha-?" asked Kento in confusion. He was bumping into people in the dark and tripping over things.

"Siddown!" hissed Rowen, pushing him into a seat. He sat next to him, breathing excitedly. Kento peered around, trying to see in the inky blackness.

"What's in here? I don't see nuthin' -"

"Shhhh!!" hissed Rowen. "Just look up." Disoriented and confused, Kento looked up. At first he saw nothing, just the darkened dome ceiling that arched above them. Then a mechanical thingamajig rose up from a hole in the floor. Music from Holst's The Planets began playing, the quick, low beat of "Mars" thrummed from speakers on the walls.

"Isao Tomita!" whispered Rowen excitedly. Kento scratched his head.

"Who?"

"Tomita! The composer, ya know?" Kento gave him a blank look. The strange, electronic music didn't mean anything to him. Rowen, however, seemed entranced by the sounds. The music reached a crescendo, and the ceiling was suddenly ablaze with stars. They looked so real, even Kento was impressed. Maybe this would be interesting after all. He could just make out Rowen's face next to him, looking eager and expectant. Kento looked up and waited for something special to happen. He was dissapointed. The stars didn't move or anything; there were no cool pictures. Just a long, boring lecture from some guy he couldn't see. Kento yawned. The voice droned on and on. He tried to pay attention, but he just couldn't keep his eyes open any longer.....

"Aw, man - wake up!!" Rowen was shaking him.

"Huh?" Kento blinked hard as the lights came on. Rowen gave him a disgusted look.

"Man! That was so cool - and YOU slept right through it!!" He wasn't the only one - several other students in the room were yawning and stretching too. Kento pointed them out.

"Thought it was night, man - most people SLEEP at night. Unlike SOME guys I know." Rowen ignored his jibe. They filed out with the rest of the audience. For the rest of the day the two friends wandered the museum. Kento groaned as Rowen dragged him from room to room. Most of the exhibits bored Kento. He had no interest in old paintings, rusty artifacts or fossilized critters. But one thing did capture his attention. The mineral exhibits fascinated him.

There were a bunch of cool things on display. Giant purple amethysts, spikey clusters of glassy-looking quartz, and table-sized slabs of raw opal that shifted colors as you went past them. Split geodes sparkled from shelves, and stalagmites formed a row of jagged teeth along one wall. Kento had to be reminded several times NOT to touch the exhibits. He couldn't help himself - the rocks drew him to them. It was almost as if they were talking to him. If he listened long enough, maybe he could understand what they were saying....

"Come on, Kento," laughed Rowen. A dour-faced guard interposed himself between Kento and the geode he was intent on petting.

"Let's get out of here before you commit an unnatural act with that rock." Reluctantly, Kento allowed himself to be led away.

To his delight, there were several mineral samples on sale at the museum's gift shop. He filled a bag with polished quartz, yellow-banded tiger-eyes, smoky-looking obsidian and an endless variety of agates. But it was the burnished orange carnelians that Kento liked the most. Several of those, along with a goodly amount of glittering fool's gold went into the bag as well. He paused, before a large geode. It was gorgeous, full of shining clusters of quartz. He could never afford it however. Over 30,000 yen!! Kento sighed, but Rowen cheered him up with some Astronaut IceCream.

Munching away, Kento peered into the small bag Rowen carried.

"So whdja get?" Rowen had bought himself a piece of gold-flecked dark blue lapis lazuli and some of those glow-in-the-dark stars. They were just too cool to pass up. Best of all, he now had a tiny meteorite on a chain around his neck. He liked the feel of it, the little piece of space rock felt incredibly powerful against his skin. Like the burning soul of a star.

That night, after dinner and a session of monster movies, Rowen lay on the bed thinking. He looked at the meteor in his hand and wondered where it came from. It was all rough and scarred up, like himself. He fingered the little rock thoughtfully. Kento was sound asleep on the cot, his snoring deep and even. His bag of rocks was tucked under one arm, his cat beneath the other.

Rowen settled into the soft mattress, feeling very comfortable here. He rolled over, staring out the window at the warm night sky. He knew what the Fungs were doing. They were trying to get him to stay. No one was pressuring him. It was his choice to stay or leave.

He lay awake for a long time, gazing at the distant stars. The Fungs were kind, like a real family. He felt so welcome. It was safe here, with no one to yell at him or hit him. There was no fear, no terrible beatings, certainly no hungry nights. No pain. Only peace.

At length, Rowen finally curled into his blankets and went to sleep. He had made his decision.

The next day, he went home.

To be continued.... Next Chapter, Stalactites

"For those foolish enough to plagiarize from this story....
The Youja shall haunt you."--Kajite