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Unexpected Consequences

Epilogue.

Hana sighed perhaps for the millionth time since she and the others had made it back to Japan a week ago. It seemed that everyone was happy except she. Even Sage, who had bid farewell to Flash as she was returning back to San Francisco along with Shades and Scorpio, was happy.

She stared at the framed photo taken of Thunder and herself as they had enjoyed royal ball the day the photograph was snapped. It was a treasure she would always cherish. But now it seemed as if her heart had been broken. What was there to look to if she couldn't be with her man?

Her man.

While she and Thunder had never been fully intimate, she wouldn't have minded giving herself to him, and at times she wished she had.

A knock sounded at her door, but she did not answer. Tears streamed down her face and palpitated against the frame. She missed him so much! But did he feel the same way? She wanted to call him, but she felt so unsure.

The knock came again, louder.

"Hana!" Rekino bellowed. "Get your ass downstairs now! Dinner's ready!"

"No swearing!" Amaya shouted from downstairs.

"Ah, bite me, Amaya!"

"I'm not hungry, Rekino," Hana called back through the closed door.

Rekino scowled and tried to manipulate the door into opening. "Hana, you didn't eat dinner last night, you skipped breakfast; you need to eat!"

"I said I'm not hungry!" Hana shouted. Her body trembled as she clutched the photo frame to her chest.

Rekino scowled in frustration and stamped her foot. "Fine! Starve!" The Guardian of Wildfire stormed away, huffing indignantly as she did.

Hana listened to the footsteps fade away as she silently cried in the comfort of her room.

Rekino sat down at the table with a huff and slammed her fist down on the table. As everyone stared, she muttered, "She claims she's not hungry. Damn, I knew she missed him, but I didn't think she'd want to starve herself!"

"That seems so unlike her," Sage said with a frown. "Maybe I should talk to her."

"Good luck," Rekino muttered as she started eating.

Sage only smiled as he excused himself and left the table. The others continued to eat and talk. Rowen and Rekino began to talk about their upcoming marriage ideas. Ryo and Mia discussed Hiroshi's future, such as when he would attend preschool and where. Kento and Amaya and Cye and Josephine blended ideas together concerning their pregnancies and upcoming births. So many conversations going on at the same time, it was surprising no one became confused at who was speaking what.

Sage stood outside the closed door to Hana's room and knocked. Even standing out in the hall, he could feel Hana's emotions. The pain and loneliness she felt were the same as his own, but he knew she shouldn't allow it to control her.

He knocked again. "Hana?"

"Go away, Sage."

"No, I will not go away," Sage said stubbornly. "We need to talk, and I will continue to knock on this door until you open it and let me in." The Ronin of Halo went silent as he waited.

Hana sat there in silence. She did not wish to be bothered, but she knew that Sage could be more stubborn than Rekino, Ryo, and Josephine put together when he wanted to be. But why should he care? It was obvious that Flash's departure did not bother him in the least. In fact, he hadn't even called her. It was she who called him first

But how could Sage understand her feelings? Guys weren't as emotional as girls. They didn't understand. And Sage would not understand her need to be with him. Oh how she missed Thunder.

Sage had enough. There was no more waiting for Hana to unlock the door. He was going in. He reached into his shirt pocket and took out a pin and used it to unlock the door. It was a trick his grandfather had taught him when he was young and it had come in handy.

"Hana!"

Hana gasped as she looked at him with surprised eyes. How had he managed to get in her room?

"Get out, Sage!"

The Ronin of Halo stood his ground, crossing his arms over his chest. "No."

The blonde frowned, "Go."

"Make me."

"Damnit, Sage!" She threw a pillow at him before throwing herself down on the bed dramatically. "Leave me the hell alone!"

With silent steps, Sage walked towards the bed and sat on the other side. He looked at Hana and took in her appearance. Where her body once was lithe and curvy it was now losing any signs of curve. The width of her arms were shrinking. Her curly hair, of all things, looked brittle and dry where it once shinned with beauty.

He sighed audibly, "Why are you doing this to yourself?"

Hana muttered something in the confines of her pillow. Despite the fact that Sage had good hearing he couldn't understand a single syllable of what she attempted to say.

"I know you miss him, Hana. Hell, I miss Flash," he scooted closer to her, "but I'm not depriving myself of food and what not because I do. Flash would kill me if I moped around here and didn't eat. Personally, I think she'd get Blaze to teleport her here just so she could scream at me in person."

The blond noticed the sobs started to die down. Tentatively, he reached over and started to rub her back in smooth, gentle strokes.

"Thunder asked me to take care of you, Hana. I made a promise to him that I wouldn't let anything happen to you. Now, you've got two options. Either you can start taking care of yourself or I'm going to make a very expensive call to Germany to give my report to his highness."

Hana pivoted her head to where only one blood shot midnight blue iris was shining in the dim light, "I hate you."

"No, you don't. You just hate that I'm right and you know that I will call and tattle on you."

The Guardian of Halo put her face back into the pillow again, but not before slugging Sage in the upper arm. "Go to hell."

Sage gave Hana an indigent look from his silver eye(s) before Josephine's voice bellowed from downstairs.

"HANA! TELEPHONE!"

When the blonde was about to shout that she didn't want to talk to anyone, she heard Josephine say that it was her beloved. The two Halo's exchanged glances before they both raced towards the door to go downstairs. Sage managed to beat her by jumping over the rail. Hana cursed him fanatically in her head.

Sage took the phone from Josephine and shooed the Guardian of Hardrock away, "Thunder, buddy. How's it been going? Oh, Hana? Yeah, she's coming, but I figured I would let you know how she's been doing."

I'm going to rip his balls off. I'm sure Flash wouldn't mind! Hana attempted to get the cordless phone from the older teen, but Sage kept dodging her while trying to spill the beans to Thunder that she hadn't been doing all too well with being away from him.

"SAGE!" Hana huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "If you don't give me the phone I swear to GOD I'm gonna-"

The blond Ronin winked at his guardian before tossing the phone to her quickly, "Have fun."

Sticking out her tongue like a small child, Hana held the phone to her ear, "Thunder?"

She tried to imagine what he was doing right now. Was he sitting down or standing up? Were his lucious lips curving into a smile as he spoke to her? What was he wearing? She honestly hoped that he was wearing nothing and laying in bed touching himself as she spoke, but then she frowned at the thought. She didn't want him doing that unless she was there. And, too, she knew he would never do such a thing.

"Hana?"

Well, he might, but that was neither here nor there.

"Are you doing well?"

The Mistress of Lightning shook her head while trying to get the derailed train that was her brain back on track, "I've...been doing okay."

"I got an email from Rekino yesterday. She said that you haven't been eating well. Is that true?"

Hana's hit list currently went from Sage to her leader. She was gonna hang that short woman by her black hair and proceed to beat her with a kendo stick. Then she was going to-

"Please don't do that."

"I just..."

"Hana," she could hear him breathe into the phone, the sound itself was so erotic to her that she almost stopped breathing herself. She heard something rustling as if he was attempting to switch positions.

Dear. Sweet. Jesus. He was laying down! Oh, the lucid thoughts that went through her head.

"Hana? Are you listening to me?"

"Huh?" She whiped the dribble of drool from the corner of her mouth. "Yes, I'm listening."

The Warrior of Storm sighed into the phone, "No, you're not."

Shit. I'm caught. Might as well tell him. She smirked, "I'm sorry. Just the images I'm getting of you lying in bed is too tempting for me to focus."

"H-Hana!" She tried to suppress a giggle, "I'm trying to talk to you seriously and you're thinking about that?"

"I'm sorry. I just can't help it. I miss you. I want to be near you. See you, touch you, taste you...it's like I'm missing part of my soul not being around you."

He sighed into the phone again, "I was calling to tell you the same thing. I miss you terribly, but we'll see one another soon. Even if I can't see you, hearing your voice is good enough for me."

Now she felt like a total bitch. How could she not think that he wasn't feeling the same way. Even if they were thousands of miles apart, she could tell that was missing her just as much as she was missing him. His voice gave it all away in the way he spoke solemn and quiet. She started to cry.

"I'm sorry, Thunder..."

"Please don't cry. Please. It hurts me that I cannot be there to comfort you," he paused briefly, "but, if you truly feel that way, start taking better care of yourself."

"I will!" She nodded her head furiously, trying to calm her quiet sobs.

"You have to promise. Promise me that you'll start taking better care of your body-the body that houses the soul that I love."

Before she could reply, a faint sound of someone call to Thunder in German distracted her. When he answered back, she stuck her tongue out with a star struck look on her face. How could one man be totally sexy when he's speaking a foreign language. The things she would do to him...

"I'm sorry, Hana, but I have to go. Father is requesting my presence."

"I understand," she wiped the tears from her eyes, sniffling a little into the phone. "Call me soon?"

"Yeah."

She smiled when he blew her a kiss into the phone, "Ich liebe Dich, Thunder."

"Ich liebe Dich auch, Hana."

She hung up the phone slowly and held it to her chest, looking up at the ceiling. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad being without him for a while. She could tolerate only talking to him on the phone. HEY! He was rich so maybe he should invest in a web cam. She would tell him that next time so that they could chat on the internet and get a visual. Ooh, to see him with his shirt off...

"HEY, BLONDIE! Are you gonna get in here and eat or do I hafta kick your ass?"

"Rekino!"

"Sorry, Amaya. Sorry."

With a new outlook, Hana got up from her seat to go and join her fellow comrades in arms for supper. Of course, she'd have to sit and watch the four other couples love and hug on one another, but it would be okay. She and Sage were both going through the same thing right now, so they could always lean on one another for support.

Besides, she had a certain ebony haired fire mistress to yell at.

FIN

AN: Hey guys, it's Winter and Firestorm coming at ya! Just thought we'd let you guys know that there's a sequel up, Sweet Affliction, and we want you guys to go and read it now! No waiting!

Title: Sweet Affliction

Authors: Solitude Whispers and Firestorm

Rating: T that will change to M

Summary: Old enemies return from the pasts of the Ronin Warriors, Lady Ronin Guardians, and the Warriors. Old allies and new armors will all join forces to defeat this evil. Unfortunately, they're holding a trump card against all of the mystical armored warriors and she just happens to be with child.

(Remove the spaces in the URL to access the story)

www . fanfiction. ne 5091307 / 1 /