Author's Note: After reading Ronin's Interrupted I was hoping for the part when Rowen delivers his Valedictorian speech. So I decided to write one as a fan of Ghost of Dawn's works. Robyn doesn't appear much as she could have in this fic, but I came up with what I could. I don't own Ronin Warriors. RW is the property of sunrise entertainment. Robyn is property of Ghost of Dawn and I hope I portrayed her character the best to my ability.
Ronin's Interrupted Fan Epilogue
By: Venka
"Hey guys, their posting the results of the finals." Rowen announced as he and Sage met up with everyone at the table. Almost as though they were all going to see their own executions the other three Ronin and Robyn got up to see what their results were. Rowen and Sage however sat down at the table having seen their own results already. The former of the two pulled out a notebook and started jot down a few lines only to growl in frustration before he crossed out some of the words. The talk he had with Robyn the night they had fought and defeated Lady Ebony had given him enough inspiration to at least come up with some idea's for his speech but when he looked them over they always sounded cheesy.
"Working on your Valedictorian Speech?" Sage asked as he pulled a small Caesar salad from his book bag.
"Yeah. But for the life of me I can't come up with anything to say." Rowen said with a sigh. "Sometimes I wish that you had been chosen. You're better at this sort of thing then I am."
"They chose you because they felt you deserved it." Sage said. "Though if you would like I can offer a suggestion."
"If its just write about my experience at school and end with a charming anecdote, don't bother I've heard that already." Rowen answered.
"Actually I wasn't going to says that." Sage said. "I was going to suggest that you write about the things that made the years here important to you. Take us for example. The five of us will more or less go our separate ways but its the armors and our memories that will keep us together. Most of us have our whole lives ahead of us and others have their lives chosen for us, but each of all of us have become better people just by being together."
Rowen smiled at his friend. Sage was truly the embodiment of his armors virtue. The two boys looked up as their other companions returned from looking at their scores each had various looks on their faces. Cye looked oddly content, Ryo had no expression, Kento was grinning ear-to-ear. Robyn on the other hand had a sense of relief as she sat down.
"I gather you guys passed." Rowen said.
"You bet," Kento said enthusiastically.
"Only by the skin of your teeth." Cye ribbed his bolder friend.
"Hey, at least I can graduate." Kento said. "Ma said that if I didn't graduate I would have to work in the kitchen while you guys enjoy the graduation party."
"I got a decent grade, but I feel I could have done better." Ryo said.
"That's what you get for procrastinating." Robyn joked.
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Rowen closed the door to his room and shrugged off his book bag he tossed his note book on to the bed. His book bag was tossed into the corner. Graduation in the practice at the school theater was over. The next morning they would have a formal practice in which they got tickets for their family members. Rowen planned on giving his tickets Kento since he had a large family. Rowen had called his parents but they unfortunately couldn't make it to his graduation. He somehow suspected as much.
Opening the note book he tried to think of something to write. Once again the words didn't come. Sighing he reached under his bed and pulled out a small photo album. This album was something he would never show anyone who was not part of his current circle of friends. Many of them were pictures that had been taken of them in their Sub-Armors, and Ronin Armors. The small family they became while at Mia's place while they recovered. Majority of them were of just the five of them, some of which had Mia and Yuli with them as well. Robyn was present in some of the more recent ones. There was one picture of her with riding on Whiteblaze's back with Yuli sitting in front of her.
One of the more recent photos he paused on was when they were playing in the lake. Kento was play fully trying to drown Cye while Ryo and himself were throwing water at the two of them. Yuli was playfully clinging to Kento's back laughing and carrying on as kids do. Robyn sat on a rock in nothing but a floral one-piece bathing suit that showed off her scrawny figure, her feet tentatively dangling into the water. Her aqua phobia was something that she would more then likely never get over. She also laughed in amusement. Sage and Mia sat off to the side of the picture, both of them happily enjoying the antics of their companions. The two of them resembling a brother and sister or possibly a pair of lovers.
Rowen's eyes misted with unshed tears. The only thing they would have left of each other were the armors and the memories. This summer would be the last time they, his family, would all be together. They've had their problems and disputes but through it all they all stood by each other. Even Rowen and Cye as much as the blue haired Ronin did torment the Warrior of Torrent they had their moments when they got along.
Almost as if a dam had broke, the words Rowen had been having so much trouble saying suddenly came flooding into his mind. At once he started writing them down for fear of losing them, until two pages's later he had his speech.
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This was the one thing Robyn hated about alphabetical ordered seating as she sat in her canary yellow cap and gown while the school principal rattled off his speech about how that years High School senior class had meant to him. Not that she really cared. It was usually the same crap with every school. The Principal would step forward and spout of some BS he probably got from a speech generator on the Internet. Very meaning full BS but it was BS all the same. What she cared about was that she was separated from her friends.
Cye sat a couple rows behind her and Ryo several rows behind him. Kento was a few rows in front of her. Sage and Rowen were more towards the front of the throngs of Red and Yellow miter board caps and gowns. Scanning the crowed of family's that sat in the seats behind the student class in the large Shinsha University amphitheater. Robyn tried to see if there were any faces. At first she couldn't see anyone but then she saw Cye's mother, Mrs Mouri. Cye's mother was softly crying into a handkerchief. Not to far away from her sat Officer Date and his wife Dr. Date. Both sat proudly in their seats. Next to them were two girls the older of the two had brownish hair that was pulled back into a very strict looking bun. Her face in the same stern expression one might see on a vulture. She was dressed in a charcoal colored dress suit. The skirt of which fell just below her knees. The younger one was however thankfully less ridged. Her golden blond hair fell loose curls about her shoulders. She was dressed in a pink blouse and a dressy pair of jeans. Robyn had a clear feeling those were Sage's sisters. Kento's family was fairly easy to make out since it was one of the largest families there. Ryo, Rowen, Robyn, and Cye all had extra tickets or didn't have anyone they were inviting to see the graduation. This was good for Kento since he had a lot of family in the area. Even his Uncle Chin had traveled all the way from New York to see his nephews Graduation. Ryo's grandmother sat in the first row of the family seating. Tears slowly trickling down her wizened face. Mia and Yuli also were in attendance.
"Now I would like to present this years Valedictorian." The Principal announced. "Rowen Hashiba!" Everyone applauded as Rowen stood up, no one near as loudly as Robyn and Kento. Rowen stiffly shuffled his way past several other students before walking down the aisle and up onto the stage. His red cap and gown billowing slightly behind him.
Rowen could feel himself freeze as he stepped up to the podium. He could see Miniko among several other graduates of whom he had not gotten along with whispering to each. He couldn't hear what was being said. Though he could gather that they were hoping he would choke. So far their wish was coming true. He paused slightly as he scanned the crowd hoping to find something to help him regain his lost composure. However a single voice traveling over the hushed crowd seem to do the trick.
"Yay Rowen, You can do it!" Yuli shouted from where he sat next to Mia. There were some amused chuckles from among the graduates and family. Rowen smirked and sighed happily before he spoke.
"Thank you Yuli," He said appreciatively before he continued. "And thank you everyone. Since the time I learned that I would be up here I had trouble conceiving any ideas for what to say. There were times I even asked myself "why me?" Out of hundreds of students who could be more qualified, why was I the one chosen. "
Rowen paused to let what people absorb what he was saying. "I now realize that I was chosen because this is was a sort of test. This was a test to see if I could come up with something meaningful about our experience in life. Everyone of us has been in situations that are beyond our control. Some are good, others are bad, and even more turn out to be blessings and curses in disguise. You don't choose who you are related to or who your teachers are. Some of us don't even have a choice in what we are to become. The only choice you have in life are the people you call friends and what you do with the life you have.
In life we are given three important things. Parents, Friends, and People who don't understand you.
Parents are supposed to raise and protect you, as well as mold you into who you are as an adult. Friends compliment your strengths and strengthen your weaknesses. While the people who don't understand you point out your faults, which in turn drives you to improve those faults or to accept them as something that makes you unique.
Unlike most of you since I was ten my parents were gone most of the time. I've had to lived my life being forced to raise myself. It was hard for someone with my IQ level to be accepted. Being smarter then most of the students and possibly even some teachers doesn't really put you in welcome company. People would always look accusingly at me as if I was personally there to make myself look better then every one else. There were times I felt I didn't belong anywhere. Not having any parents around I didn't have anyone to really talk to. It took one person to say "Lets be friends." for my life to change. After him I made several more people as friends.
These friends became the family that had I that had never been there for me. For the first time I was accepted and I had people to look up to. Some of us clash at times, but when it really matters we are there for each other. There were times their families even took me in as one of there own. Between all of us there is a bond that can't be broken. Even if we are sent in different directions after this day, I know they will forever be apart of me because they helped make me who I am now.
The same is true with our time at Han'a High School. The people who we have encountered over these past years have made us who we are. Never again will this entire senior class be in one place. After this day we will all be scattered to the four winds. Some of you will have the people you knew as friends your whole lives. Other friendships will be rekindled or lost forever. Many of us will make new friends to add to and replace our old ones. But as long as the memories exist your friends will always be with you."
There was scattered applause which turned into a standing ovation as several people both among the graduates and families in attendance stood up and applauded. Unbeknownst to anyone seven people in the crowd knew the speech was meant for them. Sage smiled knowingly, Ryo gave an appreciative smile, Kento grinned ear to ear happily. Cye as much as he and Rowen clashed smiled and nodded in appreciative understanding.
"Mia, he's talking about us." Yuli enthusiastically said. Mia smiled warmly at one of the people who was like a brother to her as well as a friend. Robyn smiled happily as a tear slid down her face. Her time with her friends was short, but it was also meaningful time. Part of her wished they didn't have to be separated. But yet she knew they would never leave her. They were her irreplaceable family.
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Kento's mother joyously put up a sign on the door of her restaurant changing it from closed to "Closed for celebratory event." A sign she kept for weddings and graduation parties. This time however was on the house. The party had only six guests of honor as well as their family's and a small gathering of friends.
The adults all talked amongst themselves at their tables. Sage's older sister, Yayoi thankfully left the restaurant before dinner started. When she had joined the calibration she had been standing about holding a handkerchief in front of her nose though she was afraid she would catch a disease if she let her guard down. Mama Foung hadn't been happy with eldest of the Date children's snobbish behavior. Sage and his younger sister were complete angels in comparison. But she was familiar with people of Yayoi's sort. They were only there to ruin good situations for everybody.
The six graduates sat in a corner of the room with Mia and Yuli, not wanting to be separated by their families and other friends.
"So this is it." Ryo said somberly. He had only known his other friends for as long as his high school years had allowed.
"It seems so weird that we will be apart." Robyn said.
"Yeah," Kento admitted. "The years we were together almost seem like a dream some how."
"After what we've been through a possibly normal life will seem like an odd concept for a while. That is unless there is an attack or something." Rowen added.
"I'm going to miss you guys." Yuli said. Sage and Mia whispered to one another about something before they turned to everyone else.
"How about a small proposal guys." Mia said. "Why don't we met up again at my grandfathers house on this day in five years and see what we did with our lives." The others looked at each other then all nodded in agreement.
"It's settled then." Cye agreed as the dinner dishes were set on the table. With that the eight friends enjoyed the rest of what could be their final days together for a long while.