(Outdated) The King of Elements (part 2)

Chapter 98

Toney grinned as he watched them go, however, his face hardened up once he turned his attention back to Ichi. "So, what's on your mind?"

Ichi nibbled on the end of his thumb. "A lot of things, and most of them aren't good. There's been a lot of Elemancers who'd fallen or have gone MIA. One of them was Sakura's partner, Hwan-Jin. We'll have a full day putting their souls to rest tomorrow. Then, there's rounding up the rest of the renegade Sirens. Thanks to this stunt, I probably won't even have authority over how they'll go about doing that. If it wasn't for Aggaron showing up, we'd probably be in the midst of another war. I guess we should be thankful for that, despite how bad of a taste that gives me."

"Gathering the rest of them won't be a problem. And the good news?"

"Dre may not be ready to take on Aggaron as of yet, but from the looks of it, Hiro's got his back, even from beyond the grave. I don't think we'll have to worry about that. And his group passed their exam, so I guess that they'll be celebrating once they get back." He sighed. "Damn, this sucks. I know it's a part of our customs to celebrate after every victory, even if there'd been lives lost, but I really don't feel like partying too much."

"Same here. But, those are customs. Whether we like them or not, they would've wanted us to celebrate, at least in remembrance of them." He heaved a heavy breath before he stood up. "I'm gonna make my way back to Prescott. I suppose that since we have to, I may as well get the party set up. You coming?"

"Not yet. I've got to check on the Serene territory. I'll be there momentarily."

"Good." Toney nodded before he swallowed his candy and disappeared.

~~~~~

Despite them surviving, the house was especially melancholy. The gang didn't much feel like watching the television or playing Megumi's video game collection. They were all shaken up by the battlefield, by the lives lost. They all sat on the floor in the living room, staring at the wood-tiled floor.

"Guys," Rose began, "what's wrong with us? We helped the adults fend off not only the Siren attack, but also Aggaron himself. There would've been a lot more lives lost if we hadn't come. Why aren't we celebrating or anything?"

"I don't know," Megumi said with a sigh. "I mean, would it be right?"

"That's the million dollar question, isn't it," Katherine stated. "I don't feel like doing anything right now, except curling in my bed."

"Well, I hate to burst your bubble," Michael began, "but I've done some reading on situations such as this in the Amian heritage. As much as you all don't want to, it's customary to party after a successful mission such as this. If not for the mission, then in appreciation for the sacrifices made."

"You're joking," Ian demanded.

"I'm not."

Kamatsu chimed in. "He's right, guys. We owe it to them to let them know that their sacrifice wasn't in vain. That's why I brought something. Hold on." Kamatsu disappeared out of the house for a second. He came back in holding two large boxes and set them down in the middle of the group.

"Oh, God no. You didn't bring what I think you did," Katherine stated.

"You know I did," Kamatsu said with a mischievous smile. The group looked at him, perplexed, until he opened the boxes and pulled out a clay jug, capped with a cork. Opening the second box, he pulled out small, porcelain cups the size of shot-glasses. The white glasses were painted with a dark blue wave, cutting the cups in half. "You can't have a good party without saké."