Chapter Four
“Summer, Horses and Ice Cream”
“This isn’t fair...” Ken muttered angrily. He was on the roof of their house, fixing the tiles. It was the next day. Derek gave him this task as punishment for ‘improper use’ of the sword.
He heard someone climb up the ladder to join him, it was Trent. Trent looked his grandson over and said, “How’re you doing?”
Ken muttered, “My dads being himself again.”
Trent frowned, “Aw...well, you know he just wants you to grow up as a responsible person.” Ken replied angrily, “How’s fixing the roof going to help anyone?” Trent thought, as he walked over to him, “It’ll keep the water out when it rains?”
Ken shook his head angrily, thinking how stupid it was. Trent sighed and handed him an ice cream cone, “Here. It’s pretty hot up here, so I thought you’d like to chill out a bit.”
Ken’s face softened as he took the ice cream, “Thank you. If only dad was as nice as you.” Trent smiled, “If he was, then you wouldn’t be up here eating ice cream right now.”
Sakura wandered out of the house with a little pendant ocarina. It was hanging around her neck and she blew into the little instrument, playing a quick chord.
Ken poked his head off the side of the roof, looking at Sakura under him. He noticed the ocarina and yelled down to her, “Hey! That’s mine! Put it back!!”
Sakura jumped in surprise. She looked up at her angry older brother and said, “But I want to play with it. Mommy said I could!”
“I don’t care! Put it back!”
Sakura stuck her tongue out at him and continued playing. Trent sighed. Ken grew furious and dropped his ice cream over her.
The icy cold snack fell and broke over her head. She froze as the summer heat contrasted with the icy cold ice cream. She cried out as the ice cream oozed down the back of her shirt.
Ken laughed. Sakura shot him a deadly look. She knelt and snatched up a small shovel and flung it at him. Ken blinked in shock as the shovel decked him over the head.
Everything went black.
Fifteen minutes later...
Ken wore a grumpy look as Trent wrapped a white cloth around his head. Trent said slowly, “So, what is the lesson we all learned today, Ken?” Ken responded angrily, “Shovels hurt.”
Trent raised a brow and shook his head with a sigh, “No...That it’s good to share...”
Ken replied, “...or get hit by a flying shovel?” Trent nodded, “Exactly.”
Sakura, with the pendant ocarina still around her neck, walked over and tilted her head, gazing at the bandage around her brother’s head, “Does it hurt?”
Ken sighed, “No.” Sakura poked it. Ken cried out and shouted, “Stop that!!”
Sakura smiled, “It DOES hurt!”
Ken got up angrily. Sakura yelped and ran off. He saw this and dashed after her in hot pursuit. Trent blinked and sighed, “...Ah, to be young again.”
Sakura dashed into the crowded plaza, blending into the crowd with her angry brother hot on her heels. Ken followed quickly and looked around for his annoying little sister. He didn’t spot her. After a few more minutes, he grew worried and called out, “Sis?!”
No response. If there was, he couldn’t hear it. He pushed his way through the people around him. He heard even more concentrated commotion to his right. He decided to check it out.
He forced his way to the front of everyone to see his sister mounted on a horse. The horse bucked wildly. The owner was out cold, presumably by the horse’s actions.
The crowd backed away as the horse panicked and leapt over the fence, galloping away and turning the corner at the end of the street with Sakura holding on tightly with her eyes closed. She wasn’t an experienced rider. She never even touched a horse before. What was she doing on the horse in the first place?
Ken’s mind raced, he had to do something. He glanced at an alley across from him and ran towards it. As he neared the fence separating the alley in two, he leapt onto a trashcan, ran up a wall and jumped over the fence. He landed swiftly on the other side and ran into the middle of the street.
He looked to his left and then to his right. She should’ve been through here.
He heard galloping, followed by a shout, “Ken-kun!” he turned as the horse charged towards him. Instead of running away, he ran straight for it. Before they collided, he jumped to his right, extending his hand as the horse galloped past and grabbed onto the saddle.
The horse began dragging him. It hurt worse than anything else he’d felt before, but he didn’t care. He had to save his sister. Sakura, keeping herself steady by holding onto the reins with one hand, pulled her brother up onto the saddle with her.
Ken took a few breaths as the wind rushed past them, he turned to his sister, “What are you doing?!” His sister shouted back at him, “I don’t know!”
Ken yelled back, “What do you mean ‘I don’t know’?!?!”
Sakura said fearfully, “I was scared you were going to catch me and horses were fast so...”
The horse bucked again, knocking both riders off. They landed onto the ground with a thud. They both sat up in pain. Ken stood up and limped over to his sister, he helped her up, “Are you ok?” Sakura nodded slowly, sobbing. She heard galloping and turned to see the horse running for them. A group of riders were chasing it, they were probably trying to get it under control.
"Watch out!", she shouted, shoving both of them out of the way as the horse and riders rode past half a second later, saving both their lives.
After the dust settled, both siblings, bruised and battered, sat up as footsteps approached them. They both looked up to see someone they really didn’t need to see right now. Derek.
