Beloved
Angelica Diablo

Disclaimer: Don't own Ronins. Yes, this isn't a songfic. I can see your looks of shock
from here.



There she was, her auburn hair spilling over her shoulders and down her back as she
typed furiously at her computer. She's working on another project, so full of
concentration she doesn't even notice me as I stand on the balcony outside her window.
I watch her from afar like this, as I know she would never return my affections. Never,
never could she understand them.

For the life of me I can't decide what it is that draws me to her. Her of all people!
Certainly there have been others that have caught my eye before, all of them tempted
me. Some I found solace for my soul with, others comfort for my body. Yet all had
moved on, or I had. And none of them had been like Mia.

"Mia…" I whispered her name to the breezes, the word feeling like a precious candy
rolling off my tong.

"What are you doing out here?" I hear a voice ask behind me. I jump and twist in the
air. I have to be more careful; I shouldn't have let anyone sneak up on me like that.
Normally I'm on guard; normally no one can surprise me.

"Huh? Oh, hello Cye." I say, avoiding the question he'd just asked me.

His blue-green eyes search mine for a moment before he repeats his question. "What are
you doing out here?" Though his eyes seem to be knowing something of my answer as
he looks over my shoulder to see Mia typing inside, not even hearing us over her own
thoughts.

Instinctively I move so that Mia won't be able to spot me, and Cye does the same. "I just
wanted to get outside. I was feeling cooped up." I give him a half-truth. I was feeling
cooped up, I had to find a way to get her out of my mind. The lot of good that did me,
as I'd just found myself watching her through her window like some crazy stalker.

"So you went to the balcony to spy on Mia?" Cye asked me, not relenting.

"No." Okay, even I didn't believe my tone of voice on that one. I'm slipping. Damn
her! Why does she do this to me? To ME? Yet I'm sure she wouldn't even care what I
had to say about being damned.

Cye looked me over for a moment, then seemed to sigh inwardly. "Then let me guess,"
Cye asked. "You love her."

Always. Always he was so good at knowing me. Why did I have the hard luck of being
spotted by the one person who would be able to tell? Who I wouldn't be able to lie to
effectively? Why?

"So what are you going to do about it?" He asked me before I even had a chance to
show a reaction to him. Damn him as well then!

"Nothing. Why should I do anything about it?" I asked him defensively as I brushed a
stray lock of blue hair off my forehead.

"Because if you don't, I will." Cye said plainly.

"What's going on out here?" I hear another voice behind me. I jump again. Argh! Why
am I so off today?

I turn to see Sage standing in the doorway leading on to the balcony. Great. He's just
the one I want to see at this moment. Next Ryo will show up, then Kento will come and
crack a joke and by then Mia will have noticed something was up! Curse my luck today.

"We were just talking." Cye explained.

Sage walked out onto the balcony. "Mind if I join you?" He asked. I shook my head,
happy for the interruption. Cye followed suit, not wanting to blow my secret
thankfully.

Sage leaned on the railing and looked out over the grounds before him. He sighed
heavily, eyed me for a moment, then eyed Cye, and finally decided to say what was on
his mind. "I have something I have to get off my chest." Sage said, as if he was afraid of
actually going through with it, but he couldn't live with it any more.

"Go ahead." Cye said.

"But you both have to promise to not tell anyone." He continued, looking us both in the
eye as if to say, 'cause if you do I will personally make sure you never live to see another
day.'

"Why would I tell?" I asked him. When he just bored those lavender eyes into mine I
sighed and said, "I won't tell anyone."

"Neither will I." Cye added, knowing Sage would never let him get away without
promising.

"I need to know, how to get Mia to notice me." My breath was caught in my throat.
What? Why did Sage have to care for her too, and confide it in me? Didn't he know?
No, how could he? I could hear Cye falter for a moment for the right thing to say.

"Like she doesn't already." Cye said, practically walking on eggshells through this
delicate situation.

Sage however, didn't seem to catch the double meaning to Cye's words. "She does?"
Sage asked, a note of hope in his voice, only hearing what he wanted to hear.

I turned a cold gaze on Cye, as if warning him that he had better chose his words wisely.

Fortunately Cye seemed to get the hint and said, "Sage, if you want her to notice you,
you know better than I what to do."

'That's right Cye.' I thought. 'You better say something like that.'

"Do I?" Sage asked. "Sure, I know how to attract some kinds of girls, but they never
stick around long. Mia's the kind of woman you settle down with Cye." Sage clarified.

'Whoa boy, this is going to be interesting.' I thought as I watched Cye practically
squirm.

"I know." Cye said, stalling for time. Sadly, Sage seemed to be getting suspicious. Shit,
I hope he doesn't guess my secret.

"Cye? Can I ask you something?" Sage asked.

"Um, sure Sage." Cye answered. Oh, here it comes.

"Do you like Mia?" The look on Cye's face was classic. I couldn't tell what he was
going to do. "It's okay if you do Cye…" Sage amended sadly before Cye could reply.
"I'm sorry for asking you about her if you…"

"No. I don't." Cye cut Sage off in possibly too strained a voice.

Sage regarded Cye for a moment, then sighed and turned to me. "Well, what do you
think I should do?"

I was at a loss for words. Finally I swallowed hard and said, "Tell her."

Sage seemed to mull this over for a moment, as if weighing the costs versus the benefits.
"Thank you." He said with a nod. "And Cye, I'm sorry. If you want, I'll lay off her for
you." He offered.

"Sage, I do not have a crush on Mia." Cye said a little to loudly.

Sage smiled. "Alright Cye, if you insist. But that makes her fair game." When Cye just
nodded Sage said, "Thanks to both of you. I think I know what to do now. I'll talk to
her tonight, after dinner." He turned and walked back into the house leaving me cold
inside. How could I ever hope to compete with Sage?

Cye sighed and turned to look out over the grounds, a strange light in his eye. "How
could I ever hope to compete?" He asked. Now this was news to me.

"Cye…Are you…?" I ask, not sure he wants to talk about it. He seemed to have
forgotten I'm standing right there, and he started at my voice.

He turned to face me. "Yeah, I'm bi." He said. Oh. Okay. Not what I was thinking,
but close enough.

"You love Sage, Sage loves Mia, I love Mia, and Mia loves…?" I said, just pointing out
the irony of it all.

Cye shrugged. "Don't know, but if she loves me I don't know if I'm going to laugh or
cry." He said softly.

I nodded. "Yeah…" I let my voice trail off. After a moment of silent debate I stand up
strait. "I'm going to have to move fast if I'm going to beat Sage to Mia." Cye just
nodded, his face sullen.

I realized what was riding on this. If Sage ended up with Mia…both Cye and I would
be crushed. I nodded to him, then in a brief moment of insanity leaned foreword and
kissed Cye, not sure who I startled more with the action – him or me.

I pulled away. "For luck." I told him. He raised his eyebrows at me, obviously unsure
how to answer. Before he could decide I turned and walked into the house, silently
making my way to Mia's study. Behind me I heard Cye make a strange noise.

I made it as far as the door to the study before I almost chickened out. No, I had to do
this. I knocked on the door. "Come in!" Mia called. I know she never even glanced
away from her computer screen as she said it.

I sucked in a deep breath and opened the door. "Hey Mia? Can we talk?" I asked.

"One moment, let me save this before I lose it." Mia said. I nodded as I watched her.

She finished up whatever project she had been working on, then turned in her swivel
chair to face me. "Yes?" She asked expectantly. I turned to shut the door behind me
when Sage walked in.

"Oh hey." He said to me suspiciously. "Mia, can we talk?"

"Well aren't I the popular one?" Mia asked. Sage glared at me, thinking I'd spilled his
secrets. Perhaps he'd be happier with me doing that if he knew the real reason I was
there.

I just looked at Mia, waiting to see what she was going to do, as I wasn't going to
impose, but I didn't want Sage to talk to her first either. Mia sighed when neither Sage
nor I spoke, and finally said, "Well?"

I sighed. "I had hoped to speak of something personal." I confessed. Sage glared at me
for saying that, still suspecting that I was going to tell on him. "I will wait until Sage has
finished with his business." I said defeated. I couldn't do it. Not after Sage had already
trusted me to tell his secret to.

I turned and walked out of the room with an, "I'll wait in the hallway." Over my
shoulder, and I shut the door behind me. I put my face in my hands as I leaned up
against the wall. Why did Sage have to go and decide to talk to her before dinner after
all? Damn him, damn myself, and most of all…oh I didn't know what to damn next.

Several minutes later the door to Mia's study opened and Sage walked out. I listened to
him walk away before I even bothered to lift my face from my hands. I gazed at the
open door with trepidation. Inside, Mia was waiting for me. What had happened
between her and Sage?

Gathering up every last ounce of courage I held in my body I walked into that room. As
I suspected, Mia was sitting there waiting for me. This time I shut the door before
anyone else could barge in. I turned to her and said softly, "Mia…"

"Yes?" She asked me expectantly, probably thinking I had girl problems. She had no
idea.

Before she could give me any hint as to what Sage had said I blurted out, "I know what
Sage came in here to ask you about, and I don't want to know what you said to him until
I do this." I strode foreword and kissed her. If anything had ever shocked her in her
life, I knew this was the biggest shocker of all. When I broke the kiss off I said, "Koji
Mia, I adore you, and have adored you for so long…" I couldn't go on. I couldn't' do
this to her, I knew she was probably already going with Sage, and I had no hope what so
ever.

Mia just looked at me. "Kayura…" She said. To hear her say my name sent shivers
down my spine. "Kayura, I told Sage that I couldn't date him, because I know how Cye
feels about him and couldn't betray Cye like that." She said softly.

She told him no? But…what did she feel for me? Probably utter contempt at the
moment. Her bright eyes were searching mine. "Mia…" I said softly, almost like a
prayer.

Then Mia stood up to face me. She was slightly shorter than me, but not much. She slid
her arm around my neck and pulled me to her. I couldn't believe it! Mia was kissing
me! She…she liked me? She liked me! My arms were around her in a second and I
could feel her body fitting against mine. Oh, she tasted so sweet! I never dreamed…

I pulled my head back slightly when we both needed air. "You are my beloved." I told
her. She just smiled warmly up at me. In her eyes I could tell, I was hers too.




Authors Note: Well, you've gotten this far, that's good I guess. Could you do me a
favor though, and if you review, don't mention who it was that had a crush on Mia,
since I want to surprise as many people as I can. Thanks a bunch!

~Angelica Diablo