Young Again
By Wildfire
Pologue

A dark caldron sat bubbling in a dark room. The dark liquid bubbled over the side, a dark cloaked man sat in a dark chair staring out into the dark night. He turned his head slightly to the side listening as the liquid hissed into the fire. He moved over to the caldron, his body hunched over as the steam raced up to greet him. He couldn't smell it, nor could he see it, not like others could. But still he could feel it. A gnarled hand lifted over the pot the steam clinging around it. Even the steam felt thick, slimy. Almost, it was almost ready. It had to be strong, as strong as he could make it. Even with it as thick as it was it might not be enough, he needed the best. Unfortunately the best tended to be strong. Over powering him was going to be difficult.

His shoulders shook with silent laughter, difficult yes, but once he succeeded none would ever be able to stop him. The gnarled hand circled through the steam, it had taken years but it had taken more than time. His hand came up to his face whipping the slim along the wrinkled skin, he need not worry about the slim as he had no eyes, no nose, no mouth, he had no face. All he had left were his ears and those too he would loose to the dark caldron.

It didn't matter to him though, these things were useless to him and soon he would have them all again through another. He would give and do anything for the other. He had watched the other for years since he was small, he watched him grow, and he grew not only in size but in all things, power, spirituality, and strength. He would have it soon, he would have it all. He could no longer see the other but he could feel him, feel when he was sad, hurt or angry. And he would have him.

A three bedroom, two bath house sat back off the road. It had no neighbors or busy cross roads, it did have a beautiful creek than ran behind it and many trees that surrounded it. It was a house use to the silence; that was until five rambunctious teenage boys rented it out. The house didn't have much silence anymore.

A loud roar echoed from the house followed by a yelp and a rather large thud noise. "BLAZE!"

A young man laid face down in on the hard wood floors a huge white tiger posed on top of him, it was in no hurry to move. It's tail swished ideally back and forth as its nose smelled the dark locks of the boy.

A loud laugh sounded from beside it, the tiger looked up with mild curiosity at the youth standing before him. While the youth under him was tall and thin this youth was much bulkier, the tiger enjoyed wrestling with this youth.

"Geeze Ryo what'd you do to him? Give him cat nip?" The youth laughed at his own joke. A grumble came from the boy on the ground. "Dude, you didn't; did you!?" Suddenly his voice was much more alarmed; he took a slow step backwards.

The said youth looked up. "NO!" He snapped, "Get him off me, he's just hyper…"

The bulky boy-Kento- rolled his eyes. "Gee, let me think, pull the overly large hyper tiger off its best friend. Hmm… No." He crossed his arms with a large cheesy grin on his face.

"Kento stop being a jerk, get him off me!" The boy, whose head had flopped back down on the hard floor, grumbled at him.

"No way man, you think I have a death wish?" He chuckled again, clearly enjoying his friends' discomfort. He leaned casually against the couch.

"White Blaze." A whistle sounded from the back door the sound of the hose running. A British boy stood in the door way. "Come on boy!"

The tiger bolted for the door, excited to attack the water coming from the green tube. This freed the youth from under it who grunted when the tiger bolted. He stood up slowly glaring at Kento, who in turned glared at the back door where the British boy had vanished from. He turned a nervous look at the now standing young man.

"You know I would have pulled him off, right? Ryo?" He took a step back and turned to run before the dark haired youth tackled him, sending them both to the hard ground.

"Hey!" A blue haired boy-Rowen- ran in. "Don't get scoffs on that floor! I just cleaned it!" He whined at them. "I mean it guys! Stop it!" The blue haired boy let out a slightly girly scream as he was yanked down and pulled into the scuffle. "Hey! Stop! Hey! Ouf! Ow! Danmit Kento- that's my arm! Ow! That's- Hey!"

Rowen gasped as he was pulled roughly free of the scuffle. He looked to his savoir to see his best friend, the blond haired god. Well that's what all the females called him. Rowen was pretty sure Sage saw himself that way too. "Thanks Sage."

He friend just nodded, casting a look to the two boys rolling on the ground. He rolled his eyes before walking away. Rowen gave a little sigh of defeat himself as he left the living room and went into the much darker family room. It was only a stair down from the living room but had very few windows and the curtains were almost always closed. This was the room where they had the big TV and game counsels. Rowan didn't usually go in this room, usually it was Kento and Ryo in here. He looked back at the two boys still rough housing on the living room floor. He entered the room opening one of the curtains; it would be quiet enough in here as long as they were out there. He sat down at one of the many computers in the house and set to working on his story. He had recently become a journalist, he had to admit he really didn't have a passion for it. He did alright it just was never enjoyable for him, he choose the career to try and get closer or at least understand his mother. He was about to go back to school and peruse his real dream, being a doctor. It wasn't the money that drove him toward the career but the excitement.

Three years of fighting Dynasty fiends being in the center of a life or die situation… than three more years of sitting in class and now sitting and writing about other's excitement. All and all it just wasn't for him. If he was a doctor though it would be different, he'd be in life and death situations, going on little or no sleep and most importantly he'd be doing something good. Something worth while again. It wasn't that journalism wasn't important, it was, it just wasn't life or death for him.

"Dude! We can't play games with that nasty glare on the TV! Shut the blinds!" Kento came-literally- charging forward to the blinds. Rowen quickly stood up intercepting the man.

"I was here first, you and Ryo were...." He gestured back toward where they had been wrestling. "Put up with the light or go do something else." He stood firm not about to get kicked out of the room. He paid his part of the rent, he had just as much right being in here as they did.

Kento frowned, "Dude that's totally uncool. There are other computers, why do you need this one? You know we like to play video games in here."

"I have to use this one because it's the one I sat down at, further more you and Ryo can not own this room. That is uncool. Deal with it or don't, but the blinds stay up." Rowan turned and sat back down at the computer, pulling a screen up and pretending to read it. In reality he was still watching Kento to make sure he didn't go for the blinds again. He didn't really trust the larger boy, he cared for him and would give his life for him in a second. He just didn't understand him at all, though he was pretty sure Kento didn't really understand him either. There were some days he kind of wished the boy would move out but they were fleeting and short lived. Sage on the other hand probably wished it more than anyone, Kento and him had never really gotten along. But they'd give their lives up for the other without a second thought.

Kento settled into the couch turning the PS2 on, still grumbling about the blinds. Rowan had to smile a bit at it. It was odd their relationship, he use to wonder why Ryo had been chosen as leader, he wasn't level headed, when they first met he hadn't even been the best fighter. Sage was, and still is pretty evenly matched with him. Rowan now understood why he was leader, he was the only one that could hang out with anyone of them and never feel a moment of awkwardness. He just fit with them, as if he was made to be each of their best friends. Kento primarily hung out with Cye and Rowan with Sage but Ryo, Ryo could just fit in anywhere. He could sit and read with him and Sage, play video games with Kento, swim or cook with Cye.... He just fit.

Rowan absently tapped at the computer, not really paying attention to it. He turned to look back in the living room where Ryo was now sitting by Sage talking quietly. It wasn't that they all thought Ryo was their god send or anything... but you had to have respect for the guy. He's saved the world enough times. He saved their lives enough times. Rowan had known Sage since Kindergarten and since Jr. High he had been the only one that could make him smile. That changed after Ryo saved the world the first time, and has never gone back since. He watched as Sage smiled ever so slightly at something Ryo had said. At first he had thought he should be jealous but he never was, it was hard to hold bad feelings for Ryo, even when he was throwing a temper tantrum. Which he did often enough. Warrior of fire and he not only had the firey personality but also the red hot temper.

"Man, I can't see the TV!" Kento whined bringing Rowan's attention back to the bulky man. "Can we please lower the blinds?"

"No." Rowan responded back flatly. "Come one Kento, you haven't even played the games in three days and now just because I'm in here you play again? Don't be a jerk. I was here first, get over it." He turned his attention back to the computer, tuning Kento's grumbles out.

All was relatively quite for a while, the sound of Kento playing his game the tapping of Rowan's keyboard, Ryo and Sage talking quietly in the living room and the sound of the hose outside.

But silence was shot lived in the house and when it was interrupted it was usually in a loud way. Today was no exception and the silence was broken when the British boy-Cye- tried to reenter the house without letting the wet tiger in.

"No, Blaze.. No. Stop! BLAZE!" A thunk and crash sounded as the tiger barged it's wet form thorough knocking the man and a vase down. It raced up the stairs, Ryo leaping off over the couch.

"STAY OF MY BED!" He hollered as he ran after the wet beast.

Cye stood up with a slight sigh. "Suppose I'll need to mop again." He looked at his friends who stared back. He smiled and shrugged. "So I don't much feel like cooking, you all up for take out?"

"Hell ya! I vote for pizza!" Kento paused his game as he hurried into the living room. "I want a large meat lover's!"

Rowan saved the little progress he had made. "I'll take a large Mushroom and Olive." He pulled up the internet searching for the number of the closet pizza delivery.

Cye nodded "So one large meat lover, one large mushroom and olive, Ryo and I can share a medium pepperoni, Sage you want a Cesar or house salad?"

"Cesar." He responded looking up as a crash sounded from upstairs. They all remained silent for a moment waiting for further noise, but none came. Sage sighed. "I'll check on them." He stood up heading up the stairs, listening as Cye ordered the food. He cautiously looked down the hallway, he was glad he had remembered to close his and Rowan's bedroom door a wet tiger on his bed was the last thing he wanted. When he still didn't hear anything though he moved a bit quickly down the hall, slightly worried Ryo had managed to knock himself out. He paused as he stood in the door way of Ryo's room. The tiger laid on the bed calmly licking it's paw, Ryo laid on his back on the ground, breathing hard. The corner of Sage's mouth twitched slightly. He walked over to the dark haired youth looking down at him. "Problems?"

Ryo just smiled. "No- not at all, needed to change the sheets anyway." He said slightly breathlessly.

Sage knelt down beside him, "They're ordering pizza."

Ryo nodded, "I assume I'm sharing with Cye?" Sage nodded back, his hand flicking Ryo's hair out of his eyes. Ryo didn't seem to notice, he was fairly use to the guys touching him. It was a habit they had all picked up after they had killed him and Talpa. "Pepperoni?" Sage nodded again. Ryo smiled and propped himself up on his elbows. "Sounds good."

"You going to eat more than one slice?" Sage asked softly.

Ryo shrugged. "Probably."

"In less than three hours?" Sage asked giving him a stern look

Ryo only smiled, "Probably not." He responded back with a slight laugh. Sage rolled his eyes but didn't push it as it was just how Ryo was. He had grown up in foster care and was never really given the chance to 'pig out'; as such he tended to eat small amounts through out the day. He ate almost every two hours but usually something small like a piece of fruit or a small bowl of cereal. They all had odd appetites, Sage was a vegetarian, Kento would eat the whole pizza in less than 10 minutes Rowan would have his done within an hour, Ryo would only have one slice. Cye was the most 'normal' eater of the bunch.

Sage offered Ryo his hand, Ryo took the offered hand and Sage yanked him up. Ryo looked back at the giant feline who was still lying on his bed. "You think it'll make the mattress stink?"

Sage nodded. "Yes."

Ryo groaned, "I'm sharing your bed tonight."

Sage raised an eye brow at him but didn't argue. "Come on." He pushed the dark headed youth toward the door. Ryo smiled and hurried down stairs, Sage followed.