Uncertainty

by Wildfire's Flame

A ronin is in Love with Mia. The problem is so are the rest of the guys. Can friendship survive the ultimate test?

Disclaimer: I have no connection to the Ronin Warriors or the Samurai Troopers. I simply wanted to write a fanfiction about them. This is only my second attempt at a fanfiction, so bear with me. I hope you like it. Any comments can be directed to bhollan2@hotmail.com. Thanks.

Uncertainty

By: Wildfire's Flame

Chapter 1: Veiled Feelings

Waves crashed relentlessly against the rocky outcropping along the shore. Lightning flashed across the darkening sky as rain poured from the heavens, pelting the lone figure standing on the shore. The figure stood unmoving and unseeing as the rain became more insistent, lost in his own tumultuous thoughts. Waves began to build into an everlasting crescendo as they hit the rocks, and yet the figure did not stir from his musings. A slight frown began to tug at his lips as he regarded the roiling sea in front of him. The rain felt cool against his flushed skin, and a light blue aura began to swirl around the figure as he finally registered the downpour that was currently soaking him. His auburn hair was blowing softly in the wind, caressing his upturned face. He looked out at the sea of ever rising waves and tried to shake his melancholy thoughts away. Now was not the time for such thoughts; he had his friends, his health, and possibly something more . . . The figure cast one last look at the heaving ocean before turning away to head toward his parked car. The figure slipped inside the compact car and leaned contentedly back in his seat, heedless that he was quite possibly ruining the interior. He smirked to himself. It was not the first time this had occurred. The figure put his key in the ignition and began the twenty minute drive home, towards Mia.

Cye Mouri slipped unnoticed into the mansion that he shared with his four best friends, Mia, and White Blaze. He was hoping beyond hope that he would be able to make it to his and Kento's room unnoticed, but fate seemed to have other designs in mind. He cautiously peeked into the living room and was mildly surprised to find no one there. He wondered where they could be, until he remembered that Ryo and Sage had decided to undergo the task of cleaning out Mia's basement. One of the guys, Cye wasn't sure which, had suggested that they use it as a rec. room. Thus, Halo and Wildfire were probably embroiled in a room full of boxes. They had already set up a pool table and an air hockey game in the large space that the two of them had cleared a few days ago.

Cye tiptoed toward the basement door, stopping cautiously on the landing listening for any sounds that someone was down there. He was not disappointed as Ryo's calm voice wafted up to him.

"No, Kento. The mini bar is not going to go at the bottom of the stairs. It blocks traffic, besides it works much better over here by the couch."

"Aw man, come on Ryo. I need to be close to the kitchen. Cye's cooking is just too good" he moaned.

Cye smiled appreciatively at the comment Kento had unwittingly given him as he continued to listen to the two friends bicker.

"No, Kento. Don't make me repeat myself." Ryo turned smoldering eyes onto the stockier teen. Small fires were beginning to swirl in his eyes as he contemplated smashing something over Kento's thick skull. Fortunately for Kento, however, Sage decided to interject his view of the matter.

"Ok guys, that's enough. You know what Mia said. If we fight each other over this then she won't let us use it for our rec. room. So let's compromise. Ok. Ryo, you want the bar in the left-hand corner of the room near the back, right?" At the other warrior's nod, Sage turned to Kento. "Now Kento, you want the bar back here by the steps so that it will be close to the kitchen, correct?" It was now Kento's turn to nod. "All right here's what we will do . . . " Sage's voice began describing where the bar will go, barring any further argument over the situation.

Cye missed the swordsman's idea, however, as he began to drift away from the door and head upstairs. He wondered briefly where Rowen was, for he had not heard him downstairs. 'Oh well, he's probably in his room reading or something. I'll just have to be careful' he thought to himself. Taking no chances he walked as silently as possible upstairs and passed the closed door of the swordsman and archer's room. He had almost reached his goal when he felt a prickly sensation at the base of his neck. Someone was observing his movements as he placed his hand on the doorknob. Cye whirled around to find the blue haired archer eyeing him skeptically.

"Cye, man, you're soaked. What did ya do? Stand out in the rain again?" Rowen asked his auburn haired friend teasingly. It was a known fact that Cye loved water, it was after all his element, but he hated to be cold. Rowen watched as a tremor passed through the slight warrior of Torrent who was beginning to shake uncontrollably in his wet clothes. Rowen started when he looked into the sea green eyes of his friend, for his eyes held an unnatural light. He took a step towards the water bearer, concern evident in his dark blue eyes.

Cye began to twist the doorknob in his hand in an effort to flee the scene of Rowen's scrutinizing gaze. "Rowen, I'm fine, really. I was just out at the beach and I lost track of the time. The storm caught me unaware." The last was slightly muffled since Cye felt ashamed that he had been caught out in the elements. He turned to leave Rowen in the hall, but Rowen was not about to let the matter drop.

Rowen could easily understand Cye being caught in the rain, since he often went to the beach to think. The water often had a soothing effect on Cye's soul. However, Cye typically did not stay out in the rain for very long. And if Rowen was any judge, he would have to say that Cye had been outside for quite some time. Rowen placed a restraining hand on Cye's shoulder as the older boy tried to escape.

Cye turned resignedly toward the archer. He should have known that Rowen wouldn't let it go. It was not Rowen's nature to let things go unsolved. Cye could feel the archer's worry through their mind link. "Rowen . . . Oh all right, come in. I need to talk to someone anyhow."

Rowen raised his eyebrows in question of the older boy's request but did as he was asked, and followed Cye into the darkened bedroom.

Cye fumbled for the switch and the room was instantly bathed in a soft white light coming from the center of the room. "Hold on a sec, would you Rowen? I need to get out of these wet clothes." Cye gathered up a set of dry clothes as he headed to the adjoining bathroom to change.

"Sure thing, I'll just wait here for ya."

A few minutes later Cye returned wearing a pair of loose fitting, light blue sweatpants and a white sweatshirt. He had a towel in his right-hand attempting to squeeze the wet moisture out of his auburn locks.

Rowen looked up from the Marine Biology book that he had found on Cye's desk and silently contemplated the figure standing in front of him. "Ok Cye, What's going on in that head of yours? You have been more quiet than usual and now you are spending most of your time staring out at the ocean. It's gone a little far don't ya think?" Rowen asked his friend while gesturing at Cye's wet locks and the wet clothes that Cye had just placed in the hamper. "Besides, I know you don't like to be cold and yet, you were an ice cube just a few minutes ago. So please tell me what's wrong so that I can help." Rowen pleaded with his friend to open up to him.

Cye looked over at the archer as he sat down on his bed, still drying his hair. "I have just been preoccupied. That's all. I was thinking about something and wondering if I should tell a certain someone how I feel about them." Cye finished his sentence almost too soft to hear, but Rowen did hear the words that Cye had spoken. "I was so engrossed in my swirling thoughts that the storm kinda snuck up on me. I probably did not notice it for about ten minutes or so." Cye smiled sheepishly up at his blue haired friend, who was looking a bit shell shocked at the moment. Cye shuddered again as another set of chills wrapped themselves around his body.

Rowen turned a shocked gaze onto his friend and asked in exasperation, "What was so important that you didn't use the good sense god gave you and come in out of the rain? Making you acquire a chill?" He watched as yet another tremor shook Cye's slender frame.

"Mia" came the soft reply.

"Huh," Rowen asked incredulously. Mia?? Maybe he did not hear the slight warrior correctly. "Did you say Mia?"

"Uh huh," Cye muttered despondently.

Rowen turned this thought around in his head for a full minute before a slow smile began to form. 'Cye and Mia, hmmm, this is going to be interesting.' All of the guys at one time or another had considered a relationship with the older girl but that was as far as it got. Now it looked as if Cye was getting ready to admit his feelings for the girl that they had all come to love and trust with their lives. "Hey Cye, man. That's great!!! It's about time one of us admitted our feelings to her."

Cye glanced up at Rowen to see him smiling gently, knowing that he spoke the truth. "But am I doing the right thing? I mean, you guys, well you all have feelings for her too, especially Ryo and Sage. I don't know if I should say anything; I don't want to hurt anyone and what if she likes someone else more? I don't know if I could handle that." Cye's voiced trailed off as he confessed his misgivings to Rowen. He ducked his head as his shoulders began to silently quake.

Rowen looked at the hunched figure, understanding dawning in the blue depths of his eyes. He slipped over to Cye's side and sat quietly down on the bed next to Cye. He gently pulled the unresisting figure into his lap and began to rub small circles on Cye's back with his left hand, in an effort to relax the smaller warrior. "It's all right, Cye, really. I think the guys will understand. Besides, since when have we had a problem with sharing?" Rowen asked slyly, knowing full well what Cye's reaction would be to that outlandish remark. He was not disappointed.

Cye jerked his head up and around to face Rowen's smiling face, laugh lines evident on the youth's face. "Rowen!!!!" he screeched perhaps a bit too loudly. A large blush began to stain the shy warriors' cheeks and neck as the remark sunk in. In an effort of retaliation, he reached behind his back and threw a pillow at his friend, shocked that Rowen would say something like that. Course that did not mean that it wasn't true, it was just something that had never been said aloud.

Rowen quickly ducked the pillow Cye had aimed at his head, grinning wickedly. "Hey, man, I was only kidding. Come on." Rowen started to beat a hasty retreat as Cye started to stalk the other teen across the room. Rowen turned toward the balcony doors and attempted to wrench them open when he felt Cye's hand on his wrist. He looked up to see the fire smoldering in the sea green eyes, and felt afraid.

Cye looked at his friend, letting the fire go out in his eyes but he was not through with Strata, yet. He turned back toward his bed and reached for another pillow. Still puzzling over how Strata had managed to duck his earlier pillow, Cye never noticed Rowen surreptitiously grabbing a pillow off of Hardrock's bed, until it was too late. Rowen's pillow hit Cye square in the chest as the slighter warrior turned around. "Ooh, Rowen, you are going to pay for that" threatened the warrior of trust.

Rowen, grinning like a maniac, only shrugged his shoulders at Cye's fury.

An all out pillow fight broke out amongst the two. The two teens started giggling hysterically as their pillows began connecting with one another. Neither teen gaining an upper hand, until that fateful moment when a tearing sound was heard echoing in the room. Cye looked unbelievingly at the torn pillow in his hands as the soft white feathers floated lazily onto the floor. The two combatants broke apart to survey the damage and sighed resignedly. Mia was going to kill them if she ever saw this mess. Feathers were everywhere in the room, furniture was overturned, a vase of flowers lay haphazardly on some magazines in the corner, water ruining the pages. Lucky for them, however, she was not expected back for another couple of hours. Mia was teaching a late night class at the college, and she generally brought a late dinner home with her since she knew Kento would be starved.

"We are so dead!" they both said aloud, before chuckling at each other's appearance. Rowen's shirt had come loose from his jeans, his headband was nowhere to be seen and there were white feathers sticking out at odd angles in his hair. Cye was no better off. A corner of Cye's white sweatshirt had torn slightly in the scuffle and his auburn locks were in total disarray.

"Hey Cye?"

"Yeah?"

"Since you started this fiasco, you get to clean up this mess." Rowen attempted to run for the doorway but he didn't quite make it. Cye somersaulted over his head and placed his arms out, effectively blocking Rowen's escape.

"Oh no you don't. You aren't getting out of this that easy. You played as much a part in this mess as I did, so you have to help me clean it up. Besides I am not feeling real well." Cye started to sway slightly as his equilibrium gave out. He began to fall forward but Rowen managed to catch him before he hit the floor. Cye looked up at the archer with a weak smile. "Sorry, Rowen, guess you'll have to clean up without me." With that said, Cye promptly slipped into oblivion.

Chapter 2: Swirling Through Chaos

Rowen looked down at the form he now held limp in his arms, concern marring his forehead. "Cye?" he asked cautiously. When he received no answer, he tried again only more urgently. "Cye, answer me. Please." Still no response. All right, he was really worried now. He tried to feel along his mind link to Cye, but was pushed back by a wall of flames that seemed to surround Cye's form. Rowen yelped as the sheer heat washed over him in waves. He pulled away from Cye's link looking slightly scorched. Now he was extremely worried; Cye shouldn't have a wall of flames around him that was Ryo's department.

Rowen picked up Cye's still figure and gently laid him on his bed. Feeling the heat radiating off of Cye's body, he bit his lip in consternation. Wondering what he should do first, he turned inward to call for the guys, thinking that they would want to know that Cye was sick. He then headed to the bathroom in order to get a basin, filling it with cold water. Once back in Cye's bedroom, Rowen dipped a wash cloth into the cool water to gently bathe Cye's face, in an effort to bring down the raging fever. Torrents' frame commenced shaking uncontrollably at his touch. Looking fearfully down at the spearsman, Rowen pulled the blankets up around Cye, in an effort to warm the slight figure.

"Hey Rowen, What's wro . . . ?" the voice trailed off as he saw Cye's unconscious form and Rowen's troubled face.

Rowen looked up to find Ryo standing in the doorway with Sage to his right and Kento to his left. "Hey guys."

"Cye . . . Oh God. Let me through. I have to get to Cye." came Kento's distressed voice. But Sage put a restraining hand on the bigger man's shoulder. Kento looked up at the blond swordsman, confusion in his eyes.

"Wait Kento. Rowen's doing fine. Let me see what I can do first, all right?" Sage asked quietly of the bigger man.

Kento nodded his understanding but his worry tinged his every action. He began to fidget staring at Cye's motionless form. Turning inward to check on Cye through their link, he was suddenly startled when he was slapped hard across the cheek. Kento jerked out of his haze, anger blazing in his eyes at Rowen who had slapped him. "What the Hell did you do that for? I was only trying to see if he was all right."

"Look Kento, I know what you were trying to do, and I am sorry I slapped you but you weren't listening to me. I yelled your name three times and when that did not work, I slapped you."

Kento interrupted his apology. "I don't care that you want my attention. He's my friend and I have to know if he's all right. So just leave me alone." Kento yelled a little forcibly as he started to turn inwards once again.

Rowen took a step back from the rage evident in Kento's eyes, but he was not going to back down. "NO KENTO, you can't!" Rowen cried out, shaking Kento's forearm in desperation.

Kento looked down at Rowen's hand and placed his own on top of it. He started to pry the archer's fingers off of his arm. But stopped when he heard the note of pleading enter Rowen's voice.

"Kento, will you please just listen to me. I have already tried that. The only one of us that can possibly have a chance of getting through is Ryo. Cye's whole spirit is being shrouded with intense flames. Look at me Kento. I mean really look at me."

Kento did as Rowen asked and for the first time, he noticed the archer's flushed look, the eerie light in his eyes, the dry, chapped lips. Rowen's hand on his shoulder was slightly red and it looked as if it was going to blister. There was a feeling of heat radiating off of Rowen's fingers. Kento looked up with realization. "You saying that Cye did this to ya?"

"No Kento, Cye did not do this, at least not purposely. He just erected a shield around himself when he fell, and since his fever was high on his mind the shield became a living wall of fire. I am sorry again that I slapped you, but I did not want you to get burned like I did." Rowen's voice trailed off as a slight feeling of pain passed through his body. An almost imperceptible moan came out of his chapped lips, making Sage turn toward him.

"Rowen, let me see." Sage took Rowen's hands in his and placed their foreheads together as he began to concentrate. A green aura began to envelop Sage's form as it slowly spread out to encompass Rowen.

Rowen moaned slightly as he felt Sage's power leaking into him. The pain lessening to a bearable tone, he began to pull away from Sage's healing touch. "That's enough. You'll need your strength to help Cye."

"But Rowen,"

"No buts about it golden boy. He needs you more than I do. I was only slightly scorched, but that wall of his has got to be hurting him. "Hey Ryo, what do you think?"

But Ryo was no longer paying attention to them. He was instead, looking thoughtfully at Cye's figure. His mind made up, he cast caution to the wind. He was going to attempt the mind link with the water warrior, fully aware of the chance he was taking. But since Cye's shield was made out of fire, he was hoping that he would be able to pass through it easily enough. He started to turn inwards, no one noticing his actions, since Rowen and Kento were arguing and Sage had turned his attention on Rowen's slightly singed form. Ryo's blue eyes lost focus as he began to link to Cye's mind. His hand resting on Torrent's shoulder.

"Ach, RYO NOOOOOO!!!!!" came Rowen's voice as though from far away and then it was inside his head. "Ryo what are you doing? Stop it. I don't know if you can get through even if you are Wildfire." Rowen's mind voice held a touch of panic as well as understanding but Ryo shut it out.

"Too late," he thought back to Rowen. "I'm already at the fire wall. I'm beginning to pass through."

Rowen who was linked to Ryo started to pull away as the heat began once again. Only Ryo was faster and shut the link off, knowing what it could do. Rowen staggered against Sage's chest as he wiped his sweat soaked brow off on his hand. "Damn Ryo, I hope you know what you are getting into." Rowen's voice trailed off as he noticed Ryo's eyes closing. The dark-haired boy had slipped into unconsciousness as well.

A string of muffled curses met Rowen's ears as he looked over at Kento. Kento was extremely upset now since two of his friends were both out like lights. Rowen was worried too. He wasn't sure what made Ryo lose consciousness. If it was because he was now behind Cye's defense, then he should be ok and will wake up once he comes back out of Cye's mind, but if that wasn't the case . . . Rowen bit his lip in chagrin. There was nothing he could do right now except continue bathing Cye's face, and pray. He pulled Cye's desk chair up to the bed and sat down, once again dipping his hand into the basin of cool water.

Sage stood next to him and gently placed his hand on top of the hand Ryo had left on Cye's shoulder. He let his power begin to flow once again out of his body and into Ryo and Cye. Praying that it would do some good but unsure if it would or not.

Ryo stood on the brink, looking at chaos. That was the best way to describe it. He wasn't sure what had happened but obviously he had bypassed the mind link and ended up straight into Cye's mind. That was not supposed to happen. He thought about it and finally had to say that he was stumped. The only thing that he could think of was that the fire wall was more than a simple defense mechanism. Ryo thought about how the fire had seemed to grow stronger as he passed through it, almost as if it was feeding off of his armor. With a start, he realized that maybe that was the case, since he did not believe he could have actually ended up in Cye's mind otherwise. Generally, their mind links only give feelings and words but since Cye was out cold, then part of the link was out as well. Ryo had hoped that the remaining part of the link would give him a clue as to what was wrong, but he had instead become trapped inside Cye's mind along with the water bearer.

"Cye, can you hear me?"Ryo called trying to awaken his friend. "Aw come on now Cye, I know you're in here and I'd just as soon get out. So help me out here, why dontcha?" Ryo asked pleadingly.

He began to walk, careful where he stepped as he sifted through Torrent's memories. He smiled as he watched scenes play out in Cye's mind but then groaned when the scenes shifted to terror. Ryo was held captive by the heart wrenching scenes that was more myth than fact. He then realized what held Cye captive besides his fever.

Cye was terribly afraid, afraid the guys would be upset with him. Cye's mind shifted abruptly to the recent obvious pillow fight with Rowen. Ryo remembered seeing the feathers strewn around the room but never thought to ask Rowen about them. He felt Cye start to relax as a feeling of cool water and light began to invade his senses. Looking up he could see Cye's form tumbling head over heels in the maelstrom of his mind. Ryo reached out a hand and managed to snag the still unconscious form and brought him close to his chest. Cye stirred slightly once he was in contact with Ryo's body.

"Come on Cye, wake up. You can do it. Sages' power is coursing through you. You'll be better in no time. Come on. You have nothing to be afraid of. What Rowen said is true you know. Admit your feelings, don't hold them all bottled up." Ryo let a smile form as he watched Cye's eyes flutter open.

"Ryo?" Cye asked confused.

"Yeah?" came the response.

"Uh, what are you doing here?" Cye looked around dazed. Realizing where they were, he added "How did you get here for that matter?" Cye knew that he was still unconscious but that his mind had been freed thanks to Ryo's presence.

"Well, I tried to link with ya but as I was crossing your defense barrier, I was pulled in. So you would probably know how I got here better than I would." Ryo shrugged his shoulders not knowing what to say.

Cye let that thought tumble around for a few minutes before finally saying "Thanks Ryo."

"Huh? What for? I was only trying to check on you."

"Yeah, but you were the only one that I was letting through my defense. Else I would have chosen a different barrier besides fire. I'm not sure why I chose you though, maybe because I was afraid the most of what your reaction would be, to me admitting my feelings to Mia. I don't know. But I do know that you had better get back to your own body. You've been here a little long, Don't ya think?"

Ryo once again shrugged his shoulders, feeling helpless. "I would love to leave, but I am not leaving without you. Besides I don't have the strength to go back through the fire wall. It kinda absorbed my powers on the way in." Ryo said sheepishly. He knew it wasn't really Cye's fault but it was his defenses that were keeping him here.

"Uh Ryo, I think you should turn around. The defense is no longer there. See? You can pass through safely."

Ryo turned to look behind him. Sure enough the barrier was gone. He turned back to Cye. "What about you? I'm not leaving without ya."

"Ryo, you have to. I'll be fine. I'm just exhausted but my defenses are down. You guys will be able to check on me. I'll try to wake up as soon as I can, but there are still some things that I need to work out, alone. Please, don't argue with me Ryo." Cye pursed his lips together knowing the look that Wildfire was giving him. Cye wasn't sure how long Ryo had been in his mind before Ryo had found him, but he could feel Ryo's life starting to slip away. The bearer of Wildfire had to get out and fast. There was no more time to argue. Cye knew what he had to do. He hated to hurt Ryo but there was no choice. Turning toward the raven haired young man, Cye gave him a slight smile full of love. He then proceeded to run full tilt at Ryo's form, hitting him dead center propelling him back and out of his mind. Cye mouthed sorry to the boy before Ryo was carried out of sight. He then fell limp as he felt Ryo's presence fade.

Ryo looked at Cye, startled as the auburn haired young man hit him. "Nooooo, Cye!!!!!" he yelled, but could do nothing to stop his free fall. Ryo landed back in his own body with a jerk. He sat up with sweat pouring off of his brow and slammed his fist into the mattress next to Cye's head. "Damn, I was so close. I can't believe I lost him. Oh Cye, why didn't you come back with me?" He asked no one in particular as unconsciousness claimed him once again.

Rowen started forward but Sage held him back. "He's fine just worn out. I'm glad he came back when he did though."

Rowen looked questioningly up at the swordsman. Not realizing the danger Ryo had been in.

Sage smiled at the bewildered expression on Rowen's face. 'He must not have felt it, interesting.' "Rowen, didn't you realize that Ryo was no longer in his body but that he was in Cye's? If he hadn't left Cye's body when he did he could have died. I was beginning to get worried because I did not know how to pull him back. I could feel his body beginning to shut down. That was why he jumped so much when he came back. His body was surprised that its mind had returned. That's why he's unconscious now. He just needs to rest some, but I would feel better if we could watch him. His life signs may still slip." Sage gently picked up the unconscious teen and placed him on Kento's bed.

"Sage, what about Cye?" came Kento's question.

"Sage looked over at the stockier boy. "I think Ryo reached him. It's now just a matter of waiting. I know that Cye's defenses are down else Ryo would not have made it back out. He didn't have the strength to. So you can check on him Kento if you would like, but don't fall in like Ryo did, ok. Just lightly probe. Cye needs his rest."

Kento acknowledged the swordsman and turned inwards letting his mind briefly touch Cye's. He felt better knowing that Cye's mind flicked out to touch his but then he pulled back so that Cye could rest.

"Well, feel better now?" Sage asked kindly.

"Yeah" came the response.

The three Ronins left conscious settled in to wait, not knowing what to expect. Sage settled next to Ryo's figure, afraid to leave the young man's side. Ryo's breathing had steadily become stronger; but Sage was still uneasy about how Ryo would feel when he woke up. Kento hovered between the two unconscious figures, flitting back and forth like a hummingbird. Rowen had fallen asleep next to Cye, his head pillowed on his arms.

Sage sighed. This was going to take awhile. He wondered briefly who would wake up first, Ryo or Cye, as sleep overtook his form. He was too exhausted to remain conscious, leaving only Kento's worried figure to hover around the other warriors.

Chapter 3: Awakenings

Sage woke to the sensation of being watched. He slowly lifted his head letting his blond bangs drift in front of his violet eyes, as he opened them. Violet eyes met a pair of unblinking tiger blue. Sage looked at Ryo, knowing that the young man was not yet aware that Sage had awoken. "Hey Ryo, how long have you been awake?" he asked softly.

Ryo jumped guiltily at being caught red handed staring at Sage's sleeping form. "Sa Sage . . . " he stuttered. "I didn't know you were awake." A slight blush began creeping its way across his cheeks.

"Obviously." Sage smiled at Ryo's discomfort. "It's ok, really Ryo. Anyone else awake in here?"

"Not that I know of, but I haven't been awake for very long. I still feel sort of weird. Not quite connected ya know?"

"Give it a little while. Your body needs to adjust to you being back. It almost shut down completely when you were in Cye's mind. You had me worried there for a minute."

"Oh yeah? What minute was that?" Ryo asked cheekily.

Sage gave the other boy a look that could kill, and he growled softly at Ryo's impertinence. "Damn it Ryo, it's not a joke" he hissed. Sage felt like yelling at the impudent boy but he did not want to wake the others. Instead he turned away in a huff.

"Aw come on Sage, you know I was only teasing ya. Please Sage?" Ryo looked at Sage's back, silently kicking himself for his bold comment. "Sage?" He still did not respond to Ryo's soft request. Ryo tried to sit up so that he could reach the swordsman's shoulder but his body refused to cooperate. He fell back against the pillows, gasping, his breathing ragged. He closed his eyes as a spasm of pain tore through his soul.

Sage turned at the sound, concern distorting his handsome features. He reached up a hand to brush Ryo's raven locks off of his forehead. "Just relax Ryo. You need to gain your strength back. Don't worry about it. You are going to be off kilter somewhat for a little while, but your balance will return."

Ryo opened his tiger eyes once again and contemplated the ever calm blond. "Could you help me to sit up?"

"Sure, Ryo." Sage gently placed his arms beneath Ryo, lifting him up and turning him sideways so that he could lean Ryo up against the wall. Sage knew that Ryo's muscles were protesting the movement but he never said a word about it. "There, is that better?"

"Yeah, so how long have I been out?"

Sage looked down at the gold watch that Mia had given to him last Christmas. It was a little before four in the morning. "You've probably been out for about six hours or so." Sage pushed his bangs back out of his eyes only to watch it fall right back in place. Sage sighed, exasperated.

"Um Sage, you uh notice something different about this room?" Ryo asked the blond.

"Hmmm, what do you mean?"

"Well, look Sage. The room is clean. I mean totally spotless. Wasn't there like feathers in here earlier? So, who cleaned up the mess?"

Sage looked around the room and sure enough, there were no feathers anywhere. The furniture had all been turned upright and the vase of flowers was sitting on Cye's bookshelf with fresh water in it. "Hmm, you think Kento cleaned it up? Or possibly Mia?"

Ryo jerked perceptibly at the mention of Mia's name. "Oh god, Mia! She has no idea what has been going on. We have to tell her what happened." Ryo struggled to gain his feet but fell weakly against Sage's upright form. He didn't have the strength to stand on his own, let alone walk down the hall to Mia's room.

"And where exactly do you think you are going?"

"I have to get to Mia and tell her . . . " Ryo's voice trailed off as Sage unceremoniously and without any preamble simply scooped Ryo up into his arms and placed him back into the bed, laying the dark-haired figure down gently. Ryo was confused. "Sage?"

Sage pursed his lips, looking down at the stubborn young man before him. "Stay here, Ryo. I'll go find her. But if she's asleep, I am not, I repeat, I am not waking her. This can all wait till morning. Agreed?"

Ryo shrugged his shoulders noncommittal but knowing that Sage would not leave until he agreed. "Guess so" he mumbled.

"Good, now stay put. I will be back in a few minutes. Do you want me to bring you something to eat?"

"Nah, I am not hungry. But something to drink would be good. Perhaps some juice?" Ryo asked sleepily, the pull of unconsciousness luring him back to its fathomless depths.

"All right, be back in a flash." Sage smiled as he saw Ryo's eyes close. 'Good, he needs his rest.' Sage turned away from Ryo's figure and headed across the room to Cye. Looking down at the slender form of Torrent, Sage let out an exasperated sigh. "Cye, what have you gotten yourself into this time?" he whispered softly. Placing his cool hands on Cye's forehead, Sage was relieved to feel that Cye's temperature appeared to be returning to normal, though it was still alarmingly high. Sage let his mind wander down his link with Cye, to see how the water bearer was faring. He never noticed the darkness that claimed his body, as his mind sailed into the light that was Cye's existence.

A blast of cool wind assailed Sage's nostrils as his mind touched Cye's. The wind shifted in form as the nearby lake water began to steam. A figure emerged drenched from the water to stand in front of Sage. "Sage?" the figure queried, not comprehending. 'What was he doing here?'

"Hi Cye, how you feeling?" Sage asked still not comprehending that he was somewhere that he should not be.

Cye opened his mouth but no words came out. He simply stood looking at Sage, totally baffled. The chaos that had been Cye's mind several hours ago had coalesced into some semblance of order, but there were still a few areas that Cye needed to work through before his mind would be totally at peace. Sage being here was confusing his already fever ridden mind. He tried his voice once again and found it this time around. "Sage, you have to get out. What are you trying to do? Fall victim like Ryo? I told you all through Ryo that I would wake up after I sorted out some things. You were not supposed to end up behind by barriers again. Sage are you listening to me?"

The blond swordsman simply stared at the unfamiliar surroundings. So wrapped up in his own thoughts that he did not even hear Cye talking to him.

"SAGE!!!" Torrent screamed at his friend to snap out of it. Cye concentrated on keeping the link open. "You must go now my friend. The other's need you, I need you." Cye finished softly. "You can't stay here. You have to wake up. DAMN it Sage. GO!!!" Cye started to push against Halo's chest sending him crashing back to the darkness of the room.

Halos' mind spun as he came back into contact with his solid body. He tried to stand up but felt his legs give out, like they were made of jello. He fell back, hitting his head against the chair that Rowen had vacated a little while ago. Halo slipped into the blessed void as bright lights formed behind his eyes.

Rowen heard a slight crash as he was heading back upstairs. He had awoken about an hour ago, with his stomach rumbling. So he had gone downstairs to raid the refrigerator. A frown formed on the archer's lips as he ran the rest of the way upstairs, worried that something else might have happened. He met Mia at the top of the stairs looking worriedly down the hall. She too must have heard the noise. She was clad only in a soft terry robe that looked as if it was thrown on in haste over her short t-shirt that she had obviously worn to bed that night. "Mia" he called to her softly so as not to startle her.

"Oh Rowen, there you are. What is going on? I come home to find you all passed out in Cye's room and the room looked like a tornado had ripped through it. I tried to wake you guys up but not one of you stirred. So, I went about cleaning up the room, before I headed back to my room to sleep but couldn't. I was too worried about you guys not responding to my presence in any way. I was just going to check on you guys again when I heard that thumping noise. What is going on?" she asked again desperately, needing an answer that Rowen himself could not give her.

Rowen looked at the older girl, knowing that she meant well, but he simply did not have the time to answer her right now. He had a niggling feeling in the back of his mind that something wasn't right. Reaching out to the others through their link, he was rewarded with a brief touch from Kento and Ryo, but no Cye or Sage. Cye not responding was expected since he had withdrawn into himself but what about Sage? Even Ryo's mind touched his briefly, comfortingly though weak. Rowen brushed past Mia with a muttered apology as he headed for Cye's door. He paused briefly as he began to open the door, dreading what he would find.

Rowen blinked a few times to let his eyes adjust to the darkness of the room. The only light was emanating from Cye's bubbling fish tank in the left corner of the room and a soft night light with a sea shell covering the bulb near the doorway. At first, nothing seemed amiss but as Rowen's eyes adjusted, he could only make out the forms of three of his friends. Kento was still snoring peacefully on the floor near the center of the room, Ryo was breathing evenly on Hardrock's bed, Cye was still sleeping peacefully next to the chair that Rowen had been previously sitting on, and Sage was where? Rowen narrowed his blue eyes looking for the blond warrior as he moved deeper into the room. He could sense Sage's presence, so he knew that he was here. 'So why don't I see him?' Rowen growled in frustration.

He reached the chair and started to move it out of his way, when a light coming from the floor caught his attention. Something winked up at him as Rowen bent over to see what the object was. His hand closed around the shiny object and gasping in shock, realization set in. The object that Rowen was currently holding was Sage's gold watch, and it was Sage's arm that Rowen was currently holding. Rowen groped forward finding Sage's unconscious face. "Sage?" No answer.

The room was suddenly bathed in a glow of soft white light as the ceiling light was turned on. Rowen looked back over his shoulder to find Mia staring wide eyed at the figure on the floor. "Mia? What's the matter?"

Mia simply pointed mutely at the still figure in Rowen's arms. Rowen looked down and gasped again as he saw the red stain that was blossoming out from under Sage's head. Rowen gently turned Sage over so that he could see the wound. "Mia, could you get me a new washcloth from the bathroom, please?"

"Sure." Mia disappeared only to return a minute later with a couple of new wash cloths and a couple of towels for Rowen. She handed them to the teen who muttered his thanks. She then sat back, watching over the other three unconscious figures. Curiosity gnawing at her soul, she was dying to know what was going on but she knew that now was not the time to ask.

Rowen reached for the basin of water that was still by Cye's bedside as he dipped one of the new wash cloths into the lukewarm water. Squeezing out the excess water, he began to clean the wound on Sage's head, wondering how this could have happened. After a minute, the wound was clearly visible. Rowen sighed with relief. It was not that bad, the bleeding had slowed to a slight trickle. He never noticed the soft green glow emanating from Sage's body as the Halo armor attempted to heal its owner. But Mia did.

Mia coughed slightly, gaining Rowen's attention. "Is he all right? I mean I saw his armor healing him."

Rowen looked surprised, but sure enough glancing back at his friend, he caught the last residues of the green aura as it faded away. Rowen reached up gently to probe the wound area and found it completely healed as if it was never there, but he knew Sage was going to have one hell of a headache when he woke up. "Yeah, I think so."

"Good, now would you please tell me what is going on?"

Rowen looked up at the determined figure and sighed. "Sure, just let me put Sage somewhere comfortable." Rowen gently picked up the swordsman and for lack of a better place, he gently placed Sage next to Ryo on Kento's bed. Ryo stirred slightly but did not awaken. Rowen turned from the pair and headed out the door, motioning for Mia to follow him.

She did so without hesitation. "So?"

Rowen sighed as he headed downstairs to the living room, refusing to say anything for now. It was late and he was starting to feel the effects of the strenuous evening. He flopped down on the couch, one arm behind his head as a pillow, the other across his closed eyes. "Mia, do we have to do this now? I haven't had any sleep tonight and I am sooo tired." His voice started to trail off as sleep claimed him.

"Well, I guess not." Mia said to no one in particular since Rowen was out cold. She carefully draped a blanket around Rowen's shoulders as he moaned in his sleep. She sighed as she settled on the floor near the couch. Wrapping herself up in a large quilt, she let sleep claim her soul as well.

Chapter 4: Aftermath

The next morning dawned bright and clear. The rain long forgotten. Mia groaned when she realized that there was a kink in her neck from sleeping on the floor. She started to rise, wondering what time it was, as she blinked uncomprehending eyes at the nearest clock. The roman numerals seemed to mock her every effort. But it had to be late, she could hear Kento and Rowen's voices coming from the kitchen. She smirked slightly at this last part. Rowen up at this time of day, when he had almost zero sleep the night before, and coherent, no less. She wondered aimlessly into the kitchen, the beginnings of a headache forming.

Kento was busy eating breakfast while Rowen had his head pillowed on his arms still half asleep. Kento was the first to notice her standing in the doorway. "Morning sleepyhead. Since when have you turned into Rowen?"

Mia groaned at his half-hearted attempt at deviltry. "Kento," she attempted to say threateningly.

"Um yes?"

"You are so dead." Mia started to advance around the kitchen table on Kento, who quickly tried to hide behind Rowen's barely conscious form.

"Ah, Mia you know I didn't mean it, honestly." Putting his hands up in surrender; he began to back away from the stormy glare that Mia was casting his way.

Mia continued to stalk around the table, giving off the impression of a predator stalking its prey. Grinning evilly at Kento, she sank gratefully into his vacated seat next to Rowen and promptly began eating what was left of his breakfast, which wasn't much, but she felt like tormenting him some more.

"No, Mia. Oh how could you?" Kento moaned as the remnants of his meal quickly vanished.

Mia simply smiled impishly at Kento. "That's what you get for picking on me. You know I was up half the night worrying about all of you."

Rowen raised his head off the table at Mia's teasing tone. "Morning Mia" he said sluggishly, blinking owl like at the young woman. It was way too early for him to be up. He simply did not have enough sleep last night, no matter that it was already one in the afternoon.

"Morning Rowen." Mia smiled down at the sleepy young man. "So are you awake enough to tell me what was going on here last night?"

"Yeah, guess so" Rowen mumbled. Shaking his head to clear the cobwebs, he looked over at Kento to see if he wanted to start the story.

"Don't look at me, man. You know more about what happened than any of us do."

'Should have known that would be his response.' Rowen wondered where he should start without giving away Cye's secret. "All right, Mia. Here's the short version. I saw Cye come in last night totally soaked. We talked for a little while before he collapsed with some sort of fever. I tried to link with him to see if he was all right, but all I could see was a wall of flames. The other guys heard me cry out mentally when Cye collapsed, and came to find out what was wrong." As an afterthought, he added "Kento and I also had a brief disagreement."

"Yeah," interjected Kento. "But it was soon cleared up. Anyhow, while Rowen and I were bickering, Ryo tried to link his mind to Cye's. He thought that he would be able to get through Cye's defenses without any problem since his element is fire. But something went wrong and he ended up in Cye's mind along with Cye."

"Which is the reason that both Ryo and Cye are still out. That's it in a nutshell, Mia."

Mia considered the two teens standing afore her. She could tell Rowen wasn't telling her everything, but she decided to let the matter drop. He would tell her only when he wanted to, and no amount of cajoling would make him tell her any sooner. "Well, what do you think happened to Sage then?"

"We really don't know what happened to him, Mia. You know as much as we do, since you were there when I found him. Guess we'll just have to ask him when he gets up." Rowen said shrugging his shoulders.

"Ask me what?" came a new voice from the hallway.

The three present in the kitchen whirled at the sound of the voice, mouths opened in shock. "Sage, you ok? What happened last night? One minute you were sleeping on the chair, the next you are out cold on the floor next to Cye's bed, with a gash on the back of your head." Rowen peered closely at the swordsman. Something was not right. Sage looked off for some reason, sort of disheveled. Sage was never disheveled even under the worst of circumstances.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Just a little tired from using Korin so much last night." 'Course waking up next to Ryo this morning didn't help my constitution none, especially when I realized that Ryo's arms were locked about my waist.' He thought wryly to himself. He had a difficult time unwinding himself from Ryo's still unconscious form without waking the sleeping teen. Shaking the uncomfortable thoughts away, he turned his attention to Mia who was staring out the window lost in thought. "Mia?" No answer was forthcoming so Sage walked over to the girl and placed his hand on her shoulder.

Mia jumped about a foot when she felt someone's hand on her shoulder, but relaxed when she realized whom it was. Sage was peering inquisitively at her, the violet in his eyes dancing softly. "Sorry Sage, did you say something?"

"Are you all right? You looked kinda spaced out."

"Oh, I'm fine. I just have the beginnings of a headache, thinking about all that happened last night. Are Ryo and Cye awake yet?"

"No. They're still sleeping. But Ryo should be up any time. I just don't know about Cye." Sage's voice trailed off as he noticed someone standing just outside the door to the kitchen. Or someone's he should say. Ryo and Cye were both leaning against the doorjamb looking at the group with amused expressions on their faces.

Mia noticing Sage's gaze, turned her head to see what he was looking at. Gasping slightly, she rushed to the two boys still leaning against the door. "Ryo, Cye are you both ok?" She gave each of them a quick hug, holding on a little longer than necessary. Both boys began to blush slightly.

"Morning Mia and yeah, I think we are both fine." Cye looked over at Ryo for confirmation. Ryo simply shook his head that yes, he too was fine.

"Cye, man, you nearly gave us a heart attack last night. You sure you're fine?" came Kento's worried voice.

Cye turned to his best friend and gave him a slight smile. "Sure Kento. I'm just a little tired is all." Cye reached his hand up to brush his hair out of his face, when he felt someone brushing against his mind. He raised his eyes to Ryo, who was looking Torrent over very critically. Cye almost felt like cringing but knew better. Ryo would then think he was hiding something; instead he opened his link wide to the other Ronins, who absorbed his calm serenity.

Ryo broke his gaze from Cye's, apparently finding what he was looking for. Taking a couple of cautious steps into the kitchen, Ryo was grateful when he was able to sit down. He still felt weak from having passed through Cye's fire wall. "So Sage, what happened to that juice you were supposed to be getting me last night?"

Sage started imperceptibly. He had been hoping that Ryo would have forgotten his request. He really did not want to tell the others that he took a side trip down Cye's mind, which ended up knocking him out. The aftereffects were not as severe as Ryo's were, because Sage did not have to pass through any barriers to get there, while Ryo had had to struggle his way through Cye's fever. Sage gave the five individuals surrounding him a beseeching look, hoping that someone would rescue him.

"I think I can answer that Ryo" came Cye's soft British voice.

Sage turned wide eyes onto the spearman. Surely, he wouldn't tell the others what he had carelessly done. He would never live it down, especially after he had repeatedly warned the others to be careful. Sage started to sweat. 'Cye, please don't tell them' he cried silently to the quiet warrior.

Cye watched the play of emotions flicker briefly over Sage's face before he managed to control them. The bearer of Halo was silently shaking his head, pleading with Cye. Cye tried to smile reassuringly at the young man. He wouldn't say anything if Sage did not want him to, but he would have a talk with him about it as soon as they were alone. Turning to Ryo, who was impatiently waiting for an answer he calmly said, "Sage just stopped to check on me and I guess he tripped over the chair that Rowen had left by my bedside. Guessing from Rowen and Mia's concerned looks, I take it he had a bad fall?"

"Well, when I found him, he was laying unconscious on the floor, a slight gash on the back of his head. It wasn't long after, that Korin began to heal him though." Rowen looked at the shy warrior of trust. Cye knew something else he wasn't telling. He could tell by the pained expression Cye wore, when he found out that Sage had hurt his head. It was almost as if Cye felt guilty about it. But why? He was out cold at that time. There was nothing that he could have done that would have caused Sage's accident. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. Turning scolding blue eyes onto the warrior of light, he carefully studied him. Sage was looking slightly pale and was having trouble maintaining his balance. Glancing at Ryo's dark form, Rowen began to compare the symptoms. Yep, they were definitely similar, though Sage's seemed to be less extreme. Sage must have fallen into Cye's mind last night, and when Cye pushed him back out, he must have stumbled, weak from the experience. "Hey Sage, isn't there something you would like to tell us?"

Sage glanced at the blue haired archer in apprehension. Gulping he said, "What do you mean?" Maybe, just maybe Rowen was bluffing, but judging from the storm that was raging in Rowen's eyes, he thought then again, maybe he's not.

Rowen could not believe his ears. Sage wasn't going to admit it. "Damn it Sage!!" the expletive tore from his lips as he ran out of the room. He had to get away before he did something he would later regret, like slapping the self-centered jerk. "Why Sage, why can't you trust us, trust me?" Rowen slammed his bedroom door shut, walked out onto the balcony and pulled himself up on top of Mia's roof. The sunshine felt good against his wet cheeks as tears coursed down them.

Sage stared after the departing figure, wondering what had upset his friend so much. Looking around the room, he noticed that the others were also staring after Rowen's fleeing figure in alarm.

"What the hell has gotten into him?" Ryo looked at the others in bewilderment.

"Honestly, I don't know but I am going to find out." Sage strolled out of the room, glad that his steps did not falter. Heading up the stairs, he tried the door to his room. Finding the door locked, he frowned. "Rowen, let me in please?" No answer. Sage pressed his ear to the door hoping to catch any sound that the archer might be making. Nothing. Wondering what to do, Sage got an idea. Heading for Ryo's room, he stepped out onto the balcony that also ran outside of his and Rowen's room. Crossing his fingers that the balcony door leading into his room was unlocked, he tried the handle and was mildly surprised when the door swung open. Stepping inside, Sage looked around at the empty room.

Swiveling back to the balcony, Sage started to sweep the skies for his wayward friend. Strata often took to the skies when he was distressed. Sage hoped that wasn't the case, since Rowen would only come back when he wanted to and there was no way for Sage to find him. Sage hung his head, wishing he knew what had upset Rowen so much. Standing there, lost in thought, he didn't hear the soft crying for a couple of minutes. Looking up, he saw Rowen rocking back and forth on the roof, his arms wrapped around his knees. Sage approached the archer discreetly. Sitting down next to Rowen, he pulled the archer into his arms. "What's wrong Rowen?" he asked softly.

Rowen felt himself being pulled into someone's arms, where he went willingly. The scent of sandalwood filled his nostrils, as the light that was Sage's aura penetrated his senses. Stiffening slightly, he heard Sage's voice murmuring softly in his mind. The voice was soothing, however and Rowen began to unconsciously relax. He was still upset with Sage, though. "Sage, what are you doing here?" he asked quietly, wiping his eyes dry. He didn't want Sage to see him crying but it was too late.

"Looking for you." Sage paused slightly as he regarded Rowen's tear streaked face. "Rowen why did you run off?"

"Nevermind, it's not important."

"Of course it is, if it has you this upset. Tell me Rowen." Sage gripped Rowen's jaw and forced the young man to look at him, demanding an answer.

Rowen glared at him. "Drop it Sage."

Shaking his head, Sage replied "No way am I going to let this go. Not until you tell me why you ran out."

Growling, Rowen swung his fist at Sage, who managed to stop the blow inches from his face.

"Rowen . . . What has gotten into you?!" Sage cried. Hurt and a bit surprised by Rowen's actions.

Rowen slumped in defeat. Sage was now going to be even more persistent, especially after he tried to hit him. His eyes like ice, Rowen stared at Sage's violet eyes. "Fine Sage, you want to know why I am so upset? Well, I'm upset because YOU obviously don't trust us. You don't trust ME enough to tell me the truth, and if that's not bad enough, you went and dragged Cye into it as well!" Rowen struggled to free himself from Sage's grasp.

Sage looked uncertainly at the struggling archer. Trust him? Of course he did. He trusted all of them with his life. He just didn't want to be made fun of because of his mistake. "Rowen, I do trust you. I trust all of you."

"Yeah right. Then tell me the truth."

Sage knowing that he was defeated, caved. "Fine, I fell last night because I ended up in Cye's mind like Ryo. I was stupid and I let my guard down, and before I knew what was happening, Cye was pushing me back out. I fell against the chair hitting my head. You happy now? Now that I feel like a total idiot, especially after I warned you and the others that we could be pulled in, if we delved too deeply. I'm upset because I didn't realize that I was falling victim to it, until it was too late." The words tasted bitter but he felt better telling Rowen the truth.

Rowen stopped struggling as he turned in Sage's embrace. His lips threatening to quirk upwards. "Sage, you have nothing to fear about us possibly ridiculing you. You should know that by now. Besides if anybody says anything then I'll deck them, all right? So, truce?" Rowen crossed his fingers praying that Sage would agree.

"Yeah, truce. Come on, let's get down from here." Sage started to climb carefully back to the balcony when he felt Rowen grasp him about the waist. Startled, Sage turned to Rowen, trying to see what he was up to, when he felt his feet leave the roof. Gasping, he clung tighter to Rowen's form as Rowen carefully lowered them to the ground.

Rowen smiled at Sage's expression. It was priceless. "Sage?"

"Yeah?"

"You can open your eyes now." Rowen laughed as Sage's violet eyes flew open, as he realized that he was on solid ground.

Sage snapped at his friend. "Don't ever do that again!! You know I don't like it."

"Sorry Sage, I just couldn't resist it since it seemed to be the fastest way down." Rowen gave Sage his best innocent look. "Do you want to help me out with something?"

"What?"

"Well, you know that each of us has a thing for Mia, right?"

"Yeah. It's kinda hard not to with our link and all. So?"

"Well, the discussion that Cye and I were having yesterday concerned Mia. Cye wants to admit his feelings to her but is afraid of what everyone's reactions would be if he did so. I thought that we could help him out."

Sage smiled, so that was what Cye had been hiding. He had been wondering at the tension that kept coming from Cye's link. "Sure, I'll help. What's the plan?"

Rowen grinned as he began to outline his plan to the swordsman. He could tell that Sage liked it. The plan was simple. Get Mia and Cye alone so that they could talk uninterrupted. Which meant, everyone else was going out for the evening. Rowen headed into the house in search of Kento and Ryo. The two of them quickly agreed with Rowen's suggestion. Smiling, he headed for Mia's room. Knocking softly, he entered the room to find Mia working on her computer. "Hey Mia."

"Oh Rowen, it's you. Did you and Sage work everything out?" Mia asked cautiously. She had been worried when Rowen bolted from the kitchen a couple of hours ago.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Sage just needed to be reminded that he could tell us anything. Anyway, the guys and I thought that we would go out tonight. We need some time away after everything that happened last night, and we didn't want to disturb Cye, since he's sleeping. So, would you mind looking after him tonight for a little while? We won't be gone long. Three or four hours tops." Rowen gave Mia his most charming smile, praying she would say yes.

"No, that's fine. You guys go ahead but don't be gone for too long and keep Ryo off of his feet. He's still a bit unsteady. Actually, Sage probably shouldn't be walking around too much, either. He kind of looked unsettled earlier."

"Yeah, I know but I think we are going to the movies. There's this new movie out that Kento has been dying to see. So neither one should be doing much walking."

"Well, that's a relief. I'll see you later then." Mia turned back to her work on her computer as Rowen left the room.

Calling back over his shoulder, he said "Thanks Mia. You're the best." The four Ronins then left the mansion, laughing because their plan had been set into motion. Now, Cye just had to wake up.

Chapter 5: Feelings Revealed

Cye woke up about an hour after the others left feeling tremendously better. He started for his doorway, when he realized that the house was eerily quiet. Stepping outside, he followed the smell of food to the kitchen where he found Mia stirring a pot on the stove. Coughing slightly, he got Mia's attention.

Turning toward him, she said "Oh Cye. I'm glad you're awake. Feeling better?"

"Yeah, I am. So Mia, where are the others? The house is awfully quiet."

"It is, isn't it? Rowen said that they were going out for a little while. Something about needing some air after everything that happened last night."

"Makes sense. I think I really scared them last night."

"You know, they aren't the only ones you scared. I was scared to death."

"Yeah, I know. Sorry." He smiled sweetly at Mia. Sending a mental thought out to Rowen, who he knew was listening, "Thanks Rowen for setting this up."

"Anything for a friend. Good luck." came the whispered reply. Looking up, he noticed Mia watching him. "What?"

"You know you guys have an unfair advantage over me with that mind thing you five have. So who was it?"

Cye smiled at her. "Rowen. He was just checking to see if I was all right."

"Oh." Turning back to her pot, she asked Cye to get her some celery out of the refrigerator.

"Sure, Mia." Handing the requested item over, Cye thought 'well, now is as good a time as any. Now where to begin?' "So how's the potato soup coming?" 'Great just great. Rowen gives me the perfect opportunity to talk to her and all I can say is how is the potato soup. Ugh!!!!' Cye cupped his palms under his chin as he contemplated on how to go about telling her.

"Come on already. You have the perfect opportunity. Just be yourself Cye. You know she already enjoys your company so just tell her." Ryo grumbled at Cye's wavering confidence.

"Ryo, quit eavesdropping, already."

"Hey, is it my fault that you have kept the link open?" Ryo smirked knowing Cye couldn't see him.

Cye groaned at the impertinence coming over his link to Ryo. "Fine, I will. Now go away." Mia was looking quizzically at him again, so he coughed slightly to cover his embarrassment at being caught talking to the guys again. "Sorry Mia. It was Ryo this time." He smiled awkwardly at the girl who was having a hard time keeping a straight face.

"So why don't you get in touch with the other two, before you end up in a conversation with them too? Then, perhaps we can actually be alone for once." Mia laughed at the surprised look that crossed Cye's face as she turned to remove the soup from the stove.

Sputtering, Cye just sat there in shock. He could feel the other Ronins laughter. They could tell that whatever Mia had said to him had him shocked. "Sure Mia." Focusing on his link to Sage and Kento, he told them what Mia had said. They laughed even harder.

"Hey way to go Cye. She's already hitting on you and you haven't even told her anything, yet." Kento's voice was filled with mirth.

Sage bopped Kento on the head. "Don't mind him Cye. He's off in another world. Have a good time tonight."

Cye smiled at Mia as he closed all the links except for Rowen's. Leaving it open, he sent a thought to Rowen telling him that his link was the only one that was still open, but to only contact him if absolutely necessary. Cye could feel Rowen's consent through their link as he turned away from the others thoughts. "Ok Mia, I think we are alone now."

"Good." Looking at the auburn haired boy sitting at the kitchen table, Mia sighed. She could tell Cye was dying to talk to her, but he had as yet to say what was on his mind. Deciding to be direct, Mia asked him point blank "So Cye, what do you want to talk to me about?" For the second time that evening she watched as Cye turned shocked sea green eyes onto her.

"How . . . how did you know that I wanted to talk to you?"

Giggling, she grabbed Cye's hand into hers as she said "Cye, you are so transparent. I know that something has been bothering you for the last few days; today being the first time that you really seemed to be yourself, despite your illness from last night. I figure whatever you and Rowen were talking about last night must have had something to do with me, since they were all dying to get you and me alone together." She smirked at the incredulous look on Cye's face. "What?" she asked innocently.

"Mia, you are simply too much. I do need to talk to you. It's just I don't know what to say." Cye became inordinately interested in the pattern of the kitchen floor, blushing profusely.

Mia was curious as to what the shy warrior could possibly have to say to her that would warrant his embarrassment. "Cye . . . whatever you have to say, just say it. I think it would be better if you got it off of your chest. If you don't, your going to keep being depressed and we all worry too much about you to let that happen." Mia paused before continuing, "I figure Rowen knows what is going on and if you won't tell me, then I will get him to." Holding her breath, she hoped Cye wouldn't notice her slight ruse. She knew that if Rowen did know what was going on, he would never tell her without Cye's permission. She just hoped the man standing afore her would not remember that.

"Mia you wouldn't, would you?"

"Wouldn't I?" Mia put her hands on her hips and scowled at the spearsman, making him groan.

"All right already. I'll tell you but first you have to promise me something." Cye locked his eyes onto Mia's, pleading silently with her.

"Sure, Cye. Whatever you want. I know that I can trust you."

Cye smiled with relief. "Thanks, Mia. All I am asking you to do is to simply listen. Think you can handle that?" At Mia's nod, Cye swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and took the plunge. It was now or never, and he did not think that he could live with himself if it wasn't now. Raking an unsteady hand through his hair, he began "Mia . . . I um well you see I think that I have fallen in love with you. I know that you probably have a crush on one of the other guys, but I just could not bear another day without telling you how I felt. You are the most perfect woman for me. You make me feel comfortable and safe. I love the way you light up a room when you walk in; you hold all of our hearts captive but none of us has had the courage to approach you for fear of being shot down. I know that I am slightly younger than you, but Mia, I don't think that should matter when someone loves you the way that I do. So, all I am asking you for is one chance to see how great we could possibly be." The words tumbled out of Cye's mouth in a rush. Studying his hands, Cye started to feel foolish for blurting out his feelings to Mia when she had yet to say anything. Slowly raising his eyes, Cye was almost afraid of what he would find.

Mia stood gaping at Cye, her mouth hanging open. She could have sworn that she had heard it hit the floor. She wasn't sure what she was expecting Cye to tell her, but that was most definitely not it. Of course, Mia loved all of the guys. She didn't think it was possible, but the fact remained. She loved each of them, as they in turn loved each other. They were a family, albeit a rather mixed up family, but their differences only made her love each of them more. She loved Rowen's brashness, Kento's sense of humor, Sage's calm demeanor, and Ryo's fiery passion. As for Cye, well she loved the way he would blush to the roots of his hair. The quiet, shy nature of the water warrior has always comforted her like a gurgling brook. She felt happiness and contentment with all of the guys, but she did not think that she could simply settle for just one of them. She would never be whole without all of them complementing each other as well as herself. No matter how much it might mean to them.

Cye watched the myriad of expressions flitter across her face and he turned to flee. 'What was I thinking? Am I insane? Of course, she would like the others more than me. Whatever made me think that I would have a chance with such a sophisticated lady?' "Um, I think I'll leave now."

Mia looked up startled to see the green eyes start to fill with tears. Placing a restraining hand on Cye's shoulder, she whispered hoarsely "No, please don't go."

Cye raised hopeful eyes to her and Mia could feel her heart breaking.

"Oh Cye, it's not what you think. I do love you but I also love the others. I don't know what I would do without any of you. We are all interconnected to one another thanks to fate and your armors. Cye, I don't think that I am capable of choosing one of you over the others. I love each of you differently as each of your personalities complement mine. I am not whole without the five of you, just like you are not whole without the other four Ronins. I hope you can accept this because I can't and I won't choose amongst you. You all mean way too much to me for me to do that." Tears started to flow freely down her cheeks. "If you can't live with that, then I'll understand, but I don't want to lose you or the others." Mia turned away from the bewildered look in Cye's eyes as she headed outside. Sitting on the back steps, she put her head in her hands as silent tears slid down her pale cheeks.

Cye watched as Mia ran out of the room slamming the back door shut. He knew he loved her even more for her honesty and for her love of the others. Cye felt the tension ease out of his system since he knew that she loved them all and not just in a brotherly fashion. Knowing what he had to do he turned inwards to Rowen's link. "Rowen, are you there?"

Almost immediately, Cye got a response from the blue haired archer, making him wonder just how much Rowen knew. "Cye, you ok? I mean you seemed to be sending mixed signals." Rowen's voice was laced with worry. "How did she take the news?"

Cye could hear the edge in Rowen's voice but decided to ignore it. "I'm fine Rowen. I just think that you guys should come home immediately. Mia's sort of upset with me and I don't know where she has gone."

"What do you mean you don't know where she has gone?" came Ryo's concerned slightly angry voice.

Cye winced at hearing his leader's mind voice. He hadn't realized that the other links had been reopened the moment he contacted Rowen. He had let his guard slip and allowed the others in. 'Well it can't be helped now' he thought to himself. "She left Ryo and I need you guys to help me look for her. I'm afraid of what she might do. She was rather upset when she ran out of the kitchen." Cye smiled to himself as he checked the steps, making sure she was still there. He knew perfectly well that Ryo and the others would be home in a flash of teleportation. He was not disappointed, as a minute later four glowing auras' appeared next to him in the kitchen, before coalescing into the worried forms of his friends. Raising his fingers to his lips, Cye shook his head stopping any of their comments as he ushered them into the living room.

"Cye, what is going on? We have to find Mia and we don't have time for any of your schemes." Ryo's voice was laced with worry as he looked at the water warrior.

"She's fine Ryo, but we need to talk." Looking pointedly at the other four warriors, he asked all of them one question. "Are each of you in love with her?"

The other four looked at each other before turning back to stare at Cye's sea green eyes, laugh lines crinkling his forehead. None of them said a word, but they each took on a distinct pinkish color.

Cye smirked at his friends. "I take it that's a yes, then?" At his friends nods, his smile got wider. "Good, because Mia told me something interesting earlier and I thought that each of you should be here. She turned me down, because she's in love with all of us and can't choose among us. She wants to be with each of us. At first, I didn't know what to think, but then something Rowen told me yesterday clicked. He was trying to make me feel better, when he asked me when had we ever had a problem with sharing. So do any of you have a problem with sharing?" he asked impishly. No replies were forthcoming. "No? Good, here's what we do." Cye outlined his plan to the others who agreed to go along with it. Smiling he headed for the back door, praying that she was still there.

Mia was surprised when she felt slender arms wrap about her waist. She knew instinctively that it was Cye as he sat down on the step above her, pulling her against his warmth. She had never even heard his approach. Cye began to rub his hands up and down Mia's arms, feeling the tension leave her. "Cye . . . what are you doing?" Mia asked, hating the slight quiver of her voice. His touch felt so good.

"Shhhh Mia, I'm just trying to tell you that I love you, and that I accept your love of the others as long as you love me too." He kissed the top of her head as she turned in his arms.

"Oh Cye, of course I love you too, silly. I would never have told you what I did if I didn't." She closed her eyes and snuggled into the spearsman embrace, when she became aware of another presence standing just to the right of her. She stiffened slightly as a blindfold was placed over her eyes. "Cye, wh . . . what is going on?" She was suddenly feeling apprehensive but the new aura didn't feel threatening. In fact it felt familiar, very familiar. But it couldn't be, could it? They were all at the movies, weren't they? As if on cue, three more presences could be felt surrounding her and Cye's form. Clinging tightly to Cye, she was dismayed to hear him chuckling softly. Raising her hands, she tried to push the blindfold off, when another set of hands grabbed hers, stopping her from reaching her goal. They felt exquisitely warm and soft beneath her fingertips. Stifling a groan of exasperation, she opened her mouth to accuse Cye of setting this up, when a mouth claimed hers, effectively silencing her. She sat on Cye's lap, stock still as the warm mouth plundered hers, leaving her breathless. As the kiss ended, she felt herself being lifted and carried inside. Panicking now, she started to cry for Cye.

"Shhh, love I'm right here. Nothing is going to happen to you."

"But . . . but Cye, what's going on? You're scaring me." She felt the footsteps falter, then stop. She was placed on her feet and spun around to face whomever had been carrying her.

A soft voice murmured in her ear. "Are we really scaring you? I don't think so. You may be blindfolded Mia, but trust your senses. You know who we are."

The voice slid over her, filled with warmth and promises. She knew immediately that it was Rowen who carried her. "Rowen?" she asked tentatively. The only answer she got was another kiss on the lips. Only this kiss tasted different. Rowen tasted of chocolate, while the earlier kiss tasted more of honey. Breaking the kiss, she could feel him smile softly as another set of hands gently lifted her, carrying her into the living room. The scent of sandalwood surrounded her and she knew instinctively that it was Sage who was gently placing her on the couch. "Sage?" No answer was forthcoming, only a slight tweaking of her nose as another laughed at her predicament. She felt strong arms pull her up against his chest and knew that it was Kento who was holding her. Lifting the blindfold off gently, he smiled at her bewildered expression.

Her eyes took in the room that had been transformed the short amount of time she and Cye had been outside. Candles had been lit giving the room a surreal feel to it. Music played softly in the background. Her friends were each staring at her with love evident in their eyes. Ryo sat down on the opposite end of the couch from Kento while Rowen leaned over the back of the couch, the swordsman near him. And Cye, who had started this whole thing kneeled beside the couch catching her left hand in his. He gently kissed her knuckles as he looked up at her startled face.

"Mia, love. I know you did not ask for this but I could not bear to see you so upset after we talked. So, I called them home. I thought that together we could all make a fresh beginning. You aren't mad at me, are you?" Cye ducked his head afraid of what she might say.

Chuckling, Mia took Cye's hand and raised it to her lips. "Cye you are so naive. Of course I'm not mad at you. How could I be, when you have given me the most wonderful gift of all, yourselves?" Kissing him softly, she had to laugh at his comical expression. "Come here all of you."

They all complied as they formed a semicircle around their newfound love. "Now tell me which of you kissed me while we were outside?"

Ryo blushed profusely. "Uh that was me Mia. The guys knew that I wanted to be the first. I hope you didn't mind."

Looking at the dark hair spilling over his shoulders, Mia sighed. "Course not. I just like to know who it is that I am kissing." Pulling Ryo to her, she kissed him full on the mouth, startling him. Her tongue danced in tune with the music, warring for dominance with Ryo's slick heat. Moaning softly, she knew she had to end the kiss and soon. Fortunately for her, Cye also had the same notion as he broke between his two friends grinning like a cheshire cat.

"Hey you two. You guys going take a break to breathe or do you just want to pass out?" Cye ducked the half-hearted swing at his head as he playfully pulled Mia away from Ryo only to back into Sage's form.

Sage took one look at Mia's lips which were still swollen from her kiss with Ryo and knew he had to taste her as well. Bending his lips to her neck, he left butterfly kisses up the base of her throat and across her jawline before settling himself on her mouth. He knew he was lost as soon as her soft moist lips met his. He thrust her into Rowen's waiting hands as if scalded. His violet eyes almost purple with desire.

Rowen knowing that look, wisely led Mia away from temptation as he settled her back on the couch between Cye and Ryo this time.

Kento slipped up behind her and kissed her softly on the cheek. A little embarrassed to be a part of this wonderful experience. Mia grabbed his wrist as he started to turn away, hope shining in her eyes. It was that look that was Kento's undoing as he collapsed next to the couch, running his fingers through Mia's locks as his lips sought hers out. Breaking the kiss, Mia smiled at each of them. They were in for one hell of a night, as new passions were brought to the front and new possibilities were explored.

The End.

(For now)