No, 180,000 words wasn't enough for us. We're back for round two of our Ronin Warriors (unashamed) self insert fic!

Please keep in mind this is a sequel and will make much more sense if you read From Dawn to Dusk beforehand. As with the first story, we're doing trigger warnings before each chapter—but unlike last time, we're bumping the rating up to M. The situations in here are a little darker and the descriptions of mental illness will be more intense (sorry—no real smut to be found here).

Happy New Year! Sit back, relax, and enjoy.

Trigger Warnings: Distorted eating, obsessive thoughts (relationship insecurity)

Nightfall

(And Everything After)

Chapter 1

Sage was late.

Sage was never late.

I wasn't quite sure what to think about this.

I'd spent enough times sitting in various airport locales to know that when an hour passed after the plane's arrival, something was Up. Combine this with Sage Date's characteristic punctuality, and I was starting to worry. Air travel might make phone contact spotty at best, but I still should have had a response to at least one text by now.

'Probably just got held up in customs… But even then, what would take so long?'

I'd been through Canadian customs before. It actually was way less complicated than I'd expected; then again, I hadn't been packing for a month, or coming from Japan.

My phone pinged. Lost in my thoughts as I was, I nearly jumped atop the marble half-wall I'd taken to leaning on while I waited. Muttering about some building designer needing to invest in some better-located chairs, my skittish reaction, and the fact that ringer definitely did not belong to Sage's contact, I glanced at the message preview.

Ro-Ro: Still not out?

Sighing, I settled back against the wall and typed out my reply. No. What could possibly be holding him this long? Customs can be bad, but what would make it this bad? A smirk crossed my lips.Don't tell me Kourin tripped the metal detectors or something.

"I'm under the impression customs agents have never seen a ring before."

Again with being surprised out of my thoughts. I startled, head whipping up to see Sage miraculously standing beside me at the same moment I hit "send" on the message to Rowen. It took another few moments for his words to process.

"You know you could have texted me before now," I griped, pouting and folding my arms over my chest. Then the rest of his sentence sank in. My eyes grew wide and jaw slack. "Wait—ring? Since when do you wear rings?"

When Sage Date smirked, it was a sure sign something Big was going on. That smirk now was the biggest I'd ever seen. He withdrew his hand from the deep pocket of his peacoat and extended it toward me. A flick of his thumb popped open the ring box sitting in his palm.

I gaped at it, speechless for a few long moments. Rowen's ringtone broke the spell, but I ignored it.

"No way."

He just grinned and clicked the velvet box shut again. With a nod toward the phone still (limply) held in my grasp, he said, "Your husband's waiting for an answer."

Pressing my lips into a line of both annoyance and contained shock, I glanced down at the preview.

And promptly groaned.

Ro-Ro: No, just a ring for you-know-who.

—

I used every trick in the book Liv had taught me in order to interrogate Sage on the way to our destination. True to form, however, the kendoka was a tough nut to crack; he refused to answer any questions regarding the when and how. I did get the story of how he picked the ring and that my sister had no clue (either about the ring or showing up early), but anything else resembled talking to a stone wall.

"You've been hanging around Alexa too much," I scolded teasingly. "After four years, you've become almost as bratty as her."

He simply raised an eyebrow at me. "After four years of you and Rowen, I can't say I'm surprised. "

I grinned, thinking of the cuteness that would soon ensue. "Well, you might surprise her—but I'm warning you, when she's in the middle of dance class, she pretty literally gets tunnel vision. She might not even notice you're there until the end."

Halo provided the reaction I couldn't see—a surprised blink and disbelief. "Even I notice her when she surprises me at kendo. And you've watched me in the middle of kendo matches." Sheepishly, he continued, "Admittedly, I only notice her on breaks."

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't believe it either if I hadn't seen it for myself. I said something to her on break the first time I watched her dance class, and she didn't respond. Afterward I asked if she'd heard me, and it was only at that prompting that she vaguely recalled me saying anything. And I was standing in the doorway when she walked past. AND she even knew I was there!"

Sensing a challenge rising in his demeanor, I threw him a smug look. "Bet she won't notice you."

"Bet she will."

"If I win you owe me a Three Musketeers bar."

"If I win you have to do all the kendo kata in a row. No breaks."

It was tempting to complain, but I managed to bite back the one retort that would mean something. Now was not quite the time for that little tidbit. "Deal."

Fifteen minutes later we'd stopped by the apartment to drop Sage's bags—enough for a month and his kendo gear— and coat and pick up Rowen, who'd stayed behind to make sure we could get in the building again without Alexa buzzing us in. I kept glancing at the car clock and my watch the whole time, trying not to grow more anxious as it got closer to nine in the evening. Ideally we'd aimed to get to the dance school just after her class began, but with Sage being delayed in customs we were creeping dangerously close to missing half of the whole thing.

We pulled into the parking lot around ten after. One last time check and a peek through the side door that looked in on the front studio confirmed we'd arrived just in time. It was somewhat lucky we'd come after all the dancers were in their studios; I recalled just how tiny the narrow hallway could be with the between-class crowd.

And Rowen and Sage were by no means small.

My husband and I silently convened as Sage leaned against the wall near the door to watch the class. Words weren't needed, even without using the telepathic link between Dawn and Strata.

I finally heard the instructor mention something about a water break. Sage straightened and backed a step away from the door, allowing the ten students—including Alexa—to walk by unhindered. From where I stood with Rowen beside the opposite studio's door, I easily picked out my twin breezing past her boyfriend without a second glance.

Time to put my plan into action. With a smirk, I hit 'send' on the pre-written text message, and sat back to watch the fireworks.

—/—

I glanced at my phone to see if Tessa had sent me an update on the guys yet, namely whether or not their flight time had wildly changed, hand grabbing for a full water bottle. Over one full class, one assisting position, and now on my second actual advanced workout of the day, I'd emptied this thing twice already. I'd need to ice my ankle after switch splits and we were about to work on more leaps which just sent my mind racing. At least it was racing about dance instead of the guys coming and the trial in two days. I shoved the thought of having to testify against my mother away.

The phone buzzed as I was looking at it, practically; I swiped it open with a very sticky hand, taking another mouthful of water as I waited for it to load.

Tessa: Look behind you

I blinked and looked over my shoulder to the bathroom, then my other—

Only to promptly forget absolutely everything about whatever I'd been thinking of and grin.

"Seiji!"

The other girls looked between me and him— especially as I nimbly made my way through the knot of people to leap into his arms. He held me tight enough my breath vanished, spinning me around once despite the limited space. He did not put me down even after the movement was over. "Surprise."

I pulled back to see that oh so pleased face, jaw dropping in shock but I could still feel the corners of my mouth lifted and if I was honest with myself, I wouldn't stop grinning any time soon. I glanced around to see my sister and brother in law holding their phones up to capture my reaction, which finally snapped me out of my daze enough I gave them good natured glares. "You're allbrats!"

They all burst out laughing and shoved their phones away, Sage stopping a moment to kiss my cheek. "The others are coming later this evening. I just found this flight and couldn't help myself."

He eased me down but I simply went from my arms around his neck to his chest. "I'm glad you did."

He caught the oh so smallest waver in my voice, holdovers from anxiety and stress and remembering what was beginning in two days. One hand went to my neck for comfort.

I pulled away and hopped back into class, only to be greeted by ten knowing looks— teacher included— that ranged from raised eyebrows to happy smiles. I blushed and waved it off, fully expecting a whole bunch of teasing Facebook messages after the fact. The downside of knowing these girls for years.

"Okay!" the teacher said. "As much fun as that was, we still have half an hour left. Make sure to give it everything you've got."

I swore I pulled a muscle following that instruction. Still, I didn't care; the advantages of having a healer boyfriend. We all walked out about ten minutes late because we kept going over the last bit in the choreography and nobody had to leave for another class to come in.

To my surprise, it felt like half the other girls in the studio had stayed behind in the change room. I raised an eyebrow at Sage. 'Fanclub already.'

'Lucky me.' Was the resigned, barely amused reply.

I grabbed my stuff next to two girls I sort of knew. One of them poked my hand. "Know the hunk standing there?"

I smiled. "He's my boyfriend."

They took in a breath. "Oh." One almost immediately perked up. "Does he have a brother?"

I chuckled. "Nope, sorry girls, he's taken and only has sisters." With a mental smirk to Sage I added, 'Saved by the girlfriend again?'

'I have no idea what I did about these fans before meeting you.'

I changed out of my absolutely soaked clothes into a different set of workout gear, not wanting to subject myself to sticky wet fabric on the drive home. Despite the warm early September weather, it was a little too cold for a tank top. By the time I left the bathroom the hall was empty besides us, Tessa having sat down and Rowen with a very protective grip on her shoulder.

Sage offered his hand and I gave him my dance bag, searching my pocket for my keys. He adjusted the straps so they went over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow— hand still out— when I tried to move past him without giving him anything else.

"Right," I said, dropping the metal ring in his open palm. "You insist. Every time."

He looped an arm around my shoulders, smiling. "Considering you only got your full licence last year… it might be more habit by this point."

I rolled my eyes. He loved using Ontario's system to his advantage, where it took at least two years to be able to drive on your own. "I've still been able to drive off highways on my own for two years. And I should have been practicing highways last year since I had a fully licensed driver. But no. You insist."

"Don't forget yourselves too much," Rowen said, arm now around Tessa. "You're the ones with the keys to let us in, and we've got to go pick up the others."

I raised an eyebrow at him. No words were needed to describe how much a locked door was not a problem with his armour.

Tessa grinned and winked at me, giggling over our shared connections.

We all left and split up into our respective cars. The guys were due to arrive at eleven thirty tonight, and as much as I wanted to offer my sister at least a few minutes of rest at my place, the thought of having Sage all to myself for a couple of hours thrilled me too much. Especially since we were about to cram seven people in my eight hundred square foot apartment. Getting a new place with a second bedroom was the absolute first thing I did after my lease was finished— and had since turned creating as many sleeping surfaces as possible without making the place feel like one giant bed into an art form.

The pull out sofa and chair were both ready for guests when we walked in the door, Rowen having made good use of his time alone. I checked the master bedroom where I normally put the air mattress, me moving to the spare room because I didn't need much space, only to find it unmade and assumedly still in the closet. I swallowed. "If you want to crash, it'll be a few minutes. Rowen forg—"

Sage appeared behind me, a hand going on my shoulder. "I… could also sleep beside you."

I reached up and took it unthinkingly, murmuring, "You all know me far too well."

He turned me to face him, lips finding mine a moment later. The kiss was a balm against raw nerves after so long apart; both of us had been too busy for me to fly over for months, now. Even with my armour allowing for travel so fast it was like he lived in the same city, time zones, sleep schedules, and energy levels barred us from seeing each other as much as we would like.

My hand tangled in his hair, bringing him back down for another, almost desperate kiss. 'Je te manqué beaucoup, mon ange.'

He was just as desperate in his hold. 'Tu me manques aussi. Tout ira bien.'

He always did use the proper French saying in reply to mine. Stress forced its way out, causing me to just hold him closer. As much as I adored him here, the reason he'd come had been giving me anxiety for months. My boss had actually banned discussing the trial at work, well-meaning coworkers asking when I didn't want to be asked— especially as the news kept running stories at new developments, at new appeals. This whole trial hit every sensationalist button the media just adored. Local woman so obsessed with her daughter to the point of kidnapping, a cult, assault, twins separated as toddlers, all culminating in a four years ongoing trial that involved more scandal than a soap opera.

It was television's dream and my worst nightmare. And here it was all about to start in full force two days from now.

He broke the kiss and pulled me against his chest, embracing me in a deeply protective hold. "I'm right here. You don't have to face this alone."

"Because you're subpoenaed into this as much as I am…" I murmured into his neck.

"Even if I wasn't," he said, lips meeting my temple. "I'd still be here to support you."

I kissed him again, drinking him in. For how we never showed much affection in public, we made up for it in times like this; there was a reason Tessa and Rowen had left us alone.

"Go have a shower," he said. "Do you want anything?"

I rubbed my face. "Maybe a little…"

He pulled away, hands on my arms. "Your fridge is arranged as it normally is, when we show up?"

I nodded. He left and I shut the door to my bedroom, tugging off my clothes and reaching for my housecoat, only for Sage to laugh from the kitchen.

'You've outdone yourself, this time!'

By 'outdone myself' he meant the sheer quantity of pre-made food in the fridge. A solid third of the space was dedicated to Kento and Rowen, their tupperware containers marked with orange and dark blue dots. The remainder was split among the rest of us, stickers matching the armour colours with the exception of Sage. He got lilac coloured ones, while Tessa got emerald.

I mentally gave a tired grin. 'I had a couple of days at home. Figured I'd use them productively.'

A hot shower was officially calling my name. I locked myself in the bathroom and left the rest of the world at the threshold, my nicer-than-normal shower stuff out a moment later. The special edition Lush products I could only get a few months out of the year, bought in bulk and rationed out so I'd have enough to last me until they released again. Those scents brought me comfort like nothing else, and right now, I wanted comfort.

Another familiar scent greeted me when I left the bathroom, wearing a t-shirt, hoodie to keep it from getting wet, and pj pants. Sage was relaxing on the bed, a steaming bowl of the fried rice I'd made earlier on my bedside table, one of my favourite scented candles burning on the dresser. A kintsugi-mended teacup from an anniversary present was beside the bowl, filled with what I assumed was chamomile. He had a crumb-covered plate on his side, clothes exchanged from a button down and khakis to the fleece pj pants I'd gotten him and a t-shirt I didn't recognize.

"Rowen got it for me, for the trip," he said when he noticed my puzzlement. "You're right. I never shop for clothes like this on my own."

I laughed quietly— all I could manage— and curled up beside him. The fabric over his chest was soft under my hand, giving me comfort as I played with it mindlessly. Leave it to Rowen to find the exact texture I looked for when stimming. And thank god Sage put up with the unfamiliar texture on his skin for my sake.

He kissed my forehead. "Do you want to talk, or forget the world for a little?"

"Forget."

His hand went to my jaw, thumb going over my cheek and kiss so soft I could barely breathe. "Very well."

Lips on my neck effectively turned me into putty as he got my hoodie off, dropping it on the floor beside him. A moment later he rolled me onto my back, stroking my side. My hand went up his spine to the base of his skull, returning him to my lips and letting him know how I wanted to forget, right now. His posture softened and he obliged, Halo radiating warmth instead of heat.

God I'd missed him so much.

For a man raised to be firm and aloof, I felt privileged to know just how tender and gentle he could be. Even when his teeth scraped the skin of my collarbone— shirts taken off somewhere in the process, only my bra between our torsos— it was simply for him to feel me shiver. I gripped him with everything I had, pressing on the familiar muscles of his back and massaging what I could when he didn't have me lost in his kisses.

He hummed in pleasure when my lips met his neck, Halo saying just how much he'd missed me, too.

I didn't know how long we were lost in each other— Rowen's warning danced across my memory, and I hoped I hadn't missed a text, although if they really wanted to get our attention they could— when we finally stopped. We didn't separate, Sage staying on top of me as a human weighted blanket. "Better?"

I nodded and pulled him down again so I could bury my face in his shoulder. He went onto his side and slipped his arm under the curve of my waist, holding me against him and putting as much pressure on my back as possible. He kept skipping over my bra clasp as he stroked my spine, both of us tempted but him mentally refusing.

My own body betrayed me. After just a few moments, I was shivering despite him acting like a furnace. The uneven heat distribution was causing my muscles to cramp wherever exposed skin met air. Sage wordlessly gave me my shirt and hoodie back, putting his hand where I'd been laying while I shrugged clothing back on. He got up and retrieved a towel from the closet, placing it down where the sheets had gotten damp from my hair.

"You're not going to let me lift a finger, are you?"

He kissed my forehead as he lay down beside me. "None of us will."

I burrowed into his arms. "I've already had one anxiety attack today… I haven't been this bad in so long."

"I won't let anything hurt you," he murmured, stroking my back. "Especially her."

Tears pushed their way out, nails scraping against his skin. "What if she attacks me magically like she always does? What if she goes after Tessa this time? Does the same thing to her that she did to me, initially?"

He hushed me. "Tessa can take care of herself, and she has Rowen to help protect her. Plus the rest of us." He gave an amused snort. "I'm sure if your mother even tries something against her, you'll have her hide."

That made me feel a little better. "I will." One hand went into Sage's hair, playing with the thick locks. "And if this doesn't work, I'll just ask the Warlords to take my mother…"

He simply agreed with me, letting silence hang. I slid my hand down his neck to idly traced patterns on his shoulder with a fingertip, something that was slowly generating goosebumps. "Shall I put my shirt back on?" I nodded and let him go for long enough he could. He simply shook his head at me before tugging it over his head. "I think you're the only person on the planet who wantsme clothed."

I snorted. "As much as I like skin on skin, some days I like the feel of fabric more…"

He lay back down and let me cuddle him like a stuffed toy, wrapping his arms around me again once I was comfortable. "So long as you're happy."

I nuzzled into his chest. "With you? Very."

The loving squeeze I got for that tiny little compliment was enough to ease away any undertows of anxiety about how he felt. A moment later, he laughed softly. "We should celebrate our anniversary while I'm here… it's only a month away."

"If the trial doesn't go straight past that, we might not have to do it early." I picked my head up to look at him and meet the affectionate gleam I had seen so much. "Four years…"

He leaned our foreheads together, hand going to tangle in my significantly drier hair. "The best of my life, I promise."

Shadows threatened to rise in my mind at how we were still boyfriend and girlfriend, even with his family pressuring him to propose and every child in our families either married or engaged butus. Not for the first time, I was jealous my sister lived outside of the city. Despite our joint filing against our mother, she had been traveling and generally not living here while I was the one keeping tabs on it… and living in the centre of the media firestorm. She'd even been relatively distant from Michael's trial from all her military moving. That freedom had allowed her to build a life for herself and I couldn't, our trial's near constant presence making the mere thought of a major relationship change enough to send me on the verge of an anxiety attack.

He kissed me deeply yet softly, Halo's glow a night light in my mind. "It doesn't matter to me. I can withstand my family. My parents try to understand why you want to wait, and we're still young." Another kiss, this one lingering. "You've already told me you'll say yes. You've accepted the promise ring I gave you. That's enough for me."

I nodded and curled up against his shoulder again. "That I will. I just… I hate this trial so much, how I can't live yet. Had it just stayed in provincial courts but she had to file a claim against me at the federal level and now we're here and…!"

His lips on my forehead calmed me down enough I could avoid a repetitive ramble. "And I would gladly be here, so would all of us, no matter what it took. We all love you and my love doesn't change whether or not you have an engagement ring."

The obsessive threads began picking apart, helping me find deeper levels of the issue. "I wish I could believe it'd stay the same but engagement means wedding plans and… moving. Of taking on another family and so many what ifs…" He was silent as a gentle prompt to continue. "What if I take up too much room? What if all the disruption isn't worth it? What if I'm unhappy living in Japan long term and get so homesick— even though the only people I have left here, really, are Dad and my Pride friends— what if you aren't enough even though I think you are?" I swallowed. "What if I'm not enough for you?"

His thumb brushed over my lips. "We'll find a place for you. You have Dusk and can visit your dad that way, and I'm sure you can find your own community in Japan. The country keeps changing, in that regard. I already know you're enough for me." He kissed me yet again, trying to still the swirling thoughts. "I know it's pointless to tell you not to worry, but please try not to let this consume you. I understand. It's a change and… neither of us do well with those. But I love you more than my resistance." He rubbed my back, forehead against mine. "We can be fearful and lost together, as always."

The light teasing brought a smile to my lips, knowledge I wasn't alone enough to make the words stick. I tried to convey how appreciative I was, of him comparing how our minds worked. He never did know what to make of those similarities, but they were enough that we had our suspicions. I always made sure not to press. My hand went into his hair as I nuzzled into his chest. My voice came out in a breath.

"Merci, mon ange."

I only half caught his Japanese reply, barely lucid now that I'd had a chance to actually relax. Dusk kept flowing along with Halo, relieved she didn't have to expend so much energy to feel it. The little crumpled up ball my consciousness had become expanded now that Sage was here; it had already started with Tessa and Rowen's arrival, but Sage cast his own magic. I'd tried calling hima mage, once, but he insisted he only knew because of me.

The mental equivalent of three people bursting through the door and yelling 'We're here!' woke me up. I nearly jumped out of my skin at the excitement from the guys having landed, and came down from the adrenalin rush with a groan into Sage's chest.

He chuckled softly. "I think they were expecting us to be a little harder to reach."

The thought of how we normally were made me snort. "So we have another… hourish. Before everyone shows up."

His fingers brushed along my jaw, tipping my face up for a soft kiss. "Think you could eat before Cye gets here?"

Of course he'd picked up on the relapse I'd been trying to hide. I didn't know whether to be thankful for or condemn Halo. That, and how well he'd picked up on every nuance of my relapse symptoms. I'd gotten used to my cold skin, trembling hands, and strained pulse. He, however, hadn't. I sighed. "I can try…"

The fact both of us knew I'd barely eaten all day— thankfully my definition of 'barely' had changed from 'next to nothing' to 'only a few hundred shy of two thousand' over the course of four years— had me sitting up and reaching for the now much cooler rice. I was about to go microwave it again, only for Sage to stand and extend his hand for the bowl.

I handed it over to him, one attempting-to-protest movement of my legs revealing just how much they'd seized up after classes. That look of his only made me blush. "I can take care of that once you've had at least some food."

"That is an evil bribe," I replied. Having somebody trained in physical therapy and massage as my boyfriend most certainly had its perks. Tessa had forced Rowen to learn, she was that jealous.

Sage didn't reply past the smallest smirk and instead went back to the kitchen. I took the teacup and held it in my hands, both for warmth and to study the gold and purple reflections in liquid. After receiving it, Tessa'd told me the lengths he'd gone to— finding the perfect coloured set, pot and cups included, then getting a green one to match and breaking the whole lot of it with a few carefully placed bokken strikes. Once it had been repaired to his satisfaction, he'd mixed the sets and sent the purple one to me. The green pot with a few purple cups was in his bedroom.

He came back in and kissed my forehead as he placed the bowl down. "Does that need to be heated, too?"

I shook my head.

He settled back down beside me, wordlessly understanding why I was holding onto the cup. I took a sip of the vanilla, cinnamon, and chamomile mix to make it I could rest tonight before starting on dinner, something my body was desperately craving after putting out so much. There was also the fact it was quarter to twelve and I'd been up since six am. When I was just snuggling into Sage after finishing, my phone buzzed.

Tessa: On our way back.

I pursed my lips, debating on whether or not I wanted to stay up. It was about fifteen to twenty minutes by car, maybe faster considering the time of night, and all I wanted to do was collapse. Now that I didn't feel like I was about to break apart at the first opportunity.

Sage gently took the phone from my hand and placed it on the table. "I can let them in."

"I might not be able to sleep."

He picked up my tea and practically folded my fingers around it. I drank it down before settling into the pillow, cup going back to the table. "I don't know if that'll help enough… and no, I don't want to take Ativan. I've already taken it once this week and I'm building up a resistance."

I verbally left out that I was hoping he'd help, but I didn't want to ask in case he was tired from his trip. He was already staying up an extra twenty minutes at least. Thankfully for my sleep schedule, he put Halo's orb beside me on the mattress. The armour slowly pulled over me like a blanket, drawing my eyes closed and easing the dull aches in my muscles.

'Sleep. I'll be here when you wake up.'

My exhausted body was all too willing to listen.

Translations:

-Mon ange: My angel

-Je te manqué beaucoup: Literally, "I miss you a lot."

-Tu me manques aussi: Literally, "you miss me as well"; cultural translation means '" miss you as well."

-Tout ira bien: "Everything will be alright."

-Merci: "Thank you"

P.S. - As a reminder, these characters are self-insert, NOT OC's. As a result, they are not up for adoption. While my coauthor and I are flattered there are those of you who want to use our characters, these characters are us and as a result are not for use by anyone but us. Obviously material belonging to the original creators is free to anyone (the Ronin, Warlords, Mia, White Blaze, etc.), but all other characters in this story are off limits. However, if you'd like to use our specific headcanons (autistic Rowen and Sage in particular), please feel free. Thank you.