A/N Here's something new I threw together this afternoon. It doesn't tie into any of my stories, I just felt the urge to write it. If you like it, thank Anliya because her stuff has been inspiring me lately. If you don't like it, blame me because I wrote it (laughs).

Waist Deep

Maybe if he hadn't spent the last five years as Rowen's best friend, Sage wouldn't have noticed the changes that had overtaken the blue haired man. As it was, Sage almost felt like the person at his side was a stranger. Someone unpredictable and edgy. Someone dangerous. Maybe if Sage hadn't spent his entire life mastering the arts of hand to hand combat and swordplay, he wouldn't have noticed. Instead Sage found himself shifting as he stood, assessing the possibilities of danger in the situation, muscles deliberately relaxed and held calm. Sage was ready to move, ready to fight. If Rowen knew it, he certainly wasn't saying anything. That in itself made Sage's friend even that more unknown. Rowen always said what he was thinking.

Rowen had spent the last several hours in the exact same position, hunched over the bed their comrade lay in, not touching the prone man and not moving. He stared at the wall the bed was pushed up against, dark blue eyes glazed over, so still that each blink seemed excessive, a waste of movement. The man on the bed groaned in pain and shifted, fighting the poisons coursing through his veins, causing the blankets to move. Rowen blinked again. Sage stepped forward and gingerly repositioned the blankets back over their friend's chest, leaning over Rowen as he did. The blue haired man didn't budge, but Sage heard him breath slightly deeper. A small intake of breath, just enough to indicate that his presence wasn't appreciated. Sage calmly stepped back, not hurrying but making sure he was outside the range of his friend. Not that Sage truly believed that Rowen would ever try to hurt him. It wasn't Sage's fault that Cye was injured this badly. In fact, if it hadn't been for the blonde man, Torrent might never have survived this long. But that knowledge seemed to have slipped Rowen's mind. Rowen's eyes bored holes into the wall. Sage shifted.

A slim figure moved into the doorway and looked worried into the room. She opened her mouth, possibly to ask if there had been any change, but the look on Sage's face, coupled with the small shake of his head made her mouth clamp back shut. Mia's eyes glanced at Rowen and lines of worry on her face deepened. Silently she retreated from the room. She wasn't wanted there and she knew it.

Sage wasn't wanted there, and he knew it as well, but he was not ready to leave Cye with Rowen. Not yet. Did he think Rowen would hurt their friend? Of course not. But Sage had this mental image of Rowen standing on some sharp precipice, balanced on the balls of his feet, chancing losing it if brushed by the slightest touch. They were all dangerous, every one of them. But right now Rowen was dripping with violence. The normally restless talkative man had not moved once in the last three hours. Sage shifted once more, confused and angry with himself that he had an overwhelming desire to don his subarmor. This was Rowen he was with. His best friend.

Rowen blinked. Cye groaned again, fevered skin radiating heat. He was dying. The emotional pull from Torrent's armor to his own was killing Sage. If he knew of a way to give Cye his own strength, Sage would have gladly drained every last drop of his energy in saving his friend. But Kento had already tried that and was still unconscious downstairs, guarded by their leader. Cye's armor had rejected Kento's help. Or maybe it had been Cye rejecting it. As if the young man had instinctively known that taking from his friends wouldn't save his life. That even if it had, he wouldn't risk them to save himself. Cye had always been like that. Braver than anyone gave him credit for.

If they lost Cye Sage knew that a part of them all would die. That he would never be the same. But Rowen? He seemed truly furious that the possibility of losing Cye even existed. He was offended that the situation was even there. Rowen was angry enough that Sage worried he might lash out at Cye himself, trying to force Torrent to heal and using the power of Strata's armor to do it. A shudder went through the man on the bed and Sage's heart sank. Cye was weakening with every breath. There was nothing they could do. The bond between the Ronin armors wasn't enough. They really were losing him.

A breeze rippled through the room, and Sage looked up to see if someone had left the window open. They hadn't. Sage shivered despite himself as the curtains rustled. Not wanting to, Sage moved closer to the man at the side of the bed. Rowen skin was pale, but his eyes...flecks of color had begun spinning. Sage had seen that before, but never with anyone but his leader. Sage reached his hand out to touch Rowen's shoulder but stopped two inches away. Power was filling his friend, heavy and angry. It pushed at him when he'd attempted to comfort his friend. Rowen would have none of that. Sage stepped back, realizing for the first time that he'd never truly appreciated how strong Rowen was. That inside this man flowed the same incredible energy that Halo provided Sage, only different than his own. Strata's strength was vast and cold, insurmountable. Sage stepped back.

Rowen laid his hand against the red haired man's head, fingering his hair gently. Rowen stood suddenly, the movement startling Sage. He leaned over and slid his arms around Cye, lifting the tall man up easily. Cye cried out in pain at the movement but Rowen ignored it. A gust of wind snapped through the room, lifting Rowen's blue hair and giving it a wild look. Rowen carried Cye to the sliding door and opened it, stepping out onto the balcony. Sage swiftly followed and said,

"Rowen what are you---?" Cye cried out again when Rowen jumped up onto the rail, his friend tightly grasped in his arms, and jumped down heavily to the ground below. The jarr must have hurt incredibly for Cye's eyes snapped open momentarily, then rolled back into his head as he lost consciousness again. Rowen straightened and began walking determinedly towards the lake behind Mia's home. Sage jumped down after them and quickly strode to Rowen's side, hair blowing into his eyes from the high winds outside.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Rowen?" Sage demanded. "You're hurting him!"

Rowen's eyes were cold as ice as he said between clenched teeth, "He's dying Sage. Keeping him up in that room isn't going to stop it from happening."

Rowen's feet splashed as he stepped into the edge of the water. Sage grabbed Rowen's shoulder and jerked him around roughly.

"Whatever it is your doing now isn't helping Rowen!" Sage spat. Behind them back at the house they could hear Mia asking Ryo what was happening outside. Rowen looked at his best friend in the world, flecks of power still spinning in his eyes. Then a deep sadness settled on his face, and Rowen dropped Cye down so that he was draped against Rowen's body, held up by his left arm. The winds screamed.

Rowen hit Sage as hard as he could straight in the face.

Even Halo wasn't fast enough to escape a blow like that when he wasn't expecting it and Sage took the force of it across his jaw, falling back to the ground heavily. Blood sprayed from a broken nose and Sage saw stars, dumbfounded that Rowen had just struck him like that.

Rowen turned and half carried, half drug Cye deeper into the water. This particular lake bottom slopped steeply, and he was quickly up to his waist in the cold water, heavy waves splashing against him. Cradling Cye protectively in his arms, Rowen took one more step. He took one deep calming breath, squeezing his eyes shut momentarily, then he opened them and let Cye slide down into the water. His light body floated. Rowen took another deep breath, this one ragged and painful, and he pushed his friend below the water.

There were cries behind him. The sound of a door slamming and running feet. Someone screamed his name. But Rowen didn't hear that. All his focus was on the man in his arms, body limp as he held Cye below water. The wind whistled as he forced his friend lower, tears stinging his eyes. Either this was going to help, or he'd regret his actions for the rest of his life. It was a chance Rowen was willing to take. Cye's hand twitched weakly then fell still. Rowen shuddered and bowed his head.

Sage splashed up to Rowen, blood covering his face, violet eyes furious. He struck Rowen's arm as hard as he could, the one holding down Cye, and Rowen heard the bone break. The Sage had his arms locked around Rowen, dragging him back. He let go and dove for Cye, only to be held back by Rowen's good arm. Sage struck Rowen a hard blow into the stomach, keeling the blue haired man over, and Sage dove once more. A wave hit Halo, droplets of water carrying down some of the blood from his face. Sage desperately dunked under water over and over again, trying to find his friend. It was too late. Cye's body was gone.

Sage stood chest deep in the lake, breathing deeply, horrified. The high winds were calming now, and the waves were dying down. The power that had ripped through Rowen was gone now, but now filled Sage instead. The blonde man spun and went for Rowen, grabbing the slimmer man and yanking him backwards. Splashing and cries filled the air but Sage was oblivious to them. Halo threw his once best friend down into the shallower water, wrenching his broken arm viciously and hit Rowen in the face. Sage didn't realize he was crying as he hit Rowen again and again. He didn't realize that Rowen wasn't fighting him.

"Sage! Sage stop!" Mia screamed as Ryo tried to break up the pair.

"You killed him, Rowen!" Sage roared, throwing himself against Ryo's restraining grip. "You KILLED him!"

Ryo and Mia stared at Sage in horror. Rowen fell back weakly, water splashing over his face as he lay in the sand. Tears rolled down Sage's face as he finally quit struggling against Ryo and seemed to collapse in on himself, leaning into his leader for support, blood still pouring from his nose.

The wind stopped.

The water went still.

A red head broke through the water.

Sage, Ryo, and Mia all turned in shock as Cye swam up to them. He walked out of the waist deep water, hair plastered to his head. He was pale, weakened from poisons that had coursed through his body only minutes before, but his eyes were clear. His fever was gone. Cye looked at Sage as he passed, sea blue eyes sad and almost angry. Then Cye stepped out of the water and over to where Rowen still lay half in the lake, head back and staring at the stars. Rowen didn't look at Cye when the young man sat down next to him in the water. Rowen blinked. Cye laid his hand against the blue haired man's head, fingering his hair gently. He sat there motionlessly for hours as Rowen cried.