No one thought much of it when Ryo wandered off after seeing the report and calling Mia, and they were only moderately surprised to not see him at the dinner table, but when the clock hit 11 and Ryo still hasn't shown his face, Cye, for one, was definitely worried.

"Where could he be…?" He asked no one in particular, pacing the length of the livingroom in his warm blue sweatshirt and beige slacks. Rowen, who just happened to be sitting nearby on the warm sofa, answered without looking up from his book.

"He probably went upstairs. You know Ryo- sometimes he locks himself up in his room and cuts himself off from everyone when he's upset." Cye sighed, heading to the staircase.

"It's not one of his best traits, I'll admit…"

"Mm?" Rowen finally looked up, eyes following his friend curiously. "Where are you off to?" Cye glanced over his shoulder, soft chestnut hair cascading over one side of his face.

"I'm going to go check on our moody leader. Make sure he's okay."

"Hmm…" Rowen gave him a thoughtful look, staying silent for a moment before a grin spread over his face. "If he needs cheering up, you might consider bringing some ice cream up with you." The scholarly boy winked at him, and at the mention of ice cream, Cye's spirits lifted a little. Ice cream would cheer anyone up! Quickly, he went to the kitchen and prepared the raven haired boy's favorite ice cream sundae, a scoop of chocolate and vanilla ice cream with fudge topping, whipped cream with two juicy cherries on top. Taking that upstairs, Cye was sure Ryo would come out of his depression, at least long enough to eat, but when he knocked on the boy's bedroom door, he received no response. Cye waited a moment longer before knocking again and calling out his name, but still, nothing. The cheer that the ice cream in his hands had brought him was starting to fall flat, and his worry was settling back in.

"Ryo? Come on… wont you at least answer me? I'm sure you're just overreacting about Mia.. She loves you, and only you!" Still nothing. It wasn't like Ryo to keep silent even after a good pep talk, and he wasn't the type to let his friends worry about him that much.

"Ryo, please come out and talk to me.. Look!" He held up the sundae, even though he knew no one could see it through a closed door. "I brought you ice cream! It looks and smells delicious! Don't you want some?" Still silence. So, Cye decided to try another tactic… "Okaaaay! If you don't want it, I'll have to give it to Kento!" From his personal experience, he knew that if someone's food was in danger of being eaten by someone else, the "owner" could become extremely protective- especially when it was desert! But even after that, no sound came from Ryo's room. This was even more worrying, so Cye decided he had no choice but to take matters into his own hands and slowly opened Ryo's door. The room was dark, quiet… and empty. Before his mind could register anything else, his feet carried him in a hurry back down the stairs and into the livingroom, where the smell, and mere mention, of ice cream had brought Kento, and surprisingly, Sage in. Cye was glad he didn't have to locate the others to ask them separately.

"Does anyone know where Ryo is?" Sage looked up at him first.

"Isn't he in his room?"

"We all assumed he was." Rowen chimed in, still on the couch.

"Well, yeah, but I looked just now and he wasn't in there!"

"Calm down, Cye," Kento chided in. "Maybe he's just out for a walk or a ride or something."

"He's outside…?" All eyes then went to the window, watching the heavily falling rain just outside. "He wouldn't go out in that, would he? Not on his motorcycle…! It's too dangerous!"

"He's a good rider… I'm sure he wouldn't do anything careless." Sage responded, folding his arms.

"Yes, normally, but considering how upset he's been…?" All went silent at that point. Three sets of eyes went back to the window while one was more intent on staring at the bowl of ice cream melting in Cye's hands. Whenever the boy shifted in place, the bowl moved slightly one way or the other, and Kento's eyes did the same, not leaving the bowl of melting, sugary goodness. Eventually, Cye felt eyes on him and he turned, throwing Kento a disappointed look. Nevertheless, he handed the bowl over to him, seeing as it would be wasted otherwise. Cye wanted to scold Kento, but he knew that he was just as worried about Ryo as the rest of them, it's just that he couldn't possibly hope to focus in the presence of ice cream. So, as Kento ate, he turned back to the window and the raging storm outside.

"Ryo…"

**** ****

He was cold… all warmth was leaving him, and though his body should have become numb to it, it didn't; the cold only intensified, racking his soaked body with intense shivers. He was curled in on himself in a corner of the rickety shack, trying in vain to retain what was left of his body heat, but with his hair dripping chilled drops onto his skin and his clothes clinging to his lean form, it was all but impossible. It seemed like he'd been there for hours upon hours, but he couldn't be sure how much time had actually passed. Weakly, he forced himself to open his eyes, peering out through a small hole in the side of the shack to peer through the pouring rain in order to see the sky; however, it was still very dark outside, and even if it were daytime, there was no way the sun would be able to pierce through the thick clouds and reach and warm him. His eyes fell closed again and he hugged his arms tighter to him.

Ryo hated this; he hated every part of it. He hated letting his emotions get the better of him; he hated losing his cool; he hated his recklessness, which led to him trashing himself; he hated the pain in his leg and the cold air stealing his warmth, and he especially hated the shack he was in, which was offensive to all his senses. The sounds of the rain pounding on the top and sides of the shack were so intense, he half wondered if the force of them would destroy it and carry it away, for, by the smell, it was composed of nothing but broken, rotting slabs of dirty wood that splintered as he rested against it. The smell of the place, not unlike that of rotting animal flesh left behind on the side of the road, was so strong Ryo could almost taste it. The thought of roadkill sent a shiver down Ryo's spine. The shack… it reeked of death. Would he also die there and add to the already unbearable stench, waiting to assault the nose of the next unlucky loser that happened to wander in out of the rain? The thought of it was awfully morbid, but it wasn't unlike what he deserved. He was a horrible person, or so he thought in his hazy state of self loathing; he would have grinned at his fate, the hand that karma dealt for him, if he weren't so tired. The notion of sleep was all too comforting, but not there. He didn't want to fall asleep in such an unhappy place; no, he longed for his own warm bed with the silk sheets and the pillow with his name engraved in it, or at the very least, a large, fluffy, warm tiger to snuggle up against.

His bed… no, it wasn't just his bed he missed, for when he was sleeping in it alone, after having spent so much time lying next to someone, it seemed almost cold. No, he longed for the warmth that only Mia could offer. It hadn't been long since she left, but even now, he was having trouble remembering the feel of her soft hair, the strength of her arms winding around him, the gentle touch of her lips… Tears formed in his eyes as he thought about her. He wanted her near him so badly, he could hardly stand it, but she wasn't there with him, in her home which she so graciously opened up to them, not in his bed, and especially not in that poor excuse for cover which he was stranded in, unable to leave. He wanted to feel her… Ryo closed his eyes and tried to remember how it felt to have her near, and for a moment, he thought he could. His cheek felt only a bit warmer than before, but it couldn't have been real. Much to his surprise, he felt it again, a soft brush of warm lips across his cheek. The thoughts "oh great, now I'm delusional" passed through his mind, but he couldn't be, because in the next moment, he felt undeniable proof that he wasn't alone as someone's arms wrapped around his shivering body.

The raven haired boy's eyes shot open, body jolting as he tried to determine, through his blurry vision, who was holding him, but as his eyes cleared, the surprise only intensified. The one whose arms wound tightly around him, the one whose lips so delicately and lovingly graced his cheek was none other than Mia. Her soft eyes were on him, showing worry and love. Ryo's eyes continues to shed tears of both joy and sorrow, and he wrapped his stiff arms around her without even questioning how she found him, why she was there, or why she wasn't the least bit wet given the storm outside. He just wanted to hold her and never let her go, clinging tightly, and she stroked his back and combed her fingers through his hair, not speaking or minding his actions. Weakly, he croaked out her name, his voice strained and raw.

"M-Mia… I'm sorry… I'm sorry… p..please forgive me…." She continued petting him, still silent, and even just that comforted him, relaxed him. As he started calming down, she pulled him a little closer, and a faint blush graced his cheeks, feeling the warmth of her breasts against his face. He missed that.. but something about it seemed different. But, he thought, he was tired, weak, and hurting, so he brushed off his suspicions, only wanting to enjoy her closeness.

"Mia… I love you…"

Finally, she started to pull away, which disappointed Ryo, at least until she sunk down to his level, cupped his face, and pressed her lips against his. This was pleasant stimulation, and Ryo didn't hesitate to return her affection, meeting her lips with equal intensity. He was quickly starting to regain some of his warmth, especially as she got closer to him, rubbing against him. Eventually, though he, himself, wasn't aware of how it happened, Ryo ended up on his back in the mud, shirtless, with Mia straddled on top of him. Leaning down, she softly kissed and nipped at his neck, eventually biting down and giving him a slightly painful hickey on his left arm, and a softer one on his neck. During all this, Ryo's mind wouldn't stop thinking that something was off. For one, Mia wasn't usually this forward and aggressive… and many things about her did seem off… Curiously, he tilted his head to look down at her, but the one he saw, then, wasn't Mia… The long black hair, the milky white skin, the bangles… Ryo's eyes widened.

"K… Kay…" He couldn't even get her name out. Slowly, Kayura rose her head, the widest grin stretched out over her features. She knew she'd made a major victory, ending up atop her prey.

"Hello, my little Wildfire…" She gave him a coy look, and Ryo stared at her shocked, still, until a mix of fear and addrennaline filled him up, and he somehow attained the strength to push her off of him. he tried to stand, to run, but he didn't make it very far. He fell against the side of the old shack, barely able to hold himself up, with a glare aimed at the woman.

"K-Kayura…! What are you doing…?!" The grin remained as she took a step closer to the helpless ronin.

"Why… I'm seducing you, of course."

"S-seducing me…?!" Ryo's voice cracked slightly. It was becoming harder to speak and keep himself up. "Wh-why would you…?"

"Oh my poor little wildfire…." She shook her head softly. "Isn't it obvious? I… have decided to claim you."

"Claim me…? What are you talking about?" Ryo's heart was racing; his breath was coming in short gasps; he couldn't slow it down.

"I think you know… you think I'd let someone as delightfully pitiful and beautiful as you get away?" In an instant, she went from two feet away to mere inches, fingers sliding across his bare chest and lips caressing his neck.

"And now that I've got my mark on you…" She softly touched the marks she'd made, her grin only getting wider. "…You can't escape me." And with that, she pushed him, sending him through the rotted door and out into the street. His legs wouldn't support him, and he fell, the rain falling down on him again. He rose his head to face Kayura, but she was no longer standing in the shack, nor was she anywhere around him. He sighed in relief, glad that she was gone, but ashamed at how his body was reacting to her. His relief was cut short, however, as the sound of a loud truck horn blasted to his right, and he turned his head weakly just in time for white light to engulf him.