Mission : Date

Author's Note : This is the first story in the "Aftermaths" season. It comes about one

month after the 10th Warrior.

Ages : Mia - 17

Rowan, Kento, Ryo, Sage, Makoto - 16

Cye - 15

Yuli - 10

Mission : Date

The car rounded the corner with a slight squeal as it's two occupants sat in silence. Sage Date, driving, held an agitated frown on his face while beside him, Makoto Kino sat looking at him in concern.

"Sage, it's ok. SO the date didn't turn out too well. It's not your fault that the place caught fire," she told him sincerely, laying a hand on his shoulder.

Sage's eyes narrowed and he took yet a second sharp turn.

"It's not just that Makoto. This is the fifth date in a row that has gone wrong."

There was another sharp turn and Makoto frowned a second before shaking her head.

"They weren't that bad, Sage-kun. Dates aren't normally perfect," she said softly.

She paused a moment with a smile and kissed his cheek.

"Except for you, that is." she whispered.

Sage blushed and the next turn wasn't quite as sharp, much to Makoto's relief.

"I don't know Makoto," sighed Sage as he relaxed a little. "Sometimes I think it would just be easier to take you off somewhere where I had complete control, then this thing where we go see a movie where a projector can break or go to a dinner where a waiter drops a still lit shish-ca-bob on you, can happen."

"Don't worry about it," soothed Makoto, leaning her head on his shoulder while he drove. "Every time with you is perfect to me. No matter what may happen."

Sage smiled over at her and then focused on driving again. By the time he was pulling up to Mia's home Makoto was fast asleep; her head nestled on his shoulder comfortably. He grinned, thinking to himself of just how pretty and innocent she looked when she was asleep. With a regretful shake of his head he gentle nudged her shoulders with the purpose of waking her up.

Emerald eyes appeared from the curtained veil of dark lashes and Sage smiled at her, "We're home sleeping beauty."

She smiled sleepily up at him and he smiled back as she sat up. Moving quickly he got out of the car and went around to her door, opening it for her. Still not quite awake, Makoto got out of the car wordlessly and wrapped her arms around Sage's left arm as he closed the car door.

"You know," said Sage, drawing Makoto's eyes to his own. "You are right about the date things. After all, tonight could have been worse."

Abruptly lightning flashed in the night sky and rain began to fall.

"I don't believe this." said Sage in defeat, leading Makoto to the front door.

Makoto made a suspicious giggling noise, "You did tempt fate."

Sage rolled his eyes and continued to the porch where he hurriedly unlocked the door and pushed it open, allowing Makoto to go in first.

"Sage and Makoto are back!" shouted Yuli's voice from upstairs.

Rowen's head popped out of the living room and he smiled at the couple.

"Hey guys. How was your date?"

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Much later that night after everyone had gone to bed, Sage lay in his bed listening to the storm outside.

"There has to be something I can do with Makoto that won't be ruined by something." he thought to himself.

He turned over onto his side to look out the window and frowned.

"It will have to be some place where I can control the environment ... Where no one else is going to be around to mess up the date ..."

He turned onto his back again in agitation as he strove to think of something he could do. After a few minutes of useless ideas he sat up and pressed his hands to his forehead.

"Who would have thought that planning a date could be so hard! It would be easier to plan on kidnapping her!"

Suddenly the rain stopped and everything fell silent and an idea came mind.

"Maybe that would work," he murmured, falling back down onto his pillow.

Slowly a plan began to form in his head and a slow dark smile formed on his face.

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[ ONE WEEK LATER ]

[ "Dream of Loneliness kinou yori mo takai sora; gin no tsubasa de koete yuku yo; miorosu machi chippokena; tenbyouega e to kawatteku..." ]

Makoto head bobbed slightly as the perky melody played over her headset as she peddled the bicycle down the winding road from Mia's home. Just as she did every morning since coming to live there, she was out exercising. Only Sage, Cye, and Mia would be up this early. Mia and Cye would be preparing breakfast and Sage was off visiting family.

[ "Sayonara wa iwanai to muri ni; hashaideta ano egao wasurenai; Dream of Loneliness hanaretemo; dejitaru na yume o haato de tsunagunosa..." ]

A van came up behind her as she peddled and she directed the bike as close to the side as was safe and watched as it passed her and continued onwards. Makoto was silently grateful to Rowen for recording this song for her. Cye had written it for his keyboard and gotten Sage to sing with him. The duet was one of the nicest she'd heard in a long time.

[ "Dream of Loneliness ikusen no; hizuke o koetemo onaji jidai no senshi sa; hitomi ni fuku kaze ni nori; tokimeku mama ni toki o kakeyo..." ]

"Cye and Rei should get together some time." she murmured absently. "They both write some cool songs."

She came around the corner and suddenly found herself smacking into the back of the van from earlier. She cried out in surprise and the sudden stop caused her to loose control of the bike and crashed to the ground. She laid still a moment in disorientation and then began to push herself up.

A shadow passed over her and Makoto turned her head to see if the owner of the van was coming to help her. However, she instead found herself looking at a man in a black ski mask. Makoto's eyes widened and she began to make a run for it when he leaped forward and caught her right arm.

"Let me go!" she exclaimed, attempting to use his weight to flip him.

However, he seemed to anticipate the movement and twisted himself so that her arm ended up pinned behind her back. Her breathing quickened and she attempted to jab her free arm's elbow back into his rib cage. However, he caught the arm before she could fully bring it back into him and forced it up next to the other captive arm.

"What a day to leave my arm orb at home." she thought to herself in anger.

The man began to half shove, half carry her to the van and Makoto began to twist and wiggle.

"I told you to let me go creep!" she exclaimed again.

"I'm not letting go of you." rasped the man behind her. "I've had this all planned for days and nothing is going to get in my way. You're going to be all mine."

Makoto shivered in fear and continued struggling as the man reached the back of the van and opened it with one hand while holding her arms securely with the other.

"I am going to call for help if you don't let me go!" Makoto said sharply as he forced her into the back.

"You can try but know one will hear...." started the man but stopped as Makoto kicked him hard in the shins.

"Guys! Help!" Makoto called mentally.

A cloth was abruptly slapped over her nose and mouth and Makoto breathed in sharply in surprise. An odd odor filled her nostrils and she realized in despair that it was chloroform.

"Makoto?!" called Cye's voice in her mind.

Unable to focus on a reply as consciousness faded from her she looked up at her captor one last time. Had she been able to, her eyes would have widened in surprise as the man began to remove his ski mask.

"Why?"

Makoto lost consciousness and the her captor gently arranged her on a number of pillows before quickly getting out of the back and closing the doors. The others would be there soon and he needed to get away quickly. He climbed into the driver's seat and drove off; not realizing he'd left Makoto's bicycle and headset laying in the road.

To Be Continued

Author's Note : The song Makoto was listening to is called "Dream of Loneliness" and is one of the Ronin Warrior songs. It is sung by Cye/Shin and Sage/Seiji. I've included the complete lyrics and the rough translation down below. (The translation was taken from "The Yoroiden Temple") Please review and tell me what you think. ^_^

kinou yori mo takai sora
gin no tsubasa de koete yuku yo
miorosu machi chippokena
tenbyouega e to kawatteku

From yesterday, the high sky
I'll go beyond with silver wings.
Overlooking a town, so very small
it could be a sketch.

SAYONARA wa iwanai to muri ni
hashaideta ano egao wasurenai

DREAM OF LONELINESS hanaretemo
dejitaru na yume o haato de tsunagunosa

Don't force yourself to say good bye
Be happy, I won't forget that smiling face.

Dream of Loneliness Also separated
My Heart is tied to a digital dream

DREAM OF LONELINESS ikusen no
hizuke o koetemo onaji jidai no senshi sa

hitomi ni fuku kaze ni nori
tokimeku mama ni toki o kakeyo

Dream of Loneliness Thousands of
Even crossing the dates still fighters of the same period

Blowing in the eye Riding the wind
As it beats catching up to time

natsukashisani yowaku naru
sonna shunkan arukeredo

sorezore ni ikite yuku no nara
yuzurenai yume o mochi habata kitai

I become weak with yearning
For that instant to be

If several lives go
Hold the unyielding dream I want to flap my wings
DREAM OF LONELINESS massuguni
kono sora o musubu mabushii kokorotachi		 Dream of Loneliness right before you
Dazzling hearts bind this sky
DREAM OF LONELINESS kizutsuite
hitori miru yume ga ashita o sasaeteru		 Dream of Loneliness wounded
Dream of one person supports tomorrow
DREAM OF LONELINESS hanaretemo
dejitaru na yume o haato de tsunagunosa		 Dream of Loneliness Also separated
My Heart is tied to a digital dream
DREAM OF LONELINESS ikusen no
hizuke o koetemo onaji jidai no senshi sa		 Dream of Loneliness Thousands of
Even crossing the dates still fighters of the same period