Part 3

Makoto's light hearted laughter echoed through the trees as she gracefully ran around trees and leaped over the bushes in her path and she reveled in the feeling of power that hummed through her body. It was a sensation that she always received when she was wearing her sailor fuku. The magic's enhancing her natural strengths trice the norm, allowing her to run faster then she ever could even when she was wearing her armor.

She was almost lost to her surroundings, enjoying her run, when she suddenly leaped into an unexpected clearing over some tall shrubs. She came to an almost immediate stand still, causing dirt to shoot up around her like a cloud of smoke and stared straight forward in surprise. The dirt settled slowly around her and she observed a homely looking cabin standing in the middle of the clearing.

"Maybe I can call Mia from there, and tell her not to worry about me." she murmured, and her uniform vanished in a shower of glitter and ribbons.

Left in her biking shorts, a long green shirt, and white high tops, she headed for the house in a light sprint. When she reached the door she quickly rapped her knuckles on it's center. Instantly the door swung open and Makoto stepped back in surprise. However, no one appeared at the door and only a dark hallway was there to meet her gaze.

"Hello?" she called nervously. "Anybody home?"

No answer returned and Makoto stepped into the hallway. Then, running a hand over the wall, she located the light switch and turned on the hallway lights.

"Please, if anyone's here," called Makoto again. "I need to use a phone!"

Cautiously she walked down the hallway and winced when one step caused a floor board to squeak ominously.

"I feel like I'm a burglar or something."

Passing two doorways, she came to one at the end of the small hall that was dimly lit by a partially opened curtain. Seeing it was a kitchen, she walked in all the way to see if there was a phone in the room. Sure enough, next to the refrigerator was phone hanging on the wall.

"Alright! Now I can call Mia," Makoto cheered, moving towards the phone.

Abruptly the overhead lights flickered on. Makoto gasped in fright and turned around, to see her captor standing in the doorway in his sub armor.

"I thought I'd lost you," she exclaimed in surprise.

Sage chuckled, "You did a few times, but I am very familiar with these woods."

"So you knew I was headed towards this place all along," said Makoto with a bitter smile.

"It's were I wanted you to go. I had it all planned, even though you woke up before I thought you would and escape," affirmed Sage as he walked over to her.

"Why did you abduct me in the first place?" asked Makoto watching his sub armor vanish to leave him standing in slacks and a white dress shirt.

Sage gently pulled her towards him so she was looking into his eyes and smiled fondly at her.

"I wanted to surprise you and kidnapping you seemed to be the easiest way to do it."

Makoto sighed and rolled her eyes, "I guess I'd be lying to say I wasn't surprised to be kidnapped, but I think you're still crazy."

Sage chuckled and slipped his arms around her waste.

"Only about you, Mako-koneko." ****

Makoto blushed and buried her head in his shoulder.

"This doesn't explain why you kidnapped me, Sage." she murmured into his shoulder.

"I did it so we could have a perfect date together. The plan was to get you and bring you here for an evening where I could treat you to a special dinner I'd make and then be able to watch the stars under that sakura tree in the back," Sage explained softly, and began to absently run a hand through the hair hanging from her pony tale. "When I was younger, my parents would sit out under the tree together after they thought I'd been put to bed."

Makoto's pulled her head from Sage's shoulder and smiled at him with glimmering eyes.

"You'd share something like that with me?"

Sage kissed her forehead gently, "Not only that. Would you like to see the rest of the lodge?"

Makoto nodded almost shyly and Sage extended an arm to her, which she excepted and they exited the kitchen.

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The gentle sounds of the evening wind in the trees and the chirping of crickets floated about the clearing that Cye and Ryo stood watching.

"Any ideas of how we can get into the house without the kidnapper hearing or seeing us and hurting Mako-chan?"

Ryo shook his head while his eyes stayed locked on the house.

"Not yet. Though there is a window on the east side of the house that looks promising."

Ryo's peripheral vision tracked Cye's shadowed form as it darted towards the house and to the said window.

"No good. It's some kind of storage room filled with boxes. We'd knock them over going in this way."

Ryo frowned and once again tracked Cye's retreat from the house and into the trees.

"Hey guys! We're here!"

Cye and Ryo winced at the mental exclamation from Kento and their eyes instinctively swiveling to the right where Kento and Rowen now stood wearing amused grins.

"Gees Kento," hissed Cye. "You don't have to project to loud."

Kento smirked and Ryo and Rowen shook their heads.

"Fi... talk about it later. Right now we need to get in there and get Makoto out."

Ryo glared at Kento and then at Cye to prove his point and they both found themselves shifting guiltily. Rowen chuckled to himself and then looked at the cabin where Makoto was being held.

"Do you know what room Makoto is in?"

"Last we checked, she was in the kitchen. Ryo says that someone was in the corner cooking something, but he couldn't see who it was."

Rowen nodded and moved off into the darkness and three sets of eyes watched him circle around to the kitchen window and slowly peer in before abruptly pulling away and running back to the cover of the trees.

"She's still there. She's eating something right now. I looked for the other guy, but I could see him."

"At least she's still there. Maybe would should just storm the house and hope he's too stunned to do anything."

"That's a pretty risky tactic, Kento."

"Can you think of a better idea, Ryo?"

Ryo didn't say anything for a moment and then shook his head.

"I don't want to try anything just yet. For now, everyone take positions around the back of the cabin. If the person that kidnapped Makoto comes out, we'll rush him."

The three other Ronins nodded in agreement and split off.

It was about an hour later, and Cye yawned softly into his hand and glared at the cabin.

"This is getting rather tiresome." he grumbled, crossing his arms and leaning back against a tree.

"Back door is opening, everyone!"

Cye immediately pushed himself off of the tree and his green/blue eyes narrowed as he watched the door. sure enough it was open and a tall girl with her hair in a pigtail came out the door, followed by a male. However, the light right behind him, made it impossible to see the kidnapper's face clearly. A small voice began to nag him in the back of his mind, telling him that he'd seen this kidnapper before and he struggled to place the silhouette to a name.

"Everyone move in!"

Cye began to run forward and he watched as the kidnapper shoved Makoto to the ground and stood over her in a protective stance. Cye skidded to a stop and watched in surprise as the kidnapper easily met Kento's initial attack with a block and flipped him away from himself and then do the same to Ryo and Rowen in turn.

"His fighting style is just like...." he murmured and then gasped. "Guys! Stop attacking him!"

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"After you Hime," said Sage politely, holding the back door for Makoto. ****

She beamed at him and stepped out the door, and he smiled to himself. So far the date was going perfectly. He and Makoto had enjoyed a traditional Japanese meal with soft piano music from a cd player in the background. Makoto smiled at him expectantly from the doorway and Sage's breath caught as he took in the image of ethereal beauty as the moon seemed to center right behind her, casting a faint blue light around her.

"Coming?" she asked softly, as if sensing that anything louder then a whisper could break whatever magic hung in the air around them.

Sage nodded and had he been in Makoto's shoes, he would have seen the light of the moon reflected in his eyes in an almost unearthly way. Instead, he saw her shiver and instantly moved to her side and slide and arm around her waste.

"What did I do to deserve such an angel of light?" he asked himself inwardly as he led her towards the tree.

Suddenly a loud cry rang through the air and Sage became aware of four swiftly approaching shadows.

"Get down!" cried Sage, pushing Makoto down to the ground and pulling out his armor orb.

Instantly his sub armor appeared on him and he felt the pure power surge through his body as he stood over his stunned girlfriend protectively. Fighting instincts turned on, his right arm raised and connected with one of his attackers who had thrown a hard punch at him. Then with a low growl, he grabbed the offender's arm and flung him up into the air and a few yards away from himself. A split second later he'd managed to do the same to two other attackers.

"Guys! Stop attacking him!" shouted a familiar voice from the fourth shadow that had yet to attack.

"Cye?" exclaimed Sage in total surprise.

Makoto crawled out from under him and stood up next to him. Both stared in shock as Ryo, Kento, Rowen, and Cye walked over to them

with faces ranging from anger to amusement.

"What are you guys doing here?" asked Sage after a few moments of shared silence.

"Um ... We came to rescue Makoto." mumbled Ryo in confusion.

Makoto gasped beside him and covered her mouth.

"I forgot all about you guys!"

Rowen smirked slightly, "It's nice to know you missed us too."

"We heard Makoto's call for help through the armor link," informed Cye when Sage looked at him inquisitively.

Sage blinked in surprise and looked over at Makoto, barely making out the faint blush of embarrassment on her face.

"It's not like I recognized you when you captured me," she defended, with a slight wave of her hands.

Once again there was a fall of silence and Kento shifted uncomfortably.

"Uh, Sage. Do you have anything to eat? We didn't really eat anything today."

Sage looked at Kento incredulously and Makoto bit her lower lip, waiting for him to grow angry. Sage's eyebrow quirked upwards and unexpectedly, he began to laugh. Five pairs of eyes widened and stared in shock.

"I think he's lost it," whispered Rowen. "I thought he'd be angry for sure!"

"Sage, are you alright," asked Makoto in concern, lightly tapping his shoulder.

He stopped laughing but continued smiling as he looked at her.

"I'm fine. This is so ridiculous, it's funny," he laughed, taking her hand and shacking his head in mirth. "Let's all go inside and I'll give you guys something to eat."

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An hour after four shadows once again vanished into the forest, Makoto and Sage sat down under the sakura tree in the backyard and stared up through it's branches at the stars above.

"Sage, you're not really upset about the guys showing up, are you?"

Sage murmured softly and shook his head.

"I'm not really upset. A majority of it was just like I'd hoped and went smoothly. I think that what happened could have been a lot worse."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. The other's might have called in Kayura and the Warlords."

Makoto looked up at Sage from where her head rested on his lap and giggled.

"You do remember your birthday is coming up in two weeks?" he asked suddenly, looking up at the sky again.

"Of course I do. It's my birthday after all," she responded, laughing quietly. "You're not thinking of kidnapping me again?"

"No. I think it would be easier to ask you out at this point. That, and I think the guys wouldn't be too happy with me."

Makoto laughed and then closed her eyes with a contented sigh.

"Did you enjoy our date?"

Makoto nodded, leaving her eyes closed for the moment.

"It was great," she whispered with a smile. "It was one of the best days of my life. I don't think I've been this happy since my parents were alive."

Sage smiled and ran a hand over the side of her face reflectively.

"I'm glad."

Makoto's eyes opened and she smiled adoringly up at him, her eyes locking with his.

"You know, I wouldn't mind it if you kidnapped me again some time."

Sage chuckled and pulled her up into a sitting position.

"How about next week?"

"It's a date."

Sage gently kissed Makoto and a faint breeze sent sakura blossoms raining down on them.

"Aishiteru, Itooshi," Sage whispered as he pulled away from her with a fond smile.

"Aishiteru," returned Makoto softly, laying back against him. ****

They sat together watching the stars till they both fell asleep, laying comfortably beside one another.

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Mako-koneko - Sage calls Makoto this. It's basically a nick name I thought would be cute. Koneko is "kitten" in Japanese if I remember correctly.
Hime - Another knick-name Sage calls Makoto. Hime is "Princess" in Japanese if I am right.
Aishiteru - I Love You
Itooshi - My love

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Author's Note : Well, there it is. I wanted to post it a few days ago, but that wasn't going to happen. So now, it's posted. I actually am a bit happy with this ending. However, I won't be hurt if someone reviews and says it's crummy. Just, if you do, explain why for me, so I know not to do that in the future! Kay? ~_^ Anyways. I hope you like it.