A/N: I was a bad little girl and I forgot to put the disclaimer on the firs chapter! Heh heh heh *Sweat drop* Well yeah, I think we all know that I don't own the Ronins; I simply like to PLAY with them. And apparently, I like to play with Blaze too…. Well, anyways, they aren't mine. And please don't hurt me for forgetting in the first chapter! Well, ja and good reading!

The moment Sage awoke, Anubis was at his side, handing him a painkiller. Sage glared at the older man and turned his head away. He had been knocked out one to many times with one of those, and he wasn't going to fall prey to it's evil again. Anubis sighed.

"Sage, take the painkiller. It's not going to kill you." Sage shook his head like a child.

"I don't like 'em…" He muttered as the other man shook his head, red hair swishing around him.

"I know you don't. But it's either you take it or be in pain."

"No."

"Fine, I'll leave. But when you start really hurting, I'll be laughing at you." Sage said nothing as the older man left. Moment later, Ryo walked in, his eyes red and swollen.

"Come on Sage, just take the medicine. It'll make you feel better, I swear." Sage glanced at the pill, then at Ryo, and groaned. The last thing he wanted to be was a pain to Ryo when he was already having a hard enough time. Well, at least it wasn't a shot like when he had been at the hospital. Reaching over with his good hand, he took the glass from Ryo, and then realized that taking the pill would be hard. Glancing at Ryo, he opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue, as Ryo laughed, placing the rather large pink pill on the other man's tongue. Sage smiled, took the glass, and swallowed the pill. Almost immediately he felt a wave of dizziness strike him as he leaned back against the head of the bed. Ryo smiled faintly as he climbed on the bed and pulled the drowsy boy into his arms. Sage smiled, resting his head of the feline like boy's chest.

"Just give in Sage. You know that you want to sleep." Sage could only nod as his eyes fluttered and then closed. Ryo grinned as he realized the blonde was asleep, and closed his own eyes. Maybe he'd get some sleep too.

"Why wouldn't they take Sage? What did they want with only Blaze?" Anubis asked as Mia sighed.

"I don't know. I was wondering the same thing. What's more important, a cat or an armor?" Ryo's eyes shot open as he gently set his lover down on the bad, minding the arm, then crept over to the door and pressed his ear to it.

"Well, I have no idea what it could be."

"Maybe he just likes cats." Kento pointed out as Cye hit him on the head with the stuffed whale.

"Hey! What was that one for?"

"Because you were being silly. No one steals a cat that wears a mystical armor from the group of mystical armor bearers just because he wants a kitty! He has to have something that he wants, through Blaze." Rowen sat in the chair, listening contentedly to the conversation, trying to analyze what the others were saying.

"Maybe it's a warning." He finally said, as everyone turned to him.

"What do you mean Rowen?" Mia asked softly as Rowen ran his fingers through indigo locks.

"Well, maybe he took Blaze for a reason. And he hurt Sage as a warning to us. Well, not really to us, but to Ryo. I mean, who else could he be after? I mean, Ryo has the strongest armor, can call inferno. And look, Sage is his boyfriend, which one of us does he specifically hunt down and have Blaze attack? Sage. I mean, I was outside at the range, Mia was in the garden. So why would he chose Sage over me? Or over Cye who was at the lake? I think Sage got hurt because his ties with Ryo. I think that this person, or these people that have Blaze, want Ryo. And they're doing any means necessary to get him." Mia sighed as she played with the hem of her shorts. She hated to say it, but most likely the strategist was correct.

"Well, I know this is going to sound odd, but are you even sure it's the dynasty? I mean, they dynasty tends to be too stupid to think something over and plan something so well. I mean this looks like the works of someone with a brain." Ryo stumbled back from the door as he looked over at the sleeping blonde. Sage was hurt because of him? Blaze was… evil, because of him? He shook his head rapidly. Rowen was wrong. It couldn't be that they were after him! He was just a little orphan that just happened to be chosen to fight for the good. Why else would they want him? Though he was kind of relieved that they were after him. He couldn't bare the thought that they would have taken Sage from him. Though now he had to think. Rowen said that it was probably a warning. Meaning next time they wouldn't be as lucky. But did that mean that someone would take Sage? He shuddered. No, he was wrong. Everything would turn out fine. He'd get Blaze back, Sage would heal, they'd defeat the dynasty, and everything would be ok.

"Ryo, what are they talking about?" Ryo glanced up at the voice to see Sage sitting up, clutching his head.

"Are you alright?" Ryo asked, changing the subject.

"I'm fine, now why are they saying that the people after me to get to you? The man who was with Blaze wasn't with the dynasty. He was wearing a kimono… I don't know how he was able to control Blaze. I think he can use animal magic or something. Or maybe he corrupts them to do his bidding. I really don't know, but he's not from the dynasty."

"Sage, you mean that you saw the person that was controlling Blaze." The blonde nodded.

"Of course. I yelled at him." Ryo laughed.

"That's my boy." He stated as Sage grinned happily.

"But Ryo, do you really think that they're going to take me because they want to get to you?" Ryo shrugged.

"I have no idea Sage, no idea at all." Sage sighed. This was not faring well for their team.

"Ryo, Sage, did you hear the entire conversation?" Both boys looked up at Mia, blushing in unison.

"Uh, maybe?" Sage stated as Mia sighed.

"We didn't tell you because we didn't want to scare you two. But, seeing as you already know… Sage, we want you to stay here if we ever have to go out, all right? I'm always going to be here with you, and then the others will all go out and fight if the need arises, Ok?" Sage groaned an annoyance, but nodded.

"Fine, but you know that I'd rather be fighting alongside the others!"

"Yeah, with your shredded arm and the fact that you can't carry your sword, having you fight would be a simply splendid idea!"

"Mia what are you on? That would be terrible." Ryo muttered.

"Ryo, it's called sarcasm." Mia said flatly, as Ryo blushed.

"Uh… yeah." Mia shook her head.

"Well, it's lunch time, so why don't you two come down, and we cal talk about it over food? Anubis cooked a lot, but then again, he always does." Sage and Ryo nodded, as Ryo helped his drowsy lover out of the bed and kept him from falling as he rose on wobbly legs. Quickly the trio made their way to the kitchen as Ryo helped seat Sage and then took his own. He sighed, noting in discomfort that the ever-present form of Blaze was no longer resting at his feet. Slowly he ate his food, nothing that Sage was doing the same. It was then there was a loud crash outside, as Mia glanced up.

"I'll be right back. I'm going to go check up on that." Anubis nodded.

"I'll come to." The duo rose as they exited the room.

"I wonder what that could have been…" Rowen stated as the others shrugged.

"Guys! Come here! Quick!" Mia cried out as all of them leapt up, sans Sage.

"Love, stay here." Ryo stated as Sage nodded, remaining seated as he watched the other yank out their armors and run to where they scream had come from.

"Where is she…?" Kento muttered as the four glanced around, each looking for any sign of Mia or Anubis.

"Over there!" Cye cried out as all of them looked to where he was pointing. Anubis was in armor that none of them really knew he had, Mia behind him as he defended her against a swarm of dynast soldiers.

"Ok, what the hell is going on? When did Anubis have an armor?"

"Well, he knew about ours before we got them. Maybe he's had it and he simply hasn't told." Rowen stated as the others nodded.

"Well, more importantly then talking, maybe we should be helping." Cye pointed out as the others nodded, as they ran off to fight the soldiers. Anubis smiled when they arrived, thankful for their help. Evening the odds, it only took but a few moments for the army to have been destroyed.

"Well, that wasn't so hard." Ryo stated with a grin, as Mia smiled.

"Thanks guys."

"Now, Anubis, explain this armor thing of yours." Ryo stated as they all removed their armors.

"Well, I've had my armour since I was around your age, because like you, it…"

"RYO!!!" Ryo jerked back towards the house.

"Sage…" He muttered. He knew he shouldn't have left the blonde alone! But they defeated all the soldiers…

Ryo immediately bolted back to the house and into the kitchen to see it empty, the table overturned, the precisely made meal spilled across the floor.

But no Sage…

"Damn it! Sage, where are you…" He muttered as he ran up the stairs, glancing around their room to see no sign of his lover. Growling in frustration, he stormed out of the room and right into Mia.

"Ryo, he's not here." She stated solemnly as Ryo fell to the floor on his knees.

"But… we did find this." Ryo glanced up at her, eyes brimming with unshed tears. She knelt next to him as she handed him Sage's armor orb, along with a note taped to it. Ryo tightened his grip around Sage's armor before finally reading the letter to himself.

Oh dear. It seems you have nothing left. And I have it all. I warned you, yet you left him all alone. Poor little thing. At least I'll take care of him, something you failed in. And I thought the Sanada's were known for their cunningness and intelligence. I suppose you proved me wrong. But then again, you wouldn't be the first Sanada to prove to be useless. Oh well. Till later, little samurai.

And Ryo's tears fell.

To be continued….

A/N: Yes, I am evil. And I am aware that I am torturing Ryo and being very not nice. But torturing him has become a favorite pastime of mine lately. Well, ja!