Sage yawned deeply and he looked across the room, smiling to himself when he saw Ayame fast asleep on the couch. It was nearing 10:30 and after a quick dinner and a long movie, Ayame fell asleep in no time. Yet there was still no sign of Rowen.

Sage stood up and walked over to the television so that he could turn off the movie, but he couldn't stop himself from thinking about Kia. Letting his thoughts overcome his conscience, he went upstairs and down the hall to where Kia was. A small wave of surprise followed by humor hit him when his ears caught the sound of running water. He slipped into her bedroom, and his eyes found an empty bed. His attention turned to the bathroom door that was located deeper into the bedroom. There, he found the door slightly open, a stream of faint light pouring out into the blackness of the room.

Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he walked in and opened the bathroom door just a little - enough for him to see what exactly was going on.

Kia was lying face up in the bathtub, with steaming hot water running out of the faucet. The water was deep enough to cover her naked chest and hot enough for Sage to see nothing but white smoke rise up out of the tub. Kia's head was rested on a towel that she had put on the edge of the tub, and her clothes were strewn about the room. But what really caught Sage's eye was the row of ten or so candles that were lit; all of them running along the edge of the window that the tub was pressed up against.

Sage couldn't help himself - he had to go in. When he got to the point where he was standing straight above her, he started to speak, "Are you alright, Kia?"

Very slowly, Kia opened her closed eyes and stared at Sage's face. She moved her hands over to his legs and pulled on his pants, bringing him towards her.

"Kia-" Sage's eyes widened as Kia pulled him into the tub with her. But Kia didn't say anything except with her eyes.

Sage's skin started to shiver. Lust. Controlled and contained, but lust none the less.

Sage turned a questioning look on Kia, asking what to do next. He inhaled sharply when his skin hit the hot water, his skin feeling like as though it was on fire. But Kia didn't let him get out, moving her hands from his waist to his face, her eyes glued to his. She gently guided him on top of her, slipping her palms down to his waist again and pulling up his half-way drenched shirt. She did the same with his jeans, even though they were harder to throw out of the tub.

Kia's expression didn't alter in the slightest. She studied his body, her eyes slowly moving up and down, across and diagonal. Her eyes drifted to a stop upon his face and her hands followed her eyes, cupping his face in her palms.

She didn't know what she was doing, so she didn't know how to explain herself. "Sage... I-"

"Shhh..." Sage cut her off, bringing his face down to hers and kissed her. He flicked his tongue against Kia's, teasingly, then pulled away slightly to suck on her bottom lip.

Kia let out a soft, pleased sigh, but Sage took it as pain and quickly pulled away.

"Kia, I'm sorry!"

"Hmm-what?"

"I don't think we should do this. What I mean is... well, you're hurt. I don't want to make it any worse."

Kia sighed and fixed her eyes on Sage's face, seeing it in a new way. She examined his light blonde hair, slightly damp with some strands stuck adorably to his forehead. His cheeks were tinted a light rose color, thoroughly bringing out the violet in his dark eyes. Kia stole a quick glance at his lips, seeming to cry out for touch and craving attention.

"Sage," she started, closing her eyes, "I'm fine. You won't hurt me, I promise. Unless you decide to leave..." she made the perfect pout to enforce her statement.

Sage chuckled softly, bringing his hands to the side of Kia's face, then tracing them down to her shoulders. Without replying, he moved in to kiss her again, long and full on the lips. He ran his hands down the sides and of her body, being extra careful not to touch her right side. Sage eventually moved his mouth down to her neck, tracing up and down her skin with his lips and tongue. He moved so softly and so slowly that Kia thought she would go insane. He took a small break and pressed his nose against her throat as she arched her back, sighing his name and letting her eyes drift shut.

***

"Sage?" Rowen closed the front door softly behind him. "Sage?" He walked into the family room, frowning when he saw that Ayame was left asleep and unattended on the couch.

Why did Sage leave Ayame down here? Rowen thought as he gently picked her up and proceeded to carry her through the kitchen to the stairs. He sighed to himself when he caught sight of the time. Eleven.

Sage wouldn't go to bed without putting Ayame to bed. Unless he is helping Kia with something... Rowen wouldn't let himself think of what they could be doing.

Shifting Ayame's weight, he left the kitchen and headed up the stairs. As soon as his dark blue eyes got adjusted to the darkness, he made his way down the hallway to Ayame's room. He gently set her down on the bed and stared at her admiringly. He whispered a goodnight and kissed his daughter on the cheek before he left the room.

He made his way through the hallway, passing Sage's room as he always did. This time, though, something was different. Instead of the door being shut as it was normally, it stood wide open. Rowen glanced into the room and caught sight of the empty bed.

Rowen stopped dead in his tracks. Now where in the heck is Sage? he asked himself. Pondering, he continued to walk down the hall and ended up in the bedroom that he and Kia shared. He saw more than an empty bed in this room. The bathroom door was slightly open and a puddle of faint light was visible in the darkness of the room.

Curious, Rowen walked slowly over to the cracked door of the bathroom. As he got closer to the door, he could hear water being rippled and splashed.

What am I thinking? Kia would yell at me if I walked in on her while she was taking a bath, Rowen thought to himself, then turned to leave. He would of left the room to go back downstairs to find Sage if something hadn't caught his ear. It was a long woman's moan. Rowen recognized it immediately and turned on his heel, walking back to the bathroom door.

He finally reached the door and he pushed it gently with the tips of his fingers. It didn't open more than an inch or so, but it was enough for Rowen to see what was going on.

Sage was lying gently on top of Kia, smothering her neck with his kisses and tongue. What made it even worse was that they were both in the bathtub. Candles behind them were all aflame, sending off a very hazy light and making the whole situation seem even more planned.

Rowen could tell that Kia was enjoying Sage's presence by the way she arched her body into him, her eyes closed and mouth open as she sighed and breathed Sage's name. Rowen knew at that point that no one was forcing anyone and that both of them were in on the action.

Rowen stood there, not knowing what else to do but examine the room. Kia and Sage's clothes were scattered about, giving Rowen a clue that they both came into the room at the same time. He couldn't have guessed in his wildest dreams that something like this would happen, and the more he realized that it was reality, the more his breath and vision got shorter and fuzzier.

Kia ran her tongue along her bottom lip, meeting Sage's for only an instant before he went back down to her neck again. He playfully bit her, causing her to open her eyes and laugh. Her vision was blurred with the passion that was boiling inside her. As Sage moved downward to her shoulders, she arched her head back as far as it would go. She saw a bright blue blur in the doorway, but before she could blink, it vanished into the darkness.