~Disclaimer: I don't own these sweet and innocent characters that we've all come to shape and mold like clay... but, as always, they don't belong to me. Just have fun reading and enjoy the moment.

~*~

Ryo, with a horrendous smile plastered on his face, ran and jumped over the couch. He dropped his body on Sage and Rowen who were fast asleep.

"Aaaarhg!" Rowen groaned, "What the fuckin- RYO!"

"Dammit, Ryo!" Sage pushed the laughing Ryo off onto the floor. "What the hell is your problem?"

Ryo smirked, "Guys, its one in the afternoon."

A girlish chuckle echoed in the back-round.

Rowen and Sage turned to meet eyes with Mia.

"Mia!" They both screamed, lunging themselves in her direction.

Mia stumbled back a few steps as she was attacked with a pair of bear hugs. "It's nice to see you guys too!" She retorted, trying her best to hug them back. "Happy Christmas Eve."

"Same to you." Rowen replied.

Mia took another step backward, letting her eyes glaze over the two Ronins. She smiled heartily, "You guys look absolutely wonderful."

"So do you, Mia." Rowen replied, "When was the last time we saw each other?"

Mia looked at the ceiling, squinting her eyes, "I think it was before you left for school."

"That was forever ago," Ryo put in, helping himself up from the ground.

"Are you guys ready for some hot chocolate?" Cye asked, walking into the den with a tray of mugs. "It's special hot chocolate for this very special evening!"

Sage grabbed a mug and took a sip, making a face as the tingle of peppermint vodka ran down his throat. "It's got a bite to it," he replied, taking another sip.

Kento chugged half his mug and licked his lips, "Its very good though!"

Rowen and Cye laughed and took a chug of their own.

A rather uneventful night followed, talks around the fire and the bottle of peppermint vodka gone within hours.

Kento licked the rim of the empty vodka bottle, "Dudes! We need more!"

Ryo looked across the room at all his friends, "How many did all you have?"

Sage held up his fingers and counted 10, "It feelsss like I have that mucch."

Rowen shrugged, "I only had 2."

Kento jumped up, "Go to the store and get some more!" He jerked back, "Hey, that rhymes! Go to the store and get some more! Go to the store and get some more!"

Ryo laughed. "You're a dumb-ass."

Cye chuckled but the paused to bite his lip, "That's not really a good idea, Kent. On a serious note anyways."

"Why not? He'ss the most sober-est of us all."

Ryo nodded, "Yesh."

Rowen nodded, "I'll go as long as I get first dibs on it when I get back!"

A round of cheers replied.

Sage grabbed the car keys and met Rowen at the door. "Ro," Sage started softly, "Please be careful."

Rowen nodded, "I promise, Sage." Rowen smiled in a reassuring way, giving Sage's hand a gentle squeeze.

Sage smirked and leaned forward quickly, catching Rowen off-guard in a lip-locking kiss. After a moment, Rowen pulled away and reached for the door handle.

"I see you in a little bit, love."

Sage grinned, "Yep!" He waved until Rowen closed the door behind him. Then he sighed and walked back into the family room, plopping himself down in a chair.

Cye gritted his teeth and pulled a hand through his thin wavy hair. "Someone shudda went with him."

Kento shrugged, "Nah, he'll be FINE!"

Cye looked out the window and watched the tail lights disappear into the darkness. "I hope so."

-~-~*~-~-

Sage bobbed his head, catching himself before he drifted off into sleep. He sat up, looking around the room and realizing that everyone else was fast asleep. All except for Cye.

Sage sat up, "Cye..." he moaned and rubbed his head, a little headache scratching its nails against his forehead, "What time is it?"

"Almost one."

"What's out the window?" Sage asked, looking at Cye leaning against the windowpane.

"Rowen's not home."

Sage felt his whole body jerk, "Wh-what?!"

Cye nodded softly.

Sage rushed up to the window and looked out. All he could see was a glaze of white. Millions and trillions of snow. "Oh-my-god-"

"I said someone should have gone with!" Cye almost screamed, tears forming along his bottom eyelids.

Sage rubbed his eyes and groaned, "This can't be happening..." He ran to the front door and pounced into the snow, "ROWEN!" he screamed. He stopped and listened his voice echo through the trees. He shivered. "Rowen.... Rowen, where are you?"

"Sage, please come back inside," Cye called from the front porch. "We have to stay calm." Cye suddenly acquired a new monotone sort of voice.

Sage vigorously bit down on his bottom lip and reluctantly returned inside. He got in and closed the door behind him, then matched his weary eyes with Ryo's.

"Someone should call that store." Cye spoke up. "Never-mind, I'll do it." He reached and grabbed the phone, flipping widely through the phone book. He dialed the number and waited.

"Yes... hello? .... Do you know a man who might of came in... had blue hair and eyes.... yes..... Are you for sure? .... ok, thank you." Cye hung up the phone slowly.

"Well?" Ryo charged.

"He said that he was in a long time ago... like 11:30."

Sage subconsciously brought a hand over his mouth. "No."

Ryo sighed heavily and rubbed his temples, "Well, look on the bright side, maybe he's stuck in traffic and just jamming to his music, waiting to get home."

"Traffic? At this fucking hour?"

"Hey," Ryo glared his blues into Sage's violet ones, "I'm trying to be cool about it."

Sage rolled his tongue along the inside of his teeth and looked back out the window.

"Maybe we should start to get everyone up." Cye said, glancing over at Kento, who was crashed on the floor and Mia, who slept soundly on the couch.

"Someone needs to go out there and look-"

"Sage," Ryo bellowed, "Don't let it even cross your mind. You know VERY well that the snowstorm is a bitch and we don't want to have to worry about Rowen AND you."

Sage whipped around and glared at Ryo, "At least I'm trying to help! I'm not sitting there thinking he's stuck in traffic at one in the morning!"

"God dammit, Sage! I AM trying to keep you from losing your mind! You think too crazy sometimes and you can't control yourself!"

"But I will RISK my fucking life for him, Ryo!" Sage roared back, "You can never understand what I will-"

"What you will do?! You're gonna kill yourself, that's what you're gonna do!" Ryo screamed, slamming his fist on the wall.

"Guys, we don't need to fight over this," Mia mumbled, her sleep disturbed by the boys yelling. "Rowen is fine."

"But I want to find out!" Sage cried, an emotion to big to swallow forcing itself into his eyes. "I love him... I need to know..."

Cye collapsed his body into a chair and sighed, "We just have to wait, Sage. That's how we're going to find out."

Sage groaned, "NO!" He stumbled towards the doorway, "I'm leavin-"

Ryo grabbed a strong hold of Sage's shoulder and pushed him aside, "You're not going until you get through me."

Sage locked his eyes with Ryo's and growled, "Ryo, if you don't move..."

"Lemme guess, you're going to punch me."

Sage couldn't help but laugh. He laughed and laughed.

"What the hell is so funny?" Ryo asked, crossed his arms over his chest.

Sage stopped and closed his eyes, "This," Sage pulled back his fist and swung it at Ryo. But instead of hitting him, he fiercely grabbed Ryo's shirt by the collarbone and tore him away from the doorway, shoving him into a table.

Ryo fell and broke the table into pieces. He shouted out in pain when he lifted his arm up, one shard piece of wood imbedded into his elbow.

Sage took one last look at Ryo's face before he guided himself towards the door.

But then the phone rang.

:~*~*~*~:

Sage threw his eyes open as he struggled for air. The water was so cold and so much pressure was forced into his lungs that he thought they were going to explode. He struggled, wildly thrashing his arms and legs, trying helplessly to grab onto something. Anything.

Then his foot hit something solid. He hit his foot against it again and pushed himself upwards. It gave him enough leverage to break for air. But it was only enough time for him to catch a breath before he sank back down again.

The cold water was pulling him towards his watery grave and no matter how hard he thought he tried, he couldn't help himself away from the unwanted death. Then there was a light.

-~-~*~-~-

"Sage! Sage!" Cye and Ryo ran down the path towards the lake, flashlights in hand, reflecting all the snowflakes and making it hard for them to see. Before they knew it, they were already at the waters edge.

"SAGE!" Ryo called, his voice hoarse with crying and yelling.

The both stopped and listened. Nothing.

"This cannot be happening!" Cye screamed, taking in huge breaths of air. "He didn't do it, he couldn't have!" Cye cried, flashing his flashlight on the ice's surface.

Ryo couldn't help from crying. "No, Sage!"

Ryo heard it first. It was low and hard to pick up over the echo and whistles of the wind, but he was positive.

"Sage!" Ryo called, heading towards the sounds of coughing. He ran over to the dock and found Sage. He was huddled in a little ball, shivering.

"Oh-my-gods!" Cye ran to help Ryo. They both bent over the shocked and freezing boy, trying their best to help him. Ryo tore off his sweatshirt and wrapped it around Sage as tight as he could.

"Sage, what the hell happened? How did you fall in?!"

Sage kept coughing and shook his head.

"Well, come on. We gotta get him warm before he gets frostbite," Cye mumbled, picking up Sage by the shoulders. "Help me."

Sage took a deep welcomed breath and calmed down a tone. He blinked a couple times, coming back into reality.

Cye stopped, "Sage, are you alright?"

"Yeee-ah-ah..." he muttered, shivering.

"Okay, good." Cye helped him sit up and onto his feet.

Sage turned around to look at the hole he fell through. The water was dark and eerie looking, but something out the corner of his bloodshot violet eyes caught his attention. He grabbed Ryo's flashlight and shined it on the hole. There, floating on the waters surface, were two white feathers.

~*~

*grins* ... Hmmmmm....