~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
~*~
Rowen cursed as he flew in after Sage, diving into the ice cold water. Underneath the ice, Rowen swam around, finally finding Sage's unconscious body floating near the bottom. He quickly grabbed him and kicked towards the surface. With one last thrust, Rowen broke through the ice, Sage in his arms.
Rowen flew all the way back to the house then landed on the ground outside Sage's window. He walked up to it and opened it, climbing inside.
-~-~*~-~-
"Did you guys hear that?" Ryo asked to everyone else who was in the kitchen.
"Hear what?" Cye replied.
"Wasn't Sage outside?"
Kento nodded. "At least he didn't come in through the front door."
"Then he must've climbed in through his window..." Ryo mumbled, then got up from his seat, heading towards Sage's bedroom.
-~-~*~-~-
Rowen cried softly as he set Sage down on the bed. He knelt down next to him and grabbed Sage's hand, pressing it against his cheek. "Why did you do that Sage?" he asked.
Rowen jolted as he watched the doorknob turn softly.
"Sage?" Ryo whispered, peeking his head in through the doorway. Ryo opened it all the way and let the light shine into the bedroom. There, he found Sage, shivering and wet.
Ryo cursed to himself, "Gods-SAGE!" Ryo rushed to his side, calling Cye and Kento. He ripped off the frozen clothes from his body and threw them on the floor.
Cye took one look at Sage and ran into the bathroom, starting up a warm bath.
Kento cursed frequently as he grabbed all the ice cold clothes from the floor, returning with a couple of towels.
Ryo could only gape at Sage's blue tinted body. His lips were purple. His hair was frozen stiff, and even the lively pink in his cheeks had gone white.
"What the hell happened to him!?" Kento screamed, wrapping his icy body in towels.
Ryo subconsciously shook his head, "I... I don't know!" Ryo wept quietly as his followed Kento into the bathroom, carrying Sage. Once there, Ryo knelt down next to the tub. He gently and slowly put Sage in the warm water, watching more steam rise from the water.
Cye bit his bottom lip, "What is wrong with him?"
Kento grabbed his forehead as free tears ran down his cheeks, "I don't even fucking know!"
Ryo cursed loudly, leaving the bathroom. He took a couple of deep breaths, trying to keep himself from crying as he walked back into Sage's room. Not being able to stop anything, he plopped his heavy body down on the bed. He watched as he tears fell to the ground. But there was something there that shouldn't have been. Blood.
Ryo jerked back up and ran back into the bathroom. "Guys! Does he have any cuts on him?"
Cye shook his head. "I already checked for that." Cye stopped stroking the side of Sage's face when Sage jerked.
Sage slowly opened his heavy red eyes. "Wh.... where-"
Cye shushed him, "Sage, don't worry. You're okay."
Ryo closed his eyes, sighing in something between anger and relief. He walked back into Sage's room, looking at the blood stain on the carpet. "Where is that from?"
-~-~*~-~-
Rowen winced as he brushed his fingertip against the gouge in his wing. He wiped the blood on the snow and rubbed away his tears.
"Sage," he whimpered, "Why?" Rowen painfully folded his wings over his back and sighed, "I love you so much... you don't need to die..."
-~-~*~-~-
Kento placed Sage back in his bed. "Sage, go back to sleep."
"Sage, you are SO stressed out... all you need to do right now is sleep... okay?" Cye replied, putting a third blanket on top of Sage.
Sage sighed, pressing his body deeper into the bed.
"Good night," Cye whispered, closing the door behind him as he and Kento walked out.
-~-~*~-~-
Ryo was sitting in the family room, arms crossed over his chest. Kento heaved a deep breath as he joined him.
"What is going through his head!? Why does he feel the need to KILL himself!?" Kento almost screamed.
Cye sat down softly in the chair next to them. "Well, him and Rowen were like one person. I supposed he feels like he's no longer himself."
"So what? We ALL lost Rowen, not just him!" Kento yelled back, tears brimming in his eyelids.
"I know, I know. But it's different for him..." Cye replied, just a tone above a whisper.
Ryo rubbed his forehead, trying to ease his headache. "But you said that he wasn't injured, right?" he asked.
Cye nodded, "Yes, I checked... twice."
"Alright, then what explains the blood stain on his carpet?"
Kento and Cye both sat up, "What?!"
"There was a blood stain on the floor next to his bed.... where did that come from?"
Kento groaned, "What the hell?!"
"There is no explanation..." Cye mumbled back, "I don't-"
"There is no explanation like there was no explanation for how Sage got out of the water either!" Ryo stood up, "Maybe Sage isn't lying, maybe Sage isn't crazy!"
Kento stood up and matched his dark blues with Ryo's bright ones, "Ryo, calm down. We don't need this right now-"
"Kento, you don't understand! How can all this be happening! Sage didn't do it and none of us did! There isn't any other way!" Ryo screamed.
Kento didn't now what to say, "Ryo..."
Cye and Ryo waited for Kento to say something, but nothing came out. Instead, they just both watched as he went upstairs, then slammed his door.
Cye met Ryo's teary eyes, "Ryo, I can't do anything for you."
Ryo let himself sob, "Cye, I just don't know what to do! I don't know what to do for him! I CANNOT take it anymore! I can't see him like that anymore!"
Cye nodded, "I know, Ryo, trust me, I know."
Ryo paced back and forth through the family room. He didn't say anything for a long time.
Cye sat back down, his eyes still on Ryo, "Are you going to be okay?" he asked.
Ryo stopped walking, "Where's Mia?"
Cye thought for a minute, "She's still in bed. All this is getting her really stressed and she was complaining about a headache before... why do you ask?"
Ryo sighed, "Okay...because I want to tell you something...."
Cye inched to the edge of his seat, "What is it Ryo?"
With tears in his eyes, Ryo whispered, "I love him, Cye..."