Hey all, this part is technically a continuation of the last chapter, but at 14 pages in length, we figured it was best to divide them in half.  Enjoy!

Chapter 4B: Reflections

-A week later, August 2nd, 1998-

*Mina's Point of View*

Wow.  Oh.  My.  God.  Wow.  Does he ever have a nice body.  I'm so lucky that he thinks I'm asleep or else I wouldn't be able to stare at him like I am now.  I watch, staring openly, as Cye walks over to the pool, wearing nothing but his swimsuit.  I, on the other hand, am lying down on a lawn chair, in a tube top and shorts, wearing my sunglasses, trying to get a tan underneath the summer sun.  And now, I'm staring at Cye as he makes his way over to the pool. 

We had been talking earlier and he asked me a question, but I was so busy staring at him from underneath my sunglasses that I didn't answer him.  Since he couldn't see my eyes, he thought I was asleep and I gave him no reason to think otherwise.  And I'm happy I didn't.  If I did, then I wouldn't be able to see him now.  You see, when he realized that I was "asleep", he told me that he was going to go for a swim.  He disappeared inside the house and reappeared 5 minutes later wearing light blue swim trunks. 

And I must say, he has the most perfect body I've ever seen.  He's not too muscular, but not too scrawny either, just the way I like 'em.  His chest is firm, he has great arms, and watching the muscles move on his back is almost mouth-watering.  When he emerged from the house wearing his swimsuit, I think I almost fainted upon first sight.  I watched, trying not to show any signs of being awake, as he walked over to my lawn chair and set his towel down by me.  He smiled down at me and in a very motherly move, pushed my hair out of my face.  I watch, captivated, as he walked over to the pool's edge. 

He stretches his arms out, moving his shoulder blades, which, in turn, moves the muscles of his back.  He really does have a wonderful body.  I watch as he jumps into the pool and disappears from sight, but I can hear him beginning to do laps back and forth.  He really does love the water.  He swims down here almost everyday.  But, he hasn't recently; he's been too busy being with me.  Last week, I broke down in front of him.  Why, I have no clue, but he caught me crying.  I didn't think anyone was there, so I thought it was safe to let down my happy face for a moment. 

Being an actress really lowered my self-esteem.  In that line of business, one is usually based on their looks and often enough, I was rejected because my looks didn't fit the part they were looking for.  They paid no attention to my acting abilities, they just wanted someone that fit the role physically and many times, the casting directors thought I was too young, too innocent looking to play the parts that emotionally, I could play.  That really lowered how I picture myself.  It still has an affect on how I think about myself.  But, over the years, it's started to get better.  Maybe it's because I've been in the company of people who don't care about how I look, but about who I am as a person.  I really think that it's helped a lot.  I also think that Cye being there for me has a big effect.  I feel so much better now than I did a month ago, when they first moved here. 

That's another thing I just love about Cye.  Not only does he have a great body, he has a great personality.  He's so sweet and caring, much different from the normal 15-year old boys that I know.  I asked him why he was so nice and he said that maybe it had to do something with growing up with only a mother and an older sister.  Growing up around females, he said, was probably why he was so different from normal males his age. 

Then, I asked him why he didn't have a girlfriend.  I figured that someone as nice and cute as he is would have girls begging him to go out with him.  He told me that he didn't have a girlfriend and that not many girls wanted to go out with him, but with Sage, the flirt king of the school they went to.  I was absolutely outraged and still am.  How can no one see the sweet, caring soul behind those gorgeous eyes?  But, I'm also a little happy that not many girl want to go out with him.  It means I still have a chance.  And thank god for chances. 

I turn my head to look at the pool and can see him swimming back and forth and find myself making wishes.  I wish that I could be in his arms again.  When I was crying in front of him, he pulled me into his arms and held me as I cried.  I felt so safe and warm inside his arms and I never wanted him to let go, never wanted to leave.  I can picture myself falling asleep in his arms, warm and complete.  Being in his arms felt like home, though I don't know why.  He's also incredibly tender.  It's odd.  He held me like I was going to break any second, which wasn't going to happen, but it's nice to have him do that anyway.  It made me feel cherished and special, a feeling I don't have everyday. 

I think he's good for me, even if he doesn't know it.  He's so perceptive of other people's feelings and that's a good thing for me.  What I need is someone who picks up on my feelings and forces me to talk about them.  It's bad for me to hold in those feelings and talking about them makes me feel better.  Plus, Cye is very attentive.  He gives people all of his attention, which is another thing I need.  I need someone who will listen to me to help me get through this.  And he seems genuinely concerned and I feel like I can talk to him.  Those are just some of the things that attract me to him.  There is something about him that I am automatically attracted to and was automatically attracted to him when I first met him a month ago.  Actually, now that I think about it, I think I'm in love with him.  And I'm too scared to tell him. 

I had no problems telling my crushes that I liked them, but that was a different thing.  This light-headed, free, safe feeling I get in the pit of my stomach whenever I see him is what I'm pretty sure is love.  Telling him that I love him is going to be a totally different thing.  Love is something that I am very serious about, seeing how that's where part of my power comes from, and I don't want to tell him too early and have him be scared off.  Having that happen would be the worst thing for my self-esteem and I don't think I could handle that rejection that I know will happen if I tell him that I love him now. 

So, I will wait and see what his feelings for me are before I make my move; I have to be absolutely certain before I tell him that.  Don't want my heart getting squished, now do we?  But, for now, even if I can't be with him the way I want to, I'll be content to just be in his presence and let his positive attitude wash over me in waves, making me feel better about myself. 

I sigh and settle down even more to watch him swim.  He really is an excellent swimmer.  Maybe it's his connection to water.  I don't know.  He swims for about 10 more minutes, making the total about 25 minutes, before he stops swimming and gets out of the water.  Ooh, this is my favorite part. 

As he makes his way towards my lawn chair, where his towel is, I just about faint again, all rational thought leaving my mind and my eyes opening wide underneath my sunglasses.  His hair is slicked back with water and his body is drenched.  My eyes travel up and down his body, pausing to watch a drop of water make its way down his chest, stopping when it hits the waistband of his swimsuit.  And speaking of which, his swimsuit, which is heavy with water, clings to him, clearly accentuating everything.  He picks up his towel off the ground and I watch as he begins to dry himself off, his hands with their long graceful fingers holding onto the towel. 

He has artist's fingers: long, graceful, and sensitive.  A few days ago, I watched him carefully as he molded clay on the pottery wheel into a bowl, careful to make sure it was perfect.  I watched him caress the clay and vainly wished that he would touch me with those fingers.  I find myself now wondering what it would be like to have his hands on my body.  At that unbidden, yet deeply desired, thought, I blush, feeling myself turn crimson.  Cye looks down at me with a worried look on his face.  He lays a hand on my shoulder and shakes me, obviously trying to wake me up.  I jerk my body to look like I'm waking up and moan lightly as if I've been rudely awakened.  I close my eyes before removing my sunglasses, only adding to the charade, and open them slowly to see Cye hovering over me.  "Hey sleepyhead," he says softly.

"What?" I ask him, my voice equally as soft.

"Well, I thought I'd wake you up.  You face looks a little burnt."  I laugh inwardly.  That's not sunburn, that's a blush; I don't burn easily.  But, there he goes again, always thinking of others before himself.

"Oh, thanks," I say, still lying down on the lawn chair.  I cringe in surprise as a droplet of water hits my cheek.  I look up at him and say, "You're wet."

"Yeah, sorry about that.  I took a swim."

"I can see that," I say, indicating his swimsuit-clad body.  I sit up and he moves out of the way.  I look to my right and there he is, looking at me with a concerned look on my face.  His face is so close; I can feel his breath on my face and I want so badly just to kiss him; his lips are only inches away.  "Are you ok, Mina?" he asks me.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a little tired."

"Mina," he says, giving me a reprimanding look; he caught me.  He knows something is wrong and he's not going to stop pushing until I tell him.  Well, I'm going to have to come up with a good excuse and quick because I'm thinking about him and I can't very well tell him that.  "I'm fine, I'm feeling the same as usual."

"Are you still depressed?" he asks, concern ringing in his voice.  I just have to smile at him, a genuine smile.

"I feel better than I did last week.  That's an improvement, right?"

"Well, as long as you're getting better."

"I am, I am."

"You sure?  You're very special to me and I don't want anything to happen to you."  I smile widely and throw my arms around him in a hug.  "You're great, Cye, did you know that?"

"No, but thanks for telling me," he says with wit as he hugs me back, his wet chin resting on my bare shoulder.  Come to think of it, I can feel my body become damp as well.  "You know, you're still wet," I say with humor in my voice.

"Well, it your fault that you're getting wet.  You hugged me first."  I pull away and stick my tongue out at him.  "I don't need that from you, thank you very much.  You can keep your sarcastic remarks to yourself."

"Ah, I'm sorry Mina," he says with a sigh in his voice.  I smile at him again.

"It's alright, I was only joking.  I really don't care."

"But, if it hurts your feelings…"

"It doesn't.  Actually, your sarcasm makes me laugh at times.  I need to laugh.  So, thank you.  But," I say, standing up, "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go upstairs and take a nap.  I'm still a little tired and I want to sleep it off.  We're still going to that movie tonight, aren't we?"

"We sure are.  Unless you've changed your mind," Cye said and I can hear the disappointment in his voice.

"No, I'm still going.  Just wanted to make sure.  I want to be well rested for that.  So, anyway, later?"

"Yeah, I'll see you later.  Around 7:00?" he asks me.

"Right.  Downstairs, front hall, after dinner."  He nods at me and I wave at him before walking back in to the house, a little bounce in my step.  I almost forgot about the movie that we were going to see tonight.  I would have been very disappointed if I forgot.  I love spending time with him and I'm surprised that I almost forgot. 

I walk inside the house, passing the training room where, out of the corner of my eye, I see Raye.  She's looking inside the training room through the door, but she's not going in.  She looks forlorn, guilty even.  I wonder what's wrong.  Well, she looks like she doesn't want to be bothered, so I'm not going to.  I reach the stairs and walk up them. 

I finally reach the third floor after a few minutes of climbing stairs.  I've walked these stairs so much in the last year and a half that I've become used to how much energy it takes to climb them and I'm not winded when I reach the top.  I walk down the long hallway that leads to my bedroom.  The hallway is about 30 to 40 feet wide, which is huge.  At times, I'm still not used to the huge hallways that are in this house. 

I walk into my bedroom, passing Alex, Michelle, and Lita's bedrooms before reaching mine.  I love my room.  My bed is all done in silk, the comforter crème silk with flowers on it.  I take off my sunglasses, placing them on my dresser, before going over to my bed.  I slide onto my bed and lie my head down on the pillow.  I close my eyes, finally realizing how tired I am.  I can feel myself drifting off into a state of unconsciousness and I find myself wondering one thing.  What am I going to wear tonight?

*Raye's Point of View*

I shouldn't be doing this, I know I shouldn't, but I just can't help myself.  He's just too good-looking to resist.  What I am doing can be classified as spying and I know it.  But I love watching him.  Right now, I'm standing right outside the door of the training room, cleverly hidden in the shadows, watching Sage do tai chi, his body moving in slow, calculating movements that test his control and concentration.  It's a method of meditation, as I learned from my grandfather, that's supposed to center your mind and strengthen it. 

Whoops, shouldn't have thought about that.  Thinking about that only makes me remember that my grandfather is dead.  And what's worse is that our relationship didn't end on a good note.  The night before he was killed, we had another fight and I didn't have the chance to say that I was sorry, which I really was.  I didn't mean what I said, it's just that sometimes my grandfather said or did things that would push my buttons in just the right way and I'd explode.  I know for a fact that I get my temper from my grandfather.  There's nowhere else it could come from. 

But, as much as my grandfather may have annoyed me, I still loved him.  I have fond memories of life at the temple.  Holding Sailor Scout meetings in my bedroom, chasing Chad around the temple with a broom when he sang…ooh, that one hurts.  My memories of Chad still hurt.  It's like a wound that hasn't closed yet.  And if Chad is the proverbial wound, then Sage is the proverbial salt being rubbed in that wound.  I don't know why, but somehow, my being attracted to Sage makes me feel like I'm cheating on Chad.  But, that's the funny thing.  Sure, I loved him and he loved me, but we never dated once, ever. 

Chad would also want me to move on with my life if something ever happened to him.  Chad would want me to be happy, as would I if I had died and he had lived; I would have wanted Chad to find somebody and be happy.  But I still feel like I'm cheating on Chad.  So, now I'm torn between my memories of Chad and my experiences with Sage.  I love spending time with Sage.  He's so funny and nice.  And we have so much in common.  We're both huge flirts, are skilled in karate, love to meditate, have purple eyes (which is really irrelevant), and have sarcastic, dry senses of humor.  The one main difference between the two of us is the nature of our tempers. 

The both of us have explosive tempers, the difference is that it takes him a long time before his temper explodes and I have a very short fuse.  But, if there's one thing I'm noticing it's that since Sage has entered my life, I've been much more calm and a lot nicer to people. 

As I watch Sage practice tai chi, totally captivated by how gorgeous he is, I start to feel sleepy.  For the last week or so, I've been really tired.  It's slowly going away, but it's still affecting me.  I think it has a lot to do with the fire reading I did for Sage last week.  One, it's a lot harder to do fire readings on dreams that other people have had because you have to try and picture their dream in your mind.  Plus, I was attacked by that guy in the fire.  He sent a blast pure energy my way and that really hurt.  Who ever he is, he's really powerful and I'm sure that his children are as well, who ever they are. 

Sage feels bad for making me do the fire reading, but he doesn't understand.  He didn't make me do anything.  If I didn't want to do it, I would have told him so.  But, I'd do anything for Sage.  I'm not the world's most giving person, but I know that if Sage asked me to do something for him, I'd do it in a heartbeat, I love him that much.  Wait, I love him?  I pull away from the door slightly and try and calm my now beating heart.  Me?  In love again?  "I love him," I whisper to myself.  Hearing myself say that makes me feel giddy and tingly all over.  A huge smile appears on my face. 

I am in love with Sage Date.  But, then, I remember Chad and my recently inflated spirits deflate faster than I'm able to stop.  If I felt guilty before, I feel really guilty now.  Now I really feel like I'm betraying Chad's memory by being in love with Sage.  I slide down the wall I'm leaning on and rest my head on my knees, hugging my knees close to my chest.  "Oh man, life really sucks," I whisper into my lap.  I know that I can't be with Sage until I finally get over Chad, but it's going to be a while before that happens.  Chad was my first true love, even though he didn't know it.  Two years hasn't nearly been enough time for me to get over him.  And I don't even know if Sage even likes me the way I like him, much less love me. 

I am sitting right by the door, so I only have to turn my head to see inside the training room.  I can see Sage walk over to where a pile of his stuff is and grab a water bottle, taking a swig of it.  He pulls off the wife-beater he's wearing, leaving him in only gray sweats.  I shut my eyes tightly and groan softly in frustration.  It's not fair.  That guy has a positively gorgeous body and I can't be with him.  Life really does suck.  I hear his feet padding on the floor of the training room.  I open my eyes to see him walking to the middle of the floor.  He stands with his feet together, his hands pressed together and his eyes closed he looks like he's ready to practice forms, but I decide to interrupt him. 

Standing up I walk into the room and say, "Well, look who's practicing."  I smile a wide grin as he jumps a few feet into the air.  He, he, I caught him off guard.  It's not every day one can do that.  He's usually so impenetrable, so perceptive to what's going on around him that one can't usually surprise him like that.  His eyes open wide and they meet mine almost immediately, purple challenging purple.  When he realizes that it's me, his stance relaxes and his eyes soften a bit.  "Oh, Raye, it's you.  Seesh, you scared me."  I only smile wider and let out a little giggle.  "I know," I say, "It's so much fun to try and catch you off guard."

"You're cruel," he says jokingly.

"I know," I say.  He looks me up and down, making me feel a little uncomfortable, taking in my outfit, which consists of an open button-up shirt, a sports bra, and bicycle shorts.  I, too, am barefoot.  "Why are you here?" he asks me.

"Well, I was heading down to the weight room when I saw you in here and decided to say hi."  He doesn't have to know that the decision time took me about 10 minutes of staring at him.

"Oh," he says simply.

"I see you were getting ready to practice forms.  Wanna spar instead?" I ask him.  I see his face light up slightly.  He may be in control of his emotions, but he's just as male as the normal teenage boy is.  He'd rather fight against someone than practice forms.  "Yeah, sure," he says, but I already knew what the answer was going to be.  I strip off my button-up shirt and throw it up against the wall.  Taking the ponytail holder off of my wrist, I tie my waist-length hair up into a ponytail, keeping it out of my face. 

I have to allow myself a few seconds to get used to that shift.  I'm not used to my hair being up in a ponytail so when it is, I have to recalculate the balance of my body.  "Stop primping and fight me," Sage yells at me.  I glare at him good-naturedly as I enter one of the training arenas.  "Oh, and you're not vain, Mr. I-have-to-have-perfect-hair?"  He blushes lightly and says, "That's not the point."  I only smile and resume a fighting stance.  He does the same and our gazes lock, each of us daring the other to make the first move.  It is he who delivers the first move, a karate chop to my shoulder. 

That first simple move set off a flurry of movements made by the both of us.  We are throwing punches, delivering kicks, and basically, trying to get the other to go down.  Each of us has our own particular strengths.  I may not be as strong as Sage, but I'm lighter and faster, while he is stronger than I am, but not as fast as I am.  I throw a punch, which he catches and then he throws a punch, which I catch.  Locked in a stalemate, he starts to push me backwards, determined to make me falter.  Instead, he manages to step on my foot.  In a reflexive action, I bring my foot up into the air, which lifts his foot off the ground, causing him to lose his balance and fall down on top of me, pushing me to the ground. 

I hit the ground with a loud thud, the wind knocked out of my lungs.  Sage lands right after I do, half onto me and half onto the floor.  Our hands are still connected, but now his hands are holding my arms, which are spread apart, onto the floor, pinning my arms down, a move that was not intentional.  One of his legs is in between mine and he's resting lightly on my body.  I would revel in this feeling if I weren't struggling to breath again after getting the wind knocked out of me. 

Sage lifts his head, which was right next to mine, and looks down at me.   "Are you ok?" he asks as I struggle to breathe.  In between coughs, I manage to get out, "Does it look like I'm ok?"

"No, I guess not."  He stares at me for a few moments while I cough, trying to regain my breath.  "Aw, Raye, I'm really sorry.  I didn't mean to.  It was an accident."  Finally, I manage to get my breathing under control and I say, "It's alright.  I know you didn't mean to.  But, let's just call it a draw, alright?"  We smile at each other, still lying on the ground and are shaken out of our reverie when we hear, "What are you two doing?" 

We both look in the direction of the door to see Ami standing there, holding a couple of old looking books in her hand, staring at us.  She obviously wanted answers as to why Sage, who was wearing nothing but a pair of sweats, was lying on top of me, who was wearing bicycle shorts and a sports bra.  Embarrassed at being caught in this situation, I push Sage off of me and he lands on the floor with a grunt.  I stand up and offer Sage my hand, which he takes and I help him up.  Ami is still standing there, however, her arms crossed in front of her chest and her foot tapping impatiently.  "Well?" she asks.

"Ok, you see, Sage and I were sparring when I accidentally tripped him and he fell, pushing me down onto the floor and landing on top of me."  At Ami's skeptical look, I say, "It's the truth, I swear."  Ami switches her gaze from me to Sage, still looking as skeptical as ever.  "She's telling the truth," Sage says, "I promise.  That's what happened."

"Well, alright," Ami says, not pressing the issue any further, "Anyway, I'm headed off to the library.  See ya!"

"Bye Ami.  Oh, and by the way, you look cute," I say, commenting on her casual floor-length skirt and peasant top, the skirt dark blue and the top white.  She smiles at me and says, "Thanks," before walking out of the training room. 

Once she's gone, Sage and I look at each other before laughing.  Wiping tears from my eyes, I say, "That was so funny.  I loved the look on her face when she saw us on the ground."

"Yeah, that was pretty funny, wasn't it?" Sage says.  I smile at him and wipe the sweat off of my forehead.  That was an intense sparring match.  I need a shower.  "Ugh," I say in disgust, "I need a shower.  I'm going to go upstairs and take one and then I'm going to read a book.  What, I don't know yet, but I'll figure it out.  So, I'll see you at dinner, ok?"

"Yeah, sure, later," Sage says.  I pick up my shirt and walk out of the training room.  That's what I love about this house.  No matter how many people are living in it and how many things they're doing, everyone still has to eat dinner at the same time.  Lita makes sure of that and besides, her cooking is so great that everyone always attends dinner.  She says she's not that great, but she doesn't have any faith in her ability.  I make my way up to my room, a permanent grin on my face.  I guess spending time with Sage always puts me in a good mood.  Maybe being in love with him isn't so bad.

*Ami's Point of View*

Library, here I come.  I've been going down there a lot lately.  But, you know, if Rowen weren't here, I wouldn't be going down there as often as I am.  But, it's also the one place where Rowen and I can be with each other without being interrupted.  We don't mean to always be in the same place, though.  Most of the time, what happens is one of us is already down there and the other one goes to get a particular book and then the two of us just strike up a conversation.  But, lately, we haven't spent a lot of time in the library.  A lot of time is spent either in the pool, as I'm giving Rowen swimming lessons, or in the woods, where Rowen is giving me archery lessons. 

I grumble in memory of our first lesson.  It was how to properly string a bow.  I swear I still have little cuts on my fingertips where I was cut by the wire.  But, today's lesson was really nice.  Today, we started to work on my stance, which is great because Rowen has to get in really close to check my stance.  I almost fainted earlier today when he laid his hand on my stomach to get me to stand up straight, his other hand on my shoulder, adjusting the position of my arm.  He was talking to me and I could feel his breath on my neck.  He was talking to me in this low, tender tone of voice that made my heart skip a beat or two.  My whole body was almost shivering in anticipation of something that I knew wasn't going to happen.  I could practically feel his lips on my neck.  It took all of my willpower (and believe me, I have a lot of it, but it seems to be coming in shorter reserves nowadays) not to drop the bow in my hand, turn around, and kiss the life out of him. 

A shiver runs up my spine at the thought of him kissing me and I know I'm not going to get that image out of my head for the rest of the day.  I walk down the stairs and begin to disappear down the hallway when I hear Darien call my name.  I'm not surprised to see him here on a regular basis.  He's practically living here, which is natural, because almost all of his friends live in this house.  I think that soon, he's just going to move into this house and be done with it. 

"Hey, Ami," he calls out to me.  I turn my body and begin walking towards him.  He's standing in the foyer, sifting through a box of what looks like old books that's resting on one of the velvet-covered benches that litters the foyer.  "Yeah Darien?"

"There's something I want to give you."  He picks up two books out of the box and hands them to me.  The books are really old, I can tell by the looks of them.  I sit down on the bench that the box is on and open the cover of the book on top.  My eyes widen in surprise as I am greeted with ancient Greek text.  Lucky I can read that.  "Legends of Warriors?" I ask.  I begin to flip through the pages and find out that it's a book on our armors, all of them.  I slip the second book out of underneath the second one and open the cover, finding that it's written in the same ancient Greek text.  "Armors of the Immortals?  Darien, where did you get these?" I ask again.  I am amazed.  These books are obviously filled with legends and myths about the Ronin and Mystical armors, probably helpful information that I can use to help me understand the armors.  "I got these from a friend who lives in California.  He has a bundle of old, mystical and occult books.  I called him up and asked him if he had any books on ancient warriors who wore armor.  And don't worry, he doesn't know about your powers," he finishes, taking in my concerned look.

"Well, tell him thank you.  I have to go show these to Rowen.  I'll see you later, Darien."

"No problem.  Later, Ami."  I smile at him and rise off the bench.  I practically skip down the hall towards the library, where I'm hoping Rowen is. 

As I walk down the hallway, I pass one of the bathrooms on the first floor and can't resist.  I walk in and check myself in the mirror, fussing with my hair a bit.  I don't know why, but I feel very self-conscious around Rowen.  I do, however, really like the outfit I'm wearing today.  A dark blue skirt (with a slit that goes up to mid-thigh that I did NOT notice when I bought it) and a short-sleeved white peasant top, a very loose, thin shirt.  I look at myself in the mirror.  Hmm, maybe I shouldn't have worn my light blue bra with this shirt…oh well.  Not going to go change.  It takes too much time. 

I leave the bathroom and am about to continue my walk to the library when I hear a loud crash and then coughing immediately following coming from the training room.  Worry filling my mind, I rush down the hallway that leads me to the open pair of double doors and look into the room to find Raye on the ground with Sage on top of her.  And they ain't wearing much.  From the looks of it, Sage is only wearing a pair of sweats and Raye is in her sports bra and a pair of stretch shorts. 

I raise an eyebrow in interest.  What's going on between those two?  I must say, though, that those two look really cute together.  I stand there, silent, so I can hear their conversation.  "Aw, Raye, I'm really sorry.  I didn't mean to.  It was an accident," Sage says.  I can hear the sincerity of his apology in his voice and can't help for feel bad for him.  Whatever he did, he thinks it was bad.  I expect Raye to yell at him, but the words out of her mouth surprise me.  "It's alright.  I know you didn't mean to.  But, let's just call it a draw, alright?" 

Ok, that's it.  I need to find out what's going on.  Crossing my arms in front of my chest, one of my hands still holding the books, I say loudly, "What are you two doing?"  Both heads swivel to look at me and the looks on their faces dimly resembles a deer caught in headlights.  I almost laugh at that. 

I let out a silent giggle as Raye, who's embarrassed at being caught in that situation with Sage, shoves him off of her and he hits the ground hard.  Raye stands up and offers him her hand.  I half expected him to pull her back onto the ground as payback for shoving him to the ground.  But, instead, he takes her hand and allows her to help him up.  As cute as this scene is, I'm getting a little impatient. 

Tapping my foot on the ground as a sign of that impatience, I say, "Well?" expecting an answer yesterday.  Raye turns to face me with a light blush on her face.  "Ok, you see, Sage and I were sparring when I accidentally tripped him and he fell pushing me down onto the floor and landing on top of me."  Oh really, so that's what happened.  Didn't look like it to me. 

Raye notices my disbelieving look and says, "It's the truth, I swear."  My gaze switches to Sage as I look for answers.  I really don't care; I just like to see them squirm.  "She's telling the truth," he says, "I promise.  That's what happened."  I decide not to press the issue any further.  "Well, alright.  Anyway, I'm headed off to the library.  See ya!"  I begin to walk away when Raye's voice calls me back.  "Bye Ami!  Oh, and by the way…"  I turn and walk back to the doorway, looking at her expediently.  "You look cute."  My face breaks into a huge smile.  The first compliment I've received all day.  "Thanks."  I say before finally leaving. 

As I turn the corner into another hallway, I hear the sounds of their laughter.  I shake my head and continue walking, the sounds of their laughter becoming fainter and fainter.  I turn onto another hallway and walk the 40-foot distance to the library doors.  They were open this morning and now they're closed.  Hmm, someone must have been down here earlier.  I reach for the door handle and twist it, but find that it's locked.  I smile.  That means that someone is in here.  And that someone is Rowen.  I can feel it. 

I reach into my pocket and take out the key that I have to this door.  It's the only key that unlocks this door and I have it.  I slip the key into the keyhole and turn it, hearing the satisfying click as the door is unlocked.  I put the key back in the slim pocket of my skirt and open the door with a huge smile on my face.  From where I'm standing, I can see his sweatshirt hanging of the back of the couch.  I smirk.  I knew he was here.  "Hey Rowen," I call out, "Guess what I have?"  When he doesn't answer, my brow furrows in suspicion.  Why isn't he answering me?  Is he ignoring me?  Is he mad at me?  What did I do? 

I go around to the other side and suddenly all my questions are answered.  I smile very tenderly.  Rowen is sprawled out on the couch, asleep.  He looks so much younger when he's asleep, so cute.  This gives me the opportunity to look at him openly.  I sit on the large plushy chair that matches the couch, the library is filled with couches and chairs, and just watch him sleep, putting the books in my hand on the table that is between the chair and the couch.  He is wearing a tight, gray tee shirt that perfectly shows off his well-muscled upper body.  I am practically salivating. 

My eyes travel all over his body, memorizing every inch of it.  To go with his tee shirt is a pair of black warm-ups that totally complete the outfit.  He's barefoot, I notice, as he absently scratches his leg with his other foot.  My eyes work their way back up to his face and I sigh.  He has the most peaceful look on his face that I've ever seen.  A small smile is spread over his face and he just looks so cute.  His breathing is slow and even, a sign that he is deep in sleep. 

I shake my head and let him sleep, picking up the book that is titled Legends of Warriors.  It is really very interesting.  It talks about the original wearers of the armor and all of the attacks that go with them, including the combined attacks that can be created when two or more attacks are combined.  I gasp as I read the combinations.  They're almost endless.  There's even an attack that comes if all of the armors' attacks are combined.  I also find information of 5 armors that we haven't seen before.  Three of them we've heard about: the Fate, Destiny, and Prophecy armors.  But the other two, we haven't heard about: the Soul and Spirit armors.  I wonder what those are.  I soak up all of the information, absolutely transfixed. 

As I near the end of the book, I glance down at my watch.  It's been almost three hours since I came down here.  Gee, only about two hours until dinner.  As I'm looking at my watch, marveling how time can fly so fast, a strangled cry reaches my ear.  My head snaps up, looking at Rowen, who's thrashing on the couch, muttering in his sleep.  "No, stop.  Please don't hit me."  I look on in shock, I can't even move.  I see crystalline tears slip out of his closed eyelids and my heart goes out to him. 

With a flash, I'm out of the chair and kneeling down on the floor by the couch, trying to wake him up.  But, to no avail, he's still in the middle of what looks like a nightmare.  "Dad, stop.  Don't hit me anymore.  I'm sorry, what did I do?"  A feeling of dread passes over my body.  We never talked about his family much, but I always got the feeling that he loathes his mother and father, his father more. 

He lets out a yell of pain and then, suddenly, wakes up.  I sit on the edge of the couch as he shoots up into a sitting position.  His eyes are wide with fear, his gaze moving everywhere around the room until his eyes rest on me.  I can see the tears in his eyes and I know he's really scared.  "Ami?" he croaks.

"Yeah, it's me.  Rowen, was that a nightmare?" I ask him, trying to force him to talk about it.  He nods and opens his mouth to speak, but chokes on a sob instead.  The nightmare has hit him hard and he begins to cry.  I can feel my heart clench in pain.  He's hurting so bad that I hurt.  But, I have to be amazed over the role-reversal. 

4 weeks ago, I was the one crying and he was the one consoling me.  Now, I can return the favor.  I gather him into my arms as he cries.  His arms lock around my waist as he rests his chin on my shoulder.  I run my fingers through his hair, murmuring words of comfort.  "Shh, it's alright.  It was only a dream.  I'm here for you.  Nothing's going to hurt you."  But, he still continues to cry.  He's leaning against me and I can feel myself falling over.  So, what I do is lie back on the couch, pulling him down with me.  His head is resting on my shoulder as he continues to cry and his arms are still around my waist.  "Oh god, Ami, he…he was hitting me and I couldn't do anything to stop it," he says softly, still crying.

"Who was hitting you?"

"My dad," he says and I can hear the bitterness and hatred in his voice. 

"Well, it was just a nightmare, right?"

"Ami, it was a nightmare based on real-life experience."  I gasp in horror in surprise.  "You mean your dad beat you?"  I can feel him nod against my shoulder, which is slowly becoming wet with his tears.  "Oh, Rowen, I'm so sorry."

"It's alright, you didn't do anything.  Besides, it's all in the past."  I move my body so I can look him in the eye.  "No Rowen, it's not alright.  You're still hurting from this."  Rowen averts his eyes from mine and then I see a huge smile spread over his face.  "Hey Ami, nice skirt."  I look down and see that, one, my skirt is hanging over the edge of the couch because of the slit that's in it and, two, my moving down to his level has caused the skirt to ride up to my upper thighs.  I look back up at him and blush.  "Stop changing the subject, Rowen," I say sternly, "Why did your dad beat you?"  He goes onto explain that his mom left, and why, and that his dad blamed him for his wife leaving and beat him because of it. 

Somewhere along the line, I fixed my skirt, moved my body so that my head was tucked underneath his chin, and closed my eyes as I listened to his voice.  Even though my eyes were closed, Rowen knew I was still listening to him.  That's what our friendship is like.  He trusts me and knows that I wouldn't do anything to betray that trust. 

After a while, he stops talking and I open my eyes.  I look up to see that he's fallen asleep.  With his arms locked around my waist, no less.  So, now, I can't move.  Not that I want to, anyway.  Sighing, I flip open my wrist communicator.  The other Mystical Warriors and I still wear our communicators in case of emergency.  Pressing the symbol that will hail Lita, I wait until I see her face.  "Hey Ami, what's up.  Is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong.  It's just that Rowen and I won't be able to make it to dinner.  He was asleep in the library and he had a nightmare.  I comforted him and now he's fallen asleep again with his arms locked around my waist and I can't get them off.  And I really don't want to wake him up."  I see a mischievous look spread over her face.  "Right.  You just like being in his arms, don't you?"

"Well, there's that too," I say, "Ok, just tell everyone that Rowen and I are knee-deep in research about the armors and can't be interrupted for dinner."

"I'll do that.  Good luck with Rowen, Ami."

"Lita, get your mind out of the gutter," I say before turning off the communication.  I look back up at Rowen and see the peaceful look on his face, but there are still tear marks on his face.  But, he looks so much happier.  Snuggling up to him, I press my head to his chest, hearing his steady heartbeat, a sound that lulls me to sleep and I fade into unconsciousness. 

Some time later, I wake up and find that Rowen still has his arms around me.  This time, however, one of his legs is thrown over mine, preventing any movement on my part.  I sigh contently and lift my wrist to check what time it is.  I almost scream in shock.  It's 11:30?  Wow, time flies by really quickly when you're asleep.  "Ami?"  I slowly lift up my head to look at Rowen, who is now awake and looking down at me.  "Yeah?" I ask.

"Why are you here and in my arms?"

"Um, because you had a nightmare and you wouldn't let go of me when I was comforting you and then you fell asleep and I couldn't get your arms off."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"No, it's alright.  I fell asleep too."  I feel Rowen take his leg off of mine, but he still hasn't let go of my waist yet.  "You stayed," he says, smiling.

"Yeah, I stayed."

"Why?"

"Why?  That's a stupid question.  Rowen, I care about you and you needed someone.  I couldn't sit by and watch you stay hurt and not do something about it."

"You…care about me?"

"Yes, in the short time that I've known you, you've become one of my best friends.  I'd do almost anything for you."  He sighs happily.

"You don't know what that means to me.  I mean, I know the guys would risk their lives for me and I know that Mia is one of my close friends, but I don't think that they're as close to me as you are right now.  I know I have more of a history with them than I do with you, but I've opened up a whole lot more to you than I've done with the guys.  And you've given me the same back.  I just wanted to tell you thank you."  I smile at him widely.

"Well, then if you're thanking me for that, then I'm going to have to tell you thank you for the same thing."  He smiles down at me and I feel my heart skip a beat.  Oh yeah, I am definitely in love.

*Lita's Point of View*

Where is that damn shirt?  Ugh, I don't like the feeling of standing half naked in my bedroom.  Right now, all I have on is the bottom half of my silk green pajamas and I'm looking for the tank top that goes with it.  It is a quarter to 1 in the morning and I'm still up.  Why?  Because I was watching TV downstairs.  There was this really great romantic-comedy that was on and Mina and I stayed up to watch it.  That is, of course, after she returned from the movies with Cye.  I swear those two are inseparable.  But, I'm happy for my best friend.  She deserves someone like Cye and they are just so cute together. 

But, best friends aside, I am now standing, half naked, in my bedroom, digging through my dresser drawer for the shirt I swear I left on my bed.  Suddenly, a flash of green silk catches my eyes.  "Aha, gotcha!" I say, my hand wrapping around the shirt. 
"Lita?" I hear a male voice say right before my door opens.  I let out a scream, an actual scream, as I clutch my shirt to my chest in an attempt to cover myself up.  My eyes focus on who it is and I see Kento standing there, a blush spreading over his face and gaping like a guppy.  "Don't you knock before entering someone's bedroom?"

"Lita, I'm sorry, I didn't know…"

"It's ok.  Just hold on a moment."  I turn around and unfold the shirt, putting it on.  Now that I am decently covered, I can turn around and face him.  Smiling at his still very embarrassed look, I say, "Well, what brings you up to my room at…" I trail off, looking at the clock that's on my nightstand, "12:49 in the morning."  His embarrassed look disappears, leaving the smiling face that I am so used to.  "There's something I want to show you," he says simply.

"Where is it?" I ask.

"It's outside.  I just found it and I wanted to show you."

"Oh, so is that where you disappeared off to after dinner?" I ask.

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"Well, kitchen buddy," I say, putting an emphasis on "kitchen buddy", "you left me to do the dishes by myself.  I tried to get somebody else to do it, but I couldn't find anyone."  I giggle at that memory.  Before Kento came along and began helping me in the kitchen, Ami always used to help me.  So, I figured that she was finished with Rowen and could help me in the kitchen.  I walked into the library and over to the couch to find Ami and Rowen asleep in each other's arms.  Now, if that wasn't the cutest thing I've ever seen, then I don't know what is. 

Thinking about the perfection of the Kodak moment, I rushed up to my room, which is a long way from the library, grabbed my camera, ran back downstairs into the library, and took a picture.  And I must say, that picture is going in the photo album.  Actually, I took two.  One of them, I sat on the arm of the couch and took a picture of their whole bodies sleeping.  The other one, I got in real close and took a picture of them from their upper arms to their faces.  They just looked so adorable and peaceful like that.  Those pictures can, of course, be used at blackmail if ever needed to.  "I'm sorry," Kento says, apologizing for not being there to help with the dishes.  "But, I just had to see if I could find what I was looking for in the dark.  Are you mad at me?"

"No, but it would have been nice if you could have told me you weren't going to help me before leaving me by myself."

"Well, next time, I'll tell you.  But, come on.  I have to show you this."  Kento smiled, grabbed my hand and began pulling me out of my room.  Despite my protests, he wouldn't stop until we got to the bottom of the stairs and I yanked my hand away from his.  He turned around and said, "What's wrong?"

"I need shoes first.  Hold on."  I walked over to the foyer closet and pulled out a pair of my sandals.  Slipping them on, I said, "Ok, now we can go."  He smiled at me, a smile that reached his eyes and warmed my heart, before saying, "Ok, great."  He grabbed my hand again and proceeded to lead me outside and into the woods.  "Kento, where are we going?" I ask, not really expecting an answer.

"You'll see," he says cryptically.  I was right.  But, whatever it is, I'm sure it's going to be great.  I wouldn't expect anything less from Kento.  And it's going to be great because it's going to be done whole-heartedly.  I've found that with Kento, there is no such thing as a half-assed job.  It's either all or nothing and when it comes to his friends, Kento's willing to give everything he's got.  It's part of his charm and it's one of the things that I love about him.  He also hates to see his friends depressed, so, once again, he does everything in his power to cheer them up. 

Like, Kento and I have been noticing that Ryo hasn't been the same Ryo that we're used to.  I watched a few days ago as Kento did everything he could to cheer him up.  He offered to play football with him, he told jokes and funny stories, but nothing would cheer him up and it upset Kento like you would never believe.  He's such a caring person; he has a huge heart and he wears it on his sleeve.  It may get him in trouble emotionally, but you'd have to be fool to not see what a sweetie he is. 

And it's not only his personality that I'm attracted to.  It's him.  I mean, he's not the most likely guy that all the girls would be flocking over, but he definitely doesn't lack in the looks department.  I don't know, there's just something about him that attracts me physically to him.  All I know is that he's got a great body, all hard muscle, and these deep blue-gray eyes that I could get lost into.  In fact, I already have a few times.  In the two times that we've almost kissed (rats!) I've nearly drowned in his eyes.  His emotions are displayed in those eyes, their blue-gray depths swirling and churning with emotion. 

And I've noticed something really cool about his eyes.  When he gets mad, his eyes turn more gray and when he's more relaxed, his eyes tend to be more blue.  I guess that fits Kento perfectly though.  He has two sides to him.  There's the really calm, laid-back side to Kento that's always in a good mood and ready to party and then there's short-tempered, irrational side of Kento.  Kinda reminds me of me, actually. 

I find as we trek through the woods that one, it's cold, and two, he still hasn't let go of my hand yet.  Hey, I'm not complaining.  I love the way it feels to have our hands connected.  Makes me wonder what it would be like to be in his arms.  I bet it would feel safe and warm and absolutely perfect.  Oh, if only we hadn't gotten interrupted with those two near-kisses.  But, there's no changing the past.  What's done is done.  I just wish it were done differently.  After a while, I notice that everything is starting to look the same.  "Um, Kento, I don't think we're getting anywhere."

"Yes we are, we're almost there.  Just hang on."
"Ok, whatever you say."  I should have listened to him.  A few moments later, we break into a clearing and I gasp in surprise and awe.  In front of me is the most gorgeous view I've ever seen.  I can see the city lights below and the stars above, creating a beautiful scene that makes me breathless.  "Wow, Kento, this is beautiful."

"I know.  That's why I wanted to show it to you," he said, "Of course, it doesn't look as beautiful during the day, so that's why I disappeared after dinner: to make sure that the view was still beautiful.  Only now, that it's night, it's even more beautiful."

"Why did you bring me here?" I ask.

"Well, I thought you might like it and I wanted to share it with you."

"Well, I've very touched, really.  But, why do you do all these nice things for me?"  I have to ask.  Kento has done so many things for me.  He's gone on walks with me, he's done my hair (which I absolutely love when he does; he's so good at it), he helps me out in the kitchen, and then he goes and does this for me: shows me this awesome view.  "Well," he said, "You're my friend and I always like to do nice things for my friends.  Especially close friends."

"Am I one of your close friends?" I ask him, my heart jumping up into my throat.

"Of course you are, Lita.  Why wouldn't you be?"  I can feel tears sting my eyes.  I wish I could be like him: so trusting and open.  He reminds me of Serena in a lot of ways.  I can remember the first time I met Serena.  She pulled a classic Kento move.  She saw my lunch and wanted some of it.  She had heard rumors about my violent nature, but she ignored them.  When I asked her if she was scared of me, she asked me why she should be.  All the walls that I built around my heart to protect me from people who wanted to hurt me just crumbled on the spot.  Well, what was left of those walls just disappeared forever. 

A joyous smile spreading over my face, I throw my arms around Kento and hug him tightly.  His arms wrap around me in a hug and I smile even wider.  I was right; being in his arms is very safe and warm.  "Thank you," I whisper before pulling away.  He only shrugs it off, becoming masculine again.  Heh, typical guy. 

A cool breeze flutters by and I shiver involuntarily.  My hands come up to warm the skin of my upper arms.  I wish I had the foresight to bring a sweater because this tank top isn't cutting it.  Kento notices my shiver and says, "You're cold.  Well, here you go."  He takes off his sweatshirt and hands it to me.  Now he's only wearing jeans and an orange tee shirt.  "Aren't you going to get cold?"

"I'll survive.  Besides, it's not that cold."  I want to give it back, but I stop myself.  I know that Kento will only shove the sweatshirt back into my arms.  Hell, if he's stubborn enough, he just might put the sweatshirt on me himself.  I smile at him again and slip on the sweatshirt.  It's warm and big, but not too big.  I'm as tall as he is, but not as muscular, so the sweatshirt is kinda baggy on me.  We stand there, looking at the night sky for a few moments longer, before I say, "Alright, do you want to head back now?"
"Yeah, I'm getting kinda tired.  Lets go," he says, grabbing my hand again.  We make our way back in silence, the only thing to be heard the sound of our feet hitting the ground as we walk. 

We enter the warm sanctuary of Celia's house (even though I've been living there for a year and a half, it's still known to me as Celia's house) and I can feel his hand let go of mine and I immediately miss the warmth that came from it.  We walk up the stairs and once we hit the second floor, we know it's time to go our separate ways.  "Well," he says, "I'll see you later."

"Yeah, see you at breakfast."  He nods at me before disappearing down the hallway to his own bedroom.  I sigh longingly.  I just wish we could be together and I could tell him how I feel.  But, I'm too scared to.  What if he says he doesn't like me like that?  I'd be crushed.  I don't think I could deal with that kind of rejection. 

Almost depressed now, I walk up the rest of the stairs and into my own bedroom, my private sanctuary.  I walk over to my bed in a daze and am about to climb in, after turning out my bedside light, when I realized that I am still wearing Kento's sweatshirt.  I hug it to me, cherishing the feeling I get from wearing it.  It smells like him, earthy and fresh, like he just came from the outdoors.  He always smells like that, though.  It's almost as if I can feel him with me right now. 

Smiling slightly, I climb into bed, still wearing the sweatshirt.  I really don't care if I get hot in the middle of the night.  Wearing it brings me closer to Kento.  I love him, I really do.  I just wish I could tell him. 

*Mia's Point of View*

Oh God.  Why did I do that?  Why did I run?  My dream had come true and I ran away from it all because I was scared.  But, why was I scared?  I guess it's because I don't think I'm ready to be in a relationship with Ryo as much as I may want to.  There's still a lot of stuff in my life that needs sorting out.  Like, my grandfather's death and what that weird feeling I get when I'm with Darien.  Until I get the answers to my questions, I don't think that I can be with Ryo. 

But, why couldn't I have told him that?  I could have easily said that as much as I want to, I'm not ready to be in a relationship and that it doesn't mean that I don't want to be with him.  Ryo would have understood; that's just the type of person that he is.  But did I do that?  No, I just ran away, leaving him by himself outside.  Now, he's not even speaking to me.  Anytime I walk into a room, he turns the other direction and whenever I talk to him, he walks away.  I ruined what might have been the best thing to ever happen to me all because I was scared and couldn't tell him. 

I am a coward.  I can face Dynasty soldiers and the Warlords, but when it comes to relationships, I'm chicken.  And I wish I weren't.  Now, the only time that I can be near him is when he's sleeping.  Like I am now.  He looks so peaceful when he's sleeping.  All of his worries just leave his face and all that is left is Ryo.  He looks like a little kid in some respects. 

As I look down at him in his sleep, I start to cry silently.  Why couldn't I tell him that I loved him before I lost him?  If he loved me before, I'll never know because he probably doesn't love me anymore after the stunt I pulled last week.  I mean, if I were him, I don't think I would either.  I was down right rude; he has ample reason not to love me anymore.  I wish he knew how I feel though.  Then, maybe, he would talk to me. 

I feel something move against my leg and look down to find White Blaze looking up at me with curiosity.  I think that White Blaze can sense people's feelings; I get that impression by the way that he's looking at me now.  I scratch his head lovingly and whisper, "I'm alright.  I just feel like the biggest idiot on the planet."  I swear that I can see White Blaze giving me a reprimanding look.  Now I'm more than positive that White Blaze can understand people's emotions. 

Wiping the tears from my eyes, I take one more glance at Ryo before getting off of his bed.  With White Blaze following me close behind, I walk out of the room and shut the door once I know that I'm not going to close the door on White Blaze's tail.  White Blaze and I walk over to the stairs and climb them up to the third floor.  I can feel White Blaze next to me as I walk down the hallway to my bedroom. 

Opening my door, I motion White Blaze into the room and before I can stop him, White Blaze has jumped up onto my king-sized bed and laid his body across the head of the bed, covering most of the pillows.  "You silly tiger," I chide, climbing onto the bed myself.  Since White Blaze was lying on my pillows, I decide to use him as a pillow.  Spreading my body out on my bed, I lean against White Blaze and began stroking the fur of his neck, listening to the content purr that emanates from his throat.  Somewhere along the line, I start thinking about Ryo again. 

I remember when I first met him.  It was right after he defeated that Dynasty soldier with the other guys.  I think I fell in love with him then.  I saw the passion that he held in his eyes for everything close and dear to him.  Then, slowly, we got to know each other and I found out why he was so passionate about his friends.  Since he never had much of a family, seeing how as his mother died when he was really little and his father is either dead or lost in Africa, he treats he friends like family.  The other guys and I are like family to him and now it has been extended to everyone living in this house, especially Serena who was his cousin in the fabled Silver Millennium.  He treats her like a sister.  I've seen the way those two interact.  It's sweet and cute.  He acts like her big brother, even though she's a month and a half older than him. 

You know, even though Ryo is four years younger than me, I don't ever notice it.  It's the maturity that came with saving the world at a young age of 14.  In fact, all of the people living in this house act much older than they really are.  It comes from having to grow up too fast and having to accept a lot of responsibility too soon.  These warriors should be out having fun and living their lives the way I did when I was 15, not saving the world from monsters that threaten to destroy the planet. 

But, despite all the responsibility that was put onto Ryo's shoulders, he always found time to spend with me.  He would come and ask me how I was doing and during his breaks from training, he would come and talk to me.  In those talks, we became closer.  I felt and still do feel like I really know him.  But, I've screwed that up.  I know that I'm going to have to earn Ryo's trust back and that I'm going to have to work at building our relationship up slowly until we get it to the point that we had it before he kissed me.  Thinking about that kiss, I really wish I hadn't run away.  I loved the feeling that spread over my body as we kissed outside.  I never felt so alive in my entire life than I did when his lips were on mine.  Yup, I'm an idiot.  I've ruined my one chance at true love. 

As that thought suddenly hits the rest of my brain, my body freezes and I start to cry again.  This time, they're full sobs that overtake my body.  I try to quiet them so I won't wake Serena, but, she must have been awake because moments later, my bathroom door bursts open and through my tears, I can see a figure with long blonde hair.  "Mia?" she asks, "What's wrong?"  I don't say a word.  Instead of trying to figure out what's wrong, Serena walks over to the bed and sits down next to me.  Forcing me to sit up, she looks at me sympathetically, like she knows what I'm feeling.  Knowing Serena, she probably does.  "Are you ok?  What happened?"  Through my sobs, I manage to say, "Ryo…"

"What happened to him?  Is he alright?  Is he hurt?"  I shake my head and take a few minutes to calm myself down before talking.  "He's fine.  He's just not talking to me."

"Yeah, I noticed that.  He seems different this week.  Do you know why?"

"I do, unfortunately.  Um, last week, Ryo kissed me."  I see Serena's eyes go wide.  "Really?  He finally did it?"

"Yeah, and instead of saying something, I ran away.  I got scared and ran.  Now, Ryo probably doesn't even like me anymore and I've blown it.  I'm such an idiot."

"Mia, you are not an idiot," I hear her say.  My head snaps up and I look her straight in the eye.  "I'm not?" I ask.

"No, what you did is something you did out of instinct.  What you did is understandable.  You got scared and ran.  It's not something no one has done before.  And believe me, Ryo doesn't hate you.  In fact, it's quite the opposite.  He loves you so much, Mia."

"Yeah, right."

"No, I'm serious.  Just give him time to heal.  And you're going to have to earn his trust back.  I don't like to say it, but you did break that precious trust and you and Ryo share and it's going to take a lot of work on your part to fix the mistakes that you've made with running away."

"So, you're saying that it's going to take time for him to forgive me?"

"Yes, and don't worry, he will forgive you.  He loves you too much to let you go."  I see the sincerity in Serena's eyes and suddenly, I feel better than I have in days.  "You're serious, aren't you?"  She nods at me and a big smile spreads over my face.  "Oh, Serena, thank you!" I exclaim, throwing my arms around her in a hug.
"Aw, it was nothing.  I was just telling you the truth."  Serena finally spots White Blaze on the bed.  It has taken a few weeks, but, finally, Serena isn't scared of White Blaze anymore.  She takes her hand and gives him a scratch on the top of his head.  "You know," I say, "That tiger gets a lot of attention and scratches."

"No kidding," Serena says.  Then, her face scrunches in confusion.  "What's wrong?" I ask her.

"Why is White Blaze in your room.  Why isn't he with Ryo?"  I blush a bit and explain.

"Well, I was in Ryo's room, watching him sleep, and when I left, White Blaze followed me."

"Ah, so you're still watching him sleep?"

"It's a habit that I haven't been able to break."
"You don't sound like you want to stop either."  I blush even more.

"Yeah, well, I think you're right.  But, if what you've told me is true, all I have to do is keep faith."
"That's right, faith."  I nod at her and let my mind mull over that statement.  She's right, all I have to do is keep faith: faith in my relationship with Ryo and faith in Ryo as a person.  I smile faintly.  Yes, it will all work out.