**Author's Note: It's me again! :) Thank you for the reviews, I enjoyed reading them. They made my day. Finals week has been and still is hell, history final tomorrow at 8 am, but reading reviews has really cheered me up. I hope enjoy this next installment, my apologies for its short length. I promise next chapter will be longer. Thanks again, and please review! Take care!**

Disclaimer: Haven't done this in a while. Does anyone really think anyone would actually sue? I mean, if they did, my defense in court would honestly be "I hope you take the 5 dollars you're going to win from suing me, and buy yourself a life." Ok, anyways...Don't own the Ronnin Warriors, don't own Mia, don't own White Blaze, don't own Japan.... yada, yada, lol. You get the point.

Episode 4

The police met them at the site. "There's no sign of a struggle or anything. It just looks like your friend left the vehicle with plans to return. But we've searched the vicinity and found no trace of a teenager fitting his description wandering the area, as the officer that called you has already informed you. Since there is no sign of immediate danger, I'm afraid we cannot start a real search until tomorrow."

Cye stared hard at the officer. Just what kind of a service were they to the people? Who made up the law that a person had to be missing for 24 hours before they searched for them a person could be dead in 24 hours. He bit his nails as the thought burrowed itself into his brain coated with the horrible feeling of hopelessness he'd gotten from Sage.

He's not dead!

He's not.

"Thank you officer."

"Are you planning on looking for him?"

Cye controlled the reflex of rolling his eyes at such an rhetorical question. "Yes officer. Though you may have no obligation to look for our friend until morning, we do."

"It is getting dark, sir. It might not be wise for you and the girl to be out here alone," the officer said.

"But it's wise for my friend to be out here all alone?" Cye questioned, raising an eyebrow, he hoped he hadn't sounded too sarcastic. Damn that Rowen for rubbing off on him.

The officer looked at him sharply, "It's the law. I'm not saying I agree with it. Do you have any other friends who would be willing to come out here, and help you search? It's not safe."

Cye was about to retort again, when Mia put herself between him and the officer, "Yes, we do officer, and we are going to wait in our car for them to arrive. Thank you for everything, and we will call you first thing in the morning if we have not found Sage, or if he has not returned home by then."

The officer nodded, "And if he does return, or you find him, call the station so that we will know to cancel the report."

Mia agreed, "Thank you officer."

The officer tipped his hat to her, then went to join the other three officers that had helped with the small search of the area. Within minutes they had departed from the scene leaving Cye and Mia alone.

"Are we really going to wait for the others to show up, Mia? You know I can take care of the both of us if any trouble should come our way," Cye said, with no trace of arrogance in his voice.

Mia sighed, "No Cye, we will look for him now. I'm afraid for him. I was in the bathroom this morning as well, if you don't recall. He's out here somewhere hurting alone."

Cye shivered wrapping his arms around himself, the evening breeze was warm, yet he was chilled. Please don't be stupid, Sage... We leave that to Kento, remember? He bit his lip on the small sob that wanted to leave his mouth. If Sage was dead, he would feel it right? The web that connected him to the others was awfully quiet on Sage's end. But then it had been quiet since they'd gotten him back. Sage was shielding himself from the others, but being an empath like Sage, Cye was able to pick up on it. "Lets go now Mia. If the others come, they'll be able to find us easily through the bond and White Blaze."

"Can't you find Sage through the bond?"

"No."

Mia didn't ask why not. Perhaps she didn't wish to know.

"So where do we start?"

"Obviously he's not close...." they looked into the growing darkness of the wood.

"Perhaps we should wait for the others," Mia shuddered, as she heard the voice of an animal cry out to the graying sky.

Cye turned to look at her, sensing her fear and hesitation. He walked to the jeep removing the large camping flashlight they had brought. "You stay here then, Mia, and wait for the others. I'll go in search of Sage myself."

"But Cye..."

"I can take care of myself Mia," Cye said softly. "And I believe I can find my way back."

"Be careful," Mia whispered, lowering her head and sliding back into the jeep. Cye heard the click of the doors locking, then set off into the woods after his friend.

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"Damn police," Rowen was grumbling. After arriving at the manor empty handed, and reading Mia's note, they had eaten a quick meal and set off to join Mia and Cye. They were on foot, covering ground quickly in their sub armors. They'd spent half the day searching the woods around the manor, and in nearby rural areas.

"Why can't we feel him?" Kento asked, his voice quiet. Both Rowen and Ryo shot wary looks at him. Kento never sounded that uncertain. Did he think that...? No, no...

"He's walling himself off from us," Rowen said quickly, shaking his head at any other reasons why they wouldn't be able to feel Sage. If he concentrated hard enough, he felt a tiny flicker from Halo that let him know he was still alive. It wasn't like it was in New York. No, not like that place.

"In New York we couldn't feel him either, and he was as good as dead strung up on that torture device. What if...?"

"Shut up Kento!" Rowen roared, almost stumbling over himself. Traveling at such a fast pace and losing one's temper was not a good thing. It distracted him from keeping track of his footing and surroundings. If he fell, he could seriously hurt himself. He did a quick skipping step to catch his balance.

"Easy Rowen," Ryo said calmly. "There's no need to bite Kento's head off. It's unnerving to feel someone cut off from the web, even if they may be cutting themselves off purposefully, rather than...hurt."

Hurt... to be gone from the web meant more than being hurt. They'd feel his pain through the web if he was hurt. To feel nothing meant death, or something close to it. Sage stop torturing us. We know you're hurting, but you have to let us know you're alive! Please, Dreamer...

Let me know.

Let me help.



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Keep moving, keep moving, he pushed himself. His legs screamed, his heart pounded, and his lungs burned. They all wanted him to stop. When had he become so weak? Weeks of being immobile, being bound and chained like some animal, had led to some muscle deterioration. Weeks of being fed mild altering chemicals had made his body dependent. Weeks of being polluted with drug induced hallucinations, and hearing the demented voices of that demon, and the scientist in his head, had left his mind..shattered. Reality had become a distant dream to him. When he slept, when he woke, it was all the same. The pain, the torture, the shame... there was no release from the horrible nightmare. When he'd first believed he'd woken up, Rowen had been there. His friends had come to save him, the nightmare was over... But he'd been tricked! He'd been tricked horribly! The nightmare wasn't ending, it was just taking on a new sequence.

He had to wake up, he had to! He couldn't trust his eyes, his body, his mind... He was plugged into the damn matrix! Someone get him out!

The ground was hard beneath him as he fell. He felt the painful tearing of flesh, and felt more warm blood escaping its new wound and wind down his shin. Pain was an illusion. He pushed himself to his knees, then stood to his feet to start his run again. The tall grass scratched at his sensitive skin, rocks cut through the thin soles of his shoes licking hurtfully at his feet. It wasn't real.

The beauty of the nature surrounding him called his name, but he couldn't hear it, didn't want to. It was an auditory hallucination. The demon still had him, and was trying to fool him once again. It wanted him to feel safe, it wanted to lull him into a soft submissiveness, then he would attack. No, Sage would never let himself be that weak again! The armor...the damn armor! It attracted such evil, all of the time. More evil than good...more evil than good. If he could destroy it, he would. But even if he called upon the armor then, and tried, and was successful...it wouldn't have been the real armor of Halo would it have?

He grabbed at his matted messy hair and tugged in frustration. Wake up Sage, wake up! His legs gave way beneath him and he crumpled to the grassy plain his tears nourishing the ground. What had he done to deserve this? What had he done? He'd been the perfect son, grandson, brother, student, teacher, and warrior. He'd been a good friend, and role model. He had done everything that was expected of him and more. He was good, dammit!

Why couldn't he just wake up? It was all he wanted... His hands clenched and unclenched over the grass. Maybe...maybe there was a slight chance that he was awake, maybe this horrible place was no dream.

The scream that boiled from his stomach erupting into his throat, and exploding from his mouth expressed just how he felt about that place being real. He screamed and screamed until he was hoarse. This could not be his world, he did not escape a nightmare for this to be reality! No! No! No!

How could he tell? How would he be able to find out? Who but the gods could tell him truth? The gods... how.... He stopped screaming.

Ok...time to be rational, Sage. Stop panicking, and think. If this was a nightmare, then he needed to wake up. How did one end a dream? Die. If he died in the dream, he'd have to wake. If he woke, and everything was normal again, no pain, no shame, then he'd know. But if it wasn't a dream, and he died... then it would still be over, the nightmarish reality would come to an end. Then when it was over and he was dead, he could ask the gods why. They wouldn't lie to him, they couldn't.

Shakily he got to his feet. He gazed about the land. Where would be the perfect place to test out his theory? He began to walk, his sixth sense guiding him through the trees and over the obstacles that would have tripped him. It was so easy now...easy because he had let go. His mind brushed against everything he touched, he wanted to record everything, so when he met the gods he could ask them about it. An owl called from overhead and he lifted his eyes to meet the creature of the night... He smiled when he saw it, the plateau illuminated by moonlight. It looked like an altar to the sky, how perfect. There he would be become an offering to the gods...or there he would wake up. Either way, he'd win.

He liked winning.

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Cye shifted through the woods swiftly in his sub armor, cursing the branches from the surrounding trees that came to strike him in the face as if telling him he was unwanted. He ignored their un-welcoming gestures, and continued at his pace, dread growing in his stomach. He didn't dare call out to Sage. He didn't want to startle the boy, or give him any reason to run any deeper into the woods. The flashlight was bright, cutting through the darkness like butter, but not showing him anything he wanted to see. No foot prints, no torn clothing, nothing...except. He stopped as the light grazed over something...something red in the grass. He stopped and knelt down shining the light directly upon it. Blood, it was a trail of blood. He followed the trail with the light, his stomach and heart giving a lurch. Blood...

It could be anything, it could be an animal! You are in the woods, Cye, the woods! It was just an animal, caught by a lucky predator. Not Sage...it wasn't his blood. Cye stood the flashlight shaking in his grasp. No, Sage wasn't hurt.... and then it hit him.

He dropped the flashlight as the force of a powerful mind being released seized Cye's senses. "Oh my gods.." he moaned, falling to his knees, as his world spun. He held his head as the throes of heavy emotion rolled over him like the sea... Insanity, a mind gone mad. It was utter chaos to be entrapped in its vision.

His stomach gave a heave, and he leaned over to loose the contents of his stomach. What..what was this? What had the power to do this? Another demon? Was another demon free? Sage, he was all alone, and in such a state. Would he be able to deal with the monster?

Tentacles of great desire and need strangled him... he couldn't think... Pleasure, and satisfaction so great.. He couldn't breathe. He had to break its hold, he had to find himself in the chaos. He had to find Sage... Sage's mind was much greater than his, if Cye was this affected then Sage must have been in agony.

"Armor of Torrent!" His voice was weak and scratchy after the damage he'd done to his throat from vomiting. The armor cloaking his body was added strength, the helmet covering his head served as a shield from the creature. The disorder was beginning to make sense. Something, something was at extreme peace and very happy about it. Cye did his best to relax, he had to get his mind around what this was, and maybe he could learn how to fight it.

It was beautiful, this mind, bright with colors, soft touches... Only it had been amplified to a painful level, like classical music played on Kento's stereo system. What had given it so much power? Cye felt it calming, its beauty becoming composed until it reminded him of someone. Cool serenity, lovely dreams...he could never view them, but he felt their essence. Such a simple person, always so easily pleased...

Sage.

It had been Sage; it was his mind he felt. In his turmoil, he hadn't felt the bond of the yaroi call to him. He could sense Sage's presence once more. He was nearby, but moving. Cye could catch him, if he started now, in minutes.

Cye began to move.... He was relieved to be able to locate his comrade, but troubled. Sage's mind had been so strong, so wild...and now so calm. It was like the quiet before the storm, an uneasy rest. Cye began to move faster, why would he be so upset, so upset Cye feared for his sanity, then be so calm...so pleased...with himself.

It was like he'd come up with some sort of a decision, a resolution. What could quiet insanity like that? What could give it such pleasure?

*Sage* he risked open mind-to-mind communication with the Warrior of Light.

Sage was moving faster now, fear taking over. Fear? What was he afraid of? Cye? But why would he fear Cye?

Because Cye would try to stop him.

Insanity, and sudden calm... Turmoil, and then peace, a decision had been made.

Cye's stomach dropped when he saw him. He was dressed in the same sloppy clothing he'd worn that morning, his hair still unkempt, brandishing the sword of Halo high above his head. The light from the sword violated the darkness of night, and cast an ethereal glow upon its owner. Cye gasped, Sage had never looked so beautiful, or so deadly. The sword was angled, aimed at his chest. He saw Sage's chest rise and fall, his hands readying themselves. His head was thrown back, facing the heavens above as if offering them a sacrifice.

Oh gods...

"Sage no! No!" He was too far away, and now Sage was alerted to his presence. He didn't even look at Cye as he began to bring the sword down to pierce his chest.

Cye steadied himself, he had to be in control. He had one shot, and it had to be true. He took aim calling upon his sure kill, if he could knock the sword from Sage's grasp maybe... maybe he could stop him. But if he lost control, if he missed...Sage wasn't in armor. He could be the very reason he died, he would have killed him.

He braced himself, "Super Wash Smasher!"

He felt the power build and leave him in a blinding display of energy, control it, Cye! The wave curled and stretched reaching out to its target...the Light sword that swayed inches above the tender flesh of his friend's chest that was only protected by a thin t-shirt.

Concentrate Cye..don't lose control.

But wait...what was that? He started, and felt his grasp on the wave slip in his moment of surprise. Oh no...

"SAGE!"

He killed him... Cye had killed him.



**Let me know what you think ;)! Pweeease?**