Disclaimers: Same as before. Ditto with warnings and all.
A/N (This is A/U most definitely, cause I... I like my own ideas, but they're characters. *shrugs* My OC's! So no stealing them!)
CHAPTER 2 We Need to Talk
Early the next morning everyone was up and they all silently ate breakfast together. The first one to speak was another visitor. He barged into the house smiling.
"Hello! Anyone home!?" It was a stupid question, he knew, but still he said it every time he entered unless someone answered the door. With seven people living in the mansion, someone was most likely always home.
"Here." Kento squeaked, his voice unused since last night. The new stranger was Yuli. He had been about fifteen when Ryo had left, now he was seventeen and something for all the girls to chase after. His hair was shoulder length and brown. He wore his dark brown hair with several braids dangling around his head, like his favorite elf from the Lord of the Rings movie.
"Did Ryo get here yet?" He wondered smiling and looked around to all of their different expressions. "What died in here?" Yuli questioned looking at all their long faces.
"Ryo came home last night and... spoke to us and left." Seiji answered.
"Left for good?" Yuli asked disappointed he had missed his mentor.
"No, he promised to come back again today." Cale, a long, dark blue haired man with small blue eyes stood up throwing a gum wrapper in the garbage and left the kitchen. He was soon followed by the last unknown friend, Dais. Dais had shoulder length whitish hair. He used to where a patch over his eye, but got rid of the thing after the fighting had ceased. Now, they realized it had only been a decoration to seem more manly perhaps, but all thought he looked immensely better without the covering.
"What happened yesterday? Why do you all look so worried?" Yuli ran after Cale, assuming he was the only one that would say anything to him.
"Ryo started talking about his adventure with that Zoë woman and we didn't believe half the things he said so he decided it was pointless to talk to us. He walked outside and grew wings. The girl he was with, Zoë, she did the same and after saying they would come back, they both flew off." Cale stated simply dropping onto the couch. Yuli seemed awed, but he didn't think that Cale would lie to him.
The doorbell suddenly rang and everyone froze.
Yuli dashed to the door and opened it bravely. Ryo and the blonde girl Cale was talking about, stood there in front of him.
She must be Zoë. Ryo looked pretty hard to recognize too. His hair was much longer and more beautiful, like his body.
Yuli was caught off guard. He had everything to say, but no way to express it all. All Ryo's friends peaked out from the kitchen and smiled this time.
Ryo and Zoë had gone shopping the night before and picked out some more normal clothes. Ryo wore tight leather pants and a black baggy T-shirt. Zoë wore tight hip hugger, blue jeans, and a nice blue tank top. Zoë didn't smile. She only wore the constricting clothes because Ryo didn't want to freak out his friends again. They both looked at each other and sighed. Ryo squeezed Zoë's hand thanking her and Zoë glared at him dangerously. He smiled up at Yuli.
"It's been a while." He waited for a response, but Yuli couldn't stop smiling. Zoë raised an eyebrow snottily.
"This must be the one you call, Yuli." She smirked. Rowen put his hand on Yuli's shoulder and planted a soft kiss on his cheek, the boy snapped out of it immediately.
"Come in!" Rowen insisted smiling. They both walked back into the living room again only this time they sat on an empty couch. Everyone flocked to the living room and seemed more relieved that Ryo wore normal clothes. After everything got quiet Zoë leaned to Ryo's ear and whispered something to him hastily. He doubled over, trying to contain his laughter. If he had had drink in his mouth, Yuli was sure it would have come out his nose.
Ryo nodded and kissed her forehead.
"How do you people do it?" She whispered and crossed her legs and arms grumpily.
"Belts." He answered.
A/N (Zoë had asked Ryo if girls actually wore these clothes everyday.)
"So how have you been, Yuli? School treating you well?" Ryo questioned. Yuli was still about seventeen and would graduate soon, but Ryo and most of their friends were about the age of twenty-two.
"School stinks. Girls are hanging all over me, constantly. I can't wait till I graduate." Yuli laughed.
"You're not into girls, are you?" Ryo laughed at the thought.
"No, they're a pain. I'm single and thank god for it. What about you, Ryo? You do anything interesting lately... get married perhaps?" Everyone's eyes were on Ryo, almost afraid of the thought, but Yuli had tried to make it seem sarcastic, not serious. Zoë glanced at Ryo momentarily.
"No. Marriage isn't my thing." He paused, pushing the idea away from his mind. "Well, I know that I've been having a lot of adventure lately, what about you guys? No evil monsters trying to take over the world, I hope?"
Zoë almost laughed out loud, but contained it. She knew that Ryo had destroyed the evil Talpa, but no creature had surfaced since then, at least not yet and if it did then the angels would be one of the first to know about it. They knew about the master Talpa before even the animals knew of him.
"Nothing of interest really. It seems the Ronins won't be needed for a long time." Seiji said looking into Ryo's eyes for a hidden meaning to the question. "Ryo, I've been... we've all been thinking about yesterday a lot and we do believe you. Just understand its a lot to cope with. We've just seen you after nearly two years and we now find out you're some kind of angel." Yuli listened very intent on finding out what was going on.
"Actually, he's technically not." Zoë retorted entering the conversation and Ryo looked at her calmly.
"But, yesterday...?" Sye gasped shocked.
"Yes, he has wings, but he will never be an angel. There is no power alive on this Earth that can do that for him. I am a true angel because I was born like this, but Ryo was only given the gift of flying. That in no way means he has the powers to be called, an angel." Zoë crossed her arms and legs, then leaned on Ryo's shoulder.
"Ryo. Something has been bothering us ever since we got your message." Ryo turned to Cale inquisitively. "Are you here to stay?" Ryo hadn't thought about the idea. He turned to Zoë who kept her eyes closed. He wanted to ask her opinion, but as usual she knew what he was thinking. She touched her hand to his leg with her eyes closed.
"You know how I feel." She whispered and crossed her arms again.
"I might. I don't know." Ryo answered and looked toward the floor.
"Are your wings permanent?" Dais questioned and Ryo looked down to Zoë again.
"That depends." Zoë started.
"On what?" Yuli questioned.
"On whether he stays with you all or not. If he so chooses he can be normal again without the capability to fly, or he can stay with us and continue to have the ability."
Ryo sighed.
"Once again, I'm not sure." Ryo restated. Zoë got up slowly using Ryo for a push off.
"Well, I have work to do. Are you staying?" Zoë looked down to Ryo as White Blaze came rushing up to Zoë licking her hand again. She pet him while Ryo thought for a minute.
"Yes, I'll take my patrol later." He stood up. "When would it be good for me to return?"
Zoë looked around to his friends and smiled. She snapped her fingers, changing her apparel in a split second back to her comfortable angelic velvet, that suited her better.
"I'll take your watch. You stay here and be with your friends." She walked off and Ryo smiled. White Blaze ran after her and they left together.
"You didn't even thank her." Yuli pointed out.
"She knows I appreciate it. She's trying not to influence my decision in any direction other than what I might want. Zoë's really a very nice person. Truly she seems to be my guardian angel." Ryo sighed sitting back down and closing his eyes. Seiji sat next to Ryo on the small couch.
"You've changed a lot since we've seen you last." Seiji whispered running his fingers through Ryo's baby soft hair. It glided right through his fingers and Seiji smiled. Ryo smiled watching Seiji play with his silken hair without moving or making any gesture for Seiji to stop.
"Do you like it?" Ryo wondered looking around to them all after a while.
"Your hair is beautiful." Seiji whispered.
"I like it better long." Sye smiled.
"It makes you look cool." Kento put his thumb up.
"You look different." Cale raised an eyebrow.
"A good kind of different though, and stronger too." Rowen laughed.
"Yeah, you must have been working out like crazy the last two years." Sekmet smirked.
"You look really good." Yuli sighed wishing he looked like Ryo. Though everyone else seemed to get older, Ryo's features looked just as young as before, including his sun kissed honey colored skin. He was still very tan and handsome. The fine laugh lines that started to touch the others faces could not even be traced on his.
It had started to rain earlier and looked like it was going to be rainy all day so Rowen and Sekmet went out for movies. Sye was, of course, standing out in the rain and all the smart people stayed on the covered part of the back porch, watching him dance around like a freak. He was laughing happily, his entire body drenched. It started to thunder and Seiji smiled. Thunder and lightning were the only aspects he liked about storms.
Ryo couldn't stand Sye having all the fun, he pulled off his shirt and went to join his friend. Ryo didn't prefer the rain, but it just looked like so much fun. Even in autumn Ryo liked to be a total idiot, everyone else had decided to be smart and stay dry. He realized jumping around like an idiot that he liked being home and he had really yearned for his comrades more than he had thought.
After an hour or so in the rain they finally came inside and dried off in the living room near the fire which Ryo enjoyed getting very close too. Sye grabbed a lot of blankets after he was dry and helped dry Ryo, who hadn't even cared to bother.
Ryo took out the cloth band in his hair and used a tower to dry out all the water. Everything about Ryo smelled wonderfully sweet because of the rain. His hair smelled like lilacs and his skin smelled like pine. It made a nice aroma for the air. Sye's touches to his back and stomach lingered longer than they should have, but he tried not to think of it. Ryo wasn't about to let anything his friends did bother him. His smooth chest glistened with a few remaining drops of dew sliding down. Sye gently dried Ryo up with the soft towel, then kissed his hair, taking in the smell of it.
"I thought you hated the rain." Sye smiled throwing a dry towel over Ryo's head. Ryo smiled.
"I only hated the rain because I had caught a death of ammonia when I was younger. I almost died and ever since getting my power as a Ronin my hate for water just continued to grow, but I've been out in rain so much more in the past two years and nothing bad has happened so I grew to like it." Ryo reached into the fire and pulled out an ember burning bright red. He rolled it around in his hand and rubbed it on his skin. After he was done playing with it and freaking everyone out he threw it back in the fire.
Ryo's hair was even more beautiful when it was down. He tossed it behind himself and ran his hand through his hair, not bothered by the stray strands in his face. He pulled his hair into another pony tail and sighed happily. He felt like a wet rat.
"I'll get you some dry clothes." Cale ran up to his and Seiji's room and got some sweat pants and a tight top, then ran down the stairs. Ryo changed into the clothes quickly. No sooner had he finished than Rowen and Sekmet came in the door.
"I'm hungry!" Rowen shouted out upon entering the house. Sekmet shut the door behind them, taking off his shoes like Rowen and shaking his damp hair out.
"You're always hungry." Cale complained walking up to Rowen and taking the bag of movies from him.
"What should we eat?" Sye wondered, standing up from the fire. Ryo reached his arm into the blaze to warm his numb fingers. The inferno grew larger sizzling the drops of dew falling into it.
"Ryo." Dais nudged Ryo and pulled his arms gently from the fire. Ryo figured his fingers felt warm enough and he stood with Dais. Dais took Ryo into the kitchen holding his warm hands with care.
"What's up?" Ryo questioned the four people sitting in there.
"What do you want to eat?" Sye asked, his eyes glazed from the bright light shining from above.
"I'm not hungry." Ryo announced calmly and smiled.
"What would you like for dinner then?" Seiji asked walking in. "We'll have whatever you want."
Ryo shook his head.
"Go ahead and eat whatever you want, but I had a big meal earlier." Ryo agilely jumped onto the counter without a sound.
"What'd you have?" Kento questioned sitting in a large chair next to the table.
"You don't want to know." Ryo sighed, blushing slightly. He had eaten dragon meat, which tasted strangely like beef, with wine of the best years, and a variety of greens in all sorts with spices and soup. Ryo assumed his friends would lose their stomachs hearing this. Especially, knowing that the spice for the soup had been dragon blood.
After ordering a few large pizzas, they all sat on the couches with blankets and watched the movies: Pirates of the Caribbean, Tears of the Sun, Spiderman, 2 Fast 2 Furious, and Bruce Almighty.
A/N (If you don't know about these movies, that's okay. It had absolutely nothing to do with the plot.)
It was about six o'clock before they ran out of movies to watch. Ryo had been tired from the night before and he hadn't really gotten that much sleep. Staying awake was hard and he was soon asleep on the couch leaning onto Seiji who held him close. Sye, who was on the other side of Ryo, smiled at the scene. After all the movies were over they didn't know what to do.
Ryo was asleep and Seiji insisted on letting him sleep peacefully. It had been dark out for a while and Seiji was quite giddy. Ryo looked just like an angel when he slept and Seiji couldn't get enough of staring at him and holding him. Ryo started to have a horrible nightmare and he wrapped his arms around Seiji's chest in his sleep for comfort. Seiji placed a soft kiss on his head while rubbing his back gently. Ryo woke up suddenly and without warning.
"Hey, its okay. It was only a dream." Seiji whispered petting his hair. Ryo looked into Seiji's eyes, his own eyes flaring madly, then saddened.
"A dream?" Ryo questioned and when Seiji nodded worriedly he placed his head gently back on Seiji's chest and closed his eyes.
Seiji looked around to everyone as Ryo started to cry. Sye leaned forward and put his hand on Ryo's back gently.
"Are you alright, Ryo?" Sye whispered. Ryo groaned and held Seiji tighter.
"Ryo, say something! What's wrong?" Rowen stood over Ryo and shook his shoulder.
"Give him some air!" Seiji yelled as everyone started to crowd around them. Seiji then looked down to Ryo tenderly and caressed his face. After five minutes or so Ryo loosened his grip and they all sighed with some relief as he stopped crying and fell asleep again.
"What in the name of heaven and earth just happened!?" Cale spat angrily. He worried a lot for his friend though he tried not to show it.
"I don't know, but he's calmed down now." Seiji sighed and wove his fingers through Ryo's glossy hair.
"Maybe it had something to do with his dream?" Sekmet pointed out and leaned onto Dais who played with his hair out of pure habit. They sat on the love seat lavishly, staring at Seiji and Ryo.
"I hope he's not sick or anything." Sye stared at Seiji while whispering his worries to the group. His eyes were caught on the amount of affection Seiji was pouring out into their leader. Seiji normally stayed in his own little shell, with a straight face, not seeming to care about anything and not letting anything bother him. He had stayed very quiet the last two years when Ryo was gone. Well, he had always been quiet, but the last two years he had barely said three words to anyone. If anything he spoke in one word sentences or shrugged, never seeming happy. Now he was very excited when Ryo was around, and even more careful to make sure his habits of a hermit didn't surface or push his object of affection away.
Sye had noticed Seiji's fondness for Ryo before, and his silence the past two years had proved Sye right, but something worried him. What if Ryo didn't stay? What would become of Seiji? Sye loved all of his friends and worried about each of them, that's the way he is, but he was really worrying about these two now more than ever.
Most of the group had always been paired up with someone. Yuli could never settle down with one girl or guy, but he had flings with them. Sekmet and Dais were hundreds of years old, they had been together for a while. Cale had eyes for Rowen though he would never admit it, so he'd stayed single since the battles with Talpa ended. Kento didn't really like having a partner, he had friends and that's all he really wanted. Rowen had had feelings for Ryo before he had left, but Sye didn't know what his emotions were now. Sye had met a few girls that liked him, but not the right one yet.
Out of all of them Ryo was the only one Sye wasn't sure of. Even Rowen was easier to understand than Ryo was. He had not showed any interest in anything except adventure and having fun. He could be gentle and tender, but he mostly had a smile on his face and song in his heart. All the girls had always been hanging all over him especially at basketball games and such, but he never kissed a girl as far as Sye knew. Ryo had kissed Zoë's forehead, but didn't show enough affection toward her to prove he had actually kissed her full on the mouth.
Seiji had had many girlfriends and guy friends before he had even met Ryo and the others. He was an expert at getting anyone to love him. His blonde hair and cocky attitude made him a magnet for anyone and everyone, but he pushed 'anyone' away now and just ignored 'everyone'.
A/N (This is A/U most definitely, cause I... I like my own ideas, but they're characters. *shrugs* My OC's! So no stealing them!)
CHAPTER 2 We Need to Talk
Early the next morning everyone was up and they all silently ate breakfast together. The first one to speak was another visitor. He barged into the house smiling.
"Hello! Anyone home!?" It was a stupid question, he knew, but still he said it every time he entered unless someone answered the door. With seven people living in the mansion, someone was most likely always home.
"Here." Kento squeaked, his voice unused since last night. The new stranger was Yuli. He had been about fifteen when Ryo had left, now he was seventeen and something for all the girls to chase after. His hair was shoulder length and brown. He wore his dark brown hair with several braids dangling around his head, like his favorite elf from the Lord of the Rings movie.
"Did Ryo get here yet?" He wondered smiling and looked around to all of their different expressions. "What died in here?" Yuli questioned looking at all their long faces.
"Ryo came home last night and... spoke to us and left." Seiji answered.
"Left for good?" Yuli asked disappointed he had missed his mentor.
"No, he promised to come back again today." Cale, a long, dark blue haired man with small blue eyes stood up throwing a gum wrapper in the garbage and left the kitchen. He was soon followed by the last unknown friend, Dais. Dais had shoulder length whitish hair. He used to where a patch over his eye, but got rid of the thing after the fighting had ceased. Now, they realized it had only been a decoration to seem more manly perhaps, but all thought he looked immensely better without the covering.
"What happened yesterday? Why do you all look so worried?" Yuli ran after Cale, assuming he was the only one that would say anything to him.
"Ryo started talking about his adventure with that Zoë woman and we didn't believe half the things he said so he decided it was pointless to talk to us. He walked outside and grew wings. The girl he was with, Zoë, she did the same and after saying they would come back, they both flew off." Cale stated simply dropping onto the couch. Yuli seemed awed, but he didn't think that Cale would lie to him.
The doorbell suddenly rang and everyone froze.
Yuli dashed to the door and opened it bravely. Ryo and the blonde girl Cale was talking about, stood there in front of him.
She must be Zoë. Ryo looked pretty hard to recognize too. His hair was much longer and more beautiful, like his body.
Yuli was caught off guard. He had everything to say, but no way to express it all. All Ryo's friends peaked out from the kitchen and smiled this time.
Ryo and Zoë had gone shopping the night before and picked out some more normal clothes. Ryo wore tight leather pants and a black baggy T-shirt. Zoë wore tight hip hugger, blue jeans, and a nice blue tank top. Zoë didn't smile. She only wore the constricting clothes because Ryo didn't want to freak out his friends again. They both looked at each other and sighed. Ryo squeezed Zoë's hand thanking her and Zoë glared at him dangerously. He smiled up at Yuli.
"It's been a while." He waited for a response, but Yuli couldn't stop smiling. Zoë raised an eyebrow snottily.
"This must be the one you call, Yuli." She smirked. Rowen put his hand on Yuli's shoulder and planted a soft kiss on his cheek, the boy snapped out of it immediately.
"Come in!" Rowen insisted smiling. They both walked back into the living room again only this time they sat on an empty couch. Everyone flocked to the living room and seemed more relieved that Ryo wore normal clothes. After everything got quiet Zoë leaned to Ryo's ear and whispered something to him hastily. He doubled over, trying to contain his laughter. If he had had drink in his mouth, Yuli was sure it would have come out his nose.
Ryo nodded and kissed her forehead.
"How do you people do it?" She whispered and crossed her legs and arms grumpily.
"Belts." He answered.
A/N (Zoë had asked Ryo if girls actually wore these clothes everyday.)
"So how have you been, Yuli? School treating you well?" Ryo questioned. Yuli was still about seventeen and would graduate soon, but Ryo and most of their friends were about the age of twenty-two.
"School stinks. Girls are hanging all over me, constantly. I can't wait till I graduate." Yuli laughed.
"You're not into girls, are you?" Ryo laughed at the thought.
"No, they're a pain. I'm single and thank god for it. What about you, Ryo? You do anything interesting lately... get married perhaps?" Everyone's eyes were on Ryo, almost afraid of the thought, but Yuli had tried to make it seem sarcastic, not serious. Zoë glanced at Ryo momentarily.
"No. Marriage isn't my thing." He paused, pushing the idea away from his mind. "Well, I know that I've been having a lot of adventure lately, what about you guys? No evil monsters trying to take over the world, I hope?"
Zoë almost laughed out loud, but contained it. She knew that Ryo had destroyed the evil Talpa, but no creature had surfaced since then, at least not yet and if it did then the angels would be one of the first to know about it. They knew about the master Talpa before even the animals knew of him.
"Nothing of interest really. It seems the Ronins won't be needed for a long time." Seiji said looking into Ryo's eyes for a hidden meaning to the question. "Ryo, I've been... we've all been thinking about yesterday a lot and we do believe you. Just understand its a lot to cope with. We've just seen you after nearly two years and we now find out you're some kind of angel." Yuli listened very intent on finding out what was going on.
"Actually, he's technically not." Zoë retorted entering the conversation and Ryo looked at her calmly.
"But, yesterday...?" Sye gasped shocked.
"Yes, he has wings, but he will never be an angel. There is no power alive on this Earth that can do that for him. I am a true angel because I was born like this, but Ryo was only given the gift of flying. That in no way means he has the powers to be called, an angel." Zoë crossed her arms and legs, then leaned on Ryo's shoulder.
"Ryo. Something has been bothering us ever since we got your message." Ryo turned to Cale inquisitively. "Are you here to stay?" Ryo hadn't thought about the idea. He turned to Zoë who kept her eyes closed. He wanted to ask her opinion, but as usual she knew what he was thinking. She touched her hand to his leg with her eyes closed.
"You know how I feel." She whispered and crossed her arms again.
"I might. I don't know." Ryo answered and looked toward the floor.
"Are your wings permanent?" Dais questioned and Ryo looked down to Zoë again.
"That depends." Zoë started.
"On what?" Yuli questioned.
"On whether he stays with you all or not. If he so chooses he can be normal again without the capability to fly, or he can stay with us and continue to have the ability."
Ryo sighed.
"Once again, I'm not sure." Ryo restated. Zoë got up slowly using Ryo for a push off.
"Well, I have work to do. Are you staying?" Zoë looked down to Ryo as White Blaze came rushing up to Zoë licking her hand again. She pet him while Ryo thought for a minute.
"Yes, I'll take my patrol later." He stood up. "When would it be good for me to return?"
Zoë looked around to his friends and smiled. She snapped her fingers, changing her apparel in a split second back to her comfortable angelic velvet, that suited her better.
"I'll take your watch. You stay here and be with your friends." She walked off and Ryo smiled. White Blaze ran after her and they left together.
"You didn't even thank her." Yuli pointed out.
"She knows I appreciate it. She's trying not to influence my decision in any direction other than what I might want. Zoë's really a very nice person. Truly she seems to be my guardian angel." Ryo sighed sitting back down and closing his eyes. Seiji sat next to Ryo on the small couch.
"You've changed a lot since we've seen you last." Seiji whispered running his fingers through Ryo's baby soft hair. It glided right through his fingers and Seiji smiled. Ryo smiled watching Seiji play with his silken hair without moving or making any gesture for Seiji to stop.
"Do you like it?" Ryo wondered looking around to them all after a while.
"Your hair is beautiful." Seiji whispered.
"I like it better long." Sye smiled.
"It makes you look cool." Kento put his thumb up.
"You look different." Cale raised an eyebrow.
"A good kind of different though, and stronger too." Rowen laughed.
"Yeah, you must have been working out like crazy the last two years." Sekmet smirked.
"You look really good." Yuli sighed wishing he looked like Ryo. Though everyone else seemed to get older, Ryo's features looked just as young as before, including his sun kissed honey colored skin. He was still very tan and handsome. The fine laugh lines that started to touch the others faces could not even be traced on his.
It had started to rain earlier and looked like it was going to be rainy all day so Rowen and Sekmet went out for movies. Sye was, of course, standing out in the rain and all the smart people stayed on the covered part of the back porch, watching him dance around like a freak. He was laughing happily, his entire body drenched. It started to thunder and Seiji smiled. Thunder and lightning were the only aspects he liked about storms.
Ryo couldn't stand Sye having all the fun, he pulled off his shirt and went to join his friend. Ryo didn't prefer the rain, but it just looked like so much fun. Even in autumn Ryo liked to be a total idiot, everyone else had decided to be smart and stay dry. He realized jumping around like an idiot that he liked being home and he had really yearned for his comrades more than he had thought.
After an hour or so in the rain they finally came inside and dried off in the living room near the fire which Ryo enjoyed getting very close too. Sye grabbed a lot of blankets after he was dry and helped dry Ryo, who hadn't even cared to bother.
Ryo took out the cloth band in his hair and used a tower to dry out all the water. Everything about Ryo smelled wonderfully sweet because of the rain. His hair smelled like lilacs and his skin smelled like pine. It made a nice aroma for the air. Sye's touches to his back and stomach lingered longer than they should have, but he tried not to think of it. Ryo wasn't about to let anything his friends did bother him. His smooth chest glistened with a few remaining drops of dew sliding down. Sye gently dried Ryo up with the soft towel, then kissed his hair, taking in the smell of it.
"I thought you hated the rain." Sye smiled throwing a dry towel over Ryo's head. Ryo smiled.
"I only hated the rain because I had caught a death of ammonia when I was younger. I almost died and ever since getting my power as a Ronin my hate for water just continued to grow, but I've been out in rain so much more in the past two years and nothing bad has happened so I grew to like it." Ryo reached into the fire and pulled out an ember burning bright red. He rolled it around in his hand and rubbed it on his skin. After he was done playing with it and freaking everyone out he threw it back in the fire.
Ryo's hair was even more beautiful when it was down. He tossed it behind himself and ran his hand through his hair, not bothered by the stray strands in his face. He pulled his hair into another pony tail and sighed happily. He felt like a wet rat.
"I'll get you some dry clothes." Cale ran up to his and Seiji's room and got some sweat pants and a tight top, then ran down the stairs. Ryo changed into the clothes quickly. No sooner had he finished than Rowen and Sekmet came in the door.
"I'm hungry!" Rowen shouted out upon entering the house. Sekmet shut the door behind them, taking off his shoes like Rowen and shaking his damp hair out.
"You're always hungry." Cale complained walking up to Rowen and taking the bag of movies from him.
"What should we eat?" Sye wondered, standing up from the fire. Ryo reached his arm into the blaze to warm his numb fingers. The inferno grew larger sizzling the drops of dew falling into it.
"Ryo." Dais nudged Ryo and pulled his arms gently from the fire. Ryo figured his fingers felt warm enough and he stood with Dais. Dais took Ryo into the kitchen holding his warm hands with care.
"What's up?" Ryo questioned the four people sitting in there.
"What do you want to eat?" Sye asked, his eyes glazed from the bright light shining from above.
"I'm not hungry." Ryo announced calmly and smiled.
"What would you like for dinner then?" Seiji asked walking in. "We'll have whatever you want."
Ryo shook his head.
"Go ahead and eat whatever you want, but I had a big meal earlier." Ryo agilely jumped onto the counter without a sound.
"What'd you have?" Kento questioned sitting in a large chair next to the table.
"You don't want to know." Ryo sighed, blushing slightly. He had eaten dragon meat, which tasted strangely like beef, with wine of the best years, and a variety of greens in all sorts with spices and soup. Ryo assumed his friends would lose their stomachs hearing this. Especially, knowing that the spice for the soup had been dragon blood.
After ordering a few large pizzas, they all sat on the couches with blankets and watched the movies: Pirates of the Caribbean, Tears of the Sun, Spiderman, 2 Fast 2 Furious, and Bruce Almighty.
A/N (If you don't know about these movies, that's okay. It had absolutely nothing to do with the plot.)
It was about six o'clock before they ran out of movies to watch. Ryo had been tired from the night before and he hadn't really gotten that much sleep. Staying awake was hard and he was soon asleep on the couch leaning onto Seiji who held him close. Sye, who was on the other side of Ryo, smiled at the scene. After all the movies were over they didn't know what to do.
Ryo was asleep and Seiji insisted on letting him sleep peacefully. It had been dark out for a while and Seiji was quite giddy. Ryo looked just like an angel when he slept and Seiji couldn't get enough of staring at him and holding him. Ryo started to have a horrible nightmare and he wrapped his arms around Seiji's chest in his sleep for comfort. Seiji placed a soft kiss on his head while rubbing his back gently. Ryo woke up suddenly and without warning.
"Hey, its okay. It was only a dream." Seiji whispered petting his hair. Ryo looked into Seiji's eyes, his own eyes flaring madly, then saddened.
"A dream?" Ryo questioned and when Seiji nodded worriedly he placed his head gently back on Seiji's chest and closed his eyes.
Seiji looked around to everyone as Ryo started to cry. Sye leaned forward and put his hand on Ryo's back gently.
"Are you alright, Ryo?" Sye whispered. Ryo groaned and held Seiji tighter.
"Ryo, say something! What's wrong?" Rowen stood over Ryo and shook his shoulder.
"Give him some air!" Seiji yelled as everyone started to crowd around them. Seiji then looked down to Ryo tenderly and caressed his face. After five minutes or so Ryo loosened his grip and they all sighed with some relief as he stopped crying and fell asleep again.
"What in the name of heaven and earth just happened!?" Cale spat angrily. He worried a lot for his friend though he tried not to show it.
"I don't know, but he's calmed down now." Seiji sighed and wove his fingers through Ryo's glossy hair.
"Maybe it had something to do with his dream?" Sekmet pointed out and leaned onto Dais who played with his hair out of pure habit. They sat on the love seat lavishly, staring at Seiji and Ryo.
"I hope he's not sick or anything." Sye stared at Seiji while whispering his worries to the group. His eyes were caught on the amount of affection Seiji was pouring out into their leader. Seiji normally stayed in his own little shell, with a straight face, not seeming to care about anything and not letting anything bother him. He had stayed very quiet the last two years when Ryo was gone. Well, he had always been quiet, but the last two years he had barely said three words to anyone. If anything he spoke in one word sentences or shrugged, never seeming happy. Now he was very excited when Ryo was around, and even more careful to make sure his habits of a hermit didn't surface or push his object of affection away.
Sye had noticed Seiji's fondness for Ryo before, and his silence the past two years had proved Sye right, but something worried him. What if Ryo didn't stay? What would become of Seiji? Sye loved all of his friends and worried about each of them, that's the way he is, but he was really worrying about these two now more than ever.
Most of the group had always been paired up with someone. Yuli could never settle down with one girl or guy, but he had flings with them. Sekmet and Dais were hundreds of years old, they had been together for a while. Cale had eyes for Rowen though he would never admit it, so he'd stayed single since the battles with Talpa ended. Kento didn't really like having a partner, he had friends and that's all he really wanted. Rowen had had feelings for Ryo before he had left, but Sye didn't know what his emotions were now. Sye had met a few girls that liked him, but not the right one yet.
Out of all of them Ryo was the only one Sye wasn't sure of. Even Rowen was easier to understand than Ryo was. He had not showed any interest in anything except adventure and having fun. He could be gentle and tender, but he mostly had a smile on his face and song in his heart. All the girls had always been hanging all over him especially at basketball games and such, but he never kissed a girl as far as Sye knew. Ryo had kissed Zoë's forehead, but didn't show enough affection toward her to prove he had actually kissed her full on the mouth.
Seiji had had many girlfriends and guy friends before he had even met Ryo and the others. He was an expert at getting anyone to love him. His blonde hair and cocky attitude made him a magnet for anyone and everyone, but he pushed 'anyone' away now and just ignored 'everyone'.