Play a Little Longer

I'm glad that some of you liked my first chapter. I hope that now, with the addition of the Ronin Warriors, that you will like it that much more!

By the way, thanks for the reviews from: Split Persona, Shadow of Arashi, Celesta SunStar, and Destiny Lot. You four really inspired me to continue with the story!

New notices: Gaea was what the Greeks called the Earth, also sometimes known as Mother Earth in translations

Now, onward…to the story!!

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"Ryo, watch out!!" Cye yelled in warning to their leader, forcing the raven-haired teen to look up. He saw the demon, the one they had cornered shortly after its escape from Youja-kai, the Netherworld. He also saw the demon leaping for him, its claws outstretched in what would be a death-grip…if the devilish little creature could get his hands on Ryo, that is.

Ryo bent his legs beneath him, ready to spring off to the side in a last-minute jump. He was determined to tick the creature off, no matter what the cost and a smile briefly crossed his lips at the thought.

'Okay, getting close…closer…closer…now!' He mentally screamed at himself, pushing off the asphalt to jump up and away, knowing his sub-armor would bring him further away in the process…however, his footing must have been off, and Ryo gave a gasp of surprise as he only teetered, then fell to the ground, still in the demon's path.

Ryo looked up in fear to see that he still had a few seconds to jump away…but his leg, what in the hell was wrong with his leg? He knew he hadn't fallen on it, nor had he been injured recently. So why did it feel like someone was driving nails into his left hip?

Ryo, finding the struggle useless, raised an arm to protect his face as the demon leapt at him again, closing the short distance between them. He felt the monster tear his claws into his armor, through the metal and into the flesh. He bit back a scream of pain as he realized a little too late that poison must have been hidden in the demon's claws, for his arm flared in pain, then slowly grew heavy. The demon was still sitting on him, waiting patiently for the time when it could claw at his face. The demon must have smelled the fear on Ryo, for it gave a small smile and licked its sharp teeth.

Ryo moaned as his head began to pound, not realizing that someone else ripped the creature off of him. His head fell to the ground as the pounding moved into his temples and his hearing was blocked out by a rushing noise.

"Damn…fast-acting poison." He whispered, forcing his sub-armor to vanish at the same time. The orb clattered to the ground and he gripped his injured arm tight, curling into a fetus position in the process. His body shuddered, trying to fight off the poison just before he lost consciousness.

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Rowen picked the creature off of Ryo by the scruff of his neck, keeping his body away from the claws that dripped a little red liquid. The monster growled and snapped at him, but he just carried it away as Cye knelt by Ryo, taking their leader's head in his lap. Kento followed Rowen, knowing as Sage knelt down that he would only be a distraction. Instead, he decided to help Rowen dispose of the creature that had bothered to hurt one of his friends.

Sage held a hand out over Ryo, trying to focus on his healing abilities, but the fear coursing through his body distracted him. Seeing Ryo shiver as the poison swarmed through his body strengthened his resolve to concentrate as it was destroyed. His friend needed him, needed him desperately but he was so scared. What if it was too late?

Cye clamped a hand over Ryo's injured arm, forcing their leader to hold still. Ryo moaned in pain, sweat beading on his forehead while Cye looked to Sage. What was taking him so damn long? Ryo was dying! Was the calm, cool, collected Sage Date finally losing it when he was most needed?

"Sage, hurry it up!" Cye growled, more from forcing Ryo to stay still as another shiver wracked their leader's small frame. Sage nodded, finally finding a way to concentrate. He focused, and slowly a green light stole from his hands and surrounded the sixteen-year-old boy lying on the street.

After several moments, Sage slowly pulled what energy wasn't needed back in, taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart. Ryo would be okay…unconscious for a little while, but he would be fine.

Cye blew out a lungful of air he didn't know he had been holding when he felt the relief flood Sage's aura. He didn't need to ask to know that Ryo would be all right. The blackness that had been encroaching on Ryo's aura was gone now, and the teen slumbered peacefully, his body able to heal the scratch on its own now.

Sage had used a lot of energy to rid the teen of the poison that had plundered his body, leaving him with barely enough to stand, let alone heal the minor cut Ryo had on his arm. Cye ripped off a small strip from the bottom of his shirt and wrapped it around Ryo's wrist as Kento and Rowen returned. Rowen helped Sage to his feet as Kento lifted Ryo off of Cye.

"Anyone know why Ryo messed up that jump?" Kento asked softly, peering down at the soft features as his leader slept on. Cye stepped up beside him, shaking his head. Kento looked up at Sage and Rowen to see them shake their heads as well. Kento shrugged his shoulders. "Guess we ask him when he wakes up."

"Can we please head home?" Sage asked, his eyes pleading. The others nodded, knowing that Sage probably had a headache and suffered from fatigue from the healing process. That could be the only explanation; when Sage was well, he never complained, allowing the others to turn back when they tired first…

"Sure Sage, we'll head home." Cye said softly as they all headed off to the West, back to Mia's mansion.

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In the heavens, in a place known as Mount Olympus…

Hephaestus knew he was the first god to awaken from the sleep that had stolen over the mighty on Olympus…of course, he had also been the first to go to sleep, so it seemed only right.

The god of fire and the forge sat up in the bed he had near his forge, groaning slightly with the effort. The first thing he noticed about the forge was that the fire was out, making the small hut drastically cold. Hephaestus groaned with effort again as he swung his useless left leg off the bed first.

"Pathetic leg…one would think after a couple thousand years of sleep, I could have a few minutes of peace from it…" Hephaestus muttered under his breath as he finally brought his right leg over and then pushed himself into a standing position. Hephaestus stood still for a time, allowing the needle-like feeling that was plaguing his left hip slow to a dull prickle, then limped his way over to the forge. With a wave of his hand, the forge blazed to life once again, quickly warming the hut. He smiled, knowing it wouldn't be long before the others would awaken.

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Back on Earth, in Mia's Mansion

Ryo slowly opened his eyes shortly after his friends had settled him on the couch in the living room. Gingerly, he sat up, remembering fragments of what happened a few moments ago. He carefully felt the welt of the cut under his now properly bandaged wrist before moving to his hip. He still remembered the immobilizing pain he felt and carefully massaged it. However, there seemed to be no remainder of the terrible pain, just a small prickle, as if that side had fallen asleep.

Running his hands through his hair and sighing, he slowly pushed off the couch, testing his left leg as he went. It didn't react in pain or refuse to move and Ryo smiled, his testing finished. Obviously whatever had happened during the fight was temporary…it probably wouldn't bother him again.

"Hey, Ryo…what are you doing, some kind of weird dance?" A loud voice said behind him, the laughter barely contained. Ryo turned around quickly to see Kento standing in the doorway. Just behind him, Cye was watching Kento's antics with a smile on his face.

Ryo smiled in reply and walked over to them, completely at ease now. "My leg hurt during our battle…I was just trying to find out why, or if it was still hurting."

"Is that why your jump was messed up?" Cye asked, his face a mask of concern. Ryo just nodded for an answer.

"Does it still hurt?" Kento asked, taking a step forward into the room. Ryo shook his head, deciding not to mention that the leg still prickled to him, as if it were a warning that it might happen again.

Getting tired of all the attention on him, Ryo decided to change the subject.

"I'm hungry, can we have lunch?" Ryo asked, stretching a little. Cye and Ryo both smiled as Kento's stomach rumbled in agreement with Ryo's statement.

"Sure, I don't see why not." Cye told them, laughter threatening to burst forth. "Just give me a minute to be able to cook something up. Keep yourselves entertained, but grab Sage and Rowen when I call you." Cye said as he turned and walked out of the room and towards the kitchen.

"I say we play Mortal Kombat while we wait." Kento said, grinning as he headed for the TV station and pulling out two controllers. Ryo chuckled slightly as he took a seat on the floor with Kento, grabbing the red controller.

"Hey, Kento…how is Sage?" Ryo asked softly as Kento fiddled with the wires connecting the N64 with the television. Kento paused for a minute and then began fiddling again. "Kento?"

"Uh, Sage is fine Ryo…a little exhausted, but fine." Kento replied, finally emerging. With a triumphant grin, he flicked the on switch to the N64, starting up the game of Mortal Kombat.

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Rowen looked up from his book and across the room to Sage, who was sleeping peacefully. He sighed heavily and sat up on the extra bed, adjusting his position before reading the book again. A few pages later, he looked up again, but this time sighed in frustration.

Rowen set his book aside and stood up, stretching. He paced back and forth for a minute then looked back at Sage. Sage slept on, oblivious of whatever was obviously plaguing his friend. Sighing again, he finally opened the door to the bathroom and disappeared into his own bedroom that adjoined it. Flopping down on his own bed, he stared up at the ceiling that was speckled with stick-on stars and let his thoughts drift.

How did this happen? Rowen asked himself, biting his lip as he thought. He knew something that nobody else knew…and nobody else will ever know about it if I have my way. Nobody will ever have to know…that I love…my best friend…

Rowen was startled from his thoughts several moments later when someone knocked on his door. Blinking back the burning sensation in his eyes that came from leaving his eyes open too long, he made his way to the door. He opened the door a crack to see familiar raven-black hair. He opened the door the rest of the way to see Ryo smiling slightly at him, leaning casually on the rail on the opposite side of the hall.

"Hey Rowen, Cye sent me up to come and get you for lunch." Ryo explained, already taking a step towards the room a little further down that belonged to Sage.

Rowen stepped out quickly and caught up with Ryo. "I'll get Sage." Rowen told Ryo, his voice slightly harsh. "If he's still sleeping, I'll let him rest and bring a lunch up for him later, okay?"

Ryo nodded slowly, a confused look passing over his face before he headed downstairs. Rowen took a deep breath, slowly turning the doorknob and opening the door.

Sage was lying on his side, curled up slightly for warmth, but still fast asleep. Rowen cautiously entered the room and knelt down next to Sage's bed.

A soft breath caressed Rowen's cheek and he smiled softly at the scent of crushed mint. He reached up tentatively, running a hand through the ends of Sage's golden locks. They were so soft…

Sage stirred lightly and Rowen held his breath, his hand still hovering above his best friend. Sage moaned softly, then moved slightly closer to Rowen's chest before drifting back to sleep. Rowen let out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding, running his hands through Sage's hair one last time before standing up.

"I'll be back soon." Rowen whispered softly to Sage as he backed toward the door. He softly shut the door, then headed downstairs for lunch.

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Mediterranean Sea

The first thing he felt upon awakening was his hair floating about him, ruffled by a gentle current. He smiled slightly as he became aware of the sea life he had sworn to protect…they were waiting for his awakening. Slowly, one deep blue eye opened to see several fish swimming past him. Upon seeing movement from a creature that had remained motionless for centuries, the fish scattered. Poseidon just laughed, slowly forcing himself into a sitting position.

Poseidon looked around his ocean with a careful eye, noting every plant, animal and microscopic organism that floated by. However, upon further examination, he noticed that his sea seemed…dirty…

'How did this happen?' Poseidon asked himself, forcing himself to swim along the sea's bottom. Trash littered the bottom and rage filled Poseidon's chest like a balloon. He stopped for a moment and closed his eyes, determined to find out what had happened. Slowly, then steadily faster, images of the past flew through his mind, filling him in on what happened. Mortals had found a way to cross quickly across his sea, even though it hurt the ocean in the process.

Even as he realized this, he suddenly heard a roar. Looking up towards the surface, he saw a machine that he now knew the mortals called a 'motor boat' strip across the sea's waves. Growling, he summoned his power, determined to teach the mortals a lesson they wouldn't soon forget…and ridding Gaea, and his oceans, of the horrible machines.

As he was about to begin his purge of the mortal world, he suddenly felt a tug in the back of his mind, then a voice thundered in his mind.

*Poseidon, my brother! * Poseidon knew that he had heard Zeus talking to him even though it had been many centuries since he had heard his younger brother command him. *We need to have a council…come to Mount Olympus at once! *

Growling slightly, Poseidon paused for a minute before pushing off the bottom of the sea, launching himself with enough force to make it up into the heavens. He was one of the first ones to arrive into the temple that the Ancient had been in so many years ago, but it didn't take long for many other deities to wander in, each looking tired in their own right.

"Zeus, please inform me on why you needed us to come here?" Poseidon asked once everyone had assembled. His voice portrayed accurately on his boredom and annoyance. Other gods and goddesses looked from the god of the sea to the god of the heavens, wondering how Zeus would answer this one.

"I called you all here because I had to tell you of the one condition to our return to this realm." Zeus said gravely, ignoring the impatient looks that he was receiving. "We shall have only three to four months where we shall be alive like this. Afterwards, we shall all slowly die, fading into oblivion."

Gasps of surprise flew around the room followed by murmurs of fear. Some gods and goddesses asked Zeus if there was any way to prevent the inevitable while others asked how they had returned at all. Finally, Zeus raised his hand for silence.

"I tell you now the only reason why we were able to return was our connection to the armors that Hephaestus helped forge some time ago. The fates have seen that for the next three months, we have a part to play in their lives."

"My brother, how do you know this?" Hades asked, his voice deep and rumbling. "I have been awake longer than you and know nothing more than what has just spilled forth from your mouth."

"Hades, I rule the heavens! Do you not know that I have seen these things before? Before the sleep fell upon the mighty, I knew about it…and the events that would happen later, the inventions by humanity and the reason for our short awakening before oblivion claimed us!" Zeus exclaimed, his voice like low-rumbling thunder.

"Then what do we do about it now, O mighty Zeus?" Ares, the god of war, whispered, but his voice could be heard by all as the silence reigned over the council area.

"Aphrodite has already taken care of that problem. She is down among the bearers of the armor as we speak, finding out some information that we might need to know about them…"

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Mia's Mansion

Cye balanced two plates in his hands, then walked easily back into the living room where only Kento remained. Ryo had just recently headed upstairs to check on Sage and Rowen for a second time. However, as Cye stepped through the living room's doorway, he thought he saw a flash of gold in the corner…


Turning to see whatever it might have been that could have distracted him like that, Cye was puzzled to see nothing that contained gold existed in that corner. Pounding footsteps as Rowen and Ryo ran down the stairs together startled Cye out of his daze. He pointed the two eager boys toward the kitchen to get their food as Cye slowly turned around and headed back to Kento, the two plates still balanced in his hands.

Cye carefully settled one plate on the small table in front of the television set and Kento snatched the other plate in his eagerness to eat. Cye gave a small, devilish smile as he placed a hand over Kento's mouth.

"No, Kento-kun…no eating until you thank me!" Cye told the larger boy, a smile flickering across his face. Kento smiled too as he set the sandwich aside, then softly grabbed Cye's hand. Carefully, tentatively, Kento laid a soft kiss on Cye's lips, then smiled to feel the warrior of Torrent return the kiss.

All too soon, the display of affection was stopped and the two began to eat their lunch as Ryo re-entered the room, telling them that Rowen had gone to go give Sage lunch in bed.

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Who do you think it was that Cye saw in the corner? Any ideas about how this should continue would be greatly appreciated!!

That's it for now, hope you all look forward to the next chapter for then…the Warlords join in! Sorry, no Lady Kayura or Yulie. Mia herself will only be making a few appearances as well!