AUTHOR'S NOTE: I don't have anything new to say, so I'll just let you go read the fic. I know that's what you're here for anyway. Enjoy!

xyxyxyxy

The Test of Strength

Chapter 5: Getting It Together

Whiteblaze nudged the cabin door open, walked in, and then shut the door. He made his way to Ryo's room, hopped up on the bed, and thought about the first time he had seen the little black-headed boy.

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It was winter up in the mountains; snow covering most of the ground that the trees couldn't protect. The white tiger blended in with the scenery, his stripes breaking up his full figure. The tiger was looking for a place to lie down away from the chilling winds. A cave wasn't too far away, where he knew he would find shelter. Stepping inside, he shook himself to get the snow off his fur. He turned, facing the cave's entrance, and sat down, his eyes watching the snow fall to the ground.

A few seconds after he began to dry off, a cry sounded through the air. His ears perked up to hear if he could pinpoint the location of its owner. It sounded again, and the tiger stood up, leaving the shelter of the cave, and ran in its direction. The wind could have carried the cry miles from the owner, but the tiger was determined to seek it out. He knew it was a human, for only they could make that sound. It was between a wail and a grumble; full of emotions that were unknown to the tiger. The human making the noise sounded lost, scared, and was very sad.

Pushing his head through two bushes, the tiger spotted a small boy, around the age of four, who was curled up in a ball by a tombstone. The tiger knew humans used those things to mark where their dead were buried. If the boy was sitting by one and crying, then the person had to have been someone important to the little one. The only problem the tiger had with the scene was that the boy was dressed in a thin pair of pants and a short-sleeved shirt; not the clothing he saw most humans wearing in this weather. So not only was the boy grieving for a loved one, but he was probably freezing cold.

Leaving the cover of the bushes the tiger slowly approached the boy. As if the boy could feel his presence, the boy's whole body jerked around to confront the intruder. Brown and tiger blue eyes locked on to one another, neither showing any fear of being caught. The boy watched as the tiger continued to come closer, never taking his eyes off the animal. When its wet nose rubbed against his cheek, the boy closed his eyes and flung his arms around the large neck of the beast. He buried his face into the fur and continued to cry. The tiger did his best to shield the boy from the wind, wrapping one of his arms and his head around the boy's slender frame, as if he was returning the embrace.

"Why d-did she ha-ha-have t' go?" the boy wailed into the fur. "Ah didn't me-mean t' ma-make her go 'way! Ah'm s-so sor-sorry. Ah di-didn't mean t-too."

The tiger drew back from the crying child and licked the boy's cheek. His tongue may have been like sandpaper, but it was a great comfort to the boy. The tiger nuzzled the boy, stood up, and began to walk away.

"No! D-don't go! Please," the boy called and clung to the tiger's neck. "Please don't leave me." It was only a whisper, but it held so much emotion within the simple words. Looking into the tiger's eyes, the boy quickly understood that the tiger had wanted him to follow. The boy didn't know why, he felt fine and wanted to stay with his mother. But still, the boy followed as the tiger walked further into the woods. Once they entered a cave, the boy realized that most of his body was numb. He had been out in the cold for so long that he hadn't noticed his body was affected.

The tiger had lied down near the entrance, far enough away that the weather outside wasn't affecting him, and not too deep that he couldn't hear what was going on outside their shelter. The boy curled up near the mid-section of the beast, his face already buried in its fur, taking in the warmth the huge body was giving off. The tiger lent over and nuzzled the boy's hair with his cheek. When he pulled back, two tiger blue eyes were locked onto his.

"I'm Ryo," the boy whispered. "Thank you for h-helping me." Ryo sniffled and lifted a hand to whip his face. "I wanted to…visit my mom. Sh-she died a few mon-months ago. I-I wanted to visit her." More tears rolled down his small face, and into the tiger's fur. "I miss her so much."

The tiger licked the tears away and nuzzled the boys face again. 'I know you miss her, but it'll be alright,' he thought.

It was late in the night when the storm quit. The tiger gently nudged Ryo awake, and had the boy climb onto his back. He didn't know how he knew, but he made his way to a cabin within the woods. Ryo had fallen asleep during the ride, so the tiger slid the boy off his back as easily as he could without waking him. He licked the boys face once more and turned to go. Once he was near the tree line, the tiger heard the door to the cabin open. A tall man looked out and around the area.

"RYO!" he shouted when he looked down, only to see his son lying on the ground near his door. Aoi ran to his son, dropped down to his knees, and gathered Ryo up in his arms. He felt his son's head, and then looked around the area to see if anyone was there.

The tiger stood tall, looking the man in the eye when his eyes fell upon him. Aoi's eyes grew larger, then he blinked, and then blinked again when there wasn't anything there.

From the safety of the trees, the tiger watched as the man lifted Ryo and carried him into the cabin. As the tiger began to walk away, he felt a pull from the other direction. He could tell there was something special about Ryo, something important. He would just have to keep an eye on the youth, just to see if he was right about the boy.

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Whiteblaze snapped out of his thoughts feeling something was terribly wrong. He ran out the door and headed for the hospital. He was going to be with Ryo whether the others liked it or not.

He approached the hospital a couple hours later, at full speed. He could feel Ryo slipping. He used his senses to find his charge. When he heard the others yell Ryo's name, he jumped through the window; his ears filling with the ringing from the heart monitor.

The others looked at him in shock, but he just shoved Rowen and Sai aside and put his front paws on the bed. He nuzzled Ryo's black hair, licked his bruised face, nudged his hand, and then, finally, let out a remorseful cry, tears rolling down his cheeks as he laid his head on Ryo's chest.

"Blaze?" a hoarse, weak voice asked. The ringing in the room had stopped and was replaced by the steady rhythm of Ryo's heart.

The others crowded around the bed, with tears of joy streaming down their faces. They saw Ryo's eyes, half open, looking around the room. A gleam of happiness came to his eyes as he gave them a weak smile, which faded as he passed out.

"Ryo!" Yuli exclaimed.

"It's okay, Yuli," Rowen reassured him.

"He's just too weak to stay awake long," Sage explained.

Whiteblaze purred as he laid his head back down on Ryo's chest, listening to his lungs and heart. The peace of the room was shattered when the doctor stormed in. His eyes tripled in size and he jumped back when he saw the tiger standing by the bed.

"What is that thing doing in here!" he demanded.

"He just brought Ryo back!" Kento shouted.

"Well, he'll have to leave, now."

A groan came from Ryo's direction, causing the others to hesitate.

"You can't. Ryo needs something he's most familiar with right now," Sai explained.

"And that's Whiteblaze," Kento added.

"No, right now he needs rest. Now get that tiger out of here," the doctor demanded.

The four Ronins grabbed Whiteblaze and pulled him out the door. They now understood why Ryo got so exhausted while trying to give the tiger a bath.

Inside the room, Ryo's heart stopped again once the tiger left the room. Ryo hadn't really known what was going on. One minute he could feel his friend, then the next minute he couldn't; and his heart gave up on him as the fear took over. He knew he had to regain hope and the will to live, but he needed support. He needed the one he had always relied on. He'd just left, leaving Ryo alone in the darkness.

"RYO! NOOOOO!" Yuli cried and buried his head in Mia's lap, while she could only look at the doctor in horror. The doctor rushed over to Ryo and tried to save him, but he knew the boy was going to die no matter what he did.

Whiteblaze ran back into the room and threw the doctor out of his way. He began to nuzzle Ryo's hair just like he used to. He had to let Ryo know that he was there, and he would always be there. The other Ronins entered right behind the tiger. They helped the doctor get to his feet, then watched as the tiger efforts to wake their leader began to work. Ryo's heartbeat replaced the ringing from the monitor.

Rowen looked at the doctor and said, "Whiteblaze stays."

The doctor nodded, checked the machines, and then left the room.

The group allowed tears of joy to flow from their eyes as they gathered around their friend, knowing he was going to pull through.

stststst

Ky and Zual watched over their companion, who was hanging on by a thread. They couldn't believe how careless he had been with the Ronins. He should have known not to underestimate them. The three of them had heard of everything the Ronins had gone through with Talpa. It had made them stronger, more determined; so why had Soylaberst insisted on playing games with Wildfire, instead of killing him at the grave sight?

Though it had been fun, making him break, seeing the life leave him while he was still alive, hearing his cries of pain as they took their time toying with him and keeping him conscious when he didn't want to be.

Soylaberst was right, this mortal was strong. In a way, despite the pain his past had caused him, it had also made him stronger, giving him the stubbornness to keep fighting, even if he would loose in the end. But Wildfire hadn't lost yet; and that was why they had toyed with him. They didn't want to just tell everyone they had killed the Inferno wearer. No, that wasn't good enough. They wanted to gloat that they had broken its wearer. Then they would really be feared.

They looked at their leader again. 'Wildfire will pay for this,' they both thought.

Ky and Zaul preformed a ritual so that part of their life force was given to their fallen comrade. Now all they had to do was wait for him to regain his strength. They would need his power to finish off Wildfire. They wouldn't take that victory away from him. After all, it was his plan to kill the person who wore the strongest armor ever to have been created. And it could continue to get stronger, but that depended on the wearer.

Ky walked out of the room and sat in a chair by a table.

'Soylaberst wanted to see how strong the boy was,' he thought. 'Well then, the test isn't over, but Halo might get in the way by healing his precious leader. I'll put a stop to that.' He got up and walked over to a window. 'And I'll give Wildfire something to remember me by.' He laughed hysterically as he thought of the wound in the boy's left side, and at what he was going to do to it. He had to wait until the boy was alone or the others would get in his way.

stststst

After the window was fixed in the room, the Ronins, Mia, Yuli, and Whiteblaze decided to get some sleep. It was late and they were all exhausted from the day's events. They had retrieved a bed, blankets, and pillows from the nurses. Mia and Yuli occupied the bed. Rowen sat on the floor, but had his pillow in a chair, which he was leaning on. Sage slept against the cabinet by the bed. Sai leaned on the bed itself, using it as a back brace, while Kento used Sai's lower legs as a pillow and was holding his pillow as if it were a teddy bear. Whiteblaze slept with his head by Ryo's hand. He wanted to be as close as possible, so Ryo wouldn't think he wasn't there and have his heart quit again.

The next morning, while the others were still asleep, Ryo's eyes fluttered open. He felt uneasy inside, and had pulled himself out of the deep sleep his body was still craving. His vision cleared and he looked around the room. At first he didn't comprehend where he was, then it hit him and he shot up into a sitting position. His pulse increased to almost a dangerous level in a matter of seconds; his breathing became erratic, which hurt more due to the oxygen machine. Ryo yanked the tubes out of his nose and gasped for air. His chest flared from the sudden intake of air, and he began to shake uncontrollably, his eyes widening.

Whiteblaze woke up with a start and looked at Ryo. He saw his friend was scared and tried to comfort him; nuzzling his hair which was now covered in sweat. The others woke up when the tiger let out a frustrated whine. They looked up at Ryo, saw his distress, jumped up from their positions on the floor, and hurried to help him. Whiteblaze stepped back, giving them the room they needed.

"We have t' get 'im t' calm down or he'll have a heart attack!" Rowen exclaimed.

"Sai, go get the doctor, and hurry!" Sage ordered.

Sai ran out of the room without hesitation. Kento pulled Yuli and Mia away when they began to cry. Rowen looked around frantically, trying to find something to help Ryo. Sage finally grabbed both of Ryo's shoulders gently-since they were bruised- yet firmly, to try to stop the shaking.

The doctor ran into the room with Sai close behind. He had a syringe in his hand, which he quickly plunged into Ryo's arm. Ryo flinched then went limp, his heartbeat and breathing slowed back down. His body slumped over Sage's arms, which lowered him back into the bed.

"Thank you," Sage and Rowen said. The others nodded in agreement, still too shocked to really say anything.

"You're welcome," the doctor replied before he left the room.

Whiteblaze approached the bed and licked Ryo's face, but he didn't get any reaction. He looked up a Rowen as if begging him to wake Ryo.

"He's 'sleep, boy," Rowen answered. "It's the best thin' fo'ah 'im right now. 'is body needs this."

"He's right, Whiteblaze," Sage admitted. "As much as we want to see him sitting up and talking to us, we have to let him rest."

Everyone grew quiet and watched Ryo sleep and trying to figure out what had caused him to react like that. It was Mia who broke the silence.

"Yuli, you're suppose to go home this morning!" she exclaimed.

"But I want to stay with Ryo! Please?" the young boy begged.

"Ryo's going to be out of it for a while, Yuli. That was some pretty strong stuff the doctor gave him," Sai replied.

"Yeah, little man. And besides, I'm sure Ryo would want you to get away from here for a while," Kento added.

"Some of us will probably go home, too, Yuli," Mia agreed. "We could all use some time away from here."

"But-" Yuli began to protest.

"We'll come an' tell ya if the'ah's any change," Rowen said softly.

"You promise?"

"Yes, Yuli. We'll call you," Sage assured him.

Yuli looked around the room and saw they meant it. "Okay, if that's what Ryo would want," he agreed.

"We'll be back. Can you two handle watching him?" Sai asked.

Sage and Rowen nodded. "How much trouble can he be like this?" Rowen joked while pointing at their slumbering friend.

"With him you never know," Sai chuckled. Then he, Mia, Kento, and Yuli left the room to take Yuli home. Rowen and Sage looked at each other then at Ryo.

"Whadda we do now?"

"I don't know, Ro."

Rowen watched as Sage went over to the bed and stared at their leader's broken body. The Ronin of Halo was usually a wall for the others to lean on, just like Ryo. Sage prided himself on keeping his composure in every situation, even though he sometimes allowed them to slip when he's trying to knock some sense into Kento. He also joked around with the others. So Rowen knew the blond wasn't always trying to be Mr. Ice; he couldn't. At least not around his friends. With them he could let loose and not worry about anything. But now it looked like the wall was desperately trying to stay standing.

Sage brushed the unruly raven bangs out of Ryo's face. He couldn't believe this was happening. How could they have let this happen? Why didn't they feel something was really wrong? Wasn't their bond strong enough that they should have felt something this big? His thoughts were cut off when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Sage turned his head to see Rowen looking at him with a worried expression. He raised an eyebrow in question.

"Ya okay?"

The blond gave a weak smile and a small nod. "If only I were stronger, Ro. But-"

"Sage, Ryo would want ya t' reserve ya'ah pow'ah. Don't ya think?"

"I know, but if I could, he wouldn't be lying in that bed struggling to stay alive. If I healed him, he would be swore and sleep for a day or two, then be back on his feet. But I can't, and it's not fair. I should be able to do something instead of standing here just watching and waiting to see what's going to happen!"

"Ah wish Ah had ya'ah pow'ah t' heal, Sage. But Ah don't. All Ah can do is watch. Ah'd give anythin' t' help 'im. Ya know Ah would. But all we can do is be he'ah fo'ah 'im. Protect 'im, just like he would do fo'ah us."

Sage bowed his head in defeat. He knew Rowen was right. The blue-headed boy usually was full of wise words and understanding. He didn't let the blond down this time.

"Thanks, Ro."

Rowen smiled and squeezed his shoulder. He then went to take care of arranging Ryo's sheets around the boy's body. Sage helped out by adjusting his pillow. Once they made sure Ryo was comfortable they set about cleaning the room.

stststst

When Kento, Sai, and Mia returned from dropping Yuli off at his house, they noticed Ryo was still under the effects of the shot. The tubes for the oxygen machine were back in place, but what worried them was that his heartbeat was a bit slower. It was like what had happened that morning had taken a lot out of him.

Sai walked over and brushed the locks, which had fallen into Ryo's face, back into place. 'Rest up, my friend,' he thought, and then sat down on the floor next to Sage and ate his breakfast.

"So what do we do when he gets out of here? Take him to one of our places?" Kento asked.

"Well, we tried to reach his father while you guys were gone; but he was unavailable. He doesn't even know Ryo's here," Sage said.

"That's probably fo'ah the best. We don't want t' get ou'ah parents involved with any of this," Rowen replied.

"So what do we do?" Kento asked again.

"I think you should move in with me," Mia answered quickly. "You'd have the advantage; you'll be together, and out of the city, so no one will get caught in the crossfire. You just need to get your parent's approval."

"Don't worry, Mia, I'm sure our parents will let us move in for a while. It's not like we haven't lived there before," Sai assured her.

"They thought we we'ah on that 'trip', Sai," Rowen reminded him.

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that."

"Come on, guys!" Kento shouted. "Just set it in your mind that you're going and your parents can't change it."

Everyone's mouths dropped open in response.

"Kento! Ah didn't know ya could think that way!" Rowen laughed.

"Yes, I can, Rowen. And besides, if that doesn't work, leave a note and sneak out of the house."

Everyone shook their heads and looked away from him.

"And here I thought you had an intelligent answer to our problem," Sage said dryly.

"Intelligence is Rowen's department," Kento said without thinking what the blond had said.

stststst

Rowen and Sage decided to ask their parents first. They walked down the road in silence; Sage not even bothering to stop and flirt with the girls-who tried to get the blonde's attention- on their way. This meant one of two things: Sage wasn't interested in them, or he was just upset about something. Rowen would put all his money on the latter. But Sage wasn't worried about Ryo; he was worried about how his parents might react to the whole thing.

The two friends split up as Rowen went into the University and Sage headed for the dojo.

Rowen knocked on his father's laboratory door when he reached it. He wasn't suppose to just walk in, he had to knock just in case his father was in the middle of something that couldn't have extra light. He could hear his father working so he banged on the door even harder.

"Come in!" Genichirou shouted.

Rowen entered the room and went to stand by his father.

"Oh, Rowen!" he replied with a smile on his face. "Ah thought ya'd still be gone."

"Uh, yeah. Ah came t' talk t' ya 'bout that. Dad…Ah'm goin' t' move in wif Mia an' the guys fo'ah a while. Ah-"

"Ah don't think so. Goin' t' visit is one thin', movin' in is anoth'ah. It's not acceptable. Five young teenag'ahs an' a college student? No," Genichirou argued.

"Dad, ya didn't even let me explain. Ah have t' go. Ryo's-"

"Ryo can take care of 'imself. Ah know he can."

Rowen slammed his fist down on the table. "He's in the hospital, Dad! And 'is fath'ah aint comin'! We can't get 'hold of 'im!" he shouted. He was on the verge of tears, but he held them back.

Genichirou grew quiet, looking at his son, and knowing just how much Ryo meant to him. Ryo was the first true friend Rowen had ever had.

"Dad, please und'ahstand. Ryo-"

"Is like a broth'ah? Ah can see that, Rowen," Genichirou cut him off. "Alright. Ya can go. Just be careful, and tell Ryo t' get well soon."

"Thanks, Dad. Ah'll be by t' get my stuff lat'ah," Rowen smiled then left the room, heading for the dojo.

stststst

Sage entered the dojo, quickly looking around for his parents. His father should have been off work today, if the blond was correct. He spotted them in the office and headed over. They started to walk out when they saw him, but Sage stopped them.

"I need to talk to you; the both of you," he said as he entered the office. He was surprised they had followed without saying anything. Instead, they sat back down in their chairs and waited for him to speak. Sage took a deep breath; to him, Talpa was nothing compared to his parents. "I have decided to move in with Mia and –" he began.

"Nani?" his father, Masaharu, exclaimed.

"I don't think so!" Natsuko added.

"Please, just listen," Sage begged.

"You're not moving in with some eighteen year old woman," Masaharu said.

"It's nothing like that!" Sage exclaimed. He knew he was a flirt, but he would never do anything with any of those girls. They lacked what he wanted, and he was too young to know what he wanted, but he knew they didn't have it. Surely his parents knew that, didn't they?

"Then what would you call it?" his father demanded.

'Okay, maybe they don't,' Sage thought bitterly. "Being there for a friend who needs me," he said calmly as he met his father's eyes. He noticed his parent's hesitation and took advantage. "Ryo's in the hospital. He didn't meet us at Mia's like we had agreed. We found him and he was almost dead; he was beaten badly. Please, I have to move in with Mia and the guys for a while. We haven't been able to reach Mr. Sanada, and Ryo's going to need us, all of us. I have to go."

Natsuko walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder, while Masaharu just continued to stare at him. "Is he okay?" Natsuko asked.

"I don't know. We had to tranquilize him earlier. He would have had a heart attack if we hadn't," Sage answered. He looked at his father. "Go and see him, then you'll understand that I'm right."

"Sage-"

"Dad, please. If you don't believe me, go and see him."

His parents agreed to go with him to the hospital. Natsuko was proud that her son actually stood up to his father, and didn't let up any. He was mature for his age and so smart; not like his friend Rowen, but he had a good head on his shoulders. Masaharu was surprised at how his son had acted. Part of him was proud that his son was mature enough to handle the situation the way he had; but the other half was angry that the boy hadn't listened to him.

They waited for Rowen to arrive; and after Sage explained why his parents were driving them back, Masaharu drove to the hospital. Rowen led the way to the room Ryo was in, and Sage walked into the room with the blue-headed boy, leaving his parents outside.

"Hey, guys. How'd it go?" Kento asked.

"Affirmative," Rowen answered.

"My parents are here. They wouldn't agree, so I told them to come and see for themselves that he needs all of us," Sage replied. "Would you mind leaving them alone in here?"

"No, not at all," Sai smiled. Then he, Kento, Rowen, and Mia left the room, but Whiteblaze walked over to the corner and sat down. He wouldn't leave even if they tried to drag him out. Sage's parents entered and walked closer to the bed. Natsuko gasped and hugged her husband, burying her face in his shoulder. She didn't like seeing kids in this condition, or anyone for the matter. Masaharu bowed his head and touched Ryo's hand, saying a prayer for him.

Sage then looked at the occupant of the bed. Ryo looked broken, like one of the limp dolls his younger sister played with. You could put them in a position, and they still sagged. He didn't like the look of Ryo in the bed. The younger boy looked so vulnerable just lying there; and Ryo never looked vulnerable. Ryo was strong and ready for anything. One could count on him for anything, to come by to have a sword match, to drop in to cheer one up, or to hang out when asked. He was usually submissive to everyone and did what they wanted to do, but he could be demanding at times. He hardly asked anything of others. He was open minded to others and their opinions and really listened when they spoke against him. He had a bad temper when provoke to life, but he was getting better at controlling it. Ryo was one of his best friends; his inner circle. One of the few people who knew the real him and liked him for who he was, even though they where different as day and night. Both of them had the same goal though, to give everything their all. They just had a different way of getting there.

Sage snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see his father looking at him. "You can move in with the others. You were right; Ryo does need all of you right now. Gomen," Masaharu said softly.

Sage just smiled and nodded, then watched as his parents left the room and the others came back in.

"Well?" Kento asked.

Again Sage just nodded, then turned back to the occupant of the bed.

stststst

Sai and Kento left shortly after Sage's parents, both making their way to the restaurant Kento's family owned. They figured their parents would crack if they both were there. They found Kento's mother near the register, with no customers around, so they decided it was a good time to ask. Sai stood back as Kento approached his mother. He was within hearing range, so he could jump in if his friend needed him.

"Hey, son. What are you doing back so soon?" Chun Li asked.

"I needed to ask you something," Kento smile innocently.

"And what would the question be?" she asked, eying him carefully.

"Can I move in with the guys at Mia's?"

Chun Li got a dumbfounded look on her face. "And why would you want to do that?"

"Ryo's been hospitalized, and, well, once he gets out he's gonna need us. His dad isn't coming home," Kento added. He knew his mother hated to hear of people getting hurt. "Please, Mom?"

Chun Li thought it over for a few minutes, then reluctantly agreed. "Alright, Kento. You can go for as long as you need to. I'll tell your father later," she said giving him a weak smile. She didn't like her family being separated for long, but she understood Kento was right. Ryo's father probably wasn't within reach, and Ryo didn't have any other family to take care of him. He was going to need his friends, and that included her son.

stststst

Kento and Sai headed for Sai's apartment complex. His mother was taking time off while Sayoko ran the pottery shop. They entered and began to take off their shoes.

"Mum?" Sai called.

"In here, hon!" Sora called from the living room. She watched as her son entered, followed by a heavier- built boy. "Hello, Kento. Why are you boy's back so soon?"

"Mum, you remember Ryo, right?" Said asked as he sat down beside her.

"The boy in the cabin? Yes, he's the sweetest little thing. How is he doing?"

"Well, Mum, he's in the hospital."

"Is he okay? What happened?" she asked, starting to panic.

"He's doing better, Mum. Calm down. He just got beaten up. We found him and took him to the hospital. He's recovering at the moment, but once he gets out he's going to need some help. He won't admit that, of course, but he's going to need us guys," Sai explained.

"What are you getting at, Sai? You want him to move in here?"

"No, Mum. I'm going to move in with guys at Mia's. It's big enough to house all of us."

"And then some," Kento piped in. He was tired of being left out of the conversation.

"I don't know…"Sora trailed off.

"Please, Mum. Ryo needs me. Who else is going to cook? Mia can't do everything. Plus, I have to go to keep Kento in line," Sai joked.

"Hey, that's not funny. I'm a big boy. I-"

"We know, we know!" the two Mouri's laughed.

"Please. Ryo needs us. Needs me. We're like brothers; we're there for each other, no matter what."

Sora saw the determination in his eyes, and she knew she had to let him go. "Just be careful, Sai."

"Thank you." Sai kissed her cheek, and then stood up.

"Don't worry, Ms. M. We can handle everything," Kento said as he and Sai left the apartment.

"See! What did I tell ya? Just have it set in your mind on what you want, and don't let anyone tell you differently," Kento smiled as they walked down the sidewalk. "I'm hungry."

"You would be. Don't you ever stop eating?"

"How long have you known me?" Kento asked seriously. "And you don't know the answer yet?"

Sai just shook his head as they stopped at a fast food place to grab a bite to eat, and pick up lunch for the others.

TBC

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What! No cliffhanger! How could I do this to you guys! And what happen to the torture?…Well, he did die once and had a panic attack, does that count?… Anyway, sorry for the lack of action in this part. But it had to be written. Gomen. Anyway, the next chapter spices things up a bit. :grins evilly: And I do believe I see four more armor bearers coming into play soon. Hmmm. I wonder what will happen? Wait and find out. AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW(!) PEOPLE!…please…

Oh, for those of you who noticed the Digimon Adventure character names, for the lack of my imagination, good for you. I like the thought of Yamato's parents being Sage's. Both boys are blond and it covers one of their eyes! So it works. J/k. And just to be safe, I don't own Digimon Adventure either.