A/N: I was astounded to have been reviewed so quickly with such nice reviews. It gives me that stupid fuzzy warm feeling, you know? Probably not. Never mind. Just go ahead and read.

Disclaimer: Anyone's name you recognize is not mine and I don't intend to claim they are. Read on at your own discretion.

A/N: silverwyvern: Just a real quick thing, thanks for your comments hun. I love you to pieces. I only suggested joining as a member of so you could put me on your Author's Alert list. Goes right ot your email, you know? It tells you when I come out with this stuff and you could put my stories under favorites... it just makes everything alot easier to access... a lot less buttons and words to remember. Anyway, thanks.

A/N: Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers. I loved reading all of them. And thanks to those of you that informed me of Sye's last name. It will be changed in the future chapters and if I'm not too busy one of these days I'll change the first couple to read the same. Oh, and to you Soup - CONGRADULATIONS- Here's your brownie. I know I altered the phrase a bit, but I figured whomever had seen the movie would know what I was talking about. A lot of other people seem to look at me funny when I talk about that movie... as if I had made up the name off the top of my head. I'm not that creative -contrary to popular belief. -smiles- Enjoy.

Chapter 3

Sye immediately stood up, scaring Mr. Brenek and startling the rest of the class. He grabbed his bag and walked out the door.

"I need to go to Guidance." He spoke as he walked out. Seiji and Ryo exchanged a glance.

"I'm going to Guidance too!" Rowen stood up, but Mr. Brenek gently pushed him back into his seat.

"No, you're not." He made a phone call, then started class.

They walked into next period and saw Sye already there, playing one on one with the teacher, Mr. Steurer.

"Go ahead and change!" The teacher shouted to them, clearly out of breath.

Sye and he went at it while they all changed and when they came back, Mr. Steurer was completely out of breath. Sye made one more basket, then bent half down and calmed his breathing as opposed to sitting on the ground, gasping for breath, like the teacher.

Rowen went right up to Sye and he stood. They made eye contact for a moment, then Sye firmly wrapped his arms around Rowen, his hands were fists.

"Did you go to guidance?" Rowen whispered.

"Yeah."

"Well?"

"I told them I had problems at home and I didn't want to talk about them; I told them I wanted to vent my anger out and after I broke their punching bag they sent me here."

"So you're worried about Ryo getting in trouble for hurting you?" He asked gently.

"Yeah, but I can handle that."

"Then what?"

"My mom left." He pulled away from Rowen and stared at him hard.

"She left?"

"Gone."

"You call the police?"

"And what? Have them take custody of me because I'm a minor?" He scowled. "She ran out on me the way my dad did and she ain't coming back, only at least she had the decency to leave some money. I can forge her signature and make it on my own for a while."

"You want to live with us?" Ryo came up on Rowen's side as he said this. Sye looked at Ryo calmly and smiled, he was wearing the bandana Ryo had given him the night before. Instead of using it, he had just kept it.

"No." He murmured calmly. "Thanks anyway. I'll be fine."

Rowen nodded.

"We're doing soccer today!" Mr. Steurer shouted for the class to hear, but they all noticed he was still out of breath.

"Getting old, Steurer?" Ryo yelled. The teacher laughed.

"Who are you?" He asked walking up to the new kid that had come in that morning and made Sye late. Kento didn't seem to hear or understand the teacher.

"Kento!" Sye yelled and the kid's glance shot to him. "Say something."

"Hi." Kento nodded to the teacher.

"Welcome to P.E. Okay, lets pick teams." He looked around at all of them. "Let's make this even. Seiji you lead one team, Sye you lead the other. Seiji pick first, now remember people, this isn't a popularity contest!"

Seiji and Sye stood next to each other in front of the class.

"Ryo." Seiji called. Ryo walked over to him. Ryo leaned his arm on Sye's shoulder and whispered into his ear.

"Pick the five best." He murmured, letting his lips brush Sye's ear.

Sye didn't acknowledge, he looked over the group.

"Rowen, Kento." They both walked over to Sye.

"Girls." Seiji growled calmly inaudible; ignoring the two weak boys left in the class. "Andrea." A tall brown haired girl trotted over to Seiji's side. Sye looked over the girls.

"Caryn." A short girl with short pink hair came bashfully up to Sye and he groaned; she had a crush on him.

"Hello, Sye!" She smiled, swaying her hips seductively.

"Yeah, yeah!" He waved her away. "Catie, and Christina."

The teacher seemed about to object, but Seiji wasn't complaining at him picking so many at once.

"There's my five." Sye murmured, talking to Ryo.

"Kara, and Janet." Seiji called and sighed. "Done."

The teacher looked baffled. "Wait! You're not playing fair!"

"To who?" Ryo questioned. "There are twenty-one people in the class and we only have ten, that gives them the advantage of one player."

The teacher sighed. "But all the..."

"Oh, Mr. Steurer." Ryo smirked, speaking in the same playful tone he had with Mr. Brenek the first/second day. "Were you about to say that all the talent is on our team?" He was mocking Mr. Steurer. "Shame on you." He shook his finger at Mr. Steurer who laughed uneasily.

"Alright, play, but tomorrow you four are going to be separated fairly."

"Tomorrow's Saturday, genius!" One of the girls snapped and her little group laughed with her.

"Even the teacher is admitting their failure." Rowen chuckled and high-five'd Sye.

They went out onto the school's playing field and their team beat the other team by twenty points before Mr. Steurer intervened again.

"Ryo, Sye, you both go onto the other team!" He ordered and seemed angry, so they did. The players were traded and there was another face off, between Ryo and Seiji. The ball was dropped and Ryo stood still calmly.

"Take it." Ryo whispered tapping the ball over the line with his foot and Seiji laughed, kicking the ball around Ryo, Rowen laughed as well as Seiji and he easily maneuvered to the goal and kicked it in.

"What are you doing?" The teacher was half hysterical, half in tears.

"Helping my mates!" Ryo shouted to him in reply. Ryo and Sye merely stood in place as Seiji, Rowen, and Kento went by them scoring points. The rest of Ryo's team put up a fight, but Seiji and Rowen got by them easily.

They made ten points before Mr. Steurer intervened again. He switched it so Seiji was the captain of the lame team with Sye. Ryo was back on the other side.

Sye was doing the kick off with Ryo this time. The ball was dropped and Sye playfully tapped it off to the side two feet. Ryo laughed, took it, and kicked it all the way to the goal with Rowen and Kento helping him out the most. Seiji and Sye did nothing to fight at all.

Gathering the five of them up, Mr. Steurer shook his head disdainfully.

"I don't understand you. Sye, I thought I got you, but you're baffling me more than this lot." He gestured to Ryo, Seiji, and Rowen.

"There's nothing to get."

"Then why won't you work against each other in a game, or at all for that matter?" He raised his brow; he himself sweating from the hot sun.

"Loyalty." Sye answered.

"What?"

"I think you said it yourself yesterday, with the ruler and his subjects."

Mr. Steurer still looked baffled.

"You'll understand one day." Sye assured as he patted Mr. Steurer's arm gently.

"The bell will ring soon, we should change." Ryo announced and they all headed inside.

In the locker room Sye was once again going to go to one of the three stalls, but he saw how uncomfortable Kento seemed and offered it to him.

Quickly, he stripped down to his boxers and walked over to the sink splattering some water on his face and neck.

"Good game." Ryo sighed walking in.

"What was so good about it?" That same annoying brown haired kid, spoke out from inside the stall.

"What was that?!" Ryo snapped banging his fist against the kid's stall, denting the metal.

"Nothing!" The kid called innocently.

Ryo pulled off his shirt and tossed it in his duffel bag. "You going to go out for the soccer team?" Ryo asked, speaking to Sye. When Sye turned around to Ryo, he saw Ryo completely naked. A light blush touched Sye's cheeks as he walked over to his locker.

"I don't know." He replied, fighting a smile.

Ryo walked into the shower area and turned it on. It was an alcove like the one the stalls were in, just as big, tiled orange, and opposite of the stalls.

"Do you have enough time for that?" Sye asked.

"I lied when I said the bell would ring soon. We have ten minutes and I'm boiling."

Seiji walked in after him and turned on another shower head. He sat on the floor aiming it for himself and he opened his legs resting his arms on his knees.

"It's hot out there." Seiji complained, throwing his head back against the wall. Sye forced himself to look at his locker. He grabbed a towel from his bag and dried the sweat from his body, getting dressed quickly. He rolled up the sleeves on his white button up, and left it open, his blazer hung over his arm. He grabbed his bag and books and leaned against the lockers. They were so cold and it was so nice. He almost fell asleep.

"You look tired." Rowen commented, a towel around his waist. He had obviously gone into the showers for a moment as well.

"I was up arguing with the bitch all night," he sighed, "and after she left I couldn't sleep. I'll sleep during de... detention... today or some... something." He sighed and collapsed to the ground.

He heard Rowen and Ryo shouting at first and he felt warm flesh against his.

"Hey! Mr. Steurer!" One of those two annoying boys calling for the teacher.

"No!" Sye groaned loudly. The kid was about to yell for the teacher again, but Kento had him and kept him quiet.

"What happened?" Seiji asked kneeling next to Sye.

"I'm just tired."

"You collapsed!" Rowen snapped angrily.

"I slipped!" Sye shot back, exhausted from the effort. "Look, if anyone finds out they'll want to call home, but no one's there!" He stood with Ryo's help. "I'll be fine."

"You're one brave idiot." Rowen sighed and walked away to his locker.

"What should I do with him?" Kento asked, speaking of the kid thrashing in his arms.

"Let him go." Ryo ordered. Kento did and the kid and his friend ran to tell Mr. Steurer most likely.

"What are you going to do about Mr. Steurer?" Kento wondered.

"It's their word against mine." Ryo replied and Sye seemed vaguely shocked. He blushed when he realized Ryo was still naked and mere inches from himself.

"Thanks." Sye smiled, but he didn't dare touch Ryo yet, maybe after he got closer to Ryo mentally.

Mr. Steurer came dashing into the locker room as Ryo turned back to his locker and continued to get dressed.

"Sye! Are you alright?!" He came dashing in, trailed by a few ladies who stayed near the still open door. They were blushing.

"Hey!" Rowen yelled. "You want us to watch you dress?" The girls all gasped and ran out the door. Kento and Sye were the only ones fully dressed, but the others were getting there.

"What happened?" He went right up to Sye and tried to put his hand on Sye's head.

"Whoa!" Sye jumped over the bench and away form Mr. Steurer. "Dude! Personal bubble!"

"What?"

"You're getting a little too close!" Sye snapped.

"Greg told me you collapsed!" Mr. Steurer explained, gasping and out of breath.

"I'm fine. Nothing happened! I don't know what he's telling you, but nothing happened!"

"Is that true?" Mr. Steurer asked looking around to all of them. "Kento?"

"What? He's fine! Look, he's hopping all over the place!" Kento left.

"Ryo?" Mr. Steurer continued.

"Man!" Sye yelled. "You got some serious trust issues to work out." Sye grabbed his bag and books and walked out, just as the bell rang and Ryo, Seiji, and Rowen were out of there before the teacher could put another word in edge wise.

It was Science again and Sye couldn't keep his head up, though he tried quite hard.

Sye watched Ryo and Seiji as they mumbled things to each other. A pop quiz was placed in front of Sye and he was snapped out of his trance. He looked up and saw the teacher standing there.

"Daydreaming, are we? What this time?" He seemed rather cynical when he spoke.

"Two angels." Sye replied and watched the teacher storm away in distaste. He looked over to Ryo and Seiji and saw them both looking right at him; clearly they had heard him. He tiredly took out a pencil and started his quiz. He knew it all from previous knowledge, or just from watching the discovery channel and he aced it. Ryo and Seiji had done very well also.

The teacher, Mr. Kenniston, had threatened to give every person that got below a seventy a detention. Ryo seemed anxious to get through with the day, but Sye didn't see why; they both had detentions with Mr. Kenniston after school.

Next was History, another pop quiz. His knowledge from the historical channel helped him here; he aced it. Going onto Math, another quiz and another A.

Simple enough. He thought as he went through it. The whole thing had been simple because he was always a whiz at math.

After a study hall school was finally over, but Ryo and Sye had to report to the ISS room for their detentions. It was a small room, with one window that was clogged up with an air conditioner that didn't work and the sun was directly exposed to them right then.

"This sucks." Sye rasped, his throat feeling dry already. A minute later they heard a key slide into the lock and it was locked. Ryo and Sye jumped up and looked out the small window on the door.

"Hello boys." The student-teacher with the fiery red hair stood there, keys dangling in hand. Ryo tried to open the door and found it locked tight. "You won't get out of there until I get what I want." He smiled.

"Who are you?" Sye yelled and punched the door.

"Mr...." He started.

"Aries!" Ryo snapped. "Don't start that 'Mr.' bullshit."

"Let us out!" Sye yelled.

"No." Aries smiled evilly.

"You can't do this, Aries!" Ryo shouted and hit the glass with his fist.

"Of course I can. Kenniston is in his classroom, the oaf; wondering where you two are and I have the only key to this room now that I've changed the locks. It doesn't open from the inside. Once you're in there, you're stuck."

"Bastard!" Ryo yelled.

"You'll roast in there all day while the sun is going down right on you and that little room is a hot box. It will get well over ninety degrees in there. All because you refused me, Ryo." Aries smiled.

Ryo scowled and looked away, around the room for something.

When he turned back, he saw Sye, slide against the wall to the floor calmly. He leaned his arms on his knees and rested his head against the wall.

"Ryo, don't get so angry over it." He sighed calming.

"What? How can I not be angry? He'll roast us alive! You're already not feeling good and..."

"Ryo!" Sye warned patiently. "Sit next to me, please." Ryo frowned down on him, but he sat to Sye's right on the wall with the door on it, so Aries couldn't see them.

"What are you planning?" Ryo whispered gently in his ear.

"You mind if I lean on you?" Sye asked.

"No." Ryo replied, still distressed. Sye tenderly leaned down and rested his head in Ryo's lap, his body laid out and more comfortable.

"What are you two doing in there?" No response. "I can hear you talking!" He yelled, but Sye kept Ryo from responding.

"You're so cunning." Ryo murmured, leaning his head back happily. "I never would have thought of that."

"You were only a little heated, that's why. You would have thought of it just as quickly if you hadn't let your temper take you."

Ryo stroked his hair timidly.

There was a scuffle outside the door a few minutes later. Sye stood up with Ryo and they relaxed on the desk tops.

"Ryo!" Seiji yelled through the door and barged in a moment later. He was sweating, his white cotton tanktop sticking to his chest, his nipples hard underneath. "You alright?" He asked, walking closer to Ryo, clearly not liking the heat of the room.

"Yeah." Ryo ran his fingers through his own hair, then he remembered Sye. "Uh, do you need a ride home?" He asked quickly.

"No." Sye answered, he smiled and left the room.

"I was worried about you. When you called on his phone and told me you were imprisoned by that fucked up dimension hopper psycho, I flipped." He moved closer to Ryo his hands on Ryo's waist. "I was so worried." He whispered and covered Ryo's mouth with his. They stayed together for a long moment, then separated.

"Sye saved me. He's the one that thought of it."

"He's becoming a very good friend, isn't he?" Seiji smiled.

"No one will ever be as good as you, Seiji, but I can still surround myself with loyal friends, can't I?"

"Of course." Seiji answered and they kissed again.

"We should go. I'll take you home."

"Aren't you going to stay the night?" He wondered. Ryo smiled.

"As much as I'd love to, believe me, I can't. Rowen..."

"Can I have a few hours then?" Seiji asked, ravaging Ryo's neck. Ryo gasped.

"Why not?"

Later that night, Ryo was driving home on his bike. He quietly came around the corner and drove down his street. As he passed Sye's house, he saw him sitting in his driveway and he stopped.

"What's wrong?" Ryo asked.

"Nothing." Sye murmured and he knew that Sye had been drinking and crying. He drove his bike into the driveway and kicked the stand to keep it up. He got off the bike and went over to Sye, sitting beside him.

"What is it?"

His eyes flashed over Sye's outfit. Black sweaty cotton jaw string pants with bell bottoms and a blue tanktop.

Sye turned to him, tears in his bloodshot eyes. "My mother's dead." He whimpered pathetically and looked away from Ryo, covering his mouth with one hand. "They found her and her boyfriend together robbing some bank and they shot them both when the guy drew a gun. They haven't identified the bodies yet."

"Did they call you?" He asked worriedly.

"No, they keep showing it on the news hoping someone will recognize the persons and identify them." Sye stared up at the sky momentarily, losing his train of thought. "You suppose she's up there? She said that peoples' souls turn into balls of light that later adapt into stars after they die. You think she's up there watching..." He shook his head cutting himself off. "Fucking stars."

"Aren't you going to call it in?"

"No." Sye buried his face in his arms and Ryo could hear faint sobs coming from him.

"Come on." Ryo insisted after a moment, and he rose.

"What?" Sye whispered.

"Come with me." Ryo pulled Sye up forcefully. Sye didn't object. "You're staying with us." He pulled Sye to his motorcycle and got on. He looked over Sye and saw he was a bit intoxicated. He must have really been upset, but who wouldn't be unless they really didn't like their mother? Ryo remembered feeling the same exact way. "You coming." It wasn't a question. Sye paused, rubbing his arm tensely, but before Ryo had to say one word of persuasion he got on behind Ryo and wrapped his arms around Ryo's waist like Seiji had.

Ryo pulled out and slowly drove down the street to Rowen's house.

They knocked and Rowen's mother quickly answered.

"Hello Ryo," she smirked devilishly, "Sye." It was that purring sound again and Ryo scowled at her.

"Rowen!" He yelled and Rowen came around the corner of the stairs and walked half way down the stairs before he saw how stressed Sye looked. He jumped the rest.

"Ma! What the hell? You hitting on my friends again?! I swear I'll move out someday soon, then you'll have to go out and find your own prey."

"Rowen, you're such a tease." She patted him playfully.

"Go finish burning dinner, Ma. I can see the smoke from here!"

"Oh, God!" She shouted and rushed to the kitchen, worriedly.

"Sye." Rowen whispered gently and he leaned his face close to Sye's, their hair meshing together.

"Rowen." Ryo warned, a vice grip on Rowen's arm. "Not down here."

Rowen nodded. He ushered them in. Sye wobbled and nearly fell, but Ryo had him tightly.

"Will he make it up the stairs?" Rowen wondered and watched Ryo heave Sye up into his arms like a mother holding a two year old that didn't want to walk anymore; only Sye was a lot bigger and not complaining at all. Ryo didn't even flinch under his weight and he made it up the stairs with ease.

They rounded the corner of the stairs to the right and traveled down a long hall to the corner of the house that was shaded by light. Rowen had picked out this room for his own so he would never be woken up by the light on a morning he would want to sleep in, like tonight.

Rowen had a huge king sized bed with no box spring, on the floor and covered in black sheets. The room was cool and nice. His room was dark with a small library on the side wall and clothes in a pile on a black arm chair off in the corner.

"Put him on the bed." Rowen whispered, as Ryo gently knelt on the bed himself and laid Sye down like a baby. Sye's eyes captured Ryo's and they did nothing but stare deeply at each other for a long while.

"Thank you." Sye murmured, a tear in his eye. He closed his eyes and let the tears run. Ryo sat up and looked at Rowen.

"Well?" Rowen asked hastily.

"Well, what?" Ryo replied.

"You just brought him over for no reason or are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

"Sye will tell you in the morning if he wants to." Ryo smiled briefly as they heard Rowen's mother call them for dinner and say that Sye could come down in whatever was comfortable for him to wear.

"Sye." Rowen called, but Ryo rose and silenced him. They both looked down on Sye and saw him fast asleep.

"I'm not hungry." Ryo whispered. "Go down to dinner. I'm sorry for putting you out like this, Rowen..."

Rowen shook his head. "He's troubled and you're making him feel better. You're the best, Ryo. You take care of him while I eat. If you guys are asleep when I come back I'll just sleep in the guest room."

"I suppose that's where we should have put him." Ryo smiled as he thought about it now.

"It's more comfortable here." Rowen replied and went down to eat. "I'm going to go out for a quick bite to eat!" Rowen called to his mother. "Anymore of your poison... I mean cooking," he corrected quickly, "and I'll keel over."

Rowen grabbed his car keys and left for a fast food place. He returned later that night, but didn't even bother checking on his friends. He knew Ryo would be taking good care of Sye.

It wasn't the light that awoke Rowen from his sound sleep in the morning; it was Ryo, sneaking through the hall. Rowen jumped up and ran quickly into the hall catching Ryo off guard and scaring him.

"Where are you going?" Rowen asked hastily.

"I promised Seiji I would meet him this morning." Ryo shrugged, almost pleadingly. "I'm sorry, Rowen. Can you keep an eye on Sye?"

Rowen sighed heavily and frowned on Ryo, but nodded, watching him go. He thought about going to sleep by Sye's side, but decided against it.

He's a big boy. Rowen reasoned and went back to bed. He was once again awoken when he felt a weight on the end of his bed. He didn't even bother to look up.

"Fuck off, Ma!" He groaned tiredly. "I told you, weekends I get to have as mine!" He adjusted his position and tried to sleep again.

"You shouldn't..." The voice wasn't hers; Rowen jumped up into a sitting position and found himself staring at Sye, "say that to your mother." He finished, smiling vaguely. First staring at the floor, then the wall, then Rowen.

A/N: I'm quite thrilled at the reviews I got. Thank you. Your encouragement has been quite helpful to me. I hope you like this.