Only five minutes had passes since Ryo left, but the only thing any of the boys downstairs heard of him was the few loud thumps on the floor. Kento looked up from his spot on the couch and stared at the ceiling.

"What could Ryo be doing up there? I mean, how hard is it to get changed?"

"He probably just tripped or something."

No…Sage knew that wasn't it. He could sense something sinister in the air, and he feared for Ryo. Then again, he had been really stressed after the fight, and was probably imagining things. If Ryo was in trouble, as he thought, he would sense it, and the others would be up there in a flash. With his mind a little more at ease, Sage settles back into a trance-like state to continue his meditation. He quieted his mind and projected his spirit out around the house. Right outside, Rowen was asleep on the grass, White Blaze had run off somewhere, and Kento was next to him on the couch. However, he could now tell that there was something wrong with Ryo. He was oddly quiet, and yet his mind was ablaze with questions and concern. The second thing he noticed was Cye in the kitchen. Something wasn't right, and as Sage concentrated harder, he could just barely sense evil amiss. He tried to awaken from his trance, but again, something was keeping him from awakening.

Mia's kitchen was huge compared to kitchens in normal houses. It could comfortably fit five people cooking there with plenty of space for each. However, Cye didn't mind the space. Sure, it took longer to get the ingredients together, but it was also convenient, considering how many people he had to cook for. He was getting the last of the ingredients to make a large gourmet lunch when a dark omen entered. Without Cye noticing, it went to the gas valve hidden in the corner by the sink and switched it on. Slowly, methane gas filled the room. On his way to the fridge, Cye stopped and held his head. He felt oddly dizzy and tired. But, instead of investigating, he brushed it off, blaming it on his exhaustion from working so hard. Sage was afraid now. He couldn't wake up, and he foresaw terrible things happening to the water bearer. He tried to reach him with his mind, but he answered too late. Cye was setting a pot of water on the stove.

/Cye/

\Huh? Sage, is that you?\

/Yes/

\Oh, hi! I'm not ready with lunch yet, if that's what you want to know!\

/That's not it! Listen, you have tog et out here, quick/

\You sense something? Okay, I'll be right out! I just need to set the water to boil, and-\

That was a big mistake. As soon as Cye switched the stove on, Sage awoke in the living room. His yell was drowned out by the large explosion from the kitchen. He and Kento were thrown back off the couch, and he apparently lost consciousness. He awoke a moment later to Rowen shaking him.

"Sage? What happened?"

"H-he's back…"

Was all he could choke out. Sage hurt all over, and he needed a helping hand to stand up. Kento was getting up also, and then, all eyes were on the kitchen door, which was engulfed in flames.

"Cye…"

"We have to get in there!"

"Then lets go!"

"No, wait!"

They looked at Sage.

"It was him! We can't all go rushing in there and hope for the best! Rowen, go out to the shed and get together all the fire extinguishers you can find! Kento, go find Ryo!"

"Oh, yeah! Ryo can get rid of these flames right away!"

Rowen didn't have to ask what Sage was going to do, for the blonde was already rolling up his sleeves.

"Wait, shouldn't Kento go in there?"

"Yeah! I want to!"

"But I can handle hot places easier than he can! Just go!"

With that, the blonde ran through the door and into the kitchen. The flames were hotter than he expected. They nipped at his skin, and made his body shudder. He had barely been in there a minute and he was already hacking and sweating. Just imagine if Kento had gone in… Sage pushed that thought away, and slowly walked around the kitchen. It was barely recognizable, he had trouble finding the stove area. When he finally got there, he was more than shocked. The whole stove had exploded, and lay in burnt pieces on the burning tiled floor. To his left, Sage saw the counter. It was burnt and broken also, but the most disturbing thing was the trail of blood on the floor, and some on the counter.

He was becoming more worried by the second. He could hardly remain calm as he followed the blood around the corner where a crispy figure lay sprawled on the floor on his stomach. Cye wasn't moving.

"Cye!"

Sage went to him, and rolled the boy on his back, keeping his head on his lap. Cye's eyes were closed and he had several cuts on his face. There were more on his arms, though, signifying that he had used his arms to shield his face was best he could. His shirt was burnt against his skin, and his breath came out in ragged, painful puffs. The worst of the damage done, however, were the severe burns on the boy's legs. Sage reached out to touch the bleeding burns, but he received a loud and pain-filled reaction from the boy on his lap.

"Oh, Cye… hey! Cye, don't die, man…!"

"M-mm…"

"He doesn't look so good… Where on earth is Ryo?"

While Rowen had no trouble finding the fire extinguisher, Kento was having trouble, finding Ryo. He checked the bathrooms, and closets and outside, and then he remembered the noise he and Sage heard coming from his room. Smacking himself on the head, Kento ran past the fire to the staircase. It was spreading, and neither Sage nor Cye had made it out of the kitchen.

Throwing open Ryo's door, he found their leader tied up on the floor with a gag over his mouth and no shirt on.

"Ryo!"

"Kento took out his pocket knife and cut the restraints holding the raven haired boy down. As Ryo stood back up, Kento went to his drawr to find him a shirt. Ryo could see how worried he was.

"What's happening down there? I heard something like an explosion!"

"It was exactly what it sounded like! Something blew up in the kitchen!"

"Oh my god… is everyone all right!"

"We don't know! Sage ran in to get Cye, and Rowen has a fire extinguisher!"

"That wont last for very long!"

Ryo ran to his dresser and pulled out his armor orb. After putting his shirt back on, the two ran down the now-burning staircase to meet Rowen. He had two extinguishers, and was looking paler by the second. Kento grabbed his shoulders.

"Have they come out!"

"No…"

"Okay, lets go!"

"What?"

"Just get me far enough inside, and I'll take care of those flames!"

Rowen nodded and passed one of the extinguishers to Kento. The three of them entered the flaming room. It was very hot, and if that wasn't bad enough, the further they went in, the more heat was attracted to them. Maybe it was because of Ryo, being the warrior of fire and flame. Soon, about midway in, Rowen stopped. Kento was still spraying the contents of the container on the fire, trying to ignore what was bothering the other.

"This is as far as we can go!"

"Okay… Stay behind me, guys!"

The two stepped aside, and that's when Ryo took out the orb. In response to the intense heat, it glowed bright red, and Ryo closed his eyes. Soon, he was glowing in the same color, and his eyes were filled with fire. With an intake of breath, Ryo put all of his power into the orb, and a great wind surrounded all three of them. The orb was pulling the fore into it, and Ryo seemed to be feeling some of the burn, but the other two were protected. In no time, the fire cleared, and the group saw the extent of the damage. The stove was practically gone, counters were broken and burnt, the ceiling was black and so was the floor. Then, they could see Sage and Cye. Once the fire was gone, Ryo fell to his knees, and Rowen helped him to his feet. Kento threw down his empty fire extinguisher and ran to Sage. He reached out to touch Cye's unmoving body, but Sage twitched, making him stop dead.

Sage wasn't looking hot, either. His hair was slightly burnt, and his clothes had holes in them. Kento was afraid to speak, fearing the worst. Sage seemed to be okay, but the fact that he was so silent really scared him. If he hadn't seen the rough rise and fall of his best friends' chest, he would have thought Cye for dead.

"Sage… are you two okay?"

Kento looked back as Ryo and Rowen came close. That's when Sage looked up, and shook his head. He stood up on shaky legs, carrying Cye gently in his arms.

"He needs to get in the water."

"Right. We'll get that set up right away."

As Sage walked past, Kento offered to take Cye from him, he refused to let Kento even touch him. When he asked why, Sage just turned stopped.

"You don't know how to be gentle with him… not now."

Kento was crushed. He didn't know what to think or say, and he was the last one left in the kitchen as the others went upstairs.