Fire's Salvation Chapter 1 ______________________________________________________________________________ |
It was the last thing that we had ever expected to happen, we had never expected anything to happen to Ryo. He was our leader, the leader wasn’t supposed to die. If anything, it was to have been me. He shouldn’t have died just to save me. He was the leader, I wasn’t. There’s no reason that he should have taken that blow. The blow that lent him his last breath of air. It was unfair, that he should die, then and there, and for us not to be able to take the body. We left it. In all the disgrace possible, we left it there, in the lair of the dynasty. And now we were breaking. Shattering like porcelain dolls, without the guidance of Wildfire, we were defenseless. It hit me the worst, or at least that’s what the other’s have been saying. Though I really don’t know, they aren’t faring to well either. Rowen, well, he never talks anymore. He never voices his opinion, and gave up on the strategies that he was so well-known for. Kento has lost all his stubbornness. And his will to fight is vacant. Cye, Cye’s actually faring the best out of all of us. On the outside at least. At night, I can hear him crying in anguish, and I think that he’s crushed. Me, well, it’s my fault. He was saving me when he died. Knocking me out of the way as the sword crushed through his armour, piercing the skin. I held him, tears streaming down my face as he drew his last breath, but not until speaking words I had never expected, never really dwelt on. Those last, final, bitter but sweet words, words that had never really held a true meaning to me. I love you. ~~~***~~~ "Sage, are you nuts? Go battle the dynasty after what happened? Ryo’s dead, and its because you couldn’t save yourself." I swallowed deeply. "Do you think that I don’t know that? I’m not dense. But think about it. Ryo had one thing that he hated with a passion. The dynasty. And what more could he want then to have us destroy them in his honor. When we became Ronin’s, we were giving up our lives. We knew that from the beginning. And for Ryo, I think that we should at least TRY to destroy his killers." I watched as Cye nodded slowly. "Ryo would like that." "His death should be avenged." Rowen murmured, as Kento nodded. "Then is it a deal?" I asked, praying for them to agree. Slowly, the three nodded. And for the first time in days, I smiled. ~~~***~~~ Master, we have the body that you’ve been wishing for. We have the body of Wildfire." Talpa glanced down at his minions, with a satisfied nod. "Good. Cale, you know your job." The warlord nodded softly. "The armor of inferno shall be ours! Ha ha ha!" ~~~***~~~ "Where are you guy’s going?" Yuli asked curiously. He had been hit hard. He never left White Blazes side. He also never left Mia, who was constantly ragged with lack of sleep. At least she had Anubis to help her. He was keeping everything in check, keeping Mia calm, soothing Yuli, and even helping around the house when he wasn’t meditating. "Well bud, we’re going to fight the dynasty!" Kento exclaimed with all the cheer his voice once held. "And kick their butts for hurting Ryo!" Rowen added, as Cye grinned. "Ryo, don’t worry mate, your death will be avenged....." I turned as White Blaze rubbed against my leg. "Don’t worry boy, you can come too." He growled as a small smile dawned on my face. "Well, lets go kick some ass!" I said with a nod, as we were off. ~~~~***~~~ Cale turned towards Talpa, who nodded. "Bring the Dead Back to Life!" ~~~***~~~ I ran ahead of the others. I don’t know why, but as we neared the dynasty, I felt the urge to spur on. And suddenly, it hit me. A wave of pain, smashing into my head in torrents and waves. I stopped in my tracks, falling haphazardly to my knees. "Sage!" I heard the others yell, as darkness clouded my mind for a moment, and colors whirled around my head. "Are you OK?" My eyes opened and I saw three faces hovering above me. "Cale... he, he did, something. I don’t know what though. I don’t fell to well..." I clutched my head as I passed out cold. ~~~***~~~ His eyes opened slowly, dreams of four other men faded, and darkness presided. Instead stood the face of death and destruction. He took a breath as he observed his feelings, and the emotions that swirled around him. Death, pain, hatred, horror. They filled him so strongly, so abruptly. And he liked it. ~~~***~~~ When I awoke, it was to a major migraine, and a stone floor. And as an avid hater of cold, I was not pleased, to say the least. "Sage, are you OK?" I glanced up at Cye and nodded. "I’m fine, don’t worry about me. I just, felt something weird, and it overpowered me." Cye nodded in understanding as Rowen walked over. "Kento went ahead to see if there was anything or anyone nearby to watch out for while we head to the dynasty." I nodded, along with Cye. ~~~***~~~ "Master, what is it that you wish from me?" Ryo asked with a slight bow. "Suck up...." Sekhmet muttered. Receiving an unpleased look from Talpa. He cringed, trying to slink out of site. "Wildfire, I wish for you to retrieve one of the other Ronin’s. Preferably Halo, for he has the ability to uncorrupt you. Damn light. I wish for you to retrieve him, dead or alive." A tiny voice in the back of his head told him, no, warned him not to do as he was told. He ignored it, instead nodding under his orders. "As you wish. Halo, you’re mine..." Talpa smiled at his newest recruit. "You are dismissed." Ryo bowed as he walked away. /Run while you still can Halo. Your little blonde head is mine./ ~~~***~~~ "This is sooooooooo boring." Kento complained as he trudged on alongside me. I gave him a warning glance, as he turned away from me. With a satisfied smile, I turned towards Cye. "Guys! Come here quick!" I glanced at Cye who shrugged as we ran up to Rowen, who had led ahead of the rest of us. We bolted up to him and realized something. It was a four way split. The road diverged into four parts, and it was obvious that we’d have to split. "Umm... I guess that we’ll be splitting up now, huh?" Sage nodded to Cye, who gulped. "Are we sure that it’s safe enough to do that? I mean, really, we’re in the dynasty, do we actually have the ability to do this? I mean, what if one of us gets caught?" I sighed. "We have to do this Cye. You go right. The air, it feels like there’s water over there." Cye sighed in defeat as he turned to the path I had pointed out. I nodded, as I turned left. " I’ll go this way." I stated as the others nodded. "Well, I’ll see you at the dynasty. Now no dying on me, OK?" They nodded, as we parted our different ways. ~~~***~~~ "Ugh, I can’t believe that Sage made us split apart. He knows that I hate being alone, especially in a warlord filled Dynasty..." Cye grumbled, his voice trailing off. Slowly he gazed around at the scenery surrounding him, and found it oddly pleasant for the dynasty. Greenery covered everything, as rose and white flowers were splashed across the plains and meadows. He slowly took in a deep breath of the intoxicating aroma, and slowly exhaled. "So, Torrent, we meet again." Cye’s head jerked up at the sudden words, as he turned to face the warlord of poison. "Sekhmet?" Cye asked suddenly, immediately dawning his armour. ~~~***~~~ "Dais! Show your face you bastard!" Dais laughed at Kento, smiling at the thought that Kento, a Ronin Warrior, couldn’t figure out his location after so many times of having illusions used on him. " Well well Hardrock. I’ve been using the exact same trick on you for so long, yet you still haven’t figured it out. And I thought that as a Ronin, you’d be at least a little more intelligent. Guess I was wrong." Kento growled under his breath, as he swung his bo at where he THOUGHT Dais was lurking. The bo whizzed through the air, meeting nothing. Kento barely leapt out of the way of the oncoming sword. ~~~***~~~ Rowen slowly trekked through an area he had once been with Ryo. The plains of the dynasty dreamland, filled with lilies on water and the lack of light, where darkness didn’t rule, but neither did the light. He slowly walked forward, half waiting for a voice to begin speaking, or something to happen, yet nothing did. For the time being that is. It was barely five minutes later, when something came swooping down at Rowen from the heights of a large pine. Rowen leapt to the ground, narrowly dodging the decapitation that had been in store for him. He jumped back to his feet, immediately calling on his armour. Kayura! The evil bitch that never stops that high pitched laugh!" "What, this? Hahaahahahaahaa!" Rowen covered his ears as she laughed. "How did I know that was going to happen?" Rowen muttered as she giggled. You’re just sooooooooo smart Strata!" With a grown, Rowen leapt into battle. ~~~***~~~ I wandered aimlessly around the path I had chosen, unsure of where to go and what I’d find. I shook my head, trying to stop the slight pang in it, left over from whatever had caused me to black out earlier. I walked with my eyes closed, mind clouded over with thoughts of our deceased comrade. Our leader. The one that had, had loved me. I was confused, unsure of what I’d do if he were alive, if I could talk to him once more. A single tear slid down my cheek, reminder of what I had done so often recently, whenever my thoughts turned to the ebony hair and crystal eyed boy. "Seiji?" That voice! I knew it so well, I had heard it so long. So cheery, so happy, with a hint of hidden excitement in every word. My eyes flared open as I turned to the figure I had longed to see, that had visited every dream I had, nightmare or not. I watched the creature before me with awe. Was I dreaming? I rubbed my eyes. That had to have been it. Because if it wasn’t, I was seeing Ryo stand before me, as alive as ever. "Ryo? Is... is it really you?" I watched as his lips curved into a smile. An odd smile, one that I had never seen on his face. It was more like, like a smirk. One that I didn’t like. It scared me in a way, and I slowly backed away from him. And that’s when I noticed something that terrified me. His eyes weren’t the crystal blue I remembered them as. They were a piercing crimson that made my blood run cold. It was then he was on me, his hands clamping around my wrist, as he pulled me to him. "The blonde that I must kill. They didn’t tell me that you were so beautiful." I glanced on in a mix of shock and confusion, as his lips pressed to mine, causing my eyes to widen in surprise. I yanked my head away, then tried to wrench my hands out of his steel hold. "Sorry babe, but no getting away for you. Talpa wants you, dead or alive. Now that I see you, I think that I prefer the latter." I gulped slightly as I brought up my foot to kick Ryo. It was my worst nightmare, being driven into a fight with a friend, but from what I was seeing, this wasn’t the Ryo I knew. My foot slammed into his stomach hard. Not bad enough to bruise, I couldn’t bring myself to do that, but enough to force him into lessening his hold on me. I used this to pull away, as I began into a run, calling on my armour as doing so. "Ryo, what happened to you? Why are you doing this?" I asked as I turned to face Ryo. "I do what my master wants, and this is what he wants." Ryo replied, moving in on me once again. I stepped back as fast as I could, but clearly not fast enough as I was knocked to the ground by the force of his weight. And let met tell you, his armour is not exactly what we call light. With an annoyed grunt, I kicked him off me, but my strength never had, and most likely never will surpass his, so he was on me again in moments, giving me not even enough time to get up, as he sat on my body with a casual grin spread across his face. "Oh dear babe looks like you’ve been captured. Darn. Not good for you, now is it?" I struggled to breathe, his armour causing me to run short on breath. "Please, Ryo, get off... I can’t breathe." He laughed. Anger washed over me, but I was well aware that I couldn’t do anything. Slowly, praying that Ryo wouldn’t question the movement, I pulled my yoroi from my pocket. I closed my eyes as I felt the tiny orb disappear from my hand, and my armour leave my body. Ryo’s weight fell hard on me, as darkness surrounded me. ~~~***~~~ Anubis sat in silent meditation, as something landed hard on his head. "What the?" He opened his eyes and stared at the green orb that had landed disgracefully on his head. "Sage’s yoroi? Why is it here?" He set the orb down as he set off into meditation again, this time trying to find the location of Sage of the Halo. ~~~***~~~ Slowly, I awoke in the coldest place I’d ever been before. Shivering, I sat up, and realized that I had been dumped on a cold floor. I glanced around the room, and realized that I wasn’t alone. "Ryo?" I asked, as a soft laugh emitted from him. "Why, yes Sage dearest. It would be me." I sighed as I curled up in a tight ball, huddled on the floor. "Why am I here? Its not like I have armour right now. I was a step ahead of you and called it off." Ryo nodded. "I know. We did a strip search in your sleep." My eyes went wide as I gazed down at myself, and realized exactly why I was so cold. "Where are my clothes?" I growled, glad that I had curled into the ball moments before. He laughed, holding up my shirt and pants. "Who knew that you went commando?" He laughed contently, as he stood up. "Give. Me. My. Clothes!" I yelled, as his laughter increased. For a moment, I thought that he was going to keel over from laughing so much, but he managed to keep his footing and eventually regain his balance. "Give me something first and maybe I’ll give you your clothes." I thought for a moment, not really understanding what he’d want from me. "What the heck could you want from me?" I asked aloud, as he smiled. "More then you’d ever imagine." I shied away as he approached me, not sure of what exactly he was planning for me. The moment that he came into an arms reach, and I could feel the warmth of his body near mine. And then, he touched me. It was a simple touch, merely a brush of his arm against mine, but it sent shivers up my spine. "Can’t you tell what I want?" he sat next to me, and I immediately pulled away. "Sage, are you afraid of me?" He asked softly as I rolled my eyes. "Yes! You’re supposed to be dead. It’s not humanly possible for you to be alive! I saw you die, I’m the reason you died, you... you died in my arms. Yet here you are, alive and well and hitting on me, while stealing my clothes! I’m not prone to seeing dead people, and you are literally creeping me out!" Ryo grinned. "So, your scared of me being alive. You think that I’m a ghost. Well, guess again, that’s hardly the case. Do you want me to prove it to you?" I hung my head, unsure of how to answer, as his fingers gingerly wrapped around my chin, forcing my head up. Tenderly, he kissed my lips, causing me to gasp in surprise. His tongue ran along my lips, as I yanked my head away, hitting it roughly on the stonewall. "Oww..." I muttered as he held my head. "Are you OK?" he asked softly, as I nodded. "Ryo, why, why are you doing this? Why are you working for Talpa? What happened? First you were dead and now you’re evil?" Ryo sighed, as he pulled away from me. He glanced at me once more, and removed his jacket, handing it to me. "Here." I gave him an odd look. "Why can’t I just have my clothes?" I asked as he pointed to a pile of ash in the corner of the room. "I did that before I came over. Sorry." I glared at him before taking the jacket and pulling it on. "Sage, the truth is, well, I don’t remember anything but serving Master Talpa." I gasped. "You mean, you don’t remember what you said the moment before your... your death?" He shook his head. You’re the only person outside the dynasty I know." I couldn’t resist, it was such a Cye like thing to do. I wrapped my arms around Ryo, pulling him closely into a hug. "I’m sorry to hear that." "I know." "Wildfire!" Ryo’s head shot up as he pulled away and turned to the door. "Cale, what is it?" He growled, one arm still around me. "Stop trying to rape Halo, and go to Master Talpa! He wishes for your presence." Annoyed, Ryo rose to his feet, and stormed out of the room, leaving me alone with Cale. "So, Halo, that was quick. I thought that he’d wait at least a few minutes before tearing off your clothes." I glared, there wasn’t really anything else I could do unless I wanted Cale to see my nude form. "He wasn’t going to rape me." Cale laughed. "Now I get it. He was playing the "nice little boy that can do no harm" Before jumping your fine little ass." Anger flowed through me. "Ryo would never do that you bastard! He’s not like, like you! You I wouldn’t put it past, but him, no. He’d never do that." I closed my eyes as he laughed like Ryo had moments before. "Well, if you wouldn’t put it past me, then why don’t I?" I took a deep, ragged breath. "Umm... because then you’d be a bigger jerk?" I muttered as he approached me. "Well, I didn’t think that was possible from what you have been saying about me." I laughed nervously. "Now Cale, I never said that... exactly." I curled closer to the corner of the room, for once truly afraid of the warlord of darkness. And then he pounced, knocking me to the ground, and causing my legs to spread out. I tried to clamp them shut, but it didn’t exactly work with Cale between my legs. "Well Ronin dog, any last words before you get your just desserts?" I thought for a second. "RYOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!" ~~~***~~~ "SUPER WAVE SMASHER!!!!!!" ~~~***~~~ "IRON ROCK CRUSHER!!!!!!!!!" ~~~***~~~ "ARROW SHOCK WAVE!!!!!!!!" ~~~**~~~ "RYO! ROWEN! CYE! KENTO! ANYONE! HELP ME!! AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" A cold hand clamped across my mouth, silencing my screams and pleads. I whimpered in pain, tears streaming down my cheeks, leaving wet trails wherever they fell. ~~~***~~~ Ryo nodded impatiently to Talpa, bowing quickly. "What are you in a rush for Wildfire?" Ryo turned away. "Nothing if you need me Master." He responded, as he winced. He could hear Sage’s screams in his head clearly, everyone causing a deeper pang in his chest, for a reason he didn’t understand. "Wildfire, since you seem so anxious to leave, you may go." Ryo smiled gratefully. "Thank you sir." He murmured as he bolted out of the room. ~~~***~~~ Cye bolted back down the path that he had come from originally, at the sound of Sage’s screams. As soon as he reached where they had parted, he realized that he wasn’t the only one with the idea of returning to where the others were. "Did you guys hear that?" Rowen asked as the other two nodded. "If only Ryo were still alive, I can’t sense Sage, but he could." The others nodded in agreement to Rowen’s words, a sullen silence falling over them in memory of their fearless leader. "He loved him." Cye muttered as the two other boys looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean Cye?" Rowen asked as Cye smiled. "Ryo. He loved Sage. Those were his last words. I love you. He said that to Sage as he died in his arms. You didn’t hear him?" "We were to far away." Rowen replied as Cye smiled. "It was obvious. All those times Ryo would train with Sage. And simple brushes against him. And sometimes he’d watch Sage sleep after they trained. It was so sweet, and Sage didn’t know a thing." Rowen smiled. "Sage was always dense in those areas." "Umm... Shouldn’t we be finding Sage, not talking about his love life?" The others nodded as they proceeded down the path that Sage had gone down. ~~~***~~~ Ryo bolted through the halls of the castle towards the cell that held Sage. Quickly, he swung open the door and turned to Cale and me. Pain clouded my vision, and at first I thought that it was another warlord come to hurt me. Finally, I cracked open my eyes and saw the onyx haired boy. With a ragged breath through the pain, I opened my mouth to speak. "Ryo..." I muttered as pain swept over my lower body once more. I cried out as my eyes tightly shut. "Cale. Get yourself out of him and out of this room, NOW!" Cale glanced up at Ryo, as my body buckled under the pain and pressure. Cale pulled out of me under order, as I collapsed to the ground, eyes sealed shut. I could hear the two arguing and finally Cale leave, as Ryo ran over to me. "Sage! Oh god, I’m sorry." I felt his arms wrap around me in a cold comfort. "Please, Ryo, don’t touch me. It hurts to move, to be touched." He ignored my pleas and pulled me up into his arms, holding me close to him. "I’m so sorry that I let this happen to you. I should have made sure Cale was gone. I should have, have done SOMETHING to keep this from happening to you." I shook my head. "You, you couldn’t have known. It’s not your fault." "But... but..." I laughed faintly. "That’s just like you Ryo. Blaming yourself for everything. You may have no memories, and the dynasty may own you, but you’re still the same, sweet guy I remember." Again, my eyes shut, as soft lips met mine. It gave me a soothing feeling that someone actually cared in this loveless world. "Sage, are you OK? Do you want me to go get you a rag, or some water, or something like that?" I shook my head no, and let it rest on Ryo’s chest. I listen to the oddly fast beat of his heart, and eventually felt myself lulled into its fast rhythm. Ignoring the pain, I let myself slip into a dream-filled state. ~~~***~~~ "This is the way we trudge along, trudge along, trudge along. This is the way we trudge along while trying to find our friend!" Cye shuddered. "Rowen, mate, I love you, but you couldn’t sing well if your life depended on it." Rowen glanced at Cye, a hurt look spread on his face. "Don’t give me that look. All I did was tell the truth." Rowen groaned in annoyance at Cye, as they continued to walk. Suddenly, their silence was interrupted by a bitter laugh. The three’s heads shot up as they realized that they were surrounded by the three warlords and Kayura. "Well, Sage of the Halo was smart enough to call his armor off of him in time, so I guess we’ll need to get a replacement." Kayura turned to Cye who gulped. Rowen grabbed one of the auburn boys arms, as Kento grabbed the other. They slowly moved him behind them and readied their weapons. "Four against three, odds aren’t good for you." ~~~***~~~ I groaned as I awakened, pain rushing through me, as I opened my eyes. "Ryo?" I asked slightly as he smiled down at me. "Yes?" I gave a faint smile to him. "I have to get out of here. I need my clothes, and I need out." He tightened his grip on me and sighed. "I can’t. I can’t let you out, and I don’t have any clothes to give you. I’m sorry." I sighed. "Then I’ll just have to find a way out myself." I shrugged out of his grip and rose to my feet, only to stumble and fall back onto him. He caught me with gentle arms, and gently laid me out on his lap. "You can’t do this. You’re too sick, well, in too much pain to handle it. Just lie down, and rest." I sighed. "My, no, OUR, friends are in trouble. I can sense it. I have to help them. I can’t have them get hurt, or captured. I have to help them. All Talpa wants from you is your ability to use the armour of Inferno, and if he gets one more armour, then he can use it. And if he has that power, he could take over the world. I can’t let that happen." I set my hand on Ryo’s arm, and then cast a healing sleep on him. I didn’t feel right doing it, but I had to save my friend. Luckily, Ryo’s jacket that I still had on was large, and it covered me, barely. I stood up through the pain, and grabbed the keys from Ryo. I slowly opened the door and snuck out. I was not going to let anything happen to my friends. Case closed. ~~~***~~~ "SUPER WAVE SMASHER!!!!" "IRON ROCK CRUSHER!!!" "ARROW SHOCK WAVE!!!" The three boys tried to combine their strength, but failed. Kayura laughed as she leapt at Rowen, knocking him to the ground. "What’s the matter Strata? Where are you without your precious leaders?" Rowen’s eyes flashed as he struggled to his feet. "You killed Ryo. You took Sage. You must die!" Rowen readied his bow and arrow, preparing to attack. "STOP!!!" All faces turned to me, and I could tell that they were wondering what the heck I was doing in only a jacket, dried blood on my thighs, my hair dirty and matted, and my eyes set in determination. "Sage??" They said in unison, as I nodded. "Stop fighting! Rowen, Cye, Kento, Ryo’s alive! Cale used his powers to bring Ryo back, but he’s corrupted! He thinks that we’re the enemies." I watched the shock spread across their faces, and I could tell that they were thinking exactly what I had when I had first seen him. How the hell is that possible? "We have to save Ryo! I can do it, I think, but I can’t right now because I don’t have my armour! We have to leave so I can get it. Please, I want to save Ryo, and I think I’m the only one that can." The others nodded, as they ran towards me. And that’s when I felt strong arms around my waist. I jerked backwards to face my captor. "Ryo?" He nodded. "I told you not to run." I watched as he swallowed. "I, I have to." With a strength I didn’t know he had, he slapped me across the check, causing my to fall, dazed on him. The stinging of my cheek was unbearable, and I could see stars in my vision. Finally it came back, and I watched the other three Ronin’s, standing in shock. "A little help here!" I yelled as they blinked, sense coming back to them. "Ryo! Stop hurting Sage! He’s your friend!" He sighed, and I could hear him whisper slightly. "I know that..." "Ryo, you have to let me go. I can heal you. I can give you back your memories. I can heal your pains, just let me go." He thought for a moment, and I could feel his grip lessen as he thought. I took that moment, as I swung back my elbow into his ribs. He immediately let go, as I bolted, ignoring the pain, towards my friends. "Come on!" I yelled as they ran up to me, grabbing my arms. And then, we were gone, teleported back home. ~~~***~~~ "Oh my gosh Sage! Look at you!" Were the first words that I heard from Mia, as she ran over to me. "What happened?" She asked as I sighed. "Gotta get my armour. Anubis, I gave it to you, right?" He glared at me. "It landed on my head." I grinned sheepishly. "Sorry ‘bout that." He sighed as he handed it to me. "Sage, before you run off saving Ryo from the dynasty and playing everyone’s hero, you need to clean up and rest. From what I see, you are not ready to go out. What happened to you anyways?" I turned away from Cye. "Nothing." I replied as I pulled the hem of the jacket as low as I could. "I’m going to, umm, go take a shower. Or a bath. A bath would be nice. Maybe some incense." I trailed off, and could feel the odd looks I was receiving from the others. "I’m, just, going to leave now." I muttered as I dashed out of the room. I grabbed some clothes from my room that I shared with Rowen, and then headed to the shower. I had heard things about rape victims. Them wanting it, the trauma of having something so bad happen, hurting themselves, all of those things. But I had never thought that it was possible for bad things to happen to me. And now, I knew what they felt like. To be hurt, penetrated, forced. However you say it, either way its horror, and painful. And here I was, sitting in the bathtub, in an attempt to cleanse myself of the filthy hands that had felt me, run roughly over my flesh, and took my, my virginity. I didn’t realize that it was possible to have me this upset, to make me stoop to the low of hurting myself to get a false sense that I was slightly cleaner then before. I soon found out that I was wrong. Upsetting me was far easier then I had originally thought. Much easier. "Sage?" I heard a gentle knock on the bathroom door, and then a soft voice. "Sage?" I wrapped a towel around my waist, as I opened the door. "What is it Cye?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from slipping into cold mode, but it was hard not to. He winced slightly, and I felt bad for what I had said. "I was just, ummm... wondering if you wanted to talk." I gave him an odd look, and watched as he cowered. "Why would I want to?" I asked, tightening to towel. "Well, you looked really upset when you came, and you had nearly no clothes, and... And...." I waited for him to continue, as he took a deep breath. " And I know that before Ryo died he told you that he loved you, and now he’s alive and trying to kill you, and I know this is really hard, and I thought that you might want to talk, possibly." I closed my eyes tightly, not wanting to open them and have to face the Brit. "You heard?" I finally managed to get out, and I could feel him nod. "He really cared about you, you know. It was the little things actually, that showed his affection." He laughed slightly. "He’d watch you train. When you weren’t looking. And he’d watch you when you slept. It was so cute. And I was the only one to notice. And he’d purposely run into you, in the hallways and such. He was head over heels, and then, he died, and he finally admitted his feelings, and it must have hit you REAL hard, and..." "Cye, do me a favor and be quiet." I stated, my hands playing with the corner of the towel. "But... But..." "Shhhhhh..." Cye sighed, as I turned away. I felt his arm on my shoulder, but I shrugged it off. "Cye, I want to be alone right now." "Will you talk to Rowen?" I groaned. "Fine, if it makes you happy, I’ll talk to Rowen." I ignored the grin that formed on the boys face. I didn’t want to keep the promise, but as I was raised, I couldn’t lie. And that meant that I had to talk to Rowen. I watched as Cye left the room, giving me one last glance to ensure that I was ok. After he left, I sighed, digging into my drawers and pulling out a pair of boxers and jeans, along with a silken shirt. It hurt my rear to pull in the tight jeans, but after I had done that, I really didn’t feel like doing all those efforts over again, so I simply ignored the throbbing. I laid down on my stomach, sprawled across my bed, until there was a slight rapping on the door and it slowly opened. "Sage?" I heard Rowen ask quietly, and I mumbled for him to go away, though I doubted he could hear me. I listened to his soft footsteps as he approached me, sitting at the end of my bed. "You look better." He stated and I merely shrugged. "Cye told me to come up and talk to you, but he lacked to explain about what I was to talk to you about." I sighed and rolled over, wincing as my ass hit the bed. "Sage, what did they do to you?" I knew that he must have seen my discomfort at the contact of my body and the bed, but I neglected to say anything. How had I let Cye persuade me to talk to Rowen? "Sage, you have to talk. Did Ryo hurt you?" I shook my head rapidly. "Ryo was nice enough. He didn’t hurt me." Rowen smiled at the fact that I finally spoke. "Ok, so what did they do to you?" I sighed. "They raped me." His eyes went wide. "I knew that Ryo liked you, but rape?" I turned away. "It wasn’t Ryo. And you make it sound worse then it is." "Make it sound worse? Newsflash, rape IS worst!" I shrugged carelessly. "Then who was it? I mean, we were squaring off against the warlords. You know, four of them, four of us." "Actually, I was against Ryo. Cale wasn’t against anyone." "Cale did it? That bastard! I’ll kill him!" I covered Rowen’s mouth. "Not now. I don’t want to talk about it, and I know that now you know you’re going to make me." "Of course I’m going to make you! The freak raped you! I have to know what happened! We all do!" "I’m not going into gory details about how my worst enemy raped me!" Rowen’s voice became softer as he spoke to me. "I didn’t want you to tell me what it was like. I just wanted to know the extent of what he did. I mean, there’s more then just physical rape. There’s also mental rape as well." I groaned in annoyance. "Oh believe me. It was ALL physical." I shuddered as Rowen wrapped his arms around me. Finally, though I had never done such a thing before, I allowed myself to cry on his shoulder. He rubbed my back gently. "Sage, just let it out. Let all your emotions out." He said soothingly as I allowed myself to cry, staining his shirt with my tears. I glanced up and saw Cye in the doorway, nodding approvingly. "Don’t keep your emotions locked in, love." He stated before disappearing once more. Finally, I let myself fall into the infinite darkness of dreams. To be continued..........
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