Warnings/Disclimers: Ronins not mine...I'm not makeing any money don't sue. Mera, Tella, Avia, and Incenta are mine. Don't use em' without asking. This contains lots an' lots of Shonen ai/yaoi...and a huge amount of mush. (I like mush)

Bad Dreams part 3

"They need to find a desert." Tella informed Avia.

"There are lots of deserts."

"Where is Pestilence most comfortable?" Ryou asked suddenly.

"Hot, sticky, muggy places." Tella spat, causing the gentle Avia to wince slightly.

"Well, that gets us nowhere."

"Actually…" Kento cut in. "Where's got both muggy places…rainforests and deserts?"

"Africa 'r South America," Rowen rattled off. "…Australia too, I guess."

"Australia's too small." Tella mused. "So that leaves the other two…Both are heavily populated…Africa's probably the best bet, it's surrounded by more places so disease would spread faster."

"So a desert in Africa that's near to a rainforest." Avia nodded. "I'll see what I can find." She disappeared and Tella turned back to the five young men.

"You five," she said. "Had better go rest. Avia'll come find you, or if you start a fire we'll send Incenta." They stood there and she laughed, making shooing motions with her hands. "Go screw each others brains out 'r something. It may be the last chance you get for a while."

They couldn't help but laugh at this as Tella slid back into her tree.

"We really should rest up." Sage said. Rowen pouted.

"Awww, Sage. But she said…"

"Didn't you just get your brains screwed out last night?"

"Not by you."

"You're impossible," Sage muttered fondly. He walked off.

"Gotta agree with Rowen here." Ryou chuckled, joining Rowen in chasing after Sage. Kento sighed.

"I'm not sure if I even want to go back in a house where they're all having sex."

"You've slept through it before," Sai pointed out as the headed back, blushing slightly. "Or we could join them. Rowen has offered."

Kento did not quite manage to repress a shudder. "And get both Ryou and Sage's possessive instincts kicking in? No thanks."

"What if I joined them?" The question was so quietly put that Kento barely heard it. But he did, and shrugged.

"It's your choice."

Sai nodded slowly and his head dropped onto his chest. He didn't talk for the rest of the way back to the house. Once there he went straight to his own room, leaving Kento standing in the kitchen, looking at the space Sai had vacated.

'Something tells me that was the wrong answer, Kento my man.'

He plopped himself down at the kitchen table; the moans and sighs of three-way sex were already issuing from Sage's room up the stairs. What exactly had he said wrong? Never mind, he knew the answer to that one. He wasn't that thick. He had gone and said what would have usually been the diplomatic thing to say. Diplomatic, however, had not been what Sai had wanted to hear.

"I just don't know." He muttered, dropping his head into his hands.

"Don't know what?" A feminine voice asked. Kento whipped around to see Tella stepping out of the window box full of blooming dandelions and not much else.

"Where'd you come from!" He demanded in shock.

"Dandelions are part of the earth, no da." She laughed. " Is this about that cute little Brit.?"

"His name is Sai and how the hell do you know?"

"I'm an elemental. I know things. Besides," she grinned. "Ya should see the way you two look at each other. It's painfully obvious."

"It is, is it?"

"Poor boy." She sat down across from him, leaving a trail of dirt and flowers where she had walked from the window to the table. "Tell me all about it."

"You're mocking me."

"Perhaps." She laughed again. "It'll help you to get it off your shoulders ya know."

"Yeah, 'cept I don't exactly know what it is I have on my shoulders yet."

"I see."

"You're confusing me."

"At least you're not talking to Mera…or Incenta for that matter, she'd just tell you to go jump him."

"And what are you telling me?"

"I'm asking you what you feel for him."

"I…I really don't know. He…He's my friend, and I love him…platonically. And then there's something else. The armor bond maybe…I don't know. He probably knows me better than I know myself." Kento stopped suddenly…why was he saying this to her? He barely knew her. He…She was smiling.

"You've known me for a lot longer than you think, Kento. I am the pure essence of earth, male, female, animal, plant, everything. There's some of me in your armor, but there's some of me in you too. If you feel strange for trusting me that's normal, but it's basically the same as taking to a tree or a rose if you want it to be." She laughed. "Or even your food. I'll go now…but it's something you should stop putting off. You don't want it distracting you while you fight." She brushed a hand through his hair briefly and was gone back into the flower box. Kento stood and ambled into the living room. Maybe he would make a fire…the flames always seemed to help Ryou think. Then again, fire was their leader's element. But the shifting flames did seem somewhat thought provoking, and Kento needed all the help he could get. But the fire turned out to be so lulling that instead of thinking he found himself drifting off to sleep in front of it.

It was nearing ten o'clock PM when Kento finally awoke, ravenously hungry. He meandered into the kitchen and got a large sandwich that he scarfed down before heading up to his room to attempt to go back to sleep.

He couldn't.

He felt somewhat guilty. He should be thinking about the problem, the new fight. Better yet, he should be sleeping. But he was thinking about Sai. Sai was…was sweet on him, as Rowen had said. Sai. Kento could see it now that he looked. The way Sai leaned on him, talked, and looked at him. Maybe he was being arrogant but it was…nice. Sai was beautiful; he had never denied that. But it was usually more a matter of jealousy than admiration. Now, now he was not so sure. Perhaps it was just the novelty of the liking that made him feel as if he was attracted to Sai. That the other young man's weight in his arms was comfortable and secure. Then again…there had always been…something. The need to be around his friend almost constantly, the desperate need to protect Sai, make sure nothing ever happened to him, the horrible pangs in his heart when Sai was upset or hurt. Still, it could be friendship exaggerated by his somewhat needy body. Sai was another boy that didn't bother him. He had been around Rowen and Sage…and Ryou too long for that. But the last thing he wanted to do was hurt Sai, and that was what was going to happen if he did something and then realized it was just a quirk of his body. He sighed, Sage would still be up…and willing to talk. If he wasn't busy screwing Rowen's brains out that was. He couldn't hear anything. He would go talk to Sage.

He knocked on Sage's door and it was opened immediately leaving Kento wondering if Sage was expecting someone.

"Can we talk?" He asked, a little hesitantly. Sage nodded.

"Sure." He ushered Kento in, gesturing for him to take a seat at the end of the bed; Sage sat down across from him, leaning back against the headboard.

"Rowen and Ryou are in the shower," he informed Kento. "I'm guessing this is about Sai?"

Kento nodded. "I…I'm really not sure what to do."

"How do you feel about him?"

"That's wha' I'm not sure about." Kento sighed. "I love 'im…as a friend. He means everything to me like that. And I know he's attractive, but I'm not sure if I'm attracted to him, or just to the idea."

It was Sage's turn to nod. "Kento. I'm going to ask you something somewhat personal, and you're going to give me a very strange look, but try to answer honestly. Alright?"

"Sure."

"The idea of Sai-not anyone else, but Sai- sprawled beneath you. Sweaty and moaning as you pound into him…does that turn you on?"

"Sage!"

"Answer me, Kento."

"…yes…"

"Kento, you don't usually start out desperately in love with someone. Friendship plus desire make a very good base though. In fact, friendship plus desire are what some people think of as love."

"I'm just afraid I'll hurt him."

"Sometimes that can't be avoided. But Ken, the fact that you've thought of that proves something."

"I-I guess."

"Good. Now go talk to him before your angst screws up my brain waves. I still have plans for tonight."

Kento stood, mock saluting Sage. "Yes Cap'n" Sage grinned back at him, and shooed him out of the room.

"Yell at the two bums to get the butts out of that shower, will you?" Sage called after him.

"Yes sir!"

Kento stood outside Sai's door after delivering Sage's message, trying to work up the courage to knock. Suddenly the door swung open.

"Are you planning to stand their all night or are you coming in?" A rather rumpled looking Sai asked him. Rumpled, light blue pjs, tired blue-green eyes, and thoroughly mussed hair combined to make Sai look utterly adorable…not to mention rather kissable.

"Uhhh, yeah."

"Yeah to which, Ken?" Sai asked, smiling slightly though tearstains were still evident on his cheeks.

"Yeah I was plannin' ta come in."

"Ah." Sai returned to the room and Kento followed, sitting down on the very edge of Sai's bed.

"Sai…I…" Kento growled slightly in the back of his throat. 'Goddamnit, how am I supposed to do this?' Sai merely sat there looking at him somewhat expectantly. "Sai, about last night…" Sai waved him off.

"It's ok, Kento. Really."

"But it isn't!" Kento belted out, then immediately regretted it, Sail looked on the verge of tears. "No, Sai." He said hastily. "I didn't quite mean it like that."

"What did you mean?" Sai snuffled slightly. "I really don't think we need to discuss this if all you're going to tell me is 'I'm sorry Sai, I just don't feel that way about you.'"

"That's not what I was going to say. Sai I…I love you a lot, as a friend. I don't really understand how anything past that works." He chuckled slightly. "Prolly wouldn't know real love if it came up and bit me on the dick. But…goddamnit Sai. I like you. It might just be teenage hormones but I like you…a lot. I…I wanna see if this can work. And what I said earlier…about you joining Rowen…that was wrong. I was trying to be diplomatic and I ended up hurting you."

"I thought that might've been it."

"I really would've been jealous."

Sai looked a bit wary. "So what your saying is…you want a relationship with me on some sort of trial and error basis?" He sounded a slight bit incredulous. Kento shook his head.

"I want a relationship with you period. What we choose to turn it into…" he blushed slightly. "That's up to you."

"So if I decided I jump you and fuck the living daylights outta you…"

"I might have a slight problem with that."

Sai was slightly upset, till he looked up to see Kento smiling at him.

"…I wanna be on top."

Sai smiled. "And if I told you I just wanted to sleep next to you all night."

"You'll have to put up with my snoring."

Sai giggled slightly, and held out a hand to Kento pulling him under the covers and snuggling up next to him.

"I love you, Kento." He sighed, nosing into his friend's arms.

"I know. I…" he shook his head, it wasn't working. Slowly lifted Sai's face from where it was nestled between his chin and his chest. Sai's wide, sleepy eyes blinked up at him, and then Sai smiled, and wrapped his arms around Kento's neck, pulling him the rest of the way down for a kiss. Eventually he broke it and stared down at Sai. He looked positively radiant.

"Thank you, Kento." He whispered. Before squirming back into his original position to fall asleep. Kento watched him for a while after his breathing had evened out. Sai did feel comfortable in his arms. He felt so…peaceful, right. With a small sigh of his own he lay down beside his friend and drifted off to sleep.


to be continued
back to part 3
on to part 5
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