Ryo woke up feeling warm and safe, something he hadn't experienced in a long time. He was so tempted to turn over and fall back asleep, but something was bugging him. In the early morning haze of waking up he tired to remember where he was and how he had gotten there. He rolled over and slowly sat up. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes he glanced about the room. The room was furnished with a style revival of the mid 1800s. There was a fireplace in the center of the far wall and next to it was a door, which Ryo assumed was the bathroom. A few chairs, small tables, a desk, the bed, a sofa, and an assortment of pictures were all that was in the room-nothing to give Ryo a clue on who his secret helper was.

On the nightstand next to the bed was a note written in a flourish of elegant script:

Good morning Ryo. I hope you rested peacefully. In the bathroom you will find some clothes that I hope will fit you. If not I'm afraid you will have to be naked until I finish washing your clothes. After your shower breakfast will be waiting for you. Then we can talk if you wish it. Until then…yours truly,

Casey

"Okay, so it wasn't a dream after all," Ryo said to himself. He rolled out of bed and padded over to the bathroom. Turing on the light revealed a lavish bathroom. A Jacuzzi was in the right corner; a bathtub with almost clichéd clawed feet was next to the door and then a shower stall next to the sink and toilet on the far wall right in front of him.

Ryo opted for the shower stall and 15 minutes later he walked out of the bathroom toweling dry his black hair to find an assortment of clothes lying on the bed along with his own and a note:

Thought you might like a choice, and maybe I thought you wouldn't want to wear your old clothes too. I hope the clothes fit you; I had to guess on your size. Some may be to big or to small. Enjoy!

C.

Ryo tried on them all and settled of a warn pair of jeans with the knees ripped and a black knit shirt with the sleeves cut open a few inches down his forearm and the neck in a small U shape with drawstring ties.

He opened the door and looked both ways down the dimly lit hallway. To his left it seemed like a dead end, to his right it seemed to get brighter and he could hear noises and the smell of food cooking.

Ryo shyly entered the kitchen, not know what to expect. Music was playing, but it wasn't Christmas music, thought it was American rock. The table was set for two with immaculate table settings. Perfectly ordered on the table, napkins folded without a crease, utensils placed just so, and the flowers in the tall vase was perfectly centered and arranged.

Ryo could hear things simmering on the stove and could smell things backing in the oven. Coffee floated through the mix of breakfast smells and it drew Ryo in closer. He didn't know what to say. "Hi," seemed so damned impersonal and stupid. Luckily Casey turned around at that second.

"Hi," Casey smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, ah, thanks," Ryo wasn't too sure on how to reply. He felt so ill at ease standing there and Casey seemed to sense his unease and offered him a cup of hot coffee and motioned for him to have a seat at the table.

"Breakfast is almost done. I wasn't very sure on what you would like, so I make a bunch of stuff. The basics of the American breakfast-eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes, muffins, cereal too if you want it. If you don't-," "No, that's fine, really," Ryo assured him. He hated to feel like he was an inconvenience.

"You are not an inconvenience, Ryo, remember that, okay?" Casey turned back to the stove.

"Wha? Oh, yeah, I know. I'm just very flexible with foods. You have to be, where I live. Not everyone is as good of a cook as Sai."

"Sai? He is a friend?" Casey asked without looking up. He started to empty the food out on to plates. He opened the oven and took out the muffins and place one on each plate. From the fridge he took out cantaloupe and grapefruit.

"Yeah," Ryo looked up at Casey when he placed the food in front of him. "A very good friend of mine. We've known each other a long time."

"That's good, now, tell me how it tastes."

After breakfast, the dishes left for later, the two the sat down in the living room with mugs of coffee. They were quite for a while, not knowing how or when to start what was needed to be said.

"How long?" Casey finally asked. He put down his mug on the coffee table and looked directly at Ryo.

"How long what?" Ryo asked, unsure of what Casey meant, though deep down he knew.

"How long has he been mistreating you?"

Ryo looked in the dark abyss of his coffee, as if that would give him his answer. He didn't know how long, it almost seemed forever. Gradually it came about, a sharp word, angry words and then the enviable slap in the face. After that is was like a free for all. Ryo fought back at first, but it never got him anywhere. He quit. He never knew why; just one day all the fight left him. He took it that was the way Sage showed his affection. The violence soon came into their lovemaking, if you could call it that. Or maybe it had always been there. In Ryo's mind it had all meshed together. "I don't know," he finally said. "Forever, but it can't be, can it? I mean…it didn't seem like much at first…but then it kept going and he would never stop… He would say he was sorry, afterwards, and promise never to do it again." Ryo felt the tear forming in his eyes. He gripped the coffee mug harder.

"Why do you put up with it?"

Why do I? Why can't I just let go of him? "Because…" Ryo's voice was horse, chocked up with inner kept emotions, it barley came out as a whisper, "I love him."

"Why? What has he ever done for you that made you feel loved? Appreciated? Special?"

"I don't know!" Ryo jerked his head up to look into Casey's eyes. Tears fell from his cheeks, but he didn't pay any attention to them. He slammed down the coffee mug on the table, spilling some of the coffee, and stood up abruptly. "It's a feeling that has never left me since the moment I first met him. No matter what he does or how much he has hurt me it will never go away, I know that now."

Casey stood up to face him. It was good that Ryo was showing some strong emotions. He had kept them locked up for way to long. An out burst like this would do him good.

"Okay, that was good. You really expressed yourself."

"What? What are you talking about?" Ryo was completely taken back by Casey's statement.

"Ryo, you hold everything in. You assume that everyone else is right or that you are the problem, but you're not. When you are angry or unhappy you don't do anything about it. You just take it and let it go. The only time you do show emotions are in outburst like this one. It isn't at all healthy, for you or anyone."

"I-I don't, I."

"Oh, sure you say that you're happy or not, you ask other people how they are, you do a good deed, you smile and nod, and that makes it all okay, doesn't? Well it won't cut it anymore Ryo. Not now, not ever more because you can't go one and live like that. It won't get you anywhere. You'll loose yourself inside of you. You're lost. You don't know what you want, except," Casey cut off Ryo and motioned for him to sit down. "Except for Sage. Now, you know you love him, but you don't think he loves you. Now that is where you are wrong. He loves you, but not in your picture perfect way you have constructed inside of your head. Have you told him what you expect from him? Does he know how you feel when he goes out and sleeps around? No.

"Has it ever occurred that he may not be able to that? Maybe Sage isn't the kind of person who can commit. What I'm saying is that you need to talk to him. Not out of anger, but in a nice civil way so that you two can understand each other. Does any of this make any sense at all?"

"Kind of, it was a lot to take in all at once."

"Sorry, I just had to say all that before I forgot it all."

"Yeah, okay. So you say I need to talk to Sage without getting all emotional? I don't know if I can do that. I mean I try and talk to him, but my words get all jumbled and then…he just covers it all up with sex and then I forget the problem, for awhile. When I'm with him I know then that he loves me even though he never says it. It's in his eyes. But, does he give the same look to everyone? I guess I'm just a hopeless romantic, but I would die to hear him say that he loves me and only me. Just once. That's all."

"Who wouldn't want to hear that from the people they love? It's a true wish, Ryo. But I can't give it to you, you have to find it for yourself. Only Sage can make your wish come true," Casey reached over and lightly brushed Ryo cheek. "I only wish I could…" He quickly turned around and flopped down on the over stuffed chair across from Ryo. He picked up his cold coffee and drained it in one gulp.

Ryo stared off at him, bewildered. He slowly sank to the sofa. He didn't know what to say after that. His cheek still burned with Casey's touch. He turned his eyes down to his hands in his lap.

"So," Casey said as if nothing had happened. "Tell me about your friends, Sai, was it? What is he like? What do you like?"

"Yes, but what about you? You cannot expect this to go only one way," Ryo said.

"No, I don't."

So they talked, Casey told Ryo everything, well, as much as Ryo needed to hear anyway. Casey didn't believe that telling Ryo he was a vampire was such a great idea. Maybe later, when Ryo trusts him, but not now. He told Ryo about the past, growing up in San Francisco, playing in a rock-band, finding love and then loosing it so quickly. And Ryo told Casey everything, except being a Ronin Warrior and having cool powers.

When they finished talking if was late afternoon. They were both emotionally drained.

"God, said Ryo, "I never thought talking would leave me so tired."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Casey replied. "Tell you want. Why don't you go take a nap and I'll go into town and pick up some food, I'm almost out."

"How far away are we?"

"A good hour, but in this snow, and hour and a half. So, you could have a long nap."

"Are you sure, I could go with you…"

"No, it's okay. Just tell me what you'd like. If you get hungry while I'm gone, there are a few snacks around here."

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Well someone has too, it might as well be me. And because, because I like you, Ryo. You have something inside of you that I don't see very often." Ryo looked up into Casey's face, "What? What do you see? What do I have that makes me so special?" Inside, Casey could hear, Ryo wishing, Tell me I'm special, tell me you love me, tell me I'm not hopeless and useless. Tell me I'm worth something, anything at all…

"My God, Ryo. What have you done to yourself to make you think that you aren't special? You have this power inside of you. You can do so much with it, if only you could see it for yourself."

Does he mean the yoroi? How can he know about that? "Maybe, but I'm not so sure."

"One day, then, you will be, I'm sure of it," Casey said and slipped out the door into the softly failing snow. Ryo heard the start of the car engine and saw a dark shadow of a car moving in the window. The house was silent. Something he was not used to hearing. There was always noise, Sai in the kitchen, Rowen watching TV…someone having sex upstairs…Seiji.

Ryo shook his head, "No, I won't think about him," he said aloud. He headed back toward his room for a nap, but his curiosity got the better of him. Sure Casey had told him a lot about himself, growing up in California and stuff like that, but Ryo felt like he was holding back stuff from him. He peeped into the rooms, finding not much of interest until he found, what he assumed, was Casey's room. The room looked like it was out of the Italian Renaissance. A huge draped four-poster bed in a deep green, candles everywhere, rich colors and expensive furniture were everywhere. Ryo felt like a snoop, but he was so curious… He walked in to explore. The room was clean, orderly, something Sai would have killed for anyone one of them to do, only a few things neatly out of place. On the coffee table by the fireplace was an array of newspaper and clippings.

On closer inspection, all the clippings were about the disappearances that had happened in the past month. Casey seemed to be the process of putting them into a scrapbook. Ryo sat down into an armchair and pulled the scrapbook into his lap. He flipped through it, going to the beginning. To his surprise, some of the articles dated back to the 1800's. Each one about strange deaths and disappearances…there were talks of devils and demons…vampires…in each articles.

Strange…why would he have these? Ryo flipped through them absently, growing more and more tired with each passing minute. Finally, he could no longer keep his eyes open. He set the scrapbook down and stumbled down the hall to his room. He flopped down onto the bed and slipped into a deep slumber.

"Hey sleepy head wake up."

Ryo found himself being softly shaken awake. "Humph, go away Rowan," he mumbled under the covers.

"Not quite, Ryo. Guess again," Casey said. He leaned over Ryo and gently nibbled on his ear, "But I guess I can let that slide."

"What?" Ryo turned over to gaze up into Casey sharp green eyes.

"I'm back, I've got food, if you still want it," Casey grinned.

"Cas-oh, yeah. Food," Ryo resisted to touch his earlobe. He quickly moved out from under Casey, "Ah, thanks. For the food and all."

"Hey, no problem. Always willing to help," Casey gave Ryo a bright smile. "Anytime."

Ryo blushed but choose not to comment. "So, what did you get?"

"Oh, lots of stuff…you can take you pick."

"Great…I'm starving."

"Really? Good, because I tend to over cook and there is always to much leftovers."

"That's fine, nothing wrong with leftovers."

"Well, why don't we go down to the kitchen and see what goodies I got you?"

Ryo, feeling silly, but then very hungry too, practically flew down the hall. By the time Casey arrived, Ryo had emptied all of the bags, scattering the contents all around the kitchen.

"Don't forget to put the stuff away," Casey smiled.

"Yeah, no problem."

They settled on coffee cake, eggs, bacon, orange juice, and coffee.


Sage came down the stairs and headed straight for the kitchen. Rowen, Sai, and Kento sat around the table talking in hushed voices. They stopped when they heard Sage come it.

"He's not back," they didn't say anything, "Dammit."

"It's still early…" Sai tried to sound hopeful, but his voice left him when Sage gave him a death glare.

"Don't take it out on Sai," Kento said sternly. "He didn't do anything."

"Don't start with me, Kento. I'm not in the mood."

"And we are not going to pick up the pieces you've made of Ryo. If you killed your relationship with him, let it go. You weren't any good for him," Rowen said quietly.

Sage fumed. "How dare you talk to me like that Rowen. You know nothing of our relationship," Sage gave him a sly smile, as if he knew something and Rowen didn't. "But you'd like to, wouldn't you?"

Rowen jerked his head up to stare at him, in utter shock. How could he know?

"Don't think I don't know. They way you look at us, the way you look at me. You want me as much as Ryo wants me. Do you care to deny this?"

Sai and Kento stayed out of their way. Sai had thought this was the case with Rowen.

Rowen laughed, "You can believe anything you want to. Go ahead, and boost up that lost moral you have. Your ego must have really dropped when Ryo left you. I hope he leaves you for good. He deserves so much better then a heartless, cold bastard such as yourself."

Inside Rowen was shaken. He had been so careful not to show anything. He hated himself for wanting Sage. His appeal was hard to miss, a lone siren, and he knew it. Sage used this knowledge to get what he wanted. He took Ryo first and Ryo gave in because who wouldn't want to be loved by him? But Rowen had seen what Sage had turned Ryo into. He wouldn't give in. Sage leaped across the room, grabbing Rowen and smashing him into the ground with him momentum. His fist swung and smacked into Rowen's face. He was in raged, screaming at Rowen.

Almost instantly Kento and Sai were there, pulling Sage off of him. Kento could hold him and Sai gently picked Rowen off the floor, talking him to the bathroom to get bandages. He took ice out of the freezer and a few towels as he went.

"That's great Sage, real good. Keep this up and you won't have anyone left. I've had it up to here with your antics. Who are you to do what you please with everyone's hearts? Now sit down and shut the fuck up," Kento shoved him into a chair.

Sage sat, one arm on the table, supporting him head. Kento went into the living room and quickly came back with a bunch of newspaper clippings. He threw them on the table in front of Sage. "What?"

"Just read them," Kento said, exasperated. He went and got another cup of coffee.

A few minutes passed and then Sage looked up, "The Dynasty?"

"Maybe, but I don't think so. This is another supernatural power at work here."

"And you think this is connected with Ryo missing?"

"Yes, most the missing people were found in the park where you saw Ryo."

"He is NOT dead. I would know it he was."

"I didn't say anything, did I? We need to go to the park. All of us, but make one more move at Rowen and you'll be the one on the ground with a broken jaw."

"I did not break his jaw," Sage said.

Kento chose not to comment. "Well go when Rowen is ready."

"You have to try. But look, now isn't the time. We need to find Ryo."


"I hate him," Rowen cried.

"I know dear," Sai whispered, trying to sooth him, rubbing small circles on his back, and holding him close.

"But-but I-lo-love him," Rowen began to hic-up and cry at the same time.

"I know, love."

"Buy why? Why? Why?"

"You cannot choose your love, sometimes love chooses for you."

"But what am I supposed to do?"

"Honestly, I don't know what to tell you. I've had this same conversation with Ryo at least five times before."

"How could Ryo keep going back to him, after all that he has done?"

"We figured that that was just the way he is. He won't change, he can't change. You have to look past that and love what you see then."

"Look past? There isn't anything past that."

"Ah, but there is. You may not SEE it, but a part of you does. And this does explain why you two are always at each other's throats…."

Rowan gave out a short laugh. He wiped his eyes of tears. "Please don't tell anyone about this?"

"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me. But this can't go on forever. You've got to tell him or this will consume you."

"I know…I just…I just don't know how. How to tell him or how he will take it. He doesn't like me, he hates me."

"Oh, there is where you are so wrong, Ro-chan. He wouldn't pick a fight with just anybody, now would he?"

"You can't be serious."

"Next time watch him a bit more when you are sparing words with him, then you might see how he looks at you. See, I think he's proud at you for standing up to him every time. And that makes him respect you. And if he respects you…then…."

"Maybe," Rowan sighed.

"Feel any better?"

"A little."

"Good, now we've got to go out there and find Ryo!" Sai jumped up and was almost out the door before Rowan caught him.

"And Sai?"

"Yep?"

"Thanks, you're really good with the whole pick me up stuff."

"Don't I know it?" Sai laughed. "Take your time," he waved him away as he headed back to the kitchen.

Rowan shut the door and leaned against it. He glanced at himself in the mirror and was startled to see how dreadful he looked. Lack of sleep and all the tension was no doing him any good. Putting the ice against the sprouting bruise, he sat down on the floor to think.


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