Chapter 9
Ryo was confused, disoriented, and cold. His mind was having a hard time grasping what had just transpired. On second thought, he thought, maybe I don’t want to know just yet. “Sage……..we need to get out………” Ryo’s teeth started to chatter.

Sage wrapped his arms around Ryo, trying to keep him warm. “You dropped this,” Sage said, handing Ryo back his orb. “Call your sub—armor.”

Ryo took it gratefully and summoned his sub—armor. It took the edge off the cold, but they both needed to get out of cold soon. “Sage, how far away is the car?”

“I don’t know……..he flew.” Sage collapsed into a snow bank. His leg did not look good. Sage was also sporting a black eye, cut lip, puffy checks, and a splattering of bruises and cuts. “I don’t think I could make it back…….”

“And I’m not leaving you here. We’ll need to teleport back home…or at least to the cars.”

“Home.”

Ryo nodded. Seconds later red and green light washed over them and they disappeared. They ended up in a jumbled heap in the living room.

“JESUS!” Kento squawked, almost jumping off the sofa.

“What?” Sai’s voice came from the kitchen. “Did you loose your video game?”

“Ah….no. There seems to be a big pile of Sage and Ryo on the living room floor.

There was a loud crash in the kitchen, followed by a bunch of swearing and Sai came flying into the room. “OH MY GOD! Are they alright? SAGE?! RYO!! Can you hear me?!”

“What’s all the noise down….oh my god.” Rowen froze at the bottom of the stairs.

“Stop…..yelling. We’re not dead. We can hear you,” Sage grumbled. Sai reached for him and brushed up against his broken leg. Sage let out a sharp hiss, eyes going wide. “Except that.”

“Is there anything else broken?”

“I don’t know…” Sage coughed and spat blood on the floor.

“Shit, we need to get you to a hospital. ROWEN!”

“I’m here.” Rowen said walking quickly next to Sai.

“I’m going to trying and patch him up before we get to hospital. I need lots and lots of bandages and medical tape and go out back and make splints. I’m going to try and stabilize his leg.”

“Right!” Rowen was off running.

“By stabilize you mean set his leg?” Ryo asked, taking hold of Sage’s hand and pulled him into a almost sitting position.

“Yes,” Sai nodded.

“Shit,” Sage groaned.

Rowen returned in 5 minutes with the stuff Sai had requested. “Ok, now Ryo and Rowen, hold him down. This is going to hurt.”

“I’ve had broken bones before, I KNOW!” Sage snapped.

Ryo and Rowen did their best to immobilize Sage. “Ready?” Sai asked.

Sage gripped Ryo’s hands even tighter. “Do it.”

Sai twisted Sage’s leg back into its normal place.

“AHH!! FUCK!!!” Sage screamed in pain.

“Kento, the splints!” Sai shouted over Sage. Kento quickly helped Sai tie the splints around Sage’s battered leg. “There, it’s over.”

“Want morphine…NOW.”

“We’ll get you there as quickly as possible, I promise,” Ryo said, giving him a kiss.

**********************************************************************************

Through all the confusion and getting us to the Hospital I didn’t have time to think about Casey. I was more focused on making sure Sage was alright. It wasn’t until after all the running around had stopped that I was able to take everything in.

They had wanted me and Sage to stay at the hospital over night, but I refused. I couldn’t stay there. Now I sit out on the back porch watching the stars twinkle in the cold clear night sky. It’s all I can do not to break down and cry. But that would be letting Julian win. As much as it pained me, I would not give in. Oh, but it hurt though. I sat there reliving everything. Before, I thought I had been through hell. I had been wrong. So terribly wrong. Hell was not facing down warlords, Hell was having your body ripped apart and desecrated, again and again.

And I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself. I can’t cope……. I can’t deal with this………. I can’t understand. It hurts so much. I must of taken 5 showers since we’ve gotten home. I just can’t feel clean, I don’t think I ever will again.

Ryo brought his knees up to his chest and tried to curl up as small as he could. He rocked himself slowly, but he found no comfort in it. He wanted to cry so badly, but the tears could just not come out.

Whymewhymewhymewhymewhyme………

“Ryo?”

Whymewhymewhymewhymewhyme………

“Ryo?”

Someone put a hand on Ryo’s shoulder. Ryo’s head jerked up, mind going into a blind panic and tried to get away from the person touching him.

“Whoa! Whoa! Ryo! It’s me! It’s ok!”

“Casey?”

“Yeah. Ryo I—,”

Ryo launched himself at Casey, clinging to him tightly. He gripped him with all the strength he possessed. “Oh, thank god.” Then Ryo found his tears, and they fell unbidden but not unwelcomed.

Casey returned the embrace. “God, Ryo. I’m so sorry. I couldn’t save you. I’m so sorry. God, I’m sorry, Ryo.” Casey cried into Ryo’s hair which formed small ice crystals.

They stayed like that for many minutes. It was Casey who broke the embrace. He took up Ryo’s face in his hands and looked him in the eye. “Ryo,” he said sternly. Ryo cast his eyes down, unable to meet Casey’s gaze. “Ryo, look at me.” Ryo slowly drew his eyes up to Casey. “Look at me and know no matter what Julian did to you, he holds no sway over you. You are still you and are still whole. You are still strong. You will over come this and be stronger.”

Ryo’s voice was small, but strong, “Ok.” He wiped the tear off of his face with his coat sleeve. “Casey? What about you? Are you going to………….. We can help—.”

“No, I have to do this myself. Don’t worry yourself over me. I can’t stay long. I just came to make sure you were all right.”

Ryo managed a small smile.

“It’s going to be alright for you now Ryo. With you and Sage. I promise you that.”

“DAMMIT I DON’T CARE!! What about you?!”

Casey was silent, considering his words carefully. “It was never about me. It was always about helping you. That’s all I wanted. To make sure that you would be happy.”

“But………”

“Hush. Please, Ryo. Don’t make this any harder. Just promise me you’ll be alright? Promise me you won’t let……….”

“Yes. I promise. Casey, how can this be goodbye? How can you let this be goodbye?”

“Because this is the way it has to be.”

“It’s such bullshit! And you know it!”

“Yeah. But I’d rather it be me, then you, you know.” Casey stroked Ryo’s cheeks, brushing away a few absent strands of his hair. “I will always remember you.” He gave Ryo a fleeting kiss and with a blast of wind he was taken away.

“Goodbye.” Ryo whispered to the wind.


(Thank *god*...or my lovely 'Sandra, that there's an epilogue *and* a sequal)
On to epilogue
back to part eight
back to ronin fic