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Rowen woke up in with the sunlight in his face.  He enjoyed its warmth but he didn't like the light blinding him.  He sat up immediately.  His bedroom window faced west not east!  Where in the hell was he?
He looked around the room but was still suffering from the light in his eyes.  He heard a soft yawn and then jumped out of bed.  Rowen felt sweaty and his hair was damp.  He was hit with the revaluation that he was naked.  "Ohmigod," he whispered.
When he could fully see again he knew exactly where he was.  He was in Sage's room.
"I slept with Sage?" he asked himself for he couldn't remember the night before.
He ran around the room half mad looking for his clothes.  "They are in the hamper."
Rowen turned toward the bed and saw Sage sitting up.  "What?" Rowen asked.
"Your clothes," Sage said looking Rowen over carefully.  Rowen turned pink under his gaze, "Don't worry about it and come back to bed already."
Suddenly he remember everything.  The memories of their hot, passionate sex overwhelmed him.  He felt faint.  "What's wrong, Rowen?" Sage smiled, "Didn't know where you were when you got up?  It's okay I probably would've been scared too."
"We . . ."
"Yes, we had sex.  Why are you so shocked?"
"Er. . . well . . ."
"We both were horny so we took care of it."
"But. . ."
Sage got up out of bed.  Rowen couldn't help but stare at his naked body.  Sage's light skin that was without blemish, his strong arms and gentle swordsmen's hands that would grab a hold of his sex and know exactly what to do to it.  Sage's  long legs that could wrap tightly around his waist.  Rowen's eyes drifted higher to Sage's sex which was long and looked as if it would fit perfectly inside of him.  He wasn't sure where that feeling came from.  "You like what you see, Rowen?" Sage asked flirting shamelessly.
"I... I feel..."
"You body is just prefect, Rowen," Sage said looking him over carefully.
Rowen started to blush and felt the need to cover himself up but he didn't want to.  He saw Sage start to get hard again.  He turned away.  Rowen had no idea quite how to deal with this situation.  He knew Sage all his life just like he had known all the Ronins.  They had bathed together and on cold nights had shared the same bed.  Never had this happened before.  The only time he ever looked at Sage's sex was to see if it was bigger than his own.  When he found out it was he stopped looking.
Rowen ran his fingers through his hair, trying to explain this all away.  Sage got back into bed and covered up.  "I take it that you aren't pleased with what has happened," he said bitterly.
"Never in my life has anything quite like this happened. I never planned on this..."
"Get out," Sage ordered darkly.
And so Rowen quickly left the room.

Two hours later Rowen sat at a bar in the middle of nowhere.  He'd seen it many times when he and Sage were driving back and forth to Mia's house.  Sage.  Rowen sighed just thinking about him.  He knew it was a mistake to share a apartment with the other Ronin Warriors, even if they were still trainning.  He should've seen this coming but he didn't.  Damn.  He was so confused and so emotional.  Rowen sipped his drink, a strong stinger with no ice.  He knew he could never face Sage again or any of the other guys.  Not in this state and it didn't look like he was getting out of it any time in the near future.
He was going to move out.
He was going to answer a lot of questions.
He was going to have to find a new place to live.
"Hello Rowen," Mia said as she took at seat beside him.
Rowen blinked twice, "Where...er..."
"You called me so I came."
"I didn't call you."
"Sure you did.  You said and I quote I need a place to stay.  Somethings happened and I can't live with the guys anymore.  Could you pick me up at O'Reily's Irish-Type Pub, please?' unquote."
"That's weird, Mia.  I swear that I didn't call you."
"Well the voice sounded 100% like yours," Mia said as she got up.
"No, Mia, wait!" Rowen exclaimed as he grabbed her hand, "everything that you said as true.  I do need a place to go till I get me head screwed back on right."
Mia sat back down.  "Why do I have a feeling that it has to do with Sage?"
Rowen put his head in his hands and shook his head.  "I'm so messed up."
The bartender came over to them; he gestured to Mia. "You want anythang, Lassy?" he asked with a horribly fake Irish accent.
"Irish coffee, please."
Bartender nodded and turned his attention to Rowen, "Anythang else for you?"
"Whatever she said," Rowen said downing the rest of the Stinger.
"Ta Irish Coffee's coming right up," the bartender smiled and left in a hurry.
Mia sat back down next to Rowen and put her arm around him.  "You are really messed up, aren't you?"
"My life has taken a turn that I have never forseen and I thought I had thought of everything."
"Life has a way of doing that," Mia sighed.
"Oh no," Rowen said, giving her a side glance, "You have no idea of what I've been through."
"Probably not," Mia agreed, "but..."
Rowen waited for the rest of Mia's sentence but she never finished.  That worried Rowen. "Well?" he asked.
"Best not to talk about these things in public."
Rowen nodded, "Back at your place?"
"Yeah."
The bartender came back with the coffees.  Before he could say anything the phone rang. He went on his way to answer it.  Few moments later he came back.  "I take it," he looked at Rowen, "since you are the only guy in here that this call is for you."
"Dammit," Rowen spat, "how in the hell did they find me?  Can I not have some peace and quite for one crappy minute.  Did whoever calling identify themselves?"
"No, but it was a guy's voice and he was really worried."
"Guy's voice," Rowen repeated, "then it isn't my Mom so hang up on them."
Bartender nodded but before he left Mia stopped him.  "Wait a minute, sir.  Rowen maybe you should take this call.  What if it isn't Sage but your teacher?"
"It's Sage I can feel it."
"Then talk to him.  It might make you feel better."
"Phone's this way," Bartender said as Rowen got up.
Rowen got to the phone.  His thoat was acidy, his stomach doing jumping jacks.  He quickly picked up the phone before he lost his nerve.  "This is Rowen."
"Where in the hell have you been for the last two hours?" Sage exclaimed.
"Hello to you too, Sage."
"This isn't time for joking."
"I was driving here and then I was here.  That is how I spent my two hours."
"Are you drunk?"
"Not yet."
"Bartender said you were talking to some pretty girl and I should call back later.  What was that all about?" Sage asked, the venom oozing from his voice.
"You sound like a jealous wife, Sage."
"How dare..."
"I was talking to Mia, ok?  I... asked her to come get me."
"You drove..."
"I'm low on gas.  Won't make it to the station."
"Why didn't you get some?"
"Busy getting out of there."
The silence on the other side of the line was deafining.  Then Sage finally spoke, "I meant to get out of my room not the apartment," he whispered.
"I know."
"Then..."
"Sage, I hurt you and I am very sorry.  In my wildest dreams... no I shouldn't say that because that would make a lier out of me.  Back to my point.  I never..."
"Would've believed that what happened could've happened, right?"
"Sage, you don't understand..." he said as Sage hung up.
Rowen fought back tears as he went back to his seat at the bar.  Mia still sat there looking sad.  "You ok?" he asked.
"Did you know that Ryo and Cye are engaged?" Mia asked right out of the blue.
"What?" Rowen asked nearly falling out of his seat.
"You heard me," Mia sighed, "You wanna know something interesting? I was finishing looking through Grandfather's files on the nine armors.  It seems that to be able to wear an armor the bearer of the sacred burden must be free in any ties but that of marriage or friendship.'  Do you know what that means?"
"Nope."
"To wear an armor you must be bisexual."
Rowen sat there stunned a moment.  "I thought that wasn't overly accepted..."
"Now it isn't but then it was."
"I'm shocked.  I didn't realize..."
"Until you fell in love with Sage?" Mia asked.
"I...uh... what.... er..." he stammered.
"Rowen, don't let this chance pass you by.  True love only comes once and it can move mountians!"
"You sound as if you've had experience..."
"I lost my love and my true love," Mia said, "then I lost everything."
"I don't understand."
Mia sighed, "I love Ryo, Rowen.  I know that he never loved me but he did love Cye."
"Mia, I'm... I'm so sorry..."
"I loved Anubis too.  When I figured out I couldn't have Ryo I locked myself up in a block of ice then I spent a lot of time with Anubis and that man got to me.  Maybe it was off the rebound I'll never know.  When he died I only lived for the cause."
"Mia, listen..."
"I've gotta go.  Your car has a full tank of gas.  I beg you, for your own sake to go back to that apartment and talk to Sage.  This should cover the bill," Mia said as she got up leaving 1,000 yen on the bar and walked out the door.
"Mia," Rowen called as he chased after her.
When he got outside he looked around.  There was no other car in the parking lot and there was no Mia.  "What's going on?" Rowen asked as he made his way back to his car.
He took the keys out of his pocket, got in the car and started it.  "I have no gas..." he started to say but when he looked at the gas reader it was at the full mark.  "Ok, this is getting weird."
With that he drove straight to Mia's house.  "She better be there and she better have some damn fine answers."
He parked in her driveway and got out of the car.  The house was as dark as a grave yard.  He went up to the front door and knocked, "Mia?  Mia! Mia, it's Rowen are you there?  Can I come in?"
With that the door opened all by itself.  Rowen twisted the door knob and checked the lock.  The front door, like always, was locked.  Mia must've not realized that the door didn't shut behind her.  After all she was upset.  "Mia, it's me, Rowen.  I want to talk to you.  Where are you?"
There was no answer then it hit Rowen.
Suicide.
Mia was very upset and she kept saying that she had lost everything.  She wouldn't have... couldn't have killed herself.  He ran into the kitchen where the nearest phone was and called the apartment.  Sage answered the phone.  "Hello, Sage Dat..."
"Sage, thank god," Rowen said in near histaria.
"Rowen, what's wrong?  Are you drunk...?"
"No, damn it I'm not drunk.  I'm over at Mia's place... I think she's commited sucide."
Sage paused on the other line.  "What?" he finally said.
"You heard me.  She was over at the pub with me.  I didn't tell her I was there but she said I called her and told her to come pick me up.  She knew about me being out of gas.  When she left the pub I ran after her.  I couldn't have been more than a second after her but there was no car in the parking lot and she wasn't there."
"Rowen, what are you saying?"
"She knew what was bothering me. She knew that I love you... hell I hadn't even come to terms that I was madly in love with my best friend until she said something. I think she came to me as a ghost.  She hinted to me many times that she had committed suicide.  Sage, I'm scared.  I don't want to find her body but I can't leave like this."
"I'm dumbfounded.  Why would Mia commit sucide?"
"Ryo and Cye are getting married and Anubis is dead.
"Huh?"
"She loves Ryo, Sage, and she and Anubis had something going on when she realized that Ryo and Cye..."
"Shit I didn't realize," Sage whispered, "ohmigod, Rowen, I killed her."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm the one who told her about Ryo and Cye."
"You didn't kill her," Rowen said, "better hear it from you then find out by catching them together."
"Rowen," Sage said, "I don't know what to do!"
"Listen, just come over here."
"Ok, all the cars are gone but Kento's van.  I'm sure after I explain what's going on that he'll give me a lift."
"Hurry," Rowen said as he hung up the phone.  He felt a presense behind him, the hair on the back of his neck stand straight up.  His warrior instinct prepared him for battle. Rowen turned around to see nothing there, then he looked carefully around the room.  "Mia," Rowen shouted, "It's just me.  I'm not going to hurt you, you know that.  I want to help you but I can't do that unless you help me.  Why'd you do it?  You are a beautiful woman, smart, brave and a true lady.  Any guy in his right mind would be crazy not to want to be with you.  I'm sorry it had to be this way."
Darkness seemed to grow around him.  Rowen slowly backed away from the darkness and into the sink.  There was no escape.  "Why are you doing this?" he asked, "I don't understand what you want from me.  Does it have something to do with what happened back at the pub?"
The darkness stopped coming at him.  Rowen was clearly relieved.  "Ok, lets see we talked about you and your problems but what does that have to do with me...?"
The darkness grew denser and a frustrated shriek came from it.  "Ok, ok, I'm sorry," Rowen said, "The only thing we talked about that had to do with me was Sage..."  With that the darkness retreated.  "Sage?  All this has to do with Sage and I.  Mia, you don't have to do this. I can handle this myself."
A loud crash came from the wine closet and wine gusted out the door.  It was red wine and it looked like blood in the darkness.  Every muscle in Rowen's body was tense.  She wasn't going to attack him, was she?  "So I escaped one small problem by going to a bar.  Mom said that my Dad used...to...do...the...same...thing... ohmigod I've become like my Father."
Rowen's only memories of his father was that of him beating his mother. Rowen forced those memories back into the void where they belonged.  He wanted to run away from this whole situtation and forget all about it but he couldn't.  Mia wouldn't let him.  She wanted him to honor her last wishes; she wanted him to have what he knew now he wanted more than anything: a loving relationship with Sage.  "I understand now, Mia.  I understand what you've been trying to tell me.  I will pursue happiness with Sage; I will take care of him.  You don't have to look after me anymore. Sage will look after me and I will look after him, I swear.  I can only guess how painful it is to do what you've done for me."
The darkness melted away and left only the natural shadows.  "Mia, are you there?" Rowen called.
There was no reply. Rowen carefully walked out of the house and sat on the front porch to wait for Sage and Kento.

Forty-five minutes later Kento s van came into the driveway as if it was shot out of a barrell.  Sage jumped out while Kento parked.  He ran toward Rowen.  "Did you find her?" Sage asked.
Rowen shook his head, "I didn't go looking for her either."  With that Rowen put his hand out for Sage to take.  For a moment Sage was confused at the surprising action but took Rowen's hand.  "Lets go in."
Kento ran up to them.  "Well?"
"I didn't find her.  I only got a look at the main rooms on the ground level," Rowen explained.
"Ok," Kento said, "I'll check the basement and the other rooms on the ground level.  You two check the back yard and the up stairs."
Sage and Rowen nodded at the good plan and started toward the back of the house.  Kento took off into the house.
"You ok?" Rowen asked.
"As well as I can be for this situation," Sage said, "I'm not used to looking for a friend's dead body."
"That's not what I'm talking about.  I'm talking about this morning."
"I don't want to talk about that now."
"I do."
"It's a little unapporperate for..."
"Mia confronted me in the house.  It was her wish that this conversion take place so it might as well be done where she can hear' it."
"Fine," Sage said removing his hand from Rowen's, "You really hurt me."
"I thought I was dreaming.  I'm only in bed with you in my dreams.  After I realized I wasn't dreaming I kinda went into shock."
"We're together in your dreams?"
"When you were captured by the Dynasty I had nightmare's everynight.  They were so bad I stopped sleeping all together.  They are had to do with never seeing you again..."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't bother to interpet them until now."
"So?" Sage asked as he stepped in front of Rowen facing him and stopped.
"Sage, for me last night lust had nothing to do with what happened.  I don't know how you feel about me but I love you!"
Sage had a look of shock at that unexcepted turn of events and turned around and started to walk quickly to the back of the house to escape the situtaion leaving Rowen alone and heartbroken.  "Mia," he said fighting back the sobs in his chest, "I was wrong, so wrong.  I do need you.  I'm sorry to keep you from Anubis..."
"It's ok, Rowen, what's wrong?" Mia's voice came from behind him.
Rowen turned around to face her, tears streaming down his cheeks.  "He doesn't love me, Mia.  He was just being selfish and..." he said as he broke into sobs.

Mia walked over to him and held him.  "I'm here, Rowen, everything is going to be all right.  I thought for sure that Sage did love you.  Forgive me for encouraging you."
"It's all right.  It would've happened sooner or later.  Best it happened now."
"Are you going to be ok?" she asked.
"Yes, you better go to Anubis.  He's probably waiting."
"How did you know about Anubis?  I thought Kayura didn't tell anyone."
"Kayura?"
"Yes, she gave me his body to bury once she found it.  She didn't want to do it but she knew it's what Anubis would've wanted.  She loved Anubis too but she said that his last thoughts were about me.  The shared minds a moment when she was given his armor.  She never told me what he thought about."
"I don't understand."
"I was going to put flowers on his grave.  It's in the backyard.  I thought he'd like that.  He used to meditate by the garden; he said he loved the flowers.  They brought him peace so I'm going to make a nice garden on top of his grave so he's always at peace."
"I thought..."
"Yes?"
"You aren't dead?"
Mia blinked twice, "Uh, not the last time I checked.  Why?"
Rowen gave her a bear hug.  "I thought by the conversion at the bar and how you disappeared so quickly and without a trace that... I thought that you committed sucide!"
"I don't understand."
"You said that you lost everything.  You knew were I was and what was going on but I never called you.  My car was out of gas but it mysteriously had a full tank when I started it up to go after you..."
"Kento called me and told me what happened.  Sage found you by using the power of meditation.  His room was right next to Sage's so he knew everything. I knew if I said that one of the guys told me to come after you, you'd send me away.  As for the full tank of gas, O'Reily has a gas pump in the back of the pub.  The back of the pub now used to be the front before they put the paved road in ten years ago.  Locals use it offen so he keeps in working.  You left your car on so I knew about the empty tank and filled it for you.  I put the car keys in your pocket when I came in."
"What about the fact that you disappeared so suddenly...?"
"The jeep broke down.  I'm borrowing one of my cousin's many motorbikes.  I parked it on the side.  I guess I got around the corner before you came out.  You had already pulled out when I was ready to go."
"Where were you when I was waiting?"
"Getting the flowers.  I used the florist in Toyama.  Traffic was murder."
Rowen had trouble digesting everything that Mia told him.  "I'm glad you are all right," Rowen smiled, "I better tell Kento and Sage about..."
"I could see looking back how you could've thought that I was going to commit sucide."
"Yeah?"
"I was going to.  After I found out that had no job, Grandfather never told me about how much dept he was in and I missed Anubis so much it hurt."
"What stopped you?"
"Anubis did.  I knew if I ever did kill myself he'd never speak to me in the after life.  The last thing he ever said to me was that his last wish was for me to life happy with a man to love me and for me to love.  If I didn't follow his wish I knew he'd never forgive me so I picked myself up and carried on.  I went to my lawyer who is looking into the matter of the debts and my Grandmother, not Grandfather's wife but my other Grandmother, is going to help me with the debts.  As for a job?  I'm currently looking for one."
"I must look realy stupid."
"No, you were just concerned."
"To think I thought I saw a ghost in the house."
Mia laughed, "It's not hard after what you've been through to see ghosts."
"Yeah."
"You better tell Kento and Sage I'm all right."
"Oh yeah," Rowen said as he took off toward the backyard.
Mia smiled and shook her head.  She slowly started to go to the back yard.

Sage and Kento where in the back yard talking heatedly.  Sage was screaming at Kento but nothing he said made much sense.  Rowen watched this a moment before he interupted, "Guys, I found Mia."
Both turned around, the color drained from their faces.  "You ok?" Sage asked.
"Fine, there was a small misunderstanding."
"What?" Kento asked.
"Mia's alive."
"That's more than a small misunderstanding!" Sage exclaimed practice jumping out of his skin.
"She had an explaination for everything that happened..."
"... I could see where Rowen came up with the fact that I killed myself," Mia said coming around the corner, "He didn't know that O'Reily's had a gas station in the back or that he left his car running."
"He also didn't know I called you," Kento said.
"Yes, he also didn't know the jeep was broken and I was using a motorbike which I parked in the side of the pub."
"So it all makes sense," Kento said.
"Yeah," Sage said as he calmed down.
"Now, Rowen," Mia said, "If you still need a place you are more than welcome to stay here."
"Thanks, Mia."
"You are moving out?" Sage asked.
"Yeah," Rowen said.
"Cool," Kento said.
"Shut up, Kento," Sage said turning his full attention to Rowen, "If this has anything to do with what happened a few moments ago..."
"Sage..." Rowen started to say.
"Lets go and talk about this," Sage said as he grabbed Rowen's arms and precceed to drag him to the side of the house.
"That's weird," Kento said.
Oh well," Mia said, "I don't know about you but I'm hungary.  I just went food shopping yesturday."
"I'll beat you up there.  Since you just came back from the dead I'll make lunch for you."
"Thanks Kento," Mia smiled as Kento headed back into the house.

"What is this about moving out?" Sage asked.
"I want out.  Since I love you and you don't feel the same way about me things could get..."
"Who said that I didn't love you?  Just like you said to me before, I went into a shock- state.  I couldn't believe what you told me you loved me.  You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear you say that!  I thought that you never would."
"Well, I do love you, Sage."
"I love you too, Rowen."
Tears welled up in both their eyes.  "Do you mean it?" Rowen asked.
"Do you?"
Rowen pulled Sage into his arms and kissed him soundly on the mouth.  They held onto each other tightly a moment then they broke the kiss to get air.  "I...I take that... as... a yes," Sage said.
"Damn straight," Rowen said.
They both broke out into laughter then Rowen remembered something.  "What's wrong?" Sage asked him.
"Damn, I forgot to tell Mia about the accident."
"What accident?"
"Some wine bottles in the wine closet broke.  Wine is all over the kitchen floor."
"How'd you do that?"
"I didn't.  I was over by the sink talking to ghosts' when it happened.  Talk about getting the shit scared out of you."
"Weird," Sage said as they started to walk toward the house.

Mia was sitting in the kitchen talking to Kento who was making BLTs. They were both very, very quiet.  Kento focused totally on the frying bacon then gave her a side glance.  "Do you think those two stand a chance?" he asked when the silence finally go to him.
"Yes," Mia said, "When Sage and Rowen come to terms for their feelings for each other is when it'll all work out."
Kento shrugged, "It's gonna be weird, you know?  I don't mean to prejudge or be an ass..."
"Yeah, I understand but I'm sure you'll get used to the idea."
"Of course I will both of them are my best friends."
"I'm glad you have a positive attitude, Kento."
"Ryo and Cye will be so happy that they aren't the only lovers in the group."
"You are handling this well."
"I knew this was coming," Kento stated straightening his shoulders, "But it still is..."
"I totally understand," Mia smiled.
"I'm glad you're alive," Kento said changing the topic without warning.
"You're sweet, Kento."
Kento turned toward her and smiled with this trademark goofy grin. Then Rowen and Sage walzed into the room.  "Listen," Rowen said to Mia, "I'm really sorry about not cleaning up the mess myself..."
Mia sighed, "Where's the mess?"
Rowen blinked, "Er... right here."
"Huh?" Mia asked quickly looking around the room.
Rowen surveyed the floor and not a drop of wine was on the floor. "Where'd it all go?"
"Rowen?"
"Wine spilled all over the floor from the wine closet when I was looking for you," Rowen explained, "It sounded like a wine rack broke and all the bottles shattered on the floor."
"There wasn't any on the floor when I got here Rowen," Kento said, "And I was the first here."
"I'm serious there was..."
"You must've been seein' things," Sage said, "in that nervous brakedown state you where in on the phone I could believe that you saw anything."
Mia stood up and headed for the wine closet, "I'll look if it'll make you feel any better."
She opened the door carefully and then gasped as she looked inside.  "What's wrong?" Kento asked.
"I don't understand," Mia said, "Where'd it all go?"
Kento turned off the stove and went over to Mia.  He was followed by Sage and Rowen.  There they looked inside and saw a huge pile of shattered wine bottles and a broken wine rack. "I don't get it," Kento said.
"I told you," Rowen said, "Now I wish I could explain this..."
"Me too," Sage said, "gallons of wine just doesn't disappear..."
Mia quickly shut the door.  "I vote for forgetting all about this!"
The warriors nodded their heads in agreement.  "You know," Rowen laughed shakely, "I think I'll be leaving now.  I've had enough of this ghost stuff to last me a while."
"I'm going with Rowen," Sage said as he quickly took his lover's hand.
"I take it you two are on good terms again?" Mia asked.
"The best," Sage said.
"I'm glad.
"So are we," Rowen smiled as he slowly started for the exit.
"Yeah," Sage said, "Well we've gotta go now.  See you later, Mia, glad you are alive.  Kento are you coming?"
"I think I'll stay here; I'll be along shortly."
Rowen and Sage looked at each other lovingly then remembered the wine closet then ran out the door.
"I think those two are going to make it," Mia smiled.
"Yeah," Kento said, "now about that wine closet..."
"I won't tell them if you don't," Mia smiled.
"That was a cheap shot."
"It got them to go home together."
"True," Kento smiled.
"All the way to heaven," Mia said, "Because that's what love is, Kento, it's heaven."