~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
note: What else could happen? Why don't you read and find out?
Everyone (especially Sage) had best watch out for Rowen,
though... Seems Blue Boy's not too happy with his role in this
thing so far.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Secrets - part five
by Ebonhawk

"He WHAT?!" Cye cried out, clutching at Mia's shoulders. He couldn't believe what she'd just told him. Ryo had propositioned Rowen?! This was *not* what he wanted to hear.

"That's what he told me. I'm only repeating Ryo's own words," Mia said too calmly. "What went wrong, Cye? Your little map of our lives was supposed to have him all over me, not Rowen." Mia began to pace over the wooden planks of the deck, her arms flinging through a multitude of helpless gestures as she let loose her agitation and frustration. "And for your information, it was a little *more* than a proposition!"

Cye jumped a little at the word. It was almost as if she'd been reading his mind. What was the world coming to? First, his carefully laid, *secret* plans for his friends were well known. Now, Mia was hearing his thoughts. Was he truly that transparent?

"Ryo said he had his hands everywhere he could get them and would have done more if those boxers hadn't been in the way!" Mia concluded with a vehement look of pleading in her wide hazel eyes. "I want his hands on *me*!"

Cye digested this, standing silent and pondering for a good minute. He decided he was better off forgetting that everyone seemed to know what he was up to - although, if he paused to think it over, he would most likely have been rather peeved. It wasn't important right now - not considering this latest news. It was an unforeseen development, most definitely, in this latest matchmaking venture. A development that could put all of his work in jeopardy of falling to absolute pieces.

To make matters worse, he'd never seen any inclination toward men (let alone Rowen!) in Ryo. The very idea that he had missed seeing it perturbed him to no end. What a bother! For Ryo to pull a stunt like this when his plan was *so* close to completion! Just a few more romantic evenings under his watchful sea-blue eyes and he knew - undisputedly *knew* - Mia wouldn't have spent another night sleeping - *ahem!* - unattended.

"Well, there's only one thing for it. Come with me, Mia," he ordered, heading back inside the house. He paused for a moment to make sure Mia was following then continued, pausing again to raise an eyebrow at what he found in the kitchen. Dais was wiping a hand towel at the front of Yuli's shirt where a large wet spot spread over the multitude of tiny, rainbow-colored vertical stripes. Yuli was stuck in a snorting fit of giggles.

"I-I can't *believe* y-you said that!"

"I bet you anything it's true, though," Dais replied with a wide grin. The towel hung limply in his hand as he leaned back in his chair, eyeing Yuli speculatively.

The giggles subsided as Yuli suddenly became thoughtful. It wasn't long before Yuli's left brow arched up in an imperious smirk. "You bring me breakfast in bed for the next week if he didn't. I teach you to ride a skateboard if he did."

"You were going to teach me anyway, so no bet. Unless..." Dais trailed provocatively, swiping the towel with a deft touch over Yuli's chin, "you do it naked."

"Ugh! Let's go," Cye muttered, grimacing in distaste, "I did *not* need to hear that! I can handle seeing them together. However, I really don't want to watch it or hear about it...yet, anyway."

"Cye!" Mia sniggered, a delicate hand held over her mouth. She placed a little shove against his shoulder. "You are such a perv!"

"Oh, and you're not?" he retorted, tossing a quirky twitch of his lips at her. "I hope you realize that I want a copy of that picture you took this morning of Sage and Rowen." He snagged her hand and proceeded to drag her upstairs.

"As long as you pay for it," she told him.

"Deal."

Sage watched Cye escort Mia up the stairs, the last of his and Rowen's discarded clothing gathered in his arms. He narrowed his eyes and slowly moved to follow. What mischief were they up to? Hopefully it didn't involve cornering Ryo this soon. He hadn't done that yet himself and he wanted to make sure *his* offer started floating around inside Ryo's head before Cye had Ryo jumping all over Mia.

Sage actually hoped Cye was successful in the end. He was all for Ryo and Mia getting together...as long as Cye's scheme didn't interfere with *his* ideas. Capturing Ryo's imagination after a hook up with Mia would be more difficult than he currently wanted to imagine. Who knew what the woman was capable of with as many years of suppressed lust as she had to work with?

When the two disappeared into Mia's room without a stray glance or pause in their race, his relief was evident in his low puff of breath and the tiny upward curve of lips. He still had some time. And what better time to take care of business than now? Snatching up the rest of the clothes he had piled outside his bedroom door, Sage strode purposefully to the bathroom and tapped against the closed door with his foot.

"What?" came Ryo's irritated response.

"Could you help me for a minute?"

"Sage?" Ryo's voice conveyed just how nervous he was clearly to Sage's highly attuned ears. Was talking to the lover of the man he'd clearly shown an interest in earlier really going to be such a horrible experience for Ryo? Well, Sage reflected, it is *me* we're talking about here. If that was what Ryo thought, Sage was going to make every effort to make him think otherwise.

"Yeah. Will you help me?"

"Why don't you get Rowen to help you?"

Sage paused for a moment. How to put it? "He's...getting dressed." It might've been true, but then he knew very well Rowen's lack of self-control in situations such as he'd been left in - an attribute he was quite fond of.

The door cracked open and one of Ryo's bright blue eyes came into view along with a fluff of black hair. "Okay. Give me a second." The door shut again and Sage waited patiently as a barrage of clunks and cracks sounded from the closed off room. After a moment, it all stopped and Ryo stepped out, white plaster-smears and all. "So, what am I doing?"

A lump of clothing was quickly deposited into his arms. "You're carrying this for me."

"And you're not taking anything?" Ryo squawked. "Nuh uh! You can carry your own damn clothes to the laundry room!"

Sage peeked into his room. He was pleased to find that Rowen had managed to sneak over to his own room, butt naked, without anyone catching him. The archer had become quite adept at doing so over the last few months. Pushing the door fully open, Sage swept inside, noting that the quilt was still in place. Maybe Rowen *had* accomplished getting himself out of the room without succumbing to the physical demands he'd been left with for once?

He smirked and gathered up what few articles of clothing lay on the floor. Then, stuffing those into Ryo's arms as well, he snatched up two laundry bags, full to near bursting, and said, "I *am* carrying my own damn clothes. Unfortunately, now that I look at it, at least half seems to be Rowen's."

Ryo eyed Sage suspiciously. "So, why aren't you waiting for Ro? He should be the one helping you."

Sage sighed dramatically, and placed a hand to his breast. "Ryo, Ryo, Ryo... You know we've got things to discuss, you and I. Just come with me and we can take care of everything in a calm and reasonable manner - the way friends *should*."

With an audible gulp of apprehension, Ryo reluctantly trailed down the stairs after Sage. One never knew exactly what to expect when the bearer of the Halo armor was in a mood like this.

Well, maybe Rowen would know, he amended, but I sure as hell don't.

Narrowing his eyes, Rowen growled low in his throat as he watched Sage lead Ryo down the stairs. He'd escaped to his room while Sage had been downstairs and Mia was talking to Ryo. He was still quite irked with Sage's actions. First, there had been that embarrassing question! And then, to just *leave* him there without...!!! Whatever Blondie was up to, he wasn't going to get away with it. Or, at least, it wouldn't go down the way Sage was expecting.

Obviously, it was supposed to involve Ryo. Sage hadn't even bothered to attempt hiding that information. No, he'd straight out made certain to *use* Ryo's name. So...one plus one equals? Rowen's wide blue eyes went wider still, then slipped into a lazy, half-lidded air of understanding. Figuring out Sage's plans always left him purring. It was time to start the counter-maneuvers and put his own ideas into action.

Closing his door, Rowen slipped on the faded black t-shirt he'd been holding and headed for his closet. His old and worn jeans were slung low on his hips and sliding ever lower as he walked. They were too large and dragged across the ground around his feet, but who cared? Sage, for one. It annoyed him to no end seeing Rowen dressed so shabbily. He was just going to have to put up with it today, though. He'd earned every annoying thing (large or small) that Rowen could come up with to throw at him.

Taking a moment to yank his jeans back up before they slithered off him completely, the archer dropped to his knees and stretched for a box that had been stuffed away in the darkest reaches of the closet. Pulling it close, Rowen dug through the contents. Lifting one, he muttered, "No," then another item, "No," and again. "C'mon...where are you?" He shifted a bit of lace aside and found what he was looking for. "There we are," Rowen grinned slyly, drawing the objects forth from the box. "You've earned nothing less, Seiji dearest, and you're going to get it all. I *do* hope you're ready for me."

Kento's thumbs jammed hard, almost painfully, against the buttons on his controller. His brows were drawn down tight in concentration and he chewed on his bottom lip. "Come on, come on, come on! Die already, will ya?!"

He sat on the floor, back against the couch, legs scrunched up before him and wedged against the coffee table. To his right, snuggled on the far cushion, were Dais and Yuli. The former Dark Warlord watched the action on the television screen with a look of fascination, comfortably wrapped in Yuli's arms and legs, with his own long legs stretched across the cushions.

"And this is just a game?" he asked, tossing a look upward at Yuli.

A confirming nod came in quick reply. "Although you'd never guess that watching Kento play. I personally think Rowen is worse, though."

"Victory is mine!" cried the player. He pressed another button and the game paused. Kento turned to look at his spectators. "What are you two staring at?"

Before he could get his answer, Cye swept into the room, Mia keeping pace right behind him. "I can't believe you got rid of it!" Cye exclaimed, hands tossed up before him in bewilderment. "That outfit left nothing to the imagination! AND Ryo drooled so much every time he saw you in it, I seriously thought he'd flood us out of the house!"

"Well, I'm sorry. I didn't know that when White Blaze decided to use it as a chew toy you'd be wanting it later!" Mia shot back. "Let's just go out shopping and find something new, hm?"

"Fine." Cye snatched up his jacket and then tossed Mia hers. "Kento, love, we're going. Be back later." He stole a quick kiss and vanished out into the entry hall.

Shrugging into her dark brown jacket, Mia caught Kento, Yuli, and Dais watching her. "What?"

"...nothing..." Yuli said absently, fingers once again winding through the white strands of hair on the head now pillowed against his chest.

With a grumble that contained (as far as they could make out) the words "men" and "can't", the woman grabbed up her purse and took off after Cye.

"That was interesting," Kento announced.

"Wasn't it?" Dais agreed. He was about to say more when Rowen floated into the room with a dangerous smirk. Leaning over the back of the couch, the archer declared, "Lovely weather we're having, ne?"

Kento frowned. "What do you want?"

"Not much. I was just wondering if you three might like to go to the movies tonight...and take Cye and Mia with you, wherever they've gotten off to just now."

Yuli laughed. "He wants us all to vacate the premises!"

"No," Dais corrected, "not all of us. He didn't mention taking Sage - which is completely understandable - or Ryo."

Yuli grinned and flashed a twinkling gaze at his blue-haired friend. "So, Rowen, whatcha cookin' up with just the three of ya?"

"Nothing," he replied, although it sounded more like 'none of your business.' "Will you go? I'll pay everyone's way."

Kento blinked his jolly blue eyes a few times then said, "In that case, sure. Where's the money?" He held out one of his big hands until his friend dropped a wad of bills into his grasp. Stuffing it all in a pocket, he quickly supplied a "Thank you. You can go now."

"I have your word that you'll all be gone tonight?"

"If I have to drag everyone kicking and screaming," Kento assured him.

When the slender archer was gone, Dais snickered and asked, "What do you think, Yul?"

"If I keep in mind that Ryo *did* make a move on Rowen, and the fact that I saw Sage hauling Ryo down into the basement under the pretense of doing laundry... I don't think I'd be wrong to say this house will be hosting a threesome tonight."

Kento's ears perked up at this and he suddenly excused himself, leaving his game paused. "I need to go take care of something. I'll be right back."

"Hm. Everyone seems mighty busy today," Dais commented, running the fingers of one slim hand over the ragged ends of Yuli's old, smoke-grey corduroys.

"And to think we kick started the whole thing!" the eighteen year old proclaimed proudly. "What do you think Kento's doing?"

The depth of thought showed clearly in the former Warlord's one blue eye. After a minute or two, he asked, "How many of those...what are they called?...camcorders are lying around the house?"

"A couple. Why? Oh! Never mind. I get what you're saying."

"I bet you Mia will want a copy."

"That's not a bet. It's a given."

Ryo closed the lid of the washer and started the machine. He didn't know why *he* was doing this, but he was sure it had something to do with stalling the little talk Sage wanted to have. He sighed and leaned against the washer. There was no way he was getting back upstairs without the blond tearing into him. Leaning his head down on the cool white-colored metal, Ryo awaited his execution bravely.

His shock was total and complete when he felt strong hands run lightly over his denim-clad rear. Ryo lifted his head, eyes wide, his throat emitting a tiny, "...eep..."

Sage, with the tiniest of grins, leaned forward, draping himself over Ryo's suddenly tense back. Letting his elegant fingers play with the long raven locks that fell over Ryo's nape, he gently brought up the subject that had his friend's stomach tied in knots.

"I hear you've got a thing for Rowen."

END PART FIVE