Young Again

Chapter one
Young Again
By Wildfire


Ryo watched as Cye dived perfectly into the lake, barley making a splash. Kento runs past and jumps in yelling ‘Canon Ball’. He shielded his eyes as the water splashed him.

Cye started yelling at him.

Ryo laughs and lays back in the dirt staring up at the sky. It was a beautiful day and for once they all were off work and together. He couldn’t imagine a more perfect day the sun was shinning brightly yet there was still enough cloud coverage that they weren’t roasting alive. It was a rare day as fall was quickly approaching and the days and nights were growing increasingly cold. Though right now he was enjoying the early signs of fall the sun shinning down on the multicolored leaves. The grass was still green enough it wasn’t all itchy. It was an absolutely perfect day.

Blond hair appeared above him, Sage’s face appears with it a second later. “You going to nap all day?” Whether he was teasing or being serious one couldn’t tell with Sage. He was serious most of the time but every once in a while he’d surprise you with a small joke or tease.

Ryo just smiled. “You bet I am!” He certainly couldn’t think of anything better to do, he was a busy person and having a day to just sit back and relax sounded wonderful on such a beautiful day as today.

Sage chuckles lightly and walks away; Rowen was soon there to replace Sage and what he had been trying to do. “Come on Ryo UP! Swim! Run! ANYTHING!” Rowen grabs his friends hand and yanks him up. He only got his upper body up though before the body stopped moving.

Ryo just again smiles at his persistent friends. “I am doing something.. I’m relaxing!” He flops his body back down on to what he had determined as the perfect grass.

“Ahh, come on Ryo! We even have SAGE swimming! SAGE!! Now if we can get him in the water than we can get you in the water.” Rowen again tried to pull his friend up off the ground but got the same result as when he had first tried it.

“Yeah come on!” Kento said with a big smile swimming awkwardly.

“Please?” Cye asks while keeping one eye on Kento knowing he wasn’t a good swimmer.

Ryo groaned. “Let me SLEEP!” Normally he wouldn’t have any trouble swimming with the guys. In fact he usually enjoyed a light swim, as long as it wasn’t too long.

Rowen smiles grabbed his friend pulling him up again. This time he was ready though and when Ryo started moving back to the grass he grabbed him by the upper arm and hauled him up over his shoulder, he turn and throws him into the lake in one fluid movement.

As the fire warrior was hauled up he tried to shout a yell at his blue haired friend but instead of getting a yell out he got a mouth full of water in. Instincts took over and his body automatically gasped which only sucked in more of the offending liquid. He brook surface only a few seconds later sputtering and coughing out the water.

Rowen stood on the dock laughing. It was a hilarious sight, Ryo was still in his jeans and a baggy t-shirt all of which were now clinging tightly to his form yet still seemed to be trying to float in the water as well. Ryo’s normally full bodied hair as now stick straight and clung to his neck forehead and face. But was really so humorous was his expression he was trying to hard to look angry but was coughing in between each glare and it just made it almost look like a comedy act.

Once the teenager caught his breath his bright eyes turned to Rowen. “You are SO going to die!” He started to swim towards the dock and got out immediately chasing after Rowen, who had taken off running.

Cye laughs and lays back in the water on his back relaxing. He enjoyed the sound of his friends laughing, or even fighting. Just as long as it didn’t turn serious. Though with there hot headed friend it was a possibility.

*&YA&*

A man in a dark clock stood watching the Ronin’s ‘frolic’ in the sun. But his eyes focused on Wildfire, the leader, their strength. He held his hands up and a small light appeared it started moving in a small circle, it slowly gained speed as a second light appeared going just as fast as the first. As the two small lights circle faster the man removes his hand and the lights shot up. “Soon Wildfire... soon” with that he disappeared into the dark, again.

*&YA&*

Rowen ran for a bit, easily out running the wet Ryo. Ryo on the other hand had already lost Rowen. He was now headed back to the house, wanting to shower and dry off. Normally he would have chased Rowen ‘till the warrior lost his stamina, Rowen was the fastest of the two of them but he didn’t have the stamina Ryo did so eventually Ryo would catch him. But right now he was wet and his jeans were sticking far to much and slightly chafing against his thighs. And honestly it just wasn’t worth it.

He showered fast as he had really had enough water for the day, even the hot water didn’t feel right. He dried off and dressed in just some loose sweats before heading back down stairs his hair still dripping onto his bare shoulders.

The blond looks up and smiles one of his rare smiles. “Why’d you leave Ryo?” he asked innocently.

“I was wet and cold.. two of my least favorite things to be!” He snapped though it had come out harsher than he had meant it to be. He wasn’t actually all the mad, it wasn’t like it was the first time this had happened to one of them.

“Ahh your such a baby..” Rowen said smiling and taking a bite of his sandwich. “It couldn’t of been that bad..” Rowen was practically beaming there was no doubt he was proud of himself for the throw and the fact that he had escaped Ryo’s wrath.

Rowen‘s smugness irked Ryo a bit, he closed his eyes reining his temper in again before it got the best of him. “I’m going for a walk.. a nice LONG walk... I’ll be home later tonight..” with that he grabbed his coat slipped it on and left.

“That went well..” Cye commented as he set a plate of sandwiches down on the table. He smiles slightly as Kento and Rowen each grab three.

“Hai..” Came Sage’s response.

*&YA&*

Ryo walked slowly through the dense forest. His thoughts moving to Rowen and Sage. It wasn’t really odd for Rowen to tease and push. But he was oddly surprised by the blonds actions. It wasn’t like Sage to be so… juvenal. Granted he didn’t do anything physical but he did for sure tease him at least once, if not twice. He closes his eyes as he walked thinking back a ways to a particular night where the blond had come to talk to him.. That night still boggled his mind.

He stumbled over a branch than gasped as something very sharp and very painful snapped around his ankle. He grabbed a tree, to steady himself, than looks down to see his right ankle in a leg hold trap. Ryo cursed to himself and slipped down to look the trap over the thing was old and rusty, how it even snapped down he wasn’t sure. He went to open it but the thing wouldn’t open. His eyes narrow at the thing, it was old but if it could close than it SHOULD open as will. After a while Ryo gives up and leans against the tree, this was great he was stuck in the woods, miles from home and only had his jacket for protection from the growing cold. He stared down at his bleeding ankle debating if he should take his jacket off and tie it around the wound to stop the bleeding and to protect it from the dirt and grim in that was no doubt getting into the wound.

*&YA&*

Cye looked down at his watch for the eighth time in the last two minutes. “He’s been gone an awful long time..” He knew he was worrying over what was probably nothing as Ryo tended to disappear like this when he was angry but that didn’t stop him from worrying every time.

Rowen nodded “Would you like us to go look for him?”

Kento stands up “I say we go and drag his whiny ass back home!” He shook his fist into the air. He smiles at Cye, trying to lighten the mood in the heavy room.

Cye lets out a heavy sighs “Yeah.. though not quite that dramatically..” he grabbed his and Kento’s jackets “we’ll search out by the lake.. you guys go for the forest..”

Sage nods reaching over Cye to grab his and Rowen’s jacket.

*&YA&*

Rowen yawns as they walked through the cold forest, it was odd to think that just a few hours earlier it had been so nice out. Now it felt like it was going to snow, though he knew it wasn’t going too. The air wasn’t right for snow. “You think he went to the volcano?”

Sage looked back at the blue haired genius. “Yes he decided to hike over ten miles to burn off his anger because you dumped him in the lake” his normal sarcastic voice was back.

Rowen shrugged “This is Ryo we’re talking about, it’s not like he’s really predictable in these ways. Who knows what will set him off.” He stepped over a large branch. Eye traveling up to the moon, it was a half moon that night but it was shinning almost as brightly as a full moon. It was actually a very pretty night, if it just wasn’t cold he’d enjoy it much more.

*&YA&*

Cye moved quickly around the lake, eyes traveling to the ground around the lake making sure it all looked as it had when they had left. His worst nightmare would be one of his friends dieing in his element. And he could just see Ryo doing something like that.

Kento followed behind his panicked friend, silently for once. He watched as Cye looked around the lake. He has already told him the ground was just as it had been when they had left but Cye instead on checking anyway.

“Where could he be?” Cye asked as he finished his looking of the lake. He turns back to Kento, eyes almost pleading Kento to tell him Ryo was fine.

Kento sighs, “Probably walking, like he said he would be.” Though he knew what Cye was feeling. Ryo was difficult at best but he held a special place in all the Ronin’s heart. Well how could he not, one tended to care deeply about people who had saved their lives and Ryo had saved all their lives more times than he could count. They would do anything for the man, unfortunately Ryo wouldn’t allow them to really repay him as he didn’t see anything he had done as something that needed repaying. And if you were stupid enough to bring it out it would just upset Ryo as he hadn’t done better than he had.

Kento slings an arm around Cye. “I’m sure he’s just fine. He is Ryo after all, no one can kill that boy!”

*&YA&*

Hours later Sage walked in carrying a very pissed off Ryo. He set him down on the chair and grabbed a blanket. He laid it gently over the angry Ronin. Though Ryo didn’t complain and tucked his arms under the warm cloth.

“I could have walked...” Ryo pulled the blanket closer around him, trying to contain his shivers.

“Sorry Ry’ but I didn’t want to take the chance of you infecting it or hurting it worse.. and knowing you, you would have..” Rowen explained kneeling down by Ryo’s leg. Sage handed the first aid kit to Rowen.

Rowen set the ankle up a bit higher. “This is ugly.. we’ll be lucky if this doesn’t get infected any way... with rust, and dirt.. Not sure what that is.” He plucked out something hard and green, it was smaller than a finger nail.

Ryo gives him a flat look. “That’s so uplifting Ro.. I feel inspired to dance with joy now” Sarcasm dripped from his voice, though the dramatics of it were somewhat laxed as he voice faltered with his shivering.

Rowen raises an eye brow at him than pours some Peroxide directly onto Ryo’s ankle.

Ryo jerks back as the wound started bubbling and the instant stinging came right along with it. “W-was that necessary?” he teeth were gritted together trying to ignore he sting.

“No.. but I thought if your going to be a smart ass than I can be mean.. plus this stuff cleans wounds really well even if it does sting..” Rowen watches the stuff bubble. “The more it bubbles the more it was cleaning out, so since it’s still bubbling it must have been pretty bad.”

Ryo has his eyes tightly closed “I despise you right now.. just so you know..”

“I do...”

Sage just stood back and watched all this with mild amusement. The two argued more than an old married couple the only person he knew that could possibly rival them was Cye and Kento. Though Ryo and Rowen’s arguments were usually more amusing at least they were in his opinion.

Cye bursts through the back door, “he wasn’t by the....” he stops in mid sentence as he sees Ryo there. “hi..” Relief flooded the soft hearted man, though it quickly left again as he saw Ryo’s ankle up and bubbling “What happened?” he notices the Peroxide “Rowen! Did you put that on there? That has to hurt, that’s horrible! We have Neosporin or a number of other non stinging things you could have put on there!”

Ryo looks at him and smirks as he watched Cye reprimand Rowen for using the Peroxide. Even this small amount of pay back was nice.

*&YA&*

The man stood watching Wildfire than smiled. “Perfect..” he takes out a small pouch than threw it toward the Ronin’s house. “Go..” The two lights that he had let lose earlier that day flew toward the house.

*&YA&*

Ryo sighed. “This won’t get infected right.. I mean.. I need to be able to walk.. I have to couch football..” He taught younger kids the wonders of the game. He had always loved it when he was younger and he liked spreading that joy to kids now. He turned out to be pretty good at it too as it was no longer volunteer work as he now got paid for it.

Rowen mirrored Ryo’s sigh. “You might want to call in sick... you won’t be able to stand on it for a while”. This wasn’t just an inconvenience to Ryo this meant they’d all have to help out the hurt man. Which meant adjusting everyone’s schedules and helping with Ryo’s rent.

Ryo groaned.

The two bright lights shot through the window sending glass everywhere. Cye whirls around, there was a blinding bright light. Followed by a blood curdling scream, he could hear the sickening sound of bones snapping, breaking, and shattering.