Mia's Extraordinary Day

By: Icicle Raindream

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Ronin Warriors, therefore nothing is copyrighted to me and I am not making any profit off writing this.

Notes: I worked on this story for a long, long time, and I really had fun doing it, too. I hope you enjoy! Drop me a line if you love Mia!!

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As soon as I woke up this morning, I could tell it was going to be a different type of day. I had no idea what was actually going to happen, but this feeling was inside me, telling me today was going to be extraordinary, or different, or something out of the blue was going to happen. I decided the best thing to do was embrace the feeling, and get up out of bed with a clear, open mind, ready for anything. So I did, and made my way down the hallway towards the bathroom. I shed my nightclothes and prepared a nice, soothing warm shower for myself.

I waited a few minutes, letting the bathroom steam up a bit, then pushed back the curtain and stepped into the tub, under the water. It poured over my head like a fountain, warmth rising all around me and clearing my lungs from the early morning sleep.

Suddenly I sucked in a huge breath and screamed. "AAAAIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!" I shot out of the shower like a bullet from a gun as the water turned icy cold and showered down like an arctic waterfall. I'm surprised I didn't slip on the slick bottom of the tub, but managed to get myself out unscathed. I wrenched a fat towel from the rack hanging next to me and clumsily tied it around my body. I yanked the bathroom door open and stomped down the hall to the steps. I nearly tripped myself going down as fast as I could, anger building inside. I knew what had happened.

I pushed open the kitchen door and stepped inside, quickly grabbing onto the counter for balance. I knew that if I let go I would send myself to the floor, which was made of cold tiles that practically burnt my feet. "Who turned on the dishwasher?!" I screeched to the members of the household that were gathered in the kitchen.

Ryo, Cye, and Kento merely stared at my soaked form, standing there with wet hair dripping onto the floor. I think I saw Ryo blush and turn away, Cye watching him warily. Kento nodded to me and tried not to smile.

"Mia, you're sopping wet," Sage told me, cool as a cucumber. I hadn't realized he'd been sitting at the table, hiding himself behind a newspaper. "And your towel is sagging."

I glanced down at myself and pulled the towel up closer, only half self-conscious of my appearance, my anger the dominant feeling right now. "I was trying to take a shower," I snapped at the guys. "Do you like standing under freezing cold water?" I waited for an answer, but got none. I glanced around the kitchen; everyone was up. On a Saturday, in the morning? "What time is it?" I demanded, switching gears. I fixed my stare on Rowen.

He swallowed and replied, "Almost two o'clock."

My eyes nearly fell out of my head. "In the afternoon?!" I looked back to Ryo.

He nodded, trying to keep the smile off his red face.

"Oh, great," I moaned, rubbing my forehead. "That's just terrific. I was supposed to work on my project!" I turned on my heel, death grip on the counter, and started for the door. The phone rang just then, and I turned and snatched up the receiver. "Hello?"

I listened for a moment, my heart sinking, leaning against the counter. I was still clad in only my towel, but surprisingly I wasn't embarrassed yet, having the guys all watching me. Probably because my attention was diverted by the voice babbling in my ear. "Oh, okay…no, it's not a problem. Yeah, send him over whenever you like, Mrs. Yamano. The guys will keep him company. Yes, of course…Good-bye." I placed the phone back in the cradle and my head sunk into my hands. "Somebody please turn off the dishwasher so I can finish my shower," I begged, almost filled with despair. "Yulie's mother is dropping him off soon and I don't think he should see me like this." I didn't look at anyone as I walked out of the kitchen slowly, still dripping, but out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw Ryo lean over the sink and disconnect the dishwashing cord.

So much for getting up and starting on my project. Now I was going to have to watch Yulie all day, too. Along with other chores that needed to be done around the house.

*

"Hi, Bia!" Yulie called as he stepped into the house. "I brought by soccer ball. Baybe Ryo cad play with be?"

"Are you sick, Yulie?" I asked, kneeling down to look at him.

"Yeah, I hab a slight headcold," he said, sniffing hard. "It's dothing. It'll be gone bery sood. Bobby says I'm gettig better."

"Sounds like you need to blow your nose," I told him. "Stay here and I'll be right back, okay?" I stood up and walked through the living room to the kitchen. "Ryo, help me," I said as I caught his eye. He was sitting at the table, reading a magazine.

"What's up, Mia?" he asked, setting it aside.

I grabbed a tissue from the counter. "Yulie's here, and he wants to play soccer. Do you mind? I really have to start working on my computer project."

He got up and followed me out through the living room. "Not a problem," he told me. "I need some exercise anyway."

We stopped in front of Yulie and I knelt down again, holding the tissue to his face. "Blow," I commanded. He sucked in a huge breath and did as he was told. Unfortunately, he sort of missed the tissue and most of the contents of his nose sprayed all over my hand. I pretended that nothing happened and wrapped the tissue up, hiding my hand from Ryo's view. I smiled at Yulie and stood. "There," I told him. "Better?"

He nodded, then turned his attention to Ryo. "Ready?" he asked him, grinning.

Ryo leaned down and scooped him up, flinging him over one shoulder. "You bet, Yulie! Let's go, my man!" They went screeching and hollering out the front door, laughing.

For a moment I felt relaxed and unrushed, listening to their happy chatter. Then I remembered my hand, and glancing down at it, shuddered in slight disgust. "Ylecch," I mumbled, then headed for the kitchen to scrub.

Then I settled myself down in my den in front of the computer, and began my project. I had been determined to finish it this weekend and hand the disk in for extra credit. I had to keep my reputation as the best in the class, you know.

*

I had been working diligently for so long that I had no clue as to how long I'd really been sitting in my chair in front of the computer, but my efforts had paid off. I was almost done constructing my program, and all that it needed now was basically to be saved. I moved my mouse and suddenly a little screen popped up, telling me I was committing an illegal action and had to close the program. I glared at the computer, but figured since I was almost done I could just save it and then work out the little bugs later. So I went to click Save and another little screen popped up, telling me there was something wrong with my programs, and the hard drive starting going crazy, making all these whirring and clicking sounds. I had never heard anything come from my computer as loud as it was right now. The screen before me began to crumble, slowly deconstructing itself. My computer was eating my homework!

"No!" I yelled, pounding my fist down on the table. "No! Stop it! Rowen!" I bellowed, throwing my head back. "Rowen, help me! Stop it!" I watched as the screen began to fade.

Rowen, no doubt shaken up a bit by my frantic calling, skidded into my den and raced over to the computer, staring at the screen. He watched with interest, then starting typing buttons on the keyboard, frantically trying to stop whatever my computer was doing. It was all in vain, though, for the computer won. The screen blanked out, and the hard drive quieted, and everything was eerily still, including me. I just stared as a puff of smoke rose into the air.

Rowen kneeled by me and looked at my face, turning the chair I was sitting in to face him. "I'm sorry, Mia," he said. "I tried to keep it from going with your project." He paused. "I believe your hard drive was just cooked and burnt to a crisp." He smiled apologetically and stood up, leaving the room.

I just sat, unbelieving. I had worked for so long…for what?!

*

I slapped the cheese onto the bread, which lay in the skillet, frying. Yulie sat at the kitchen table, talking a mile a minute with Cye and laughing. I wasn't paying attention to them and had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. I had fallen into a dark funk since my computer crashed, but had agreed to make a late lunch for Yulie. Cye had volunteered to help, having heard the story of the unsalvaged homework from Rowen, but I turned him down. I needed to do something to keep my mind off that.

I think my mind was really too far off because I absentmindedly placed my hand down onto the skillet and let it sit for a second or two, humming tunelessly. Then I whirled away from the stove, realizing and crying out in pain, my skin stinging like crazy. I think Cye jumped away from the table and ran over to me, but I couldn't see well with all the tears in my eyes. I heard Ryo's voice suddenly in my ears, and a warm hand took my own and held it under the faucet, the cold water shooting over the burnt skin and cooling it. I sniffed and blubbered all the while.

Then the water was turned off, and Ryo looked at me, pushing my hair away from my eyes. "It'll be okay," he assured. "It really wasn't that bad of a burn, Mia."

I noticed then that Sage was standing next to him, holding a first aid kit. He handed Ryo a small tube of something or other and a bandage. Ryo gently smoothed a cool cream over my burnt hand and wrapped it snugly with the bandage, comfortable around my hurt skin.

"Here you are, Yulie," Cye said. He stepped back to the table and set a plate down in front of Yulie, having finished cooking my grilled cheese for him.

"Thanks," Yulie replied, looking at me. "I'b sorry, Bia." He had a contrite look on his face, and my heart broke in two.

"It's okay, Yulie," I said, wiping my face with my good hand. "I'm all right, and it wasn't your fault anyway. I should have paid more attention to what I was doing." I took a couple of deep breaths to steady my nerves.

"Why don't you go rest for a while," Ryo suggested.

I shook my head at him. "I can't," I said. "I have some chores I need to do."

"Can't they wait?" he asked. "You have a hurt hand."

"They're plaguing me," I told him. "I have to do them now before I go insane. Besides, it'll keep my mind off the pain."

He shrugged. "Okay, whatever you say, Mia." He and Sage left me then, and I headed back to my den. I glared at the computer as I passed it, sitting there ever so innocently and uselessly on my desk.

I dragged my chair over to my bookshelf, picked up a feather duster, and climbed onto the chair. The dust on the very top shelf of my bookcase had been driving me up the wall for weeks now, but I simply hadn't gotten the chance to clean it. Now I had the perfect opportunity, even if my hand was still practically smoking.

Well, keeping my balance while leaning up and over without touching anything with my hurt hand proved to be a tougher job than I thought. I thought I could handle it, but then I got up on my tippy-toes and totally lost my footing. I yelped and my body instinctively twisted towards the floor, my hands coming up for protection, forgetting one was still stinging. Just before I toppled off the chair I saw someone standing there next to me and I gasped out, "Sage?!" I felt his arms wrap around me as I fell off the chair, but I hit him with such force that it sent both of us plummeting to the floor. We landed with Sage on his back, his arms around me, and my arms crossed in front of me, my head on his chest. Both of us were knocked out of breath.

Slowly I lifted my head up and stared into his eyes; his hair had fallen back and both were revealed. "Thanks, Sage," I said softly, reveling in the deepness of the violet shade.

"I wanted to help," he replied, just as soft. He looked hard into my eyes. "I thought you could use it."

My mind went blank then, and I couldn't think about anything. Boom. My mind totally erased every coherent thought present and the words seemed to create themselves and just pop out of my mouth. "I sure could," I mumbled like a zombie.

"Sure could what?" he asked, reaching up and pushing my hair back from my face.

"Use some help, silly," I replied, giggling.

"Okay, then." He paused, and I felt his hands moving from my back to my face. "How's this?" The fingers on my cheeks slowly but gently pulled me down to his face, our lips connecting. The kiss was agonizingly slow, but sweet and heartfelt. I forgot about the fact that we were lying on the floor together in the middle of my den with the door wide open, and ran my good hand through his thick, velvety hair, deepening the kiss a bit. I had never been so close to one of the guys before.

Then it broke and we pulled away.

I suddenly came to life, glancing around at our surroundings, then back down to where we were sprawled together on the rug. My eyes widened with shock and I stood up hastily, Sage mimicking my movements. He faced me as the hair fell over his right eye in its usual position, and we stared for a few seconds.

"I…uh, don't need any more help, Sage, thanks," I said, my face heating up. I cradled my burnt hand with the other. "I think I can handle it."

He nodded, folding his arms. "Okay," he agreed. "No problem."

I think he couldn't wait to get out of there as he turned swiftly and walked away, pulling the door shut behind him.

I just stood and stared at the door, trying not to think about what had just happened between us.

Was it just a fluke?

*

"Stupid computer," I muttered to myself. I was sitting at the kitchen table staring at a piece of paper. It was filled with my chicken scratch, the commands I'd had to use to create my project's program. I knew it all by heart, but when school time came, it wouldn't be done and I wouldn't get the extra credit I wanted. I didn't really need it, but just the fact that I couldn't get it really steamed me.

Just then the door opened and Kento and Yulie stepped in, laughing.

"Thanks, little man," Kento said. "I needed a workout."

Yulie hopped up onto a chair next to me. "I like wrestling," he replied.

Kento opened the refrigerator and pulled out a can of soda. He clicked it open. "Good." He grinned at Yulie and flexed his muscle. "Helps your build."

If I had been in a better mood I think I might have laughed at Kento trying to impress an eight-year-old, but instead I tried to ignore them and kept my attention on my homework.

"See ya, guys." Kento left, the door swinging shut behind him.

It was silent for a while.

"Bia? Cad I hab subting to drink?" Yulie spoke up.

Ryo walked in then, and glancing at him, I said, "Sure, Yulie. But I think you should try to blow that nose again." I got up from the table and was on my way to the tissue box when Ryo intercepted me.

He grinned and said lowly, "I'll do it this time. That way you won't have to wash your hands or change your bandage." He gestured to my tightly wrapped hand.

I gasped a bit, surprised that he'd known what had happened earlier with Yulie and the tissue, and quickly changed my course to the fridge, hiding my red face. I heard Yulie in the background as I reached in and grabbed a juice box. "I had ond earlier," he told me. "It should still be opid."

Boy, was he right about that. I realized too late that it was almost still full and squeezed it while trying to pick it up. Bright red juice squirted out and splashed all over the front of my white shirt, some splattering up onto my neck. It was absolutely freezing cold and scared the living hell out of me.

I turned around, shocked, and just stared at Yulie and Ryo, who was standing by the table holding a dry tissue. Ryo looked back at my face and immediately knew something was wrong, stepping towards me. Yulie's little face began to crumble at my expression and he burst out into tears. I followed suit, covering my face with my good hand. Ryo's gaze shifted from my shirt to my face as he lifted my chin and held the tissue out to me.

"Here," he said. "It's okay, Mia."

Cye came in just then, and rushed to Yulie's side, comforting him, asking, "What happened?"

"I bade Bia get all wet!" Yulie wailed. "It's all by fault!"

I shook my head at his words, unable to speak. Ryo understood my meaning and said over his shoulder, "It's okay, Yulie. It's not your fault." He turned back and put his arms around me as I blew my runny nose with the tissue that had been meant for Yulie.

Ryo guided me out of the kitchen, letting Cye deal with Yulie's crying. He sat me down on the couch and asked, "Now will you go rest for a while?"

I sniffled and wiped my eyes, looking up into his face. I felt guilty, feeling the tenderness in his facial expression and thinking about what had happened with Sage earlier, but I hid it and numbly nodded my head. I walked to the stairs and started climbing, anxious to take my soiled shirt off and put something dry on.

No, Ryo and I weren't together, or a couple, or anything like that, so don't think I just couldn't restrain myself enough before with Sage. I knew Ryo cared about me, and I cared about him…it's just that today he was showing a lot of concern for me, more than he ever had before, and it made me feel like I had to tell him everything, okay? Now am I justified?

Anyway, I was slowly but surely coming to terms with my feeling this morning—how I thought it was going to be an extraordinary day…Boy, had I been right about that!

*

I changed my clothes and took a nice, refreshing nap, hoping I could turn my night around from the path of craziness my day had taken. I climbed out of bed, pulled my old brown robe around me, and went downstairs, preparing myself to make dinner for the guys. I figured they'd all be starving by now, especially if Cye hadn't cooked anything for them yet.

"Hello!" I called, shuffling into the kitchen in my slippers. "Are you guys hungry?"

No reply. In fact, the whole kitchen was empty.

I walked back through the door into the living room. It was completely empty, too. Now why hadn't I noticed that before?

I went to the bottom of the stairs, cupped my hands around my mouth, and shouted, "HEL-LO! Anybody hungry?…Guys?" I sucked in a deep breath, frustrated. "Doesn't anybody hear me? Are you all dead?!"

Silence.

My temper started to heat up. I must've been hanging around Ryo too much because I almost never lost my temper. But this morning…and now…I could feel my face gaining degrees in temperature.

"Where did everyone go?" I shouted into the desolate hall.

Just then the front door banged open and I heard voices, chattering away, some laughing uncontrollably. I nearly jumped out of my skin.

I met the guys as they made their way into the living room, flopping down on various sitting apparel and talking a mile a minute. Standing in the middle of the living room floor, I took a good look at Cye fumbling for a seat and asked, almost rudely, "What's the matter with you?"

The voices in the room were suddenly hushed, attention fixed on me and Cye's awaited reply.

"It'sh okayyyy, Meeeee-a," he slurred loudly. "It'sh all goood…" His eyes shifted around the room, grinning at the others.

"What in God's name did you do to him?" I demanded to Ryo, who was sitting on the couch in front of me.

He held his hands up and raised his eyebrows, trying to look guiltless. "I had nothing to do with it, it was Rowen's great idea. I was in the bathroom when everything happened."

I looked at Rowen, glaring. "Just where exactly did you guys go, and what did you do to Cye?"

Rowen waved his hand, grinning sheepishly. "Aw, Mia, don't get upset. We went to the old tavern in town to eat dinner, and Kento made a bet."

"Spill it," I spat, turning to Kento. My tolerance was running short, and I was in no mood for games.

He rubbed his head, trying to avoid my eyes. "We-ell…Rowen didn't believe that we would be able to fool the waiter and get him to bring us alcohol since we're all underage…so—"

"Tell me you didn't, Kento," I moaned, covering my face with my hands.

"Oh, no, I didn't," he assured.

I looked back up at him. "Who, then?" I asked. "Which one of you is actually able to order alcohol without being carded?"

Total blank stares, all trying not to look at me.

Cye suddenly stood up and placed a hand over his heart. "I musht confesshh," he drooled. "It washh me, Meee-a. It washh lotsh of f-f-fun, too…" He giggled, pulling at the zipper on his shirt, putting a finger in his mouth.

I glared at him. "You sit down, Cye Mouri," I ordered. He obeyed, falling onto the cushions, and I turned to Rowen. "You better tell me before I blow a gasket," I warned him.

"I did it," a voice said from the far side of the room, before Rowen had a chance to respond. I wrenched my head in the direction of it.

Sage sat coolly in an armchair, his legs and arms crossed, hair in its natural position over his eye. "I was the one who ordered the wine." He sounded completely nonchalant.

"You, Sage?" I asked in disbelief. Good old reserved Sage, going for alcohol? I thought he was more disciplined than that.

As if he were reading my thoughts, Sage replied, "I didn't drink it, Mia. I merely ordered it. It was Rowen and Kento who decided to get Cye hooked on it."

"And so you kept ordering it for him until he was absolutely wasted?" I shouted, putting my hands on my hips. "After you manipulated him to even taste it?" My brain wasn't contemplating the intelligence of all this, and I couldn't understand their actions.

Sage wanted to sigh, I could tell, but he held it in. "The waiter kept bringing it to us, and Cye took it of his own free will."

I shook my head. "I don't believe that any more than I believe the moon is made of green cheese," I told him angrily, getting warmed up. "You're talking out of both sides of your face, Sage. One minute he's being hooked, and the other he's taking it freely! Cye has never even thought about taking a drink!"

Sage sighed then, huffing some of his hair out of his face, clearly annoyed at my analyzing him.

"Well, it wasn't as if we could stop him and be like, 'I'm sorry, Mr. Waiter, but we're really too young for this and we just tricked you, that's all'," Kento spoke up. "We didn't want to get kicked out of the restaurant."

"No, because God forbid that you guys don't get your evening meal!" I raged, turning on Kento. I didn't even think about the fact that what I just said might've hurt their feelings, I just kept going. "Look at him!" I pointed a finger at Cye, who was slumping into a corner of the couch, next to Ryo. "That is exactly what you should have said!" I fixed my stare on Wildfire then and said lowly, "You were in the bathroom this whole entire time?" I paused dramatically. "You liar! You call yourself a leader? What the hell kind of leader are you being? Don't you care about your friends?"

Ryo's face was one of utter shock and confusion. Kento's mirrored his. I knew they didn't look like that because they truly believed they were innocent. They were my two main culprits, although I couldn't tell whether my rage was coming from the fact that they'd all left and didn't tell me where they were going, or the fact that they really did get Cye drunk and seemed completely okay with it.

I looked at Rowen and Sage. "And you two aren't off the hook, either," I snapped. "I'm glad that you look mature, Sage, because you certainly didn't act like it tonight. Did you even think of some of the consequences Cye might have to suffer now? Too much alcohol is bad for you…I would have thought you would have known this, being a big boy. And you, Rowen, have this unexplainable urge to bet with Kento and make impossible wages against him. I can't believe you would let this happen to one of the sweetest people I know. You, with all your intelligence and ability to learn, couldn't just lean over and tell Cye that drinking is not a good idea, no matter what his hairbrained friends say!" Rowen said nothing nor looked at me, which was very smart in his situation, because I was angry enough to send my fist through the wall.

I sighed and looked away from them in disgust. "Get out of my sight," I commanded. "All of you. I want you to leave. Now."

They started to get up and head towards the stairs, keeping deadly quiet. I stepped in front of them and folded my arms across my chest, mind made up, blocking the way. "No, out. Get out of my house." I pointed to the front door. "Looks like I'm the one who's gonna hafta look after poor Cye tonight, huh?" I was almost shaking, but stood my ground. They needed to think all this over, badly.

Everyone's face spelled shock. This was not my usual behavior and all the guys knew it. Even I knew it. Where had my attitude come from? Maybe it was the fact that the guys had never really done anything this outrageous before, and I had never really acted like their mother before, prying every detail of their lives out of them and being overconcerned for their well being. I guess I wasn't used to them being teenagers and not warriors. They were very responsible as warriors; never had time for the "fun" stuff. I only acted like a mother all the time to…

"Oh, my God," I said, clenching my eyes shut. "Please tell me you bozos didn't have Yulie with you." I looked over at their little group, standing huddled by the front door. Three out of the four of them already had their jackets on, taking my order to leave me alone seriously.

Ryo shifted his weight uncomfortably and replied, "We took him home," in a small voice. He couldn't even look at me. I didn't know if he was angry with me or just incredibly embarrassed.

The door opened and Sage led everyone out. Ryo was the last to go, and just before he left he turned and hesitated, as if he wanted to talk. I glanced up at him.

He looked truly ashamed, and I could feel my anger start to slowly melt away, but my face stayed stone cold, turning away from his. This was not correct behavior. Not for Warriors, and he knew it. They'd all slipped up and needed to pay for it. The door closed then, and the house was quiet, except for Cye's humming off-tune from his position on the couch.

I walked over to him and placed a hand on his forehead. "How do you feel, Cye?" I asked.

He struggled to get the words out. "It'sh…all good, Meee-a," he lied, his bright eyes looking at me. They were tinted with the effects of the overwhelming amount of alcohol running through his blood. He gulped and took a breath, trying to think. "I…uhm, I…really don't feel too well…"

"All right," I said. "It's time for bed for you, mister." I grabbed a hold of his arm and hauled him off the couch. We started for the stairs and I steered him to his room. He lay down on the bed and I pulled the blankets up to his chin, settling on the edge of his mattress.

"You're just as much at fault as the rest of the guys," I scolded gently, brushing his hair back off his face. "I'm only taking it easy on you because you're intoxicated. Your number's up as soon as you start feeling better."

He nodded sleepily, yawning. "Good-night, Teddy-Bear," he said to the ceiling. His mind was starting to fog over with fatigue and wine contamination.

I just shook my head and allowed a small smile to creep onto my face. Then I clicked off his light and said, "If you need me, I'll be here. Just call."

Cye was humming. "I like cool beverages…uh-huh…"

I sighed, shook my head, and closed his door.

*

I sat up in bed, awakened by some God-awful noise. It sounded like a screeching cat being run over by a rusty garbage truck.

"Cye?" I called frantically, slipping out of bed. I ran to my door and opened it, then jogged down the hall towards the bathroom. I yanked the door open and dove onto the floor next to Cye, who was leaning over the toilet miserably, vomiting. He was still in his regular clothes.

"Uhhh, God…I don't think I've ever felt so horrible before," he croaked, wiping his mouth.

Wait till you wake up tomorrow, I thought. I moved closer to him and put my arm around him. I reached up above my head with the other hand, towards the sink. I grabbed a rag that was folded on the edge of the sink and handed it to Cye.

I could feel his trembling as I said, "It'll be okay, Cye. Once you get the alcohol out of your system you'll feel better, I promise."

He wiped his face with the damp cloth. "Is this what it's like, Mia?" he asked, sounding like a little kid.

I smiled sadly and replied, "Basically, yes."

He closed his eyes and leaned on me. "I'll never do that again."

"What, drink?"

"No. Gamble."

I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

He struggled to open his eyes again. "You're going to be mad, Mia."

"Oh, you should have seen my performance earlier downstairs," I told him. "I'm not angry right now, so go for it."

"Well, I really don't know what they told you while I was…" He put a hand on his stomach, turning slightly green. "Rowen and Kento made a bet—"

"Right," I interrupted. "I know this much."

"Sage ordered some nasty looking wine stuff or something…and then Kento said he would pay me whatever Rowen now owed him if I took a drink."

My shoulders sagged, disappointed. "So you did."

Cye nodded, ducking his face a little. "Yeah, I couldn't help myself. Sometimes Kento is very…overpowering, you know? I felt like I had to."

"And once you acquired the taste for the supposed nasty wine, you couldn't stop," I finished for him.

"Yeah," he replied, embarrassed. "But at least Kento owes me."

"So Sage was trying to cover up for you at first," I murmured to myself. Cye did drink of his own free will, but no doubt assisted by peer pressure. Namely, Kento and Rowen.

"Hmm…"

"Well, I hope what he's paying you is worth it," I told Cye, shaking my head. "The worst is still yet to come."

Cye pulled his head up and exclaimed, "What do you mean?"

I smiled at him. "You've still got the rest of the night to get through, and all day tomorrow to live in the haze that is our best friend, the hangover," I explained in my "I told you so" voice.

"Oh, no…" He suddenly bolted to his knees and leaned over the toilet again.

I could only stay with him, kneeling on the floor in my skimpy nightgown, and help him get the alcohol out of his stomach.

All night.

*

I sat curled in an armchair, a magazine in my hand. I was pretending to read it because Cye was sitting across from me on the couch, covered up in a blanket, and I didn't want him to know what I was really thinking.

I miss the guys.

He clicked off the TV that I hadn't even known was on, and stared at me for a few seconds. I wasn't looking at him, but I could tell he had an expression on his face that meant he was waiting for me to say something. I dutifully ignored him for a few minutes.

"Come on now, Mia," he said, folding his arms. "I know you aren't really reading. What's on your mind?"

My head snapped up from the page. "What are you talking about?" I asked. "Can't you see I'm engrossed?"

Cye grinned and said, "Right." He gestured to my magazine.

I closed it and took a look at the front cover. Sighing, I gave up and said, "Okay, okay, so I don't subscribe to Motorcycle Madness, alright? Is it okay with you if I look at it?"

"Oh, sure," Cye said. "But I just don't think you're that interested in it. Let's talk."

"What do you want to talk about?" I mumbled, staring at the address label on the front cover. Ryo Sanada stared back at me.

"Whatever's on your mind," Cye said. "But, um, by the way, where is everybody? I think I was a little, uh…too drunk to remember."

I pointed my finger at him. "See?" I practically shouted. "Alcohol impairs your memory! No more drinking for you, buster!"

He held his hands up in front of his face as if to shield himself from my verbal attack. "I know, trust me…I know."

"How's your head?" I asked, willing to change the subject.

"It still hurts a little," he admitted. "But the painkillers you gave me earlier helped a lot. And I don't feel nauseous anymore."

I nodded, satisfied. "Good."

"How's your head?" Cye asked cleverly.

"What do you mean?" I replied innocently.

"I can tell you've been thinking about something for a while now, Mia," he said. "Will you tell me what happened last night?"

I set Ryo's magazine on my lap and sighed. "I threw everyone out," I told him, watching his face react, his mouth forming a perfect O. "I was very very angry at all of you."

"That's why no one is here?" Cye managed to stutter.

I nodded. "I don't know what came over me last night. But this wasn't very good behavior for you Warriors. The guys needed to think about what they did. And you would have been with them if you weren't so incapacitated." I tried to glare at him, but it wasn't serious. "Well, probably nothing would've happened if you hadn't…" I trailed off, not wanting to make Cye feel any worse than I knew he already was.

"I suppose I'm gonna have to make it up to you, huh?" Cye guessed.

I grinned. "You betcha."

He gulped. "What do I have to do?"

"Dinner duty for an entire week," I said, not thinking twice.

"But-but…everyone else only got thrown out for one night, not a week!" Cye protested, his voice becoming higher in pitch.

"And everyone else was sober," I countered. "I told you that I would have you by today. Your number's up, Cye."

"Oh, I know I deserve it," he grumbled. (What a good sport.) "But you miss them."

I looked away from him. "So what?"

"Maybe you should let them back in," he told me, leaning over the couch. His eyes were fixed on something outside the window. "I think they're going to kill each other if they spend any more time in that car."

I got up from the chair and walked over to the window, carrying Ryo's magazine with me. It was true, I did miss them terribly, but their suffering became so funny once I saw what Cye meant.

They were all jumbled up in my jeep with the windows rolled down, since the weather was nice out, their jackets all flung about inside. I saw Sage in the driver's seat in the front, his arms crossed in front of him. His eyes were closed, and I think he was trying to ignore the pandemonium that was going on in the backseat. Kento and Rowen were tussling over space, flopping around in the back, trying to get comfortable with as much room as they had for themselves. The car was bouncing a little with their jerky movements. I couldn't see Ryo at all, except for his feet, which were poking out of the passenger side window. I'd recognize those sneakers anywhere. I wonder if his head was on Sage's lap or what?

Cye started giggling, and I couldn't help but join him. "I didn't know they were there the whole time," I managed to gasp out, holding my stomach. "I thought they seriously left!"

"I don't think so," Cye answered, covering his mouth.

After a few minutes of laughing our heads off, Cye and I managed to quiet down. I put on my serious face and walked to the front door, still holding Ryo's magazine. I slowly opened the creaky door all the way and leaned against the doorframe, staring expressionless at the car. I had Ryo's mag folded across my chest with my arms.

I stood for a few seconds until I was sure someone had seen me, then I nonchalantly turned and walked away, leaving the door open, inviting them all back in. I hurried up the stairs and into my room, so as not to be bothered by apologies and such as they made their way back into the house. I wasn't ready to see a bunch of hurt faces and hear a lot of sincere words. Not yet. I had to make my own apologies first, and I wasn't ready. I felt terrible about what I had done. The Ronin Warriors had risked their lives more than once for me on more than one occasion. Did I have the right to up and throw them out just because they screwed up once? I didn't know, and didn't want to think about it.

I wanted to study Ryo's magazine and figure out why these dumb motorbikes were so darn interesting to the male persuasion.

*

I knocked softly on the door, awaiting an answer. When I got one, I quickly stepped inside and closed the door quietly behind me.

Sage was lounging on his bed, holding a small novel. When he saw me, he reached over and pulled a bookmark off his desk and set it in his book, marking his page. He lowered the book to his lap and gave me his full attention.

My face had the words I'm sorry stamped all over it, I knew, when I sat down on the edge of his bed. I folded my hands and placed them in my lap, my hair falling over my shoulders. I think I might have been blushing a bit.

"Sage…" I started, then stopped, thinking. I knew what I wanted to say to him, but I couldn't find the right words. Finally, I blurted, "I'm sorry about everything I said before to you. I was just very upset, and I do appreciate the fact that you kept me from eating carpet yesterday afternoon."

He took a breath and sighed. "It's all right, Mia," he said in a forgiving tone. "You were having a bad day, and we didn't help that much."

"Oh, but you did!" I exclaimed. "My day would have been absolutely and totally ruined if I had lost some of my teeth!" My heart suddenly thudded inside, and I realized it was because I was thinking about what had happened after Sage had caught me.

It was silent for a few minutes, and I swear this guy was some kind of psychic because he said, "I'm sorry, too…about how I acted. Before and after we left last night."

I waved my hand, hoping it wasn't shaking too much with my nerves. "Don't even think about it again," I said, smiling at him. "Things happen…people go on…although I don't think Cye will ever drink anything again!"

Sage actually smiled back at me. "How was he last night?"

I scrunched my nose up. "Completely sick to his stomach."

Sage grimaced a bit. "Ugh. Glad I really have no urge to drink."

"It's no fun," I replied, getting up. I glanced down at him and said, "Things are much better when you can remember them."

He nodded to me, then picked up his book and returned to reading as I left the room.

I knew who to search for next. Sage's reading a book had implanted his name into my head as soon as I'd laid eyes on the paperbacked novel.

I found Rowen sitting on the couch, his nose too buried in a thick book. He either purposely didn't look up at me or he was totally into his text because he didn't move an inch as I sat next to him on the couch.

After waiting a few seconds, I just leaned over and wrapped my arms around him, pulling his face out of the page he was on. He merely looked at me with a slight burn across his cheeks, but didn't pull away or anything.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "For everything I said. And for what I did."

"I'm sorry, too," he replied back. "For what I did last night. You were right—it was incredibly dumb of me. We were just being idiots."

I let go of him and grinned. "Boys will be boys," I said, shrugging. I got up from the couch, about to leave, when I turned back to him. "By the way, thanks for trying to save my computer program. I really appreciated it."

He gave me a half-smile. "I wish I could have saved it for you."

I shrugged again. "Oh, well. It was nice of you to try for me."

Then I left him, walking up the stairs again. I don't think he even heard me—his nose was back in his book the minute I stepped away.

I knocked on Kento's door and pushed a lock of hair behind my ear. I could hear some music blaring through the cracks in the wood, coming from inside his room. I guess he didn't hear my knocking, so I just slowly pushed open the door and poked my head around the side of it, hoping I wasn't intruding on something I would regret seeing.

Kento was on his bed, lying on his belly, thumbing through a thick magazine. He was totally oblivious as I closed the door behind me and sat next to him on his bed. He began to sing loudly with his music, which was much clearer now that I was in the actual room itself. I leaned over his shoulder and peered at the magazine page, trying to figure out what he was looking at. My eyes lit up as I scanned the picture on the page.

"Ah-HA!" I screeched, pointing to it, grinning like mad. "You're the one who got him into it!"

Kento jumped about a half a mile and then looked at me, dazed. "What are you talking about, Mia?" he asked, wrinkling an eyebrow.

I stabbed my finger onto the flimsy paper, pointing to the picture with delight. "Those darn motorcycles…why is it that every single guy on the face of this planet is obsessed with them?"

Kento smiled widely at me and made a funny pouty face. He flexed a muscle and said in an overly-masculine voice, "Because we're macho men, and motorcycles are totally butch, darlin'."

I laughed at him, then wrapped my arms around his neck in a half-hug. "Thanks for always making me happy, Kento."

He shook his head. "What are you talking about?"

I shrugged. "Even though I was royally angry with you last night, I want you to know that you're still very special to me. All of you are."

"We were morons," Kento admitted, waving his hand. He snickered. "Although Cye probably got what was coming to him."

I let go of him and rolled my eyes. "Please don't get me started on that."

Kento ducked his head under his hands. "Okay, okay…you won't hear another word out of me about it."

"But, Kento…"

He uncovered his head and looked back up at me. "What?"

I put my hands on my hips, carefully with my bandage. "I expect you to pay him whatever you owe. He deserves it, after what he went through last night for you."

Kento grimaced. "That bad, huh?"

I raised my eyebrows. "I'm surprised he has any insides left." I turned and walked out the door with my little exaggeration hanging in the air for Kento to stare at.

I went into my room, where Cye was resting, and made my way to the bed. I gently put my hand on his forehead and felt for a temperature, or anything that would signify a problem with him. He stirred lightly, and I removed my hand. I turned from the bed and started to make my way out when he mumbled, "It's too bright in here, Mia."

Ahh, the hangover had finally gotten to him. I went to the windows and drew the curtains closed, then plucked a huge pair of sunglasses off my dresser and slid them over his eyes. He looked like some sort of prehistoric bug with them on, but he thanked me and said it was much better now. I left him to recover some more.

I gulped as I dragged my heels down the hall towards Ryo's room. My heart was slowly sinking into my chest, weighed down with thoughts and memories. I could still hear his comforting voice in my ears, his warm hand holding mine under the faucet, his fingertips lightly on my chin, the tissue being held out to me. He joyously jumped up from his fascinating magazine and agreed to take Yulie off my hands for a while, put cream on my burn and wrapped it up, he blew Yulie's nose for me…he even disconnected the dishwasher so I could shower yesterday morning. The more I thought about what he done for me, the more I felt ashamed at what I had done for him. Threw him out. Great way of thanking someone, isn't it?

Ryo's door was half-open as I neared it, and instead of making myself known to him, I just slid quietly through the crack and observed him, watching intently. He was sitting on a large wooden chest by the large window on the far wall, one leg bent up on the trunk and the other resting on the floor. His arms were draped over his bent leg, and a soft breeze blew in from the slightly open window and ruffled his dark hair. He looked so peaceful and forgiving, I almost hated to interrupt him.

Unfortunately, I wasn't very good at being stealthy and Ryo's head turned almost immediately, searching out the intruder in his room. His round blue eyes softened when he saw it was me, and I felt even worse. I didn't mean to make him feel like crap last night, or belittle him. I sighed sheepishly and looked down, rubbing a hand on my thigh.

"Mia?" His voice was tender and warm as he stood up and faced me.

I couldn't look at him; it was too hard. My voice was gone, and anything that I had wanted to say to him was shredded to pieces in the instant he said my name.

Ryo took a few steps towards me. "Is everything okay?" He sounded concerned.

No, stop it, I pleaded silently. Stop being such a good person and worrying about me. I want you to be angry! Throw me out of your room already!

"Mia, what's the matter?" Ryo took a few more large steps and suddenly his hands were attached to my shoulders, his eyes trying to lift my own to look at him. I swallowed hard, still continuing to stare at the floor. Why don't you throttle the life out of me now? Rattle my brains a bit—tell me how many times you saved me from Warlords and evil happenings!

"Mia…" Now he sounded confused.

I gulped and forced my eyes up. I didn't realize they were watery until they connected with his, and I couldn't stand it. On impulse, I buried my head onto his chest, breathing in the scent of soap powder and something else that was distinctly Ryo, and locked my arms around him. I just cried as he held my head to him.

"It's okay…Mia…shh…"

I squeezed him harder. You're making it worse! Stop being so understanding to me!

"I'm…sorry, Ryo," I choked out into the fabric of his shirt. "Everything I did was so wrong. All you did yesterday was help me out and I didn't even acknowledge that. You didn't deserve to be treated the way I treated you last night. I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for you."

"Mia…no, don't think like that." Ryo pulled away and held me at arm's length. He reached a hand up and tenderly wiped my cheek, clearing it of tears. "I'm the one who should be apologizing, not you."

"But—but I—"

Ryo placed a finger over my lips and shook his head. "You had a rough day yesterday, remember? We didn't help you out at all with that little stunt we pulled at the restaurant."

"But—but you, Ryo…you helped me out other ways."

Ryo shook his head again. "That doesn't dismiss the fact that we did something really stupid. Especially since we did it to one of our best friends."

I sniffled and looked away.

"Mia, what you did…"

I looked back at him, thinking he might be getting angry, ready to endure the wrath of Wildfire.

"We asked for it." He managed a small understanding grin. "You set us straight. Just because everything with Talpa is over doesn't mean we can just do whatever we want."

I stepped forward and clung to him again, pushing my face back into his front. "I'm confused," I admitted. "But thank you."

"Nah…thank you, Mia. We need you." He solidly hugged me back.

* * *

Well, let's just say that the whole rest of the week passed quite smoothly, with no harsh feelings or awkward moments. Although I must say that some nights Cye, poor soul, didn't look too thrilled to be on dinner duty, so by the end of the week I began helping him again, like I used to. I hope he learned his lesson. I couldn't have the saviors of Earth running around losing brain cells on alcohol.

*

One night I was particularly bushed because I had spent about two days straight at the University, typing my fingers off. I think the tips of my hands were totally raw from the stupid keyboards at school, and there was nothing I could do but keep using them, since my own computer had been fried. I fumbled through the front door at about one-thirty, wanting for the comfort of my bed, when a peculiar sight met my eyes. I stepped quietly through the front door and shut it, tossed my bags lightly onto the armchair, and walked to the center of the living room. My eyes grew bigger with each step, observing the messy condition of my usually spotless home. I think I would have laughed if I hadn't been so tired.

The whole place was cluttered with bodies. On the couch, Sage sat upright, save for his head, which was lying back against the couch's headrest. Rowen was lying on his back, some kind of book or…it looked like a manual to something resting on his chest, his head in Sage's lap. He had one leg bent up and the other was stretched down the length of the couch, where it disappeared somewhere underneath Cye, who was balled up in the corner, his chin on his knees and his arms wrapped around his legs. He was tilted against the side of the couch, and Kento was sprawled on the floor next to him. From my point of view all I saw were a pair of legs poking out from the side of the couch, but I could identify every single male in my house by their sneakers. I bit my lip and listened to the quiet snores coming from my friends. They were positively dead asleep.

Hey, wait a minute, my brain realized. Where's Ryo?

I turned around and quickly found him. He was stretched out on the hard wood floor in front of the fireplace. His head was turned towards me, resting on his left arm, which was curled up as a makeshift pillow. The other arm was half on the floor, with his hand on his stomach. His legs were crossed at the ankles.

I couldn't help but stare. I could hear his soft breathing and watched as his hand steadily rose up and down from its position on his stomach. His head shifted a bit and snuggled more into his arm. He looked so young and…something else that I couldn't think of. Serene? Nah…Ryo may have a temper, but he doesn't go around looking like he's going to kill someone. He's always had a soothing face to look at. It was something else…

Oh, well. Better wake the guys all up. If I let them sleep here, they'd all wake up with terrible cricks in their backs and necks and then they'd all be in a horrible disposition tomorrow morning. I wasn't in the best of moods myself, so if I wanted to save us all from having a rotten day tomorrow I better arouse them and send them all to bed.

So that's what I did. As gentle as possible, I tapped Sage's shoulder and patted Rowen's head, then shook Cye a tiny bit and tugged at Kento's ankle, bringing them back to the world of the painfully awake. They all began to get up, murmuring sleepy, unintelligible words to each other, and made it to the stairs. I watched as they supported each other going up, Rowen clutching his book with three fingers in his left hand. Then I turned back to Ryo.

I found it. The word I had been searching for to describe him. He looked angelic. Since when was a teenage boy ever able to pull off looking like an angel? But that's what he looked like, I swear. His face was so young and creamy colored in the dimness of the room, his eyes closed blissfully in a calm sleepy state, his dark hair softly kissing his forehead. His breathing was slow and steady, and his long legs made him look so tall. His shirt fell against his skin tightly, and the muscles showed through as he breathed, his tight jeans…

Uh-oh, girl…better wipe your mouth—you're drooling, Mia!

Can you believe I actually raised my hand to wipe my mouth?

Anyway, even though I was exhausted, I knew what had to be done, and as I took a step forward my heart skipped a beat. I didn't want to wake him. How could I so rudely yank a sleeping angel from his serene slumber? No way. So what was I going to do?

I must have been out of my mind. Too many computer programs. Too much school. Too many hours spent in the kitchen in front of the hot oven. Too many broken dishes. Too many playing sessions with Yulie. Too much vacuuming and dusting and cooking and research on computers. Too many sleepless nights over the past week. I was positively warped. Otherwise I wouldn't have done what I did.

I knelt down by Ryo and scooted as close as I possibly could without my body touching him, so as not to wake him unexpectedly. I bent my legs underneath me and settled my weight so I wouldn't topple over, and then lifted my right hand. I reached up to the top of his head and smoothed his hair down, feeling the silky strands respond underneath my all but raw fingertips. I curled a few of the locks around my finger, then let my hand trail down over his smooth forehead, then onto his equally soft cheek. I ran my thumb over his bottom lip, then my fingers went over his chin and down onto the side of his neck. My heart was racing, but I couldn't stop myself. My hand slid from off his neck onto the fabric of his shirt, passing over his collarbone on the way. I flattened my palm and slowly let it glide over his clothed chest, tracing his ribcage with my outstretched fingers. My hand continued lower, feeling the delicate shape as his belly smoothly curved inwards. My finger paused at his belly button and the whole hand rested there, as if it had a mind of its own. I stayed there, practically paralyzed for a few seconds, taking in the beautiful sight of him. I had never seen him sleep like this before. So calm and needing. I had always seen Ryo in action, springing and leaping and bounding and wielding his swords with the most effortless grace. Punching and kicking and reaching out and holding onto…running and soaring…slamming heartlessly onto the ground, yelling out in pain. Tears sliding down his cheeks over White Blaze and Luna, bruises forming on his face and arms. Shaking with fatigue under the covers…but never like this. Never so peaceful, so calm, so steady, so unknowing, so gentle and tender looking. So…human. Not a superhero, a human. A teenage boy, a man. Such a wonderful person. They all were. Why hadn't I noticed this all before? Was I really that dense?

I shook myself out of my thoughts then. My head was swirling with them and I was way too tired to contemplate at this hour. I started to move my hand, shifting it back up over his stomach, when suddenly he moved and this fear shot from my toes to my head and scared the living daylights out of me. I held in the gasp that formed in my throat, wondering if he was awake or just moving in his dreams, ready to catch me red-handed either way. God, what was I doing? Violating him? What if he really was awake? How could I explain what I had been doing?

His head turned—oh, god, he was awake—and his eyes opened slightly. I stared down at him with owl eyes, glued to the spot, my hand still on his stomach. He was still in a daze from sleep, I could tell, but his brain was also functioning perfectly. He knew where he was, who I was, and what was going on. For all I knew, he had been awake the whole time.

Suddenly his right hand seized my hand on his stomach and I jumped six miles into the air. I watched as a small smile crept across his face and he pulled his right arm upwards and forced me to move with it, crossing it over his body. My weight fell from a sitting position to a lying position as he draped me across him. My heart was pounding in my chest as he let go of my hand and rested his possessively on my back. He turned his head back onto his arm and sighed lightly through his nose, closing his eyes again.

Um…okay, think Mia. What are you going to do now?

Well, obviously, he didn't mind, so…I snuggled my face into the crook of his neck and slid my left arm behind it. My fingers encountered his fingers there, and I slipped a few in between his as he grasped them. My other arm curled up by my shoulder, resting on him, praying that my elbow wasn't poking into his ribs. I forced myself to breathe, and pretty soon his beating heart and body heat caused my eyes to flutter and I dropped off into a deep, comfortable slumber, his scent filling my senses and making me smile in the last moments of consciousness.

* * *

The next morning, I tiredly rolled to my side, the night's events having already been washed away by the happily fulfilled craving of sleep, and found my face stuffed into a huge, thick pillow. It didn't frighten me, but I quickly opened my eyes and sat up, determined to figure out where I was. I only had small, plush pillows on my bed, and they didn't stand straight up like this one seemed to.

I realized then that I had been sleeping on the couch and had rolled into the back cushions. Pooled around my lap was a large yet light blanket, one I recognized immediately as being the thinly folded heap that had always been kept at the bottom of Ryo's bed.

Speak of the devil…as soon as I looked up from my covers, he walked through the kitchen door and stood behind the couch, smiling at me.

"Good morning, Mia," he said in a sing-song tone. "Sleep well?"

I blushed terribly, turning my face back to my lap and reaching up to smooth my hair. "Morning, Ryo," I managed to squeak.

"Breakfast is ready," he continued, ignoring my blush. "Come eat, it's freshly made."

It sounded like a good idea. "Okay," I agreed. He walked away as I pulled the blanket aside and swung my legs off to the floor. I stood and walked into the kitchen, still fully clothed from last night, my only clothing apparatus removed having been my shoes. I noticed that everyone was awake and bustling around the small dining area in the kitchen. I wonder if I slept in till two o'clock again? I hoped not as I slid into a kitchen chair and faced the table.

Suddenly, a pair of arms came down in front of me, from over my head, holding a large wooden tray. On the tray was a plate full of breakfast foods: pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, hash browns, orange slices, and some grapes around the outer rim of the plate. Next to it sat a tall, frothy glass of milk, and next to that, a glass of ripe orange juice. The napkin was folded neatly around the fork, knife, and spoon, and a separate plate in the corner of the tray held three slices of toast and a side dish of butter. The hands retracted and the body walked from around me and sat down in front of me, a smile pasted to his face.

I gawked. I looked from the tray up to the members of the household as they collected around the table, all grinning at me and taking their seats. I forgot how to speak.

"Aren't you hungry?" Ryo asked from his position across from me. "Better eat before it gets too cold."

"I-I…" I stammered. "But-but…you guys did this all for me?"

Multiple heads nodded numerous times with equal modesty and earnest. Kento put his head in his hands, looking longingly at my plate.

"Cye cooked most of it," he told me.

I looked at Cye and grinned widely.

"I arranged the fruit," Rowen said proudly. Everybody in the house knew he was a disaster in the kitchen, and I guess they finally found something he could do without causing trouble. I looked at him and smiled, too.

"But it was Ryo's idea," Sage admitted. "Although we all figured you could use a nice freshly cooked breakfast after spending so much time at school. We thought this could be sort of a gift since you do it all the time for us."

"Wow…" I looked back down to my plate, my mouth watering. "Thanks, you guys! This is wonderful!" I stared at the contents of the tray a little longer, then said sensibly, "I do think my eyes are bigger than my belly, though…who wants to help me devour all this good food?"

Five pairs of hands raised eagerly in the air.

*

After we had all finished eating together, and I do mean together since we all picked from the same plate, Cye whisked the tray away and began clearing out the sink. Across the table from me, Rowen suddenly looked up at Ryo and said, "Hey, Ryo…where's that book I lent you a couple days ago? I need to look something up in it."

"Oh, I left it in Mia's den," he replied. "I'll go get it for you."

"Thanks, man," Rowen said gratefully as he stood up.

I watched Ryo leave. I hadn't remembered seeing any books, other than my own collection, left in my den. Especially one of Rowen's--you couldn't miss them. They were about thirty million inches thick, and most of them had bright blue or red or yellow covers. Some were practically fluorescent--those weird lab tactical studies he had. But those type of books were not what Ryo had the patience or even the inkling to read. I know because he'd rather look at those motorcycles, remember?

Then, suddenly, Ryo's voice called out, "Uh-oh…you guys better get in here now!"

I shot up from my chair, not even bothering to see if everyone was following me. When Ryo says something like that in that tone of voice, you don't ignore it. Although I must say I was relieved and happy when I heard everybody else's footsteps behind me.

I reached the den first, throwing open the door all the way and gasping at the sight on my desk. Rowen shouted from behind me, "Hey, what'd you do to my book, Ryo? That doesn't even look like it!"

I glanced over my shoulder at Rowen, then back to where Ryo was standing at my desk. Both were smiling at me, and suddenly the room burst into laughter.

"Surprise!" Cye shouted over the giggling.

I could feel the gigantic smile spread across my face as I neared Ryo and the desk. Sitting on top, where that smoked piece of junk that ate my homework had been, was a brand spanking-new computer, clad in one of those new neon colors. Apple green, and it shone in the sunlight trickling in from the window.

For the second time that day, and I'd only been awake for a little over an hour, I lost my voice and ability to speak properly. I just stared at my new toy, sitting there with all its tubes and wires plugged in, ready to be used.

"Now this was Rowen's idea," Ryo told me when the laughter had settled down. "He told me what happened before with your other one."

"Hey!" I exclaimed, my voice magically reappearing. "Last night, Rowen…you were carrying something when you went to bed--"

He nodded. "The manual for the computer. It took us all the whole day to set everything up for you."

I sat down in front of the computer, my eyesight falling around everyone in the room, all standing there around the desk, smiling at me. "Aww…you guys…" I sniffled.

Ryo put a hand on my shoulder. "No more of that, Mia," he said jokingly. "I don't think I could handle you crying any more."

That made my eyes water as I looked up at him. I grinned. "Thanks, you guys…I don't deserve you."

"Nah…we don't deserve you," Cye said, and everyone nodded in agreement.

Well, that's the end…my extraordinary day, the day that began a week ago, spawned some new situations, and some new feelings, and now, some new playtoys with which I can continue my reputation as best in the class and still get those good grades from my really hot professor…and every night I could come home and enjoy myself with my wonderful family.

But, I still had one question left to ask them.

"When did you guys find the time to buy this?"

There was momentary silence. Then Sage replied, "Well…you remember that night you threw us all out…"

"We had a lot of time to think about things," Ryo finished, smiling.

"And this is what we thought of to do," Kento added.

"I picked out the color," Rowen said. "Thought you would like it."

We all grinned at each other.

But no one smiled harder than I did…

…at Ryo.