Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ SeeDs, Ronins, and Scouts ❯ Nightmare Returns ( Chapter 3 )

Ronin Warriors, Sailor Moon, and Final Fantasy VIII do not belong to me. They belong to Sunrise Inc., Toei Animation, and Squaresoft respectively. PLEASE DON'T SUE ME!!!!!!!! Only the plot of the story and any new characters that may appear belongs to me.

"Nightmare Returns"

Chapter Three

4:00 A.M. Sunday Morning:

White Blaze slept peacefully in the corner of Ryo's room. All the other guys slept in the rooms down the hall from him. Suddenly, White Blaze heard a noise from the back of Ryo's house. He walked over to his master and nudged his arm.

Ryo groaned and looked at his tiger. "What is it White Blaze?"

The tiger walked over to the balcony. Ryo yawned and followed him. There, he saw a female with two katanas held behind her back.

"Good morning Wildfire. I just wanted to let you know that the Dark Warlords and I have the Sailor Scouts. Queen Beryl has the Imperium Silver Crystal with her. If you want to rescue them, meet us at the harbor in ten minutes."

Ryo grabbed his kanji orb and transformed into his sub armor. He quickly ran down the hall and woke up the others. The other guys transformed into their sub armors and met Ryo in the living room.

"Ryo, there had better be a good reason why you woke me up this early in the morning," Rowen grumbled.

"I have no time to explain. Just follow me." Before the others could reply, Ryo and White Blaze ran out the door.

"Wait up Ryo!!" the others exclaimed, running after him and White Blaze.

Balamb Harbor:

Kayura, Dais, and Sekmet waited for the Ronin Warriors to arrive.

"Dais, is your illusion set?" Sekmet asked.

"Yes." He then turned to Kayura. "Are you sure that those Ronin Rodents are coming?"

"Of course. They don't even know that they're falling right into our trap." All three laughed in the early morning atmosphere.

"Ryo, what in the world is this all about?" Kento asked, once they arrived at the harbor.

"Kayura said that she and the Dark Warlords have the Sailor Scouts. She told me to meet her here."

"Ryo, we need to think about this. We might be falling into their trap," Rowen stated.

Ryo turned around and looked at Rowen. "I don't care about that. We need to save them."

The guys checked out their surroundings. Suddenly, a light flashed on and revealed five females hanging from a crane. The Ronin Warriors ran towards the bodies. Each female was dressed in tattered sailor fukus. The Ronins saw cuts and bruises all over the females' bodies. Kayura, Dais, and Sekmet appeared below the bodies.

"Let them go!!" Kento shouted.

The Ronins' adversaries laughed. "Now why would we want to do a thing like that?" Kayura asked.

"We're warning you! Let them go now or suffer the consequences!" Ryo shouted.

"Big talk from a little man!! Hand over the armors Ronin Rodents!!!" Sekmet shouted.

"Never!!" Rowen exclaimed.

"Just give them the armors you guys," Sailor Moon pleaded. The Ronins stared at her in shock.

"Are you crazy?!! You know that we can't do that. We can't give Talpa what he wants!" Sage retorted.

"We did our best but we've failed. The warlords and Kayura overpowered us and they took the Imperium Silver Crystal to the NetherWorld. There's nothing else we can do," Mercury sobbed. Rowen stared at her in disbelief.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this!! You actually want us to give up?" Cai asked.

"If you want to save us, please give them what they want," Venus whispered.

The Ronin Warriors looked at each other for ideas. None of the warriors could come up with a simple solution to the problem.

`Is there anyone out there that could help us?' Sage thought to himself.

Lita's House:

Lita couldn't fall back asleep after that horrible nightmare. She walked past the room that Raye and Mina were sharing. Suddenly, she saw Raye sat up in her bed. The sign of Mars blazed brightly on her forehead.

Lita ran into the room. "Raye, is everything okay?" Lita asked, crossing her hands over her chest.

Raye looked at her friend. "No. The Ronins are in trouble. They need our help."

Lita gasped. "Where are they?"

Raye closed her eyes and concentrated more. "They're not too far from us. They're near water."

Lita thought about it for a while. "Oh Hyne, they might be at the harbor. Quick, help me wake up the others."

Raye walked into the other bedroom where Serena and Amy slept. She woke up Amy. The blue-haired female yawned and sat up in the bed. Lita walked in the room, followed by a sleepy Mina.

"Okay, who's gonna wake up Serena?" Amy asked.

"I guess I'll do it," Lita sighed, once everyone looked at her. She placed her hand on Serena's shoulder. Lita allowed a sample of her Scout powers travel from her hand and shocked Serena.

Serena shot up to a sitting position. "Ouch!" she groaned, rubbing her shoulder. She glared at Lita. "What the hell was that for?!!"

"We know that you don't like to get up in the morning," Mina replied.

"What time is it anyway?"

Amy looked at her watch. "It's 4:20 in the morning."

"You better have a good reason for waking me up. I was trying to get my beauty sleep." The other girls groaned.

"Meatball Head, here you are thinking about your beauty sleep when the Ronin Warriors are in trouble! They need our help!" Raye hissed.

"Don't…call…me…THAT!!"

"It's too early in the morning for you guys to argue," Amy stated.

"Anyway, we believe they might be at the harbor," Lita explained.

"What are we waiting for? Let's book it!! Venus Star Power!!" Mina shouted.

"Mercury Star Power!!" Amy shouted.

"Jupiter Star Power!!" Lita shouted.

"Mars Star Power!!" Raye shouted.

"Moon Crystal Power!!" Serena shouted.

The girls suited up and ran out the doors. They ran as fast as they could towards the harbor. Once they arrived, they couldn't believe what they saw. The Scouts saw the Ronin Warriors debating on what to do. Hanging above the warriors were the Sailor Clones.

"There they are!" Venus whispered to her comrades.

Sailor Moon stared at the Ronin Warriors. "What are they doing?"

"I don't know. What are the Dark Warlords and that lady doing here? Why aren't the Ronins attacking them?" Mars asked.

Mercury clicked her right earring and her visors appeared. She analyzed her surroundings and gasped in shock. "This whole scenery is an illusion." She looked at the Ronins and saw that they were going to surrender their armors. "The Ronin Warriors are about to make a huge mistake!"

Sailor Moon started towards the illusion. "Come on. We've got to stop them before it's too late!!"

The Ronin Warriors looked at each other. They had to save the Scouts but they didn't want to give Talpa possession of the Ronin Armors. Unfortunately, they finally decided to surrender the Ronin Armors.

"I guess we have no choice," Cai whispered.

"Stop!!" a voice exclaimed. "I call upon the fire of Mars. Fireball…. CHARGE!!" Five anti-evil charms landed on the faces of the Sailor Clones and revealed to the Ronins that they were Dynasty Soldiers.

Jupiter jumped into the air. "Jupiter Thunder Dragon!!" The electrified dragon devoured three Dynasty Soldiers.

"What the..?!! NO!! Those wretched Sailor Brats ruined our master plan!!" Kayura screamed. "Star Swords Scream!!" Pink lightning bolts headed towards the Sailor Scouts and fried all of them.

"Man, she's really pissed off," Venus said as she tried to stand up.

"We need to stop them!!" Sailor Moon exclaimed.

"You will pay dearly for meddling in our affairs. Snake Fangs Strike!!" Sekmet shouted.

"Mercury Ice Storm Blast!!" Mercury countered.

"Mars Celestial Fire Surround!!" Mars added.

Mercury's attack held off Sekmet's poisonous attack while Mars's fire rings sliced the remaining Dynasty soldiers, Kayura, and Dais.

The Ronins looked to their right and saw the real Sailor Scouts. The Ronins transformed into the full armor and stood by the Scouts.

"I can't believe we almost fell into your trap. You'll pay for tricking the Ronin Warriors," Wildfire shouted. "Flare Up Now!!" His attack injured all the Warlords and Lady Kayura before fizzing out.

"Next time Ronins and Scouts, you will not be so lucky," Dais threatened, before he, Sekmet, and Lady Kayura disappeared. All the Ronin Warriors faced the Sailor Scouts.

"Thank you for making us see the truth," Torrent whispered.

"No problem. Good thing Mars sensed trouble nearby. We would have never known that you needed our help," Sailor Moon replied. She yawned and stretched. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to catch up on my beauty sleep." The Scouts groaned.

"We'll see you guys later," Strata stated. The Scouts nodded and disappeared into the early morning.

At the NetherWorld:

"You have failed me," Talpa told Sekmet, Dais, and Kayura. All three winced while the Warlord of Corruption and Zoysite found the situation quite hilarious.

"I'm sorry master. Those Sailor Brats ruined our plan," Lady Kayura replied.

"We were just about to get the armors but they spoiled Dais's illusion," Sekmet replied.

"Master Talpa and Queen Beryl, would you like for me to come up with a plan to gather energy and obtain the crystal?" Zoysite asked, kneeling before them. Lady Kayura glared at the blonde-haired female.

"Go now and make sure you have a way of getting that crystal," Queen Beryl ordered.

"Yes my queen." Zoysite smirked at Lady Kayura as she bowed, then headed out the room.

Talpa looked at Kayura, Dais, and Sekmet. "As for you three, leave my room!!" The three warriors bowed and vanished from room.

Raye's Cherry Hill Temple:

The rest of the girls and all the guys met Raye on Sunday afternoon. They sat around the fire, waiting patiently on someone. The guys were okay after they discovered that Luna and Artemis could talk.

"What's going on?" Luna asked everybody. "Where's Lita?"

"She told all of us to meet here. She said she had to tell us something important," Cai replied.

The person in question ran through the doors. Lita stopped to catch her breath. "Sorry about me being late, but Balamb's traffic been pretty hectic."

"Don't worry about it. You made it here in one piece. What is it you wanted to tell us?" Amy asked her.

"Well last night, I had this scary nightmare involving everyone in this room except for Luna and Artemis. Everyone was captured except Sage and me." She looked from Serena to Ryo. "You two were fighting Beryl and Talpa."

"Whom were the others captured by?" Serena asked.

Raye slammed her fist on the floor and glared at Serena. "You Meatball Head!!! We were captured by one of Talpa or Beryl's henchmen!!! Gosh, your head is so dense!!!!!" Raye exploded.

Serena hissed through her teeth. "Don't…call me MEAT…BALL… HEAD!!" Serena and her exchanged deadly glances. Artemis and Luna looked at the two girls and sweat-dropped.

"Will you two stop that?!!" Sage groaned. Serena and Raye glared at him. "At least wait until Lita is finished with what she wanted to tell us."

The feuding girls turned their heads away from each other and they crossed their arms over their chest. The other girls shook their heads in shame.

"I bet 20 gil on Raye," Kento whispered to Cai.

"I think Serena got this one."

"Let me finish before they go at it again. Sage and I suited up, ready for combat. Sekmet and Lady Kayura attacked us but we dodged them. Then I heard a voice behind me. I turned around to find Squall and Seifer, who is Serena's boyfriend and another gun blade specialist. I was happy to see both of them. I told Kayura and the warlord that they were outnumbered. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Squall tried to attack me after Sage and I dodged the attack. Sage jumped in front of me and took Squall's Renzokuken attack in the chest. He jumped into the air and performed Fated Circle. I jumped into the air to stop him and Sage jumped in the air to stop me. The shockwave of energy from Squall's weapon hit us hard. Sekmet and Kayura also attacked us while we were still in the air. We fell helplessly to the ground, but I slowly stood up. Seifer performed his Fire Cross attack on me. After he dodged my Thunder Dragon attack, he hit me with a fire spell and slashed me across my chest with his gun blade. I fell next to Sage and slipped into a state of unconsciousness. Kayura congratulated them on their job well done and we were carried off to Talpa's castle," Lita explained, choking back the tears.

"What a nightmare!" Mina said.

"An unusual one at that," Ryo added, rubbing his chin.

"Have you had this nightmare before?" Kento asked Lita.

"This is just the first time."

"Raye, do you think you could perform a fire reading and see when this event will take place?" Rowen asked.

"I don't know. This is my first time asking the fire to analyze a dream, but I'll try. I advise you to stand back. The Great Fire can be wild at times." Everyone took a few steps back.

"It's safe to start the fire reading now," Sage said.

"Great fire of Mars, please tell me when Lita's nightmare is going to take place. What does Lita's dream have in store for the Ronins and the Scouts? Sun, moon, star, earth, fire, air, water, rock, sun," she chanted, concentrating on the fire's response. She closed her eyes and visions of Lita's nightmare played in her mind. The fire grew and died a little. She opened her eyes a few moments later.

"Did you see anything?" Rowen questioned the priestess.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry you guys, Lita. I didn't feel anything," she sighed, her forehead covered in a light sweat.

"Thanks for trying anyway," Lita told her, handing her a towel.

"Well, it's getting late," Mina yawned.

"I have to go also," Amy replied.

"I'll see you all at the garden," Raye said.

"Bye," the guys replied.

Everyone left the temple. Raye looked at the fire. `I surely hope that Lita's nightmare doesn't come true.'

Amy's Place:

Mina and Serena decided to swing by Amy's apartment. They ate sandwiches and drank sodas. They discussed Lita's nightmare and Raye's fire reading on it.

"That's totally weird that Lita had that nightmare. What is it trying to tell us?" Mina asked, pacing the kitchen floor while in deep thought.

"I don't know whether the nightmare was giving the Sailor Scouts and the Ronin Warriors a warning about Talpa and Beryl's intentions or whether it was just a bad dream. Too bad Raye couldn't find anything through the fire reading," Amy sighed, placing the Calculus book down on the kitchen counter.

"I just hope that Lita's nightmare doesn't have anything in store for us. If it does come true, we'll have to be ready for anything," Serena stated.

Mina was about to comment when the phone rang. Amy picked up the cordless phone next to her. "Hello?"

"Hey Amy. It's Rowen."

She blushed. "Hey, how are you?"

"Fine. What about you?"

"I'm okay. Were you trying to figure out the meaning of Lita's nightmare?"

"That's what I was callin' you about. I'm thinking that her nightmare is trying to give us a warning." She overheard Kento's whining and Cai telling him that he wasn't finish cooking. "Could you hold on for a sec?"

"Sure." She overheard Rowen trying to stop Kento's whining. She heard another person pick up the phone.

"Hey Amy, this is Sage."

"Hi Sage, how are you?"

"I'm okay. Would Mina happen to be there with you?"

She looked at the girl in question. "Yeah, why?"

"I need to ask her something."

Amy handed the phone to Mina. "Hey Sage, what's up?"

"Do you know Lita's number and could you give me directions to her house?"

"Sure, her number is…"

Lita's House:

Lita enjoyed a quiet night to herself. She stretched out on her bed in a royal blue, sleeve shirt and a long black skirt with two thigh-high splits on the sides. She was reading a romance novel when her phone rang. She looked at the Caller ID display show Private Name and picked up the cordless phone. "Hello?"

"Hey Lita. This is Sage."

She sat up in shock. "H-How did you get my number?"

"I asked Mina for it and she gave it to me."

"I'm gonna kill Mina when I see her," she mumbled to herself.

"What did you say?"

"It's nothing important. You do realize that it's late. 10:45 to be exact."

"Yeah, so?"

"Where are you?"

"I'm in my car driving to your house. Mina gave me the directions to get there."

`WHAT THE?!' her brain screamed. `The Sailor Scouts will DEFINITELY be short of one.'

"Lita, are you still there?"

She quickly snapped out of her thoughts on different ways to torture her best friend. "Yeah, I'm still here. Sorry about that."

"It's all right. I picked up some lasagna for the both of us. I also got your favorite ice cream, French vanilla."

She smiled. "Thanks, but no thanks. It's really late."

"Do you think I care? Oh, I almost forgot to tell you this. Just to be sure that you'll be okay, I'm spending the night."

Her mouth flew open. "Sage, are you crazy?!! You can't come over here!!"

He chuckled lightly. "I'll see you soon. Bye."

Lita hung up the receiver and stared at the phone. "Why couldn't that stubborn boy get that through his skull?" she said out loud.

She paced the floor, holding a huge brown teddy bear. She couldn't calm her nerves from the unexpected phone call from Sage. She looked at her book, resting on her bed. She continued to read when she heard the doorbell. She slapped on her black, 2.5 inch high heeled boots and walked downstairs. She looked through the peephole and opened the door. Sage greeted her with a smile and walked inside. He handed her the ice cream and followed her to the kitchen. They walked into the living room.

"I can't even remember the last time I've been here," he replied, straightening out his khaki pants and pale yellow shirt. He went to the hallway closet and hang up his navy blue blazer.

"It was in 8th grade when we were studying together."

"I believe you're right." He looked at her figure in the wardrobe. "What's the occasion?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Why are you dressed up?"

"Because…"

"Was it because I was coming over?" he teased.
She raised an eyebrow and laughed. He crossed his arms over his chest as he raised his left eyebrow. She stifled her laughter and tried to act calm. "I was having a quiet night to myself and I decided to dress up." She smiled.

"Sure. So you say," he smirked. She threw a pillow at him and he dodged it.

They sat at the kitchen table and ate the lasagna. They reminisced about the elementary and middle school days.

"What happened to your parents? Are they still living in Deling City?" he asked her as he scooped some ice cream into his bowl. He handed her the spoon.

Her facial expression turned solemn as she scooped some ice cream in her bowl. "They passed away in the beginning of my 9th grade year at Dollet High. They died in a plane crash."

He looked at her for a few moments. "I'm sorry to hear that."

She shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "It's okay. Don't worry about that. My friends helped me through the grieving period and I ended up okay. My friends are like my only family to me. I couldn't stand to lose any of them." She placed the scoop in the sink and returned to her chair. "What about yours?"
He handed her a plastic spoon. "They're still in Winhill. I still visit them whenever I have the chance."

They talked some more. They washed the dishes and headed for the living room. Lita picked up the thrown pillow and placed it on the couch.

"So `Casanova', did you date anyone while in high school?" she inquired.

A serious expression appeared on his face. "Actually, no I didn't."

Lita slowly began to smirk. `Either he's bluffing or he's actually serious,' she thought to herself.

Sage continued. "Sure the girls at Timber High would approach me and ask me out on dates. I just turned them down mainly because they weren't my type. Ever since we broke up in 8th grade, I just didn't date anyone."

Lita stared at Sage and read his facial expression. She tried to determine whether he was joking but he was definitely serious. "That's quite surprising. I can't believe that I'm hearing this from `Casanova' himself." He gave her an awkward look. She stood up and stretched. "Well, I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

"I better do the same. Night Lita." He watched her retreat to her bed upstairs. He turned on the television and flipped through the channels. "I hope your nightmare doesn't happen tonight," he said to himself.

Lita took a nice, hot bath and put on her silk, light pink, nightgown. She left her room and balcony doors ajar. She brushed her hair back into a low ponytail, jumped into her queen size bed, and fell asleep.

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

Kayura and Sekmet attacked Halo and her. The green clad teenagers dodged the attacks.

"Renzokuken!!" Squall shouted once Halo and her landed.

Halo jumped in front of her and blocked Squall's attacks. Squall jumped into the air. She went after him and Halo went after her. Squall performed the Fated Circle attack and the shockwave of energy hit her and Halo. Sekmet threw his poisonous swords at them. Kayura used her Star Sword Scream attack on her and the Ronin. Halo and her fell helplessly to the ground. She stood up slowly and Seifer performed the Fire Cross attack on her. She counterattacked with her Thunder Dragon but was unsuccessful. Seifer slashed her across the chest and she fell next to Halo. She slipped into unconsciousness and felt her body being carried to the NetherWorld.

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

After ten minutes of flipping through channels, Sage decided to take a relaxing shower. About twenty minutes later, he stepped out the bathroom wearing silk, dark green pajama bottoms. He dried off his neck with the beige towel and placed it on his shoulders. He walked over to the couch and sat down.

"I guess I could meditate for a while," he said to himself. He sat in an Indian style and closed his eyes. He tried to concentrate on becoming one with his spirit. For some odd reason, however, his mind wandered to Lita and her dream. After a little struggle with trying to become one with his spirit, he finally allowed his mind to wander to Lita. He meditated a few minutes when he heard screaming from upstairs.

His eyes flashed open. "What was that?!!" He slowly massaged his temples. His brain registered the piercing sound and realized where the noise came from. "Oh no, Lita!!!" He jumped off the couch and ran upstairs. When he reached her, she was screaming and kicking the covers off her. Sage turned on the lamp sitting on her nightstand. He grabbed both of her wrists and placed them over her head. "Lita! Lita, wake up!!!"

She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him. She stated the first thing that came to mind. "Is this some kind of sick joke? Why the HELL are you IN…MY…ROOM?!!"

Sage cringed on the inside. "You have every right to be mad, but it's not what you think. You were screaming and I came to see what's going on."

Lita slowly relaxed. "I'm up now." A few seconds passed by. "Can you let go of my wrists? You're kinda hurting me."

"Sorry." He let go of her wrists and sat on the bed. She sat up and pushed the wet locks from her face. She stepped out of her bed and paced the floor, trying to figure out the meaning of her dream.

"Why are you still in my room?" she asked him as she walked to the balcony doors and pushed them wider.

He opened his mouth but nothing came out. He was too busy watching her nightgown show off her sexy curves, long legs, and her shapely calves. He had to take a cold, mental shower before his mind wandered into dangerous places. He swallowed hard and followed her.

"Sage, you didn't answer my question. Why are you still in my room?" she reiterated, facing the moon.
"I have to make sure that you're really okay," he replied, leaning on the cold wall with his arms crossed over his bare chest.

Lita gave up trying to get him to leave. That's one thing she could say about Sage. When he says that he's gonna do something, he's gonna do it. She sighed and continued to gaze at the beautiful view. The night air blew gently across their bodies. She looked at him over her shoulder. `I can't believe the scrawny boy that I dated in the past has become a very handsome man,' she thought to herself. She snuck a look at his trimmed chest. Her gaze slowly rose to his face. She studied his hair and both indigo eyes. She could finally see both eyes because his head was tilted to the side as he looked at the moon. He caught her looking at him and she blushed. She quickly turned around and was grateful that another cool breeze cooled her body off before her mind wandered off into unlikely territories. She heard him chuckle lightly to himself.

He walked over and stood next to her. He leaned on the rail and stared at the moon. "I take it that you liked what you saw," Sage commented.

Lita turned her head and looked at him. "I really don't know," she teased.

"Sure and cows jump over the moon." Her eyes widened as he grinned at her. She playfully punched him on his arm. A few moments passed by.

She sighed. "I had the same nightmare again," she finally told him.

"I figured that." She nodded. "Did you tell your friends about you and Squall?"

"Yeah, I told them."

He looked out the corner of his eye and saw her shiver a little. He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"W-w-what are you doing?!" She tried to move away but he held her there.

"You were cold and I thought that I could keep you warm."

She let his words sink in. "Thank you." She rested her head on his chest as he rested his chin on her right shoulder. The heat radiating from his body consumed her. `I'm starting to feel very weird in his arms. The way he's holding me is starting to bring back buried feelings that I had for him,' she thought to herself. She slowly relaxed in his arms. They continued to stare at the moon.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

She nodded. "Do you think that my nightmare will come true?" she asked, resting her hands on his.

"I honestly don't know Lita. Only time will tell."

She took in a shaky breath. "I just wish that I didn't have this nightmare at all. I wouldn't have to be up around 3:00 in the morning, trying to figure out if this is actually going to happen or not."

He sensed the tears coming. He gently rubbed her shoulders. "I really hate to see you like this. You know what this does to me."

"I know, I know. I hate being this way myself."

They walked back into the bedroom. She sat on the bed and Sage knelt in front of her. "Listen, just don't worry about it. If the nightmare comes true, we'll make sure Talpa nor Queen Beryl's plan will succeed."

She looked at him and nodded. "You're right," she agreed.

He stroked her cheek. "Well, I better go to bed. You better do the same since we have an early day tomorrow. See you in the morning," he said as he headed out the door. She stood at the doorway and watched him head downstairs. He stopped and ran back. "I needed to do something," he whispered, his face just inches away from her.

"Yes, what is it?" She tried to figure out what was wrong.

"This." He grabbed her by the waist and kissed her very softly and passionately on the lips.

She stood there in shock, and then realized what was happening. He answered her question right there. `Oh, my Hyne!! He's kissing me!!' her mind screamed.

The passionate kiss seemed to last for eternity and Lita felt like she was melting to the floor. He cupped the back of her head and deepened the kiss. Her knees suddenly gave away and she placed her arms around his neck to maintain her balance. She was thankful that he had a steady hold around her waist. She broke the kiss and tried to catch her breath. He kissed her again and she kissed him back with equal feelings. She ran her fingers though his blond locks and gently stroked the highly sensitive spot behind his left ear. He moaned inside her mouth.

`Two can play this game,' he thought to himself.

She broke the kiss again and tried to regain some common sense. She needed to tell him that he needed to leave before this situation gets out of control. He gently pushed her body against her bedroom wall. Her intentions left her when he moved her hair off her neck and started nibbling slowly and softly on her earlobe, then the highly supersensitive area behind her left ear. A startled and tiny gasp escaped her lips as the erotic sensations crawled down her spine and left her feeling lightheaded. Her fingernails dug into his strong shoulders, pleading for him to continue. He began nibbling his way to the other side of her neck. Once he arrived at his destination, he began giving the same treatment that he did on the left side to the right side of her neck. Another gasp escaped from her lips and her head fell back in pure ecstasy.

`I never thought that kissing him would be like this. This by itself is mind-blowing,' she thought to herself. `I should tell him to stop, but not just yet…'

`If she keeps this up, she's gonna have me pull her down onto her bed and do unspeakable things to her,' he thought to himself.

The atmosphere around them was very hot and heavy. Lita swore that the temperature in her room rose 50 degrees. He began to place soft kisses on her collarbone. She whimpered from his erotic assaults.

"I...I can't. Oohh…Sage, w-we can't. We really…ooooohhh…we really can't…do this," she pleaded desperately, knowing that he should stop but actually wanted him to continue with his task.

He stopped reluctantly, but not before he glided his lips back to her neck. He gently bit the side of her neck and slid his tongue across the small bite. She shivered from the tantalizing assault. Lita placed her hands on his chest. She and Sage were breathing raggedly. He rested his forehead on hers and stared into her emerald eyes. He could see in her eyes that she tried to control her emotions. Her eyes briefly told him that she wanted him, needed him. She moved the lock of hair concealing his other eye and was lost in the depths of his gaze. She could see that his eyes blazed the same message as hers.

He drew small circles on a highly sensitive spot located at the small of her back. She gasped from the sensations and he smiled. "You…are so very cruel to me."

She closed her eyes as her body began to sway. She bit her lower lip as she tried to stifle a moan. `I never knew that he was capable of doing wonderful things to me,' she thought to herself. She swallowed hard. "Sage, I'm not cruel. It's just that I don't know if we both are ready for this. Besides, I wouldn't get any sleep if we were to continue from where we left off."

His right hand traveled a little further up from the small of her back. He gently applied pressure to a vertebra and watched as she cried out his name and arched her back. He chuckled lightly, then placed soft kisses on her neck. "I wouldn't have it any other way." She lifted her head off his collarbone and stared at him. He tilted his head to the side and gave her a devilish smile.

She playfully pushed him in the chest. She placed her hands on her hips and smiled. "You have such a dirty mind. Now go to bed."

He held her in his arms once more. "I know. I know. I better leave while I can still walk, or.." he kissed her once more and lowered his voice, "…you could let me sleep in here. It's a very long walk back."

A small shiver traveled down her spine as a wicked thought flashed in her mind. She whimpered from the sexy image of her and Sage sharing the bed. She quickly erased that thought from her mind. Lita arched an eyebrow and chuckled lightly. "I have faith in you that you'll make it downstairs." Sage pouted like a little adolescent boy. Lita lightly pinched and tweaked his cheek. "Awww, isn't this cute? Is Sage actually throwing a fit about staying up here with me?" He nodded his head. "Well…I'll see you in the morning."

He tickled her waist. "That's very mean," he teased. Lita giggled and managed to escape his clever fingers. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him. He smiled as he cupped her face. He lightly kissed the tip of her nose and ran his thumb over her bottom lip. "Good night." He turned and walked out her door. She looked at him retreat down stairs. She leaned in the doorway and sighed.

`Sage never kissed me like THAT before!' she thought to herself as she lightly touched her lips. `Not even Squall kissed me like that.'

"Squall who???" her conscious asked.

`Not only that, he managed to do things to me that I've never felt before.' She remembered the sensations she felt when his wicked fingers were on her back. She whimpered from the teasing, sensual attacks he did to her body.

She walked to her bed and sat down. She desperately tried placing the situation in the back of her mind to catch some needed sleep.

Sage sat on the couch and looked upstairs. He couldn't believe what he did. He couldn't stand seeing Lita so upset about issues that bothered her. He mainly kissed her to comfort her. He didn't know that one simple kiss almost transformed into full-blown passion. The kisses told him that she still had feelings for him. It meant that he still might have a chance to develop a relationship with her. He knew that he made a mistake in the past by letting her go. He was too immature for a relationship and didn't know the real meaning of love. Now that he became older, wiser, and more mature, he realized that she was very special to him.

`Good thing I did leave before anything else happened. I don't want this situation to ruin our friendship. I better straighten this out tomorrow,' he thought to himself as he fell asleep.

Author's Note: When will Lita's nightmare take place? Is there some unfinished business between Sage and Lita? Find out in the next chapter. Don't forget to leave reviews!!