Ryu has liked Lyserg a long time, but so has Tamao. Both know and are reluctant to make a move before their friend. Both strive for attention and wait for Lyserg to decide. When he realizes they've grown impatient, he has to choose. But the decision isn't what any one was expecting. RxHH, YxA, and HxP included. This is my first RLT fic, so be kind. I've just fallen in love with them! This is rated for the pairing and maybe some swearing, and because if I do a sequel, that's what it will be, for sex. Warning: this is a three-way fic! I may have a sex scene, I don't know yet.

Shaman King and crew-- NOT MINE!

Here's some Japanese I used this chapter:

Sankyuu-- Thank you

Douitashimashite-- You're welcome

Aishiteru-- I love you

Nani-- what

Oni-chan-- big brother

I was sitting on the front porch of the onsen, watching the sun set slowly on the horizon. In my hand I held a small flower, plain and beautiful with simple white pedals and a lush green stem. The inn was quiet, a rare, but not inconceivable, event. Dinner had ended awhile before and, it being a summer Saturday night, the couples in the building had gone out.

Yoh, Anna, Pirika, Hao, Ren, and HoroHoro were at a movie and would be out late, leaving Tamao, Lyserg, and I alone for the evening. I knew Lyserg was bathing, and Tamao was still cleaning. I sighed, seeing pink meld into gold on the sky.

Tamao came out a moment later, saying she was finished. I smiled at her, and together we watched the sun roll beneath the Earth, leaving us for a few hours. But it would return.

Tamao smiled up at me. "Oh, I love watching the sun go down, don't you?" she asked. I nodded, listening to the crickets starting their song.

"Aren't they beautiful?" I murmured, setting down the flower.

"Yes." Her eyes closed, taking in the sound. Her strawberry hair fell over her face and I brushed it aside. She looked again, feeling my hand. We both laughed slightly, and I drew back my hand. We watched the night grow until Lyserg walked out.

"Hey," he whispered. Tamao and I looked at him, a loving sparkle reflected in our eyes.

"Hello, Lyserg-sama," Tamao murmured.

Lyserg smiled. "That isn't necessary, Tamao," he said. "'Lyserg' is fine, really."

Tamao nodded. "Of course, Lyserg-sama!" He sighed and walked over, standing a little bit away from us. He smiled at us.

"Did you see the sunset?" he asked. We both nodded.

"Yes, Lyserg, we did," I said. "It was very lovely." After a long silence, Tamao's head began to dip. She jerked up and rubbed her eyes, then stretched while yawning.

"Oh, I need to go to bed," she murmured, turning to go. "Good night Lyserg-sama, Ryu-sama."

"Goodnight, Tamao," we answered. Shortly after, I excused myself, heading for the baths. I saw Tamao asleep against a wall down the hall, and so took her to her room. We spoke quietly for a few moments before she drifted off again.

"Ryu-sama, I love him so much," she muttered.

"I know," I answered, fluffing her pillow gently.

"His emerald hair and glass eyes… I wonder what his lips feel like." I nodded. We'd had this conversation several times before.

"So do I. Like most lips, I suppose; sometimes wet, others dry. Maybe soft or rough."

"No… I think it's silk," she said. I looked at her curiously. Usually she nodded in agreement; it must have been the sleep talking. I tucked her in and instinctively kissed her forehead.

"Get some sleep, my little rival," I said. She smiled and snuggled into her blankets.

"Sankyuu, Ryu-sama," she whispered.

"Douitashimashite, Tamao," I answered, walking out the room.

"Aishiteru," she muttered, so quiet I almost didn't hear her. I smiled again.

"You too, Tamao. Goodnight." I continued to the baths and saw that Lyserg had come in to bed. I sighed, smiling, and reached the spring. I soaked for a little while after washing, then jerked awake when I heard Hao and Ren's angry voices arguing on their way back into the onsen. I quickly slipped into my pajamas and made my way to my bedroom. Yoh saw me as Anna quieted the bickering boys with a legendary slap.

"What are you still doing up?" Yoh asked me softly.

"I fell asleep in the bath," I answered, slightly embarrassed. Yoh merely smiled, and everyone dispersed to their own rooms.

The next morning I got up and went to the kitchen. I started coffee and began gathering breakfast ingredients. As the coffee finished, Tamao came out and sat at the table sleepily. I handed her a mug of coffee, and she smiled at me.

"Good morning, Ryu-sama," she said through a yawn. "Did you sleep well?"

"Well enough," I said, rubbing my neck, which was stiff.

She sipped her coffee, and then looked at me, her eyebrows pushed together. "What's wrong? Does your neck hurt?"

"A…a little," I said. "I fell asleep in the water for an hour or so."

"Oh." She dug through her pockets and pressed something into my hand. "Here. That should help."

"Thank you, Tamao," I said, looking at the pills. I swallowed them with some coffee and tried to start breakfast, but my neck was really bothering me. Tamao told me to sit down, and she gently massaged my sore muscles.

"Is this better?" she asked.

"M-hm…" I grunted. She smiled behind me.

"That's good." After a few minutes, she stopped, finishing her coffee and going off to clean the mess dragged in behind the others on their return. I made breakfast, and Anna was the first to come in demanding food. I gave it to her, along with a glass of orange juice. The morning wore on, and the other inhabitants went about their daily activities.

Tamao came into the kitchen an hour after HoroHoro had left, the last to do so. I dished up breakfast for her and I, and we sat, talking quietly. We could hear the other boys playing DDR in the other room, while Anna was out with Pirika.

"So, Tamao, what are you doing today to get his attention?" I asked. Most people would be secretive and mischievous about what they were doing to take away the person someone else liked, but we enjoyed each other's company and weren't about to let this pull us apart. Besides, it was nice to have someone to complain about Lyserg not noticing, or bounce ideas off of.

"Well, I don't know yet. I always leave a little something for him when I clean his room, but I don't think he realizes it," she sighed. "What about you, Ryu-sama?"

"I gave him a slightly bigger helping at breakfast, as always, but he didn't notice. Honestly, I'm just trying to keep the meat that is on him where it is. The way HoroHoro and Yoh eat, anyone could starve." She nodded, smiling amusedly. We liked making each other smile; it was easier than getting Lyserg to see our feelings.

"Have you gotten him a birthday gift?" Tamao asked. I shook my head.

"No, I need to get away and go to town one of these days."

"What if we went tomorrow?" she asked. "I still need to get something, too."

"Sure. That sounds perfect," I said, clearing away the dishes. She left to clean the house and I did the dishes. A little while later I went to see what the other five boys were doing. The DDR was still going, and Ren was looking tired.

"Three…in a…row…" he panted.

"Yeah, well…you're looking a little…tired, Ren-kun," HoroHoro said, falling down.

"Shut…up…" Ren tried to growl. "I…still beat…you."

"Well," Hao said, looking at Lyserg. "Let's see if you can beat our green haired friend here."

"Nani!" Lyserg squealed. "No, Hao, I don't want--!" But Hao shoved him onto the game pad and Ren started the song again. Lyserg was embarrassed, his face burning a bright red. It was rather cute, really, and I was sorry that Tamao was missing it.

"Oh come on, Lyserg-kun!" Hao taunted. "I've seen you dance! You can do better than that!" This was true. I'd seen him dance, though Hao was bluffing, and he was pretty good. He just wasn't ready. After another phrase of screw-ups, Lyserg dug his heels into the competition. Every step, every note, he nailed. His timing was impeccable; the only question left was if it was enough to beat Ren. Ren was gasping for breath as his feet moved to the beat, but Lyserg was flawlessly and flowingly dancing his way through the song. The blush of embarrassment went away, but was replaced by a reddening face because of the physical motions.

When the song ended, Ren fell down. "I…can't go…any more…" he choked out. Lyserg stood, only breathing slightly hard, watching the scores run up. HoroHoro helped Ren up, then smirked.

"I don't think you need to worry, Ren-kun," he snickered. Ren looked up at the screen. Lyserg had won by nearly one-hundred points.

"A…a hundred…points…?" he gasped. He held up a shaking hand, and pointed feebly at Lyserg. "CHEATER!" Then he passed out in HoroHoro's arms.

Hao jumped up, running over to the abandoned pad. "My turn!" he shouted, hitting the button to start the next song. This time Lyserg was ready from the start. He only made two mistakes in the entire song, and when Hao realized how well he was doing, he began stumbling over his feet, trying to watch Lyserg.

"Oni-chan!" Yoh shouted. "PAY ATTENTION!" Hao looked back at his own side of the screen, and tried to catch up. But it was impossible. I smirked when Hao lost by four-hundred points. He sat down, scowling at the game and Yoh stepped up.

The game started, and Yoh did his best. Lyserg was completely into it now, and I smiled. He was having fun. Tamao came in as Yoh sat back down, beaten by about seventy points. She sat on my lap, though really it was more of between my legs, because my lap is too big for her, and HoroHoro played. Lyserg seemed a little bit off, though I'd seen him play for over an hour without messing up too badly.

Tamao leaned against me, and HoroHoro got his but kicked. He sat down sulkily, and Lyserg looked at Hao. "Who's up?" he asked. Hao glanced around.

"Tamao-chan," he said. Her face flushed.

"Oh, no, Hao-sama!" she cried, hiding her face behind her hands. "Please don't make me!"

"Tamao, it's just a game," Yoh said. "It'll be fun!"

"Besides," Hao said, "I wanna see some shake in that booty!" HoroHoro glared at him.

"Don't think I won't tell my sister you said that!"

"What?" Hao asked. "It's not like I kissed her or something. I'm trying to be supportive!" Tamao looked at me, then Lyserg. Our eyes met again, and I nudged her forward. She saw the words in my face and smiled.

"Okay, Ryu-sama," she said, knowing I meant everything in good intentions. She stepped up, and smiled shakily. "Lyserg-sama," she murmured, and they nodded to one another. She pressed the button, and they started dancing.

Tamao faired pretty well against him, better than I'd thought she would. She only lost by twenty points, and sat down with me again just as Anna shouted.

"What is going on in here?" We all looked up.

"DDR," Hao said simply. "What's it look like?"

"Who's winning?" she demanded. HoroHoro pointed to Lyserg. Anna walked over to the other pad. "Let's play," she growled hitting the button. Anna lost by more than Yoh had, but not as badly as Ren. Then Pirika stepped up. She lost too, and Lyserg was named the ultimate champion. Ren sat up, demanding a re-match. He still lost.

Anna made him play without looking at the screen and deliberately chose the hardest song in the disk. Lyserg was told the title, and he smirked. The music started, and he ran the program virtually flawlessly. He hit the doubles on the mark, and the one triple was timed perfectly, dipping and he hopped to hit it with his hand. Everyone was shocked. That was his favorite song.

Anna demanded to know how he had done that. "Virtually perfect! And without looking!" Lyserg told her that he had learned that one a long time ago, and practiced it enough to remember. It was amusing.

Anna shut the game off, sore about having lost, and made everyone get busy. I made dinner, and by the time we all sat down to eat, she was over it.---