NOW...

He was old. Very old. Some said he was inhumanly old. He certainly looked it, sitting cross-legged in the shaded end of the long courtyard behind the school that served as a training ground for the twenty-odd students in his dojo. All that could be seen of his face was a thin, white beard and lined chin. Everything else was hidden under his ever-present sedge hat. In all her time watching these classes, Cana had never seen what the old man looked like. His head remained tilted slightly down. And yet... he always seemed to know what was happening, could tell the winner of a match without looking, could give advice to the loser without seeing. Whatever power or trick allowed him to do so was just another item on the list of mysteries about the Crane School's master.

There were other rumors about him... that he had a third eye, that he was attended by a dwarf familiar.

That he was a hero from the old days.

Cana's lip twisted, the expression tugging at the old scar on her cheek. She didn't believe those legends. If any of those events had actually happened and the master had been alive to see them, he would be approaching two hundred years old now. And that would still be the most believable thing about the stories... tales of demons and dragons, conquering alien warlords, killer cyborgs, golden warriors, superheroes, and gods.

No, her life was strange enough without resorting to fantasies from over a century ago.

But the master did have a presence, she had to admit. She could almost feel it from where she knelt at the outer edge of the courtyard, oblivious to the sun beating down on her from a cloudless blue sky. Cana came here almost every day, watching the Crane students spar, watching them train. But she never joined them, just watched intently.

She had her reasons, and one of those reasons was even now stepping on to the tiled arena at the center of the courtyard, a miniature replica of the very platform at the World Martial Arts Tournament, the Budokai Tenkaichi. The old man's voice was cracked with age, but still strong, and Cana heard him clearly: "Ty... Jesi... begin!"

Cana leaned forward, hands on her knees, biting her lip, her eyes fixed on the impending bout. Ty was a large young man with a bullet-shaped head shaved bare, eighteen years old, making him one year her senior, and two years older than his opponent. Jesi was a comparatively slim girl with pale skin and red hair tied back in a ponytail. She looked delicate standing against Ty, but Cana knew the strength in the girl's arms and legs. Jesi's emerald eyes were narrowed in concentration, taking in her opponent. Both Crane students wore the plain green gi of the school.

The two bowed, first to the master, then to each other, before settling themselves into fighting stances. Ty's was a judo stance, one more suited for grappling and throwing using his greater size, while Jesi chose the crane form, sticking with her specialty of quick strikes at close range. For a long moment, that was all, the two students sizing each other up in the still, hot air of the courtyard. Cana smiled to see Jesi's effortless balance on one foot as she waited.

Ty's patience ran out first. He took two long steps forward, then lashed out with a low kick meant to knock Jesi to the ground, but the red-head leapt over the extended leg and landed easily on her other foot. Her raised leg unbent in a snap-kick to Ty's side that he blocked with one big arm. Jesi leaned forward, her hands in the distinctive beak-like position of the Crane style and jabbed once, twice, three times in quick succession into Ty's chest.

The bigger fighter staggered back, shook his head, and reset himself in his judo stance. He would be more cautious now, Cana knew, more willing to wait for Jesi to make a move and counter it. Jesi, for her part, seemed willing to oblige, she moved forward, somehow making the awkward crane walk look graceful, and went on the attack again. Ty blocked the first strike and caught the second, but Jesi moved in closer and flicked an elbow into her opponent's face, the move reminiscent of a bird flapping its wing.

Although she had managed to counter the grapple, it seemed Jesi had miscalculated, as Ty did not release her, though he must have been in pain. He pivoted and tossed the girl over his body to slam her into the pocked surface of the arena.

Even from where she sat, Cana could hear the explosion of breath from the red-headed girl and the grunt of pain. Her fists clenched and she grit her teeth. If Ty was quick, he could pin Jesi and end the match.

But rather than do the obvious thing, Ty decided to get fancy. He took a step back and extended one hand. A glowing ball of golden light grew in his palm: A ki blast. It hadn't been until relatively recently in humanity's history that the knowledge of ki had become widespread and it was now a part of many martial arts disciplines, but this was supposed to have been a straight physical match.

Cana expected the old man to stop his wayward student, but the master said nothing. She gathered her feet beneath her, ready to charge in and push the younger girl out of the ring herself if no one else would, but Jesi, in a flash, raised herself on one hand, and – using it as a pivot – swung her legs against Ty's. The young man toppled over, the ki blast releasing inadvertently and cratering one of the inner walls of the courtyard. Before her opponent even hit the floor, Jesi had re-positioned her legs and kicked up at Ty, who let out a cry of pain as he flew into the air.

With a flicker of motion, Jesi was suddenly above the soaring figure of her opponent, hands raised in a sledgehammer blow. She struck with full force, arresting Ty's upward momentum and sending him plummeting back to the ground, where he crashed into the earth of the courtyard, outside of the ring. Jesi floated in place above the arena, using bukujutsu – another ki technique – to keep herself aloft, and turned towards the master for acknowledgment. It was over.

Or rather, it should have been over. Ty slammed one fist against the ground and drew back the other, palm out and glowing gold with more gathered ki. He extended the arm and a ball of energy shot forward towards the red-head. It was moving too fast, and Jesi was only just beginning to turn back to the treacherous blow, green eyes widened in shock.

Cana was on her feet in an instant, but she knew she would never make it in time. She heard the other Crane students gasp uselessly and above that, a strong voice.

"Dodonpa!"

A beam of energy impacted the ball of ki and deflected it off into the blue sky where it burst harmlessly into a shower of golden sparks. Cana's jaw dropped and she traced the beam's origin back to the upraised hand of the master. His head was still lowered, his eyes hidden beneath the sedge hat, but the raised hand was held like a child's impression of a gun.

"The match is over," the master said in his rough voice. "Jesi is the victor." He paused to drench his next words in meaning. "Isn't that right, Ty?"

The defeated student scrambled painfully to his feet and bowed low to the old man. From where she stood, Cana could see Ty's face was pale. "Yes, Master," he said. "I'm sorry, Master. I lost my temper." Without raising his head, Ty turned to where Jesi was floating back down to the ring. "I apologize, Jesi."

"Anger is not your enemy," the master said with a sigh. "But you cannot let it cloud your judgment. Your rage can give you power and focus, but only if you control it. If you let it control you, you have already lost."

The ancient stood up, moving with ease despite his age and hunched posture. "The New Crane School was founded to teach new generations of martial artists how to awaken their untapped potential," he said, hands clasped behind his back. "What I hope for all of you is that the instruction you receive here does not only make you stronger, but wiser as well. To know not only how to use these skills, but how not to." Even though his eyes were hidden, the old man seemed to regard each of his students in turn, and Cana felt an electric thrill as his invisible gaze touched even her. "That is all for today. You are dismissed."

Cana narrowed her eyes, staring at the old man. Maybe...

Maybe some of the stories were true, after all.

"You were lucky," Cana said to Jesi later as they walked away from the dojo. The sky was still blue above them, but the sun was lowering towards the western horizon, where the skyline of West City rose in a jumble of towers and skyscrapers and minarets. The Crane school was on the outskirts of the city, so the streets were blessedly free of the constant buzz of crowds and flying cars that inundated the town center. The two girls were alone as they walked.

Jesi smiled and waved away her friend's concern. "I was never in any danger," she said. "The master would never have allowed Ty to really hurt me."

"You shouldn't have had to count on the old man to save you," Cana insisted. "You let your guard down."

The easy smile on the red-head's face faded. "That's exactly what the master said to me before I left," she admitted. "He said I should have sensed Ty's intent and not turned my back on him."

Cana sighed, tossing her school bag over one shoulder. She winced as she did so, knowing it was an affectation that made her look like a delinquent. Well... that and her wine-red eyes, her spiky black hair, the un-tucked white button-up of her Black Star High School uniform, and the scar on her face. She wore wire-framed glasses in an attempt to soften her image, but it was mostly in vain. Even Jesi, a known tomboy, looked more dignified, her orange and black plaid skirt perfectly pleated, her shirt buttoned and tucked in, and her hair up in girlish pigtails. "He's right. You have to be more careful."

"You worry too much," Jesi said with pouted lips, looking up at her taller friend with her emerald eyes. Cana just grunted in response, and, after a moment, the red-head relented. "Fine... you're right. I'll keep my guard up from now on." The taller girl still didn't respond, so Jesi playfully bumped her hips against her friend. "Earth to Cana," she prompted.

"Sorry, just distracted," Cana said, her strange eyes distant behind her glasses. She could feel the shorter girl still staring at her, so she tried to give a reassuring smile.

It didn't fool Jesi. "You always get like this after watching us train," the red-head said. "You know you're free to join us, I'm sure the master would accept you as a student."

A snort of laughter escaped from Cana's lips. "I'm no fighter," she said.

"Liar," Jesi said without hesitation. "Remember when those bullies had Mio cornered? You pulled them off of her like they weighed nothing at all. And when one of them punched you, you didn't even flinch."

"There's more to being a fighter than just being strong," Cana hedged.

Jesi shook her head. "That's the point, Cana," she said. "That's what you learn at the dojo."

Cana pursed her lips. "I have school to think about, too, Jes." She heard the red-head sigh, and couldn't really blame her for doing so. It was a weak excuse, especially since she spent afternoons at the dojo anyway instead of doing homework. Cana wasn't exactly a star student, but she was in no danger of failing

They walked in silence for a minute. A few hovercars passed by, their engines making a distinctive warbling sound. "I just... don't understand why you'll watch every day if you have no interest in fighting," Jesi said at last.

"Well someone has to keep an eye on you," Cana said with a teasing smirk. She was gratified to see her friend blush.

"Whatever," Jesi mumbled, looking away. There was another pause, a more companionable one this time. "So, hey," the red-head continued after a moment, "you want to catch a movie tonight or something? My treat."

Cana made a show of checking her watch, although she already knew she would have to refuse. "It's getting kinda' late..." she said.

Her shorter friend gave her a half-hearted shove. "Come on," she said. "What is your phobia about staying out after dark?"

"It's not a phobia," Cana said with a shiver, but didn't elaborate. She felt guilty leaving it at that. "We can go this weekend, if you want," she said after a brief hesitation. "My treat."

Jesi shot her a carefree grin. "Well, if you insist," she said. Cana smiled back, and the two went the rest of the way without words.

That night Cana sat alone on the bed of her dorm room, stripped down to just a nightshirt. Her distinctive eyes were staring sightlessly at the calendar on the wall of the tiny room. Today's date, May 10th, was underlined in red several times. In the corner of the little box were the words "Full Moon" and an empty circle signifying the astronomical event.

Taking a deep breath, the dark-haired girl glanced at the windows of her room, making sure for the umpteenth time that the shades were pulled tightly closed and secured with clothespins. Everything was as it should be. Everything was in place that had kept her safe for two years now, since she had first arrived in West City, alone and without anyone to support her or take care of her. It had been worse in those first few months, before she had become a ward of the state and enrolled in Black Star High School. Now she had a room to come back to, a bed to sleep in, and a good friend in Jesi.

Most importantly, she had a place to hide from the world.

Nothing's going to happen, she thought. But it was like this every time. Every thirty days, she had to go through this, and even when there wasn't a full moon, she was too scared to stay out late. Only at the peak of summer, when the days were longest, could she have some semblance of a social life, but even that was limited to Jesi.

That was the life she had chosen.

And that was fine with Cana. She preferred living here, like this. She was happy, for the most part. Except for the damned moon and the overwhelming ache she felt to join the sparring matches; a flame she felt drawn to against her will. Her hands tightened into fists and she let out a frustrated huff, squeezing her eyes closed and trying to banish her thoughts.

It was no good. The battle-lust sang in her blood, and some primal part of her responded, making her long to throw open the shades and look into the sky. Cana, limbs twitching, lifted one of her clenched fists and drew it back to punch herself in the stomach. She felt the pain and used it to anchor herself. Blindly, she reached towards her nightstand with her other hand and grabbed the sleeping mask she always kept there. With shaking fingers, she secured the piece of dark cloth over her eyes and forced herself to lay down.

It was a long time before she fell asleep.