I glance around then decide to take my meditation position in my small closet-like bedroom. It was better than trying the living room again; I'd have no concentration. Though as I close my eyes I can't clear my mind. It was surrounded by memories I'd rather not reopen, but I had to sometimes, or I'd forget and loose the good times weaving through as well. Though this memory was clearly cheerful…

~Sixteen Years Old~

"Wu, you've been watching these weapons for so long… let me have my turn," I turned to face my brother, whose eyes shown with a hazel-reddened greed he always had whenever he wished to guard the sacred golden weapon. On one hand he was my older brother, but on the other…

I sighed and opened my mouth to agree, but I feared what would happen as an aftermath sooner or later. "I'm sure you've gotten something else to do," I felt bad for shooting down his request; we were still somewhat close at this time.

The feeling of his seeping anger nearly choked me to death, "I think it's my turn to watch what is rightfully mine as well." Ever since father had died we'd been given rights to own them, yet I knew he had a fear that I did; that Brother would take them and use them for evil purposes instead of for needed protection against evil… against him… "Why don't you take a break? Maybe make some tea?" He seemed desperate (though his tone was still monotone and tried not to give anything away) to get me to leave the room for whatever reason he had up his dark loose sleeve.

I nodded after a few moments and walked out of the room slowly, turning to stare at his giddy expression as he looked over the four inanimate objects. I should have trusted him more than I had, but the lack of it that I had left was thrown to the wind as I changed into my pure black "Protection" character symbolized kimono. It was one that father had gotten to me the birthday I had before he died this year. I'm not sure what caused me to keep it hung up in an easy to reach place- my brother or just my paranoid behaviors I've always had. Perhaps a dangerous mix, I mused to myself as I fixed it in the mirror.

Moving out into the kitchen area, I slid open the door slowly and quietly got out the tea kettle, then gently took the glass lid off of the tea leaf jar and sprinkled some into the small cup I always had handy nearby. I grabbed a stirring rod and listened in to the next room; where the weapons were kept. It was oddly quiet as I poured the steaming liquid into the cup, except the random shuffle of feet. Oddly enough there was no noise of mumbles or of a true conversation; which my brother usually took up with himself that passed the snail quite commonly known as time. It felt eerie in the silence, but soon I heard a clang of metal on itself. The weapons were only to be taken down in an emergency, never for games or anything else. I set down my teacup to go investigate what I feared to have happened. I grabbed a bamboo staff that lay against the wall near me just in case.

I got up and walked into the weaponry room to find my brother picking up a few weapons that began to glow at the contact it received. "I'm afraid those are for display only," I demanded trying to find my harsher edge in vocals, yet I always was rather soft-spoken while my brother had a naturally louder voice.

The glint in his now pure-ruby tinted eyes scared me as he looked up and into my dark hues, "Tell me; what good is a weapon for if all it's used for is collecting dust?" he stated matter-of-factly. It scared me that I was going to have to fight him, not only because he was my brother or that he clearly had an advantage against me; but for the fact he had such anger and loathing for this little world that he couldn't hold in any longer.

I gulped silently, "Don't be a fool, father warned that their powers were beyond any one man's-"

"Father was the fool!" cried my brother, clearly not trying to keep his cool any longer.

"How dare you speak so lowly of father? We can't let him down and let these weapons leave the monastery." I brought down the bamboo staff onto the floor to emphasize my point, hoping that at least some sense would come back to Brother's cloudy mind.

It took a moment before his eyes narrowed dangerously, "Then I shall destroy it and all that stand in my way!" Bringing the long glowing katana forward and having it shoot out a blinding light of energy; breaking the protective staff in half, but it bounced back into the wall where the other two weapons still hung. They were knocked over to me and I put down the broken staff and grabbed at the ninja star and the much stronger scythe. I stared down in wonder at them, but it was short-lived as this monster, that couldn't possibly be my brother any longer, lunged forward and brought the shimmery katana down on the hilt of the scythe with a smooth force.

Then he leapt back slightly as I drew the sharp blade up and at him to get him to move back farther in my hopefulness. Instead in brought him backwards and through the side of the monastery and threw him on his face. He shifted so he was on his back and glared at me as I made my way to the side porch slowly. I felt my voice grow, "Put those weapons down."

He grinned, "You mean…" getting up easily, "Like this?" Throwing the sword behind his head and bringing it down on my defensive weapon of a ninja star. The fight continued as I blocked each jab or blow with ease. It began to rain and eventually thunder as it continued to rage on. Finally something different happened as the side lettering on my kimono began to glow against his worn blood red scripture. It threw him back and caused him to drop the other two prized weapons harshly. He stood up and it thundered and it happened so fast it seemed. He turned and walked away as I cried out to him. He finally spun around a bit down the path, his hair soaked and matted now, "I will be back, mark my words… Brother," spitting out the last word bitterly and continuing on his way.

I bent down to gather up the weapons in my tired arms, and then trudged back inside the mostly ruined monastery. I placed the golden objects back up in their rightful places upon the wall and walked back to sit down in front of my cooling tea. All I could think about was what I was going to do now, loosing my father by physical death and my brother… to his mentality.