Our hearts felt lighter as we walked to the dojo that day. We had our Chiro back, Kyo was alive, and even though we couldn't tell anyone, the world seemed brighter. Yuki, Dad and I were walking to the dojo that moring talking and laughing about what had happened this past week. It went by like a whirl-wind. It was Sunday when Chiro finally returned to us and all that week we where a family again. Chiro would drift off every now and then, but it didn't stop her from having a bit of fun. Torhu and Chiro baked together in the cool evenings making up for lost time. Yuki fell back into his role of second father to Chiro. He told her stories about him and her father when they where younger. He told me too, but I had heard them all my life, Chiro hadn't. We quickly learned that Chiro would need some time to remember everything. When Chiro found small objects around the house she would go "Oh! I remember this! I made this for you when I was 4, didn't I Mama?" or "Hatsu? Do remember playing with this ball?" or something like that. Not all her memories where joyfull though. She hadn't told us exactly happened after Akito took her and her father, and we didn't want to rush her. As Yuki said, "You have to remember, to her, it happened yesterday. She isn't ready to face it yet, but she will when it's time."
As we turned a cornor into the practice yard, Yuki and Dad stopped. I was standing behind them and couldn't see why. As I stepped out from behind them, I too froze. Shishou was in the yard with a board in his hand. He was moving around dodging the blows as a student tried to break it. I recoized the exersise, but it was student that blew me away. It was Chiro. Her bright orange hair was pulled back into a short ponytail. Sweat poarded from her brow and stray strands of hair where plastered to her face with sweat. Shishou moved around fast as Chiro lashed out with every limb. "Yah! Yah!" She cried as she struggled to hit the board. The expression on her face was hard and determined. Her eyes glowed with a rage that I had never seen. The blue of her eyes was all but gone as the redness of them took control. Finally she stopped. "I can't do it Shishou. I'm not fast enough." she panted. Her eyes faded back to their normal blue as she calmed down. "You are fast enough," Shishou was saying, "It's inside of you. Just find Chiro. That's all you have to do." Chiro sat down on the grass still covered with the morning dew. Shishou knelt behind her and placed his hand on her shorlder. "Maybe it's too early in the moring." Chiro looked up at him. "Cat's don't like to get up in the morning, do they?" she asked. "No. They don't. You should have seen the things I did to get your father up and ready for school." They both laughed and that's when Shishou saw us. "Why, good morning Yuki, Haru, Hatsu." he said, nodding to each of us in turn. "Good Moring!" Chiro chimmed as she lept to her feet. I would've never guess she had been exaughsted just moments earlier. Such a strange girl, I thought, but it sure is nice to have her back. ""Well," Shishou said, "I guess we had better get ready for the day. Shall we?" Shishou led the way into the main building leaving the rest of us to follow. "I thought you where at Ming's." Yuki said to Chiro, raising one eyebrow. Chiro shuffled her feet a bit and her cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. "I had some buisness to attend to here, Yuki." "Come on. Let's go in." My dad chimed in. I walked up to Chiro and took her by the hand. "I could help you get better, if you want that is." I said timidly. "I would like that Hatsu." Then we walked inside, hand in hand.