"YES!!! I found it!!" A young boy cried out. He jumped out of his seat in front of the computer and ran to the printer. He grabbed the paper out of the printer and ran out of the library. As he ran down the hall, he narrowly dodged a group of girls talking near the lockers. "Oh sorry!" He dodged one of the girls, just to knock into a teacher. "Oh, I'm really sorry!"
The teacher bent down to pick up her things. "Young man I think you should come with me down to the principle's..." She looked up to see the boy halfway down the hall. "Office.. HEY!! Come back here!!"
The boy ignored the teacher's cries as he ran out of the building. "Guys!! I found it!!!" The teen ran out of Orange Star High School waving the piece of paper above his head. A group of students turned towards him. As he got closer, one of the boys in the group turned towards him. "Oh hey, Hamato! What did you find?"
One of the girls scoffed at him. "What do you think he's found? He thinks he's found that guy,....what was his name 'Tortal Hermit'?"
Hamato stopped running and caught his breath. "It's ......... the....'Turtle Hermit', Katherine. Master Roshi, the Turtle Hermit."
"So , did you find him?" asked another one of the boys.
"Of course I did, Daniel." Hamato showed the print out to the group.
"Cool! You actually found it! Way to go Hamato!" one of the girls congratulated Hamato.
"Ah it was nothing, Ashley," said Hamato, basking in his glory.
"Ya, if it was sooo easy, why did it take you over two year to find him?" asked Daniel.
"Well, um...." Hamato struggled to find an answer.
"Ya I thought so."
Ashley stepped in, "Well it doesn't matter how long it took him, he found it, didn't he?"
"Ya I guess,"
Hamato leaned towards Ashley "thanks for the save," he whispered.
"No problem." Ashley chuckled to herself.
"Anyway," said Hamato, "I found it, and I now all I got to do is go there and find him."
The group suddenly became quiet. "What?" asked Daniel surprised, "You're actually going to go and look for him?"
"Of course! Why wouldn't I?"
The other girl turned towards the rest of the group, and then back to Hamato. "We thought this was just a joke or hobby. We thought after you found him, you would just... let it go."
Hamato's smile slowly left his face as he looked at the look on each of his friend's face. "But, .. but you guys where supposed to help me find him...."
Ashley turned towards him, with a worried look on her face, "Sarah's right, Hamato. This has gone too far. You've got to stop."
Daniel became angry. "Why are you going to look for him?"
Hamato suddenly became very quiet and looked away from the group. "You know why....."
Daniel became angrier. "It happened to all of us, and we've gotten over it. You've been opposed with this for since it happened. DEAL WITH IT! There was nothing you can do!"
"IT DOESN'T MATTER!!!" Hamato cried. "You didn't see it! I can't forgive myself!! NEVER!"
"John," Ashley moved towards him sympathetically.
"NO!" John brushed her aside. "If you guys won't help me, I'll find him on my own!!" John ran from the group off into the city.
His friends could only watch. Daniel watched him run away. "He still blames himself..... Even after all these years."
*********************************
"AH!!" Hamato cried as he punched the workout bag. The bag swung violently as he turned away. He began to look around the dojo. His father had built before he was born. He saw the picture of his father and mother standing in front of the finished building. Next to it was a picture of his father, mother, and himself as a young boy. That was a few years before it happened. "Damn it! WHY?!?" Hamato angrily punched the bag again. "Why did it have to happen?" He fell to the floor, holding his head in his hands. Suddenly, he heard someone laughing. He quickly jumped to his feet and looked around. The dojo was empty. He heard it again, louder then before.
"You couldn't save them." He froze when he heard those words. He recognized the voice. He heard the voice again behind him. "You did nothing! You let them die!!!"
He quickly turned around. "NO!! There was nothing I could do. I was too young..."
"And weak." "You were weak and let them die!!!"
"No!!" Hamato turned towards the bag. He saw a face appear in the bag. A horrified look came to Hamato's face. One word escaped his lips. "Cell..." The face in the bag began to laugh.
"Stop it!" Hamato clenched his fists as he stared at the bag. "Stop it!!!" The face only laughed louder. "Stop IT!! The laugh grew more and more maniacal.
"STOP IT!!!!" Hamato punched the bag, sending it flying. It crashed into wall, leaving a large hole. He fell to the floor, crying. "Stop it....."
The teacher bent down to pick up her things. "Young man I think you should come with me down to the principle's..." She looked up to see the boy halfway down the hall. "Office.. HEY!! Come back here!!"
The boy ignored the teacher's cries as he ran out of the building. "Guys!! I found it!!!" The teen ran out of Orange Star High School waving the piece of paper above his head. A group of students turned towards him. As he got closer, one of the boys in the group turned towards him. "Oh hey, Hamato! What did you find?"
One of the girls scoffed at him. "What do you think he's found? He thinks he's found that guy,....what was his name 'Tortal Hermit'?"
Hamato stopped running and caught his breath. "It's ......... the....'Turtle Hermit', Katherine. Master Roshi, the Turtle Hermit."
"So , did you find him?" asked another one of the boys.
"Of course I did, Daniel." Hamato showed the print out to the group.
"Cool! You actually found it! Way to go Hamato!" one of the girls congratulated Hamato.
"Ah it was nothing, Ashley," said Hamato, basking in his glory.
"Ya, if it was sooo easy, why did it take you over two year to find him?" asked Daniel.
"Well, um...." Hamato struggled to find an answer.
"Ya I thought so."
Ashley stepped in, "Well it doesn't matter how long it took him, he found it, didn't he?"
"Ya I guess,"
Hamato leaned towards Ashley "thanks for the save," he whispered.
"No problem." Ashley chuckled to herself.
"Anyway," said Hamato, "I found it, and I now all I got to do is go there and find him."
The group suddenly became quiet. "What?" asked Daniel surprised, "You're actually going to go and look for him?"
"Of course! Why wouldn't I?"
The other girl turned towards the rest of the group, and then back to Hamato. "We thought this was just a joke or hobby. We thought after you found him, you would just... let it go."
Hamato's smile slowly left his face as he looked at the look on each of his friend's face. "But, .. but you guys where supposed to help me find him...."
Ashley turned towards him, with a worried look on her face, "Sarah's right, Hamato. This has gone too far. You've got to stop."
Daniel became angry. "Why are you going to look for him?"
Hamato suddenly became very quiet and looked away from the group. "You know why....."
Daniel became angrier. "It happened to all of us, and we've gotten over it. You've been opposed with this for since it happened. DEAL WITH IT! There was nothing you can do!"
"IT DOESN'T MATTER!!!" Hamato cried. "You didn't see it! I can't forgive myself!! NEVER!"
"John," Ashley moved towards him sympathetically.
"NO!" John brushed her aside. "If you guys won't help me, I'll find him on my own!!" John ran from the group off into the city.
His friends could only watch. Daniel watched him run away. "He still blames himself..... Even after all these years."
*********************************
"AH!!" Hamato cried as he punched the workout bag. The bag swung violently as he turned away. He began to look around the dojo. His father had built before he was born. He saw the picture of his father and mother standing in front of the finished building. Next to it was a picture of his father, mother, and himself as a young boy. That was a few years before it happened. "Damn it! WHY?!?" Hamato angrily punched the bag again. "Why did it have to happen?" He fell to the floor, holding his head in his hands. Suddenly, he heard someone laughing. He quickly jumped to his feet and looked around. The dojo was empty. He heard it again, louder then before.
"You couldn't save them." He froze when he heard those words. He recognized the voice. He heard the voice again behind him. "You did nothing! You let them die!!!"
He quickly turned around. "NO!! There was nothing I could do. I was too young..."
"And weak." "You were weak and let them die!!!"
"No!!" Hamato turned towards the bag. He saw a face appear in the bag. A horrified look came to Hamato's face. One word escaped his lips. "Cell..." The face in the bag began to laugh.
"Stop it!" Hamato clenched his fists as he stared at the bag. "Stop it!!!" The face only laughed louder. "Stop IT!! The laugh grew more and more maniacal.
"STOP IT!!!!" Hamato punched the bag, sending it flying. It crashed into wall, leaving a large hole. He fell to the floor, crying. "Stop it....."