Hey everybody! Just before we start, you'll have to forgive me for the timeline that doesn't quite match up. I know these two characters really couldn't have spent a lot of time around each other, at their respective ages here (one ten, the other fifteen). But I wanted so badly to mash these two eras of PR headfirst together, and see what happened. There's so much missing time, in the lives of one of these guys, and I really wanted to explore that. Feedback is always welcomed :).

Oh, and for the record, "Seito" is a Japanese word meaning 'student'. Enjoy!

Chapter One

"Okay everybody," Jason called, gazing out over his students practicing their routines in the Youth Centre, "I think that'll be it for the night. Great job! You all did really well."

The shadows outside were growing longer. Through the window, Jason could see the headlights of parents arriving to pick up their children. It hadbeen a long day, and he was feeling it. He'd scraped through a chemistry exam, aced a book report for English, and taught his weekly karate class. Not to mention destroying the Wheel of Misfortune after lunch. A long day, Jason thought, but any day where evil exploded was a good one.

"Take care of yourselves," he continued, "and I'll see you next week!" With a final bow, he stepped back towards his water bottle, and reached for a red towel.

A young boy with a head of dark curls approached. "Thanks Jason," the boy began. "Pete wanted me to tell you he's sorry he couldn't make it."

Jason smiled and waved his hand. "No problem Scott," Jason replied. "Tell Pete not to worry about it. I know there's a bad flu going around at the moment. Make sure he takes it easy, and he can catch up next week."

Scott waved and raced out after his sister. Jason watched as everyone filtered outside, the kids talking about teachers and what they'd been watching on TV, while their parents caught up on all the local gossip. Once he was sure nobody had been forgotten, he was about to leave when he caught sight of two shadowy figures standing in the locker hallway. On the left was a young boy who looked about ten, while the heavyset man beside him was in his late twenties. Jason didn't remember seeing either of them while he'd been teaching. Now the Youth Centre was empty, they stepped out of the shadows towards him. The boy had a mop of wavy light brown hair and steely blue-grey eyes, while the man was wearing what Jason guessed was a traditional Oriental robe, yet his thick dark hair had been slicked back with far too much gel.

"Can I help you guys?" Jason asked.

"My name is Jayden," the boy replied formally. His voice was so soft that Jason almost didn't hear him. "This is my mentor Ji," and he indicated the stern-faced man behind him.

Jason blinked. "If you're looking for Ernie, I think he's out the back…"

"No," Jayden said quickly. "You're Jason Scott the karate instructor, correct? I need you to teach me."

"You just missed my class," Jason said, indicating the mats on the ground behind him. "We meet here the same time every week. There's always room for one more."

"No, I can't learn with anyone else," Jayden said. "It has to be just me."

Jason frowned and glanced to the boy's mentor. The man named Ji remained silent, but the look on his face made it clear he didn't like what was happening. "You mean, like, private lessons?" Jason asked. "I'm not sure if the Youth Centre's insurance covers that. You don't have to worry about the others. Everyone has to start somewhere, right? And most of the other kids are really cool."

"No, it's not that."

"Well there's plenty of other tutors in the city," Jason continued. "I know a few of them offer private lessons. I can give you some names…"

"It has to be you. It has to be the best."

Jason smiled, and met Jayden's gaze. "Now who told you that?"

"Everyone."

From anyone else that age, the comment would've been dripping with sarcasm. But the look on Jayden's face told Jason that he was deadly serious. "I'm really not the best person to ask," Jason added. "I know it doesn't look it, but my days are busier than you think."

Jayden took a step forward. "Please," he said simply.

Jason felt trapped without an escape. But something in Jayden's quiet, trembling voice told him that he couldn't turn the boy away. "Okay," Jason relented. He watched as relief washed over Jayden's face. "Okay. Come back tomorrow night, and we can sort out the paperwork and see where you're at. Mr Jayden…?"

"Just Jayden, for now," Jayden replied.

"Sure, just Jayden," Jason said. If Jayden understood the joke, he didn't show it. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Jayden bowed earnestly. "Thank you," he said. Behind him, Ji scowled in annoyance, but said nothing as he followed Jayden out to the door. Jason watched them go, and then gazed around the building.

What the heck had just happened?

The Youth Centre was empty the next night as Jason set up his training gear and shuffled the mats into place. He'd heard a few unusual requests in his time as a karate teacher, and it wasn't like this was a normal city to grow up in. But last night was one for the books. He half expected Jayden not to show up at all, never mind that strange 'mentor' character. He looked up to the juice bar as Ernie staggered out of the kitchen, struggling with overflowing garbage bags under one arm and a pile of cardboard boxes under the other.

"Ernie, hey," Jason called. "Let me help you with that," and he jogged up towards the bar, where Ernie awkwardly passed him the stack of cardboard.

"Thanks Jason," Ernie said. "Your student hasn't turned up yet?"

Jason shook his head. "I'm starting to think he might not show at all. But if nothing else, I'll get some homework done. The recycling bin still out the front?"

"Round the side, near the gate. They empty it first thing in the morning."

Jason followed the shadowy path around the side of the building to the yellow recycling dumpster, throwing the pile into the bin before returning. But as he made his way back, he spotted Jayden and Ji on the other side of the street, heading towards the Youth Centre carpark. Neither had spotted him. He was about to call out when their voices reached him.

"…still say this is a terrible idea," Ji was saying.

"I know what we're risking," Jayden replied.

"Do you? Being out in the open makes us targets. And involving other people? What have I always taught you?"

Jayden's face darkened. "You told me all this yesterday, Ji. My mind is made up. I need to do this."

"But I can teach you…"

"How to master my symbol power, sure. And maybe someday I'll be able to do something more than light a matchstick. But I need to learn how to fight, Ji."

With the conversation over, they crossed the street. Realising he was about to be caught eavesdropping, Jason stuck to the shadows and ducked back inside. Jayden and Ji arrived a minute later, and Jason waved a greeting.

"I'm glad to see you guys," he said.

Ji's face hardened and he turned to Jayden. "You have one hour. No less." With that, he sat down on the floor, pulled an ancient-looking leather-bound book from his robes, and began reading.

Jason lowered his voice. "What was that about?"

"That's just Ji," Jayden shrugged. "He's annoying, but I know he's trying to take care of me." He paused, and Jason couldn't help but hear the sadness in Jayden's voice. "He doesn't get it sometimes, though."

Jason's brow fell. There was something there, a shadow just below the surface. But it wasn't his place to ask, and he caught himself before he did. "Okay, cool," he said. "Now, I shuffled my schedule and chatted to Ernie. We have the place three days a week, so we'll be moving a lot faster through the course. I figured that'd be okay."

"Absolutely," Jayden nodded.

"For now, I just want to see what you can do. Let's begin."

It continued that way for the rest of the week. Wherever Jayden was from, it was clear he came from a background of strict order and discipline. He and Ji were punctual to a fault, arriving every night at almost the same minute. Jayden spoke rarely and asked questions even less. Jason found it helpful, but also a little unnerving. Regardless, Jayden was eager to learn, and picked up new concepts with startling speed. One night as a test, Jason showed Jayden a move that most of his long-term students were still struggling with. Jayden got it on the second try. And all the while, Ji sat in the corner with a different book every night, always keeping a watchful eye on the rest of the Youth Centre.

Jason's curiosity grew with every lesson. He once told Jayden that he was free to invite some friends if he wanted, but Jayden barely acknowledged him. Another time, the training mat had slipped on the linoleum floor. Jayden had landed awkwardly and been left with a considerable limp. Jason joked that Jayden's parents would worry about his son coming home injured, but Jayden grimaced and didn't say another word the rest of the night.

Then something strange, well, stranger happened. Jason had a geography essay that he couldn't put off any longer. Needing to spend the night working on it, he'd met Jayden to call off the night's sparring session.

"I'm sorry," Jason said. "I'm barely passing this class as it is. I gotta make time to study."

"Oh?" Jayden replied. The disappointment in his voice was palpable. It was the first real emotion Jason had heard in Jayden's voice in all the time he'd known him. "But you'll be here tomorrow?"

Jason nodded, and found himself trying to reassure his young student. "Yeah, of course. Don't worry."

"Good," Jayden said. There was the tiniest hint of a smile on his face. "I'm looking forward to it. Good luck with your essay."

With an uninterrupted night to focus on his schoolwork, Jason took the opportunity to not only finish his geography essay for Mr Kaplan, but catch up on everything else as well. Satisfied he wouldn't have to cancel any future lessons, he returned to the Youth Centre the next night. He was just setting up when Jayden and Ji arrived, a full five minutes ahead of what was usually an unbreakable daily schedule. With Ji once again occupied by his books, Jayden was just working through some new moves when footsteps echoed through the building. Jason looked up and smiled.

"Zac, hey," he called. The jovial Black Ranger waved, and Jason turned to Jayden. "This is a friend of mine, Zac Taylor. I just need to talk to him. I'll be back in a minute."

"We missed you at the science fair tonight," Zac said, as Jason approached.

Jason's eyes grew wide. "That was tonight?" he asked. "I completely forgot. I'm sorry. Tell Billy I'll make it up to him."

"Dude, even Tommy remembered."

"It's on tomorrow night as well right? I'll be there, I promise."

Zac dropped down onto the step, and Jason joined him a second later. "It's not like you to forget about your friends," Zac began. "You seem distracted a lot lately. What's going on, man?"

Jason lowered his voice, and nodded over to where Jayden was executing almost flawless spin kicks. "I have this new student," he started. "His name's Jayden, and that's really all I know about him. He won't tell me his last name or where he's from. He begged me to study by himself, rather than join one of my other classes. He doesn't talk about his friends, and I haven't met any family." He nodded over to Ji. "All he has is his mentor, this Ji character, who sits in the corner and reads those old books all night. And I know what you're going to say. I'm a teacher. None of this is any of my business." But Jason's voice trailed off, and he shook his head. "I guess I'm worried about him."

"Well forget the teaching thing for a second. What does your gut tell you?"

Jason turned to meet Zac's gaze. "That something's not right here. He just seems so unhappy all the time. I don't know what to do."

Zac sat back. "He already trusts you this much, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So talk to him out of the dojo," Zac replied. "Maybe he needs to see you as less of a teacher, and more as a friend?"

Jason nodded slowly. "I'll give that a try. Thanks."

"No problem," Zac replied, then nodded to the door. "I gotta get back. See you at school tomorrow man."

A few minutes later, Ji promptly stood up, sliding the book he was reading into his knapsack. "Jayden," he said, tapping his watch. "We must go."

Jason frowned. Seeing the disappointment on Jayden's face, he remembered what Zac had suggested. "Hey," he began quickly. "My friend has a display in the school's science fair this year. I know it sounds dull, but he's one of the smartest people in the world. Last year he accidentally blew up the cafeteria, but in his defence, nobody was hurt, and ever since the lunch menu has been superb. You want to stop by tomorrow afternoon? There'll be plenty of kids there your age."

"A science fair?" Jayden repeated, the concept seemingly alien.

"No," Ji said angrily. They both turned to see him scowling. "Jayden, you know your training doesn't allow such pointless excursions. Tomorrow we work on symbol power. Same as always."

Jayden looked back to Jason. "I'm sorry. Destiny awaits, and all."

"That's fine, I shouldn't have asked," Jason said, and raised his hands in surrender. "I didn't mean to get you in trouble."

Jason watched as they left. Zac was right. There was something going on that he was missing. Pieces to the puzzle he hadn't found yet. But as he packed up for the night and switched off the lights, he thought back to the conversation he'd overheard the night of Jayden's first lesson.

It was obvious Ji wanted his young charge to keep a low profile. But what on Earth could they have been running from?

On the rocky shores of a river of blood, the messenger ran as fast as he could, tripping and sliding over the loose stones. His footsteps were the only sounds in the heavy, oppressive silence. The crimson water was still, with no hint of wind or current. Even the light here was sickly and weak. This was not a place for the living, where life was welcome to grow and flourish.

This was a place for the dead.

"Lord Sagasu!" the creature cried, with a coarse and inhuman screech. "We have news!"

Ahead along the riverbank, a tall figure turned away from a wooden boat in the distance, and gazed down at the creature fast approaching. "And what information have my Yokai warriors learned?" Sagasu asked. "Talk quickly, imp. I tire of your failings."

"We have found them!" came the reply. Sagasu's eyes lit up. "We have located the township they fled to! And once he is at his most vulnerable, we can strike!"

Sagasu grinned triumphantly. "I knew we would catch them eventually," he said. "And with him out of our way, the surface world will fall and drown, and we will be free at last! This is great news. Gather every Yokai warrior that you can! Go!"

Sagasu watched as the creature raced away. Behind him, the ground shook with heavy footsteps, and a long shadow fell over him. Sagasu glanced back to the giant beast towering over him.

"You hear that Oni?" Sagasu asked. "The prize is within our reach. Come, we have work to do!"