I don't own anything except the Takahari family

Note: This is another chapter from Ryan's perspective. I find that sometimes you can get a better feel for the character when he is seen through someone else's eyes.

Three days after Lenus got away from Fletz with the Moon Dagger, we boarded the Tiberoan flagship, the Queen Fury, at Donau, for the trip to the island city Fueno.

Kongol's reaction was brief. "Kongol is excited. This bigger than me."

I was more cynical, as usual. "We've got bigger back home. I mean, just to get from Japan to Alaska you have to travel on something two or three times the size of this boat."

Albert and Meru seemed almost offended. "Maybe, but this is the biggest we've got," Albert said. "You have to remember that certain things are a matter of perspective. To anyone from Tiberoa, this represents the cutting edge of technology."

"Can we just get on with this?" Ian asked. "We dohave a ship to catch."

We were quickly welcomed aboard by the ship's second-in-command, who was, oddly enough, a young girl. Presumably the girl, Kayla, was rather precocious, since she seemed to have a very good idea of what was going on with the ship.

After the Queen Furyleft port, our group dispersed, finding various locations on the ship where solitude was possible. By twilight I had found the prow of the ship, near where Shana was talking to seagulls. Odd that this planet, so far from Earth, should also have seagulls, the prolific scavengers. On the other hand, seagulls are everywhere on Earth, so why not every life-bearing planet?

Looking aft, I spotted Ian on the top of the crow's nest, above the platform. Predictably, despite the wind, the rocking of the ship, and the small size of the mast's top, he was standing as if on level ground, gazing out upon the sea. I recognized this mood of his, having seen it numerous times when going between our homes in Alaska and Japan via ship. The sea always seemed to put him in a contemplative mood.

Deciding to see what was up, I headed aft to the ship's interior, where I could get to the crow's nest. I passed Shana along the way.

"Hi, Ryan." She had evidently noticed my presence. "What's up?"

I pointed at the mast. "Ian's gone moody. I want to see what's bothering him."

"I guess he would have some things to think about. I think his time here has affected him more than you."

"I guess so. Most of the time since I got here was spent as a puppet, whereas Ian's been in the thick of things." I fell silent for a moment. "I don't think he intends to go back, either. The only other place I've seen him this much at peace was a place in our world called Alaska. It's far to the north, with nothing but cold, empty expanses of snow all around. Even the mountains of Japan where the family dojo was located didn't put him as much at ease."

Shana looked thoughtful. "You've said you're assassins." I nodded, puzzled by the apparent non sequitur. "When did Ian first kill a person?"

A light dawned. "I'm not sure. He's never mentioned it." I spoke slowly, contemplating something that I had never before considered. "One night, though, Ian returned to the dojo with an odd air about him. He went straight to his room and didn't come out for three days. When he finally did, I got the impression that he hadn't slept, but had rather been meditating. That was about three or four years ago, when he was thirteen or fourteen."

"Would that have been around the time he first went to Alaska?"

"I think so. After that night, Ian always seemed a little preoccupied while at the dojo. And there was one nearby mountain that he refused to go anywhere near, one which he had previously climbed fairly regularly. Something happened then, and ever since, Ian's only truly been at ease in the snowy wastes. Until he came here."

Shana nodded slowly. "So Japan's mountains weren't home for him anymore. I'd wondered why he didn't seem very depressed at the thought of not being able to go back. Ian probably thinks that this is the best thing that's happened to him in a long time."

I shook my head in confusion. "You seem to know my brother better than I do."

Shana shrugged. "Remember that Ian was with our group for a while before you joined us. After the events before and after his arrival in Endiness, he's changed somewhat, and he was probably in a certain amount of shock. I think Ian revealed more of his inner thoughts than he otherwise would have, and you simply weren't here to witness it."

"You're probably right." I thought about it some more. It made sense, especially since I wasn't thinking clearly the first week or so after meeting Ian again. After the assassins killed our parents, and he inexplicably arrived in this world, he'd have felt vulnerable. He would have found the first group he could trust and stuck with them, learning about the world that was now his home.

Thinking about it now, I realized that the Serdian War had sparked something in Ian, giving him a cause to fight for and friends to fight alongside. He'd bonded with his comrades, and would accompany them to the underworld, if that was what it took to make things right in Endiness. I knew now that he had no reason to go back to Japan or Alaska, that he had no desire to do. Ian would almost certainly remain here even after we settled things with Lloyd.

"Yeah, I guess you're right at that. Well, thanks for the insights. I'm gonna go see what Ian's up to. Besides the top of the crow's nest, that is." Finally heading into the ship's cabin, I climbed to the bridge. From there, I could climb to the high point where my twin brother was brooding.

I passed Dart near the ladder. He looked up briefly. "Hey, Ryan. Looking for Ian?"

"Yeah. Anyone else up there?"

He nodded. "Rose is in the crow's nest itself. Not sure what she's doing."

I shrugged. "Have we ever had any idea what Rose is thinking about?" I continued to the ladder, climbing to the top. From there, I was forced to levitate, hovering next to Ian.

He didn't even seem to notice me, appearing to be oblivious to everything but the ocean and murmuring under his breath. I caught a few lines of John Masefield's poem Sea Fever, which I knew to be a favorite of his.

Ian finally turned to look at me. "Hello, Ryan. What brings you up here?"

I shook my head. Always the same with him. "I was going to ask you the same thing. I know you like the sea, but it's not like you to brood on top of a mast."

Ian laid a hand on the hilt of the katana slung on his back. "It just brings back memories. Do you know why I went to Alaska when I was thirteen?" Without waiting for an answer, he went on. "I needed to get away from Japan's familiar mountains for a while. That was when I first killed a man."

He gazed at his hands for a moment, as if seeing blood on them. "I was going on a hike up the mountain, the way I always used to, when someone dropped out of tree off to my right, a gun in his hand. He never said a word, just began shooting at me."

Ian didn't seem to be in the here-and-now. He was lost in his memories. "I had no choice. I pulled my sword, which has since been lost, and rushed him. I don't think he expected a young ninja to show so little fear. As it was, it startled him enough that I was able to kill him without his firing another shot. I ran him through, and it was over. I had made my first human kill. After that, I just had to get away for a while. You don't forget something like that."

"Did you ever find out anything about him?" As I had suspected, this was something I'd never heard about.

"Yeah. Two years ago, I met a ninja from another clan. He mentioned that that year a group had been formed with one purpose: killing ninja. The ninja-hunters had managed to kill two, but were quickly hunted down after that." Ian gazed at the sea again. "In fact, I first thought that the assassins at the dojo were remnants of the group."

I nodded. "But they weren't." It wasn't a question.

"No. They were Sandorans, and they made the Serdian War personal. I came to Endiness, and met Dart, Lavitz, and Shana. I went with them to Bale to meet the king, and stuck with them through the assault on Hoax. I continued with them after Rose joined our group, and I became a Dragoon. I fought with them when we rescued Albert, and battled Doel alongside them after Lavitz's death." Ian had again forgotten my presence. "You know, I kept expecting to wake up at home, to find that this was all a dream. I hoped that I would. And then Lloyd murdered Lavitz. Then I wanted nothing more than kill him with my bare hands, and I lost all desire to go home."

So I was right… I let Ian talk, not wanting to disturb him.

He looked at me again. "I'm not going back, Ryan. Endiness is my home now. All that's left for me in Japan is memories, and Alaska, while peaceful, doesn't need me." Ian stared into the distance. "But here, I have comrades, a cause, something to fight for. I'll fight with Dart, Rose, and the rest for as long as the battle is there to be fought. When we have stopped Lloyd, I'll find somewhere in this world to settle for a while, until I'm needed again." He chuckled humorlessly. "Believe me, there'll be a need for the Dragoons again. Regrettably, there is no true peace in this life. As long as there are people, there will be conflict and evil. As long as there is conflict and evil, the Dragoons will be needed."

"We'll be with you," I said. "Karen and I will be here, too. Besides, life is dull for an unemployed ninja."

Ian nodded absently. "Maybe, when this is over, I'll start teaching a new generation of ninja, the first in Endiness. Along with Haschel, maybe. Teach them in the Rouge School."

"Well, don't get too far ahead of yourself. We've still got to kill that piece of slime Lloyd. And it's a little early to be talking about the 'next generation'. We're only seventeen, and Karen's only fifteen. We've got a long time to worry about this."

Ian simply nodded. Then I headed back down, leaving him to his thoughts.

Author's note: That one was a bit longer. On the matter of John Masefield's poem, if you haven't read it, I suggest you do so. In my opinion, no one should go without reading it at least once.

Also, as I mentioned in the opening notes, I chose to do this chapter from Ryan's perspective because, in my view, it revealed more of Ian's character and background than it would have if I'd done it from Ian's point of view. Anyway, read it and let me know what you think of it. ~Solid Shark