Ryo stared up at the bedroom ceiling, thinking. Who was Kage? Was Kage the Mr. Hyde to his Dr. Jekyll? Who was he exactly? Ryo sighed, pushed himself up, stood, and stretched. He turned to his mirror and stared. The reflection was his and yet…not. His reflection smirked and Ryo gasped.

"Are you…?"

Kage? Yup.

"How…what…how can you…?"

Why so startled? I've been with you all the time. I'm a part of you. When you say my name, it feels like you're saying your own, right? You and I are the same person. But soon…I will be in control, not you.

Ryo smashed the mirror, glad the guys were out. He heard Kage's…his…laugh echo in his mind.

"This can't be happening…"

Too bad.

Kage drummed his fingers on the desk as Ryo strained to follow the math lesson. It had been a week since Kisu had killed people in the school. He had taken the words Kisu had said and was slowly gaining strength over Ryo. He could now control Ryo's body without alerting Ryo. He was getting good at it. A smirk tugged at his lips which he quickly quelled. That would give him away. He had continued playing small pranks, but nothing major. Just enough to annoy. But, in order to claim both mind and body, he'd have to get Ryo to feel frustrated, useless, and hate. Then Ryo would be his, and he would be free to wreck havoc. He was almost done reading Ryo's history, and he had been endlessly amused.

'Sheer stubbornness is all that has gotten him through life.'

As Ryo plotted the downfall of trigonometric derivatives, Kage planned Ryo's.

Kage opened his eyes and smiled. Ryo was asleep, so he had free roam. He stood, stretched, looked quickly into the mirror to be certain Ryo was asleep, and changed into regular clothes. He paused at the door and listened with both his mind and ears, making certain that the rest of the household was sleeping. Satisfied that they were, he grimaced and walked through the door, emerging on the other side without a sound. He stood and thought. He had to get Ryo frustrated. He reached into the jean's pocket and withdrew the armor ball, and his eyes widened.

"Perfect..." he breathed.

He replaced the deep, almost black, crimson ball in his pocket and went down the stairs. If Ryo battled, he would be useless. The armor was no longer Wildfire. It hadn't been since he had spent time with Kisu. He, Kage, was in control of the armor, so Ryo wouldn't be able to call it without letting him take over. And once that was done, he had no intention of helping, no matter how Ryo pleaded. But how else could he work on Ryo…?

He quietly left the house and walked towards the lake, humming softly to himself. Once he reached the lake he whispered a few words and a large, Dynasty Gate wavered into reality before him.

Kisu, I need you.

The door opened enough to allow one person out before disappearing, leaving a dark figure walking across the water to him.

"Yes?"

Kage shivered at the sound of his voice and the gentle touch on his cheek.

"I need advice and ideas. I've been learning who Ryo is, his secrets, and the Ronin's secrets. I have control of his body when I need to, but to ensnare his mind and make him mine I need him to feel malign, to hate, to be frustrated with himself and with his friends, and to make him useless. But who should I make him hate? It can't be me, because I won't be able to join with him then…"

"Yuu."

"What?"

"You can make him hate Yuu. And I'll be happy to help."

"How?"

"Color how Ryo sees him. Twist the words in his mind. Admiration can turn to envy, which can turn to hate. If you're careful and skillful, it won't take long. This tactic can also be applied to the other Ronins…after all, Shu and he argue a lot…it'll be easy to fan the flame then."

Kage thought, then smiled. "Sounds good."

"Start working, and I'll attack in two days."

"Alright."

As Kage turned to leave, Kisu grabbed his wrist.

"I don't give my help for free."

"So?"

Kisu pulled Kage close to him, and looked into his eyes. "You owe me. I won't collect now, but remember that you have a debt to me."

He kissed Kage lightly, then smiled wickedly.

"But for now, that will do."

Kage watched him leave, trying to catch his breath and calm his body as Kisu disappeared into the Dynasty.

"Damn…"

Kage turned and walked back to the house, filled with purpose and desire.

The next day was the first time Kage saw Yuu and his sense of shock clashed with Ryo's happiness, leaving them both bewildered.

"What's wrong, Ryo? You look dazed."

"N-nothing. Just have a small cold."

Kage wasted no time, and began to poison Yuu's words.

He thinks you're stupid.

Does not!

Dazed isn't exactly complimentary. In being as confused as it means, it also implies that you aren't exactly intelligent.

You're wrong! I'm…smart…

Every phrase of Yuu's was picked apart and filtered by Kage, leaving Ryo annoyed and flustered at the end of school. Kage quieted down for after-school, evening, and night, but after noon the next day, Kage randomly presented Ryo with every bad experience and mistake he had ever made. Ryo swung between annoyance at Yuu and annoyance at himself. Shin noticed, and asked for the reason for Ryo's behavior, but Ryo snapped at him, his eyes a little brighter blue than they had been before.