Kirigi just stood there, smirking, for what seemed like eternity. I wished he would say something. I found myself wishing that he got angry at me. Instead he just kept on smirking.

"Are you done needing time?" Kirigi finally asked. "My patience is quickly wearing thin."

"Then you should've taken me when you had the chance," I said, trying to pull my chain free of his grip. "I don't want to become a member of The Hand anymore."

"Then why are you alive?" Kirigi asked me. "I told you that if you didn't join I would kill you. Why did you say you would if you didn't mean it?"

"Because when you first asked me I did mean it. I felt like selling my soul to the devil. Now I don't, so stop trying so hard to get me," I said through clenched teeth, trying to pull the chain free. I knew that it would've been smart to just let go and run, but the last time I let Kirigi have my chain, things didn't exactly go so well.

"Kirigi!" We both jumped at the sound of the voice. I turned and saw that old guy who was a friend of Elektra's. "Let her go!"

Kirigi looked frightened for the first time that I had seen him. He immediately tried to hide it, though. "Another day, old man," he said. He turned to me. "This discussion isn't finished, Treasure," he said. Then he was gone, and I followed a whole bunch of guys in white suits into the forest, knowing that I could trust them.

They took me to a kind of training camp, where the old guy, whose name is Stick, told me Elektra used to train. That got me excited because I wanted to fight like Elektra. The next day I started training, and I turned to face my opponent when Stick came over and told me not to look for my opponent, but know where he is. I started up again and saw Stick talking to Elektra. I stopped fighting for a moment to grin at Elektra then turned around and saw my next opponent coming toward me. I fought him off easily.

That afternoon, I walked into Elektra's cabin and saw her sais sitting on a table. I picked them up and swung them around, like I had seen Elektra do many times. I did this for a couple minutes, and then I heard Elektra coming. I quickly ran over to the door and stood up against the wall. I heard her counting her steps, and realized that she has O.C.D. It actually struck me as funny that my hero could have such a weird disease. She walked in and walked straight over to the table.

"Still breaking and entering, I see?" She asked it as a question but it came out as more of a statement. "Keep practicing. You're going to need it."

The next week passed without incident. One morning, I woke up and saw Elektra in a kind of trance. "We will meet where it all began," she said. Then she came back to reality.

"What was that all about?" I asked her.

"Kirigi and I are going into a final fight. One of us is going to die, and I promise you, it won't be me."

"Good," I said, partially because I didn't want Elektra dead and partly because I did want Kirigi dead. He was an evil man; they didn't come eviler than Kirigi. "Can I come?"

"I would appreciate it if you did," Elektra said. "I'm kind of hesitant, though, because Kirigi might be able to capture you."

"Not if you're fighting him," I said.

"We both agreed to come alone. He's not going to abide by that rule. He's going to bring his entire army. He might send about fifty people to fight me, and then take you, or he may fight me and send people after you. I don't know what he's going to do. We should talk to your father."

"No!" I said suddenly. "Please don't tell him. He'll forbid me to go. I know he will."

"Why?" Elektra asked.

"Ever since we left Baltimore, he's been really protective over me, especially when it came to The Hand. I think he's afraid he'll lose me like he lost Mom. I want to fight Kirigi, though."

"What if something does happen to you, though?" Elektra asked.

"Then we'll worry about that when it happens. Please, just let me fight. I can hold my own against The Hand." What I didn't say was why. I just had a feeling that even though I told Kirigi I didn't want to join The Hand he would still come after me, and not to kill me.