Bad News

He walked into the dojo just as the sun rose in the horizon and cast the fist sunbeams down on the sword in his hand. He had for the last couple of hours been sitting down on the beach. Trying to figure the secrets of the sword, but without any luck and it had only giving him more questions. He knew it was now time for him to return the sword to its place, so he walked over to the shrine, where he placed the sword.

"You succeeded in bringing it back. Ii desu yo."

Terry turned around and saw Mr. Lee, who stepped out of the shadows in the dojo.

"Hai, so it was just a test?"

Mr. Lee nodded.

"I needed to know, if you really are The One."

"What do you mean?"

Mr. Lee just smiled.

"You will know, when it's time, but now you have other commitments."

After the last word he turned around and left the dojo. Terry, who didn't understand anything, ran after him, but when he came outside the dojo was there no sight of Mr. Lee. It was like he had disappeared into the air.

Terry sighted deeply and began walking up to the school, when he suddenly heard someone cry after help in Japanese. Quickly he began to run in the direction to where he believed the call came from. Not long after he saw Marco and his group of followers standing in a circle around a little boy, who Terry first believed was Martin, but then he realized it must been one of the housekeepers sons, since he spoke Japanese. Marco and his followers pushed the little boy between them as they make fun of him.

"Just speak English or else we will never let you go."

"Tasukete!" (Help!)

Terry walked closer and met the little boy's eyes. As he saw the desperation in them he knew that the time had come, so he walked over to the group, who hadn't seen him coming.

"Don't you have anything better to do that torture small kids?"

Marco turned around with a jerk, but when he saw it was just Terry he began to relax.

"Oh, it's just you, "Batman". Go away and let us big boys play alone."

"I don't think so."

Their eyes met for a second, but then Marco looked down as he saw the determination in Terry's eyes. Terry squatted down and called the little boy over to him. First the boy didn't move, but then Terry calm him down with speaking Japanese. Marco, who recognized the language, saw it as a way to reclaim the control over the situation.

"Well, it looks like your own little "Batman" has learnt a thing or so, but that's only what you could expect, when he mix with people like that old fool to Mr. Lee."

Terry sent him a glance, which made Marco realized, that he just had made a huge mistake.

"What do you want?"

They both knew that there was on way back now. This was going to end in a fight. Therefore Marco, who believed he knew Terry's fighting ability, answered Terry by hit out after him. Skillfully Terry duck away and got out of Marco's reach. Marco, who hadn't expected Terry to move, lost his balance and felt down on the ground. Terry walked over to him and offered him a hand, but Marco angrily pushed it away and stood up.

Terry could almost see the steam coming out of Marco's ears as he angrily attacked Terry again. Marco had now forgot everything he ever had learnt about fighting and just wanted to take Terry down. Terry, who had seen the changes in Marco, knew that he better had to do something, before Marco was going to hurt himself. Therefore he quickly reached out and pressed some points in Marco's neck as Marco came racing towards him like an angry bull. It immediately had an effect on Marco, who felt to the ground and was paralyzed.

The other boys, who had been spectators to the fight, walked frightened back as Terry stepped over to Marco and undid the pressure he had done to Marco's Qi. Terry knew how serious it could be, if he didn't do that, even though liked the idea a little. Instantly Marco was able to move again, but felt like all the energy in him had been sucked out of him.

"What is happing here?"

They turned around and saw that Anna came walking down from the school. None of them said anything as she came over to them. Terry sighted as he realized he was going to take the fall for this, but then something happened, which took him by a surprise. One of the boys from Marco's group stepped forward.

"It was Marco, miss Lee. He attacked Terry as Terry was walking back from the dojo. Terry tried no to fight him, but in the end he had to stop him."

Anne frowned her eyebrows, but she didn't said what she was thinking. Instead she looked over at Marco, who still was lying on the ground.

"We will talk about this later, but take Marco up to his room and then go down for your breakfast. I need to talk with Terry."

Happy that it was over the boys lifted their former leader up and carried him away between them. Anna turned to Terry and shook her head.

"Sheep! That is what they are. They are so keen on following, that they changes sides in a heartbeat."

"You saw what happened?"

She nodded.

"I have been watching you for a long time and I was wondering, when you was going to put him in his place."

"What do you mean?"

"Come let us walk down to the beach…"

She walked over to Terry and laid an arm around him arm. They began to walk down the path.

"…Marco has always been afraid of you. Normally he can quickly get the control over the new ones, but you never gave in. That had never happened before and it scared him. With each day you have been here he has felt his control over the school weaken."

Terry stopped.

"But if you know, why don't you just stop it?"

She looked over at him with a sad look in her eyes.

"You saw how quickly they were to change sides. They need a leader and they chosen Marco to that role. If I took him away from them, then he will just raise in their minds. I hope someday that they will be able to see the person that he really are, but in the mean time there is nothing I can do…"

She began to walk again.

"… I can only try to control the things, but still I can't be everywhere. Beside Marco's is a paying student. I need to have some of those to survive, but that was not what I wanted to talk with you about."

They had reached the beach, so they sat down in the sand. Anna looked over at him with at worried look in her eyes.

"Bruce has just called."

Terry looked down.

"I know that he is disappoint with…"

A gesture from Anna made him stop.

"It's not that… Your mother has been admitted to the hospital. She passed out at work and it seems to be something very serious."

He looked up on her with disbelief in his eyes, so she laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I have arranged it with Bruce, so you fly back to Gotham tonight."

She gave him a hug and left him to be alone with his thoughts.