Chapter 2

One

In another land, a man woke up from his uncomfortable position on the ground. He woke up to realize that he was sprawled on rocky ground, seemingly somewhere in the mountains of…somewhere. He reached up to rub his aching forehead only to notice a steel cuff with a few links of chain hanging on the end. There was another on his left hand also; it said "Ein". A breeze wafted through the trees, and the sudden chill made him realize that he wasn't wearing a shirt, only red pants. The man looked down at his body, staring in wonder at the tan muscles, confused by the unfamiliarity of his own appendages.

Is this my body? he thought, running his hands along his hard stomach. How did I get this way? Why am I lying here?

The man stood up with a wave of nausea rushing to his brain. I've got to get help. But do I need it?

Then he noticed them. All of them. Numerous little puncture holes in his body with stitching over them. Long, pencil thin gashes from his hip to underneath his underarm. Blood stains on his red pants. Yes, he needed help.

His brain yelled at him to run, but his body went into an autopilot stealth mode. Instead of a normal jog to find people who might help him, the man crouched in the shadows of his surroundings, jumped onto tree branches, and moved without a sound.

How do I know how to do this?

A sound froze every muscle in his body. Footsteps, his brain thought immediately. Fast, like someone's running.

His eyes darted to the right, and he saw it. A girl. She was young looking, wearing a white karate gi, hands in fists pumping away, her hair held back by a white headband. Her face did not seem strained, but he could hear her breath labored by the exercise. He breathed with her. The man wanted to leave the cover of the shadows, but then he heard another sound and froze.

To the girl's right, someone jumped out of the bushes and tackled the girl to the ground. She grunted in surprise and tried to fight off her attacker, but could not get up. Then the man acted.

Faster than a tiger attacking its kill, he jumped out from behind his cover, landing a swift kick to the attacker's middle and knocking him off the girl. The attacker was tall, wearing karate gear similar to the girl's, but black. "What the hell are you doing, pal?" he yelled, his face covered with a mask. The attacker leapt to his feet, backing away from the mysterious rescuer.

"Get away from her!" the man screamed back. The sound of his voice startled him. It was just as unfamiliar as his own name.

"No, you get away!" the attacker yelled, taking a fighting stance.

Instinctively, the man took his own. I don't want to fight, yet everything inside me tells me that I must!

But why?

The attacker threw a high punch that was easily dodged and immediately hit in the back of the head for. The man turned around to block the stream of kicks and punches from the attacker, who kept hitting in amazement that the man did not tire or budge. When his attacks were finished, the man reached back, and although moving his hand forward a mere six inches in front of his chest, the punch sent the attacker into the bushes he jumped out of, except about twenty more feet back. The man could feel the power rushing through his body, as if charged by the fight like a battery.

What is this feeling? Why does fighting come naturally to me?

"Sir!"

A call from the girl startled the man out of his daze. "Sir! Are you all right?" she asked. Hitomi looked over the bare-chested man before her. He was very handsome with rich brown eyes and hair, and chiseled muscles. She had to keep from blushing, especially when this stranger just beat up her friend.

"Are you bleeding?" asked Hitomi, walking up to the man and squinting at his bare body.

"I…I don't think so," he replied slowly.

"Thank you for saving me, although it wasn't necessary," the girl said cheerfully. "This run is part of my training. My father runs the dojo here, and one of our exercises is to run two miles and then successfully fight off an 'attacker'. It's for self-defense, but you obviously have enough for yourself to demonstrate on my friend Darien over there."

The man nodded, but did not say anything. He glanced in the general direction of where painful groans echoed from behind the bushes.

"May I ask you your name? You know, civilians aren't supposed to go all the way out here because we use these grounds to train in," the girl continued. "Of course, the civilians here think we're some sort of heathens or-"

"Where is here?" interrupted the man.

Hitomi was taken aback with his questions. She looked at the odd visitor with a slight smile before realizing that he asked her a genuine question. "You don't know where you are, sir?"

The man shook his head. If I knew, I wouldn't be asking, now would I?

"How about your name?

The man opened his mouth, but shook his head again. "You can call me Ein, I suppose." He held out his left arm to show her the faint etching in his wrist cuff. There were more scars along the inside of his arm.

"Oh my," the girl gasped. "Well, Ein, how about I take you to my father? We'll help you get your bearings here and maybe you'll remember after some rest and first aid for your cuts."

The man, now called Ein, nodded and followed the girl's notion. She was very nice. Maybe she and her father could help him.

"But, uh, before we go, do you mind…?" the girl pointed back at the bushes, where Darien tried to stand up.

Ein walked back and easily picked up the wrongly-abused boy. "I'm really sorry," he apologized when they started walking.

Darien just nodded off, draped over Ein's thick arms.

Just around the mountain, Ein's breath was stolen by the beautiful scenery before him. Further ahead, at the top of a flight of stairs, was a stone building, ancient and oriental-looking. "Are we going there?" he asked, stopping to stare around him.

"Yep!" giggled the girl. "My name is Hitomi, and that's where I live, my father's dojo. Welcome to Germany!"

"So you don't remember anything about yourself, Ein?" asked Heiko, a stern-looking man, from behind his work desk. Hitomi's father was largely built and strong, but his face gave the softest of expressions as he talked.

Ein shook his head. It was amazingly quiet inside the white office, despite its location in the middle of the dojo. With glass windows on both sides, Ein could see the rows and rows of practicing students, ranging from young kids, to teenagers Hitomi's age, and older adults. On his right stood Hitomi, who wrapped a towel around an ice pack for her friend Darien, who stayed in a cot against the far wall. He felt slightly guilty for his condition.

"Hitomi says you are quite the fighter," Heiko continued. "Not much impresses her much since I raised her in my dojo, not even her old man, so I am very curious of your ability…especially since you don't have any kind of memories of even learning."

Ein shrugged his shoulders. Yes, it was impressive to these fighting types of people, but it scared him deep down. What kind of life had he led that requires such a high degree of fighting skills?

"Because I have many students who come here to train for months at a time, I'm sure I have an open room for you to stay here until you have recovered your memory," Hitomi's father continued, looking into his eyes.

Uncomfortable, Ein glanced at Hitomi. Her blue eyes sparkled with excitement as she returned the gaze. She smiled and nodded her head, urging Ein to take the offer. "Are you sure?" Ein asked, very wary of their kindness.

"Absolutely," Heiko said, smiling. "My daughter adores you, you must!"

"Dad!" Hitomi protested, blushing a deep red. She turned back around to tend to an unconscious Darien.

Heiko chuckled. "It does cost money to rent out our rooms, but under your circumstances, I will provide you a room and food if you promise to train here and let me see your talent. It will be a fair exchange and a great experience for all of us."

Hitomi snuck a glance at her father; she couldn't believe how generous he treated the stranger. Not noticing Hitomi's surprise, Ein smiled and nodded his head. "Thank you so much for your kindness," he said.

"Don't mention it," replied Heiko. He shuffled through his desk drawers until he pulled out a stack of papers. "I'll see if there is a private suite open and call our doctor so he can take a look at your physical health in case there's anything wrong that we can't tell just by looking at you. Hitomi, take care of Ein, I will be right back."

"Yes, father," she said, getting up. She walked to a closet, pulled out some folded garments, and walked back to Ein with the clothes in a neat stack. "These are a few clothes you can wear for now: a karate gi, our uniform sweat pants and shirts. When you're training, there's not much room for fashion."

"Arigato," Ein said, bowing his head and taking the pile. He looked back up at a just-as-stunned Hitomi. "What did I just say?"

"I think…I think you spoke Japanese," Hitomi stammered. "Maybe you're from Japan…" She paused and then suddenly smiled. "I'm half Japanese, you know."

"Really?"

Hitomi nodded. "My mother was Japanese, and my father is German. His name seems Japanese anyway, doesn't it? He just loves the culture so much. Of course, the English-speaking students call him Master Rick, since that's what it translates to, but even if you call him Grand Master of the Universe, he'll answer to it all."

Ein laughed and looked at the young girl. She acted much older than she looked. "Where is your mother? What does she think about you and all this fighting?"

Hitomi's eyes grew sad, and Ein instantly regretted the question. "My mother died when I was very young," she replied quietly. "After her death, my father moved me out here where he could train all the time and not think about missing her. He believes I should be strong and capable of things like self-defense, but he's never let me in a real fight or competition. I think he's afraid of losing me too."

"I'm so sorry I asked," Ein said. He looked down at his pile of clothes, unsure of what to do next.

Hitomi smiled with a new cheery air. "Don't worry about it! I'm all grown-up, I'm okay about it."

"Uhm…just hold old are you, Hitomi?"

"Nineteen," she said in a teasing manner. "But that's older than one!"

Ein wrinkled his eyebrows in confusion, and Hitomi just sighed. "Ein means 'one' in German! But I'm not surprised that you don't know it since you speak Japanese."

Ein laughed and looked at the metal cuffs around his wrists. Was he German or Japanese? Maybe both like Hitomi, but he didn't know. Hitomi pulled a chair across from Ein and moved his clothes pile onto her father's desk. With skilled and graceful hands, she held out one of Ein's wrists. She pulled out a bobby pin from her headband and began to pick at a small key hole with the pin. Ein studied her face as she worked. Something about her almond-shaped eyes and smooth, round cheeks eased his thoughts.

Then he saw her.

The image flashed so suddenly in his mind. A girl, with long hair tied back with a flowing ribbon and almond-shaped eyes like Hitomi's, appeared so beautiful to Ein. She smiled at him, then disappeared, leaving only a stream of pink leaves.

Hitomi looked up to find Ein staring at her and blushed. She felt his brown eyes flicker with energy, sensing a strong force raging within his mind, but unable to show itself. The metal cuff clicked open. "The other students will call you Ein because I know you'll be the number one student in this dojo," said Hitomi as she smiled and handed Ein the metal cuff with his namesake on it.

Ein snapped out of his reverie and smiled back at Hitomi. Perhaps recovering his memory wouldn't take too long after all. But who was that girl? He felt a deep connection to her, although he couldn't remember anything about her. As he sat while Hitomi worked on his other wrist, Heiko returned to the office.

"Here is the key to your room, Ein," he said. "It has everything you'll need for now, but if there's anything else you'd like, just ask myself or my daughter. I am about to start a class with my advanced students, so I'll let Hitomi show you to your quarters. Welcome to my dojo, Ein! I expect to see you tomorrow at noon on the mats right outside my office. I want to see exactly how skilled you are, since you knocked out my best student. Have a wonderful day."

Exiting with many more thanks and apologies, Ein followed Hitomi past the fighting mats and up wooden stairs down a long hall lined with many numbered doors. They finally stopped at a door at the very end, where Hitomi gave the key to her guest. "Father's room is right across from yours," she said. "I suppose he really wants to keep watch over you. My room is down the other end of the hall; we separate guys from girls on each floor, although you're welcome to visit whomever you please. If you need anything, just ask me, but everyone here is very friendly…unless, of course, you're fighting them."

The next morning, Ein woke up from a refreshing sleep on the comfortable bed in his room. There was a nightstand right next to his bed, a tall dresser across the room, and a desk with a lamp on it against the other wall. "I guess when you come to train here, it's all you're getting," he thought, walking over to the desk. His metal cuffs were there, next to a clock that said it was ten. He dressed himself in the karate outfit he was given the previous day.

A knock at the door startled Ein. He went to open it and found Hitomi and a newly-recovered Darien standing on the other side. "Good morning," he said. Then, putting a hand on Darien's shoulder, asked, "How are you doing?"

Darien cringed with the pressure on his body. "Great, except your grip is killing me!"

Hitomi laughed as Ein let go as he apologized profusely and allowed them inside his room. "I'm sorry there's not much more in these rooms, but father likes to keep it simple for his students so they can learn. But you can bring whatever you'd like here, and that's why Darien and I are bothering you so early. Take a look at this."

Darien limped forward, held out a thick geography book, and gave it to Ein. He flipped through the pages, and then looked up at his visitors. "What is this?"

"The doctor said you're in perfect physical health, but you have amnesia. He said it could have been physically induced, like you hit your head hard enough that you can't remember anything or…" She looked directly into Ein's eyes. "Something so traumatic happened to you that you won't let yourself remember."

Ein searched the limited events in his mind. The only thing traumatic that he could remember was the doctor's visit after he settled in his room last night, specifically the pricking of needle after needle. And that girl he saw in Heiko's office. Could she have hurt him? Ein remembered feeling happy when he saw her face.

Darien opened the cover and pointed at a page in the book. It was filled with colorful pictures of different looking people and maps. "This is a book my parents got me when I got accepted into Master Heiko's karate school. I dream of traveling all over the world when I'm a famous karate fighter. Each chapter features a new country, pictures of famous places, and samples of their language. Hitomi said you spoke Japanese yesterday, so we figured you could look at some places and see if it'll jog your memory."

Ein looked at the young faces. They knew who they were and what they wanted to do, and yet, they were kind enough to help someone who didn't even know his real name. Ein looked at the open page: Italy. He couldn't understand the Italian words on the page. Did he have to look at the entire book to find his past?

He flipped to the chapter on Japan. "Downtown Tokyo," the caption underneath a picture of tall buildings with bright lights and billboards said. Ein's eyes skimmed it to see if he recognized the place. He didn't, but discovered something else. He could read what the signs said: electronics, Crossroads Junior High School, and the rest of the signs in the picture. His heart skipped a beat as he skimmed the next picture. No words, just an average family. Nothing. Then he saw it: a great forest. Ein couldn't tell if he remembered being there, but his heart was now racing. Closing his eyes, he saw the girl once more, but this time, she smiled at him as she stood among the same trees. Were they the same trees?

The scene disappeared, and Ein opened his eyes to a startled Hitomi and Darien. "Are you okay?" she asked, concern showing in her face.

"Yes," Ein replied, rubbing the sweat off his forehead. His brain pounded, but he knew. He could read Japanese and that girl lived in the forest. But his heart told him not to tell his friends this. "I think I'm just hungry. Can we go eat something?"

Hitomi glanced at Darien, who was just as clueless to what happened. She took the book and put it on the desk. "Breakfast is served at seven thirty, but lunch is about to be served in an hour. Until then, we can show you around the dojo," she said, still suspicious of what Ein knew.

The trio walked through the grounds of the fighting facility. Outside, Ein was impressed by the beautiful view of the mountains and its peacefulness. Inside, Ein was barraged by people welcoming him to the dojo and excitedly waiting to see how powerful the mysterious stranger was. Ein didn't remember a single name, and when they finally stopped at a table to eat in the mess hall, he was more confused than when Hitomi found him.

"After you eat, you better be ready for father's class," Hitomi said, biting into a sandwich. "I think the entire school knows about you and are planning to watch you fight."

"Is it that big of a deal that I'm here?" Ein asked. "I'm just a nobody."

Hitomi frowned at his statement. "My father's dojo is the most famous in the country, Ein. The adults who train here have been fighting all of their lives, and the kids who are learning have parents who pay a lot of money to send them here. This place is a boarding school, fighting arena…"

"And in other words, elite," interrupted Darien. "For Master Heiko to just take in a stranger, let alone a stranger who doesn't even know his past, is a big deal."

"Not to mention Darien's and my reputations are on the line," scoffed Hitomi. It was Ein's time to frown, but Hitomi shook her head and smiled back. "Just…pretend like you're beating up on Darien again, and you'll impress everyone, I promise! Remember, you're 'Ein'!"

Ein smiled and they finished eating their lunch amidst the buzzing cafeteria.

Hitomi wasn't lying; the three had a hard time getting into the main fighting hall because the rest of the school was already there. She led him to the middle of the floor, as Darien was led away by a group of boys his age. Ein could hear the whispers of everyone around them. Strangely, they were as loud as if the people were talking to his face. Hitomi, on the other hand, didn't look daunted by the crowd. She only stared ahead at two brown doors.

"I believe in you, Ein," she said, not looking at him.

Ein looked down at the girl at his side. He didn't know what to expect. Before he could reply, the doors opened and the crowd hushed immediately. Everyone, including Hitomi, dropped down to kneel. Ein was left standing, finally realizing that Heiko had walked through the doors. He began to bow, but he raised his hand. "It's alright that you aren't familiar with our customs yet," he said. His voice seemed to echo off of the walls through the silence. Heiko looked around the room with a stern look.

"This was supposed to be my advanced class, but I see that the whole school was too curious about our new guest," he said, his voice deep and commanding. "This is Ein, and I expect all of you to treat him with the utmost respect for he is my guest in my home. Understood?"

"Yes, Master Heiko!" came the booming reply. Everyone stood up straight once again.

"I think our test has turned into a public demonstration, Ein," Heiko said. "Are you ready?"

Ein nodded, still not knowing what to expect. But his body did.

Heiko had snapped his hand forward to hit him on the side of the head, but Ein dodged it. A big smile spread on Heiko's face. "This should be a treat," he said. Snapping his fingers, a thick man stepped forward with his right arm braced with an equally thick foam pad. He set his feet apart, giving Ein a stern look from behind the bag. "I want you to just hit the pad with any kind of combination of kicks or punches. Don't worry about my assistant, he's much more sturdy than Darien over there."

Ein looked back at Darien, who shrugged as his friends laughed at him. Hitomi smiled to Ein's right. "I believe in you, Ein," her voice rang in his head.

Ein's body set itself in its natural fighting position. He breathed in, closed his eyes, and relaxed himself in the darkness of his eyes. Ein felt the familiar power rage from within and opened his eyes, throwing a whirl of punches and kicks with all his might. Heiko watched as his assistant struggled to keep his footing and beads of sweat lined his forehead. The other students fell silent, the only sounds echoing in the hall was Ein connecting with the pad.

Finally he stopped, his breathing barely labored. He bowed to the assistant, who removed the pad, revealing hints of emerging bruises on his beet-red arm. A commotion stirred in the crowd. Ein looked at Heiko, but back flipped through the air to dodge someone running at him from behind. He landed on his feet, in a crouched position, and saw another student bowing.

"Your reflexes are impeccable," Heiko commented. "You don't learn too much about acrobatics in karate, I'll tell you that. How about you take on a target, so I don't have you hurting anyone else unintentionally?"

Ein nodded silently while the crowd's whispers started up again. On the side, a group of girls crowded around Hitomi. "No wonder why you begged your dad to let him stay!" giggled one girl. "He's so cute!"

Hitomi glared at her. "He's a great fighter, and I didn't beg my father. He doesn't know who he is or why he fights so well."

"I know what he is," offered another girl. "He's absolutely gorgeous!"

The girls giggled more but Hitomi only rolled her eyes. How did these girls get into her school anyway? She faced Ein again, who was pitted against a stand-up hitting dummy. The "body" of the target was made up of the same foam padding connected to a steel pole that led up to it's "head", comprised of foam coated with plastic. Hitomi remembered bruising her hands and feet many times while practicing with it.

Her father circled the dummy. "My students spar with these because they can hit it, and the target will not budge due to its thick and sturdy design. Hitomi said you punched Darien back several dozen feet yesterday, so hit this dummy as hard as you can and see if it will move."

Ein nodded, staring at the lifeless object. He moved right in front of it, an arm's length away. He swung his leg to see how high he would have to kick to reach the head and tapped the body with his knuckles. Then Ein placed his feet apart and closed his eyes, breathing in calmness and exhaling his strength. The crowd hushed. In his mind, he could see the girl; she ran away and he chased her. But something was wrong. Someone jumped out at them, and he needed to attack. Ein tore open his eyes.

He leapt up into the air and knocked off the dummy's head with a swift kick. It broke with a loud snap and rolled to Hitomi's feet. The dummy also flew off the ground, directly at Ein's arm height. He let out alternating punches: left, right, left, drew back, and with an unknown inner force, punched the bag with his devastating right hand. The dummy buckled in half and flew across the room, landing at the feet of the startled crowd at the other end with a loud crash. Everyone stared at the broken dummy and then looked back at Ein.

No one dared to speak.

Heiko calmly walked over to the dummy to inspect it. The steel pole connecting the head broke cleanly off from the rest of its body, not just the foam part. The chest of the dummy had a deep impact crater on it, but the real damage was once again on the steel pole: it was cracked and folded over. The karate master stared at the trashed dummy and turned back to look at Ein. He was undisturbed and breathing calmly.

"Ein," he said, walking back to the mysterious fighter. "You must stay here and let me train you." Then, he bowed.

Following suit, everyone in the dojo knelt as well. Ein looked around confusedly. Was he that great? He locked eyes with Hitomi, who smiled widely at him. She bowed her head, and he smiled back. Ein didn't know where he belonged, but he knew he would make a place for himself in this world. He knelt to Heiko and shook his hand.

Everyone in the dojo cheered excitedly.

For the next few months, Ein trained feverishly under Heiko's instruction. Amazingly, he learned every stance and skill karate had to offer, things that would take average learners years to master. Heiko dedicated himself on refining Ein's technique and broadening his knowledge of other fighting styles as well. Hitomi remained his closest friend in the school, showing him the school's library that was stocked with fighting books. Ein read about different martial arts, but none matched the style that came so naturally to him. Darien's geography book remained the most important of his leads to his true identity. It sat on his desk, always open to the page on Japan.

As Hitomi predicted, Ein was easily the number one student at the dojo, but that couldn't fill the great, empty void deep within his soul.