Shadow within the Darkness

(Day 5)

By: Little Ucchan

The heat of battle urging him forward, Sage ran through the crumbling city. He can hear metal clash against metal, feel the warriors' auras battling it out as Sage grew even closer to the castle gates. The screams and cries of men in combat seeped through the walls reaching his keen ears. The sound was piercing to the mind, so painful to listen to. This and the knowledge that he could do something to help drove Sage onward till he reached the towering doors before him. Just beyond these gates is where the battle raged on.

Leaning his weight against the wooden doors, Sage pushed forward only to meet…nothing. The door wouldn't move. Trying once again, Sage forced his weight onto the door even harder. He felt it inch ahead, but then clang against something hard. He did it again to here the same metal sound. The gates were locked from the inside.

Searching for an alternative entrance, Sage scanned the wall before him. It reached a good thirty feet. If only I had my sub armor then I could clear that distance no problem. But he didn't have his kanji orb with him, or the katana from the other night. The wall was too steep to climb. No footholds whatsoever. There was no way over. There has to be another door somewhere.

Breaking into a run, Sage continued alongside the castle walls looking for an entrance. He didn't know how he was going to fight, assuming that there would be more than the six ninjas he fought earlier. But still, he had to get into that castle. He just had to.

Rounding a corner, Sage almost tripped over his own two feet. He stopped abruptly at the sight before him. His mouth gaped in absolute horror as his eyes washed over the fallen bodies. There were so many, and all of them…dead. Sage looked away in remorse, his teeth clenched as he tightened his fists. He wasn't able to save them.

A nearby holler had forced his eyes open. Sage looked at his surroundings, trying to determine where the cry came from. In his distress earlier, he had totally missed the open castle gates lining the wall. He approached it ever so slowly. Even though Sage was eager to fight, something was tugging at him in the back of his mind. It was warning him, telling him that he would meet great danger by passing through these gates.

He walked as close to the wall as possible, stopping at the edge of it. Sage sharpened his hearing to what was going on inside. Clank. Slash. Clang. The battle continued. The soldiers' grunts and cries of aggravation and the constant clashing of weapons are all that he could hear. Sage could not tell who was fighting whom, or who was winning for that matter.

"Don't let him through!!" the sudden yell had caught Sage's interest. Him? Meaning only one? A sudden image of the Dynasty Emperor Talpa entered Sage's mind. But this was his dream. It couldn't possibly be real. Talpa couldn't be alive. Staying at his current position, Sage continued to listen.

"But commander!! He's too strong!!" another had cried out at his leader.

"I don't care if he's God himself!! We must not let him pass!!" the commander yelled. Another skirmish ensured followed by a blood-curling scream as one more soldier met his untimely end.

"Warriors of Aethos, stand your ground!!!" the commander cried in encouragement, but it was no use. Two more soldiers fell dead on the battlefield, and many more were to follow.

Sage had as much as he could stand. Building up his strength and courage, he ran through the gate in one swift movement, prepared to strike down this horrid beast. But once he got a good look at his opponent, Sage froze on the spot. Unable to tear his gaze away from the creature's eyes, he swore that he was staring at death itself.

***

"So tell me, how did you get out of detention?" Rowen inquired while he and Sage were walking home from school that day. "Teri-sama is not the lenient type when it comes to punishment."

"To tell you the truth, I didn't really do anything," Sage replied.

"Nani?"

"Sensei called in sick today." Sage gave a small smile when saying his next sentence. "Probably caught a cold from when Laura splashed him with water."

"I really wish I was there to see the look on his face. It must have been classic!"

"Yeah well, I'd gladly trade places with you. Anything to get away from serving detention with that tomboy." Rowen looked at Sage, dissatisfied with his obvious hatred towards Laura. They stayed silent for a few more moments till Rowen decided to defend her.

"She's not that bad."

"Yeah right," Sage muttered under his breath.

"Well…she's not."

"How would you know anyway?" It was obvious to anyone that Sage didn't like this topic at all or the fact that Rowen was siding with Laura. It didn't bother Rowen that much. He knew Sage long enough to know how to deal with him and his stubbornness. This is going to get ugly. Rowen kept his usual tone of voice when answering Sage. There was no use of both of them being angry at each other.

"Well when I talk to her she's nice." Sage stopped walking all together. Rowen stopped a few feet away, turning to face him. Sage was staring at him with an expression of confusion.

"Rowen? We are talking about the same girl here, right?"

"Yeah," Rowen answered slowly as if he was talking to a five year old.

"You've got to be kidding me," Sage cried after a long pause.

"But she is!" Rowen tried to convince him.

"Sure she is," he replied sarcastically, walking right pass Rowen.

"If you don't believe me then ask Ryo." Rowen covered his mouth upon realizing what he had just said, hoping that his last sentence didn't reach Sage. No such luck. Sage ceased his walking, standing there as stiff as a flagpole. He faced Rowen, looking a bit shocked and still confused.

"What did you say?" Rowen cursed himself for letting that bit of information slip. If he were dealing with anyone else, they wouldn't have caught the hidden meaning behind what he said. But Sage was too good to let something like that pass by unnoticed. Smooth move Rowen! It's bad enough that Sage thinks that I'm siding with Laura, but now he'll know that Ryo is too.

"How does Ryo know her?" Sage asked Rowen.

"Well…" Rowen began and got into explaining how for the past few days, he always sees Ryo with her when he's not with the guys. They were always engrossed in their conversations and laughed continuously in each other's presence. And by the time Rowen was finished with his little story, Sage was already walking away in a hurry.

"Hey wait up!" Rowen cried after him, running to catch up to Sage's quick pace. After matching his speed, Rowen could only stare at him while walking. Sage made no sign to acknowledge him.

"Don't be mad Sage."

"I'm not."

"Oh c'mon! I've known you for how long and you expect me to believe that you're not mad." Sage replied to this by walking even faster. But there was no way that he could lose Rowen, the fastest of the Ronin Warriors. He ran ahead of Sage, stopping right in front of his path.

"Will you just calm down!" Rowen cried. Sage ran his fingers through his hair, trying to do something that would release his anger. Standing still was not the best thing for him to do right now. And Rowen was standing right in his way. Doing the only thing that he could think of to rid himself of his anger, Sage lashed out verbally.

"I don't get it Rowen! Why are you siding with her anyway? She's set on making my life a living hell and both you and Ryo are just…"

"You don't know that for sure! Don't be so biased towards her!"

"Why don't you tell that to her!" There was a slight pause. Rowen didn't know how to counteract him. Sage was always good at debating.

"…I know that she can be cruel and uncaring sometimes, but she can also be the total opposite when she wants to be."

"The key phrase here is 'when she wants to be.'"

"Sage!"

"Forget it Rowen! I haven't seen a shred of decency from her since the day I met her. You may have seen her angelic side but I've experienced first hand what kind of devil she can be!"

Turning his back to Rowen, Sage continued. "Once I see how nice she is then maybe I'll change my opinion of her, but until then she is still a STUCK UP VENOMOUS TOMBOY!!"

Next thing he knew Sage was sprawled on the sidewalk with a splitting headache. He heard Rowen cry out his name and attempted to answer back but it was too late. Darkness had already claimed him.

***

Rowen could only look on in disbelief. He had seen the object fly by in a sudden blur and strike Sage from behind. He wasn't even able to identify the item when it rushed by, but its sender was still present and standing a few yards behind Rowen. Sensing danger and feeling anger towards whoever attacked his friend, Rowen swerved around into a fighting stance, ready to take on whatever was coming his way.

The person standing before him wasn't exactly whom he was expecting, causing Rowen to stumble forward, almost losing his balance. "L-Laura?"

"That insensitive JERK!!" was her reply. She walked forward, totally ignoring Rowen, and stood over the fallen Warrior of Light.

"Sage! I can't believe you said all that stuff about me! And to Rowen too! Just what the hell is wrong with you?!" Laura screamed at him, unaware that Sage was some place far far away.

"Uh…Laura?" Rowen tried to communicate to her again.

"What?!" she yelled whipping her head to the side to meet Rowen. Immediately her anger passed, and Laura turned away in embarrassment. Brushing the bangs away from her forehead, she faced Rowen again.

"Sorry Rowen."

"It's alright," Rowen assured her. "But you do know that Sage can't hear you."

"Eh?" Rowen pointed towards Sage's still form. Laura realized for the first time that he wasn't moving. She stooped down next to him to get a better look.

"Out like a light," she murmured while getting back on her feet. After a few more seconds of total silence, Laura rubbed the back of her head and began to laugh nervously.

"Wow! I didn't mean to hit him that hard!" This time Rowen did fall onto the floor. Oh man! I can't believe this girl!

Laura looked at him curiously. "Is there something wrong Rowen?" Propping one elbow up and leaning his head against his open palm, Rowen looked up at her with a smile.

"No, nothing's wrong," he quickly replied, then pretended to look interested in something on the ground. That was when Rowen spotted the object that had flown by his head and knocked Sage out. Picking up the item, Rowen stood up and looked at Laura warily.

"A school book bag?" Laura started to laugh uneasily again. Rowen only gave her a hard parental stare.

"You threw your book bag at him?" he repeated slowly, emphasizing each word carefully.

"It was the closest thing!" Laura cried out defensively. Rowen just gave out a loud sigh. Handing Laura's book bag back to her, Rowen knelt down by Sage on one knee.

"C'mon Laura, help me out here."

"Huh?"

"Help me pick him up."

"No way! I'm not touching him!" Rowen rolled his eyes, resting his arm against his knee. He stared at Laura, giving her the 'there's no way you're getting out of this' look.

"Well, we can't just leave him here and I am not going to wait here all day till he wakes up. His house isn't too far away so the most logical thing for us to do right now is to get him home."

"No, it's the most logical thing for you to do Rowen. If I set foot in that house all hell will break loose!" Rowen understood what Laura was trying to get at. If someone hates you, you don't go walking into his or her house, that is unless you want to get hurt. But this was still no excuse. Rowen didn't want to be stuck with the burden of explaining to Sage's family why their son was unconscious, especially to Sage's grandfather.

"Laura…" Rowen began.

"No way! I won't do it! No!"

***

"I can't believe you are making me do this!" Laura yelled at Rowen as they approach the Date household.

"I'm making you do what, Laura? I'm the one who's carrying him!" Rowen had carried Sage by piggyback all the way to his house while Laura was only holding their bags. She still didn't like the fact that Rowen had convinced (more like forced) her into going.

"But Rowen!" Laura pleaded.

"You know, I can hear you perfectly well from where you are so will you please stop yelling!" Laura automatically quieted down, but that didn't stop her protest.

"But what if Sage has already told them about me? The last thing I need is to be trapped in a room filled with angry people just waiting to bite my head off!"

"Somehow I doubt that. Just act the same way you do around Ryo and me. You'll be fine. Besides, I don't think that Sage had told anyone about you." They stopped in front of the door. Laura looked uncomfortably at Rowen. He gave her a reassuring smile and urged her forward.

"Go on. They are really nice people. You'll see." Raising her right hand, Laura hesitated then knocked on the door. Light footsteps could be heard inside the house, slowly making its way towards Laura and Rowen. The door opened slightly as a girl who looked about twelve peeked her head out to see whom it was.

"Yes, may I help you?" she asked, looking at the unfamiliar girl at her doorstep. The girl then caught sight of Rowen's shocking blue hair, and then the figure that he was carrying.

"Oh my god. Sage nii-chan!!" the girl screamed, swinging the door wide open.

"What's wrong Satsuki?" a woman from inside of the house called out at the young girl's sudden outcry.

"Oneesan! Come quick!!" was her reply. Looking over towards Rowen, Laura watched as his face grew pale at the word 'Oneesan.' Oh no! Please, not Yayoi! Rowen's silent plea wasn't granted as Sage's older sister stepped out into the open. For a split second, Yayoi's eyes widened in shock, but then narrowed into a suspicious glare. Placing her hands onto her hips, she approached Rowen, stopping right in front of him.

"Hashiba! What have you done to my brother?!" Yayoi cried accusingly at Rowen after eyeing both boys.

"Wait a minute Yayoi. I didn't…"

"You've got a lot of explaining to do!" Yayoi had cut him off. "Why is he unconscious? Speak up Rowen!"

"I…"

"You didn't hurt Sage nii-chan did you Rowen?" Satsuki inquired.

"Um…"

"Well? What have you got to say?" Yayoi persisted.

"It's not Rowen's fault," Laura spoke out after staying silent the whole time. Both girls turned to face her, finally noticing the unknown person standing with them. Rowen released a huge sigh, relieved that the spotlight had finally stopped shining on him.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Laura Kinoku, a classmate of Rowen and Sage. And I'm really sorry for all the trouble I've caused. You see, Sage and I had an argument earlier. Well it wasn't exactly an argument, but anyway and I…well…I sorta…um…" Laura tried to explain to them what had happened, but was at a loss of words. She knew that they were going to be mad at her. Who wouldn't? Only people who knew the entire story would understand, but it's not like she had all the time in the world.

Seeing that they were waiting for her to continue and that Rowen wasn't going to help her at all, Laura mustered up her courage and finished her sentence. "…hit him."

"At the back of the head," Rowen added. Laura winced when he revealed that little bit of information to Sage's sisters. Some help he is! He didn't have to go into details!

"Yes, at the back of the head," Laura agreed with a sigh. Might as well tell them.

"With her book bag." Shooting a deadly silent stare at him, Rowen swallowed hard and shut up immediately. Laura made a mental note to get him back for all of this later. Both girls looked at Laura, waiting for her to confirm what Rowen had said. She nodded meekly.

"…So, Sage is like this because of you?" Yayoi asked. She just had to put it that way! Laura thought to herself. She nodded again, fearing that if she spoke some unwanted comment might come out of her mouth.

"And are you also the reason why he came home so late last night soaking wet?" Yayoi continued. Rowen looked at both women curiously, especially Laura. When she had answered 'yes' to Yayoi's last question, he couldn't stop himself from prying into the matter further.

"When was this?!"

"…Don't ask," was what Laura had told him. Rowen decided to ask her later. If only they would stop with their questions and help him with Sage. It wasn't like he enjoyed standing there carrying him without any assistance.

Yayoi stared at Laura for a moment longer, then looked at Rowen and Sage. Turning back to Laura, she let out a long sigh and cracked a smile, which turned into a huge grin. And soon enough, Yayoi was doubled over in laughter. Laura gave Rowen a puzzled look, and, answering her unasked question, he nodded. This really is how Yayoi acts. No fooling.

"You know, I didn't think it was possible for a woman other than myself to give my brother such a hard time!" she cried after recovering slightly from her laugher.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't get me wrong. I would never hit Sage on purpose. Well, maybe during kendo. But that's by accident." Yayoi could see that Laura was still confused. She only smiled at her and continued with her explanation. "Don't think too much about it. I'm just kinda surprised, that's all. I mean girls adore my brother so you wouldn't expect one to slug him."

"But I didn't…" Laura began but Yayoi interrupted.

"So, what did he do to provoke you, huh?"

"Uh Yayoi?"

"Hmm," she glanced at Rowen, forgetting that he was there to begin with.

"Can we save the talking for later and get Sage inside? I'm dying over here!!" Rowen cried out. All three girls had sweat drops at the corner of their heads. Apparently, they had forgotten all about Rowen and how he was struggling to stay standing.

"Whoops!" Satsuki exclaimed.

"Sorry Rowen," Laura apologized.

"Yeah sorry. But Rowen, he's not that heavy is he?" Yayoi asked. Rowen gave her a cold stare, and she decided to drop the subject. "Right…let's get him inside."

***

"Aw, man I'm bushed!" Rowen exhaled, lying down on the floor. Laura was by him, sitting on her feet. Sage was not too far away lying on top of a mat, faced-down. A light blanket was pulled over his body and a moist towel placed over the bruise on his head.

Rowen caught Laura staring at Sage. Following her gaze he wondered out loud, "Hey, how long do you think it will take him to wake up?"

Abruptly turning away from him Laura replied, " I couldn't care less." Rowen only sighed inwardly. He had to go through all of this again. First he had Sage to deal with. Now it was Laura. There is no hope at all for the two of them.

"Now Laura…"

"Honestly! That boy needs to learn how to talk when I'm not in earshot!" Rowen chucked at this remark. Sage really did need to work on that. Save him from getting further injuries.

"So, are you the young lady who's been hassling my grandson?" Both teenagers jumped at the newcomer's voice. Rowen's back stiffened, for he knew who it was. But Laura just turned to face the door where an old man stood proud and tall.

"Hassling is such a strong word, don't you think?" Laura spoke to him.

"Well, it all depends on what you consider as hassling," he retorted smartly. She didn't try to object him. Instead, Laura turned her whole body to face him, still sitting down on her feet. Bowing solemnly, she apologized.

"Sir, I'm sorry for hitting you grandson," Laura said humbly. Unable to stand the grave silence that followed, Laura lifted her head to see a wide grin spread across his face. He laughed to himself, apparently quite amused.

"No need for apologies my dear. If there's someone you need to apologize to, it's Sage," he told her with a smile.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," she informed the hearty old man.

"Oh. I see you don't like my grandson very well. I was beginning to think that Yayoi was just over exaggerating when telling me about you."

"No. She had her facts straight." Rowen looked at her, wide-eyed for saying that. Blushing a bit, Laura apologized again. Man, I'm doing a lot of apologizing today. Laughing at their uneasiness, Grandfather Date walked further into the room.

"I see you've got quite a mouth on you," he said. "…Young lady, what is your name?"

"Laura Kinoku."

"Kinoku…" he repeated as if the name had a deeper meaning.

"Yes?"

"Do you mind if I talk to you for a bit? I can give you a tour of the house, maybe even the dojo," he offered her. Laura suddenly became uneasy. It was obvious that Sage's grandfather wanted to talk to her about something. But what?

"Sure," she accepted the offer. It would be rude not to, since she was a guest at this house. Getting up from the floor, Laura followed the old man out of the room, leaving a very confused and curious Rowen behind.

***

The pair remained silent while walking down the corridors of the house. Laura was becoming restless. He did want to talk to her, and yet he's not saying anything. She stayed quiet though, remembering to mind her manners. She was taught to respect her elders, even though they weren't related. It was just an accepted rule of society.

Meanwhile, Grandfather Date was musing about what had happened to Sage and also about the young girl beside him. From what he could tell, she was very headstrong, and skilled. There was no doubting that. But what had bothered him the most was how his grandson could be lying in the other room out cold. He had trained him by the Bushido Code, and formed him into a skilled swordsman. Nonetheless, he was taken by surprise. Why? The only explanation he could think of was that Sage wasn't able to sense Laura's presence. That's the only way.

"Um…Date-sama?" Grandfather Date stopped his pondering and diverted his attention to Laura.

"Hmm?"

"I don't want to be rude but, you wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Oh yes. That's right." He paused for a moment, making sure that he worded this right. "Your last name is Kinoku, correct?"

"Yes."

"From what I know of that name's history, it was a clan of demon hunters. Am I right?" Laura nodded. "What kind of skills were taught in that clan? Do you know?"

"Well, it was basically a ninja clan. We were just described as demon hunters because the women of my clan had high spiritual energy. A gifted few had kinetic energy."

"So this made them ideal exorcists because of their ability to seek out demons," Grandfather Date finished for her. She nodded. "Very interesting. Do you have this talent as well?"

"I don't know. I've been trained as a ninja since I was little, so no one really taught me how to harness that energy. I don't even know if I have this gift."

"But you do have the character traits of a ninja. And I see you put it to use whenever you can." Laura flushed, remembering how she had used her ninja skills to sneak up on Sage the other day during detention. Grandfather Date chuckled in amusement.

"Don't feel ashamed. I think that it's good that you maintain your skills, just as long as you don't use my grandson for target practice. He still has to inherit the dojo, so I need him in one piece," he cried jokingly. Laura smiled at the thought.

"But it's so tempting!" He laughed even harder and Laura's outcry. Laughing along with him, she felt herself at ease. Sage's grandfather was a really nice guy.

"Do you still practice your fighting skills?"

"No, not really."

"So how would you feel about a little match?"

Laura looked at him suspiciously. "With you?"

"You should never underestimate your opponents, my dear. I'll prove more than a match for you."

Grinning at the idea of a fight, Laura accepted the challenge. "You're on!"

***

"WHAT?!" Sage almost (well he did actually) screamed as loud as he could. Rowen flinched, hoping that no one had heard that. The house was pretty quiet when he had woken up. It had stayed that way while Rowen was explaining to Sage why he was at home with his head pounding like crazy. He had taken the news fairly well, with a few side comments, as always. But this latest piece of news had totally blown him away.

"SHE'S HERE?!?!"

"Keep it down!" Rowen scolded him openly. Sage lowered his voice, but his anger was still apparent.

"Why would she be here? I thought she hated me."

"Oh she still does. Believe me."

"Way to pick 'em bro!" Yayoi entered the room, eating an apple. "I always thought you wanted a calm, obedient girlfriend."

"When did I tell you this?" Sage cried, then realized what she was really going for. "And she's NOT my girlfriend!!"

"Yeah, sure," Yayoi replied sarcastically, taking another bite of her apple.

"Why would I want a girl who's more than ready to make me a permanent patient at the hospital?" Sage demanded.

"True. She wouldn't hesitate if given the chance," Yayoi agreed. "What did you actually do to her anyway?"

"Me?!"

"Well, she's acting this way for a reason you know."

"I didn't do anything!" Sage cried defensively.

"Rowen?" she turned to the blue-haired genius for confirmation. He nodded his answer.

"He really didn't go anything bad. Maybe flirt with her a bit, but that's all." Yayoi then looked at her brother in disbelief. Sage glared at Rowen with distaste. He only shrugged his apology.

"You tried flirting with her?" Yayoi asked her brother.

"Well…"

"Sage!"

"It was harmless! I swear!" Yayoi gave out a sigh, knowing that as long as each of them believed that the other was at fault, they would never stop fighting. Looking around the room, she noticed that Laura's book bag was still here, but the girl herself wasn't present in the room.

"Umm, you guys. Where's Laura?" she asked the two.

Sage shrugged. "She wasn't here when I woke up." He then tensed up. If Laura wasn't with them, then who was? She couldn't possibly be roaming around the house by herself.

"Oh, that's right. She's with Grandfather Date," Rowen informed them. Sage was out of the door before anyone could blink.

***

"That was some workout!" Laura exclaimed, exhausted.

"Wasn't expecting that, were you?" Grandfather Date inquired. Laura shook her head. He was a very formidable opponent. A true samurai warrior.

"I haven't been in a formal fight in a long time."

"Well, for someone who is out of practice, you fight fairly well."

"Thank you," she replied, blushing under the praise.

"But are you sure that I can't convince you to join kendo?"

"No."

"Any particular reason?"

"…I just don't think that I want to join right now."

"Is it because of my grandson?" Laura didn't answer, or rather she didn't know how. Sage was a reason why she didn't want to learn kendo at this dojo. She wanted to get away from him, and by joining, Laura would see Sage more often. I see that boy enough as it is!

"No," she lied. Well, it wasn't exactly a lie. There were other reasons why she didn't want to learn kendo.

Seeing that he couldn't win, Grandfather Date gave up. "Well, you're welcomed to enroll in the school if you change your mind."

"Thanks. When I'm ready…I'll come by, okay." All of a sudden, Laura smiled as a new idea entered her mind. "Hey! I know someone who would love to be trained here."

"Oh?"

"Yup! I'll bring her over sometime. Maybe this weekend."

Smiling, he agreed. "That would be perfect."

***

Sage slowed down when turning the next corner. He spotted Laura and his grandfather ahead, talking. Rowen came up right behind him. He looked between Sage and then the two figures that were still walking towards them. The pair seemed to be enjoying themselves. He noticed that Sage's grandfather was smiling.

"Why are you so concerned about them? They seem to be having a good time." Rowen questioned in a low voice so as not to be heard.

"That's what I'm afraid of," he replied dryly.

Both of them had stopped walking upon noticing the two of them watching from the other side of the hallway. Laura took note that Sage seemed out of breath, but other than that, he seemed to have recovered from today's incident quite nicely.

"Sage, so you finally decide to join us. I see you're feeling better," Grandfather Date greeted him. Laura stayed quiet, not taking his eyes off of Sage. Likewise, Sage did the same. Seeing their reactions towards each other, Grandfather Date tried to stir up some kind of conversation.

"I heard about what had happened today…Looks like I'll have to train you even harder."

Sage's eyes widened at his grandfather's statement. He was ready to object, since Ojiisama had already intensified practices because of his detention. But he never got around to it, or had the nerve to go against his grandfather. Besides, he didn't want to make a scene in front of Laura and Rowen.

"Better train hard Sage," Laura said with a mock grin. Walking towards Sage, she stopped besides him. Neither of them looked at each other. "I mean, if I was able to knock you down so easily then any old thug would be able to do the same."

Sage felt his temper rising, but he had to calm himself down in fear that his grandfather would see his weakness. He hated Laura for saying that. She knew very well that he couldn't talk back to her because his grandfather was present. Laura was taking full advantage of his situation.

She walked a few steps forward, then stopped and turned to the rest of the group. "I'd hate to leave, but I really must be getting home. It's late, and I have a few things to take care of."

"That's fine. It was nice having you here, Laura," Grandfather Date said.

"The pleasure was all mine." Sage looked at her, seeing a light smile on her lips. She was really enjoying this.

"Good bye, Date-sama." Placing her feet together, she bowed at all three of them.

Getting up she waved to Rowen, "See ya Rowen." Shooting one quick glance at Sage, she turned her back to them and walked away. Sage was at the breaking point. Laura really took her hatred for him to a new height. He felt the urge to crush something till a gentle hand was placed on his shoulder.

"Feisty girl, isn't she?" Sage could only agree with his grandfather. She was certainly something else. Leaving his side, Grandfather Date walked down the hallway, stopping at the corner.

"Get dressed. Then meet me in the dojo. You need to get rid of that anger," he ordered before disappearing from sight.

Sage felt a bit better, relieved that Ojiisama understood what he was going through. (To some extent at least.) But now he has to work even harder during practice. Sage sighed to himself. He was certain that he wouldn't make it back to his room after today.