WARNING: Some information presented in the bio may contain spoilers, although they are very VERY minor.

Somethin' Extra: Character Profile (The Leader)

Name: Ryo Sanada

Age: 15

Height: 5'5"

Haircut: Shoulder-length, unruly black hair

Eye color: Tiger blue

Birthday: August 15 (Leo/Virgo)*

Race: Human (Japanese)

Weapon: Twin katanas

Style of dress: Loose, casual type; prefers comfort over fashion

Pastime: Playing soccer; hanging out with friends; taking walks in the woods

Pet peeve: Being teased about his unknown girlfriend

Love interest: Yume

History: Descendant of a famous ninja clan in Japan, Ryo has been living with his grandfather, Yamato Sanada, since the death of his parents when he was still a small child. Trained in the ancient arts of his clan, his skills with the sword was put to the ultimate test when the demon emperor Talpa invaded the Mortal Realm. At the age of 14, Ryo became the unofficial leader of the Ronin warriors and wearer of both the Wildfire and Inferno armors. Although insecure with his new commanding role, he was able to lead his friends to victory against the Dynasty, ending the raging war that had consumed the streets of Tokyo. Now, six months later, Ryo is enjoying his life as a 2nd year student at Han'a High. But with the new demon threat, it looks like he won't be able to put down his swords anytime soon.

Personality: Stubborn and impatient. Yet, passionate and giving. That's Ryo, alright. Although he is known to have an uncontrollable temper and a rash type of attitude in battle, Ryo is actually portrayed as a shy guy among his fellow high school students. He isn't as bold in public as his friends know him to be, not liking large social gathering and tending to feel uncomfortable when a lot of people are around. But then again, he never really cared for big parties and gossip, preferring to stay as far away from the complications that seem to plague the life of the everyday teenager. Although considered the 'leader' of the group, Ryo doesn't exercise much authority, preferring to get the opinions of his friends before they all reach a group consensus. But even if this is what he wishes, he doesn't always get what he wants. Many important, spilt-second decisions somehow fall unexpectedly on his shoulders. And whenever he'd make (in his opinion) the wrong choice, Ryo could be fairly hard on himself. He can easily fall into a state of self-loathing and depression whenever he feels that he has failed his friends or done anything to hurt them. Because of the loss of his parents, Ryo is very protective of his grandfather and the rest of the guys, considering them to be a part of his family. He's a very self-sacrificing and virtuous individual who would go out of his way in order to help someone in need, even if he hardly knew the person to begin with. The boy's gifted with a very giving heart and a rather simple personality. His only wish is for the people he cares for to be safe and happy.

*The first sign designates the sun sign, which is what the majority of the populace replies when asked 'what sign are you?' The second sign is the astrological moon sign, which rules over emotional reactions and instinct. Note that the second sign is NOT 'officially' Ryo's moon sign. It's based on my own research, using my best possible judgment.

Bonus: Side Story (Day 14 – Part 3)

Scenario: Takes place sometime in the late evening at the Date household after all the excitement of the weekend has passed. Rowen is about to leave for home when he and Sage fall into conversation about Rika Lansdale.

"How'd you two meet?"

Sage looked up from where he sat on his bed. "What do you mean?"

"You know…" Rowen crossed his arms, leaning against the doorframe. "You and Rika. How'd you meet?"

The blonde shot him a wry look. "I thought you needed to get home."

"Yeah well, seeing as how my dad's never in, I can afford to be a little late." Rowen smiled, smugly to himself at the expression on Sage's face. He was very well aware of his friend's discomfort, remembering how he always got that way whenever he talked about a girl he liked. It always amazed Rowen at how his friend could be so comfortable flirting with women he didn't know and yet could get so tongue-tied or quiet when it came to someone he was really interested in. Mia Koji was a great example. However with Rika…

He was very familiar with her. He could tell, even in the few sentences that they spoke to each other, that Sage was relaxed and at ease in her presence. Something that wasn't exactly 'normal.' Even among the girls he flirted with, Sage's speech was never that loose.

"C'mon Sage," Rowen urged when he didn't speak. "You know I'm not gonna leave until you tell me."

Sage stared at him for a moment, debating whether or not he should really spend the next twenty minutes talking about his chance meeting with Rika Lansdale.

Seeing as how Rowen was serious on his claim, the boy sighed, giving him a rueful smile. "Alright. You win."

"Great!" With a triumphant smile, he sat down against the wall closest to the door, closing it shut before getting himself comfortable. "Don't leave anything out, okay?"

"Why? So you'd make sure to know everything about her before agreeing to be her boyfriend?"

"That is NOT the reason," Rowen defended himself, face flushed.

"Suuuuuuure it is," Sage had a triumphant grin of his own.

"Knock it off and just get on with it already!"

"Fine. Fine," he waved his hand, signaling that he was backing down. "We first met in Sapporo, the capital city of the Hokkaido prefecture."

A little boy --- blonde, about seven --- was sitting quietly against the wall, watching the activities of Hokkaido's annual kendo championship go underway. Normally, a spectator such as him would be seated in the audience stands, not out on the wooden floor that was to be the battleground of the kendoists present that day. But because his grandfather knew the key sponsor to this year's tournament, not to mention that he was reputable among many of the kendoists there, Sage was allowed to walk among all the contestants. But of course, that also meant that he had to be presentable.

Although dressed in the traditional keikogi and hakama that comprised his kendo gi, also worn by kendo practitioners, Sage couldn't help but feel out of place among the people around him. It wasn't because he was a small child among a throng of grown up men. It was because… he was different from them. It was the same back home. People always stared… because he was blonde.

I'm not different, he tried to convince himself, watching the next match begin from afar; his way of trying to escape from the eyes that forever watched him. Right…?

He placed his head on top of his knees, a few of his golden strands obscuring his vision. I'm not…

Sage saw some movement besides him, a small shadow falling over the boy. But he didn't move to acknowledge the little girl standing by his side. She tilted her head to the side curiously, wondering what this boy was doing sitting here all by himself. Did he get grounded or something?

The girl giggled quietly to herself, plopping down on the floor right next to him. This move had definitely got the boy's attention.

He looked up for a moment to find a blonde girl about his age staring at him with a cute smile on her face. She greeted him in English, Sage only knowing that it meant 'hi' because he's heard the word so many times before. But he still sported a bit of a puzzled look on his face, more because she had come to talk to him and not that she spoke a different language.

Seeing his expression, Rika brought her hand to her mouth in surprise and then easily corrected her mistake. "Konnichi wa."

Now a bit shocked, but more comfortable than before, Sage greeted her back. "Konnichi wa."

She smiled happily, then asked, "What are you doing sitting by yourself?"

If Rika had asked a different question, Sage would have had time to admire how fluently she spoke Japanese. Maybe even play with the idea that she was of mixed race like he was. But her innocent question driven by curiosity had made him fall further into a pensive mood… that only lasted three seconds.

"Are you bored? Is that why? Yeah, there's nothing much to do here." Suddenly an idea popped into her head. "Hey! Do you want to go exploring with me? C'mon! Let's go outside!!"

She was so enthusiastic, jumping up to her feet and grabbing hold of his hand with both of hers, that it was hard not to refuse her. What was he going to do?

"What did you do?" Rowen asked, a bit eager to hear what happened next, this being the first time Sage really talked about his childhood.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I went with her."

"No way," he cried, unbelieving. "You left with a perfect stranger? I thought your mother taught you better than that."

"She was my age. What could she possibly do?"

"Never underestimate women, Sage," he warned. "But seriously, I can't believe your grandfather let you go."

"Actually…"

Rowen's eyes immediately went wide-eyed. "You didn't tell him!?!?"

"Seiji!!" Grandfather Date roughly grabbed the boy by his arm, making him cry out in both surprise and pain. "Where did you go!?"

"Ojiisa---Ahh!" The grip around Sage's arm had suddenly gotten tighter, making him cringe.

"You were not to leave the tournament grounds. I had specifically told you that!" his grandfather hissed, furious.

"I'm sorry! I…"

"Please, stop it!"

In the middle of all the commotion, Rika had grabbed hold of the leg of Grandfather Date's trousers, looking up at the older man with panic-filled eyes.

"Please, stop!" she begged. "It was my fault! I was the one who dragged him with me! Please don't hurt him!"

Sage stared at the girl, surprised written clearly on his face. She was… defending him? And against Ojiisama! No one has ever done that before.

"It was all my fault!" She was crying now, the tears spilling down her face. "Please don't hurt him! Please, don't hurt him!!!!!"

Grandfather Date looked at his grandson for a moment before his eyes had softened, surprising Sage by gently releasing the boy from his grip. Rika was now looking down at the floor, her tiny hands wiping away at the tears that still continued to fall. She sniffed, trying to make herself stop when a large hand fell comfortingly on her shoulder.

She pulled her hands away long enough to see Grandfather Date kneeling right in front of her.

"What's your name, child?" he asked.

"…Rika," she sniffed. "Rika Lansdale."

"Well Miss Lansdale, you shouldn't be wandering about like this. I'm sure your father would be worried."

Sage watched as the girl nodded meekly, hiccupping a bit as the last remnants of her cry started to fade away. He didn't know what to make of this situation. Ojiisama was sure acting strange today.

"Sage."

The boy stiffened at his grandfather's call, slowly looking up at the man hesitantly. "Yes, Ojiisama?"

To his astonishment, Grandfather Date handed him his practice shinai, smiling with amusement. "You shouldn't leave without this," he told him as Sage quietly took the weapon in his hands. "Or else how would you be able to protect your new friend?"

Sage blinked twice, standing there completely baffled as the old man turned away from the two children and walked back to the fencing field where another match was already underway.

"I later found out that Rika was the daughter of the key sponsor of the tournament and also Ojiisama's friend, David Lansdale," Sage tried to explain upon seeing that confused look on Rowen's face. "Although a foreigner, he's lived in our country for about twenty years and is an avid fan of the sport. I remember Ojiisama mentioning that he used to compete when he was younger, but now he has a hip problem so he only watches from the sidelines and sponsors related events."

"That's… nice," Rowen said for lack of better words. "But why didn't your grandfather punish you? That doesn't sound like him at all."

"Yeah I know." Sage scratched the back of his head. "I still haven't figured out why he did that. Maybe because Ojiisama has met Rika before and knows how she acts? I don't know."

Rowen nodded in possible agreement, not really wanting to rack his brain trying to figure that out. "So if he's been here for twenty years, does that mean that Rika was born in Japan?" he asked instead.

The blonde shook his head. "Rika first lived in France with her mother. Her father had started a business with a friend from here and they were running their own corporation at the time she was born. Her mother then joined the enterprise and moved to Sapporo with Rika when she was about three. She's been here ever since, excluding the past two years."

"Hmm. It must have been hard to be separated from someone you've been with for six years."

Sage raised an eyebrow at him. "I never said I knew her for that long."

Rowen did an automatic double take. "You didn't?" No. "But you just told me---"

"I told you when I first met her. I didn't say I kept in touch with her after that," Sage corrected, ignoring the fact that Rowen's jaw was hanging open. "The next time I saw her was right before she left the country, at another kendo tournament. This time, I was competing with my junior high school kendo team at the JHS Regionals."

"Match point!" the judge announced, looking at both contenders before he dropped his hand. "Hajime!!"

The two kendoists began circling each other, one sweating profusely in anticipation of his opponent's move. He had heard of this kendoist before, and had been watching his previous matches with scrutiny. But he never anticipated that the boy would be this good. Descendant of the great Masamune Date of Sendai… He certainly lived up to his surname.

The teenager took a step back, sensing the other's upcoming approach. If he could only keep up his defense until the referee called time, then he might have a chance in forcing the match into overtime. But that's only if he could block his opponent's upcoming attack. There were 15 seconds left, and his adversary only needed one more point to win.

In an instant, the attack was underway, the boy coming in with a high overhead strike. The other raised his shinai to block, waiting for the impact only to find that it never came. His competitor's shinai whooshed past his own, the move leaving him wide open. Shit! He faked it!! The next thing he knew, the tip of the bamboo sword was pressed against his throat protector, scoring a point for the opposite team and ending the match.

After both opponents bowed to each other, the winner walked out of the fencing field, being enthusiastically greeted by his teammates.

"What a move!" one had cried out. "That was a real risk you took out there."

"Naw, it was a synch," another had said. "That kinda stunt is an easy pull for our captain. Ain't that right, Sage?"

He pulled off his headgear, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Don't get too cocky now," Sage warned, even though he had a bit of a smile on his face. "We won this round, but I hear that the team from Kanagawa is really good."

"Yeah. And Hiko Jouichi is competing this year." A mini uproar suddenly broke out among the group of boys.

"You serious?" one had asked.

"I saw him fight against the Tochigi team captain," another had confirmed. "Hiko wiped the floor with him! It was amazing!"

Sage nodded. "Looks like we got our work cut out for us. We got one hour until our next match is scheduled. So you can do as you wish, but I want at least two of you in the fencing hall at all times. Take a good break and just make sure that none of you are late for your own matches."

"Hai!"

He watched as the team dispersed, taking a towel and wiping the sweat away from his face. He started to take off his protective gear, deciding to go see when Hiko's next match would be when a shadow moved besides him.

Sage looked up to be greeted by a young blonde girl with a rather familiar smile on her face.

"Nice match," she commented. "You're very good."

"I try," he replied modestly, taking off the rest of his gear.

She smiled mysteriously at him. "No you don't."

He was taken aback for a moment before he chuckled to himself. She always seems to surprise me.

Rika tilted her head to the side. "What are you laughing at?" Sage only shook his head.

"Nothing, Rika."

Rowen laughed a bit in amazement. "I can't believe you recognized her after all that time, Sage."

"Too bad I couldn't say the same for her."

"You're kidding me, right?" Sage shook his head. "Then why'd she come up to you? Just to congratulate you on your win?"

"Well… sorta."

He raised his eyebrows questionably at his friend. "What aren't you telling me?"

Sage fidgeted a bit in his seat, looking down at the floor. "It's kinda embarrassing."

"Oh, c'mon!"

"Fine," he sighed. "Well the initial reason --- before she found out that I was the boy she met when she was younger --- was because she had made it her thing to go and flirt with all the competitors her age at the tournament. Kinda as a pastime." He again ignored Rowen's shocked expression. "When I talked to her later that day, I found out that she'd been doing that at all the kendo tournaments that her father had brought her too, starting from when she was around ele… what?"

Rowen had sweatdropped at that last sentence. "Oh, it's nothing really," he said with an 'I should have known' expression on his face. "It just… suits her, I guess."

"C'mon Sage!" Rika urged, grabbing the boy's arm and hauling him out of his seat. "Let's walk around and catch up on old times, okay?"

"Rika, I've only been with you once before," Sage reminded her dryly. "And that was when we were little kids!"

"All the more reason for us to spend some time together," she cheered, suddenly latching her arm around his, making him feel a bit uncomfortable. "So what have you been up to for the last five years?"

"Rika…"

"Don't 'Rika' me, Sage," she waved a scolding finger at him. "You're not required to be on the field for another hour, so you can afford to talk with me."

Sage sighed, wondering if she was really this persistent when she was younger. Well, she did manage to give me the grand tour of almost the entire facility the last time…

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!!"

He decided to make one last attempt at reasoning with her. "Rika, this is the Regional Championships we're dealing with here. My team's representing all of Tokyo in this tournament, and I'm team captain so I can't just go and leave without---WHOA!!"

"Ah, you worry too much," Rika cried, taking a firm hold of Sage's wrist and dragging him along regardless of his protests. "I'll get you back in time for the next match. No sweat!"

"Rika!!"

Sage chuckled at the memory. "It was practically a repeat of what happened five years ago. I wasn't supposed to leave, but she convinced me to do it anyway."

"More like forced you, don't you think?" Rowen asked, an amused smile on his lips. "So, was it an exact repeat of what happened before?"

There was a pause before he answered. "…Exactly."

Rowen held up his hand of a moment. "Let me guess. Not only did you miss watching your team's starting match, but Date-sama spotted you with Rika and was about to have your head brought out on a silver platter."

"Unfortunately," Sage nodded, confirming the boy's guess. "But it turned out alright, I guess."

"…Rika?"

Another nod.

"Oh my God!! Sage, I'm so sorry!" Rika cried, her hands covering her mouth in a stunned apology. "I didn't know! My clock must have been running late. I thought we had more time!"

"Rika…" he had started to say, but before he could continue, she had circled around his back and, placing her hands on his shoulders, started to urge him in the general direction of the match.

"That boy fighting is one of the underclassmen on your team, right?" she asked, referring to the boy that was currently in the middle of a duel. "It looks like he needs some help. You gotta get over there and support him Sage! C'mon! Give him some encouragement! Go!! Get a move on!"

Indecisive for a moment as to what to do, especially when his grandfather was right in the middle of scolding him, he turned to the old man for help. He only nodded once, giving his okay to go. With a return nod, Sage hurried over to his other teammates.

Rika watched him go, a relieved smile on her face. Good luck…

"So, you managed to save him again."

The comment confused her for a moment, the girl turning to face Grandfather Date.

"I wasn't putting on a show the first time," she told him.

"I know. But right now…"

"It was the least I could do," Rika shrugged. "I did make him late, after all."

There was a moment of silence as the two of them continued to observe the match from afar. It looked like Tokyo was gradually getting the upper hand against Kanagawa. "…Rika, Why do you feel such an attachment to my grandson?" Grandfather Date asked, a fleeing moment of curiosity provoking him to ask such a question.

She laughed a bit. "Who wouldn't? Have you seen your grandson? He's a godsend!!"

But Grandfather Date new better than to believe that remark to be the entire truth. He didn't push her to answer, however, preferring to wait instead.

Rika spoke up on her own.

"I don't know… what the attraction is," she confessed. "But the chemistry is there. It's so obvious… the connection between us two." She allowed a small smile to come to her lips, her mind playing with the idea of Sage and her…

Naw… There was a reason why I haven't seen him until now. Destiny had other plans in store for the two of them. And Rika was the type of girl who would, once in a while, place her future in the hands of Fate. I guess I'm supposed to leave like this… Her last day here in Japan. Hopefully, it'd be memorable.

"Date-sama?"

The old man had become concern with Rika's unexplained change in demeanor. "What is it, child?"

Her face had turned solemn, eyes distant as she spoke. "…You've done a good job," she told him. "…In raising him, I mean." Rika stopped for a moment, uncertain of how to word her feelings. "Just… make sure he doesn't change okay."

So when you come back, it'd be like you never left. Grandfather Date regarded the young lady standing besides him, his eyes growing sad, feeling the anxiety and genuine pain that was present in her heart. Is that right, Rika? Is this your way of holding on? To suspend time so as not to miss out on what could have been?

A tear had quietly fallen down her face. And at the moment, Grandfather Date saw just how much Rika cared about Sage.

Only two meetings… Two chance encounters and they were able to identify with each other on such a level that the short time spent together didn't matter. They were friends for life. And Rika feared losing that friend to something she could not control. The wheel of Fate.

The old man watched as she quickly wiped away that stray tear, pushing back her emotions as far and as deep as they could go. And at that moment, without knowing how he was to do it, the head of the Date family promised that this young girl would be able to return to the person of her memories.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

This is my little bonus 'gift' to all of my readers out there. ^_^ You like? A little Somethin' Extra will always be at the end of an installment, the basic make-up of the bonus 'chapter' being a character bio and a little random thing, like a side story, in-depth analysis on a character's astrological signs, explanations on love triangles, possible 'history' lessons, etcetera. ^^;; And yes I KNOW I'm retarded because I put up the prologue to 'Unforeseen Circumstance' before this one, but that's b/c I was still debating if I wanted to do this little extra thing, since it really doesn't exactly benefit me (although it IS fun to do). So I was writing both the prologue and this at the same time. Ironically, I started this to get my mind off of the prologue (as a sort of break) and I end up finishing the prologue first and not this. Sorry. ^^;;

And if anyone is concerned about my personal life, school's doin' alright for me. I DO believe that I will have more time to write this year compared to last. So my three-month disappearing acts will be rare, if not non-existent. I'll warn you in advance if I come across a problem. As of yet, I haven't started the next chapter ::waits for the readers to start throwing stuff at me:: ^^;; but it's progressing. My chapters are going to be longer (you've seen the progression) so consequently, it'll take longer for me to write it. But don't worry. I'll get it out soon. ^_^ Ja ne!