A/N thanks for the reviews and support.

twilightserius: Thanks for your review my friend. Yeah he is just a little. Unlike School he grew up in Murim. As for them helping Hayate well we will just have to see. Naruto is very cute.

Shadow Wolf 15846: Thanks for your review my friend.

bassoongirl14: Thanks for your review my friend. Glad you enjoyed the story. It has been an interesting one to write.

DarkRavie: Thanks for your review my friend.

WhiteElfElder: Thanks for your review my friend. You're right as usual. One day I'm going to get one over on you. I do love seeing what you think.

Chun's POV

Sitting in the conference room surrounded by Murim masters was beginning to make his skin itch. The last time he had been in this building. he lost his disciple. Shioon had shown promise. Much more than he himself had shown at that age. With careful guidance the boy could have surpassed him in a few years.

He had no one to blame but himself for it. He was the one who broke the boy's ki center. It was in an effort to save him from the Murim Alliance Chief at the time.

This place brought up memories he would rather have forgotten. He had not only lost his disciple but the one woman he loved. She had been shot by a Murim specialist. He would have given up the world to save her. He was never given the chance. The only upside to the whole fiasco was that he completed his mission for the Black Forest Defense Group.

His train of thought was broken when the Sunwoo clan entered. What were they doing here? They were supposed to be under Kaiser's thumb. He and the Black Forest Defense Group had their princess.

Kang said nodding to the four guardians, "Thank you all for coming. I know it was difficult for you to trust us. Especially you Goomoonryong."

Chun lifted his head in acknowledgment. However his eyes roamed over the room. With four guardians here there should be another more. Even without his ki center the kid deserved to be here. After all he was the vessel of the Guardian of the Forest. Despite being an unactivated one.

Something he did not like was that they had invited one of the Heavenly Ways Masters. Yoochun holder of the Lightning Tiger and Enlightment of Thunder and Lightning. While a normal Murim master would struggle against a Guardian. A Heavenly Ways Master would not.

Heavenly Ways Masters had their own inner beast. It came from studying elemental ki techniques. The most difficult was the Enlightment of Thunder and Lightning. It was passed down to one and only one person per generation. At one time it was lost to the ages. One master had not taken a student before he died. As such upon his death the book was lost to the world. Until Yoochun appeared he had mastered the Enlightment of Thunder and Lightning by himself. Something that was thought to be impossible.

Little was known of his life. It was mostly spent in his sanctuary. Something he had learned from the kid was that Yoochun had taken him in. Shioon had been young. Likely no older than seven at the time. Chun didnt know why the Tiger had down such a thing. Only that he had. When he turned ten however everything changed. Shioon gained the mark of the of the Guardian of the Forest. Yoochun had abandoned him after that.

There were a lot of things he wanted to ask the other man. Why had he abandoned Shioon? Chun had left him behind himself. So it wasn't like he had any room to judge. The kid would only have been in more danger with him though. Without a ki center the Black Forest Defense Group would have eaten him alive. They hated those without power. Anyone who was not useful to Kaiser the leader was killed. Not even he would go against the man.

Kaiser was the brains behind the Black Forest Defense Group. Without him the entire operation would fall apart. Many of the men saw Kaiser as weak because most of them had never seen him fight. That wasn't true. Kaiser was actually quite powerful and if challenged he would put the person in their place. Not a pleasant experience.

Kang said breaking through Chun's thoughts, "Since we are all here we should get started."

The empty seat however made some of them nervous. Elder Kwon from the Sunwoo asked, "And what of the fifth guardian? Has the alliance had no success in contacting him?"

Kang replied calmly, "We have tried to make contact with the Guardian. So far there has yet to be a reply. I think it is safe to say he doesn't want to aid us. The difficulty is trying to make contact when we don't know who he is. He could be almost anyone in Murim."

Or he is right under their noses. Though he would not allow the council to try and force Shioon's hands. After all that had happened the boy deserved his peace. Still he needed to know what his status was.

Chun asked, "What of Shioon Lee? How is the boy?"

Chun saw a flicker in Yoochun's eyes. Like Chun the Heavenly Ways Master knew that Shioon was a Guardian. It wasn't something one forgot over time after all.

Kang's face darkened with anger. Chun remember some of the last words he spoke about the boy. While it was done in an effort to protect Shioon it had him seem heartless.

"Shioon is no longer in Korea. He volunteered for a mission. It has only been a few days since they left."

They? That meant someone went with the boy. Without his ki center Shioon would be vulnerable. That much was obvious to anyone with half a brain. Anger filled him at the thought of the boy being sent on a mission. What right did they have to do such a thing? Shioon had a lot of will but that would only get him so far. Eventually his will would break and he would die. It was the inevitable outcome of one having a broken center.

He asked growling lowly, "You speak of trying to contact the Guardian of the Forest. Yet you send him on a mission. What kind of game are you playing here?"

The other guardians watched with keen interest. They had heard even in their sanctuaries of a boy that the Dragon himself had taken in. At first no one had believed it. Goomoonryong had sworn off taking a disciple. His own master had died protecting him. Something he could not bear for another to go through.

Kang asked slowly, "What do you mean, Goomoonryong? We sent Shioon Lee on a mission. One he volunteered. Not the Guardian of the Forest."

How these people could be so blind was beyond him. That boy had been powerful enough to lead the entire Murim on a chase. Hours and men that could have been spent chasing him were spent chasing a teenage boy. There was no limit to what he could have become if his center was not broken. That was Chun's fault but it was either that or risk people coming after the kid. There was only so much one person could take at one time.

He pinched the bridge of his nose as he answered, "Ask the Tiger to confirm what I'm saying he's the one who abandoned the kid first. On Shioon's right wrist is the mark of the wolf. Better known as the Guardian of the Forest symbol. The first to have made it to adulthood in many years."

All eyes turned to the Heavenly Ways Master. He scrowled but nodded his assent. It was true.

Yoochun said tiredly, "That boy is the Guardian of the Forest. I almost didn't believe it however. It has been what eight years now. His godfather died when he was fifteen and that didn't cause an activation. Could it be the Guardian within him no longer sees the boy as a worthy vessel? It would fit considering all that he has lost. After all that's what causes an activation."

Untold pain that could not be matched by any physical attack. Thats what was said to cause an activation. Every Guardian's activation was different. Each of them suffered in their own way for it. There had been rumors that there was a possible secondary activation. A way to gain even more power. Those who had gone through an activation would never willingly put themselves through that torment again.

Chun responded with a shake of his head, "No. Short of death a Guardian will never abandon its vessel. Despite his faults Shioon was a good kid. Now what mission did you send a kid without a ki center on? What could he possibly do that someone better trained couldn't?"

Kwon was the one to answer this time, "Shioon Lee has gone through the Viel of Death. It was once said we from the Murim clans once came from there. He has gone to see if he cannot recover lost arts to teach us. So that we can defeat a much larger threat than we have ever faced before."

Kang said stopping it before it could go any further, "Enough. Maybe this should start with seeing what he knows. Goomoonryong what do you know of Lee Jinyup?"

Jinyup? Not a lot. The man had gone up against Kaiser a few years prior. Kaiser had wiper the floor with the man. It was only thanks to Kaiser having to oversee another operation that it didn't end with his death.

Rumors had it that Yoochun was once the man's best friend. That there had been a disagreement. Which led to the breaking of the Five Heavenly Ways Masters. Air was neutral as far Chun knew.

However Lady Liquid and Lightning Tiger both sided with the traditionalists. This side of Murim. Personally Chun didn't care either way. It should be up to the master.

Fire Dragon also known as Jinyup had created another party. The Reunion is what they called themselves. Where skills were passed onto those with the skill and power to handle them. Where a master could take more than one student.

A school had been created to teach the new disciples. Another rumor that Chun had found disturbing was what they were doing with ki. Every master of Murim knew the more ki you had the more powerful you were. If the rumors were true this was no longer true. Rumors that Jinyup had created artificial ki. It could tip the balance of power into the man's favor if this was true. It could also be the end of them all.

While the Reunion was a new faction to Murim the battle was not. Traditionalists had been at odds with those wanting to have more than one disciple for centuries. It was only recently had the fight quelled. For the most part they just pretended the other didn't exist. If this was true then they were heading towards all out war. There was something that bothered him however.

He asked, "How do you expect Shioon to learn techniques? His ki center is still broken."

Many of the masters looked guilty now. Even Yoochun couldn't hide his guilty look. What had happened?

Kang answered, "Goomoonryong this was his choice. He took one of the most potent pills known to Murim. It was enough to kick start his ki again. With the help of several Murim masters who for their safety I will not name he has a ki center again. Before he left he was able to go toe to toe with one of the retainers of the Sunwoo clan."

Anything else that may have been said was lost to him. Against all odds the kid was back in Murim.