Chapter 4

Clay grabbed Raimundo's hand, as he helped him up from the ground. "That was a risky gambit you played, Rai."

The masked man, who they now knew as Master Li Kakashi Kama, helped Kimiko to her feet. "Sometimes, the best you can do is to take a risk. Here, risk is our business."

"Speaking of business, what was the business with all this? I think you owe us at least an explanation, Master Kama. Was this whole thing some type of test?" Clay asked, scratching his head in bewilderment.

"Exactly, Mr. Ranger, and—" He untied his black mask, revealing a perfectly flawless complexion, angular and well-defined features, all Asian. All, except his eyes, which showed a hint of European blood mixed in. Continuing, he said, "—and, just call me either Kama, or Kakashi. 'Master' just makes me feel old. Also, no one calls me Li, but my mother, so don't even think about it. As to this little charade, I've heard so much about you from Lao-Tai. So much in fact, that I didn't really believe him. I decided to test you, and find out for myself, and I must say, you're as good as he says."

Undoing his long silver hair, Kama shook out the dirt and grim that had collected in it. Then, leaving it loose along his shoulders, he let his hair air-dry. "Your teamwork was great, and I think it exceptional that you found me out, Raimundo. How'd you figure it out?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Rai stuck his hands in his pockets. "It's elementary once you think about it. I had a bad feeling something was wrong, from the very beginning. 1) This place has the best security money can buy, but the door was left open, and there was no sign of forced entry. How could one guy, from the outside, be capable of disarming the system? Unless—the person was already inside, and deactivated it. 2) You claimed that you had killed everyone here. But there's no evidence at all of that. No blood, no bodies; there's no way you could have cleaned everything up all by yourself, in the time you had, unless there had never been anything there to begin with. 3) There was your weapon, the kunai. Other than that it had no blood on the blade, Kimiko mentioned that your weapon was Japanese. That means that you had to have known how to use it, and you had to have leaned in Japan. The names 'Kama' and 'Kakashi', are Japanese names, an obvious connection. 4) When you fought Omi and Kimiko, you seemed to know our every move, hitting us before we could even strike. How could you know that, unless you already had been studying us and our techniques? And finally, 5) You knew your way around here like a pro. Like you were just playing with us, because you knew the door would be locked. And having just committed murder, you weren't in much hurry to make your escape. What for? Why be in a hurry to leave you own home? You took your time. By the time I put all this together, the answer was easy and standing right there in front of me."

A rustling in the rafters caused them to look up. Probably a bunch of bats, Clay guessed. A look of annoyance crossed Kama's face, before he answered, "Brilliant deduction, young Holmes. I couldn't have done better myself. I am, by the way, 50 percent--Japanese, 25 percent--Chinese, and 25 percent--British, so good conclusion on my name."

Clay grunted, "You could have let us in on your 'deductions'."

Rai looked sheepishly at him, "Sorry, by the time I figured it out, you had already begun your grave attack. You should have figured out, that if he really wanted to kill us, he could have a long time ago. The worst he did was breaking Omi's hand." Turning back to Kama, "And I do think that was kind of rough of you."

Kimiko went over to the seventeen year-old (amazingly quiet!), who still sat on the floor holding his arm over his lap, his hand hung limply. "Can I see?" she asked kindly. Hesitatingly, he laid it lightly in her hand. Touching it slightly, she felt a kind of strange mushiness like that of rice pudding, yet almost gelatinous in nature. Omi winced severely at her simple contact, tears of pain welling in his eyes. Kimiko looked from him, back to his hand in astonishment. There was practically no solidarity within it at all!

"All the bone in his hand and wrist has been pulverized, it's like soup! It'll take months to heal! Even then—I doubt it well ever work the same…if at all." She looked up at Omi, heaviness in her heart. The boy looked back at her with a mixture of shock and dispiritedness. Rai and Clay looked on, still stunned by her words.

Kama sighed and shook his head, children. Laying his mask and hair band in Clay's hands, he walked over and knelt before the wounded boy. "Nonsense, we can't be having any cripples at my academy, especially, first-timers. Give me your hand."

No way! You're the one who injured me in the first place! My father, Master Fung, would never do such a thing. Omi looked up at his new teacher, who he still had yet to decide, if he was trying to kill them or not. But when he looked into Kama's eyes, he didn't see demeaning amusement, but instead a look of compassion and kindheartedness, like that of his friends, when they helped him out of a jam. That look, changed his mind.

The other three watched on, as Kama took Omi's small hand in both his own. Closing his eyes, the man whispered a strange, foreign word: JIVA. Light began to surround his hands, consuming them! Kimiko's quick eyes noticed that the light, seemed to be coming from an ancient, beaded bracelet on Kama's right wrist. A red, misty, perfectly spherical bead, in the middle of the bracelet, in particular. In the midst of the bright radiance, a small symbol appeared on Kama's overlying hand. It looked like a Celtic, slanted number '4'.

The symbol vanished only seconds after it appeared, but the light kept on—soft, yet dazzling.

The rafters began rustling again, and Clay looked up annoyed. I don't know which is more annoyin', getting my butt kicked by this young buck, or these infuriatin' bats!

Omi didn't know what the Master of the Arts was doing, but he could feel the intense throbbing, diminish. Slow at first, and then rapidly, and now, he couldn't feel any pain! All he could feel, was a strange tingling, like that of a massage.

After a few minutes, Kama's hands began to return to normal; the light slowly dissipating into nothing. Once everything was like it was, he opened his eyes and smiled lightly at his new pupil, uncovering his hand. "Try it now."

Omi was speechless. There was no pain! Lifting it slowly, he found he had no trouble because—"It's not broken! I don't understand!"

Kimiko, Raimundo, and Clay all crowded around, as much in amazement as he was. Omi began to move his fingers and flex his hand, with as much dexterity as before. He even flipped into a handstand, and started walking on his hands and fingers! Laughing happily, Omi back-flipped like an Olympic gymnast, until he was standing upright in front of Kakashi Kama; who had been leaning against a post, watching his new student perform with a look of interest and pleasure.

"Thank you very much, Master—I mean, Kakashi Kama."

The teacher smiled and bent down, ruffling Omi's short-cropped black hair, "Let that be a lesson to you, young one. Don't let your emotions guide your attacks. Know your enemy beforehand, and don't be too proud of your own powers, that you underestimate your opponent's. And above all: Be Patient! It may save a life, or a limb." He winked, glancing down to Omi's fully restored hand.

"How did you do that? I mean, I've never seen anything like it." Rai asked from behind him.

Turning around and flicking a lock of hair out of his face, he smiled knowingly, "I employed the ancient Nordic art of the Lotis Words."

Questions appeared on all their faces, as they turned to look at each other. Clay finally asked the question, "Uh, Lota-what?"

"Lotis Words, they've been around since the days of the Celtics and Vikings. You might know them better by their other name: Runes"

Kimiko hopped up, glad to employ her knowledge. "That was an ancient soothsaying way of casting lots, an early alphabet!"

He ruffled her hair, "Yes, but there is much more to it than that."

He flipped up his right arm, a shiny, red beaded bracelet on his wrist, with a small Celtic charm holding it together. "This is a Lotis Bracelet. When you learn one of the words and master it, the word becomes a bead on your bracelet which you can use in times of need. There are twenty-four Lotis Words in all. The words each have a different symbolism and power; they us the same energy that you use for your elemental Xiaolin powers, but channels it through the words you say, through your mouth and in your heart. JIVA, is the 14th Lotis Word. It means both recovery and heal, and can be used on all types of injuries.

Raimundo couldn't believe it! This guy must have studied all across the world, and from the amount of beads he had, he mastered any skill he studied! With this man to teach him, he could learn several different arts, and maybe…just maybe…he could beat this thing inside him. "Will we get to learn that?"

Kama grinned at the boy's excitement, "Yes, this is one of the many fighting arts I expect to teach you, during your stay as my pupils."

The rustling in the rafters came back again, and this time, Clay spoke up. "Geez-Louise! You really need to get some exterminators or somethin'!"

The silver-haired man, closed his eyes in irritation and annoyance. Hitting himself in the head in frustration, he said through gritted teeth, "Yes, maybe I will…"

Omi looked around, a sudden thought coming to him, "Are we the only students here?"

Rai suddenly looked around, "Yeah, I know there has to be more than us, where is every body else."

Removing his hand from his face, Kama gave him an embarrassed, wry smile. "I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet, Raimundo."

Putting two fingers to his lips, he blew a shrill whistle which reverberated loudly through the complex.

On cue, the black "shadows" of the rafter corners, flew down to the ground, like ghostly spirits!

Before they could even blink, the four monks found themselves surrounded by twenty to twenty-five ninjas, all poised for battle with shurikan and kunai in their hands!

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