Light flashed off the razor sharp blade, the only thing giving away its barely visible location. The silence ruled save for soft sound of cloth rustling in quick movement and to those with superior hearing, air parting in a violent sigh.

Like water flowing from a cup Jin moved with a graceful powerful fluidity that spoke of his years of training and honed concentration. Shirtless in the warm afternoon sun, sweat shone off his hardened body, his face a mask of stone.

He parried up, then bringing the blade back down he spun on one foot whipping the blade around at his imaginary enemies mid-section. It would have been a beautiful display except for his loss of balance at the last moment that forced him to plant a hand into the soft grass that grew on the cliff top.

"Fuck" he mouthed in an uncharacteristic display of emotion. Rocking back on his heels he sat, crossing his legs and laying the blade across his muscular thighs.

He ignored the crack of branches in the forest behind him, knowing who approached. Starring off into the bright blue sky that met the crystal clear water miles from his perch, a calm breeze caressed his back, drawing the few loose strands of hair across his face. "Shion, Pellegri, Margulis." He said sending their names on the wind and out of his mind.

His grandfathers voice floated through his mind, wise but forceful, "Remove all distractions, focus on the now, what you can control, do not let the outside in."

Jin breathed deeply, searching for his center but only finding the stoic face of his young sister upon his return from Miltia 15 years ago. "Where were you Jin, why weren't you there?"

He remembered the pain that had shot through him seeing her obvious struggle to be steady and strong. "I had duties to attend to, I am sorry I was not with you."

Her lip quivered and tears welled in her expressive eyes, "It's all your fault!" She screamed at him, barriers breaking down, "Their dead because of you! Why weren't you there?"

"Shion, please, I am..." he started reaching for her quaking frame. His hand brushed her shoulder and she flinched away, "Don't touch me, I hate you! Leave me alone!" Shion turned glasses catching the fading sun and blinding him as she ran through the archway of their temporary home, her bedroom door crashing shut moments later.

Lowering his arm he blinked the sun from his eyes, "I am sorry Shion."

Jin opened his eyes, seeing the blue sky reach to eternity and was reminded of another blue just like this one.

"Don't touch me Jin, you don't know him like I do."

"Pellegri, listen to me, he is not what you think he is, you don't know what I do about him." Jin explained, hoping he could break though her determination and awe of the man he knew was perverting his grandfather's lessons.

She gave him a hard look, "I know him as well as you do, he has plans, ideas that could change everything. All the red tape can be stripped away and we can do the right thing without waiting for the idiots above us to agree."

He grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her close and looking into her sharp depthless blue eyes, "There has to be balance to everything, he knows that but doesn't care anymore, he thinks he can do it all and he can't. He has killed innocent men to get what he wants, you can't be part of that!"

Pellegri's eyes narrowed and she shrugged his grip from her and stepped back. "Sometimes evil things must be done for the greater good, I thought you understood that." Her face softened and she stepped back to him placing her hands on his chest, "Just come with us Jin, we can do so much good, he is a great man who is willing to do what needs to be done. Please."

He looked down at her, images of her laughing, crying, gasping in passion flitting through his mind, "No, I can't condone what he has done or what he thinks he will do, nor can I be with anyone who does." He said, grasping her wrist and removing her hands from his chest.

Pellegri's mouth hardened and her eyes went cold, "Fine, you will see Jin, you will see what you gave up." Turning she exited the sparse bedroom quickly, it was the last time he saw her.

"Jin?" Questioned the rumbling timbre of Helmer.

Shaken loose from the tour of his past Jin stood smoothly and stepped over to his shirt and scabbard, sheathing the extension of himself he placed it on the clasp in his hip and turned. "Representative Helmer." He greeted.

Helmer let a small smile play across his features, "You have been a hard man to track down this last week, and I almost think you don't want to be found."

Jin responded coolly, "There is a war coming, I needed solace to prepare."

Helmer's smile faded and was replaced with a rigid gaze, "I know I have relied upon you more than I should have as of late, but I can count on you do get the information we need to gain the upper hand."

"I have my own reasons for doing what you ask, I am happy that I can help you but there are things that need my attention and wrongs that must be put right." Jin explained, a hot glow growing in his usually cool eyes.

"I have another assignment for you; we have gotten word from an informant that Ormus is moving a massive amount of personnel and resources in the next couple of days and we need you to find out what their objective is." Helmer told him, pushing ahead and ignoring Jin's proclamation.

Pellegri flared into Jin's head, "I…can't, I have other obligations."

A dark cloud passed over Helmer's strong face "You don't have a choice Jin, you signed the paper bringing you back onto active duty, don't force me on this."

"Don't force you on this?" Jin asked, his voice no longer calm, "You know my record, everything I have done in the name of saving our way of life, nothing I have done was because you forced me. If I can accomplish your objectives as well as my own all the better, but do not ever think you own me."

Helmer signed deeply, his demeanor shifting from business to familiar, "I didn't come to fight with you, we need you, you have a ability to route out the truth where no one else can. I don't know what is driving you, but be careful, you're not the same man I knew a year ago."

Jin tuned and picked up his tunic, shrugged it over his shoulders and tied it tightly, "No one can stay the same forever Helmer, you and I know that all to well." He said in an even tone, his back still turned to Helmer.

"I do know that Jin, it's just that you are beginning to sound like…" Helmer started, cutting himself off before he regretted something he said.

Whipping around hotly, Jin surprised Helmer, "Do not compare me to him, we are nothing alike and I would never do what he has done, no matter the cost." He spit out, body tensed.

"I did not mean to imply that you are like him, but it is a thin line between right and wrong." Helmer said, taking a step back.

Eyes narrowed Jin stalked past the Representative, "Message me the mission information, you'll get what you need." He replied coldly. He disappeared into the woods, leaving Helmer alone on the picturesque bluff.

"I hope you do to." He said to the wind.