Warrior Call

by Janime Lee

A trip to Japan is just the opportunity for American students. But when the Ronin Warriors become involved, they realize that they may have found more than just an overseas education.

4. Meetings

Ronin Warriors

Warrior Call

By Janime

Part Three - Meetings
**********

"Good morning students," said the dean of Tokyo University, Mr. Ikegami, over the P.A. system. "Welcome back to another wonderful, beautiful year at Tokyo University."
"Is this guy for real?" Jessie asked. She was sitting outside the dean's office along with Casey, Joana, Gwen, Twyla, and the fifteen other students from the Student Exchange Program.
"This semester we have twenty students from America who will be participating in class with you," said Mr. Ikegami, "and more next semester."
"Well, duh!" Casey said.
"Be sure to give them a warm welcome and treat them as you want to be treated."
"Am I actually hearing this?" asked Twyla.
"Remember," the Dean concluded, "you look good and you feel good. Nothing can ruin your day."
"Oh God," said Gwen, "I can't believe this guy."
"What fun this will be," said Joana sarcastically.
Mr. Ikegami opened the office door. "Now then," he said, "please come in." Mr. Ikegami was a short, pudgy man, wearing a toupee, which was very noticeable. "I shall give you your schedules and then you can be off to your class."
Jessie looked at her friends and shook her head. What a doof! Jessie thought.
"Mrs. Lang," Mr. Ikegami spoke into the intercom, "please bring in the Exchange Students' file."
"But sir, I already put it on your desk," Mrs. Lang said.
"You did?" he asked. "Hmmm. Where could it be?" He began to search around his desk.
"What an idiot," muttered Casey.
"Pardon?" said the dean.
"Do you need help looking for it?" Twyla said quickly.
"No, no," said Mr. Ikegami. "Why don't you wait outside my office." They left and shut the door.
"Twenty dollars says that we'll be here for most of the morning," said Jessie. "How much is that in yen?"

Jessie sat by herself in the back of the cafeteria counting the money she had won. Everyone had put in twenty U.S. dollars. Jessie and her friends had bet that the dean wouldn't find the file before the 11:30 a.m. lunch shift, while the other students had bet he would.
At 11:45 a.m., Mr. Ikegami found the file, gave them their schedules, and sent them to class. Jessie, Casey, Joana, Gwen, and Twyla each walked away sixty dollars richer.
I'm definitely hitting the mall this week, Jessie thought as she put her money away, as soon as I get the currency changed.
As Jessie picked at her lunch, a girl about her age, with dark green hair and eyes, sat on the other side of the table, across from her.
"Hi, I'm Keiko," she said, "you're one of the students from America, aren't you?"
Jessie looked to the left, then to the right, then at her shirt, and back at Keiko. "What gave me away?" Jessie asked.
Keiko fidgeted in her seat. "I have to ask you something," she said, "do you have a T-shirt that has two tigers, one white, one orange, lying in a meadow?"
"Depends," said Jessie. "Why?"
"I was wondering if I could buy that from you."
Jessie picked up her milk. "For?"
"Ten thousand yen."
Jessie nearly spit her milk over her lunch. "Excuse me?" she gagged.
"Ten thousand yen." Keiko repeated.
Jessie stared at Keiko. Jessie's mother had bought her that T-shirt last year and it only cost $10.95. Ten thousand yen was about $75 in America. "For what reason do you want to pay that much for my T-shirt?" Jessie asked.
"Because there's nothing quite like that here," said Keiko. "I'll talk to you again on Friday. Bye."
Jessie watched her leave and sit at another table with a bunch of girls and they began to talk. Okay, she's sane, Jessie thought. Ten thousand yen for my T-shirt? She's nuts!

The week went by smoothly and on Friday, Jessie found herself once again sitting solo in the back of the cafeteria. She was about to eat her sandwich when Keiko sat across from her again.
"So have you decided?" Keiko asked.
"I've decided," said Jessie.
"Well?"
Jessie took a bite of her sandwich, chewed thoughtfully and swallowed. "No."
"Why not?" asked Keiko. "That's a really great price."
"A little too great," said Jessie. "You said that you wanted to buy my T-shirt because you said that there's nothing quite like it, which is a bunch of bull. Because I saw a T-shirt very similar to the one I have and it doesn't even cost half of what you are offering to pay me for my T-shirt, which was a gift from last Christmas. Now what's the real reason you want to pay so much for a T-shirt that is almost a year old, when you can go out and buy yourself one at the mall and save yourself a lot of money."
Keiko stammered for a moment, then turned to the table where the other girls she had sat with on Monday, and waved them over.
"Keiko, is she selling it?" one girl asked.
"No," said Keiko. "She wants the real reason why. Should we tell her?"
"Tell me what?" demanded Jessie. "What is going on?"
"To start off," said the tallest member, who was about, in Jessie's guess, 5'6", "my name is Nika. I'm president of the Date Club."
"What the hell is the Date Club?" asked Jessie.
"We are the girls who have gone out with Date Sage," said Nika, "I've gone out with him twice, that's why I'm president."
"Well aren't you the lucky one," Jessie said sarcastically. "What does this have to do with my shirt?"
"You literally ran into Date Sage!" said Keiko. "Knocked him on the ground and laid on top of him for about ten seconds!"
"That's why you want my shirt?" Jessie couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Just because I ran into some guy and nearly turned him into road-kill?"
"Not just some guy," said a short girl. "He's Date Sage."
"Well, whoop-de-shit!" Jessie said.
"You don't understand," said Keiko. "He's the sexiest man that has ever walked on this planet."
"And each of you has gone out with him once," Jessie pointed to Nika, "but you've gone out with him twice."
"That's right," Nika said proudly.
"Okay, I'll make a deal with you. If you can answer me this one question about Date Sage," said Jessie, "I'll give you my T-shirt for free."
"Go ahead," said Nika, a triumphant smile on her face.
Aren't we confident? Jessie thought. She cleared her throat. "Is his ego the same size as his libido?"
Shocked faces stared at Jessie. "No one has ever gotten that far," said the short girl. "If she did, her name would be all over the place."
"Then I can't give you my shirt," said Jessie. "Have a nice day."
"But we need that shirt." Keiko persisted.
"Because?"
"Date Sage."
"So."
"So?"
"So what!" Jessie's patience was wearing thin.
"Well since you feel that way," said Nika, "we'll just take it from you."
Now Jessie was mad. She stood up, revealing her full height, and grabbed a now frightened Nika by her shirt. "Listen," hissed Jessie, "I did not come to Japan to sell my shirt because of a slight accident with a guy you consider the gift to the world, got it? I'll fight you if you want, but I'm warning you now, I will kick your ass from here to Okinawa!"
Nika swallowed hard. "On second thought, you can keep it."
Jessie released her and watched as the Date Club walked very quickly back to their table.
And Hank thought I had no life, Jessie thought as she sat down. Maybe now I can eat my lunch in peace. As Jessie peeled her orange, someone set a tray down across from her.
"Is this seat taken?" a voice asked.
Jessie looked up and saw a young man that looked very much like Sage. "No, go ahead."
"Thank you," he said, sitting down. "I see that the Date Club is giving you trouble."
"Unfortunately," said Jessie. "Tell me, do they give you any trouble since you're related to him?"
"How'd you guess?" he asked.
"Your hair is a little darker and shorter than his, not to mention yours doesn't fall over your eye. His eyes are violet-hazel. Yours are blue. Your voices are different also. As for your facial features, it's almost a perfect copy. Although your nose is pointer than his."
"I get that from my mom," he said, touching his nose. "But you're right. I am related to Sage. I'm his younger brother, Alex. And no I don't get any problems from the Date Club. They only worship Sage. They consider me as a spawn from the tenth level of hell."
"So why do they worship your brother?" Jessie asked.
"He was the King of Flirting when he was in high school," explained Alex. "Every girl, didn't matter what class level she was in, he'd flirt continuously with her, and only dated a girl once."
"Except for Nika," said Jessie. "She claims that she went out with him twice."
"Only in her fantasy world," said Alex, "I've kept track of who he's dated."
"That's sick, I hope you know," Jessie laughed.
"The last girl Sage went out with was just before the end of his junior year in high school," Alex went on, "and hasn't dated since."
"That's odd," said Jessie. She looked at Nika, Keiko, and the others. "Is the Date Club waiting for Sage to announce that he's ready to start dating again?"
"They're waiting," Alex said. "But in my opinion, they'll be waiting a long time."
Jessie shook her head.

After classes were over, Jessie waited outside in front of the campus for her friends.
Where in God's name are they? Jessie asked herself. Then she remembered. Casey and Gwen went into town to go shopping - again. Joana was staying at the University to help. Twyla had gone to karate class.
Oh well, Jessie sighed. Guess I'm going back by myself.
Jessie really didn't want to go back to the hotel, even though she was afraid that another armored freak would chase her again. Shoving her fear aside, Jessie took a bus down to the city library.

"Don't ever sing in public when I'm with you guys!" said Rowen, taking his hands away from his ears. He was sitting in the front passenger seat of Kento's van.
"Oh come on, Rowen," said Kento. "We're not that bad. Why don't you sing with us?"
"I want to spare myself as much humiliation as possible."
"Hey, at least it wasn't 'Under the Sea'." Sage said.
"Then I would kill myself," said Rowen, "after I smashed the tape deck."
"Don't even touch my stereo," Kento warned as he turned a corner, "even if Cye did have that playing."
"Why did he stay after anyway?" asked Rowen.
"The Records Office is still a mess, so he volunteered to help," answered Sage. "What time is Ryo coming home from the doctor?"
"I'm not sure," said Rowen. "By the way, did you ask your dad if I could go to his karate class today?"
"Yeah, he said you can come," said Sage. "Oh, I better warn you now. Alex is going to be there."
"Oh man," Rowen groaned. "Any other siblings of yours you want to warn me about?"
"No, just Alex," Sage reassured him.
"How do you put up with him?"
"The same way I put up with the others."

Ryo sat patiently on the examination table in Dr. Fuji's office. Dr. Fuji was a good friend to Mia's grandfather and had been Mia's doctor since she was a baby. As he waited for Dr. Fuji, Ryo's mind drifted back six years earlier...

Two months had passed since Talpa's defeat; Ryo's health had begun to decline. First he was short of breath, then stopped eating his usual amount. Within a week, Ryo had lost thirty pounds. Everyone was starting to worry.
One night at dinner, Mia watched Ryo as he pushed the food around his plate with his fork.
"Ryo," she said, "what's wrong?"
"Can't eat," Ryo muttered, "I just can't eat."
"Try?" Mia pleaded. The other four Ronins exchanged worried looks as Ryo shook his head.
"I'll go lay down for a while," said Ryo, standing up. Suddenly, he grabbed the table for support. Everyone looked at him in alarm. Ryo's eyes rolled up and he fell. Rowen caught him before he hit the floor.
"Call an ambulance!" Rowen shouted. Cye bolted for the kitchen.

At Shinora Hospital, Ryo was placed in ICU. Dr. Fuji was doing his best to console Mia and the others.
"I've never seen anything like this before," said Dr. Fuji. "When did he start getting sick?"
"A couple of weeks ago," said Mia. She dreaded the question she had to ask. "Will he die?"
"I don't know," said Dr. Fuji, "I've seen police officers who should be dead from gunshot wounds survive. I don't know what to say about Ryo's condition, but I am optimistic that he'll pull through."
They drove back to Mia's house in silence.

Mia sat on her bed, clutching her pillow. White Blaze was lying on the floor in front of Mia's dresser.
"Oh Ryo," Mia whispered. Fresh tears flowed down her cheeks. "I helped you with your Armor and finding the others, but I don't know what to do."
White Blaze got up and walked over to Mia, placing his paws on her bed and licked her face.
"White Blaze." Mia watched as he walked over to her dresser again and touched the bottom drawer with his paw. "Don't do that!" she scolded the tiger and got off her bed and checked the drawer, making sure there weren't any claw marks. White Blaze made a low growl, butting his head against her.
"What?" she asked. He wants me to open the drawer? A little confused, Mia pulled it open. "Now what?"
White Blaze stuck his head in and pulled out an object. He dropped it into Mia's hands. It was a small white crystal orb that Kayura had given her before returning to the Dynasty.
"If you ever need anything," Kayura's words echoed in Mia's mind, "contact me with this."
What do I do with it? Mia wondered. "Kayura," she said aloud, "I need your help."
The orb began to glow and floated from Mia's hands to the center of the room, and a life-size image of Kayura appeared. "Mia," she said, "it's good to hear from you. What do you need?"
"Not me, it's Ryo who needs help," said Mia. "He's sick. No one knows what's wrong with him."
"Where is he?" Kayura asked.
"At Shinora Hospital."

The next day Mia and Kayura went to Shinora Hospital to see Ryo.
"I feel very strange wearing this," said Kayura. She had borrowed one of Mia's outfits, a blouse, short skirt, and flat shoes, which fit her nicely.
"Well, if people saw you wearing your kimono, they would think you're very strange." Mia said. "Not many people wear kimonos outside their homes these days."
Inside the hospital, Mia and Kayura looked through the glass at Ryo. His eyes were closed and an oxygen mask was over his mouth and nose. A heart monitor was attached to his arm, along with several tubes and wires. The heart monitor also showed that Ryo's blood pressure was still dangerously low.
"Nothing has worked here?" Kayura asked.
Mia shook her head. "Nothing."
"I need to be in the room to find out what's wrong with him." Kayura reached for the door handle.
"No," Mia stopped her. "We have to wait for Dr. Fuji to say it's all right for us to go in there."
"Mia," said Dr. Fuji as he walked towards them.
"How is he?" she asked.
"No change," Dr. Fuji said. "I've arranged to have a few tests run... who's that? What's she doing in there?"
Mia looked through the glass and saw Kayura standing next to Ryo. Her eyes were closed and her hand was on his forehead. Dr. Fuji ran into the room. Mia followed.
"I don't know who you are or what you're doing, but get the hell out of here!" Dr. Fuji shouted at Kayura.
"Dr. Fuji, it's okay," Mia said. "She's a friend of mine."
"Please calm yourself, Doctor," Kayura said. She opened her eyes and looked at Dr. Fuji. "He's still weak from the final battle. We need to bring him to the Dynasty to heal him. What I've done will sustain him until we bring him there."
"What are you talking about?" demanded Dr. Fuji. "You're not taking him anywhere! Ryo is not leaving this hospital!"
That moment, Ryo groaned, shocking both Mia and Dr. Fuji. Ryo opened his eyes and looked at Kayura. "K...Kayura?" he asked weakly.
"Hello Ryo," said Kayura with a smile.
"Ryo!" cried Mia and she rushed to his side.
"Mia…" said Ryo, "where...am...I?"
"Shinora Hospital," she answered.
"Shinora...Hospital?" Ryo's eyes widened. Mia nodded.
"Ryo," said Kayura, "we're taking you to the Dynasty to heal you." She walked over to Dr. Fuji.
"How did you-"
"You have to trust me," said Kayura. "Don't ask me to explain now. It's too long and Ryo doesn't have much time. And if you'd believe me."
"I'm his doctor," said Dr. Fuji, "I'm not letting him out of my sight."
"Fine," Kayura said, "you'll come with us and see for yourself."
"Uh... Kayura," said Mia, holding Ryo's hand. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"Don't worry," said Kayura. "It will be all right. Everything will be fine."
"One more question. How are we going to get Ryo out of here without the hospital orderlies stopping us?"
"Leave that to me." Kayura took a crystal orb out of her pocket and whispered a chant.
"Mia," said Ryo, "where are the guys?"
"Waiting in the Dynasty," she replied.
Ryo groaned. He knew that Sage, Cye, Kento, and Rowen, still felt uneasy about Sekhmet, Cale, and Dayus. Leaving all seven of them alone was asking for all hell to break loose.
"Don't worry," said Mia. "We didn't leave them in the same building."
"Just knowing that the others are there is enough for them to start fighting," said Ryo. "They still have their own personal grudges against each other."
Mia sighed. It seems that you're the only reason they won't fight, she thought.
"Dynasty Gate open!" Kayura's command startled Mia. She turned her head and watched in surprise as a Gate appeared in the wall. It opened and there stood Dayus. Kayura's eyes brightened and she smiled at him.
She's glad to see him? Mia wondered. No, not glad. Happy. Thrilled. Ecstatic.
Dayus returned Kayura's smile with the same enthusiasm. Something was going on and Mia was determined to find out what it was.
"Make an illusion," said Kayura.
Dayus nodded and held up his hands. "Done," he said and walked over to Ryo. "How you feeling?"
"Like shit," said Ryo.
"How did you do that?" exclaimed Dr. Fuji. "The door! And his blood pressure is almost normal!"
"I will answer your questions later, Doctor," said Kayura. "Will you please take these off of Ryo?" She pointed to the tubes and wires.
"But won't someone in the hallway see what we're doing?" Dr. Fuji asked.
"I created an illusion," said Dayus. "Anyone who passes by will only see Ryo sleeping." He gestured to the window as several people walked by only glanced and walked away, as if it was normal for a man with an eye-patch, wearing a karate gi and a door that led to a place with a golden colored sky to be in a hospital room.
With extreme calmness, Dr. Fuji removed the tubes and wires attached to Ryo's arm. Dayus carefully picked Ryo up and carried him through the Gate.
"Coming, Doctor?" Kayura asked
"It's all right, Dr. Fuji." Mia said. Dr. Fuji didn't say anything, only nodded. Mia took his hand and they followed Kayura into the Dynasty. The Gate closed behind them.
"So then, the Legend of the Armors is true," said Dr. Fuji, scanning the scenery before him. "What your grandfather researched. The Nine Armors. The Ancient One and the Clan. It's all true!"
"Yes, it is," Mia answered.
"Mia, would you get the other Ronins?" asked Kayura. Mia nodded and walked over to the small building. She opened the door and saw Sage, Rowen, Cye, and Kento, practicing.
"Guys," Mia called. They stopped and looked at her. "Ryo is here."
"How is he?" asked Sage.
"He's awake," she said, "and someone else now knows about all this."
Confused, the Ronins left the building and saw whom Mia was talking about.
"Dr. Fuji?!" they exclaimed.
"Hello," said Dr. Fuji. "So you are four of the Ronin Warriors. I should have guessed after your physical exams last month. The results said that you're practically perfect human beings."
"Ronins," said Kayura, "in here." She walked into the next building.
"Mia, isn't that one of your outfits?" asked Cye.
"Yes," said Mia, "it was either that or she'd wear her kimono into the hospital."
They entered the room. Ryo was asleep on the floor. Cale and Sekhmet were leaning against the back wall. Dayus and Kayura were standing in a corner whispering to each other.
"What's with them?" Kento asked quietly, jerking his thumb at Dayus and Kayura.
"I don't know," said Rowen, "we'll find out later."
"All right," said Kayura. She walked over to the Ronins, Dayus following her. "The four of you kneel at his left side. Sage, Cye, Kento, Rowen, in that order. We'll be on his right side. Me, Sekhmet, Cale, Dayus, in that order."
Mia and Dr. Fuji stood near the door and watched the Ronins and Warlords kneel beside Ryo. Mia noticed Dayus' expression as he looked at Kayura. Disappointment?
"Ryo," said Kayura. "Be healthy again. Stay with us. For you are our friend. Our brother. All of us bonded through the Armors. Be strong again with our strength. Be healed."
Each placed their hands on Ryo's arms and spoke their kanji.
"Wisdom."
"Trust."
"Justice."
"Life."
"Loyalty."
"Piety."
"Obedience."
"Serenity."
"Your soul is Virtue," they said together. "You hold all of them in you. Take our strength and be healed. Return to us, Ryo of Wildfire."
Their kanji glowed brightly and faded away. For a moment the room was silent. Ryo's kanji started to glow and he opened his eyes and saw eight smiling faces above him.
"Welcome back, Ryo," Kayura said. They helped him sit up.
"Well, say something," said Rowen.
"I am hungry!" Ryo said. "I know I sound like Kento right now, but I'm starving!"
"No big surprise," said Sage. "You haven't eaten anything for two weeks." He helped Ryo to his feet.
"RYO!" Mia cried happily. She ran to him, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.
"Wow," Ryo said breathlessly. "Mia, after I'm released from Shinora Hospital, you want to go out sometime?"
"I'd thought you'd never ask," she said and they kissed again.
"It's about time you two got together," said Cye.
We may not be the only ones, Mia thought. "Dayus. Kayura. What's new?"
Kayura's cheeks turned pink and Dayus was trying to hide a smile.
"Uh, well..." Kayura was trying to find a place to start.
"They're getting married," said Cale.
Ryo and Mia looked at Kayura and Dayus in shock as the other Ronins fell to the floor.
"You're getting married?" Mia asked, feeling very happy for them. Kayura nodded with a smile.
"Congratulations!" said Ryo. "When were you going to tell us?"
"Soon," said Kayura meekly. Dayus put his arm around her waist and pulled her close.
"How long were you planning this?" asked Rowen. "When did you ask her, Dayus?"
"A little over three hundred years ago," said Dayus.
"Three hundred years?!" the Ronins shouted in surprise.
"We'll tell you about it some other time," Kayura said. "We have to get Ryo back to the hospital." She turned to Dr. Fuji. "How long will it be before you release him?"
"Only a couple of days," said Dr. Fuji.
"So, when's the big day?" Mia asked.
"In two months," said Kayura.
"Hey! I just thought of something!" said Kento. "We can throw Dayus a Bachelor Party!"
"Uh, Kento," said Cye, "I don't think Bachelor Parties were around back then."
"What's a Bachelor Party?" Dayus asked.
"It's a celebration for a man who's going to get married," Ryo explained. "It's fun-"
"Movies," said Kento.
Ryo looked at him. "Entertaining."
"Belly-dancer."
"You just have a good time."
"Mosh pits."
"Now you're taking it to far, Kento," Ryo said.
"What?" asked Kento. "That's what happened at my cousin's Bachelor Party."
"Why don't we get Ryo back to the hospital," said Kayura, "and discuss the whatever it is some other time."
Ryo was back in the hospital and released two days later.

The door opened, startling Ryo, bringing him back to the present.
"Well Ryo," said Dr. Fuji. He was looking at Ryo's file. "You're in perfect health. Just need to check your blood pressure and then you can go."
Ryo rolled up his right sleeve. Dr. Fuji wrapped the pad around his arm and inflated it.
"One twenty-three over eighty." Dr. Fuji removed the pad. "Very good. You're free to leave. I'll call you for your next appointment."
"All right," said Ryo. He jumped off the table and put on his jacket.
"Tell Kento that his exam is a week from tomorrow," said Dr. Fuji.
"I will," said Ryo.
"And Kayura's, Dayus', Sekhmet's, and Cale's results will be here shortly."
"Okay. Thanks, Doc." Ryo left the hospital, walked to Mia's jeep and drove home, his mind drifting back to his first kiss with Mia.

Why did they give this to me? Joana asked herself as she carried a large box down the stairs. Don't they realize how fragile I am? WHOA! Joana lost her balance and fell forwards.
"Careful!" a male voice cried. Whoever it was caught the box and helped Joana regain her balance.
"Thank you," she said.
"Anytime."
Joana looked over the box at her savior. He's cute!
He had light brown hair and blue eyes, and around 6' in Joana's estimation, and spoke with an accent. "Would you like me to carry it for you?" he asked.
"Yes please," said Joana. "Thank you, again."
"You're welcome," he said, taking the box. "My name is Cye."
"Mine's Joana," she said. "Forgive me for prying, but you're Irish, aren't you?"
"One hundred percent," said Cye. "My family moved to Japan eighteen years ago, because my step-father's job had him mostly in Japan than Ireland. Where are you from?"
"America," said Joana.
"Which state?"
"New York."
"One of the original thirteen colonies," Cye said. "What made you decide to come to Japan?"
"My classmates and I were offered a chance to study overseas. So we spun a globe and stopped on Japan."
"That's an interesting way to plan a trip."
Joana smiled at him.
She's cute, Cye thought. His mind wandered a little and he almost walked into the wall.
"Careful," said Joana as she placed her hand on his wrist. A tingling sensation went through Cye's arm and his heart skipped a beat.
"Well, we're here," he said, nodding to the Records Office. Joana opened the door and they walked in.
"Here you are, Mrs. Lang," Joana said.
"Thank you," said Mrs. Lang. "Why don't you two get out of here. Go enjoy the rest of the day."
"Really?" they asked in unison. "Thanks."
"That's cool," said Cye as they walked down the hallway.
"She's very nice," said Joana.
"Um, are you doing anything in particular?" Cye asked. "I mean, do you have anything planned for...arge...would you like to go with me and get a sandwich or something?"
Joana looked at him in surprise. She had just met Cye and he was willing to buy her a snack. "Sure," she said. "I'd love to. Thanks. I have to get my stuff. It's upstairs."
"Mine is, too," said Cye. They walked upstairs.
"I know this nice little restaurant," said Cye as he put on his jacket.
"That sounds great," said Joana and they left.

"Hurry up, Kento!" Rowen shouted. "I'm going to be late!"
"So have Sage drive you!" Kento shouted back from his bedroom.
"He went to the library!"
"I'd drive you there, Rowen," said Mia from the living room. "But Ryo borrowed my jeep and his car won't be ready until next week."
"KENTO!" Rowen shouted again.
"Hold on a minute!" Kento yelled. "Ah-ha! There it is!" Kento ran down the steps with an apron in his hand.
"About time," said Rowen as Kento put on his sneakers.
"Shut up or you walk," said Kento and they bolted to his van.

Twyla stood outside a building with a sign that read 'Date Dojo'. She opened the door and walked into a small lobby. She took off her shoes, put her hands together and bowed respectively to the entrance to the training room. There was only one person in there, already dressed in his karate gi, practicing moves and blocks.
"Excuse me," said Twyla.
He stopped and looked at her. "Can I help you?" he asked, running his hands through his blonde hair.
"I have to speak to Date Shojo." Twyla said.
"Hold on a minute. DAD!" he screamed, causing Twyla to jump.
"What's the matter with you, Alex?" said Sensei Date as he walked out of his office. "The way you're screaming, one would think the entire block was on fire."
"She wants to talk to you," said Alex, jerking his thumb at Twyla.
"May I help you?" asked Sensei Date.
"This is for you." Twyla handed him an envelope. Sensei Date looked at the writing on the front of it.

TO: Date Shojo
FROM: Hwang Hoo Soo

Well I'll be, thought Sensei Date, my old training partner. He opened the envelope and pulled out the paper.

Shojo,
This is Twyla Banning. She is my best student and I've encouraged her to take part in your class while she is in Japan. Let me know of her progress.

~Hoo Soo

"Well Hoo Soo, you were never one for writing," said Sensei Date. "Welcome, Twyla. I hope that you enjoy your stay in Japan."
"Thank you, sensei," said Twyla and she bowed.
"Do you need a karate gi?" asked Sensei Date.
"I have my own, sensei. Thanks anyway."
"Good," said Sensei Date. "Class will begin shortly. The girls' locker room is through that door and to your right. I'm afraid to say that you'll be the only girl in this class."
"Okay. Thanks for the warning," said Twyla. Sensei Date went back to his office. Twyla went to the locker room.
"Don't use the third locker on your left when you go in," said Alex.
"Why?" Twyla asked.
"Because it sticks and you'll have a hell of a time opening it."
Twyla turned around and looked at him. "And how would you know that?"
Alex stopped mid-punch and his ears turned red. "I, uh, overheard my sister tell my father," he said quickly.
"Right," said Twyla and she went into the locker room.

Jessie flipped through the pages of the book on ancient Japan and famous wars. She remembered reading a book that was written about twenty years ago, mentioning a battle that ended with an earthquake, swallowing warriors on both sides. Not all the details were written about that battle that took place over one thousand years ago. Jessie shut the book and looked at the cover.

Wars in the Land of the Rising Sun by Dr. Takahiko Koji

I wonder if he lives around here, Jessie thought as she took another book off the shelf.

Sage walked up the stairs to the second floor in the library. For history class, he needed to pick a battle that made a major impact in Japan's culture.
Too bad I couldn't write about the battle between Talpa and the Ancient One, Sage thought with a grin. I wonder if I would get an 'A' for that. He looked down the aisles and stopped short. It's her! Sage recognized the girl he and the others had saved last week, flipping through a book. He walked slowly over to Jessie.
"Hey," he said quietly and put his hand on her shoulder. Jessie let out a yelp and dropped the book.
"Sorry," Sage apologized. He picked up the book and gave it to her.
"Don't take this personally," said Jessie, "but the last time I saw you, I nearly died."
"That's what I want to talk to you about," said Sage.
"Not me," Jessie said, "I don't want to see another one of those things. See ya." She started walking away.
"No wait." Sage pleaded and grabbed her hand.
A tingling sensation went through both of their bodies. They looked at each other.
"I don't know how to explain this," Jessie said, "but I have this feeling-"
"That we've met before," finished Sage, "I had this dream about us dancing in a white marble palace and-"
"I was wearing a gold dress with red trim, you had a green top with yellow trim," Jessie finished.
"Geez," said Sage. "I've heard that when two people dream the same dream, they actually meet in the dream." He let go of her hand. "I'm Sage."
"I'm Jessie."
"How about we go sit down somewhere."
"Whatever you say, your majesty," Jessie said and laughed at the confused look on his face. "I met your brother."
"Which one?" Sage asked.
"Alex," said Jessie. "He told me about your reputation as the Flirt King when you were in high school."
"I gave that up before my senior year," said Sage.
"So he told me. But the Date Club still worships the ground you walk on."
"I had hoped that they had gotten over that."
"Not hardly," Jessie informed him. "They wanted to buy my T-shirt I wore when I knocked you to the ground for ten thousand yen."
"Boy do they need help," Sage shook his head. "So, shall we go?"
"Of course."

"Casey, please can we sit down for a while?" Gwen begged for what seemed like the hundredth time.
"Oh, come on, Gwen," said Casey. "We've barely done anything."
"Barely? Barely!" exclaimed Gwen. She held out the bags she was carrying. "You call this barely! Only one is mine! Three are yours! You should be carrying them, but you can't, because you've got four yourself!"
"So I was born to shop," said Casey. "Oh look! A shoe store!"
"I'm not going in there." Gwen said, sternly.
"Okay. Just watch the bags, then."
"I don't think so."
"All right. Fine," Casey groaned, "we'll find a place to sit down. Then will you watch bags?"
"Maybe." Gwen looked around. "That seems to be a good place." She gestured to a small Chinese restaurant. And I'm hungry, she thought.
They entered the restaurant and saw a young man with charcoal-black hair and blue eyes, wiping the counter. He smiled at them. Gwen returned the smile.
Casey put her bags on the booth seat. "I'll be back shortly," she said, leaving the restaurant and walked across the street to the shoe store.
"Shortly. Translation, an hour and a half." Gwen sighed, sitting in the booth.
"Looks like you two bought out the mall," said the young man.
"She did," said Gwen, pointing out the window. "Not me. Only one bag is mine."
"Don't like shopping much?" he asked.
"I like it, but I don't worship the mall like she does."
"Would you like a menu?"
"Please."
"Kento, come here for a minute!" a voice called from the kitchen.
"Be right there!" He handed her a menu. "I'm Kento."
"I'm Gwen." They smiled at each other and he went into the kitchen.

"Here we are," said Cye. "My best friend's family owns this place. You'll love it."
"Cool," said Joana. "Back home there's a Chinese restaurant near my friend Jessie's house. It's really good."
"Sounds great," said Cye. "If I'm ever in that part of America, I'll try it. What's it called?"
"The Dynasty."
Cye looked at her in surprise.
"What's wrong?" Joana asked.
"Interesting name for a restaurant." He opened the door. "Ladies first."
"Thank you," she said and walked inside.
Wait till Ryo hears that a restaurant in America is called 'The Dynasty.' Cye thought as he walked inside.
"Joana!"
"Gwen!" She hurried over to her friend sitting in the booth. "Let me guess - Casey's shop till you drop?"
"I've dropped," said Gwen. "She's in the shoe store across the street."
"She'll be flat broke before the month is over," said Joana. "Gwen, this is Cye."
"Nice to meet you," said Cye.
"Same here," Gwen said.
"Cye!"
"Hey, Kento."
"Man, am I glad you're here," said Kento, "I hate to do this to you, but Tari called in sick and Hanza's not coming until six. You want to help around here a bit?"
"I don't know, Kento," said Cye, "I promised Joana-"
"That's all right," said Joana, "I'll take a rain check."
"Kento, this is my friend Joana," said Gwen.
"Hi," said Kento. "Boy, this is a small world, isn't it?"
"You sure, Joana?" Cye asked.
"Don't worry about it," she said.
"You're a doll."
"Tell you what," said Kento. "Pick what you want. It's on the house."
"You don't have to do that," said Gwen.
"Consider it as a welcome to Japan."
"Well, thank you," said Joana.
"Come on, Cye. Let's get to work," said Kento. They walked into the kitchen.
"You gave them a free meal because of Gwen," said Cye.
"Like you wouldn't do the same for Joana," said Kento.

"Nice guys," said Joana, "Cye is cute."
"Kento is good-looking," said Gwen. "His mother is very nice. Guess what? She offered me a job to work here when I can. Is that cool or what?"
"That's great," said Joana. "So how many recipes did you exchange?"
"That's why she wants me to work here."
"I hope that Kento doesn't get in your way when you're cooking," said Joana. "From what Cye told me, his stomach is bigger than the Grand Canyon."
"Lord help me," Gwen prayed.

Sensei Date was right about Twyla being the only girl. A dozen and a half boys, ages 14 to 24 arrived, making Twyla feel out of place, like a rose in a bunch of daisies. Sensei Date clapped his hands and the class stood in a line, side by side, Twyla standing on the end next to a 16-year-old, light-green hair boy. Sensei Date put his hands together and bowed to the class and they returned the bow.
"Konnichi-wa," said Sensei Date.
"Konnichi-wa, sensei," said the class. He waved his hand and they sat down.
"Three things you need for this class," said Sensei Date, "a positive attitude, motivation, and always-"
He was cut off by the sound of the main door opening, someone grunted as he - Twyla guessed - pulled off his shoes, and made a quick bow to the entrance to the training room. Twyla caught a glimpse of a blue-hair young man run towards the locker room, shoes in one hand, and a gym bag in the other.
"I'm sorry, sensei!" he yelled from the locker room.
"...Be on time," Sensei Date said calmly - the calm before the storm. "ROWEN!"
Several students began to snicker as Rowen ran out of the locker room, tying his belt. He sat down on the other end next to Alex.
"You're late, Rowen," said Sensei Date.
"Forgive me, sensei," Rowen said.
"Please be on time or don't come at all," said Sensei Date and he went on to talk about the tradition of karate.
"Overslept again, Rowen?" asked Alex.
"Shut up, Alex," Rowen hissed at him.
"And now," said Sensei Date, "I would like to introduce, Twyla Banning."
There's a girl in this class? Rowen thought and his eyes widened.
Twyla stood up and walked over to Sensei Date. "Thank you, sensei." She bowed to the class.
Very nice, Rowen thought, letting his mind travel down the dirty path.
"My name is Twyla," she said, "I live in America. I have been taking karate for eleven years and I hope that when I have mastered enough, I will be able to open my own dojo and teach other children that karate is more than a way to fight. It is an art of self-discipline and defense."
"Good," said Sensei Date. "Why don't you show us a little of what you learned."
Twyla demonstrated combinations of blocks, kicks, and punches. No two moves were the same.
Unpredictable, Rowen thought, like the wind.
Twyla finished and bowed. Everyone clapped.
"Very impressive," said Sensei Date. "Would you mind if you sparred with one of the other students?"
"Not at all, sensei." Twyla said.
"Who would like to spar with Twyla?" Sensei Date asked the class.
"Are you single?" asked Alex.
Figures, Rowen thought, always trying to see if you can prove yourself worthy to be the next Flirt King.
"Alex," Sensei Date scolded his son.
"Uh, yes," Twyla said cautiously. "Why?"
Alex jumped up and stood in his fighting stance in front of Twyla. "Bring it on, baby!"
"ALEX!" yelled Sensei Date. He grabbed his son's arm and pointed to the back corner. "Thirty, and don't think that I won't be watching."
Alex walked over to the back corner and started doing push-ups.
"Any volunteers?" Sensei Date asked.
All the boys' hands shot into the air. Except Rowen's.
"Rowen," said Sensei Date. "Why don't you?"
"Sensei, I must decline," said Rowen. "I-"
"Come here," Sensei Date instructed. Rowen stood up and walked over to him. "Listen well," Sensei Date hissed in his ear. "I let you come to this class because you are best friends with my son, and I let you come for free. So do as you are told, understand?"
"Yes, sensei," Rowen said. He turned to face Twyla and gave her a weak smile. It wasn't that Rowen was squeamish about sparring against a girl, it's because that his Strata Armor had boosted up his physical stamina, making him a little stronger and quicker than he was before he received the Armor. Rowen was afraid that he might hurt Twyla.
Sensei Date clapped his hands twice. Rowen bowed to Twyla and she returned the bow. They took their stances and started circling each other. Rowen was the first to make a move, sending a high kick, which Twyla blocked. She countered with a punch. Rowen caught her wrist and tripped her. Twyla lost her balance momentarily, but didn't fall. During their fight, they gave each other a couple good hits. Rowen knocked her legs out from under her with a sweep-kick. Twyla flipped him over herself.
She's pretty good, Rowen thought, which disturbed his concentration enough for Twyla to do a spin-kick. Her foot contacted the right side of his head. Rowen's vision went blurry, he saw red, and then sank into blissful darkness as his body sank to the floor and landed with a dull thud against the mat.
"Oh God! I didn't mean to hit him that hard!" Twyla shrieked. "I thought that he was going to duck!"
Sensei Date walked over to Rowen. "Okay, you can get up now. Rowen? Ro-wen." He lifted an eyelid. "Out cold. I hate to say it, but he deserved it."
"What do you know," said Alex, who had rejoined his fellow students. "Brain Boy got knocked out by a girl!"
"That's enough," said Sensei Date. He pointed to three students. "Help me bring him to the cot in my office."
The students obeyed and helped Sensei Date carry Rowen. Twyla followed. They placed Rowen on the cot.
"Out," said Sensei Date. "Let him rest."
"Nice shot," whispered one of the boys as he walked by Twyla.
"Um, sensei?" asked Twyla. "Is it all right if I stay with him?"
"Sure," said Sensei Date. "If you need anything, just call for me." He shut the door as he left.
Twyla pulled a chair next to the cot and looked at Rowen. She took his hand in hers. I'm sorry, she thought.

Ryo parked the jeep in the driveway and got out. "Hey, White Blaze," he said to the tiger lying on the porch. White Blaze stood up, stretched, and bounded off into the woods.
I hope that the package arrives today, Ryo thought with a smile as he went inside. "Hello! I'm home!"
"Hi, Ryo!" Mia's voice drifted from the living room. "The other guys aren't home yet!"
YES! Ryo thought and did a little dance. Now I can enjoy being alone with Mia without the guys tormenting us. He walked into the kitchen.

About half an hour later, the front doorbell rang.
"I'll get it!" said Mia. She put her book down, got off the couch, walked to the front door, opened it, and saw a deliveryman holding a box under his arm.
"Koji Mia?" he asked.
"Yes?"
"For you." He handed her the box. "Sign here, please?"
Mia took the clipboard and signed the paper.
"Thank you. Have a good day," he said.
"You too." She shut the door. Who sent this? Mia wondered, taking the envelope off the box. She opened it and pulled out a card that had a picture of a heart surrounded by flowers and doves. She opened the card and read:

Mia,

From the day I met you there was a feeling inside me that burned more than Wildfire. I didn't know how to express my feelings towards you. But as time went by, I found myself caring for you more and more. My love for you is stronger than Inferno.
I pray that you feel the same.

~Ryo

Tears rolled down Mia's cheeks as she put the card back in the envelope.
Ryo walked into the room. "Hey, Mia. Why are you crying?" he asked.
Mia threw her arms around Ryo's neck and kissed him passionately.
"And the Inferno Swords are Fervor," Ryo said after the kiss. "I love you."
"I love you, too," Mia said. "What's in the box?"
"Open it," he said. "It's a surprise. I'm not spoiling it."
Mia let Ryo go and opened the box. Inside was a little stuffed panda holding a heart that read 'Yours Forever'. Fresh tears welled in Mia's eyes.
"That's only the beginning," said Ryo, taking Mia's hand and leading her into the dining room. "A little dinner, a little dance, and a movie about romance." He pulled out the chair and Mia sat down.
After eating, Ryo played 'Truly, Madly, Deeply' by Savage Garden. He lip-synched to the song while dancing with Mia, and it made her heart soar beyond the heavens. When the song ended, they watched 'Ghost.'
"Even though he was a spirit, he still watched over her and she never stopped loving him," Mia said when the movie was over. She was laying on top of Ryo, on the couch, her head resting on his chest.
"I'd do the same," said Ryo, "I'd run forever until I'd find you."
They kissed with more passion than before, and fell off the couch.

Twyla put her karate gi in her bag and zipped it. Class was over and Rowen was still unconscious. She had spent the entire class watching over him. She walked into Sensei Date's office and looked at Rowen. Twyla started to leave when she heard a groan. She looked at Rowen and hurried to his side.
Rowen opened his eyes and looked at Twyla. "Yes. No. Yes. Rowen. Three."
"Pardon?" Twyla asked, confused.
"Yes, I can see you. No, I don't feel nauseated. Yes, I'm sure. My name is Rowen. You're holding up three fingers."
Twyla looked at her hand and hid it behind her back. "I'm sorry," she apologized.
"Don't worry about it," said Rowen.
"Twyla," Sensei Date entered the office. "Why don't you...well, Rowen. You're finally awake. Alex, go get an ice pack. I'll get your things, Rowen."
Twyla helped Rowen sit up. "I have to go," she said, "I hate to leave you like this."
"It's all right," said Rowen. "My friends are going to pick me up."
"I'll see you some other time?"
"Just as long as you warn me before you start kicking."
Twyla smiled at him and left. As soon as the main door closed, Alex walked in with an ice pack.
"Hey, Brain Boy," he said and tossed Rowen the ice pack. "Did you enjoy your nap?"
"Your existence of twenty-one years on this planet has irritated many, many people, Alex," Rowen said, holding the ice pack against his head. "Drop dead."
"Better to drop dead than to be knocked out by a girl," said Alex.
If my head wasn't pounding, I'd kick your ass, you little punk! Rowen thought.
"Alex," said Sensei Date. "Go clean the front windows."
"Yes, sir," Alex left.
"Here's your bag, Rowen," Sensei Date set it on the cot. "You can change in here. I'll shut the door."
"Thanks, sensei," said Rowen. Sensei Date left the office and shut the door.
As Rowen slowly changed from his karate gi to his regular clothes, he thought about Twyla. I feel like I've met her before, he thought. Oh great! I'm starting to sound like Sage!

"Okay, I'm done," Casey said as she walked in to the restaurant. "Hi Joana. When did you get here?"
"Just after you went into the shoe store," said Joana. "Only one bag?"
"Yeah, I'm a little short of cash."
"Gee, I wonder why." Gwen said, looking at the other bags. "Well, let's get going. Bye Kento!"
"Bye Cye!" Joana said.
Both Cye and Kento came running out of the kitchen.
"You're leaving?" Kento asked, disappointment in his voice.
"That's too bad," said Cye. "We'll see each other at school, right?"
"Sure we will," said Joana. "Just as long as they don't have me carry big boxes."
They said their good-byes and left.
"Time for us to leave too," said Kento.
"You're the driver," Cye said. "Just don't get us killed."

"I still can't believe you have that many siblings," said Jessie. "It must have been hell for you to use the bathroom."
"It wasn't that bad," said Sage. "There's four bathrooms in my parents house."
"There's two in my house, but it was still crazy even though it's just me, my parents, and Hank."
Sage laughed as they walked outside.
"It's bad enough with two grown-ups and two kids," Jessie went on, "but two grown-ups and eleven kids!"
"Five now," Sage corrected her. "Six of us moved out - Mark, Melody, Daisaku, Dani, Sara, and me. From Alex to Roxy, they're still living with my parents."
"Okay, Roxy's the youngest. How old is she?"
"Six; she was a surprise. Roxy was born on June eleventh, two days after my eighteenth birthday."
"You're lucky," said Jessie, "to have that many siblings. I just have Hank. I would've given almost anything to have another brother or sister."
"You can have one of mine," said Sage.
Jessie smiled at him. "Well, there's the bus," she said, "I'll see you Monday in school."
"I'll be there," said Sage. "Maybe we can have lunch together."
"Maybe," Jessie said, "as long as the Date Club doesn't take my chair because I'm sitting next to you."
Sage laughed and waved good-bye as Jessie boarded the bus. Five minutes later, Kento's van pulled up in front of the library.
"Sage, you're not going to believe this," said Cye as Sage jumped into the van. "I met a wonderful girl. Her name is Joana. She's like a poem, short and sweet, and she goes to Tokyo University."
"That's great," said Sage. "Where does she live?"
"In America. She came on the Student Exchange Program."
"It gets even better," said Kento. "I met a girl, too. Her name is Gwen. She knows Joana and goes to Tokyo University too."
"Small world," said Sage.
They drove to the Date Dojo. All three got out and went inside.
"Hi guys," said Rowen, who was sitting on a bench in the lobby.
"Rowen," said Sage, noticing the ice pack. "What happened to you?"
"Long story," said Rowen.
"He was kicked in the head by a girl!" informed Alex as he jumped into the lobby.
"A girl?!" the trio gawked at Rowen.
"Shut up," said Rowen.
Alex went on, "Knocked out cold-"
"Shut up!"
"-For an hour and a half," Alex finished.
"A girl?" Kento was still stunned.
"The whole class?" Cye couldn't believe it either.
"Shut up!" Rowen yelled.
"Get out of here Alex, before I decide to kill you," said Sage, "and I won't feel guilty, because there are plenty of siblings to spare."
Alex gave his older brother a nasty look before going to the locker room.
"I got your bag, Rowen," said Cye.
"Yeah, let's go." Sage held out his hand.
"I can walk," said Rowen. He stood up and the four Ronins left the dojo.
"A girl?" Kento asked.

As for Ryo and Mia, their romantic afternoon had turned into a make-out fest. Mia's blouse was unbuttoned and Ryo had lost his shirt. Mia's hands traveled over his chest down to his waist. She was about to unbuckle his belt when Ryo stopped kissing her and looked up.
"What is it?" Mia asked.
"Listen," said Ryo. They heard a vehicle pull into the driveway. "Oh shit! They're home!" Both quickly jumped to their feet. "Where's my shirt?" Ryo panicked.
"Here," said Mia, pulling it out from under the couch cushions.
"How'd it get under there?!"
"How should I know?!" Mia threw Ryo's shirt at him and started running for the stairs. Ryo grabbed her hand, turned her around, and kissed her.
"Next time," he promised and ran back into the living room.
Mia quickly ran upstairs and into the study, shutting the door. She sat in the chair and buttoned her blouse.
As Mia brushed her hair, she looked at the three pictures on the desk. One was a picture of her grandfather. The second one was of her and Ryo, taken at the amusement park the year before. And the last one was of Yuli, herself, and Anubis, with his arms around them. Mia picked up the picture and stared at it.
It had been six years since Anubis' death, but to Mia it still felt like yesterday when she invited him to stay at her house after his change. Sometimes, when Mia woke up during the night, she would find Anubis in the study reading history books.
"I just want to see what has happened in the past four hundred years," he had said.
Anubis was very intelligent. Whenever Mia was stuck trying to find something else about the Armors, Anubis gave her tips that proved quite useful.
Mia put the picture down, silently wishing that Anubis was still alive. She would have let him stay with her if he didn't want to go back to the Dynasty. But that would never happen now.
Mia quickly checked her reflection with the little mirror she had in the desk and noticed her lipstick was smudged.
Uh-oh, she thought, I hope that Ryo wiped off his mouth.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up," Rowen said as he and the others walked into the house.
"What's the matter?" Ryo asked sitting up, looked at his friends and noticed Rowen's ice pack. "What happened to you?"
"He got kicked in the head," said Kento.
"Shut up," Rowen said through clenched teeth.
"And it was... a girl!"
"You're dead!" Rowen lunged at Kento, but Sage stopped him.
"Rowen, why don't you go lay down for a while," said Sage.
"Didn't he already have a nap?" asked Cye.
Rowen glared at him and walked upstairs.
"Sweet dreams," said Kento. "Only make sure she doesn't kick you in your head."
Rowen threw his ice pack at Kento, which went wide.
"Boy, did she screw up your aim."
Rowen flipped his middle finger at Kento, then walked into his bedroom.
"Hey Ryo," said Cye, "what's that on your mouth?"
Mia's lipstick! Ryo quickly wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "Cherry pie."
"Any left?" Kento asked.
"No, I ate it all," Ryo said.
"Since when do you eat an entire pie?" Cye asked.
"Since I missed lunch."
"Cye," said Kento, "let's go into the kitchen and raid the fridge."
As the two friends walked into the kitchen, Sage walked into the living room. "Ryo," he said, "that girl we saved last week."
"What about her?" asked Ryo.
"I saw her at the library," said Sage. Ryo sat up and looked at him. "Her name is Jessie," Sage continued. "She goes to Tokyo University. She came on the Student Exchange Program."
"Where is she staying?"
"I didn't ask her. I didn't want her becoming suspicious. Besides, she's still jumpy since the Nether Soldier."
"Who wouldn't be," said Ryo. "Did you ask her about the pendant?"
"Damn! I knew I forgot something!" Sage slapped the couch.
"Don't worry," said Ryo. "We'll see her soon."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

October

"Yuli! Slow down!" Mia said, trying to keep up with the young boy and hold onto the shopping bags in her hand.
"But Mia, I want to get to the arcade," said Yuli, stopping and faced Mia. "Unlimited Arena has just been released; you have no idea how popular this game is."
"It's Saturday morning, Yuli," she said. "It's not even ten o'clock yet."
"I know," he said, looking at his skateboard. "But I want to get there before some other kid breathes on it. This game is my new reason for living."
And what, pray tell, was your first reason? Mia thought as she looked at Yuli. "Okay," Mia sighed. "We'll go to the arcade, but I don't want you complaining when I say it's time to go."
"I won't. I promise." Yuli saluted her.
"All right, let's go." Mia said and they walked down towards the arcade.
"Hey Mia, watch this!" Yuli jumped on his skateboard and took off.
"Yuli! Get back here!" Mia shouted. "You might hit someone!"

"Ah, it's nice to get out of the hotel and not have to go to school." Jessie sighed. "And have Monday off, too."
"That's a nice phrase from you," said Twyla, "since you wouldn't leave the hotel the second day we were here."
"Yeah, well, what can you do," said Jessie.
"Why wouldn't you leave the hotel, sis?" asked Joana.
"Did you have one of you dreams again?" Gwen asked.
"Oh, don't start with that," Casey pleaded. "Jessie and her dreams. If you do dream about the future, Jessie, why don't you dream the winning lotto numbers?"
"I don't control them, for your information, Casey," said Jessie. "If I could, we would have flown here first class, not coach. The only dream I had here was of me dancing with a very handsome blonde guy in a white marble palace."
"What about your headaches?" asked Twyla.
"The last one was on September eighteenth."
They continued walking and talked about what they had to do for school, not noticing a boy on a skateboard heading straight for them.
"Watch out!" a voice shouted. Before the girls could react, the boy slammed into Joana, knocking her to the ground.
"I'm sorry, ma'am!" he frantically apologized.
"Joana!" Gwen cried. "Are you all right?"
"Ow," was Joana's response.
"And you wanted to come to Japan because?" Jessie asked.
"Shut up," said Joana.
Jessie helped her to her feet, as a girl about their age came running up to them.
"Yuli," she scolded, "I told you to slow down."
"I'm sorry, Mia," he said, looking at the ground.
"Brothers," said Twyla. "Can't live with them, can't live without them. Especially younger brothers."
"Older brothers are the worst," said Jessie. "And Casey can vouch for that."
"Here, here," said Casey.
"He's not my brother," Mia said. "His parents asked me to watch him while they went to the orchestra."
"Don't care much for violins, do you kid?" Jessie asked.
"My name is Yuli," he said.
"Nice to meet you, Yuli. I'm Jessie."
"I'm Casey."
"I'm Joana."
"I'm Gwen."
"I'm Twyla."
"My name is Mia. Did you come here on the Student Exchange Program?"
"Yeah," said Twyla, "the five of us."
"Five?" Mia asked. How ironic, she thought. "I thought twenty students came."
"There are," said Gwen. "But we've been friends for a long time. We do lots of things together."
Like the guys, Mia thought. "Are you going anywhere right now?" she asked. "I would really like to ask you about America."
"Sure," said Joana. "We're just walking around. Where are you going?"
"The arcade," Yuli said with a grin.
"Really?" said Jessie.
"Oh lord," groaned the others.

At lunchtime, Jessie sat with Mia and Yuli, while Gwen, Joana, Twyla, and Casey sat at the next table.
"Be right back," said Yuli, "I'm getting another soda."
"That's your third one, Yuli." Mia said.
"You're going to be running to the men's room like mad." Jessie said.
"Last one. Promise," he said and went to the soda machine.
"Three to one, he'll say, 'I gotta go' in twenty minutes," said Jessie.
"It'll be his own fault." Mia said.
"Tell me," said Jessie, changing the subject. "You wouldn't happen to know someone by the name of Dr. Takahiko Koji, would you?"
Mia looked at her in surprise. "He's my grandfather," she said cautiously.
"Really?" Jessie asked happily. "Could I meet him? I want to talk to him about-"
"He's gone," said Mia. "He passed away six years ago."
"I'm sorry."
"It's all right. I miss him a lot. My parents died when I was little and Grandpa raised me. He taught me about the old armors and I've taken over his research."
"Cool," said Jessie. "Could I borrow a couple of books? There's something I want to look up."
"Why don't you and your friends come to my house for dinner?" asked Mia. "This way you can pick out which books you need."
"Thanks, that'll be great." Jessie turned to her friends. "Hey, Mia invited us over to her house for dinner. What do you think?"
"Cool."
"Sounds great."
"See, not a problem." Jessie smiled.
"Oh, I think my roommates will be there, too," said Mia. "Is that okay?"
"Fine with me," said Jessie. "We can't spend all of our time in the hotel. We need to meet new people."

"I hope that these girls Mia's bringing over are babes," said Kento. "At least one of them."
"I thought that you liked Gwen," said Cye. They were in the living room.
"I do. Hey, maybe Gwen is one of the girls!"
"The odds against that are a million to one," said Rowen. "Is everything about the Armors hidden? No traces?"
"Not one," said Ryo.
"Oh yeah," said Sage. "Mind telling me what that is?" He pointed to the fireplace.
Ryo turned his head and saw their victory picture that was taken at the lake. Ryo in the middle, the other Ronins on his right, the Warlords on his left. "Oops." Ryo got off the couch, grabbed the picture, ran upstairs to hide it, and came back down.
"Hark," said Kento, "the van approaches."

"You live here?" asked Casey, staring wide eyed at the two-story mansion.
"Yep, this is my house," Mia said proudly.
"This is not a house," said Jessie. "This is Bill Gates' ski lodge."
"It's beautiful," said Joana.
"Has anyone ever gotten lost in there?" Twyla asked.
"That's not nice," scolded Gwen. "I wouldn't mind living in a place like this."
"You're welcome to stay," Mia said. She parked Kento's van in the driveway.
"But didn't you say that you have roommates?" Joana asked, getting out of the van.
"Yeah, five guys."
"Five guys?" asked Casey.
"Boy, is she living your fantasy," Jessie whispered to her.
They went inside and hung their coats in the front hall closet and left their shoes along the wall.
"Guys! We're here!" Mia called as they walked towards the living room.
"Coming!" Ryo answered.
I know that voice, Jessie thought. Oh no! It can't be!
The guys came out of the living room. Cye, Kento, and Rowen stopped short.
"Joana!"
"Cye?"
"Gwen?"
"Kento!"
Rowen and Twyla stared at each other. "How's your head?" Twyla asked.
"Wait a minute," said Kento. "She's the one that knocked you out?"
"Twyla, I'm surprised at you," said Gwen.
"I didn't mean it," said Twyla, "I thought he was going to duck."
"I'm fine," said Rowen. "Kento, you shall die."
"Well," said Mia, "I guess I don't have to do five introductions. This is Casey."
"Hello," said Casey and she bowed.
"And," Mia turned around, but Jessie was not behind her. "We seem to be one short."
"Sis," called Joana. She walked back to the front hall and saw Jessie leaning against the wall, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Oh God, oh God, oh God," she muttered.
"Sis, are you all right?" asked Joana.
"Yeah, I'm okay," said Jessie.
"Do you have a headache?"
"Not exactly."
"Come on and meet Mia's roommates," said Joana. "Cye's one of them."
I know, Jessie thought, I've already met him and the others.
Joana walked back to where the others were waiting. Jessie followed.
"And this is-" Mia started to say.
"YOU!" exclaimed the five Ronins.
"Hi guys." Jessie said quietly.
"You know them?" Gwen asked.
"I ran into them, more or less," Jessie explained. "When you stayed at the hotel the first day we were here."
"You went man-hunting without me?" Casey glared at her friend.
"I wasn't man-hunting!" Jessie protested. "I met them accidentally!" Literally!
"Why don't you go into the living room and get to know each other better while I start supper," said Mia. "Ryo, would you like to help me, please?"
"Sure," said Ryo, following Mia into the kitchen. "Before you ask, yes, Jessie is the girl we saved."
"I don't believe this," said Mia. "What are the chances that I invite a girl that was chased by a Nether Soldier to my house?"
"But this is a good thing," said Ryo. "Now we can find out where she's staying and Kayura can talk to her to find out why the Nether Soldier went after her."
"Do you think Jessie said anything to her friends?" Mia asked.
"I don't know," said Ryo. "But I hope that the others keep their mouths shut."

After supper, Mia gave the girls a tour of her house. She let Jessie stay in the study to pick out a couple of books while the others followed Mia. Jessie was glad that none of the Ronins brought up anything about the Nether Soldier. She had no doubt that Mia knew, but like the Ronins, she said nothing.
Jessie took a book off the shelf, and a small piece of paper fell out when she opened it. She picked it up and there were nine kanji written on it.
"Virtue. Wisdom. Trust. Justice. Life. Loyalty. Piety. Obedience. Serenity." Jessie read quietly. "What in the world?"
Numbness started to travel from Jessie's fingers through her arm. She quickly put the paper in the book, slammed it shut, and put it back in it's place on the shelf.
"Jessie! Time to go!" called Gwen.
"Okay! I'll be right there!" Jessie picked up the two books on the floor and left the study.
"Hey Jessie," said Ryo, stopping her. He held out her pendant. "Lose something?"
"My yin yang!" Jessie said happily. "You found it!"
"It was on the ground after you knocked us over," Ryo said. "I fixed the chain."
"Thank you," Jessie said as she grabbed the pendant, and the sensation she felt when Sage touched her hand went through them, only it was stronger. Ryo let go of the chain and stared at Jessie.
"I won't say anything if you won't," she said.
"Ditto," said Ryo.
Jessie put on her pendant and they went downstairs.

"Oh my God!" said Kento after the girls left. "What happened today will never happen again in this lifetime."
"I have to tell Kayura that we know where she is," said Ryo.
"Do you think she's figured out what Anubis said about the circle being completed?" asked Rowen.
"I don't know."
"Maybe Jessie has something to do with it," said Cye.
"Maybe," said Sage. "She's strong. When our hands touched in the library, this tingling feeling went through me."
"You sure it wasn't something else?" Rowen asked sarcastically.
As Sage and Rowen started bickering, Cye and Kento laughing, Ryo's mind drifted away.
I'm sorry, Jessie, he thought, but there is one person I have to tell.

February 18, 2001

Added a little dialog for Yuli after rereading. I feel as though I've kept his mentality at the same age as he was in the show. I intend to fix that later on.