Hatsu stared into the bowl of water and willed a vision of one of the other men that she'd come to this time to find. With the added boost of Jadeite's magic reinstated she hoped that she could now summon a vision that could help her. With the idea that the men she was looking for would be producing more energy than other people, Hatsu began to focus her efforts at finding abnormally high levels of energy. When she found a hot pocket of energy, she hoped that she had found one of the men rather than the Benu.

Jadeite saw the oracle's head raise so he asked, "Did you find them?"

"I found something but I'm not sure what."

"Well, where is it?"

Hatsu shook her head at his impatience. Here he has been assisting her for only a day and he's already anxious to find the other men. He didn't seem to understand that if it was that easy, she would have done so a year and a half ago. Granted, his added magic would make things go a bit faster but by no means did she expect finding the remaining men to be easy.

"The energy reading is coming from Tokyo. It looks to be emanating from a temple of some sorts."

"That's a good six-hour bus ride," Jadeite said grimacing. "That is unless we have enough magic to create portals, already."

"I'm afraid not. Magic isn't as strong in this time. Perhaps if I was able to find a way for you and the others to focus your powers. A talisman perhaps." Hatsu wished, not for the first time, that she had been given enough time to gather up the needed magical items for her mission before being rushed from her rooms back at the palace. Everything was so much more difficult starting out from scratch.

"Wonderful." Jadeite began to figure out just what excuse he'd need to call in with since he knew that he'd be taking a few days off from work. "Well, if we get to Tokyo, will you at least be able to find the energy source?"

"I believe so."

"Then I'd better see what time the next bus leaves out." Jadeite then headed over to his phone to call the bus depot to learn the schedule. When he got off the phone, he informed Hatsu that the next bus would leave out the next morning at six o'clock. That meant they'd have to head out very early in the morning to purchase their tickets and get on the bus.

After Jed pointed out that she might as well stay the night, Hatsu slept on the newly cleaned couch. He figured that it would be easier than having her return to the shelter for the night. Not to mention, leaving so early in the morning before the morning meal would only raise suspicion if Hatsu had gone there. What Jed hadn't anticipated was running into his neighbor as the two of them were leaving on their way out to the bus station.

Seeing her unmarried neighbor leaving his studio apartment with an unknown woman in tow, the woman gave a disapproving look to Jed. At the same time, she made a mental note to inform the building manager since she was sure that there was a morals clause in the lease for the apartments in the building.

"Mrs. Kaya," Jadeite fought a groan as he saw his nosy neighbor just returning from walking her small pocket-sized dog who likely had a bladder the size of a pea as often as the woman took it out. The look she gave him left no room to mistake what she thought she was seeing. Nor was it difficult to imagine the woman waking the building manager up at such an early time to inform him that one of his tenants had been entertaining overnight. "I don't believe you've met my cousin, Hatsu. She just arrived in town yesterday."

Not believing for one second that the young, dark-haired woman was her neighbor's cousin the old woman gave a critical look to first Jed and then Hatsu before giving a nod before turning back to her door where she began to fumble with her keys.

"Will you be staying with Jed for a while?"

"Only until I find somewhere else to stay," Hatsu quickly responded. She knew that claiming that she was his cousin would save face for him, but she really didn't know much about how most families would behave around one another. Of course, she had seen the generals interact together while training which she had always imagined having been much as how brothers would behave. Grinning at the thought, she then added, "I'd prefer living somewhere without a farm animal leaving a mess in his wake."

Kaya couldn't help but chuckle since she had seen the state of disarray that the young man kept his apartment as she'd pass by the door from time to time. She'd have to say, if she was a younger woman, that would definitely be a deal breaker for her as well. Even if her young neighbor did sport boyish good looks.

"I'm the same way. It's why I never married." The woman then slipped into her apartment and left Jed giving his cousin a dirty look after hearing her refer to him as a farm animal.

Serena listened to her new husband, Kyle, go on about how excited he was to have an old friend returning to the area after having moved away years earlier. He explained to her that he had met the man when they were both younger while attending a dojo that focused on the functional art of kenjutsu. It was where Kyle did the majority of his sword training when he was young.

While at the school after he'd hounded his parents for sword fighting lessons, he met Michael and despite the fact that the other boy was several years older than Kyle, the two ended up being friends. They would frequently attend the same matches as well. Michael would of course be in a different level since the boy was not only older but very skilled as well. As they grew, Kyle would spar with his friend, and he told Serena that he owed much of his skill to him rather than the regular instructors at the school.

"So, when is he coming out for a visit? I can barely wait to meet him."

"He'll be showing up at the resort at the end of the week. Just in time to catch some of the last really good skiing before spring starts to set in."

Kyle couldn't wait to see his old friend after what seemed like forever. In reality, it had been closer to two years since his friend had made it out to the resort. Michael worked at a school up in the northern part of the country and getting away from it was sometimes difficult. While his friend's visit would likely be brief, it would be one that would be remembered for a long time.

"Then you'd better start practicing. I'm sure you are planning to show your friend that you've learned a thing or two in the last year or so about fighting with a blade," Serena giggled as she saw that Kyle had already been thinking along the same lines. "Just remember, he's your friend; not an enemy who needs to be vanquished."

Kyle gave an innocent look before busting out laughing. Serena really did know him too well.

Hatsu stepped off of the bus and stretched after sitting on the bus for six hours while Jadeite did the same just behind her. She looked around for a map on the wall of the bus depot and went over to it. She studied it carefully as she tried to decide just how best to get to where she had sensed the buildup of power.

"So, now what?" Jed asked as he leaned up against the wall and watched as the other passengers hurried off to their new destinations.

"It doesn't look all that far. We should be able to walk from here."

"Good, because my wallet is starting to feel a little bit light from this trip already."

Hatsu glanced around and saw that no one was paying any attention to either of them, so she put her hand in her coat pocket and felt the warmth of her magic flow through her before she pulled out her hand holding a couple of yen. She handed them to Jadeite who only looked a bit surprised that she'd been able to conjure the money.

"You couldn't have done this back before I paid for the bus tickets?"

With only a smile for a response, Hatsu headed off in the direction that she hoped would lead her to one of the other generals.

After walking briskly down the street, the two eventually arrived at a Shinto Temple. They passed the Komainu statues at the entrance to the grounds and followed the other temple goers toward a trough of water where each person cleansed their mouth and hands. Afterwards, they continued toward the rest of the main temple and slowly fell away from the rest of the group.

"Are you sure that you felt magic coming from this place?"

"Yes," Hatsu replied. Now that she was actually here, she could feel it even stronger. "We should split up. See if you can find the others here."

Jed shrugged but went ahead and figured that it wouldn't be bad to get a better idea of just what might have been sending magical waves emanating from this place.

Hatsu hoped to find an isolated well or other place with water to focus her energy with but instead found a room with a sacred fire. Kneeling in the empty room, she removed her ceremonial dagger from her bag and placed it in front of her as she called to her magic.

She didn't feel any of the other generals at the temple, but it almost felt as if the prince might have been there recently, but he wasn't there now. It had perhaps been a week, maybe less, since he had been here. So close. Still, it didn't help her with finding him. He could literally be anywhere by this time.

Feeling her power beginning to grow as it was enhanced by the sacred ground, Hatsu relaxed by the warmth of the fire as she focused all of her energy in finding the missing men.

Rei looked up from where she'd been sweeping as she felt a new presence that she hadn't sensed before. It was strong and unnerving since it was only a few days since Darien had come out to the temple to share his concerns that there was a new enemy on the horizon. Rei followed her instincts and headed toward the fire room and found a dark-haired woman that she'd never seen before sitting in front of the sacred flame.

It wasn't completely unheard of to find one of the temple goers to wander into her favorite room in the temple but what caught her eye was the fact that she had a dagger in front of her. A dagger that was glowing with a golden light and floating before her.

"Who are you?!" Rei took an aggressive pose, still holding the broom that she'd been sweeping with, as she prepared to fight this obvious evil that had come to her home.

Hatsu's head shot up at the sound of the Miko's approach and quickly realized that the woman had seen her using magic. The dagger dropped to the floor in front of her as she lost focus with a clang as Rei advanced on the mysterious woman. Hatsu ducked to avoid the broom and rolled away from the angry priestess.

Rei swung with the broom, hitting one of the pillars with it, to break the end with the bristles off. She wasn't about to let this evil woman do whatever it was that she'd come to do. She raised the broom handle and prepared to strike Hatsu just as she froze in mid-stride toward the woman. Confused, she couldn't move a muscle in her body.

Hatsu felt her heart pounding as she pulled her hand back from where she had outstretched it to use her magic to end the assault of the other woman. She glanced around knowing that she would have to leave the temple fast now that she'd been discovered so she quickly grabbed up her dagger and stashed it back in her bag that she kept with her. She then ran out of the fire room, hoping that the magic spell would keep the other woman frozen in place long enough for her to find Jadeite and get far away from the temple.

Jadeite saw his companion's hurried exit from the fire room and snickered as he approached her in the grove of cherry trees that were outside of the temple's room. "What's gotten into you? If I didn't know better, I'd say you look like something actually scared you in there."

"Come on," Hatsu said while ignoring Jadeite's comment. "The others aren't here."

"You said that if we came here, you'd be able to find them."

"No, I said that I'd be able to locate the energy source that I sensed here in Tokyo," she corrected Jadeite as she led him back out to the street by way of the grove of trees. "The prince has been here within the last few days, but I didn't have enough time to locate him before someone came in. I had to leave since it isn't safe to allow others to see either of us using magic."

"So, this was a waste of time," Jed groaned.

"Not entirely." Hatsu reached into her bag and pulled out her dagger. "I was able to draw on the energy here to enchant this. You should be able to focus your magic with it."

"And help find the others," Jadeite added. Glancing around to make sure no one was around, he then decided to see if having a talisman really would enhance his powers. He took a hold of Hatsu by the hand then willed the two of them back in his apartment. "Okay, so maybe the trip wasn't a complete waste."

"With the dagger to focus your powers, you should be able to sense when you are near the others as well. Just as you were able to do back in our kingdom."

Jadeite concentrated on the dagger and his friends briefly before he looked back up at Hatsu and said, "I can. I know where one of them is, now."

Rei finished bringing her broom handle down with a crack on the floor as it hit where the intruder had been only moments before. Grimacing, she ran out of the fire room while looking for the woman.

Seeing movement near the cherry trees, Rei ran in the direction of the grove. She got to the tree line just as the magical woman disappeared along with a man that looked very familiar.

"Jadeite?"