Hi guys. Sorry for being a day late, but I had so much happening this week that I did not want to write for this. Luckily, I only managed to make it a one day delay. Next week should be back on schedule no problem. I am almost on holiday as well, so that allows me more time for writing pretty soon.

We have a lot in store for you this chapter with meeting several new characters and exploring old ones and how they have progressed.

Left you all hanging for a day, so I won't keep you waiting any longer.

Enjoy.

The soothing sounds of a well-tuned piano filled the entire music room, lifting the spirits of all who walked by. But the one who was most inspired by the music the piano made was the one playing it.

Though it was the end of the school day, Shun Kido came by the music room every day to practice a new song that he was learning on the piano. He enjoyed the peace and quiet the room provided for him, giving him the perfect space to practice.

The whole world outside was almost completely locked out when he focused on the piano––sometimes it became literal because he couldn't hear anything going on outside as he played. It was almost like he had a defensive shield, like his dad had when he was a Destined Jedi, to help him concentrate. The piano was his happy place; once he got there, he never wanted to leave.

His eyes studied the music sheets on the stand in front of him as his fingers slowly moved across the keys to get the rhythm of the song right. He was learning how to play ragtime piano entirely by listening to a Scott Joplin song on his earphones. One earphone was out so he could listen to the way he was playing and make sure he was hitting the right notes.

After a while, Shun closed his eyes as he got into the song. The bouncy sound of the keys filled his ears, his hands moved almost entirely on instinct rather than based on him telling them what to do. All that mattered to him was the music at this point, allowing it to guide him to whatever place it wanted to take him.

Nothing could ruin these moments of peace.

"Um, hi?"

Shun stopped playing and opened his eyes, letting out a sigh in frustration. It felt like the air around him had popped once the sounds of the piano keys faded away. He turned his head to the right to tell off whoever it was that dared to come in and disturb his happy place. They were going to –

His mouth instantly went dry, making his tongue feel more like a dead snakeskin on the desert sand rather than an organ. His heart rate shot up a few more beats per second, thundering in his chest as his eyes drank in the sight he saw before him. He couldn't believe who it was.

Shun's voice came out as dry as his mouth was as he tried to speak. Nothing was said as he wet his lips with his now-moist tongue.

"U-Usagi," he greeted. "H-How's it going? What are you doing here?"

The girl shrugged as she smiled and steadily walked toward him. Usagi Minato was the same age as him. They had been in the same school since first grade, but not the same class. At his school, the uniforms were mostly the same — navy blazers, white shirts, red and black striped ties and loafers. The only difference was that the girls wore skirts and boys wore pants the same color as their blazers.

"You play beautifully," Usagi said.

Shun almost melted into a puddle on the bench. She said the same thing to him last night at the piano recital. He pulled out the collar of his white uniform shirt to a more comfortable level. Was it getting hot in here? His red and black tie went down to the top of his bellybutton.

"Th-Thanks, I guess," he chuckled nervously. "I'm practicing how to play some ragtime piano just for fun. It's a style I've recently become interested in."

"What's ragtime?" Usagi asked, sitting beside him.

Shun felt his cheeks heat up. She was sitting so close. To think, they had not really spoken to each other since the first grade. They had been put in separate classes ever since, and the same was true in middle school. Since the first day they met, Shun had a fascination with the girl that could be described as bordering on young love. When he first heard she liked guys who played the piano, he took it upon himself to take piano lessons. After a while, he played the piano because he loved it rather than just doing it to impress Usagi. Despite all that, it didn't seem to make a difference and he was left to just watch her from afar.

The eighth grader struggled to get his thoughts together.

"R-R-Ragtime was a style that was popular in the United States during the early part of the 20th century," he explained. "It was characterized by an upbeat sound that made people dance the night away. It's a pretty cool style, which is why I want to learn how to do it."

Usagi beamed. "That's so cool. Mind playing something for me?"

Shun nodded again. "Yeah. I'd been working on this one song until you came in."

His fingers danced across the keys once more, resuming the upbeat atmosphere they had just created a few moments ago. Shun wasn't watching his hands this time as he kept his gaze on the girl beside him. She seemed to be enjoying the music, lightly bouncing along with each note on the piano as it came.

After a few more bars, the music came to an abrupt end. Shun looked over, curious as to how Usagi took the song. One look at her wide, sparkling eyes told him all he needed to know.

"C-Could I come by and listen to you more often?" she asked, the smile stretching all the way up her face.

Shun looked away as he felt his cheeks heat up again. They hadn't spoken much to each other over the years, and now she wanted to hang around all the time? This could be his chance to get to know her a bit better.

It was strange, though, that she would come out of the blue when not giving him much attention the last seven years. What was her motive, if any? Shun wanted to believe her intentions were pure of heart, especially since Usagi was not a shady type of person, but it just seemed weird. He decided to take a chance. He would not know if he didn't at least let her in.

"Yeah," he squeaked. Shun then coughed to get his normal voice back. Damn puberty. "Yeah, I'd like that. Maybe you can serve as my audience when I want to see my progress on a song."

"Sure."

Shun looked up at the clock. "I've gotta go. I'll be back here tomorrow just after school gets out," he said, standing up from the piano. He grabbed his bag.

"Where are you going?" Usagi asked.

"I have to help out at my uncle's ramen shop with my brother." The Kido boy backed into the wall without him knowing it and nearly tripped over the threshold. He chuckled nervously. "That could have been messy."

Usagi giggled. "Bye."

Yuki took a deep breath of fresh air as he emerged from the locker room after soccer practice. The team spent the afternoon working on their strategy for the first game of the city playoffs, which was coming up in just a few days.

Their opponent would be one of the best teams in the city – and fellow member of the undefeated club – Tamachi FC. Tamachi had long been a doormat since Ken Ichijouji left the team years ago, but now they had a solid group of kids that were leading them back to prominence. Yuki was excited for the chance to face a team of their caliber after facing teams he knew were not up to par with Bunkyo United.

That practice was just what he needed after today. Despite his big words to Kazu that morning, he did not end up asking Naomi out. She was whisked away by some of her other friends before he could even approach her. The look the blonde had given him made Yuki want to slug him in the face. It was a smug look that he could not stop seeing all the way throughout practice. It messed him up so bad that his father had to pull him aside and sternly tell him to get it together or he'd bench him for the game. That woke Yuki right up.

Why did girls have to travel in packs everywhere? He could never understand it.

"Hey! Yun-chan!"

The boy perked up at the call of his nickname and scanned the crowd. He could recognize that boisterous, spunky voice anywhere – even if he was deaf. Soon, his eyes fell upon a familiar girl coming straight towards him. His face brightened with a beaming smile.

"Kei!" he cried, embracing the girl as she finally reached him.

Keiko Takaishi brushed some of her fair brown hair away from her face to beam at him with her sparkling sapphire blue eyes. Her hair was tied into a side bun, which he always teased made her look like Misty. The only difference between her style and the famous redhead's was Keiko's hair went down to her left shoulder. She wore an olive green t-shirt, jeans, and short top black Converse sneakers.

His cousin and he were a year apart in age, but the two of them had been the best of friends since they were little. When his dad was away traveling during the season and his mom would work the occasional shift at his grandmother's shop, his Aunt Kari looked after him and Yuto a lot. Because of the amount of time they spent together, Keiko was like the younger sister he wished he had until Airi finally came along.

"How's it going, kid?" Yuki asked as he released his cousin from the hug. "Have a good first day of your new term?"

Keiko nodded. "You bet!" Her smile widened. "I watched your whole practice. You guys are looking so good."

He chuckled. "Thanks. We still have some work to do before we're ready for those Tamachi guys."

"Pfft. Yun-chan," Keiko snickered, using her pet name for him. "You'll crush 'em no problem. Those guys are a bunch of bums compared to you guys."

Yuki then noticed she was looking past his shoulder for something. Or someone.

"Where's Ichigo?" she asked. "I didn't see him on the field."

The orange-haired boy sighed. "He didn't come today. He had to be at his dad's restaurant to help out with preparing for dinner service."

His cousin's face fell. Yuki patted her on the head to assure her that he too was concerned. They needed everybody at practice because this was an important game – especially since Ichigo was being groomed to take over as team captain once Yuki turned thirteen and aged up to Bunkyo United's 13-14 team – but he understood the boy's duty to his father's business and respected it.

"That's too bad," Keiko said. "I was hoping I'd get to walk home with both of you today. It's always more fun when the three of us walk back together." She smiled. "You two are my favorite guys in the whole world."

Yuki chuckled. "Thanks, Kei."

"Why the long face?"

The boy cocked an eyebrow at his cousin. "What do you mean? What face?"

"That long face," she shot back. "You always make that face when something is bothering you. Don't try hiding it from me, Yun-chan. I've been around you enough to know."

Damn, she was always so observant. While Yuki was certainly proud to see that his cousin was a smart girl, it usually meant he could never get anything by her. He could give her a half-truth without having to actually say what was going on.

"Eh, nothing much," he said with a shrug. "Just some trouble on the first day of the new term." The famous Kamiya grin then appeared. "Nothing your awesome cousin can't handle though."

Keiko giggled. "I know what it is. Naomi didn't notice you again. You're one of the few people that knows her the best, but you still can't get out of the best friend zone. You suck."

Yuki grabbed her in a headlock. His tone was playful though as he said, "Take it back!"

"Admit it!"

"No way!"

Keiko laughed as she teased, "You must suck if you can't get out of that dreaded friend zone."

"Come on, Kei. Quit messing with me."

He squeezed her tighter, also laughing as he did so. This was just their way of showing affection to each other. His cousin could be such a wisecracker – so much so that it made him wonder what else she had on him.

Keiko suddenly went silent. She wasn't laughing nor begging for him to let her go. Yuki looked down to see if everything was okay. His cousin had a spaced out look on her face, but he could also see a bit of fear in it.

He shook her lightly. "Hey, Kei?" he said. "You okay?"

His cousin came back instantly, her eyes filling with life once more. "Huh? What'd you say?"

"I said, are you okay?" Yuki then smirked. "Or were you just trying to make me forget that you said I sucked?" He tightened the headlock once more, which earned a frightened squeal from Keiko.

"Okay, okay. Let me go. I'll drop it," she finally said. Yuki felt how tense she was in his grip, which concerned him. Her voice also made it sound like she was begging for him to let her go. "You win. You don't suck, Yun-chan."

Yuki was surprised at her sudden change in attitude. How had she gone from teasing him, to all of a sudden being scared of him? Was it something he said to her? He analyzed everything he said to her this whole conversation and didn't find anything that would constitute the type of reaction she was currently giving him.

Concerned for her well-being, he released her from the headlock. He wanted to help his cousin, but he didn't know what to do – especially since he had no idea what was wrong with her.

"And don't you forget it, Kei," he said with a nervous grin.

Before Yuki could prod his cousin, he saw his father emerge from the locker room with his bag slung over his shoulder, filled with all the equipment needed for a soccer practice. What terrible timing. Kei wouldn't open up with his dad there. He'd have to ask later.

Tai smiled at his niece and ruffled her head in greeting. "Hey there, sweetie," he said. "Where's your mom? Isn't she here with you?"

"Guess who."

Yuki laughed as he saw a pair of hands come around and cover his father's eyes. One ring finger had a traditional wedding band, but also another ring in front of it. His aunt always knew how to make an entrance when she wanted to.

Tai laughed too and said, "I don't know. Maybe it's some crazy fan who wants to kidnap me for herself."

That got a chuckle out of the person behind him. Sure enough, Kari Takaishi revealed herself to the group of three and hugged her brother. Tai gleefully returned the hug.

"Mama," Keiko cheerfully admonished. "He always knows it's you."

Kari snickered as she returned her daughter's teasing glare. "You're never too old to pull pranks like this once in a while, sweetie," she replied. "Your father would know all about that."

Yuki stepped forward and hugged his aunt. "Hi, Aunt Kari."

Kari wrapped her arms around her nephew in return. "Hello, sweetheart. Oh, I've missed your hugs."

"Same here."

Yuki backed away to look up at his aunt as if he were staring at a goddess. Despite being almost forty, Kari didn't look a day over thirty. Her reddish brown eyes shined with a youthful glow and she still kept her brown hair short after all these years. He never wanted her to change a thing. She was the one source of motherly love he could always count on to have when he needed it. Though she was busy with her own family and her job as a first grade teacher, she always made time for him when he asked for it.

"Are you two busy right now?" Tai asked. "I was thinking maybe we could grab a bite to eat really quick."

Yuki and his cousin gasped excitedly.

"Can we, Mom?" Keiko begged. "Please?"

Kari looked between her daughter and her nephew, then she chuckled. "Sure. Why not. TK's still at the studio getting everything together for the next chapter."

Yuki punched the air in celebration. "All right!" he exclaimed.

"Hey, Shunny! Are you done with that bowl of miso ramen yet? We're still waiting."

Shun snapped out of his daydreaming. He had been thinking about what Usagi's motives could be for coming to watch him play piano earlier that afternoon. Maybe too long because he looked down at the bowl of ramen before him. The teenager adjusted the dew rag on his head as he put in the final ingredients into the bowl of ramen – bamboo shoot, sweet corn, chashu pork, bean sprouts, scallions and scallops – before he passed it off to his brother.

"Sorry. Here it is."

Masato then went and delivered the bowl of ramen to the customer, apologizing for the wait as he laid it in front of them.

The smells of broth, noodles and chashu pork filled the kitchen around Shun as he prepared for the next bowl of ramen to come his way. His glasses were fogged up because of the steam and humidity in the small area around him. The noodle shop wasn't that big – only big enough for the service counter, a small walkway for customers to come in and out, and the kitchen – which made the space feel confined and cramped. Even so, the place was packed every single night for some of the best noodles in all of Japan. And that was from an objective standpoint, not just because the ramen chef was also his uncle.

Shun looked to the side and saw his Uncle Davis shake the water out of the noodle strainer before laying the noodles in the broth. Like an artist going through their routine of painting, a musician playing their instrument – like him on the piano – Davis had a certain wizardry with noodles that was amazing to watch. Because he was the only full-time staff at the restaurant, and as the restaurant grew in popularity, Shun and his brothers had to alternate shifts every other night to help out. He didn't mind though because he enjoyed spending time with his uncle, as well as his cousin Ichigo.

"Here ya go, partner," Davis said, passing the bowl with noodles now in them over to him. "Keep it going."

"Yes, Uncle Davis," Shun replied. He added the usual ingredients to the bowl before carrying it over to Masato.

After handing the bowl over, his eyes caught a glance of a boy roaming around the kitchen. The boy had burgundy hair just like Davis, but his features were a lot more fair and doll-like compared to his more rugged father. Where Davis' skin was tan and his eyes glowed with a burning fire of passion, the boy's was lighter and his eyes were more doe-like in that they looked at the world with an innocent wonder in order to conceal a past they'd rather not talk about. That was Ichigo, his younger cousin. The boy was two years younger than Shun, which made the youngest Kido son feel protective of him like an older brother.

"Hey, Ichi," he said, getting the boy's attention. "Want to give me a hand here?"

Ichigo beamed and nodded. "Sure!"

He was by his older cousin's side in less than a second. This was perfect because there were more bowls coming their way. Luckily, they did not have much longer to go before the dinner rush finally subsided and became calmer.

"Good night," Davis said as the last customer left the restaurant.

The three boys sat at the counter, sipping on drinks and having a bowl of ramen themselves after all the hard work they had done that night. To Shun, there was nothing better in the world than his uncle's noodles especially after a hard day's work. Something about them just made him want to have it every day for the rest of his life.

"Good job tonight, you three," his uncle said. "That was the biggest rush of the week, and we weathered it well together. I'm so proud to have three awesome helpers with me."

"Not like you couldn't find anyone else," Masato cracked.

Shun jabbed him in the side. "Masato," he said sternly.

"It was a joke!"

Davis chuckled and wiped the counter with a towel. "It's all right, Shun. I knew he was joking." Shun then saw him glance at Ichigo. "I appreciate you helping me out instead of going to soccer practice, Ichi. I know you guys are getting ready for the playoffs, so it means a lot to me that you chose to help me out tonight."

Ichigo gave a small smile. "Yeah, no problem, Dad," he said. "If you didn't have me here, who would help you otherwise?"

Shun looked between his cousin and his uncle, sensing the elephant in the room when he saw the sad looks in their eyes.

"Masato and I would, of course," he chuckled, hoping to break the tension. "We're family; we always help each other out. Right, Uncle Davis?"

His uncle bit his lip and forced a small smile. "Right, Shun."

Davis then went over to the other counter and wiped that down too, humming to himself as he did so. Despite his attempt at seeming happy-go-lucky, Shun knew his uncle was faking it. He always felt bad for his uncle – he worked so hard for his customers to provide the best life he could for Ichigo at the expense of his own happiness.

His uncle reached for a soda that had been laid out for him. The youngest Kido son then felt a tug on his sleeve. It was Ichigo who did it. The boy had an impish grin on his face.

"What?" he asked with a knowing tone of voice and a smirk that went up to his eyes.

"Watch," Ichigo whispered.

Shun's patience was rewarded as a large shot of soda hit his uncle dead in the face and spilled all over him. The three boys couldn't contain their giggles. Shun rested his forehead on the counter and pounded it in hysterics.

"Ichi!" Davis cried, but it was in a mock threatening voice. "Come here."

Ichigo laughed. "No way, Dad!"

He then took off toward the door at the end of the kitchen that led upstairs to the Motomiya apartment. Shun and Masato continued their hysterics as their uncle gave chase to their cousin. He caught him in no time flat and started tickling him. Ichigo howled hysterically as Davis then blew a raspberry on his stomach.

"That's what you get for messing with my drinks, little dude," Davis smirked victoriously.

The figure awoke from his deep meditation. The beige hood covering his head slid off as he lifted his head. Yet another one had finally woken after all this time. Things were going along just the way he had hoped. Now all that he had to do was wait for the right time when they would be called in service.

Word had reached him that a raw, insatiable anger was prowling the world by night, growing stronger every day as it waited to reveal itself. The figure believed it to be the great overlord's latest attempt to sniff him out and end any final rebellion that could arise to destroy it. So far, he had been lucky to avoid detection all these years, but he knew it was only a matter of time before that luck ran out.

A grin spread across the man's lips. His blue eyes twinkled with a flicker of hope.

"The time is coming," he said to himself. "Once enough of them have been awoken, I will bring them here. And then this conflict can finally end."

What exactly is brewing? Find out on Destined Jedi: Next Generations.

So now you guys have been introduced to Keiko Takaishi and Ichigo Motomiya. Be sure to let me know your initial thoughts on them as more will be revealed in time.

Next time, we now begin the process of actually beginning the story itself rather than these little scenes introducing the new characters. Hope you're ready.

See you all next weekend, back on schedule. Be sure to leave a review and subscribe as always, letting me know your thoughts on the characters so far and other things.

Tootles.