Hey everyone. After a long time, I'm back. This is pretty much a filler chapter that sets up for the next hurdle coming up and it's mostly Trent/Katsume centric. There's a minor language warning but that about does it.

Read on and see you at the bottom!

Early Morning

The Manor

Sleep eluded him.

He'd managed to catch a few z's for a few hours but now he sat up in bed wide awake.

These days, his dreams featured her and in every one of them, the gorgeous councilor was devoid of clothing and he could just smell her intoxicating scent. This last one featured her sunning on the beach with nothing on but a pair of sunglasses.

Trent groaned and shook himself, putting his head in his hands.

This was maddening.

Sure, he knew that he was doing the right thing by not pursuing her. Not when they just met and not when there was a child in the mix, but he was finding his resolution to leave her alone to be the sweetest torture possible...

Besides, he had Katsume to think of and with all that bullshit going on in the cyber world, there wasn't time for romance or any kind of love life for him…

Trent shook his head and then glanced at his alarm clock. It was just after 5 and he was restless and just a little in need of some private time. He rolled his eyes at what he was about to do… his personal needs first and then some meditation while he figured out his next move.

An hour later, he stepped out of the adult's bathroom with damp hair and his most casual clothes on.

His next destination was the dojo. With his bodily needs handled, it was time to bring the rest of him into balance.

It was a beautiful morning; the sun was just rising and there was a cool gentle breeze blowing around him as he walked out to the small building and took his sandals off at the door.

Kneeling on the center of the mat, he closed his eyes and began the process of calming his mind and emptying himself of all thoughts…allowing himself to exist in the moment and finally achieving a Zen state.

Breathe in…breathe out…Breathe in…. Breathe out…

He sat like that for at least half an hour before he felt a presence next to him.

Opening his eyes, he looked to the spot next to him to find his mentor kneeling next to him.

"Dr. O? What are you doing here?"

Tommy had his eyes closed and he took a deep breath before he addressed his former student. "Same as you. Everyday should begin with some meditation. The body, mind and spirit should always be in balance."

Trent could only nod at that statement.

The two of them sat in the quiet moments as his mentor finished his mediation.

When Dr. O looked at him again, he sat back on his seat and crossed his legs in front of him.

"So, I'm guessing you also came out here to get me to reveal what's bothering me? This is a mentor thing, right?"

Tommy shrugged nonchalantly. "Only if there is something to reveal. What's on your mind?"

"I'm considering what I'm going to do if things go to crap for Katsume. I've been keeping an eye on the Miscreants Myspace activity. There's a lot of cyber bullying going around, and I can't help but feel that it's some kind of smoke screen to cover up a more sinister plan."

Tommy nodded. "It's a hell of a lot of trouble to go through just for revenge."

Trent looked at his mentor. "I'm assuming you read the file on him. We gave it to Eric and Wes for their records; Katsume only burned the copy of it."

Tommy nodded again. "Yeah, I scanned through it and I can see why the officer went after him. Getting Katsume to commit suicide would have been the easy way to rid himself of 'his problems'." Here Tommy used air quotes. "That didn't work like he hoped. You and the team rescued him and Katsume's in a good place now."

"That's what I want for him, he's got a sweetheart and he gets to do what he loves and save animals."

Tommy nodded and waited for Trent to continue. Just as he expected, Trent blew out a breath.

"But the cyber bullying isn't getting better. They're alluding to what happened to him with those two girls. I don't think they know about him being a rape victim, but if they come out and call him that, it could shatter him."

Tommy nodded again. "He's at that tender age where he's discovering his manhood and developing feelings for his girlfriend. Soon he'll want to take driver's ED, and then he's got his part in being A Miscreant."

Trent sighed. "Everything would be perfect if it weren't for the bullying."

Both men sat in silence for a few minutes letting the calm atmosphere take over for a few minutes.

"I think you're on the right track." Tommy said in a soft voice. "Have you read the latest newsletter from the school?"

"No. What's the latest news?"

"Principle Matthews has cancelled the Lip-Syncing competition. And though he can't outright say it, that idiot lady that was giving so much trouble at the meeting is the cause of it. She kept poking so many holes in the idea and every solution he came up with, she shot down. Basically, she put up such a fight, that he had no choice but to scrap the idea."

"That sucks, but what does this have to do with Katsume?"

"Well, being a teacher has it perks and there is a lot of talk in the teacher's lounge that Conner doesn't even have access to."

Trent narrowed his eyes but said nothing as Dr. O continued.

"Miss Diane who teaches Child Development said she found Joy Lyn crying in the girl's bathroom; she's the student who came up with the idea in the first place. I've only been teaching at AGHS for a few weeks, but I can say that Joy is known for bringing such a positive and sincere light into every room she walks into.

Last Friday when I had her for home room, she was not the same. She didn't smile once or joke around and something about her was just diminished. I don't know if it's bullies or what happened with the competition, but something is wrong with her. My instincts say bullies…and not the ones that she goes to school with."

"You think it's that lady."

"Exactly." Tommy answered. "I overheard the Writing teacher telling the school nurse that she saw that same lady inside the Victoria secret store talking about some secret fling with a cop from LA... that he was coming here on his vacation and they were supposed to hook up. I normally tune out when women talk about stuff like this, but the fact that some cop would come all the way from Los Angeles to a small city like ours for a simple booty call doesn't sound right. Why would a big city cop make the trip out here when he could pay any given prostitute to satisfy his needs?"

"You think this guy is the cop that's after Katsume."

Tommy nodded. "That's exactly what I think. This is still a small town; why would anyone come here for vacation? If fun or relaxation is what they're after, why not go to the beach or on a cruise?

"I see what you mean." Trent conceded. "If the drama is a smoke screen, then I need to be prepared to act in Katsume's interests."

"Not to mention Elisa's." Tommy added. "Her brothers entrusted us with her wellbeing."

"That too." Trent conceded.

"What's your plan?" Tommy asked as he copied the younger man's posture. "We'll back you up with whatever you come up with."

"I know Katsume hates the idea, but I'm planning to pull him out of school if things go south. That teacher already had it out for him, and we know he's golf buddies with the cop. If they make a move against him, I'm prepared to continue his schooling here at the manor."

"Good idea." Tommy approved. "I know for a fact that a lot of the teachers don't agree with what Hatchet did to Katsume. There's a big sense of relief that he was dismissed. Whether he was on school property or not, that was a blatant show of malice and if he could do that kind of thing off the property, then what's to stop him for trying something more vicious during school hours? They all know that there's a restraining order against him…should Hatche show up unexpectedly, they're more than ready to throw down…and I do mean that in the literal sense. Mr. Husker is a retired Marine; even I would hesitate to take him on."

Trent huffed. "That's good to know, but I have a feeling that Hatche wouldn't try a one-on-one approach, I think if anything, it'll be from the bullies of the school.

"You're talking about Jezebel and her minions."

"Or even that crazy lady that is causing all that trouble. I don't even know her name and even she seems to be more of a bitch than Elsa was."

"We need to be ready for anything. I'll do what I can to keep an eye on the whole group, and so will Connor, but should anything happen, you need to have a plan in place."

Trent nodded. "Then my first step should be to talk with Katsume about this. Elisa is coming over to day with some of her equipment, so I better snag time while I can before his sweetheart distracts him."

Tommy laughed out loud. "Good idea. I think he's still in the trailer with the other Miscreants."

Trent nodded and after getting to his feet, he slipped on his sandals and walked over to the trailer.

IHOP

About an hour later

"Trent, what are we doing here?" Katsume asked as the waitress walked away with their drink orders.

"What does it look like?" Trent asked in return. "We're having breakfast; you can scarf down as much food as your stomach can handle while we talk candidly about the future of your school education."

"You're planning to take me out of school, aren't you?" Kyle asked looking worried. "Do you have to?"

Trent scanned the menu for a second and then set it aside. "Only if I have to. It's not what either of us want, but if things go south, then I'll remove you from that hell hole in a heart-beat. I care a whole lot more about your safety and mental health than I do about you having perfect attendance."

Katsume couldn't argue with that but he still fidgeted with his napkin.

"What will you do if you have to pull me out?"

"We'll be taking a more practical approach to your education. I'm looking into homeschooling and really you can't protest that seeing as how your girlfriend is staying at the manor. It's not like you'll really be missing out on anything."

The conversation paused as the waitress came out with a tall glass of chocolate milk for Katsume and a steaming cup of coffee for Trent. Once she got their food orders she left again and their talk resumed.

"All this over bullies?" Katsume asked.

Trent gave him a stern look. "Among other things…and I think we both know what I'm referring to."

Katsume's ears turned a little pink at the implication.

Trent frowned as he saw the teenager look down at his lap. Before he could declare that he wasn't hungry anymore, he switched topics.

"So, there is another reason I brought you here."

Katsume looked up. "What would that be?"

"Kira and Connor asked me to paint a mural for the baby's room and I think you could learn a lot by helping me with it."

"But I've never even picked up a paint brush…"

Trent shrugged. "There's a first time for everything. Art is not something that can really be taught in a classroom; this would be a practical approach and something that could be applied later in life…if art is the path you want to take."

"How are you planning to recreate Alaska?"

"Well, Billy and Ethan are going to be working on the Aurora Borealis and if you're in on this, we'll be painting the ocean based on what we see at Sea World, when we go."

"We're going to Sea World?" katsume asked as a grin returned to his face.

Trent nodded, smiling. "That's the plan, though I have a feeling that it's going to become more than a simple road trip. Especially when Kayla has been begging to go and their Howl-O-Scream event is going on. Between the two of us, I know Tommy and Kim are already scouting ahead for good hotels to stay at."

At the mention of a possible road trip, Katsume's eyes lit up. A moment later, they were downcast.

Trent narrowed his eyes. "What just went through your head?"

"It's nothing really, I've always wanted to take a trip somewhere, with friends and just having fun. But I've never had friends to do that with…but it's a lot to expect I guess."

Trent sat forward. "What kind of road trip? How would you want to go? Plane, trains, or just a standard road trip?"

"I've never really thought about it before, I've seen movies where riding on a train in a state room was fun, but I've seen enough movies where planes crash to make the idea of flying not so good."

Trent snorted. "I can see how that would be scary and a lot of people fear flying. But we don't have to go that route. Trains can be fun, but for a trip from whatever the closest stop to San Diego might not offer a state room.

"You sound like this is a done deal. I thought we were waiting for the worst to happen?"

Trent shook his head. "I was planning to go anyway. But what happens in these next few days will determine how soon we go and how long we'll be gone."

By the time they got back to the Manor, Elisa was already there and she and her brother were sitting at the table with the other Miscreants and Miranda. From the looks of things, breakfast was just about done. Bradly was sitting back with a cup of coffee and discussing things with the other adults.

"So, what are your plans today?" he was asking as Elisa looked up and favored Katsume with a bright smile.

Just some light shopping. We want to decorate the trailer with some Halloween décor and Walmart isn't going to work, so we're going to that Spirit store at the strip mall and then we're going to have some lunch and come back here to work with the kittens."

"And costumes too?" Bradly asked with a curious look at his sister.

"No, we're saving that for next weekend." Kyle answered. "Kayla is our little ninja and she'd never forgive us if we went without her. So, this time, it's just for some spooky stuff."

Bradly gave a side glance to Kayla who was smiling to herself as she ate the leftover bacon and sausage. She didn't look that scary…

He kept his thoughts to himself as he checked his cellphone. "Well, I'd say you're in good hands then. I'm meeting up with Bridget in a little bit, so I'm just gonna head out. He shot a warning look at Katsume that needed no explanation before he looked at his sister. I reloaded your visa this morning, so you'll have plenty of spending money. I also meant what I said this morning about using your wheelchair when you're out shopping. It's harder to steal a wheelchair when you're sitting in it. Around the house, you can use your crutches."

Elisa sighed heavily but nodded. "Got it."

"Good." He stood up and gave his sister a bear hug. "If you need anything else, call me and don't forget to do your exercises and take your medicines. I also want at least a text every night."

Got it."

"Good." They hugged once more and then he looked at Rocky and Aisha. "Thanks for breakfast. It's been a while since I had a real homecooked breakfast."

"My pleasure." Rocky answered as he walked their guest out the door.

When the brother was gone, Adam turned to the teenagers.

"Ok, so there are a few ground rules before you head out today."

Kyle looked at the adults. "Like what?"

"Well first, your aunt Kim and uncle Tommy are coming along to supervise. There's been a lot of troubles with bullies finding you and if trouble should arise, there's no one else I trust more to keep things fun and trouble free. There's no one better suited to deal with bullies…you can trust me on that."

Elisa looked around her and saw that all of them were nodding in acceptance.
"Yeah, we heard about that." Sapphire replied. "I feel better already!"

At that same moment, Kim and Tommy came down the stairs looking bright and happy. "Is everyone ready to go?"

When everyone nodded their agreement, they all went outside to see La Carlita once again pulled up to the front of the manor. As everyone started climbing in, Adam pulled Katsume off to the side.

Katsume looked up at him trying to remain respectful. "If you're going to read me the riot act, then you should know that I'm not even close to being ready for that kind of thing. I'm not going to try and be sneaky with my girlfriend."

Adam nodded solemly. "I know that. But I promised her brother that I would have a brief talk with you about sleeping arrangements where Elisa is concerned; I honor my promises."

Katsume nodded. "Ok, let me have it, then."

"You'll be staying out in the trailer with the others like you've been doing. Elisa will probably stay in Conner and Kira's living room since it's more accessible while we are working on a guest room for her in the main house."

"Sir, I don't think I'll ever be ready to do go that far with her…I don't even want to think about what will if happen if she ever finds out that I couldn't stop those girls from ray… from doing what they did. Ever."

Adam frowned at him, unsure of what to say to that; he could only nod and let the matter drop for now. Later, he would be talking to Trent about getting a councilor of some kind for the boy. And soon. Letting the emotional and spiritual wounds fester would be the worst thing that could happen to him.

"Duly noted. In the meantime, you better get into the hummer; I'm sure you kids have a lot of cash to blow today."

"Thank you sir, I'll keep all of that in mind." Without waiting for a reply, Katsume turned and walked the rest of the way to the van. He hopped in and in the next second, the side door was closed. When Tommy had stowed the wheelchair in the back, he hopped into the driver's seat and drove out of the driveway.

Katsume sat in the seat next to Elisa and leaned his head against the seat.

"Dad read you the riot act?" Autumn asked. Katsume could only nod. "Yeah, but that must have been the abridged version of it. Believe me, I'm nothing if not an honorable paladin."

Kim observed everything without saying a word. This would be an interesting trip.

ok, there we have part one. I tried writing this chapter several times, but nothing seemed pan out the way I wanted it to. Up next, the shopping trip begins!

If you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to leave a review. Also, I want to know if you guys ever had a funny experience while shopping for Halloween décor or costumes. Lastly, if you were told that you were going on vacation and it doesn't matter where, what method of travel would you prefer?

Let me know your thoughts!

See you all next time!