Legend of the Kokoro
Episode #5: Straight From Da Bronx


Monday morning had finally arrived. Ryo and Rita were patiently waiting for
Cye, Clara, and Kento at their street corner. Rita was sitting down on the
small patch of grass while Ryo was looking down the street where their three
friends lived. "Here they come!" he told Rita, who got back up on her feet.
"Good morning, Ryo and Rita," Clara greeted as she, Cye, and Kento joined
them. "Good morning to you, too," Rita replied as the five young teens headed
down the main road toward the street corner where they planned on meeting
Sage, Sandra, and Rowen. When they were a few yards away from the street
corner, Kento exclaimed, "I can't believe this! It must be a miracle or
something."

Waiting at the street corner was Sage and Sandra, but what caught Kento, Ryo,
and Cye by surprise was that Rowen was with them. "This is quite an
unexpected surprise, Rowen," Cye exclaimed. "You're usually still fast asleep
around this time." "How did you manage to wake him up this time, Sage?" Ryo
asked curiously. "Well, it helps a lot when you have two people yelling,
'Rowen, wake up!' " Sage admitted. "Yeah, I'm still trying to get that
ringing out of my head," Rowen muttered, holding his head as they continued
down the main road toward Han`a High. "Thanks a lot, Sandra," he said
sarcastically to Sandra. "Don't blame me, now. It was Sage's idea, not mine,"
Sandra told him.

"Hey, guys! Guess what?" Kento asked. "I have a new neighbor. They just moved
here yesterday." "Oh, really?" Sage asked. "Any idea who?" "I don't know," he
admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "It was pretty late at night, so I
couldn't tell." "Come on, you two," Rowen said. "We have more important
things to discuss, like those evil Ronin Warriors." "It's frightening how
much they look like the genuine article," Clara admitted. "I was almost
fooled by Cye's evil twin, but I stopped myself because I felt that something
was wrong." "You know, my 'twin' called himself Torrent," Cye mentioned to
the others. "But why would they name themselves after our armor?" Ryo asked.
"Maybe they feel they're far more superior than the lot of you," Sandra
suggested.

"I've come up with a plausible theory of how our evil twins came to be,"
Rowen announced. "It could be possible that the evil Ronin Warriors are
clones of us!" "I don't know, Rowen," Ryo said uncertainly. "That seems
pretty far out." "And wouldn't a clone look exactly like the real thing?"
Sage asked. "Well, the cloning process is not exactly perfect," Rowen
explained. "It hasn't been tested on human DNA, only on animals thus far.
Contamination of a DNA sample could result in a clone with slightly different
features than the original specimen." "That would explain why their eyes are
different," Sandra muttered out loud. "It was weird: their eyes matched the
color of their armor, and the freakiest thing was that they had no pupils."

Rowen kept walking along, thinking quietly to himself. "Rowen!" Cye shouted
to get his attention. "What?" Rowen asked. "And to think you guys were
complaining about me spacing out yesterday," Cye said, laughing. "Well,
anyway, I wanted to ask you something. If these evil Ronins are clones, then
how were they created?" "Well, the cloning process requires a sample of DNA,"
Rowen explained. "DNA is like your genetic blueprint. It basically makes you
who you are. Your genetic code could be separated from anything: a blood
sample, an eyelash, dead skin cells, or a strand of hair even. Dulcea had the
opportunity to collect something from us. Who knows how long we were out cold
in her throne room?"

Rowen paused for a moment before he continued. "What perplexes me the most is
how the clones were created so quickly, and also why they're evil. As far as
I know, speeding up the aging process in those animal-cloning experiments was
a bit shaky. And since Dulcea obviously found a way to do that, how did she
make them evil?" "Well, you said something earlier 'bout DNA contamination,"
Sandra mentioned. "Maybe she programmed them to be the way they are." Rowen
looked at Sandra and smiled. "I think you're onto something, Sandra," he
replied. Just then, the school came into view. "Well, here we are for another
fun-filled day at Han`a High," Kento retorted sarcastically, causing everyone
to laugh.

The group entered the school's main entrance and went their separate ways.
Sage and Kento headed down the hallway and entered their homeroom. "Hi,
Sage!" a half dozen girls chorused as they crowded around Sage. They dragged
him off to the back of the classroom, as usual, and Kento took his seat up in
front as usual. "Man, this bites!" he muttered as he held his head up with
his hands and watched the other students take their seats. Just then, a young
Oriental woman entered the room. Her black hair was up in a bun, and she was
wearing a floral print dress with matching sweater. "Good morning, Miss
Fiji," all of the students responded as the teacher took her seat.

"Good morning, everyone," Ms. Fiji replied as she looked up at the students.
"I have a few announcements to make, but I must do the attendance first." She
pulled out her attendance sheet and looked down the list. "Looks like
everyone's here," she muttered out loud. "Wait a minute!" She looked up and
asked, "Is there a Miss Kimberly Ashe here today?" No one responded to the
name. "Once again, is Kimberly Ashe here?" Still, no one responded. Just
then, a sixteen-year-old girl approached the open door and leaned against the
doorframe. Her reddish-brown hair hung about in several thin braids and
accented her light brown skin. She was wearing an orange-and-white flannel
shirt over a white T-shirt, baggy jeans, black combat boots, and sunglasses.

"Are you Kimberly Ashe?" Ms. Fiji asked. "That'd be me," the girl replied
with a heavy New York accent. "You'll have to remove your sunglasses," Ms.
Fiji told her sternly. "They're not permitted on school grounds." Kimberly
mumbled something as she removed her glasses, revealing hazel brown eyes.
"Thank you. You can take a seat now," Ms. Fiji said, indicating an empty desk
next to Kento. Kimberly sat down and adjusted the yellow bandanna around her
forehead. "Now, for today's announcements," Ms. Fiji continued, picking up a
piece of paper from her desk. " 'We have a couple of sports tryouts this
week: soccer on Wednesday and field hockey on Friday.' " Just then, the bell
rang, ending homeroom. "That's all for today. See you tomorrow," Ms. Fiji
replied as everyone gathered their things and left.

During the five-minute break before third period, Sage waited for Kento, who
was digging through his locker for something. "Come on, hurry it up, Kento,"
Sage said impatiently, "or we're gonna be late." Suddenly, a small avalanche
of books and other items fell out of Kento's locker. "Aww, man!" he grumbled
as he struggled to pick up everything. Sage helped him out by picking up a
couple of books. As Kento shoved everything back in his locker, Sage noticed
something next to his foot: a Twinkie snack cake. As he picked up, Kento
snatched it from him. "Thanks, Sage. I've been looking for that." "A Twinkie,
Kento?" Sage asked sarcastically as they walked down the hall. "You can't
wait till lunch? Oh, yeah. Forgot who I was talking to."

Kento looked at him angrily as he unwrapped the Twinkie and took a bite. "You
know, you're not allowed to eat food in the hallways," Sage reminded his
husky friend. "I never been caught before," Kento replied in a muffled voice.
Sage snickered as he swallowed the food. Just then, Sage saw something in the
corner of his eye and turned around. There was Kim, walking down the hall
toward them with some books in her arms. She stopped a few yards away from
where they stood and worked on her locker combination. Kento turned around to
see what Sage was looking at and groaned. "Come on, Casanova! Give it up for
once and let some other guy have a chance at getting a girlfriend," he
complained.

Sage snickered and replied, "And let my reputation get soiled? I don't think
so." "Your reputation already got soiled when Sandra told you off," Kento
reminded him. "Besides, she doesn't seem like your type." "Why? Because she's
black?" Sage asked. "I've learned to look past the color lines for a long
time, Kento. If my parents didn't do the same, I wouldn't be here. Now, if
you'll excuse me " Kento watched as Sage casually walked to Kim, who was
putting some books in her locker, and lightly tapped her on the shoulder. She
turned around and looked up for a moment, then returned her attention to her
locker. "Whassup," she said to Sage. "Oh, not much," Sage replied. "No,
'whassup' is slang. I wasn't asking you 'what's up?' I was saying 'hello!' "

"Oh, right. Sorry about that," Sage told Kim. "You're Kimberly, right?" "Like
I been telling everyone all day," Kim replied in an annoyed tone, "it's Kim,
all right?" "Sorry, Kim," Sage apologized, correcting himself. As Kim shut
her locker after pulling out a small plastic bag, Sage leaned against the
locker next to hers, so he could look into her eyes. That's when Sage first
noticed the silver nose ring. "Listen, Kim," he started, "if you're not doing
anything after school, maybe I can take you to the city and show you around."
"Should I be flattered?" Kim asked, looking straight at him. "Well, a lot of
girls in your position would just jump at the opportunity," Sage admitted,
grinning at her. "Oh, is that so?" Kim replied smugly, pretending to be
interested.

Before Sage could say anything, he got an unexpected surprise. Kim slammed
him face first into the lockers and pinned both of his arms behind his back
with one hand. Sage struggled to break loose, but was unsuccessful. "Listen
to me," Kim whispered in his ear, "I don't play 'round like that. You best be
leaving me alone, or I'll make your life a living nightmare. Ya got me?" She
let go of Sage's arms, picked up her bag from the floor, and smacked Sage
upside the head before leaving. She walked past Kento, who was red in the
face and was obviously trying to hold in his laughter. Sage got up from the
floor and after checking his nose to see if it was bleeding, he walked toward
Kento.

Kento tried his hardest, but he could no longer contain himself. By the time
Sage reached him, he was already halfway bent over, laughing very abruptly.
Fortunately, for Sage, there was no one in the halls to hear Kento's
laughing. "Are you done yet?" Sage asked sarcastically. Kento nodded his head
yes, but as they walked down the hallway, he continually snickered. "Kento,
you better not tell anybody about this," Sage warned him. "I don't think it
would matter anyway," Kento pointed out. "You know news like this spreads
around this school like wildfire." "I know. That's what I'm worried about,"
Sage muttered out loud enough for Kento to hear. Just then, the bell rang.
"Aww, man!" they exclaimed as they ran down the empty hall.

It was third period in the gym. Sage and Kento were sitting on their knees on
a large mat, along with a dozen other boys. They were all wearing traditional
martial arts uniforms: the long white pants and the white jackets. Sage and
Kento were the only ones with black belts; everyone else had brown belts.
Everyone looked up as their instructor entered the gym. His long black hair
was securely tied into a braid, and he wore the traditional black uniform of
a martial arts instructor. "Good morning, Sensai Chin," the class greeted as
he took his in front of them. "Greetings to you all, my students," Sensai
Chin said. "Before we start, I have an announcement to make. We have a new
student joining our class."

"Well, where is he?" one of the students asked. "She is getting changed in
the girls' locker room," Sensai Chin replied. This response caused a chain
reaction of cheering and clapping. "It's about time, don't you think?" Kento
whispered to Sage, who nodded in approval. Just then, Kim entered the gym,
wearing a white martial arts uniform and a black belt. When the students saw
her, the applause died down and Sage muttered, "Oh, no! Not her!" Kim
approached Sensai Chin and bowed to him respectively. "Welcome to our class,
Kim-San," Sensai Chin said as Kim stood up. "If possible, could you tie your
hair back?" "Sure, no problem," Kim said as she removed her bandanna and used
it to tie her braids back into a ponytail.

"Okay, now it's time to divide you into groups of three," Sensai Chin
announced as everyone stood up. "Kim-San," he addressed Kim, "you'll be with
Date and Fuan." He pointed at Sage and Kento, who had already separated from
the rest of the class. Kim smirked as she headed toward the two black belts,
while Sensai Chin continued to divide up the class into groups. "Well, well,
nice to see you again," Kim retorted sinisterly to Sage. "Just 'cause we in
this class together don't mean I'll go easy on you." Kento snickered when he
heard this. "And who are you?" Kim asked, looking at him. "Oh, my name's
Kento Rei Fuan," he said, extending his hand. "Yeah, whassup," Kim greeted as
she shook his hand.

"Now, I would like everyone to do their stretches," Sensai Chin announced. As
they sat down on the mat and started their stretches, Kim asked, "So, Kento,
you and what's-his-name hang out?" "Yeah, we're good friends," he admitted,
"and his name's Sage." "I can't believe that someone like you be hanging out
with this loser," Kim replied, causing him to snicker. "Be careful about what
you say about the 'Flirting King,' " Kento warned her. " 'Flirting King?' "
Kim repeated. She looked at Sage and remarked sarcastically, "Who do you
think you are, Don Juan or something?" Sage didn't bother to answer as they
stood up. "I'll get the paddles," he told Kento as he headed toward Sensai
Chin, who had a box full of large paddles.

"So, what we doing next?" Kim asked Kento. "Don't you know? I thought you had
classes in martial arts," Kento replied, a bit surprised. "Well, you see, I
did take classes, but they don't teach 'em at school," she told him. "What
we're gonna do are standard exercises," Kento explained. "You practice your
kicks and punches on those paddles. Each of us gets five minutes, then we
swipe paddles and the next person practices, and so on." "Got it," Kim
replied as Sage approached them, carrying a paddle in each hand. "You may
begin now," Sensai Chin announced. Sage stood ready, holding the paddles
firmly in his hands. "As I always say, 'Ladies first,' " Kento said,
gesturing for Kim to start.

"Gee, Kento," Sage retorted sarcastically, "I thought you always said,
'When's lunch?' " Kento gave him a dirty look as Kim bowed respectively to
Sage and stood ready. She started off with a few punches, followed by a
roundhouse kick. Kento watched in amazement as Kim continued with her
punch-and-kick pattern. She knocked one of the paddles out of Sage's hand
with a punch, and to his surprise, she performed a roundhouse kick that
nailed him right in the stomach. The force of the impact sent Sage straight
to the mat. Kento stood there with his mouth open as Kim helped Sage up.
"Sorry 'bout that," Kim apologized. "Got carried away." "No kidding," Sage
groaned, holding his side.

When they looked up, Sensai Chin was standing in front of them. "Are you all
right, Sage-San?" he asked Sage. "I'm okay, Sensai," Sage answered. "I'm real
sorry 'bout this, Sensai" "Calm down, Kim-San." Sensai Chin returned his
attention to Sage. "Why don't you sit down and rest?" Sage nodded, walked
over to a cleared section of mat, and sat down. "I must say," Sensai Chin
told Kim, "your moves are quite impressive. You have been trained well."
"What makes you think that?" Kim asked. "Sage Date is our top student,"
Sensai Chin explained. "You took him down by surprise. He didn't see it
coming. Keep up the good work." He walked back to the front of the class and
announced, "All right, everyone. Let's continue." Kim picked up the paddles
and sparred with Kento.

Kim was walking down the hall toward her locker. She had a few minutes
before the bell would ring for the start of sixth period. She worked on the
combination, got her locker open, and pulled out her lunch bag. Just then,
Kim felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to face Noriko and five of
her friends. "Hey, whassup," she said to them. "Let's skip the introductions
and get to the point," Noriko replied coldly. "My friends and I have heard an
ugly rumor that you slammed Sage Date's face into a locker." Kim snickered
and admitted, "Whoa, news here sure spreads fast!" The girls, including
Noriko, were shocked when they heard this. "So then, it's true?" Noriko asked
in disbelief.

"Yeah, so what?" Kim replied. "I don't like guys who flirt like it's an
Olympic event." "Yeah, right," Noriko proclaimed boldly. "Sage would never
flirt with someone like you." "And what do ya mean by that?" Kim asked
loudly. Noriko was intimidated for a moment, but she didn't back down. "I'm
not gonna let you get away with what you did to Sage," Noriko told her. Kim
put her lunch bag on the ground and stared down at Noriko. "Are you
threatening me?" she asked abruptly. She snickered as she looked at Noriko.
"What's so funny?" she asked as Kim rolled up her sleeve. "Oh, nothing," Kim
replied. "I was trying to figure how a scrawny little thing like yourself
could even stand a chance against this."

She flexed her bicep to prove her point. Noriko was obviously frightened,
along with her friends. "Listen, it's a school day, and I'm busy after
school, so what do you say we put this behind us and pretend this never
happened, O.K.?" Noriko suggested. Kim was silent for a moment, as though she
was thinking about Noriko's proposition. "Aww, hell," she finally agreed.
"What do you say we shake on it?" Kim extended her hand to Noriko. She
hesitated for a moment, but Noriko eventually shook Kim's hand. Just to scare
her even more, Kim squeezed Noriko's hand hard. "Oww!" Noriko shouted as she
pulled her hand away. She looked at her friends and told them, "Come on,
girls." As they left, Kim pulled her sleeve back down, grabbed her lunch bag,
and left.

Lunch has already started in the cafeteria. Kento was sitting at a table,
waiting for his friends to arrive. "Hey, Kento!" Cye greeted as he, Ryo, and
Rowen approached the table and sat down. "Where's Sage?" Ryo asked Kento.
Kento replied by pointing at the hot lunch line. Sage was near the end of the
line, chatting with a couple of girls. "Wow! He takes a licking and keeps on
ticking," Kento murmured under his breath. "What was that, Kento?" Rowen
asked. "Nothing," Kento said sternly. His friends looked at him curiously.
"What?" Kento asked innocently. "Something happened to Sage today," Cye said,
"and you're not telling us." "Nothing happened to Casanova today, I swear,"
Kento denied.

Kento decided to try and change the subject. "Hey, did any of you meet the
new girl?" he asked. They all shook their heads no, and Ryo asked, "What new
girl?" "Kim Ashe," Kento explained. "She was in my homeroom, and also in my
martial arts class." "What a surprise! I thought there were only guys in your
class," Rowen replied. "Well, not anymore," Kento retorted. "Are you sure you
never seen Kim? She would stand out from the other girls here." "And why
would she stand out?" Cye asked curiously. "She's black," Kento replied. "Or,
at least I think she's black." "What do you mean by that?" Ryo asked. "Either
she's black or she's not." "Well, I'm not exactly sure " Kento said slowly
and thoughtfully.

"How can you not be sure?" Rowen asked. "Well, I've seen pictures of Africans
in my history book," Kento explained. "Kim, she's not as dark as them and her
hair isn't black and frizzy." "Well, maybe her skin cells don't produce
enough melanin," Rowen theorized. "What did you say?" Kento asked, obviously
confused. "Melanin," Rowen repeated. "It's a pigment in your skin. Generally,
Africans are born with a lot of melanin in their skin. That's why they're so
dark. The amount of melanin varies from person to person. For example, you
and Ryo have more melanin than Cye, Sage, and me. The two of you are darker
than the rest of us." "Oh!" Kento replied, nodding his head.

Just then, he saw Kim enter the cafeteria. "Look, there she is!" Kento
exclaimed. He waved his arm in the air to get her attention. "Hey, Kim!" he
shouted. Kim turned her head and headed toward the table. "Hey, Kento, what
up!" she greeted as she slapped hands with Kento. "I'm alright," Kento
replied as they sat down. "Kim, these are my friends: Ryo Sanada, Cye Mouri,
and Rowen Hashiba." "Yeah, whassup," Kim said to them. "Nice to meet you,
Kim," Cye greeted. Kim turned to Kento and asked, "Is Don Juan around?" "Sage
is still in the lunch line," Kento replied, "but he'll be out in a few
minutes. Why?" "I got some important business to discuss with him," Kim
replied.

"If you don't mind me asking, what kind of important business?" Rowen asked.
"Well, it's gotta do with some gal I ran into just a few minutes ago," Kim
explained. "She was all up in my face." "Let me guess: long black hair and
steel gray eyes, right?" Rowen asked. "Ya know her?" Kim asked. "Her name's
Noriko. She's the leader of Sage's past girlfriends," Cye explained. "She
feels she earned that title 'cause so far, her relationship with Sage lasted
the longest. Go ahead, continue." "Anyway, she went all psycho on me 'cause
she heard about me slamming Sage into the lockers. Boy, I tell ya, news
spreads fast here." Ryo, Cye, and Rowen were in shock. "What's up with
y'all?" Kim asked. "Let me guess. I'm the first one ever to turn down the
'Flirting King,' right?"

"No, you're the second," Ryo managed to sputter out. "It's just, we know Sage
hits on girls, but you're the first one to hit him back, literally!" Kim
chuckled to herself as she opened her lunch bag. "Damn!" she exclaimed.
"What's wrong, Kim?" Kento asked. "I forgot to pack something to drink," Kim
told him, "but just chill. I'll just get something from the soda machine."
She got up from her seat and made her way to the other side of the cafeteria,
where the soda machine was located. Sage had finally escaped from the lunch
line and sat down with his friends, never noticing Kim. "Hey, guys. How's it
going?" he greeted as he sat down. "Just fine," Cye stuttered quickly as Ryo
and Rowen tried to muffle their snickering.

"What's so funny, guys?" Sage asked. As they continued to snicker, Sage
stared accusingly at Kento. "You told them, didn't you?" he asked. "No way! I
swear, I didn't tell them a thing!" Kento denied. "Then, how did they find
out, Kento?" Sage asked accusingly. Kim arrived back at the table with a can
of soda in her hand. As she sat back down, Sage groaned and asked; "You told
them?" "If you talking 'bout that thing where I slammed your face in a
locker, yeah," Kim replied. Sage buried his face in his hands as his friends
laughed about it. "Listen up, Don Juan," Kim started. "This girl of yours,
Noriko, she was like all in my face a few minutes ago. Obviously, word spread
about you know, and she wasn't happy 'bout it."

Sage took in a deep breath before he told Kim, "Look, the only advice I can
give you is to just leave it alone. Noriko's like that to every girl." "So,
she's like a straight-out racist to every girl she meets?" Kim asked,
catching Sage by surprise. "Hold on. Noriko, a racist? You sure you weren't
hearing things?" Sage asked. "Not the way I heard it," Kim admitted. "Look,
she wanted to know why I did what I did. When I told her it was 'cause you
was hitting on me, Noriko said, and these were her exact words, 'Sage would
never flirt with someone like you.' She didn't say it straight out, but I
know she meant that you would never flirt with a black girl." Everyone
sitting at the table was completely silent.

"Look, Kim, I apologize for what Noriko said to you," Sage told her.
"Seriously, Sage," Cye suggested, "you ought to have a talk with Noriko about
this." "Ya know, I should've expected this kind of behavior," Kim
interrupted. "I'm like the only one at this school with dark skin. No
offense, you two," she told Kento and Ryo, "but I know you weren't born with
that tan." Everyone at the table was silent for a few moments, until Cye
decided to break the ice. "So, Kim, where are you from?" "I'm from the Big
Apple: New York City," Kim replied. "Originally from da Bronx suburbs.
Weren't exactly perfect, but hey, home is home." Just then, the bell rang,
ending lunch period.

The end of school had finally arrived. Kento was waiting outside, along with
Ryo, Cye, Sage, Rita, Sandra, and Clara. They were all gathered under the
shade of the oak tree, except for Kento, who was keeping a lookout for Rowen.
He didn't see Rowen yet, but he did spot a certain girl. "Hey, Kim!" he
shouted. "Over here!" As soon as Kim spotted him, she headed over to the oak
tree. "Hey, boy, whassup!" she said, lightly punching him on the shoulder.
"Why did you punch him?" Cye asked curiously. "It's a ghetto form of greeting
your posse, your friends," Kim explained. "Kim, this is Rita Niitsu, Sandra
O'Brien, and Clara Garson," Kento said, introducing her to the girls. "Girls,
this is Kim Ashe."

"Nice to meet you, Kim," Clara greeted, extending her hand to Kim. "Yeah,
same here," Kim said as she shook Clara's hand. "So, Kim, you're the gal
everyone's talking 'bout," Sandra exclaimed. "I must say, it's an honor to
meet ya." "Really? What for?" Kim asked, slightly confused. "I heard that you
smacked his face into a locker," Sandra explained, jerking her thumb at Sage.
"Personally, I think he deserved that." Sage covered his face in
embarrassment. "So, what y'all standing 'round here for?" Kim asked. "We're
waiting for Rowen," Ryo explained. "Y'all going down that road?" she asked,
pointing at the main road leading away from Han`a High. "Yeah, we all do,"
Ryo answered.

"Looks like I'll be joining y'all," Kim said. "Really?" Kento asked. "I
thought you were like, you know, the lone wolf type." "Hell, no!" Kim
exclaimed. "If you're a lone wolf in New York, you're a dead man walking.
It's true 'bout that 'safety in numbers' thing. Otherwise, I wouldn't be
here. Besides, it's my first time walking home here, and I don't wanna get
lost out in Nowhere-ville." Just then, Rowen left the school and joined them.
"About time, Rowen!" Kento shouted. "We've been waiting forever for you!"
"Well, I'm here now, so let's leave," Rowen told him. The group of nine left
the shelter of the oak tree and headed down the main road leading away from
Han`a High School.

"Yo, Sage?" Kim asked. "Yes?" "I guess I should like apologize for knocking
you up twice in one day," Kim explained. "Hold on a minute! There was a
second time?" Cye asked out of shock. "Yeah, there was," Sage quickly
murmured. He turned back toward Kim. "You don't need to apologize, Kim. I'll
admit, I was out of line." "Yeah, I do, Sage," Kim told him. "Straight-up, I
thought you was the player-type." "The player-type?" Ryo asked. "What does
that mean?" "Well, you see, a player is usually some dude," Kim explained,
"but a girl could be a player, too. Anyway, a player would go up to a girl
and go, 'Hey, baby! Whassup!' They'd be flirting with you and acting all nice
and stuff when, truth is they just wanna get with you horizontally. Ya know
what I'm saying?"

Kim looked at Sage and said, "Ya know, after checking you out, I know now
that you ain't no player. You are nowhere near being a player." "How do you
know so much 'bout 'the player-type,' Kim?" Sandra asked. "I admit, some of
my homeys are straight-up players," Kim admitted. She noticed the way
everyone was looking at her. "If y'all wondering, I never hooked up with one
of 'em. Even if you think you know a player, you don't exactly know where
he's been." Rowen interrupted by announcing, "Here's our stop, guys." "See
you later," Ryo said as Rowen, Sage, and Sandra headed down their street. As
Ryo, Cye, Kento, Clara, Rita, and Kim continued down the main road, Rita
asked, "I'm curious. What was it like for you, Kim, living in New York City?"

Kim didn't answer right away. "It was all right, despite living in the
suburbs," she finally said. "I remember when we started out, we could only
afford a one-bedroom apartment. Pops was finishing up law school, and Ma was
working, so we didn't have a lot to begin with. The 'hood was bad, really
bad. There was like four or five gangs there, and like every other night,
you'd hear all this shooting and screaming. It was like 'Nightmare on Elm
Street' or something. When Pops finished school, he got a job with this big
international law firm. As Ma said, we was 'moving on up like the
Jeffersons.' We moved to a better neighborhood and into a bigger apartment.
Ma quit her job and stayed home taking care of me and my brother and sisters."

"That sounds like a big family," Cye remarked. "Six ain't a big deal," Kim
retorted, "and I don't mean six kids. There's Pops, Ma, me, my brother, and
my twin sisters." "So, how did you end up moving all the way here to Japan?"
Clara asked. "Well, a couple of weeks ago, my pops got this huge promotion
from his job," Kim explained. "Like I said before, this law firm he worked
for is international. They wanted him to be a representative for the firm
here. And ya know what that means: in order for him to take the job, the
whole family had to move out here." "Do you miss your home? I mean, your old
home, in New York?" Cye asked. "Yeah, of course I miss it! Why wouldn't I?"
Kim shouted.

She took a deep breath and said, "Sorry 'bout that, Cye. You was just asking.
I'm definitely gonna miss rapping with my homeys." "Rapping? Is that slang
for something?" Rita asked. "Not in this case," Kim told her. "Sometimes,
when my homeys and I would get together, we would freeverse. That's a type of
rapping that you make up as you're going along." "Hey, can we hear some?"
Kento asked. "Well, I don't feel like making up something right now," Kim
replied, "but I can do one that I did a few months ago. It's still up in my
head." "Cool! Let's hear it," Kento said. "All right, but I'll warn ya. It's
only like ten lines." She started to bob her head a bit, like she was
listening to a steady rhythm in her head, before she started:

"Who gots the flo', who gots the flo'
Grab the microphone and let your funky lyrics go
Here I go on the microphone, about to wreck it
You thought a female M.C. couldn't do it, but now check it
If the blues is what you choose, I'll kick it Count Basie style
But if bebop is what you rock, I'll kick the Monk or some Miles
Won't grab no Phillies, my style is willing if you let me
Or if I choose to 'cause women's lib said I don't have to
So think again before you test a sister, 'cause with my girls behind me
We got lots of power, mister."

When Kim finished, there was complete silence that followed. "Well, don't
just stand there gawking," she said. "What did y'all think?" "Well, I
personally didn't catch all of the words," Clara admitted, "but it sounded
good." "Seriously, you made that up?" Kento asked. "Yeah, so?" Kim asked.
"That was so awesome!" he blurted out. "I don't think anyone around here
could do that!" "For real?" Kim asked. Just then, they arrived at another
street corner. "Looks like this is my stop," Kim muttered out loud, looking
at the street sign. "Really? So do we," Kento admitted, indicating himself,
Cye, and Clara. "See you tomorrow, everyone," Ryo said as he and Rita left.
"Yeah, peace out," Kim told them as she, Kento, Cye, and Clara headed down
the street.

"Hey, Kim?" Kento asked. "Yeah?" "Is your new home a two-floor, white house
with dark green trim?" "Yeah, so?" Kim asked. "Looks like we're neighbors,"
Kento admitted. "That house is right next-door to mine." "For real? Cool!"
Kim said. As Kim's house came into view, Kento started sniffing the air.
"What are you doing?" Cye asked, trying to suppress his laughter. "Something
smells good," Kento replied, giving Cye a dirty look. "Ma must be making
sweet potato pie," Kim admitted as she took in a deep breath. "Sweet potato
pie?" Kento repeated. "That sounds weird: putting potatoes in a pie." "Might
sound weird, but it tastes great!" Kim proclaimed. "You think I could get a
slice?" Kento asked.

Kim thought about it for a moment. "Guess it wouldn't hurt to ask," she
finally said. As the foursome approached the house, two eleven-year-old girls
and an eight-year-old boy were seen sitting on the porch steps. The children
were as dark as Kim, but their hair was black and frizzy. The girls were
wearing matching red-and-black checkered dresses with black tennis shoes, and
the boy was wearing jeans and a green T-shirt. One of the girls looked up and
spotted Kim. She elbowed her sister and said, "Look! She's here!" The little
boy went inside and yelled, "Mama, Kim's home!" The two girls ran up the road
and embraced their older sister. "Hey, get off me, ya little rugrats!" Kim
shouted as the girls giggled and let her go.

"Ya know, Mama's gonna be mad at you if she found out you ran down the road
like that," she pointed out. "Please, don't tell her, Kim, please!" the girls
pleaded simultaneously. "Don't worry," Kim told them. "She won't hear
anything from me." The girls smiled at her and ran back to the porch. "Who
are they?" Kento asked. "Those were my twin sisters," Kim explained. "The one
on the left is Jasmine, and the other one's Janice." "How are you able to
tell them apart?" Cye asked as they walked over to her house. "Well, there
are little things, like birth marks, beauty marks, dimples stuff like that."
"And who was that little boy who ran into the house?" Clara asked. "That was
Derrick," Kim told her. "He's kinda shy 'round people. That's why he bolted
into the house."

When Kim, Kento, Cye, and Clara reached the porch, the front door opened. A
young black woman in her early thirties stepped out onto the porch, with
Derrick hiding behind her. She was wearing a short-sleeved white blouse, a
long black skirt, and black tennis shoes. "Hey, Kim," she greeted with a
southern drawl. "How was your first day of school?" "It was all right, Ma,"
Kim replied. "These are some guys I met at school: Kento, Cye, and Clara."
"Pleasure to meet y'all," Mrs. Ashe greeted. "Would ya like to come inside
and have some sweet potato pie? It's straight outta the oven." "Thanks for
the invitation, Mrs. Ashe," Cye said, "but we should be on our way." "Well,
how's about I send y'all home with a slice?"

"Sure! That'd be great!" Kento exclaimed with a big grin on his face. "Now,
y'all just wait here a minute, and I'll be right back." Mrs. Ashe went back
in the house, followed by Derrick and the twins. Kim sat down on the porch
steps while everyone else stood up. "Your mother's a very nice woman," Cye
commented. "Thanks," Kim replied. "It's all part of her Southern
hospitality." "Where is she from?" Kento asked. "Kentucky. She was raised on
a farm." Kim was looking around and spotted a gold-colored van in the
driveway of the neighboring house. "That your house, Kento?" she asked,
jerking her thumb at the house. "Yeah," Kento replied. "Whose van is that?"
"It's mine," he admitted. "I know it doesn't look that good from the outside,
but it runs like a tank."

As they were talking, a nice black sports car pulled into the driveway. The
driver's door opened, and a forty-year-old white man dressed in a three-piece
business suit stepped out. His reddish-brown hair was neatly combed back and
he was clean-cut. Kim looked up at the man and exclaimed, "Pops?" She got up
and approached her father. "What the hell you doing here?" "Surprised? I got
out of work early," he replied in a deep voice as he hugged his daughter. He
noticed Kento, Cye, and Clara standing on the porch with confused looks on
their faces. "Your first day, and you already made some new friends," Mr.
Ashe said. "Why don't you introduce me to them, Kim?" "Right, Pops," Kim
replied. "That's Kento, Cye, and Clara. Guys, this is my dad, the attorney."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Ashe," Cye greeted after he got rid of his startled
expression. "Nice to meet you all as well," Mr. Ashe said. "Hmm Smells like
your mother made sweet potato pie." "Yup, she did," Kim replied. "Well, I
better get a slice before you all eat it up." He went inside and Kim looked
at her new friends suspiciously. "What's up with y'all?" she blurted out. "We
didn't know you were biracial," Kento admitted. "Well, I am. Got a problem
with it?" Kim said a bit defensively. "No!" Kento denied. Just then, Mrs.
Ashe stepped onto the porch, carrying three paper plates with three pieces of
pie wrapped with plastic wrap. "Here you go," she said cheerfully as she
handed the plates to Kento, Cye, and Clara. "Hope y'all like it." "Thanks,
Mrs. Ashe," Kento said.

She smiled and said, "As soon as you're done talking to your friends, could
you come to the kitchen, Kim?" "Yeah, sure, Ma," she replied as her mother
went back inside. There was an awkward silence that followed. Cye broke the
silence by saying, "Kim, I'm sorry about the way I reacted earlier. We're all
sorry. Right, Kento? Clara?" "Yeah, sorry about that, Kim," Kento apologized.
"We didn't mean to offend you in any way," Clara replied. Kim hesitated for a
moment before replying. "It's all right," she finally said. "Y'all probably
never been 'round someone like me before." "Yeah, that's true," Kento
admitted. "Well, we ought to be going," Cye said as he, Clara, and Kento got
off of the porch. "Later," Kim said as she watched them head down the street
before going inside.

Meanwhile, Dulcea was in her throne room, watching the image of Kim standing
on her porch and heading back into the house. She was so focused on the
mirror, she didn't noticed her burliest warrior quietly slip into the room.
"Is that her?" Dulcea was startled a bit. She turned around to face Hardrock,
with anger clearly burning in her amethyst eyes. "Don't sneak up on me ever
again!" Dulcea said coldly. She abruptly turned around and quickly waved her
hand over the mirror. As the images disappeared, Dulcea walked past Hardrock
and sat back down at her throne. "Yes, that is the kokoro of earth," she
finally answered. "In spite of her appearance, she is surprisingly strong,
despite the fact that she is still human."

"Strong? Her?" Hardrock exclaimed. He laughed abruptly at the thought of it,
but he was soon silenced by Dulcea's piercing glare. "This isn't a laughing
matter, Hardrock," she told him. "I've been keeping an eye on her all day.
Her warrior skills are impressive, so she'll be more difficult." "Nothing I
can't handle, Lady Dulcea," Hardrock boasted. Dulcea narrowed her eyes and
stared at him. "Go, now," she finally said. "Lure her to the Mt. Dojo
National Park. You better not fail me." Hardrock quickly bowed and left the
throne room, entering a dark hallway. He suddenly stopped in his tracks. He
sensed someone standing behind him. Hardrock's hand closed into a fist and he
quickly turned around and slugged the stranger in the face.

He stood over Torrent, who was slowly rubbing his jaw. A small stream of
blood trickled down from the corner of his mouth. He looked back up at
Hardrock with anger blazing in his eyes. "What did you do that for?" he
yelled angrily as he struggled to stand up. "I got a better question: What
were you doing, sneaking around me like that?" Hardrock asked. "Well, at
least now, you know not to do something that stupid around me again." Torrent
was no longer angry; he was now furious. "You're gonna pay for insulting me
like that!" he shouted in an enraged tone. "Why? What are you gonna do about
it?" Hardrock provoked him intentionally. "I'm not afraid of you, or anybody
else!"

"Are you so sure about that?" Hardrock scowled as Wildfire and Halo emerged
from the shadows. "Stay out of this, Wildfire," he muttered loud enough for
him to hear. "This is none of your business." "Maybe I should make it my
business," Wildfire replied. "You're not the boss around here," Hardrock
reminded him. "You can try, but you can't intimidate me." "Don't be so sure
of yourself, Hardrock," Halo retorted. Hardrock got into his face and
muttered, "Back off, or you'll hit the floor faster than Torrent." "Better
watch it, Hardrock," Wildfire warned him. "Your boastful ways could lead to
your downfall." Hardrock looked at him and snickered. "If you don't mind me
asking, what's so funny?" Wildfire asked.

"If you three want to worry about something, you should worry about
yourselves," Hardrock replied smugly. "And why should we?" Torrent asked.
"Lady Dulcea is angry with all of you, and you know why." "If she only
planned on having us around for destroying the kokoro before they reached
their true potential," Halo retorted, "don't you think she would've gotten
rid of us already? May I remind you, she is more powerful than all of us
combined, so don't act all high and mighty." His orange eyes narrowed and
stared coldly at Halo's green eyes. "If you will all excuse me," he finally
said, "I have an order to follow. Later, losers." Before Wildfire, Halo, or
Torrent could say anything, Hardrock teleported away

It was now around late afternoon. Kim was riding on the road on her
skateboard. She pushed on the road with her foot to gain more speed.
Suddenly, she heard a car horn from behind her. Kim groaned as she came over
to the side of the road and got off of her skateboard. Turning around, she
recognized the gold-colored van. Kim picked up her skateboard and approached
the passenger door. The window rolled down, revealing Kento as the driver.
Dark sunglasses covered his eyes. "Hey, Kento," Kim exclaimed. "Whassup!"
"Same to you, Kim," Kento replied. "Where are you going?" "To the park. Why?"
"Well, I'm going to be passing by there, so you want a lift?" Kento asked as
he opened the door for Kim.
Kim was a bit suspicious at first, but she got over it. "All right," she
finally said as she got into the front seat and closed the door. Kim laid
her skateboard on her lap as Kento continued driving. "So, Kim," Kento
started to ask, "why are you heading to the park?" "Well, I heard there's a
killer ramp there," Kim explained as she repeatedly tapped on the skateboard
with her fingertips. "Gotta work on some of my moves, ya know." She glanced
around the van quickly, and looked at Kento before she continued. "Ya know,"
Kim told him, "for looking as bad as it does from the outside, this old thing
runs pretty smoothly." "Thanks," Kento said. "It was practically a steal at
that rent-a-car place."

Kim had a bit of a confused look on her face. "That's weird," she mumbled to
herself as she turned her head and looked out of the passenger window. Kento
looked at her and asked, "What's weird?" "Well, it's just, I thought you said
earlier today that you own this van," Kim explained, still looking out of the
window. All of a sudden, she felt a sharp blow to her head and passed out.
The driver snickered sinisterly as he removed his sunglasses, revealing
himself as Hardrock. "This is too easy," he thought to himself as he glanced
at his unconscious passenger. "Hope you enjoy your nap, kokoro," Hardrock
told her, " 'cause you'll be sleeping for a very long time." He laughed
evilly as he continued driving

Meanwhile, Kento was sitting at the kitchen table, mumbling to himself as he
looked over a worksheet in front of him. "Aww, man!" he muttered to himself.
"And I thought Spanish was supposed to be easy!" Kento pulled out a book from
his book bag and opened it up. "Good thing I got this Spanish-English
dictionary, or I would flunk Spanish big time!" He found what he was looking
for and started to jot down some words on his worksheet. Just then, the phone
rang. "All right!" Kento exclaimed as he got up. "I needed a break from this
anyway." He put the dictionary on the table and picked up the kitchen phone.
"Hello?" he spoke into the mouthpiece. "Hey, Kento," an all-too-familiar
voice replied over the phone.

"Hey, Cye!" Kento exclaimed. "What's going on?" "Not much," Cye answered.
"Are your parents home yet?" "No," Kento replied slowly. "They're still at
the restaurant. You know they don't leave until six. What's wrong?" "I'm
calling you on Ronin Warrior business," Cye explained. "I just wanted to make
sure there was no one there to overhear our conversation. Listen, have you
received any sort of reaction from that ring?" Kento pulled out the chain and
quickly glanced at the ring before putting it back. "No, nothing yet," he
told Cye. "Why are you asking?" "You see, I have a bit of a suspicion as to
who the kokoro of earth may be," Cye explained. "Well, spill it! Who do you
think it is?" Kento blurted out.

"Isn't it obvious, Kento?" a slightly frustrated Cye replied. Kento thought
about it for a moment until it sunk in. "No! You don't think it's Kim, do
you?" "Yes, that's my guess." "But, why do you think that?" Kento asked. He
heard Cye groan out of frustration. "You haven't noticed the pattern? Well,
let me explain. You know how we were all separated from when Talpa first
attacked us? We were found in a certain order according to the Ancient's
poem. Mia found Ryo first, then they found Sage. Ryo found me next, Sage
found you afterwards, and we finally found Rowen. It seems that the kokoro
are being discovered in the exact same pattern. First Rita, then Sandra, and
then Clara The next kokoro we find is gonna be connected to your armor,
Kento, and I feel deep inside that it's Kim."

All of a sudden, Kento felt a massive weight hanging from his neck. His head
dropped down and he groaned from the unexpected additional weight. "Kento!
What's wrong?" Cye shouted. "I think-- my ring-- has just reacted," Kento
murmured through clenched teeth. "Quick! Pull it out from underneath your
shirt!" "Well, okay," Kento said uncertainly as he struggled to pull the ring
out, "but I don't see why " He stopped talking as he noticed the ring of
Justice glowing orange in his hand. . Suddenly, a beam of orange light came
out from the ring. The beam projected a flat orange oval in front of Kento.
Through the oval, he saw several images, all in various shades of orange.

The first image was of a gold van similar to his. Hardrock, in his full
armor, was pulling an unconscious Kim out of the passenger seat. The next
image showed Kim punching Hardrock in his unprotected face. The last image
was of a furious Hardrock preparing to do his Iron Rock Crusher. The flat
oval disappeared, and the ring of Justice stopped glowing. Kento was so in
shock over what he saw that he dropped the phone. "Kento! Are you still
there? KENTO!" Cye's voice squeaked loudly from the dangling phone. Kento
snapped out of it and fumbled a bit with the phone. "Man, Cye, you were right
about Kim! Sorry, but I gotta go now!" He hung up the phone, pulled his keys
out of his pocket, and ran out of the house

Meanwhile, a gold-colored van pulled up into Mt. Dojo National Park.
Hardrock, now in his sub-armor, stopped the van and stepped out of the
driver's seat. By the time he reached the passenger door, Hardrock was in his
full armor. He opened the front door, picked up Kim, and flung her over his
shoulder. As Hardrock headed deeper into the park, Kim slowly opened her
eyes. "What the hell " she murmured to herself. She felt down in her gut that
she was in some sort of danger. Kim tried punching her adductor's shoulder,
but ended up bruising her knuckles on Hardrock's shoulder plate. "Damn it!"
she yelled out in pain.

As she rubbed her fist with her other hand and blew on the bruises, Hardrock
snickered. "So, you're awake." He turned his head around to look at her.
"That was a stupid move you pulled," he sneered. At that moment, Kim noticed
her window of opportunity: Hardrock had nothing protecting his face. She
clenched her good hand into a tight fist and aimed at his face with all of
her strength. Kim obviously nailed him in the right spot. "Ahh!" Hardrock
yelled out in pain as he covered his face with one hand. This move caused him
to loosen his grip on Kim. She fell to the ground, got up, and ran away from
Hardrock, who was still covering his face. She climbed up a rocky ledge and
looked back at him.

Hardrock was obviously furious. Fire burned in his cold orange eyes, which
were staring straight at Kim. "You're gonna pay for that!" he yelled angrily.
"Oh, yeah?" Kim shouted boldly. "Bring it on!" Hardrock chuckled as he
removed his naginata from behind him. "You'll regret saying that. IRON ROCK
CRUSHER!" He twirled around his naginata and brought it down to the ground,
sending tremendous jagged slabs of rock flying straight at Kim. "Oh, shit!"
she exclaimed as she quickly dropped down to the ground to avoid the flying
boulders. A couple grazed her slightly on the back, but Kim pretty much
escaped unharmed. "You won't be able to escape this time!" Hardrock yelled as
he prepared to attack her again.

Before he could finish the attack, a large rock hit him square between the
shoulders. Hardrock turned around and saw Kento, in his sub-armor, standing
there next to his rented van. "Let me guess," Kento said. "You call yourself
Hardrock, right?" Kento jumped high over Hardrock's head and landed right in
front of the ledge where Kim stood. "Are you okay?" he asked her quickly.
"I'm still here," Kim retorted. "Mind telling me what's going on here?" "Now
is not a good time, Kim!" Kento replied as he carefully watched Hardrock.
"You better get out of here. Things might get a little messy." "But, what
about " Kim started. "I'll cover you, okay?" Kento blurted out in
frustration. "Now, go!"

Kim hesitated for a moment before she continued to climb up the ledge. Kento
returned his attention to his evil twin. "You're going down!" he declared.
"Armor of Hardrock! DAO GI!" After the transformation was complete, Kento
withdrew his own naginata and stood ready for battle. Hardrock stared at his
adversary and snickered. "Don't be so sure of yourself, Kento of Hardrock,"
he sneered crudely. Enraged, Kento charged straight at him. He swung his
naginata at Hardrock, but he blocked the blow with his own weapon. "Nice
try," Hardrock admitted sinisterly. In a blink of an eye, he knocked Kento to
the ground with a quick blow to his chin. "But, not good enough," he finished
as he headed toward Kento.

While the battle between Kento and Hardrock continued, Kim was walking away
from the ledge she climbed earlier. Her hands were buried in her pockets, and
she was taking out her frustration by kicking small stones along the path she
was taking. "Man, Kento is so dense," Kim muttered angrily to herself. "Dude
don't stand a chance against him. What the hell was he thinking?" She was
about to kick another stone when she spotted something shiny resting on top
of it. It was the ring of Justice. "What the ?" Kim exclaimed slowly as she
bent down to take a closer look at the ring. She thought the light was from
the sun's reflection, but the ring was emitting its own light. Kim carefully
picked up the ring and looked at it in the palm of her hand.

As she held the ring in her hand, a narrow beam of orange light emerged from
the ring and connected with her forehead. Slowly, the kanji of Justice
appeared on Kim's forehead. As she stood there, Shuno appeared at her side.
"Kimberly Ashe," he said, "I am Shuno, ruler of the kokoro. You, my dear, are
the kokoro of earth reborn, destined to help the Ronin Warriors defend the
mortal world from evil. Kento is one of the Ronin Warriors. He wears the
armor of Hardrock. Do not let your anger cloud your vision. You must focus on
the real threat." After Kim shook it off, she looked around, but Shuno was
nowhere in sight. Suddenly, the ground shook slightly from the raging battle.
Kim looked at the ring, closed her hand over it, and headed back to the ledge

Meanwhile, Kento was obviously getting exhausted from fighting Hardrock. He
was breathing heavily, and drops of sweat ran down his face. Hardrock, on the
other hand, was showing no sign of fatigue. "What's wrong, Kento of
Hardrock?" he asked mockingly. "Running out of steam?" He punched Kento in
the stomach forcefully, sending him flying through the air. As he landed on
his back, Kento groaned loudly in pain. "That's funny," Hardrock sneered as
he approached Kento. "I'm just warming up!" He grabbed the fallen warrior of
strength and lifted him up by his neck, choking him in the process. "Did that
hurt?" Hardrock asked sarcastically. "Well, don't worry. Your suffering will
end shortly."

"Let him go!" he heard a familiar voice shout from behind him. Hardrock
turned his head and saw Kim standing on the edge of the ledge. "I'll take
care of you later," he muttered to Kento as he released him, letting him
slump down to the ground. Hardrock looked back up at Kim and said, "Now, it's
payback time!" "Like to see ya try it!" Kim shouted back. "Well, if that's
what you want IRON ROCK CRUSHER!" Like before, Kim managed to avoid the
massive slabs of rock flying at her. She landed on the ground a few yards
away from Hardrock. The ring of Justice on her right hand glowed a bit before
she stood up. Kim stared at Hardrock and said, "Now it's my turn to shake
things up!"

"Ooo, I'm so scared," Hardrock taunted mockingly. "Maybe ya should be," Kim
replied as she made a fist with her right hand. "EARTHQUAKE!" She aimed her
fist at the ground, but it stopped less than an inch away from the
hard-packed earth. Her hand opened up, and the earth shook violently.
Hardrock lost his footing and fell to the ground, but Kim was unaffected.
Suddenly, the earth opened up underneath Hardrock. He started to fall into
the seemingly bottomless pit, but he managed to grab the edge with one hand.
Hardrock glared angrily at Kim, who was looking right at him. "Don't think
this is the last time we meet, kokoro," he sneered threateningly. "I'll be
back!" Hardrock lost his grip and fell into the crevice before the fault line
closed up on him.

The earth stopped moving soon afterward. Kim stood there for a moment, on her
guard, until she saw her friend lying face-first on the ground. "Kento!" she
exclaimed as she ran over to him and tried to turn him over on his back.
"Man, dude, you're heavy!" Kim remarked as she tried to turn Kento over
again. "I heard that!" Kento mumbled just loud enough for Kim to overhear.
She backed up a little and helped Kento get up into a sitting position. "Man,
my head hurts," he muttered as he held his head in his hand. "Your head
shouldn't be the only thing hurting," Kim remarked. "That other dude had you
by the throat!" She pointed out the now visible red handprint on Kento's
neck. "Don't worry about it," Kento told her. "It won't stay there for long."

"Yeah, right," Kim retorted. "I had friends who been strangled by bare hands
before, and those bruises don't go away so easily?" She watched in shock as
the red handprint on Kento's neck steadily faded away. Kento noticed the
strange way Kim was looking at him. "Kim, what's wrong?" he asked. "How the
hell did that happen?" Kim exclaimed. "The thing-it disappeared!" "Well, when
I wear my armor, I heal faster than I normally would," Kento explained as he
stood up. "Okay," Kim said a bit hesitantly as she stood up. "Now, back to my
question: You mind telling me what the heck's going on here?" "Long story,"
Kento replied as he closed his eyes and concentrated. He was suddenly bathed
in a brilliant white light. Kim had to shield her eyes from the blinding
white light.

When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see Kento in his clothes. In
his hand was a small crystal orb. Kim noticed a small symbol inside the orb,
a Japanese character. "What is that?" she asked, pointing at the orb. "That's
my kanji," Kento explained as he held the orb up. "It means 'Gi,' or
'Justice.' " He put the orb in his pocket and pulled out a set of car keys.
"Ready to get outta here?" Kento asked. "Hey, I've been ready," Kim retorted
as they headed to Kento's van. Kento got into the driver's seat, and Kim got
into the passenger seat. As Kento started up the van, Kim said, "Ya know, you
should like start from the beginning." "Well, believe it or not, this whole
thing started a thousand years ago," Kento started as he pulled out of the
park TO BE CONTINUED.