Morning meditation and training had turned into an unmitigated disaster. Cam and Hunter had both gotten good night's sleep and were up and ready for morning meditation and practice when the student knocked on their doors. Dressed in their practice gear - Hunter with his Thunder symbol on his chest and Cam with the Samurai symbol on it - they had joined the Ice Ninjas for morning meditation. It had relaxed and calmed them both, which was a good thing. Afterwards Sensei Palan had asked the two of them would they mind giving a fighting demonstration of Wind and Thunder Ninja techniques. Hoping to smooth some ruffled feathers by their very presence, Hunter and Cam had agreed. And that's where the trouble had started. Cam and Hunter had sparred and trained together for a long time, they could anticipate each other's moves and were also evenly matched. After their quick demonstration they had moved off to one side to watch the Ice Ninjas train. They had commented softly to themselves on their style and training methods, impressed despite the treatment they had received the day before. They were about to leave the area to meet with Sensei Palan when the incident happened.

The two of them had been standing to one side of the practice area, watching with crossed arms and neutral expressions. As the class dismissed Cam and Hunter had turned to go when suddenly they were stopped by a wall of ice appearing in front of them. Cam raised his eyebrow and looked at Hunter. Hunter just shook his head in frustration and they turned as one to face whoever was behind them. It wasn't much of surprise to see the Ice Ninja that had confronted them yesterday morning and last night standing in front of them, his hands out in front of him and glowing brilliant white. Cam gave a soft sigh and shook his head and Hunter frowned. He took a step forward, hands on his hips and his eyes hard.

"And just what do you think you are doing?" The Ice Ninja returned his stare with one of his own.

"I'm taking care of the trash that should have been done when you first arrived here." Hunter glanced at Cam; he wouldn't make an issue of this if Cam didn't want him to. This was Cam's call, not his. Although Hunter right now wanted nothing more than to wipe the floor with the Ice Ninja, he didn't move. His eye's caught Cam's and asked the question. Cam shook his head slightly and Hunter nodded in return, his eyes turning back to the Ninja in front of him. He was upset that this had happened, not because it was another Ninja, but because Cam should not have to deal with this type of stupid prejudice anyway. Cam took a step forward, his demeanor relaxed and calm but Hunter recognized that look from days gone by. Cam was pissed and wasn't going to take any prisoners this time.

"Just what is your problem with me? I've done nothing to you; in fact, I've traveled half way around the world to help out your academy."

"You are Samurai. Old hatreds die hard. Your kind has no honor." Now that was going too far thought Hunter and without thinking he stepped up to Cam's side and spoke out, his voice hard.

"Sensei Watanabe is showing a lot more honor than you are right now. If you know what's good for you, you'll stop this madness before it starts and we won't say anything to your Sensei." Cam looked at Hunter, surprised at the strength of his tone. It had the ring of truth and sincerity about it. His friend's demeanor was like last night's, but there was something slightly different about it this morning, Cam couldn't put his finger on what it was. His attention was drawn back to the Ice Ninja who was sneering at them both.

"I don't need your silence, Thunder Ninja. I just want him gone. My Sensei will not..."

"Your Sensei will not what Terrance?" Sensei Palan had come up behind the Ice Ninja that was confronting Cam and Hunter and now he spun around, surprise on his face.

"Sensei."

"You didn't answer my question Terrance. What won't I do?" Sensei Palan stared hard at his student and the Ice Ninja bowed his head. "As I thought. Terrance, you will remove yourself from this arena and wait for me in my office." The Ice Ninja bowed his head and moved away. Hunter relaxed slightly, as did Cam and the two of them looked at Sensei Palan. He waved his hand and the wall of ice that was blocking their way disappeared. He gave a soft sigh and then looked at the two of them.

"I am truly sorry that you have encountered this type of thinking here Sensei Watanabe. I assure you, it is not the feeling of myself or the majority of my students and teachers." Cam nodded, putting his glasses back on.

"I thought as much Sensei Palan. It's okay, it's something I've unfortunately come to expect from Ninjas not from my or Sensei Bradley's Academies. When my father instituted the Samurai program, he did so at great risk, but it is slowly proving its worth." Cam gave him a small smile.

"But that doesn't mean I haven't been trained as a Wind Ninja," Cam threw a glance at Hunter and Hunter could swear he heard Cam smirk even though his face didn't change expression, "as certain people found out." Hunter grinned back at him and Sensei Palan nodded.

"Thank you for understanding. Now, if you'll come with me, we have some rather important work to do."

The afternoon sun was blazing over head as the four men sat on the grass. Behind them, three Ninjas from each of the academies stood guard.

"So, we are agreed in our assessment then." The other three nodded at Sensei Laglia's words. Cam sighed and rubbed at the bridge of his nose as he removed his glasses.

"The recent opening of the Abyss of Evil," Hunter and he shared a quick glance of bitter memories. "Has weakened the seal holding him in. To be honest, I'm surprised it's held up this long. And I think that the seals being weakened is what's causing all the bad behavior and problems you're having with your students Senseis." Hunter nodded, gesturing with one hand.

"You can sense that there's more than a normal level of evil presence in the air." Hunter nodded at Cam. "We've both been sensing it since arriving yesterday." Cam leaned forward slightly as he put his glasses back on, gesturing to the students behind them.

"It also explains how come that they have been acting the way they have. It's snuck up on you so gradually, that you have most likely subconsciously gotten used to it so you don't even sense it. But it is defiantely there, a malicious feeling of evil." The two Senseis exchanged glances and then as one, closed their eyes and took deep breaths, slipping easily into a meditative trance. Hunter looked at Cam who returned his glance with a small smile. Hunter nodded in understanding, he knew that the whole situation had become a whole lot more dangerous than a couple of Fire and Ice Ninjas fighting. Hunter took a deep breath himself, closing his eyes as he did, relaxing slightly in his surroundings. He began to listen to the strange sounding birds and smelling the fresh, clean air of the strange country. Suddenly he could feel himself being watched and he opened his eyes and turned his head slightly to find Cam watching him, a strange expression on his face. Hunter raised an eyebrow as if to say 'what' and Cam just gave him a tiny smile. Just then the two Sensei's opened their eyes and both of them looked troubled.

"Unfortunately you are right Cameron."

"The evil has increased. Sensei Palan and I have not sensed it. It must be is as you have stated, it has crept up on us so gradually we did not sense it."

"But when we went looking for it, we found it." Cam nodded.

"I thought as much. Now we just have to work out what we can do about it." Hunter frowned.

"Excuse me for sounding the dumb one here, but can't we just seal him up again or something?" The three men looked at him and suddenly Cam grinned excitedly at him.

"Hunter that's brilliant." Cam turned to the two Senseis. "Do you have the original scroll still, the one with the binding spell that they used in the first place?" Sensei Laglia looked at Sensei Palan who gave him a sharp nod. Sensei Laglia looked at Cam.

"Yes, we do. Each of us has half the scroll. It was decided since the seal was in two parts, at the two academies, then the scroll should be as well." Cam frowned slightly but then shrugged.

"Not the way I would have done it but hindsight is a wonderful thing." Hunter looked at his friend.

"Cam, what are you thinking?" Cam looked over and caught Hunter's eyes, his expression grim.

"I'm thinking that we can modify the original binding spell to re-enforce the seals. Now that the Abyss is permanently closed, it should be enough to keep the evil behind the seals." Sensei Palan shook his head.

"That will not work Cameron. The original spell used cannot be modified in the way you are thinking." Sensei Laglia leaned forward slightly.

"But I have something that will do the job." They all looked at him in surprise.

"A few years ago I came across an ancient text that is a binding spell that is stronger than the one originally used. It's not a spell to be used lightly, but given the circumstances, I think we can risk it." Cam raised his eyebrow and exchanged glances with Hunter before looking back at Sensei Laglia, his tone curious.

"Is it a difficult spell Sensei Laglia?"

"Very difficult. And some of the ingredients needed are extremely rare and hard to get."

"You did not tell me about this Sensei Laglia."

"I know Sensei Palan, but at the time, I felt that a spell this powerful was best kept a secret." Sensei Palan opened his mouth to reply but Hunter beat him to it.

"That doesn't matter now. What matters is that we get this done before things get worse. What are the ingredients needed? We can use the students and teachers to help us obtain the ingredients that we'll need." The two Sensei's looked at each and Cam resisted the temptation to smirk at their obvious discomfort. Hunter had a tendency to cut through the crap and get straight to the point; it was one of the things that Cam really liked about him. Reluctantly it seemed the two Sensei's nodded.

"Alright. I will return to the Fire Academy and retrieve the scroll and what ingredients I already have. Sensei Palan, I will call you from there to let you know what I do not have. Then, what you don't have we can then send people out to get." Sensei Palan nodded.

"Good. Shall we go then?" The two Sensei's rose to their feet with controlled grace and power, Cam and Hunter following suit. Cam gestured to the two Senseis.

"You go ahead. Hunter and I will be along in a few minutes." Nodding the two Senseis bowed to each other and went their respective ways. Moments later they, and their escorts, disappeared. Hunter looked at Cam, frowning slightly.

"What's up?" Cam sighed, crossing his arms and looking at his friend.

"Something's really bugging me about this whole situation." Hunter titled his head slightly, seeing the concern in Cam's eyes.

"You're worried, aren't you?" Cam gave a short, sharp nod.

"Yeah, I am. More worried than I really should be." Cam uncrossed his arms and waived in the general direction of both the academies. "By rights, those seals should last eons; they shouldn't be degrading like they are." Hunter shrugged.

"You said it yourself Cam, the energy from the Abyss of Evil has weakened it." Cam shook his head.

"That shouldn't have done much damage, the energy that made it this far wouldn't have been that strong. It's not enough to have weakened the seals like that have." Hunter shrugged again, at loss to explain it. But the feeling of evil in the air was strong.

"It has been a few hundred years Cam. Maybe time's weakened them as well." Cam gave a frustrated sigh.

"Could have, I just don't know." Hunter smirked at him.

"Admit it Cam, you just hate the fact you can't figure something out." Cam shook his head and managed a tiny grin for his friend.

"You know me too well." Hunter managed to stop himself from muttering what he wanted to say to that but grinned at his friend.

"So, I know you, and I know you're thinking of something devious aren't you?" Cam just laughed as he shook his head, running a hand through his hair almost absently.

"Not devious as such, but I am thinking that we'll need added energy to re-seal those portals." Hunter thought a moment and then raised an eyebrow.

"You want the students of both academies to give their energy when we perform this spell, don't you?" Cam nodded, not really surprised at Hunter's guess.

"Got it in one Hunter." Hunter shook his head and crossed his arms, shaking his head slightly.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea? Keeping the students in the dark about what their academy is guarding seems to be a good idea." Cam gave a frustrated sigh as he absently fiddled with the bandage on his hand.

"I know. But I don't think between the two Senseis and all their teachers, and us, that it will be enough energy."

"Well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it Cam. Until the two Sensei's have gotten together, with that scroll and the list of stuff they need, our hands are tied."

"I know. I just wish..." Hunter uncrossed his arms and reaching over he rested his hand on Cam's shoulder and gently squeezed it.

"I know Cam. You just wish that there was more we could do right now." Cam's eyes meet his and Cam could see the truth in them, and also the faith that Hunter seemed to have in him as well. It was a nice feeling. Hunter suddenly grinned, his eyes turning mischievous as he clapped Cam on the back. "So, there's nothing really we can do right now, correct?" Cam looked at him, his expression wary but a smile dancing around the edges of his mouth.

"No, not really. Not until Sensei Laglia gives us a list of what we'll need." Cam stared hard at Hunter. "Hunter, just what are you thinking?" Hunter grinned at him.

"I'm thinking that until we hear from them, we have some time on our hands." Hunter gestured to the now starting to set sun. "It's almost dinner time. Why don't we go back to the Ice Academy, change and go get dinner or something in town, have a look around and stuff." Cam thought a moment and then shook his head.

"We should really hang around and see what they say." Hunter frowned and crossed his arms again, Cam was being stubborn.

"But that could take hours, couldn't it?" Cam thought and reluctantly it seemed he nodded.

"Well then, I don't know about you Cam, but the last thing I want to do is hang around at the Ice Academy, waiting for the Senseis to get their act together and let us know what they need in a very hostile environment. Come on Cam, admit it, it's the last thing you want to be doing right now, isn't it?" Cam sighed softly and grinned ruefully at Hunter.

"How come you know me so well Hunter? You're right; the last thing I really want to do is be somewhere that I'm not welcome. But it's the responsible thing to do. We should stay on the grounds of the Academy." Hunter snorted and shook his head. Cam took his responsibilities very seriously, and so did Hunter truth be told, but Hunter was determined, he could tell that.

"I know Cam; it would be the right thing to do." Hunter smiled gently at him. "But you're forgetting that they really don't want us there. So, let's go, get some good local food and atmosphere and see some sights. We've got time." Cam just looked at him and then sighed. Hunter was right, he didn't want to go back to the Ice Academy and face all that prejudice again. He was used to encountering it every so often, but that didn't mean he liked it. He gave in gracefully and gave Hunter a warm smile.

"You know something Hunter; you're making a habit of this." He fell into step beside Hunter as they began to walk back towards the edge of the clearing they were in.

"Habit of what?" Cam grinned at him, his eyes twinkling with mirth.

"Inviting me out to eat and stuff. Hanging out and all that." Hunter tilted his head sideways to look at his friend and smiled.

"Yeah I know. But you got to admit, we do have fun and everything. Besides, I like spending time with you. You're a very important friend to me Cam and I don't want to lose that among teaching, fighting and all the rest of the crap that goes with being an adult." Hunter blushed slightly under Cam's stare; he normally wasn't this open with anyone other than Blake. Cam smiled gently and reached over, squeezing his shoulder gently with his good hand.

"And it's appreciated, more than you'll ever really know Hunter. You've helped me to realize that I don't have to be relegated to the background again, like I was before the whole thing with Lothor. You, my grandfather's arrival, learning to be a better Samurai and a few other little things have what's made these past few months bearable." Cam lowered his hand and nodded at Hunter. "You're a good person Hunter, never forget that. And it's appreciated." Cam grinned as he quickly stepped away. "Even if you do hide it under that 'let's piss everyone off' act of yours!" And with that parting taunt, Cam laughed as he streaked away.

"What act?" Hunter yelled after him and grinned, streaking after his friend.