SAI

The day I turned sixteen, my world as I knew it came to an end. My parents and I were on a midnight flight to Tokyo. We had
left France, where we had been on vacation, earlier in the day. The circus where we preformed as trapeze artists had a show
the following afternoon in Tokyo. I had preformed under the big top my entire life. My specialty was the trapeze, but I was also
an accomplished tightrope walker and freestyle acrobat.
I was scrunched down in my seat. My sketchbook laid open across my knees. I was finishing up a picture, when my father
looked back over his shoulder and said, "Son, put your art work away. We have a show to do in a few hours. I would think
you'd want to be awake when we perform."
"Why?" I asked. "You've always said I could do the routine in my sleep."
"Very funny," my father answered with a grin. "Whatcha' drawing?"
I held the picture up into the light and showed him the drawing of a monk and a large tiger. "No," I answered before he asked,
"I don't know who he is, but I will someday." I had a talent for knowing the outcomes of events in the near future, for as long as
I could remember. This phenomenon usually appeared in the pictures I created.
"Where's the picture for the show tomorrow?" my mother asked. She sat beside me, since we had been unable to get three
seats next to one another for the flight.
I closed the tablet and shrugged. "Nothing has come to me yet," I lied. "This monk seems to dominate the mind tonight." I
tucked the tablet down inside the duffel at my feet and tried not to think about the picture I had done earlier. It was a drawing of
the familiar trapeze, but it hung empty in the air. We weren't going to make tomorrow's show.
"Come on Sai," my father said, "lights out." He reached up and turned off the small lamp above me.
I leaned over next to my mother and she wrapped her arm around me. "Happy Birthday, my little one," she whispered.
"I'm sixteen. When are you going to stop calling me little?" I asked in jest. She just laughed and then, after draping the blanket
over both of us, I faded off into a troubled slumber.
What happened next to this day remains fuzzy. I remember a feeling of protection settling over me and I let it carry me into a
comfortable darkness... a void where no dreams haunted me. From there, the next noise I heard was the jingling of bells or
metal striking metal. The sound was wrong and I tried to break through the blackness to see what was making it, but couldn't...
the vacuum pulled me deeper into the emptiness.
"I found another one... jeez! I got a live one!"
"How did he get here?"
"How bad is he hurt?"
I was cold. I struggled to open my eyes and a bright light glared down at me. I raised a hand to shield my eyes and could see
that the light was the sun hanging high in the sky. I looked around confused. "Where am I?" I asked a woman who knelt at my
side.
She jumped and looked over at me. "You've been in an accident. Your plane went down last night in Nikko National Park."
She shone a small pin light into my eyes. I blinked and looked away. "No signs of a concussion and minor burns on his left arm.
How do you feel?"
I struggled to sit up but a strong arm reached around me from behind to pull me back. "Where's that helicopter?" a man yelled
out from behind me.
I looked up at the man that held me in place. "Where are my parents?" I asked. "They were right beside me." The burly man
turned his face away. I looked at the lady that still knelt beside me. She was paying entirely too much attention to taking my
pulse. "They were right beside... I'm unhurt... they have to be okay too..."
Just then, the air filled with the pounding of helicopter blades. The wind that the blades kicked around brought the odors of
burnt wood and other foreign smells. The man that held me down turned to the lady and asked, "He's okay to travel then? No
broken bones?"
"No, but his arm needs to be treated. And I don't think it would be a good idea if he got a look at the mess behind those
bushes."
Before I could ask again about my folks, darkness enclosed me. Something had been thrown over my head. I went to tear it off
but my arms were pinned down as I was picked up and carried to the waiting helicopter.
The next two days were hell. I was flown to a hospital where the burns on my arm were treated. I asked every doctor, nurse,
and aide that came into my room about my parents. No one would give me a straight answer and the TV had been removed.
The second day the man that had carried me to the helicopter returned and identified himself as a government agent. Then the
questions started.
"What did you see? What did you hear? How did you end up so far away from the crash zone... did you walk or were you
carried?" These were just some of the questions thrown at me.
"I don't remember anything after falling asleep," I told them. "I fell asleep and then woke up with that nurse beside me."
"You mean to tell me you laid in the woods for over ten hours and can't remember anything?"
"That's right."
"You've got to be lying, boy. Now tell me what you know."
"What do you want me to say?" I screamed. "That I brought a bomb onto the plane?"
"So you did hear an explosion."
"No... I didn't hear or see anything."
"Come on and think, boy." The man bent over me and said, "You have to know something!"
"I'll tell you what I don't know... where are my parents?! I'm not saying another word until you tell me."
The big man looked over at me and said through clenched teeth, "What exactly do you think sole survivor means, kid?"
His words hit as hard as a blow would have and I fell back against the pillows. My look must have alarmed him, because he
reached over and called the nurse. As the older lady ran in and began to check me over, she looked over at the agent. "What
did you do to him? What did you tell him?"
"I only told him about his parents..."
"You did what!?!" My doctor exploded into the room. She shoved the big man out the door. "Get away from my patient . . . far
away." She closed the door behind him and hurried back to my side. "Sai, get a hold of yourself. Breathe dang it!"
Her reminder caused me to let out the breath I held. It came out in a choking sob. The young doctor held me in her arms as I
cried, the sobs stopping only when I fell into an exhausted sleep.
That night the dreams returned. "Torrent, it is time to awaken the sleeping power... come to us." I jerked awake and slid out
of the bed. They had found a couple of my duffels, which laid in the corner. I opened one and caught my breath, it was my
father's not mine. He had been twice my size, so the shirt hung down but it was wearable and the scent of his after-shave still
lingered on the fabric. I would be in trouble for pants though, then I remembered my own and looked in the closet. Someone
had washed and hung the jeans. After dressing, I glanced through the other bag, art supplies. I gathered both bags, snuck out
the door, and down the hall.
I decided to follow the dreams that haunted me. And after a couple weeks, I found myself in the city of Toyama. It was the third
big city I had to find some kind of shelter in, so I knew where and what to look for. I went to the City Park and found a bridge
crossing a small stream. I made my way down the steep hill. Underneath the bridge, I found what I needed, a cubbyhole. I set
my bags down and took out my tablet for the first time since I had left the hospital. I opened it to the empty trapeze and let a
couple of tears slide down my cheeks.
I wanted to see my parents fly one more time. The wall next to me was free of graffiti and made the backdrop for my picture. I
looked through the bag filled with art supplies and pulled out chalk. I wished it could have been more permanent, but I didn't
have that kind of quantity in paint. I started to draw and when I finally finished, hours had passed. The sun was fading and night
was not far off. I stepped back and looked at the picture, it showed my father in his catcher position with his hands grasped
around my mother's wrists. I smiled a sad smile and said softly into the wind, "I love you..." The breeze carried my words away.
I stashed my bags away into a dark corner and hurried to find something to eat. I still had a little of the money that I had found
in my father's bag. After eating at a small cafe, I quickly went back to the bridge anxious to get some sleep and move on
tomorrow.
The attack came suddenly and unexpectedly. As I pulled myself out of the water and glared up at the gloating teen above me, I
could feel the quiet rage in me build. When he refused to return my bags and then attacked, I reacted on instinct and pulled
myself up onto the support bar of the bridge. The dumb ox never saw the blow coming and I easily knocked him down.
However, I wasn't one to push my luck, so I grabbed what was mine and ran. I spent the night huddled next to a large tree,
after changing into dry clothes and hanging the others to dry. I had traded some of my father's clothes for some that fit.
The next morning, I awoke with every intention of grabbing a quick breakfast and getting the heck out of town. Strange thing
about destiny . . . it already had my path chosen. I woke up late and ended up getting a quick lunch. During the meal, the urge
to draw overtook me. I placed my fork down, then took the tablet out and let the pencil strokes flow. In a few moments, the
teen from last night formed and he was dressed in an awesome samurai armor. "Who is that? Some new action hero?" my
waitress asked.
I shrugged my shoulders and said, "I don't know who he is, but I will someday." Little did I know that day would be today.

KENTO

That afternoon while I was walking along the street of a residential area, the smell of acid smoke burned my nose. I looked up
to see thick black soot curling upward a couple of blocks away. I decided to head that way to see what was happening. As I
neared the fire, I could hear the sirens of the fire trucks in the distance. Rounding the corner, I saw a small house burning. A
crowd had gathered outside the building and a woman was pleading frantically, "Please help me... my children are in there!"
I stared at the house and saw that it was almost totally engulfed in flames. There was no way anyone could get to those kids.
Just then, someone pointed to an upstairs window. Inside, you could see a young girl about eight struggling to open the window,
but she couldn't get it up more than a few inches.
"Lily!" the young mother screamed.
"Hey kid... stop! There's nothing you can do!"
I saw someone disappear through the open door into the blackness of the smoke. There wasn't a chance in hell he would get to
her. The sirens blared closer, but were still too far away to do the trapped child any good.
"Look!" someone cried, "he's got her!"
The upstairs window shattered. In the smoke, I could see someone grab the child. I knew I could do something to help.
Running over to the ground below the window, I shouted, "drop her, I'll catch her!"
The hero dangled the girl out of the window and for a moment our eyes met. It was the same teen from last night. He paused for
a second and then dropped the crying girl. I caught her easily and ran over to put the shaking child into the arms of her mother. I
glanced over at the smoke filled window; the teen had disappeared again. In a few seconds, he returned with another kid. I ran
over and caught the child... a small boy of five clung to me terrified.
I heard a thunderous roar and someone screamed, "The roof is collapsing!!"
"That's enough, hero!" I shouted up at the teen. "Get the hell out of there!" But the boy disappeared again. I watched in awe,
that was one brave or stupid kid. Time ran out on the hero as the remaining roof collapsed. Someone in the crowd shrieked.
"Damn..." I mumbled, turning away. Just then a window on the far side of the house shattered as the kid flew out. He reached
and grabbed the branch of a nearby tree as he fell. His momentum tore his hand away and he crashed to the ground. I ran over
as he struggled to stand. I laid a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down. "Easy does it, hero," I said.
The teen pushed my hand away to open his jacket. Inside, a bundle wrapped in a blanket squirmed. I took it from his embrace
and opened it to find a small infant. I looked at the coughing teen and smiled. Then I took the baby over to his joyous mother.
"Thank you, thank you," she said over and over. The fire trucks came to a stop in front of the house. I glanced at the teen, but
he was gone. I decided to slip away myself as the crowd grew.
A short time later as I headed over to the missionary to clean the smoke off me, I heard someone coughing in back of an alley. I
paused. I had a hunch who was in the darkness and decided to approach him. I walked into the alley staying in the shadows.
There was no doubt in my mind he would try to run if he saw me. He sat huddled in the corner with his legs drawn up and his
head resting on his knees. His chest was racking with coughs, his clothes were ruined from smoke, and across one arm was a
long bleeding gash.
"Hey," I said softly.
The teen's eyes met mine but he didn't move. "Who are you?" he croaked through dried lips.
"My name is Kento," I said kneeling. "You did good back there."
"You helped, thank you."
"Why did you do it? Those kids meant nothing to you."
The teen's eyes narrowed. "They were kids, that should be enough of an answer." He started to stand but his legs gave out.
I caught him and leaned him against the wall. "I know people who can help... they'll patch up your arm, let you take a shower,
and have some clean clothes."
The teen studied me. For a second, I thought he would turn me down, but then he nodded. "A shower would be great, but I
don't want to answer any questions."
"They won't ask, come on."
The teen bent down and retrieved his duffels. He took a couple of steps and then stumbled. He grabbed the edge of a dumpster
to stop his fall. I reached around him for his bags, but his grip tightened on the handles. "Come on, let me help," I said.
"That's all I have left," he said softly.
I shrugged my shoulders and then reached around his small frame. I wrapped my arm around him and said, "Lean on me, kid..."
"Sai," he said grimacing. "My name is Sai."
"Okay, Sai, let's go get you fixed up."
The closer we got to the church, the more unsure Sai got. "Are you positive they won't call the police?" he asked for the tenth
time.
I let a small sigh escape and then reassured him. "Sai, there is a nun at the mission. Her name's Maria and she's really cool about
things like this. She won't force you to do anything you don't want to. She just wants to help."
"What would she say if... if I could be wanted by the police?"
I pulled up and looked over at the soot covered teen. "What do you mean... could be?" I asked. "Are you a wanted man?"
"In a way," he admitted, "but not in the way you think. They just want to ask me some questions... questions I have no answers
to."
"So you tell them that and they let you on your way."
"I've tried, over and over..." Sai's voice broke. "So please don't take me there if they'll call the police." His body shook as he
coughed and gasped for air.
I tightened my grip around his weakened body and said, "I promise to stay beside you and if the authorities are called . . . I'll get
you out." My words comforted him and he let me bring him into the church.
The minute we crossed over the threshold and entered the crowded hall, Sister Maria found us. She stands all of five foot in her
shoes but when she talked, you listened. "My stars!" she gasped. "Kento, what have you and your friend been doing?"
"Saving lives, Sister," I said with a grin. "We need to clean up and have you look at his arm."
She clucked her tongue and reached for the bags that Sai still held. He pulled back and started to cough uncontrollably. Sister
looked alarmed. "How much smoke have you breathed in young man? Maybe we should bring you to the hospital."
I felt Sai start to pull away and tightened my hold on him. "Look Sister, if you ain't going to help us, we'll leave." I tried to make
my voice sound threatening but it didn't even faze the tiny nun.
She seemed to consider her options and then escorted us to the back of the crowded hall. We got an assortment of stares as
we made our way up the stairs to the sleeping rooms. Sister opened one of the bedrooms and ushered us in. I had slept in these
rooms a couple of times when it had gotten real cold. They all looked the same, with a couple of bunk beds and a desk.
I went to sit Sai down on one of the lower bunks but Sister's voice stopped me, "Don't you dare put him on that bed, until you
get those filthy clothes off!"
I let a small laugh escape and changed directions. Sai collapsed onto the chair in front of the desk. "I don't think taking his
clothes off is going to help, Sister," I said with a smile. "I bet there ain't an inch of him that isn't covered with soot."
"Oh, you're probably right," she admitted, "but at least I'll be able to take a look at him. He looks like the bashful type, why
don't you help him undress while I go get some stuff for that cut."
She shut the door, leaving us alone. "Will you need my help or can you undress yourself?" I asked.
"I can do it myself," Sai said. His voice sounded scratchy. His fingers fumbled with the buttons of his shirt. After a few moments,
he gave up and grabbing his shirt, ripped the buttons off. He shrugged out of his shirt and started on his jeans.
"Here let me help," I said. "They should be able to wash your pants." A few minutes later, he was stretched out across the lower
bunk with a thin sheet thrown over him. Just as we finished, there was a knock on the door and I let Sister Maria in.
She fussed over him, dressing his arm and washing what dirt and soot she could from his face, arms, and chest. Then she
handed him a small canister with a mask. "It's oxygen, it should help the cough. But if it doesn't... we will bring you to the
hospital."
The oxygen did help and soon Sai fell into an exhausted sleep. "Now tell me again Kento, who is he and how did you boys end
up looking like leftovers from a barbecue?"
"Well Sister, he's one of the bravest fools I've ever had the honor of knowing. He ran into a burning building downtown and
rescued a bunch of kids. I was just there to catch the children as he dropped them out of a second-story window. It will
probably be on the news tonight."
"That's all you know? Do you know his name? Or how he got that burn on his arm? It's older, probably by a couple of weeks.
Does your friend fight fires often?"
"I do know his first name," I admitted. "But I think he's real choosy on who has that privilege."
"Well then, I'll leave it up to him to tell me," she said. "Now what about you? You want to hit the shower? I'm sure we have
some clothes that will fit you. Then we're having fried chicken for dinner, corn on the cob, fried rice..."
"All right, enough already," I said with a grin. "It sounds like heaven, but I promised my friend here I'd watch his back."
"He's in a church," Sister said returning the grin. "I think he'll be safe enough."
I looked down at the sleeping teen, he looked like he was resting well. "Okay, I'll meet you downstairs in a minute." The nun
smiled and left the room. I bent down next to Sai and tried to rouse him, but he was too tired. "He will be okay," I reassured
myself. Then I retrieved his bags, these I would put in a special place where they would be safe from prying eyes. That place
was the attic of the old hall, I had stashed quite a bit of stuff up there over the years. His things would be safe enough until we
left. I checked on Sai one more time before heading to the showers, he hadn't even moved.
Sister Maria met me downstairs, in her arms she held a small stack of clean clothes. I thanked her and headed for the showers.
I stood under the stream of hot water for a long time. It felt good and washed the grime from my body. Afterwards, I tied my
hair back with a bandanna and tried the clothes on. The jeans fit to a tee but the shirt was a little on the big side. It would do all
right until the others got cleaned . . . if they could be. After the shower, I went out to the front hall. Dinner was already being
served. I took a place in line and smiled at Sister Maria as she filled my plate. Her eyes refused to meet mine and her head hung
down. "Sister, what is it?" I asked. But the line pushed me along before I got an answer.
I shrugged it off, thinking she was just tired. I went over to a quiet table in the back and began making the food on my plate
disappear. I'm not sure how long I sat there before the words that swirled around me began to sink in.
"Who do you think it was?"
"They called an ambulance..."
"He came in with that kid over there..."
"Smoke..."
My fork clattered to the floor and I bounded up the stairs two and three at a time. Sai's door was open. I ran in, the bed was
empty... stripped clean. I hoped for a minute that I had grabbed the wrong room, but the smell of smoke still hung in the air. The
beast inside me let go in a terrible fury. The next conscious thought I had was with Sister Maria cornered downstairs. "Where is
he?!" I screamed.
For the first time ever, I saw fear flicker through the nun's eyes. Strong hands grabbed me from behind and pulled me back. I
tossed them away crashing the two volunteers into nearby tables. I steadied my breathing. "Where is he?" I asked again. "I gave
him my word."
"She had nothing to do with the young boy being removed," said someone from behind.
I turned toward the new threat, a police officer. He watched me with cool eyes. "Why did you take him?" I asked.
"He was the only survivor in that plane crash over the mountains last month. He might have some valuable information for us. He
took off from the hospital he was staying at a couple of weeks ago. We tracked him here. Then some news photographer got
lucky and snapped a picture of him and you at that fire today. She recognized him from a bulletin that was released over the
wires. The rest was easy, we just went to all the place he could go for help." The officer's face had a big smile on it. "You know,
you might have just helped me earn a promotion."
"I wouldn't count on it!" I yelled lashing out. My fist collided with his chin and he went down. "Whoa... talk about your glass
jaws," I said with a grin. I looked up to see two more police officers racing through the front door. I turned to Sister Maria and
said, "Sorry Sister, I should have known you would have never done it on your own." Then I made a rapid retreat up the stairs.
I glanced over my shoulder as I cleared the top. Sister Maria and all the other nuns were standing at the base of the stairs,
blocking my pursuers. "Way to go Sisters!" I yelled down and disappeared out the far window, going down a fire escape.