The incident with the berries cemented my relationship with the other Ronin. We continued our
training and classes with still no word from the fifth Ronin, Wildfire. One night we were in the meeting
hall going over the day's events when the Ancient appeared. We all rose to our feet; we knew something
was up. "Wildfire is in need of your help. I sent White Blaze to guide him to the temple but the tiger has
returned and in his mouth was this." The Ancient held up a small sword. "This blade belongs to Wildfire.
Something has happened to him."
     "You saved me from a crashing plane," Sai said. "Why can't you just go to him?"
     "The Dynasty's power is invading your world and it's weakened my abilities. It is up to you four to
find your fallen ally. White Blaze will lead you. Take your armors off, he will be in enough distress
without viewing your armors."
     "Yeah, you were pretty unsettling in your armor, Rowen," I said, "when you helped save Sai."
     "But we can move faster in our armors. What if we change back into our street clothes when we
find him?" Sage asked.
     "There is another way," the Ancient said. "You can control the cover your armor gives you. You can
put street clothes over your armor and then will the armor from your hands. You will still have your super
strength and speed." Then the Ancient gave Rowen a flask. "Get Wildfire to drink this when you find him.
It will help fight against the chills he's feeling."
     "Wait, how do you know he's cold?" Sai asked.
     "I can feel it, just like I can feel what all of you experience," the Ancient added and then he walked
away.
     "Come on guys, lets get dressed and go find our fifth," Rowen said.
     We were all dressed in minutes but I had a hard time controlling the armor-covered gauntlets, they
kept fading in and out. Finally I just gave up and let the armor cover my hands. I could always remove the
armor when we found the other. We followed White Blaze and he led us down the mountain. We raced
behind the tiger almost an hour before coming to a stop by a small stream.
     "Okay, spread out guys . . . he's got to be around here somewhere," Rowen ordered.
     I looked down at White Blaze and asked, "Okay, where is he, fella?" The tiger just stood there and
stared at me. "Great, now don't get contrite on me . . . what did you do with him?" The beast sat down
and looked at me.
     "Okay, Kento, you take the far side of the stream and walk down the shore on the left. Sai, you join
him on the other side but walk to the right. Sage, you walk that way and I'll walk this way," Rowen
ordered.
     Sai and I cleared the stream in one jump. I walked the way I had been told to and hollered,
"Wildfire! Where are you?" I received no answer. I continued down the stream almost fifty yards before
stopping. I wasn't sure how far I needed to walk. As I paused, I heard a faint moan behind me. I turned
but could see nothing in the pitch-blackness. "Anyone there?" I called out. There was no answer. "Man,
what I wouldn't do for a flashlight," I grumbled.
     " . . . tiger . . . food . . ." The words hung in the air.
     "Wildfire, is that you? Where are you? Answer me!" I cried.
     Just then something collided into me from behind. I turned around startled. "Sorry," Sage said, "I
heard you yelling. Did you find something?"
     "Yes, I heard him mumbling . . . he's here somewhere."
     "Wildfire," Sage called out. "Do not be afraid, we are your friends."
     We stood still and listened. All we heard were the advancing footfalls of the other two Ronin
Warriors. "Damn it, Wildfire," I grumbled.
     Sage quickly quieted me. "Listen . . . I heard something."
     Then I heard it again, a soft moan. There was a loud crash as Sai fell into the clearing. "Dang it,
tripped," he said standing up.
     I barely beat Sage to the area Sai had tripped over. There under the bushes was the teen we were
seeking. He was laying on his stomach with his long black hair, which was braided, hanging down his
back. I bent down and gently flipped him over. "Yoshi," I whispered. The teen looked just like my
mentor. Then I closed my eyes and gazed down again. "No," I thought, "he's not Yoshi. Don't put him in
the same class." Aloud I yelled, "I found him!"
     Sage knelt down beside him and cautiously felt for a pulse. "He is alive, but he is wet and he's
freezing."
     I looked up as Rowen came upon us. "Rowen, give me your cloak," I commanded. The Ronin
quickly removed it and I wrapped the unconscious teen in the woolen wrap. I went to brush the hair away
from his face but he flinched away from the cool touch of my armor. I quickly removed the armor all
together and tried again. His skin was cool against my fingers. He leaned against my hand subconsciously,
seeking out the warmth. "What's wrong with him?" I asked Rowen.
     Rowen knelt down and tried to force some of the liquid the Ancient had given him through the lips
of the teen. I watched the teen's eyelids flutter, he was trying to wake up. The red liquid Rowen tried to
force on him trickled down his cheek onto the ground. The teen kept his lips clamped shut. I reached to
catch a drip of the liquid on my finger and tasted it, it was seriously sweet. I sat down crossed legged and
lifted the teen into my lap. I braced his head against my shoulder and then used my finger to capture some
more of the elixir that ran down his cheek. I brushed my thumb over his mouth and when he opened his
lips, put the finger with the sweet medicine into his mouth. He quickly licked the sugary fluid off. I looked
up at Rowen and said, "He's taking it, quick give me the rest." I slipped the spout of the flask into the
teen's open mouth. I got a couple of good drinks into him before he pulled away.
     "Okay, good enough," Sage said, "we've better get him to the Ancient."
     White Blaze appeared at my side. Rowen bent down and picked Wildfire up out of my arms. I stood
and crawled onto the broad back of the tiger. "White Blaze, hold still," I commanded. Rowen lowered the
teen into my arms.
     Sage draped the coat he had covered his armor with over the teen to help shield him from the cool
night air. "Kento, get him back to the temple as quick as you can. We will follow behind you," he
instructed. Then he patted the tiger's large head and said, "Go, White Blaze."
     The tiger took off. It wasn't until we left the others far behind that I began to wonder if I had been
the best choice to ride the tiger. I had only ridden him one other time. I felt the bundle in my arm
beginning to stir and I loosened the death grip I had on the tiger to pull back the coat. Wildfire was trying
to join the world of the living. The medicine must have worked. I bent down and whispered into his ear,
"Rest now, Wildfire. You're safe." The teen relaxed almost instantly and soon I could hear his steady
breathing as he slept.
     The Ancient met me outside the temple and quickly took charge of Wildfire's care. The next two
days were spent trying to nurse Wildfire back to health. He was delirious most of the time and would
shout out. He was pleading with someone or something to stop. It was my turn to watch him when he had
one of those episodes. "No!" he shouted. I looked down, his eyes were opened but feverish. "No . . .
please no . . . stop it!" He struck out and caught my shoulder with a wild punch.
     "Ouch," Sai said walking in.
     I looked over my shoulder and smiled. Then turned back to the delirious teen. He had fallen into a
restless sleep. Reaching across, I pulled back the extraordinarily long hair that had fallen over his face.
Rowen had unbraided it the other day and now it hung loose all over the place. "Have you ever seen so
much hair on a guy?" I asked.
     "No, can't say I have," Sai said leaning against the wall. "But I think it's kind of cool looking."
     I looked over at him and smiled. "You would, circus boy. I bet you think beards on women are cool
too."
     "Hey, don't you make fun of Heather, our bearded lady. She was one keen woman."
     "Yeah, if you're into facial hair on your woman."
     "Get out of here, Hardrock. The others are up on the hill practicing."
     I stood and stretched. "Practice again . . . I'm ready to get this show on the road," I groaned.
     "Hey, enjoy yourself," Sai said. "I think this will be our only free time for quite some time . . . you
should see my latest painting."
     "What did you draw?"
     "The Dynasty . . . and it ain't pretty." Sai pointed to the door and said, "Now go. I'll watch over
Wildfire until dinner, then it's Rowen's turn. I'm not trying to feed him again!"
     I laughed as I left, thinking back to the episode the other night with the sick teen. It had not been
pretty. As I climbed the hill, I transformed back into the body armor. We took it off when we watched
over Wildfire. The whistle behind me was the only warning I got. I dropped to one knee and turned
around raising my arm. The sword that Sage attacked with bounced off. Before he could retreat, I reached
up to grab the blade and pulled it from his grasp. I slammed the sword across my knee shattering it.
     "You are it, Kento!" Sage called as he jumped back.
     The next moment I found myself flying through the air after being caught in one of Rowen's body
slams. What Rowen would do is flip his entire body around and catch his foe in the spin with his legs. I
twisted myself around so that I landed on my feet. Laughing I looked over at Rowen and said, "Is that the
best you've got? You ain't nothing without your bow." The blue-armored teen charged. As he did I
quickly reached behind me and grabbed the arm of Sai, who had snuck up on me. I pulled him in front of
me and asked, "Hey little one, if you're here who's watching our friend?" Before he could answer, I threw
him into Rowen. Both went down in a pile. Then I vaulted into the air and barely missed being grabbed by
Sage. He joined the others in the heap. "You guys are pathetic. How in the world do you expect to defeat
the Dynasty if you can't even get little old me?"
     Just then a four hundred-pound force knocked me down. I looked up into the eyes of the white tiger
that held me pinned and said a feeble, "Hello . . . uh, White Blaze."
     The sunlight was eclipsed as the other three Ronin joined the giant beast. "We'll win," Rowen said,
"by relying on our friends. Get him!"
     That night as I headed for bed, I checked in on Wildfire. Rowen sat off to one side, running a brush
through the mane of the sleeping Ronin. He looked up when I entered and smiled. "He's proud of this."
     "Proud of what . . . this sword?" I asked picking up the small antique sword. The blade was well
kept and razor sharp.
     "Mm, that too, but I was referring to his hair. He was suffering from malnutrition when we found
him and his clothes were ruined, but his sword and hair were both well cared for."
     I nodded my head in agreement. "Do you think he's almost ready to join the world of the living?"
     "He's close. His fever has broken and I got most of the soup down tonight. Once he opened his eyes
and I swear he was awake but then he closed them and went back to sleep."
     "So tomorrow, then?" I asked.
     "Yeah, I'd say that's a pretty safe bet."
     Later that night I laid in bed and stared up at the ceiling. I was restless and couldn't wait to meet this
all-important Wildfire.
     The next morning I awoke when something struck the side of my face. I reached up and groaned as
my hand came back slime-covered. I turned over to bury my face against the wall and moaned, "Can't a
guy get any sleep around here? It's not even sunrise yet!"
     Two strong hands grabbed me and pulled me into a sitting position. "Come on, big guy . . . training
time," Rowen said. I pushed his hands away and the next instant found myself thrown over his shoulder.
     I laughed and tried to push my way free. He tightened his hold and walked out the door. "Come on,
Rowen. I'm awake, put me down!"
     "Are you sure a cold bath wouldn't feel good this morning?" he asked.
     I looked over his shoulder, he was heading toward the well. Humor let way for cold terror. "Rowen,
put me down!" I demanded.
     "No, I think a cold bath might cool your temper. So do you think this rock will float?"
     I joined me hands together and slammed them into the back of the Ronin who carried me. The blow
on an unprotected person would have broken their back. It brought Rowen to his knees and I tore myself
free. I stepped back and dropped down to the ground shaking.
     "Hey, Kento, Rowen . . . what's up?" Sai asked as he and Sage walked up. He knelt down and
placed a hand on my shoulder.
     "He was . . . was . . . going to throw me in the . . . in the well," I stuttered.
     "You were going to do what?!?" Sai cried.
     "Hey, our armors are waterproof," Rowen said rubbing his back.
     "But he's terrified . . ." I cut Sai off before he could continue. "I've told you guys my family was
killed in a car accident. What I neglected to mention was that the car we were in went off a bridge. My
father was able to undo my safety belt and push me out the car window . . . but no one else got out. Ever
since that night, I can't stand the thought of being in water, any kind of water."
     Rowen moved next to me and squeezed my shoulder. "You should have told us. I'm sorry I didn't
know."
     "That's right you didn't know, so let's forget about it. Now, why did you wake us all up at this
forsaken hour?" I asked. "It wasn't just to cream us with eggs, was it?"
     "What's this us stuff, he never even came close!" Sai said triumphantly.
     "Nobody can get you," Sage said with a pout. "You must sleep with one eye open."
     "Nah, he just knows when it's coming because he's painted it the night before," I said standing.
     "Okay, guys, quit your bickering. The Ancient wants us out of camp this morning because he thinks
Wildfire is going to wake up soon and he doesn't want to have us around. It will be hard enough to explain
without the four of us."
     "I know the perfect place," Sage said moving out.
     "You're It!" I cried and the chase was on.
     We traded targets between us, one would be It and the others would try their hardest to get that one
to say uncle. We kept the attacks up for about an hour, until we came to a clearing that was about a
half-hour away from the temple. We had just pinned Sai and he pointed to Rowen as the next target.
     Rowen took off and Sage cried out, "Hey, get back here!"
     I quickly cut off his retreat and each of us took a side, pinning the youth between us. I raised my
hand and urged Rowen on, "Come on . . . fight, Rowen!"
     "If you insist!" Rowen attacked but I caught his arm and tossed him over my shoulder. Rowen stood
up quickly and readied himself.
     The attack came out of nowhere. One minute I was facing off with Rowen and the next, a force
collided into me from behind. I grabbed the arm of the attacker and threw him over my head. I thought it
was one of the guys trying to get a cheap shot in. It wasn't until he was airborne that Rowen yelled,
"Kento . . . No!"
     "No?" I thought and froze as I saw a flash of long black hair. "Oh, jeez!" I watched as Wildfire
crashed into the tree across the clearing. I could have sworn I heard bones breaking and when he stood I
could see I was correct, his right arm hung useless at his side.
     "Jeez, Kento," Rowen said advancing toward the injured teen. Then to my shock, Wildfire
unsheathed the sword he carried and raised the lethal blade to stop Rowen's advance. Rowen raised his
hands and said softly, "Easy, Wildfire."
     I saw a flash of recognition flicker through his eyes, followed by confusion and fear. He raised his
sword again as Rowen and Sage tried to advance. He was about to run, I was sure of it. And then he
started to back away and I caught a look from Rowen, who nodded his head.
     "That's enough," I said advancing, "game's over." It was time to disarm this kid before someone else
got hurt. I moved in swiftly but Wildfire was quicker and he lunged. The sword scraped my breastplate
before I was able to knock it aside. I paused for a moment and thought, "If I hadn't been wearing this
armor, that sword would have found my heart!" The small flame of fury inside me sparked back to life as
I reached for the injured teen. Wildfire ducked and quickly regained his footing. As I lunged again, his fist
slammed into my face and knocked me back into Rowen. The rage inside me erupted, no one takes a
cheap shot at me . . . especially someone who I had helped care for. I barely heard the warning from
Rowen as I crashed after the retreating teen.
When the curtain of rage lifted, I was on top of Wildfire and in my hand was his ponytail and in the
other his sword. "Kento . . . don't!" Rowen commanded as he and the others joined us.
     To this day I don't know why I did what I did, but the next second I cut off the braid of the teen
underneath me and then climbed off. I had to show Wildfire, I was the best. "There, that will teach you!"
     I never saw the attack. One minute I was standing over the teen with my trophy and the next I was
on my back with the fist of Wildfire in my face. His first blow broke opened my lip, the next caught me
across the cheek. The flame inside me started to build but it was put out by water . . . tears. I focused on
the teen above me. "You don't even know what you did!" he screamed, slamming his uninjured hand into
my face again. His tears fell from his cheeks and onto mine.
     "No," I thought, "this one is definitely not in the same class as Yoshi. Yoshi would have never cried
over a haircut." The blows lost their intensity, Wildfire was tiring but not stopping. "Someone better stop
him," I said through clenched teeth. "Or we are going to have one less Ronin Warrior."
     "That's enough," Sai said pulling the injured Wildfire off me. "You're hurt."
     I looked up, there was still defiance in his eyes. I'd had enough foot chasing for one day. I lashed out
and caught his chin with my fist. The blow could have shattered it, if I had wanted it too, instead it just
stunned him. I caught him as he fell and threw him over my shoulder. Then before the others could argue,
I took off for the temple. A few minutes later the teen in my arms started to struggle. I tightened my hold
and laughed as his fist slammed into my back. Then he smashed one of his knees into my chest. The
armor absorbed the blow but I tightened the grip on his legs pinning them. After a few more minutes, he
stopped fighting and laid still.
     I used my super strength to clear a fallen tree and Wildfire let out a groan. "Kento, why don't you
put him down? You are killing his arm," Sage asked catching up with me.
     "I don't feel like chasing him clear around the mountain," I said brushing past him.
     "I won't run."
     I stopped, the captive across my shoulder laid still. "Oh well, if he runs again, I'm not the one going
to chasing him down," I thought as I dropped him to the ground.
     The teen screamed and Rowen yelled, "Kento!" I turned to glare at him and then stepped back into
the shadows. I watched as Rowen advanced. He dropped down so he was at the same level as the teen
and reached toward him. I turned my back on them but turned around when I saw the flash of light as
Rowen removed his armor.
     "Smart move," I muttered as I watched Wildfire cower back. He was terrified of us, but who could
blame him? I watched as Rowen removed the torn shirt and winced when I surveyed the damage. "Damn,
this is not going to rest well with the Ancient," I mumbled turning away.
     I watched as Rowen treated the injury but there wasn't much he could do. We found out Wildfire's
name was Ryo but he wasn't going anywhere until we explained who we were. Just then thunder rumbled
through the valley.
     "The heavens are about to open up, Rowen," Sai said.
     "Come on," I growled. I didn't want to get wet. "We don't have time for this."
     Rowen went to help Wildfire stand but again the teen pulled away. I groaned. Wildfire again
demanded that things be explained to him.
     "The Ancient will explain everything," Rowen said.
     "He can help you," Sai said. "Please, Ryo, this is not the time. Please, trust us."
     "Oh, sure," I thought, "trust us . . . we've only broken your arm, cut your hair, and are holding you
against your wishes."
     Wildfire shared my thoughts and said, "I can't."
     The thunder sounded again and I griped, "We don't have time for this."
     Rowen turned and glared at me. I had a feeling we were going to have a talk about this later. Finally
Rowen got Ryo to his feet after he refused to let me help him. "About time," I thought as we turned to
leave. I almost didn't catch Wildfire as he fainted. I carefully turned him around so his left side was against
my chest as I cradled him in my arms. Rowen tried to keep his injured arm tucked across his chest as we
headed back to the temple. We didn't run, afraid we would damage his arm even more. We were still
about ten minutes away when the downpour started. There was a flash beside me as Sage took off his
armor. He removed his coat that was underneath and then put his armor back on. He tucked the coat over
Wildfire in an attempt to keep at least his face dry.
     Wildfire awoke when I laid him down on his bunk. He saw me and tensed. Rowen walked in and
quickly took charge of the injured teen.
     "Well," I said, "Sage had gone to find the Ancient. I'll be in my shack."
     Rowen stopped and whispered, "I need your strength once more to reset his shoulder." Then Rowen
went over and removed what was left of the shirt. The shoulder was swollen and bruised. I walked over
behind Wildfire and reached for him. "Wait . . . take your armor off," Rowen commanded. I paused and
then did what he had asked. I placed my hands where I was told to, one on his neck and the other on the
injured shoulder.
     I took a deep breath and jerked. There was a sickening pop and Wildfire let out a scream. He fainted
into the waiting arms of Rowen who laid him down and looked up at me frustrated. "I can't do anything
about his arm until the Ancient gets here. The bleeding has finally stopped or at least slowed down. My
father is the doctor, not me."
     I looked down at the injured teen and regret built up inside me. "I didn't mean to do it . . . I get these
rages." Rages that I had thought had been cured, guess the Ancient wasn't as wise as I had thought he
was.
     I turned as Sai and Sage entered the hut and braced myself for the Ancient. "We can't find the
Ancient," Sai said.
     "How is he?" Sage asked walking over to the bed.
     Rowen told him what we had done. Sage winced and shuddered.
     "Did you see the way he fought?" Sai asked, his voice edged with excitement. "He's going to be an
awesome force with his armor."
     "Speaking of armor, I wish he would accept the Wildfire's power so it can help his healing."
     I couldn't suppress my distaste. "Awesome . . . he's barely been conscious since we found him."
     "Yeah, no thanks to you!" Rowen accused. "His body is still exhausted. I wonder how far he had to
come?"
     I blocked out the conversation and watched Wildfire. It dawned on me about a second before
Rowen said something that Wildfire was playing possum.
     "What has happened?"
     I froze and slowly turned to face the man in the door. He moved inside and asked, "Who did this?"
     I stepped forward and lowered my eyes. I knew I had disappointed my teacher. "Go, all of you."
     I paused at the door to look back. The Ancient had moved next to Wildfire and the teen was begging
for relief from the pain . . . pain I had caused. I slammed my fist into a post outside. The blow snapped it
in two and I didn't even have my armor on.
     "Armor up, Kento," Rowen said from behind me.
     "What?" I turned and looked at him. He was dressed in his body armor.
     "Armor up, Kento."
     "Why?" I asked as I put my armor on. Rowen tossed me a staff and held another in his hand. I
caught it but shook my head. "I don't feel like practicing right now."
     "Tough, I rather have you take your anger out on me then someone defenseless." Rowen attacked.
The blow struck my shoulder but I made no move to raise my staff. "Come on, Hardrock . . . don't you
fight with someone who can kick back?" He lunged again and his staff cracked me across my back of my
legs bringing me to my knees.
     I dropped my weapon, looked up, and said, "I'm not fighting you, Rowen. I'm really sorry about
Wildfire . . . and I deserve to have the tar beaten out of me . . . if you really think it will help me control
the beast inside me."
     Rowen lowered his staff and shook his head. "No, I can't do anything. You've got to do it. Don't
you understand what we're up against . . . don't you know . . ."
     "I understand exactly what we have to lose if I don't tame the fury," I said.
     Rowen snapped the staff over his knee breaking it in half and said, "Then do what you have to, but
do it now. We can't waste any more time."
     I stayed where I had fallen and decided I wouldn't get up until I could master the hate inside me. I
was Kento of Hardrock, nothing was going to control me.
     That night I was still kneeling on the cobblestones when the Ancient appeared in front of me. "Kento
of Hardrock, do you realize what you have done to Wildfire?"
     "I broke his arm . . ."
     "Those injuries were not your fault. The hair you cut from his mane was valuable to him."
     "It was just hair . . . it will grow back."
     "The braid was a memorial to his parents. They too have died just like the others and Wildfire's hair
had never been cut . . . until today."
     "Man, I screwed up . . . majorly," I groaned. I looked up at the Ancient and asked, "So what now?
What should I do?"
     "You must remain in control of your emotions . . ."
     "I had control of my emotions, when I cut his hair. I knew exactly what I was doing."
     "Why did you hurt him then? No, you did not have control."
     "I . . . don't know. I thought I did, but now . . ." I ran my hands through my hair and an idea
formed. "Ancient, do you have a knife?"
     "Why, Hardrock?"
     "I want to give myself a haircut. Maybe if I chop my hair off, I'll remember what happens when I
lose my head."
     The Ancient took out a small dagger he had tucked under his robe. He offered me the hilt. I grabbed
the blade and then reached back for my ponytail.
     "Don't!"
     I paused and groaned. The last thing I needed was an audience. What was Wildfire doing up and
about anyway? The Ancient warned Wildfire away but I heard his footfalls as he advanced from behind.
"Having him chop off all his hair, isn't going to make mine grow back."
     "Great, just what I need . . . my hero," I grumbled.
     The advancing teen suddenly stopped. I listened. Rowen had caught him and in a moment I heard
Rowen drag the teen back into the hut. I was alone again with the Ancient. I quickly ran the blade through
my ponytail and then used the knife on the rest of my hair, until it was exceptionally short. I ran my
fingers through it and then tied the bandanna back on. I handed the dagger to the Ancient and said, "This
will probably be better in battle anyway."
     "You may go rest now, Hardrock."
     "Sorry, Teacher, I still have things to work through. You have a good evening."
     The Ancient touched my shoulder briefly and then walked into the blackness. I knelt there all night.
Shortly after the Ancient left, I heard Rowen leave Wildfire's hut. He headed toward me but stopped a
few feet short.
     "Kento . . . you okay?"
     "I will be," I answered. Then watched as Rowen walked past and into his hut.
     The next morning I startled awake. Something was wrong. I looked around. White Blaze was gone
from the doorway of Wildfire's hutch. I caught a glimpse of white out of the corner of my eye. "Maybe it
was just White Blaze moving around," I thought.
     I found out I was wrong later that morning. Wildfire had snuck out. "Damn, I bet he's halfway to
China by now," Sai griped. He sat down in front of me.
     "Ryo of the Wildfire has gone to claim his armor," the Ancient said advancing.
     "Alright!" Rowen cheered.
     "It is about time," Sage said walking up. He ran a hand through my hair and smiled. "I like it,
Hardrock. It is definitely you."
     It was right after lunch that the others decided to head for the shrine to greet Wildfire. Sai stopped
and offered me a sandwich he had saved from lunch but I declined.
     "What!?!" Sai gasped, "you must be ill."
     "No, but maybe I can starve the beast inside me away."
     "Kento, this is dumb," Sai said. "You're not proving anything staying out here like this . . . please eat
and then come with us."
     I took the sandwich but shook my head. "No, I'm not ready yet."
     I could tell Sai was confused and probably a little hurt because of my refusal but he just shrugged his
shoulders and followed the other two into the woods. It was about a half-hour later when a strange force
came over me. My armor seemed to glow for a moment. "What is happening?"
     "The Circle has been completed," the Ancient said at my side. "Wildfire has awakened the power of
his armor." The old man looked down at me and said, "Go and greet Wildfire."
     "I can't Ancient. I made a promise that I wouldn't move until the savage inside me is contained."
     "Kento of Hardrock, the beast inside you can never be destroyed. You must do is learn to control
it."
     "Well, I'm afraid it still has the upper hand, Ancient." There was a loud crash behind us.
     "Wildfire has arrived," the Ancient's voice whispered in the wind. I looked up; the old man was
gone.
     I bowed my head and waited. The wait wasn't long, in a few minutes I heard the advancing
footsteps of the teen coming up behind me. He moved in front and knelt down to my level. I wasn't ready
to face the newest Ronin, but he seemed to have other ideas. "How much longer is he going to make you
stay here?" he asked softly.
     His question confused me for a moment. Who was making me? Then I remembered the scene from
last night, it probably looked like the Ancient was calling the shots. The next moment Wildfire's hand
reached up and touched my shoulder. I reacted without thinking, I grabbed his hand and twisted. I heard a
gasp and glanced up to see the look of pain in his eyes, but all I saw was confusion that quickly turned to
hate.
     "Enough, Hardrock," the Ancient said reappearing.
     "Great," I thought releasing the hand, "I just failed another test."
     I watched the Ancient lead Wildfire into the temple. In a few minutes, the others came out of the
woods. "Hey, where did he go?" Sage asked.
     "He is in with the Ancient," I answered.
     "Huh, what's he doing in there?" Sai asked kneeling down in front of me. He offered me a handful
of berries. "Don't worry. These are good ones."
     I shook my head. "Sorry, no more berries for me . . . ever. You guys didn't happen to stop by a
burger place, did you?"
     "Yeah sure, it was right beside the car wash," Rowen answered with a grin. "We can go see what we
can scare up for you, unless of course you're coming?"
     I shook my head and watched Rowen and Sage head for the hall. Sai stayed where he was, just
watching me. "What do you want, Torrent?"
     Sai raised an eyebrow and smiled. "I just want to know how much longer you're going to get to sit
here and loaf around while I have to train with blondie . . . you know he's better at that weapon stuff than
me."
     "No, he's not. You're just a little more cautious then he is. You need to loosen up. Don't worry
about getting hurt so much . . . go for the jugular."
     "Yeah, right," Sai said shaking his head and standing. "Just get over with whatever you're doing so
you and him can go at it."
     I reached up and grabbed his arm. "Sai, you are good . . . very good. You hold your own just fine."
     Sai smiled and then walked over to his hut. I was left alone the rest of the day, except when one of
the others would bring me something to eat or drink. It was dark when Wildfire left the temple. He didn't
make the same mistake and try to approach me. I watched him enter his hut. White Blaze stretched out
across the doorway. Then I turned my thoughts forward to tomorrow. Maybe then I would be able to see
what this Wildfire was made out of. However, I seriously doubted it. He would probably be out for the
rest of the week.