#ninjastory2

              “When you think of fire, it’s easy to conjure up thoughts of something that can easily warm you, but simultaneously can easily destroy you. It lights the night, but can create black smoke to obscure your vision. In fact, you can see the light from a flame smaller than your hand from over a mile away. It truly is a fascinating thing to look into.”                Matthew’s eyes themselves seemed to light up as he explained this element to them. And although Jen and Cathy knew that he was giving them a lesson, they could also tell how passionate he was about this subject, and it made sense to them why he had chosen this element for his own.                “But, you see,” he continued, “the concept that drives this element actually doesn’t come from the properties of fire itself. Rather, the thing that can really take it to incredible heights actually comes from within ourselves.”                A thoughtful look came over Matthew’s face, as if he was trying to figure out how to continue his explanation. At the same time, Cathy and Jen were intrigued at the statement of how the driving force behind fire abilities actually came from within humans.                After a brief moment, Matthew continued to speak.                “I want you to think about something. When you find something that you really want to do or have, and I mean you really, really, REALLY want this, how do you feel? It almost feels like your body gets hot, right? And the more that you want something, the hotter you feel, right?”                The two students nodded slowly, with rapt attention etched on their faces.                “And even when you see truly driven people that are accomplishing great things, so much so that it seems the forces of nature itself just seem to get out of their way, what is it that we say about those individuals? ‘They’re on fire.’”                Matthew could see a glimmer of understanding coming through the faces of the two girls as they were beginning to grasp what he was getting at.                “You see, that’s the thing about fire. The thing that drives this element is, in a word, drive itself. Your own drive fuels the flames. And if you were to make it even simpler, then you could say this: the one thing that makes fire strong, possibly even stronger than any of the other elements… is desire.”                At Matthew’s words, Jen and Cathy seemed to light up as well. They could understand.                “The reason why fire could very well be the strongest of the elements is because of just two simple truths. The first is that desire can simply become stronger, and it will continue to run deeper. Desire can take over a person’s entire being. And even then, there really is no limit to its heights. And so, the more you want something, the stronger you become.”                As Jen and Cathy looked on, waves of heat seemed to emanate from Matthew, like that of a heat mirage in a desert. And for just a second, they both seemed to smell something burning, even as a small bead of sweat ran down each of their necks. But, it quickly disappeared, and everything seemed normal once again, and Matthew seemed normal once again as well. For reasons neither one of them could explain or even understand, all of this unsettled them, and in the back of their minds, a slight twinge of fear came and passed.                “The second truth is this. Desire itself is unquenchable. It will continue to burn without restraint, unless you restrain it yourself, or if you yourself quench it. Nobody can quench it, but you.”                A bit of awe struck the two of them as they heard Matthew complete his explanation of the fiery element. It became no wonder to them why he would describe it as the strongest of the elements. But still, as fascinating as the information was, that was not the initial question that Cathy had asked.                A moment passed as Matthew grew silent after his explanation. Jen and Cathy simply waited, not really knowing what to say. Andrew had lain out on the ground, his massive bulk looking up at the sky and its passing clouds.                “You had asked earlier why I don’t use my fire more often. I could tell you about the grand tale of Kisasi warriors who don’t show everything that they’ve got right from the start, how withholding information about yourself can give you an edge in battle. But, that would only be partially right. The truth is that if I were to fully cut loose with all of the flames that I have within me, then it could be very dangerous.”                For the first since they had met Matthew, they saw a look on his face that not many people, except those close to him, had ever seen. It was the look of a troubled man, conflicted.                “Put bluntly, if I were to leave my unchecked drive and desire alone, then it could cause my flames to go out of control and do much harm. And put more bluntly, you could say that I CAN’T cut loose with my flames for that very same reason. As it is now, although you two call me master… I am no true master.”                An awkward silence came over the group as Matthew looked down at the ground in front of them. Jen and Cathy looked at each other and then looked at Matthew again, looked back at each other, and then looked at Andrew, who now seemed to be sleeping where he had lain down.                “You know, master,” Cathy said, “I don’t know what makes you say that, but even if you don’t believe yourself to be a master, you’ve taught us quite a lot.”                Matthew looked up.                “That’s true,” Jen said. “I mean, even when we first met you, even while we were attacking you, you were still giving us instructions and telling us how we had messed up. If that’s not a good teacher, then I don’t know what is.”                A small chuckle came from Matthew. He breathed in, and then breathed out. He clapped his hands together, and leaned back once more.                “Thank you for that. Sorry for that moment of gloom and doom. I didn’t mean it to come out that way, although it really made it sound bad. I guess it’s my way of saying that even your teacher has some areas that he feels he is still lacking in.”                Jen and Cathy let themselves smile. Matthew was back to his normal self, again.                “So, why was it that you asked me that, Cathy? Sure, I was able to continue the explanation, but I hadn’t even finished.”                “Well, the reason I asked was since I can’t use water, I just figured that maybe I could learn fire, instead.”                “Ah, I see…”                Matthew nodded, understanding Cathy’s predicament. It was quite true. For some reason, Cathy was completely unable to use the water element. Something was inhibiting her from doing so.                However…                “You know, when it comes to me and Andy, our respective elements of fire and earth were not the first elements that we learned.”                He smiled as he was seemingly remembering something from long ago.                “Just like how Isla de Tormenta focused on water abilities, our family maintained a focus on a particular element as well.”                Cathy seemed a bit confused at Matthew’s response. It sounded like he was dodging her question.                But, he continued.                “Our family has a tendency of being nomadic by nature. They all move from place to place, and don’t really stay in one place for long. It was the same thing for me and my brothers. We were born in Kisasi. But, when we were old enough, we went about our own journeys, traveling all around the world, seeing what we could learn out there. We’re special cases, though, because as you can see, we ended up right back here.”                “Jeremy still holds that nomadic nature, though, since he spends quite a bit of time on away missions these days.”                Andrew spoke with a yawn as he sat up from his sleeping position. It was apparent that his nap was done.                Jen and Cathy thought about the mention of their older brother. They had never met Jeremy, but had heard much about him. From being personal guard to the leader of Kisasi, to being the very person who trained Matthew and Andrew themselves, they knew that he must be quite the combatant. And whenever they spoke of their older brother, there was only one word that could describe the manner in which they described him… respect. It brought up a concept in the thoughts of the two girls that seemed like a mix between curiosity… and fear.                After all, how strong must the man who trained the Twin Towers be?                “But, anyway,” Matthew said, “our family had a tendency to follow an old saying. ‘Wherever the wind goes.’ In other words, they would always travel in the direction was blowing, and would go wherever it took them. You could say it was that concept that led our family to take up the practice of wind elemental abilities.”                Cathy listened on as Matthew spoke. She still was confused and was now wondering if he had even heard her question. But, she also felt that Matthew wouldn’t ignore her question, and so she didn’t interrupt him.                “You see, the thing about the wind is that it comes and goes, wherever it wants and whenever it wants. You can’t contain it, and can’t tell it what to do. In a word, it is simply… free. That’s what governs the wind, and what can take it to such heights. It’s freedom.”                Freedom, huh?                The thought sounded appealing to Cathy, although she couldn’t explain why she thought so.                “Ever since we were little, we learned quite a bit about wind,” Andrew spoke. “And so, even today, we know at least quite a bit about abilities using wind. We’re no masters, mind you, but we can definitely hold our own in a wind battle. We’ve even adapted some of the families passed down techniques, and tailored them for ourselves.”                “But frankly,” continued Matthew, “we each diverged from tradition, as you know. I went with fire, and Andrew went with earth… but I would suggest that you take up learning wind, Cathy.”                Cathy leaned back, a bit stunned, wondering why Matthew would suggest such a thing, and as a result, was quiet for a moment. But, then she spoke, somewhat meekly as she did so.                “Why is it that you two decided not to master wind?”                Matthew and Andrew looked at each other. It was a legitimate question. Why suggest something that they themselves didn’t do?                The two brothers nodded at each other, and Matthew let out a sigh as he looked back to Cathy.                “Well, it’s simply because we ourselves are not free.”                But, am I really free?                “Then, why would you want me to learn it?”                “Well, one thing is because of how, for whatever reason, you’re unable to use water. Second, I wouldn’t suggest fire or earth, since it would be like following on someone’s heels. I don’t think lightning would be a good fit for someone that actually takes thought into things, like you. And finally, I believe that wind would be the perfect opportunity for you.”                “Why is that?”                “Well, it’s like this: Jen, Andrew, and myself have been somewhat caught up in tradition, and in a way, it has somewhat chained us. Don’t get me wrong. These kinds of chains aren’t really bad, but they are chains, nevertheless. You, on the other hand, don’t have any chains on you. You are quite literally ‘free’ to follow whatever path you choose, and I think that that ‘freedom’ that you carry could take the element to heights that not even our family could achieve.”                Cathy thought about it. It did seem like a pretty good idea. And since they had already learned a lot about the element, she could always ask the two brothers if she needed ideas or reached a dead end.                She nodded.                “I think I’ll give it a try.”                “Sounds good. Be sure to find that freedom, then.”                Matthew smiled, and leaned back against the tree. Now that she had a path before her, he saw that Cathy seemed to be much more at ease. He let his thoughts drift off, and he thought of the path that he had taken, himself.                Maybe one day, I’ll tell you two why I’m not free.                Matthew stood.                “All right. Break’s over. There’s more training to be done, especially now that we need to start getting some wind concepts into someone.”                Everyone stood, and they began walking to the training ground, just as a gentle breeze came through, knocking a leaf from the tree. The leaf tumbled through the air, and it came into view of the four of them as they walked.                Cathy had a new emotion running through her mind as she thought about her new course. She did feel at ease, but she also felt anxious and eager, too.                She looked up at her teacher, just in time to see a smile tug at the corner of his mouth. His eyes were glued to the leaf as it tumbled around them through the air. Maybe it was because she had just found out that she would be learning how to use wind, but seeing that leaf on the wind brought a smile to her face as well.

              “How much do you two know about the elements?”                     Jen and Cathy were both breathing in heavy gasps. It had been a day of strenuous training thus far. Matthew had given them a break to let their muscles rest, before moving into another session. Both of them were in heaps on the ground under the shade of a tree, while Matthew, who had been their sparring partner, was leaning against the tree, arms crossed behind his head. He seemed to be staring into the distance behind them.                “Are you talking about the fighting elements, Master?”                Matthew slightly cringed at that word. He hated being referred to as someone’s master, but it was protocol, and it would be disrespectful if they referred to him in any other manner.                “Yes, tell me what you know about them.”                Cathy and Jen looked at each other, then forced themselves into a seated position. Cathy spoke first.                  “The fighting elements are based off of natural elements. Earth, wind, fire, water, and lightning. Each of them offers different abilities to use in combat.”                Matthew nodded from his reclined position.                “All right. What else?”                Jen spoke up this time.                “Because of the nature of each of the elements, they tend to adopt pretty particular styles of fighting. For example, those that use lightning end up having incredible reflexes, earth users end up like walls that can take tons of damage, wind users are fast and agile, fire users are strong attackers, and then us water users…”                Matthew’s ears perked up at that pause in Jen’s voice. He could tell that she was thinking more about it. She was a water user, after all.                “You know, I’m not sure how to describe it.”                Matthew smiled as he sat up, stretching his arms as he did so.                “Maybe I can help with that.”                The two girls could hear someone approaching from the direction that Matthew had been looking in. They turned to find Andrew approaching.                “Just in time, brother. I was just getting into the explanation.”                Andrew stood near them in the shade, the bulk of him seeming to cast its own shadows under the tree.                “What can you two tell me about those same elements, but in nature?”                A slightly confused look could be seen on the girls’ faces as they thought about their answer.                Cathy spoke once again.                “Um… they’re… the elements…?”                Both of the brothers laughed at the answer.                “I guess that’s to be expected. You probably have never really thought about it, especially when you look at it in a way that we’ll be talking about. I’ll explain each element one by one. Andy?”                Andrew turned his entire body into stone. His body was so much taller than them in the first place, but with the bulk of stone added, he seemed even more imposing than he did before.                Matthew stood, and beckoned for the girls to stand as well, pointing to his brother.                “Try to push him over.”                They stopped in the middle of their standing, almost falling back to the ground.                “What?!” They both exclaimed.                “Yeah, try to push me over,” Andrew chuckled.                After fully standing, the two tentatively walked over to Andrew, staring up at the height of this mountain. Push him over?                Both sighed as they looked at each other, then they leaned in and tried pushing. Matthew now once again leaned against the tree, this time while standing. He watched with an amused smile on his face as their feet slid out from under them. Andrew had begun laughing, and his laughter caused his body to shake, making their grip on him slip.                He let them keep trying for a moment before he called out to them, letting them stop. He could see the frustration in their appearance, believing that they had failed some task given to them.                “Sorry about that. I wasn’t intending for you to actually do it. I just needed to demonstrate a point.”                Both of the girls slumped to the ground as Cathy exclaimed.                “Good, because that’s impossible.”                The corner of Matthew’s mouth raised into a smirk upon hearing this.                “Oh…?”                He stepped forward and walked up to Andrew.                “Hey, tighten up. Plexus and left leg.”                Andrew nodded and then simultaneously the areas around his stomach and left leg could be seen darkening, and they seemed to get more smooth at the same time.                “Jen, give a knock on that spot,” pointing to Andy’s stomach.                Jen walked over to Andy with another tentative look. She then slowly reached out her hand and knocked. A clanging type of sound came from where she knocked.                Stepping back, she said, “Was that metal?”                Hehe. Yep.                Matthew suddenly dashed in, and drove a fist into the spot that Jen had just knocked on. A loud clang reverberated as Andrew stumbled backward. Another clang was heard as Matthew sent a low kick into Andrew’s stumbling left leg. This took Andrew’s feet out from under him. One more clang sounded as Matthew brought his elbow down into that same first spot.                Andrew crashed into the ground, much to the shock of the two individuals who had spent so much effort trying to achieve the same result. Matthew accomplished it in less than a second. They simply stood, wide-eyed, and mouths slightly gaped opened. They knew that Matthew was strong, but they had a hard time wrapping their head around the fact that he was able to knock over someone like Andrew.                “Hey, you guys must have cheated,” Cathy shouted.                Matthew had leant an arm to Andrew, helping him from the ground. The stone and darkened area began disappearing from Andrew’s form, and by the time he was fully standing, it had all disappeared.                “Not really,” Andrew replied.                Matthew also spoke up.                “Yeah. While I may not have been able to pull something off like that in a fight, he didn’t just give me the win. He was actually heavier than when the two of you were trying. But, anyway, that wasn’t the point of what we were trying to accomplish here.”                He turned to the girls, who still bore a confused and gaping look on their faces.                “You know what element Andrew was using, right?”                It took them a quick moment to recover, but then, Jen finally spoke.                “That was earth, right?”                “Yes, and what did you think when you were trying to push over a giant rock?”                “It was like we couldn’t move him, that it was impossible to move him.”                “Just like a mountain, right? Something immovable, solid?”                The girls nodded, and the new look on their face helped Matthew know that they were catching on.                “You see, each element has a principle behind it, something that can make it stronger, depending on how much you can commit to its principle.”                A questioning look came over Cathy’s face.                “So then, what makes his earth element strong?”                Matthew looked over at his brother, and motioned for him to take the answer.                Andrew was quiet for a moment, but his silence was not one of contemplation.  Then, he spoke.                “Duty.”                Matthew gave them all the permission to sit down. After all, it was now time for talking. No need for standing at this point.                “Earth is something that is stable. You don’t think about it much, but it always is there to keep your feet planted on something. You wouldn’t really acknowledge it, or even keep it in your mind, but it’s always there, doing its job. It always will be there to make a path for whoever walks on it. It shields those who hide behind it. In spite of all of the things that happen around it, it never moves and never abandons its role. Ever silent, but always there.”                An almost solemn look flashed across Andrew’s face, and a slight glance passed between the two brothers’ eyes. It was so quick that Cathy and Jen didn’t even catch it happen.  It came and went as if it never had happened.                “So, it’s this sense of duty that influences the strength of elementals, then. Right?”                “Not quite. That principle only applies to earth elemental fighters. The other elements each have their own to drive their abilities.”                While shaking his head, he added, “Lightning users actually have a tough time of it for themselves, though.”                A small and slight chuckle came from Andrew as Jen and Cathy became confused at what Matthew said. After all, why would the driving principle behind the element create difficulty for their own element?                “I should explain by telling a little bit about lightning. When you see it, it is only brief. It goes just as quickly as it came. You can never know where it will strike, and it always comes incredibly fast when it does.”                “Hmm…”                The girls were beginning to think about these elemental interactions, and Matthew could see the gears turning as they tried to figure out what he was telling them.                “So,” Cathy asked. “What principle is behind it, then?”                “I don’t know a better way of describing it, but I guess the best way to describe it is spontaneity.”                “Spontaneity?”                Matthew laughed this time.                “Yeah. Lightning users tend to be very spontaneous individuals. They’re almost driven wholly by instinct. It would be easy to say that because of the nature of their element, they simply don’t have the time to think their actions through.”                Matthew and Andrew laughed as Jen and Cathy let their mouths drop open in surprise.                “Don’t get us wrong with our laughter,” Matthew said while still laughing. “After all, finely honed instincts have no need for deeper thought in battle. Your mind is simply on the fight; you can’t be thinking about anything else.”                Matthew took a deep breath as he stopped laughing.                “The only problem is that lightning users may have trouble with interactions outside of battle. Remember that even finely honed instincts can still be wrong.”                “Ooh! Ooh! Then, how about water users?!”                Jen was excitedly asking the question.                “I can understand why you would want to know about that one. This would apply to you, after all. But, all right. Jen, tell me what you know about water.”                “Oh, well water is… wet?”                Both Andrew and Matthew erupted in laughter.                “Quite true, Jen, although to be more accurate, water is the thing that makes things wet.”                Everyone was able to get a laugh in, including Jen, and it was very apparent that Jen had been making a joke.                Once the laughing died down, Jen took a moment and then thoughtfully spoke.                “But, seriously… I kind of think that water is hard to describe. You could say it can be a life source for living things, but it can also be the death of it, like if you’re drowning, you know? Like it’s a fluid balance of life.”                For the first time since the two girls had met Matthew and Andrew, they were able to see a look very rarely seen on the faces of the two brothers. That look with eyes slightly widened. A look of surprise.                “Did I say something wrong?”                Matthew shook his head, and his face recovered from his apparent surprise.                “No, actually. I was just a bit surprised. I wasn’t expecting your answer, because it wasn’t in my line of thought. But, well spoken. What you said is quite true. After all, our bodies need water to survive, but water can also make us drown, like you said.”                Cathy gave a sharp poking jab in Jen’s side, who went sprawling from the sudden poke. After regaining herself, Jen looked over at Cathy with a look that seemed to say, “What the heck?”                “Good job,” Cathy said with a smile on her face.                A new look came over Jen’s face. This one had a message for Cathy as well, one that seemed to say, “Really?! That’s why you poked me?”                This was not the first time Matthew and Andrew had seen this type of interaction between the two of them. It was common, VERY common, and as such, they had gotten used to it.                Matthew cleared his throat.                “The reason it surprised me is because I was thinking of something completely different about water, which is what I wanted to bring up to you. “                Jen and Cathy looked back towards him, and gave him their attention once again.                “I want you to think about water out there in nature. When water begins to travel, like in a stream, what happens when it hits an obstacle? It will accumulate to become a pond or lake, or it will find a way around the obstacle, or even sometimes go over the obstacle. In some cases, it will even go through the obstacle. If you really think about it… and Jen, if you really want to take your water abilities to incredible heights, then I want you to think about this. Exactly how well does water adapt to its environment?”                Jen had a look of thoughtfulness on her face. She was really thinking about what Matthew was saying.                “Just remember, Jen, that the way you use water is pretty much only dependent on your ability to adapt. To bring it back to the way that you described, water can be used to attack or defend, to heal or to kill. It just depends on you.”                Jen nodded.                “Um, Master…”                Cathy was speaking now.                “Your main element is fire, right? Why don’t you use it more often? I don’t mean to be rude, but I feel like a fire user who doesn’t use fire seems to contradict himself.”                Matthew leaned back, and breathed a very audible sigh.                “That’s a fair question. It does make you wonder, huh?”                The look that came over Matthew’s face at that moment told them that his mind had disappeared to another place at the moment, although only one of those people present could tell where it had gone to.                “I can let you know why I don’t use fire all that often… but before that…”               Matthew leaned forward and rested his forearms on his knees, folding his hands together.                “I should explain what makes fire so special to make me choose to pursue it.”

               Matthew’s story shifted to that of a training area located within Kisasi. As a place known for always containing the most diligent and strong warriors, there naturally would be plenty of places to go to train, for all types of circumstances.                Matthew was at one such training ground, facing off against the one called Cathy, the taller of the two girls with longer and dark hair. It was a full on sparring session in which Matthew was helping her to develop her hand to hand abilities. Both were unarmed, but other than that, anything went. Matthew had to promise not to use any of his elemental abilities for these sparring sessions, and so this quite simply was no more than a sparring brawl.                But, even with no elemental abilities being used, this was no easy task for Cathy. Matthew had received much more extensive training and this gave him quite the edge in their sparring. In the end, it made perfect sense that Matthew had gained such a reputation for himself.                During this sparring session, Matthew didn’t hold back at all. All attacks that came from him were full attacks, and as such, made for painful contacts if the blows actually landed.                One such blow happened when Cathy made a misstep in her movements. Matthew seemed to know beforehand that his attack would connect in a hard way, and called out as the kick hit home right into Cathy’s side.                “Jen, you’re up!”                The kick connected, and Cathy was sent flying. Excruciating pain shot through every muscle, and she was quite sure that her now broken ribs could be heard audibly. She crashed into the ground, sliding as scrapes and bruises were added to her injuries. These injuries made her just collapse at the spot where she landed. There was no moving from her.                Simultaneously, Jen moved at the beckoning of Matthew’s call.                “Yes, Master!”                Jen was not participating in the combat aspect of training, for the time being. The reason for this is that her personal training was going in a very different direction.                Jen hurried over to where Cathy had come to a stop on the ground. Her steps were somewhat heavy as she balanced a large jug of water on her back.  Matthew hurried over to the spot as well. His role now was to oversee the situation that was now to happen.                Jen knelt to the ground next to Cathy, who was still not moving. It was easy to see that she was unconscious. She removed this jug from her back and opened it. She immediately poured water from the jug onto Cathy’s side, as well as over areas which had received additional injuries. She then set the jug down and weaved a few signs with her hands. Very quickly, the various wounds covering Cathy began to disappear. Once they were fully gone, she then poured a small amount on her forehead, and then placed her hand near the spot. A very faint glow emanated from the water, which then soon disappeared underneath the skin. Shortly thereafter, Cathy woke up and stood. No broken bones plagued her anymore, and things could be described as “good as new.”                “So, I guess you could say that their training has been going well?”                “Yes, sir,” Matthew responded. “The two of them are learning incredibly quickly. They had a really good foundation.”                “That is truly wonderful. There is one thing that I was wondering about. I see that you are taking different approaches in their training. Why is that?”                “Well, sir, it’s because of their abilities in fighting. While both of them are from Isla de Tormenta, with all of their water-manipulating abilities, it seems that Cathy is unable to make use of those famed water abilities.”                “Could it be something psychological? Maybe rooted in the trauma over what happened to their village?”                “At first, that’s what I thought, but apparently, she had this problem even before the destruction. And as far as the psychological aspect, I actually don’t believe that to be the case, either. I don’t really know what’s causing it, but whatever it is, it’s something… else.”                Yaar nodded his head, understanding Matthew’s thoughts on this.                “So, that’s why you’ve been focusing on her basic combat techniques, while with Jen, you’ve been assisting her in completing her knowledge of water.”                “Yes, sir. However, I have been contemplating an approach to take with furthering Cathy’s training. After all, while teaching her to fight will increase her ability to survive, it would be problematic to reach a dead end in what I can teach her. “                Yaar was silent for a moment, seemingly in thought, but Matthew knew that Yaar was in his mind.                “I think that you have the right idea. Naturally, I know that you plan to explain to them before you begin to bring her down this road. She’s going to need a reason to follow that path. But, I trust you and how you’ll handle it.”                Matthew nodded, just as a man came in with a box. He stepped near Yaar and Matthew, bowing low as he addressed the two of them.                “Please pardon my intrusion, but this package just arrived from the blacksmith, Andrew.”                Yaar and Matthew exchanged looks with each other, then Yaar motioned for the box to be set on the table between them, which was now cleared of game pieces.                Matthew reached over and opened the box, revealing a pair of pants inside. Yaar touched the pants, and they seemed much thicker than a normal pair of pants.                Looking up at Matthew, he said, “Your brother made a pair of pants? Why didn’t he just give these to you when he saw you?”                Yaar heard a sigh release from Matthew’s mouth as he replied.                “Well, because they are for you, sir.”                Yaar looked up with surprise, and was silent for a moment. Then, suddenly his eyes went wide.                “…Oh dear.”                Nodding, Matthew sighed again.                “Yes, sir. It seems that there is something very unique about Jen, particularly those eyes of hers. We have discovered… the hard way… that she has some sort of penetrating vision. She is able to see through clothing, trees, rocks, and just about anything. And on top of that, she can see a person’s… heat.”                Yaar sat back, with a worried expression on his face.                “I can see why this would concern you. It is a terrifying ability, but for her, I can imagine a very useful one. It would be particularly useful in avoiding conflict, knowing what your enemies are hiding and where they would be located. Once she is fully trained, I may send her out with you on reconnaissance missions.”                Matthew chuckled. Knowing what this meant for the average individual, seeing as she would be able to see people in their most bare state, it could cause quite a bit of havoc. But, Yaar was past that, already thinking of how she could find her place among the people of Kisasi.                “I will, of course, be cautious, and wear these when I meet with her.”                “Yes, sir. We discovered that she is unable to see through things that are flesh in nature, hence the reason for these pants. They are lined with leather, to avoid her being able to, uh, peek through.”                “Thank you, Matthew, and be sure to thank Andrew for fashioning these for me.”                “Of course, sir.”                Matthew stood, and bowed before leaving. It was time to meet with Cathy and Jen for another training session.                I know that you plan to explain to them before you begin to bring her down this road.                He looked around him at the trees swaying in the breeze, the ground beneath his feet, the sun in the sky, and the pond that resided within the palace grounds.                “Hmm, maybe today would be a good day. I’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”                And with that, he walked on to the training area, switching back and forth between elements in his hands, a small flame, a gust of wind, and a swirling orb of water.

               When the masked girl had awoken, she was unsure of how much time had passed since she had lost consciousness, but she became quickly aware of what had transpired. The area where they were, which had before been completely covered in snow, was now completely dry and no snow was anywhere to be seen. The trees, with their leaves completely gone from the winter time, now looked like barren stalks and scorched marks were scattered everywhere on the ground. Nearby, she could see the giant Andrew, walking up with the little girl named Ari, who was skipping along. She then saw the man who had referred to himself as Matthew, kneeling in the dirt next to her partner.                She watched intently as he poured some water on her forehead, and then positioned his hand in the air right above the place where he poured the water. Maybe it was just having awoken from passing out from apparent heat stroke, but she could imagine a faint light coming from the water as it quickly got absorbed into her partner’s skin. She had never seen water used in such a way, as she had only seen it used for combat, and so this method naturally caught her attention as a water element user.                Matthew noticed her movement and sat down on a nearby rock after finishing what he was doing.                “I see that you’re awake. How are you feeling?”                She thought for a moment, and realized that she felt no fatigue, no aches, and no lightheadedness that would normally be associated with fighting in high levels of heat. She felt completely fine.                “Yeah, I’m fine.”                Settling back, Matthew just simply said, “Good.”                “What did you do to me?”                Matthew looked back at her with what seemed like a revelation on his mind.                “You really didn’t get the chance to finish your training, did you?”                The girl simply shook her head, avoiding looking at him.                “…Yeah.”                “I see… Sorry to hear about your village. Isla de Tormenta, was it?”                She nodded.                Both of them stayed quiet for a moment, until Matthew was the first one to speak.                “I guess I should ask this other question. Where did you get those eyes?”                She almost jumped up from where she was, as he questioned her. Putting her hand to her face, she realized that the mask that she had over her face was now gone, leaving her face with its short cropped hair completely out in the open.                “I had to remove your mask,” Matthew stated as he leaned forward on the rock he was sitting on, “to treat the after effects of the heat.”                As she sat there, she knew that there was no hiding it from him. Closing her eyes, she opened them once again, staring Matthew straight in the face. And Matthew once again looked into eyes that were not normal. They looked like cat eyes.                The shock washed over and then passed from her in a moment, and as she thought about it, she could only shake her head.                “…I don’t know…”                Matthew looked at her, and then stretched his arms upwards, letting out a groaning sigh as he did so.                “Well, that’s all right. We all have something unique about us. Yours is just more obvious than others. That’s not a bad thing.”                He turned as the little girl came running up to him. Scooping her up, he put her onto his shoulders, bouncing around to her squealing delight.                The other girl finally came to at that time, slowly sitting up. The previously masked girl went and sat next to her, and they both watched in silence at the man who was playing with the little girl. The giant sat nearby, also watching the two with his back rested against a tree. With this scene before them, it was hard to imagine that they had just come out of a fight. It unnerved them, especially as they took notice of the area where their fight had taken place. This area, which had previously been covered in a layer of snow, now was dry as a bone. There was nothing to show that this area was in the middle of winter, as even the temperature had changed as a result of the fiery blast that Matthew had unleashed there.                Leaning closer together, they began to discuss these events, thus far.                “What are we going to do? I didn’t think that we could actually lose.”                “And to make matters worse, we got stuck here by the Twin Towers, of all people. This is bad.”                “You’ve got that right. Although, to be honest, I imagined these two much more differently than this. They don’t seem as vicious and ferocious as the rumors say.”                “Yeah, I know what you mean. It’s hard to imagine that these guys took down five hundred guys all by themselves. And then there’s the thing about doing what he says if we lost? What are we going to do?”                I don’t know, but I don’t think we should stick around here to find out. We need to get out of here.”                The two of them slowly began to stand, edging their way away from the individuals before them. Step by step, they moved away further and further.                “I hope that you’re not trying to leave. After all, it’s pretty dishonorable to not comply with the wishes of a victor in a contest like we’ve had.”                Both of them froze in their tracks. Matthew had spoken out to them while still playing with the little girl. He had not even taken a look in their direction.                Matthew picked the little girl up off of his shoulders and set her to the ground. Whispering to her, the girl nodded and then skipped over to where the giant was sitting.                “Now, as for the terms of what you’ll be doing…”                Both girls tensed up, fearful of what potential things he would ask. They braced themselves, fearing what he would possibly tell them.                “You both will now live in Kisasi where you will be trained by me and its other warriors.”                There was no helping the looks on their faces, as both surprise and confusion mingled together into their visages.                “What did you say?”                “You both shall now become citizens of Kisasi. We are hard workers there, however, so I’ll be helping you find a place to stay, as well as a means of making a living.”                Both girls didn’t know what to make of this, and stood dumbfounded for some time. Finally, the taller of the two spoke up.                “Let me get this straight. We just tried to rob you, and took this little girl, who is your daughter, captive. Now, you’re offering us a home? Why? What’s the catch?”                A look of sympathy came over Matthew’s face as he began to speak once again.                “I can assure you that there are is no catch with this, aside from the fact that you will be worked hard once we arrive in Kisasi. But, there are a couple of reasons for this.”                The girls didn’t really know what to say, so they just listened on.                “First, it honestly has to do with the fact that you are bandits. I have experienced many bandit groups while on my travels, but there is a particular difference between you and most of them. They all steal and plunder to their hearts’ content, not so much because they need any of it, but simply because they want it. But, the difference between you and them is that is obvious that you are doing this simply to survive. It’s also obvious that you do not wish to kill any of your targets. I didn’t feel any particular danger when you confronted us. I’m guessing that you do this because of what happened to Isla de Tormenta. Am I right?”                Neither of the girls could answer.                “Another reason simply has to do with the fact that I can see that you received some good training from your village. It certainly would be a shame to see that training used on something as disgracing as thievery. After all, all of the jobs that I take on as a mercenary pay so much better.”                The girls’ ears perked up at this statement.                “And the last reason is simply because there are a few points of curiosity that I have, in particular to your fighting style and a certain person’s ocular set.”                The short-haired girl cast her eyes to the ground, avoiding eye contact whenever possible.                With that, Matthew turned and started walking away.                “All right. So let’s get back to Kisasi. Don’t think I’ll let you off easy. You’re going to have to work hard once we get there.”                “Wait a minute! Who said that we agreed to go?!”                Both girls spoke in unison.                Matthew looked over his shoulder as he walked.                “Hmm? With our wager, isn’t it proper to do as the winner requests? And besides, do you have any place better to go to?”                The two looked at each other, and a look tinged with sadness came over their faces.                “Okay. We’ll go…”                They began to follow after Matthew.                As they began to take steps toward what appeared to be their new home, they were introduced to the giant, Andrew, as well as the happy little child, Anne, who was affectionately called Ari by her father. Thoughts began swirling in their minds, which was to be expected, considering that so many things were changing all at once, and so suddenly.                Heretofore, they had been completely on their own. Their hometown, Isla de Tormenta, had been destroyed. They had lost their friends, family, their home, and at that point only had each other, and could only survive by taking from others. And then this guy comes along, forcing them to completely change their way of life. But…                “…Thank you…”                Matthew wasn’t fully aware, but he could get an idea of the struggle that they had gone through. After all, he had experienced some similar experiences himself.                “Don’t thank me just yet. I’ll be your master in training, and I don’t plan on going easy on you, so save those thanks for another time.”                Matthew picked up Ari once again, returning her to the place on his shoulders.                “But, I do understand.”                And with that, he began walking again.                “By the way, I introduced us to you, but we don’t know your names, yet.”                The two girls took one more look at each other before following after the trio.                “My name is Jen,” said the short-haired girl, and while gesturing to the taller, longer-haired girl, “and this is Cathy. Nice to meet you guys.”                A small snicker came from this girl named Jen, which Matthew, for a reason that he neither could understand or explain, made him nervous. He let it pass from his mind, though, as there was no use worrying about something that he didn’t understand.                Let’s just go home.                That’s exactly what they did, with Kisasi’s two new citizens.

               Time passed again, and a relative peace fell on the land in which Kisasi resided. Granted, there were always requests coming through for the village, but they could easily and swiftly be dealt with. This made it possible for many things to be accomplished within the village, including the completion of the hospital that had been under construction within the village. And since the resolution of the incident involving the “Twin Towers,” very few organizations dared to stir up trouble within the lands of Kisasi.                This time of relative peace passed by in the blink of an eye, and during its duration, it became possible for two brothers, Matthew and Andrew, to take some time for themselves, deciding to depart from the village on a vacation, taking Matthew’s little girl with them. Naturally, they were not the type to neglect their training, and so each day that they were away from Kisasi, they would spar and train to make sure that their skills stayed sharp and strong. It wasn’t until the first snows of that year’s winter fell that they found their way back to Kisasi.                It was on their way home from their journey that they made an interesting encounter. They were still a day’s journey out from the village. The two brothers walked along, while Ari would run ahead, playing in the fresh falling snow. Occasionally, a small snowball would be launched from her hand, aimed directly at her dad and uncle. But, the two would easily step to the side of these barrages, still conversing all the while.                A quick blur of motion disrupted their conversation, though, as a blurred form raced toward the location where Ari was ahead of them. Matthew began to burst forward, but jolted to a stop as a flurry of objects embedded themselves in the ground right at his feet. It wasn’t much of a jolt to make him stop, but it was just enough to allow time for the blur to finish the distance to Ari. A woman with dark hair appeared next to Ari, standing so that Ari was positioned between herself and the two much larger people before her. She held a long sword in her hand.                A quick shift of emotions went through Matthew’s head as this event unfolded. First, there was a surprise at the thought that someone was able to get the drop on him and his brother. Second, there was fear at the sight of a strange person holding a weapon so near to his daughter. There was a flash of anger that they would even begin to threaten his daughter. And then, finally, his warrior mind calmed him, reminding him to overlook the situation with more clarity.                And so, he took stock of the situation. This person was in front of him, standing with weapon in hand, right in from of him. He couldn’t fully tell how old she was, but he knew that she was younger than him. There was an odd apprehension about her, as if she didn’t want to be doing what she was doing. And then there was the hail of objects at his feet. Looking more closely, he saw that they were spikes of ice.                A water elemental?                This hail of elemental ice was very precisely thrown at the ground directly in front of him as a quickly moving young lady was racing toward his daughter, which Matthew analyzed to mean…                “Why don’t you tell your partner to come out as well?”                An instance of surprise washed over the face of this young girl before them. She seemed taken back at the words that Matthew had just spoken.                To Matthew, this spoke something to him. In that quick change in her facial expression, he knew that he had nothing to worry about in regard to the safety of his daughter.                The fact that you have expressed surprise at my words shows that you are not used to someone knowing your strategy, also that you are not a cold person. You are not a killer. But still… Never lose your cool. Mistake number one.                Matthew found a slight bit of surprise at his critique of this person’s conduct. After all, they were essentially taking his daughter captive, however something was poking at the recesses of Matthew’s mind as he looked at her. He wasn’t sure if it was in the expression on her face, the way that she was standing, or whatever it may be, but whatever it was, it seemed… familiar.                “Fine. Come on out. He knows you’re there.”                Mistake number two. Never reveal what you have up your sleeve.                Another individual deftly landed to the ground nearby the girl standing in front of them. Matthew felt a shift in Andrew’s posture after seeing the second individual appear. Lifting a hand, he signaled him to stay where he was.                Matthew took a step forward, looking at this new individual as he did so. This person was much more discreet about their appearance, as their face was completely hidden behind wrappings around the majority of their head, save for an area right near their eyes. Matthew could not see their eyes beneath those folds, however. But, even though there was no view of the person’s face, there are some things that you simply could not hide.                “What is it that you two ladies want from us?”                Another look of surprise went through the unmasked person’s face, while an ever so slight jolt emanated from the masked individual.                Matthew had spent many years learning the ways of battle, and it was because of this that he knew the best way to attack your opponent was to unnerve them first.  These two were inexperienced in full combat. However, he could tell that they had received some good training, considering that he couldn’t even tell that they were nearby, and had been able to get the drop on him.                “Stop where you are!”                Matthew had been taking step after step towards them while talking to them. It wasn’t until he had closed about half the distance between that they finally noticed. At the exclamation spoken by the unmasked girl, who seemed to be taller than her counterpart, he stopped where he was.                “Very well,” was his reply.                He looked to where his daughter had been intercepted from him. She was standing still and had turned back to face him.                “Are you all right, Ari?”                “Yes, daddy! I’m all right. May I come to you, now?”                “Not just yet. Stay right there for a moment, Ari. Is that okay?”                “Okay, daddy!”                And with that, the little girl sat down in the snow, making little snowballs with her hands.                Matthew was beginning to see that these two girls weren’t really sure how to deal with him and his party of an immobile giant of a man, and a small child who seemed to have no fear of the situation that she was in. But, as far as Matthew was concerned, this was perfect for Matthew.                “I’ll tell you what. Let’s get right down to the matter at hand here. What is it that you’re after?”                These words seemed to settle down the unmasked girl, as a sigh escaped from within her. It was she who spoke first of these girls.                “What else would a couple of mountain bandits want? Money and whatever valuables you’ve got on you.”                “I’m sure that you can understand why I would have a problem with that. However, I anticipated that that would be what you want. So, I have a proposition for you.”                The masked girl leaned forward from her spot.                “And what kind of a bargain would you be trying to strike up with individuals that are holding you up?”                Matthew tilted his head from side to side, and a pop could be heard from each motion.                “Oh, not much. Just a little contest, that’s all.”                He proceeded to begin stretching his limbs, limbering up his body. His brother looked around and then moved to a nearby rock, dusting the snow that accumulated on the rock off before sitting down on the rock. Matthew continued to stretch as he spoke.                “The deal is this. If you can land a blow on me, then I’ll give you all the money I have. But, if you’re unable to do so, then you have to do whatever I say. Is that okay with you?”                The details of this contest seemed to unsettle the two girls. They looked at each other, whispering before turning back to face Matthew.                Mistake number three. Never take your eyes off of your enemy.                Matthew was still finding himself intrigued at the fact that he was critiquing individuals who had essentially kidnapped his daughter and were trying to rob him. After all, he had been in a situation of bandits attacking him before and had no qualms about quickly dispatching anyone who attempted to do so.  But, he felt no need to do so this time with these two.                Andrew also noticed this as well, especially because he was feeling the same sensation. Neither of the brothers could explain why, but neither felt the need to cause any harm to these two. It was something different, almost as if the two girls simply needed to be… tested.                “Fine then. That sounds like a reasonable enough deal. After all, you’ll see just what you’re up against. But, is it just you or is the big guy joining in as well?”                The masked girl said this, and both girls, even though they seemed to speak with confidence, seemed apprehensive at their acceptance of his offer. Naturally, he felt the need to exploit this, as a chuckle escaped his mouth.                “No, that monster doesn’t need to join in. I’m more than enough for the both of you.”                Normally, this would be quite the arrogant statement coming from Matthew, but he said this with confidence, considering the analyzations that he had been able to make on his opponents thus far. In short, one summation was all that he needed to know in regard to these two girls… they were underestimating him.                He could see the invisible excitement in their body language as they quickly whispered to each other. Matthew turned around to face his brother, allowing his back to face his opponents, since he knew that they were busy discussing strategy.                “Andrew, what do you say to about a fifty or sixty foot range?”                A slight grin manifested on the behemoth’s face as he nodded to his brother. Turning, he disappeared into a layer of trees nearby the clearing that they were in.                Turning back to the two young ladies, he could visibly see a degree of ease appear on their faces.                “Don’t worry. He’s stepping back so that we can settle this uninterrupted. In fact, he’s setting up a barrier for us to make sure that no one interferes.”                Among other things…                “I would feel more comfortable if the little girl was able to move to a spot less likely to be a part of this, however.”                The two girls looked at each other, still with apprehension on their faces, but they both nodded, giving their consent to this request.                “Ari.”                The little girl looked up from the assortment of snowballs that she had made, paying attention to her father’s voice, who had spoken to her.                “Yes, Daddy?”                “You saw where your uncle Andrew went, right?”                Jumping to her feet, the little girl dusted off the snow that had accumulated on her.                “Of course. Yes, Daddy!”                Then, may I ask you to go to where he is, please?”                “I will, Daddy!”                Kneeling down, the little girl grabbed up three of the snowballs that she had made. Turning, she threw a snowball at each of the two girls. Taken by surprise, the snowballs struck them both squarely in the face, causing the masked one to reveal a bit of her face, even if Matthew only caught a glimpse of her eyes. A slight twitch came across Matthew as he was able to see that glimpse.                What was that?                He didn’t have the chance to think too long about it, though, as a white and fluffy bullet flew at his face as well. Tilting his head to the side, the snowball flew harmlessly by. Confusion was etched all over the two girls, as they witnessed the display of a little girl who was able to so powerfully and precisely throw those snowballs.                That’s my daughter.                After launching the snowballs, the little girl ran off in the same direction as her uncle.                Both of the girls were apprehensive about the situation that they found themselves. Neither of them knew what to make of this trio of people who they had come upon. They were still quite confident of their abilities, but something nagged at their minds, especially after the little girl ran off.                The taller and unmasked of the two girls was certainly eager to put an end to this, considering the strange challenge that was given to them by this dark-haired man. Thinking about how the mountain of a man had left the area, it eased her a tiny bit. The only reason why they had grabbed the little girl was simply because they did not want to get into an altercation with the two of them, but considering the terms of this challenge, things were being stacked in their favor. But still, there was a nagging feeling that just wouldn’t go away.                Andrew… Where have I heard that name before?                Matthew removed the cloak covering his arms and body. He didn’t want it to get in the way, after all. Tossing it, it landed across a branch from a tree nearby.                “Well, shall we begin?”                The unmasked girl took a step forward, beginning to bring the sword in her hand behind her, but she was grabbed by the masked individual.                “Be careful. He’s a fire user.”                It was now Matthew’s turn to be startled by something the opponent had spoken.                How does she know that I use fire?                His body began to loosen its muscles. Wariness began to crawl its way through his nerves. A grin passed over his face.                Looks like even they have their secrets, huh?                And with that, the two girls lunged forward, fully accepting the challenge given to him by the mysterious individual before them.

               Word spread quickly about this group, who had been so troublesome by causing so much conflict, and how they were so quickly and soundly defeated by the warriors of Kisasi. This was no surprise to people, as they already knew of the reputation that Kisasi held for being strong and capable. But, one particular story arose from this news, a story about the two young men who brought about the defeat of those causing the conflict. In time, the tale grew more and more extravagant… until the story of the “Twin Towers” became a legend.

Back in the village of Kisasi, a low sound came from within the shop belonging to the blacksmith named Andrew. Inside the storeroom, and deep inside their family’s secret training ground, a large gust of wind issued forth from within a dark hole located in the rear of these grounds. The wind continued until two pairs of feet deftly touched down on the level ground of the cavern.                The two figures stretched their arms as they walked to the entrance of the cavern, all the while talking and laughing along the way. Their clothing was in tatters, full of holes, tears, and burnt edges.              Matthew. Andrew.             But, their laughing and conversation suddenly stopped as they froze in place, as if listening to some unknown voice. After some time, they looked at each other.                The shorter of the two pointed to a table near his taller counterpart.                “Andrew, hand me that jug of water over there. It looks like we’ve only got a few minutes.”                This man grabbed the jug with his massive hand and tossed it over.                “You certainly got that right, Matthew. Let’s see how well our training has gone.”                They both ran out of the training grounds, and then out of the blacksmith shop, into the open air of Kisasi, stopping and standing next to each other.              Matthew placed the jug to his lips, and as he swallowed down the water contained in the jug, a chuckle resonated from inside him. Placing the jug, a smile crossed his face as he placed his hand on his brother’s shoulder, who did the same with his shoulder as well. Smiles, mixed with determination, covered their faces as they suddenly disappeared from the village, vanishing into thin air.

               Another tremor shook the palace walls as Yaar was sitting in the early afternoon. He was sipping tea, and he let out a deep sigh while raising the cup to his lips.                What are those boys doing? And where are they, that they’re able to shake the entire village with their training?                 Finishing his cup and standing to take a walk around the palace, Yaar thought about the young warriors of his village.                He had known the two brothers, as well as many of the other prominent warriors of the village, for quite some time. They had all grown to become incredibly strong over the years, and he was quite proud of who they had all become, the strong men that they were. One even had a child now, who was such a spirited young one.                A smile passed the kage’s lips as he thought of these things. Even in spite of the many requests that they received that required them to engage in combat, these truly were pleasant times.                As he walked the palace grounds, he contemplated largely on the times, and as thoughts of this next generation becoming older hit him, it also hit him when he thought about how old he himself was becoming. His brow furrowed as this realization hit him, and although he knew that he wasn’t dying, the thought still crossed his mind of who would take over the village when he was gone. He didn’t have any sons, so there was no heir to speak of that could inherit his responsibilities after him.                Then, I believe I’ll have to somehow choose a successor. There are some outstanding young men in this village who show the potential for leadership, especially…                His thoughts were interrupted as one of his attendants came up to him.                “Sir, we have word on that matter of the request made to us.”                A letter was placed in Yaar’s hands as the attendant bowed. Opening the letter, he read the words written within. After reading all of the words, he folded his hands behind his back, still holding onto the letter. Taking another look around the palace grounds, a single thought passed his mind.                Gentlemen, it’s time…                It was morning of the next day when Yaar was standing just outside of the village limits, listening to the amounts of people in front of him. Droves of people, soldiers, stood. They stood, chatting amongst themselves. These were a small contingent of the warriors of Kisasi, a small representation in comparison to the overall fighting strength of their village.                It could be found quite odd to an outsider if they were visiting the village during peacetime. During those times of peace, it would seem that the village of Kisasi was more a village of industry, rather than one of a military nature. But, it was during times like this that the incredible nature of Kisasi could be seen.                During times of war, or when missions of a more particular, and secretive, need arose, the people of Kisasi were regarded far and wide as the most powerful fighting force that could be called upon. Man and woman alike were trained in the art of defending themselves from their youth to ensure that when they grew, they would be able to assist larger scale missions if called upon. However, even when there were no missions like that, they still needed to make a living somehow.                And so, during those times of peace, the village became what could only be described as a village of tradesman. The stronger of the men were trained to be men of physical labor. They would become carpenters, masons, blacksmiths, and other such types of laborers. Those who were more keen on their intellect sought out pursuits of scholarly work, transcribing books and translating writings from other lands. Many of the women would group together, and as they watched over their children playing, they would create works with their hands, whether it would be baskets, pottery, or other such handmade goods. Much of the labor provided by these individuals would, of course, go to the furthering of expanding Kisasi, but all that was not needed would be shipped out around to other areas in the form of trade.                But, all in all, the village of Kisasi held the reputation for being home to some of the fiercest warriors of the land, especially when you had the particular talents of the family of brothers that resided within the village.                Yaar worked over the plan for this mission over again in his head. The idea was to showcase a display of power that would discourage the hostile group from ever causing problems in their lands again. There was a large force assembled in front of him at the moment, but they would not be participating in this mission…                Looking to each of his sides, two tall men stood, one being of the family of brothers. There stood the eldest of the brothers, Jeremy, and on the opposite side of Yaar stood the dark-skinned best friend and honorary brother to Matthew, Anthony. These two had the task of being Yaar’s personal guard.                They were waiting for the other warriors that would be participating in this mission to arrive, and just as soon as Yaar began to wonder about their locations, he heard the sounds of cheers coming from the direction of the village interior.                Emerging from crowds of soldiers, three men came walking toward the kage and his entourage. Ryu and Erman walked while talking to each other, while the shorter man, Tommy, waved to the crowds of soldiers as he passed through.                With their arrival, there were only two individuals that had yet to arrive.                Matthew and Andrew…                A deep sigh came from within Yaar as he wondered where the two brothers could be. Two tall individuals like that were hard to hide within the village, and he knew that they had not left the village. But, where could they possibly be to escape the contact of their kage. He didn’t have the heart to tell them that he knew of their secret training ground, but he was sure they already knew of him being aware of it. The problem was that he could always make contact with them, even when they were in that area. Their own brothers had even checked to see if they were there, but returned empty handed on the whereabouts of the two siblings.                Time was not on the side of Yaar, though, as they were in the need for commencing with their operation. Matthew and Andrew would simply have to meet up with them once they were found, if they were to catch up at all.                Stepping forward, he looked over at all of the people standing in front of him once again, including the three who had now made their way to the front of the crowd of soldiers. Raising a hand, he drew the attention of those assembled before him. He waited until all were silent before he began to speak to them all.                “It is truly a wonderful sight to see all of these great soldiers standing before me. As I see you all, I am truly proud to be the kage of this village. You all should be proud to call yourselves warriors of Kisasi.”                A considerably loud cry arose from the group, resonating with the words that Yaar had just spoke.                “There is a group out there that wishes to cause conflict within our nation, and we have been called upon to deal with them. They believe themselves to be the strongest out there, and that is precisely why we will give them an answer of who is truly the strongest, proving that you do not rise against the warriors of Kisasi.”                Another cry arose in affirmation to his words. He looked down to the warriors in front of him that would be departing on the mission with him. The shorter man, arm in sling, held a pair of steel balls in his hand. The taller man, Erman, clad entirely in black, looked back at him attentively. And the third, Ryu, with clothing of red and black, looked at him, comprehending every word that came from his mouth.                “Though not all of the people here will be participating in this mission, those remaining still have a mission to uphold. You are charged with protecting our home until our return. We move now to battle, but your mission is no less important. Protect our home.”                One more cry rose up as Yaar beckoned for the trio in front of the crowd to join him and his entourage. Together with Jeremy and Anthony, their party was comprised of a total of six men. Another sigh escaped the kage as he thought of how this was supposed to be a group of eight men, the strongest of the strong when it came to the warriors of Kisasi, but that was something that couldn’t be helped. His plan could still be accomplished, however not with as much magnitude as could be done.                He turned his thoughts toward the task at hand, focusing on what needed to be done, but still lingering in the back of his mind was the thought of those two brothers.                Matthew. Andrew. Where are you?