Legend of the Kokoro
Episode #2: Looks Can Be Deceiving
By Dreamcatcher

The very day that Kento and the others, well, except for Rowen, were dreading had finally arrived: the first day of school. Ryo, Kento, and Cye were waiting outside the main entrance of Han`a High School for Rowen, while Sage was busy chatting with some girls. The five boys decided yesterday that, until they find the kokoro, they would wear the rings on chains around their necks. "I can't believe it," Cye said. "Rowen's gonna be late for the first day of school." "Well, what do you expect?" Kento replied. "He's always been late for school. What made you think this year's gonna be any different?" "Well, Rowen's probably the only one who was looking forward to the first day of school," Cye responded.

"Look, there he is!" Kento shouted. There was Rowen, running down the street leading to Han`a High. When he reached the main entrance, he stopped to catch his breath. Sage managed to break away from the girls when he saw Rowen breathing in heavily. He walked over to Rowen, gave him a gentle slap on the back, and said, "Late for the first day, Rowen? And I thought you were looking so forward to the first day of school." After taking in one more gulp of air, Rowen stood up and replied, "I couldn't help it. I forgot to set my alarm last night." "Yeah, right, Rowen," Kento teased. "The alarm's not the problem. You always oversleep on schooldays." "Maybe you ought to consider getting a louder alarm clock," Cye suggested.

Ryo wasn't paying attention to what the guys were saying. He was lost in his own thoughts. "Man, a lot has happened to us in the past couple of days," Ryo thought to himself. "First those strange dreams, then those rings, then that fight with Dulcea, and there's also Shuno. Now, we need to concentrate on finding the kokoro before Dulcea strikes again." "Hey, Ryo! Come on, snap out of it!" Cye shouted, interrupting Ryo's train of thought. "Come on, we gotta get going, or we'll be late for homeroom." The first bell rang, indicating that everyone who wasn't in homeroom had five minutes to get there. The five guys, along with everyone else who was still outside, ran inside and went their separate ways…

Ryo was sitting inside his homeroom, trying to block out the typical noises of homeroom: kids talking to each other and laughing, others throwing paper airplanes and spit balls at the other kids. The noise ceased as the teacher entered the room. "Good morning, class" she said as she placed her books on her desk and sat down. "Good morning, Mrs. Rose," the students chorused. "Before I take attendance for today, I have an announcement to make," Mrs. Rose said. "We have a new student joining us this morning. In a minute or so, Principal Hiroshi will escort her here. Now, I expect you all to be on your best behavior and make her feel welcome at Han`a High School."

Just then, the door opened, and a tall, skinny man entered the room. He wore a navy blue suit and a red tie. His hair was black, with a noticeable bald spot at the top. "Good morning, Mr. Hiroshi," Mrs. Rose and the students said. "Good morning, Mrs. Rose, students," Mr. Hiroshi greeted. "I'm certain that your teacher has told you about the new student. Please welcome Miss Rita Niitsu." A slender sixteen-year-old girl slowly entered the room, wearing a backpack and carrying a metal cane in one hand, which she swung back and forth repeatedly. Her long jet-black hair ran down her back and ended at her waist. She wore a short-sleeve red sweater, black shorts, red knee socks and black shoes. When she looked up at the class, Ryo realized her handicap from her eyes: they were clouded over.

"As most of you can probably tell," Mr. Hiroshi explained, "Miss Niitsu is visually impaired. I would appreciate it if you can take your time to assist Miss Niitsu around today. Good day to you all." With that, the principal left the room, leaving Rita standing in front of the class. Mrs. Rose got up from her desk and stepped up to Rita. "Don't worry, Rita," she said, placing a hand on Rita's shoulder, "we'll help you out in any way possible." Just then, the bell rang, ending homeroom. As the students got up from the desks, Mrs. Rose said, "Hold it, everyone! No one's leaving until I get a volunteer to help Miss Niitsu get to her classes." A vast majority of the students groaned when they heard this news.

"I'll help her, Mrs. Rose," Ryo said. "Thank you, Mr. Sanada," his teacher said. "You are all dismissed." All the students left, except for Ryo, Rita, and the homeroom teacher. Mrs. Rose felt Rita's shoulder quiver slightly. "I assure you, Rita," she said, "Ryo Sanada is a perfect gentleman." Ryo turned red at the comment as Mrs. Rose escorted the two out into the hallway. As they walked down the hall, Ryo asked, "So, Rita, what class do you have first period?" Rita stopped, pulled a sheet of paper covered with series of bumps out of a folder, and ran her finger over the first line of bumps. " 'Introduction to World Literature,' " she read, "in room 213." "I have the same class," Ryo mentioned as they headed down the hall toward class…

Meanwhile, in room 213, students gathered into the classroom and took their seats. Among the students were Sage and Kento. "Are you sure Ryo has this class with us?" Kento asked Sage as they took two desks next to each other. "Yes, I'm sure," Sage reassured his anxious friend. "I saw his class schedule this morning, and it said his first class was 'Introduction to World Literature' in room 213, the exact class we're in right now." Just then, they saw Ryo enter the room, followed by a pretty young girl. "Wow, who's the new girl?" Kento asked Sage, who knew every girl who attended Han`a High. "I don't know," Sage said, eyeing her as she took her seat next to Ryo, "but I'll bet Ryo does."

Just then, an elderly man wearing black dress pants, a white dress shirt, a striped tie, and glasses entered the room. "Good morning, class, and welcome to 'Introduction to World Literature.' I'm your teacher, Mr. Garner," he said as he wrote the course title and his name on the chalkboard. "Now, I have to go to my office to get your textbooks, but in the meantime, I would like for you to divide up into groups of four for a class discussion." With that, Mr. Garner left the room as students started to move their desks around. "Hey, Ryo!" Kento shouted to him, whom turned around and looked at him. "Get over here!" Ryo got up and went to where Sage and Kento were sitting, followed by the new girl.

As Ryo moved a couple of desks around, Sage asked, "Well, Ryo, aren't you going to introduce us to your new friend?" "Oh, right," Ryo stuttered as he sat down. "Guys, this is Rita Niitsu. Rita, these are two of my friends: Kento Rei Fuan and Sage Date." "Hello, nice to meet you," Rita said, still standing. "Aren't you gonna sit down?" Kento asked. "Oh," Rita exclaimed, feeling around with her free hand for the empty desk. Finding it, she quickly sat down next to Ryo. That's when Sage and Kento first noticed her eyes. "Hey guys, what's wrong?" Ryo asked, noticing the strange way they were staring at Rita. "Nothing," Kento said, still looking at Rita. "It's just that, well… why do your eyes look like that, Rita?"

Ryo watched as Rita looked down at her lap, her face turning slightly red. "I don't think it's any of your business, Kento," he responded. "It's okay," Rita told him. "Your friends have the right to know." She turned toward Sage and Kento, and stated simply, "I'm blind." "Sorry about that," Kento admitted sheepishly. "That's all right, Kento," she said, smiling shyly. Just then, Mr. Garner reentered the room with about two dozen books in his arms. He laid the pile of books on his desk, picked up the one from the top, and announced, "Is Rita Niitsu here?" "I'm right here, Mr. Garner," Rita said, raising her hand. Mr. Garner walked up to her and placed the textbook on her desk. "Here's the textbook that was special-ordered for you," he explained to Rita. With that, he returned to his desk and continued to distribute the books.

Kento leaned over to take a better look at Rita's book. The cover had a couple of rows of small bumps. "Kento, sit down!" Sage exclaimed, pushing Kento back in his seat. "Hey, Rita," Kento blurted out, "what are all those bumps for?" "It's Braille," Rita explained, with her hand resting on top of the book. "This is how I'm able to read and write." "So… that book is the same as ours?" "Should be. Only difference is that mine's in Braille and yours is in print." Rita ran her fingers along the two lines of Braille on the cover of her book. " 'Introduction to World Literature: A Collection of Short Stories and Poems From Around the World,' " she read. "That is correct, right?" The three boys quickly looked at their textbooks before Ryo responded, "Yes, that's right." "All right, everyone, settle down," Mr. Garner announced. Everyone quieted down as Mr. Garner continued. "Now, I would all of you to turn to page 143 in your textbooks…"

It's sixth period in the school cafeteria: lunch time for most students at Han`a High School. Kento, Sage, Cye, and Rowen were sitting at a table against the wall. Rowen was reading a book, and Kento was gulping down his food as though he hadn't eaten anything in days. "You know, I passed Ryo a couple of times in the hallway," Cye told the others, "and every time, this girl was hanging around with him. Do any of you know who she is?" "Yeah, her name's Rita," Sage explained. "She was in our English class." Sage indicated himself and Kento. "Yeah, and she's sitting with us for lunch," Kento said. "And one more thing: Rita's blind." "She is? Interesting," Rowen said, looking up from his book.

Just then, Ryo and Rita arrived at the table, each carrying a lunch tray. "Hey, guys," Ryo said to his friends as he and Rita sat down. "Rita, this is Cye Mouri and Rowen Hashiba, and you remember Sage and Kento." "Hello, nice to meet you," Rita said to them. "Hello, Rita," Cye said, "and welcome to Han`a High." "Thank you, Cye," she replied, smiling shyly. Sage quickly elbowed Rowen, who was busy studying Rita's eyes. "Hi, Rita," he said quickly. The group of six ate in silence for a few minutes, until Rowen asked, "Rita, do you mind if I ask you a question?" Rita looked up at him and said, "Of course not. Ask away." "Exactly how long have you been blind?" Rowen asked. "It doesn't seem like you've been blind from birth."

Rita was quiet for a moment before she replied, "Only ten years. How could you tell?" "Yeah, Rowen," Ryo asked curiously, "how can you tell?" "Well, over the summer, I took a college course: 'Human Anatomy.' One of the several things we discussed were disorders of the eyes, including blindness." "Wait a minute!" Kento interrupted. "You went to college?" "Yes, I did," Rowen told his friends. "The college officials offered me a free summer course. Even my textbook was free. Anyway," he continued, "the main difference between hereditary blindness, and those caused by diseases and such, is the appearance of the eyes. People who have been blind all their lives have a thick, milky film over the entire eye. Those who've become blind from diseases or accidents have more of a bluish-gray film that only covers the iris and pupil, such as in your case, Rita."

"I hope you don't think I'm prying, Rita," Cye asked cautiously, "but do you mind telling us how you became blind?" She hesitated before saying, "No problem." The five boys leaned in closer as Rita began to tell her story. "About ten years ago," she started, "I lived in Tokyo with my parents. The three of us were riding on the subway; I don't remember where we were heading, exactly. Suddenly, the car shook violently. I found out later that the subway went off its tracks. I was flung to the other end of the car. The back of my head hit an open circuit breaker, and I passed out. When I woke up in the hospital the next day, all I could see was darkness. That's when I discovered I was blind."

"So, that's how it happened," Rowen muttered aloud. "The electric current from the breaker must have caused damage to the visual cortex in your occipital lobe." "Rowen, please speak English," Kento pleaded. Rowen looked at the guys, all with confused looks on their faces. "Could you explain what you just said to us?" Sage asked. Before Rowen could say anything, Rita explained, "He's talking about the visual cortex, which is located in the occipital lobe. The occipital lobe is located at the base of the brain, in the back of your head. It basically controls your vision. I learned that from my doctors. That's pretty close to how they described my condition." "How did your parents react when they found out?" Ryo asked.

"I wouldn't know," Rita replied, with tears brimming in her eyes. "They died in the crash. I was one of few survivors." She started to cry, as both Ryo and Cye comforted her. "I'm sorry, Rita," Ryo apologized sympathetically. He remembered losing his father, and the mother he only knew from pictures and home movies. "Losing your parents is very difficult," Ryo admitted truthfully. "You're an orphan, too?" Rita asked, looking at Ryo with sad eyes. "Yeah," he acknowledged. "My father was killed in Africa, during one of his expeditions, by a lion, and my mother died when I was still a baby." He handed Rita a napkin, and she wiped her eyes with it. "Thank you," Rita said, smiling at Ryo.

In the meantime, Kento, who already ran out of food, was eyeing an apple on Rita's lunch tray. Undetected by the guys, he slowly stretched his hand out to the apple. When he finally had his hand around it, Kento felt a slap and let go of the apple. "Sorry, Kento, but that's my apple," Rita said. "Aww, man," Kento exclaimed as he held his hand. "But, how did you--?" "I heard you stretching your arm across the table," she explained. "You heard him?" Cye asked, with a puzzled look on his face. "We didn't even notice Kento trying to take your apple." "Well, my other senses are more developed, since I have to rely on them more often." Cye nodded, understanding what Rita said. "Who do you live with now, Rita?" Sage asked. "With my grandfather in Toyama," Rita responded. "He's the only family I have left."

"Hold on," Ryo said. "If you lived with your grandfather ever since the accident, how come we never seen you before?" "Well, I had to go to a special school for the visually impaired in Tokyo," she explained. "I was taught how to get around by myself, and also how to read and write in Braille. After a couple of years in that school, I was transferred to another school, where they taught typical school courses, only we read books in Braille or use talking books." Rita stopped for a moment before continuing. "Traveling back and forth was becoming strenuous, and my grandfather felt that I wasn't getting the education I deserved. He wrote letters to local public schools, but it appeared that no one wanted to accept a blind student in their school. We were almost ready to give up the search when Principal Hiroshi called us and accepted me as a new student."

As Rita was talking to her new friends, some kids sitting at a nearby table were planning a very cruel trick. "I don't know about this, you guys," one boy said. "Aww, come on, Mark," another boy pleaded. "You have the best arm out of the three of us." "Yeah, and don't forget," the third boy said to Mark as he placed an apple in his open hand, "she's blind, so she'll never see it coming." Mark gripped the apple in his hand, and threw it straight at Rita's head. When the apple was about a foot away from her head, she quickly reached up and caught it. The guys gasped, not because she actually caught the apple, but because somebody had the nerve to try something like that. She even tossed the apple to an astonished Kento.

Just then, Mr. Hiroshi entered the cafeteria. He approached the table where Rita and the guys were sitting and said, "Hello, Rita. I stopped by to see how your first day was coming along." "Just fine, Mr. Hiroshi," Rita said cheerfully. "There was just one bad incident: someone threw an apple at me. It almost hit me in the head." "Oh, really?" He looked up at the boys and asked, "Did any of you see the perpetrator responsible for this?" Before they could say anything, Rita replied, "The three boys sitting at the table behind us, they're responsible. Although Mark was the one who threw the apple, his two friends provoked him, so they're to blame as well." Mr. Hiroshi stood up and approached the three boys. After a brief conversation, the boys confessed to the incident, and were escorted out of the cafeteria. Just then, the bell rang, ending lunch period, and everyone started to gather their belongings and leave…

Meanwhile, Dulcea was in her throne room, waiting impatiently for the arrival of Devaki. She held a glass goblet in her hand, staring at the remaining red liquid, when she spotted Devaki through the glass. She lowered her glass as Devaki quickly hobbled toward her and bowed. "Well, what are the results?" she asked bitterly. "The experiment was a success, Lady Dulcea," Devaki admitted gleefully. "Excellent," Dulcea said as she stood up. "I would like to see for myself." "Right away, Lady Dulcea," Devaki declared as he pulled on a rope hanging from the ceiling. A loud, heavy gong was heard throughout the castle three times. After the third gong, five pale, corpse-like figures entered the throne room, each one pushing a large glass tube on wheels. All five tubes were connected by a thick cable, and concealed with a black curtain. "You are dismissed," Dulcea addressed to the figures, which bowed to her and left.

Devaki approached the tube on the far left and removed the curtain. Inside was an exact duplicate of Ryo, in his sub-armor, floating in a red-tinted fluid. He continued to remove the veils from the other tubes. Inside the others were exact duplicates of Sage, Cye, Kento, and Rowen, all in their sub-armor, floating in liquid-filled tubes tinted green, light blue, orange, and dark blue. "As you can see for yourself," Devaki explained, "I have created perfect clones of the Ronin Warriors. The only difference is that our 'Ronin Warriors' are programmed to be evil, thanks to exposure to Black Chi." "You've outdone yourself, Devaki," Dulcea admitted as she gazed at each of the clones. She turned to Devaki and said sternly, "Activate them, now." "Yes, my lady," he said as he removed a remote control device from his jacket, and flipped a switch on the remote.

Dulcea stepped back as the fluids were steadily drained from the five tubes. She noticed something about the sub-armors as the liquid was removed: the armor was dark gray where it would normally be white. "The color of their armor, it's different," she remarked. "Just a slight side-effect from exposing their DNA to Black Chi," Devaki explained. "Doesn't matter," she said. "At least we'll be able to separate them from the real Ronin Warriors." By then, the fluids were completely drained, and glass doors opened from the tubes. The Ronin clones stepped out of their tubes and bowed to Dulcea. "We are here only to serve and obey you, Lady Dulcea," the clones pledged simultaneously.

The five clones looked up at Dulcea, and she was taken aback by their eyes. Wildfire's eyes were red, Halo's eyes were green, Torrent's eyes were light blue, Hardrock's eyes were orange, and Strata's eyes were dark blue. To top it off, none of the Ronin clones had pupils. Dulcea yanked Devaki aside by his shirt collar and whispered angrily, "Why are their eyes like that?" "Umm…well, you see..." Devaki stuttered, "its just another side-effect from exposing the DNA to Black Chi energy." "I want you to fix it, now!" Dulcea muttered coldly. "I'm afraid it's permanent," he admitted. Dulcea responded by grabbing Devaki by his neck. "But, look on the bright side," Devaki choked out. "They are 100% obedient to you, and only you!"

Dulcea thought about what he said for a moment and replied, "You have a good point." She let go of Devaki, who took in several deep breaths of air. "Are their armors the same as the real Ronin Warriors?" she asked as she sat back down on her throne. Devaki took in a deep breath before responding, "Of course, Lady Dulcea." "I would like to see a demonstration." "Yes, my lady." Devaki turned to the Ronin clones and barked, "You heard Lady Dulcea! Change into your armors, now!" The five clones nodded and turned toward Dulcea. "Armor of Wildfire! DAO JIN!" "Armor of Halo! DAO CHI!" "Armor of Torrent! DAO SHIN!" "Armor of Hardrock! DAO GI!" "Armor of Strata! DAO INOCHI!"

The five clones transformed into exact duplicates of the real Ronin armors, weapons and all, only the armor was still dark gray where it would normally be white. "Excellent, Devaki," Dulcea admitted, turning toward her assistant. "You've really outdone yourself this time." She returned her attention to the Ronin clones. "Wildfire, come forth!" Dulcea commanded. Wildfire took a few steps forward, bowed, and said, "Yes, Lady Dulcea?" "I have an important assignment for you, Wildfire," Dulcea told him. "Do you think you can handle it?" "I'm ready for anything," Wildfire stated with confidence. "Just name it, and it shall be done." "Excellent," Dulcea said. "Here's what I want you to do…"

Meanwhile, back at Han`a High School, the final bell rang, ending school for the day. Several students busted out the front door, Ryo being among them. He managed to squeeze out of the crowd and headed toward an old oak tree near the main entrance. The oak tree was where Ryo, Sage, Cye, Kento, and Rowen would always meet before walking home together. While he was waiting for the guys, Ryo spotted Rita in the crowd and shouted, "Hey, Rita!" She stopped and looked around, trying to figure out where Ryo was. Just then, a student brushed roughly past her, causing her to drop her book bag. Books and all sorts of items spilled out of her bag. As Rita struggled to pick up everything, Ryo ran to her side. "You need any help?" he asked. "Sure, Ryo. I would appreciate it," Rita answered as the two of them picked up an assortment of books and placed them back in her book bag.

Ryo was about to get up when he noticed something a couple of feet away from him. He picked it up and realized that it was a sketchbook. It was the type of sketchbook that would be given to a little girl, smaller than professional sketchbooks, with pictures of cute little cartoon bunnies and kittens on the cover. Ryo flipped it over and on the back were Rita's name and two addresses: one in Tokyo and one in Toyama. The Tokyo address was crossed out with a thick black marker. "Umm… Rita," Ryo said, "is this sketch pad yours? It has your name and address on the back." Rita looked at him and asked uncertainly, "You didn't look inside, did you?" "No, I would never do anything like that, honest," Ryo denied.

Rita was quiet for a moment, thinking about what Ryo said. "All right, I believe you," she finally said. "Look, I have reasons why I don't want other people seeing this, but I trust that you won't tell anyone about this." "I won't tell anybody about this, I promise," Ryo replied. "Is there anywhere nearby where we can sit down?" Rita asked. Ryo responded by taking her hand and leading her to a nearby bench. As they sat down, Rita said, "I'll take that as a yes. Do you still have my sketch pad?" "Yes, I do," Ryo said, holding the sketchpad in his lap. "Okay, then. Turn to the first page, please," Rita said. Ryo did so and gasped. The first page was a perfect drawing of the Ancient, with White Blaze at his side.

"I know what you're thinking," Rita said. "You're probably thinking: 'How could a blind girl draw so well?' Well, over a year ago, I had these strange visions in my sleep. Whenever I would wake up from one of these visions, I would grab this sketchpad and a pencil, and draw those images accurately. At least, that's according to my grandfather." "How would you be able to draw like this," Ryo asked curiously, "if you couldn't see anything at all?" "That's the strangest thing, Ryo, " she answered. "I'm not sure of it myself, but it was like an invisible, unnatural force guided my hand on the paper. It's kind of hard to believe, isn't it?" "Not exactly," Ryo muttered aloud. "What do you mean?" "Well, I like to keep an open mind on everything."

Rita seemed to accept his explanation and continued. "The first drawing is of an elderly monk, carrying some sort of staff, and a white tiger. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure what any of these visions mean, but I'm sure there's some reason why I had them. Turn to the next page." Ryo flipped over to the second page, and was more astonished by it than the first. It was a drawing of all five Ronin Warriors in full armor, weapons withdrawn. Ryo was in the foreground, with White Blaze at his side. To the left, in order from left to right, were Sage, Rowen, and Kento, and to the right was Cye. "These are five young samurai warriors," Rita explained, not knowing that Ryo recognized the warriors in the picture. "The tiger reappeared in this vision: I'm not sure why, though. Their armors were all different colors. The one to the far left has green armor, the next one has dark blue armor, the next has orange armor, the one in front has red armor, and the one to the far right has light blue armor."

Ryo flipped to the next drawing of Rowen in his sub-armor. "This was the boy who wore the dark blue armor," Rita told him. "Basically, everything matched his armor: his eyes, his headband; even his hair was blue." The next picture was Cye in his sub-armor. "This boy was wearing the light blue armor. His hair was a reddish-brown, and his eyes were green." The next picture was Sage in his sub-armor. "This boy was wearing the green armor. His hair was blonde, and his eyes were sort of a violet-gray color." The next picture was Kento in his sub-armor. "This was the boy who wore the orange armor. His hair was a dark gray, his headband was yellow, and his eyes were blue."

Ryo flipped over to the last drawing, which was of him in his sub-armor. "This last drawing," Rita said, smiling, "is of the boy in the red armor. He happens to be my favorite." As she paused for a moment, Ryo felt his cheeks turning red, since he knew that she was talking about him. "So, can you tell me why he's your favorite out of all five?" Ryo asked her. "Well, I happen to think that he's very handsome," Rita replied sincerely. That comment made Ryo even redder in the face. "I just love the way he looks with that long jet-black hair and those sparkling blue eyes." Rita sighed deeply before she continued. "But, who am I kidding? Even if this boy was real, he probably never be interested in me."

"You shouldn't say things like that, Rita," Ryo said, taking her hand. "You're a beautiful girl, both inside and outside." Rita looked up at him and said, "Do you really think so?" "I don't think so, Rita. I know so," Ryo replied. He leaned in closer and was about to kiss her, until he heard a familiar voice shout, "Hey, Ryo! Where are you?" Ryo quickly pulled away from Rita and shouted, "I'm over here, Kento!" His burly friend soon appeared, followed by Cye, Rowen, and Sage. "Oh, hi, Rita," Rowen said. "Ryo, you ready to go?" "Oh, yeah," Ryo said as he and Rita got up from the bench. "I have to be going, too," Rita replied. "I need to ride the bus home. I'll see you all tomorrow, even if I don't see you. Bye!" She waved at them as she made her way to the bus terminal.

As the five boys headed down the road, Cye asked, "Ryo, is there something wrong? You seem troubled." "No, nothing's wrong," Ryo replied. "So, what were you and Rita talking about earlier?" Kento asked teasingly. "That's none of your business, Kento," Ryo retorted. "Ooo, touchy," Kento taunted. "Leave him alone, Kento," Rowen told him. "He doesn't need to tell you anything, if he doesn't want to." The five boys moved to the side of the road so some buses could pass by. As they continued down the road, Sage noticed something that Ryo was carrying. "Hey, Ryo, what is that thing?" he asked. Ryo looked down and realized that he still had Rita's sketchpad.

"Aww, man," Ryo muttered. "I forgot to give this back to her." "Oh, it belongs to Rita?" Sage asked curiously. "Yeah," Ryo answered. "She was showing me some things in here before you guys showed up." "Like what?" Kento pried. "Look, I promised her not to tell anyone what I saw in here," Ryo told his friends sternly. "Well, how do you plan on returning it to her?" Rowen asked. "Her address is on the back," Ryo said, flipping over the sketchpad so his friends could see. "Hey, I recognize this address," Sage exclaimed. "It's a small dojo, run by an elderly man." "Must be Rita's grandfather," Cye said. "You know, I thought I recognized Rita's last name," Sage replied, "and now I know why. Mr. Niitsu was a good friend of my grandfather, that is, before he passed away." "Look," Rowen said, pointing at a street sign. "That's the street mentioned in the address." "Mr. Niitsu doesn't live far down the road," Sage said, "so why don't we go there now?" The others agreed as they started down the road…

Meanwhile, a bus stopped in front of a narrow gravel driveway. The doors opened, and Rita stepped off the bus. "Thank you," she shouted to the bus driver as he closed the doors and drove off. At the end of the driveway was a nice, oriental-style, two-story home with a small dojo to the side of the house. Rita stood there for a moment to take in the sweet smell from the lilac bushes bordering one side of the driveway. As she started down the driveway, she heard a twig snap from behind the bushes. She stopped and listened carefully for any more noises. Hearing nothing else, Rita shrugged her shoulders and continued walking. "Must have been a squirrel," she assured herself.

Suddenly, she heard some loud rustling from the bushes. A figure emerged from the row of lilacs and knocked Rita out with a blow to the head. Rita slumped to the ground, unconscious. The figure was Wildfire, wearing his red and gray sub-armor. He picked up the unconscious girl and teleported away. A few moments later, Ryo and his friends arrived at the edge of the driveway. "Well, this is it, guys," Ryo said, double-checking the address on Rita's sketchpad. "Yeah, I recognize this house," Sage replied. "It's Mr. Niitsu's, and right next to it is the dojo I told you about." He started to walk down the driveway when he realized he was alone. Sage turned around and said, "Come on, guys."

The others followed Sage down the driveway to the front door of the house. Sage rang the doorbell, and an elderly man's voice replied, "Hold on! I'm coming!" A few moments later, a short, stout man opened the door. He wore a white T-shirt and black sweatpants. "Hello, how may I help you?" he asked, not recognizing Sage. "Mr. Niitsu, don't you recognize me?" Sage asked him. The elderly man looked at Sage more closely and gasped. "Oh, you're Seiji Date's grandson! It's Sage, right?" "Yeah, that's me," Sage answered. "Oh, and these are my friends, Ryo, Kento, Cye and Rowen." "Well, don't just stand there!" Mr. Niitsu said. "Come in, come in!" He waved his hands toward the hallway, and the five boys came in.

The boys stepped into a well-furnished living room, followed by Mr. Niitsu. "Well, go ahead," Mr. Niitsu said. "Sit down!" "Thank you, Mr. Niitsu," Sage replied, "but we can't stay long." "I understand." Mr. Niitsu took a long look at Sage before continuing. "So, Sage," he started, "it's been a few years. I remember, the last time I saw you, we were both the same height! You've grown a lot in eight years. Wish I could say the same about myself." He chuckled to himself before he continued. "You would be about sixteen, seventeen, right?" Sage nodded his head yes. "You go to Han`a High School?" "Yes, sir," Sage responded. "Well, my granddaughter just started going there today. Have you met Rita?" Mr. Niitsu asked.

"Yes, we have, Mr. Niitsu," Sage answered, "and that's part of the reason why we're here. You see, my friend, Ryo," gesturing to Ryo, "found something that belonged to Rita. Is she here, by any chance?" "No, she hasn't come home yet," Mr. Niitsu replied, "but I'll give this back to her when she does." Ryo handed Mr. Niitsu the sketchbook as Sage said, "Well, it was nice seeing you again, but we better get going." "All right, then," Mr. Niitsu replied. "Say hi to your parents for me." "Sure thing," Sage said as he and the others made their way to the door. "Goodbye, Mr. Niitsu." "Goodbye, Sage," Mr. Niitsu said as he opened the door for them, "and it was nice meeting your friends." The five boys left the house and headed back down the road…

Meanwhile, inside Mt. Fuji, Wildfire teleported inside with Rita over his shoulder. As he laid the unconscious girl on the ground, he heard a voice say, "Wildfire!" He closed his eyes and said, through his thoughts, "Yes, Lady Dulcea?" "Did you succeed with capturing the kokoro of fire?" she asked. "Yes, I have her with me," he replied. "Excellent. Tell me, what's your location?" Dulcea asked. "I'm inside Mt. Fuji." "Excellent. You know what to do now," she replied coldly. "Do not worry yourself, Lady Dulcea," Wildfire responded, chuckling evilly. "The kokoro of fire will no longer be a threat to us." "Excellent. Get started right away." Wildfire picked up Rita and carried her to a nearby jagged boulder. He took a heavy chain and proceeded to wrap it around Rita and the boulder…

In the meantime, Ryo was walking down the road that led to his grandmother's house, where he lived. As he headed toward the house, Ryo recognized a huge black and white tiger bounding straight at him. "Hey, White Blaze," he greeted him as the tiger stopped and rubbed against his legs. Ryo petted White Blaze on the head, and together, they walked to the house. Suddenly, White Blaze roared and stood ready for a battle. "White Blaze, what's wrong?" Ryo asked his pet tiger. The massive cat turned toward him, growling at him. Ryo felt something hot against his chest. He pulled out the chain he was wearing from underneath his sweater. The ring of Virtue glowed bright red, and was heating up in his bare hand.

Suddenly, a beam of red light shot out from the ring. The beam projected a flat red oval in front of Ryo. Through the oval, he saw several images, all in various shades of red. He saw Rita chained up against a boulder. Ryo recognized the surrounding area as the interior of Mt. Fuji. The next image he saw completely took him by surprise. Ryo saw himself, or someone that looked exactly like him, wearing the armor of Wildfire. "No way!" he exclaimed. "That can't be me!" He watched in horror as his mirror twin connected the swords of Wildfire, raised them above his head, and yelled "FLARE UP NOW!" The last image Ryo saw was of his twin bringing down the swords of Wildfire toward Rita. The flat oval disappeared, and the ring stopped glowing.

Ryo stood there for minute, puzzled about what he just witnessed. "I don't get it," he mumbled to himself as he stared at the ring of Virtue. "Why was Rita in that image?" Just then, Ryo remembered something that Shuno told him: "The rings you have will indicate their presence to you, and also, their mortal identities." "That's it!" Ryo cried out triumphantly. "Rita must be a kokoro! She's the kokoro of fire, like the one in my dream." Ryo quickly changed into his sub-armor. "Rita's in trouble, I can feel it," he said to himself. "Come on, White Blaze!" He got on White Blaze's back, and the tiger ran off toward Mt. Fuji. "I don't know why there was an image of me attacking Rita," Ryo thought to himself, "but I'm gonna find out."

Meanwhile, back at Mt. Fuji, Rita slowly started to wake up. She tried to walk, but soon realized that she was chained to something heavy. She started to sweat profusely from the intense heat surrounding her. Suddenly, Rita heard an evil chuckle that seemed to come from everywhere. "So, you're finally awake," a deep, masculine voice boomed. Rita gasped when she heard this strange voice. "That sounded like Ryo," she thought to herself, "but it couldn't be him. That voice sounded too deep and sinister to be Ryo." "Who are you?" she asked boldly. "Who I am doesn't matter," Wildfire, in his full armor, responded sternly, "since you won't live long enough to find out for yourself."

Wildfire withdrew his katanas, joined them together by the handles, and raised them above his head. Before Wildfire could finish the attack, White Blaze pounced on him and knocked him down, causing him to drop his weapons. As he struggled to get the massive tiger off, Wildfire looked up and saw Ryo standing on top of the volcano, wearing his sub-armor. Ryo was in shock over the figure he saw pinned down by White Blaze. "I can't believe it," he muttered to himself. "He looks just like me, armor and all." Ryo jumped into the volcano and landed behind the boulder that Rita was chained against. "Ryo," Rita asked, "is that you?" "Yeah, it's me," he replied as he picked up the chain with both of his hands. "Hold still, I'm gonna get you out of here."

Ryo pulled the chain taunt between his hands and with all his strength, pulled as hard as he could. A few moments later, one of the links gave way. At the same time, Wildfire managed to knock White Blaze off and was reaching for his weapons. Ryo finally got the chains off of Rita, when he saw Wildfire standing there with his katanas. "You won't escape from me," he yelled as he raised the conjoined swords above his head. "Prepare for your demise! FLARE UP NOW!" Ryo quickly grabbed Rita and jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding the massive blast. As they landed some distance away, Rita asked fearfully, "Ryo, what's going on?" "I'm not exactly sure," he replied, "but you can't stay here. It's too dangerous, and I don't want to see you get hurt."

Rita looked toward Ryo questionably as he shouted out, "White Blaze!" The massive white tiger quickly bounded to his owner's side. "Get Rita out of here, now!" he told White Blaze. Rita gasped as the tiger went underneath her legs and propped her on his back. "Hold on," Ryo instructed her. She managed to get a good grip as White Blaze ran off. Ryo turned toward Wildfire, who was watching the girl and tiger head for the opening of the volcano. "Your attempts are pathetic," Wildfire told Ryo. "I'll destroy her eventually, but for now, I'll settle for destroying you!" "We'll just see about that," Ryo retorted back. "Armor of Wildfire! DAO JIN!" After the transformation was complete, Ryo withdrew his own katanas, ready for battle.

Ryo charged straight at Wildfire, holding one of his katanas above his head. As he brought down the katana, Wildfire surprisingly dodged the attack. "I believe this is what you were trying to do," he stated as he succeeded with the very same attack Ryo tried earlier. Ryo was stunned for a moment, but he shook it off. "But, how-" "Don't forget, Ryo of Wildfire," his double replied sinisterly, "I am part of you. I know your moves and your thoughts." He rammed Ryo hard; knocking him against the boulder that Rita was once chained to. White Blaze watched the battle on top of Mt. Fuji, while Rita listened. "It doesn't sound like Ryo's winning," she muttered to herself. "I wish there was some way I could help him."

Suddenly, Rita felt some strange warmth near her hand. She felt around and picked up a small metal object, which was the ring of Virtue. As she held the ring in her open hand, a narrow beam of red light emerged from the ring and connected with her forehead. Slowly, the kanji of Virtue appeared on Rita's forehead. She heard an unfamiliar man's voice speak to her. "Rita Niitsu," the voice said, "I am Shuno, ruler of the kokoro. You, my dear child, are the kokoro of fire reborn, destined to help the Ronin Warriors defend the mortal world from evil. Ryo is one of the Ronin Warriors. He wears the armor of Wildfire. The time has finally come to remove the veil that has shrouded your vision for so long."

As Rita stood there, listening to Shuno's voice, her eyes started to change color. The bluish-gray film disappeared and was replaced by a reddish-brown color, and black pupils shone through her irises. When her vision came back, at first, everything appeared blurry. After a minute or two, Rita could see everything clearly, as though she never lost her vision to begin with. She was startled a bit when she saw White Blaze standing there. Rita looked down into the volcano and saw Ryo, wearing the exact armor that she drew, fighting a figure that almost looked exactly like him, armor and all. She put on the ring, looked at the tiger and said, "Come on, White Blaze. Ryo needs our help." Rita cautiously got on White Blaze's back, and he made his way down into Mt. Fuji.

Meanwhile, Ryo was fighting Wildfire as best as he could, but he was obviously struggling. Wildfire punched him in the face, and it knocked Ryo down into the ground. As he attempted to get up, he saw Rita and White Blaze heading toward him. "No, Rita, get out of here, now!" Ryo ordered before he passed out. Wildfire looked up at her and chuckled evilly. "Now, it's your turn," he snickered as he slowly advanced toward her. White Blaze pounced on him, but Wildfire simply knocked the tiger off. Rita backed away from him as much as she could, until she was on the edge of a small cliff protruding over the pool of lava. "There's no one left to save you now!" Wildfire claimed as he grabbed Rita's arm.

Suddenly, a bright flash of red light illuminated from the ring and blinded Wildfire. "Ahh, my eyes!" he screamed as he let go of Rita and covered his eyes with his hands. Rita felt something warm resting in her hand. She looked down at a small ball of fire that formed in her hand. Rita concentrated on the fireball, and it grew bigger and brighter. As Rita continued to concentrate, a second fireball appeared in her other hand and grew as well. By the time Wildfire regained his vision, the two fireballs were bigger than Rita's head. "You'll pay for that!" Wildfire cried out as he charged at Rita. She begun to spin around rapidly, with the fireballs continually growing. "FIRE SPIN!" she yelled as the two fireballs left her hands and went straight at Wildfire.

The unexpected attack took Wildfire by surprise. The force of the attack knocked Wildfire off the edge of the cliff. "You haven't seen the last of me!" he claimed before he fell into the bubbling pool of magma. "Wow! Did I really do that?" Rita asked herself as she looked down at the lava pit. Suddenly, she heard a mournful roar from behind her. She turned around and saw White Blaze nudging Ryo with his head. "Oh, no! Ryo!" Rita exclaimed as she ran to his side. She knelt down and gently lifted Ryo's head. "Come on, Ryo!" she pleaded with her voice quivering. "Please wake up!" Rita closed her eyes as tears ran down her face. One teardrop lingered on her chin for a moment, and fell on Ryo's cheek.

Ryo's eyes slowly fluttered open. The first thing he saw was Rita, with tears running down her face. He lifted his hand and wiped away some of the tears from her cheek. Rita gasped when she felt a warm hand touch her cheek. She quickly opened her eyes and saw Ryo looking up at her, alive and well. "Ryo?" she managed to say. "You're alive?" "Yeah, I'm okay," Ryo replied as he sat up. "What happened? Where's that guy that I was…?" "Don't worry about him, Ryo," Rita said reassuringly. "He's gone." He looked up at Rita's face and noticed her eyes for the first time. "Umm… Rita," he started, "what happened to your eyes?" "What do you mean?" she asked. "Well, your eyes, they're different. They're now brown."

"Oh, well, you see," Rita started, "the strangest thing happened to me. I picked up this ring," she pointed to the ring of Virtue on her right ring finger, "and I heard this strange voice talking to me. It said its name was Shuno, that I was a kokoro of fire reborn, and that I needed to help you, Ryo. After the voice went away, I felt this strange sensation in my eyes. All of a sudden, my vision returned. I can see now, Ryo. I can see you." As Rita was talking, she and Ryo stood up. "So, do you know why you had those visions?" Ryo asked. "Yes, it's clear to me now," Rita answered. "I had those visions so I would know who to look for. Does that make sense to you?" "Yes, it does," he replied. "Umm, Ryo?" Rita asked. "About your friends: Sage, Kento, Cye, and Rowen. Are they…?"

"Yes, they're all Ronin Warriors," Ryo said before she finished. "I know you have a lot of questions, and I'll try to answer all of them." "Well, first of all, where are we?" "We're inside Mt. Fuji. It's an active volcano," Ryo replied. "I see," Rita murmured, looking around the interior of the volcano. "Can you tell me more about the Ronin Warriors and these kokoro that Shuno mentioned?" "Well, it's a long story," Ryo explained. "Well, it's a long walk," Rita exclaimed, taking Ryo's hand. "Toyama and Mt. Fuji are pretty far apart." "Yeah, you're right," Ryo said, a smile forming on his face. "Come on," he said, leading her toward White Blaze. Ryo got on the tiger's back and Rita sat behind him. "Hold on," he instructed her. Rita wrapped her arms around Ryo's waist before White Blaze bounded off toward the opening of Mt. Fuji…