Legend of the Kokoro
Episode #3: First Impressions
By Dreamcatcher

It was Friday morning inside the school auditorium. Homeroom has ended and students started to gather inside the auditorium. Ryo and Rita entered together, along with the rest of their homeroom. "Whoa," Rita gasped. "How are we going to find the others in this crowded place?" Ryo smiled as he explained, "Well, the five of us always sit in the same place during assemblies: in the center back row." He pointed and Rita saw Cye, Kento, and Rowen sitting right where Ryo said they would be. They squeezed past some students and walked down the aisle of seats to where their friends were. "Hey, Ryo, Rita," Cye greeted as they took their seats. "Hey guys," Ryo said. "Any idea what assembly's about?" The three boys shook their heads no. "Who cares?" Kento retorted. "At least it got us out of first period class." Rita smiled and noticed an empty seat between Rowen and Kento. "Has anyone seen Sage?" she asked.

Cye, Kento, and Rowen pointed to the back wall. There stood a bunch of girls, giving out high-pitched giggles. Standing in the middle of them was Sage. Rita shook her head as Ryo got Sage's attention and motioned for him to come over. Sage whispered something to the girls, which made them giggle even louder before walking over to Ryo and the others. He flopped into the seat between Rowen and Kento, and gave out a clever laugh. "Yup, I still got it." "Well, would ya mind keeping it to yourself once in a while? Some of us would like to get a date, you know," Kento pouted, folding his arms. Sage turned to the girls, who were still standing in the back. He tossed his hair, having it fall back down over his right eye. The girls shrieked and blushed with excitement as he winked at them.

"Hey, when you got it, why keep it to yourself?" Ryo was about to say something when he noticed Rita reading a magazine. "What are you reading, Rita?" he asked. Rita looked up at him and said, "Oh, just some magazine I found lying around the house. It's good practice for me. Since I'm no longer blind, I can read printed material with the rest of the class. But since I'm ten years behind, when it comes to reading skills, I had to work really hard, or I'll fall behind." "There's no need to worry about that," Cye remarked. "You're a pretty smart girl. You won't fall behind." "Thanks for the comment, Cye," she said, smiling at him. As Rita continued to read, Kento asked curiously, "So, Rita. Anything interesting in there?"

"Oh, not much, Kento," Rita replied as she flipped through the pages. "Just your basic magazine articles, advertisements, horoscope page…" "Hey, I got an idea, Rita," Ryo interrupted. "How about for practice, you read out one of those horoscopes to us? Eventually, the teacher's gonna have us read out loud, in front of the class." Rita thought about for a moment before she replied, "All right, then. Who wants to know about their future?" "I volunteer Sage," Kento proclaimed, putting his hand on Sage's shoulder. "Well, what do you say?" Rita asked him. "Sure, why not?" Sage replied. "When's your birthday?" she asked. "June 11." "Okay, so you would be a Gemini," Rita remarked as she looked up Sage's horoscope.

" 'GEMINI: First impressions can be misleading-as you're likely to discover today when you meet someone who could have a major influence on your life,' " she read. " 'It's imperative that this person gets to know the real person behind the mask.' " "What the heck is that supposed to mean?" Sage asked curiously. "Don't look at me," Rita said. "I don't follow horoscopes." Just then, Mr. Hiroshi approached the microphone. He cleared his throat before he began to speak. "Attention! Attention students, please!" A hush waved over the students as he cleared his throat again. "As many of you know, I am Mr. Hiroshi. As principal of this school, I would like to welcome you all to another day at Han`a High School." "Whoopee!" "Kento, shhhhh!" Ryo whispered harshly.

"Now, I'm sure you're all wondering why you're here, and there's a good reason for it too…just let me think of one!" The principal laughed, assuming that everyone else would join in. He was wrong. Silence filled the air as Kento squirmed around in his seat. "Aww, man! Every time he tells that stupid joke, it seems to get worse." "Well, umm…anyway," the principal continued, "the real reason why I called this assembly was to introduce a new transfer student." "Transfer student?" Cye whispered. "That's what this is about?" "I hope it's a girl," Sage smiled. "It'd be nice to get a fresh face around here." "And now, we'll hear from Miss O'Brien," the principal announced. "All right, it is a girl!" Sage cheered. "Please, let her be ugly," Kento pleaded as he leaned back in his seat.

Kento's pleas were unanswered as a tall sixteen-year-old girl walked halfway across the stage to the microphone. Her flaming red hair barely touched her milky white shoulders. She wore black sneakers, baggy dark blue pants, and a white tank top underneath a bright green vest, with the skirt of the vest trailing halfway down her legs. As she faced the audience, her emerald-green eyes sparkled in the stage lights. "Good morning to you all," she said with an Irish accent. "Me name's Sandra O'Brien, and I just moved here from Dublin, Ireland." Mr. Hiroshi took the mike for a moment. "Miss O'Brien is going to perform for us; showing a sample of one of her country's traditions," he announced.

He handed the mike back to Sandra, who said, "The piece we're going to perform is a sample of Celtic dance, which goes back hundreds of years. If any of you seen Riverdance or Lord of the Dance, then you're already familiar with it. I'll be performing this piece with me friend, Lindsay." A smaller girl, about the same age as Sandra, joined her at center stage, carrying a small tape player. She had short, curly black hair and big brown eyes. Lindsay was wearing black sneakers, blue jeans, and a white tank top underneath a denim vest. She smiled and waved with her free hand as she put down the tape player. "Hello! How you doing?" she shouted out to the audience with a big smile on her face.

Sandra looked at Lindsay with amusement as her friend returned to setting up the tape player. "Well, looks like we're ready," she said into the mike, "so, hope you all enjoy." Sandra took the microphone and laid it in front of one of the speakers as Lindsay pressed the PLAY button. Irish music filled the auditorium as the two girls stood up and performed a series of high kicks, leaps, and spins. When the music stopped and the girls finished, the crowd was completely silent. Sandra and Lindsay looked at each other with bewildered expressions on their faces as Mr. Hiroshi picked up the microphone. "Well, come on, everyone. Let's give them a hand," he said, clapping his hands. The students quickly followed his example and applauded for the two girls as they bowed.

"Well, that's all for today," Mr. Hiroshi announced after the applause died down. "I hope that when you see these new faces, you will greet them and help them in getting around our school. You are now dismissed to your second period classes." The students began to rise as Mr. Hiroshi escorted the two girls out through another door next to the stage. "Aww, man! Why does it have to be second period!" Kento sighed as they got up. "I've got World History with old Mr. Sushi!" "That's Mr. Sugi, Kento," Cye laughed. "Well, it might as well be Mr. Sushi. His breath smells like raw fish." "Come on, guys. We don't want to be late," Ryo said. The five boys, along with Rita, ventured out down the hallway and went their separate ways…

It was fifth period now. Ryo, Rita, Cye, and Rowen were in study hall, waiting for their friends to arrive. Kento entered the room and quickly stuck his head out the door. "Hey, Sage, quit that flirting and get in here!" Kento yelled. Sage walked in the room soon after and stuck his head out through the door. "Catch ya later, girls," he shouted into the hallway. He sat down next to Rowen, who was reading a book. "Rowen, don't you do anything besides read and study?" "I did a lot of stuff with you guys over the summer." "Yeah, but that's only 'cause we had to drag you," Ryo laughed. "If we didn't, you'd be doing the same thing that you're doing right now all summer." "Have any of you seen those new girls since assembly?" Rita interrupted. Everyone shook their heads no.

"Hey, check it out," Cye said, smiling. Rowen threw his glance in the direction Cye and the others were looking. Sandra was walking in with her books in one hand, followed by Lindsay. The two girls sat down at an empty table across from them. "Looks like she hasn't made any new friends yet," Rita said sympathetically. "Well, that's gonna change right now," Sage said, smiling as he rose from the table. "Oh, great! There goes Mr. Casanova!" Kento wailed. Sage gave him a menacing grin. "Hey, she's lonely and feels that no one cares. I just want to let her know that she's wrong. That's all. It has nothing to do with her being good looking." "Well, don't bother," Rowen said, returning his eyes to his book. "It seems that the 'Sage Date Fan Club' has come to greet her."

Sage looked over and saw a group of six girls standing over Sandra and Lindsay, exchanging snooty looks. "Hey, you're sitting at our table!" a girl shouted. Sandra looked up at her. She had long black hair and steel gray eyes that stared at her coldly. Sandra continued reading. "Sorry, don't see your names on it." "We always sit here, but you wouldn't know that since… you're new." "Well, sorry to disappoint you all, but we're not moving, right, Lindsay?" "Right. Look, if it's a battle of wits you want," Lindsay said to the girl, "you're definitely gonna lose." "What, are you saying I'm stupid?" she asked sarcastically. "No need for that," Lindsay pointed out with a smirk on her face. "You just said it for me!"

A freckled faced girl with curly amber hair and glasses sat down next to Sandra. "Hey, we all know the real reason why you're sitting here, but you're wasting your time! Date belongs to us!" "Who?" "You mean you don't know who Sage is?" the black haired girl asked in shock. "Like you said before, I'm new here, so how would I know who he is?" Sandra retorted. The girl narrowed her gray eyes at Sandra, as if she was trying to see right through her. A wicked smile waved over her face as she began to laugh. "All right, I'll show you who he is, but just remember, he's ours! Ya see the one with the blond hair over there? Well, that's him. That's…" The girl let out a deep sigh before she finished. "Sage Date." The girls broke out into a series of sighs and giggles.

"Oh, please! I don't see what the fuss is 'bout," Sandra said, shaking her head. All the girls stopped giggling and stared at her in horror. "You mean you don't think he's absolutely gorgeous!?!" "Oh, he's cute, I'll give him that, but there's more to guys than just a handsome face. You know, like a personality?" "You're right, she is weird," one girl whispered to another. The black-haired girl sat down in front of Sandra and glared at her. "You never been to Toyama before, have you? I would've remembered you. A girl with your…looks would easily stick out like a sore thumb." The other girls laughed at her sinister remark. Sandra tried hard to control her anger as she narrowed her eyes and stared back at the girl. "Big talk coming from a prissy little, pimple-faced bimbo like yourself!"

A loud burst of laughter broke into the air. The group of girls, including Sandra, whirled around to see Kento doubled over with laughter. The others stared at Sandra with their mouths wide open; shocked over the remark she had made. Sandra looked down at the table, feeling her face growing hot with embarrassment. "Oh, no! I didn't think I was that loud. Way to go, Sandra, you twit!" The girl stared at Sandra in rage and was about to say something when the teacher entered the room. "What's going on here, Noriko?" he asked the girl with the gray eyes. "Nothing, Mr. Stein," she replied, looking at Sandra. "We were just leaving." Noriko stood up and gave Sandra another evil smile. "Come on, girls, let's go."

Sandra sunk down even further as the girls walked off. She covered here face with her hands, hoping no one would notice the red glow in her cheeks. "Sandra, are you all right?" Lindsay asked. Sandra looked up at her friend with tears brimming in her eyes. "All right, then," she muttered. Lindsay managed to get the teacher's attention. "Excuse me, Mr. Stein? Would it be all right if me friend and I make a quick trip to the gals' room?" "Sure, but be quick about it," Mr. Stein replied. "Thanks," Lindsay said as she got up. "Come on, Sandra!" She grabbed her friend's arm and they flew straight out of the room. "Did you guys hear that!" Kento exclaimed. "Just how low can those girls go?" Cye asked to no one in particular…

The bell rang, ending fifth period class. Sandra and Lindsay left study hall together and headed down the hall to Sandra's locker. "Hey, Sandra," Lindsay said. "Mind if I get a drink?" she asked, pointing at a nearby water fountain. "Of course not!" Sandra exclaimed. "Go ahead! I just need a few things from me locker." Lindsay went off to the fountain as Sandra opened her locker. She froze for a moment as some of the same girls that she met up with at study hall walked past her. The girls looked at her, whispered among themselves, and laughed as they walked by. Sandra continued to dig around in her locker. She felt as if she was going to be sick from the rage that was burning inside her.

"Sage, where you going?" Ryo asked as Sage started to walk away. "Ask a silly question, Ryo." He smiled wickedly. "Uh, Sage, I honestly don't think this is the best time to flirt with her," Rowen suggested. "Aww, this is the perfect time, Rowen. She may need a shoulder to cry on after what happened at study hall, and we all know I'm the right guy for the job." "Sage, I agree with Rowen," Ryo said. "I really think you should…" "Remind me to teach you a thing or two about girls some time." Sage walked smoothly up to her as she stood at the open locker and tapped her on the shoulder. Sandra whirled around and gave Sage a look that made him take a step back. The sparkles from her green eyes were gone.

"Well, what do you want?" she snapped. "N-Nothing, nothing at all," Sage stuttered. "I just wanted to apologize." "Apologize! For what?" "For what happened to you earlier in study hall." "You…you do?" Sandra looked completely surprised as her eyes slowly returned to their original sparkle. She shamefully lowered her head and turned away. "Sorry 'bout that. It's just-I thought that you…" Sage unleashed a witty smile as he gently lifted her head by the chin. "A pretty face like yours shouldn't be held down so low." "Excuse me?" "Those girls had no right to talk to you like that, especially to such a gorgeous girl like yourself." Sandra narrowed her eyes as she pulled away from him. "Look, Sage, is it? Just what are you trying to pull?"

"Me? I'm not trying to pull anything," Sage said, trying to look innocent. "I just want to…" "Listen, you little twit! You may have a lot of these shallow girls thinking you're the greatest guy in the world, but don't think that I'm gonna be one of them, GOT IT?" Sandra angrily slammed her locker shut and pushed her way past him, leaving Sage standing dumbfounded. "Hey, Sandra! Where you going?" Lindsay yelled as her friend stormed down the hall. She stopped where Sage was standing and asked, "What did you say to her?" Sage just stood there completely baffled. Lindsay shook her head as she ran to catch up with Sandra. Sage turned around and headed toward his friends, who were trying hard to muffle their snickering.

"Wow, Sage, you sure did smooth talk her," Cye laughed. "What was that you wanted to teach us about girls?" Ryo joked. Sage completely ignored them. He only stood there with his mouth wide open, staring in the direction that Sandra headed. "Sage, are you okay?" Ryo asked, shaking his shoulder. "She-she brushed me off…and she called me a little twit!" "Sage, I tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen," Rowen said shaking his head. They started to walk away when they noticed Ryo still standing there. "Ryo, are you coming?" Cye asked. "Go ahead, guys," Ryo replied. "I promised Rita I'd wait for her." The four boys continued down the hall, leaving Ryo behind. "I never thought I'd live to see the day when a girl turns down the 'Flirting King'! You're losing your touch, Sage!" "Shut up, Kento!"

A minute or so after Sage and the others left; Lindsay peeked around the corner. She turned her head and whispered, "The coast is clear; he's gone." Sandra looked around to see for herself, and realizing that Lindsay was right, they headed down the hallway. "I'm so glad he left," she told Lindsay. "Let me tell ya, he is such an annoying little prick. You should've seen the way he came onto me." "This was the same guy that them gals in study hall were swooning over: Sage Date?" Lindsay asked. "The one and only," Sandra stated. "I hope I never see the bloke again." "Now, that's wishful thinking," Lindsay pointed out. "You both go to the same school. Whether you like it or not, you're gonna bump into each other now and then." "Please, don't remind me!" Sandra groaned.

"Konnichi wa!" The two girls turned around and saw a boy and girl approaching them, both with long black hair and wearing red sweaters. "Sorry. What did you say?" Sandra asked the girl. "Konnichi wa," the girl repeated. "It's Japanese for 'Hello.' " The two girls giggled nervously. "Sorry, we should introduce ourselves," the boy said. "I'm Ryo Sanada, and this is Rita Niitsu." "Nice to meet you," Sandra and Lindsay replied. As they walked down the hall, Ryo said, "Sandra, you shouldn't take to heart what Noriko and her friends said to you earlier. They're just a bunch of air-heads." "You see, that's exactly what I thought 'bout them gals, Sandra," Lindsay remarked. "Course, I would've called 'em bubble-heads meself."

The four of them laughed at that remark. "You two have lunch next, right?" Rita asked. "Yes, we do," Sandra replied. "Well, if you're not sitting with anyone else, would you like to sit with us and our friends?" "Really! We can?" Sandra asked, surprised. "Of course, you can," Rita replied. "Well, all right then. Let's go!" Lindsay proclaimed. All of a sudden, Sandra stopped walking and slapped her fore head. "Oh, no!" she groaned. Lindsay turned around and asked, "What's wrong?" "I left our lunches in me locker," Sandra admitted. "No problem. We'll just go back and get 'em." "You two go ahead," Ryo told them. "We'll meet you in the courtyard." "All right, then," Sandra and Lindsay agreed as they made their way back to Sandra's locker…

Meanwhile, in the courtyard, friends gathered together at wooden picnic tables and underneath cherry trees. The surrounding brick walls of the school were thickly covered with ivy, along with a couple of varieties of flowering vines. Sage sat alone at one of the picnic tables, staring at his bagged lunch. "Hey, is it safe to sit here?" He looked up and saw Kento standing next to him, carrying a lunch tray. "Of course, Kento." Kento grinned and sat down next to Sage. Ryo and Rita arrived soon after, and took their seats opposite of Sage and Kento. "I hope you two don't mind," Rita told Kento and Sage, "but Ryo and I invited a couple of students to sit with us during lunch." "Really, who?" Kento asked.

"Konnichi wa!" Sandra and Lindsay stood with their lunch in their hands and smiled at the group. Almost immediately, Sage's disposition changed as he smiled at Sandra. "Hey, Sandra, Lindsay! Here, we saved you a space," Ryo said as he and Rita moved over. "Of course, there's even more room on this side," Sage said, smiling as he patted the empty space next to him. "Thanks, but no thanks. We're just fine right here." "Whatever you say…Bright Eyes." Sandra glared at him coldly as she and Lindsay took their seats next to Rita and Ryo. "Hey, guys," Cye greeted as he and Rowen approached the picnic table, both carrying lunch trays, and sat in the remaining space next to Sage.

"Sandra, Lindsay," Ryo announced, " these are our friends: Cye Mouri, Rowen Hashiba, Kento Rei Fuan, and you probably remember Sage Date." "Unfortunately, yes," Sandra said coldly, watching Sage as the smile on his face slowly disappeared. "Ooo, burned again!" Kento whispered to him mockingly. "Shut up, Kento," Sage muttered through clenched teeth. "It was really cool the way you told Noriko off today, Sandra! I was dying!" Kento said. "You kind of made that obvious to us," Lindsay remarked. "You was laughing like a hyena!" That comment made the others laugh. As they ate, Rowen asked, "How did you two learn that dancing? It seems rather difficult."

"Well, we started taking dance classes at an early age," Sandra started. "We were about-what? Five? Six?" she asked Lindsay. "We were around five years old when we started." "Right. The two of us took the same classes, twice a week for 'bout four years. After that, we performed together at talent competitions, and also for productions of Riverdance and Lord of the Dance." "That's pretty impressive," Cye admitted to the girls. Just then, the bell rang, ending lunch. As they gathered their books, Rita asked, "What's your next class? Maybe one of us can help you find it." "Lemme think. General Biology, in room 178 with Mr. Kurgan," Sandra recalled. "Well, what do you know?" Sage said, smiling. "I have that same class." "Gee, I'm so thrilled," she replied sarcastically…

Some time later, it's near the end of seventh period in room 178. Most of the students were getting anxious to leave, while Mr. Kurgan, a gray-haired man wearing glasses and a white lab coat, picked up a hat filled with pieces of folded paper. "Attention, everyone!" he yelled as everyone quieted down. "Thank you. As you remember, I had half of you write your names on slips of paper, which are in this hat. Now, I want those students who didn't write down their names to come up here now and draw a name." A handful of students, including Sandra, approached Mr. Kurgan's desk and drew a piece of paper from the hat. "Remember those names, people," the teacher said sternly, "because whoever you draw will be your lab partner for the rest of the school year."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Mr. Kurgan opened the door, and there stood Mr. Hiroshi. "Excuse for a moment, class," their teacher said as he left the classroom and closed the door. Immediately after he left, the class started talking. Sandra opened her slip of paper, curious as to whom her lab partner would be. "Oh, no!" she groaned, covering her face. "What's wrong? Who's your partner?" Lindsay asked. Sandra handed the piece of paper to her, not saying a word. Lindsay looked at the paper and realized why she was upset: the paper read "SAGE DATE." The two friends looked over at Sage, who was busy chatting with a couple of girls. "Gee, ain't you the lucky one?" Lindsay said dully. "I bet them gals would kill to be Sage's lab partner for the whole year."

A wicked smile slowly played across Sandra's face. "What are you up to, Sandra?" "You just gave me a brilliant idea!" Sandra told her. She stood up and approached the two girls Sage was talking to. "Excuse me, you two. Can I talk to you? It'll only be for a moment." The girls followed Sandra, leaving Sage staring suspiciously at Sandra. "What is she trying to pull?" he asked himself. "Ladies, have I got a deal for you," Sandra whispered to the girls. "I wanted to tell you two first because I think you'll be interested and trust that you won't blab 'bout it to the entire class." They nodded their heads and Sandra continued. "How'd you like to have Sage Date as your lab partner for the rest of the school year?"

The two girls glanced at Sage, and squealed at the thought of this rare opportunity. "Wait a minute," one of the girls said. "How do we know you're telling the truth?" Sandra handed them the folded piece of paper with Sage's name on it. "Ooo, that's his handwriting!" they squealed as they looked at it. "Keep it down, you two!" Sandra whispered harshly. "Do you want everyone else to find out?" The girls quickly stopped. "What do you want in exchange for this?" the other girl asked cautiously. "Nothing, really. All I want in return is the name you drew for a lab partner, and we'll call it even. What do you say?" Before the girls could answer, Mr. Kurgan reentered the room, and everyone quieted down and went back to their original seats.

"There's one thing I forgot to mention," Mr. Kurgan said as he sat back down at his desk. "For those of you that never had me as a teacher before, you should know this: whoever you picked will be your lab partner for the rest of the year, and the only way you can get a different partner is through me. I am a tough negotiator, and I will not change your lab partner unless you have a reasonable excuse. Now, you have an assignment, which is due in four weeks, but I suggest you get it started this weekend. I want you to gather 20 different specimens of leaves, press them, and hand them in to me with each leaf identified by both its common name and its scientific name. The procedures are on these sheets, and plant identification books are right next to them. Grab one before you leave."

Just then, the bell rang, ending seventh period class. As everyone got up, Mr. Kurgan added, "Oh, and one more thing. This project is to be done with your lab partner." Most of the students, including Sandra, groaned. "You may leave now," their teacher said. As Sandra and Lindsay left the class and headed down the hall, they heard Sage shout, "Hey, Sandra! Wait up!" Sandra groaned as Sage approached them. "What do you want, Sage?" she asked in an annoyed tone. "Well, I thought it was pretty strange that no one drew my name in class," he mentioned. "Oh, someone got your name, all right." "Really, who?" Sage asked curiously. Sandra didn't say anything; she just kept walking. "It's you, isn't it?" Sage asked, with a smile spreading on his face.

Sandra stopped dead in her tracks when she heard this. It gave Sage the opportunity to catch up with her. "I'm right, am I?" he asked. "Yeah, you are," Sandra muttered under her breath. "All right!" Sage proclaimed in triumph. "Well, at least one of us is happy 'bout it," Sandra retorted. "You mean, you don't want to be my lab partner?" Sage asked in shock. "Bingo! Give the lad a prize!" Sandra cried out. "Why did you think I wanted to talk to them gals for, hmm?" "Oh, I get it," Sage remarked. "You were trying to swipe lab partners with them." "Exactly," Sandra pointed out. "I knew them gals couldn't resist a chance to sit next to you all year long, so it was foolproof! If only Mr. Kurgan didn't step in when he did…"

Sandra and Lindsay continued walking down the hall, with Sage following close behind. "Oy, what is it gonna take to get you to leave me alone?" Sandra retorted sharply, taking Sage by surprise. "Oh, well…you see…I…" he stuttered. "Look, I'll make a deal with you," Sandra said. "Well, actually, it's more of a bet. As you know, there's a five-minute lapse between the end of eighth period and the final bell of the day. You have to find me in those five minutes. If you can't find me, you'll have to leave me alone for two years. The only times we'll see each other is during classes." "Wait a minute," Sage replied. "I'm a junior! In two years, I'll be graduating!" "Well, too bad for you if you lose," Sandra replied, pleased with herself. "Well, what do you say?" "Hold on," Sage said. "What about me? What do I get if I do find you?"

Sandra stood there, thinking about it for a moment, before she responded. "Okay, how 'bout this? If you do find me, I'll let you walk me home, and I'll also give you a second chance to redeem yourself to me. What do you say? Is it a deal?" she asked, holding out her hand. "It's a deal," Sage agreed, taking her hand and shaking it. After shaking hands they separated to go to their classes. "Sandra, may I ask you something?" Lindsay asked, who had been quiet up till now. "Sure, what is it?" Sandra replied. "Have you gone crazy or something?" Lindsay cried out. "It's obvious that Sage has a thing for you, and he's gonna try his hardest to find you." "Don't you think I know that? This was the only thing I could think of to get him off me back. Besides, I got a plan." "Oh really?" Lindsay asked curiously. "Care to tell me 'bout it?" "Of course, Lindsay." Sandra started to whisper her plan in Lindsay's ear…

Eighth period has finally ended. Outside the front entrance, Ryo, Rita, Cye, and Kento stood outside, waiting for Rowen and Sage so that they could all walk home together. Ryo quickly glanced at his watch. "Wonder what's taking Sage so long," he mentioned to the others. "He's usually out here before Rowen." "Oh, he's busy looking for Sandra," Kento mentioned as he peeled a banana and took a bite. "What do you mean, Kento?" Cye asked curiously as his friend swallowed. "This is from what I overheard in the hallway," Kento replied as he continued to eat his banana. "Sandra made a bet with him: he has to find her before the last bell rings. If he wins, Sage gets to walk her home and prove there's more to him than his title as the 'Flirting King of Han`a High.' "

By then, all that remained of Kento's banana was the peel. He quickly threw it away in a nearby trash can. "And if Sage loses the bet," he continued, "he has to leave Sandra alone for two years." "But, we graduate from high school in two years," Ryo exclaimed. "I'll bet Sandra figured that out," Rita replied. Just then, they saw Sage barge out the front doors. He stopped and asked, "Have any of you seen Sandra, or her friend, Lindsay?" "Sorry, we haven't," Cye replied as everyone else shook their heads no. "Well, I've got to find her soon," Sage said, slightly panicked, "or I'm gonna lose the bet!" Ryo shook his head at him. "Why is it so hard for you to accept that Sandra's not even the slightest bit interested in you?"

"Because it's hard for the Flirting King to accept that he's losing his touch with the girls," Kento laughed. "Just think about it, Ryo. If Sandra refuses to go out with him, it'll only be a matter of time before all the girls wise up." Before Sage could say anything, Kento leapt on top of a nearby bench and cupped his hands over his mouth in a makeshift bullhorn. "Attention, all girls! I regret to inform you that our beloved Sage Date, a.k.a. 'The Flirting King of Han`a High School,' is no more." "Oh, say it ain't so, Sage! Say it ain't so!" Cye cried out in a girlish voice. They both fell to the ground, doubling over with laughter. Ryo tried his best not to laugh, but watching the hilarious act of his two friends, then seeing them rolling on the ground with laughter, made it very hard.

Sage narrowed his eyes and stared at Kento and Cye coldly, which caused them to stop laughing and get up. "Very funny, guys. Now if you'll excuse me," he said, "I'm gonna check the side entrance." Sage ran off, turned around a corner, and collided with someone. The impact caused him to fall down hard. As he started to get up, he heard a familiar voice say, "Oh, my gosh! I'm so sorry, I-Oh, no!" Sprawled on the ground in front of him was Sandra. Just then, the final ball rang, ending school for the day. "Aww, man!" Sandra groaned as Lindsay caught up with her and helped her up. "I told you I should've gone first!" Lindsay complained as Sage got up. "I could have acted as a lookout, make sure the coast was clear!"

"Well, it looks like I won," Sage boasted proudly. "Please don't remind me," Sandra groaned in disappointment. A few moments later, Ryo, Rita, Cye, Kento, and Rowen joined the three of them. "So, you guys ready?" Rita asked. "Wait a minute," Sandra said, "you all walk home together?" "Yeah, we do," Ryo answered, "until we reach our own streets and go our separate ways." "Well, that's good," she muttered, eyeing Sage for a moment. "There's safety in numbers. Well, let's go!" The group left the school and walked down the main road. "Sandra, I'm curious," Cye said to her. "Are you and Lindsay sisters?" This question caused the two girls to laugh out loud. "No, we're not sisters," Lindsay admitted. "We're just best friends, that's all."

"Well, if you're just friends," Rita asked, "then why did you come here too, Lindsay?" "Well, you see, Sandra was pretty depressed when she found out she had to move practically halfway 'round the world. I came along to, you know, help her cope. I even went as far as joining her on her first day of school!" Lindsay laughed abruptly. "Unfortunately," Sandra added sadly, "Lindsay has to go back to Ireland tomorrow. For her, school starts next Monday." "That's not fair," Kento admitted. "You get an extra weeks' vacation?" "Kento," Sage told him, "no one has a longer summer vacation, no matter where they're from. They just start and end at different times." "How would you know anything 'bout that?" Sandra asked curiously.

"Well, I didn't live in Japan my entire life," Sage explained. "I used to live in California. Back there, summer vacation would start around the end of June, and the first day of school would be…I think it was September 8." Just then, the group reached a street that turned off the main road. "Isn't that your street?" Lindsay asked Sandra. "Yeah, it is," she replied slowly, looking at the sign. "Then, you're gonna hate this news: Sage lives on this street, too!" Rowen replied. Sandra took one look at Sage, who was smiling, and groaned. "Well, we got to be going," Ryo replied as he, Rita, Cye, and Kento continued walking. "It was nice meeting you two. Goodbye!" "Bye, guys!" Sandra and Lindsay waved to them.

"Hey, Rowen," Lindsay asked, "why aren't you with 'em?" "Well, I live on this street, too," he replied as the four walked down the street. "You know. I was wondering," Rowen asked Sandra. "How did you two manage to avoid Sage for so long? He practically tore the whole school up looking for you." The two girls giggled when they heard this. "Well, I guess it was a pretty clever plan," Sandra admitted. " What we did was pretty simple, if you think 'bout it. We just hid out in the one place where no boy dares to go; the gals' bathroom." Rowen laughed as Sage muttered, "That wasn't fair." "Hey, all's fair in love and war!" Lindsay told him. "Well, anyway," Sandra continued, "we figured that he'd be roaming the hallways, so we decided to crawl out of the window."

"Hold on," Sage interrupted in disbelief. "Your last class was on the ground floor. The windows in those bathrooms are really small!" "Good thing we were really slim, eh?" Lindsay replied. "The only mistake I made was to make a mad dash when I got out the window," Sandra unwillingly admitted. "I should've let Lindsay see if the coast was clear first, but the five minutes was almost up, and I admit, I thought I already won. Boy, was I wrong!" "Here's my house!" Rowen replied as they approached a white, two-story, oriental house. "Goodbye, girls. See ya later, Sage." He waved as he ran down the driveway to his house. "Isn't this just grand!" Sandra retorted as the three of them continued down the street.

Soon, Sandra, Lindsay and Sage approached a nice yellow, oriental, two-story house with brown shutters. "Well, here's my house, so you can go home now!" Sandra told Sage. "Go on, now. Shoo!" She noticed that Sage was looking at her kind of weird, with a smile on his face. "What are you gawking at?" Sandra snapped rudely. "Nothing," he said, still smiling. "Well, so long, Sandra, Lindsay." Sage turned around and walked across the street. "Hold on," Sandra shouted after him. "Where are you going?" Sage turned around and said, "I'm going home! This is my house!" He pointed at the white two-story house he was heading to earlier. "Oh, no!" she cried. "Then, that means we're…"

"That's right, neighbor!" Sage replied, still smiling. "Oh, great! You've made me first day a living nightmare so far, Sage. Might as well make it a perfect day, eh?" She and Lindsay were about to enter the house until Sage shouted, "Wait! What about our project? We should get it started this weekend." Sandra groaned when she heard this. "All right, then," she managed to say calmly, "how 'bout tomorrow, 'round ten o'clock?" "Great, I'll come by tomorrow!" Sage replied. He ran across the front lawn and went inside his house. "Sandra, a question comes to mind," Lindsay asked her. "Why do you want to do this project with Sage so soon?" "Well, it's simple, really," Sandra replied. "The sooner we get it over with, the better I'll feel!" Lindsay laughed as they entered the house…

Tomorrow morning, at exactly ten o'clock, Sage walked across the street to Sandra's house. He carried an empty plastic bag with him. When Sage reached the front door, he rang the doorbell. A few minutes later, Sandra opened the door. She was wearing regular blue jeans, a white T-shirt, and a green vest. She had a plant guide in one hand and an empty plastic bag in the other. "Where should we start?" Sandra asked as she closed the door behind her. "Well, there's a stretch of woods behind my house that I'm familiar with," Sage explained as they crossed the street. As they passed the side of the house, Sandra noticed a smaller building behind it. "What's that for, Sage?" she asked.

Sage looked in the direction she was looking and explained, "Oh, that's the dojo. My dad teaches martial arts classes in there. I help him out during weekends and after school sometimes." Sage and Sandra continued walking across the backyard. They were about to enter the woods when a male voice called out, "Sage Date!" They turned around to see a middle-aged oriental man approaching them. He was wearing the traditional black uniform of a martial arts teacher and black slippers. Sage bowed to the man respectively and said, "Good morning, father. What seems to be the problem?" "Sage, where do you think you're going? We have practice in the morning." "Sorry, father. My friend and I are working on a project for biology class."

They looked at Sandra, who had a slightly confused look on her face. "That's good, son," Mr. Date said. "School work always comes first. Now, are you going to introduce your friend?" "Oh, right," Sage stuttered. "This is Sandra O'Brien. She just moved into that house across the street from us." "Welcome to Toyama, Sandra," Mr. Date greeted, extending his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Date," Sandra replied, shaking his hand. "Well, sorry to interrupt. Pleasure meeting you, Sandra." With that, Mr. Date headed back to the dojo. Sandra asked, "So, that's your father?" "Yeah, that was him," Sage replied. "I'm surprised. I mean, you don't look Japanese at all." "Well, truth is I'm konketsu, which means I'm half Japanese, half American," Sage explained as they headed into the woods…

Meanwhile, Dulcea was sitting on her throne in silent thought, with Devaki standing by her side. "Halo, come forth!" she commanded. The evil twin of the warrior of light emerged from the shadows. He bowed and replied, "Yes, Lady Dulcea?" "I have an assignment for you," Dulcea explained. "I located the kokoro of light. She is in a small forest outside of Toyama. Take her to the Cave of the Pinnacles and destroy her. Go now, but be cautious: she's not alone." "Yes, my lady," Halo replied as he took a few steps back and disappeared into the shadows. After he left, Dulcea got up and approached a large oval mirror on the wall to her right. She waved her hand over it and the images of Sandra and Sage could be clearly seen through the mirror.

As she watched the mirror, Devaki cautiously approached her. "Pardon me, Lady Dulcea," he asked carefully, "but why are you so concerned about these kokoro?" Dulcea turned around and stared at him coldly. "As long as they're out there, they pose a threat to us," she answered. She waved her hand over the mirror again, causing the images to disappear. As Dulcea walked back to her throne, she said, "Don't forget, Devaki: one kokoro has already been revived, and she nearly took out Wildfire. There's four more of them remaining out there, just waiting to be released." She sat back down in her throne and continued.

"It's essential to destroy the remaining kokoro before they discover their true potential. When that happens, they'll be more powerful than myself." "I understand," Devaki replied. "Good. You are dismissed now." As Devaki headed out of the throne room, Dulcea called out to him, "There's one more thing I need to discuss with you." He turned around and asked, "Yes, Lady Dulcea?" She stared at him coldly as she retorted, "Don't ever question me ever again, or you'll regret it." Devaki was taken back by Dulcea's crude comment. "Y-yes, my lady, never again," he stuttered as he quickly left the room…

In the meantime, Sandra and Sage were heading back to Sage's house, their bags filled with an assortment of leaves. "I can't believe you, Sage," Sandra told him as they walked down the path. "You're a black belt in all sorts of martial arts, you help teach classes, you mediate out in the woods…you're like a completely different person outside of school. I'm curious, why do you act the way you do in school? You know, toward the gals." "Well, it's kind of a long story," Sage told her. "I'm listening." "When I was a little kid, I got teased a lot for the way I looked. Although being konketsu played a role in it, I was mostly teased about my eyes. They said I looked like a girl. It didn't help that my hair was longer and my voice was kind of high-pitched for a boy.

"Because of all that abuse from the other kids, I hated going to school. At least once a week, I would pretend I was sick, just so I wouldn't have to go to school. My mother quickly caught on that I was faking, so that excuse didn't last long. I wasn't doing well in school. My grades were bad, and I got detention a lot for fighting some of the kids who teased me. When I was ten, my grandfather passed away and my father inherited a small fortune and the house, so we moved to Toyama. He figured that the move would do some good for me, learning about the other half of my family. I spent only one year at their grade school before starting middle school. That's where I met Rowen for the first time."

Sage chuckled as he remembered those days. "Rowen, like me, was an outsider in his own way. He had his trademark blue hair back then, and he was smarter than the other kids were. In middle school, Rowen was in all of the gifted classes. I only saw him during lunch and recess. Then, near the end of seventh grade and over the summer, puberty struck. When eighth grade started, I was treated completely different then before. It was like I transformed from an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan over the summer. I got noticed a lot, especially from the girls, and it continued through high school. That's where I met Ryo, Kento, and Cye. I guess receiving all that attention I never got as a kid made me hunger for more of it."

"So that's why you flirt at school," Sandra replied. "You're afraid you'll lose the gals' attention, so you flirt with 'em to keep 'em focused on you." "Well, I wouldn't exactly describe it like that, but yeah," Sage admitted. "I guess I was scared of losing that feeling of being wanted." They were quiet for a moment before Sandra said, "Look, I want to apologize for the way I treated you yesterday. I wasn't exactly in a good mood, with moving here and the way Noriko and her friends treated me and all." "No, I should be the one apologizing," Sage said. "You were upset and I should've just left you alone, or at least talk to you as a friend. I guess the flirting became so addictive, that now I greet every new girl I meet the way I came onto you."

"Does anyone know 'bout how rough your life's been?" Sandra asked curiously. "Only a few people know," Sage whispered. "Not even Rowen, the first friend I've ever made, knows the whole story. Even though it seems like I told you everything, you don't even know the whole story." "What else is there?" "It's pretty hard for me to talk about it to anyone, but all I can tell you for now is that something happened to me that's more horrifying than all the torment I've been put through combined." He ran his fingers through his hair and, for a moment, Sandra could see both of his sad violet-gray eyes. Realizing he said too much, Sage quickly changed the subject. "Umm, Sandra, could I see that plant guide for a minute?"

Taken by surprise, Sandra stuck her hands in her pockets, feeling around for the plant guide. "Oh, drat!" she exclaimed. "What's wrong?" Sage asked. "I left the plant guide on that rock we stopped at for a rest. I'll get it, it's not that far." With that, she ran down the trail, leaving Sage standing there. He walked over to an old tree stump, sat down, and sighed deeply. "I can't believe it," he muttered to himself. "This is the first time I've ever been honest with a girl. Sandra's so different from every girl I've met." Suddenly, Sage felt a sharp pain, like a small electric shock, against his chest. "Ow!" he muttered as he pulled out the chain he was wearing from underneath his shirt. The ring of Wisdom glowed green, and small bolts of electricity could be seen circling around it.

Suddenly, a beam of green light shot out from the ring. The beam projected a flat green oval in front of Sage. Through the oval, he saw several images, all in various shades of green. He saw Sandra, from her backside, bending down to pick up the plant guide at the rest spot. She turned around and screamed. The next image he saw was of his evil clone Halo, in his full armor, carrying an unconscious Sandra deeper into the woods. The flat oval disappeared, and the ring stopped glowing. Sage stood there puzzled for a moment, until he heard a familiar scream. "Aww, man," he said. "Sandra's in trouble!" He quickly changed into his sub-armor and ran in the direction of the scream.

Sage quickly arrived at the rest spot, but Sandra and Halo were nowhere in sight. Just then, he noticed a distant figure out in the woods, carrying something or someone in his arms. He followed the figure as fast and as quietly as he dared. The figure turned out to be Halo, carrying Sandra in his arms. Sage managed to get ahead of Halo and ducked behind a thick bush. As he waited for Halo, he formulated a plan. "I'll take him by surprise and get Sandra as far away from him as possible," Sage thought to himself. Suddenly, Halo stopped a few feet from Sage's cover. "Where are you?" he yelled out as he cautiously looked around. "I know you're here, Sage of Halo. I can read your thoughts, I know what you're up to."

He made the mistake of turning his back toward Sage, who slowly crept out from behind the bush. "You might as well come out of hiding," Halo proclaimed. "There's nothing you can do to help your friend!" "Wanna bet?" Halo quickly turned around, only to be nailed in the face by Sage's armored fist. Stunned by the unexpected blow, the armored double fell to the ground. Sage turned his attention to Sandra, who was lying on the ground next to Halo. "Sandra, can you hear me?" Sage asked as he gently lifted her up into a sitting position. "She's still unconscious," he muttered as he picked her up and ran deeper into the forest. "I gotta find a safe place for her," Sage thought, "until that guy's gone for good."

He didn't stop running until he reached a clearing with a small stream. Sage gently laid Sandra down at the bank and edged toward the cold running water. He scooped up some water in his hands and splashed it on Sandra's face. She awakened with a start and, seeing Sage in his armor for the first time, she screamed. Sage quickly covered her mouth. Sandra tried to pull his hand off, but he was too strong with his armor. "Listen to me, Sandra," Sage whispered to her. "There's this guy after you. If he heard you scream, he's probably looking for us right now. I don't have time to explain everything, but we got to get moving now!" After he finished, he let go of Sandra, who had an astonished look on her face.

"But, how did you…" Sandra stuttered as Sage helped her to her feet. "We can't talk now," Sage said, cutting her off. "We have to leave now, or he'll find us." "Too late for that!" Sandra screamed and pointed up. Sage looked behind him and saw Halo standing on the limb of a tree, with his sword drawn. He smiled crudely at them as he jumped and landed a few feet away from them. "Stay behind me, Sandra," Sage instructed the frightened girl. "How pathetic!" Halo sneered. "Now you will both perish!" He lifted his sword above his head, and Sage realized what he was about to do. "THUNDER BOLT CUT!" Halo cried out as a gigantic bolt of lightning emerged from his sword and headed straight toward them.

Sage quickly grabbed Sandra and jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding the massive blast. They landed a short distance away from Halo. As Sage let go of Sandra, he told her, "Sandra, I want you to get as far away from here as you can." "But, what 'bout you?" she asked with concern in her voice. Sage was surprised for a moment. "She's really worried about me," he thought before replying, "Don't worry, I can take care of myself. Go, now!" As Sandra ran off, Sage turned his attention to Halo. "You're gonna pay for trying to hurt my friend," Sage declared. "Armor of Halo! DAO CHI!" After the transformation was complete, Sage withdrew his own sword, ready for battle.

Halo snickered coldly as he watched Sage transform. "What's so funny?" Sage asked. "I think it's humorous that I have to destroy the person I was created from.," he replied icily. The cold response caught Sage by surprise. "You were created from me?" he asked in disbelief. "That's true," Halo admitted openly. "I would tell you the whole story, but I must kill you now!" The two armored enemies collided with swords clashing and fists connecting with each other. Meanwhile, Sandra was watching the from behind the shelter of a tree. She turned around just before Halo's fist connected with Sage's unprotected face, so she wouldn't have to witness it. "Oh, man," Sandra muttered. "What am I gonna do? There's gotta be some way to help Sage."

Suddenly, Sandra saw a strange green glow from the ground. Lying right next to her feet was the ring of Wisdom. Curiosity got the best of her, so Sandra picked up the ring. As she held the ring in her hand, a narrow beam of green light emerged from the ring and connected with her forehead. Slowly, the kanji of Wisdom appeared on Sandra's forehead. As she stood there, Shuno appeared at her side. "Sandra O'Brien," he said, "I am Shuno, ruler of the kokoro. You, my dear, are the kokoro of spirit reborn, destined to help the Ronin Warriors defend the mortal world from evil. Sage is one of the Ronin Warriors. He wears the armor of Halo. You must put your own feelings aside and concentrate on the real threat."

When Sandra snapped back to reality, she shook her head and looked at her side, but Shuno was gone. She looked back at the persisting battle between Halo and Sage. "Man, Sage looks wiped out," Sandra muttered as she watched him fall down to his knees from exhaustion. Halo stood above him, with a wicked smile on his face. "What to do with you," he told Sage, "what to do with you. I got it." Halo raised his sword above his head and said, "I'll cut off your head and keep it as a trophy. It will be a pleasure killing you, Sage of Halo." He was about to bring down the sword when a bright flash of green light blinded him. "Ahh, my eyes!" Halo screamed as he dropped his sword and covered his eyes.

Sage slowly lifted his head and noticed Sandra walking toward them. She had an enraged look on her face as she stared coldly at Halo, who managed to shake off the effects of the blinding light. Several bolts of green electricity were seen running down her arms to her hands, where they gathered into balls of electricity. "I'm not going to allow you to hurt me friend anymore," Sandra muttered through gritted teeth. "And what can you do to stop me?" Halo asked coldly. "THUNDER STRIKE!" she yelled as the two balls of electricity left her hands and nailed Halo straight in his chest. The impact from the blast knocked him to the ground. Halo scowled at Sandra and said, "We will meet again, and when that happens, one of us will die!" With that, he teleported away from the battle scene.

Sandra returned her attention to Sage, who was struggling to get up. "Sage, are you all right?" she asked as she helped him up. "Hey, I'm still alive," Sage replied, looking at her. "You got a lot of explaining to do," Sandra said sternly, folding her arms across her chest. "Where do you want me to start?" he asked. "Well, first of all, 'bout your friends. Are they…?" Sandra started to ask. "Yes," Sage replied before she could finish. "Ryo, Cye, Kento, and Rowen are Ronin Warriors. And Rita, she's a kokoro, like you are. Well, sort of." "Man, this is all mind-boggling," Sandra admitted, holding her forehead. "Don't worry," Sage said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It will all make sense to you, eventually. Right now, we better head back. It's getting late." "Yeah, you're right," Sandra agreed as they headed back down the worn dirt path through the woods…