Legend of the Kokoro
Episode #5: Straight From Da Bronx
By Dreamcatcher

Monday morning had finally arrived. Ryo and Rita were
patiently waiting for Cye, Clara, and Kento at their
street corner. Rita was sitting down on the small
patch of grass while Ryo was looking down the street
where their three friends lived. “Here they come!” he
told Rita, who got back up on her feet. “Good morning,
Ryo and Rita,” Clara greeted as she, Cye, and Kento
joined them. “Good morning to you, too,” Rita replied
as the five young teens headed down the main road
toward the street corner where they planned on meeting
Sage, Sandra, and Rowen. When they were a few yards
away from the street corner, Kento exclaimed, “I can’t
believe this! It must be a miracle or something.”

Waiting at the street corner was Sage and Sandra, but
what caught Kento, Ryo, and Cye by surprise was that
Rowen was with them. “This is quite an unexpected
surprise, Rowen,” Cye exclaimed. “You’re usually still
fast asleep around this time.” “How did you manage to
wake him up this time, Sage?” Ryo asked curiously.
“Well, it helps a lot when you have two people
yelling, ‘Rowen, wake up!’ ” Sage admitted. “Yeah, I’m
still trying to get that ringing out of my head,”
Rowen muttered, holding his head as they continued
down the main road toward Han`a High. “Thanks a lot,
Sandra,” he said sarcastically to Sandra. “Don’t blame
me, now. It was Sage’s idea, not mine,” Sandra told
him.

“Hey, guys! Guess what?” Kento asked. “I have a new
neighbor. They just moved here yesterday.” “Oh,
really?” Sage asked. “Any idea who?” “I don’t know,”
he admitted, shrugging his shoulders. “It was pretty
late at night, so I couldn’t tell.” “Come on, you
two,” Rowen said. “We have more important things to
discuss, like those evil Ronin Warriors.” “It’s
frightening how much they look like the genuine
article,” Clara admitted. “I was almost fooled by
Cye’s evil twin, but I stopped myself because I felt
that something was wrong.” “You know, my ‘twin’ called
himself Torrent,” Cye mentioned to the others. “But
why would they name themselves after our armor?” Ryo
asked. “Maybe they feel they’re far more superior than
the lot of you,” Sandra suggested.

“I’ve come up with a plausible theory of how our evil
twins came to be,” Rowen announced. “It could be
possible that the evil Ronin Warriors are clones of
us!” “I don’t know, Rowen,” Ryo said uncertainly.
“That seems pretty far out.” “And wouldn’t a clone
look exactly like the real thing?” Sage asked. “Well,
the cloning process is not exactly perfect,” Rowen
explained. “It hasn’t been tested on human DNA, only
on animals thus far. Contamination of a DNA sample
could result in a clone with slightly different
features than the original specimen.” “That would
explain why their eyes are different,” Sandra muttered
out loud. “It was weird: their eyes matched the color
of their armor, and the freakiest thing was that they
had no pupils.”

Rowen kept walking along, thinking quietly to himself.
“Rowen!” Cye shouted to get his attention. “What?”
Rowen asked. “And to think you guys were complaining
about me spacing out yesterday,” Cye said, laughing.
“Well, anyway, I wanted to ask you something. If these
evil Ronins are clones, then how were they created?”
“Well, the cloning process requires a sample of DNA,”
Rowen explained. “DNA is like your genetic blueprint.
It basically makes you who you are. Your genetic code
could be separated from anything: a blood sample, an
eyelash, dead skin cells, or a strand of hair even.
Dulcea had the opportunity to collect something from
us. Who knows how long we were out cold in her throne
room?”

Rowen paused for a moment before he continued. “What
perplexes me the most is how the clones were created
so quickly, and also why they’re evil. As far as I
know, speeding up the aging process in those
animal-cloning experiments was a bit shaky. And since
Dulcea obviously found a way to do that, how did she
make them evil?” “Well, you said something earlier
‘bout DNA contamination,” Sandra mentioned. “Maybe she
programmed them to be the way they are.” Rowen looked
at Sandra and smiled. “I think you’re onto something,
Sandra,” he replied. Just then, the school came into
view. “Well, here we are for another fun-filled day at
Han`a High,” Kento retorted sarcastically, causing
everyone to laugh.

The group entered the school’s main entrance and went
their separate ways. Sage and Kento headed down the
hallway and entered their homeroom. “Hi, Sage!” a half
dozen girls chorused as they crowded around Sage. They
dragged him off to the back of the classroom, as
usual, and Kento took his seat up in front as usual.
“Man, this bites!” he muttered as he held his head up
with his hands and watched the other students take
their seats. Just then, a young Oriental woman entered
the room. Her black hair was up in a bun, and she was
wearing a floral print dress with matching sweater.
“Good morning, Miss Fiji,” all of the students
responded as the teacher took her seat.

“Good morning, everyone,” Ms. Fiji replied as she
looked up at the students. “I have a few announcements
to make, but I must do the attendance first.” She
pulled out her attendance sheet and looked down the
list. “Looks like everyone’s here,” she muttered out
loud. “Wait a minute!” She looked up and asked, “Is
there a Miss Kimberly Ashe here today?” No one
responded to the name. “Once again, is Kimberly Ashe
here?” Still, no one responded. Just then, a
sixteen-year-old girl approached the open door and
leaned against the doorframe. Her reddish-brown hair
hung about in several thin braids and accented her
light brown skin. She was wearing an orange-and-white
flannel shirt over a white T-shirt, baggy jeans, black
combat boots, and sunglasses.

“Are you Kimberly Ashe?” Ms. Fiji asked. “That’d be
me,” the girl replied with a heavy New York accent.
“You’ll have to remove your sunglasses,” Ms. Fiji told
her sternly. “They’re not permitted on school
grounds.” Kimberly mumbled something as she removed
her glasses, revealing hazel brown eyes. “Thank you.
You can take a seat now,” Ms. Fiji said, indicating an
empty desk next to Kento. Kimberly sat down and
adjusted the yellow bandanna around her forehead.
“Now, for today’s announcements,” Ms. Fiji continued,
picking up a piece of paper from her desk. “ ‘We have
a couple of sports tryouts this week: soccer on
Wednesday and field hockey on Friday.’ ” Just then,
the bell rang, ending homeroom. “That’s all for today.
See you tomorrow,” Ms. Fiji replied as everyone
gathered their things and left...

During the five-minute break before third period, Sage
waited for Kento, who was digging through his locker
for something. “Come on, hurry it up, Kento,” Sage
said impatiently, “or we’re gonna be late.” Suddenly,
a small avalanche of books and other items fell out of
Kento’s locker. “Aww, man!” he grumbled as he
struggled to pick up everything. Sage helped him out
by picking up a couple of books. As Kento shoved
everything back in his locker, Sage noticed something
next to his foot: a Twinkie snack cake. As he picked
up, Kento snatched it from him. “Thanks, Sage. I’ve
been looking for that.” “A Twinkie, Kento?” Sage asked
sarcastically as they walked down the hall. “You can’t
wait till lunch? Oh, yeah. Forgot who I was talking
to.”

Kento looked at him angrily as he unwrapped the
Twinkie and took a bite. “You know, you’re not allowed
to eat food in the hallways,” Sage reminded his husky
friend. “I never been caught before,” Kento replied in
a muffled voice. Sage snickered as he swallowed the
food. Just then, Sage saw something in the corner of
his eye and turned around. There was Kim, walking down
the hall toward them with some books in her arms. She
stopped a few yards away from where they stood and
worked on her locker combination. Kento turned around
to see what Sage was looking at and groaned. “Come on,
Casanova! Give it up for once and let some other guy
have a chance at getting a girlfriend,” he complained.

Sage snickered and replied, “And let my reputation get
soiled? I don’t think so.” “Your reputation already
got soiled when Sandra told you off,” Kento reminded
him. “Besides, she doesn’t seem like your type.” “Why?
Because she’s black?” Sage asked. “I’ve learned to
look past the color lines for a long time, Kento. If
my parents didn’t do the same, I wouldn’t be here.
Now, if you’ll excuse me...” Kento watched as Sage
casually walked to Kim, who was putting some books in
her locker, and lightly tapped her on the shoulder.
She turned around and looked up for a moment, then
returned her attention to her locker. “Whassup,” she
said to Sage. “Oh, not much,” Sage replied. “No,
‘whassup’ is slang. I wasn’t asking you ‘what’s up?’ I
was saying ‘hello!’ ”

“Oh, right. Sorry about that,” Sage told Kim. “You’re
Kimberly, right?” “Like I been telling everyone all
day,” Kim replied in an annoyed tone, “it’s Kim, all
right?” “Sorry, Kim,” Sage apologized, correcting
himself. As Kim shut her locker after pulling out a
small plastic bag, Sage leaned against the locker next
to hers, so he could look into her eyes. That’s when
Sage first noticed the silver nose ring. “Listen,
Kim,” he started, “if you’re not doing anything after
school, maybe I can take you to the city and show you
around.” “Should I be flattered?” Kim asked, looking
straight at him. “Well, a lot of girls in your
position would just jump at the opportunity,” Sage
admitted, grinning at her. “Oh, is that so?” Kim
replied smugly, pretending to be interested.

Before Sage could say anything, he got an unexpected
surprise. Kim slammed him face first into the lockers
and pinned both of his arms behind his back with one
hand. Sage struggled to break loose, but was
unsuccessful. “Listen to me,” Kim whispered in his
ear, “I don’t play ‘round like that. You best be
leaving me alone, or I’ll make your life a living
nightmare. Ya got me?” She let go of Sage’s arms,
picked up her bag from the floor, and smacked Sage
upside the head before leaving. She walked past Kento,
who was red in the face and was obviously trying to
hold in his laughter. Sage got up from the floor and
after checking his nose to see if it was bleeding, he
walked toward Kento.

Kento tried his hardest, but he could no longer
contain himself. By the time Sage reached him, he was
already halfway bent over, laughing very abruptly.
Fortunately, for Sage, there was no one in the halls
to hear Kento’s laughing. “Are you done yet?” Sage
asked sarcastically. Kento nodded his head yes, but as
they walked down the hallway, he continually
snickered. “Kento, you better not tell anybody about
this,” Sage warned him. “I don’t think it would matter
anyway,” Kento pointed out. “You know news like this
spreads around this school like wildfire.”  “I know.
That’s what I’m worried about,” Sage muttered out loud
enough for Kento to hear. Just then, the bell rang.
“Aww, man!” they exclaimed as they ran down the empty
hall...

It was third period in the gym. Sage and Kento were
sitting on their knees on a large mat, along with a
dozen other boys. They were all wearing traditional
martial arts uniforms: the long white pants and the
white jackets. Sage and Kento were the only ones with
black belts; everyone else had brown belts. Everyone
looked up as their instructor entered the gym. His
long black hair was securely tied into a braid, and he
wore the traditional black uniform of a martial arts
instructor. “Good morning, Sensai Chin,” the class
greeted as he took his in front of them. “Greetings to
you all, my students,” Sensai Chin said. “Before we
start, I have an announcement to make. We have a new
student joining our class.”

“Well, where is he?” one of the students asked. “She
is getting changed in the girls’ locker room,” Sensai
Chin replied. This response caused a chain reaction of
cheering and clapping. “It’s about time, don’t you
think?” Kento whispered to Sage, who nodded in
approval. Just then, Kim entered the gym, wearing a
white martial arts uniform and a black belt. When the
students saw her, the applause died down and Sage
muttered, “Oh, no! Not her!” Kim approached Sensai
Chin and bowed to him respectively. “Welcome to our
class, Kim-San,” Sensai Chin said as Kim stood up. “If
possible, could you tie your hair back?” “Sure, no
problem,” Kim said as she removed her bandanna and
used it to tie her braids back into a ponytail.

“Okay, now it’s time to divide you into groups of
three,” Sensai Chin announced as everyone stood up.
“Kim-San,” he addressed Kim, “you’ll be with Date and
Fuan.” He pointed at Sage and Kento, who had already
separated from the rest of the class. Kim smirked as
she headed toward the two black belts, while Sensai
Chin continued to divide up the class into groups.
“Well, well, nice to see you again,” Kim retorted
sinisterly to Sage. “Just ‘cause we in this class
together don’t mean I’ll go easy on you.” Kento
snickered when he heard this. “And who are you?” Kim
asked, looking at him. “Oh, my name’s Kento Rei Fuan,”
he said, extending his hand. “Yeah, whassup,” Kim
greeted as she shook his hand.

“Now, I would like everyone to do their stretches,”
Sensai Chin announced. As they sat down on the mat and
started their stretches, Kim asked, “So, Kento, you
and what’s-his-name hang out?” “Yeah, we’re good
friends,” he admitted, “and his name’s Sage.” “I can’t
believe that someone like you be hanging out with this
loser,” Kim replied, causing him to snicker. “Be
careful about what you say about the ‘Flirting King,’
” Kento warned her. “ ‘Flirting King?’ ” Kim repeated.
She looked at Sage and remarked sarcastically, “Who do
you think you are, Don Juan or something?” Sage didn’t
bother to answer as they stood up. “I’ll get the
paddles,” he told Kento as he headed toward Sensai
Chin, who had a box full of large paddles.

“So, what we doing next?” Kim asked Kento. “Don’t you
know? I thought you had classes in martial arts,”
Kento replied, a bit surprised. “Well, you see, I did
take classes, but they don’t teach ‘em at school,” she
told him. “What we’re gonna do are standard
exercises,” Kento explained. “You practice your kicks
and punches on those paddles. Each of us gets five
minutes, then we swipe paddles and the next person
practices, and so on.” “Got it,” Kim replied as Sage
approached them, carrying a paddle in each hand. “You
may begin now,” Sensai Chin announced. Sage stood
ready, holding the paddles firmly in his hands. “As I
always say, ‘Ladies first,’ ” Kento said, gesturing
for Kim to start.

“Gee, Kento,” Sage retorted sarcastically, “I thought
you always said, ‘When’s lunch?’ ” Kento gave him a
dirty look as Kim bowed respectively to Sage and stood
ready. She started off with a few punches, followed by
a roundhouse kick. Kento watched in amazement as Kim
continued with her punch-and-kick pattern. She knocked
one of the paddles out of Sage’s hand with a punch,
and to his surprise, she performed a roundhouse kick
that nailed him right in the stomach. The force of the
impact sent Sage straight to the mat. Kento stood
there with his mouth open as Kim helped Sage up.
“Sorry ‘bout that,” Kim apologized. “Got carried
away.” “No kidding,” Sage groaned, holding his side.

When they looked up, Sensai Chin was standing in front
of them. “Are you all right, Sage-San?” he asked Sage.
“I’m okay, Sensai,” Sage answered. “I’m real sorry
‘bout this, Sensai” “Calm down, Kim-San.” Sensai Chin
returned his attention to Sage. “Why don’t you sit
down and rest?” Sage nodded, walked over to a cleared
section of mat, and sat down. “I must say,” Sensai
Chin told Kim, “your moves are quite impressive. You
have been trained well.” “What makes you think that?”
Kim asked. “Sage Date is our top student,” Sensai Chin
explained. “You took him down by surprise. He didn’t
see it coming. Keep up the good work.” He walked back
to the front of the class and announced, “All right,
everyone. Let’s continue.” Kim picked up the paddles
and sparred with Kento...

 Kim was walking down the hall toward her locker. She
had a few minutes before the bell would ring for the
start of sixth period. She worked on the combination,
got her locker open, and pulled out her lunch bag.
Just then, Kim felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned
around to face Noriko and five of her friends. “Hey,
whassup,” she said to them. “Let’s skip the
introductions and get to the point,” Noriko replied
coldly. “My friends and I have heard an ugly rumor
that you slammed Sage Date’s face into a locker.” Kim
snickered and admitted, “Whoa, news here sure spreads
fast!” The girls, including Noriko, were shocked when
they heard this. “So then, it’s true?” Noriko asked in
disbelief.

“Yeah, so what?” Kim replied. “I don’t like guys who
flirt like it’s an Olympic event.” “Yeah, right,”
Noriko proclaimed boldly. “Sage would never flirt with
someone like you.” “And what do ya mean by that?” Kim
asked loudly.  Noriko was intimidated for a moment,
but she didn’t back down. “I’m not gonna let you get
away with what you did to Sage,” Noriko told her. Kim
put her lunch bag on the ground and stared down at
Noriko. “Are you threatening me?” she asked abruptly.
She snickered as she looked at Noriko. “What’s so
funny?” she asked as Kim rolled up her sleeve. “Oh,
nothing,” Kim replied. “I was trying to figure how a
scrawny little thing like yourself could even stand a
chance against this.”

She flexed her bicep to prove her point. Noriko was
obviously frightened, along with her friends. “Listen,
it’s a school day, and I’m busy after school, so what
do you say we put this behind us and pretend this
never happened, O.K.?” Noriko suggested. Kim was
silent for a moment, as though she was thinking about
Noriko’s proposition. “Aww, hell,” she finally agreed.
“What do you say we shake on it?” Kim extended her
hand to Noriko. She hesitated for a moment, but Noriko
eventually shook Kim’s hand. Just to scare her even
more, Kim squeezed Noriko’s hand hard. “Oww!” Noriko
shouted as she pulled her hand away. She looked at her
friends and told them, “Come on, girls.” As they left,
Kim pulled her sleeve back down, grabbed her lunch
bag, and left...

Lunch has already started in the cafeteria. Kento was
sitting at a table, waiting for his friends to arrive.
“Hey, Kento!” Cye greeted as he, Ryo, and Rowen
approached the table and sat down. “Where’s Sage?” Ryo
asked Kento. Kento replied by pointing at the hot
lunch line. Sage was near the end of the line,
chatting with a couple of girls. “Wow! He takes a
licking and keeps on ticking,” Kento murmured under
his breath. “What was that, Kento?” Rowen asked.
“Nothing,” Kento said sternly. His friends looked at
him curiously. “What?” Kento asked innocently.
“Something happened to Sage today,” Cye said, “and
you’re not telling us.” “Nothing happened to Casanova
today, I swear,” Kento denied.

Kento decided to try and change the subject. “Hey, did
any of you meet the new girl?” he asked. They all
shook their heads no, and Ryo asked, “What new girl?”
“Kim Ashe,” Kento explained. “She was in my homeroom,
and also in my martial arts class.” “What a surprise!
I thought there were only guys in your class,” Rowen
replied. “Well, not anymore,” Kento retorted. “Are you
sure you never seen Kim? She would stand out from the
other girls here.” “And why would she stand out?” Cye
asked curiously. “She’s black,” Kento replied. “Or, at
least I think she’s black.” “What do you mean by
that?” Ryo asked. “Either she’s black or she’s not.”
“Well, I’m not exactly sure…” Kento said slowly and
thoughtfully.

“How can you not be sure?” Rowen asked. “Well, I’ve
seen pictures of Africans in my history book,” Kento
explained. “Kim, she’s not as dark as them and her
hair isn’t black and frizzy.” “Well, maybe her skin
cells don’t produce enough melanin,” Rowen theorized.
“What did you say?” Kento asked, obviously confused.
“Melanin,” Rowen repeated. “It’s a pigment in your
skin. Generally, Africans are born with a lot of
melanin in their skin. That’s why they’re so dark. The
amount of melanin varies from person to person. For
example, you and Ryo have more melanin than Cye, Sage,
and me. The two of you are darker than the rest of
us.” “Oh!” Kento replied, nodding his head.

Just then, he saw Kim enter the cafeteria. “Look,
there she is!” Kento exclaimed. He waved his arm in
the air to get her attention. “Hey, Kim!” he shouted.
Kim turned her head and headed toward the table. “Hey,
Kento, what up!” she greeted as she slapped hands with
Kento. “I’m alright,” Kento replied as they sat down.
“Kim, these are my friends: Ryo Sanada, Cye Mouri, and
Rowen Hashiba.” “Yeah, whassup,” Kim said to them.
“Nice to meet you, Kim,” Cye greeted. Kim turned to
Kento and asked, “Is Don Juan around?” “Sage is still
in the lunch line,” Kento replied, “but he’ll be out
in a few minutes. Why?” “I got some important business
to discuss with him,” Kim replied.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what kind of important
business?” Rowen asked. “Well, it’s gotta do with some
gal I ran into just a few minutes ago,” Kim explained.
“She was all up in my face.” “Let me guess: long black
hair and steel gray eyes, right?” Rowen asked. “Ya
know her?” Kim asked. “Her name’s Noriko. She’s the
leader of Sage’s past girlfriends,” Cye explained.
“She feels she earned that title ‘cause so far, her
relationship with Sage lasted the longest. Go ahead,
continue.” “Anyway, she went all psycho on me ‘cause
she heard about me slamming Sage into the lockers.
Boy, I tell ya, news spreads fast here.” Ryo, Cye, and
Rowen were in shock. “What’s up with y’all?” Kim
asked. “Let me guess. I’m the first one ever to turn
down the ‘Flirting King,’ right?”

“No, you’re the second,” Ryo managed to sputter out.
“It’s just, we know Sage hits on girls, but you’re the
first one to hit him back, literally!” Kim chuckled to
herself as she opened her lunch bag. “Damn!” she
exclaimed. “What’s wrong, Kim?” Kento asked. “I forgot
to pack something to drink,” Kim told him, “but just
chill. I’ll just get something from the soda machine.”
She got up from her seat and made her way to the other
side of the cafeteria, where the soda machine was
located. Sage had finally escaped from the lunch line
and sat down with his friends, never noticing Kim.
“Hey, guys. How’s it going?” he greeted as he sat
down. “Just fine,” Cye stuttered quickly as Ryo and
Rowen tried to muffle their snickering.

“What’s so funny, guys?” Sage asked. As they continued
to snicker, Sage stared accusingly at Kento. “You told
them, didn’t you?” he asked. “No way! I swear, I
didn’t tell them a thing!” Kento denied. “Then, how
did they find out, Kento?” Sage asked accusingly. Kim
arrived back at the table with a can of soda in her
hand. As she sat back down, Sage groaned and asked;
“You told them?” “If you talking ‘bout that thing
where I slammed your face in a locker, yeah,” Kim
replied. Sage buried his face in his hands as his
friends laughed about it. “Listen up, Don Juan,” Kim
started. “This girl of yours, Noriko, she was like all
in my face a few minutes ago. Obviously, word spread
about...you know, and she wasn’t happy ‘bout it.”

Sage took in a deep breath before he told Kim, “Look,
the only advice I can give you is to just leave it
alone. Noriko’s like that to every girl.” “So, she’s
like a straight-out racist to every girl she meets?”
Kim asked, catching Sage by surprise.  “Hold on.
Noriko, a racist? You sure you weren’t hearing
things?” Sage asked.  “Not the way I heard it,” Kim
admitted. “Look, she wanted to know why I did what I
did. When I told her it was ‘cause you was hitting on
me, Noriko said, and these were her exact words, ‘Sage
would never flirt with someone like you.’ She didn’t
say it straight out, but I know she meant that you
would never flirt with a black girl.” Everyone sitting
at the table was completely silent.

“Look, Kim, I apologize for what Noriko said to you,”
Sage told her. “Seriously, Sage,” Cye suggested, “you
ought to have a talk with Noriko about this.” “Ya
know, I should’ve expected this kind of behavior,” Kim
interrupted. “I’m like the only one at this school
with dark skin. No offense, you two,” she told Kento
and Ryo, “but I know you weren’t born with that tan.”
Everyone at the table was silent for a few moments,
until Cye decided to break the ice. “So, Kim, where
are you from?” “I’m from the Big Apple: New York
City,” Kim replied. “Originally from da Bronx suburbs.
Weren’t exactly perfect, but hey, home is home.” Just
then, the bell rang, ending lunch period...

The end of school had finally arrived. Kento was
waiting outside, along with Ryo, Cye, Sage, Rita,
Sandra, and Clara. They were all gathered under the
shade of the oak tree, except for Kento, who was
keeping a lookout for Rowen. He didn’t see Rowen yet,
but he did spot a certain girl. “Hey, Kim!” he
shouted. “Over here!” As soon as Kim spotted him, she
headed over to the oak tree. “Hey, boy, whassup!” she
said, lightly punching him on the shoulder. “Why did
you punch him?” Cye asked curiously. “It’s a ghetto
form of greeting your posse, your friends,” Kim
explained. “Kim, this is Rita Niitsu, Sandra O’Brien,
and Clara Garson,” Kento said, introducing her to the
girls. “Girls, this is Kim Ashe.”

“Nice to meet you, Kim,” Clara greeted, extending her
hand to Kim. “Yeah, same here,” Kim said as she shook
Clara’s hand. “So, Kim, you’re the gal everyone’s
talking ‘bout,” Sandra exclaimed. “I must say, it’s an
honor to meet ya.” “Really? What for?” Kim asked,
slightly confused. “I heard that you smacked his face
into a locker,” Sandra explained, jerking her thumb at
Sage. “Personally, I think he deserved that.” Sage
covered his face in embarrassment. “So, what y’all
standing ‘round here for?” Kim asked. “We’re waiting
for Rowen,” Ryo explained. “Y’all going down that
road?” she asked, pointing at the main road leading
away from Han`a High. “Yeah, we all do,” Ryo answered.

“Looks like I’ll be joining y’all,” Kim said.
“Really?” Kento asked. “I thought you were like, you
know, the lone wolf type.” “Hell, no!” Kim exclaimed.
“If you’re a lone wolf in New York, you’re a dead man
walking. It’s true ‘bout that ‘safety in numbers’
thing. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here. Besides, it’s my
first time walking home here, and I don’t wanna get
lost out in Nowhere-ville.” Just then, Rowen left the
school and joined them. “About time, Rowen!” Kento
shouted. “We’ve been waiting forever for you!” “Well,
I’m here now, so let’s leave,” Rowen told him. The
group of nine left the shelter of the oak tree and
headed down the main road leading away from Han`a High
School.

“Yo, Sage?” Kim asked. “Yes?” “I guess I should like
apologize for knocking you up twice in one day,” Kim
explained. “Hold on a minute! There was a second
time?” Cye asked out of shock. “Yeah, there was,” Sage
quickly murmured. He turned back toward Kim. “You
don’t need to apologize, Kim. I’ll admit, I was out of
line.” “Yeah, I do, Sage,” Kim told him. “Straight-up,
I thought you was the player-type.” “The player-type?”
Ryo asked. “What does that mean?” “Well, you see, a
player is usually some dude,” Kim explained, “but a
girl could be a player, too. Anyway, a player would go
up to a girl and go, ‘Hey, baby! Whassup!’ They'd be
flirting with you and acting all nice and stuff when,
truth is they just wanna get with you horizontally. Ya
know what I’m saying?”

Kim looked at Sage and said, “Ya know, after checking
you out, I know now that you ain’t no player. You are
nowhere near being a player.” “How do you know so much
‘bout ‘the player-type,’ Kim?” Sandra asked. “I admit,
some of my homeys are straight-up players,” Kim
admitted. She noticed the way everyone was looking at
her. “If y’all wondering, I never hooked up with one
of ‘em. Even if you think you know a player, you don’t
exactly know where he’s been.” Rowen interrupted by
announcing, “Here’s our stop, guys.” “See you later,”
Ryo said as Rowen, Sage, and Sandra headed down their
street. As Ryo, Cye, Kento, Clara, Rita, and Kim
continued down the main road, Rita asked, “I’m
curious. What was it like for you, Kim, living in New
York City?”

Kim didn’t answer right away. “It was all right,
despite living in the suburbs,” she finally said. “I
remember when we started out, we could only afford a
one-bedroom apartment. Pops was finishing up law
school, and Ma was working, so we didn’t have a lot to
begin with. The ‘hood was bad, really bad. There was
like four or five gangs there, and like every other
night, you’d hear all this shooting and screaming. It
was like ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ or something. When
Pops finished school, he got a job with this big
international law firm. As Ma said, we was ‘moving on
up like the Jeffersons.’ We moved to a better
neighborhood and into a bigger apartment. Ma quit her
job and stayed home taking care of me and my brother
and sisters.”

“That sounds like a big family,” Cye remarked. “Six
ain’t a big deal,” Kim retorted, “and I don’t mean six
kids. There’s Pops, Ma, me, my brother, and my twin
sisters.” “So, how did you end up moving all the way
here to Japan?” Clara asked. “Well, a couple of weeks
ago, my pops got this huge promotion from his job,”
Kim explained. “Like I said before, this law firm he
worked for is international. They wanted him to be a
representative for the firm here. And ya know what
that means: in order for him to take the job, the
whole family had to move out here.” “Do you miss your
home? I mean, your old home, in New York?” Cye asked.
“Yeah, of course I miss it! Why wouldn’t I?” Kim
shouted.

She took a deep breath and said, “Sorry ‘bout that,
Cye. You was just asking. I’m definitely gonna miss
rapping with my homeys.” “Rapping? Is that slang for
something?” Rita asked. “Not in this case,” Kim told
her. “Sometimes, when my homeys and I would get
together, we would freeverse. That’s a type of rapping
that you make up as you’re going along.” “Hey, can we
hear some?” Kento asked. “Well, I don’t feel like
making up something right now,” Kim replied, “but I
can do one that I did a few months ago. It’s still up
in my head.” “Cool! Let’s hear it,” Kento said. “All
right, but I’ll warn ya. It’s only like ten lines.”
She started to bob her head a bit, like she was
listening to a steady rhythm in her head, before she
started:

“Who gots the flo’, who gots the flo’
Grab the microphone and let your funky lyrics go
Here I go on the microphone, about to wreck it
You thought a female M.C. couldn’t do it, but now
check it
If the blues is what you choose, I’ll kick it Count
Basie style
But if bebop is what you rock, I’ll kick the Monk or
some Miles
Won’t grab no Phillies, my style is willing if you let
me
Or if I choose to ‘cause women’s lib said I don’t have
to
So think again before you test a sister, ‘cause with
my girls behind me
We got lots of power, mister.”

When Kim finished, there was complete silence that
followed. “Well, don’t just stand there gawking,” she
said. “What did y’all think?” “Well, I personally
didn’t catch all of the words,” Clara admitted, “but
it sounded good.” “Seriously, you made that up?” Kento
asked. “Yeah, so?” Kim asked. “That was so awesome!”
he blurted out. “I don’t think anyone around here
could do that!” “For real?” Kim asked. Just then, they
arrived at another street corner. “Looks like this is
my stop,” Kim muttered out loud, looking at the street
sign. “Really? So do we,” Kento admitted, indicating
himself, Cye, and Clara. “See you tomorrow, everyone,”
Ryo said as he and Rita left. “Yeah, peace out,” Kim
told them as she, Kento, Cye, and Clara headed down
the street.

“Hey, Kim?” Kento asked. “Yeah?” “Is your new home a
two-floor, white house with dark green trim?” “Yeah,
so?” Kim asked. “Looks like we’re neighbors,” Kento
admitted. “That house is right next-door to mine.”
“For real? Cool!” Kim said. As Kim’s house came into
view, Kento started sniffing the air. “What are you
doing?” Cye asked, trying to suppress his laughter.
“Something smells good,” Kento replied, giving Cye a
dirty look. “Ma must be making sweet potato pie,” Kim
admitted as she took in a deep breath. “Sweet potato
pie?” Kento repeated. “That sounds weird: putting
potatoes in a pie.” “Might sound weird, but it tastes
great!” Kim proclaimed. “You think I could get a
slice?” Kento asked.

Kim thought about it for a moment. “Guess it wouldn’t
hurt to ask,” she finally said. As the foursome
approached the house, two eleven-year-old girls and an
eight-year-old boy were seen sitting on the porch
steps. The children were as dark as Kim, but their
hair was black and frizzy. The girls were wearing
matching red-and-black checkered dresses with black
tennis shoes, and the boy was wearing jeans and a
green T-shirt. One of the girls looked up and spotted
Kim. She elbowed her sister and said, “Look! She’s
here!” The little boy went inside and yelled, “Mama,
Kim’s home!” The two girls ran up the road and
embraced their older sister. “Hey, get off me, ya
little rugrats!” Kim shouted as the girls giggled and
let her go.

“Ya know, Mama’s gonna be mad at you if she found out
you ran down the road like that,” she pointed out.
“Please, don’t tell her, Kim, please!” the girls
pleaded simultaneously. “Don’t worry,” Kim told them.
“She won’t hear anything from me.” The girls smiled at
her and ran back to the porch. “Who are they?” Kento
asked. “Those were my twin sisters,” Kim explained.
“The one on the left is Jasmine, and the other one’s
Janice.” “How are you able to tell them apart?” Cye
asked as they walked over to her house. “Well, there
are little things, like birth marks, beauty marks,
dimples… stuff like that.” “And who was that little
boy who ran into the house?” Clara asked. “That was
Derrick,” Kim told her. “He’s kinda shy ‘round people.
That’s why he bolted into the house.”

When Kim, Kento, Cye, and Clara reached the porch, the
front door opened. A young black woman in her early
thirties stepped out onto the porch, with Derrick
hiding behind her. She was wearing a short-sleeved
white blouse, a long black skirt, and black tennis
shoes. “Hey, Kim,” she greeted with a southern drawl.
“How was your first day of school?” “It was all right,
Ma,” Kim replied. “These are some guys I met at
school: Kento, Cye, and Clara.” “Pleasure to meet
y’all,” Mrs. Ashe greeted. “Would ya like to come
inside and have some sweet potato pie? It’s straight
outta the oven.” “Thanks for the invitation, Mrs.
Ashe,” Cye said, “but we should be on our way.” “Well,
how’s about I send y’all home with a slice?”

“Sure! That’d be great!” Kento exclaimed with a big
grin on his face. “Now, y’all just wait here a minute,
and I’ll be right back.” Mrs. Ashe went back in the
house, followed by Derrick and the twins. Kim sat down
on the porch steps while everyone else stood up. “Your
mother’s a very nice woman,” Cye commented. “Thanks,”
Kim replied. “It’s all part of her Southern
hospitality.” “Where is she from?” Kento asked.
“Kentucky. She was raised on a farm.” Kim was looking
around and spotted a gold-colored van in the driveway
of the neighboring house. “That your house, Kento?”
she asked, jerking her thumb at the house. “Yeah,”
Kento replied. “Whose van is that?” “It’s mine,” he
admitted. “I know it doesn’t look that good from the
outside, but it runs like a tank.”

As they were talking, a nice black sports car pulled
into the driveway. The driver’s door opened, and a
forty-year-old white man dressed in a three-piece
business suit stepped out. His reddish-brown hair was
neatly combed back and he was clean-cut. Kim looked up
at the man and exclaimed, “Pops?” She got up and
approached her father. “What the hell you doing here?”
“Surprised? I got out of work early,” he replied in a
deep voice as he hugged his daughter. He noticed
Kento, Cye, and Clara standing on the porch with
confused looks on their faces. “Your first day, and
you already made some new friends,” Mr. Ashe said.
“Why don’t you introduce me to them, Kim?” “Right,
Pops,” Kim replied. “That’s Kento, Cye, and Clara.
Guys, this is my dad, the attorney.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Ashe,” Cye greeted after he got
rid of his startled expression. “Nice to meet you all
as well,” Mr. Ashe said. “Hmm... Smells like your
mother made sweet potato pie.” “Yup, she did,” Kim
replied. “Well, I better get a slice before you all
eat it up.” He went inside and Kim looked at her new
friends suspiciously. “What’s up with y’all?” she
blurted out. “We didn’t know you were biracial,” Kento
admitted. “Well, I am. Got a problem with it?” Kim
said a bit defensively. “No!” Kento denied. Just then,
Mrs. Ashe stepped onto the porch, carrying three paper
plates with three pieces of pie wrapped with plastic
wrap. “Here you go,” she said cheerfully as she handed
the plates to Kento, Cye, and Clara. “Hope y’all like
it.” “Thanks, Mrs. Ashe,” Kento said.

She smiled and said, “As soon as you’re done talking
to your friends, could you come to the kitchen, Kim?”
“Yeah, sure, Ma,” she replied as her mother went back
inside. There was an awkward silence that followed.
Cye broke the silence by saying, “Kim, I’m sorry about
the way I reacted earlier. We’re all sorry. Right,
Kento? Clara?” “Yeah, sorry about that, Kim,” Kento
apologized. “We didn’t mean to offend you in any way,”
Clara replied. Kim hesitated for a moment before
replying. “It’s all right,” she finally said. “Y’all
probably never been ‘round someone like me before.”
“Yeah, that’s true,” Kento admitted. “Well, we ought
to be going,” Cye said as he, Clara, and Kento got off
of the porch. “Later,” Kim said as she watched them
head down the street before going inside...

Meanwhile, Dulcea was in her throne room, watching the
image of Kim standing on her porch and heading back
into the house. She was so focused on the mirror, she
didn’t noticed her burliest warrior quietly slip into
the room. “Is that her?” Dulcea was startled a bit.
She turned around to face Hardrock, with anger clearly
burning in her amethyst eyes. “Don’t sneak up on me
ever again!” Dulcea said coldly. She abruptly turned
around and quickly waved her hand over the mirror. As
the images disappeared, Dulcea walked past Hardrock
and sat back down at her throne. “Yes, that is the
kokoro of earth,” she finally answered. “In spite of
her...appearance, she is surprisingly strong, despite
the fact that she is still human.”

“Strong? Her?” Hardrock exclaimed. He laughed abruptly
at the thought of it, but he was soon silenced by
Dulcea’s piercing glare. “This isn’t a laughing
matter, Hardrock,” she told him. “I’ve been keeping an
eye on her all day. Her warrior skills are impressive,
so she’ll be more difficult.” “Nothing I can’t handle,
Lady Dulcea,” Hardrock boasted. Dulcea narrowed her
eyes and stared at him. “Go, now,” she finally said.
“Lure her to the Mt. Dojo National Park. You better
not fail me.” Hardrock quickly bowed and left the
throne room, entering a dark hallway. He suddenly
stopped in his tracks. He sensed someone standing
behind him. Hardrock’s hand closed into a fist and he
quickly turned around and slugged the stranger in the
face.

He stood over Torrent, who was slowly rubbing his jaw.
A small stream of blood trickled down from the corner
of his mouth. He looked back up at Hardrock with anger
blazing in his eyes. “What did you do that for?” he
yelled angrily as he struggled to stand up. “I got a
better question: What were you doing, sneaking around
me like that?” Hardrock asked. “Well, at least now,
you know not to do something that stupid around me
again.” Torrent was no longer angry; he was now
furious. “You’re gonna pay for insulting me like
that!” he shouted in an enraged tone. “Why? What are
you gonna do about it?” Hardrock provoked him
intentionally. “I’m not afraid of you, or anybody
else!”

“Are you so sure about that?” Hardrock scowled as
Wildfire and Halo emerged from the shadows. “Stay out
of this, Wildfire,” he muttered loud enough for him to
hear. “This is none of your business.” “Maybe I should
make it my business,” Wildfire replied. “You’re not
the boss around here,” Hardrock reminded him. “You can
try, but you can’t intimidate me.” “Don’t be so sure
of yourself, Hardrock,” Halo retorted. Hardrock got
into his face and muttered, “Back off, or you’ll hit
the floor faster than Torrent.” “Better watch it,
Hardrock,” Wildfire warned him. “Your boastful ways
could lead to your downfall.”  Hardrock looked at him
and snickered. “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s so
funny?” Wildfire asked.

“If you three want to worry about something, you
should worry about yourselves,” Hardrock replied
smugly. “And why should we?” Torrent asked. “Lady
Dulcea is angry with all of you, and you know why.”
“If she only planned on having us around for
destroying the kokoro before they reached their true
potential,” Halo retorted, “don’t you think she
would’ve gotten rid of us already? May I remind you,
she is more powerful than all of us combined, so don’t
act all high and mighty.” His orange eyes narrowed and
stared coldly at Halo’s green eyes. “If you will all
excuse me,” he finally said, “I have an order to
follow. Later, losers.” Before Wildfire, Halo, or
Torrent could say anything, Hardrock teleported
away...

It was now around late afternoon. Kim was riding on
the road on her skateboard. She pushed on the road
with her foot to gain more speed. Suddenly, she heard
a car horn from behind her. Kim groaned as she came
over to the side of the road and got off of her
skateboard. Turning around, she recognized the
gold-colored van. Kim picked up her skateboard and
approached the passenger door. The window rolled down,
revealing Kento as the driver. Dark sunglasses covered
his eyes. “Hey, Kento,” Kim exclaimed. “Whassup!”
“Same to you, Kim,” Kento replied. “Where are you
going?” “To the park. Why?” “Well, I’m going to be
passing by there, so you want a lift?” Kento asked as
he opened the door for Kim.

Kim was a bit suspicious at first, but she got over
it. “All right,” she finally said as she got into the
front seat and closed the door.  Kim laid her
skateboard on her lap as Kento continued driving. “So,
Kim,” Kento started to ask, “why are you heading to
the park?” “Well, I heard there’s a killer ramp
there,” Kim explained as she repeatedly tapped on the
skateboard with her fingertips. “Gotta work on some of
my moves, ya know.” She glanced around the van
quickly, and looked at Kento before she continued. “Ya
know,” Kim told him, “for looking as bad as it does
from the outside, this old thing runs pretty
smoothly.” “Thanks,” Kento said. “It was practically a
steal at that rent-a-car place.”

Kim had a bit of a confused look on her face. “That’s
weird,” she mumbled to herself as she turned her head
and looked out of the passenger window. Kento looked
at her and asked, “What’s weird?” “Well, it’s just, I
thought you said earlier today that you own this van,”
Kim explained, still looking out of the window. All of
a sudden, she felt a sharp blow to her head and passed
out.  The driver snickered sinisterly as he removed
his sunglasses, revealing himself as Hardrock. “This
is too easy,” he thought to himself as he glanced at
his unconscious passenger. “Hope you enjoy your nap,
kokoro,” Hardrock told her, “ ‘cause you’ll be
sleeping for a very long time.” He laughed evilly as
he continued driving...

Meanwhile, Kento was sitting at the kitchen table,
mumbling to himself as he looked over a worksheet in
front of him. “Aww, man!” he muttered to himself. “And
I thought Spanish was supposed to be easy!” Kento
pulled out a book from his book bag and opened it up.
“Good thing I got this Spanish-English dictionary, or
I would flunk Spanish big time!” He found what he was
looking for and started to jot down some words on his
worksheet. Just then, the phone rang. “All right!”
Kento exclaimed as he got up. “I needed a break from
this anyway.” He put the dictionary on the table and
picked up the kitchen phone. “Hello?” he spoke into
the mouthpiece. “Hey, Kento,” an all-too-familiar
voice replied over the phone.

“Hey, Cye!” Kento exclaimed. “What’s going on?” “Not
much,” Cye answered. “Are your parents home yet?”
“No,” Kento replied slowly. “They’re still at the
restaurant. You know they don’t leave until six.
What’s wrong?” “I’m calling you on Ronin Warrior
business,” Cye explained. “I just wanted to make sure
there was no one there to overhear our conversation.
Listen, have you received any sort of reaction from
that ring?” Kento pulled out the chain and quickly
glanced at the ring before putting it back. “No,
nothing yet,” he told Cye. “Why are you asking?” “You
see, I have a bit of a suspicion as to who the kokoro
of earth may be,” Cye explained. “Well, spill it! Who
do you think it is?” Kento blurted out.

“Isn’t it obvious, Kento?” a slightly frustrated Cye
replied. Kento thought about it for a moment until it
sunk in. “No! You don’t think it’s...Kim, do you?”
“Yes, that’s my guess.” “But, why do you think that?”
Kento asked. He heard Cye groan out of frustration.
“You haven’t noticed the pattern? Well, let me
explain. You know how we were all separated from when
Talpa first attacked us? We were found in a certain
order according to the Ancient’s poem. Mia found Ryo
first, then they found Sage. Ryo found me next, Sage
found you afterwards, and we finally found Rowen. It
seems that the kokoro are being discovered in the
exact same pattern. First Rita, then Sandra, and then
Clara… The next kokoro we find is gonna be connected
to your armor, Kento, and I feel deep inside that it’s
Kim.”

All of a sudden, Kento felt a massive weight hanging
from his neck. His head dropped down and he groaned
from the unexpected additional weight. “Kento! What’s
wrong?” Cye shouted. “I think-my ring-has just
reacted,” Kento murmured through clenched teeth.
“Quick! Pull it out from underneath your shirt!”
“Well, okay,” Kento said uncertainly as he struggled
to pull the ring out, “but I don’t see why...” He
stopped talking as he noticed the ring of Justice
glowing orange in his hand. Suddenly, a beam of orange
light came out from the ring. The beam projected a
flat orange oval in front of Kento. Through the oval,
he saw several images, all in various shades of
orange.

The first image was of a gold van similar to his.
Hardrock, in his full armor, was pulling an
unconscious Kim out of the passenger seat. The next
image showed Kim punching Hardrock in his unprotected
face. The last image was of a furious Hardrock
preparing to do his Iron Rock Crusher. The flat oval
disappeared, and the ring of Justice stopped glowing.
Kento was so in shock over what he saw that he dropped
the phone. “Kento! Are you still there? KENTO!” Cye’s
voice squeaked loudly from the dangling phone. Kento
snapped out of it and fumbled a bit with the phone.
“Man, Cye, you were right about Kim! Sorry, but I
gotta go now!” He hung up the phone, pulled his keys
out of his pocket, and ran out of the house...

Meanwhile, a gold-colored van pulled up into Mt. Dojo
National Park. Hardrock, now in his sub-armor, stopped
the van and stepped out of the driver’s seat. By the
time he reached the passenger door, Hardrock was in
his full armor. He opened the front door, picked up
Kim, and flung her over his shoulder. As Hardrock
headed deeper into the park, Kim slowly opened her
eyes. “What the hell...” she murmured to herself. She
felt down in her gut that she was in some sort of
danger. Kim tried punching her adductor’s shoulder,
but ended up bruising her knuckles on Hardrock’s
shoulder plate. “Damn it!” she yelled out in pain.

As she rubbed her fist with her other hand and blew on
the bruises, Hardrock snickered. “So, you’re awake.”
He turned his head around to look at her. “That was a
stupid move you pulled,” he sneered. At that moment,
Kim noticed her window of opportunity: Hardrock had
nothing protecting his face. She clenched her good
hand into a tight fist and aimed at his face with all
of her strength. Kim obviously nailed him in the right
spot. “Ahh!” Hardrock yelled out in pain as he covered
his face with one hand. This move caused him to loosen
his grip on Kim. She fell to the ground, got up, and
ran away from Hardrock, who was still covering his
face. She climbed up a rocky ledge and looked back at
him.

Hardrock was obviously furious. Fire burned in his
cold orange eyes, which were staring straight at Kim.
“You’re gonna pay for that!” he yelled angrily. “Oh,
yeah?” Kim shouted boldly. “Bring it on!” Hardrock
chuckled as he removed his naginata from behind him.
“You’ll regret saying that. IRON ROCK CRUSHER!” He
twirled around his naginata and brought it down to the
ground, sending tremendous jagged slabs of rock flying
straight at Kim. “Oh, shit!” she exclaimed as she
quickly dropped down to the ground to avoid the flying
boulders. A couple grazed her slightly on the back,
but Kim pretty much escaped unharmed. “You won’t be
able to escape this time!” Hardrock yelled as he
prepared to attack her again.

Before he could finish the attack, a large rock hit
him square between the shoulders. Hardrock turned
around and saw Kento, in his sub-armor, standing there
next to his rented van. “Let me guess,” Kento said.
“You call yourself Hardrock, right?” Kento jumped high
over Hardrock’s head and landed right in front of the
ledge where Kim stood. “Are you okay?” he asked her
quickly. “I’m still here,” Kim retorted. “Mind telling
me what’s going on here?” “Now is not a good time,
Kim!” Kento replied as he carefully watched Hardrock.
“You better get out of here. Things might get a little
messy.” “But, what about…” Kim started. “I’ll cover
you, okay?” Kento blurted out in frustration. “Now,
go!”

Kim hesitated for a moment before she continued to
climb up the ledge. Kento returned his attention to
his evil twin. “You’re going down!” he declared.
“Armor of Hardrock! DAO GI!” After the transformation
was complete, Kento withdrew his own naginata and
stood ready for battle. Hardrock stared at his
adversary and snickered. “Don’t be so sure of
yourself, Kento of Hardrock,” he sneered crudely.
Enraged, Kento charged straight at him. He swung his
naginata at Hardrock, but he blocked the blow with his
own weapon. “Nice try,” Hardrock admitted sinisterly.
In a blink of an eye, he knocked Kento to the ground
with a quick blow to his chin. “But, not good enough,”
he finished as he headed toward Kento.

While the battle between Kento and Hardrock continued,
Kim was walking away from the ledge she climbed
earlier. Her hands were buried in her pockets, and she
was taking out her frustration by kicking small stones
along the path she was taking. “Man, Kento is so
dense,” Kim muttered angrily to herself. “Dude don’t
stand a chance against him. What the hell was he
thinking?” She was about to kick another stone when
she spotted something shiny resting on top of it. It
was the ring of Justice. “What the...?” Kim exclaimed
slowly as she bent down to take a closer look at the
ring. She thought the light was from the sun’s
reflection, but the ring was emitting its own light.
Kim carefully picked up the ring and looked at it in
the palm of her hand.

As she held the ring in her hand, a narrow beam of
orange light emerged from the ring and connected with
her forehead. Slowly, the kanji of Justice appeared on
Kim’s forehead. As she stood there, Shuno appeared at
her side. ”Kimberly Ashe,” he said, “I am Shuno, ruler
of the kokoro. You, my dear, are the kokoro of earth
reborn, destined to help the Ronin Warriors defend the
mortal world from evil. Kento is one of the Ronin
Warriors. He wears the armor of Hardrock. Do not let
your anger cloud your vision. You must focus on the
real threat.” After Kim shook it off, she looked
around, but Shuno was nowhere in sight. Suddenly, the
ground shook slightly from the raging battle. Kim
looked at the ring, closed her hand over it, and
headed back to the ledge...

Meanwhile, Kento was obviously getting exhausted from
fighting Hardrock. He was breathing heavily, and drops
of sweat ran down his face. Hardrock, on the other
hand, was showing no sign of fatigue. “What’s wrong,
Kento of Hardrock?” he asked mockingly. “Running out
of steam?” He punched Kento in the stomach forcefully,
sending him flying through the air. As he landed on
his back, Kento groaned loudly in pain. “That’s
funny,” Hardrock sneered as he approached Kento. “I’m
just warming up!” He grabbed the fallen warrior of
strength and lifted him up by his neck, choking him in
the process. “Did that hurt?” Hardrock asked
sarcastically. “Well, don’t worry. Your suffering will
end shortly.”

“Let him go!” he heard a familiar voice shout from
behind him. Hardrock turned his head and saw Kim
standing on the edge of the ledge. “I’ll take care of
you later,” he muttered to Kento as he released him,
letting him slump down to the ground. Hardrock looked
back up at Kim and said, “Now, it’s payback time!”
“Like to see ya try it!” Kim shouted back. “Well, if
that’s what you want...IRON ROCK CRUSHER!” Like
before, Kim managed to avoid the massive slabs of rock
flying at her. She landed on the ground a few yards
away from Hardrock. The ring of Justice on her right
hand glowed a bit before she stood up. Kim stared at
Hardrock and said, “Now it’s my turn to shake things
up!”

“Ooo, I’m so scared,” Hardrock taunted mockingly.
“Maybe ya should be,” Kim replied as she made a fist
with her right hand. “EARTHQUAKE!” She aimed her fist
at the ground, but it stopped less than an inch away
from the hard-packed earth. Her hand opened up, and
the earth shook violently. Hardrock lost his footing
and fell to the ground, but Kim was unaffected.
Suddenly, the earth opened up underneath Hardrock. He
started to fall into the seemingly bottomless pit, but
he managed to grab the edge with one hand. Hardrock
glared angrily at Kim, who was looking right at him.
“Don’t think this is the last time we meet, kokoro,”
he sneered threateningly. “I’ll be back!” Hardrock
lost his grip and fell into the crevice before the
fault line closed up on him.

The earth stopped moving soon afterward. Kim stood
there for a moment, on her guard, until she saw her
friend lying face-first on the ground. “Kento!” she
exclaimed as she ran over to him and tried to turn him
over on his back. “Man, dude, you’re heavy!” Kim
remarked as she tried to turn Kento over again. “I
heard that!” Kento mumbled just loud enough for Kim to
overhear. She backed up a little and helped Kento get
up into a sitting position. “Man, my head hurts,” he
muttered as he held his head in his hand. “Your head
shouldn’t be the only thing hurting,” Kim remarked.
“That other dude had you by the throat!” She pointed
out the now visible red handprint on Kento’s neck.
“Don’t worry about it,” Kento told her. “It won’t stay
there for long.”

“Yeah, right,” Kim retorted. “I had friends who been
strangled by bare hands before, and those bruises
don’t go away so...easily?” She watched in shock as
the red handprint on Kento’s neck steadily faded away.
Kento noticed the strange way Kim was looking at him.
“Kim, what’s wrong?” he asked. “How the hell did that
happen?” Kim exclaimed. “The thing—it disappeared!”
“Well, when I wear my armor, I heal faster than I
normally would,” Kento explained as he stood up.
“Okay,” Kim said a bit hesitantly as she stood up.
“Now, back to my question: You mind telling me what
the heck’s going on here?” “Long story,” Kento replied
as he closed his eyes and concentrated. He was
suddenly bathed in a brilliant white light. Kim had to
shield her eyes from the blinding white light.

When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see
Kento in his clothes. In his hand was a small crystal
orb. Kim noticed a small symbol inside the orb, a
Japanese character. “What is that?” she asked,
pointing at the orb. “That’s my kanji,” Kento
explained as he held the orb up. “It means ‘Gi,’ or
‘Justice.’ ” He put the orb in his pocket and pulled
out a set of car keys. “Ready to get outta here?”
Kento asked. “Hey, I’ve been ready,” Kim retorted as
they headed to Kento’s van. Kento got into the
driver’s seat, and Kim got into the passenger seat. As
Kento started up the van, Kim said, “Ya know, you
should like start from the beginning.” “Well, believe
it or not, this whole thing started a thousand years
ago,” Kento started as he pulled out of the park...

TO BE CONTINUED.

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