By: Cye-chan~

“Super Wave Smasher!” Sai’s yari picked up high-intense speed of water and “BLAM” onto the Dynasty Mutant, Skyant-Fa, tearing him down by strips. Then, Sky’s own weapon swerved down on Sai, into Sai’s flesh… and scream.

Mutant: “Surrender yourself! I don’t want your orb, fool! I want you!” Sai could feel the drips of blood around him, all his.
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“Sai! SAI! Wake up! It’s only a nightmare, Sai! Sai!” Ryo comforted and shook Sai who had fell out of his bunk and was in a dream.

Kento said: “Ryo! What’s happening to Sai?”

Ryo answered, quickly: “Sai can’t escape his nightmare! I’m trying to wake him up or he’ll hit himself silly!”

Rowen went to action and grabbed a pail from the storage room near the lean-to wall. He headed to the bathroom and came back with a pail full of cold, chilly water.
“Move back, guys!” He splashed the water all over Sai.

Sai bursts awake with huge bewilder eyes: “… Ryo? Kento?”

Sage came in, exhausted but awake enough to know what was happening.

Kento spoke softly to Sai: “You okay, buddy? What’s wrong? Had a bad nightmare?” Kento kept Sai talking and busy, letting time for the others whisper.

Ryo hissed: “Sai have been doing this often lately. When we were in History Class, now you know he’s good at that, he suddenly fainted on the floor and was white as a ghost!”
“Sai isn’t the only one having this happened. Rowen had… remember, Ro?” Sage added, glancing at Rowen.

Rowen nodded in agreement: “Yeah, I collapsed while in the shower. Sage had to fish me out. How embarrassing.”

Sage glared: “At least it was ME, not a girl…”
“But how many times that happened to YOU?” Ryo asked, sternly.

Rowen looked at Sai, smiling at him as if nothing was happening, and answered, quietly: “Twice.”

Ryo turned to Sage: “And you?”

Sage: “Once.” Ryo mumbled: “Somehow this is not right…” Ryo paced then stopped [in front of Rowen] and gave a shock face: “Wait a minute!” Ryo raced to a room and came back with a shaky face: “My orb is GONE!”
Rowen felt his own pocket but then gave a disturb face and started all over his pocket. Then he announced: “Mine too!”

Sage looked through his and even looked around the house announcing: “Mine is nowhere here too!”
Sai overheard this part of the conversation and quietly spoke: “I’ve Ryo and my orb.”

Ryo shouted at Sai: “WHY did YOU take MY orb? Why Sai?”

Sai was so shocked that he nearly bumped his head against the stone stilts and could have had a major concussion.
Kento scolded Ryo: “HOW could you talk to Sai like that? You know he’s hurt enough! At least you know where it is. Ro, Sage, and I don’t know where is ours!” Ryo mumbled: “Give it back Sai, I need it.” Sai, helplessly, whispered: “I can’t give it back to you…”

Ryo yelled again: “Why?”

Sai was startled again and firmly replied: “If I do…”
Rowen, gently, pat Sai on the shoulder: “This orb isn’t yours I hope you know…” Kento slapped Ro’s hand off of Sai’s shoulder and scowled: “You don’t deserve to be near him! Both of you! Sai must have a purpose that he’s protecting you from! Could you at least believe that much? Has Sai done that to you anytime else where?”

Ryo and Rowen looked at each other, shocked by the minute, noticing what they had done.
Ryo started to apologize: “I’m sorry Sai… I was just… so—mad that I couldn’t find it…”

Rowen: “Yeah Sai… I didn’t mean it. I’m…”

Sai plainly said: “Such friends you are. Especially you Ryo of the Wildfire. You don’t deserve that name anymore.”

Ryo quickly became quiet.

Sai: “I wish you knew me better…”

---In the Mutant’s Palace---

“Going accordingly, Captain Leigh?” the Mutant asked, glaring.

Captain Leigh bowed slightly: “Yes, Your Majesty. Strata, Halo, Wildfire, and Hardrock’s orbs are in my hands if you wish to see, Your Majesty.”

The Mutant shouted: “I SAID to get all of them, you dirt!”

Lieutenant Mar answered: “We aren’t able to retrieve the Torrent’s orb. But we’ll have Torrent’s soon. We promise that much, Your Highness. And we WILL.”
Mutant: “Good. We’ll see those Ronins fight… in hilarious entertainment. But I wish a favor from you, Captain.”

Captain: “Yes, Sire?”

The Mutant grinned: “I wish for you to kill him.” He pointed to the magic Seiki Mirror [which was stolen] and the Captain saw whom he must kill. “Yes, Your Majesty. Your wish will be granted. But not now.”

The Mutant looked at his golden-soul cage. “Watch your friend die in front of your eyes. And you’re the ones who did it.”
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Sage stared at Ryo: “You’re not the Ryo I knew. You and Sai were close buds! And now look what you’re making Sai do!”

Rowen interrupted: “Do wha? We don’t need Sai. Ryo is our leader and decides whom to go out and he chose Sai. So there.”

Sage finally gave up: “FINE! Since you’re being such bullies you two, I’m going with Sai and Kento! Good day and I QUIT!” He slammed the door at their face. Sage packed everything he needed in his knapsack and flung out the window to join Sai and Kento as well.

Rowen comforted Ryo: “Don’t worry. We don’t need THEM, runts.”

Ryo, slowly, agreed: “Yeah. We don’t” and laughed.
Sai: “I don’t know what got into them. They’re acting like a bunch of bucket-heads!”

Kento approved: “Yeah, they are. They don’t care whether you’re dead scared or dead to the world.” Sai stopped and turned directly to Kento and spoke, wisely: “You know though. Something came to me. About my nightmare… I didn’t tell you something.” Kento asked, desperately: “What is it?”
Sage came running to them: “Sai! Kento! Wait up! I’m coming too!” Kento peered and saw Sage, running to a stop and smiling, warmly.

Kento: “It better not be a trick.”

Sai confirmed: “Now Kento, don’t. I trust Sage. I KNOW he won’t be tricking us…”

Kento shrugged, “I guess you’re right, again, Sai.”

Sage: “Thanks, Sai. I’m glad you don’t think I’m tricking you cause guess what. Rowen and Ryo said….”

At camp by the ocean beach, Sai and Sage had began a fire: “… and that’s what they said!” Sage finished.

Kento made out the sleeping bags and got out the cooking equipment: “Wow. That’s cruel. It’s not them for sure.”

Sage: “Yeah… well anyway, let’s make plans in case some attacks may come.” He dropped sticks of wood in the fire to make it better to see.
Kento: “Oh yeah, Sage. Like we can. Only Sai has his orb!”

Sai suggested: “We don’t have to depend, wholly, on our orbs. Now really, we can’t depend on our orbs. It’s impossible to!”

Sage: “So you’re suggesting to make…”

Kento: “Weapons?”

Sai shrugged and nodded. “I do got a sword that Sage can use… not a battling sword but it’ll work.” Sai slipped the sword out of its resting-place; boy, was that sword beautiful.

Sage’s mouth fell open. “Where you got it?”
Sai gave him the I-cannot-say sign and gave Sage all of the sword’s belongings. “Use wise. Not against.”

Kento smiled at Sai, seeing Sai getting over everything and returning to normal. “Now Kento… I dunno how I could get you a weapon. You can’t… I don’t think you could… use my weapon(s).” He dug in his backpack, coming across some other objects.
Kento grinned and slapped Sai on the back: “No need. Whatever weapon comes our way that the enemy throws, I’ll steal it and use it. No need.” Sai didn’t reply. He was too busy searching… for something else.
Sage: “Don’t you think we should…”

Sai suddenly alerted and sobered: “I LOST IT! This is awful!”