Sage sighed as he looked out the window of the 757 Boeing. They had not yet taken off as passengers were still boarding and getting settled in. Beside him Ryo had taken the liberty to read a magazine printed in English.

It did not seem that long ago when they had made preparations for their international flight. There had been several things they had gone over, such as packing, reserving a shuttle ride to their reserved hotel, and checking the status of their green cards. The planning had gone smoothly, and Mia had driven them to the airport over three hours ago.

But Sage was not thinking of what had happened prior to the boarding. He was thinking ahead. So far he knew little of San Francisco and he was certain that Ryo did not know much either.

The door was shut and sealed tightly. The senior flight attendant went over the safety rules of the airplane and what to do in case of an emergency. She spoke briefly to those who were sitting at an exit area, requesting their help to aid other passengers should an accident happen. Electronics were to be shut off and safety belts secured against waists.

Next came the voice of the captain over the speakers. He told them how long it would be before they took off, what the weather condition was, how long they would be in the air at what altitude. The speakers clicked off, the seatbelt signed appeared, and the passengers settled back in their seats as the sounds of seatbelts were fastened.

“Exciting isn’t it?” Ryo said as he glanced from the magazine to Sage.

“If you say,” Sage replied dryly.

Ryo looked at him with curiosity. For a moment he was silent, wondering if something was bothering Sage. He dared to ask. “What’s bothering you?”

Sage shifted a bit in his seat. “I’m thinking on how we’ll find her. Even though I’d imagine San Francisco to be a big city and though we have been to big cities, we may have trouble finding her.”

“Hey relax,” Ryo said with a small smile. “For all we know San Francisco might be smaller than what you think it is. It could even be smaller than Toyama!”

Sage sighed as he leaned his head back. “I hope you’re right, Ryo. But even if it is, we’ll still have the challenge of finding her.”

“Maybe she’ll be in the phone book.”

The engines of the plane started up. The passengers could feel the plane vibrating as it slowly taxied away from the gate. Down on the ground a man in uniform waved two orange flags before the pilot as the plane was steered toward his direction. When it was clear, the man stepped aside and brought the flags down together in a quick sweep.

The plane began to pick up speed. Passengers felt the force of gravity pushing them back against their seats, making them feel as if their bodies had been tightly strapped so that they could barely move.

Ryo glanced out the window he was sitting next to. He watched as the ground began to fall below them as the plane ascended into the sky. He looked away from the window and picked up the magazine again. The flight would be a long one and during the hours he wanted to relax.

Sage closed his eyes to relax as well. He knew the flight would be fifteen hours. They would reach the airport in San Francisco the next day at 12:00 A.M. He hoped their shuttle would be there waiting on them to take them directly to the hotel.

When the flight had leveled into the air, the seatbelt sign turned off, signaling to passengers they could unsnap their belts and move about on the plane. A few people headed to the bathroom.

Flight attendants came through the aisles pushing trolleys loaded with meals and drinks. They served the passengers a meal and drink of their choice. One flight attendant stopped at Ryo’s and Sage’s seats and asked what they would like to have.

“What are the choices?” Ryo asked as he looked toward her.

“We have Japanese Seafood Noodle stir-fry, Miso soup, Chicken stew, Flat fish, Beef and Potato soup, along with crackers, rice cakes, carrot and celery sticks,” the attendant informed him. “For choice of drink we offer soda, green tea, and apple and orange juice.”

“I’ll have the Chicken stew with a few rice cakes and celery sticks and orange juice,” Ryo told her.

She served him his meal of choice and provided utensils and napkins. He thanked her and prepared to eat. She looked toward Sage. “What will you have, sir?” she asked, while at the same time thinking this man was quite good looking.

“Miso soup, crackers, and green tea, please,” Sage requested as he smiled at her. She smiled back and served him his choice along with utensils and napkins. He thanked her and watched her move down the aisle to serve other passengers. “She was cute,” the bearer of Halo remarked.

Ryo laughed. “She smiled at you too. I think she likes you.”

“I should have asked for her phone number,” Sage said as he ate.

Ryo smiled as he ate too. He looked out the window and became transfixed. The clouds were so beautiful and they seemed endless. He now understood why Rowen preferred the sky over the ground. Up here it seemed quite peaceful with little no pollution. Were they above the pollution? Perhaps so, but he couldn’t tell for certain. All he did know was that there was a beauty to which the ground below could not compare to.

Rowen settled onto the couch with the Japan Times newspaper. It had been four hours since he had last seen Ryo and Sage. He did not think of their flight, but rather concentrated on the news around Japan. It would give his mind something to focus on rather than spend his time wondering how things were going with his friends. He knew they would reach California by midnight tomorrow. No doubt they would not start their search until after they slept.

His eyes scanned the first article. Endoh Asuka to open children’s home in Sendai. Endoh Asuka who recently graduated from Chukyo University is planning to turn a vacant building on the northern part of the city into a home for children without homes. “We hope to establish a home for the children who have lost their families due to the hurricane that occurred six months ago,” Endoh says.

Rowen continued to read the article, rather impressed how the young woman wanted to help the children. He remembered the hurricane Japan had gone through. What the people hadn’t realized was that he had been responsible for making the winds of the hurricane less powerful than they really were. He finished the article and turned to another page. Chu Asaka ill with respiratory problems. ‘Why doesn’t that surprise me?’ Rowen thought to himself. Asaka was one of the leaders in Japan, and was known to be a heavy smoker. It was rumored he smoked three packs of cigarettes per day and chewed tobacco. Why anyone wanted to damage their heart and lungs was beyond him.

The phone suddenly rang and Rowen answered it. “Hello? Just one minute.” He stood up and carried the cordless phone with him outside where he found Kento and Cye working on Kento’s motorcycle. “Kento, phone.”

Kento looked up as he took a cloth and wiped off the grease from his hands. “Who is it?”

“I don’t know,” Rowen said. “It sounds like a girl though.”

Kento brightened and hurried to Rowen. He took the phone from Rowen who returned to the house. “Hello?” Immediately his eyes brightened. “Mami! How are you?”

“I’m doing fine, Kento,” Mami replied over the phone. “I wanted to call and see what you were up to.”

“Working on my motorcycle with Cye. We’ve almost got it done.”

“Almost have it done,” Mami corrected with a giggle.

“Right, have,” Kento replied with a goofy smile. “So how is work going?”

“Dragging,” Mami replied. “I can’t wait to get out so I can come see you.”

“You want to see me?” Kento asked breathlessly.

“Why of course!” Mami exclaimed. “You’re the only guy that’s big enough to be lovable!”

Kento grinned again. “No argument there.”

Cye continued to work on the motorcycle, tightening up a brake rotor. He did not pay attention to Kento’s and Mami’s conversation, but rather thought of Ryo and Sage. He wondered how their flight was going, but he did not wish to contact them via mental link. He stood up and cracked his back and looked down at his work. It was hard to believe what had happened earlier that day and what could possibly happen. He had no idea if Sage and Ryo would find the girl, and if they did whether or not she would come back to Japan with them.

Cye needed a drink. He wiped his hands on his own clothe and picked up his water filled sports bottle. He took a long drink, quenching his thirst and thought about going for another swim when he and Kento finished with the Kawasaki. He set the bottle down and turned back to the motorcycle to work on it some more.

Kento finished his call and returned to Cye. He was smiling from ear to ear. But he did not speak as he picked up a pair of pliers. He waited to see if Cye would ask why he looked so happy. The suspense was nearly overwhelming as the two Ronins worked in silence. Finally he could not wait anymore. “Aren’t you going to ask me?” he inquired Cye.

Cye blinked as he looked up. “Ask you what?”

“Why I’m so happy looking!”

Cye blinked again as he studied his friend. To him Kento looked happy most of the time. Why would this time be different? But then he realized something. Kento seemed a bit more energetic than usual. “Okay, Kento, tell me.”

“Mami’s coming to visit me!” Kento blurted out. He could barely contain his exhilaration as he nearly dropped the pliers. He tightened his grip on the tool and kept his focus on Cye, waiting for his reaction.

Cye was astonished. “Mami is coming here?”

“That’s what she said,” Kento replied as he forced himself to calm down. “Man, I’ve not seen her in three weeks,” he continued. “It’ll be great to see her again.”

Cye nodded his head in silence as all thoughts about swimming drifted from his mind. On the inside he wasn’t so sure about Mami’s upcoming visit. There was something about her that bothered him; something that Kento refused to see or even hear about.

Mia was grocery shopping. She had wanted to shop alone as it would give her some peace and quiet. She consulted her shopping list. So far she had picked up several boxes of rice, several packages of fish, a few bags of potatoes, cauliflower, asparagus, two gallons of milk, two cartons of eggs, and a bag of flour. She still needed to pick up wonton noodles, chicken, vegetables, fruit, cereal, tea bags, cheese, and hamburger.

She picked up a few of the items in the aisle she was currently in and placed them into the cart. She moved onto a different aisle. Shopping was starting to become one of her favorite pastimes. It gave her a chance to think without being bombarded with concerns from one of the Ronins or more, without listening to a loud television, or without hearing the phone ring all day long.

After she had picked up every item on her list she headed to the checkout. There was a long line in each of the checkout. Sighing she chose Checkout 4 and waited her turn. The line seemed to move slowly, but she was not that impatient. Her mind drifted off, and though she moved when the line did, she could not help but think of the Mythology class she would be teaching within a few days. She wondered what new lesson she could bring up. It had to be something to get the students more interested in the class. She knew that Rowen was interested in the class, but then again, he could have been pretending to be nice. Who really knew?

The line moved up again, and Mia followed it. She went back to thinking. Perhaps she could get the students involved into making up their own mythologies. Would that peak their interest in the class? She certainly hoped so, because she was getting tired of several students who refused to pay attention.

It was her turn at the checkout. She placed the groceries on the conveyor belt and waited as the cashier rung each item up. When given the total, Mia took out her checkbook and wrote out a check. She dug for her license and handed the check and license to the cashier who checked to make sure the name on the license and the name on the check matched. He handed the license back to Mia. While the check was being processed, a bagger placed the groceries into bags. Once the cashier had finished, he handed Mia her receipt and bid her good day. Mia wished him the same and then thanked the bagger who had placed her bagged groceries into the cart.

“Do you need some help outside?” the bagger asked.

Mia smiled. “Thank you, but I can manage.”

“Have a good day,” the bagger said.

“Thanks. You too.” Mia hurried away and left the store. She headed toward her jeep and opened the back where she placed her bags inside one by one. When she finished, she closed the back and then climbed into the front seat. She fastened her seatbelt, started the engine, checked the area for other drivers, and then pulled out of her space , drove through the parking lot, and came to the road which she carefully pulled out into, and immediately headed for home.

Cye sat on his bed as he stared toward the balcony doors. He had gone to his room awhile ago when Kento had decided they had spent enough time working on the motorcycle. Now Kento was in the bathroom readying himself for Mami’s visit. He wanted to tell Kento how he felt about Mami, but he wasn’t quite sure if Kento would believe him. And to think they were best friends! Kento seemed to be head over in heels with the woman that often she was the subject of Kento’s conversation.

‘I wish I knew exactly what to say to him,’ Cye thought to himself. ‘She’s not trust worthy. I know she isn’t. I don’t want my best friend to be hurt, but I don’t want him used either. If only I had mentioned something to Sage before he and Ryo took off for the States.’

Cye let out a small sigh as he continued to think about the plight he was in. Sooner or later he would need to say something. He heard a vehicle pull in and grimaced. She was here already? He stood up to have a better look. No; it wasn’t Mami. Mia was home from the grocery store. Feeling relieved, Cye turned and left the bedroom. He walked down the hallway and down the stairs and directly outside where he found Mia opening the back of the jeep.

“Hi, Mia,” he greeted with a smile.

“Hey there, Cye,” Mia said with a smile of her own. She picked up a grocery bag. “Care to grab a few bags?”

“Sure.” Cye picked up two grocery bags and followed her into the house. They deposited the bags on the counter in the kitchen.

“Where’s Kento and Rowen?” Mia asked as they headed back out for more groceries.

“Oh, Rowen was in the house, but I think he went back to sleep. And Kento’s in the bathroom,” Cye informed her as they grabbed more bags from the jeep. He noticed Mia’s look and explained. “Mami’s coming over.”

“Oh,” was all Mia could say.

Back and forth they went between the house and the jeep until at last all the bags were inside the house. Cye and Mia unloaded the food and put them away where they belonged. As Mia folded an empty bag, she noticed Cye’s troubled look. “Cye, are you okay?” she asked.

Cye looked at her as he had just put a bag of cucumbers in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. “I’m concerned,” he told her truthfully.

“About what? Ryo and Sage?”

“No, not them. Kento.”

Mia was astonished. She placed several boxes of rice in the cupboard as she regarded Cye. “Worried about Kento? Whatever for?”

Cye put a bag of apples and oranges into the fruit drawer as he debated on how to answer. Would she believe his feelings, or would she laugh them off? He decided to tell her anyway. “It’s Mami,” he said quietly. And so, he began to explain his feelings about the young woman to his female friend.

Mia listened without interrupting as they continued to put groceries away. She was glad Cye was getting this off his chest. Evidently he must have been holding it in for quite some time, because the more he spoke, the better he looked.

“So in other words,” Mia said slowly, “you don’t trust her.”

Cye nodded as he closed the refrigerator. “Is that bad?” he asked with a grimace.

Mia did not answer right away. She took her time to think about the situation as Cye waited patiently. She had met Mami once and could not judge her critically, but then she wasn’t Cye. She knew Cye’s attribute had never steered him wrong. If there was something about Mami he didn’t trust, he could very well be right in his critical judgment of her. She looked at him directly now. “Have you told Kento about this?”

Cye frowned as he shook his head. “I want to, but I’m not sure how he’ll take it.”

“It would be better to tell him, Cye. He’s your best friend. If you tell him, he’ll be grateful you care about him as a friend to not let him get hurt.”

Cye was silent now as he thought about her words. At last he sighed and said, “I hope you’re right, Mia. I’d feel terrible if I ever lost Kento as a friend.”

“I’d feel bad too, but sometimes to save another from being hurt, sacrifices must be made.” Mia glanced at the clock now. “I better get to the study room. I want to research that topic Rowen mentioned earlier; pyrokinesis.”

Cye nodded and watched her go, then sat down at the little table. He thought about Mia’s words and knew she was right. The problem he had was choosing the correct words to say to Kento.

In truth, Rowen was not asleep. He was sitting down at the dock by the lake, watching a stork dive for fish. White Blaze sat beside him watching the bird with rapt attention. The tiger’s tail swished back and forth.

“It sure is peaceful out here, ain’t it, boy?” Rowen murmured.

White Blaze rumbled in agreement.

Rowen smiled. Earlier he had given up on the newspaper as it seemed to contain the same type of news everyday. He had decided he wanted to get out for a bit, and after going to his room for a moment, he had gone back outside and walked the short distance to the lake. White Blaze had seen him go and had joined him. They had been at the docks for a half hour.

“I wonder how Sage and Ryo are doing?” Rowen speculated as he saw the stork rise back into the air with a fish in its beak. “They should be just about over the Pacific Ocean right now. Unless the plane is mega fast or mega slow.”

White Blaze rumbled in irritation. Rowen looked at him and chuckled. The Ronin of Strata had a feeling what had upset the tiger and reached to stroke a furry ear. “Relax, boy. I’m sure Ryo would have taken you if he could. America isn’t like Japan. I bet hundreds of zoos would have loved to get their hands on you.”

White Blaze leaned into Rowen’s strokes and rumbled with pleasure. If there was one thing the tiger enjoyed it was having his ears scratched.

Rowen smiled as he could see the tiger was happy. But he, himself, had a lot on his mind. He had a feeling Ryo and Sage might run into some trouble in America. How he wished he could have gone with them. Not only because of the possible trouble, but to also meet the very girl who had set her house on fire just by thinking about it. He wanted to know more about pyrokinesis, see it done in person. Suddenly, he grimaced. What if someone else, someone extremely evil, had found about the girl and was just waiting for the right moment? The Ronin Warriors would have to make sure that did not happen. They would have to do everything in their power to prevent such a dilemma from occurring.