DODGE 

Samurai Souls part 9  A Ronin Warriors origins story
by Kajite Gray 




    Golden light filtered through soft green forest. A warm breeze 
wafted through the trees. Pale pink cherry blossom petals fluttered 
downward, brushing his face gently....
    Sage's grey eyes flickered open. He turned his head on the pillow, 
strangely unsettled by the faded images coloring the corners of his mind. 
One thin gold brow arched suspiciously. Sage could not remember the last 
time he had actually had a pleasant dream. Peaceful nights were simply 
not the norm. His gaze flitted over his light-filled room. Morning sun 
glinted off the crystals sitting on his desk. It streamed in to pick 
out the dust motes in the air. They looked like bits of gold. Sage sat 
up, his body responding fluidly. Considering how sick he had been earlier, 
it amazed him that absolutely nothing hurt. He blinked, feeling strangely refreshed.
    Well, he thought, disentangling himself from his silk sheets, a whole 
weekend of sleep will do that to you. He grimaced slightly. He was 
still wearing the light cotton pajamas he'd fumbled into Friday 
night - his body felt gritty. He knuckled his eyes. A shower was 
desperately needed here. Despite feeling scroungey and the fact that 
he was still psychically blunted and couldn't feel a thing beyond 
the boundary of his own skin, Sage actually felt....
    GOOD
    He slid out of bed. The carpet was soft underfoot. Sage was 
a trifle unsteady.... his head felt very light. No longer subject 
to the constant barrage of psychic static and onrushing images and 
feelings from his surroundings, he felt very disconnected. Like 
a bit of floating driftwood. Unsettling as the feeling was, he 
welcomed the silence. Sage slid one foot carefully before the other 
like a blind man feeling his way. His body felt incredibly light - he 
felt as though he were walking on air.
    The word 'unburdened' came to his mind.
    He glanced out his second-story window at the squirrels chasing 
each other through the leaves in the unseasonably bright sun. For 
a minute, he was tempted to simply stay home and watch them play.
    But something more important tugged at him. There was something 
he had to do.....  He had to go back now, and look. Sage needed 
to confront the Pain. Now. While he still could.
   Retrieving a fresh set of clothes from his wardrobe, he turned 
and strode resolutely towards the bathroom. A hot shower would 
help him think better.
    He failed to notice the drift of pale pink petals scattered 
across his pillow.

    Judith Date, immersed in morning paper and coffee, was more 
more than a little surprised when Sage suddenly materialized at 
the breakfast table. She blinked, at a loss for words. Less than 
half an hour ago, she had peered in on him. Sage had been sound 
asleep, curled into a peaceful ball with a sweet angelic expression 
on his face. He had looked so at peace so untroubled, that she had 
to watch him for several minutes. He never looked like that. And he 
had been so deeply asleep....
    Now here he was, just like every other morning, neatly coiffed 
and smartly dressed in his school uniform. He flashed immaculate 
white teeth in greeting. Sage looked like a photo someone had cut 
from GQ magazine. Slightly unreal and rather flat. She frowned as 
he seated himself and reached for the breakfast platter.
    "Are you SURE....?"
    Sage bit into his toast, one eye peeking up at her from behind 
a fringe of slightly damp blonde hair. He didn't need his psi powers 
to tell him she disapproved. Her fingers drummed the edge of her saucer.
    "You slept all the way through yesterday, you realize."
    Sage give her a smile that was a shade too cheerful.
    "I guess I needed my Beauty Sleep! Do we have any more bacon?"
    A crease touch Judith's brow. Sage was behaving oddly - even for 
him. He was making a great show of digging into his breakfast. Normally 
a fussy eater, he usually just picked at his food. Now she watched him 
devour his meal as though he hadn't eaten in a week. He had missed a 
couple meals over the weekend, but still....  Judith gave up trying to 
analyze him and refilled his plate instead. Sometimes there was just 
no logical explanation for the behavior of teenage boys. 
   Sage polished of his food in record time. He grabbed his text books 
and coat and headed for the door.
    "Sage!!"
    He jumped and rolled his gaze back uneasily towards his mother. 
She still sat at the table, now glaring at him over her coffee cup. 
Her voice was as effective as though she were shaking him physically.
    "You WILL call me immediately if you feel anything less than 
perfect. I will be here today, catching up on my paperwork."
    "So who's watching the inmates today, Warden?"
    "Behave, you. Florence has my patients today."
    Sage grinned. Florence was the elderly nurse who usually worked 
the front desk. She was semi-retired and looked like she should be in a 
kitchen someplace baking cookies for grandchildren.  She could also be 
a real terror if not handled with absolute respect.
    "The poor bastards. I wonder if they'll survive?"
    Judith set down her coffee with a thump.
    "Sage! She is a very competent Physician."
    "I know...." a bit of color reached his cheeks as recollection 
made him wince.  I remember the last time I was under her care. I 
never had a Nurse put me in a headlock before."
    "DOCTOR - she has a PHD from Germany. Anyway, she told ME you tried 
to make a run for it."
     He laughed, by now very pink in the face.
    "If you'd seen the size of that syringe, you'd have run too! Did 
you know that lady can hurdle a desk without even trying? I never 
stood a chance."
    "Oh, STOP." Judith was smiling now. "If you're going to make it 
to school on time, you'd best scat. You'll miss your bus."
    Sage's humor vanished - his expression shifting like a cloud 
passing before the sun.
    "The.... BUS?"
    He spoke the words with the same loathing tone people tended 
to use when referring to maggots.
    "Don't make faces at me, young man. You're not driving. Not 
so soon afterwards...."
    Sage managed not to scowl, though his grey eyes remained sullen. 
    "Oh, allright."
    "Take your pills with you - I don't want you passing out again. 
And for heaven's sake take it easy today."
     Sage sighed and pocketed the bottle. He left quickly before 
she could lecture him further.

    Cye trotted quickly up the walkway of the school, his open coat 
flapping at his sides. A few dry autumn leaves swirled around 
his scurrying feet. He wiped a streak of sweat from his face. 
Why was it so doggone WARM all of a sudden? The weather was 
acting bizarre. 
    He gave a mental shrug and  jostled between the mass of students 
streaming into the school's main entrance. He hoped to catch Kento 
before the first bell.....
    Cye's ears pricked at gales of girlish laughter as he entered 
the main hall. For some reason, it seemed to be directed at him. 
Cye quirked his brows at several female students who giggled behind 
their hands as he passed them by. His gaze quickly flashed 
downwards - no - it wasn't that. If it wasn't a case of XYZ, what 
were they laughing at? A large gathering of students greeted his 
appearance with stares and snickers. Cye made a face at them.
    What in the world was so funny....?
    And he stopped short in horror.
    Tacked neatly to the student message board for all to see, 
resplendant in 30 x 40" full-color glory.....  Was the image of 
himself, sitting on his bed in the fuzzy blue sleepers Gret had 
given him, hugging his stuffed whale. Memory clicked - that Polaroid 
Kento had snapped.....
    NO!
     Mortification dragged through his spine.
   There was another one, taped over the drinking fountain - and 
another three plastered to the the glass windows of the 
cafeteria... and....
    Oh, no....
    There was one on every wall. Wherever his horrified gaze landed, 
there IT was.
    And scrawled on every poster, beneath the picture, was this 
cheerful message:
    "Make little Cye's day - Save the Whales!"
    Cye's face felt like it was on fire. He wanted to sink right 
through the marble floor. His ears burned with the students' laughter. 
How COULD he have.....?
    For a wrenching moment, he was afraid he might burst into tears 
in front of everyone. His eyes filled.... In a flash, humiliation 
turned to fury. With a hate-filled snarl, Cye blew past the 
snickering crowd and pelted towards the east wing. 
    He was going to KILL Kento.....

   Sage was experiencing some discomfiture himself. Coming to 
school with all his senses stripped was a bizarre experience to say 
the least. There was no way for him to read to inward meaning 
behind the greetings and conversations of his fellow students. At 
least today he didn't feel the niggling need to pick out every 
thread of conversation and decipher them. He misinterperreted the 
laughter echoeing down the hallways and was frantically checking his 
wardrobe to see what he'd screwed up when he happened to glance up and 
spot the poster.
    Oh, my....
    He had never seen anyone his own age in SLEEPERS before..... He 
doubled up with laughter, having to wipe his streaming eyes on his cuff. 
It all degenerated into a choking fit and he had to stop at 
thedrinking fountain. Damn....  Cye Mori either had real guts, or 
someone was going to catch hell for taking a candid shot. A fresh grin 
splashed across Sage's face. His bet was on the latter, and he had 
only one guess WHO had done it.
    Still chuckling, he moved somewhat unsteadily in the direction 
of his locker. He was still disconnecetd and light-feeling. He drifted 
along, meeting more elbows on the way than usual. Unable to sense 
people coming, he had to rely on his eyes to alert him to any 
oncoming collisions. Sage was used to just skimming along gracefully 
between the bodies without touching anyone. He got jostled around a 
geat deal because he kept forgetting to look.  He shot a few vehement 
glares at those epople who were careless enough to step on him. His 
head was buzzing faintly. It felt like he had a hangover, though 
without having had the fun of a party the night before. Trying feel 
his way along through the maelstrom was like squinting in an effort 
to focus through smeared glass. All it did was give him a headache. 
    It was very strange to be walking through the crowded hallways 
amid all those people and feeling absolutely NOTHING. He felt 
disjointed and detached from reality, as though he were drifting 
through a fog. His body felt thick and clumsy. He kept bumping into 
things and people, earning foul looks from his fellow students. It 
was like wading though heavy, wet sand. Brushing a hand over his 
clouded eyes, Sage fumbled open his locker. Now where the hell was 
his Physics text book?  
    A soft touch on his cheek startled him. He whirled violently to 
confront the girl who had just stolen the kiss, heart pounding in his 
chest. She tittered gleefully and darted back to the gathered crowd 
of young females. Dumbfounded at being caught off guard, Sage put a 
hand to his cheek. He felt his face getting  hot, and knew he was 
blushing. The gathered girls shrieked, delighted by his charming 
display of embarrassed innocence. They were thrilled that one of their 
own had managed to sneak up on Sage Date so expertly. He was so alert, 
cat-like fast -  it was nearly impossible to catch him. Sage ALWAYS saw 
torpedo-lips coming. A cough escaped him; he took the opportunity to 
hide his embarrassment behind his hand.
     At least it was just a doe-eyed girl and not someone who intended 
him any harm. Thank God it wasn't an enemy....  In her, this boldness 
was endearing. In an opponent, it was deadly. 
    Sage knew the 'penalty' for being caught unawares. Any girl who 
could steal a kiss like that was entitled to a date with him. Sage 
managed to smile for her, passing her the pale green silk handkerchief he 
kept in his front pocket. It was as good as handing her a coupon reading 
"Bearer entitled to a free dinner and movie with Sage Date." She clasped 
it with a reverence usually reserved for holy relics. 
    Oh well. At least she was pretty. Tanya. That was her name. He took 
her name and number down on a slip of paper and promised her a 
Saturday night to remember. 
    The young ladies swept off en masse, still twittering excitedly. 
Sage made a face at himself,unwittingly wreaking havoc with the 
hearts of several nearby girls and one love-sticken boy. He hadn't 
even heard her coming. Dulled and blunted as his senses were now, 
he was vulnerable to this sort of attack. When word of her success 
got around, others were bound to try. Not that this was a BAD 
thing, mind you.....
     Still, it troubled him a little. It was a game for them, and 
Sage sometimes let himself be snared on purpose. This, however, 
was unplanned. 

    Kento was at his locker, whistling cheerfully around half an egg 
roll tucked in his cheek. He had just finished putting up his 
artwork and was immensely pleased with himself. Kento grinned smugly. 
He was going to score an 'A' in Commercial Advertising for 
that one.
    There was no warning.
    SMACK!!
    Someone hit him in the back of his head, hard enough to make his 
ears ring. Well, it was about TIME he noticed....
    "Heya, Cye!" he greeted, before even turning around.
    "What seems to be the problem, Little Fishy?"
   Kento had just enough sense to duck the next blow - which came in the 
form of a wild swing from one of his rolled-up posters. It was weilded 
by a very pissed off-looking Cye. Cye nailed him with the return stroke.
    THWACK!
    "Hey...."
    "You LOUSE!!"
    Cye was perfrectly livid, his face red as a tomato. Kento would 
have apologized if he hadn't been helpless with laughter just then.
    "Aw, Cye, come one....." The rest was lost in a poorly-timed chuckle.
    THUNK!
    Cye's knuckles drilled into the top of Kento's skull.
    "Ooo!" Kento winced, scalp smarting. Cye shook his own stinging 
knuckles - that was one very thick skull he'd just rapped. Kento rubbed 
his head ruefully.
    "Take it easy - that shit hurts, you know."
    "You had it coming, you RAT!"
    Cye waved the poster in his face.
    "How could you DO this to me?"
    "Aw, stop bein' such a baby - it's for a good cause!"
    Cye stamped his foot.
    "You told me that picture was GONE, you liar!"
    Kento laughed, ducking his punch.
    "C'mon - it shows your good side, Cye!"
    He had to dodge again.
    "All the girls think you're sooooo cute! I bet they all wanna - OW!!"
    Cye had brought his knee up sharply, planting it 2 inches from 
where it would have really hurt.
    "You're a FINK, Kento," he snarled, "A big, FAT fink."
    "Hey now...." Kento looked wounded. He rubbed his sore leg. "Can I 
help it if you're so photogenic? Don't be mad, Cye - it was just too 
good to pass up!"
    "Hunf," grumbled Cye, refusing to see any humor in the situation. 
"Just see if I make YOU any more cookies!"
    Kento's ears pricked up.
    "You made me cookies?"
    "As if you deserve them, you weasel," sighed Cye, handing the bag 
over. "Thanks for taking me to the Aquarium, Kento."
   Kento took the bag. Now he felt low.
    "Aw, Geez, Cye - I'm sorry if I -"
    Cye cut him off with a delicate wave of his white hand. He smiled serenely.
    "Don't worry, Kento. I'll get YOU later."
    Kento wasn't sure whether to laugh or hide. Cye looked downright 
predatory. His sudden lack of anger was completely unsettling. He 
dropped a casual wink and said nothing more. Kento swallowed - He felt 
as though he had just put his head in a noose. There was no point in 
asking for details. He just stuffed his face with the cookies and 
thanked Cye politely. VERY politely. 

              *****************************************************************

    The 9 ' o clock express train pulled out of Shinjuku station, crammed 
with a freshly-packed load of human cargo. A man in a grey flannel 
business suit stepped out onto the platform and squinted up at the hot 
white sky. A frown tugged at his face. Things were not going as planned. 
He squinted at the unfamiliar local dialect on the street signs. It was 
hard to tell where he needed to go. His contact in Yokahama had vanished 
and so had his opportunity. He was still looking for the boy and had not 
found him yet.
    He turned on his heel and headed for the downtown area. Information 
had said he might be here. The man spit into an ashcan. So far, Information 
had been useless - so were those damned maps.....
    He shrugged, swinging his coat over his shoulder. Not to worry. 
There was still time. The boy would be found. The man blended in with 
the crowd of commuters streaming out of the station and vanished. 
     

       *********************************************************************** 


    The boys' locker room behind the main gym was a scene of less than 
total passivity. Things had strted out small, and gotten out of hand 
in a hurry. A crowd of boys - some better armed than others - were 
engaged in a towel-snapping war of biblical proportions. Somehow Cye 
had gotten himself in the middle of it. Wearing nothing but a panicked 
look, he was at a severe tactical disadvantage. Rowen was really 
letting him have it.
    Kento smirked, wishing he had a camera. Pity won out, and he 
waded into the fray to the rescue. he put a swift end to the 
nonsense. 
    "Cut the shit!!" he growled, laying waste with a towel in each 
hand. A few well-placed shots was all it took to disperse the mob. 
    Ameteurs, he thought, watching them scatter. 
    "Thanks," whispered Cye, rubbing his sore rear end. "Rowen is vicious, man!"
    Kento tossed him one of his towels.
    "Ya had it comin'," scolded Kento. "What made you decide to go 
for the wedgie manuever?"
    "I was walking by. His underwear was hangin' out -" he shrugged 
innocently. "These things just happen sometimes."
    "Yeah, right. Don't ask me to scrape you off the walls next time 
you pull somethin' stupid like that."   
    He popped his towel under Cyes' nose, scaring the fluff out of him. 
Cye shot off to dress for class. Kento rolled his eyes as he flashed 
a backside splashed with bright red welts.
    They were all SUCH children........

    Legs still smarting from Kento's last salvo, Rowen had sulked 
off to the opposite side of the locker room to change. He found a 
corner, far away from the others. 
    Dammit.....
    He hitched at his shorts. He was going to yank Cye's pretty red 
hair out by the ROOTS if he could just catch him when Kento wasn't 
around to save his ass. He grumbled. Who's friend was Kento's anyways? 
   Rowen leaned his head against the cold grey metal of the locker for 
a moment. He hadn't eaten anything for breakfast again, and his head 
really hurt. His fingers fumbled uselessly through his pockets. 
There was nothing there, not even a fuzzy breathmint. He took 
several deep breaths to steady himself. Just stood there for awhile, 
waiting for the dizziness to pass. He staggered over to the water 
fountain and drank deeply in an effort to drown the gnaw of hunger 
with a torrent of cold water. Sometimes it almost worked. 

    Sage swore at his Swatch and patched out rounding the corner. 
Damned schedule changes - he just wasn't used to 3rd period gym. 
He hated getting sweaty early in the day. It ruined his hair, and the 
showers had too much chlorine. This was no fun at all. He had only 
been in this section of the class for a week and the coach already 
treated him like dirt. He had no idea why. 
    At the door, Sage learned to his further dismay that this was 
the day for mixed gym. YECH. Mixed Gym was a chaotic, brain-hurting 
ordeal. It meant that about 6 different classes were thrown 
together - both male and female - for group sports. No boys competing 
against girls, of course, but they would be sharing the same gym space. 
    Sage made a face at himself as he passed a  mirror. Showing off 
for the girls was always fun, but it was still a pain to be in all 
that chaos. He was feeling gladder now that we wouldn't be able to 
feel anything. He peeled out of his school clothes before folding 
them neatly and tucking them into his locker. He dawdled, not exactly 
eager to join in all the yelling and carrying on going on out in the 
gym. His earlier energy was flagging - he wished he felt better. A 
white streak flew past him. Sage blinked. He wondered who the hell 
had rat-tailed Cye. He counted jimself lucky not to have been included 
in the fray.
   Sage took time to mousse his hair and put himself in order. He 
didn't care for the way he looked just now - disoriented and haggard. 
And very, very pale. His face was nearly white. Sage sighed. He looked 
like Death warmed over. He put his palms up to his cheeks and rubbed 
them briskly in an effort to restore some color. 
    A loud curse and a clatter of equipment distracted him. The 
string of inventive swearing that followed made him catch his 
breath. He recognized the owner of that voice. Rowen.
    Sage edged back to his locker, still only half-dressed. He had 
not realized that Rowen was part of his class. Apparently he was 
absent a lot. Sage had the sinking feeling he was about to find out 
WHY.....  He had come to school seeking answers. But he had not 
thought the opportunity would present itself so soon. 
    Sage slid halfway behind his locker door. He would be safe from 
the Pain today....  He took his time getting ready, wanting to take 
the opportunity to check out his 'target'. He NEEDED to know its 
source.... Sage shivered. His slitted grey eyes watched with 
morbid interest.
    Rowen, unaware that he had an audience, pulled off his shirt. 
Sage winced involuntarily. Looking at Rowen's bare back was like 
staring at a bad road accident. Sage couldn't help himself - he stared 
openly. Rowen had gotten his arms tangled in his shirt and was 
struggling with it. His pale skin was blotched with old and new 
bruises and half-healed scars. He picked them out easily in the 
harsh flourescent light. Sage knew the stark lighting  made the marks 
look worse than they really were. But....
    The young man's body twisted as he struggled  with his shirt. The 
way Rowen moved spoke of pulled muscles and bones that ached inside. 
His Mother's medical training had trickled down to Sage. It was easy 
for him to spot the slight hitches and winces in joints that should 
have moved smoothly. All the signs were there. Sage knew now just 
exactly what he was looking at. Knew it without in his soul - his 
insides clenached sickeningly.
    Rowen was abused. Sage had been so blinded by the raw pain erlier 
that he hadn't been able to pinpoint its source. He hit himself mentally 
in the head. It was all so OBVIOUS now. No wonder there were so many 
absences, so much hurt inside. No wonder Kento had said what he did 
after the fight...
    It was all beginning to make sense now.
    From the whispered talk around school and the evidence before him, 
Sage pieced toether the likely, ugly scenario. Rowen's father was 
drunken shithead who beat his son for his own amusement. For no greater 
crime than simply breathing in this madman's presence, Rowen was slowly 
being beaten to death. The tragedy of it made Sage's heart twist. 
Because he could tell....  Even through the haze of haze of pain, the 
clotted, matted aura.....   that Rowen Hashiba was one of the Good Ones. 
Beneath all the hurt and anger and torn emotions was a soul withering 
from neglect. For Sage to see his bright spirit being worn down to 
nothing was the worst crime he could imagine. He couldn't bear the 
knoweledge. The Pain was starkly etched in Rowen's eyes and face. 
    It was in Sage's nature to want to heal. To reach out to something 
that was hurting and try to fix it. Sage took an involuntary step 
towards Rowen, as if to touch him.
   Rowen's steely blue eyes fixed on him.
    "What the fuck are you up to?"  His gaze was frozen fury.
    Sage let his hands drop to his sides. A fight with Rowen was the 
last thing either one of them needed right now.
    "N - Nothing."
    He took a step back, then another.
    "Then get the hell away from me."
    Sage backed off, giving him space. He was glad he could not feel 
any of the anger directed at him. He got the impression that it would 
taste very sharp, with the scent of cold steel mingled in. Not saying a 
word, he went back to getting ready for class. With a snarl, Rowen did 
the same.
    The proscribed gym shorts and sleeveless shirts left a lot of 
exposed skin. Rowen's arms and legs were patchworked with signs of 
abuse. Sage tried to keep his mind on other things. It was hard. 
SOMEONE had to help him. He wrinkled his brow at his own gym uniform 
and risked a glance over at Rowen. He watched him tug on blue, 
knee-length bicycle shorts and a loose Tee. Arm bands and high white 
socks helped hide some of the marks.
    Rowen caught him watching; his face twisted into a snarl.
    "Piss off, faggot! Wat'cha lookin' at?"
    Rowen threw his jeans down on the bench, stalked over to Sage and 
got in his face. Rowen was shorter, wirey, and definitely not adverse 
to beating the hell out of him.
    "You got a problem, shitface?" His lip culed into a sneer. "Ya think 
maybe I'm attractive or somethin'? Why ya starin' at me so hard?" 
    Sage could have pushed the issue. There was opportunity here.....
    But instead of challenging Rowen, he let him pass. Rowen shoved by 
him rudely with a snarled obscenity. Sage, normally critically offended 
by such treatment, remained quiet.  He stood silently and watched 
Rowen storm off. He was limping. Sage kicked himself  - there had to 
be some way of communicating with Rowen without it turning into World 
War Three. It seemed hopeless. Rowen was almost beyond sight when 
Kento emerged from behind a set of lockers. He spoke in Rowen's ear, 
to soft for Sage to hear him. Kento touched his thin shoulder, huge 
fingers careful not to close too tightly on a joint that was obviously 
already damaged. 
     Rowen gave the slightest of nods and followed him. Sage watched 
them sidle into the equipment room together and close the door. His 
brows rose curiously. What were they up to in there? He could hear 
nothing. Mindful of Rowen's hair-trigger temper, he slid behind the 
row of ugly green lockers to wait. Several minutes passed. When the pair 
finally emerged, he blinked hard. Rowen looked ....... DIFFERENT.
    It took Sage a minute to realize it was not healing magic, but a 
very clever makeup job that had helped disguise the bruising. Sage 
experienced a flash of pity, mingled with admiration. Kento was trying 
so hard to make things better....  
    Sage watched them head out into the gym together. He got the feeling 
that this ritual had taken place many times before. Sage slipped into 
his gym shirt and followed them at a discreet distance. He had dawdled 
so long in the locker room that all the good games were filled up. 
Rowen had taken the last slot in basketball. Only one game was left.
    Dodgeball.
    Oh, CRAP. Not this. Not now.
    Several boys on the dodgeball squad grinned and waved him over. 
They were not friendly smiles. There was a running bet with a huge 
pool ready and waiting for anyone who could nail Sage. He NEVER got 
hit. He could always see the ball coming, could feel the intent of 
the players and avoid all contact. Sage always emerged from the 
game unscathed. It only encouraged them to try harder and place 
ever-increasing bets. Sage always won.
   Well, today some lucky bastard was going to hit the jackpot.
    Sage slouched off reluctantly to the court to meet his fate. 
All heads on the nearby girls' cheerleading squad turned adoringly 
his way. For once, Sage failed to flash his brilliant white smile and 
send them reeling. He felt like a man going to the executioner's 
block. He usually loved showing off his nimbleness and catlike 
agility. Now all he could hope for was a quick death.
    Sage performed remarkably well for about a minute and a half, even 
though he was flying blind. Despite not knowing where the ball was 
coming from, his natural grace and agility served him well, and he 
managed to escape the violence. Kento got tagged out early, with a 
blow to the back that made him grunt. Most of his teammates followed 
suit and left the court in various stages of conciousness. Sage was 
succeeding mostly by reflex and wild dodges. He had narrowly avoided a 
vicious throw aimed at his left side. He spun the other way - and 
stepped right into the path of the next ball. Sage had a moment to 
think about how much this was really going to hurt -
    WHACK!!
    Sage's head snapped back as the ball hit him square in the face. 
The blow sent him stumbling. He lost his footing and fell flat on 
his back on the polished hardwood floor. A collective gasp rose up 
from the onlookers. Followed by absolute, stunned silence. Sage found 
himself blinking up dazedly at the ugly foamboard ceiling. Somebody 
really needed to dust up there.
    Past their momentary shock, several girls on the cheerleading 
team began screaming frantically. Sage really wished that they wouldn't. 
His head already hurt a whole hell of a lot. Equally painful to hear 
were the cheers and rounds of high-fives going around among the students 
who had tagged him out. THAT really wasn't necessary..... was it? 
    "Hey, Sage! How'd it taste?"
    A roar of rude laughter followed the remark. Someone large knelt 
down beside him. Sage managed to flick his eyes in their direction. 
    "You okay, dude? You, like, got totally wasted man!!"
    Sage groaned and closed his eyes. He didn't need Kento to tell 
him THAT. A strong arm came around his shoulders, raising him up. 
Sage's head spun - he shoved at Kento feebly. Why couldn't he just 
leave him alone to die in peace? 
    "Come on, man. Ya gotta get up. You're bleedin' all over the floor."
    Confused, Sage dragged the back of his hand across his face. His 
nose was a bloody mess. No wonder it hurt so bad.
    "Hey - Date!!"
    The Coach had come to glare down at him. He looked pissed.
    "What kind of stupid move was THAT?? Are you blind?!"
    Sage winced, spitting out blood.
    "C'mon, get up! Head hits are illegal, so you're not out."
    "Yes I am," moaned Sage. He didn't think he could continue. This 
was all he needed. Another public display of weakness. This was bad. 
The Coach began grousing.
    "Get back in there, Pretty Boy. One hit and ya fold up!"
    "Leave him alone!" growled Kento angrily. He was trying to stem 
the flow of blood with the tail of his shirt. Sage twisted his head 
away. He didn't need Kento's sweaty shirt in his face - he felt bad 
enough already. Sage was a little surprised by the angry glare Kento 
leveled at the coach. He usually showed more respect for authority 
than that.
    "C'mo, man - leave him alone. He's been sick, and he's not very 
with it today." He shot Sage a disapproving stare - looking remarkably 
like Mama for a moment. "He probably shoulda stayed home."
    Sage squirmed his shoulders a little. He was uncomfortable 
with Kento defending him like this - he could handle his own affairs. 
But he also recognized an opportunity to escape when he saw one. He 
groaned and slumped into Kento's arms in a false faint. The performance 
had its desired effect. A chorus of sympathetic sighs and whispers rose 
from the girls. They raised a fussy protest on his behalf. Confronted 
with multiple whinings and pleadings, the instructor caved.
   "Dammit - Get him outta here," he fumed, waving an arm impatiently 
at the carnage. "Don't come back til ya learn to DODGE."
   Sage growled softly in the back of his throat, wishing that he 
dared to flip him the bird. But that would spoil the game. Sage dropped 
a sly wink to Kento, which was returned. Kento heaved himself to his 
feet, Sage going suitably limp and dangly in his arms. It was a 
rather undignified position to be in. But it was better than dodgeball. 
There was no was he was going back out there to get killed. He'd rather 
endure the embarrassment of being carried out like a sack of oats.
    Kento managed to wind his way through the crowd of girls pressing 
in to fuss over their wounded songbird. Kento suddenly found himself 
in a very favorable light. He was percieved as being very heroic for 
rescueing the battered Sage Icon. A ripple of appreciation passed 
through  the young ladies, interspersed with whispers of "He's so 
strong", "What a nice guy", and "Awesome  muscles." Kento could not 
conceal a grin. This was great. Several small hands reached out to 
touch Sage as he passed by. And some, whether by accident or design, 
smoothed his thickly muscled arms.
    Glowing with pride, Kento picked up his head and strutted proudly 
with his wounded duck. Sage snickered silently to himself. Kento was 
really eating this up. Hell, it was about time. Someone delivered a 
secretive pat on his broad behind. It surprised him so much, he 
nearly dropped Sage. 
    "Hang in there, Romeo," murmered Sage.
    Flushing, Kento hurried off with him to the relative safety of 
the boys' locker room. A disappointed murmer of sighs was cut off by 
the closing door. Kento set Sage carefully down on the edge of a rub-down 
table and brought him a cold wet towel. Sage blotted his bloody nose 
gingerly.
    "Man....  are you ok?" Kento eyed him worriedly. There was blood 
all over the front of Sage's white gym shirt. Kento glanced down - 
he wassplashed with red too. Kento peeled off his bloodstained shirt 
and chucked it into the sink to soak. Sage tossed his own in after it.
    "Uh, huh - I'm ok. Are you?"
    Kento laughed as Sage teased him.
    "I thought those girls were going to eat you alive! Did they leave 
any bite marks?"
    "Hey - Just dip me in ketchup and call me beefcake!" Kento shook 
his head. " How do you deal with that every day?"
    "It's just a cross I have to bear. Some of us can't help being beautiful."
    Kento stuck his tongue out at him, sloshing his shirt through the cold 
water in the sink.
    "Poor Baby. What a hard life!"
    He handed Sage a fresh towel.
    "You sure you're allright?"
    "Yah - I de bine..." Sage muttered through his plugged-up nose.
    Kento fished around in his locker and dug out his T-shirt. His gym 
shirt was bloodied and soaked beyond redemption. He shrugged his 
massive shoulders into the Tee.
    "You stayin' here?"
    "Nah - I'm goin' home. My head is killin' me."
    "No shit. You really ate it back there."
    "Don't remind me."
    Having stemmed the worst of the bleeding, Sage began gathering 
up his things. Kento stopped him.
    "Don't bend down - You'll make it worse. Just siddown."
    Kento tossed him his school clothes and stuffed Sage's bloodied 
gym things into his bag. Sage changed into his clean clothes, careful 
not to jar his tender nose. Kento still hovered worriedly.
    "Do you need a ride home?"
    "I'll live, Kento. My mom decided to work at home today so I can 
call her." He sniffled ruefully - his nose was all clogged up now. 
"She told me not to come....  Guess she was right."
    He shouldered his bag and accepted another wad of kleenex from Kento.
    "By the way..... ah.... thanks. For helpin' me out."
    Kento shrugged.
    "No problem. You just go home and get some rest - ya look like shit."
    "Thanks a lot, Kento." Sage made a face at him. He still seemed 
somewhat subdued - maybe it was the blow to the head. "Hey, I know I 
wasn't real polite last Friday -"
    "Relax - It's ok."
    "I acted like kind of a jerk, Kento. I'm sorry."
    Kento frowned, shoving his coat into his hands.
    "Aw, go home. Look, I'd better get back out there and make sure 
Rowen and Cye don't kill each other. Again."
    "Right," grinned Sage. He had witnessed the end results of the 
towel-fight earlier. Cye had gotten the rough end of it and would 
probably be out for revenge. It didn't surprise Sage to learn that 
Rowen was at the bottom of the situation. He winked, even though it 
hurt his face to do so.
    "I know you - You just wanna get back out there and press the 
flesh with your new fans!"
    Kento laughed heartily, pulling a bad imitation of a Charles Atlas pose. 
    "The more I can press, the better, dude! See ya later."
    Sage watched him go back out into the gym. Kento was instantly 
mobbed by a horde of girls asking him a flurry of questions. A few 
of the more enthusiastic ones were all but climbing over him in an 
effort to peek into the room behind him. He had to shove the throng 
back politely in order to keep them from surging into the locker 
room.  He flashed Sage a thumbs' up and disappeared, all but carried 
along by the clamoring female tide. 
    Wondering if Kento would make it out of the gym in one piece, 
Sage turned and trudged off to the Nurse's Office.
    The reception he recieved was not as sympathetic as he might 
have hoped. Adrianna, apparently immune to his charms, shook 
her head impatiently at him.
    "You....  AGAIN??"
    "Me again," murmered Sage meekly, shifting unhappily under her gaze.
    "SIT. You're going home."
    "No, really?" grumbled Sage, put off by her frosty demeanor. 
"Thought I would just stand around here and look decorative."
    She put her chin in her hand.
    "Ok, ok - I'm not trying to be a bitch. The flu's going around 
and it's been a bit of hell in here today."
    Sage gave a tired shrug and sat heavily in a chair. He winced, 
wishing that he hadn't. His nose began to drip again - Red splashed 
the white tile floor.
    "Dammit -"
     Adrianna quickly got him a cold cloth and some ice. 
    "Here. Take it easy. What did you do - run into a wall?"
    "Gym class...." he gurgled feebly. He spit blood into his 
handkerchief. "Call home for me? She's there."
    "Ok...."  She eyed the door. A pair of healthy-looking girls had 
come in, displaying a very poor imitation of flu symptoms. Their eyes 
were fixed hungrily on Sage. The Head Nurse, Marion, scowled at 
them disapprovingly. Adrianna sighed and reached for the phone. 
    "We'll get you out of here as quickly as possible. It always 
turns into chaos when you're here!"
    Sgae grinned around the icepack as Marion went to deal with the 
interlopers. It was hell being popular. He sat there for awhile, 
thumbing through last year's magazines while he waited. He fingered 
the vial of pills in his coat pocket. They were intended only for 
treating Migraines - not something like this. Although his head 
throbbed, he resisted the temptation to take one. By the time his 
mother arrived, a great clot of girls had formed around the door to 
the office. She had to push her way through them. Marion smiled up 
at her.
    "Young lady, you know you can't just come barging in here."
    "Oh shush, silly. You know I'm his mother."
    She put her arm out to Sage and he leaned on it. At least she 
had the decency not to lecture him in front of everyone. Being led 
out by the hand by his MOTHER was embarrassing enough....  At least he 
was going home for some rest. He couldn't argue with that - He felt 
wiped out. 
    The fresh air outside helped revive him a bit. He made his way 
somewhat unsteadily down the walkway. Late season cicadas chirred 
in the trees. It was unusual to hear them at this time of year. The 
fall weather had turned unseasonably warm and he wondered about that. 
He frowned up at the sky. The earlier breeze had died - the sunshine 
felt harsh and hot. A vague white haze hung in the air over the 
distant city. Something felt very out of place.
    Finally clear of of any unwanted audience, Judith turned to him.
    "Sage....  why didn't you just stay home?"
    He made an apologetic little grimace.
    "I wish I had. I thought I could handle it, but...."
    "But?"
    Judith eyed his swollen face.
    "Adrianna didn't give me all the details. Something about an 
"occurrence" in gym class. What happened to you?"
   Sage's face said it all.
    "Dodgeball."
    "Oh, Sage -" A little laugh escaped her before she could stifle it. 
"I'm sorry - I'm your Mother. I'm not supposed to laugh about it."
    Sage shrugged. Everyone else had. Except Kento. 
    "That'll teach me. I should have listened to you." He had to stop 
a moment to hold his head - it ached viciously.
    "Shhh - Don't worry about that now."
    Her hands were gentle as she touched his face. So careful that 
it didn't hurt when she touched him.
    "Didn't break it, did you?"
    "No - just bloody. And my head is killing me...."
    "You are staying home tomorrow, love."
    Sage gave a vague nod. He didn't feel like going anyplace for awhile.
    "Sage - work on your models. Write some letters - watch a 
little TV. Something quiet. But NO school for a few days and no 
girlfriends. Not until you get your strength back."
    "Aw, Mom," he protested, smiling anyways. She knew how popular 
he was - there was a teasing note in her voice concerning the girls. 
She rummaged in her handbag.
    "Here are a couple of things that should help make you feel better."
    She passed him two Advil and his bottled water. Sage swallowed 
them and drained the bottle. He NEEDED that....  Judith handed him 
a white cardboard box.
    "I picked you up a new Jaguar model. Hope you like green."
    Sage grinned like a kid with a new bicycle. He loved classic 
cars. His greatest passion after girls was race cars. He had already 
competed in several local junior divisions. When he turned 19, he hoped 
to go professional. There was a race coming up soon; he hoped he 
wouldn't be too sick to go. 
    "Thanks, Mom."
    Working on the plastic motorized kits was almost as much fun as 
playing with the real thing. The racer that now sat in their garage 
wasn't really his. It belonged to a family friend who was letting him 
use it on the track. Sage paused. He was supposed to have returned it 
to the racecourse yesterday, and he had forgotten all about it. The 
owner was going to be pissed. A pissed-off Joe was an unpleasant thing. 
Well, there was no taking it back for at least another two days. Sage 
winced. He did not relish having to call Joe up and explain things to 
him. Sick or not, he'd get his ears chewed on for it.
    Something tugged at his senses. Odd. He shouldn't have been able 
to feel anything......
    Sage paused, lagging being his mother. Her hair looked artificially 
gold in the autumn sun. She turned to look at him, features etched 
with concern. 
    "What is it, love?"
    He did not answer, just stood there like a statue in the patched 
sunlight. His face looked like white stone. His eyes were looking at 
something she couldn't see, his head tilted slightly to one side.
    He was feeling the stillnes. It disturbed him. There wasn't a 
breath of air. Not a blade of grass stirred. A dead leaf drifted 
lazily down, brushing his face before landing at his feet. 
    "Sage!"
    He shut his eyes. Even without his psi powers, he could feel 
something...   large and looming on the horizon. The hair lifted off 
the back of his neck. There was a heaviness in the air around him that 
made him nervous - a brooding silence as though the earth held its 
breath. He could not hear his mother's worried voice tugging at him.
    Judith Date had to walk back and take her son by the hand to make 
him follow her. He was really worrying her now - he looked like he 
was in a completely different world.
    "That's it, kid. You are going back to bed."
    Sage followed her like a sleepwalker, his grey eyes blurred 
and unfocused. He didn't know what had touched him. Somthing distant 
and soft as a kitten's whisker, teasing him like an itch he 
couldn't scratch. 
    Whatever it was, he would find out soon.


To be Continued.......


We're still collecting fan art for the Samurai Souls artbook. 
If you have anything to contribute, please mail it to me at:

Kajite Gray/ Souls Art
464 West Hill Road
Vestal, New York 13850

Many thanks to all of you who have contributed so far!  >^;;^<
Do mail things flat if it is possible. Everything recieved 
so far looks great.