Illusions of the Mind
                                Chapter 3

        The stainless steel shimmered in the sunlight.  The reflected light 
was blinding.  Only a speck of dried blood clung to the knife, but 
underneath, countless stories of death by the dagger's blade.  The handle 
was composed of two intertwined cobras, their fangs clutching the knife's 
blade. An emerald was stuck in between the two snakes heads, and it shined 
as much as the blade.  
        Mirage turned the blade on its side, watching the sun's rays bounce 
off the surface. He then turned it back on its orignal side, watching the 
same process as before.  Then again, and again, and again.  
        It was only yesterday that Sage 'died'.  Yet, in Mirage's mind, 
although he knew the truth, Sage was truly dead.  He would never see his 
friend again, and even though he knew Sage was safe from the clan, he was 
overcome with grief.  Even better, strangly.  It would guarantee his keeping 
Sage's being alive as secret as possible. 
        The cobra dagger was all Mirage had left of his buddy now, and he 
planed on keeping the knife for as long as he could. 
        He let himself again get immersed in the blade, watching the beams 
bounce onto the lake water.  Mirage had always had a problem going into 
tranceds like this. 
        *               *               *               *
        "Mirage?" 
        The voice, although soft, was startling, and before he knew who was 
there, Mirage was on top of the other figure, the blade of Sage's dagger on 
the tender flesh of his throat. 
        "Mirage!?  Get off me!  What's wrong with you?!"  the voice 
screamed, and Mirage felt a strong hand on his chest. 
        Mirage's eyes focused, and he stared into a pair of familiar blue 
eyes. 
        "Omega?"  Mirage questioned himself, sitting up.
        "Yes!  Now get the f--- off of me!"  Omega screamed, squirming under 
Mirage's weight.
        Mirage moved off of his friend, allowing Omega to stand. 
        "Sorry, Omega.  I've been really tense lately."  Mirage apologized, 
shaking his head. 
        Omega snickered as he wiped a hand across his thigh.  "No shit,"  he 
said sarcastically. 
        Mirage glared at him for his disrespect.  "Look,"  he snapped.  "One 
of my closest friends was just murdered.  I think I have the right to be a 
little tense." 
        Omega stared at him oddly, his eyes narrowed in a 'you didn't know?' 
look. 
        "Sage was an        ."  he said simply.  "He spent the last year of 
his life automating his friends and fellow clan members.  Some of my closest 
friends.  He was a murderer."
        Mirage wanted to tell him about Sage, and get his reputation 
cleared. But he knew he couldn't.  Omega, like many other members of the 
clan, hated Sage for what he did, and Mirage couldn't trust Omega taking the 
news to his father. 
        "You didn't know him like I did."  he said instead. 
        "No one knew him, Mirage.  I personally hope he rots in hell," 
        Red flashed in Mirage's eyes, and Omega stopped himself from going 
on. 
        "I'm sorry.  I forgot how close you two were,"  After a second of 
pausing, he continued.  "You wanna spar?  Get a bit of that tenseness out?" 
        Mirage nodded absently.  At this point, he wouldn't mind hitting 
Omega. 
        *               *               *               *
        Omega landed on his ass, a good eight feet away from his original 
position.  He quickly shook off the impact of the attack and flipped to his 
feet, taking a defensive stance, just in time to avoid a high kick from 
Mirage. 
        "Hey!  Chill a bit, will ya?!  That last one hurt.......a little,"  
Omega demanded, wiping the sweat off of his forehead. 
        Mirage smiled, for the first time in a while, and clucked his 
tounge. "What?  You worn out already?  I'm to much for ya, huh?"
        Omega snickered, rolling his eyes.  "I was going easy on ya,"  he 
said, trying to hide the fact he was panting just slightly.  The two had 
been sparing for a least twenty minutes straight, but they could have lost 
track.
        Before either of them could decide to quit for the day, a high pitch 
whistle caught their attention.  Swerving around, a black and white clad 
ninja was waving at them. He stood a good distance from them, but they 
recognized him immediately. 
        "Mirage!"  Cyclone yelled, a bit too loud.  "Yer father wants to see 
you.  He says it's important,"

                        End of Chapter 3