Just before lunch it started to rain and everyone gathered into the cabin to avoid the downpour, but nobody could escape the dreariness it brought with it.  Sarah sat next to the window watching the rainfall, but she was also lost in her thoughts.  For probably the first time since she had returned her thoughts were not on Cye, but about the others.  She wondered if they all had hidden pasts like Ryo and Kento or if they were as carfare as they appeared.  She tore her eyes away from the window and locked them on the figure in another chair.
    "What secrets did Sage hide, or did he even have any.  He's always calm and under control.  The ladies man.  Popular with everybody. Did he have any secrets?" She wondered.  Sage looked up and their eyes met.  They looked at each other for a second till Sarah turned to look back out the window where the rain had stopped.  Sage placed a bookmark in his place and closed the book.  He looked one more time at Sarah and then stood and left the room.  He walked down the hall and turned into the room he shared with Ryo.  He placed the book with the others on the shelf.  Sage looked around the small room and realized just how much of their stuff made it's way down.  He walked over to a small chest at the edge of his bed and rummaged though it's contents until finding what he was looking for.  He wiped the dust off the cover of the old book and opened it.  It was an old photo album of his family.  He turned a couple of pages and then closed it again.  He carried the album out of the room and back to the chair he had been sitting in, but a napping boy had occupied it.  He looked over expecting to find Sarah where she had been moments ago but found the chair empty, and the sun shining outside the window.  He started to head back to his room, but decided to go into the woods.  He walked along the edge of the lake into the woods that surrounded it.  After a few minuets he came upon a small clearing.  In the center sitting on a huge rock was Sarah.
    "Would you like to lighten the load?" Sage asked walking up behind her.  Sarah jumped not hearing him approach,
    "What?"
    "You look like you have a lot on your mind.  I was wondering if I could help lighten the load." Sage asked again sitting on the wet ground next to her.
    "Oh, no, I'm fine."
    "Thinking about Cye?"
    "No,  Actually I was thinking about you guys."
    "Us?"
    "Yea, just why you act like you do.  I mean, Kento is so carfare, Rowen is so smart, Ryo's protective, and well... you're always so sure about everything."
    "I only wish I could believed that." Sage said looking down at the rain soaked grass.

    The rain had also just topped as four figures crashed to the ground in the middle of a dense forest.
    "Ow, what happened?" Touma asked as he helped the others to stand.
    "Sorry about that." Katelynn apologized as she pulled some twigs from her hair.
    "Has anyone seen Shu?" Ryo asked looking around.  Everyone joined him and had just started to call out when a lot of water rained down on them from the tree above.
    "Glad to know I'm loved." A voice yelled down at them.
    "How did you get up there?" Ryo asked as he tried to shake some of the water from his hair.
    "I don't know.  One second we're in the volcano and the next I'm in a tree." Shu replied as he jumped down to their level.
    "I'm sorry.  I don't know what went wrong." Katelynn apologized again.
    "Your probably just tired.  Teleporting us around takes a lot of energy." Touma explained.
    "Maybe we should stop and rest for a bit." Ryo suggested, but Stardust grunted and shook her head.
    ~ We need to start moving.  We are running out of time. ~ Stardust said nudging at Katelynn's leg.
    "Running out of time? What do you mean?" Katelynn asked.
    "What are you talking about?" Ryo asked.
    Stardust just said we were running out of time." Katelynn answered.
    "Running out of time for what?" Shu asked looking at Stardust.
    ~ I never told you before, cause I didn't want you to worry. ~ Stardust started, Katelynn repeated for the others. ~ When we first saw Shin after he was... How can I say... persuaded to the others side, I realized something. ~
    "What?" Katelynn asked worried.
    ~ I realized that we only have so long until we will no longer be able to bring him back to us.  After that time is up, the only way to stop him.  Would be to kill him. ~ Stardust finished looking down.  Katelynn was not able to finish the sentence and dropped to her knees in shock.
    "How would we be able to stop him?" Shu asked clue less.
    "To kill him isn't it?" Touma asked, Stardust nodded.
    "Katelynn, we will make it.  I swear!" Shu exclaimed kneeling down next to her and wrapping his arms around her letting her cry into his shoulder.
    "I can't do it!" Katelynn sobbed.
    "We would never expect you to be able to.  Let's get Seiji.  We'll make it don't worry." Shu said helping her stand up.

    "What are you talking about Sage?" Sarah asked a bit shocked at his statement.  The sun had come out, and the air had warmed, allowing the birds and other animals of the forest to come out.
    "I'm not so sure about myself.  What you see is all a bluff." Sage explained.  Sarah scooted off the rock and sat down next to him not regarding the wet ground.
    "But, why?" Sarah asked looking over past his blond hair.  Sage didn't respond at first, making Sarah think that he didn't want to talk about it and was about to change the topic when he finally spoke.
    "It all started because of a girl." Sage whispered.
    "A girl? You had problems with a girl? What? Was it your first let down?" Sarah joked, but was suddenly met with one cold crystal blue eye, "Sorry, that was uncalled for."
    "It's all right.  It's expected." Sage sighed and looked down at the book in his lap.  He opened it to a certain page that looked as if the picture on it had been taken out many times, "Just before High School I met this terrific girl named Keiko.  This is her." Sarah looked at the picture in the book and saw a young woman with pitch black hair and violet eyes standing next to a boy with straight blond hair, that hung to his chin, the sides of which were pushed behind his ears.
"Is that you?" Sarah asked pointing to the boy in the picture.
    "That would be.  I was nothing like I am now.  I didn't flirt, and I didn't care much at all about how I looked." He shook his head trying to hold back the tears the memories always brought to him.  Sarah moved the hair away from his other eyes and probably for the first time, saw them both. "Keiko and I became really good friends.  After a while I really began to like her, and as far as I knew she liked me too.  That's what everyone said.  We went out a few times and it was great!  But then one night we were out in a park enjoying the stars.  I thought it was safe, I was sure she felt the same, so I told her that I loved her.  I had it all planned out.  It was going to be perfect." Sage stopped and looked back down at the pictures of him and her, "I guess it wasn't to be.  I told her how I felt and she very sweetly and gently said that she loved me too, as a friend.  I was nice, but not what she wanted in a boyfriend.  She wanted someone that was crazy over girls and flirted with them."
    "You're joking. I mean, it is nice to have a guy flirt with you at times, but I don't think I could stand going out with one." Sarah stated looking up into both his eyes, the tears rolling down his cheeks.
    "Well, that's what she said.  She was supposed to come to my Kendo Tournament the next day for good luck.  She never showed up.  I didn't win that day; it was the first time I ever lost a match.  Father was hysterical and grounded me when we got home.  I practiced the whole night, and the whole time I thought about what Keiko had said.  The next day I went to my neighbors' house.  They had a daughter a year older then I and I asked her if she could help.  She tried to talk me out of it, but I wouldn't budge.  She gave in and helped.  It was her that first fixed my hair like this.  She took me shopping and bought me clothes.  By the end of the day I looked like I do now.  It was a good timing cause, just a week after Talpa invaded.  And then after that we all started High School.  No one I knew went to the high school so I could start fresh again.  Sometimes I wish I could go back to the way I was, but I knew if I tried everyone would think I was sick or something."
    "Sage, that doesn't mean that you can't be who you really are.  Go wild sometimes." Sarah smiled.
    "What do you mean?" Sage asked curious.
    "Well, say I do this..." Sarah started as she messed up his hair a bit, "Don't fix it.  You can still be the flirt we all know, but you can also be your old self that doesn't care what they look like too.  You just have to decide when to be who." Sarah said looking him in the eyes.
    "But how will I know when to be who?" Sage asked shutting the book.
    "That's something you'll have to find out on your own.  Experiment." Sarah shrugged.
    "Well, then, would it be okay, if I did this?" Sage asked throwing some wet grass into Sarah's hair.
    "Sage!" Sarah yelled trying to brush the grass out.  Sage stood up and helped her to stand also, "You do realize this means war."
    "Oh, I know plenty well." Sage smirked as he ran off into the woods with Sarah following closely.  They ran through the woods and came back to the lake.  Sage skidded to a stop so he wouldn't fall in, unfortunately Sarah wasn't able to stop in time and they both hit the water.  Sage surfaced and looked around, making sure his album made didn't get thrown in also. He saw it on laying on the shore and sighed, but then realized he couldn't find Sarah.  He looked around again and tried looking under the water for her.  Suddenly she came up right in front of him and spit water in his face.
    "Ha! Got ya!" Sarah yelled smiling triumphantly.
    "That's what you think!" Sage laughed as he started splashing water at her.

    The small and tired group made their way though the thick forest trying to find their lost friend.  Shu still had his arm around Katelynn who still hugged herself, as if trying to keep the thought of having to kill the one she loved out of her mind.
    ~ Katelynn, you must believe that you will succeed.  If you don't then the battle is lost before it even begins! ~ Stardust stated stopping in front of her.  Katelynn refused to listen to her and avoided her eye contact.
    "Katelynn, look at me." Touma said lifting her chin up, "We will win.  If... and I do mean IF, we don't we will die trying." Katelynn closed her eyes.  She heard Touma sigh and walk away.  Shu tightened his grip on her.  She thought about the two missing members.  Seiji was nearby, not far.  Shin, they were going to get back. Katelynn opened her eyes and looked in front of them to what seemed like a solid slab of rock.  She pulled herself from Shu's arms and started to walk forward.  Shu and the others looked at her wondering what she was going to do.  She picked up speed and walked straight to the rock and they all thought she would run right into it, but she walked right through it and disappeared.
    "Katelynn!" Shu yelled running to the rock, but instead of disappearing like Katelynn did, he ran right into it and fell backwards.
    "Are you all right?" Ryo asked running over to Shu.
    "It's solid." Touma said feeling the rock where she had disappeared.
    "No kidding." Shu growled rubbing his nose.
    "Did she teleport?" Ryo asked helping Shu up.
    ~ No, but I believe she's all right.  She must find Seiji on her own.  Only then will she have the will to fight against Shin. ~ Stardust replied to Ryo.
    "We can't make her fight against Shin!" Ryo exclaimed.
    "Ryo, who said that we were going to make her fight Shin?" Shu asked.
    "Stardust did." Ryo stated and Shu looked at her in shock.
    ~ You must understand.  She is the only one that can break the spell. ~ Stardust explained to Shu.
    "What if the spell can't be broken?" Shu asked
    "What about the spell?" Ryo asked.
    "Katelynn's the only one that can break it." Shu repeated.
    "So, what if she can't break it?" Ryo asked.
    ~ Then it will take all of you to kill him.  Including Katelynn. ~ Stardust replied to Ryo.
    "How can we make Katelynn kill him? You know she won't!" Ryo exclaimed.
    "What are you talking about?" Shu asked shocked by what Ryo said.
    "Stardust said that it would take all of us including Katelynn to kill him if it comes to that." Ryo answered.  They continued to talk and repeat things trying to figure out what to do when the time comes.

    Katelynn appeared in a small tunnel.  She kept walking straight as if she had been there and knew where she was going.  She emerged from the tunnel into a huge cavern not unlike the others she had been in, only the walls were rough and jagged.  Rocks sticking up from the ground and ceiling.  One large piece of rock, in the center of the cavern was connected to both the floor and the ceiling.  For the first time Katelynn emerged from her trance like state.
    "Where am I?" She asked looking around, "Seiji is here.  I can feel him." She climbed down the jabbed wall and walked to the center of the cavern.  "But where is he?" She asked herself.  She walked around the large rock.  Looking up at it she saw a really light spot in it.  There was something in side and she knew it had to be Seiji.  She held out the last orb in her pouch and it started to glow green.  The light spot in the rock also glowed the same green.  The orb in her hand disappeared and the thing inside of the rock burst out flying over her head.  Katelynn shrieked and backed up against the rock.  The figure landed in a dark shadow, and stood its back to her.  She stayed next to the rock afraid that she had done something terribly wrong. When the shadowed figure turned around she could see the symbol of Wisdom glow on his brow.  It was Seiji.
    "Seiji!" Katelynn exclaimed.
    "Who did you expect  it to be?" Seiji laughed and Katelynn shrugged her shoulders.
    "Come on.  I'll explain to you what's going on.  We have to meet up with the others and go after Shin." Sarah stated as they walked into the tunnel.
    "Shin?"
    "Yes, he is alive, but he's on their side now.  And we are going to get him back." Katelynn stated strongly.  The two climbed the wall and went the way Katelynn had come.

    The rain had started again, and everyone was out on the porch looking for their two missing friends.
    "Where are they?" Rowen asked looking along the woods.
    "I don't know but I wish they'd get back. Who knows what could happen." Ryo stated also worried.
    "Oi, over there!" Kento exclaimed pointing to where the lake met the woods.  Sage and Sarah were walking along talking.  They were both soaking wet.
    "I... I can't believe my eyes." Rowen said in amazement.
    "His hair is a mess!" Kento exclaimed laughing, "Someone get the camera!!!!"
    "He doesn't even look like he cares either." Ryo finished.  Sarah and Sage looked up to see the guys staring at them, or more likely at Sage.  They looked at each other and then at the others and smiled.