Conquer the angry man by love. Conquer the ill-natured man by goodness. Conquer the miser with generosity. Conquer the liar with truth. The Dhammapada

"Jump up and down five times, Allie! Let's go, let's go, let's go!"

The air in Master Lee's dojo was alive with Allie's anxiety. Samiyah's voice was firm as she knelt before the seven year old little girl. Although Allie was unsure how jumping would assist her in overcoming the challenge, she grinned brightly and did as she was told. When Allie had completed her fifth jump, Samiyah lifted the hand held target on her right hand as the girl set into a fighting stance with closed fists drawn up several inches beneath her chin. Allie's eyes narrowed in concentration and her lips pursed in a studious frown.

Allie took a step forward, swinging her back hand in time as the foot moved in front. The hand arched overhead and then the bottom of her fist struck the target with a resounding pop. Quickly she lined up and swung another hammerfist. Another satisfying pop sounded as the fist met the target.

The dojo was completely silent and still save the intense little girl and her enthusiastic instructor. For all either of them could care, they were alone in the world. For these moments, the nation-state of Icecrest in which the dojo sat was not crumbling around them, Allie's family was not concerned over their well-being for their family's connection to the overthrown emperor, and Sami was not worried about the unspoken concerns that Master Lee seemed to be having. They were just two girls shooting for a goal.

"Let's do it, Allie. No hesitation. You just swing the same punch you've been doing all day, okay?" The handheld target was exchanged for a slender piece of wood. Sami remained on her knees, squaring the piece of wood before the little girl.

A deep breath filled Allie's lungs and then was released out into the world with all her fear of pain. Her fist tightened and with the same movement she had just practiced, she brought the hammerfist overhead and down through the piece of wood, snapping it in half. Allie's blue eyes grew wide in wonder but she snapped to attention and bowed low to Sami just as she had been trained. The two pieces of wood were set aside on the dojo floor and Sami dipped her head politely at the bow.

When the moment of respect required was over, the two girls squealed in delight at the accomplishment and Allie launched herself at Sami while the older girl was still on her knees before her. Allie's arms swung around Sami's neck for the tightest of squeezes. "Oh my gosh, Sihing Zayn! That was so awesome!"

"Congratulations, Karateka Allie." Master Lee approached from the back doorway where he had been watching unbeknownst to both girls. The sound of Master Lee's voice was all that was needed to snap them from their giggling. Allie peeled herself off of Sami who quickly rose to her feet and both girls dipped into matching low bows for their teacher and the junior instructor at his heels — Sihing Kyle Lathan.

Finding that her teacher had been watching caused Allie's nerves to resurface and she stumbled over her tongue in reply. "Thank you, Sensei."

Sensing the young girl's need to burst with excitement rather than mind her manners around Master Lee, Sami collected the two halves of the board and handed them to the little girl. "Very well done," Sami stated in a bit more formal tone. "Why don't you go show your mother" I know that she will be greatly impressed."

The thought of her mother's praise drew another bright grin from Allie as she accepted the boards. In her excitement to hurry home, she nearly forgot to bow politely to her instructors before zipping out of the room with the pieces of board in hand. Her enthusiasm drew a warm peel of laughter from Master Lee. For a brief moment, the lines of concern which had begun to wrinkle his face in a new way the last several weeks disappeared as Allie's infectious spirit lifted his own.

The mood was broken as Kyle finally chimed in. Until he lifted his voice, Sami had been successful in completely ignoring his sullen expression. After all, that did seem to be his natural expression or at least it was when Sami was around. "What did the wood ever do to you, Sami?"

"We all make sacrifices for the greater good, Sempai." The question drew a warm smile from the young instructor and she turned to fully face her fellow junior instructor, keeping her voice polite and respectful. She refused to be baited into an argument. Kyle's dour attitude towards Sami was always met by unfaltering cheerfulness. "The wood sacrificed today so that little girl could walk away with confidence. And a young woman with confidence is an object of priceless beauty."

Master Lee smiled warmly as his twinkling dark eyes returned to Sami and he nodded sagely. "A wise lesson, young Sihing, and one which many a men would do well to take to heart."

Godan Logan stood beneath the flags at the front of the dojo with his hands on his hips as he surveyed the two straight rows of sparring partners. Although firm concentrated lines dominated his features, he felt content. Since the fall of the Emperor, the slaughter of the Marahara monks, and the theft of the medallion, Logan Motnamavic rarely felt at ease. Teaching was his one source of comfort. If his days were numbered, he would spend them teaching his students the tenants he had built his life on — courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self control, and an indomitable spirit.

"Cha ryuht," he called to the class, bringing them to attention. Feet were drawn together and palms patted the outside of their thighs. "Kyung nae." The class bowed to their opponent nearly in unison.

He paused as his eyes landed on Sihing Samiyah before Sihing Kyle. Although, both stood at attention before one another — her with that distant smile that seemed ever present on her lips and him with a deep frown of concentration — there was something in the pit of him that signaled alarm bells in his head. Without anything concrete to back up his concerns, he heaved a heavy sigh. "Choon bi!" The students broke from attention into fighting stances.

"Seijak!"

As the pairs of students engaged one another in light contact sparring, Sihing Samiyah and Sihing Kyle remained in place. He bounced, staying light on his feet while she dug down deeper into her stance, making the half foot height gap between them seem even greater. In a direct snake-like strike, Kyle's front foot was launched out in a direct and speedy front kick aimed at her abdomen. Sami had not been expecting such a simple attack nor one with as much force behind it as Kyle's had. It struck just above her black belt driving the air from her lungs. Only that she had dug into her stance and lowered her center of gravity allowed her to take the kick without stumbling back. This would be no light sparring match. A dark smile twisted on Kyle's lips as Sami gasped to refill her lungs. Tears burned her eyes but were dismissed.

She did not wait long to return fire. A left handed backfist to the head was blocked and shoved away but so set in his pride of blocking her initial blow was Kyle that he missed the right hook kick to his knee. The leg faltered beneath him and as his attention turned to his balance, her opposite hand launched another backfist to catch him against his cheek and jawbone. Gone was the pleasant, cheerful young woman. In her place was the wild, cornered little animal she used to be fighting in dirty bars and back alleys whenever Leon made her. Sami could almost feel the dirt smudging her face and the stale smell of liquor and vomit that always filled those disgusting bars. The years since Stick tore her free of that life melted away but the training did not.

The brutal battle between Master Lee's most successful junior instructors caused the other sparring partners to slow their matches to a halt. In no time at all, Sami and Kyle's war had taken center stage. Godan Logan took a quick step forward, intending to break it up but Master Lee was suddenly at his side, stilling him with a strong hand on Logan's arm. Godan Logan's eyes turned questioningly on Master Lee who shook his head slowly at Godan Logan's unspoken intent on interfering so quickly. "Can you not feel destiny's hand, my dear friend?" Master Lee stated softly.

Realization dawned on Godan Logan and his eyes quickly returned to the battle as the two fighters laid their best combination of attacks out. Each was landing just as many vicious blows as the other. "If this is destiny why do we not step in to change it?"

"Only they can change their destiny. We can only stand on the sidelines and provide them the lessons that hopefully they will take to heart," Master Lee stated patiently. Godan Logan, having known Master Lee for as long as he had, could read the pain in the man's voice and he understood it. This was heavy business indeed. "We cannot punish for crimes not yet committed."

Master Lee's lips were driven into a hard frown as Sami launched in a jab towards Kyle's chin. His hand locked around her smaller hand and wrist and forcefully he twisted the wrist away, turning her thumb away from her body. His eyes locked on hers as she doubled in pain with a sharp cry as her wrist rotated painfully. Just a little more pressure and he could completely snap the bones in her wrist. If he applied even more pressure, he could break her elbow and dislocate her shoulder all from this one position. He drove her down further to her knees as the students watched on in silent shock but his eyes never left her's. There was no doubting his intention. He wanted her to realize just how helpless she was.

With her in the almost defenseless position, he threw a jab in towards her face. Unable to move the rest of her body, Sami twisted her face towards a shoulder for cover. His strike missed the eye it was intended for and instead struck her chin and bottom lip. Releasing a heavy exhale of pain, Sami forced her training to take over. A fight with her natural reflex to tense the tendons of the arm he had in a wrist lock was eventually won and the arm and wrist went limp, causing a release to the pain radiating from it. As the arm went limp, she drove the heel of his palm in towards his face. So caught up in the enjoyment of inflicting pain was Kyle that the attack did not full register until it was too late. Her strike drove into his nose, twisting cartilage and breaking bone.

He released her wrist and stumbled back a step as blood poured from the busted nose. Expecting the release from the hold, Sami was able to drop into a lower crouch to regain her balance. The street fighter in her begged to end it here even though the amount of blood was startling. She had to take this advantage while her older and larger opponent was still fighting the waves of nauseating pain from the broken nose. Refusing to ignore her survival instincts over concern for the man before her, she shoved herself forward, aiming a follow up punch to his jaw. Yet as the blow came in, Kyle twisted slightly to the side to avoid the punch. His hands grabbed hold of the sleeve of her dobok near her shoulder and, using her momentum, he pulled her up over his shoulder and twisted to send her to the floor.

Sami's head struck hard against the back of the floor as she landed without the foresight to cushion her landing by falling as she had been trained. Kyle did not hesitate with indecision as Sami had. He drew his leg up, intending to bring it down on her forehead in an axe kick and knock his opponent unconscious.

"Kalyeo!" Master Lee ordered a stop to the action in an angry tone as he stepped forward from Godan Logan's side.

Recognizing the word but unable to fight his desire to show Sami that only Master Lee's demand kept him from following through, her brought the axe kick down, choosing to land the foot mere inches to the right of Sami's hand. He did not offer assistance to Sami as he took a step back nor did he reach a hand up to his nose as blood dripped onto the front of his dobok, staining the pure white fabric with bright red blood. With a pained groan that she could not strangle into silence, Sami pushed herself to her feet gingerly. Bruised ribs already made their presence known, causing each breath to be a painful ordeal.

Uncomfortable silence filled the air as the students waited for a lecture from Master Lee on what they had just witnessed. His anger was palpable but he remained in place with his hands clasped behind his back. "Jwa woo hyang woo. Cha ryhut. Kyung nae." The commands came almost too rapidly to obey. Yet the students faced the partners that they had barely touched, snapped to attention, and bowed. A half second behind, Sami and Kyle followed suit. Their eyes remaining trained on one another through a shallow bow.

"Sah bum nim keh," he called, causing the students to turn to face him and Godan Logan. "Cha ryhut. Kyung nae."

"Hai sahn!" Before the bows to their instructors were even complete, his final order came to dismiss the class. Not a soul balked at the demand. All were more than eager to escape the tension that had settled over Master Lee's dojo.

The first lesson that Sami had learned about the Marahara's sacred book was that it was not a book at all. At least not in any traditional sense of the word.

Master Lee had decided that there was little time to waste in transferring the "book" from his protection to Sami's. Therefore, it was a mere two long days full of intense lessons after the incident with Kyle that Sami stepped back through the doorway of Godan Logan's study with his wife, Sara, a half step behind. Godan Logan's eyes met his wife's gaze somberly, seeking her strength and reassurance. Her lips parted in a soft smile, providing him with the confidence he needed to proceed with the plan. Master Lee stood silently in a corner of the study with his hands clasped behind his back, staring out the window at the sea of freshly fallen snow in the dojo's garden as if waiting for someone or something to arrive.

"Her skin has been prepared?" Godan Logan inquired as Sara motioned for Sami to take a seat.

Sami was glad the questions were being posed to Sara rather than to her. Her mind was bogged down in the heavy burden of all she had learned over the past two days. She should have had months or years even to prepare for this decision, this responsibility but there was no time. Master Lee had explained that the fall of the Emperor had spurred a sequence of events that required action. Their time was limited but when Sami questioned him as to why their time was limited he would only smile wistfully with a distant look in his eyes and vaguely speak of the strength she would need to tackle the challenges ahead. With a heavy exhale as Sara nodded in response to her husband, Sami straddled one of the chairs placed in the center of the room. She leaned forward to rest her chin on the back of the chair and allowed her dark eyes to linger on Sara's serene expression.

Godan Logan nodded to Master Lee to signal that they were ready to begin and with an hesitant exhale of air Master Lee stripped off his shirt and took up a position similar to Sami's on the chair beside her. The oppressive silence over the room bore Sami's shoulders down heavily. Sara, Logan, and Master Lee were deathly quiet and, while the situation was a somber moment, Sami could not understand the dark cloud that hung over the three. It was almost as if they were waiting to be dragged to the executioner's block.

Master Lee drew in his shoulder blades and arched his bare back as Godan Logan gently picked up an ornate ivory stylus from his desk and approached. Between Master Lee's shoulder blades seemingly tattooed into the skin was a Bhavacakra — the Wheel of Life. A ferocious looking beast representing Kala, the Lord of Time, grasped the wheel in his deadly jaws and sharp clawed hands with vivid coloring and details. Sami could not help but turn to steal a glance at the mark which would now be transferred to her as Master Lee's explanation from that night in this very room rattled around in her head. "The book is not on paper," he had stated calmly.

"Then on some sort of scroll?"

Master Lee smiled patiently and shook his head gently. "No. The ink is in me, the knowledge resides within the Mark."

Sami's features had twisted in confusion. "I do not understand."

"I carry the Mark on my back. The words are hidden within," Master Lee steepled his hands thoughtfully as he leaned forward slightly. "When the medallion is pressed against the Mark, the ink changes shapes and forms the words of the Marahara's ancient secrets on my back."

"So you need both the medallion which the Konga have stolen and the Mark which you have in order to access the secrets?" Sami reasoned out carefully to which Master Lee had responded with a weighted nod and a mournful frown at the burden he was leaving to young shoulders.

At the touch of the stylus in Godan Logan's hand against Master Lee's back, the colors swirled as if twisted in a kaleidoscope, loosing the shape of the monster and its wheel. Slowly, they disappeared from Master Lee's back, leaving smooth skin in its stead. Sami could not watch Master Lee's reaction to the Mark being taken from him because Godan Logan was now approaching her. She loosened her robe, holding it across her chest as it dropped over her shoulders to expose her upper back. Leaning further over the back of the chair, her eyes shut tightly and she concentrated on dismissing the fear that slipped its ghostly fingers around her neck, making it difficult to get a full, satisfying breath of air.

Sara reached forward to pull Sami's dark hair over her shoulder and out of Godan Logan's way. Her hand then came to rest on Sami's arm as the stylus was pressed against her flesh. Any hope that the experience would be less painful because of the magical manner in which the tattooed Mark was applied were dashed as soon as the tip touched Sami's skin. Her frame tightened as the stylus broke flesh and a wave of pain struck while the ink poured into her skin. Just as Master Lee warned, the secrets flooded her mind but in too much of a rush for her to make sense of them. Seemingly random images formed behind closed eyes with too much speed to be properly identified before the next came. It did not matter. The secrets weren't her's to know. Her duty was only to carry them and to protect them until the Marahara monks needed them.

The pain she could prepare herself for as well as the rush of images but the sensations and emotions that came one after the other — intense anger, longing, boundless joy, desire — left her senses muddled. It was long minutes after the stylus was pulled away and the Wheel of Life had taken shape between her shoulder blades with the look of a tattoo that had been in place for years, not minutes, that Sami was finally able to straighten, pulling her robe back over her shoulders and into place. Sara dropped to a crouch before her, silent and comforting as always, to brush back tears that Sami hadn't realized she'd shed.

Master Lee who had risen at some point to watch silently finally gave a nod of his head. His voice was husky with dark emotion when he finally found it. "It is done. Sami's journey has begun. It is time to prepare ourselves for the next step, Godan Logan."

Dinners in Master Lee's dojo were full of warmth, laughter, and hearty meals. This one was a little more quiet than usual as it was the rare evening when the dojo would not house several of its students. Godan Logan had been worried of a rebel attack and sent the children to stay with relatives or if there were no relatives in town than to homes of friends' of the dojo. Samiyah found the worry odd. No rebel would dare even touch a stone on the wall surrounding Master Lee's dojo. Master Lee was respected by both the rebellion and the loyalists. All knew his ground was neutral and none wished to disrupt that balance. Yet, only Master Lee had the right to disagree with Godan Logan on these grounds and Master Lee had not seemed to notice or if he had was pretending not to notice.

Still those gathered around the table were unaffected by the lack of children in their presence. Sifu Phillip and Sifu Bernard were sitting side by side, taking turns telling a story about a bear that they were claiming that they encountered. The further on the story went, the more outrageous it seemed to become and the more likely it was that the story was completely made up. Master Lee, Godan Logan, and Sihing Greg did not seem to mind. Amusement twinkled in their eyes and Master Lee's laugh filled the room with a carefree ring that seemed to ease the stress that had been wearing on Godan Logan in recent weeks.

Sihing Kyle sat sullenly picking at his food after having come to dinner late with his cheeks still flushed from the cold. Samiyah refused to waste a moment of thought on Kyle much less where he had been prior to dinner. She smiled brightly with the warm steam of the stew Sara made against her face and the chatter of the closest thing she had ever had to a family surrounding her. The only sore spot in the night was Sara herself. Her eyes were rimmed with tears and exhaustion lined her features. Sami had quietly asked her if anything was wrong when Sara had taken a seat between Sami and Godan Logan. Sara had laughed it off with a dismissal about her pregnancy wrecking havoc on her emotions.

Samiyah had been in the middle of offering to help with tomorrow's dinner to take some of the burden off of Sara when Master Lee's commanding voice caused the table to go quiet. "I shall make us a meal tomorrow afternoon. It was a recipe of my uncle's for Redfish that I wish you all to try."

"We would be honored, of course," Phillip stated with enthusiasm.

"I shall need someone to go to the wharf for me in the morning. Fresh fish is essential." Master Lee drew his hands together in a thoughtful manner over his empty bowl as he scanned the faces before him. Samiyah desperately wanted to sink down in her chair and disappear beneath the table as Master Lee's eyes landed on her. She was exhausted from Master Lee and Godan Logan's teachings on the Marahara's book and even days later her joints still ached and ribs still complained from the confrontation with Kyle. A predawn trip through the mean freezing streets of Icecrest to the wharf seemed like pure torture. "Samiyah' Will you pick up the fish for me in the morning?"

Although, his voice took on a questioning tone and phrasing, there was an order lurking deceptively behind it. This was her punishment for her role in the fight with Kyle. Releasing a heavy exhale, Sami gave an accepting nod. "Of course, Sensei."

(( Warning : Graphic violence and Kung Fu movie cliches abound! ))

Angry, inky black smoke billowed into the air above the dojo as Sami finally passed through the gate and onto the grounds of Master Lee's property a half an hour after her confrontation with the Shinobi. It had taken an excruciating thirty minutes to pick her way through several city blocks and ensure that the last of the Konga men had left the grounds. Only the fire they set seemed to remain.

Her boots crunching over the snow seemed deafeningly loud as she crept towards the front entrance. Red blood was smeared across the pure white snowfall as if someone had been dragged towards the safety of the building. Yet, as she crossed into the smoke filled building, she realized that it had not provided the safety they had been seeking. Sifu Phillip was against the wall, his blade still in his hand. From the trail of blood, it seemed it was him who was dragged free of what must have been a melee outside but he would not have stood a chance even if the dojo had provided safety. The gaping wound to his chest had probably been almost instantly fatal.

Sifu Bernard had gone down beside him. In fact, his lifeless body lay across Phillip's knees. A sword still stood tall and heinously proud in Bernard's back and a red stain had permanently ruined what had been his favorite dobok. Sami pressed her fist against her mouth to stifle the sob that erupted with a sudden soul-racking intensity. The inseparable young men had hardly been a year or two older than she. Their laughter and good-natured storytelling had been the light of so many of her nights. At her feet lay two members of her beloved family cut down heartlessly. She dropped to a crouch to brush Phillip's shaggy brown locks away from his face.

Even the air suddenly felt depraved and angry. Deeper into her defiled home she forced herself step after wary step as the smoke continued to intensify. Somewhere in the building there must be flames to accompany the thickening smoke but she hadn't yet found it. Instead, only smoke darkened the hallways, bearing down upon her as if to force her out. Knowing that there was little time left to find survivors before the spiteful fire overtook the building, she hesitated only momentarily upon spotting Sihing Greg's body lying before the men's dorm. His neck had been sliced open and he lay in a pool of his own blood. Only one quick glance told her that there was no need to approach. Greg had died alone on the floor suffocating in his own blood while she had been negotiating the price of fish. The bitter taste that rushed to her mouth nearly overtook the suffocating smoke. With a gagging cough half caused by the gruesome sight and half caused by the lack of breathable air, she pressed onward.

A heart-wrenching sob reverberated through the dojo. Caution shoved aside, Sami sped down the hallway, through a door left hanging open leading into the main training room. Hot angry flames danced in a corner where the Konga men had dosed a stack of soft targets with fuel and set them on fire. The temperature within the room caused her to stumble back a step but the sound of Sara's voice stilled her at only a step. Her eyes swept the room and her heartbreak at the scene nearly matched the desperate pregnant woman.

Godan Logan's bloodied hands covered a horrific wound in his midsection. The blood loss had already caused his face to pale and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He struggled for air to fill his lungs as his wife clung desperately to him. Mere feet away lay Master Lee's corpse with Kyle's sword still embedded in his chest. Her mind faltered over the betrayal but there was no denying the telltale tsuba of Kyle's blade. A pair of finely crafted and detailed cranes in flight graced the tsuba. Sami had often eyed the beautiful tsuba of Kyle's katana with hidden jealousy. Now it was a slap in the face. The sight of those cranes, the symbol loyalty for the cranes' nature of mating for life, caused a sudden wave of anger which swept her into action. The deceitful blade could not be allowed to defile the man's body. She ripped it clean of Master Lee and then quickly averted her gaze. Lying dead on the floor of the dojo was not the way she wanted to remember the man at her feet.

"Please, Logan. This baby needs you. I need you. Please hold on," Sara begged her husband as she pressed her hands over his as if will and desire alone could stop the massive bleeding. Sara choked on the thick black smoke which stained her face but seemed unwilling to budge. "I'll get you out of here."

Logan struggled to speak as flames lapped at the creaking roof. Sami realized that he was forcing himself to continue breathing merely to make sure that his wife and child left his side and reached safety. "Please go, Sara. Please," he whispered in a strained voice.

Sami didn't realize that her feet had been drawing her towards the pair until Logan's eyes found her gaze. There was a plea in the look as Logan silently begged her to get Sara to safety. He had no energy left to fight. Sara too saw Logan's life slipping through her fingsers. Tears slid down her cheeks freely as she bent to brush her lips against his. In a tone audible to Sara's ears only, he whispered a final goodbye. When the kiss broke and Sara pulled away, Logan's chest rose and fell no longer. His eyes remained closed, forever locked in that final private moment with his wife. Sara's eyes drifted down her husband's form, searing every inch of him to memory even as Sami's free hand tugged her to her feet.

"We've got to go, Sara." Sami whispered softly as she led Sara away from the fire with one hand and clung to Kyle's katana with the other. "There's nothing left here."

Kyle Latham hated RhyDin. He hated the stench. He hated the people. But most of all he hated the waiting. Samiyah had been foolish, making herself easy to track thanks to her entry in the Madness Tournament. From there she had been easy follow, to the dojo of one Harris D'Artainian and his wife, Sarah Allian. Kyle had ordered the two shadowed, their movements, their favorite haunts, their preferred path home, every pertinent piece of information that could be attained before striking. He had sent two pairs of his best Konga shinobi to eliminate Samiyah's protectors and they were well overdue to return to him this evening. After several minutes of tense pacing in the upstairs room he had secured for himself there was a knock at the door.

"Enter."

Instead of four shinobi Kyle was greeted by one, who after closing the door behind him stood before Kyle, head bowed.

"Kaiden. Where is Jubei?" Kyle queried.

"Jubei....Has fallen. The task is incomplete," Kaiden revealed somewhat hesitantly.

"What happened?" Kyle demanded, the anger beginning to well up in his chest as his fists clenched.

"We struck as you ordered, while the man picked up his dinner for the evening. He was unarmed and fled from us, into one of the fighting venues. Samiyah was present and I broke away to engage her. Jubei fell to the man's blade. There were others present as well, allies. They offered weapons, one healed him from afar, we were simply ou-" Kaiden stopped abruptly as Kyle raised a hand.

"Save your excuses. I can only assume that since Kentaro and Jiro have not yet arrived that they were no more successful than you were." Kyle paced before the lone shinobi left from his strike teams, contemplating. It only took him a moment to decide his next course of action, lips curling into a nefarious smile.

"We know where they live. We will strike there, in full force, and burn another of Samiyah's refuges to the ground before taking her back to the Master."