"It's time to move on Ryu," Michael said silently.
"Let's give this place a name Mikey. We've experienced so many different feelings here, it almost feels like home," Ryu said.
"I'd like to call it Ryu no kokoro (Heart of the Dragon)," Michael said.
"It's perfect. You made it what it is Ryu. Wow, I even felt at home," Nadia said.
Atlanta remained silent.
"Let's go then! I don't care if I'm now just a mukenin, I'm still going to fight Shekan to the death, avenge our home, the Crystal village, the Fire Kingdom, the Water village and Dad," Ryu said. Michael nodded and raised his ring, there was a flash of lightning and Hurricane appeared. "Take us to the Earth Ryu" Michael ordered.
Hurricane flew the friends towards the "Lost Mountains" where the Earth ryu was rumoured to be. The journey was a silent one. Soon they arrived on the top of the tallest mountain which seemed to stretch on forever. "Shouldn't this be the Wind ryu's dwelling place?" Michael asked.
"That's the strange thing, this must be genjutsu!" Hurricane realised. Ryu, Michael, Nadia and Atlanta formed the release seal, "RELEASE!!!" they called and dispelled the genjutsu. They discovered that they were in a valley and surrounded by EARTH NINJA!
"Out of the frying pan and into the fire huh?" Michael said.
"Calm down guys, we're friends," Ryu said.
"We have no friends," the leader of the Earth Ninja said.
"It's déja vu already?!" Ryu exclaimed in disbelief.
"They are friends" Hurricane said.
"We do not listen to you or any other saint except the two Earth Saints, Crystal and Terranica" the leader said.
Ryu frowned.
"Fine then," Ryu said as he began to raise his hand.
There was a flash of Lightning and the Earth Saint Terranica appeared. "Stop son of Gaiden, do not summon Crystal" Terranica said.
"O-kay," Ryu said uncertainly as he lowered his hand.
He hadn't even realised that he had returned Crystal's summoning ring to Atlanta.
Terranica turned to his people and roared in rage.
"YOU FOOLS! HOW DARE YOU CHALLENGE A DRAGON SAINT?! Have you so soon forgotten who it is that creates the water that sustains your LIVES?!" Terranica roared.
The Earth ninja bowed. "We're sorry Terranica, we thought they were enemies," the leader of the ninja apologised.
"I'm disappointed Rokkan, after all these years you should have learnt to distinguish friend from foe," Terranica sighed.
"It will never happen again," Rokkan said.
"Very well, take good care of them. Hurricane, we need to meet with the others" Terranica said.
"Very well" Hurricane said as a flash of light announced the departure of the dragons.
"Follow me" Rokkan said leading the companions into a forest.
Rokkan whistled thrice and the ground beneath them began to rise. As the ground rose higher and higher, the companions could see houses hidden among the branches of the great trees. They didn't think there could actually be a village that lived in the trees. It felt like a fantasy.
"We live in the trees. By using our Earth Element abilities, we've created a complex system of movement" Rokkan explained.
"This is amazing" Ryu admired. Rokkan smiled.
"Feel at home," Rokkan said signalling to the other ninja.
The rest of the ninja returned to their designated posts.
Ryu leapt unto a tree and began to leap from tree to tree. "YEE-HAH!" he yelled in excitement.
"Atlanta, we need to talk," Michael said seriously.
Atlanta nodded and they sat together on a platform on the branches of one of the trees.
"What's wrong Michael?" Atlanta asked.
Michael motioned to her to look at Ryu. She looked and felt familiar guilt.
"What do you think of Ryu?" Michael asked.
"He's a great person. He's smart, strong and funny. He's a free spirit that's always happy." Atlanta said.
"All that is only what he wants us to see. In truth, he's always suffering" Michael said.
"Suffering?" Atlanta stared at Michael in surprise.
"He thinks I don't see it but I do. Ryu masks his pain with smiles and jokes. He doesn't want anyone to feel sorry for him, just like a ninja masks his emotions within his mask," Michael said.
"That's cruel…and painful," Atlanta said as she felt sorrowful and guilty at the same time.
"He's always been lonely since that incident. He's always been suffering. He wasn't always the way he is now" Michael said.
"What incident?" Atlanta asked.
"Every now and then, he lets the shield drop and you see the real Ryu," Michael said.
"YES IT IS! YOU KNOW IT IS! ALL THESE YEARS I NEVER LISTENED TO YOU OR FATHER, IF ONLY I DID, I WOULDN'T HAVE CAUSED ALL THIS MESS!!!" Atlanta recalled Ryu's outburst.
"I see," she said silently.
"I think I can trust you to take care of Ryu. Ever since he met you, even I can't understand it but I feel his pain rapidly reducing and his shield slowly cracking," Michael said motioning to Atlanta to look at Ryu.
Ryu had stopped jumping from trees and was sitting on a branch hugging himself and feeling lonely.
"Me, making Ryu's pain disappear? You must be wrong." Atlanta said.
Michael shook his head.
"We are twins Atlanta, Ryu's feelings can never fool me," Michael said.
"What happened to Ryu, Michael? What incident changed him?" Atlanta asked.
There was a flash of light as Michael's mind went back.
"When we were ten years old, the Dark ninja attacked Crystal," Michael began to remember.
He could see an image of war. Crystal ninja fought the Dark ninja with all their might.
"Father! Mother!" a young Ryu called as he searched for his parents. Ryu's parents came towards him holding Michael.
The Dark ninja began to break into the Crystal Temple.
"Michael, take your brother and run! We'll catch up to you later" the father of the boys ordered.
"Be careful Pa, Ma, take care" Michael said grabbing Ryu's hand and running towards the window.
"What happened next?" Atlanta asked.
"Ryu refused to run. He wanted to stay with our parents and that's when it happened" Michael recalled again.
"Ryu! Let's go!" Michael ordered.
"Mm-mm!" Ryu shook his head in disagreement.
Ryu began to run towards his parents. Just at that moment, the gates of the temple broke open.
"Kill the boys!" a dark voice ordered.
Out of nowhere, a fleet of kunai(throwing knives) began to head towards Ryu.
"Ryu!" Michael called.
The kunai struck and blood flew out but it was not Ryu's blood. Just before the kunai struck, Ryu's mother leapt in the way, hugging her son tightly, protecting him from the danger.
"ANNE!" Ryu's father called.
"MA!!!" Michael screamed.
Ryu opened his eyes and looked at his mother. She was smiling at him.
"Ryu, never blame yourself, this is not your fault" she said as she fell to the ground. Ryu's father ran to her side.
"Don't blame Ryu" she said, and then she died.
Ryu's father glared at him and in rage, he charged towards the dark ninja.
Michael's memory ended there.
"Ever since then, our father could not bear to look at Ryu. If he had, he would have seen that the one who was suffering most was Ryu" Michael said almost in tears.
"That's horrible!" Atlanta said in shock. "To watch a parent murdered in front of your eyes" Atlanta said sadly.
"In the end, we had to see our father die too. And that is why Nemesis must pay for all the pain" Michael said.
"Nemesis, I had no idea he did such things. All I knew was that, he was after the power of the Dragon Saints" Atlanta said.
"And once he gets the power, then what?!" Michael asked rhetorically. "You should talk to Ryu. I know it will help."
Atlanta nodded and leapt unto the branch Ryu was sitting on.
"Atlanta" Ryu said silently.
Atlanta sat facing him.
"What happened Ryu? What is it that keeps hurting you?" Atlanta asked.
"Because of me, my parents are dead" Ryu said silently.
"It wasn't your fault" Atlanta said.
"My mother was a great person. She didn't deserve a son like me. A weak, stubborn brat who was always in the way" Ryu said.
"I don't think she thought of you that way. Don't blame yourself, that's what she said right?" Atlanta asked.
Ryu stared at her in surprise.
"How did you…Michael!" Ryu muttered.
"He only wants what's best for you" Atlanta said.
"You're right, it's not my fault" Ryu laughed. "Honestly speaking, I don't remember my mother's face. I can picture her smile but her eyes are always hidden" Ryu said silently. "Michael says she had blue hair just like me with blue eyes" Ryu said dreamily.
"Why did you sacrifice your honour for mine?" Atlanta asked.
"I didn't sacrifice my honour Atlanta, I only sacrificed my identity as a ninja. My honour is still with me. Honour is not a piece of ceremonial clothing Atlanta. It's what you do that gives you honour and that can never be stripped away," Ryu said.
"Summon Crystal, Ryu. Summon her and tell her that you accept that I'm a bad person. You'll regain your place in the dragon clan," Atlanta said. Ryu looked at her with calm eyes.
"I won't. I don't care if I remain mukenin" Ryu said.
"If you won't then I-I'll give up my identity too!" Atlanta yelled removing a kunai, about to tear up her ceremonial clothes but instead, SLASH! Blood sprayed on her face. She looked down in surprise. Ryu had caught her fist in his palm. The kunai cut him between his forefinger and middle finger.
"Ryu!" Atlanta exclaimed.
"You fool! If you strip away your ninja identity, then what was the use of fighting Crystal and losing mine?!" Ryu roared. "You are a good person whether you admit it or not! The only way I'll accept that you are a bad person is if you were working in line with Nemesis but that could never happen, could it? You are better than that!" Ryu said.
"Ryu!" Atlanta cried. "There's something I need to confess!"
"I know all about it" Ryu said.
"Wh-what? How? Then why didn't you confront me…and kill me!" Atlanta asked.
"I found out while we were battling the Dark ninja. You used Crystal Element Jutsu instead of Fire Element Jutsu. Then everything made sense. Your father wanted a child with fire abilities but you had Crystal abilities…so he imprisoned you so you wouldn't shame him" Ryu said.
"That's not all Ryu! There's more…much more!" Atlanta cried.
"You don't need to say anything. It's not your fault" Ryu said.
"JUST LISTEN!" Atlanta yelled.
"You're in pain right now. We'll talk when you're calm but…I want you to know that I'll never…ever judge you" Ryu said as he hugged Atlanta.
"Ryu!" Atlanta cried.
Michael looked at them and smiled.