"What kind of source?" Nadia asked.
"Something to do with his element, something he treasures, something that gives him peace" the Wind Master explained as he walked into the room.
"Well…he enjoyed inventing ridiculous techniques but…" Michael paused.
A memory struck Atlanta.
"Lava bath" Atlanta said.
"What?" Nadia looked at her as if she wasn't making any sense.
"What Ryu enjoyed most…what was most fun and relaxing to him was taking a lava bath" Atlanta recalled the moment Ryu came out of the lava looking like a monster.
"So what are you trying to say?" Michael asked.
"He might just absorb the power from the lava and use it to heal his wounds" Atlanta suggested.
"Then let's do it" Nadia said.
Ken stared at them.
"How exactly do you suppose we get the lava? By now, the lava Ryu created during our race by melting part of a mountain is solid again. We can't use the dragon saints too because both we and they must be quite low on chakra by now plus they need to meditate in the spirit realm in order to recharge their power plus I wonder why you guys didn't use the fire power of your dragons on the Shadow ninja" Ken said.
"They've evolved. If we had used their power within the village boundaries, there would have been more damage not to talk of casualties" Michael explained.
"True, now with the lava…" Ken was wondering.
"I'll do it" Rokkan volunteered.
"Do what?" Michael asked.
"I'll create the lava" Rokkan said plainly.
"Create…lava? Wait a minute, don't tell me…?!" Atlanta exclaimed worriedly.
"No, I didn't walk into the Jinn State energy and by now it has all faded away. I can't enter the Jinn State but I can create lava. I'll need your help though Atlanta" Rokkan said.
"H-How can you? H-How can I…?" Atlanta stammered in surprise.
"Michael, help me carry Ryu into the Temple Courtyard" Rokkan ordered.
Michael obeyed. Atlanta, Nadia and Ken followed close behind.
"Certain elements, when used in a certain way, give birth to other elements. Just like the Dragon Zone is circular, so is the interaction among the elements. They transform continuously, without beginning or end" Rokkan explained.
"What do I do?" Atlanta asked.
"Just create a Crystal pool" Rokkan instructed.
"That's easy, stand back! Crystal Blade Technique!" Atlanta called as sharp crystal blades made four deep rectangular slices. A rectangular block of earth rested inside the edges of the slices.
Rokkan raised the block of earth utilizing his chakra alone.
"Earth Element! Earth Hardening Jutsu!" Rokkan called as the block of earth hardened.
"Atlanta, slice this block into two equal halves" Rokkan instructed.
Atlanta obeyed.
"Good, now watch!" Rokkan smiled as he used a jutsu to cause the two halves of the block to rub violently against each other.
Nothing happened for a while. With more concentration, Rokkan increased the speed and intensity of the rubbing motion. The blocks began to emit smoke as they slowly began to turn molten red and melt into lava.
"It's actually working!" Atlanta exclaimed in admiration and joy.
Soon, the entire block was in the pool as lava. Some of the ninja carried Ryu and slowly pushed his body into the lava. Nothing seemed to be happening at first.
"He's not coming back this time, is he? I never thought…I'd cause him to lose his life…again" Atlanta said sadly as tears flowed down her face.
Suddenly, a sizzling sound was heard where Ryu's body was. Everyone looked towards that area. Ryu's body began to glow as the fiery colour of the lava moved towards his body. There were three bright flashes of light. The others had to shield their eyes. When the light disappeared, the others saw that the lava had solidified but Ryu was still unconscious.
Ken held Atlanta and Michael by hand and led them towards Ryu. Michael sighed deeply.
"What's wrong Michael?" Nadia asked as she followed Rokkan.
"I just felt as though a huge burden was lifted from my chest" Michael said.
"That's a good sign" Ken said as he approached Ryu and examined him closely.
The wound on his chest had closed up. There was not a single scratch on him.
Ken smiled at the others.
"He's okay now. He just needs time to recover his strength and wake up from his coma" Ken said.
"Coma?" Atlanta asked.
"Ryu is absolutely low on energy. It was almost fatal. I'm afraid however that even I cannot tell when he'll wake up" Ken said.
"You…are you a medical genius?" Nadia asked.
"Well…I wouldn't exactly call myself a medical genius but I know for sure that love and hope can keep a person moving through even fatal situations" Ken said.
"Ken…thank you. You've opened my eyes. I'm beginning to see things differently. This is more than just a team. It's a family" Michael said. "Our mission however cannot end here. We'll wait five more days and then we'll continue. It's difficult to say this but we'll most likely be continuing this mission without Ryu" he said.
"What?! You can't seriously be thinking of leaving Ryu behind!" Atlanta exclaimed in shock.
"That's exactly what I'm saying" Michael replied firmly.
"But he's your brother!" Atlanta yelled.
"And I love him very much. Ryu needs time to fully recover. He could get hurt if we get into battle while he is weakened. He is very strong but I won't bet his life on fate" Michael said.
"I see, you're trying to protect him then" Nadia said.
"Atlanta, I think it's best that Ryu stays. Don't worry, I'll stay with him. When he recovers, we'll catch up" Ken volunteered.
"In fact, you guys should leave tomorrow to prevent Nemesis from regrouping his forces and laying siege to this ryu. We've suffered heavy damage. We might not be able to hold Nemesis' forces back next time. Fortunately, he thinks Ryu is dead. He will not attack this place once you leave. Instead, he will focus all his efforts into eliminating you" Ken said.
"A kid with such strategic thoughts, you sure are full of surprises when you're good Ken" Michael complimented.
"Ha ha, you're a riot Michael. Thanks but I still don't like you guys" Ken smirked.
"Why you…" Michael growled.
"Just kidding!" Ken said as he burst into laughter.
The others laughed too. They were really relieved that Ryu was at least alive and they had begun to realize the depths of their mistakes.
Meanwhile, in the Dark ryu, one person was not very happy.
"Explain to me why you failed to destroy the other saints!" Nemesis roared.
A terrible earthquake shook the Dark Temple.
"P-Please my Lord, we nearly won. We were foiled by the Saints of Wind and Fire. They destroyed the Dark mongerers. Please give us another chance!" the commander of the Dark ninja pleaded.
"Repeat what you just said Shroud" Nemesis ordered as the earthquake ceased.
"Please my Lord; we were attacked by the Saints of Wind and Fire. It's the truth" Commander Shroud pleaded.
"Tell me this and I might consider giving you another chance. Was the Fire Saint by any chance Ryu?" Nemesis asked.
"His movements, his skill in riding the dragon and the intelligent strategy he adopted in combat makes me doubt that it was Ryu. Ryu is merely a genin. His power is superb but his combat skill is reckless. One more chance is all I ask and I will ensure that you remain the only living Saint" Commander Shroud pleaded.
Nemesis frowned.
"One more chance Shroud, just one more chance is all you have" Nemesis said with a sinister glare.
"All I need, my Lord" Commander Shroud said as he left Nemesis' presence.
Rokkan meanwhile was feeling blue. He'd thought that they'd have stayed in the Wind Ryu for a longer time. He didn't want to imagine Tanya's reaction when she found out that he'd be leaving the next day. A lot of thoughts ran through his mind as he walked towards Tanya's father's shop. When he arrived at the shop, he saw some Wind ninja buying weapons. Tanya was selling these in high spirits. Rokkan's heart sank when he thought about how he might ruin Tanya's mood. Tanya noticed Rokkan approaching.
"H-Hi Rokkan, I-I wasn't expecting you" Tanya said shyly.
Rokkan remained silent.
"Rokkan…is everything alright? Ryu, he didn't…" Tanya paused worriedly.
"No, Ryu is fine. Let's go for a walk Tanya" Rokkan invited with a sad smile.
Tanya nodded and followed Rokkan. They walked silently.
"R-Rokkan? Why are y-you so solemn. Are y-you…angry with me?" Tanya asked.
Rokkan smiled.
"No, I could never be angry with you. Here is a good place. Let's rest here" Rokkan said as they drew closer to the Wind village's training grounds.
It was a recreational facility for young ninja who wished to increase their skills through playful training so there were a lot of training facilities there like wooded dummies and scarecrows for shuriken and kunai training practice. Specially cut trees for agility practice and the like. There were also benches for spectators. Tanya and Rokkan sat on a bench.
Tanya stared at Rokkan expecting him to say something but he remained silent. A few minutes passed in silence, then a quarter of an hour, half an hour passed and then a full hour but Rokkan remained silent.
"Rokkan, something is bothering you. Y-You can tell me" Tanya said.
Rokkan sighed.
"Tanya, did I ever tell you that I and the others are on a quest to stop Nemesis from unsealing Shekan and in the worst case scenario, reseal Shekan ourselves?" Rokkan asked.
"N-Not exactly, all I heard about your quest was what Ryu said when he forced Ken to join the team" Tanya said.
"I guess I have to tell you now" Rokkan said seriously.
"You're scaring me Rokkan. What's wrong?" Tanya asked worriedly.
"Tanya, look up at the sky" Rokkan said as he pointed to the sky without looking up.
The sun was already beginning to set. Tanya raised her eyes to look at the sky and saw the most frightening sight. Two blood red moons glistened in the sky ominously.
"R-Rokkan! Wh-What are those?!" Tanya exclaimed in fright.
"The moons of Tristran. There are six of them. Two have appeared in the sky. After four more appear, they will begin to align. You know what happens after that right?" Rokkan asked.
Tanya looked scared.
"We didn't come here for a vacation or to have fun. We didn't even come here to seek refuge. Our aim was to find Ken and now we've found him…" Rokkan paused.
"Y-You're leaving?" Tanya exclaimed in surprise.
"Tomorrow, I'm sorry. I wish I could have stayed longer but I don't have a choice. We're going to stop Nemesis from unsealing Shekan. If he succeeds, we will have no choice but to seal Shekan ourselves. Besides, if we stay, Nemesis might invade again" Rokkan said.
"It's okay…" Tanya said as she looked away.
"Really? I'm so glad. I thought you'd be angry" Rokkan sighed in relief.
"It's okay…if I mean so little to you" Tanya said angrily.
"Wh-What are you saying?" Rokkan stared at her in surprise.
"Don't worry. This is not the first time this has happened to me. It's because I'm not strong with elements isn't it? You also think I'm a naturally born mukenin don't you? I thought you were different when you told me that you felt truly happy here. You sounded so earnest but…IT WAS ALL A LIE WASN'T IT?!" Tanya yelled.
Rokkan could never have imagined that Tanya could ever get this angry.
"I told you back then that I like you just the way you are. It doesn't matter whether you have elemental powers or not. It's because of my love for all the ryu that I'm doing this, because of my love for you Tanya. Yes, I've always been afraid to admit it and I didn't understand it myself but…I love you Tanya. And because of this love, I will not allow you to stop me from completing my mission. I'm sorry" Rokkan said.
"Then I guess this is it. Don't even think of coming back. We're done" Tanya said as she walked away.
She paused in her tracks and turned to face Rokkan. She took off his pendant and hurled it angrily on the ground.
"Here! I don't need this pendant and I especially don't need you!" she yelled.
"Before you leave, there is something else I need to say. It doesn't matter if you believe me or not…" Rokkan said.
"Nothing else you say will make a difference!" Tanya yelled.
"Stomp the ground Tanya. Without anger, love, hate, sorrow or joy" Rokkan requested.
"What ridiculous sort of request is that?" Tanya retorted.
"Just do it" Rokkan said calmly.
Tanya obeyed and dust rose.
"So? What's your point?!" Tanya asked.
"You stomped the ground and dust rose. It didn't matter whether you were happy, angry, sad or emotionless, the dust will have risen anyway. Earth is the easiest element to control. It doesn't expand or move and it doesn't require emotion. It is rigid. Yet, on top of it, millions of emotions occur. As the Earth Saint, I was raised with orders. Nothing I ever did was of my choice. I only followed orders and the most important rule was the cruellest. To control fire, you need courage, an amount of anger and discipline in equilibrium. To control water, you need inner peace, kindness and the mercy to temper justice. To control wind, you need absolute freedom. To control crystal which is another aspect of earth, you need maturity and wisdom. However to control Earth itself, you need just one thing…to forsake all your emotions. It's as fragile as dust. Fire can melt it, water can overflow it, wind can weather it and so we are considered the most vulnerable. My village was invaded by Nemesis. We sustained minimal damage thanks to Ryu and the others. It was where I was raised however as an Earth ninja, I was taught to value duty above my personal emotions and my answer was to forsake the only place I called home. I left without looking back. Perhaps the only attachment I ever felt to anything was what you just threw down. I don't understand what it is to love or hate. I only do what I must. You understand feelings. You've had a family and friends perhaps. I only had comrades till I met Ryu and the others and then I met you and began to understand too. I was found around the Earthen Brothers by my master as an infant, quite close to this ryu. I understand that sometimes, to protect the things you love, you need to abandon them. Since I met you, I too have a reason to ensure that Shekan is never unsealed. My reason is to protect you. To do that, I do not even care if you hate me, I will not let you stop me, that is my conviction!" Rokkan declared. "I've said what I wanted to say and though this is not how I wanted things to be…goodbye Tanya, maybe forever" Rokkan said as he walked away.
Tanya stared at him, then she stared at his pendant and put on an angry frown.
"Stupid Rokkan!" she muttered and walked away.