Two weeks had passed since the battle between Rokkan and Ryu was fought. Ryu lay on a bed, in an unfamiliar room. Ken sat beside him. Ryu began to stir and then, he opened his eyes. His vision was blurred for a while and then it gradually became focused.
"K-Ken?" Ryu called weakly.
"Ryu? Ryu! You're finally up!" Ken exclaimed as he held Ryu and shook his shoulders excitedly.
"Whoa Ken!" Ryu grunted in pain.
"You…you…you had me scared. You'd better not be Ryukan or I'll kill you myself!" Ken joked.
"Ryukan? What's Ryukan?" Ryu asked.
"Come on, don't play dumb. Ryukan versus Rokkaden! Don't tell me you forgot the whole scenario. We actually battled Shekan…" Ken said excitedly.
"Ryukan? Rokkaden? Shekan? What are you talking about Ken?" Ryu asked innocently.
Ken's smile dropped.
"Never mind. You wouldn't like to know anyway" Ken grumbled.
"Ken, honestly, the last thing I remember was us racing, then the Dark mongerers and a bright flash of light. Nothing else…wait a minute Ken, where the heck are we?" Ryu asked as he took notice of his surroundings for the first time.
He was in a room of many colours. Sweet music filled the air. The room seemed to be made of multiple coloured bricks.
"Tanya must be in the class of Dragon Sages" Ken said happily.
"Dragon Sages?" Ryu asked.
"We're in a hidden ryu, the Sound ryu" Ken explained.
"Wait till the others find out that you're up and you're you again!" Ken laughed.
"Yeah, can't wait" Ryu muttered in a bored tone. "And tell me how I was out again?" Ryu demanded an answer.
"That's what I'm saying. You definitely don't want to know" Ken said as he punched Ryu on the shoulder.
"Let's go meet with the others. They must be in the class of Dragon Sages" Ken said.
"Whatever" Ryu sighed.
Ryu wore his jacket and walked out of his room. Ken led the way. When they were out of the room, Ryu found himself in a magnificent corridor. Huge windows lined the outer walls. When Ryu looked out of the window, he almost fainted.
"Whoa! Amazing! I died and went to heaven didn't I? But tell me what you're doing here" Ryu joked.
"Sense of humour intact. At least you didn't lose that even when you went psycho and nearly…" Ken paused.
"Nearly what Ken?" Ryu asked.
"Never mind, follow me" Ken said as he led Ryu through the huge corridor.
"And in case you'd like to know, the dragons brought us here" Ken said.
They followed the music downstairs.
"What's this place? It's got every colour" Ryu admired.
"They call it Utopia. It's an entire kingdom. The cool thing is, it's more than just hidden. It's double hidden in five folds of genjutsu. No ninja would think of performing the release technique five times. Clever huh?" Ken explained.
"Sounds spooky to me" Ryu said.
Soon, they arrived at a beautiful ivory door.
"Okay, we're here" Ken said. "The music gets a whole lot sweeter in there. Be careful not to fall into a trance. Who'd have guessed that Tanya was a Sound type ninja? Sound doesn't sound like much of an element to me" Ken said as he opened the door.
Everyone inside stopped playing and turned to look at the two of them.
"Uh…did I tell you that they kinda hate interference?" Ken asked.
"Gee, I wonder how you could have skipped that part" Ryu frowned.
"Ryu?!" Michael exclaimed as he rushed towards them.
He stopped in front of Ryu.
"How are you?" Michael asked.
Ryu hugged him all of a sudden.
"Missed me?" Ryu smirked.
"Of course, I especially missed picking on you" Michael said as he punched Ryu playfully on the shoulder and rubbed him on the hair.
"TCH! You still like messing with my hair. I'm not a kid anymore" Ryu protested.
"Oh really? You still look far too cute for an adult. What's that on your cheeks? Is that…baby fat?" Michael joked.
"Ha ha, you're a riot Michael" Ryu said with a bored look on his face.
Nadia and Tanya came up.
"Still want to punch my lights out Nadia?" Ryu teased.
"Definitely" Nadia said as she rubbed her fist and faked a punch.
"You're still really dangerous" Ryu joked.
"Heh! I'm not the water ninja for nothing" Nadia said.
"Tanya, congratulations on finding your elemental affinity. I now have an extra member to pick on" Ryu joked.
"Seriously Ryu, how can you still make jokes after…" Nadia was about to say when Michael cut her off.
"After just recovering from your wounds" he quickly said.
Ryu looked around and frowned.
"Where are Rokkan and Atlanta?" Ryu asked.
"Uh-um…" Michael cleared his throat.
The others hesitated.
"Why are you so silent, what's wrong?" Ryu asked.
"Why don't you go and see them. They're in the infirmary" Michael said.
"Infirmary? What happened?" Ryu asked.
"Y-You don't remember?" Michael asked.
"Remember what?" Ryu asked.
"Never mind. It's weird. I thought you'd remember something. Are you really blank?" Michael asked.
"Why is everyone asking me whether or not I remember? Of course I do. I remember us fighting Dark mongerers. And from then, saying some really mean things which I don't remember wanting to say, and then waking up here. That's about it" Ryu said.
"Go and see Rokkan and Atlanta" Nadia said.
Ryu walked out with Ken and the music began again. Soon, they were at the door that led to the infirmary.
"Ken, before I enter, I want to know what exactly is wrong with them" Ryu asked.
"Honestly, I can't say. You will have to ask the Sage nurse in charge" Ken lied.
Ryu nodded and entered. The only patients in the room were Rokkan and Atlanta. The Sage nurse was observing them carefully. Ryu walked to Atlanta's bed and sat facing her. He saw the burn on her shoulder and stood up.
"You were lucky Tanya played the Sage music or both of them would have been dead by now. When we found you, you were all unconscious and the Dragons were bringing you here" the Sage nurse said.
"Dead?" Ryu asked with a surprised look on his face. "Why? What happened?" Ryu asked the Sage nurse.
"I should be asking you. That boy was nearly zero on chakra and the girl had almost all her life energy sucked dry" the nurse said.
"What could have done that to them?" Ryu asked.
"Only Shekan and the Dragon of Destiny are capable of that" the Sage nurse said.
"Ken, I know the Dragon Lord would not do this. Was it Shekan then? If so, has he been unsealed already?" Ryu asked.
Ken nodded.
"It was Shekan but he has not been unsealed. He did it through…" Ken was saying when Nadia charged into the infirmary.
"Ken! Ryu! Come quickly! Tanya has mastered summoning the dragons with her flute" Nadia called.
"Whoa! I've got to see this!" Ken said as he held Ryu's hand and ran out with him.
"Okay, let's see you do it Tanya!" Ken encouraged once they were in the class of Dragon Sages.
"Okay" Tanya smiled for the first time in Ryu's presence.
"Wow, she's really confident now. Previously, she could barely speak" Ryu said.
Tanya twirled the flute in her fingers and began to play.
Elements swirled peacefully as the Dragon Saints appeared.
"Wow! That's new!" Ryu exclaimed in amazement.
"Okay, Tanya. Good job! Class is over for today everyone!" the Sage master said in satisfaction.
"I think I'll go see Rokkan and Atlanta" Tanya said as she ran out of the classroom.
"How is she doing? I mean, with Rokkan in that condition?" Ryu asked.
"It's been really painful for her but she's determined to master the ways of the Dragon Sages. She believes music might help so she plays her flute for them every day" Nadia sighed.
Tanya walked to the door leading to the infirmary. Ryu followed silently. Tanya entered and shut the door. For a little while, she talked with the Sage nurse and then, she walked over to Rokkan's bed. Ryu stood behind the door, listening. He didn't know why but he did not want to enter.
"Hi again Rokkan, I was able to master summoning the Dragon Saints with my flute. I wonder whether you heard me play it back then, when you were in the Jinn State" Tanya said with a sad smile.
"Jinn State?" Ryu said as he backed away from the door.
"I hope it's the last thing you heard from me because…I don't know how I'll bear it if the last words I ever said to you were in anger" Tanya held Rokkan's hand. "I guess I want to thank you for helping us free Ryu from Shekan" she said.
Ryu took a few steps back.
"If you did not, he'd probably…" Tanya was saying but Ryu didn't want to hear any more.
He ran out of the Dragon Sage Castle.
"Was I captured by Shekan…or Nemesis, or was I? What's going on?" Ryu wondered. "I must remain calm…must find out the truth" Ryu said as he walked back in.
Tanya was playing her flute by then. Ryu entered the infirmary and walked to the Sage nurse.
"How long will they remain unconscious?" he asked.
"I'd say the boy might recover faster than the girl. Honestly, I'm not even sure she will survive" the Sage nurse said.
"Why is that?" Ryu asked.
"Her regenerative abilities are average. The pain from the burn and near suffocation are above normal. Music calms the spirit but taking away that much pain could take months" the Sage nurse said.
"I'll never forgive you for this, Shekan" Ryu muttered under his breath.
"Ryu?" Tanya called.
"Tanya" Ryu turned to face her.
"Don't worry, they'll come through like you did" Tanya said.
"I really hope so Tanya" Ryu said, quite seriously.
"But tell me Tanya, did you guys really fight Shekan?" Ryu asked.
Tanya nodded.
"How did it feel to battle him?" Ryu asked.
"Scary. He was at half his strength but his power was amazing. We felt like worthless ninja before his presence. Our power was…nothing. If Rokkan hadn't…" Tanya was about to say when Nadia walked in.
"Tanya, come on. There are some things we need to talk about. Excuse me Ryu but I need to borrow Tanya for a bit. Are you visiting Rokkan and Atlanta?" Nadia asked.
"Yeah" Ryu said.
Nadia nodded and walked out with Tanya.
"Nadia's being unusually nice, weird" Ryu stood there, puzzled.
Ryu walked to Atlanta's bed and sat facing her.
"Wow, this is a little weird. I wonder why everyone is acting strangely. You'd know why. I hope I never tell you this when you are awake but…I was getting used to you looking down at me anytime I regained consciousness. It always made getting hurt kinda fun. It's a little ironic that I should be the one looking down at you. Even weirder to see you unconscious" Ryu said softly. "I'll make Shekan pay for this, I promise" Ryu assured Atlanta. "I guess I owe Rokkan one for protecting you. I wish I had been there, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said the mean things I said to you in the Wind ryu. If anything, I should have kept my promise, never to judge you. I can't play the flute like Tanya but here's a goodnight kiss. I hope it will help" Ryu said as he leaned forward to plant a kiss on Atlanta's forehead.
Atlanta's head began to sway gently.
"Ryu…you can't do this…please stop this" Atlanta murmured deliriously.
Ryu paused and sat up.
"Atlanta?" he stared.
"Nice speech lover boy" Rokkan said.
"Rokkan?" Ryu turned to see Rokkan sitting up. "Wait a minute! How long have you been watching?!" Ryu exclaimed with a look of embarrassment on his face.
"I saw…e-very-thing" Rokkan teased him.
"You're twisted Rokkan, absolutely twisted!" Ryu growled angrily.
"Oh my aching head" Rokkan groaned.
"Jinn State side effects, that was your first time" Ryu smirked. "I guess I did better than you" Ryu laughed.
"You're up already? What do you mean by Jinn State side effects?" Rokkan asked.
"I should be asking you. The others say you entered the Jinn State" Ryu said.
"Jinn State? That's crazy! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" Rokkan muttered and clutched his chest.
"Doesn't seem so crazy to me" Ryu said.
"Did you actually defeat Shekan?" Ryu asked.
"I-I don't remember. The last thing I remember was reaching for my pendant, a bright flash of the light and the next thing is now. Everything between is a blank" Rokkan sighed.
Ryu looked at Atlanta. She was still unconscious. Ryu sighed. At that moment, the door opened. Tanya entered and dropped her flute in surprise. She ran into Rokkan's arms and hugged him, breaking into tears.
"Rokkan, I'm so sorry for the things I said…" Tanya was saying.
"Forget it. I was never angry" Rokkan said with a smile.
Ryu walked out. He shut the door behind him and stood for a while.
"Why can't Rokkan remember?" Ryu wondered. "I remember everything from when I fought Nemesis like it was yesterday" Ryu thought. "Oh well, I'd like to see the looks on Michael and Nadia's face when they find out that Rokkan is awake" Ryu smiled, and then he ran around, searching for Michael and Nadia.
He found them talking outside. It was then that he really saw for the first time, the beauty of the Sound Ryu. The sky was so clear. The music of the birds was unlike any other. Children ran around freely. Ryu felt an ounce of guilt when he thought of the destruction the Dark ninja wreaked on the other ryu.
"I must preserve the beauty of this ryu. I must stop Nemesis and Shekan. If I fail, no one will have a dream anymore. It will be a cold, grey, bleak world" Ryu thought.
"Hey Ryu! How are you feeling?" Michael called.
"Great! And I've got great news, Rokkan just regained consciousness!" Ryu announced.
"Really?! And Atlanta?!" Nadia asked excitedly.
"She's recovering but…she's still unconscious" Ryu said sadly.
"Don't look so down Ryu. Like you said, she's still recovering" Michael said.
"Yeah, now let's go see Rokkan" Ryu suggested.
They began to walk towards the infirmary.
"But…where's Ken?" Ryu asked.
"He must be out making new friends. He'll be back soon" Michael said.
Soon, they stood in front of the door to the infirmary.
"Good, we're here" Ryu said as he opened the door.
Rokkan and Tanya were talking cheerfully with Atlanta. Atlanta had regained consciousness.
"She gained consciousness right after you left. I'd have given her a month at least. You kids are full of surprises. I've never been wrong once" the Sage nurse said.
"Atlanta" Ryu stared at her in surprise as he slowly approached her.
"Hello there, Ryu" Atlanta greeted with a smile.
"You're finally up! I'm so glad!" Ryu exclaimed in joy. "I knew Shekan couldn't bring you down so easily! You're really strong" Ryu said excitedly.
"I guess the others haven't told him the full story. It's good he doesn't know. It will only hurt him" Atlanta thought to herself.
"So, how did it feel to defeat him?" Ryu asked.
"That wasn't really Shekan, it was only…uh…his statue from home. Nemesis corrupted it but although it was simply a part of him, its powers were beyond anything I've ever seen. We haven't really beat Shekan" Michael said, taking extra caution to hide the complete truth from Ryu.
"So…he's still out there?" Ryu asked.
"Yes, we must stop him" Michael said.
"We still have time" Ryu said. "We must gather as many saints as possible" he said with a forced laugh.
"On the contrary Ryu, we have very little time. Three moons of Tristran are already in the sky. Once the remaining three appear, alignment will begin. I don't need to remind you what happens after that, do I?" Rokkan said.
"WHAT?! THREE MOONS ALREADY?! B-But I haven't gotten stronger at all!" Ryu exclaimed in dismay.
"You're more powerful than you realize Ryu" Ken said as he walked in.
Then he froze in his tracks.
"Rokkan? Atlanta?" he stared in disbelief.
"Hi Ken" Rokkan greeted.
"Your degrees of injury were very different, yet you three recovered on the same day. That's weird! Hey, I'm not saying I'm not glad you're awake" Ken said with a thoughtful look.
"Are you a medical ninja Ken?" Ryu asked.
"Yes, I'm a Wind ninja with medical abilities. I learnt them first-hand from Tornado. You could call me a dual type ninja" Ken boasted.