-Chapter 1-

Mia lunged at Sage and threw various punches at him. Many of them hit their target, but Sage
caught Mia offgaurd and he punched her in the jaw. Mia staggered backwards. She rubbed her jaw.

"Geez Sage, you don't have to punch that hard you know." She said sarcasticly. Sage smiled apologetically.

"Sorry Mia, I'm just used to fighting stronger opponents and..." He was cut short when Mia kicked his
feet out from under him. Sage lay on the ground, looking up at her with astonishment. Mia grinned
innocently.

"What were you saying?" Mia smiled sweetly as Sage got to his feet. Sage laughed.

"Where'd you learn all those dirty little tricks?" He brushed the dirt from his jeans. "We'll call it a day."

Mia sighed and sat down under the shade of a tree. Sage looked down at her.

"I've been meaning to ask you. Why did you want us to show you how to fight?" He sat next to her
and ran his fingers though his hair, as if he needed to fix it. Mia looked down at the ground.

"I don't know. I just...felt so helpless when I couldn't fight. It made me so mad, just sitting around
waiting for you guys to win or lose. I put you guys in some really bad situations that could have
been prevented if I had just a little fighting experience." She shook her head, as if trying not to think
about it. Sage smiled warmly at her.

"You brought us together Mia. If it wasn't for you, this world might not exsist right now. You kept us
together as a team, you taught us about the Dynasty and where out armors came from." Mia smiled,
appreciating his attempt to cheer her up. It somewhat worked and she seemed to brighten up. Before
Mia could respond, a loud clashing was heard coming towards them.

"Come on guys. I'm soooooo hungry!" They heard Kento's familiar voice, followed by the others' remarks
and laughter.

Mia laughed as she saw Kento come running to the campsite like a small child. Cye rolled his eyes.

"See Kento, it wasn't going to take us an hour to get back." Rowen laughed.

"I bet Mia and Sage heard your bellowing a mile away!"

Everyone laughed. Mia and Cye went off to fix dinner as they had done the day before. Kento followed, complaining that his stomach hurt and he would die of hunger before they even started cooking. Rowen
smiled cheerfully at Sage.

"So, how's Mia coming along with her training?" He asked, excited at her interest in fighting. Sage grinned.

"She's getting really good. She's fast, real fast and real smart too. She's getting stronger almost everyday.
She really has a passion for it all of a sudden and it seems to be going really well for her." He nodded matter
of factly.

Ryo frowned.

"Something is bothering her. She just isn't acting herself lately. It's summer. We're supposed to be having
a good time. But whenever I see her, she seems so...so distant." Rowen frowned slightly. "I know what you mean. She just seems, a little distracted."

Sage nodded in agreement. Before the three could discuss matters further, Cye called out that dinner was ready, which was followed by a hungry growl of delight from Kento.