"Yeah. I should." He said and then smirked. He gave his son a small kiss on his forehead and grinned. "Have a good night." He said and exited the doorway.

**

A couple thousand miles away over a day later at some point:


"HAI!" Tomiko Ryo yelled and kicked her sparring mate and attacked the male, sending him flying across their gym. "You know, you asked to spar in here where there's no water and I'm still kicking your ass!" She said and leaned on a pole, waiting for him to get back up. She played with her little drop of water, bouncing it in her hand, she always had some with her, but she hadn't used it in the kick. She wasn't lying, she wasn't sure what was wrong with her sparring mate recently, he just started sucking recently.

"Okay, so... Break?" She asked and then heard her hand maiden yelling her name. "Coming!" She called and took a drink of water from her water bottle and held up a peace sign. "I'll be back tomorrow, 1?" Her mate groaned and nodded. "I'd practice some tonight!" She said and laughed, running back into the house. She kicked her shoes off once inside the door and then hopped up onto the bamboo floors. "Yes?"

"We've got visitors, ma'am."

"Another team? What country?"

"America ma'am."

Jason tapped his fingers rapidly against his leg, impatient. He'd already vowed to get his revenge on his sister's boyfriend for this one. Oh what revenge he would wreak. He almost snorted to himself at that one. Obviously, he was going through cartoon withdrawal if he was semi-quoting Invader Zim. He fidgeted a bit more, not used to being made to stand still for so long. He'd rather be out running a track or something. Anything to keep himself moving.

"Remind me again what we're here for?" he said in a low voice to one of his teammates. "This place looks like something out of The Last Samurai or something."

"You're here to be trained." She said and then laughed. "Then you're going to defend me from the invasion, Mr... Gir?" She asked and then rolled her eyes, glancing at her hand maid. "Could you bring me some more water?" She asked and then eyed the male who'd spoken. "What's your name and status?" She asked and shed her jacket and threw it to the side of the activity room. "Example: My name is Tomiko Ryo and my status is water-control, you may call me Tomi." She said then held out her hand to a basin of water and the water floated up and out of it around the boys and she smiled. "I could drown you where you stood. What do your powers do for you?" She asked and snapped and the water returned to the basin.

She pointed to their shoes and smirked. "Off. I don't care what country you came from, you will respect my home." She said and then smiled at the two more behaved men. "And welcome to Japan." She said and bowed respectively as her water bottle was returned to her and she took a sip. "Names. Each of you?"

"Alexander."

"Robert."

Jason only vaguely listened as his teammates introduced themselves. They'd talked earlier, so he knew that Alexander was a dream-walker, and that Robert was an empath. He and Alexander had agreed to call each other by nicknames, as well, to keep from getting confused. He almost forgot it was his turn when they looked at him.

"Jason-Alexander," he finally offered. He didn't like giving his full name, but the situation required it. "Everyone calls me Jason. I have hyperspeed." He really didn't like someone knowing what he could do beforehand, either, since the only thing really on his side was the element of surprise, but again, he was told to explain it. That didn't mean he had to like it, or that he had to elaborate on it.

Tomi smiled and raised an eyyebrow. "Hyperspeed? Show me." She said, trying to think of a way she could stop him in his tracks. Water would slow him down but she wanted him to realize her world wasn't all fun and games, she was 17, a princess and ruling her country already, her parents delegates in Tokyo.

She bit her lip and hadd an idea. "Hyperspeed... have you ever been tripped, and are you fast enough to run on water?"

"I react too fast for anyone to trip me intentionally," Jason hedged. He didn't want to tell her too much. Something about her grated on his nerves. She acted all high and mighty, and he hated it. It reminded him too much of his sister's boyfriend. "I've never tried to run on water." It probably wouldn't be all that hard, though. He just had to move fast enough not to break the surface tension, though there might not be enough traction for him to get up to that kind of speed.

"So you wouldnt be of any help when the invaders come. They use the river that flows around us as a defense and an attack. You would drown, and that is why Jason-Alexander, that you are even here." She was training all of the men that came through, Russian, French, Italian and none of them could help her. So yes, she was hard on them but it told her whether they could take her kind of training. She needed warriors, not boys. "Now you have the option to go protect other allied countries and forget about my territory, or you can stay on this mission and train with me. If you think you can handle it."

Oh, that stung. He was being underestimated by a girl. Well, no matter. He would show her. Let her think he couldn't handle it. It would surprise her all the more when he proved her wrong. Now he was back in his element. Uppity little princess... He didn't reply to her in favor of not saying anything stupid. He wasn't THAT dumb.

He was definitely going to get Nathaniel back for this, and his revenge would be swift and merciless.

Tomi smiled and clapped her hands. "Good! Glad you are all here to stay." She said and thenn walked around him. "First lesson, swimming. You all came with swim trunks right?" She asked and smirked. She touched their arms, checking their physical strength. "Were you a dancer or did you swim?" She asked Robert and smiled sincerely. "You have five minutes to be dressed and at the pool." She said then looked at her watch. "Starting now." She didnt even give them a hint as to where the pool was.

The three guys looked at each other for a moment after she walked away, slightly bewildered, before nodding and getting changed as fast as they could. Which, for Jason, was pretty fast.

"Logic dictates we follow the smell of water to find the pool," Robert commented.

"Or the smell of chlorine," Alexander agreed.

"Sounds like a plan," Jason said. They still had three minutes, so they would probably make it if they hustled.

Tomi stood by the pool having taken one of the shortcuts through bedrooms to the large indoor pool. Logic dictates follow the leader. She smiled quietly as she walked onto the water, pulling off her sarang as she did so and threw it to the edge of the pool. She wasnt so much walking on water as she was being carried. And sadly it was about the only cool trick she had. She looked at her watch (waterproof to the extremes) she grinned as the boys showed up at the last second. "Well slowpokes. Get in." She said and her own personal trainer entered the room and groaned. "Newbies?" She nodded and rolled her eyes. Pig. She knew he was checking her out..

Jason couldn't help but check her out as he walked in with the others. She really had a great body... Aaaand she was glaring at him. What, he couldn't help it! He was male, and she was hot.

"Impressive impersonation of Jesus," he commented, gesturing to where she was standing on the water. "You turn water to wine, too?" Okay, sometimes he just couldn't help the smartass comments.

"More like the Goddess Aurora. Jesus is a joke!" She said then pulled water up and splashed him with it. "GET IN!" She yelled, wondering what they were waiting for. "I'm not lying about training you, and yes I know I'm a girl. I can force you to get in, or you can do it voluntarily you American twats!" She snapped and the water returned to the pool. She then lifted a ball of water and threw it at the boys. "IN!"

"Tomiko? Do you think it's wise to yell at them?"

"Ryoko? Do you think I need a group like the French again? The men were drowning before they even got near the water. That's not going to happen this time." She said and then glared, water heating up around her as she got mad.

"I'm just saying they haven't water trained in their lives, don't push them."

"I'm just saying you have no say in how I train my soldiers. If they're good enough they can handle it, maybe it will teach them some discipline."

Alexander and Robert looked at one another, nodded, and then pushed Jason in and jumped in after him. Jason sputtered and swore, but he didn't give in to the urge to splash them. He got the feeling he'd regret it later. He learned the hard way not to piss Alexander off. The nightmares weren't pretty.

"Alright," he said, "now what?"

"Laps. I'll tell you when to stop. And try your best to hold your breath, because that's the next lesson. We're going to get you to 3 minutes underwater. It may take weeks to get you there, but we will." She said and then let herself drift into the water. A good captain runs with her soldiers. Or in her case, swims. It would be nice finally having competition, but it was really just laps, and she did plenty of those every morning. She'd keep up without a problem, and luckily for her, she could stay under water however long she wanted, she could bring the oxygen to herself.

"Tomiko!" She came up after about 6 laps and smiled at her little sister. Six was enough for them to start on. Why over work them. She whisteled and stilled the water completely as she slipped out of the pool. "Hai?"

"Miko is home." Her hand maid said and she gasped, looking at the boys. "AY! Boys. Go... dry off while running laps outside, Ryoko will direct you to which trail you should use. I've got cameras, no slacking off. Two laps and you can come in and eat." She said and the hand maid held out water bottles for each boy. Tomi gracefully left the room, shaking out the water in her hair and pulling it into a pony tail.

"Stop staring at my ass!" She told the boys and heard her hand maid giggle. Oh yes, she loved her job. "MIKO!" She yelled once she was down the hallway and saw her brother. She ran to him and hugged him.

"Little sister, soaking wet as always. Are you in training?"

"No, I'm training others. How was China, tell me everything!"

"Come to the gym and I will. How is your aerobics going? Gymnastics?"

"Fine, I finally mastered that backwards kick!"

"Show me!" He said and they raced eachother to the gym but her mind had her glancing out the window every ten seconds. She didn't so much care for Robert or Alexander, but Jason... Jason was intriguing. He had the strength, willpower and everything needed for a good soldier.

"Which one is he?"

"What?!" She asked her brother who now stood beside her by the giant wall that was made of glass.

"The guy you've fallen for."

"I haven't fallen for anyone. I don't have the time. But I found what could possibly be our last hope. That one." She pointed to Jason and nudged her brother. "Why, have you found a girl?"

Miko laughed and kissed the top of his sisters head. "I don't have the time either, nor do I have the room in my life for yet another girl. You and mom are the only women in my heart and that's the way it's going to stay." He said and Tomi rolled her eyes and swung a punch at his arm but he caught it. "Try again, little sister. You're getting slow."

And so they started training while the men outside ran 5 miles.

Jason started swimming laps, surprisingly, without complaint. It was close enough to running on a track that it gave him time to let his mind wander a bit. He was actually surprised when she called an end to the laps after only six. He thought she would work them a lot harder than that. Until she said to run laps outside. Finally, something he was good at. He glanced at Alexander and Robert as they got outside, not sure if he should keep to their speed or not.

"Go on," Robert said. Jason blinked.

"What?"

"Run."

"You sure?" Jason asked. He didn't want to leave them too far in his dust, but he was getting a bit antsy.

"Honestly, Jason, I've noticed how running helps you calm down," Robert pointed out. "Go on." Alexander nodded, so Jason shrugged and took off. He kept to a fairly easy pace, but lapped them twice before they'd gotten half a lap in. Robert was right, of course. He always was when it came to feelings. Running helped Jason clear his head, and at the moment, he needed it.

An hour later Tomiko and Miko were both standing at the end of the track, Tomiko had a cell phone to her ear while they waited. "Yes, he's here. I'm waiting for him now, he should be here any second. He was a bit rough around the edges and still is. He seems more mad than anything. How is your child?" She asked and Nathaniel laughed on the other line.

"A beautiful boy. Riley is his name. I've got to go. Tell Jason his grandmother says hello and not to run so fast all the blood runs to the back of his head."

"Alright, Nathaniel. I'll tell him. Good bye." Nathaniel hung up and she shut the phone, whistling as she saw the boy racing towards them. "STOP!" She yelled and waved her hands, not sure how fast he could stop at that speed. "Nathaniel has a message for you." She repeated it and then looked at Miko as the others came into view. "How do you all feel? Refreshed? Good! We'll eat and then:" She put a hand on her brothers shoulder. "Miko here will teach you a little about aerobic and gymnastic fighting. For those of you who think they're too masculine to know what either of those words mean, they mean awesome flips, great balance, hard work, and wonderful follow-through's on your kicks and punches. Not to mention, lame music!" Miko rolled his eyes and then smiled.

"This one's Jason? He doesn't look like he could be our--" She covered her big brothers mouth and shook her head. "Don't give him a low self esteem issue.... or a high one." Tomi smiled then looked at the boys. "Come on, I bet you're starving."

Jason stopped easily when she said to, a little disappointed that his run was over so soon. It was the only familiar thing he had in this backwards place. He scowled when he heard the message from Nathaniel. It had definitely just spoiled his good mood.

"Bastard," he muttered. "Better be taking care of my sister this time..." He shook his head a bit to clear it, trying to reclaim some of the runners' high he'd been enjoying. Unlike his sister's power highs, runners' highs were more natural and didn't leave him without his inhibitions. He tapped his fingers rapidly against his leg impatiently. He didn't like standing still so soon after a run.

"Ignore him," Alexander said. "Food sounds great."

"Nathaniel spent a lot of time here, His powers didn't help us very much but he prophesied the war coming to us. And he got an image of you being here for it. Maybe I'm giving you more reason to hate him, but he was... He left here on July 4th, a holiday in your country? He was so upset about something, homesick. He wanted to be there for his sons birth. And he said Riley is doing fine. If that helps at all?" She then led the boys to the dining hall, Miko moving back to talk to Robert and Alexander. "Jason, up here, with me." She said and sighed. "We're dating a small detour." She told him quietly and led him around a corner while Miko led the boys to the dining hall. "I wanted to show you what you are helping us with. Why you're here." She pointed to a map. "This is the territory I own." She said and showed him. "When you flew in you saw this part. Over here, is being burned to the ground, the trees and nature being destroyed. We have villages being burned and people being tormented. The river flows inbetween these villages, it's a main source of life for the people. And it's being used against them. For now the... enemy is staying on the opposite side of the river from us. But they WILL come for us. For me. And I will die if I can't stop them. Nobody I send out there makes it back. I need a messenger, someone who's faster than the rest and can tell me what's going on out there."

"Riley was born in June, anyways, not July," Jason commented. "I heard he was big when he was born, though... I wasn't there. I know Andy was huge by then, at least." He looked at the maps she was showing him, and something wasn't making sense to him. "Hey, is the terrain on one side of the river naturally different than on the other side? Like significantly? Because otherwise, there would be no way for one side to have such a massive advantage over the other." He glanced at her, and saw the odd look she was giving him. "What? I'm not as dumb as I look."

"This side of of the territory is sunken in, which means... they live on flat land and we're in a massive hole. the river outlines the hole, the cross and we can't make it up this hill when they're running down it. Element of surprise. It's on their side..." She said and eyed the male. "Why are you so hostile. I bet I could get you down on the ground in one hit you're always so... caught up and off balance."

"That doesn't make sense..." Jason murmured as he examined the maps. "Water flows downward, so there should be a lake instead of a river around a sinkhole, so unless there was something physically holding the river in place..." He shook his head. "I'd have to see it." His fingers were back to tapping against his leg, creating a quick, repetitive rhythm. He paused when she asked why he was so hostile. "Does it matter? I'm just the runner."

"Are you serious Jason? Who is in the middle of that sink hole that can control water? I made the river flow around it, it's my defense system but I can't drain it from the land or the fires would always burn-" The rain started and she sighed. "I'm getting worked up about it. Hold on, let me calm down." She muttered and then took a deep breath and the rain lightened. "and if I got rid of the water, my villagers would have nothing to use for agricultural purposes or have anything to drink. And you are not JUST the runner. You're Jason, you're fast, you're smart... sometimes. And yes, you can be a downright ass, but... that doesn't make you a bad person. Let's go eat." She said and spun on her heels. "Anyway, I didn't ASK you to be my runner. I said I needed one. You have to volunteer to help."

Jason raised an eyebrow. All he said was that he was a runner, so as far as he knew, there was nothing to spark the mini-rant about him. Besides, he was under the impression that she hated his guts. What had changed? Or had anything changed to begin with?

"Two hours ago you just thought I was an asshole and were calling me by my full name," he pointed out. "And besides, I wasn't going to assume I knew where the limits of your power were. That's just a stupid thing to do no matter what the situation." That, at least, was true. It was common sense not to assume that you knew how strong someone else was, or wasn't, because chances are, you were wrong. She was the one who said where her limits were, sort of, so he wasn't assuming.

"I do still 'think you're an assholl'..." It was an odd phrasing, English was her very close second language but Nathaniel, Mitch and Ryan hadn't taught her all the slang. But she understood the gist of this. "You act like a spoiled brat who has no respect for his elders. I was trying to be polite, seeing as you are in fate's destiny of my territory. But if you won't accept that... then, I could go back to also being a bitch and calling you Jason-Alexander. Which isn't a bad name, for your information. Better than Nathaniel, it doesn't translate at ALL in Japanese." She figured to get him out of this odd frump, she'd boost his ego just a little bit. Especially since they were doing aerobics after dinner.