Just the newbie...

Rose chuckled a little, putting down her cola. "It could out-shab my apartment huh? must have been an awesome place. I would have loved it when I was a kid." Rose gave him a tiny smile, but it quickly faded.

"I guess I can understand where you are coming from, about not really liking having to much money. My dad inherited a big company from his dad, Marsh industries? I don't know if you know about that one, but it is massive. My Grandpa build it up from scratch, my dad had never worked hard to get anything in his whole life. So, naturally, my parents lived 'the high live' since they were born. They were obsessed with geting the best in everything. Best garden, best land, best mansion, best clothes...best daughter. I Hated the pressure, it wasn't home for me." She said, taking another bite of her greasy pizza.

Talking about it had made Rose think about her parents, she half wondered if they regretted their decision to ship her away. The other half of her didn't want to think about it at all.

"Interesting." Dana said slowly, nodding. He leaned on the table, planting his elbows on its edge. "You know Marsh Industries and R.B.I. have been vying for the number seven spot in the fortune five-hundred for years? I think I owe you a thanks I didn't know I did, actually. Marsh Industries has been the only thing humbling my father for awhile now..."

He leaned back in his seat and had just opened his mouth to talk about Stark and Wayne Industries and how pissed they made his dad when his cell phone began to ring.

"That's odd..." he said, pulling the slim device out of the inside of his jacket. "I could have sworn I turned this thing off."

He looked down at the screen. Two words were displayed where the caller I.D. should have been -- Answer Me. He had been planning to just turn it off again, but he'd learned since he'd become a Lantern that when pieces of technology start acting bizarre, you didn't ignore it. He decided it would be best to see who it was.

"Just... one moment." he said to Rose, holding up a finger while pressing the answer button and holding the phone up to his ear. When no voice immediately made itself heard on the other end of the line, he spoke. "Hello?"

"Well, this is a surprise." said the voice on the other end. Dana's heart stopped for a moment. He knew that voice. "You know, after our little fight the other day, I was curious about you."

"Hood." Dana said in a growl.

"That's me." Hood said. He sounded like he was enjoying himself tormenting Dana. "And you... You're Big Boss's kid."

"If by Big Boss, you mean Jimmy Richter, then yes." Dana said. "So what? Am I supposed to be afraid that you know who I am? Going to threaten my family or something?"

"Nah, that's cliche." Hood said. "And it's no fun. Plus, if I go around whacking the family the Boss cares about, it just comes back to haunt me. But the son on the outs and his raggedy girlfriend? I think he could forgive that."

"You actually think you can frighten me with these threats, don't you?" Dana said slowly. "But I'm not afraid of you, Hood. You're just another evil in a long line of evils. And... just so you know... Rose won't be afraid of you much longer either."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that." Hood said. "Just cuz you aren't afraid doesn't mean you shouldn't be. Take your S.H.I.E.L.D. friends, for instance. They aren't afraid of being blown up at this moment... but they should be."

Dana looked out the window toward the black SUV. A moment later, it exploded. The windows were blown into the restaurant and Dana and Rose were thrown out of their seats. Screams filled the air.

"Damn it!" Dana muttered, crawling across the glass-strewn floor and picking up his phone. Straightening up, he stood and looked out the window toward the burning SUV. He placed the phone against his ear again. "You still there, Hood?"

"Oh, I always stick around to enjoy my handiwork."

"You just made yourself my hobby." Dana said. "Trust me... you will regret it."

There was a click on the other end of the line and Hood was gone. Dana looked around for Rose. The lights had been knocked out by the explosion and the only light was the flickering of the burning wreckage. He found her quickly enough.

"OH MY GOD!" said a hysterical woman in the corner. "IT'S THE TERRORISTS!"

Dana shook his head as he helped Rose to her feet. He looked around. There didn't seem to be any injuries inside the parlor. He tapped a number into his phone and placed it against his ear.

"Hello?" said a voice on the other end.

"Silman. You know your friends hanging out on Fifth?"

"Agents Stahl and Berger, yeah? What about them?"

"They're dead." Dana said flatly. "Hood isn't."

"Right." Silman said. "I'll call the hall. Just... don't do anything stupid til help arrives."

"There goes my plans..."

"THE TERRORISTS!"

"HEY!" Dana barked. "It isn't the freakin' terrorists! Calm down!"

The woman just kept shouting.

"And Silman... send someone with a tranquilizer dart rifle."

"... What?"

Dana hung up the phone and tucked it in his pocket. He guided Rose outside. They didn't need to be around that hysterical woman. Just outside, they ducked into the bus stop and took a seat on the bench.

"I think it's about time we help you overcome your fear." he said looking over at Rose. "And I know just the man to help you. Until then, we'll never be able to stop Hood."

Rose was thrown back across the room, glass and funiture flying past her in the blast. As soon as Dana had uttered the dreaded name, she knew trouble was around the corner. In this case, trouble had been a SUV exploding, killing to agents. Also with the added bonus of destroying a couple of shops.

Just in that bastards style. She thought, pushing herself off the ground.

She had a few tiny cuts and bruises, nothing she couldn't handle. Dana helped her up and lead her outside, away from the hysterics of a screaming civilian. Rose was to lost in her own thoughts to focus on what Dana was saying on the phone.

Oh God, I've made him a target.

He knows about Dana know, about his background. Hood is going to hunt him.

Dana hurried into the darkness with Rose, sitting down in a bus stop. The street lights were out because of the explosion, she could bearly make out his face. She quickly made a tiny orb of light so she could see just a little bit better.

She couldn't care less about keeping a low profile anymore. "How the hell are we gonna do that Dana!?! That guy better by a mircle worker! You saw what happened, I froze! There is no way I am going to get over this in a few days. Hood has set up his chess board, and he is going to make us play his sick little game." She said gravely.

"And he will not stop playing untill one of us dies in a horriable, painful, pittyful death."

Rose sighed and crossed her arms.

"And I don't want anymore people I care about becoming one of his targets, alright?"

"He's going to be waiting a long time." Dana said. "Come on. Let's get out of here. Silman knows how to find me."

Twenty minutes later, Dana and Rose were standing inside Rose's apartment with a now-awake Kai and James. Dana had done most of the explanation, telling Kai and James about the phone call, the explosion. Though they hadn't had time for introductions yet. There were more pressing matters than who was who. From a communication with Hal, Dana knew the League was in an uproar. An explosion on a New York City street just feet away from many crowded shops was more than a bit of an interest for the League.

"It's clear that Hood has made a new vendetta with myself and renewed his interest in Rose." Dana said. "His connections with War Raven will keep him well off the grid. I believe that this is the time for Rose to start learning how to resist the influence Hood has on her. It's the only way she's going to be able to fight him. I think he's made it clear that he intends some sort of violent end-game for this whole situation."

Kai stood in the living room, tapping his chin contemplating the whole situation. He knew what hood was like and knew everything this boy Rose brought home said was true. After a few seconds silence Kai nodded slowly, signing something to Rose.

Rose nodded and sighed, slumping onto the sofa. "Kai agrees, but he wants to know where I would ever get trained. There isn't exactly alot of light manipulators out there. The only place he can think of that might offer up training like that is the teen titans..but he doubts they will take me." Rose said. "He also wants to know how much S.H.E.I.L.D actually knows around Hood's background, and what he is capable of."

Kai nodded to confirm what Rose had said, and Blink crossed his arms and scowled. "So what is gonna happen to Rose then? are you going to ship her off to some lab? Let her get tested on?" Blink snapped, earning him a harsh glare from Kai. The young boy cought eyes with the mute and went quiet.

Rose was nervous, She could almost feel hood was planning something big again next.

It's your turn to play, Make your move Roise...she could imagine him saying, Or your lil' family goes bye bye.

"There's an energy manipulator of sorts with the Titans. Her name is Starfire. A Tamaranean." Dana said. He spent a lot of his free time the first few months he had the ring reading through the profiles for all the heroes and villains known to the Justice League. The Teen Titans had a rather extensive history with the League. They were well known. "She might be able to help. But the majority of these battle is going to be about willpower. Overcoming fear is an internal, not external battle. All the power in the world is useless if you're not willing to apply it."

What did you have in mind? Kai signed, asking Rose to translate it for Dana, but it wasn't necessary. Dana could understand sign. He knew more than a few languages under his own steam. It had been one of his mother's many points of contention. Sign happened to be one of the languages he'd internalized from a young age.

"Training with the Titans, if it's even a possibility, is one step. The other half is strengthening one's will. If I had the ability, I would have liked to take her to Oa for that training. But that's not a possibility. So we'll have to go for a more earthly option. Tomorrow, I think we should go and have a conversation with my grandfather. He's something of a master at all this. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like you to come along, Kai."

Kai gave Dana his half smile and nodded in agreement, Rose could tell the mute liked that idea. Kai had always been very protective of her and Blink, she knew that asking if he could come would be his next question. Rose half wondered if Kai was going through Dana's memories, but she doubted it.

Kai always thought that entering someone's mind with permission was the worse thing he could do. He said that someone's mind is the only place they can be themselves...or the place all their fears haunt them. Kai only ever went poking around in a person's head if it was the only other option. He had only been in Blink's mind once, and Rose's never. Although he occusionally read their thoughts. The german mute always said thier was a BIG difference between reading someone's thoughts and entering someone's mind.

"Alright Dana, I'm in. When does this all start?" Rose asked, standing up and stretching. Kai rolled his eyes and cracked his knuckles.

He looked at Dana and sighed quickly:

I know you can understand me, thanks for looking out for Rose and Blink. I trust you if Rose trusts you.

"Thank you." Dana nodded. "And I'd like to let this rest until morning. The League is going to be sorting out the explosion for the next few hours and S.H.I.E.L.D. is going to be all over the scene. My money says they've already assigned a new detail to us. Probably a more experienced one. Or at least a more powerful one. In any case, we should give them time to sort out their thoughts on this before we give them more to think about. In situations like this, they don't like sudden moves on any side."

"Plus there's a lunatic running around!"

"James. Please." Dana said. "I'm not so worried about Hood at the moment. According to the Prime Lantern, the Bat is taking care of this investigation personally." he held up his hand with his ring briefly. "Even Hood isn't stupid enough to cross Batman. I'm more concerned about getting a bit of rest into everyone before tomorrow. It's going to be a long day. With your permission, Kai. I'd like to spend the rest of the night here. I require very little room."

Rose and Kai looked at each other briefly, before Rose spoke up. "Ahh...we don't really have any spare rooms. I don't think you would to share a room with James or Kai, so...ah you can have the sofa...?" She said awkwardly, looking at her feet. "I'll go get some pillows and sheets..." she muttered, dissapearing down the hall. Rose came back a few seconds with a thick blanket, and a couple of pillows.

"Sorry if it smells like lavender, I was using it to help me sleep and now all the beding smells like the sutff." She chuckled, resting the items on the couch. "That is not the only thing the smells like that stupid flower thingy..." James muttered, and Kai elbowed him and gave him a warning look like a father would do. James grumbled something about going to bed and left the room.

Kai yawned and looked at Rose, raising one eyebrow at her. She rolled her eyes, getting the message. "Kai's kicking me to bed now, even though he KNOWS I am not going to sleep." She said, and Kai walked off down the hall. "I guess it is good night...or good morning? I don't know." she grinned and stood on her tippy toes and ruffled his hair. "Night..." She turned and walked down the hall to her room, closing the door behind her.

Dana nodded as she handed him pillows and a blanket and chuckled a bit when she ruffled his hair. It was something Moira might have done. They all headed off to bed one by one, James leaving last. He cast Dana an odd sort of look...

"Nice daggers." Dana muttered to him.

"Bite me!" James snapped in a whisper.

"Egh... so childish." Dana said airily. "Wanna make me?"

James blinked, paused, then shook his head, going to bed muttering to himself, something about idiots and how they should be tossed off the Empire State Building. Soon enough, Dana was alone...

Several hours had passed. Dana sat on the floor next to a window which looked out on the fire escape, his jacket folded on the couch, a pillow and the blanket underneath him where he sat, cross-legged. His eyes were closed as he sat in the darkness in meditation, the only light the faint green glow of his ring.

There was a tap on the window.

Dana looked up. There was a shadow on the fire escape looking in. It held a glowing green something in its hand. 312 hadn't warned him of any impending threat, so he didn't immediately activate his suit. He stood and moved over to the window, opening it.

"Clint Barton." said the figure. He wore the uniform of a S.H.I.E.L.D. special agent and a bow and quiver on his back. "S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Hawkeye, right?" Dana said slowly with a nod. They both spoke in whispers so as not to wake the others.

"That's right. You know me?"

"Let's just say I've read a file that mentioned you."

"Mhm. And that file? Did it also talk about a Norse god, gamma radiation experiment gone wrong, and a billionaire playboy with a tank shaped like a human?"

"Something like that." Dana nodded, smiling. "What can I do for you, Mr. -- Agent Barton."

"'Hawkeye' is fine. The Green Lantern wanted me to deliver this to you." Clint said, brandishing the glowing thing in his hand. As Dana had suspected, it was a Green Lantern.

"Which Green Lantern?"

"Is there some way I can answer that without sounding racist?" Clint asked, shrugging. "He said to tell you that he was, er... 2814.1? That mean anything?"

"It does." Dana nodded. "You can take that back to him, though. I plan on recharging tomorrow."

"No dice." Clint said. "'.1' says he wants you recharged tonight in case anything happens."

"Right." Dana nodded. He took the Lantern from Barton and placed it on the small table in front of the sofa. "Speaking of things happening tonight. Any news?"

"Nothing useful. Your friend said he was going to pay you a visit at the Monastery tomorrow, if that means anything."

"Again. It does." Dana nodded. "Thanks for the info."

"No problem. I'll be nearby with some other agents. Trust me. We got you covered. Get some rest."

Dana nodded his appreciation and closed the window. He walked back over to his makeshift meditation seat, taking the lantern from the table and placing it on the ground in front of him. He breathed in calmly for a moment, then extended his ring toward the aperture of the lantern and spoke.


A burst of energy swelled out of the lantern and engulfed his hand. He felt the energy being absorbed into the ring. It was an incredible rush. He felt as though he'd just awoken from many hours of deep, gratifying sleep. It was an interesting sensation. One he'd felt many times yet had still not gotten used to...

Rose was sitting on her bed, once again not being able to sleep. Her hair out, she focused her light energy to her hand, watching it glow and brighten the room. As she studied, she wondered what would happen if she used all of her stored energy.

She knew it was extremely powerful.

But she also knew it was possiably extremely fatal.

Rose still wondered...

Rose made the light alot stronger, the aura moving up to her shoulder, her whole arm engulfed in blinding light. The room was so bright it could have been the middle of a sunnie day outside. Rose sighed and the light vanished, the room dark and gloomy once more.

Maybe if I could manage my powers better...I...

Rose shook her head, before falling backwards onto her bed with a frustrated groan.

"The sooner are start the training the better..." She muttered to herself under her breath, before closing her eyes intending to try and sleep...


The morning following, Rose was up and six, already in the kitchen making breakfast. She hadn't slept all night, and her body was slowly getting used to the lack of sleep. James woke up not long after her, more moody then usual. "I can't believe Kai let your boyfriend stay the night, doesn't he have his own house to sleep at? he own food to eat?" James grumbled as he walked into the room, without even saying good morning.

Rose rolled her eyes at him, taking a sip of her glass of water. "Shut it James, what's got you in a bad mood this early in the morning?" She hissed. The teleporter just muttered something under his breath and vanished for a few seconds, only to appear again sitting on the bench next to her.

Dana stood on the roof of the building. It was the only out of the way place in the building he could find that offered the space necessary for him to carry out his morning kata. His grandfather's style was unusual. It didn't derive directly off of any of the traditional forms, but instead incorporated much of the swift fluidity of styles and techniques completely foreign to Karate. As Dana flowed through the different kata, what he was doing might have looked odd to someone just watching him. But that was the point. From oddity springs confusion. And confusing one's enemy was a powerful tool for a martial artist. The entire series of movements absorbed a good twenty-five minutes before he turned to head back into the building.

"That was impressive." Clint said. He'd been standing, leaning against the wall next to the door for a good ten minutes. Dana had sensed him long before that, of course, but he had never been terribly bothered by people inviting themselves to watch him practice.

"Any news?" Dana asked, controlling his breathing with precision. His grandfather always said that the struggle after the practice was as important as that during it. And going from prolonged and stressful activity to a calm and relaxed state once more was one hell of a struggle.

"Batman managed to track down Hood's little vantage point." Hawkeye said. "We're still figuring out where he went from there. You planning any trips for the day?"

"We're headed to the Kanien'kehá:ka Monastery." Dana said, wiping his face with a paper towel.

"Isn't that a Native American word?" Barton asked, looking a bit confused.

"The place was originally on Mohawk land in southern Ontario, in Canada, along the shore of the Bay of Quinte." Dana explained. "The chiefs of the territory were kind enough to allow my grandfather use of the land. It stayed there for years until my mother convinced him to relocate the monastery here, just outside of the city. Kanien'kehá:ka is an Iroquoian word for 'People of the Place of Flint'. It's the proper name for the Mohawk tribe. My grandfather named his monastery after the tribe as a sign of respect and maintained the name after the monastery moved. He still visits them."

"I see." Barton chuckled. "That's quite a story. Japanese monk on Indian land with an Irish daughter and son-in-law who are now political leaders in America with a son who's secretly an intergalactic peace-keeper... You have an interesting family, Mr. Richter."

"So you did read my file." Dana grinned.

"What can I say? I got bored last night." Barton shrugged, smiling. "Anyway. We've already sent a detail to the Monastery. I'm assuming you'll be using that teleporter's powers to get there."

"This time you didn't make an 'ass' out of 'u' and 'me'." Dana said. When Barton's eyebrow shot up... "You assume correctly."

"Right. Well. Good luck." Barton said, grinning. Dana nodded and walked past him into the building, down the stairs, and back to the apartment. He found Rose, James, and Kai up and about.

"Morning!" Dana said with a grin, tossing out the paper towel and picking Hal's lantern and his jacket up off the sofa. He'd folded the blanket neatly and placed the pillows atop it on the sofa as well. He liked to clean up after himself wherever possible.

As Dana entered the room and greeted everyone, Rose yawned and opened the tiny fridge in serch for cheese. "Morning Dana!" She said, and Blink jumped down from the bench and grumbled. Kai walked down the hall and into the living room, then the kitchen, fully dressed and wide awake. The telepath nodded at Dana and went to where was standing, taking the milk out and started to make himself his morning coffee.

James made his way into the living room, and collapsed on the sofa with a bowl of fruit loops in his hands. "Sof, wa ish da pffan or toshe?" James said, his mouth full of cereal. "Don't talk with your mouth full James, it's just nasty!" Rose yelled back, chuckling and rolling her eyes.

James swallowed and yelled into the kitchen again. "What's the plan for today?" He asked, shoving another spoonful into his mouth. Kai walked past the teen with a cup of coffee in hand, a ciggarette in the other. He looked at James then gestured over to Dana, silently telling James to ask the lantern.

Blink groaned, and shot a dirty look at Dana, "Don't tell me you're in charge today glowstick..."He hissed.

Rose heard him and glared at James through the kitchen door, "Seriously? what has gotten you in a bad mood? Lets TRY and keep positive, dispite the situation Jamie..."

James muttered something and put another spoonful of food in his mouth, silencing him for the time being.

Rose sighed, she honestly worried about Blink alot. The concern was plainly plastered on her face as she cleaned up the kitchen, her green eyes lingering over to the living room every so often.

"The 'plan' for today is to head to the monastery and see if my grandfather will accept you as a student." Dana said. This was mostly directed at Rose, but it applied to everyone present. "We'll need a little transport. I'm sure you can arrange that, James."

James grumbled through a mouthful of food.

"I've already asked the League to make some inroads into the possibility of you being trained by the Titans to better apply your powers." Dana continued. "The Titans are notoriously picky about their live-in members or anything close to it. I'm sure they'll find your powers valuable, but there's a fair chance they'll be turning us away. Rest assured, though -- we'll make every effort. We'll need your talents again, James, later in the day. A trip to Jump City is going to be considerably quicker if we can skip around without the hassle of airplanes."

Rose nodded, trying to contain her excitement. She liked the idea of being trained by the teen titans, although she knew there wasn't a big chance she would, heck! she didn't have a chance at all, but it was a nice thought. Her history wasn't very good and she hadn't done anything dramaticly good to gain their attention. She was also looking forward to getting over her fear of Hood, she didn't want the monster to have any power over her anymore.

"Alright, big day ahead! Let's get the showon the road people!" Rose said, dumping a bowl in the sink and rushing down the hall. "I'm having a shower, no one use the water! I don't like the idea of being burnt!" She yelled as she went. Rose quickly got undressed in the bathroom, had a shower, got dressed again, brushed her teeth in a matter of minutes. James had only just finished his breakfast by the time Rose come back out, a towl draped over her dripping auburn hair.

Kai have come back from his morning smoke and coffee, already dressed and ready. James grumbled and stood up, wiping his face as Rose discarded the towl. "Alright ginger, I need to where I am going before we head off..." He muttered, spotting Rose slip her hand into Dana's softly before taking his. Kai stood on the other side of Blink, and rolled his eyes.

"Same place we went the other day. The Monastery. We're expected." Dana said simply. One moment they were standing in the apartment, the next, they were standing in front of the monastery. Dana heard voices behind them and turned, the lantern hanging from his hand. Samuel was standing at the gates arguing with a pair of men in black suits. Dana sighed and headed over.

"Can I help you, gentlemen?" he said, placing a hand on Sam's shoulder and nodding to him that it would be fine. Sam was most distressed.

"Mr. Richter, I take it?" said one of the men. Dana nodded. "We're with S.H.I.E.L.D. We've been assigned to watch this facility and guard it against the Hood. However, this man is refusing us access."

"We don't allow weapons on these grounds, Agents." Dana said simply. "That was, no doubt, Sam's concern."

"With all due respect, sir... you're wearing a super-weapon on your finger." said the second agent.

"With all due respect, 312 is not simply a weapon. Your pistols are. And until you divest yourself of them, I can't allow you to pass into this monastery. That's the final word."

The agents exchanged a look.

"Dana, right?" said a third voice. Dana looked past the two agents. There was a red-headed woman striding toward them. She'd apparently just emerged from one of the SUVs parked there. She didn't look at all like a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

"And you are?" Dana asked.

"I'm the special agent in charge of this detail." she said. "My name is Natasha Romanov."

Dana nodded. He knew the name from the same file he'd recognized Barton from. So this is Black Widow...

"Would it be okay if I entered the grounds?" she asked, folding her arms as she came to a stop between the two other agents. "I promise I'll leave all of my toys here."

"You're all welcome to enter, Agent Romanov." Dana said. "Only your weapons are forbidden from entering."

He turned back and rejoined Rose, James, and Kai.

"This way." he said.

He guided the four of them through the grounds to the hall where he had sat before his grandfather the other day, where Sam had dressed his wound after the first attack by Hood. That was where his grandfather spent most of his time in contemplation. The view of the eastern grounds was the most soothing and inspiring to his grandfather. He also took all of his audiences there. Sure enough, the old man was sitting before his Tao verses hanging on the wall, waiting for them.

"Please, enter." he said, gesturing to seats prepared for them. Two were off to the side. Two sat facing him. Dana indicated the side seat nearest the front two for Kai. He joined him at the other side seat. James and Rose were intended to sit before Kenji. This wasn't just a meeting for Rose. James also needed this training... and more.

"Grandfather, this is Rose, James, and their guardian, Kai." Dana said, indicating each in turn. Kenji nodded.

"And you?" he inquired, looking at Black Widow, who had made herself very small indeed in an out of the way corner of the room, near the open sliding doors.

"Agent Natasha Romanov of S.H.I.E.L.D." Widow said.

"Agent Romanov is here to see to our safety." Dana explained. Kenji nodded.

"Very well." he said. He turned his attention to Rose and James and considered them in silence for what seemed a long time. Then he spoke: "You are both struggling inside yourselves. That much is obvious. However, these struggles are different. You look for strength..." he said to Rose. "And you? You desire weakness."

James's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"What are, crazy?" he said. "I don't wanna be weak, old man!"

Dana opened his mouth to speak, but his grandfather held up a hand and he fell silent.

"There are many kinds of weakness, my young friend. Not all are negatives. You act tough because you believe you should. But it offers no room for vulnerability. No room for human existence. You must learn to let your strength rest so that your weakness can heal you. That... is a journey unto itself."

Rose watched as the wise monk spoke of James. The younger boy was silent, suddenly finding his feet very interesting. What Dana's grandfather had said...sounded right. Blink had been through many hardships in his life, and many of them he delt with alone. Is that why he acted all tough and thick skinned...because he believes that is what he has to do?

Kai watched intently, tapping his chin as he did so, deep in concentration. Rose cought his eye for a brief second, before he looked away. Kai was keeping himself a fair distance from the S.H.I.E.L.D agent, taking a seat away from her. Rose sighed, Kai wasn't goof with anyone who had a badge.

Blink looked up after a long pause, and looked over at Rose. "You said Rose wanted strength....why do you think that is?" He asked Kenji slowly, the old man returning the question with a raised eyebrow.

Kai's eyes widened ever so slightly, and the black widow raised a thin eyebrow in curiousity, her face otherwise emotionless. Rose swalllowed, half expecting what he was going to say.

I'm weak, that's why. I need to get stronger, To be able to protect my family from Hood. She thought to herself.

"She desires strength because she is a fool." Kenji said simply.

"Grandfather, I--" Dana began. Kenji silenced him yet again.

"You are fool enough to believe that strength comes from out there. It does not." he said. "Strength does not come from the training of powers or the guidance of great teachers. It is within. You are sitting here asking me to teach you how to be strong? You do not even believe it of yourself! What can I teach you that can change this?"

Dana wanted to speak so badly, he nearly defied his grandfather. The way Kai was squiring next to him told him that he wasn't exactly happy about this either.

"Tell me!" Kenji barked. "Why should I waste my time on you, girl?! You are pathetic! Weak! You will never defeat Hood, never conquer the evils of your past! You are doomed to suffer their return until your dying day! That is your fate! That is the cost of your timidity!"

Dana suddenly realized what his grandfather was doing. He wasn't trying to destroy her self-confidence, he was trying to make her display it. So far, all Kenji had seen of her was her fear and its effect. That was all he'd heard of from Dana. Now, it seemed, he wanted to make sure she wasn't just a powerful being in a coward's incarnation. And he was willing to use harsh tactics to find the truth... Dana only hoped it would end the way his grandfather planned it to and not with Rose's complete collapse.

Kai and James looked furious but Dana had eyes only for Rose. His gaze was utterly fixed upon her. There was one other person in the room whose focus was fixated on her, though Dana didn't notice it -- Romanov. She stared at Rose, waiting for her reaction as well. Dana was only slightly aware of it. It seemed she had seen through this tactic as well...

Rose felt anger boil up from the pit of her stomach, flinching slightly at Kenji's words. Rose shot up from her chair like lightening, her cheeks red in rage.

"Hey, hold up! I don't think it is foolish to want to be strong! nearly every person in the goddamn world wants to be strong! and for lots of different reasons reasons, and very few of those reasons are selfish ones!" James and Kai watched, both obviously trying to contain their own fury.

How DARE he?!? what was the old man playing at?!?

Rose glared down at Kenji, so lost in her own fustrustion she forgot there was anyone else in the room. "If being scared of seeing the people I love being hurt or worse makes me weak, I guess I am then. But I am NOT a coward, and I am NOT a fool for seeking strength in order to protect the people I care about. That's being HUMAN!"

"And I am going to defeat that monster, even if it takes forever. I am going to banish the demons from my past and I am NOT going to freeze again!"

Rose took a quick breath, calming herself down. "And if you think there is no hope for me, I will go else where to find someone who thinks differently from you." She hissed, brushing herself off.

A smile crept across Kenji's lips. Dana's too.

"Going elsewhere will not be necessary." Kenji said, his voice its normal tone again. He was quite convincing, really. "I wished to test you, to see if you had the will to defend yourself. I was concerned that you might have let this fear seat itself too deeply, to the point where you no longer had the strength to overcome it. I am glad to see I was wrong."

Kenji gestured to Sam, who had been hiding out of sight the entire time. The disciple skittered off and returned a few minutes later with a tray of tea. He placed it down in front of Dana, who began serving it, and then took a cup-full to Widow. She seemed reluctant to accept it, but in the end she did. In any case, Kenji took a sip of his tea and then continued.

"Seeking strength is not a dishonorable goal, young one." he said, looking up at Rose. "But no strength can be learned that does not come from within. Understand that without the will to act, even the greatest weapons are useless. Protecting those you care for is a noble desire, but if one cannot defend herself, what use could she possibly be to others?"

"Going elsewhere will not be necessary."

Wait what?

Rose sat back down, eyes wide. He had just tested her....and she passed. Rose felt her heartbeat slow down, returning to it's regular speed. Sam brought in tea and Dana began to serve it in silence.

Kai and Blink had also calmed down, thier faces relaxing ever so slightly. Rose nodded as the monk spoke, thinking about what he was saying. How was she going to get her inner strength, if she had any? It isn't something you learn from someone else. She remembered her father saying that strength comes from the heart, and only special people could use it. Rose resisted to roll her her eyes thinking about her dad.

"I understand that but...I know I might need a little push to get me started I guess." She paused for a momment and looked at Kenji, "Can you help me...and if you can...when do we start?"

Kenji breathed in the aroma of the tea in his hands, his eyes closed. For several long moments, he enjoyed the smell of the herbs in the tea. Dana watched him, waiting for his reply. To some extent, he knew what he was going to say. Kenji's wizened eyes opened and he surveyed Rose...

"Now." he said.

"Learning to conquer fear is not a simple task." Kenji said some twenty minutes later. "Defying your fear is a function of anger. And anger does nothing except empower fear. Your resistance does nothing but strengthen that which you would wish to defeat. Close your eyes!"

Dana sat with Kai, James, Sam, Anya, and Widow in the shade of the room, facing the open space of the yard separating the room from the woodlands beyond. Kenji circled Rose slowly as he spoke, the both of them in the open space of the yard under the sun above.

"Open your mind to the fear. Relive it." Kenji said. "Remember every moment. Remember every pain, every drop of sweat, every sound, every smell. Live in that moment once more. Know that you are helpless against it. Know that it will defeat you."

"The first step to overcoming your fear is accepting it." Dana whispered to Kai and James as Kenji spoke to Rose. "It's the only way to see the path through it."

Blink grunted in responce, but Kai nodded at Dana politely, sending James a glare. The telepath's eyes flickered back to Rose and Kenji in the distance.

Rose's eyes widened and she crossed her arms tightly across her chest. "What?, But I-" Kenji gave the young girl a look and she sighed heavily. "Fine..." She muttered, slowly closing her green eyes. She could feel the sun's rays softly tickling her face, the smell of the woodland's near by lingered on the air.

Remember every moment...

A cruel chuckle sat at the back of her mind, as if it was waiting for her to close her eyes again. Rose flinched a little as she recalled the sharp pain in her side. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood up, as she felt that same horriable burning sensation.

But...Rose didn't open her eyes.

"Wheres your big brother now Rosie posiey? WHERE IS HE NOW!" Hood's voice rang him her ears, She could remember who scared she really was, she was scared of what that boy was capable of.

It's the past, it happened...

She could almost feel the blood on her lips, she could remember the metalic taste of her own blood.

It's gone. He won that battle...but never again.

The memories replayed in her mind like watching a movie, the scenes flickering up to the piont were she had seen Kai attack Hood before passing out.

Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes again. Her hands were shaking ever so slightly, but other then that she felt...almost normal.

"What were your thoughts in that moment?" Kenji asked, still circling her. "Do not hide from your fear. It will find you. Think. What crossed your mind as the pain took hold? What was your fear when the blades bit into your skin?"

Dana noticed Kai moving out of the corner of his eye and looked over in time to see him sign a question.

How does he know all this?

"I told him." Dana said in a whisper.

You?

"I'm sorry. It was necessary." Dana said. "I shared her story with him so that he would know how to force her to open up. I owe her an apology, I already know. But I can't give it to her. Not yet."

Kai didn't sign another word, but he seemed to understand. Dana watched Kenji and Rose continue.

"Remember!" Kenji said.

Rose's eyes widened as Kenji questioned her. How did he know about the blade? "I..."

"Remember!"

"I...was thinking I was going to Die. That I would never see Mrs. Keen or Kai or my parents ever again...I-I could never trust a-a living soul ever again..." Rose said quickly, not really focusing on Kenji. Her head was tilted slightly towards the ground, still swimming the frightening memories.

She never thought about how hard it was to remember, spending years avioding thinking about the event. She had been trying to force the pain and betrayal out of herself, but it had just made things worse.

She looked over to Kai, Dana, Blink and the widow. Blink was actually watching the scene closely, were Kai looked very frustrated. Shw wondered what they were thinking right now.

"That's not all of it." Kenji said sternly. Rose looked at him, her back striaghtening. "I was scared he would do to other people what he was doing to me."