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3 Years Ago
Tibet: The Tiger Shrine

     They had finally met their match.
     It was morning.  Incredibly early in the morning.  The sun had come up not even five minutes ago.  As a result, the sky was layered; the lower layer was a flaring crimson red, the middle layer was a dull blue, and the upper layer was black, like a starless sky.  For the Organization agents Maverick, Recon, and Orchid, this was nothing new.  They jokingly called it “No Man’s Time”, a point where usually everyone was asleep, even those who stay up incredibly late.
     This time was different though.  Maverick, the first one awake, took extra care to get dressed and performed his hygiene silently, so that he wouldn’t wake anyone.  He left his room to find that every single monk of the Tiger Shrine was already awake, had been so for hours.  Many of them were already heading to the first shift of breakfast.
     Today was the day.  The agents short vacation had come to an end.  After eating breakfast with the monks one last time, Maverick, Recon, and Orchid headed back to their rooms, packed up their stuff, and tried to make a quiet exit.
     Tried, anyway.
     Upon exiting the double doors of the main entrance of the Shrine, they were greeted by almost the entire population of the Order of the Tiger.  The monks stood gathered around the door, awaiting the agents.  It was a sight that took them all by surprise, to say the least.
     “Whoa…..did we steal the silverware or something?”  Recon asked.
     Master Zen’keth stepped forward.  “Tell me, were you all going to leave us without so much as a goodbye?”
     Maverick scratched the back of his head.  “Well, you’ve all been so good to us, I just didn’t want to bother anyone.  It is quite early.”
     “No problem, no problem at all.”  Master Zen’keth smiled.  “So you’re off to your big mission now, eh?”
     “Yeah…..”  Recon sighed.  “Back to the ‘ol grind.”
     “I hope you found your time here…..enjoyable.”
     “What, are you kidding?”  Recon exclaimed.  “It was excellent!  Good food, nice scenery, great people, good food, exactly what I needed.”
     Master Zen’keth smiled again.  “I’m glad you approve.  Please, feel free to drop by and visit us anytime you like.  And what about you, Maverick?”
     “I agree.”  Maverick responded.  “It was really nice here, thank you.  Orchid, did you have a good time here?”
     Orchid looked up, from behind the two other agents.  “Yes, it was fine.”
     Recon shook his head, and half smiled.  “Hey Maverick, is it your turn to bother Orchid now?  Speaking of, where is Julie anyway?  I haven’t seen her all morning and it’s time to go.”
     “She said she’d be here; she asked me for an extra five minutes before you woke up.”  Maverick said.
     “Oh.”  Recon said flatly.

Near the Training Area

     Jago stood on the ledge overlooking the lake that the Tiger Shrine sat atop.  In front of him, he held Julie in his arms, who was also facing the lake.  She pressed Jago’s arms closer to her using her own, and she rested the back of her head against his chest.  She wasn’t looking at the lake; in fact, her eyes were closed.  She tried her best to try to capture a moment in time, and preserve it for as long as she lived, because she knew it would never come again.
     “It’s getting late.”  She said softly.  “I should go.  The others are probably waiting for me.”
     “Yeah.”  Jago echoed.  “I wish it didn’t have to be like this.”
     “Yeah, me too.”
     Jago sighed.  “You know, I was thinking a lot last night.  The Tiger Shrine has been a wonderful home to me, but now that I’m a ninja, I don’t need to stay here.  I mean, I can always study on my own, advance my skills by myself.  And I’m sure there are plenty of great martial arts masters in America.”
     “Jago, what are you saying?”
     “Well…..I was just thinking…..maybe I could go with you, to America.  You think your Organization would have me?”
     Julie smiled, her eyes still closed.  “Oh Jago, you’re so sweet.  I appreciate the offer, and the sacrifice you’re willing to make for me.  It means a lot to me.  But what you have here at the Shine, with Master Zen’keth and the other monks, that’s really special.  You should never give that up Jago.  Never.  Besides, you wouldn’t want to work for the Organization.  Lousy retirement plan.”
     Jago laughed.  “So I’ve heard.”
     Julie finally opened her eyes.  She didn’t realize that she had been missing out on such a spectacular scene before her.  The light of the new sun bouncing off the water below, and the multicolored sky was truly magnificent.  Such a scene could never exist in America.  Julie began to think about America, going back to America, leaving Tibet, which lead to leaving Jago.  Surprisingly composed up until now, Julie closed her eyes and began to cry.
     Jago couldn’t see Julie crying, but somehow, he knew she was.  He pulled her a little tighter to him, and tried not to shed tears of his own.
     “Oh Jago.”  Julie said.  “Leaving you…..is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”
     “Then don’t leave.”  Jago said weakly.
     “We’ve been through this.  I can’t.”
     “The Organization?”
     “Yes.”
     “They’re killing you Julie.  You know it too.  The Organization is slowly killing you, continually eating away at your soul.  And from what you tell me, it could physically kill you any day now.  You should leave them as quickly as you could, if not for me, than for yourself.”
     “It’s not that easy Jago.”  Julie sobbed.  “No one’s ever quit the Organization.”
     “You can be the first.”
     “I don’t even think that’s possible.  Letting an agent go would be such a security risk.  And if I went AWOL, they’d probably hunt me down and drag me back.”
     “Maybe.  But you’ll never know unless you try.”
     Julie looked down.  “Is it even possible?  Would they let me quit?”
     Jago sighed.  “I’m sorry.  I’m pressuring you.  I didn’t mean to.  I just don’t want you to go.”
     “You’re not pressuring me Jago.  I don’t want to go either.”  She moved forward slightly, and Jago let go of her.  She turned around to face him, her eyes red yet still beautiful.  “But I have to.  I have to go now.”
     Jago took her hands.  “Okay then.”  He half smiled.  “Maybe I’ll see you again, and maybe I won’t, eh?”
     “Yeah…..”  Julie tried to move in to kiss him goodbye, but she couldn’t move.  She was looking, no, staring into his eyes, and she was completely frozen.  She couldn’t even bring herself to say goodbye.  The words felt heavy in her stomach; she pushed them up through her chest, but they got stuck in her throat.
     Tears began to stream down Julie’s face again.  “I…..can’t do this.  I can’t do this Jago.”
     “What?”  He asked, innocently.
     “Leave you.”  She whispered.  “I’m going to stay here with you.”
     Jago’s eyes widened.  “You are?  Really?”
     “Yes.”
     Jago grinned.  “Oh, Julie!”  He brought her close and hugged her tightly, never wanting to let go.  “Oh Julie, thank you!”
     Julie grinned too, still crying.  “Jago, I can’t leave you.  What would be the point of living if you give up what matters most?”
     Jago let a few tears of joy fall from his eyes.  He squeezed her even tighter, making sure that this was real, not just a dream he wanted to have.  “So…..how are you going to tell the others?”
     Julie pulled back, away from him, but held onto his hands.  “Oh no.  I still have to go now.”
     “What?  But…..”
     “No, I really have to go.  They need me right now.  I can’t just ditch them like that.  I’ll go on this mission, then I’ll go back to America, and I’ll quit the Organization.  I don’t know how, but I’ll find a way.  Then I’ll come back here.  And then…..”  She pulled Jago closer to her, so that she was embracing him again.  “Then we can be together forever.”
     “Perfect.”  Jago said.  “When should I expect your return?”
     Julie looked away, in thought.  “Hmm.  I don’t know, there are a lot of factors to take into consideration.  Mmm…..let’s say…..give me three months.  Don’t expect me back until three months from now.”
     “Three months huh?  It’ll be an eternity waiting for you, but I’ll manage.  What if you don’t come back in three months?”
     “Don’t think like that.  I’ll be here.”  Julie took a deep breath.  “Okay, I really have to go now.  Maverick’s probably pissed at me right now.”
     Jago smiled.  “Go then.  I wouldn’t want to get you in any trouble.”
     Julie grinned.  “First things first.”  She moved in closer and kissed Jago passionately.  She let the sensation run through her body, and she tried to save it as it would be her last for the next few months.  She finally, reluctantly, pulled her lips away, and opened her eyes.  The sight of Jago was even better than the Tibetan sunrise.  She caressed his face with her right hand, as she withdrew herself from his arms.
     “Three months, Jago!”  Julie called, starting to backpedal away.  “I’ll see you in three months!  Goodbye, Jago!”  She turned around and started to run away.
     “Goodbye Julie!”  Jago said to her.  He watched her leave until she was completely out of sight.  “Three months.”  He sighed.  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, also trying to preserve this moment in time.
 

     “And that was the last time you saw her, was it not?”
     Jago woke up suddenly.  He sat up, somewhat groggy and extremely confused.  He wasn’t at the Tiger Shrine anymore, but he was still in Tibet.  One of the small forests; he knew it well.  It was night as well.  Jago looked around to see a makeshift campsite, including a pot of stew, hovering over a fire which had long since died.
     “The campsite?”  Jago questioned.  “I remember now.  I came here to find…..”  Jago turned and looked around.  To his right, he caught sight of his old sen’sei.  He was back in the present.
     “Good morning!”  The old man exclaimed.  “Have any interesting dreams?”
     “Dreams?”  Jago mumbled.  “It didn’t feel like a dream.  It was so…..real.  I was in the past, three years ago.  I relived about a week of my life.  Everything was so real….I could smell the air, taste the food…..feel the punches.  I was there.”
     The sen’sei smiled.  “Your senses are nothing more than what your mind tells your body to feel.  If a dream within your mind could utilize all of your senses, it would seem just as real as the conscious world.  That is what you just experienced; a controlled, powerful version of an ordinary dream.  After you fell asleep, I instructed your mind to dream about that particular memory.”
     Jago ran his hands through his hair.  “How long have I been out?”
     “Not too long; you needn’t concern yourself with that.  But anyhow, I have a question I’d like answered.  Three years ago…..that was the last time you saw Julie, was it not?”
     “Julie…..”  Jago whispered.  “Yes, that was the last time.  She told me not to expect her return until three months had passed, so I didn’t.  The first and second months passed slowly and quite uneventfully.  The third month finally came, and every morning I woke up hopeful that that would be the day that Julie returned to me.  Every night, I went to bed a little disappointed, but looking forward to the next day, only to have the same thing happen again.  I didn’t let it affect me though; there were a lot of complications, which could have taken longer than anticipated.  The third month passed, and then the fourth, and then the fifth.  Halfway into the sixth month, my disappointment grew and my hopes diminished with each passing day.  After nine months had passed, I came to the hard realization that Julie wasn’t coming back.”
     “Hmm.”  The sen’sei said.  “Do you know what happened?”
     “No.  At first I thought about it a lot.  I thought that maybe the Organization wouldn’t let her quit.  Or maybe she’d been killed.  I didn’t like that option at all.  Maybe she’d changed her mind, once she got back to America.  Or maybe she met someone new, and forgot all about me.  Either way, I was just torturing myself thinking about it, so I decided that wherever she was, I would wish her well, and try to move on with my own life.  But still, I do not know what happened to her.”
     The sen’sei leaned in closer to Jago, and tapped his head.  “But, now you know someone who would know, don’t you?”
     Jago’s eyes widened, and his lips parted.  “Orchid!  She was there, wasn’t she!  She would know…..”
     The sen’sei smiled again.  “Very good Jago.  Your training here is complete.”
     “What?”  Jago asked.  “But, I didn’t come here to relive a memory!  I came-“
     “You came to learn the secret of ki manifestation, yes I’m aware of that.  Jago, I can teach you nothing as far as that is concerned.  Every living human has the power within himself or herself; it’s just a matter of how deep down it is buried.  The power is strong in you, and you have an excellent chance of bringing that power to fruition.  However, before you can even think about using it, you must first display a complete mastery of your self, especially your emotions.  There is a fine line between pure happiness and absolute rage.  When you can walk this line, switch from joy to rage in an instant, you’ll be able to manifest your ki into a physical from of energy.  Additionally, you cannot call upon this power because circumstances haven’t dictated it yet.  So far, no fight you or anyone else has ever been in has been important enough to call for a power as great as the human ki.  It’s not something you can learn simply because you want to.”
     Jago sighed.  “I see.  But, if you can’t help me as far as ki manifestation is concerned, then what has this been all about?  Why did you make me relive that memory?”
     The sen’sei’s facial expression turned dead serious.  “Jago, the greatest test of your life is rapidly approaching.  You have never faced anything like this, and you will never again.  Unfortunately, yours isn’t the only soul that depends on your success.  The stakes are higher than you can possibly imagine.  Your limits will be pushed to the extreme, both physically, and mentally.  Although there is nothing you or I could do to fully prepare you, what you just experienced will help.”
     “My greatest test?”  Jago questioned.  “Master, I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
     “Of course you don’t.  Be patient – the passage of time will bring you the answers you seek.  I wish you good fortune, because the cost of failure will be impossible to pay.”
     Jago looked down.  “This is a lot – way more than I bargained for.  Master, are you sure- Master?”  Jago looked up to see that the old man had disappeared.
     “I hate it when he does that.”  Jago lamented.
 
 

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