Kai set about trying to explore his cell, he shouldn't be here and aimed to leave as soon as possible. The girl with the red eyes had miraculously taken the pain of his injuries away, but he knew he was anything but in good shape; like something was holding the pain and numbing it. He moved tentatively, the motion somehow stirred the pain like soup, which spilt a little and burnt him. He held onto the bars to steady himself and let the pain settle back. He pulled on them to see how securely they were fixed into the ceiling. He could tell this wasn't an actual holding cell. It was probably somewhere they locked things, just to keep them safe from the wrong hands. He dragged the bunk away from the wall and standing on it, reached up to test the ceiling. If he couldn't leave through a traditional method, like a door, he might be able to bring the ceiling down. He pushed at it with his fist, the plaster gave a little under pressure; it could be a possibility, but what was above?

Kai heard a noise; the door at the top of the stairs had been opened and a small amount of light cast down. He skipped off the bunk and pushed it back against the wall just as the door shut. A dizzy wave swept through his head and he fell back onto his bed. He pulled himself together just as the girl with red eyes entered from the stair.

'Brought you something' she held a brown paper bag through the bars to him. Kai took it and the girl backed away. Kai looked inside the bag suspiciously 'Bread?'

'Uh, well, I managed to take the left overs from the kitchen. The Grand Master has the best bread... obviously. It has a perfect crust...' She rambled, animated, then cast her eyes down again, uncomfortable 'Uh... Yeah, so I managed to get the left overs today and, well...' She swallowed 'I thought you might like it' She cringed.

'Uh... thanks' Kai said, confused by this uncomfortable offering.

'Ok... bye...' She turned to leave.

'Wait!' Kai called after her 'Would you like some?' The girl hovered and then came forward slowly. Kai held his hand up to his swollen jaw 'that crust looks good, but... I don't think I could do it justice'

'Oh. Oh no. I didn't think' She cast her eyes down again 'I'm sorry about that'

'No, no. Its still great. There's still some good soft bread here too'

'That's not what I meant. I meant... your injuries'

'Yeah well, so you should be. You better bring me bread every night to make up for it... You want the crust?'

She came over to the bars. Kai held the bag out to her and she grabbed a chunk. She pulled the blackened, floured crust off, handing the soft centre back to Kai. He looked at the dough in his hand, slightly squashed by her small fingers and then tucked in.

'It's really good bread. Thank you... for this' She shrugged. Kai pulled a face, wincing in pain

'What are you, a wimp?' she said in response.

'You were almost nice there for a hot second...' Kai said as he held his jaw 'that thing you did last night, for my pain. Is that your power? Or can you do other things?'

'Well that would be telling, wouldn't it? You are 'the enemy' after all'

'Phtt' Kai snorted 'Good call. Can't be fraternising with the enemy now can we?' She laughed a little and Kai asked 'What's your name?'

'Hitch'

'Hitch? Er, well that's... pretty?' Kai said awkwardly.

'I didn't ask for compliments. It's just a name. If I had a pretty name, it would sound wrong... gouge their eye's out Peony...' She said, lowering her voice to emulate her Masters orders 'See?'

'Uh, yeah... Very wrong... so you do much eye gouging?'

She shrugged 'Only if necessary' and ripped at the crust with her teeth. She watched Kai wince, as he tried to eat the soft bread.

'I'm Kai, by the way...'

Hitch nodded 'I know'

'Why am here?' Kai asked suddenly.

'It just turned out that way'

'That's hardly an answer. I mean, you're the only person I've seen. If I'm here for a reason, I think I'd have seen your Master or been ritually humiliated by now'

'Are you trying to put ideas into my head?'

'Look' Kai said, trying to level with the girl 'I'm grateful really I am, for sorting me out. The pain and the wounds, you know... But, what is this all about? What were you doing at the island?'

'Destroying the control room, obviously. Or did that escape you?'

He rolled his eyes 'But why?' Kai asked, obvious frustration in his voice 'and why did you bother to bring me here?'

'Well... I couldn't leave you, you were seriously injured and I wasn't about to march back into your Temple and announce myself, so just lump it. You're here and that's where you've got to stay...'

'Ugh, you're kind of annoying, you know'

She hid a smile. Riling him was easy. He could have roasted her by now, but he hadn't. She was glad she brought him back; she just wasn't sure what to do with him now he was here.

Kai questioned her again 'and why do you keep coming down here? I mean its not like I'm telling you anything'

'It's not like I'm asking!' she quickly replied.

Kai shot her a cool stare 'Or maybe you're a new form of slow torture'

She snorted a laugh and choked, breathing in the floured crust. Kai gave a confused smile. She didn't act like a bad guy 'It's almost like you're here because... you want to be'

Her face tightened 'to be with you? Don't flatter yourself' she said defensively and moved towards the stairs.

'Wait, wait' Kai called after her 'I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I meant... I'm glad you come down here. I like that I have someone to talk to, and... you're not like any other bad guy I've met' when she continued to hover, Kai added 'Or you don't seem to be, anyway'

She turned back to him and whispered sadly 'I'm not. I'm not like the others' and continued up the stairs.

As Hitch left the cellar, she felt a pull and a large hand yank her forward just to slam her against the wall. Before she had a chance to fight back a massive hand clamped over her eyes and long heavy fingers wrapped over her skull. It rendered her powerless, disrupting her focus and sending her mind into spasm. Plus, it hurt.

'Wha'sup pup?' Watt was an angry sonofabitch, he knew how to throw his weight around and lived vicariously off of his elder brothers reputation.

Hitch gritted her teeth. Her small size made her an obvious target; but her powers made her a dangerous one. Watt found this a challenge. He wanted to bully her so badly and disabling her powers was part of the fun. He was an idiot, but that didn't help her much in this instance. She could hear the sniggers of his group, all average skilled ninja. He needed them to make him look good and as they always moved as a pack, they were stronger for it. Right now, she needed her pack. In the settlement, they were the most skilled and were often on contracts or teaching the younger ninja; so Hitch found herself in situations like this, but her natural mental reflex was quicker than Watts fist and her cry for help was always picked up. Whether Gene or Nat could get to her, was another thing.

'Brek!' Watt spoke to one of his group 'you sucked in training today. I think you need to practice'

Brek. What a waste of space. His brain is practically a bowl of porridge and he is a truly horrible fighter. No finesse. No grace 'Ungh' Hitch spluttered and held in the pain as Brek punched her in the stomach. But whether it was a good punch, or bad mattered not, it still hurt. Hitch spat from under Watts palm 'what the hell kind of punch was that? Can't you even pretend to be Ninja?'

'Better try it again then Brek' Watt growled and Brek gave it another go. Watts grasp slackened as he laughed and Hitch felt the pressure ease around her skull. An image formed in her mind of Brek lunging clumsily forward. She grabbed Watts' wrist, solid against her forehead and swung her legs up to kick Brek full in the face. Levering Watts' wrist down, she was now released. Brek stumbled back, blood pouring from his nose and the rest of the group tried to look fierce. But nobody looked as fierce as her sister, who brought the jo down on Watts fist as he squared up to punch Hitch. Nat spun the training weapon and levelled it at the remaining four ninja. She swept the staff slowly past their eyes as their bodies remained frozen, all fully aware that they would not be able to better this opponent. Hitch brought a kick up underneath Watt. He bent double and she followed it up with a graceful knee to the chin.

'Classic dirty fight moves sis, I like it' Nat said.

'Well y'know sometimes they're just more satisfying' Hitch replied.

'I hear you... what say we go at these losers with something similar?' and gave the four an evil grin. They didn't wait to hear what Hitch thought of this idea and hightailed it. Nat turned back to Watt who was just managing to lift himself from the ground, his eyes watering and kicked him in the guts 'you're right' she said to Hitch 'old school is satisfying'

Nat put her arm around her younger sisters shoulder and they moved away from Hitch's oversized tormentor. They both had the same tiny frame and Nat stood just a couple of centimetres taller than Hitch. Though unlike Hitch, she had never been a target for cruelty.

Night had fallen. They left the building and crossed the training courtyard in silence; a cool wind blew and cut through the warm night air. Hitch felt exposed in the quiet open space and stayed silent, as if her words would be picked up and deposited at the wrong ears. She watched her sister stride off ahead of her, knowing it was anything but silent in Nat's mind. Of the three of them, just two were blessed, or cursed, with mental powers. Nat was half of a twin, the only half with a power. She was a receiver; the chatter of incoherent thought ran constantly through her. Sometimes it was clear but mostly it was just bursts of abstract nothing. Hitch didn't begrudge her sisters silence; she could not imagine the pain of living with the worlds subconscious in her head. Nat's twin was free of that burden at least. Though burden free, she was not.

Gene took responsibility for them all. Fed them, clothed them, fought for them. Which is how they ended up here. It was better than the streets, but Hitch didn't belong. Not like Gene and Nat. For Nat, fighting gave her blessed relief from the noise of a thousand voices in her head, silencing them for as long as she was distracted through concentration; it was a perfect incentive to succeed. Gene thrived under the harsh and exacting regimes set by their House Master. She had focus and drive. She worked hard and progressed to train under the Grand Master. A great honour, but it was a brutal life and ever since he had found them, she had obsessed over him and trained beyond requirements to get noticed. Hitch suspected it wasn't just career drive and Nat confirmed Hitch's suspicions. Gene believed she was in love, but Nat knew the obsession to be something else, a void that needed filling. The crushing loss of their family had wound itself around this enigmatic Master and Gene existed only for him.

To Hitch, her sisters were remarkable; survivors that she clung to, to stop from slipping under. She was a person at odds, lost between a violent storm and a calm sea. Keeping up with her brilliant, tough sisters forced her to become a person she wasn't happy to be. The lure to slowly wander peoples' minds gave her an escape of sorts. She could not hear them or even read them, but they provided a space, quiet and intricate; each one a unique experience that she could interact with and influence. She did not fit in and this made her a target. She was a good fighter, but focused on defence and attacked with her unique skills. She could take every bully out while they slept, if she was so inclined, but it just wasn't her way. She was glad the fire ninja survived the fall; he really was an incredible being. Sure she had seen all the Ninja Force on TV before and jeered along with the other shadows, but up close she had lost herself in the fire ninja's eyes and the rawness of his power... Hitch drifted off thinking about how he tried to comfort her when they fell, just to be snapped out of her daydream by her sister's voice.

'You know you can't keep him?'

'...I know' Hitch whispered back.

'I thought you were bringing him back for the House Master to grill?' Nat could see the bashful grimace on her sisters face and while Hitch's mind was the only one she could not hear, she could see in her look the real reason 'Oh no... really? You 'like' him?' Hitch screwed up her face in embarrassment as Nat shook her head at her younger sister 'Lucky for you I haven't told Gene. We may be family but she would go straight to the House Master'

'I know' Hitch said again.

'You know so much, how come you never do the right thing, huh?

Hitch nodded, downcast 'I know...' and caught a scowl from Nat 'sorry' she quickly apologised '... can I just have a couple of days? It's just nice to have someone new to talk to; and he's still pretty unwell'

Nat sighed 'Ok. Let him regain his strength and build some kind of fight for the House Master to break'

'...I thought I could just let him go...' Hitch said hopefully.

'He's not a fish!' Nat shot back exasperated 'he is most definitely the enemy! We hand him over to the House Master in two days' Nat turned away and walked briskly into the bunkhouse, her final decision ending the conversation.

'Crap...' Hitch muttered and jogged after her sister. Entering the bunkhouse, she scanned the room for Gene, who was nowhere to be seen. She came back to Nat who settled, cross legged on her bunk to retreat into herself. Gene's absence was telling, because she had not arrived to help her and had not told them of any mission. The Grand Master must have her on his special mission and perhaps tonight was the night. Gene had dragged hitch into that project; conditioning guards to become pliant and stupid. She didn't know much, but it definitely involved Harumi because why else would the Grand Master send Gene to the Jail. But she had heard nothing from Gene since returning from her own mission with Nat and it worried her. Gene was chosen as one of the most skilled, so it meant she was in danger more often than most, but she had no powers. Anything could be happening to Gene and Hitch could only worry.