Vol. 2 - Chapter 2: Secret Identities

May 1st, Four Years Ago; Jungle of Jalisco

Located in the middle of the Jungle of Jalisco,when it's summer, the heat and humidity make it impossible to live there, however this place is rich in mana and it makes it a perfect place for training... 

"Here catch, muchacho," Juan tells Uriel (age 12) as he throws a ring to him. The ring is silver with a red jewel in the middle. Uriel sees the ring with a suspicious face and says: 

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

"What else? Put it on…I can't believe you gained intelligence through studies… but you're still so naive"

A man sitting in a tree laughs pointing at Uriel. Uriel exclaims with embarrassment:

"Well I only ask you because you are weird, Viejo"

Juan de la Trinidad is a tall man with brown skin and black hair, he has a mustache and wears a suit…

"Just put it on Uriel, it's been 1 year since I gave you my powers, and they have been increasing and dispersing throughout your body and around the area."

  Juan points at the air and grabs a red and purple aura; "You see…this is your mana…"

Uriel closes his eyes and rubs them. He opens them again and sees the huge crimson of purple colored aura surrounding the area.

Uriel looks surprised and asks: "Is this my power?"

"It sure is, however, it's attracting too much attention. Haven't you noticed the nuns who have been acting strange towards you?" 

Juan asks Uriel while rubbing his head. Uriel tries to think back about all the time that he passed next to the nuns, they would avoid him. Uriel crosses his arms:

"Well that explains many things"

  Uriel puts the ring on his right index finger. -BBAADDUUMMPP- The surrounding mana gets absorbed by the ring.; "Wow…my mana…I can feel it inside the ring…"

"You see muchacho, that ring helps you concentrate your power inside your body alone. The ring is called "Anillo del Jinete" (Ring of the Horseman), this is a ring that has belonged to El Charro Negro since two generations ago…my predecessor had it…and pass it on to me…My friend " Isabella" took the liberty of creating one for you by extracting a piece of mine. When the time comes, the two rings will become one once again."

Uriel looks at it with surprise, he looks at the ring thinking; "So the two will become one, huh?"

  "Now I will show you how to release that power and assume your "Charro" form, ready?" Juan finishes explaining and begins to step back:

"Hey muchacho do you remember watching a T.V. program of some colored "Super Rangers" doing some weird poses to transform?"

  Juan asks Uriel who has a clueless face and replies; "Yes I remember but what does it have to do with our training?"

"Well you see, those poses were actually copied from me. In order to transform you must copy my poses, got it?"

  Juan explains to Uriel. Uriel looks at him surprised; "READY?"

"Here goes be prepared" Juan says to Uriel as stands up straight.

"YO SOY EL JINETE! HAAAA" ( I am the Horseman) Juan extends his arms with his index fingers pointing to the left and lifting his right knee.

"YO SOY EL INCIO, YO SOY EL FINAL!HAAA" (I am beginning, I am the end) Juan changes the arm positions to the right and the left knee.

"YO SOY EL CHARRO NEGRO!HAAAAAA" (I am "El Charro Negro")

"ACTIVATE: SUPER CHARRO RANGER! HAAA" Juan makes a couple of spins and finishes with his legs spread and his arm opens looking in the sky. Juan's ring begins to shine and flames begin to cover his body. Juan's changes into a black colored Mariachi suit.

Uriel looks at him with disgust thinking; "Am I really going to do that?"

Juan looks at Uriel, points at him: "Now it's your turn, muchacho. You need to copy all my movements and words in order to work."

Uriel's face turns red with embarrassment and replies: "Do I really need to do that?"

Juan nods at him with a smile and his eyes close. Uriel closes his eyes thinking: "I need to do it, here goes nothing"

Uriel copies the movements and words from Juan earlier interpretation:

"YO SOY EL JINETE! HAAAA" (I am the Horseman) Uriel extends his arms with his index fingers pointing to the left and lifting his right knee.

"YO SOY EL INCIO, YO SOY EL FINAL!HAAA" (I am beginning, I am the end) Uriel changes the arm positions to the right and the left knee.

"YO SOY EL CHARRO NEGRO!HAAAAAA" (I am "El Charro Negro")

"ACTIVATE: SUPER CHARRO RANGER! HAAA" Uriel makes a couple of spins and finishes with his legs spread, and arms open looking in the sky. 

Wind blows around the area and there is silence in the area.

With his face all red and his eyes closed Uriel realizes that nothing happens to him. He lowers his arms and looks at Juan with disappointment.

"HAHAHAHA"

Juan bursts into laughter; "I can't believe you really did it, you are such a naïve person... Did you get it on tape, mi florecita?" (My little flower.)

Juan looks at the top of a tree and sees a girl who is sitting there with her legs crossed. She jumps off the tree and lands in the middle of the guys. The girl stands looks at Uriel with a glare, she is holding a camera and makes a "sinister" laugh:

"Yes, I got it all father"

"What are you doing here Alexa?" Uriel points at Alexa embarrassed. Alexa ignores him and gives the camera to Juan and steps back: 

"This guy is an idiot father, you should have given your powers to me. I can easily be the best "Charro Negro", but you gave it to him."

Juan leans over and grabs her shoulder and whispers: "Calm down mija, I know… but you must be patient. In a couple of years there will be a "Crimson Moon" and then I will decide who's my true successor."

Alexa de la Trinidad (Age 10), is the adopted child of Juan de la Trinidad. She has light brown skin similar to Uriel. She has a slim body and a normal height. She has hazel colored hair with a ponytail in which she holds a red ribbon and short bangs that are on her left side of the face. Juan adopted her one year after the incident in the Borderland. She does not like Uriel and claims that she is the "True" Successor. 

Uriel hears their conversation and thinks to himself; "I need this power to kill that man." 

Uriel uses the opportunity that Alexa and Juan are distracted to concentrate. He closes his eyes and imagines a flame shining in the darkness that gets bigger every second:

"I got it…"

  He begins to chant in a low tone:

  "Yo soy el Jinete, Yo soy el inicio, Yo soy el final, Yo soy El Charro Negro."

Flames of crimson and purple color begin to come out of his ring engulfing Uriel creating a strong wind current. 

"Alexa, step away…" Juan and Alexa get away from Uriel.

  The flames turn into a giant pillar. Wind blows harder and the pillar of flames turns into a whirlpool darkening the sky.

Everyone from the city of Tapatio notices the pillar from a distance. After a few seconds, the pillar vanishes leaving only smoke and dust.

"Wow that kid is crazy, are you alright?" Juan asks Alexa as they are behind a tree. Alexa with her eyes wide open is speechless to see the great power of Uriel. The smoke clears revealing Uriel in his "Charro" form. 

Uriel is wearing a special charro suit, which consists of long, tight black colored pants covered with decoration on the sides. He has a long bolero coat with golden buttons and white gloves. A special pitea belt made of silk was also part of the suit with a white button shirt and a black vest. It also has a silk tie and a large round sombrero which is hanging from his neck.

Juan begins to walk towards Uriel and applauds:

"That was excellent muchacho, You should practice transforming to make it less flashy next time. Now it's time for the sword muchacho."

Uriel glares at him; "Shut up, Viejo." 

"Oh…so you already know huh…cocky bastard…" Juan smiles at Uriel. -TCH- "How dare you…you should respect my father…" Alexa takes a step forward but Juan stops her; "Calm down hija…:

Juan looks at Uriel; "Now then…show me your talent…"

Uriel lifts his arm and imagines a sword; "Now then…concentrate…"

  Flames begin to come out of his hand forming a sword covered by a black scabbard. The flames disappeared but the sword stayed in his hand:

"I did it…"

Juan smiles and makes his own sword appear; "Good, now let's begin"

******************************************************************************

February 2nd, Present day,Mission of San Juan

(Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep)

Uriel slowly opens his eyes, and extends his hand looking at his ring; "That Viejo, he sure made me suffer…"

"Aww man what a dream I had." Alejandro stands up from his bed and sees the clock that said: 7 AM. Alejandro frowns and says; "Who put the alarm at this hour?"

Alejandro and Uriel share a room at the back of the mission, they have separate beds located on each side of the room.

Uriel stands up and stretches; "We need to clean up and help with the chores. This is a way to pay the Mission for letting us stay here…"

Alejandro yawns and whines:

"But it's a Saturday."

On Saturday morning, Uriel and Alejandro help out the sisters in their daily chores. Uriel cleans the windows. Mariana sweeps the rooms, Abril and Fabiola sweeps the yard and Alejandro is lifting heavy boxes to bring inside the church.

"Hey A-A-Alejandro, can you help us with this box p-p-please." Fabiola asks Alejandro in a shy tone while she blushes. Alejandro replies with a smile; "Sure thing"

Fabiola smiles as she steps backwards, she takes a deep breath and gathers the courage:

"T-T-Thank you"

"Sure thing, but you know, it's just a box..." Alejandro replies with a smile.

"N-N-Not that, Thank you for saving me from that monster the other night." Fabiola thanks Alejandro as her face turns red. 

Fabiola's attitude changed towards Alejandro after he saved her from the monster. She is not aggressive to Alejandro anymore, she is rather shy and polite. 

Alejandro smiles at her and replies; " Hey don't worry, my dream is to be a hero for someone, and on that night, I hope I came closer to be one…"

"Y-Y-Yes, you did…" Fabiola replies very embarrassed, Alejandro looks at her surprised.

Fabiola turns around and runs embarrassed. Without noticing, Fabiola slips through the wet floor and slides down the hallway.

"FABIOLA, ARE YOU OKAY?" Alejandro runs to help her, suddenly, his face turns red as he notices that Fabiola is revealing her panties once again to him. He suddenly turns around of embarrassment:

  "S-S-SORRY" 

Fabiola stands up with a teary eye and says: 

"You Pervert." She throws a bucket to him and hits him in the face, Alejandro escapes as he has a perverted face; "Seeing girls panties is just the best...specially if she likes bunnies…"

"COME BACK HERE YOU PERVERT!"

Meanwhile... 

Walking towards the Mission…Kasumi along with 5 other people head towards the Mission…

"Aww man…why do we have to come here?" Carlos whines as he walks next to Chelsea. Chelsea chuckles; "Calm down…it's fun to do this right?"

"I will get to see Alejandro…I'm so excited…" Rosa chuckles, Jairo looks at the sky; "It's so cold…we should've driven here Kasumi dear…"

"It wasn't possible…right now, I have a barrier that's covering our presence…" Shion responds as she continues to walk. Kasumi looks at the Mission; "It appears…someone strong is at the door…"

At the entrance, Sister Carolina cleans peacefully in the front door; "Today sure is cold…" She looks at the cloudy sky:

"That rosary…it looked like Roberto's…maybe I should call Maria and tell her about this…"

(BBBAADDUUUMMPPP)

Suddenly, Sister Carolina feels a presence; "This mana…someone strong is approaching…and that person has company of more people who are strong…it's gotta be the guests…"

Sister Carolina looks in front of her, a beautiful woman with orange hair walks straight at her:

  "Excuse me, is this where Uriel Di Fiore and Alejandro Sanchez live?"

"I'm afraid I can't answer that...." Sister Carolina replies with a fake smile when she sees that there are five more people behind the beautiful woman; "I must take precaution…"

Sister Carolina grabs the broom tightly. The woman notices her movement; "I see…so she has her guard up…that's good…she must be a strong person…"

Kasumi also makes a fake smile; "We were invited by Uriel to come today…can you call him?"

"I'm afraid I need to ask the priest first…" Sister Carolina gets serious and stops moving the broom.

"My name is Kasumi Miyazono…please tell Father Clemente to come out…"

Sister Carolina opens her eyes wider; "I see…are you an enemy…if that's the case…"

(BBBOOOMMM)

Sister Carolina increases her mana, the ones behind Kasumi step back. Kasumi chuckles; "Please I don't want to fight…but if I must…"

Kasumi also increases her mana as well. Jairo chuckles; "Fufufu…Kasumi dear is getting serious…"

"Excellent…we will see Senpai in action…" Carlos looks with excitement.

Tension grows between both of them.

"HEY WAIT!" Suddenly they see Alejandro being chased by Fabiola with a broom. They run in circles in front of the yard while the sister only looks at them:

"COME BACK YOU PERVERT!"

"It's Alejandro…" Kasumi stops releasing mana and screams:

"ALEJANDRO!"

"This girl is crazy…" Alejandro shouts as he continues to run. At that moment, Alejandro sees Kasumi in the front door waving: 

"Ms Miyazono, is that you?"

(PPPPUUUMMM) 

Alejandro gets distracted and trips with a box. Alejandro tries to get up, Fabiola uses the opportunity and hits him in the head with the broom:

  "Take that you pervert!" 

Sister Carolina sighs with disappointment; "Those two…"

Kasumi and the others chuckle as Sister Carolina apologizes:

"Sorry about that?" 

"Man, he is such a loser," Carlos laughs along with Chelsea.

"I guess that boy doesn't change at all…" Mr. Jairo says as he puts his hand on his cheek.

"My boy is safe, it's good to see him again…" Rosa expresses joy with tears in her eyes.

"Welcome, I took the liberty of getting rid of this bat that was following you…" Uriel appears behind them holding a bat, the bat slowly turns into mana.

"I didn't notice that thing was following us, how did you know?" Shion asks Uriel, Uriel walks forward and stands in front of Kasumi.

"I take it you brought all of them right?"

Kasumi blushes and looks away replying:

"Well, almost one is undercover…but this is my team…"

"Good, now come on in... we will talk inside…"

"WELCOME…I AM THE PRIEST IN CHARGE OF THIS MISSION…I AM CLEMENTE ROSSI…"Father Clemente walks towards them.

"Here catch…" Uriel throws an unconscious Alejandro to Jairo, the muscular man who is behind him.

"WWWAAIIITTT, SORRY I'M LATE…" Tiwa says as she runs to the mission. 

Tiwa is wearing a long blue dress with colorful circular patterns in the bottom. She has two feathers on her hair, and has short boots.

"Hello Tiwa, now everyone is here...come to the dining room because there is a lot to discuss…"

"Right…" Tiwa smiles as she walks next to Uriel.

******************************************************************************

In the Dining hall, the group has a discussion… Among them are Uriel, Kasumi, Carlos, Jairo, Chelsea, Shion, Father Clemente, Sister Carolina and Tiwa.

"Uriel, Sister Carolina and Father Clemente, allow me to present my team."

Kasumi stands up and bows her head; "My name is Kasumi Miyazono, I am a teacher at Sun City International High School. Here on my right is Mr. Jairo, he is the owner of a coffee shop."

Jairo smiles and with a masculine voice presents himself; "Nice to meet you."

"Next to him is Shion Saito (Age 19), she is the secretary of the principal of my school."

Shion bows her head; "It's a pleasure"

"Next to her is Chelsea Lockhart (Age 17), she is a Senior or Last year student in the same High school."

Chelsea lifts her hand; "Hello"

"To my left, Rosa Gutierrez, she works with Mr. Jairo."

Rosa smiles and waves; "Good evening to all"

"Next to her is Carlos Valverde (Age 17), also a Senior student at my highschool"

Carlos acts as if he doesn't care; "Hey"

"We have another member but this agent is currently in another mission"

Father Clemente stands up; "It's a pleasure, welcome to the Mission of San Juan, I am the priest in charge of the Mission Father Clemente Rossi"

Sister Carolina stands up; "I am his assistant, Sister Carolina"

Uriel looks at them; "My name is Uriel Di Fiore, I come from Tapatio, Jalisco...and that's all I am going to say..."

Everyone looks at him with suspicion, Uriel acts as if nothing happened.

They look at Tiwa, she stands up and introduces herself:

"I am Tiwa de Ysleta, the last descendant of the Ysleta tribe, guardians of the region…"

"Moving on, why did you come here?" Uriel interrupts her. Tiwa feels as if a rock saying "Ignored" fell on her head.

"DAMN YOU. URIEL" She thinks to herself as she glares at Uriel who thinks:

"This is going to be a bother."

After Alejandro came back to his senses, he decided to go to the Dining hall. The three sisters were following them until Sister Carolina stopped them because they still needed to complete their chores.

Uriel prepares tea in the kitchen and Kasumi and the others sit at one of the tables nervously. 

"Hey Uriel, you won't believe me, I saw the teach…" Alejandro enters the dining hall his eyes open wider with surprise:

"WAIT, WHY ARE YOU HERE, MR. JAIRO AND MS. GUTIERREZ"

Mr Jairo is a 30 year old man, he is a tall and muscular man with a black mustache.Rosa Gutierrez is a 40 year old widow. She has a robust body and a chubby face. She has white skin and red hair.

Rosa stands up and hugs Alejandro crying; "Mi niño (my boy), I was so worried about you, why didn't you call me…"

"I'm sorry, things happened and I can't breathe…"

Alejandro looks at Shion, the secretary of the principal, Carlos and Chelsea, who are students from the same school and Tiwa.

Shion has blonde hair and yellow eyes. Carlos has black hair and blue eyes. Chelsea has light blue hair and pinkish eyes.

Uriel serves everyone some tea. Alejandro looks at them with suspicion. He takes a zip of his cup with his eyes closed thinking of a way to ask her something:

"Why have you been avoiding me all this week?"

"W-W-Well I haven't noticed that, we just happen to not cross paths during the week." Kasumi avoids the question.

"Rrrriigghhttt" Alejandro knows that they crossed paths every day but she avoids him pretending to read a book.

Uriel looks at Kasumi:

"Well in any case, Thank you for helping us save Fabiola the other night. Without you she would have died."

Kasumi's face turns red as she replies; "N-N-No problem."

Kasumi drinks her tea and sighs thinking; "Come on, you can do it"

Alejandro stands up and demands an answer;"Tell me the truth, Ms. Miyazono"

Kasumi sighs, she looks at Alejandro and begins to speak:

"I guess there is no point of hiding it…" Kasumi looks at Alejandro in the eyes:

"The truth is that we belong to a secret organization in charge of protecting the people from evil identities such as the "Kage" and other evil beings."

"The kage?"

"She means the Sombras, that's how they are named in Japanese moron…"Carlos replies, annoying Alejandro.

Kasumi continues to speak; "Indeed we belong to the group known as Yggdrasil…"

"You mean the Word Tree?" Tiwa asks Kasumi.

"Indeed, but why are you here again?"

Kasumi responds to Tiwa, Tiwa feels as if a rock with the word "Uninvited" falls on her head.

"Tiwa is a member of the Ysleta tribe, her tribe has protected the Borderland for centuries, she has the right to know what's going on…" Uriel replies as he stands behind Tiwa.

Tiwa changes her expression to a confident one; "That's right, I, Tiwa de Ysleta must know what's going on in this region for the sake of my tribe."

"As you are aware…Father Clemente is a member of the Order of the Holy Cross and Sister Carolina is a member of the Order of the Holy Maiden. They protect Rio Grande City…" 

Kasumi zips from her tea and continues to explain:

"So, as I was saying, we belong to Yggdrasil, an organization that hunts down kages. Me and my group were assigned to investigate the Sun City as it has presented an increase of kage in the area.We have been in this operation for 2 years now."

Uriel chuckles; "I see…Now tell us your real motives or I tell him myself..."

Kasumi looks at Alejandro and continues to speak:

"There was another reason to be here in this region and the reason was to investigate Alejandro Sanchez as the prime suspect of the increase of the Kage here…"

(BBBAADDDUUMMPPP)

Alejandro looks at them surprised; "But why me?"

"5 years ago, you found a Golden key, right?"

"How did you know?" Alejandro looks in shock as he didn't tell anyone about it.

"The truth is...Yggdrasil has been spying on you ever since your grandparents died 4 years ago…" Ms. Gutierrez comments with a somber tone. 

(PPPUUMMM)

Alejandro slams the table. Alejandro who feels betrayed:

"So, all those times I felt down and that you helped me get back up were all a lie?"

"No, I assure you that I…"

"That's a lie… did my grandparents know when they died that you were an agent?"

"...." Rosa doesn't respond. 

-TCH- "I knew it…" Alejandro stands up.

"Where are you going?" Uriel asks Alejandro.

"I need some air…" Alejandro leaves the room.

"I'll go talk to him.." Sister Carolina stands up and goes with Alejandro.

Rosa looks depressed, Mr. Jairo also looks down. 

"This is getting complicated…"Kasumi sighs, Tiwa looks at Uriel; "What now?"

Uriel looks at Kasumi:

"He'll be alright, don't worry about it...let's continue with our discussion…"

"Right…" Kasumi stands up and takes out a black sphere and puts it on the table. 

She presses the button charging it, a red light stands out and illuminates the whole dining room. A hologram of a man appears before them. 

******************************************************************************

With the feeling of rage and the thought of betrayal…Alejandro decided to go outside…

Alejandro stands looking at the sky, thinking:

"Grandfather, who can I trust?"

"Are you okay, Alejandro?" Sister Carolina walks towards Alejandro. Alejandro lowers his head.

"Sister, I grew up thinking that people who surrounded me wanted to be with me. But all I learned is that they only felt sorry or were on a mission."

Alejandro makes a fist and tears come out of his eyes; "Am I just a bother to everyone? What am I supposed to do? Who am I supposed to believe in?"

"Alejandro…please…don't say something that you will regret…" Sister Carolina looks at him worried. 

"But Sister…how can I forgive when everything I've experienced was all a lie…"

(BOING)

  Sister Carolina hugs him, Alejandro blushes as he thinks:

"Whoa, they are big…"

Sister Carolina hugs him tight:

"It's okay to feel that way, you're human. But try to forgive them. You must also remember that even if Ms. Gutierrez was on a mission…I think she isn't a bad person…think back of all the good things she has done to you…do you think she did it for a mission?."

(DRIP DRIP DROP DROP)

Alejandro remembers every time that Rosa helped him or was by his side:

"Alejandro…you can count on me…I will always be there to help you…I promise that I will always be there for you…"

Tears come out as he smiles:

"You're right…I think she was sincere…she has always been there…like the mother I never had…"

Sister Carolina takes a few steps back, Alejandro takes deep breathe, and smiles at Sister Carolina:

"Thank you Sister Carolina…for opening my eyes…"

"No Alejandro…it's thanks to you…compare to the things that you did for us…this is nothing…"

Sister Carolina goes towards the door:

"Now come on, because the meeting isn't over yet." 

Sister Carolina pulls Alejandro from his arm and they head back.

"Remember that God has put you in a place where we are not fake…"

Alejandro smiles and thinks:

"Maybe you're right, and maybe I found my home…"

******************************************************************************

The sphere that Kasumi activated shines down forming the hologram of a man...

The man in the hologram has short blonde hair, blue eyes and white skin. The man walks in front of the table looks at Uriel:

"It's great to finally meet you, Charro Negro"

"Sio…I take it you're the boss ehh…"

The man begins to laugh and introduces himself:

  "My name is Allan Carter, I am the Director of the American continent division of Yggdrasil: The World Tree…so then…Roberto's son…I have to speak to you…"

Uriel stands up agitated; "Wait…that name…how do you know him? My father?"

"Father?" Kasumi opens her eyes wider.

Allan continues his explanation: 

"Roberto was part of this division in fact he was my predecessor 5 years ago and Kasumi's mentor. As for how do we know you, that is a secret"

  (BADUMP)

Suddenly, his head begins to hurt. Father Clemente and Tiwa notice and put on a worried face. Allan says clearing his throat:

"I'm really sorry about your father…I really wished I could've been there…However…that night 5 years ago an "organization" attacked many branches around the region leaving us powerless." 

Uriel looks up to Allan: 

"My father did his best to save us and he did it successfully…however…I don't remember him well…"

"That's interesting, why can't you remember?" Allan asks Uriel. Everyone stares at him waiting for an answer:

"That's something personal that I can't reveal right now…"

  Allan laughs and says to Uriel: "I understand, I won't ask for explanations here…now then, it's an honor to be in your presence…Father Clemente Rossi…The Crimson Exorcists…"

Father Clemente acts flattered; "The honor is mine…I mean you are considered the Judge of Fate Mr. Carter…"

"Hahaha…you're too kind…I know that you and Sister Carolina…member of the Holy Maiden…have kept this city safe for the most part…"

"I'm afraid…I still lack strength…" Father Clemente chuckles, Allan continues to speak;

"Anyway…time to get down to business...I need you to help us with this operation, that is why I asked Kasumi to bring me to talk to you."

Uriel sits down and asks: "What do you need my help for?"

"According to our info, you have been constantly hunting down the Kage, am I right?"

"...." Uriel doesn't respond to Allan he continues to explain:

"So the help we need is for you to hand over Alejandro Sanchez to our care…"

"What?" Uriel gets mad, Allan continues to explain:

"Alejandro Sanchez found a golden key 5 years ago, and two weeks ago, a strange phenomenon happened.."

Alejandro enters the room, Allan points at Alejandro's hand that has a seal and explains:

"Alejandro fused himself with the key, now he is one with it. We of Yggdrasil promise to protect him from now on as his personal bodyguards. What do you say?"

Alejandro is speechless, Uriel looks at Allan:

"Denied…"

"What was that?" Carlos stands up and walks directly to Uriel.

"Look punk, we are not playing around, that idiot over there must come with us, he is a target for the man named "El Muerto", do you understand?"

"El Muerto?"

"That's right, the man with the skeleton mask is the one who controls the Borderland. Alejandro, come with us, you'll be safe." Mr. Jairo says to Alejandro.

"NOW WAIT JUST A SECOND, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TAKE HIM, AS A MEMBER OF YSLETA TRIBE, HE IS MY RESPONSIBILITY…" Tiwa stands next to Alejandro who blushes.

"Look girl, you have no word here, Alejandro will come with us, that's an order…" Carlos replies to Tiwa making Alejandro angry and scream:

"WHY SHOULD I GO WITH YOU, I DON'T TRUST YOU AT ALL!!!!"

Alejandro looks down making a fist:

"Look, I know my hand is dangerous and that I am a target but I can't trust you. I will stay here because this is my new home."

The others stand up, Kasumi looks at Alejandro:

"Alejandro, I'm afraid you have no choice, you will come with us and that's final."

Carlos makes a smirk; "You heard her, you're coming with…"

(BBBAADDUUMMMPPP)

Suddenly,everyone is paralyzed as they feel Sister Carolina's aura increasing.

"That's enough, Alejandro belongs here, you say that he is the target, what I see is that Alejandro is also your target, am I wrong?We from the Mission will protect him…"

-TCH- "That nun is strong…" Carlos takes a step back. Uriel sighs with his eyes closed; "This is a drag…"

Tension grows in the room.

(CLAP CLAP CLAP)

Allan claps; "Okay now, I think things got out of hand here. Carlos, step away from them, and everyone, sit down."

Allan looks at Uriel, Sister Carolina and Father Clemente:

"I have a better idea. Let's form an alliance…."

"WWWHHHAATTTT???" Everyone is surprised. Allan continues to explain:

"Uriel, you and the people behind you are strong…and I know that you want to stop this monster as soon as possible right?" Allan smiles; "Well then…how about we from Yggdrasil help you take care of the man known as "El Muerto" who released the Chupacabras" 

Kasumi stands up:

"W-W-Wait I'm fine doing this by myself." 

Allan begins to laugh at Kasumi: 

"Come on…what's the matter with some teamwork…besides…I know you're happy on the inside…"

Kasumi's face turns red and begins to punch Allan's hologram; "I don't know what you're talking about?"

"Senpai" Shion looks at Kasumi with a worried expression. 

"An Alliance? Father…is it a good idea?" Sister Carolina asks Father Clemente. Father Clemente crosses his arms; "Well…we need allies…and they strong…"

"But will the Bishop agree to this?"

"Just leave him to me…" Father Clemente gives the thumbs up.

"Allan…I understand what your intentions are…but I can't just trust him like that…I need to his abilities…"

Allan asks Kasumi:

"So, this means you want to test his strength?"

"Yes I want to duel him" Kasumi replies with a serious tone, she stands up looking at Uriel:

"Uriel Di Fiore…No, Charro Negro…"

Kasumi removes her glasses; "I challenge you to a duel"

Everyone looks surprised; "WWWWHHHHAAATTTT?"

Uriel chuckles and with a confident expression. He stands up and stands in front of Kasumi:

"Sounds interesting, I am eager to put my abilities to use..."

Allan begins to laugh. Kasumi sees Uriel's serious face as she smiles: 

"Very well let's go to the hills on the back of the Mission outside the city. We will duel there."

Uriel looks at Father Clemente; "Father, do we have your permission"

"Of course, I like seeing the young ones duel…"

Allan extends his arm; "Very well, if Kasumi wins, Alejandro will come with us and Uriel, you will stay away from the Chupacabras as Kasumi said. And if you win, you will have Kasumi as your bride…"

"WHAT THE HELL?" Carlos screams with jealousy.

"B-B-Bride?" Kasumi blushes, everyone is in shock.

Allan makes a smirk; "Just kidding...Uriel, if you win,you can decide what we do plus I will tell you how we know that you are Roberto's son."

Uriel smiles and replies; "It's a deal…"

Allan's hologram disappears. Everyone heads to the door, Uriel opens the door and the three sisters are at the door; "We will come too."

Sister Carolina looks at the three sisters: "You can't, it's too dangerous"

"Let them come with us, this is going to be interesting…" Father Clemente says to Sister Carolina.

"Are you okay?" Tiwa asks Alejandro, Alejandro smiles and replies:

"I am thank you…"

Tiwa blushes and crosses her arms; "It's not as if I was worried or anything…"

Alejandro scratches his head wondering what happened. 

The group heads towards the hills as they prepare for the duel between Uriel and Kasumi…

*****************************************************************************Behind the Mission of San Juan…

On the other side of the hills there is a large flat surface. The surface is surrounded by hills. The three sisters are on top of a hill observing the upcoming duel. 

Kasumi and Uriel are standing a few meters apart. Kasumi takes out a black orb with green light coming out of it. Kasumi throws the orb up:

"Well let's get started."

The orb separates into four pieces of equal proportion. The pieces begin to shoot four beams of light through the different cardinal points. 

Four lights go downward creating a rectangular force field around Uriel and Kasumi. The force field is green and it covers a wide area giving them space to fight without creating a scene.

"Woooow!!!" Mariana and Abril shout with "star-shaped" eyes.

  "Shut up girls, this is serious" Fabiola tries to act calm but she's also excited.

Carlos looks at Alejandro and Tiwa saying:

"Now you will see what our Senpai can do?"

Alejandro gets mad and replies:

"Well, you will see how strong Uriel is…"

"It's been years since I saw a duel, I can't wait…" Father Clemente says with a face full of excitement.

"Father Clemente, please behave yourself…" Sister Carolina shakes her head with embarrassment.

The others stand looking at them with a serious expression. Within the barrier, an hologram of Allan appears in the middle of them: 

"Well these are the rules for the duel. The first is that each of you can use only one weapon that is not a pistol. The second is that a winner is declared when one of you is weaponless. If Kasumi wins she can do it by herself. But if you win, you will decide, do you agree?"

Both Kasumi and Uriel both say at the same time; "I agree"

Uriel then lifts his right arm and begin to chant:

  "Yo soy el Jinete, Yo soy el inicio, Yo soy el final, Yo soy El Charro Negro." 

Flames begin to come out of Uriel's ring involving him around in a smaller dome then before changing him into his "Charro" form.

"WOOOOWWW!!!!!" Mariana and Abril scream of excitement. Fabiola turns around screaming; "Shut up"

Fabiola turns around; "He does look cool"

"GOOO URIEL, SHOW HER WHO'S BOSS!!!" Alejandro and Tiwa cheer on Uriel.

Mr. Jairo looks impressed about Uriel's appearance: 

"Wow, he is El Charro Negro"

"He looks so sexy!" Chelsea chuckles looking at Uriel.

"Mmmphh...he looks lame…" Carlos looks annoyed. Kasumi blushes:

"He looks handsome!" 

She shakes her head; "Concentrate Kasumi." 

Kasumi lifts her right arm to reveal an orange light crest. The crest has a circle in the center of her forearm with two curving lines. The crest begins to shine brighter as Kasumi chants:

"Activate Orenjikji: Complete" (Translates: Orange Pheasant)

Kasumi's crest begins to spread around her body causing her to shine into an orange revealing an esper suit. The suit consists of an orange kimono with black lines around the borders of the kimono. 

The kimono is adjusted into her body with the skirt being short above the knees. She has black stockings that go up to her knees with her border being orange color. She has sandals with orange color strings and a black jacket that she holds with her shoulders. The back of the jacket has an image of a pheasant with orange borders.

"Woow, she looks beautiful!!!" The three girls say it at the same time.

"Now that's an awesome esper suit." Allan shows his thumbs up making her blush.

"Esper Suit?" Uriel asks to Allan, and Allan replies:

  "If you win we'll tell you the details"

Uriel nods in sign of agreement. 

"Wow, that's so cool…" Alejandro says looking at Kasumi, Carlos smiles replying:

"Senpai's esper suit is special because she can modify it on her own free will. Now you will see how strong she is…" 

(BBBAADDUUUMMMPPPP)

"Esper Suit…I know I have heard it before…" Images pass through Uriel's mind as he tries to concentrate. He raises his hand and chants:

  "Come my sword." 

Flames come out of his hand and form a sword inside a scabbard. Uriel draws out the sword and makes the scabbard disappear.

Uriel's sword is a common "knight" double edge sword. The hilt is colored brown and the blade is platinum with the small transparent word of 'Bellum" (Translate: War). 

He holds it with his two hands in a straight up position. He puts one foot in front of the other assuming a battle stanza.

Kasumi makes a katana appear from her waist; she then removes it from the scabbard.

The katana's hilt is orange with black and the blade is silver with its borders glowing orange.

Kasumi closes her eyes and says: 

"Subierukiji" (Soaring Pheasant) 

She extends one leg in front and bends her knees.She raises her blade to the level of her face pointing at Uriel.

Allan smiles and says:

"Ready, begin!"