Thanks for the one review. Carol flute something. haha thank you. please keep reading.

Chon and Roy settled back in. Riding horses, catching robbers, it was back to normal. Roy continued to be cold to Charlie, so the teen found himself content to hang around Chon instead, who taught him how to ride a horse, and a couple of kung-fu tricks. Charlie was pretty bad, but Chon gave him some credit. He didn't give up.

Then one day, Chon got the letter. He picked it up from the mail carrier, and gasped.

Roy, who was twirling a gun around, trying to impress Lin, turned. "What is it John old buddy?"

"I got a letter from the emperor," Chon said.

"Aww man," Roy complained. "We just got settled too. Now we're going to go off on some crazy mission again."

"Open it," Lin said.

Chon turned it over. He carefully pulled open the envelope and read the letter silently to himself. He gasped, and dropped it to the ground, fleeing.

"What does it say?" Roy demanded.

Lin quietly picked it up. After she read it, she looked up at Roy as her eyes filled with tears.

Roy reached out, kindly. "What did it say Lin?"

She sobbed, unable to get anything out. Roy pulled her in and hugged her. "It's ok."

Finally she stopped sobbing. "My mother, my aunt, my cousin. They were all killed by the Japanese."

"I'm so sorry," Roy said, his voice sincere. "I'm sorry Lin. I wish there was something I could do."

"There is nothing you can do," she snapped. "Nothing. The Golden Buddha Pendant has been stolen too."

"What?" Roy asked, confused.

"You will never understand Roy," she said. "You are different."

She turned and left Roy bewildered, still trying to figure out what he did wrong.

Charlie walked in just as Lin stalked out furiously.

"What did you do to her gent?" he asked Roy.

To his surprise, Roy turned around on him, fuming. He took out his anger on the unsuspecting teen. "Just leave! You'll never understand anything. You're just a no-good orphan! That's what happens when you don't have any parents! I don't know why anyone would care about you."

The words hit Charlie hard. To Roy's surprise, he turned and fled, rubbing his eyes in his hands.

"Idiot," Roy muttered. "He'll be back soon enough."

haha. Review. please? i'll update soon. you'll find out why charlie's so hurt. haha i love charlie.

FiNnGrl