Nah not really, in and out the same day, just need to heal an open wound which requires me to be off for a few weeks, Thanks dude, I appreciate the thoughts :)
Yeah, he could of used her to get out unscathed, but then we wouldn't have a multi-chapter battle to enjoy! :P (Don't know about you, but I love and hate writing battle scenes, but I think this one turned out okay, we'll see)
And I totally agree, I hate the hot headed and/or clueless protagonist that so many shonen stories have, I prefer the Lelouch Lamprouge kind of style, Cool, calm and collected. Of course, Shio is not a dark character like Lelouch, he's very much a good guy.
Yeah, the reason I chose to visit his village was to give a bit more depth and understanding to Kai's character and why his relationship with Shio is how it is. Kai has come off a bit of a jackass so far, so we need to understand why to sympathize with him I think. Oh and the Village Head, holds Agent's in contempt and would refuse to hire them, due to Kai being one of them.
Shio has a psychological flaw, due to past events that causes him to obsess over the protection of others, particularly girls. It could almost be described as a mental defect, as it would override rational thinking. He is also a firm believer of what Academy stands for, which is the protection of other's. He's bought into their philosophy shall we say :P