Relax, I'm A Ninja (10 page)

“Sure!” Eddie beamed. “Won’t even have to pretend.”

“Cool, I guess I’ll see you guys then.” She smiled at me. “See you at practice, Tosh.”

“Yup.” I hated watching her leave when evil ninja was out there, but I couldn’t walk her home with the guys there. She could definitely handle herself. She knew to come straight back here if she ran into any trouble she couldn’t manage.

The guys didn’t seem interested in leaving. I needed time to myself, especially after Eddie cut me out of the game. I was starting to resent his stupid crush on Amy. She didn’t like him, at least not like that. My loyalty to him was the only thing keeping me from her, and as much as I didn’t want to admit it, even that was wearing thin.

I hated feeling this way about Eddie. We’d been friends since kindergarten—ever since he sat next to me with his Yoda backpack and told me he was a Jedi in training. Stu and Todd came later. We met them in a junior high Anime club. I couldn’t hurt Eddie, but I didn’t want to ignore Amy either. It was too complicated.

“Tosh?” Eddie said. It was only then that I realized my friends were staring at me, and not in a good way.

“Yeah?”

My best friend took a deep breath. “What’s with you lately?”

“Huh?” My stomach twisted up when I realized they were about to go intervention on me. Was this about Amy or something else?

“You’re at practice with Amy all the time.” Eddie leaned forward, not taking his eyes off me. “We barely see you online anymore. You’re like a totally different person. I didn’t realize you were that into karate.”

I forced myself not to gulp. Was this about my cover? With The Ninja roaming around, they could have realized ninjas weren’t some joke or legend. Maybe they even thought I knew something. I’d been saying Dad made me practice late for a competition so I could hang out with Amy. “Look, it’s not what you think, I swear.”

“So, you don’t like Amy?”

“No!” It came out before I could think. I didn’t expect him to ask that flat out. Now I’d really messed things up. That was my one chance to come clean. I couldn’t take it back—it would only unravel my cover more. “We…we really do have a competition on New Year’s Eve.”

Eddie let out a long breath. “Good. I was gonna ask her to the Winter Ball.”

“Oh? Cool.” I could barely choke it out. Now that I
knew
he was going to, I couldn’t even think about it. Asking her first would be the lowest possible thing I could do.

“Stu wanted to ask Maddie, so I thought you and Todd could find dates and we could do a group thing,” he continued.

“Eva’s been kinda flirting with me in debate. Maybe I’ll ask her.” Todd smiled, and I was jealous he could think of someone. I didn’t want anyone but Amy.

“You should ask her.” Stu laughed nervously. “She’s good friends with Amy and Maddie, but I guess that doesn’t matter if Maddie doesn’t want to go with me.”

“Don’t talk like that. She’ll say yes,” I said. Stu was seriously afraid of girls. That he’d gotten up the guts to
think
about asking her…wow.

“What about you, Tosh?” Eddie asked.

My stomach dropped. What was I supposed to say?
Yeah, I just lied to you and I’m freaking crazy about Amy. I want to steal her away because she doesn’t even like you.
“I don’t know. Dating…that’s a lot of pressure, you know? Maybe I won’t go.”

“Oh, c’mon! You have to go!” Todd said. “Wouldn’t be right without you!”

I sighed. “I’ll think about it, okay? I don’t know who to ask.”

They seemed satisfied with that, but I felt sick. I’d accepted a long time ago that they’d never know about my real life, but I didn’t expect to be lying to them like this. I had to protect my cover. I had to protect Eddie. Why did doing the “right thing” feel so wrong?

13

“Anything I should know about this competition?” Amy asked as we took our seats on the bus going downtown. She sat close to me, her arm touching mine.

“We’ll spar to make it look like an actual karate tournament,” Marty told her. The bus lurched forward, groaning like it might break any second. “Sensei has all the mats set up, so if anyone happens to walk in, it looks like normal.”

“Cool.” Amy adjusted her coat, taking a deep, shaky breath.

“The other members are really nice. They’ll be excited to meet you.” I nudged her and she smiled.

“Are they old?”

“Rob’s in his thirties, but he’s the oldest,” Marty said. It was nice that I didn’t have to pretend around him. I’d taken to telling him all the things I couldn’t tell my friends about Amy. He said I should go for it; people would get over themselves eventually. He almost had me convinced.

“We can talk more about it when we get there,” I said.

She nodded.

I had reserved a small conference room at the Palace Hotel for our Clan meeting. As we headed downtown it was as if we fast-forwarded through time. The delicate Victorian houses of Pacific Heights gave way to steel and glass monoliths. A few remnants of the past remained, like monuments to history. Bald trees still sprang from the sidewalk, but not as often.

“Tosh told me your birthday is soon. The big sixteen, huh?” Marty said.

“Yup, on the fourth. I’d invite you to my party, but, you know, you’re too cool for me.”

“I’ll still get you a present. What do you want?” Marty glanced at me. Perfect timing. I’d asked him to help me figure out what she wanted.

Amy groaned. “As long as it’s not pink, prissy, or pragmatic, I’ll take it.”

Marty raised an eyebrow. “Whoa, I sense bitterness.”

“You’re psychic!” She laughed. Not many people knew who Amy truly was. Maybe that was why it was easy for her to adjust to the ninja thing. “No one gets me anything good. Just smelly lotion or spa visits or some crap like that.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll get you a cool present for sure.” Marty punched her shoulder. “Too cool for a nerd like you.”

“Sweet. This will be the best birthday ever.”

No pressure there.
I ran through a list of possible gifts, but I didn’t come up with much by the time we got to our destination.

The Palace Hotel always took my breath away. The century-old building glittered with crystal and Gilded Age detail. It was like standing in one of those fancy birdcages, except we were dingy sparrows.

Most of the Clan had already arrived when we got to the elegant conference room. They were grouped more or less by age, since everyone had trained under my dad at different times. When I entered they all came to say hi. The older ones told me how tall I’d gotten since the last time while the younger ones made sure to point out that I used to be a lot scrawnier. I was packing on more muscle lately, and my stomach constantly grumbled for food.

I introduced Amy, and everyone took turns shaking her hand. They all liked her, of course; she was so easy to like. We chatted as my dad wrote names in brackets on a big whiteboard. Sparring was the fun part.

“Looks like I get you first, Tosh!” Danielle said with a little clap. She was the youngest besides us, just graduated last summer. Now she played a yoga instructor by day.

I smiled. “I’m sorry. Sucks to be out in the first round.”

“Ha ha. You’ll eat those words someday, mister.” She shook her finger like she was still the pimple-faced girl she used to be.

“You’ve been saying that since I was…what, seven?” I said. Danielle shook her head and walked away. “We better loosen up,” I said to Amy, who had this confused expression on her face. “What?”

“You can beat all these people?”

“Yeah. I’ve trained with almost all of them. I know how they work.” We found an open spot on the mats and I pulled my arm to stretch my triceps.

“Do I have any chance?”

I looked at the board to see who she was paired with. “Let’s see, you have Jason first, that beefy guy over there. He’s a ‘personal trainer.’ I bet you could surprise him. You’re really talented for having so little training—great instincts.”

“Thanks.” She beamed as she shifted into a split, but then she turned serious. “Be honest. You think I’ll ever beat you?”

“Hmm.” If anyone could beat me, it would be Amy. It was scary how quickly she learned. Her strength seemed to sprout over night, and I’d never seen anyone clear the Transamerica Pyramid ducts so fast their first time (forty-eight floors in fifteen minutes). “Maybe someday.”

“Amy, Amy,” Marty piped up. “You’ve already got him whipped.” My face went hot. Amy bit her lip. She did that a lot.

My dad stood on the small stage behind a wooden podium. Everyone fell silent and lined up in front of the mats. “Welcome. First competition round will commence immediately. The win will be awarded on a ten-second pin, tap out, or killing blow.
Honor system for judging. You know when you are beaten.”

“Yes, Sensei!” we called in unison. I found Danielle and we stood across from each other, as did all the other pairs.

She’d gotten better since the last time we fought. It took a whole minute to beat her. After Danielle, I took out Marty in about thirty seconds. Amy did really well for our newest recruit. She made it to the third round, but Julie got the best of her. Like usual, I made it to the last fight. I hadn’t lost since I was ten. It was barely a challenge to get Emilio by the throat.

Winning the competition might have felt good if it didn’t mean I had to fight my dad next. No one had ever beaten him—not even close. There were times I’d fought him and couldn’t figure out for days how I ended up on the ground.

I stood across from him on the center mat. His stance said nothing of what he might be planning. His face was expressionless. His breathing stayed perfectly normal.

I was cowering though I tried to hide it.

Honestly, I was afraid of my own father. Not exactly in a life-and-death sense, but there was something about him that had always been mysterious and forbidden. His black eyes held secrets I didn’t dare ask about. His strength came from a place I couldn’t understand. He wasn’t a ninja—he was the embodiment of ninjutsu.

A split second before he was in my face, I realized he’d attacked. I barely blocked. And I barely blocked again. I didn’t have time to process what was happening.

He seemed to have ten arms and twenty legs. Everything blurred around me until all I saw were my father’s dark and determined eyes. He never held back. Strong fighters weren’t made on mercy. I could hardly defend, let alone think about attacking. I should have already lost, but somehow I was still standing.

I had to be doing better, because the fog cleared and I could see how he worked. There was his arm. I grabbed it, but he easily twisted free. He’d always been ridiculously strong, though you’d never guess by looking at him.  

His style became increasingly clear the longer I managed to survive. It wasn’t unfamiliar; it was perfection. Every kick, punch, dodge, and jump was the purest in form—form I could only dream of achieving. His precision was what gave him the speed and strength. I was physically incapable of beating him at my level, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t try.

My gut told me I had to mimic him. If I could move like that, then maybe I stood a chance. I tried to absorb his style, and it seemed to help.

And then I kicked him in the stomach. The whole room froze, and every Clan member gasped. I stared at my father, who’d stumbled back a few feet. His expression changed, but it wasn’t the shocked pride I’d hoped for. It was rage—more than I’d ever seen on his usually calm face.  

He pounced, and any skill I thought I’d gained was suddenly worthless. He locked me down the moment my head hit the floor. I was too shocked to fight back. I’d known all along I wouldn’t win anyway. Part of me was proud I’d lasted that long. I couldn’t have asked for more.

But my pride washed away when I caught the look in my father’s eyes. It was…dark, so unlike him. His nostrils flared, almost like he was sniffing me.

“Dad? You okay?” My heart beat at my ears. I realized I was trembling.

“Fine, Toshiro,” he said through his teeth. He shook his head and jumped away.

He didn’t look at me as he made his way back to the podium. I stayed on the floor, trying to forget his expression. It had to be fighting instinct, right? He would never hurt me. Maybe he was mad I’d actually hit him. Or maybe he’d noticed I wasn’t exactly listening to him about Amy, and that was his way of telling me to back off. Honestly, I had no idea. He didn’t seem like my dad anymore, and I was too afraid to ask why.

Amy sat next to me and handed over her water bottle. I took a long drink, noticing from the corner of my eye that she watched the whole time. I handed her the bottle. “You did really good.”

“Maybe, but you’re incredible, Tosh. Like,
incredible.
” She stared at me like I’d suddenly sprouted wings. Then I noticed everyone else was doing the same. They knew the fight was unprecedented.

My father stood in front of us again, and everyone went quiet. He glanced at me, a slight snarl on his lips. I wondered if he thought I was undermining his authority. I bowed my head to let him know I didn’t intend that.

He cleared his throat. “You are aware of the recent string of murders in San Francisco. After seeing one of the wounded victims myself, I am obligated to inform my Clan that this is no normal serial killer. This is a person trained in ninjutsu, and is likely part of a Clan that sanctions these acts.

“I can confirm that Dragon’s Bile is being used. The identity of this ninja—or any additional accomplices—is unknown, but I sense they are extremely powerful. I am not sure, but the Clan may even be employing dark arts. I ask that you do not engage this person until we have gathered more information.”

My eyes widened. I didn’t think the mystery ninja and his Clan were
that
evil. I remembered Dad telling me there was evil in the ninja world I should never touch. He made me promise I wouldn’t, though I had no idea what he was talking about.

Amy raised an eyebrow. “Dark arts? Don’t we all do that?”

I shook my head. “He means forbidden tactics—evil, twisted things.” She searched my eyes, and somehow I knew she didn’t quite get it. “We might not be good guys, but there are some things even we don’t do. Not all ninjas have the same code, though, and some are crueler than others.”