Hindsight

By: Rhuben

Summary – In hindsight, Colt should have asked more questions. When it's uncovered that Hugo Snyder's connection to the Douglas's past is more extensive than previously thought, everything they thought they knew gets questioned. At a formidable time of their lives, the boys find themselves walking the thin line of acting or staying out of the way when they find that danger is closer to home than ever before. Figuring out girls, and which colleges to apply to should have been the only obstacles in their lives but keeping up with homework, social lives, and responsibilities at home fall by the wayside as worry and tension builds. Snyder has wanted nothing more than to see Sam Douglas go down, and he will do anything to make it happen – they all should have seen it coming. Colt never should have ignored his gut feeling.

Chapter 01

Sparing his retinas from the bright glare of the computer screen in front of him, Samuel "Rocky" Douglas Jr. leaned back in his chair. His taut back muscles loosened as he stretched, eliciting a deep, long sigh from him. He rubbed at his eyes with the heels of his palms.

The high school library had become a sort of sanctuary for him since he had started attending four years ago. If he wasn't slipping in quick study breaks between classes, or joining bigger groups for upcoming exams, he would pop in for a bit of quiet reading and to go over his notes.

On other occasions, such as this, he would be perched in front of this specific computer. Everyone knew that it was his spot. Now in his senior year, he had a certain place he liked to sit. Situated in one of the back alcoves of the library, he could get as much privacy as he wanted, and still see what was going on around him.

In an academic setting, the words "library" and "privacy" didn't exactly fit together. Especially when he could just go home – not like he had much privacy there, either. In the long run, however, it was better to log on to the internet in a public setting and sign on to the guest network instead of logging in under his own name. With what he was using the internet for (it was nothing to blush about), it was something he tried to keep quiet, lest he start a panic. It was better to have everything work in his favor.

"Everything around us can be our friend. Be friendly to your environment." Those were an example of words he lived by, and in this instance, it certainly worked in his favor. He respected those who also chose to work in the quiet area, making sure to clean any trash he accumulated, (which consisted of crumpled up paper balls, food wrappers, and empty portable coffee cups), and in return no one bothered him.

And spotting Emily Sargeant over the top of the computer monitor walking towards him was not the universe working in his favor.

He reacted with a start. Trying to look as nonchalant as possible, he rapid-clicked away all the web browser windows he had open. Eyes shifting back and forth between the computer monitor and his friend, his heart beat quickened. Closer and closer she came. He licked his lips, pressed them together, and curled his twitching fingers into a fist, covering his mouth with the side of it.

"Boo!" Emily smiled as she reached his table. Her lips parted in a wide smile. "I thought I'd find you here."

Letting out a slow, calming breath of air, Rocky settled back in his seat, glancing at the school's website staring back at him. Turning towards his old friend, he put a smile to his face. "What's up?" he asked, trying to remove the tension from his shoulders.

"I didn't see you in the cafeteria, so I came to find you," Emily replied, setting her backpack down onto the table. Grabbing a spare chair, she dragged it across the carpet before sitting down next to him. Leaning forward in her seat, she glanced at the computer screen. "Whatcha doing?"

"Homework, e-mailing teachers," Rocky replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "You didn't have to come all the way over here." Putting a smile on his face, he reached for his abandoned ball cap sliding it over his sandy hair, twisting it around until the brim was at his back. "I was just about to head out to get some food myself."

"Great," Emily chirped, "then we can walk over together."

Rocky's smile froze on his face. He was caught. There was no way he could talk himself out of this. He had already done it a few times and knew she'd catch on eventually. Emily was smart. Smart enough to get into any college or university she wanted, and yet she was still entertaining the idea of attending the same university as him. (He just needed to decide first.) Whether that decision was due to residual feelings she had had for him since childhood, he didn't know, and he wasn't about to insult her by bringing those thoughts to her attention.

After living next door to each other for years, they had been…something. Friends, of course; school mates, naturally; and study buddies, by default. But as they got older, something shifted between them. When and how that shift came about, he couldn't exactly pinpoint it. One day they were friends hanging out in school, going to friend's parties, texting each other all the time, and walking in and out of each other's houses. The next there were the awkward silences.

Silences where they could only shyly smile and do whatever they could to not look each other in the eye as they tried to think of something (anything!) to talk about. Even their tin can telephone conversations would consist of "what time are you going to school?" and "what was our assigned homework, again?", no thanks in part to Rocky's younger brothers who would always make kissing noises and tease him the second Emily's voice came over the wire.

He wouldn't say they dated. Maybe in the Junior High version of the word: which mainly consisted of eating lunch together, sitting next to each other, and texting any chance they got. But nothing official. There was mutual attraction, but neither of them had ever pushed things along further (despite the outside pressures of their peers to do so). Even his mom would give him knowing looks whenever she would be over for dinner or to do homework.

As they got older, they moved in different directions. Things fizzled. Their courses and electives made it so they didn't see each other as much. The Douglas family had even moved twice in the wake of the "shenanigans" – as his father put it – that he and his brothers seemed to get up to every year. As a result, Emily was no longer "the girl next door" (although her blonde hair, which grew to be more of a brown as they got older, and blue eyes, would disagree with him) but a friend he would see passing by in the halls. One to throw a smile at in passing and to quickly chat with to catch up on occasion.

"So!" Emily clapped her hands together as she got to her feet. "You ready for tonight?"

Backpack thrown over his shoulder, Rocky adjusted his hat, giving her a weird look. "What are you talking about?" he asked. Side by side, they made their way out of the library.

"Seriously?" Emily asked, giving him an odd look. "Baseball practice?" Rocky's eyebrows lifted. "Aren't some of you training and practicing in the off-season?" Rocky's eyebrows lifted even further.

Sports had never really been Emily's forte, and he knew she wasn't always excited to sit in the stands and watch him when he and his brothers would play for the Dragons in the summer months. And yet, he would always find her cheering him and his brothers on. He had to give her more credit; she knew and understood more about the sport than he thought. As Rocky got older, he took on the position of not only assistant coach much to his father's pleasure, but the pitching coach to the younger players as well.

"Yeah…" he slowly replied.

"Aren't you practicing pitches? Or something? To start getting in shape when the season starts?" Emily let out a huff of air in frustration at his continued lack of a response. "You said some of your teammates have been setting this up since the beginning of summer."

Rocky instantly stopped walking. How could I have forgotten that? They had been talking about it forever. A couple of his teammates had even stopped by his locker to let him know when they planned on starting things up. The school year had just barely started, but it wasn't too early to prepare for the upcoming season. Without the coaches being allowed to hold official practices during the off-season per division rules, they took matters into their own hands with practices and conditioning sessions made around availability of courses. It goes to show how much slipped his mind around this time of year. Not much floated around in his brain apart from –

"You forgot, didn't you?" Emily asked, breaking Rocky out of his deep thoughts.

"Of course not!" Rocky instantly replied, making a face. He mentally kicked himself. Why was he even lying about it? It wasn't like she was upset about it, or even accusing him of it, either. And it wasn't anything too important – like his upcoming English test he just remembered! Retrieving his phone from his pocket, he opened his calendar app, making a face at the multiple block of events he had for the rest of the week. "I've been looking forward to it. Why would I forget that?"

"You tell me," Emily replied with a shrug. The question hung in the air in between them. He was the first to break their staring contest.

Rocky let out a sigh through his nose. He pocketed his phone and started walking again. "I'm fine, Em," he said, lifting a hand to mess with the tuft of hair poking out of the closure of his hat. She fell into step beside him. Her cheek poked out from her tongue. He knew the action well. She didn't believe him. "Trust me."

A wry smile appeared on her face. "You said the same thing after my bike was stolen," she said.

Rocky chuckled at the memory – though it wasn't funny at the time. It was so long ago. Back when his only problems were dealing with a father who didn't approve of spending his summers with his grandpa studying martial arts and dealing with school bullies. "I kept my promise, didn't I?" he asked. Emily rolled her eyes but nodded. "So, trust me on this."

"It's just that you say that every year around this time," Emily pointed out after a period of silence. Pressing his lips together, Rocky lifted his gaze towards the ceiling. "Something's off with you. I can just tell." His eyes widened in annoyance. Clearly, she wasn't going to drop the conversation. "I care about you, Rocky, that's all. We're friends. When something bothers you, it bothers me, too."

"I appreciate it," Rocky replied. He pushed open the doors of the library. Grabbing the brim of his hat, he turned it around to the front, allowing the bill to block the sunlight from his face. "Seriously." Shoving his hands into his pockets, he took in the view of the high school campus he would soon be leaving behind.

The sports fields sat untouched in the distance, waiting for the after-school crowd, the athletic center situated a short walk away. They passed the square in the center of the school; filled with students taking a break between classes. The high school had a laidback style that complimented the picturesque landscape of the city. The sunsets were something of beauty (ones he had personally witnessed on many occasions) and the weather, even on the gloomiest of days, felt perfect. Built in the base of sloping hills and varying levels of the mountain, you never got the same view of the surrounding area twice. Despite how stretched out the campus may have looked, the school was somewhat small, allowing a close-knit feel.

"So," Rocky said twenty minutes later, around a bite of hamburger, "what are you doing this weekend? Second week of school down, time to celebrate." After waiting towards the back of the line the freshmen had made in their mad dash to get food after their morning classes, the two of them found a place on the lush green grass in the center square. "You still need a ride home?"

"Still need to hear back from my journalism group," Emily replied, carefully balancing a plate of spaghetti on her knees. "It sucks being stuck in a group with freshmen." Her shoulders dropped in a sigh. "Either I'm going to be working over the weekend a lot or staying after during the week a lot. I'll let you know either way as soon as I can."

"I'm not needed until four-ish on Friday, anyway, so just text me," Rocky replied. "But, I feel your pain. Either I'm going to be trying to get peace and quiet here or trying to get peace and quiet around my brothers."

Emily laughed. "Good luck with that," she replied.

"Don't I know it," Rocky muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Come on, Rock, you know they'll miss you when you're gone."

"Not that they'd ever admit it." He'd miss his brothers, too. He planned on visiting a lot, but it was weird to think that soon he'd go from seeing his brothers every single day – and being annoyed by them every single day – to suddenly traveling home to hang out on occasion. At the same time, he and his younger brothers were closer than they had ever been.

They probably enjoyed him being out of their faces as much as he enjoyed them being out of his. Still, something as small as fighting over what to watch on TV, or what pizza toppings to choose from, he found himself increasingly longing for. He would probably even scarf down some anchovies if it meant some time at home.

"Therapy appointment?" Emily asked. Her eyebrows lowered when Rocky made a loud hissing sound, looking around to see if anyone was passing by. "There's nothing wrong with going to therapy," she said patiently as he went back to eating.

Rocky nodded as he chewed, setting down his burger. "I know," he agreed. Holding a hand in front of his mouth, he talked around the food. "And I know I need it. It's just that…" He made a show of swallowing. "People will start asking questions, and then I'll have to explain, and then they'll know."

"Is that really a bad thing?" Emily asked.

"There's a reason I go by 'Samuel' more often, ok?" Rocky explained. Not that it really mattered. It seemed like whenever they were in the news, it was a big thing for a short amount of time, and then it was, thankfully, forgotten. All it took was one Google search, and it'd be brought up all over again. "I mean, except for you." Turning away from her, he watched the branches above him sway with the gentle breeze that suddenly floated by.

The media swarm around his abduction and rescue when he was 13 was sort of cool. Sort of. Everyone wanted to be on TV at one point in their lives. The whole situation allowed himself and his brothers to prove to their dad that martial arts is worth studying. Sure, he could admit that they were reckless in the situation, but they had been trained well. Not just by their grandfather, but by him too; they stayed calm, they worked out a plan, they stuck together, and when the time came they fought back.

At 15, after helping the local Native American community, he was a little embarrassed when they focused on him and his brothers. The whole point was that no one was taking his new friend's culture and way of life seriously. That summer was a great learning opportunity. Not only with opening himself up to new experiences, but in learning to take responsibility for his actions, being a good listener, and to finally stop showing off. Emily sure got a kick out of that when he had told her the whole story.

Then at 16, after successfully thwarting a hostage attempt at the amusement park, he wanted all the cameras and microphones out of his face. Just like all those previous situations, he and his brothers were in the right place at the right time to lend a helping hand. He reacted the best way he knew how. Yes, things got out of control quickly, and he had help with movie magic tricks that sounded like something out of a novel. Unlike what people may have thought, he never went looking for trouble.

And that wasn't even discussing what happened in Japan.

People had to have been tired of seeing his name in the paper. He sure was.

"I hate being known as one of the 'Kidnapped Kids' or whatever it was that people called us," he said after a stretch of silence. "I'm tired of telling the same story over and over. It's not who I am. It's just something that happened to me." He quickly caught himself. "To us."

Emily made a show of eating her spaghetti as silence fell over the two of them.

"You should come over," he said. "Chill. Get a nice home cooked meal from my mom." He chuckled. "Make everyone else do work in a group project for once."

Emily hummed. "It almost sounds like you care."

He popped a French fry into his mouth. "I always cared," Rocky said, making a face.

"Not enough," Emily replied softly. She twirled her spaghetti around her fork. Rocky's chewing slowed as he watched the noodles collect, getting bigger and bigger by the second. Lifting the lump to her face, Emily gave a fleeting smile before sliding it into her mouth, cupping her free hand under her chin to catch droplets of sauce. "I've liked you for a long time, Rocky," she said after she swallowed, wiping sauce from her mouth with her napkin. "I've waited to see if your feelings would ever change about me. Kind of held out hope."

"Look. Em…"

"I'm not saying this to make you feel bad," Emily quickly explained, interrupting him. "I just want to explain to you how I feel." She brushed her hair out of her face. "You're one of my oldest friends. Growing up, I felt like I could tell you everything." She let out a nervous laugh. "Whenever I could get a word out around you, I mean."

Rocky cracked a smile. "That went both ways, I think," he said.

"Yeah, maybe."

And for a moment, they were kids again. On the cusp of puberty, too scared, nervous, excited to look each other in the eye. All they could do was trade off quick glances and smiles before bowing their heads. Faces bright red.

Emily cleared her throat. "I liked how we could talk, and I want to be able to do that again," she said. "I want to be honest with each other. About anything."

Rocky closed his eyes. "I am being honest," he said, upon opening them. "I'm fine. Therapy has been helping." Careful not to jostle his plate of a half-eaten burger and cold French fries, he threw his hands into the air. "I'm a senior. Next year we'll be in college. The year after that, we'll be declaring our majors. I've moved on."

"Have you?" Emily asked.

"Have you?" Rocky replied. "Raking in As here like it's nobody's business. Already decided Journalism major." He laughed a derisive laugh. "Or is that it? This is a story for you? An assignment? 'The Kids Who Were Kidnapped by Hugo Snyder: Where are They Now'?"

"Yeah, I didn't have enough material with my own experiences that night, so I thought I'd pimp you out," Emily replied, just as sarcastically. She gathered her belongings and leapt to her feet. Rocky wasn't far behind her. "Get real!"

His stomach sank. Rocky licked his lips, pressed them tightly together, bit down on them. He regretted the words the second they came out of his mouth. Regretted the hurt that was on her face. The Douglas family may have been directly involved with Snyder's plot for revenge, but she was a part of it, too. She had been ambushed. Had guns pointed in her face. Had nightmares for months afterwards.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I'm just…" Stressed? Worried? Anxious? All of the above, with no real reason for it. Except maybe his Literature exam. Maybe he could pass it off as that… "I'm just being a jerk. You're right, I'm not fine." He shrugged. "I try not to remember but…"

"I know the feeling," Emily said, voice laden in frustration. With one hand, she brushed the seat of her jeans and crossed the walkway to the trashcan. The trash bag shook when she slammed her plate into it. "Believe me." She held out her hand to take Rocky's plate, and threw it away as well. "Which is why it's so frustrating that you won't talk to me about it." With a frown, she turned around to face him. "I know I can't force you to talk, but maybe, occasionally, you could listen when I need to."

"You're right, you're right," Rocky admitted. He put a hand to his heart. "I apologize."

"I'm sorry, too," she replied. "I know I shouldn't keep pressuring you into trying to talk." Emily relaxed into a sheepish smile. "Maybe we could pass it off as my being a snoop?" Rocky laughed through his nose, shaking his head back and forth. "You know me: I like to know what's going on with people."

That was an understatement: Emily hated being left out or feeling like she missed something going on in people's lives. His brothers had always teased her saying that her being nosy, and always wanting to know "what's going on?" was the catalyst for her wanting to become a journalist. They may see it as being nosy, but she saw it as being caring for other people.

It was a fine line.

"Ok, truce," Rocky said as he held out his hand towards her. Emily laughed, shaking it. "I should go. I want to get some studying in before heading out to practice." He lifted his hands as if it were a scale, tilting it up and down. "No peace and quiet here, and no peace and quiet at home."

"Come on, you love it," Emily said as she shoved his shoulder. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you liked getting into trouble with your brothers."

"Pffft." Rocky scoffed. "Who likes getting in trouble? Trouble just follows us around." He started to walk backwards. "Just meet me at my car after classes on Friday, ok? I'll see you later." Hand lifted in a wave, he bid Emily goodbye and crossed the school campus to his locker. A sigh slipped past his lips when he stepped into the air-conditioned building, and he removed his hat.

His fingers twitched as he spun the lock and popped open his locker door. Glancing up and down the empty hallway, he reached into the back and retrieved a folded newspaper. He brought his thumb towards his mouth and bit down on the nail as he scanned the front page, checking each headline carefully. Then he moved through the rest of the paper. He wasn't aware of how much time had passed, only that he was jolted into awareness by a hand clamping down onto his shoulder, rapidly shaking him. He set his laptop aside before opening his door and greeted his friend, Jason.

"Hey, man," Jason commented, adjusting the bag hitched on his shoulder. The end of a baseball bat slid clacked against the metal locker as he did. "You ready to go? Lucas and Trent are meeting us outside the gym."

"Just need to grab my stuff," Rocky said as he slapped his hand into Joshua's in a hand shake. Shoving the newspaper deep into his locker, he grabbed his baseball bat from the corner, and the glove that hung from the hook at the top of his locker.

Slamming his locker door shut, Rocky felt himself relax. He had exhausted every avenue he could think of and it all came to the same conclusion: Hugo Snyder was still in prison where he was meant to be.

A/N: While this first chapter is based on Rocky, this is actually more of a Colt-centered fic. I've been wanting to write this fic for the loooongest time and I'm glad I'm finally sharing it. If anyone who had read my or my sister's previous 3 Ninjas fics from aaaages ago (I mean, years and years), these can be considered re-writes of those.

So this story (and the movies' continuity as a result) are set in modern times. I think social media would be an interesting aspect to their story.

I have no idea what Emily's last name would be, so I just used her actress's name.

Thanks for reading.

-Rhuben