Chapter 1
"A ninja rises with the sun." That is one of Fathers favorite sayings. It has been seven years since he began training me. I watch the sunshine move through my window like a tidal wave. I get out of bed and don my outfit for the morning's workout. I yawn as I finish with my tight fitting, black jumpsuit. I walk out of my room and into the kitchen around the corner. My mother is already up.
"Good-morning, Mother," I say with a bow to a turned back. Not waiting for an answer, I grab an egg and walk out of the room. But, I was again to slow.
"Kameko, my dear. Why must you train and fight so much?" Her voice seeming strained to hide the disliking she has had for years, "Please, you must try on your kimono I made you last week. The matchmaker will be coming in less than a month!"
I sigh trying to think of something I have not said before.
"If they never find that I am a girl, I will gain more honor for Father." I smile, "besides, today is supposed to be my hardest light vs. shadow training." I run out of the room before she can respond.
I slow to a trot as I get closer to the family pavilion so I can finish the egg. It has the names of all who are from the Dotou generations in red on the green slabs of rocks. As Father finishes meditating in the pavilion, I sit on my worn brown mat under the blooming cherry blossom tree. I watch the sun wave to continue its path along the Earth. There are now shadows on the thatched roof of my home from the cherry tree.
Father comes out from the pavilion, knells on his worn grey mat, and looking ever frailer, speaks to me. He tells me how to observer the line of shadow just right so you know how long it is and how long it will be there. We meditate together to clear our minds for concentration.
Then, my favorite part comes. Father unwraps the weapon I was to work with today: double katana blades. The blades are new. I gasp as I look upon them. The blades are shiny and polished steel. The handles wrapped in a new grey cloth. "Father," I exclaim, "why have you gotten new blades?"
"Because I knew today was going to be too hard for the old blades," he says in his smooth way, his blue eyes glinting for the first time in years at my happiness. He then unwraps his weapons: double sais. Since they were not used with as much power as the katana blades, I see that they are the old ones. Father watches my happiness be transformed into worry, and determination, as I look upon the small three pronged steel weapons.
'Shell, he knows I don't like sai's!' I thought, 'he did say it would be the hardest day.' Ever since I learned that my name meant 'turtle child' and I have researched what a turtle is, I have studied them for what I could. Then I found myself using their shell as a way to express excitement or displeasure.
We had to meditate extra-long because of my excitement. But once I was, finally, calm enough to begin my training, I dash into the shadows with Father soon after.