Angel of Darkness:
Old Friends (Spring 2014):
"Aishiteru. I love you, please be safe."
"Leo, I'm about as good at saying I love you as I am at saying thank you."
"I think you just did."
"Leonardo. Aishiteru Samurai. Wait for me, I promise I'll come back."
Karai woke to a cold creeping into her flesh and the sounds of her dream still ringing in her ears. She hated to sound sentimental, but she swore she could actually feel Leo's breath on her ear and hear his voice in her ear. She closed her eyes, took a slow breath and let go of the dream in favor of facing the present. If she hoped to return to the Hamato Clan she first needed to put the ghosts of both clans to rest. Her return to Japan had a secondary purpose that she'd not mentioned to Leo, as he would have insisted it was too dangerous and tried to come with her. She been raised to lead the Foot Clan one day, and not all of said clan had fallen in New York. In Japan they were still alive, still in the shadows and woven into the criminal underworld as well. She intended to end that, with a little help.
Karai took a quick shower, changed for the day and left the small motel with all of her belongings in tow. She turned the key in and left without a second look. Tokyo was full of places no one would look for her, and also had a darker side that most respectable Japanese citizens would never dream of. Karai walked the line between the two at the moment, hiding on the edge of each as she slipped closer to where she was going. The dojo was unassuming on the outside, nothing made it seem to be anything special. There was no hint that it was really a recruiting front for the Foot Clan, it appeared to only be a karate school.
The bell jingled as Karai entered, alerting an instructor near front and also drawing the eye of the dojo master. The master looked up, waving the instructor back to his class and came forward to look at her. They exchanged polite greetings, as if they did not know each other, and he led her off to an office. Once the door closed the master smiled slightly as he bowed to the young woman.
"Oroku Karai, I never thought I would see you again. I am happy that you are alive and well." He eyed her curiously. "You are well I hope. We have heard some disturbing reports from New York."
"I am well, Yuma-sensei." She bowed to her former teacher. He offered her a seat and they sat on opposite sides of his desk. "I have a few dangerous questions for you, sensei."
"You always did, Karai-san." He smiled indulgently at her, much the way a grandfather would.
"You were with my father for a very long time, were you not?"
"Since our training days, we were young boys when we met."
"So you were there when the Hamato Clan fell?" She saw a spark of concern light in his eyes at the mention.
"No, I was on a mission far from Tokyo. When I returned all was said and done." He shifted, and sighed. "Do not beat around the bush, ask what you wish to know."
"Did you know that I was really Hamato Yoshi's child?" She asked bluntly, watching as his eye brows jumped slightly.
"Not at first, no. When I returned I was given the choice of death or service to the resurrected Foot Clan. I was not trusted to preform missions, but since I was a capable ninja I was given the duty of training and recruiting new members. Fresh blood for Oroku Saki's rise to power." He relaxed into his seat. "I was told that Yoshi, Shen and Miwa died in the fire and that no further discussion of the topic would be tolerated. When you were two was the first time I saw you, I found it strange as Saki had never shown interest in any woman other than Tang Shen, but at the time I knew better than to ask. As you got older, I could see bits of your mother in you and I began to suspect. The possibility that you were Yoshi's child only made me wish to protect you more."
"You speak dangerously, perhaps I love my adopted father still." Karai raised an eyebrow, portraying a calculating look.
"Were that true, we would not be having this conversation, young one." He smirked and she allowed her act to slip.
"Why have you served the Foot Clan?"
"As I said, my choice was serve or die. All were dead or serving Saki when I returned. Training students has not been bad, knowing what is asked of them later stains my soul."
"What if I told you I want to end the Foot Clan?"
"End it?" He laughed slightly. "My dear Karai-chan, that is how this all began. Our clans have been enemies for so long, trying to put an end to each other. When I was but a child, a few years older than Saki and Yoshi, the Hamato Clan ended the Foot Clan and burned their homes to the ground. They did not kill women and children, with the exception of kunoichis who fought. They did leave many homeless and mourning their lost. Had we not done that Oroku Saki would not have wished to do the same to the Hamato Clan a few decades later."
"The same could be said of if my true grandfather had just wiped them all out." Karai pointed out.
"I suppose that is true, however it could have become someone else's vendetta." He leaned on his desk, forearms resting on the wood. "But had someone found a way to co-exist perhaps we may have not seen either tragedy."
"For a ninja, you have a bleeding heart."
"We must never forget that if we kill everyone, nothing positive comes of our existence."
"You want me to bring peace between what's left of the clans?" She saw his eyes spark.
"The rumors are true? Hamato Yoshi lives? And he has been training ninjas?" There was definitely a spark in her old sensei's eyes now.
"Yes, the rumors are true." She took a moment then spoke again. "My true father has been training ninjas, they defend the streets of New York. The Foot Clan in New York has been broken, though a few meager pockets still exist."
"Hamato Miwa, are you reunited with your father?"
"I am, and I wish to put an end to all of this. I wish to make peace with the ghosts of this conflict and put the past to rest, but to do so the present needs be addressed. Wouldn't you agree?"
"I would, and I will aide you in any way I can. The Foot Clan in Japan is far reaching, but the disciples of Hamato at its roots still exist." He leaned back into his chair once more and smiled. "This will not be easy, and it will take time."
"Time I have and easy is boring."
"That is the Karai I remember." He laughed again, but this time it was warm and mildly comforting. Karai had her first ally in this uphill battle.
Author's Note:
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