Heidi was not sure how long she had spent in the hospital's waiting room with her brother. Was it five hours, or six? She knew it had been long though, because the sun had gone down long ago and the lights were on.
"No! You listen to me for once!"
When Howard spoke, Heidi snapped out of her thoughts with a jolt of momentary fear. It was so sudden that she slipped, forcing her to grip the backrest of the nearby seat to not fall. Once she steadied herself, she looked at her brother only to notice he was not alone.
"For once!" Howard hissed, lowering his voice so no one would hear him from outside the room. Heidi watched as he pointed a finger at the chest of a man she had never seen before.
"Just for once stop being such a shoob! When he wakes up, you will tell him the truth! I don't care if it'll break some wonked up rule ninjas have! You will tell him, because after today he needs to hear it!"
Heidi frowned. She tried to remember when the man in the red shirt and ponytail had walked into the room. Or how her brother knew him at all. But no matter how much she tried, she couldn't recall the moment of his entrance.
It was strange, because a man like that couldn't pass unnoticed. He was tall and lanky, making Howard look like a dwarf compared to him. It would have been a funny sight if the man wasn't so imposing despite his slim built.
He had the aura of a capable warrior. Someone that had seen and survived too much. Just like the Ninja.
But Howard wasn't affected. He swung his arms in a wide arc, stopping the man from speaking and making Heidi jump in her seat. The young boy chose to ignore their reactions and took a step forwards. "Don't! No more excuses! No more rules or whatever you people do! For five minutes stop thinking about everything else! I'm sure the world can last a day without you checking up on it every five seconds!"
Heidi sat up straighter and watched her brother with mouth agape. She had seen him upset may times, but never as angry as he was now. It was scary and she gripped the edge of the chair in anxiety.
"Howard!" As soon as her croaked voice left her mouth, Heidi realized the mistake she made. Both the man and her brother were looking at her with a glare that made her blood freeze.
Still, her interruption served to break the tension and the man relaxed a little. "We will speak of this once you are calm of mind."
To Heidi, the man's words seemed to echo off the room's walls for longer than it actually was. She shivered and lowered her head, embarrassed for her earlier outburst.
Howard didn't care about her discomfort. He threw his arms up in the air and let out a loud huff of frustration. "Fine! I'll let it rest for now! But you will think about it!" Howard's finger poked the man's chest twice. "Perhaps it's against the rules or whatever, but he deserve to know the truth!"
Silence fell between the two, but Heidi knew her brother had gained the upper hand. Even if by just a small amount.
The man nodded once. "Very well." His deep voice was softer now. "I will think of this. You have my word."
Pleased with the outcome of their argument, the two parted ways without further words. While the nameless man left the room, Howard stomped his way to his sister and sat next to her. He was muttering under his breath about stupid books, shoobs and stubborn ninjas...
Heidi cast a quick glance at him, then turned her eyes at the entrance of the waiting room. The man had been so quiet in leaving that not even the door had made a sound when it closed behind his back.
"So," she said after a while, hoping that Howard had burned off some of his anger. "Who was that man?"
Howard looked up from the polished pavement and frowned. The displeasure and frustration were well visible on his face. "A shoob," he said with fake calmness. "Or better, the first of a long line of shoobs."
But that was not what Heidi wanted to know and she looked at her brother with a raised eyebrow. She knew that there was more to it. There was no way that Howard would be so angry with some random guy.
She was sure they knew each other.
When the boy realized his answer wasn't enough for his sister, he sighed. "That guy... that shoob..." Howard waved a hand towards the closed door. "I'm not sure how to call him. A teacher? A mentor? When the Ninja has a problem he can't figure out himself, he goes to that guy."
Howard's arms crossed again and the boy slouched in the chair, looking conflicted. "He was supposed to keep the Ninja safe, but... looks at what happened..."
Heidi felt torn. She wanted to comfort her brother, but she also wanted to ask more. After all, she had always thought that the Ninja was a lone warrior. One sworn to protect the city for eight centuries without help.
To think that there was someone else. One sworn to the same duty and aiding the town's hero from the shadows...
Questions filled her mind.
What was the story of this mentor? Where they related? Father and son maybe? Brothers? Or just teacher and student? Where there others like them, hidden in the shadows just like this one had been? Where were they hiding when not fighting?
She wasn't a reporter like Debbie Kang, but she couldn't deny it. This was an interesting story that should not ignored.
"Heidi! Heidi! No!" Howard's face was in front of hers and it was so close that their noses almost touched. "I know that glint in your eyes. You are not going to tell this to anyone! This is not a cheap gossip that you can use for your show!"
At first Heidi felt offended by her brother's assumption. Her gossip was not cheap and everyone in the city loved her reports. But then she remembered the Ninja on the ground, wounded and covered in blood. Unmoving.
Now the masked warrior was under surgery and the city was without protection. It was a delicate situation, and this man already had his hands full without her adding to it.
Yes. Howard was right.
The least she could do to repay the Ninja for his protection was to keep her mouth shut.
At least for now.
.
.
A/N: It's 4 am and I've read this 5 or 6 times already. Please forgive any errors...