I started writing this almost directly after I posted the last one, but so many things kept getting in the way! I had to clean my house for Christmas company, went to a boring Halo party, and had to wrap a ton of presents. Beh. Still, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.

"I'm curious, Bella." Edward started off, sitting back behind the driver's wheel. "How is it you don't look oriental? I mean, ninjas are from Japan, right?"

"Originally, they were." I leaned back against his passenger seat. "I don't know. I mean, why don't you Americans all talk with British accents? It's a separation thing, I guess. Our features had to change in order to fit our surroundings."

"And you live with your father here?"

"Yeah, I was originally born here in Forks. My mom's parents were self-enforced exiles and raised her here."

"What does it take to be a ninja?" Edward asked again.

"How many questions do you have, Edward?" I sighed. "Seriously."

He shrugged. "I don't know. It's just… ninja are supposed to be little kid things. You know, action figures and anime."

"Hey," I frowned. "I like that one anime with the yellow haired kid. It's pretty true to the ninja lifestyle." And then I rolled my eyes. "But I would never wear orange on a mission."

"So you go on missions?"

"Yes. A clan's rank is decided by how many able-bodied ninja reside in their range and how many missions they can take on."

"Back to my earlier question. What does it take to be a ninja?"

I glared at him. More questions. Ugh. "Well, first off, we have to show some kind of specialty before age three. I had a thing for messing with people's minds and reading their movements easily. And then we have to have a control over our bodies. Way beyond just breathing and blinking. I can slow my heart rate, or speed it up at will; I can reverse blood flow, and give myself a shot of adrenaline if I need it. And I can hone my senses by simply focusing my mind on them."

He stared out at the road. "So, you said you saw me hunting."

"Eh," I grimaced. "Not really. I saw you and your brother talking afterwards, or what I assume to be afterwards, and when you left, I dug up the deer corpse."

He frowned. "And you automatically thought it was me?"

"No, of course not." I shook my head. "But as I examined it, I realized that the bite marks matched your mouth structure."

He stared at me, not watching the road anymore. "You know how my mouth is structured?"

I scoffed. "Of course. Edward, it's my job to know everything about everyone who could possibly be a threat. And anyone is capable of being a threat, so don't take offense."

"So, I killed an innocent animal, and you don't care?"

"Really, Edward? You want me to feel sorry for a creature that lives to be eaten by higher ups on the food chain? It's just the cycle. I eat animals too."

"You don't suck their blood."

"Sometimes I might as well, they're so undercooked. Mission life isn't exactly comfortable."

"So what do you do on missions?" He asked again. "Are they like field trips?"

I shook my head. "Not a chance. Field trips are nice, educational, fun. Missions are, while some are fun, treacherous. Every one you go one could be your last, if you're not careful."

He looked at me with worry. "You could die on them?"

"Really, have you never watched a common ninja movie or anything? We're supped up spies! We fight to protect secrets, assassinate bad politicians, and escort the good ones. You think that there wouldn't be any threat in that job?"

He looked away sheepishly. "Sorry." He muttered. "But, it's all so… unbelievable. I can't see you fighting for your life."

"That's exactly why I am the best." I held my head high. "I've practiced a sweet and innocent air so that enemies won't suspect me. And then, as they're busy trying to down my comrades, I take them out."

I noticed we were in a parking lot now. Outside a giant, bill boarded building with people flowing in and out. The theatre, from what the sign said.

"Have you ever seen a movie?" Edward asked, frowning and looking away.

I punched his shoulder, ignoring the small ache in my knuckles. "Yes, moron. I have, in fact, seen several. What do you think I am, a cavewoman?"

"Well, no. But I mean, in modern society, ninja are kind of obsolete, so I figured the culture was different back where you're from. Maybe not as advanced."

"We're advanced enough, Edward. Just because we don't walk around with giant guns on our backs. Guns are kind of cheating anyway. But most of us enjoy modern things, like movies, plays, sports."

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to offend you."

I waved him off. "No problem. But, after this movie, I get to question you."

He laughed nervously. "Okay, I think."

He ran over to open my door, and I smiled. Just like back home. This guy knew how to treat people.

"You know," I told him as we were walking through the parking lot. "Most guys back home would do the same thing. Opening a door for a girl, helping her up, pulling her chair for her. Common courtesy stuff." And I knew his next question, so I answered it. "We're a society build heavily on respect and morals. Our elders run things, we nod and refer to our superiors as their ranks, never by any casual terms, and we respect our peers above ourselves."

He looked off into the gloomy sky above us. "I would love to visit this place."

I shivered involuntarily at the thought. "I don't think that'd go over so well."

"Why not?"

"We, uh, kind of have a thing against outsiders. Only those born to ninja parents, or have island parents, can ever go there."

"Why?" Edward asked again, stepping up to take out tickets.

"Cultural protection. No outside influence means we stay the same."

Edward led me toward our theatre number, and we found seats. "So, what were your theatres like back home?"

I shrugged. "Similar to this one, I guess. Maybe a little bigger or smaller. Depended on what movie we were watching."

Edward went to ask me another question, but the movie started, and he fell silent. I sat back and watched the action unfurl on the screen.

But I couldn't focus on the plot line. Talking to Edward about my life was great, but it brought up memories and thoughts that made me homesick again. I wanted to bash my head against the wall.

I wanted to go back home and sit outside my house, watching the people of the Capital go about their daily lives. I wanted to sit by a fire at night, and stay on look-out for enemy ninja. I wanted to wake up in the morning and not go to school. And, most importantly, I wanted to wake up in my own house, in my city, with my people.

The movie ended, without me really knowing what had happened. Edward and I walked out of the theatre to find night had fallen over the port. The stars were barely visible through the thin clouds, and my heart ached again.

Mentally slapping myself, I turned to Edward. "First question, vampire boy: how old are you?"

Edward's smile disappeared. "Seventeen."

I rolled my eyes. "C'mon, that's fudging it."

"Alright, I was changed when I was seventeen, which was back in 1918."

Wow, this guy was old. I laughed stiffly and said, "I know a few people that old, but I have got to say, you look pretty dang good for a hundred-and-nine-year-old." That brought his smile back.

Next question. "How does one become a vampire?" I asked him. "Are the legends true about the change: you have to exchange blood with a vampire in order to change?"

He shook his head and unlocked my door. "No, you just have to bitten by a vampire. And it's really hard to make us bleed. Our skin is like a rock."

Don't I know it. "What about pacts?" I recalled the history books from my youth. "Do you have a pact with the person who changed you? Like eternal servitude or anything like that?"

Edward shook his head again, and started the car. "No, I don't. While some vampires choose to hold it over their charges head, Carlisle would never do that. He only changed me because he was lonely, not because he wanted a minion."

I almost asked him why Carlisle chose him, but decided that could wait. He didn't ask me about my coming here, I wouldn't ask him about his, either.

"Why are your eyes not red?" I asked, recalling that guy I met here in Port Angles. I now knew he was a vampire.

"Because we don't drink from humans. We chose to feed off animal blood, instead."

"Why?" Why should he suppress his vampiric nature like that?

"Well, why not?" He shot back. "Why would I want to look at people and see their fear before I kill them? Why would I want to be a monster?"

A monster. "Do you think killing an innocent would make you a monster?" I looked away, thinking of the war back home.

"Yes, I do."

I couldn't help it. My head fell, and I sighed. He would think of me as some crazed individual now. Killing innocent people.

"Wait, what's wrong?" Edward asked, turning toward me. "Did I say something bad?"

"No, you just told me what you thought." You just told me that you would think of me as a monster.

He didn't seem to believe me, but turned back toward the road, eyeing me from the corners of his eyes.

"Anyway," I cleared my throat and continued. "Do you sleep in a coffin or a hole surrounded by dirt?" Anything to rid my mind of those thoughts.

"No, actually, I, uh, can't sleep."

"At all? Then why don't vampires in legends ever come out in the sunlight? Does it burn or what?"

"Well, the sun doesn't burn or harm me in anyway, but, it's not like I can go outside in it. It'd be a little… conspicuous." He grimaced, as if picturing what would happen.

"So, you guys have incredible speed and strength. What else do you have? Laser vision, flying abilities, mind reading, what?"

He chuckled lightly and eyed me. "One of those is correct." Edward gave me that stupid, adorable crooked smile. Ah, damn it.

"Which one?"

"Guess."

"If you had laser vision, I would officially make you my hero." I joked, thinking about Edward lasering through sheet metal to help me infiltrate an enemy camp. "How useful would that be! But, you probably don't. So, I'm going to go with mind reading."

"And you would be correct. I read minds." He shrugged. "With one exception, of course."

I raised my eyebrow. "And that would be?"

He turned to look at me again, and pulled the car into a parking lot. "You."

"Me?"

"I can't read your mind, Bella. And it frustrates me to no end." He looked out to our new destination. "But, before you ask why, I'd like to treat you to dinner."

Well, this was new. I'd never had a boy treat me to dinner. Then again, I still hadn't. Edward wasn't a boy; I had to stop calling him that. He was older than both my parents combined. He could be an Elder back in the Capital.

I tried to smile at him, but I failed miserably. He laughed, opened my door, and led me inside. I might be able to get used to this.

Might.

Man, the internet connection on my laptop is out, so I had to put this on my flashdrive and drag it all the way downstairs to my desktop! Erg, that tiny little piece of machinery frustrates me.

In other, maybe completely unrelated, news, I've been watching the American Ninja Warrior competetion of G4, and I'm totally psyced for the finale in Japan (Go Levi!). Ninjas have been very dominant in my attention this week.

And, I probably don't say this enough (in fact, I've never really said it in a note like this) but you alerters, favoriters, and reveiwers really make my day. Thank you, and I hope you enjoyed this tenth installment of Ninja of a Modern Era. Farewell for now!