Chapter Five - Flashbacks
Casey looked at the sleeping woman in front of him and smiled. There was something about her which he admired. Her fierce determination he thought to himself. It had been almost three weeks since they had met and the had quickly become firm friends. Even with a fever and dizzy spells, she had still wanted to train. He had taken it upon himself to look out for her. He knew that they would never be anything more than friends. They were too alike and dating someone like himself wasn't too appealing. As he sipped his hot latte, she had started to stir. He had badly wanted to find out a little more about her, but lately there hadn't been a good time to ask. She didn't offer, so he didn't ask.
Sarah's eyes shot open as she became aware of someone in the room.
"It's a little early don't you think?" She asked as she sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"It's gonna be a long day, are you up for it?" A smile spread across her face.
"Sure, I could do with a workout" she slowly put her feet onto the cold floor. Casey couldn't hide his amusement, as he watched her. For someone who always acted so tough, she had gasped at the icy touch.
"I didn't figure you for bunnies!" He said laughing, noting her pyjama top and long pants. Sarah turned and threw a pillow at him, which he ducked.
"They're comfy ok! Lay off, it's too early for this shit!" She crabbed a pile of clothing that had been neatly folded and put onto a nearby chair and she headed for the bathroom. "Give me a couple of minutes" Casey rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, like I haven't heard that one before!" Sarah ignored the remark as she closed the bathroom door. Casey hunted around the small paper bag before him, until he came to what he was after.
"Hurry up! Your coffee's getting..." he stopped as the door opened "that was quick"
"Told ya" she replied and winked. The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled her senses. "Mmm, something smells good"
"Cappuccino, extra milk, no sugar right? Bagel?" She nodded, surprised. She hadn't expected this from him, and to remember a small detail like the extra milk in the cappuccino, it had surprised her. For someone who acted all mucho and stuff, it was unexpected. She said the first thing that came to mind.
"Cappuccino? What happened to plain old coffee?"
"Forget it, you needed something a little stronger, besides we used to drink this kinda stuff when I was in the league" She looked at him.
"League?"
"Yeah" he answered taking another bite of his blueberry bagel "hockey, I got injured and had to retire, almost a year now..." his voiced trailed. Sarah could tell that it still bothered him. He must've been good. She changed the subject.
"So what's that?" She asked with a cheeky grin.
"Latte" This time it was Sarah who couldn't contain her amusement, and she burst out laughing.
"Quite the tough guy drink!!"
"So? I used to drink this all the time, I guess it just stuck.... and what about you? With all your martial arts training I would have thought tea was more your drink......" An odd silence filled the small room. He so badly wanted to know her story. It was now or never.
"So, what's your story?" Sarah almost choked on her drink and put it down, before getting up.
"I think it's time to go" she went to turn, but he crabbed her by the wrist.
"What's wrong? Why can't you tell me? You've got to be here for a reason... your accent, where're you from anyhow?" Sarah paused for a second. She knew that she could trust him. He had afterall helped her these past few weeks. I guess an explaination was due... she turned back to her seat and sat down.
"Australia"
"You're a little far from home, aren't you?" He took the seat next to her.
"Yeah, I'm here looking for family, a cousin, my sister and brothers, we've been seperated a long time..."
"Don't get me wrong, how is it you have a chinese last name, but don't look it?" Sarah looked at him blankly, so he had noticed... she was surprised that he had waited so long to ask.
"My father was chinese, my mother japanese. I was adopted a long time ago..." Sarah paused, loosing them still hurt, even after all this time.
"Ever tried to find them? You know, your real parents?" Sarah shook her head and sipped her cappuccino.
"Mum died giving birth, and dad's gone too, though I don't know how. Julie, my older sister, never went into it" Casey looked into her eyes and saw the sorrow within them. He now regretted pushing the subject.
"I'm sorry..." Sarah cut him off.
"I was young, I don't even remember them..." she peered at her watch. More time had gone passed than they had realised. "We better go, how about a jog around the lake?"
"Central Park?" Sarah nodded. "Sounds good to me." Sarah pointed to a large bag in the corner.
"What's that for?" She asked as she went over and unzipped it. All sorts of sports equipment spilled out. Sarah caught a cheeky look an Casey's face.
"Your'e kidding right? I'm not jogging while carrying that stuff! You've got to be joking!!" The smile didn't vanish from his face. "You're not are you?" He shook his head.
"I know this really secluded spot, it'll be ideal for a spar" Sarah crossed her arms, annoyed.
"Well, i'm not carrying it! End of story"
"You won't have to" he plonked two pairs of rollerblades near her feet. "Can you skate?"
"Yeah, sort of" Casey crabbed the bag and a pair of skates. As Sarah was heading out, she crabbed a pair of shoes and stuffed them in the bag.
"Bruce Lee fan?" He asked noting the black shoes, with the brown plastic sole.
"They're great for sparing, if you want to with skates that's your problem" she then leaned toward the bed and crabbed something from the side of it.
"What's that?" Casey asked, eyeing the weapon.
"Hanbo, three foot staff. You got yours, I got mine!" She tucked it into her belt and threw a jacket on. The snow had cleared some months back, but it was still a little chilly.
The skate to the park had been uneventful and silent. The only thing Casey had said was that it was good for their legs.
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Sarah looked around the small area which was totally enclosed by bushes, but allowed plenty of sunlight.
"It's amazing, how'd you find this spot?" She asked. Casey paused.
"I followed some creeps..." she nodded, she knew the drill. He was out almost everynight. She pulled her blades off and threw on her "Bruce Lee" shoes. She caught Casey giving her 'the look'.
"What? I'm not training in those! Why do you think I brought 'em?" He put his arms up in defence.
"Hey, do you hear me whinging?" Casey was being a smart ass. She frowned.
"I don't winge! I'm gonna get you for that!" From her sitting postion, she went into a low side roll, pulling the hanbo from her belt. She landed on her two feet and went into a low defensive stance. Casey pulled out a baseball bat and twirled it a few times. He went in for an attack. Sarah ducked the bat, then went into a dive roll. He came again, this time a low swing. Sarah saw it coming and jumped, clearing the bat. Casey paused, she was better than he thought.
"What?" She asked.
"Maybe we should put the pads on. " She thought about it for a second. She was ninja, he was a streetfighter. She has been doing this for most of her life. He hadn't. For his sake, she agreed.
As she went through his duffle bag, she frowned. There were protection pads, but not the ones she was expecting.
"What's this?" She asked in an accusing tone, holding the pads up for him to see. Casey had the word 'guilty' written all over his face.
"Hockey pads. Your point being?"
"You're training with the boys today, aren't you?" She was annoyed. She had being looking foward to training with Casey the whole day.
"Yeah later, shit Sarah, what's up your arse?" She opened her mouth to give him a piece of her mind, then closed it. She hadn't been sleeping well lately. She had been plagued by nightmares. Her fowl mood wasn't really his fault.
"One of the guys is into tae kwon do. Spur with him, i'm sure he won't mind, up for the challenge?" An evil grin spread across his face. So that's what he meant by a 'long day'. He had planned it.
"I was hoping you wouldn't mind, I can't wait until you kick his butt!" He rubbed his hands together "This'll be good!" He started packing up. "It's a bit of a skate from here, let's go" Sarah, still angry, didn't say anything, but nodded and changed back into her rollerblades.
Julie had tried many things to calm her temper, but to no avail. She was as bad as Rachael at times. She sighed. Thinking about her friends made her realise that she was homesick. She looked up as Casey cleared his throat and made a signal that they should go.
He had been watching her. She certainly was spirited. He had heard her sigh and had cleared his throat , making an indication with his hands that they should go. As they made their way to the path, Sarah had remained silent. Something was bugging her. Her mood had changed too quickly.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh nothing really, I was just thinking you know. I've been down on my luck ever since I could remember..." Her voice trailed. It was true. She had hoped that coming to America would change all that... but then again... those dreams had started up again. The ones she had when she was a kid. The ones about ninjas. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.
"I miss my family" they finally passed the hedge wall and came to an open area and in the distance they could make out a basketball court and a group of people.
"I thought you said you were looking for them."
"Other than Julie, I live with four other females..." Casey broke into a grin, where Sarah playfully punched his arm.
"Forget it Case, they're kids" the grin vanished.
"So I guess they're kinda like your little sisters huh?"
"Yeah, we haven't been separated in over ten years"
"They could visit" Sarah shook her head.
"Julie freaked when I suggested it". Casey waved as they got closer. Before them was a small group of men, some not looking much older than herself. She raised an eyebrow.
"Any singles?"
"Yeah, him" Sarah's gaze shifted to the young man that Casey had been pointing to. His back was turned and he wore a trenchcoat that reached his ankles. Sarah's smile vanished as he turned around, so did his. Sarah took a step back, horrified.
Kyle had been joking with his friends when one mentioned that Casey had arrived with his 'new best friend'. He hadn't been listening all that well. His thoughts had been on the girl he had helped a few weeks back. He didn't know her name, but he had been constantly thinking of her. His good humor evaported when he laid eyes on her. His friends knew of her, he had raved on about her fighting abilities. Now she was here. Now she was in danger. She too had recognised him and he watched as she backed off. Casey looked to Sarah, then Kyle, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. The two knew each other, and he refrained from saying anything, until he knew how. Sarah hadn't mentioned anyone.
Kyle stuck his hand out infront of him.
"Hey wait!" He called out and ran up to her. In the background, his friends had started to whisper. It was her!
Sarah turned, but hestitated. She too had been thinking of him lately. Kyle paused for a moment before putting his hand on her shoulder.
"Hi" he said as she turned to face him. She folded her arms and frowned.
"What the hell do you want?" She demanded. Casey stepped closer to her, worried that things might get ugly.
"I wanted to know how you were doing." He didn't blame her for being angry. She glared at Casey before crabbing Kyle by the arm and dragging him away from Casey's watchful glance. Casey shrugged his shoulders. It was obvious that they had issues. He rubbed his hands together.
"Hi guys, who's up for a game?" Andrew, one of his friends came up to him.
"Who's that?"
"Who Sarah? She's okay" they both turned and looked at the couple, who were now yelling at each other, their voices muffled by a plane that had just gone over them.
"She looks like a handful"
"Well yeah, but don't let her hear you say that!" He winked and went over to the others to warm up.
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"I'm fine, what's it to you?" Her anger intensified. First he jumped her, then he wanted to befriend her.
"I was worried okay"
"Well don't be, it's none of your concern, your friends jumped me remember!" She replied, yelling at him.
"Yeah, how can I forget? I tried to change their minds..."
"And why would you want to do that?"
"Because I don't hit women!" The tone in his voice and the look on his face made her suddenly realise that he might be telling the truth.
"Don't forget, I saved your ass!"
"And what do you want? A thank you?"
"Well I.."
"THANK YOU!" She turned and stormed off, heading toward the basketball court where the hockey game had just started. She stood there for a moment, watching Casey in action. She hadn't realised just how good he really was. She knew that he had an injury, though, he hadn't said what it was. He grined at her as he wizzed past with the puck in his possession. She tensed as she sensed someone behind her and she spun around to face Kyle.
"Stay away from me, I'm warning you?"
"Oh yeah, and what are you gonna do?" He asked, flashing her a cheeky grin. She went to knee him. He moved his arm, making a down sweeping action and he had blocked it even before she knew what had happened.
"I'm outta here. Don't follow me if you know what's good for you!" She turned and skated to the path. Kyle knew better and left. The foot were out and about waiting for her. He didn't want to be around when something happened. It was only a matter of time.
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Slowly she skated to a park bench. He knew how the push all the wrong buttons. He had made her so mad.... but he so was incredibly sexy... no, he was trouble! She knew that she couldn't think like that. She remembered that they had passed a pond on their way to the basketball court and she got up to go, then paused when she remembered the hill. She wasn't that good a skater and had trouble stopping. She felt a presence and spun around, expecting it to be him.
Her jaw dropped when she saw a group of black clad figures infront of her. One of them made a signal to someone behind her. Before she could react, her arms were roughly crabbed and she felt her two thumbs being binded. She didn't bother struggling. She knew the knot. Fighting it would only tighten it. Terror flowed through her as she looked at their dogis. It was familar. She looked up and the scenery changed. Behind the group was a small house in the middle of the woods. The scene was familar, the men infront of her were familar, but most of all the dogis were familar. She snapped out of her trance as she felt her knees being bounded together. One of them smirked.
"Try getting out of this one bitch! You've been warned!" Sarah did the only thing she could. She opened her mouth and let out a bloodcurdling scream, right before they pushed her down the hill.
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Casey had paused for a moment to check on Sarah. She was no where to be seen. He motioned for Andrew to follow him.
"Have you seen Sarah, she was here just a moment ago"
"She stormed off..." Casey threw his hockey stick to the ground, pulling his helmet off.
"Shit!! With her temper! We'd she go..." he was cut off by a scream. He knew her voice anywhere. They looked to one another, before Andrew skated off with Casey not to far behind.
They reached the folk in the path, to see Sarah fly passed them.
"Casey help meee!" She pleaded. She watched in horror as the pond came closer. There was a landing infront of her with wooden railings that was extended over the water. The pond was deep in the middle. She came down the hill fast. Anticipating the hit, she held her breath, as she hit the railing, the force pushing her over. She went into the pond head first.
Casey skated after her, unable to catch up and watched helplessly as she went over. He skiddered to a complete stop before jumping in after her.
Sarah had been frantickly trying to kick her legs, to get herself above the waterline. She was grateful when she felt a pair of strong arms reach for her, dragging her to the surface. Her heart was pounding, and she was breathing heavy. Her memory was coming back and her blood started to boil. She looked at Casey's friend as he pulled her out of the water, skates and all, then helped Casey out of the water. Sarah was now angry and cold. Casey pulled out a pocket knife, cutting Sarah's bindings.
"You okay?" He finally asked. Her face was red with anger and he had hestitated.
"Yeah" she said, pulling the water filled skates from her feet.
"What the hell happened?" Casey's friend asked.
"I was jumped that's what happened!" She started to pace, trying to control her anger. "If this is your idea of training, leave me out of it!!"
"What did you do?" Casey asked.
"What did I DO!! Goddamnit!!" She yelled right before the air was filled with a loud crack. Andrew looked at Sarah speechless as he watched her raise her leg to form a front kick and bring it down again with full force, snapping the top of the wooden railing in two.
"I'm going home!!" She turned and stormed off, water still dripping from her wet clothing. Casey looked to Andrew.
"I'll get my stuff later. I gotta go!" he called out to Andrew as he skated after Sarah. He caught up to her and crabbed her arm.
"What the hell's wrong with you?" He demanded. She turned around and glared at him.
"Those guys in the black pyjamas, they murdered my father!" He stood there speechless. This was something he hadn't expected. "Now I know why I was trained in ninjutsu, they'll come for me as well!" He remained silent and followed her, now knowing better than to irritate her when she was already angry.
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They had been silent all the way back to Sarah's room. The cab driver had looked at them strangely when the two wet figures had gotten in, but had said nothing when he found out that the ride was to the other side of town. Casey sat there and watched, not daring to say a word. He had never seen her that angry. Her eyes were filled with a hatred that he had never seen before. Her features were twisted and she was breathing hard. He hated to think what was going on inside her head.
Sarah couldn't think of anything other than revenge. Her father was dead, and they would pay! She had started to take deep breaths to focus on the task at hand. For one, she knew nothing of her ememy, all she knew was that she wouldn't rest until she had restored the honor that her family had once held.
As they got out and Casey paid the fare, Sarah had stormed into the building not even waiting for him. She knew that she had to be ready for anyone and anything. All she wanted to do was train. Her strength was finally starting to return and nothing was going to stop her now.
Casey cursed under his breath when he had realised that Sarah hadn't even bothered to wait. She wasn't angry at him. He knew that. The news had come as a shock, and had put Sarah into a vicious mood. He got to her door and found it open, closing it behind him. He paced as he waited for her to change. Finally the door to the bathroom opened and Sarah appeared in tights and a sweatshirt. He watched her go over to the small closet and pull out a stack of clothes placing them on the bed.
"Here, change, I'll be downstairs training." She reached beside the bed again, this time pulling out her jo, then left.
"It's prolly best she blows off some steam anyhow" he thought to himself as he changed.
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Sarah took slow deep breaths as she started to stretch. It had started to become clear now, though some parts had still been a little hazy. She knew they had murdered her father, she just didn't know how. She knew that Julie could fill in the gaps, but would she? She had never mentioned the night in question. She started on her calves, moving next to her legs, then arms. After doing the splits, she started off with a basic kata. The moves Julie had insisted on. They were the basics, all others stemming from those. After a few minutes, she picked up her jo and started to twirl it around her. She looked up as Casey cleared his throat. He was wearing the black gi that had once belonged to her father, Ho Yin.
"I feel so funky!" Casey said as he started to check himself out in the mirrored room, then he smiled as he reached for something behind him.
"Ready?" He asked, he didn't wait for an answer as he swung the bat at Sarah. She dropped, her legs apart, her knees bent, her arms bent at the elbow in a defensive posture. The bat passing the spot were her head had been only seconds ago, missing her completely. She stared at him, the uniform looked familar. Casey caught the distant look in her eye, and backed off a little. An uneasy feeling whirled in her mind as the room suddenly took on another feel, as the flashback took a hold of her. She looked around, she was once again in the forest, she heard voices, that of her sister and brothers. The vision vanished as a voice popped into her head.
"Sarah? Sarah!" She blinked a few times as she noticed that Casey had been waving his hand infront of her face.
"Are you ok? You just froze" He was concerned. During her fever she had been suffering from nightmares, and had on more than one occassion woken up screaming. When he had asked her later about it, she had had no recollection of ever having the dreams.
"Yeah, fine, try again" He hesitated.
"C'mon Case, I'm fine, really"
"I don't know..." his voice trailed as Sarah went in for a punch. He raised his right hand, deflecting the hit. She pounced back, shifting her weight. She turned to her side and unleashed a side kick, this time hitting Casey's side. He stumbled back a few steps. The kick wasn't as powerful as he had first thought. He bent down and picked the bat up, swinging it low. Sarah jumped it landing on her two feet, and went back into another defensive posture. He swung it at waist level. He was taken back when Sarah crabbed it, and went in for another kick. Casey saw this one coming and shifted his body weight back, the kick just missing him. He caught a quick look in her eyes. The look had come back.
Before Sarah even knew what had happened another flashback had taken hold. The forest was back and a teenage Julie was beside her. She had heard an explosion and was about to turn around... her mind cleared just as Sarah saw the bat coming toward her. She hit the floor, going into a very low back roll and landed on her two feet. With her legs apart, he knees bent and her arms in an open forty five degree postion she waited. Casey looked at the posture, thinking it weird, though he didn't question it. Sarah had been in training for a very long time. He grunted and went into the attack, the bat aimed at her head.
As soon as Sarah had gone into the posture, the flashback was back. She had turned around and was now facing the burning building. A lone figure had managed to escape the inferno. She had a nagging feeling in the back of her mind. She knew what was coming. Her mouth opened and she screamed as she saw the ninja behead her father. The flashback cleared and the last thing Sarah saw was the back of Casey's bat.
~Chapter Six ~ Up Soon!
Casey looked at the sleeping woman in front of him and smiled. There was something about her which he admired. Her fierce determination he thought to himself. It had been almost three weeks since they had met and the had quickly become firm friends. Even with a fever and dizzy spells, she had still wanted to train. He had taken it upon himself to look out for her. He knew that they would never be anything more than friends. They were too alike and dating someone like himself wasn't too appealing. As he sipped his hot latte, she had started to stir. He had badly wanted to find out a little more about her, but lately there hadn't been a good time to ask. She didn't offer, so he didn't ask.
Sarah's eyes shot open as she became aware of someone in the room.
"It's a little early don't you think?" She asked as she sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"It's gonna be a long day, are you up for it?" A smile spread across her face.
"Sure, I could do with a workout" she slowly put her feet onto the cold floor. Casey couldn't hide his amusement, as he watched her. For someone who always acted so tough, she had gasped at the icy touch.
"I didn't figure you for bunnies!" He said laughing, noting her pyjama top and long pants. Sarah turned and threw a pillow at him, which he ducked.
"They're comfy ok! Lay off, it's too early for this shit!" She crabbed a pile of clothing that had been neatly folded and put onto a nearby chair and she headed for the bathroom. "Give me a couple of minutes" Casey rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, like I haven't heard that one before!" Sarah ignored the remark as she closed the bathroom door. Casey hunted around the small paper bag before him, until he came to what he was after.
"Hurry up! Your coffee's getting..." he stopped as the door opened "that was quick"
"Told ya" she replied and winked. The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled her senses. "Mmm, something smells good"
"Cappuccino, extra milk, no sugar right? Bagel?" She nodded, surprised. She hadn't expected this from him, and to remember a small detail like the extra milk in the cappuccino, it had surprised her. For someone who acted all mucho and stuff, it was unexpected. She said the first thing that came to mind.
"Cappuccino? What happened to plain old coffee?"
"Forget it, you needed something a little stronger, besides we used to drink this kinda stuff when I was in the league" She looked at him.
"League?"
"Yeah" he answered taking another bite of his blueberry bagel "hockey, I got injured and had to retire, almost a year now..." his voiced trailed. Sarah could tell that it still bothered him. He must've been good. She changed the subject.
"So what's that?" She asked with a cheeky grin.
"Latte" This time it was Sarah who couldn't contain her amusement, and she burst out laughing.
"Quite the tough guy drink!!"
"So? I used to drink this all the time, I guess it just stuck.... and what about you? With all your martial arts training I would have thought tea was more your drink......" An odd silence filled the small room. He so badly wanted to know her story. It was now or never.
"So, what's your story?" Sarah almost choked on her drink and put it down, before getting up.
"I think it's time to go" she went to turn, but he crabbed her by the wrist.
"What's wrong? Why can't you tell me? You've got to be here for a reason... your accent, where're you from anyhow?" Sarah paused for a second. She knew that she could trust him. He had afterall helped her these past few weeks. I guess an explaination was due... she turned back to her seat and sat down.
"Australia"
"You're a little far from home, aren't you?" He took the seat next to her.
"Yeah, I'm here looking for family, a cousin, my sister and brothers, we've been seperated a long time..."
"Don't get me wrong, how is it you have a chinese last name, but don't look it?" Sarah looked at him blankly, so he had noticed... she was surprised that he had waited so long to ask.
"My father was chinese, my mother japanese. I was adopted a long time ago..." Sarah paused, loosing them still hurt, even after all this time.
"Ever tried to find them? You know, your real parents?" Sarah shook her head and sipped her cappuccino.
"Mum died giving birth, and dad's gone too, though I don't know how. Julie, my older sister, never went into it" Casey looked into her eyes and saw the sorrow within them. He now regretted pushing the subject.
"I'm sorry..." Sarah cut him off.
"I was young, I don't even remember them..." she peered at her watch. More time had gone passed than they had realised. "We better go, how about a jog around the lake?"
"Central Park?" Sarah nodded. "Sounds good to me." Sarah pointed to a large bag in the corner.
"What's that for?" She asked as she went over and unzipped it. All sorts of sports equipment spilled out. Sarah caught a cheeky look an Casey's face.
"Your'e kidding right? I'm not jogging while carrying that stuff! You've got to be joking!!" The smile didn't vanish from his face. "You're not are you?" He shook his head.
"I know this really secluded spot, it'll be ideal for a spar" Sarah crossed her arms, annoyed.
"Well, i'm not carrying it! End of story"
"You won't have to" he plonked two pairs of rollerblades near her feet. "Can you skate?"
"Yeah, sort of" Casey crabbed the bag and a pair of skates. As Sarah was heading out, she crabbed a pair of shoes and stuffed them in the bag.
"Bruce Lee fan?" He asked noting the black shoes, with the brown plastic sole.
"They're great for sparing, if you want to with skates that's your problem" she then leaned toward the bed and crabbed something from the side of it.
"What's that?" Casey asked, eyeing the weapon.
"Hanbo, three foot staff. You got yours, I got mine!" She tucked it into her belt and threw a jacket on. The snow had cleared some months back, but it was still a little chilly.
The skate to the park had been uneventful and silent. The only thing Casey had said was that it was good for their legs.
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Sarah looked around the small area which was totally enclosed by bushes, but allowed plenty of sunlight.
"It's amazing, how'd you find this spot?" She asked. Casey paused.
"I followed some creeps..." she nodded, she knew the drill. He was out almost everynight. She pulled her blades off and threw on her "Bruce Lee" shoes. She caught Casey giving her 'the look'.
"What? I'm not training in those! Why do you think I brought 'em?" He put his arms up in defence.
"Hey, do you hear me whinging?" Casey was being a smart ass. She frowned.
"I don't winge! I'm gonna get you for that!" From her sitting postion, she went into a low side roll, pulling the hanbo from her belt. She landed on her two feet and went into a low defensive stance. Casey pulled out a baseball bat and twirled it a few times. He went in for an attack. Sarah ducked the bat, then went into a dive roll. He came again, this time a low swing. Sarah saw it coming and jumped, clearing the bat. Casey paused, she was better than he thought.
"What?" She asked.
"Maybe we should put the pads on. " She thought about it for a second. She was ninja, he was a streetfighter. She has been doing this for most of her life. He hadn't. For his sake, she agreed.
As she went through his duffle bag, she frowned. There were protection pads, but not the ones she was expecting.
"What's this?" She asked in an accusing tone, holding the pads up for him to see. Casey had the word 'guilty' written all over his face.
"Hockey pads. Your point being?"
"You're training with the boys today, aren't you?" She was annoyed. She had being looking foward to training with Casey the whole day.
"Yeah later, shit Sarah, what's up your arse?" She opened her mouth to give him a piece of her mind, then closed it. She hadn't been sleeping well lately. She had been plagued by nightmares. Her fowl mood wasn't really his fault.
"One of the guys is into tae kwon do. Spur with him, i'm sure he won't mind, up for the challenge?" An evil grin spread across his face. So that's what he meant by a 'long day'. He had planned it.
"I was hoping you wouldn't mind, I can't wait until you kick his butt!" He rubbed his hands together "This'll be good!" He started packing up. "It's a bit of a skate from here, let's go" Sarah, still angry, didn't say anything, but nodded and changed back into her rollerblades.
Julie had tried many things to calm her temper, but to no avail. She was as bad as Rachael at times. She sighed. Thinking about her friends made her realise that she was homesick. She looked up as Casey cleared his throat and made a signal that they should go.
He had been watching her. She certainly was spirited. He had heard her sigh and had cleared his throat , making an indication with his hands that they should go. As they made their way to the path, Sarah had remained silent. Something was bugging her. Her mood had changed too quickly.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh nothing really, I was just thinking you know. I've been down on my luck ever since I could remember..." Her voice trailed. It was true. She had hoped that coming to America would change all that... but then again... those dreams had started up again. The ones she had when she was a kid. The ones about ninjas. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.
"I miss my family" they finally passed the hedge wall and came to an open area and in the distance they could make out a basketball court and a group of people.
"I thought you said you were looking for them."
"Other than Julie, I live with four other females..." Casey broke into a grin, where Sarah playfully punched his arm.
"Forget it Case, they're kids" the grin vanished.
"So I guess they're kinda like your little sisters huh?"
"Yeah, we haven't been separated in over ten years"
"They could visit" Sarah shook her head.
"Julie freaked when I suggested it". Casey waved as they got closer. Before them was a small group of men, some not looking much older than herself. She raised an eyebrow.
"Any singles?"
"Yeah, him" Sarah's gaze shifted to the young man that Casey had been pointing to. His back was turned and he wore a trenchcoat that reached his ankles. Sarah's smile vanished as he turned around, so did his. Sarah took a step back, horrified.
Kyle had been joking with his friends when one mentioned that Casey had arrived with his 'new best friend'. He hadn't been listening all that well. His thoughts had been on the girl he had helped a few weeks back. He didn't know her name, but he had been constantly thinking of her. His good humor evaported when he laid eyes on her. His friends knew of her, he had raved on about her fighting abilities. Now she was here. Now she was in danger. She too had recognised him and he watched as she backed off. Casey looked to Sarah, then Kyle, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. The two knew each other, and he refrained from saying anything, until he knew how. Sarah hadn't mentioned anyone.
Kyle stuck his hand out infront of him.
"Hey wait!" He called out and ran up to her. In the background, his friends had started to whisper. It was her!
Sarah turned, but hestitated. She too had been thinking of him lately. Kyle paused for a moment before putting his hand on her shoulder.
"Hi" he said as she turned to face him. She folded her arms and frowned.
"What the hell do you want?" She demanded. Casey stepped closer to her, worried that things might get ugly.
"I wanted to know how you were doing." He didn't blame her for being angry. She glared at Casey before crabbing Kyle by the arm and dragging him away from Casey's watchful glance. Casey shrugged his shoulders. It was obvious that they had issues. He rubbed his hands together.
"Hi guys, who's up for a game?" Andrew, one of his friends came up to him.
"Who's that?"
"Who Sarah? She's okay" they both turned and looked at the couple, who were now yelling at each other, their voices muffled by a plane that had just gone over them.
"She looks like a handful"
"Well yeah, but don't let her hear you say that!" He winked and went over to the others to warm up.
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"I'm fine, what's it to you?" Her anger intensified. First he jumped her, then he wanted to befriend her.
"I was worried okay"
"Well don't be, it's none of your concern, your friends jumped me remember!" She replied, yelling at him.
"Yeah, how can I forget? I tried to change their minds..."
"And why would you want to do that?"
"Because I don't hit women!" The tone in his voice and the look on his face made her suddenly realise that he might be telling the truth.
"Don't forget, I saved your ass!"
"And what do you want? A thank you?"
"Well I.."
"THANK YOU!" She turned and stormed off, heading toward the basketball court where the hockey game had just started. She stood there for a moment, watching Casey in action. She hadn't realised just how good he really was. She knew that he had an injury, though, he hadn't said what it was. He grined at her as he wizzed past with the puck in his possession. She tensed as she sensed someone behind her and she spun around to face Kyle.
"Stay away from me, I'm warning you?"
"Oh yeah, and what are you gonna do?" He asked, flashing her a cheeky grin. She went to knee him. He moved his arm, making a down sweeping action and he had blocked it even before she knew what had happened.
"I'm outta here. Don't follow me if you know what's good for you!" She turned and skated to the path. Kyle knew better and left. The foot were out and about waiting for her. He didn't want to be around when something happened. It was only a matter of time.
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Slowly she skated to a park bench. He knew how the push all the wrong buttons. He had made her so mad.... but he so was incredibly sexy... no, he was trouble! She knew that she couldn't think like that. She remembered that they had passed a pond on their way to the basketball court and she got up to go, then paused when she remembered the hill. She wasn't that good a skater and had trouble stopping. She felt a presence and spun around, expecting it to be him.
Her jaw dropped when she saw a group of black clad figures infront of her. One of them made a signal to someone behind her. Before she could react, her arms were roughly crabbed and she felt her two thumbs being binded. She didn't bother struggling. She knew the knot. Fighting it would only tighten it. Terror flowed through her as she looked at their dogis. It was familar. She looked up and the scenery changed. Behind the group was a small house in the middle of the woods. The scene was familar, the men infront of her were familar, but most of all the dogis were familar. She snapped out of her trance as she felt her knees being bounded together. One of them smirked.
"Try getting out of this one bitch! You've been warned!" Sarah did the only thing she could. She opened her mouth and let out a bloodcurdling scream, right before they pushed her down the hill.
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Casey had paused for a moment to check on Sarah. She was no where to be seen. He motioned for Andrew to follow him.
"Have you seen Sarah, she was here just a moment ago"
"She stormed off..." Casey threw his hockey stick to the ground, pulling his helmet off.
"Shit!! With her temper! We'd she go..." he was cut off by a scream. He knew her voice anywhere. They looked to one another, before Andrew skated off with Casey not to far behind.
They reached the folk in the path, to see Sarah fly passed them.
"Casey help meee!" She pleaded. She watched in horror as the pond came closer. There was a landing infront of her with wooden railings that was extended over the water. The pond was deep in the middle. She came down the hill fast. Anticipating the hit, she held her breath, as she hit the railing, the force pushing her over. She went into the pond head first.
Casey skated after her, unable to catch up and watched helplessly as she went over. He skiddered to a complete stop before jumping in after her.
Sarah had been frantickly trying to kick her legs, to get herself above the waterline. She was grateful when she felt a pair of strong arms reach for her, dragging her to the surface. Her heart was pounding, and she was breathing heavy. Her memory was coming back and her blood started to boil. She looked at Casey's friend as he pulled her out of the water, skates and all, then helped Casey out of the water. Sarah was now angry and cold. Casey pulled out a pocket knife, cutting Sarah's bindings.
"You okay?" He finally asked. Her face was red with anger and he had hestitated.
"Yeah" she said, pulling the water filled skates from her feet.
"What the hell happened?" Casey's friend asked.
"I was jumped that's what happened!" She started to pace, trying to control her anger. "If this is your idea of training, leave me out of it!!"
"What did you do?" Casey asked.
"What did I DO!! Goddamnit!!" She yelled right before the air was filled with a loud crack. Andrew looked at Sarah speechless as he watched her raise her leg to form a front kick and bring it down again with full force, snapping the top of the wooden railing in two.
"I'm going home!!" She turned and stormed off, water still dripping from her wet clothing. Casey looked to Andrew.
"I'll get my stuff later. I gotta go!" he called out to Andrew as he skated after Sarah. He caught up to her and crabbed her arm.
"What the hell's wrong with you?" He demanded. She turned around and glared at him.
"Those guys in the black pyjamas, they murdered my father!" He stood there speechless. This was something he hadn't expected. "Now I know why I was trained in ninjutsu, they'll come for me as well!" He remained silent and followed her, now knowing better than to irritate her when she was already angry.
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They had been silent all the way back to Sarah's room. The cab driver had looked at them strangely when the two wet figures had gotten in, but had said nothing when he found out that the ride was to the other side of town. Casey sat there and watched, not daring to say a word. He had never seen her that angry. Her eyes were filled with a hatred that he had never seen before. Her features were twisted and she was breathing hard. He hated to think what was going on inside her head.
Sarah couldn't think of anything other than revenge. Her father was dead, and they would pay! She had started to take deep breaths to focus on the task at hand. For one, she knew nothing of her ememy, all she knew was that she wouldn't rest until she had restored the honor that her family had once held.
As they got out and Casey paid the fare, Sarah had stormed into the building not even waiting for him. She knew that she had to be ready for anyone and anything. All she wanted to do was train. Her strength was finally starting to return and nothing was going to stop her now.
Casey cursed under his breath when he had realised that Sarah hadn't even bothered to wait. She wasn't angry at him. He knew that. The news had come as a shock, and had put Sarah into a vicious mood. He got to her door and found it open, closing it behind him. He paced as he waited for her to change. Finally the door to the bathroom opened and Sarah appeared in tights and a sweatshirt. He watched her go over to the small closet and pull out a stack of clothes placing them on the bed.
"Here, change, I'll be downstairs training." She reached beside the bed again, this time pulling out her jo, then left.
"It's prolly best she blows off some steam anyhow" he thought to himself as he changed.
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Sarah took slow deep breaths as she started to stretch. It had started to become clear now, though some parts had still been a little hazy. She knew they had murdered her father, she just didn't know how. She knew that Julie could fill in the gaps, but would she? She had never mentioned the night in question. She started on her calves, moving next to her legs, then arms. After doing the splits, she started off with a basic kata. The moves Julie had insisted on. They were the basics, all others stemming from those. After a few minutes, she picked up her jo and started to twirl it around her. She looked up as Casey cleared his throat. He was wearing the black gi that had once belonged to her father, Ho Yin.
"I feel so funky!" Casey said as he started to check himself out in the mirrored room, then he smiled as he reached for something behind him.
"Ready?" He asked, he didn't wait for an answer as he swung the bat at Sarah. She dropped, her legs apart, her knees bent, her arms bent at the elbow in a defensive posture. The bat passing the spot were her head had been only seconds ago, missing her completely. She stared at him, the uniform looked familar. Casey caught the distant look in her eye, and backed off a little. An uneasy feeling whirled in her mind as the room suddenly took on another feel, as the flashback took a hold of her. She looked around, she was once again in the forest, she heard voices, that of her sister and brothers. The vision vanished as a voice popped into her head.
"Sarah? Sarah!" She blinked a few times as she noticed that Casey had been waving his hand infront of her face.
"Are you ok? You just froze" He was concerned. During her fever she had been suffering from nightmares, and had on more than one occassion woken up screaming. When he had asked her later about it, she had had no recollection of ever having the dreams.
"Yeah, fine, try again" He hesitated.
"C'mon Case, I'm fine, really"
"I don't know..." his voice trailed as Sarah went in for a punch. He raised his right hand, deflecting the hit. She pounced back, shifting her weight. She turned to her side and unleashed a side kick, this time hitting Casey's side. He stumbled back a few steps. The kick wasn't as powerful as he had first thought. He bent down and picked the bat up, swinging it low. Sarah jumped it landing on her two feet, and went back into another defensive posture. He swung it at waist level. He was taken back when Sarah crabbed it, and went in for another kick. Casey saw this one coming and shifted his body weight back, the kick just missing him. He caught a quick look in her eyes. The look had come back.
Before Sarah even knew what had happened another flashback had taken hold. The forest was back and a teenage Julie was beside her. She had heard an explosion and was about to turn around... her mind cleared just as Sarah saw the bat coming toward her. She hit the floor, going into a very low back roll and landed on her two feet. With her legs apart, he knees bent and her arms in an open forty five degree postion she waited. Casey looked at the posture, thinking it weird, though he didn't question it. Sarah had been in training for a very long time. He grunted and went into the attack, the bat aimed at her head.
As soon as Sarah had gone into the posture, the flashback was back. She had turned around and was now facing the burning building. A lone figure had managed to escape the inferno. She had a nagging feeling in the back of her mind. She knew what was coming. Her mouth opened and she screamed as she saw the ninja behead her father. The flashback cleared and the last thing Sarah saw was the back of Casey's bat.
~Chapter Six ~ Up Soon!