Then, Mary-Margaret walked into the room. "Caine?"
He stopped what he was doing and looked over at her. "Mary-Margaret.
are you.. off work?"
She laughed, "No, not yet. I'm still on duty. Not officially."
He appeared confused. "What..do you mean?"
She said, "Well, I just came back from the Golden Dragon."
"Ahh, yes." Caine nodded. He had been there with his son a few times. "But, I did not know... that you liked Chinese food.."
Skalaney nodded, moving to sit in a chair. "Peter called us for back-up. We-- well, they were gone by that time.. there was an attack. Almost everything was destroyed."
Caine asked, concerned, "Peter? Is he.. hurt?"
She shook her head, "Oh no, he's ok. But he said these guys were breaking stuff, then he broke it up.. their leader, some bald guy in a dress-- you know, those karate gi's-- he threw a smoke bomb. They vanished!"
"Ohh.. I see." He knew of the tactic. "Yes. These are not.. ordinary thugs. They are ninja."
"You sure?" She thought that they were mostly a myth.
"I am certain," he said. "If they were not real, would Peter not have.. caught one? Only a ninja can enter a place and then disappear. They are shadow warriors.."
She replied, "Ninja. You mean, those assassins of Japan? I thought those were stories."
Caine continued, "No, they are very real. But very secret. But... they are not all assassins. A few use it for evil. Like Tan used the Shaolin way for evil. Ninjutsu.. like the Shaolin path.. is a discipline used to attain enlightenment. Their methods are just different."
She nodded. "But sometimes, a few bad apples start their own sects, to do bad and kill people."
Caine agreed. "Yes.. much like the Chi'Ru did a few centuries ago. But tell me.. did Peter identify any of them?"
skalaney explained, "Well, just the leader. According to Peter--and the owner of the diner-- they have a higher master than this Tatsu."
Caine looked a bit curious about the name. "Tatsu. Is it.. Fujimoro Tatsu?"
She took the notepad from her purse. "No, we only got Tatsu as the name. Do you know him?"
Caine shrugged. "Perhaps a relative from the man Peter saw.. from many years ago."
She said, "Well, they claim to serve a master who calls himself Shredder."
Caine shook his head."I do not know of him."
She replied, "No one does.. though we believe that 'Shredder' is just an alias. But Peter did manage to grab a piece of their garment. THIS." She gave him the red headband.
He took it, moving the fingers over the letters. He gasped in recognition. "This..this is their clan."
She arched a brow. "Can you read Japanese?"
The priest nodded to her. "Yes...these characters tell me its name. The first is the clan identity. The Foot Clan of the Black Dragon.
"And the second character?" She asked him. "What is it?"
Caine paused, then replied, "It is their appointed leader.. it is a name of a man.. a murderer! An evil man without conscience.. Oroku Saki. This.. Shredder, he may be a man under Saki, unless.. they are the same person. I do not know."
The cop found this interesting. It seemed like Caine had met the leader before. "Did you personally know any other members of the Foot Clan?"
"Yes.. I did." He nodded. "I knew one of their members. A man exiled from his clan.. Hamato Yoshi.."
---------------------------------
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
SHAOLIN TEMPLE
1978
Master Caine was meditating in his chambers, when young Peter and Master Kahn run in. They were all in orange robes and head shaved.
Peter yelled "Father! There's visitors."
Caine rose to his feet. If people came for help, he would give it. "How many are there?"
Kahn answered, "Only two, a Japanese couple. They've come for shelter."
"Then... they must be given shelter." Caine gestured for the door. "Take me to them."
When they got to the main entrance, the doors were opened.
A man and a woman entered, appearing a bit nervous. The woman was very beautiful, fair-skinned, with long black hair. She carried a small cage covered by a blue cloth. The man was a little thin, but had a strong build. He was holding a briefcase.
They were both wearing blue jeans and t-shirts with leather jackets. The man spoke. "Excuse me. Sir, are you the master of this temple?"
Caine looked at the man and saw great power in his eyes. "Yes..you have travelled.. a great distance?"
The woman smiled kindly. "Yes. From Tokyo. We're trying to get to New York, but we don't see any inns nearby."
The man sighed, "Oh, forgive my manners." He bowed, as did his wife. "I must introduce myself. My name is Hamato Yoshi. This is my wife, Tang Shen."
She bowed reverently. "Hello, sirs. It is an honor to meet you."
Caine gave the Shaolin salute: right fist in left palm. "I am Caine. Yoshi, is that a pet?" He gestured at the cage Shen was holding.
Shen uncovered it, revealing a brown rodent.. a rat. The animal stirred in it's cage, as it saw that these were different surrounings..
Yoshi smiled, "Yes. That is Splinter. I've had that one for ten years. He's a bit smart for a rat. But they usually are."
Shen laughed, "Yes. Sometimes, he swears he can see Splinter copying his kata movements. Are pets allowed here?"
Caine said with a nod, "Yes.. the Shaolin respect all life. You may keep him in your quarters."
Yoshi smiled a bit, then he looked serious. "Master Caine..."
"Yes?" Caine turned to him.
Yoshi said to him, "Could you accompany me for a minute? I think I may need to talk to a priest.. and I sense that I can trust you."
"Of course. Follow me." He looked to his son. "Peter, stay with Kahn."
Tang Shen said to them, "Don't worry, I'll be along after a while."
Yoshi and Caine made their way to the guest quarters. It had a big bed, feather pillows, and candles. The two men sat in opposite chairs, facing each other.
Caine asked, "What do you wish to talk about?"
"My past. I've done something wrong." Yoshi glanced down at the stone floor.
Caine said with reassurance, "All have committed a wrong at one time or another. But few have learned from them."
The man shook his head. "No. This is different. I am ninja. Or.. I mean, I was ninja. I was the best warrior in my clan. The Foot."
Caine arched a brow. "You were.. expelled.. from your order?"
"Well..I should tell you the story." Yoshi said. "Sometimes, when you're in competition, or part of an elite group, you make rivals."
Caine agreed, "That is.. inevitable."
"Yes," Yoshi said with a nod, "I was their best shadow warrior. And most rivals come and go. We still respected each other. But one stayed.. Oroku Saki. He is the only one who ever matched my abilities. We were friends, but we both competed in every lesson, every game.. and for a woman."
Caine leaned back, he knew where this was going now. "Ahh.. your wife. I see."
"Yes, that is right." Yoshi smiled a little. "Tang Shen loved only me. We married. Afterwards, she was attacked by Saki's brother, Singo. He said that if Saki could not have her, no one will. I stepped in to save her." He stopped momentarily, a look of despair on his face. "But my martial instincts took over. I had killed him! Saki swore revenge. But before he could act, I was questioned and found guilty by the Council."
"Council?" Caine asked. "These were the clan's.. superiors?"
Yoshi nodded. "Yes. They are the masters, the highest teachers, the.. overseers. Grandmasters. They gave me a choice of whether or not I would die. They will execute me or.. I could be stripped of my rank and exiled, never to return to the country. So, I left."
Caine asked curiously, "And your rival.. Oroku Saki. What happened to him?"
Yoshi sighed, "He declared that we were sworn enemies. When I left, the Grandmasters took him under their wing and began special training.. he is supposed to take my place when the time comes. I think he's skilled enough to do it. But he uses the dark side of our art. But I.. still killed a man. I doubt that Saki would feel guilt about it."
Caine spoke softly then. "Mr. Yoshi... your wife was going to be killed. You may have had no other choice. The taking of a life does no one honor, even if it is necessary."
"What should I do?" Yoshi asked, worried. "How do we go on?"
Caine looked at him. "Continue to love your wife. Make a new life for yourselves. And most crucial... forgive yourself."
"Alright.." Yoshi took a deep breath. "Okay.. I will try."
Caine continued, "My grandfather was in your position. The first Kwai Chang Caine. In China 100 years ago, his Master Po was shot by the Emperor's nephew, an evil and arrogant young man. Caine killed him in a rage to save Po. But Master Po did not survive his fatal gunshot wound."
"So.. you know what it was like?" Yoshi had not known this part of the Caine family history.
The priest answered, "Yes. However, the Shaolin teachers let him keep his rank. He fled from the Imperial Guard to America, where he used his skills to help others. As his son had done... and as I do."
Yoshi smiled then, rising up from his chair. "Master Caine, you're right. I will try to forgive myself. I'm glad we had this talk." He got up out of his chair.
"As am I." Caine got up as well, giving him the Shaolin salute.
Yoshi bowed his head, then copied the gesture. "Glad I could meet you, Master Caine."
-----------------------------------
---Present Time---
Mary-Margaret listened to the story. "So, this Oroku Saki came to America after Yoshi did."
"Yes.. to New York." Caine agreed.
Skalaney asked him, "Did you ever meet Yoshi or Saki after that?"
He replied, "I met Saki during my wanderings. It was not a.. happy meeting." He sighed. Thank you for showing me this bandana. Do you need it?"
"Yeah." She got up, held her hand out. "Actually, I do. I have to take it to the station where Forensics can analyze fingerprints. Hopefully, we can catch the one of these Foot guys who had it."
"Perhaps. I hope you are successful." He handed the red cloth to her.
"Thanks," she said, putting the bandana in her purse. "I will pass this information along to Peter." She smiled at him, then walked out of the room.
Caine then got out of the chair and sat on the floor. He glanced at the lit candles, then crossed his legs, holding his hands over the knees. He closed his eyes and began to meditate...