Chapter 4

Rocky quietly closed the door to the backyard, swinging his arm around to stretch out his shoulders. He did a few windmills before leaning over, pressing his hands against his thighs to stretch his back. He stood once more and pulled his arm across his chest, wincing when he felt a sharp pull in his right shoulder, frowned to himself.

That'd be perfect timing, he thought. For something else to go wrong. Releasing his arm, Rocky lowered it back to his side, then reached up to stretch it once more. His face screwed up and he immediately dropped it once more, grasping his shoulder, digging his fingertips into the ball and socket joint. He made a mental note to ice his shoulder later then turned into a low crouch to stretch.

He moved in silence for a few more minutes then stood up from a lunge to ask, "What are you doing awake?" He turned his head to the side and saw his father standing behind him, blonde brows moving upwards in surprise. Rocky smiled to himself, seeing the surprise. It always made him laugh, maybe even in a bit of a cocky way, to see the emotion flitter across anyone's face when he did something impressive ninja related.

There was more to ninja than showing off, he'd learned that lesson years ago, but sometimes it was fun to indulge in it. Especially when his father was involved. Maybe a tiny bit of payback from Sam saying ninja was a waste of time and they needed to be more disciplined.

"How'd you know it was me?" Sam asked.

"I don't know anyone else who would be up as early as you are, dad," Rocky pointed out. He stood up and stretched his back, doing his best to turn his throbbing shoulder from his dad as casually as he could. "There's more to life than doing baseball drills this early in the morning. Or even reading the sports section."

"And you're up this early because?" Sam lightly teased in response.

"Habit," Rocky replied.

He'd always been an early riser. Which, in all honestly, was probably due to his grandfather waking him up with some of the weirdest tactics to have him ready and prepared for anything. He couldn't remember the last time he had a full night's restful sleep; it was the only downside of the whole ninja training. Any slight sound that was different woke him up out of a deep sleep.

Or maybe it was due to the memories of trying to sleep the first night after Snyder attacked. Where his adrenaline was running so hard so fast that he thought someone was breaking in when the trees outside his room scratched against his window. There was something to be said about being too prepared.

"And I wanted to get some training in," Rocky continued honestly.

Sam gave him a funny look, chuckled to himself as he moved to stand close to his eldest son. He folded his arms over his chest. "I would've thought you'd be dead asleep after the dance," he remarked. "I'm sure you partied all night at Jason's after."

Rocky gave him a critical look. "You know I don't like to party." That much he added silently. As per usual, Jason held an after-party for the seniors after the Homecoming dance. Rocky had already planned on staying at Jason's house after the dance as it was, but the party was better. Especially after Jason had ended up winning the title of Homecoming King. He used that as a means to make it the biggest party he'd ever thrown, and it'd been fun.

Even when things died down and Jason claimed he'd be fine staying at the house by itself, Rocky had stayed there for a little while before making his way back home to get some sleep. Habits died hard and Rocky watched Jason like a hawk, making sure his best friend wasn't experiencing any PTSD or anxiety from having had been kidnapped the last time he was home by himself. He knew exactly how that felt and didn't want his best friend to go through the same thing.

The dance and the party had been a nice reprieve from everything, but reality always had a way of coming back to bite. The weekend was over, things were going to start over and be normal again. He had to go back to figuring out what he was going to do with his life. The end of the year was going to come sooner than any of them would expect, he still needed to take the SATs, needed to fill out his college applications, needed to actually choose what college he was going to go to, needed to figure out what he'd like to major in, needed to keep up his grades for the rest of the year…

Needed to get ready for what was probably going to be hist last year of playing basketball for school and baseball for his dad. Too many things he needed to figure out. And too little time. If he could get at least some time to meditate and reflect, even if for a few minutes a day, at least his head wouldn't feel like exploding as it habitually was.

"You do know you can be a teenager sometimes, right?" Sam asked, chuckling to himself. "It's not going to kill you."

"I know." It's everything else that's going to kill me. Nevertheless, Rocky gave his father a ghost of a smile and continued to move through the slow katas that his grandfather taught him. It would be a few more hours before Mori woke up, shortly before Rocky had been told what was going on with his grandfather, he couldn't help but notice the start times on their ninja training had moved further and further back. Mori needed to sleep more, to get more rest, to sit back and watch the boys as he instructed them. Couldn't do as many of the moves himself anymore.

Now that he knew why…

Finally, Rocky slowed and turned toward his father, eyebrows rising in silent question. "Did you want to try some of this?" He asked. Sam snorted quietly to himself, making Rocky roll his eyes. "It's just ninja, dad, it's not going to kill you."

"There's more to life than that silly little game you play with your grandfather."

"I'm sure grandpa says the same thing to you about us playing baseball," Rocky replied. Then immediately stiffened up and slowly turned to face his father, pressing his lips together. "I didn't mean it like that," he said quickly, knowing how much more of a wedge it was probably going to put between his father and grandfather. "I just meant—"

"—I know what you meant," Sam interrupted.

He continued to watch his son, making Rocky start to sweat under the intense gaze of his blue eyes. It was no wonder people never wanted to be around his dad when he was in 'police mode'. There were criminals who cracked under that intense gaze and gave up everything they knew about the crime the moment Sam Douglas came around. There was a reason he moved up the ranks to be the director of FBI so quickly.

Unfortunately, it made it so that even his own children weren't able to connect with him as well as they used to. Rocky remembered running toward the front door with a cry of, "Daddy!" when he was young, of crying out "Dad!" as he got older and hadn't seen his father sine having gone to the mountains to visit his grandfather. And how it had slowly, over the years, morphed into just shaking his father's hand and giving a nod when it counted.

As much as Rocky hated to admit it, his father intimidated him more than he thought possible.

"You know your actions have consequences," Sam continued. "And I know you guys were doing what you thought was the right thing, but you would've been better off if you'd left everything for me and the rest of the police force to handle. Your probation…" he took in a deep breath. "it took a lot of talking with everyone, to make sure it didn't completely ruin your future. Yours and your brothers." He paused for a moment. "And the Jacksons."

Rocky paused, glancing at his father critically as he listened to his words. His father hadn't seemed to like the Jacksons at all since they met, holding some sort of…contempt for them since meeting at the ninja tournament. Then there was that embarrassing day in Reed's office where his father had burst in and demanded that they leave and have no further contact with them… Sam had been partially right, though no one knew Reed was going to be taken hostage by Harding and his men.

Nevertheless, Rocky knew there was something else his father wasn't saying about them, and it probably had to do with the rumors going around school since they first arrived. Rocky didn't believe in rumor, never had. But what did anyone believe more, their own gut instinct or their parent?

Especially when, by that age, no one knew any better than what their parents taught them. College was supposed to be where someone went to figure themselves out, but how was that possible when even his own college choices were dictated by his parents?

"I don't think something like this is going to ruin my future, dad," Rocky said, taking in a deep, calming breath. His fingers twitched at his sides, tapping against each other rapidly, trying to stave off the pins and needles that were starting to form.

"Are you sure about that?"

Rocky opened and closed his mouth. Then he lowered his chin and shrugged. He was sure it wasn't going to, but he had a feeling his dad was going somewhere with it. And it was confirmed when Sam gestured for Rocky to follow him to the back patio. Rocky took in another breath, trying to keep himself from letting his frustration show, then followed him.

He dropped down into one of the seats, stretching out his legs. He watched as his father eased himself into his own seat crossed his legs, resting his ankle atop his other thigh. Sam rested his hands on his stomach, lacing his fingers together. And, as the silence stretched, father and son sat together. Though while Sam seemed to be the perfect picture of calm, cool, and collected, Rocky tried not to let his brain wander too far while he waited to see what his father was going to say.

"I know I've told you boys this a lot over the years," Sam said, finally speaking up. "But I really don't think you listen when I say that you always have to think about your futures and what you decide now may affect it."

"Dad," Rocky said with a sigh. "I don't need a lecture."

"It seems to me that you do. I don't understand why everyone gives me a hard time about this." Sam raised his hand and dropped them back to his lap. "I know you love your grandfather, and I know you ninja. But time and time again, you've proven how much the things you do can get you and other people hurt and unnecessarily put them in danger."

"I didn't mean for any of that to happen to Jason," Rocky said quickly. "And for Mr. Jackson."

"And you never wanted anything to happen to Emily," Sam pointed out. Rocky cringed, immediately flashing back to seeing her with an arm wrapped around her throat and a gun pointed to her head when Fester had her as a hostage so many years ago. "Or to Jo and her father." What happened to Charlie had happened before he and his brothers got involved, but Rocky felt it was prudent not to mention that tiny detail. Especially when his father wasn't exactly wrong with where he was going. "And you even got that Miyo girl dragged into something she never should've been a part of."

Okay, that last one really wasn't his fault. He didn't think he was going to able to talk Miyo out of helping them even if he wanted to, and, truthfully, if it wasn't for her finding the real head of the tournament, Koga and his men may have killed them within seconds. Plus, she made them better ninjas, and they wouldn't have been able to defend themselves as well as they had if it weren't for that training.

"Your intentions are always good, but your actions are short-sighted," Sam said. He was silent for a moment, licking his lips. He sighed, shaking his head, ran his fingers across his forehead. "When I went into the house and saw what'd happened to Jason, I worried. I worried, not only for him, but that you may have been caught up with it as well. I know you'd do anything to help your friends, especially with how…lackluster the Crosses can be in their parenting skills. And now Harding the way I do, I knew if he was able to get out of prison, there was a chance he wasn't going to go straight into the night without causing some sort of trouble, and with what had been happening before, the escalating trouble that'd been going on…I was afraid you'd been hurt, too."

"I'm fine, dad," Rocky said simply. He tapped his fingers even faster, his knees starting to bounce up and down.

"And what if you weren't." Suddenly, Sam wasn't the 'father' anymore, he was an agent of the law. He moved forward swiftly, resting his arms on his thighs, stared his eldest son straight in the eye. Moved so quickly that Rocky felt his heart leap in his chest. Could feel and see the proverbial wall slid up from the ground and separate them. "Can you honestly say, 100% that nothing was going to happen to you, the Jacksons, Jo, or Cloud that night?"

"No, I can't."

He was honest. Honesty was always the best policy. Any punishment that had ever come his way was always lessened because he was the first to tell the truth. Even when there were times where he backed up his brothers and came up with the best excuses and

"Exactly."

"But that doesn't mean I didn't have enough faith in our abilities that we couldn't do what we needed to do to get Jason and Mr. Jackson back. We couldn't wait for the police, because we're always being pushed to the side."

"Because kids shouldn't be dealing with this."

"I'm not a kid!" Rocky realized he'd raised his voice, seeing a flash through his father's eyes. "I'm almost eighteen."

"Then stop acting like a kid, and act like you're almost eighteen," Sam insisted. "Think about the example you're setting for your brothers. Think about the example you've always set for them; Tum doesn't take too much seriously, and Colt may have gotten more of a handle on his anger, but can you say for sure that you've done a considerable amount for your brothers that you can leave them and there'd be no problems?"

Rocky puffed up his cheeks with a breath he wanted to let out, feeling the rare shot of anger that zapped through him. "Set an example for your brothers," and then he was the bad guy because he wasn't doing what he was supposed to, to ensure that things were moving smoothly with his brothers and the expectation that was put on him. "Why can't you be more like your brother?" When he did everything right and then his brothers resented him because he…just existed? Because he had unrealistic expectations put on him that he silently took and ran with because…why?

"This ninja training that you're doing…it's a fun activity, but it's not what's going to get you prepared for life and the future. It's not going to get you into college." Sam shook his head. "Once they get started into doing background checks, into looking into you for interviews…do you want them to be only know you as one of the 3 Ninjas?"

Rocky shrugged.

Honestly, he'd thought, no matter what, it would follow him wherever he went. Especially with the internet being what it was. There was a point in time where he, Colt, and Tum-Tum followed the '3 Ninjas' Google Alert, to see what would come up. And one day, during an anniversary of the Mega Mountain Mission, as some published articles were calling it, his phone didn't stop going off for a single hour. More and more of the comments on his Instagram pictures, the few and far times between he posted, would influx with people who'd find it when the news got big again. He considered making his account private, but that negated how long it took for him and his brothers to even convince his parents to let them even have one.

It was a compromise, they could get Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat all they wanted…so long as their parents followed their accounts. (Colt had tried, at one point, to fake them out, but their father wasn't a director of the FBI for nothing).

"Your athleticism speaks for itself," Sam continued. Rocky nodded. He should've known it was going to go exactly where he thought it was going to go. "You're good at martial arts, you're good at basketball, but it's clear you'll have a future in baseball. It'll teach you everything you need to know about life so that it'll push your career forward at UCLA."

That would've been a perfect time for Rocky to bring up Washington. How he thought it would be a good idea to go there, how there were plenty of majors for him to choose from and that he felt he could really be his own person there, have his own identity. Could've talked about how the guidance counselor had truly listened to him and his concerns over everything had helped him with even remotely thinking about his future, but found his voice gone.

He simply sank back in his seat, sat, focused, breathed, listened as his father continued speaking about his expectations. That was that.

As it always was.

With the subject changed to a more neutral territory, baseball, they were able to easily talk. Rocky felt the tension move away, the wall not quite falling completely, but became chipped away as they spoke about wanting to win the championship for his last year on the team. What they would do to make sure he was at the top of his form to pitch as long as he could.

At that, Rocky's blue eyes widened slightly. He mimed bringing his left arm up to wipe at his forehead, hoping the slight sense of panic that he knew had gone shooting through his eyes was masked. The throbbing pain shot up through his shoulder once more. He worked to keep it from his face, kept himself calm, cool, and solid as granite rock.

As he always did.

And, as usual, it worked out.

Because his father didn't notice the different. Or didn't know his son well enough to know there was a subtle difference in his son. That, mentally, he'd come closer to the intersection of the crossroads that was always coming looming ahead of him.

Behind him was the past, before him was the future, to the left was making his father happy, to the right was making himself happy. Not knowing which way to turn, he stood right in the center, twisting and turning, trying to figure out which way was the best way to go, worrying about the consequences of the decision he'd make.

Sitting with his father, talking about baseball, inched him closer to making his decision, but continued to spin around, considering all options that lay before him. Ninja was to give him some peace of mind, but made it that much harder, with what his grandfather was asking him.

For the first time in his life, Rocky couldn't wait to go to school.

A/N: Finally after so many things going on at work, and FFN being wonky, I've got an update for you guys. I hope you liked it despite the wait. This story is probably going to end up being longer than the last story so there's going to be a lot more of the action and adventure mixed into the story as well as you all seeing Rocky finally make the decisions that will decide his future.

I talked with my sister about my general plan for the story and she LOVES it so I know all you will, too! :) Thank you for being so patient with me. I'm also apologizing in advance as there may be a lot of time between updates as we move through the holidays, its always the busiest time at work for me.

Cheers,

-Riles