Chapter 7

Elizabeth (POV)

I had set my alarm and woke up as its buzzing startled me. The sun was beginning to rise over the woods and I quickly got dressed. I wasn't sure what was deemed appropriate to wear to your first ninjitsu lesson but I decided on sweats and a dark green loose t-shirt. I pushed on the small comfortable shoes April had bought me. She had become such a great support. I also got the feeling she liked the female presence around the house. It was hard to breathe with the testosterone in the air.

Leonardo instructed me to meet him in the barn. I wasn't going to be late; I didn't want to make him angry today. He had reacted strangely to the news I gave him about Karai and I sat in my room yesterday wondering what I could have said to upset him. I knew he had some kind of feelings for her, but I didn't know the extent.

I opened the door of the barn and walked inside. It was dark and cold. The old beams creaked and swayed, and the walls needed to be painted and I could hear the birds that had decided to nest in the roof of the structure. I walked to the centre of the barn. Leonardo was in here. I could smell him, but I couldn't see him. His scent always reminded me of the ocean. The incense he used when he meditated hung to him and it filled my nose as I went deeper into the barn.

"Leo?" I called to him but received no answer. I wasn't stupid and I knew this was a test. I closed my eyes and focused my new enhanced senses. Sounds and smells melded into one and I could hear his footsteps approach, he drew his sword and jumped. I could feel steal against my neck. I didn't dare move. I opened my eyes and I could feel his stare in the back of my head. I turned slowly. The cold katana still pressed against me.

"You could hear me and you stayed still" It wasn't a question. He looked disappointed at my reluctance to attack him. I didn't know what he wanted from me. I was here because I had difficulty controlling myself and now he wanted me to supress all of that control and show him what I was really capable of. I shrugged my shoulders, unable to speak. He sheathed his sword and walked to the middle of the floor and sat. His hands motioned me to follow and sit and face him.

"First we will begin your training by melding your spirit with your body; this connects us to the earth, and grounds us, but also lifts us to the sun and warms our soul. The breathing exercises I will teach you can be used to control any situation. It also helps us to control the flow of Chi throughout our body. Chi is the energy we use in our reflections that can be transformed into a physical manifestation like a punch or a kick." He closed his eyes and I did the same. I could feel my heart rate slow in my chest and my breathing was full and thick. I peeked to make sure I had my position correct. "This exercise is done with complete focus" he voice was demanding and firm and I quickly closed my eyes. I could feel the sunshine on my cheek as it had ascended into the morning sky. The door of the barn squeaked in a quick breeze and the birds sang above me. Soon the noise was drowned out and I was alone with my thoughts. They had been consumed by Karai. That hadn't changed.

Karai (POV)

I watched my father play with her. He had a new pet. I laughed at the thought of it. She said she loved him, but nobody loved my father. They were just loyal to him because they feared him. She would stroll into the throne room and sit by his side. She disgusted me, and the only reason my father kept her around was because she was an heiress to a multibillion dollar company. The company itself was useful on its own. It was an arms firm selling weapons to different countries around the globe. I hadn't been very welcoming to our new guest and the more she tried to convince me of the love between my father and her the more I wanted to slip a poison asp between her sheets.

She was twenty-eight years old. My father was almost fifty and I was four years her junior. This façade had drained me for weeks and I trained with the Foot ninja to keep from her company. She had no place in our home. Her heels would click across the wooden floor announcing her presence throughout the house. I had explained our customs but she could not understand our ways. My father had commanded me to ensure her safety and I did so without question. I became second in his eyes; all he saw was his vendetta and his money. Now he saw her, a vapid blonde wench with no sense of decorum. I scowled at his decision to keep her as a lover. She had no right to be here.

I walked to my room and rolled out my futon to sleep. My phone made a sudden noise and I grabbed it expecting my father to have sent me the details of the new mission. It wasn't my father.

Karai! We need to talk! I will be back soon!

-Leonardo

I sighed at the message. What did he want now? I kept my promise and made sure the Foot stayed back as much as they could. I hadn't seen his brothers in months. Leonardo and I had kept our friendship a secret and I was sure his message wasn't about something foolish. His face flashed in front of me. I knew he wanted more from me than friendship, although he would never say. The only thing I needed from him was a weekly conversation that didn't include maiming, robbery, or killing. He was my release from the pressure of being my father's daughter. But Leonardo needed to understand one thing. I would do anything for my father. Anything.