CHAPTER THREE: The Ninja in the Bedroom
Theresa left Snake Eyes alone with Taiga, leaving the door open so he could hear her moving around. She glared down the stairs at all the little drops of blood and the puddle in the centre of the room. There was also the white flash from earlier and something told Theresa that it might be best to start locking up for the night.
She made a slow journey down the stairs so her socks wouldn't be stained and locked the front door, the back door was already locked along with all the windows and Theresa ambled into the kitchen and searched for cleaning supplies under the sink.
After dousing the stairs with a mixture of bleach, water, and dish soap, Theresa pulled off her socks and rolled her pants up to her knees and started scrubbing each step. Taiga would come into view every now and then to see what she was doing before returning to her bedroom; she felt a little better knowing her guest didn't snore – assuming that he was asleep at all. Theresa foolishly wondered if the ninja had the ability to communicate with dogs and was ordering Taiga to check up on her. Theresa snorted at the thought, gripping the railing as her foot slipped.
When she finished the stairs, Theresa went back to the sink and refilled the bucket, waddling to the middle of the room and dropping the bucket with a loud thump! She heard Taiga's claws scape against the floor as he re-emerged at the top of the stairs with a concerned bark. He sniffed the stairway and made a face, lying on his belly and pawing his nose.
"Aw, poor baby." She cooed, receiving an unimpressed look from her dog. "The bucket was heavy, you can tell him that." Taiga rose to his feet and returned to the bedroom, Theresa heard him bark again and snickered.
By chance, she peered down at her feet to find one marked with a drop of blood, she moved a hand to her face and found blood was coming out of a thin scar on her cheek. Something had zipped past her earlier and as she walked back to the door, she tried imaging where the projectile might've gone. Theresa stared at the stairs and saw a glimmer of silver tucked between them and the wall, she crossed the floor and yanked out a small knife with three red line decorating the blade just above the hilt. She moved into the kitchen and dropped the blade into the sink, quickly washing her face and then searching for a bandage in one of the drawers.
At that point, Theresa faced the largest deposit of blood and glared up at the stairs. Huffing impatiently, she stalked towards the closet and pulled out the mop, slamming it into the bucket and angrily stabbing the puddle of blood. By the time she finished, the scent of bleach made her so dizzy she practically fell up the stairs towards Logan's room. She didn't look in on Snake Eyes and gratefully collapsed onto the bed, sticking her face into the sheets and smelling Hideki's fragrant shampoo with Logan's own strange scent, something earthy and fresh. Numbly, she sat back up and pulled off her shirt, tossing it into the darkness before kicking her pants off. With a yawn, she pulled the covers over her legs and grabbed a pillow, pressing her face into it and falling asleep.
Theresa awoke later to a crash that came from her room. Taiga was at the door barking and Theresa rolled out of the bed, grabbing one of Logan's oversized sweatshirts from the floor and dragging it over her head. She stood up and stumbled to the door, following Taiga into her room where Snake Eyes was sitting on his knees.
"Going somewhere?" she questioned sleepily. Snake Eyes merely looked up at her and raised his hands, silently asking for assistance. Theresa yawned and yanked him to his feet.
"Forgot where you were?" she asked as Snake Eyes seated himself on the bed. He nodded a little sheepishly. "Maybe you'd like to clean up now? I think Hideki has some clothes that might fit you…"
Theresa didn't notice how Snake Eyes tensed at the mention of another person and instead busied herself by picking the sand out of her eyes. Once finished, she raised an eyebrow and jerked her head towards the bathroom door. Snake Eyes seemed to think about it, placing his hands on his knees and gradually rising to his feet. He resisted Theresa's help as he limped towards the door, already pulling the bandages off. Theresa was impressed, after sustaining what seemed like a lot of damage, Snake Eyes was moving rather well.
"Does this happen often?" she gestured vaguely at his body and Snake Eyes shrugged.
"Right. I'll find you clothes then. Take your time, I'm not keen on stitching you up if you screw around too much." Theresa thought he laughed as she walked out of room.
Once she was back in Logan and Hideki's room, she sat down and massaged her temples, feeling her bare knees against her elbows. She groaned loudly and rose off the bed, quickly opening a drawer and finding a pair of Logan's pants to wear, ones that were riddled with paint marks; she then started searching through Hideki's drawers.
The woman walked back into her room happy the bathroom door was closed and left the clothes on the bed. Snake Eyes's weapons were there as well and Theresa couldn't help herself from examining the swords. She picked one up and carefully pulled the sword out, adjusting her hold on the hilt and dropping the sheath onto the bed. It was remarkably light, Theresa noted, stepping away from the bed as she swung it around, relishing in the heavy whoosh that accompanied her swings. Curious, she tiptoed into her closet and pulled out the old dictionary her mother had sent up; figuring that because Theresa was an English Major that it would be better suited for her use.
Theresa placed the book on the ground and grabbed the sword with both hands, spreading her legs apart and sliding it against the hard cover. Theresa bit her lip in excitement as the blade was already moving into the book, she lifted the blade up and easily cleaved through the dictionary as if it was butter. Taiga huffed and the woman laughed nervously, pushing the dictionary into the closet and shutting the door. She made to return the blade to its sheath when she saw small red lines near the hilt that matched the markings on the knife sent from the white flash.
…did I just get involved in some ninja clan rivalry?
Theresa thrust the sword into its holder and placed it back on the bed, stepping back and folding her arms over her chest. But weren't ninja based in Japan? Why were they fighting here?
The door started to open and Theresa leapt back from the bed, picking up a small knife from the ninja's belongings. She quickly faced away from the bathroom with a curse as Snake Eyes appeared from the swirling steam, he tapped her on the shoulder and Theresa let out a squeak.
"Hi." She managed as Snake Eyes took her empty hand.
"I might need some help."
Theresa shut her eyes. There didn't seem to be any sort of hesitance from the ninja which made no sense to Theresa; it was fine and well that she dressed his wounds but another thing entirely for her to dress him. She nodded slowly and turned, causally slipping the knife into one of her pockets. He asked if she wouldn't mind closing her eyes, Theresa nodded and shut them as he guided her hands to the first article of clothing.
Undergarmentshad a particular feel and men's underwear were thicker and rougher than any of her own things. Theresa groaned as she lowered herself onto her knees, unfolding Hideki's boxers as Snake Eyes's feet stepped inside. She slowly pulled them up his legs and nearly screamed when he put his hands over hers and pushed them away, finishing the job himself. She started opening her eyes but Snake Eyes put a hand over them, she remembered that he probably wasn't wearing his mask and ninja had a thing about keeping their identity a secret.
Huffing, she accepted a pair of pants and raised a hand to push his away.
"Lie down on the bed, I'll start and you finish." She murmured and helped him sit down. Once the pants were on, Theresa turned away and opened her eyes.
"I should wrap you up again and I kind of need to see what I'm doing." She reached her arm back for his opinion.
"Grab my mask from the bathroom, please."
"Got it."
She walked into the bathroom and grabbed his mask and visor, smirking because despite all the cuts in his suit, the mask was relatively undamaged. She walked backwards out of the bathroom and handed him the mask, waiting for him to signal that it was alright to turn around. Once he tapped her arm, Theresa turned and gaped.
There were scars everywhere.
They ranged in size from the length of Theresa's pinky finger to longer ones that snaked over his shoulder and disappeared under the waistband of his pants. Some were red or white, the older ones almost skin-coloured – Theresa reached out to touch them and felt Snake Eyes flinch. Shaking her head, she repeated the wrap from yesterday and assisted him in pulling the shirt on. He elected to leave his arms bare and Theresa examined them briefly, moving her fingertips along the ridges and sighing.
"Hazardous lifestyle, huh?"
Snake Eyes nodded and stood up, making Theresa raise an eyebrow then blush as he moved a hand against her cheek. He ran his thumb along the band aid and Theresa shook her head, stepping back and covering her cheek.
"Um, I think your buddy's responsible for that, his aim was lacking a little -"
Theresa gulped as he flipped a knife between his fingertips, the very same one she had hidden in her pocket. She backed up into the doorway and growled a command at Taiga who stood protectively in front of her.
"I found his knife imbedded in the wall, it had red lines on it like your sword."
Snake Eyes continued walking towards her, tossing the knife backwards onto the bed.
Her heart jumped into her throat and she pulled the door shut, standing outside in the hallway as Snake Eyes fought to yank the door open. Whining, she ordered Taiga down the stairs and followed after throwing the door open and shutting it again, stunning Snake Eyes for a moment as she shot down the stairs. She hurriedly grabbed the knife from the sink and dashed into her brother's studio, hiding in among the white sheets – she was suddenly thankful that she hadn't gone and torn them all down.
She heard Snake Eyes's feet on the stairs and held her breath, the door was wide open. From underneath the sheet, Theresa saw Snake Eyes walk pass the door then turn to look into the room. He stepped inside and shut the door behind him, Theresa only saw him from the waist down as he stepping carefully around the writing desk. She put a hand over her mouth as he walked across the room, her other hand fisted around the knife.
Hang on, he's injured. He can't be that –
He abruptly pulled the sheet off and yanked Theresa to her feet.
-dangerous.