Relax, I'm A Ninja Page 13
“Sure.” He touched Emma’s elbow. “Go back to the dance. Trust me, Jack will be happy to see you.” Emma rolled her eyes, but she did what he said.
“Ugh, these shoes were killing me.” Amy swung her heels when Simon looked at her bare feet. “Where do you want to do this?”
“How about the park? Unless you’re too cold.” He looked at her skin like he planned on digging into her. I wanted to hurt him, but the idea of having to kill him worried me. I was no killer.
“She’ll be fine.” I took off my suit coat and put it over her shoulders. She bit her lip, maybe feeling bad about our fight. It was enough to make me feel like I’d taken a punch to the gut.
“Let’s go, then. It won’t take long,” Amy said.
We crossed the street to the small park. There wouldn’t be a soul there at this hour—perfect for a murder. Simon followed slightly behind, and all my senses went crazy. I didn’t want him behind me. Amy seemed ready for whatever might happen. She gripped my hand hard, which probably would have broken fingers if I were anyone else. We walked to a bench. Two evergreens hid the area from lamplight.
“How’s this?” I asked.
“Looks good to me.” Simon scanned the surroundings, probably double-checking that we were alone.
“So, how’d you get into wrestling?” Amy asked.
As Simon answered, I planned some type of defense. I didn’t dare run and put other people’s lives in jeopardy. He probably had a sword—laced with Dragon’s Bile—and we didn’t have weapons. We couldn’t get near that blade without risking death. Maybe I could disarm him, but that was a long shot. I spotted a playground nearby. The metal bars could provide some protection.
“And how do you stay so fit?” Amy asked.
Simon’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. He looked antsy, like an addict in need of a hit. “Funny you ask …”
He pulled the short sword from his trench coat and thrust it at Amy. She ducked down as I grabbed his arm and tried to pry the blade from his hand. Our power hadn’t worn off, but Simon’s grip was stronger. His thick brow furrowed, and he growled.
“You are no Saburau! How did you know?” His voice had changed—a deep, rocky sound that threatened to suck my courage right out. Had he grown wider in the last few seconds? He didn’t seem like the same person.
“None of your business!” Amy kicked him in the balls. I swore she liked to do that on some level.
Simon buckled over, and I wrestled with his sword arm. His fingers wouldn’t budge. Amy kneed him in the stomach. Instead of groaning, he growled like a rabid bear. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with!”
He grabbed my arm and chucked me into the air. I flew several yards away. My heart pounded as he went for Amy first. Of course he would. The second I landed on my feet, I headed back toward them. Amy fought well, but all she could do was dodge the poisoned sword.
Simon continued to transform into…something. I’d never seen anything like it. His clothes stretched over his back until the seams ripped. Strange tattoo-like images appeared all over his skin like extra veins. I wasn’t afraid for myself, but Amy facing this monster made my whole body tremble. Why hadn’t I just accepted her apology? Why didn’t I kiss her more? The thought of her getting hurt made me ache. If she died, I would die.
When I was close enough, I sank my fist into his right side. He took a swipe at me with his sword. I ducked and tried to trip him. He didn’t fall for it.
“I can taste your power! How?” he said.
“Yeah, right!” I pushed his sword arm out of the way and went to punch him in the face. He blocked, but then yelped. Amy had kicked him from behind.
He fought like an animal, growling and everything. He hunched over and used his thick arms like a gorilla. His eyes had gone completely black—even the white part—like charcoal. The longer we defended ourselves, the more feral he became. Nothing like the human he supposedly was. I half expected him to sprout hair and turn into a werewolf.
We’d made it to the old metal playground set, and I got him to swipe his sword across the bars.
“Amy! Catch!” I ripped off a bar and tossed it to her. Even though we’d hit him dead-on several times, he hadn’t let up. I wished I had my ninja gear—something to distract him with so we could get away. We should have run. I’d completely underestimated him.
She blocked a blow to her head, but he sliced right through the bar. Now she had just a metal stub, maybe enough to stave off one more attack.
He stayed on his warpath toward Amy, and nothing I did helped. I hit his back with my own bar, and he didn’t turn. I swung again and again, trying to get his focus on me. He grunted but wasn’t deterred. Amy took in labored breaths, getting too tired. That was when mistakes happened.
Simon lunged at her, knocking the bar from her hands. I couldn’t get to her because he kept putting himself between us. I knew what would happen at this rate, and my hits became more desperate.
He stabbed Amy.
I swear I felt the blade as she screamed. She fell to the ground, convulsing from the poison.
“No!” My eyes welled up with tears and my blood boiled. I wanted to run to her, but he’d stab me next if I stopped fighting. He swung his sword, covered in Amy’s blood. My Amy’s blood. I grabbed his hand and twisted as hard as I could. As I glared into his eyes, I caught the slightest hint of fear in the blackness. That gave me strength, made me focus. I could win this fight. I had to before the Dragon’s Bile took Amy.
I’d never been a ruthless person, and even through that whole fight I had grappled with the idea of killing Simon. He wasn’t that much older than me…maybe it wasn’t his fault he was an Akuma…maybe there was a way to escape and not kill him. That little show of fear hardened my resolve. There was something there under the monster.
I grabbed his sword arm with both hands and brought it down hard on my knee. The bone snapped. His sword fell to the ground, and I jammed my elbow into his head to knock him out.
Simon froze. And then, before I could process it, his eyes went back to normal. His body shrank and went limp.
I pulled back, and he flopped to the ground. I couldn’t think about him yet. Amy was dying. I turned to her and jumped.
She wasn’t alone.
“She’ll be okay,” Courtney said as she tucked the Spirit’s Grace vial back into her purple dress. “You need to get her to the hospital.”
“How’d you find us?” I inspected Amy’s wound. It wasn’t the full crescent like his other victims, only one stab to her torso. She still bled badly, so I grabbed my suit jacket and pressed down to try to stop it.
“I’m trained to intercept them before they kill. I sensed an attack at the dance, but Logan made it difficult to leave.” She stood and walked over to Simon. “And how the hell did you take him out?”
I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t about to tell Courtney what we could do. She probably didn’t even know that Amy was a ninja. I wanted to keep it that way, just in case we still had to push her for information. “I guess I got lucky.”
Courtney knelt down and inspected Simon’s body. “This isn’t the one I’ve been hunting. He’s too new.” She swore. “Probably a decoy.”
“Really?”
She shook her head. “You don’t know anything and you still managed to get one. Get her to the hospital. I’ll take care of him.” She held her hand over Simon’s body and whispered something I didn’t catch. Then he dissolved.
I didn’t have time to ask questions. I picked up Amy and ran toward the school, planning to steal the limo and get her some help fast.
21
Amy had to have surgery. The blade nicked part of her intestines. The cops asked me a lot of questions while I waited for her to come out. I told them we’d left the dance to be alone and got attacked. Someone had scared the guy off before he got me. With all the murders by “The Ninja,” it was easy not to give much detail. They assumed it was him. It technically was him…or one of him.
“Look, I told the cops everything. Ask them,” I finally snapped.
“Oh, honey.” Amy’s mom put a hand on my shoulder. “You must be hurting.”
I couldn’t believe she said that to me. I wanted to ask her why she wasn’t crying. Amy was their daughter. They seemed to be handling it way too well. Maybe they didn’t care about her, or at least didn’t realize how serious this was. They hadn’t seen Simon’s empty eyes. Maybe they envisioned your average mugger, a small stab wound from a typical knife, but still.
They went to the officer, who was talking to a nurse. I wondered if I was a suspect. Probably. Boyfriends were always on the list. I didn’t dare mention our fight. Hopefully she’d remember enough to clear me when she woke up.
After a couple of hours, a doctor came out to meet us. “We were able to repair the damage to her intestines. She’s still unconscious, but you can see her if you’d like.”
I stood before he finished. Though I couldn’t explain it, I needed to be next to her. Awake or not. I wouldn’t leave the hospital until she left with me.
She was attached to machines and an IV with bags of clear liquid. She seemed even smaller with the sheets tucked close to her body. Her face was lifeless. I rushed over and grabbed her cold, limp hand. I brushed her hair from her face and kissed her forehead. We lit up even when one of us was sleeping. Seeing that added touch of life made me feel a little better. She was still my Amy.
Her parents stood on the other side of the bed. We stared at her for several minutes. Then her father pulled up a chair for me and took the couch. Her mother went to the bathroom and wet a washcloth to clean Amy’s face.
My eyes begged me to sleep, but I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t even want to take a couch in the waiting room. So I leaned my head on her bed, squeezed her hand tight, and closed my eyes.
***
“Toshiro.” I shot up and looked around. Amy’s mom stood next to me. “The doctors said she’ll probably sleep through the night. Do you want us to take you home?”
“No.” I shook my head in case my statement wasn’t strong enough. I wanted to be there when she woke up.
Her mother smiled. “Okay, we’re going to get some rest and be back in the morning. Call us if she wakes?”
“Yeah.” It was weird that they were leaving, but I wasn’t about to question it.
They looked at her once more. Her mother touched her hand, but her father didn’t do a thing. No kisses. My mom would have kissed me if I were in the hospital. My dad would have taken my hand. I felt bad for my girlfriend. How long had she been neglected like this?
When the door clicked shut, I kissed her hand. “Amy, I’m so sorry.”
Watching her sleep, knowing that underneath her hospital gown was a stitched-up stab wound, I couldn’t take it anymore. Tears finally escaped. This was all my fault. I should have gotten the sword from him faster. I should have worked harder to stay close to her. I should have trained her better instead of kissing her half the time.
Why did I have to fight with her? She knew exactly what she’d done at the dance. She even tried to say sorry. I shouldn’t have gone with Sarah. None of this would have happened if I’d been honest with everyone. My last words to her could have been ones filled with resentment and anger.
I couldn’t let this happen again.
As I watched her breathe, I determined to protect her better next time. I wish I could’ve said there wouldn’t be a next time, but we were ninjas. I planned on being stronger, faster, and smarter when we faced one of those monsters again.
This wasn’t the end of us facing the Akuma. Something in my gut said so. We saw it glowing like we glowed—that had to mean something.
I couldn’t sleep after Amy’s mom woke me up, so I turned on the TV and flipped through channels. There wasn’t much on at three in the morning. I settled on an infomercial that promised to get me ripped in ninety days. From what I watched, I didn’t think it’d be as effective as my usual training, but it was pretty funny.
Amy stirred around five. I squeezed her hand as she opened her eyes. Relief washed over me when she smiled.
“Hey,” she whispered.
“Amy, I’m so sorry I got mad at you. I—” I couldn’t say more without breaking down. She couldn’t see me cry. I ran my hand back and forth across her arm, trying to stay strong. She looked so tired and weak.
“Shh, that doesn’t matter now. I’m sorry, too. It’s all forgotten, okay?” Her fingers wrapped around mine. “Did you get him?”
“Kind of. Courtney showed up.” I pulled my chair closer. “She gave you the antidote while I knocked him out. Then she finished him off.” Simon’s face flashed through my mind, his black, empty eyes.
“Tosh.” The expression on her tired face said it would be okay. “Come here.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t!” She poked my stomach.
“Ow.” I rubbed the spot; it felt raw.
She rolled her eyes. “Baby.”
“No, that actually hurt.” I unbuttoned my shirt, and we both stared at my stomach. There was a purple bruise about the size of an egg on the left side of my abdomen—right about where Amy’s stab wound was.
“Wait, he didn’t punch you there, did he?”
“No.” I couldn’t breathe. Maybe we were connected more than I could even imagine. “But when he stabbed you, I swear I felt it.”
She touched her stomach gently. “We need to figure this out. It’s too weird.”
“We will—after you’re better. Try to rest.”
She pouted. “Fine, but come here. You won’t hurt me, and I’ll sleep better.”
How could I say no to that? I pulled off my shoes and slid in next to her. Thank goodness she was tiny, because the bed wasn’t very big or comfortable. She took my hand and draped it over her stomach.
“That doesn’t hurt?”
“No, it feels better having you close. I feel…at ease.” Her eyes were already closed. She would pass out any second.
“I know what you mean.” I couldn’t deny it. I felt better being closer too. It was weird, like I felt more myself when I touched her. Something deep inside said she was part of me, and I was part of her.
***
Her parents never came back like they said. I had to go outside when the cops came to question her, which took forever. I couldn’t imagine what they had to ask that took so long, but I worried some of it had to do with me.
I took the opportunity to call my parents. I should have done it sooner, but I wasn’t thinking straight. Mom freaked out. I couldn’t tell if it was an act or not.
After the cops were done with Amy, they let me back in. She was eating lunch. Well, more like sipping lunch, since she couldn’t have solids. She smiled when our eyes met. “Man, they’re nosy!”
I laughed. “They’re cops. That’s their job.”
“Still.” She took a long drink from her juice box, not taking her eyes off me for one second. Had she forgiven me so easily? I didn’t deserve her. “Come watch this awful soap opera with me.”
She patted the bed, and I sat next to her. We joked about the soap. She winced in pain every time she laughed. I told her we should stop, but she refused. I figured Amy needed to put the night out of her mind just as much as I did. Humor was the best way to do that.
After a few hours I couldn’t help but ask, “You’re not mad that your parents didn’t come back?”
Amy leaned her head on my shoulder. “No, they’ve always been totally wrapped up in themselves. I think they’re both having affairs.”
“Why don’t they get divorced?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. I wi
sh they would.” She sighed like she was tired of thinking about it. “I’m sick of living with them like this. Can’t I just live with you?”
“I think it’s a little soon for that, as nice as it sounds.” I put my arm around her. No wonder she never wanted to go home. I hadn’t realized it was that bad.
“Yeah, yeah, you’re right. At least I have you. Don’t go anywhere, okay? Even if I make stupid mistakes?” She took my hand, frowning. She couldn’t think I was still mad at her, could she?
“Of course not.” I pushed back the guilt. We’d be okay. It was one dumb fight. “I’ve made more mistakes than you.”
She smirked. “That’s for sure. Spying on Courtney, that whole Logan pencil debacle …”
“Hey, we don’t need to point them out.” I couldn’t help but laugh, though. The hospital phone rang and I grabbed the receiver. My jaw dropped as I listened to what the nurse had to say. “Um, they’re asking if you want to clear Courtney Petersen for a visit.”
Amy’s eyes went wide. “Yeah, clear her.”
22
I’d never seen Courtney so underdressed. Well, minus the ambush in her room. She wore a pink tracksuit, her platinum hair pulled back in a sloppy ponytail. She didn’t approach, just stared from the door.
“I need to talk to Tosh,” she said.
“It’s about time.” I let go of Amy and folded my arms, determined to look in control.
“Can I speak with you alone?” She glared at Amy. I wasn’t sure she did it intentionally—she looked tense all over—but Amy seemed to take it personally.
“You can speak with us, kunoichi.” Amy’s voice was venom and her top lip curled in disgust.
My jaw dropped as I looked at my girlfriend. We’d just fought about her being too reckless, and here she was throwing away one of our best hidden cards. Did she not trust me to get the info from Courtney on my own?