Being a Ninja

Explosion

Mara's POV

Some weeks passed by since Christmas and tonight’s gonna be Full Moon again. Cain knows what I'm gonna do, but he doesn't seem to be interested in stopping me. That's good, because I would have to hurt him if he did.

Tonight, I'm gonna take my revenge on the Destroyer and I don't want the guys after me. This is a business between me and the Destroyer only! I will have to deal with this on my own, whether I'm able to do it or not!

"Mara, I’d like to talk to you. Can you please come to my room?" Master Itsuki says

*Oh Hell! He knows!* I think.

I follow Master Itsuki to his room and we both sit on the floor, face to face. I gulp.

"Mara, now that we are back, you have to start looking for the origins of the "key", my child" Master Itsuki says.

I sigh in relief. *Ah... He doesn't know after all. Fiu!*

"I know, Master Itsuki. I just don't know where to start looking" I say, smiling.

"Try the port, near the beach. You can go there tonight, instead of trying your revenge on the Destroyer" Master Itsuki says.

*Oh oh!* I think.

"I wasn't going..." I start.

"You don't need to say anything. I can't let you face the Destroyer all by yourself! You know you can't face him alone!"

"But, Master Itsuki, I..."

"Enough! You may go out tonight as Kitty Girl but you won’t look for the Destroyer! He is trouble" Master Itsuki says.

"Alright, Master Itsuki, I understand. I won’t look for the Destroyer" I say.

I get up and bow to Master Itsuki. Then I leave the room, with rage pouring over me. I walk directly to my room, ignoring the guy’s questions. Apparently, they heard Master’s orders.

"Damn it! Why can't I do what I want to, anyways?! I'm not a child anymore and specially not Prodigy Child!" I scream in rage.

True is, I hate the name they gave me when I won the tournament. I was way too young to know what I was doing. Boy, I really need to go kill off some steam!

I climb up my usual way out and go to the top building where my Kitty Girl stuff is.

I get dressed as Kitty Girl, knowing I have to obey Master’s orders and avoid going after the Destroyer. My father wouldn't like to see his own daughter disobeying her elders.

Just to think of my father makes me calm down. Suddenly, it starts raining and I look up at the dark sky.

"I miss you daddy... I wish you could be here with me..." I say.

Even though no one can see it with the rain, I know I’m crying.

"What'cha doin’ 'round here, Kitty?"

I look back. It's Cain.

"Nothing, that's for sure... Say... Why aren't you wearing your metal suit, Mr. Vigilante?" I say

"I already left maself from that" Cain says.

"Oh really?" I ask, looking at him, inquiringly.

"Ya, really! Besides, I only wanted ta come an' check on ya. Ya seemed upset after Masta Itsuki talked ta ya" He says.

"Thanks, big bro, but I'm fine. I can take care of myself, ya know?" I say

Cain chuckled when I called him 'big bro'. Well, it is true! He just acts like a big brother to me, always trying to protect me from anything and everything.

"Ya sure, lil' sis! Just don't get in any trouble!" He says, smiling.

Then he jumps off the building and I have no more sight of him, but I know he's going back home.

I sit down on the floor, waiting, but soon I hear a scream from a lady, not far away.

"That's my cue!" I say and start jumping through the buildings to get to the place.

Once I'm there I find the two thugs and the lady and I place myself on the shadows, reading my claws.

"Yo! Ya should already know that's a really bad thing to do to a lady! Especially 'cause ya can get your lame a*s kicked 'cause of it!" I say, getting out of the shadows.

The thugs look at me and gulp.

"It-it's the Kitty Girl!" One of them says.

"That's right and if ya don't stay away from that lady I swear I will make ya regret it!" I say.

But even though I said this, the thugs grab the lady and held her as a hostage.

"I-if you don't put those- c-claws of yours away, the lady gets it!" The one grabbing the lady says, placing a knife by her throat.

"Well, ya can't say I didn't warn ya!" I say and attack.

The thugs don't even have time to think while I release the lady and kick them both to the ground. Once that business is off, it's time to take care of the lady. She looks pretty scared.

"Ya kay?" I ask her.

"I-I am. T-thank you" She says.

"You’re welcome!" I say, with a bright smile "I can escort you home if ya want!"

"T-thanks! That'd be great!" She says.

I start walking with her through the way she's directing, but she seems to be felling nervous somehow. Her face is kinda preoccupied and she's always looking at me every once in a while.

"Say... Ya sure you're ok? Ya don't look so good" I say, still walking with her.

"Oh you can bet she couldn't be better!" A familiar voice says.

I look to my front and there he is. It is no more no less than the Destroyer followed by a bunch of ninjas and Akira herself! I look back to the lady on my side. She starts crying.

"It was all a trap!" I say, getting mad at the lady

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, but I needed the money!" The lady says.

The anger goes away and transforms itself into pity. I can see in her eyes that she's telling the truth.

"That's ok. It's alright. I can take care of these guys! Now, you get outta here and get yourself a safe place to stay!" I say

"Thank you! Thank you!" The lady says, now crying of joy.

The lady runs outta there and I ready myself to fight. It wasn't I that went to look for trouble after all; it was trouble which went to look after me!

"Ya know, I wanted to go look for you, but my honorable Master forbid me to do it! Guess I won't have to disobey him after all" I say

The Destroyer smirks.

"This time you're not getting out of here alive! Attack!" He says.

All the ninjas attack me at the same time. I am able to fight back, but it seems that as more ninjas I put down, the more they appear! One of them is actually able to make a deep wound on my arm. I am actually starting to think that I can't get them all after all...

*Oh hell! They're too many! I need help...*

Lucas’s POV

I'm working on my computer and I just found out a very interesting thing in a new program. It's really fascinating.

Miclair comes near me. *Oh no!* I think.

"Say, Luc... What'cha doing?" He asks

"I'm doing "brainiac things", like you and Cain call it" I say

Miclair seems a little disappointed.

"Oh ok... That means you're busy" He says, sadly.

I can't help but feel sorry for him. He’s probably bored.

"What's the matter? Can't Mara play videogames with you?" I ask

"She's still locked in her room, probably in a terrible mood. I don't dare getting near the door!" Miclair says.

"She's still in her room? But she's already in there for hours!" I say.

"I know! But she just won't come out!"

"Hm... That's strange... Come with me to see if we can get her out" I say and Miclair brightens up.

"Really?!" He asks

"Really" I say and walk to Mara's bedroom door, followed by Miclair, and knock.

"Mara! It's me, Luc! Let me come in" I say

No answer. I knock again.

"Mara!" I call back.

We hear the house's door open. Cain comes in and freezes when he sees us on Mara's door.

"What'cha guys doin' at Mara's door?!" He asks, getting up the stairs.

"Mara hasn't come out of her room for hours!" Miclair says

"So what?! Let her have her privacy! If she doesn't want ta come out, then let her be!" Cain says

"But we're getting worried!" Miclair says

"Ya sure! What ya want is someone ta fool around!"

"That may be true, but we're really getting worried" I say and try to open the door.

It wasn't locked at all. It opened easily and Cain almost killed us, but before he did it we see what’s inside the room.

Nothing.

Mara isn't in there and her window is open. Cain puts a hand on his face.

"But where's Mara?!" Miclair asks.

Cain's POV

Oh hell! Now I've done it! Mara will kill me for sure! That two had to go and tell Soren Mara is missing! Now we're looking for Mara in tha town!

GRRRRRRRRR!

I just hope we don't bump into Kitty Girl or they’ll find out she is Mara for sure!

We jump through the buildings, when we hear metal clashing.

"It's a fight!" Soren says.

"Way tha go, genius!" I say, but then I freeze when I see who’s fighting.

It's Kitty Girl and a bunch of ninjas, and, of course, the Destroyer! Kitty Girl seems to be in trouble. One of her claws is broken and she is full of deep cuts.

"C'mon guys! We gotta help her!" Miclair says, and jumps to the fight.

"Hey! I'm the one supposed to say that!" Soren says.

"Ya were just replaced, bro!" I say and jump after Miclair.

Luc laughs and jumps too. Soren follows after a while.

Kitty Girl's POV

Boy, I'm tired! I've been fighting these guys for God knows how long and still they keep coming! Plus, they've managed to break one of my claws, so I'm a bit limited of weapons. The claw I still have is only useful to block SOME of the attacks, and still it misses sometimes, so I'm full of cuts. I can't hold anymore! I drop onto my knees.

Curiously none of the ninjas attacks me. The Destroyer comes near me.

"Ready to give up?" The Destroyer asks. He hasn't participated in the whole fight!

"Never!" I say.

The Destroyer smirks.

"Fine. Prepare to die like your father did!" He says

"At least... I will die with honor and that's something you will never have!" I say, with all the strength I can get.

"So be it!" He says and raises his own weapon. I close my eyes.

His sword starts coming down, but it never hits me. I open my eyes and Miclair, Luc, Cain and Soren are holding The Destroyer's arm so it won’t hit me.

"Guys..." I say, forgetting that I'm still Kitty Girl. The guys throw the Destroyer against the other ninjas.

"You ok?" Soren says.

"C'mon, Soren! Does she looks like she's ok?!" Miclair says.

I smile.

"Ah! The brats! I was expecting to see you here!" The Destroyer says, getting up.

"I predicted that you wanted to come and save your dear friend Kitty Girl, or should I say, Mara" He says.

I look at him shocked. *He didn’t...*

"N-no! You're lying!" Miclair says.

"Am I? Ask your little friend"

Miclair looks back at me. I can't look into his eyes, but I can see that he is hurt because I lied to him. I look up at Cain and notice he’s looking at me with worry in his eyes, but he also seems like he wants to say sorry.

"You knew about this?!" Soren asks.

"Can't say I didn't" Cain says.

Soren wants to lecture him, but guards the impulse and focuses on the battle.

"Miclair, take Ki-ah...Mara out of here!" Soren says.

Miclair picks me up and starts running outta there. The guys prepare to fight the many ninjas, and the Destroyer and Akira themselves!

Suddenly, an idea pops into my head.

"Wait, Miclair! We gotta stop!" I say.

He doesn't answer. I think he's gonna deny me the word until I say sorry. I don't have time for this! I have to get in the middle of the ninjas! It's the only way. I try to free myself from him, but he is holding me tight.

"Sorry" I say.

"For what?! For lying to me?!"

"No. For this" I say and use my claw to make a slight cut on his face.

The pain makes him drop me and I start running off to the battle.

"I'm sorry, Miclair! Please, take cover!" I say.

I continue running, but thoughts come running through my head. *What am I doing?! I can't do this again! Not after so many years! I may die! But... If I don't do it, the guys may... I have to do it!*

I get to the battle and run right in the middle of it.

"Get out of here! Take cover, NOW!" I scream at the guys.

I am starting to glow.

"M-Mara?" Soren murmurs

"What tha hell?!" Cain says

"Wha-?" Luc says

"Just take cover! FAST!" I demand.

They all run behind a trash can.

Miclair gets there, with a cut on his right cheek and looks strait at me with a shocked face. I look at him.

"Just take cover, please..." I say.

He nods and runs to his brothers. I look at the Destroyer, who is completely shocked with what is happening. I start feeling that awful sensation I haven't felt in many years. It feels like someone is ripping my heart from inside of me.

*This is it!*

My eyes turn bright white and my whole body goes incandescent. One second later and there's a huge blow.

I explode.

Everything goes blank and I faint.

Miclair's POV

I can't believe what just happened. T-this is impossible!

There's a huge hole in the place where we were fighting and where the Destroyer and where the ninjas were.

Like I said, were, cause they’re gone! They just vanished into thin air after that explosion. That explosion... Me and my brothers could only cover our eyes and stay behind the trashcan. Mara was right on being afraid of that...

Mara! Where is she?! Could she be-?...

No! That can't be!

I start looking around, searching for Mara. I find her in the middle of the great hole and run to her.

She's very injured! She's full of wounds and her hair is released because of the explosion. She seems so fragile that I'm even afraid of touching her, afraid she might break up.

I finally pick her head up and look at her face. It's so serene, and it seems like she's a porcelain doll.

Luc comes near us and knees next to us. He starts analyzing Mara.

"She's still breathing and her heart still beats, though it's very weak. We have to take her back home or she might not make it" He says

"Then what are we waitin' for?! Let's go!" Cain says

I pick Mara up, carefully and start walking to the nearest manhole. The guys come with me and open the manhole, so we can get into the sewers.

"There! We're safer here" Soren says

"Safer?! There were no ninjas up there! In case ya haven't noticed, they were all gone!!" Cain says

"Do you think Mara may have disintegrated them with that explosion?" Luc asks

"I dunno. Let's just hope that it hasn't been in vain!" Soren says

I feel my brothers’ eyes turn to me. I haven't talked during the whole walk. I even forgot that I was angry at Mara because she had lied to me.

I just can't stop looking at Mara and think *Hang in there! Don't go out on me!*

We finally get back home and I put Mara on the couch. Luc goes get some bandages and some hot water. Soren goes to call Master Itsuki and Cain, well... Cain just goes to free his rage on his punching bag.

I stay on Mara's side, holding her freezing hand and looking at her gorgeous face.

*Please don't die! Please don't die, Mara! I love you! Please don't die!* I think

Master Itsuki and Soren get to the room. Itsuki gets near Mara and examines her with concerned eyes.

"Soren told me what happened. She almost gave her life to save yours. That explosion almost killed her when she was young, but she made it through. I'm sure she will make it through again. Keep at her side, Miclair. It may help her coming back" Master Itsuki says and puts his hand on Mara's forehead.

She shivers a little, but still, she doesn't wake up.

Master Itsuki leaves. Luc comes back with the bandages and the hot water. We bandage her wounds and put a cloth soaked in hot water on her forehead.

After a while, she seems to breathe a little better and her face regains some color. I can finally breathe normally again.

*She'll live!*

Some hours later, she even mumbles and starts opening her eyes.

Mara's POV

I slowly open my eyes and see Miclair standing next to me and the others around the couch I'm on. My whole body hurts, though my wounds are bandaged. I try to get up, but such effort is refused by my body.

"You feeling better?" Miclair asks

In that moment I notice he is holding my hand. I feel my face turn a bit red.

"Huh...Y-yeah, I'm better Miclair. Thanks, guys" I say to them.

"We're the ones that should thank you. You almost died because of us" Soren says

"Are they gone?" I ask.

"Who?" Luc asks

"The ninjas and the Destroyer. Are they gone?" I ask again

"Ya, we think they are" Cain says

"... Just like all the other ones I faced in the tournament. I explode and they vanish..." I say

"But hey! This time it was a good thing! The Destroyer is finally gone!" Miclair says, smiling brightly.

"Yes, I think so..." I say, smiling poorly.

I can finally sit up. The other guys go back to their usual stuff, but Miclair stays with me.

Then I notice that I'm still wearing Kitty Girl's suit. I take out my cat ears. They were getting uncomfortable. Miclair just looks at me with his mouth open.

"I thought those were real!" He says

"Well, of course they aren't! I'm not a cat!" I say

Miclair just stares, now with a cheesy smile.

"What?!" I ask

"You're beautiful, ya knew that?" Miclair says

I smile and push him away, putting a hand on his face. He chuckles and looks into my eyes.

"If you're not a cat, then how come your eyes are yellow?" He asks.

"That's due a spell my dad taught me. It can change our face" I say, and start performing the spell to make my face go back to normal.

"Oooohhhhh!"

I smile at him. I am feeling a lot better now.

"I'm sorry I lied to you" I say

"It's ok! Just promise me you won't do it again!"

"I promise!" I say, smiling. "Say, do you wanna see a movie with me?"

"YES!!!!!!!!" He says, jumping from happiness.

I go get my Teddy and sit on the couch. Miclair chooses the movie and sits up on the couch next to me. The movie starts. I curl up against Miclair and he, very slowly, puts his arm around me.

We see the whole movie like this: Miclair, hugging me and me, hugging Teddy.