A Promise of the Night

     The baby Kacheek sighed. She had tried counting Babaas, potatoes and games, but nothing worked. Every muscle of her body screamed, sore from the training in the Battledome that she had taken part of just a few hours earlier. She took up the most prized Battledome item of hers and placed it on the windowsill.

     The brilliant white material glowed in the moonlight. A red cross was painted on the lower part of the bottle, and the Kacheek smiled wistfully.

     Would it have been different if she hadn't been a Kacheek? Would her owner had picked someone else to give that precious bottle of Kacheek Life Potion to?

     She sighed again, trying to erase her mind of these difficult questions. Trying to play philosopher in the middle of the night wasn't something she fancied. The Kacheek looked through the window, and for a second she thought that she had seen someone moving.

     Maybe it was just her imagination. After all, she had stayed up so long. But the Kacheek would rather have it to be real, than to be an illusion. She stared at the scenery outside her window for a few more minutes, but nothing happened.

     The breezy leaves swayed in the winds as they had always done around her home at the Mystery Island. The Kacheek shook her head, telling herself that it was just her imagination. This sudden occurrence had made her tired, and she fell asleep two seconds after getting into bed.

     -

     She was back again, the next night after the sudden mysterious happening. She couldn't help it. The Kacheek hummed a little song, and wondered if she would be labeled as an insomniac. Maybe she should visit the Neopian Hospital?

     She shook her head. No. She would have to stay here and see if that movement was a mirage or not. The Kacheek watched the garden intensely. Suddenly she had this image in her mind... Perhaps she would have to fight with the intruder, if it wasn't just her imagination.

     Impulsively the Kacheek grabbed her Battledome items and put them in a bag. She noticed the shadow just as she turned around to stare outside once more.

     No doubt about it. There was someone out there, definitely. Feeling heroic, the baby Kacheek opened the window and jumped outside with her items.

     The fresh night air hit her as she watched the shadow jump above the treetops. Suddenly she realized that she should be catching up to that mysterious person, not standing here and gawping like a idiot. The amateur Kacheek battler cursed herself for being stupid and took off.

     She knew this area well, but it was completely different in the night. The kind tree, which she had practiced around, was now a nightmare with its roots trying to grasp her feet. More dark things appeared and several dangerous leaves appeared in the way. She brushed them aside, realizing too late that it was the leaves of the rebound trees, who would bounce back a second later.

     The things that she had been familiar with and enjoyed at day were now turning against her in this darkness. The Kacheek considered giving up, but decided against it. She had already gotten a number of cuts, and more wouldn't hurt that much. Her pride and sense of curiosity wouldn't let her leave in the middle of an unfinished task.

     All that training at the track had paid off. She noticed that the mysterious person seemed closer with each step she took. Finally she was close enough...

     That shadow noticed her, and sped up. It became a battle of speed, with the poor Kacheek trying to catch up to the mysterious person. Desperation bubbled inside her, and intuition told her that it wouldn't do any good to catch up just in speed. But what else could she do?

     A stupid idea appeared in the Kacheek's head, and she did what her mind told her. With a silent howl of despair, the Kacheek latched herself onto the shadow's leg. She secured the bag of items around her waist single-handedly before she grabbed the stranger's leg firmly with both of her chubby paws.

     The stranger slowed down for a second, bothered by the new weight. The Kacheek felt a cold chill running down her spine. What if she had latched herself onto a thief, or something worse? Feeling ready to release the leg, she reminded herself of all the cuts that she had gotten by trying to catch up to this person who wouldn't give up.

     The Kacheek made a strangled noise as she slid through a Rose Bush. They had to be around the outskirts of the village now, since only the crazy Kougra lady had Rose Bushes in her garden. She closed her eyes, aware of the numerous plants that she would have to be dragged through. It hadn't been such a good idea to follow a stranger and get more hurt than usual... After all that trouble, there was no way she intended to unlatch herself. She had taken the time and the effort, and if she just gave up now, she wouldn't be able to find out anything more.

     Spurred by curiosity, the Kacheek looked up. The figure above her was slender and elegant, with big eyes sticking out of those black clothes. She realized immediately that it was an Aisha before she had to close her eyes again because of the incoming bush.

     -

     "A guest?" the Kacheek heard someone whisper softly when she opened her eyes.

     "Foolish apprentice, bringing an outside to our secret meet," a stern voice said. She saw that the one who had whispered was a blue Acara, and the serious-looking Ruki had to be the one talking about some apprentice.

     The Kacheek looked around. They were in a shaded glade, with many dark trees surrounding them. She noticed that she still had the arm around the stranger's legs and let go. She had arrived here, at some weird place that she didn't even know. Well, at least this trip satisfied her curiosity.

     She got up quietly and took a close look at that mysterious pet clothed in black. The pet looked back at her, and for a moment the Kacheek could distinguish a faint feel of surprise in those dark eyes. She was right. It was an Aisha. Feeling somewhat angry, since that stupid Aisha dragging her through mud, the Kacheek yanked the stranger's sensitive ears.

     "Ouch!" the Aisha cried out. The two other pets that had been talking chuckled softly, and looked at the Kacheek.

     "Serves you right," the Ruki muttered as he looked at the Aisha. "Well, well... It would seem that you have brought an uninvited guest with you. What shall we do?"

     "I'll take care of it," the Aisha said, gritting his teeth.

     "Don't hurt the poor thing too much." The Acara smiled, and the two pets disappeared into the shadows.

     "Well, since you're stuck with me, I guess I'll have to take you on my practice session," the Aisha said grimly as he faced the Kacheek. "Any objections?"

     He looked pretty scary, so she didn't dare to say anything. The Kacheek nodded and looked at the tall trees around them. She had never imagined that a stranger like that would train. What was he training?

     "You know, it was pretty stupid to follow me. What if I decide to bully you?" he said, looking at her with the evil eyes.

     "I'd hit you right back on the nose," the Kacheek commented, making sure that she still had her bag of Battledome weapons with her. The Aisha laughed merrily, and she made a note to herself. He wasn't the type to hold onto grudges for long. However, her curiosity bubbled and she itched to ask.

     "Who are you?" she asked.

     "I," he said dramatically, "am a Ninja."

     "A ninja?" the Kacheek repeated, confused. "What's a ninja?" She expected him to reply as dramatically has he had done before, but there was no reply. When she looked at him, she saw a little grin at the corner of his mouth.

     "Why don't you see for yourself?" he said, grasping her hand. "They're already mad at me and it won't do any harm... So I'll take you on an unforgettable trip as an apology for dragging you through half of the town."

     "Okay," she said, not completely convinced. The part about an unforgettable trip sounded good, but she doubted that it would be totally unforgettable. Oh well, at least she got to do something instead of a boring normal sleep. The Kacheek made another note to herself, to visit the Neopian Hospital after tonight. It wasn't just problems with insomnia anymore... Perhaps she was also going insane, imagining black ninjas jumping around in the night...

     Completely wrapped up in herself, the Kacheek didn't notice that they were flying in the air before they landed on a straw roof.

     "Aw... You weren't paying attention at all," the ninja said, disappointed. He grabbed her and for a wonderful ten seconds, they were in the air.

     He had been right. This was an unforgettable trip. Jumping from roof to roof, the amazing sensation of momentarily flying in the air never faded. She smiled as the wind brushed past her, finding another few fallen leaves to play with.

     "Enough of roof jumps," he said. He looked at her, and added, "Well, it feels nice and looks cool, but it's a little bit too easy for me." With a last jump, they landed in the glade that they had been before.

     "Was it fun?" the ninja asked with a tiny smile.

     "Definitely!" the Kacheek exclaimed. "I wish I knew how to do that kind of stuff..."

     "You weren't very heavy, but it was pretty good practice with extra weight..." he trailed off as he walked away. The Kacheek was a little bit nervous. If he just left her here she would never be able to get home since she didn't know where she was, but she doubted that he was that kind of pet...

     The Aisha returned with a long case that seemed like a sword weapon, but different from the ones that the Kacheek had seen in the Battledome weapons shop.

     With a minimal amount of noise, he drew the blade. The thin, powerful sword swished around and pointed towards the Kacheek. She gulped and fumbled with her bag. She grasped an Illusen's Staff and pointed it towards the Aisha. Just because he looked cool and had cool stuff didn't mean that he was more powerful than her.

     But the ninja didn't attack. He swished and turned around, performing an ancient sword dance with grace and elegance. He smiled as he teased her with the tip of the blade, before he returned to that amazing battle dance.

     "Wow..." the Kacheek whispered, awed. Even though she didn't really liked to say it, she had to admit that he was cool. "So that's what a ninja does?"

     "Not really," he replied while pointing the sword left. A swift movement, and it was above the Kacheek's head.

     "Ninjas are cool," she said with a smile. Suddenly she remembered that she hadn't even apologized for following him around. "Sorry about that incident... I thought that you might be some thief or something..."

     "Ninjas are not thieves," the Aisha said matter-of-factly. "Thieves are sometimes scruffy pirates that gamble with dubloons. Ninjas have much more elegance than that."

     "Well, I'd like to be a ninja..." she said, wondering if she had a chance against this fancy Aisha.

     "It's a long and hard path." He stopped and looked at her. This determined Kacheek definitely seemed to have good spirit. She was a potential ninja, but he could also see many of her flaws. "Do you think you're ready? Do you think you can put in the effort, discipline and many other things that a ninja requires?"

     The Kacheek gulped. Perhaps she wasn't ready at all. This secret, hidden training had seemed cool at first, but like everything else it had its cons.

     "Is there a training school for ninjas or something?" she asked, trying to stall as long as she could. She had seen the first golden rays shining on the beautiful palm trees of Mystery Island only a few seconds ago, and she knew that he would be leaving soon. The Kacheek had had this hunch about ninjas only working in the dark of the night, and she knew that she was probably right.

     "No..." he said, looking at the rising sun. He smiled as he put the sword back into its case and looked at her. Right then he seemed even sterner than that Ruki. "Not yet. But perhaps in the future we'll meet again." He jumped and disappeared into the shadows.

     The Kacheek tried to follow him, but to no avail. As the sun rose from the pink-tinted sky, she followed the little path down to her hut. She entered her home and saw her owner sitting at the table with a sandwich in her hand.

     "Oh..." her owner said, surprised at seeing her pet active this early. "Well, come over here and eat a good breakfast." She smiled, expecting the Kacheek to protest loudly. "It's another day, and another day to train the Battledome."

     But to her surprise, her pet did not act the way she had predicted. Instead, the Kacheek sat down and started to eat her breakfast. After a minute of silence, the pet looked at her owner. She opened her mouth, but closed it.

     No. The night would remain a secret, even to her owner. With a small shake of her head, the Kacheek continued to eat her breakfast. If she worked hard enough, if she became good one, then one day... One day, she would surely meet him again. Perhaps then she'd be good enough to be a ninja. With a hopeful smile, the Kacheek poured herself a glass of milk.

     -

     "Look!" the owner exclaimed, almost running into the low dangling lamp that was in the middle of the room. "It's been a while since I've been to Mystery island, but someone said something important... They say a new training school has been discovered!"

     "Uh-uh," the Kacheek said, stuffing herself full with peanut butter sandwiches. She didn't even get to eat another sandwich when her owner grabbed her and dragged her off to the news section to check if that rumor was true.

     "Look! A secret ninja training school!" the owner said happily. "That'll be good for us since you already trained max at the Mystery Island Training School..."

     The Kacheek's ears perked at the word ninja. She looked at the poster, advertising the school. A soft smile made its way onto the Kacheek's face as she turned around, grabbing her owner's hand.

     "Well, what are we waiting for?" she asked excitedly. That Aisha ninja had said no, but perhaps he had re-considered. Perhaps she could meet him, just as he had promised. With her heart full of hope, her paws filled with weapons and her owner behind her, the Kacheek ran toward the Ninja Training School.

The End