I Fell in Love with a Ninja

Prologue

It was the first thing they had taught her and she never forgot it. Ang paggalaw na hindi napapansin, na hindi maririnig at  hindi makikita.

Lahat sila tinuruan nito. At sa paglipas ng mahabang panahon ng pag-eensayo at paghahanda, nagagawa nila ito nang simple at mas madali pa kaysa paghiniga. They could move unobserved in daylight, too; in other ways. But the night was their special friend.

But she was different. Mas malakas at mas comportable siya sa araw. Sa araw na kung kailan maliwanag at kung kailan rin mapapansin siya ng mga mapanuring mata. She had the bravest soul daring enough to face the deadly risks brought by being exposed to the public under the heat of the sun. Kaya kinagigiliwan at kina-iinggitan siya ng lahat. 

Pero sa panahong ito, wala siyang magawa kundi sundin ang iniutos sa kanya. Matagal-tagal na rin siyang hindi gumagalaw sa gabi.

Now the high piercing sound of the alarm cut through all other nocturnal sounds: the dree dree dree of the cicadas, the thunderous crashing of the surf against the grey sand and the black rocks sixty feet below, the wild cry of a disturbed crow far off over the massed treetops.

Hindi niya alam bakit bigla nalang nag alarm ang sasakyan.

Abruptly, colour gilded the leaves of the beautiful Sakura as lights went on inside the house. Alam niyang narinig din ito ng kung sinuman ang nasa loob ng bahay. Kaya gumapang na siya papalayo sa sasakyan, deep within the concealing shadows. Her arduous training had been too well ingrained for her to take any target for granted. Kaya hindi niya pwedeng baliwalain ang kahit katiting na pagkakamali.

She was dressed all in matt black: low boots, cotton trousers, long-sleeved shirt, lacquered black waistcoat, gloves and a hooded mask na nakatabon sa buong mukha niya maliban sa kanyang mga mata. Kahit balot na balot na siya, the skin around her eyes had been smeared with lampblack mixed with a fine charcoal powder to eliminate the possibility of reflection. Except one thing, may nag-iisang puting tela na nakatali sa ulo niya. It's been her insignia. Anything white.

The porch light came on, insects fluttering around it. Masyadong maingay ang tunog na nanggagaling sa sasakyan para marinig niyang bumukas ang pinto sa labas ng bahay but she counted off the seconds in her mind and got it dead on...

Yoshida Kotaro stepped into the lemon light of the open doorway. He was in jeans and a white T-shirt. Dahil sa ingay na narinig niya mula sa sasakyan, nakapagdesisyon siyang lumabas para suriin ito. He carried a flashlight in his right hand.

Hindi muna siya bumaba sa iilang hakbang ng hagdan. He pointed the beam of the flashlight around the area of the car. Reflected light from the chrome lanced out into the night and, squinting, he swung the beam away. Sa oras na ito, wala siyang panahon para sa mga batang-kalye na nanti-trip na naman ng mga sasakyan ng iba. Pero kailangan niyang manigurado.

Bumaba siya ng hagdan. He padded across the wet grass of the lawn to where the car stood, dark and hulking. Inilipat-lipat niya sa iba't-ibang direksyon ang ilaw na hawak-hawak niya, naghahanap ng pwedeng pagdudahan sa paligid. Pero wala siyang nahanap na mga batang-kalye o sinuman.

Wala namang tao, tapos kung mag-ingay to para hinampas ng kung ano. He talked to himself rhetorically.

Kung hindi lang dahil sa kaibigan niyang si Satoshi hindi siya bibili ng secondhand na sasakyan. But Satoshi loved saving money. Pero kung siya ang magdedesisyon, he wouldn't go anywhere unless it was via first class.

Nag-aalarm di naman kailangan! Hay nako, ewan ko sayo Satoshi-kun. Sa dami ng pera nagtitiis pa rin sa mga walang kwentang sasakyan na to.

He looked off down the garage for a moment para i-check ang kanyang Porsche Panamera na nakapark katabi ng iba pang mamahaling sasakyan niya. Lamborghini Gallardo, Camaro ..  at iba pa.