Ann and the Ninja

These events take place before Tierra De Legado.





The time came again for Ann to go on one of her mostly business trips for a book deal her agent had brokered. The assignment is to write a travel guide for Takemizu Village. Ann takes these assignments very seriously-- as serious as Ann can with her playful streak.

Since her last trip with Green went so well, Ann invited her hubby this time to come along.

The trip has given them the chance to be like two children. They even went out on a date to the restaurant at the Flaming Dragons hotel.


In between their time spent visiting various sites, they have spent plenty of time at home watching TV between Ann's writing and note taking sessions.

But as Ann's vacation time was winding down, she realized she still hadn't managed to catch the supposed Ninja.

From one of the tourists, Ann had received a tip that she might catch the ninja early in the morning at the Pagoda park and market. (Apparently, the ninja is quite fond of shopping and likes to surprise the cashiers when he makes a purchase of one of their plastic souvenirs.) So Ann headed out on foot, alone, to see if she could catch a glimpse of him at the very least.



Under the guise of bird watching, Ann kept an eye out for him. She waited for hours for that puff of smoke that would announce his arrival. All the while she kept an eye on her watch. Alec would wake soon and wonder where she was. She had left no note as she hadn't wanted him to follow her.

Suddenly, there he was, across the street. Ann ran over to him before he could teleport away. At the sight of her, his eyes narrowed, but he did not disappear.

She stepped forward and bowed deeply.

He did not return the bow. Instead he simply asked, "Which came first, the ninja or the sword?"

Ann had to think for a moment, but she knew if she waited too long, it would count as a wrong answer. Other "tourists" had told her as much.



Ann guessed. "The sword." Her voice was clear and strong.

The ninja simply nodded, his eyes appearing to glimmer in the sunlight. Was he smiling? He leaned over and whispered in her ear the secret to teleporting.



Ann was now among the ranks of the few who knew the secret. Wouldn't that make an interesting addition to her next fictional book?