ROSE TYLER, NINJA ASSASSIN

Chapter Two

The dream was always the same.

She stood alone in a field staring up at the starry night sky. The cool night breeze whipped her blonde hair around her face while she gazed up at the stars, feeling empty and alone and so out of place.

Then suddenly one of the stars grew brighter and brighter and began to come down from the sky. She watched, entranced, while the star floated down and came to rest on the ground in front of her. By that time, it was a blinding radiance and she couldn't look at it directly.

Then the light faded and a man stood in front of her. But unlike any man she had ever seen. He was tall and thin with spiky brown hair. His skin was white like hers and his eyes were the deepest brown. He wore clothes that resembled the things the gaijin wore but even his clothes didn't match theirs.

As she stared at this star man she could sense his power and authority and she felt herself kneeling to him, staring up at him with silent reverence. The man stared at her for a moment and then held out his hand to her.

"Come with me," he said. "Be one with me."

She stood up and he came forward and embraced her and then the light burst forth from his body and she was enveloped in the blinding brilliance. She never had any idea what happened to her after that because that was usually when she woke up but she felt sure that someone as powerful as the star man would have destroyed her with his fiery light and that more than anything made her afraid of the dream.

She had consulted, Toshi, her sensei, the one who had taught her the arts of ninjitsu. He was the most respected elder in her village and a ninja master. He had also been the only one to accept her when they brought her to the village as a baby and even now she sought his counsel whenever she could. She had told him about the dream and asked him if he knew what it meant. Toshi sat back on his pillow and gazed up at the heavens, deep in thought.

"Perhaps this "star man" is a kami," he finally said.

"A spirit?" she said. "What would a spirit want with me?"

"Why wouldn't a spirit want something from you?" Toshi said.

"Because I'm not Japanese. I'm gaijin," she said.

"But you were raised by Japanese parents, ever since you were a little baby so you are Japanese in mind and spirit," Toshi said. "Besides, no one knows the minds of the kami. Perhaps they do not see Japanese or gaijin, only a person."

She considered that for a moment and then nodded.

"But why would a kami destroy me?" she asked.

"What makes you think the kami destroyed you?"

"Because he surrounded me with his fire light. No one can survive that."

"Perhaps you will be the one who does," Toshi said, his black eyes twinkling with merriment.

"But what should I do if this dream comes true?"

"Well…I believe you should follow your belly and let it tell you what to do," Toshi said.

She wasn't too sure about that. Even though she had been trained and was working as a ninja, she still had her doubts that she was worthy enough to be called a warrior, much less have a kami visit and ask her to come with him. But she pushed those thoughts and the dream to the back of her mind. It was her turn to go hunting along with a few other warriors from the village. She dressed in a green dogi so she could blend into the leaves of the trees, grabbed her bow and arrows and her tanto dagger if she needed it and headed down the mountain path towards the forests below.

Meanwhile, the Doctor and Donna had landed on the other side of the forests. The Doctor stepped outside, dressed in his usual outfit while Donna chose to wear a light blue kimono with white cranes on it, white tabi socks and leather sandals. The Doctor breathed in the fresh air and pointed to the mountains beyond the forests.

"Aaaah, just look at the view," he said to Donna. "Isn't it gorgeous?"

"Yeah. 'Cept that don't look like Mount Fuji. I've seen photos of Mount Fuji and that looks nothing like it."

"Well spotted. That's because it's not Mount Fuji."

"Well…what mountain is it then?" Donna said.

The Doctor stared at her as he struggled to come up with an answer.

"Um…the Great Dragon Mountain," the Doctor said, trying to save face.

But Donna wasn't buying it.

"Oh, really?" she said. "Never heard of it."

"That's because it's a mystical mountain, deep in the darkest recesses of old Japan."

"In other words, you don't have a clue where we are, do ya?"

"Not a sausage," the Doctor said. "But that's half the fun, eh? Let's go!"

"Yeah, I can't wait to run into a herd of samurai and then the fun really starts," Donna muttered as she followed him.

They walked into the forest and picked their way through the trees. Donna had to admit the forest was peaceful and as they walked, she thought she saw a fox dart away several feet ahead. Seeing no samurai or monsters, she relaxed and concentrated on the beauty of the woods.

"Magnificent. Nature at its finest," the Doctor said as he strolled along.

"Yeah, it is beautiful," Donna said. "But where are we going?"

"Hither and yon. Thither and mither. Ding and dong."

"You don't know, do ya?"

"Donna. How about we just walk and see what happens, okay? I liked to be surprised."

"Maybe you do but I don't," Donna muttered to herself.

The Doctor whistled a cheerful tune as they walked through the trees. Then suddenly, he stopped, froze and fell silent. Donna stopped behind him, her heart racing at the alert look on her friend's face. The Doctor had keener senses than she did and he was almost always right when danger was near. She looked around and noticed a fallen tree branch nearby. She quickly grabbed it and held it like a club while the Doctor put his fingers to his lips and beckoned for her to follow. Donna did as he asked, branch at the ready while she looked around. Then the Doctor stopped again and Donna froze. The Doctor glanced up at the trees and then suddenly, he shoved Donna out of the way moments before an arrow hit a tree near the place she'd been standing. The Doctor grabbed the tree branch from Donna and thrust it up into the tree. They heard the sound of something climbing higher up inside the tree and the Doctor cursed before he told Donna to run back to the TARDIS.

They turned and ran as fast as they could. While they ran, Donna could hear the rustling of leaves while someone or something moved with them through the trees. Then suddenly, there was a flash of green in front of them and a male ninja wearing a green dogi dropped down from the trees.

"Oh bugger, there goes our peaceful nature walk," Donna muttered as the ninja pulled out his katana sword from the scabbard hanging off the side of his belt.

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