ROSE TYLER, NINJA ASSASSIN
Chapter Three "Good day," the Doctor said cheerfully to the ninja. "We're a couple of tourists and we'd like to find something to do. Could you recommend something touristy to us?" The ninja held his tanto up towards his face and slowly advanced towards the Doctor. "I'm warning you. You don't wanna do that," the Doctor growled as he positioned himself between the ninja and Donna. The ninja froze, hesitating when he noticed the Doctor wasn't backing down. The Doctor smirked at the confusion on his face. "If you think a pocketknife is gonna deter me, mate, guess again," he said. The ninja recovered from his shock and lunged at the Doctor. The Doctor grabbed his wrist and jerked it before he decked the ninja in the face. The ninja grunted and staggered back. Donna watched while the Doctor followed him and ducked when the ninja thrust his tanto in the Doctor's face. "Donna, get to safety!" the Doctor yelled as he ducked another knife thrust. Donna hesitated, torn between following the Doctor's orders and helping her friend. She noticed the tree limb lying nearby and picked it up. The ninja saw what she was doing and kicked it out of her hand. "Damn it, Donna, go!" the Doctor snarled at her before he kicked the ninja in the stomach. Donna turned to run and froze when another ninja dropped from the trees, drew back his bow and aimed an arrow at her heart. "I can't run!" Donna yelled to the Doctor. The Doctor glanced over his shoulder and growled. "Leave her alone! Fight me!" he yelled to the ninjas. Just then another ninja dropped out of the trees and the Doctor grunted when he kicked him directly in the small of the back. The first ninja followed that up with a roundhouse kick to the face and the Doctor dropped to the ground in a daze while the two ninjas drew arrows from their quivers, put them in the bows and aimed the arrows at the Doctor's head. He held up his hands, indicating he surrendered. "What do we do with him?" the first ninja said. "Kill him!" the second one said. "They're nothing but filthy gaijin. Kill them both." "No, wait," the ninja covering Donna said. "Take them back to the village. We can hold them for ransom. The gaijin might pay us for their lives." "Yes, we're worth a lot," the Doctor said. "We're ambassadors with the British government. We're valuable. Please spare us." The first ninja snorted. "You don't look valuable. You're the ugliest thing I've ever seen," he said. "That may be but I promise you'll be rewarded if we're returned unharmed," the Doctor said. The ninjas looked at each other. "What do you think?" the second ninja said to his companions. "Eh, take them back to the village. We could always use some slaves if they've lying about being valuable," the first ninja said. "Okay, on your feet and follow us." "See, Donna, we got to climb the mountain after all," the Doctor said when thirty minutes later they were walking up a mountain trail in the company of the ninjas. "Yeah, I've always wanted to see Japan while a ninja aimed an arrow at my back," Donna said. "So…where are we anyway?" the Doctor asked the ninjas. He got no response and shrugged. "Ninjas typically lived in the mountains of Iga or Koga. I'm guessing this is one of them?" he offered. Again, the ninjas didn't answer him. "Not very talkative," the Doctor said to Donna. "Ya think? They're probably busy thinking up ways to torture and kill us." "Perhaps," the Doctor said with a shrug. "You really don't let anything bother you. Is that because you're an optimist or because you have a death wish?" Donna said. "Oh, optimist, always," the Doctor. "Well, I hope the glass is half full this time and I hope they don't drown us in it," Donna said. They walked on. She finished hunting. She had caught several rabbits. She tied them together and slung them over her back. It had been a good day's hunting, although she missed killing a deer. Still, there was always tomorrow. She gathered her things and started back for the village. It took a couple a little over an hour and a half but she finally reached the top of the mountain and the little village hidden on a series of long, deep ridges on the far side of the mountain. The ridges were connected by rope ladders, foot and hand holds or carved out paths. It was a precarious life but the mountain offered their clan protection from their enemies. There was one path that led up to the first ridge and another path that led down the back of the mountain to the valley behind it. There they had a few more houses and an open area where they performed rituals and did their ninja training. She reached the first ridge and called to the others, telling them that she was back but there was no answer. She wondered what had become of everyone and then she noticed movement in the valley. Near the back of the practice field was a raised wooden platform that was used as a stage and also as a place of execution. She noticed a man and a woman were tied to two wooden poles that were sometimes used to torture and execute prisoners. She watched and noticed that most of the villagers were coming out of the houses around the open area, advancing towards the prisoners. "Hmm," she said. "Must have caught some spies." She hurried to her house, laid the rabbits just inside the sliding paper door and then headed down to take a look for herself.
Back Home Doctor Who Main Page Next