ROSE TYLER, NINJA ASSASSIN
Chapter Fourteen "Sensei?" Rose said as she stepped into Toshi's house. It was nearly noon and the crowds had dispersed. The Doctor promised to take Hattori into his care after his wound had been cauterized with a heated sword and Toshi agreed to his offer to look after him and be responsible for him. After that, he took Hattori with him up to his house. Rose had gone to her house and had changed into a red kimono with a red under kimono. She had rested for awhile until just before noon when she came over to her father's house to see if he had some food prepared for the Doctor and Donna. "In here, Rose-chan," Toshi called to her from the kitchen. Rose took off her sandals and stepped into the house. "I came to ask if you have some food ready for Doctor-sama and Donna-san?" she called to him. "Just one moment, my child. I'm finishing it up." Rose sat down beside the fire pit on one of Toshi's pillows. "Sensei, I think Doctor-sama is going to check on his time machine and make sure it still works. I want to go with him and Donna-san," she called to him. "He told me he wanted to do that earlier." Toshi came out carrying a wicker tray. On it were two small clay plates and two small clay bowls and two small clay cups. The plates had an assortment of sushi on them and the bowls held white rice and the cups had hot tea. Beside the bowls were two pairs of chopsticks. Rose bowed her head as Toshi handed her the tray. "So, my child, you have lost your fear of this…kami?" he said with a twinkle in his eyes as he settled down beside her. "Yes. We talked and he's nothing to be afraid of. In fact, Sensei, I admire him very much." "As do I," Toshi said. "I know some of the villagers wonder at his strange ways but he carries much power with him. And he is capable of much mercy. The samurai would have been chopped to pieces if he had not intervened." "And you are alright with that?" Rose said. "I agree that this samurai is a young man, not a battle hardened killer. There are some samurai who are monsters, who kill without thought or mercy. I don't think this man is one of them. Sometimes a person's heart can be changed if you catch them at the right age. Perhaps this Doctor can be an influence on him." Rose nodded. "It seems as if he can influence anyone to do anything," she said. Toshi chuckled. "Yes, indeed. That is part of his power but I can see a great sadness upon him. He carriers it around him like a cloak." Rose nodded in agreement. She frowned when she saw Toshi starting at her pointedly. "Sensei?" she said, confused. "Why are you looking at me like that?" "You love him, do you not? I've noticed the way you look at him," he said with a twinkle in his eye. He chuckled when Rose blushed at that and patted her on the shoulder. "Perhaps you and he would make a good match, my daughter," he said. "He wants me to go with him, Sensei, away to the stars." "As your dream foretold?" Rose nodded. "Rose-chan, I love you like you were my own flesh and blood but you were never meant to stay here your entire life. You were meant for something more than an old village in the mountains. This man offers you a life of adventure beyond anything you've ever known. I'd take him up on his offer if I were you." "Wouldn't you miss me?" "I would," Toshi said, patting her cheek, "but loss is a part of life. I can't be selfish when something greater than this lies in your future. I love you, my daughter, but I believe now your dream was a sign that you have come to a fork in the road and it's time to get off the road you're on now and follow the road he walks. Don't you agree?" Rose nodded and Toshi patted her hand. "Go on now and take their food to them. I slaved for a couple of hours making all that and I would be very angry if it got cold before they ate it." Rose laughed and Toshi patted her hand. "So go and see what your lover is doing now," he teased with a wink of his eye. He chuckled when Rose blushed at that and smiled fondly at her when she picked up the tray, bow with reverence to her father and carried it out of the house. XOXOXOXOXO "Doctor-sama?" Rose said as she slid open the front door of his house. The Doctor looked at her and smiled. He was sitting with Hattori in front of the fire pit. He beckoned for her to come in and Rose took off her sandals, came inside and slid the door shut. "I have food for you," she said as she carried the tray over. "Sushi and rice and tea." "Ah, my favorite," the Doctor said as she sat it down in front of him. "Give my compliments to Toshi, he's an excellent cook." "I'll talk to you later, Doctor-sama," she said. "You don't have to leave. Hattori and I were just chatting. Sit down and make yourself at home," the Doctor said, pointing to pillow behind him. Rose looked at Hattori and smiled politely. Hattori gave a polite nod and Rose sat down. "Hattori has been telling me a bit about his life," the Doctor said. "It's very fascinating. He lost his parents at an early age, much like you did." Rose looked at Hattori who nodded. "Yes. My parents were eta who were killed by a samurai who had been offended by someone in my village. He killed half the people in the village in retribution and my parents were among the victims. I was sent to live with an uncle and schooled in the art of bushido." "Eta? You were an undesirable?" Rose said. She had heard tales of people who were shunned by society because they did work that involved death and working with the dead, a taboo in a Buddhist society. Some eta worked as grave diggers, corpse handlers, butchers, tanners and similar professions. They were viewed as unclean by most Japanese. "Yes," Hattori said, "if my parents hadn't died, I would have stayed that way. My uncle hid my past and brought me up to serve the shogun. I was one of the best soldiers he had until your people took my hand," he said, holding up his wrapped stump. "I'm sorry about that," Rose said, feeling sorry for the boy who was still a teenager. "It wasn't you that cut it off. The Doctor was right. Had it been me I might have done the same to one of you," Hattori said. "I was brought up to believe that anyone less than samurai was to be looked down on and spat on. I realize now that I became like the samurai who slaughtered the people in my village and I don't want to be like that. Perhaps the loss of my hand was a sign from the gods that I was not meant to walk the bushido path any longer." "I'm going to go and check on my TARDIS after I eat and Hattori wants to come with me and Donna. Would you like to come?" the Doctor said. "Yes. I'd like to see your time machine," Rose said. "He told you about himself?" "Yes. It seems strange but I believe what he says. He's not like other men, I can tell just by looking at him." "Well, I'm one of a kind." the Doctor said with a wink. "I'm glad I have some company on the trip down the mountain. And I let Hattori have his horse back. It's a lovely gesture but Donna's right, I can't take care of him while I travel." The Doctor offered some of his sushi to Hattori and Rose and the two of them ate with him while he polished off the rice and tea.
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