by Erik DeLeo
The Cat Ninja
and a Cabal of Shadows
Erik DeLeo
In memory of Lloyd Alexander and Brian Jacques, who created worlds I wanted to be a part of.
A good cat does not need a collar of gold.
Japanese Proverb
A Note From The Author
Please accept my apology. The story is complete, but there was an issue uploading the most recent story manuscript before the launch date.
* * *
Please email me at [email protected] and I will email you an updated story if you aren’t satisfied.
Contents
1. Job
2. Meeting
3. Temple
4. Gang
5. Argument
6. Night
7. Room
8. Damage Control
9. Kobayashi
10. Lesson
11. Recon
12. Basement
13. Regroup
14. Teahouse
15. Chains
16. Escape
17. Discovery
18. Prisoner
19. Council
20. Stealth
21. Showdown
Epilogue
A Humble Request
Become a Loyal Reader
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Job
The little field mouse scampered across the floor, seeming to not care one whit about the cat stretched out and lazily sunning itself on the teahouse floor. Perhaps the mouse, or aka nezumi as they were called in Japan, was searching for crumbs. Or, per chance, they didn’t see the cat. Maybe it even had a death wish. Either way, the cute rodent paid no heed to the black feline that had claimed the white tiles and surrounding area its resting place. In fact, the mouse ran right up to the cat, within striking distance of its sharp claws.
The mouse squeaked. The cat didn’t move. It was a stalemate. The mouse cleared its throat and tried a different approach. It spoke.
“I have an assignment for you,” said the little, brown field mouse.
The cat curled over on its back, chin pointed toward the ceiling, eyes still closed.
“I don’t care, Sukoshi,” purred the cat, swishing its tail with annoyance.
“Miko. I’m your agent on the street. I find work for you.”
“Actors need agents. I don’t. I’m a ninja. If people have a problem, they come and find me. It’s kind of the perfect career choice.”
“This particular job pays well.”
“I have enough money. And by money, I mean food.”
“They’re including a batch of fresh catnip.”
Miko opened one eye. Slowly.
“Really?”
“Well, I’m sure they would if I asked them to.”
Miko closed her eye again.
“You’re wasting my time.”
“Hey, I have twelve mouths to feed at home.”
“Don’t blame your problems on me. I’ve talked to your wife. She wasn’t happy with the first six.”
“Those are personal matters. Anyway, there is a Shiba Inu couple, and their puppy has gone missing. They come from a wealthy family in Kyoto and, like I said, they are willing to pay handsomely.”
“How does one lose a puppy? Irresponsible parenting?”
“I’m of the understanding that it was taken during the night.”
“Who takes a puppy in the middle of the night?”
“I’m not sure, but it’s nice to know even ninja’s have hearts.”
“I never said I cared. I’m merely surprised.”
“Uh-huh,” said Sukoshi.
“Don’t patronize me.”
“So, what do you say?” asked the mouse, unfazed by Miko’s lack of urgency to help.
“I’d say you’re not gonna let this drop until I accept the terms.”
“You have weapons. I have willpower.”
“Now I know how you have twelve kids. You wore your wife down by annoying her to death.”
“I did no such thing. She finds me irresistible.”
Miko coughed so hard she almost brought up a hairball.
“Uso-tsuki,” she muttered under her breath, calling him a liar.
“What?” asked Sukoshi.
“Nothing.”
“Now come on,” pleaded Sukoshi. “I want you to hear the family’s story. Then you’ll feel overwhelming amounts of emotion for their plight and you will take up the case because you possess empathy and I’m running out of cheese at home.”
“I won’t feel a thing. I’m indifferent.”
“Your heart is a black as your fur.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment. Now, you’re beginning to take up too much of my afternoon sun time, and everyone knows I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder. I get moody without enough daylight.”
“Cats can’t get that.”
“I’m a unique case.”
Sukoshi’s nose twitched, and he stood up on his hind legs looking distracted, sniffing the air intently.
“I smell food nearby,” said the field mouse, “so I’ll be leaving. But you’re going to meet the family regardless.”
“Fine. Whatever.” replied Miko, who was quite tired of arguing. Especially with this mouse, who she had decided not to eat…that got her work and who maybe she had developed a soft spot for.
Miko slunk off the chair in the teahouse and claimed her territory on the floor. The sun had already warmed the tile, and she curled over onto her back with her feet hanging lazily in the air, pulling one paw up to cover her eyes. It was the perfect spot for any cat, even a ninja, to sun themselves.
Nothing was better than the sun, thought Miko. Except maybe milk. And catnip. And fresh little field mice. And…
Pretty soon, she was fast asleep, snoring.
Meeting
Sukoshi had an ability to find Miko, no matter where she had squirreled herself away. This time, the black cat was laying on top of a chair pulled up tightly to a table, tail wrapped around her head.
“Morning, Miko,” said Sukoshi in pleasant tones.
Miko didn’t even give the mouse a response.
“Come on, I know the weather isn’t the best, but you have to leave the ochaya today.”
“I’m not leaving the tea house if there’s a chance I could get wet,” replied Miko without moving. “Besides, it’s opening soon and I’ll get lots of pets and scratches from the customers and maybe even some nice treats.”
“This is not the day to dilly-dally. We have to go meet these clients. It’s important. If you don’t come, I won’t be your representative anymore and I’ll find someone else who wants me.”
Miko opened both of her golden yellow eyes, her irises tightening down into slits in the bright morning light. She stood up, stretched, and turned to Sukoshi.
“No need to get bent out of shape,” she said, yawning. “I think I’m caught up on my beauty sleep.”
“You slept eighteen hours yesterday.”
“It’s working. Look how pretty I am.”
Sukoshi made a noise, “Any more sleep would make you insufferable. Now c’mon, let’s go.”
“All right,” replied Miko matter-of-factly, “but only because you promised catnip.”
“It’s the best,” said Sukoshi over his shoulder. “I promise.”
Miko allowed herself one more stretch, leaning backwards while stretching out her front legs and extending her claws. While Sukoshi had the liberty of leaving the teahouse through various mouse holes, during the day, Miko had to wait for someone to open the door. There was one secret passageway, but she saved using that for moving around at night or for emergencies. She meowed loudly until she got her way. The teahouse owner opened the door, and Miko trotted
outside onto the wide street, which was populated by tourists and people going on about their business. she sniffed the air.
“Where are you at?” Miko asked, wondering where her mouse friend was.
“I’m over here,” said Sukoshi, who had magically appeared under a gutter drain just to the right of the teahouse entryway.
Miko strolled over.
“So, where are you taking me?”
“We’re going to the nice part of town.”
“Most of Kyoto is nice.”
“This is the really nice part,” replied Sukoshi, who bounded ahead, flitting back and forth to avoid traffic on the congested pedestrian walkway. “You’ll see.”
“Now what?” asked Miko, as they stood in front of a bus stop.
“We’re gonna hitch a ride on the bus. More specifically, we’re going to take the Hankyu-Kyoto line to Katsura.”
“And how are a mouse and a cat going to get on a bus?”
“Use your ninja brain, Miko.”
“My ninja brain is used for knowing how to disarm opponents and sneak around, not read maps for bus routes.”
Sukoshi let out an audible sigh.
“You’re going to pick me up in your mouth—gently—and right before the bus leaves, you’re gonna dash underneath said bus and we’re going to ride on the axle.”
Miko hated that idea for at least two reasons. One, she didn’t want to pick Sukoshi up with her mouth. Yuck. And two, Miko was a very clean cat, and getting up underneath the bus was more than likely a very dirty endeavor.
“We have to hurry. Bus leaves soon.”
She was not a happy cat. With a harrumph, Miko picked her friend up in her mouth as gingerly as she could and waited. After all the passengers had boarded the bus and the doors closed, Miko made a mad dash for the rear of the vehicle, running underneath it and hopping up on parts of the bus’s suspension. The bus lurched forward and departed. Miko set Sukoshi down on a bar wide enough that he wasn’t in danger of falling off. She then vigorously groomed herself, trying to get rid of any random dirt and field mouse hairs.
“You’d think I had the plague the way you’re cleaning,” said Sukoshi.
“One can never be too safe,” replied Miko.
She preferred the clean floors of the teahouse, but a mission was a mission. The rain had made the air cold, and Miko found Sukoshi cuddling up next to her.
“The things I do for my clients,” remarked Sukoshi.
“Well, we can’t have you all wet and shivering. That wouldn’t be helpful to your image as my agent. Especially since I’m a ninja.”
“Yes, well, I may not have told them you’re a ninja.”
This surprised Miko.
“Then what did you tell them?”
“That I have a friend that’s good at finding things.”
“Ooh, I like that,” replied Miko. “Very inventive.”
“I’m here to serve,” said Sukoshi, executing a mock bow and then quickly snuggling up against Miko’s warm, black fur again. The cool, damp air seemed to heighten the smell of the sakura, the cherry blossoms. They were in full bloom, and Miko enjoyed the scent even with her sensitive nose. Not as sensitive as a dog’s, mind you, but enough that it was a valuable tool for ninja assignments. After traveling for a good bit, the bus came to its final stop.
“I have a reputation to uphold,” said Miko. “If I see someone I know, play dead.”
She then grabbed Sukoshi as gently as she could by the scruff of his neck with her mouth, and hopped off the axle onto the damp pavement. Miko made sure no other vehicles were coming before venturing across the street and placing Sukoshi in some long grass.
“Thank you,” said the mouse. “Now, let us go meet our newest clients.”
Temple
Sukoshi was right. Katsura was a nice, residential neighborhood full of stand alone homes and quaint little shops. They made their way along side streets and back alleyways so the odd pair wouldn’t attract unlikely attention.
“The building is coming up,” remarked Sukoshi. “This is where we’re meeting them.
Rising up before the pair was a Shinto temple. Miko took a moment. She bowed respectfully and then touched the omamori that hung from the collar around her neck. The good luck charm was given to her as a child, right before her mother had passed. The presence of the omamori made Miko feel like her mom was always around, and keeping a protective eye on her.
“Shall we?” asked Sukoshi.
“Let’s go.”
They entered the grounds. Miko, even though this was just an informal meeting, checked the surroundings for convenient exit points along with potential hazards or suspicious characters. She sensed nothing off. Kyoto was a pretty, if not downright beautiful town, and this temple was no different. Everything seemed picture perfect.
Off to the left of the main temple structure, huddled in the corner, was a lone dog. A Shiba Inu. Sukoshi hesitated a moment before moving forward.
“I thought we were meeting a couple?” asked Miko as they approached the dog.
“As did I,” responded the field mouse.
Even if it weren’t raining, Miko imagined this particular canine would still be sad. It had a distant look in its eyes and regarded them glumly. Sukoshi cleared his throat.
“Hello. Are you Mr. Kanin?
“Mrs. Kanin,” replied the dog in an obviously female voice.
“Yes, of course,” said the mouse, shifting on his hind legs a bit uncomfortably. “Allow me to introduce ourselves. My name is Sukoshi, and I was contacted by your husband through a mutual friend of your family. This is, well,” he said, pointing to Miko,” her name doesn’t matter. But, she excels at finding things.”
Without warning, Mrs. Kanin broke into tears, sobbing loudly. Miko and Sukoshi exchanged glances. She enjoyed cut and dry missions. Get in and get out. Steal the money. Spy on the neighbor. Find out who’s taking the cheese. But this? This was already turning into a bit of a mess. Miko didn’t want to console this woman or offer emotional support, that wasn’t what she was good at. Miko just wanted a clear goal so she could execute the mission. It was Sukoshi’s job to handle outbursts like this. She toed him in the back, indicating she wasn’t happy. He shot Miko a look, and waited until there was a lapse in the crying.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Kanin. I know it’s tough.”
“…and I woke up and he was just gone.”
“We’re very sorry you lost your precious puppy,” said Sukoshi sounding sincere. He had a gift of sounding that way even if he wasn’t. “But we have a few questions to ask before we proceed.”
Mrs. Kanin gathered herself, sniffling loudly. “Okay.”
“We were under the impression we would be meeting both of you today. Our services are in high demand, and we traveled a long way. We take these client meetings very seriously and expect our clients to as well.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Sukoshi. My husband is very stressed. Right before we were supposed to come here he got agitated. We had an argument. He became angry and stormed off.”
The mouse puffed up a bit at being addressed as ‘Mister Sukoshi.”
“I don’t mean to pry, but may I ask what the argument was about?”
“The normal things,” continued Mrs. Kanin, “except he wanted to cancel this meeting. He said he regretted reaching out and was angry I was coming to see you. I told him all I wanted was our son back. He said he was going to take care of it.”
“I see, I see,” replied Sukoshi, before pausing. “So…how was he going to take care of it?”
“I don’t know. He just said he would talk to some people he knows.”
“And do you know who these people are?”
“I have no idea. All I want is my puppy back. That’s it.”
Miko had been surveying their surroundings as Sukoshi interviewed the mother. Since only half the couple showed up, she began to get suspicious. Plus, they were near the back of the temple and the only way out was through the front. It wasn�
��t an ideal position to be in. In fact, it was pretty terrible, especially if trouble came calling. She shifted her focus back to Mrs. Kanin. It was Miko’s turn to ask questions.
“All right, Mrs. Kanin,” she began, studying the dog’s face for any signs of lying. “Can you tell me about the day your puppy disappeared?”
“Yes. It was nothing really. I just went on a walk around the go kinjo, my neighborhood. And when I came back he…he was gone.”
Mrs. Kanin came close to crying again.
“Were there any signs of forced entry?”
“No. Everything seemed normal until I went and checked out his puppy bed. I put him down for a nap before we left. We came back and he wasn’t there. He wasn’t anywhere…”
Mrs. Kanin’s voice cracked.
“What was your puppy’s name?
“Kichiro. His name is Kichiro.”
“That’s a very lucky name,” added Sukoshi.
“No offense, Mrs. Kanin,” said Miko, “but I’m not a huge fan of dogs. However, stealing a puppy is pretty low. With good fortune, we’ll find him.”
There was a noise at the front of the temple, then silence. Miko whipped around. She definitely didn’t like the feel of this. At all.
“Sukoshi, get Mrs. Kanin out of here. I think we’re about to have company.”
Gang
Miko was expecting unpleasant company, but she wasn’t expecting a trio of them.
Three mean, scruffy dogs advanced towards the back of the temple. She swore silently under her breath, even more annoyed because she was armed only with her claws and had none of her weapons with her. The claws would have to do.