I was born in NY but when I was five years old we moved to Japan. Almost immediately I was drawn to the martial arts. While I had trouble with the language barrier, martial arts was truly a universal language. I joined a local karate dojo and practically lived there. By the age of ten I had my black belt and was one of the best in my age group, in fact I could dominate those who were a few years older than me.

We had a few sensei there and they were all extremely tough. My favorite was Sensei Karurosa. He was probably the toughest of them all, although extremely fair. To him, karate was truly an art form, a religion almost. Any disrespect shown in the dojo was not taken lightly and simply performing poorly was considered disrespect.

There were two brothers named Robutaku & Sutebe who were at the dojo almost as much as I was. Robutaku was just ten months older than his brother. I said I was one of the best there, well these two WERE the best. I was about the same age as the two and each one kicked my ass every time we fought. They was also the cockiest, meanest two bastards you'd ever meet. They were constantly persecuting everyone they could, mainly at school and sometimes in the dojo when they had a chance. When Robutaku & Sutebe were about fourteen years old they put a six year old in the hospital with four broken ribs and a punctured lung. The six year old was a black belt, but come on. When Sensei Karurosa got wind of this he was extremely upset, especially when he found out that it happened in the dojo and that it was far from the first time something like this had occured, although it usually did not happen in the dojo. Karate is an art of defense, not aggression.

So he set up a match, just them and him. Now, these two fighting together could take out any dojo member there, however Sensei Karurosa was another matter. He had as many dojo members watch as could fit and proceded to absolutely demolish the two brothers. He broke ribs on both of them, one brother's arm and another's nose. He finished off BOTH of them with a knee to the groin, a move which was not usually permitted in dojo matches. He then grabbed both of them by the hair, dragged them all the way outside, pushed them out the stairs and told them never to come back.

I really liked Sensei Karurosa.

A few years later when I was sixteen I found out that we were moving back to the States. I was excited and devastated at the same time. The day before our departure I spent pretty much all day at the dojo. I said my goodbyes to everyone there saving Sensei Karurosa for last. I went into his "office" and told him I was leaving. He wished me the best and said to always remember that my fate rests solely in my hands.

That night I went to bed around eleven PM, we were to leave at seven AM the next morning and I was all packed and ready to go. Problem was, I couldn't sleep. At 1 am I got up and said screw it, I'll sleep on the plane. I wanted to go back to the dojo, it was only a twenty minute walk. Yes, I was obsessed but it really was like a second home.

The dojo was open 24/7, there was always at least one sensei there. However, on a Monday morning the dojo was usually vacant, I imagined the sensei would be sleeping as they had beds there. I was already dressed in my gear when I got there. As expected, the place was empty. Then I heard an odd laugh. It was coming from a small room at the end of a corridor. As I slowly approached the room I saw Sensei Karurosa on a chair, his hands tied behind his back, his lifeless eyes gazing right at me. I couldn't believe it. Then a dark figure stepped in front of him, his back to me. Dressed completely in black, I knew it was a ninja. A fucking ninja! Only a ninja could kill Sensei Karurosa. I recoiled a bit to be sure that the ninja couldn't see me. What was I to do?

And then the unthinkable happened. I farted. I tried to cut it off but it was too late, the damage was done. I immediately ran. I didn't wait to see if the ninja had heard it, I knew he had. I ran as fast as I could to the other end of the dojo. I had no idea whether the ninja was following me but I was sure he was. I couldn't hear anything, but fuck, he's a ninja so you're not supposed to hear anything. I think I let another one go while I was running, perhaps that slowed him down a bit (I had eaten beans that night for dinner).

I ended up running into Sensei Karurosa's office. I leaped over the desk and hunched below it. The lights were off. I was in excellent shape so fortunately I wasn't breathing heavy. Had the ninja been right on my tail I'd already be dead. But this was a ninja, and ninjas plan, even if it takes a few seconds. I knew I had to think of something. All I could think of was Sensei Karurosa. He had taught me so much and now he was dead, just a hours earlier I had been in this office, sitting right in front of the desk I was now hiding under.

Then I heard his voice in my head, clear as day, say " Always remember that your fate rests solely in your hands". On his wall, right behind where Sensei Karurosa had sat was a katana (a long Japanese sword). Even though it was pitch black I could sense where it was. I grabbed it off the wall and started to crouch back below the table when I felt a searing pain in my shoulder. The lights flipped on and I saw a throwing star coming right at my face, followed by a charging ninja with a small sword.

I dodged left and whipped my right shoulder back. I continued to swirl as I lifted the katana into the air, gaining speed. By the time I had almost completed my three-sixty the ninja was practically on me. The blade of the katana hit his neck and I swear there was a look of fear in his eyes. He was not looking at me, but at the wall where the katana had been. The katana seared though his neck and his separated head fell to the floor while his body, about a foot off the ground at the time of contact, fell forward and slid over the low desk and onto the ground. His head just laid there on the floor, his eyes almost looking at mine.

My heart was racing a million beats per minute. I pulled the first throwing star out of my shoulder. I knew I had to pull the mask off the head, not an easy task when its not attached to the body. I actually picked it up, put it under my elbow and pealed the mask off. I looked down and I saw the face of Sutebe, the younger of the two brothers who had been banished from the dojo years earlier. I had heard rumors that they had taken up ninjitsu but no one really believed it.

Then it hit me. Sutebe was never alone. He was always with Robutaku. I knew I had gotten lucky, Sutebe wasn't planning on me having a katana. I ran as fast as I could. I had no idea where Robutaku was but I knew he was close. I ran all the way until I neared the last long corridor. I briefly looked behind me and then peered around the corner. Both were clear. I began to run again, faster than I had ever run before. As I approached the front doors I saw a figure in the window of the door. The glass crashed as a throwing star tore through it. I burst through the doors and ran all the way home. Needless to say I didn't sleep that night. Didn't sleep on the plane to NY either.

I spoke to a friend at the dojo a few days later and he said that Sensei Karurosa was missing. I didn't tell him what happened but obviously no one found two bodies there. I guess that's why Robutaku didn't chase me, he was busy cleaning up and disposing of the bodies.

I now live in fear. Everyday since then it haunts me. It's been ten years since that night. I contacted a private investigator in Japan two years ago and he said that Robutaku left Japan four years ago, never to return. I don't know where he is. But I'm sure that someday, he'll come for me. Ninjas never forget. They never give up. They never stop.

The only time I feel safe is when I'm holding Sensei Karurosa's katana. I never let go of it that night. I brought it home and held it front of me, waiting…waiting. I still hold it the same way I did that night, just waiting. I can feel Karurosa's power when I hold the katana. I still hear his voice say "Always remember that your fate rests solely in your hands."