Like Father, Like Son

One cloudy day, a young cat-meleon girl lied in bed, sneezing and coughing. She

blew her nose with a soft tissue, feeling horrible.

Just then, a magenta chameleon-man opened the bedroom door and slowly walked

in with a small cup in his hand. He was known as Espio. "Amanda?" he said.

The girl sniffled. "Hi, Daddy," she said and started coughing.

Espio walked up to Amanda and put his hand on her head. "Still got that cold,

huh?"

Amanda nodded.

"Aw." The male chameleon gave Amanda the cup filled with some type of medicine.

"Here, drink this."

The girl took the medicine and sipped it down.

After she was done, she gave the cup back to her father. "Thank you." She blew

her nose again.

Espio put the cup down on the nightstand and sat beside his daughter.

"Is there anything else I can do to make you feel better?"

"Tell me a story."

Espio's eyes lit up. "What?"

"A story. You know, like the ones that Mommy tells me every night to put me to

sleep, except now, to help me get better."

The male chameleon hesitated. "W-well…I'm not really that much of a story teller—"

"PLEASE??" Amanda coughed again.

Her father sighed. "Alright."

Amanda smiled widely. "YAY!!"

"Let me just think of something. Hmm…" Espio began to think hard.

"Tell me one about ninjas, please."

"Ninjas, huh?" Espio finally came up with something. "Ooh, here's a good one.

Have you ever heard about the story of Dihan the Chameleon?"

Amanda shook her head. "No."

"He was a great ninja just like me. He learned all of his ninja skills from his sensei.

He was very brave, strong, and knew how to overcome many problems."

"What was his childhood like?"

"I was just getting to that."

Flashback

An old komodo dragon had opened his door and spotted a young purple chameleon

crying on his doorstep.

"Oh, you poor creature," said the komodo dragon, picking up the baby in his arms

and bringing him in the house.

The next few months, the komodo dragon was feeding the chameleon some baby

food.

But then, the young child tugged on the man's moustache and pulled it off his face.

The man winced in pain. "Ow…careful there, boy."

When the chameleon had turned at least five years old, he began punching a rubber

punch bag, sending it flying to the wall. He then turned to his master, who was smiling at

him.

"Well done, Dihan," said the komodo dragon. "You're becoming a great student."

"Thank you, sensei," said Dihan.

End of Flashback

Amanda was surprised. "So, let me get this straight. When Dihan was a baby, his

real parents left him on the doorstep of his sensei's house. Then, he took him in and

trained him as a ninja. Right?"

"That's right, Amanda," said Espio. "Dihan loved his sensei like a father and they

were both great at ninjitsu."

"Wow."

"However, one day…something tragic happened."

Flashback (cont')

One day, when Dihan was a teenager, he walked over to his master's room with a

cup of tea in his hands.

"Sensei," he said, knocking on the door. "I brought you your tea, just like you

asked."

There was no answer.

"Sensei?" Dihan turned the knob on the door and it suddenly opened. He walked

inside the other room, only to find a horrible sight; the old komodo dragon was lying on

the floor surrounded by a small puddle of blood.

The chameleon dropped the cup on the ground and ran to his master. "Sensei!" He

tried to wake him up, but it was no use.

Dihan felt like bursting into tears, until there was a mocking laugh behind him.

He turned to see a reddish-orange fox with red eyes wearing a green vest and green

boots. The creature smirked. "Your old sensei has died because of me. I am Rox, the

kitsune of mayhem and death."

The chameleon became raged. "You monster! I'll make you pay!" He took out his

nunchucks and charged at the kitsune.

However, the monster jumped out of the way, making Dihan trip. Then, he used

some kind of invisible aura to strike the chameleon. It hit him right in the arm.

Dihan winced in pain, but then got up to keep attacking the kitsune. He ran to him

and began throwing several punches and kicks at him.

After a little while, both of the humanoid creatures were a bit injured.

Rox made another smirk. "You insolent helpless child…you must understand that I

happen to be one of the most powerful immortal beings in this universe. No one can

vanquish me."

Dihan gritted his teeth. "If I can't kill you…then I'll just have to seal you in the

Forbidden Dimension!" He took out a bright cerulean emerald and shouted the words,

"CHAOS CONTROL!!" With that, the gem glowed, creating a warp hole that sucked Rox

right in.

"CURSE YOU!!" the kitsune screamed.

After he disappeared, the chameleon leaned over his sensei's body and began to

weep.

End of Flashback

Amanda looked shocked. "He…died?"

Espio nodded. "Dihan had felt really sad for his sensei's death that day."

"Aw…that's so sad."

"Indeed, it is. But, after that, he didn't really feel as lonely as he was when his

sensei was killed."

Amanda was confused. "Really?"

Espio nodded.

Flashback (cont')

About a couple days after the komodo dragon's death, Dihan was still crying on his

master's grave. He felt like it was his fault for his master's death.

Just then, a pink teenaged chameleon-girl was walking down her path while carrying

a parasol. She suddenly seemed to notice the chameleon-boy sobbing.

She walked up to him. "Excuse me, sir? Why are you crying?"

Dihan looked up to see the chameleon girl staring down at him. He wiped his tears

and spoke, "My…my sensei…he was killed…all because of that dang kitsune!" He

banged his fist on the grave stone and started crying again. "He was like a father to me!"

The girl took pity on him. "Oh…I'm so sorry about your misfortune. I know how you

feel."

Dihan stopped his sobbing. "Y-you do?"

The girl nodded. "After my mother died after I was born and my father passed away

from scarlet fever, my aunt, Su-Eli…she took great care of me and taught me wonderful

things. I always depended on her. However…one day…someone set our house on fire

and I was the only one who survived. I've missed her since then."

Dihan felt bad about that. "Oh…that's a real shame."

The girl nodded. "But, right now, I'm living with the monks."

Dihan was confused. "The monks?"

"Yes. Their leader found me near my burnt house after the incident and took me into

their place." The girl hesitated for a few seconds, but then said, "My name is Mei-Lin.

What's yours?"

"Dihan."

"Say, Dihan, do you want to come with me to my new home?"

Dihan was surprised. "Uh…are you sure?"

"The monks won't mind. They love visitors, just as long as they don't touch or break

any of their possessions." Mei-Lin reached her hand out. "What do you say?"

Dihan hesitated, thinking about what to do. If he went with her, he wouldn't have to

feel so lonely anymore. So, he said, "Yes. Thank you, Mei-Lin." With that, he gave her

his hand and stood up. The two chameleons then ran to see the monks.

After a few hours, Dihan and Mei-Lin had made it to a small hut in the middle of the

forest. By the door were four men who wore brown cloaks and meditated.

When they saw the two chameleons walking by, they all stood up and walked over to

them.

Mei-Lin smiled. "Hello, boys."

The men bowed politely and said in unison, "Greetings."

Mei-Lin turned to her friend. "Dihan, these are the monks; Cao Yung, Le Roy, Fa Pi,

and, the leader, Guan Tu."

The tallest monk walked up to the chameleon-boy and held out his hand.

"Welcome to our home, Dihan the Chameleon."

Dihan took his hand and shook it. "Thank you."

After they let go, Guan Tu said, "Come. We shall have some tea together."

Everyone then walked into the hut.

End of Flashback

"And so, the monks and Mei-Lin gave Dihan plenty of company in their home," said

Espio.

"So…that's it?" asked Amanda. "He just stayed with them forever?"

"Well…not forever, but for a while."

Flashback (cont')

When Dihan had reached the age of eighteen, he stared at the sky, thinking of his

sensei. He sighed. "Master," he said to himself, "if only you were here, I just wanted to

tell you that I'm okay. I've really enjoyed my company with Mei-Lin and the monks.

But…now I seem lost. I'm just not sure if I can take this anymore."

"Talking to yourself, Dihan?" said a voice behind him.

The chameleon-boy gasped and turned to see the tallest monk behind him.

"Oh…Guan Tu…it's you."

"Yes, it is. Mind if I sit down?"

Dihan shook his head.

Guan Tu sat down and spoke. "You are planning on leaving?"

Dihan was surprised to hear that. "Um…well…"

"It is alright. But…may I ask why?"

Dihan sighed. "Well…my sensei was the only family I'd ever known. He gave me

so much ninja training and kept me healthy and alive. And…I just don't feel comfortable

sitting around and doing nothing. I mean—"

"I understand, Dihan. You want to go somewhere where you can be free. Now, I'm

not saying whether you should leave or not, but…someone would be very sad if you did."

"Who?"

"Mei-Lin."

"Mei-Lin?"

Guan Tu nodded. "She is in love with you."

Dihan was surprised. "She is?"

"I can tell by the way she looks at you. She is afraid to tell you though because she

thinks you don't feel the same way as her."

Dihan was speechless at first, but said, "I…I didn't think about that."

"Dihan…the choice is yours. You could either leave and carry on your life as a

carefree ninja or you could stay and ask Mei-Lin how much she really cares about you.

Think about it." With that, Guan Tu had walked away, leaving Dihan outside.

End of Flashback

"What did he do?" asked Amanda. "Did he leave or stay?"

"Hold on a sec, Amanda," said Espio. "I was just coming to that."

Flashback (cont')

The next morning, Mei-Lin was in her room, reading a book.

Just then, Dihan came inside the room and spoke, "Mei-Lin?"

The girl looked up at the boy and put her book down. "Oh, Dihan. Hello."

"Hi. Listen…I have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

Dihan walked closer to Mei-Lin and sat beside her. "Mei-Lin…I've really enjoyed

staying here with the monks and you and I'm truly grateful for your hospitality."

Mei-Lin smiled. "Thank you."

Dihan's smile suddenly turned into a frown. "But…I'm afraid I can't stay here

anymore."

When Mei-Lin heard that, she became worried. "What? W-why? Did I do

something to make you upset?" She sounded like she was about to cry.

Dihan saw her expression. "No! Mei-Lin, don't cry. You did nothing wrong, I

swear."

Mei-Lin then felt relieved and sniffled. "Oh…then why?"

Dihan sighed. "It's just that…I was raised as a ninja and it's my destiny to carry my

life as one. I want to travel everywhere and be able to teach new apprentices my skills,

just like my sensei did with me."

"But…do you really have to leave?" A tear suddenly fell from Mei-Lin's eye.

Dihan took pity on her and reached his hand out to wipe her tear with his thumb.

He made a small smile. "Well, I can't possibly go alone."

Mei-Lin was confused. "Huh?"

"I want you to come with me, Mei-Lin."

The chameleon-girl hesitated. "Dihan…I don't know about this. The monks are

like family to me and…I could never leave them."

Dihan put his hands on Mei-Lin's face. "Not even for this?" He leaned in and put

his lips on hers.

The girl's eyes widened when he did. She then closed her eyes and returned his

kiss.

Dihan broke away and faced Mei-Lin.

The girl blushed. "Dihan…"

The chameleon-boy's smile grew wider. "You love me, don't you?"

Mei-Lin hesitated at first, but answered, "Y-yes."

"You didn't have to be scared, you could've just asked me."

"Well…I wasn't sure if you loved me too…do you?"

Dihan nodded. "I do."

Mei-Lin gasped and hugged Dihan in her arms while silently weeping with joy.

"Then, I'll come with you."

End of Flashback

"And so," said Espio, "after Mei-Lin and Dihan said goodbye to the monks, they

traveled their way from the forest and eventually found a home in Station Square. They

also got married and had their first-born child."

"Aw!" said Amanda. "That's so cute!"

Espio smiled. "It is. But, do you know who the child was?"

"No, who?"

"Me."

Amanda was shocked. "You, Daddy?"

Espio nodded.

"So, wait…if you're Dihan's son, then…does that make him my…?"

"That's right, Amanda. Dihan the Chameleon was your grandfather."

"Why didn't I know that before?"

Espio sighed. "He died before you were even born."

"Him too?"

"Yes…unfortunately. But, getting back to the part where I'm born…"

Flashback (cont')

Mei-Lin was holding a small magenta chameleon-boy in her arms. She smiled.

"Aw…he has your eyes."

Dihan looked down at his new son. "Oh, yeah. He does." He took the little boy,

smiled at him, and nuzzled his horn with his. "He shall be known as Espio. Named after

the Japanese word, 'spy'."

Mei-Lin's eyes lit up. "Dihan, that's perfect!"

When Espio had turned seven, he and his father learned a lot of tricks and martial

art moves.

The young chameleon took out his shurikens and threw them at the targets.

Then, he suddenly turned invisible and snuck behind his father. He then turned

visible again and pounced on Dihan.

The man laughed. "Oh, Espio, you got me."

"I knew I would," said the young chameleon.

Dihan suddenly grabbed his son and noogied his head. "Come on, who's your

daddy? Huh, who is he?"

Espio groaned. "You are, now let me go!" He tried to escape from his father's

clutches, until he finally pushed him and began to wrestle him.

The two chameleons laughed as they continued to tumble.

End of Flashback

"So, everything turned out great until Grandpa died, right?" asked Amanda.

"Actually…no," said Espio. "One day, my parents had a huge argument that they

decided to…split up."

Amanda was confused. "Split up? What does that mean?"

"W-well…it's kind of hard to explain…"

Flashback (cont')

"I can't take this anymore, Dihan!" Mei-Lin argued with her husband. "Espio needs

to learn more than just ninjitsu! He has to learn to be a normal boy."

"Mei-Lin," said Dihan, "being a ninja is normal!"

"It's too dangerous! He could end up getting hurt or worse!"

"Espio's old enough to take care of himself."

"He's only ten! He's still young!"

Dihan groaned. "You worry too much!"

"I do not! I'm just concerned about our son's safety. He soon needs to have a

qualified job, like you do now."

"Yes, but why psychiatry?! I didn't want that job!"

"It was the only one that could help us pay our bills."

"But still…you could've taken that job instead of me."

"Dihan, you're more into that then I am."

"But—"

"Enough with the buts! I don't know why, but somehow, I wished that I hadn't

married you!"

Dihan gasped in horror. "Well, if that's what you really think, then maybe you

should just leave!"

"Fine, I will! But, Espio's coming with me!"

"No, he's staying here to practice more of his ninjitsu!"

As the two adults continued to argue, the little chameleon boy saw them from

behind a door and felt sad.

End of Flashback

Espio sighed. "That's when I decided to…stay with my father."

"Then…Grandma left?" asked Amanda.

Espio nodded. "She did. I don't what happened to her, but I never heard from her

again."

"Oh…that's too bad."

"Yeah…but we didn't worry about it too much after that. Your grandfather took

great care of me and, as I grew older, my ninja skills had mastered because of him."

"Wow. Did you have any apprentices before I was born?"

"Well…actually…I did have one apprentice when I was turning seventeen."

"Really? Who was it?"

"Your mother."

Amanda was surprised. "Mommy?"

"Yes. She was a great student of mine. Scared at first, but her courage began to

develop as she faced many dangers. I remember back when I first met her."

Flashback (cont')

Espio's POV

I was practicing my shamisen in a quiet forest. Everything was so peaceful, until

I heard a voice shout, "This is so suckish! No matter what I do, I always mess up. I

want to be a real ninja and be trained with a real mentor in a real training program!"

When I heard those words, I decided to turn into my camouflage form and see

what was going on. I climbed out of the bushes to the other side of the forest where I saw

a purple cat-girl holding a lime-green kunai.

I stopped when she was about to creep up to the bushes to find me, but she didn't

see me there because I was right next to her.

"That's weird," she said. "I could've sworn I heard something."

I tapped on her shoulder, which made her shriek and almost strike me with the

kunai. I grabbed her weapon and held it.

The girl was scared at first, considering the fact that I was invisible. She screamed,

"No! Not another ghost!"

I was surprised. "Ghost? Miss, there's no such thing as ghosts." I then turned

visible again so she would see me.

"How'd you do that?" the girl asked me.

"I'm a chameleon," I answered. "I have the ability to blend into my surroundings,

which turns myself invisible."

"Oh, that's right. I forgot."

I handed the girl her kunai. "You…nearly stabbed me with this."

The girl took the kunai. "Sorry, but you sort of startled me."

"It's alright. My name's Espio the Chameleon. I'm a well-skilled ninja and a

spy of the Chaotix Detective Agency."

"D-did you just say…'ninja'?"

"Yes, why?"

"No particular reason."

"Oh. And you are…?"

"Salley Hallivan."

"Please to meet you, Salley." Salley and I shook hands. "So, what are you doing out

here by yourself?"

"Oh, I'm…uh, just working on my training program."

"Training program?"

"Yeah. To become a ninja, like you. However, I haven't really been successful lately."

I turned to see Salley's messed-up training program. "Hmm…I see."

"Yeah, I know. Even my mentor's not so good."

I saw the dummy and scratched his head. "Well, if I were you, I would probably ask

for an advanced ninja to be your mentor. There are a lot of them that can teach young

apprentices, including me. Thanks to my training, of course."

"Wow."I then saw Salley kneel down to the ground. "Please, I want to be nothing

more than a great ninja. And I need a mentor for that, so I ask for your teachings. I'll do

anything you ask."

When I heard that, I smiled. "So, you really want to be a ninja?"

"Yes, really badly."

"Well, all I can say is, you've come to the right guy. I'll teach you." I took Salley's hand

and helped her up." (A/N: This is a flashback from "When Two Ninjas Meet.)

End of Flashback

Normal POV

"No…way!" said Amanda.

"Yes way," said Espio. "Your mother and I had so much fun doing ninja training

together. We both even worked as partners at the Chaotix Detective Agency."

"Did you fall in love with her then?"

"Yep. She and I were boyfriend and girlfriend for four years and then we got married

and had you."

Amanda smiled, but then frowned. "But…what happened to Grandpa?"

Espio sighed. "It was one of the worst days of my life. Your other grandfather, Rome

the Wolf, he tried to kidnap your mother, but he had to hire someone to do that."

"Who?"

"Rox…he escaped from the Forbidden Dimension to work for Rome."

Flashback (cont')

Espio's POV

When I was injured, I saw my father get beat up by Rox. I had to do something to save

him, so I tried to get up.

However, Salley stopped me and said, "Espio, don't. You're still hurt."

"But I can't let Rox beat up my father!" I said.

"I'll take care of it." Salley ran into the fight.

"Salley, no!" I tried to stop her, but she didn't listen. The cat-girl grabbed Rox's tail with

a tight grip. That made the kitsune let go of my father.

He panted and looked at Salley. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to help," said Salley. She then let go of the tail and took out her shurukins.

Rox tried to attack her, but she jumped up and swung her weapons at him. It scratched

both of his arms.

Then, Salley cried out, "Shurukin Spin!" She formed into a ball and aimed at Rox.

Her attack was blocked because he used lightning and shocked her. Salley fell to the

ground, feeling weak. She also fell unconscious.

Rox then took out his dagger. "Say goodbye." He had charged near Salley while holding

his weapon. He struck it, but not at Salley.

Instead, it hit my father. Blood was flowing from his stomach and he could hardly breath.

He then fell down.

When I saw this, I was shocked. "FATHER!!" I ran to him, knelt down, and tried to shake

him awake. "No, Father." Tears filled my eyes. "Please, wake up."

My father slowly opened his eyes and stirred. I was relieved to see that he was still awake.

"I had a feeling that this would happen," said my father in a hoarse voice. "Rox tried to

hurt Salley just so he could kill me." He groaned in pain. "A very conniving plan."

"Dad," I cried, "why? Why did you do it?"

"Because I know how much you love and care about Salley. And I'd feel so terrible if I

saw her get killed and you'd be heartbroken." My father stroked my cheek. "I don't ever

want to see you like that."

More tears rolled down my face. "Father, please. I can't live without you." I placed my

hands on my father's face. "You're the only family member that I have left."

My father removed my hands and held them in his. "I'm very sorry…but I'm afraid…it's

too late for me. What's done is done and we can't undo it. You're a great ninja, Espio,

and I trained you so well. Now, it's up to you to do your part on your own."

I felt that my heart was aching. "Father…"

My father made a slight smile. "Do everything you can to help your friends, especially

Salley. Protect her with all your strength and make sure that no harm comes to her." He

gasped for air. "And promise me…that you'll never…forget me." He put his hand on

my face once more. "I love you…my son…" With his last words, his hand slipped off of

my face and he slowly closed his eyes. He was truly dead.

I was so heartbroken. "Father!" I tried to wake my father up, but couldn't. "Father…no!"

I covered his eyes with my hands and cried. I had never felt so grieved with pain in my

entire life. (A/N: Again, a flashback, but this time, from "A Kitsune's Mayhem".)

End of Flashback

Normal POV

Amanda gasped. "Rox killed him, too?"

"Yes…" said Espio, sadly.

"What happened after that? Did you seal him back to the Forbidden Dimension?"

"No."

"Did you kill him?"

"No…but someone else did."

"Then, who did?"

"Your third cousin, Bone."

Amanda's eyes lit up. "Cousin Bone?"

"Yes. He stabbed Rox in the back with his sword and that's how he died."

"Oh my…Daddy, you won't get killed by anyone, will you?"

Espio chuckled. "No, sweetie. Don't you worry. I'm staying alive and so are you

and your mother."

"Are you gonna teach me ninja skills just like the others?"

Espio rubbed Amanda's head. "You'd bet so, Amanda. When you become a

teenager, that's when I'll give you the training."

Amanda smiled. "You know what? I think I'm feeling better already."

Espio smiled back at his daughter. "That's what I wanted to hear from my little girl."

He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Get a little bit of sleep, it'll help you feel better

even more."

"Okay." Amanda yawned. "Thanks for the story, Daddy."

"Sure thing. I love you."

"I love you, too." With that, Amanda closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Espio walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him. He then turned to

see his wife, Salley, walked down the hallway. "Hey, dear."

Salley turned to him and smiled. "Hi, sweetheart." She walked over to him and

kissed his lips. They then broke away and she asked, "Is Amanda alright?"

"She's starting to feel better, I helped her a little bit."

"Really? What did you do?"

"I told her a story about ninjas."

Salley smiled wider and hugged her husband. "You're a good father, Espio. I'm

proud of you."

Espio hugged her back. "Thanks, Salley." He kissed her on the cheek.

"Come on, let's go make some coffee." Salley and Espio walked away from the

door of Amanda's bedroom, letting her sleep peacefully.

The End

Well, that's it. Sorry about the long wait. At least this one-shot was shorter than "Tragic

Memories". Next story is "Wolf Reunions", where you get to meet two new characters that were

mentioned in "Tragic Memories". Please, R&R.