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I finally managed to coerce my still-aching body up and out of bed, and walked over to the door. I smelled the faint aroma of eggs cooking. My stomach, growling like a dog, led me out of the room and into the dojo-like area.

As I entered the room, I saw Mr. Hattori through the now-open door across from me. I walked over to the door and peered inside. The old fox stood before a small stove cooking some scrambled eggs. The cozy kitchen looked like a time capsule from the 50's, with black-and-white checkerboard floor tiles, a few cabinets, and a tiny metal sink. A small table, with barely enough room for one person, occupied the corner. The old fox turned to me as I entered.

"Feeling better?" he asked. I nodded. He scooped up the scrambled eggs and put them on a plate, placing in on the table. "You need to eat to regain your strength. Breakfast?"

"Thanks," I said, pulling out one of the two chairs at the undersized table. Mr. Hattori put a fork before me, and I greedily gobbled up the eggs.

I didn't say a word until had I scraped the plate clean. My stomach temporarily contented, I decided to try to find out a little more about this mysterious building and its owner.

"So what is this place, exactly?" I started.

"My home." he said simply.

"Okay..." I said. This was going nowhere fast. I changed my approach: "Is that a martial arts dojo in the other room? Most people don't have those in their homes."

Mr. Hattori nodded. "Yes, doraneko. I used to teach."

"Teach what?" I asked excitedly. "Karate? Kung fu?"

"Not quite," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "But I stopped teaching long ago. It is now place for personal reflection and meditation for me."

"Oh," I said, disappointed. "That's... cool..." Damn.

He patted me on the shoulder. "I can tell you like to fight. I can also tell from your injuries you are not very good at it."

I laughed ruefully, making my side feel like it was splitting in half and turning the laugh into a brief coughing fit. "Not as good as I thought. Maybe, y'know, once I'm healed a bit more, you could, possibly--"

"No," he interrupted. "Best battles are ones won without fighting. You should not fight anymore. Instead, find peaceful solutions."

I let out an exasperated sigh. "You think once I'm back out on the streets the Pack will want a peaceful solution? They're gonna shoot me and dispose of my body before I can start singing 'Kumbayah'. That's not a good way to solve your problems."

Mr. Hattori shook his head, and picking up my plate and fork went to the tiny sink to wash them. "The youth today. They do not understand there are other ways to solve problems. Why did you get involved with gangs in first place?"

I glared angrily at the table. "Haven't you noticed? The Pack runs the city. Every business in New Lou funds them in some way, willingly or unwillingly. Drugs run rampant on the streets. Bodies lie in back alleys. Women disappear every night and end up being forced into slavery. Not to mention they just murdered my best friend. And nobody else has the guts to stop any of that. I'm tired of seeing my own city destroy itself every day. It's about time someone stood up to them, and show them that we won't stand it anymore."

Mr. Hattori had stopped washing the dish, and stared into space. "I once felt like you. I once thought that I could change the world with my fists. I quickly learned that is not possible. One person cannot change world with strength alone. One needs wits. And wisdom. It seems you have neither."

I turned around furiously. Mr. Hattori had returned to washing the dish, and seemed not to notice. "I have wits," I told him forcefully. "I have street smarts. I know how to survive in New Lou."

"I would not call getting shot and run over 'surviving,'" he commented dryly.

I stood up, nearly knocking the chair over. If my dominant arm wasn't broken I swear I would have strangled him. He suddenly turned to face me as well, his stern expression making me temporarily at a loss for words. "I'm going to continue my fight against the Pack, no matter what you say." I told him after finally finding my voice. "Something needs to be done about those bastards. And if I die because you refuse to help me, my death will be on your head."

He turned away and walked out the door to the dojo room. "I cannot help you. You are already beyond help."

I followed him to the middle of the room, stopping him by putting my left paw on his shoulder and turning him around to face me.

"Take your hand off my shoulder," he told me, glaring daggers into my skull.

"You gotta teach me, Mr. Hattori." I pleaded.

"Your hand. Let go now."

"If you teach me Kung Fu then I can take out the Pack, and New Lou would be a safe place again!" I insisted.

"It's not Kung Fu. I will ask you one more time," Mr. Hattori said menacingly. "Take your hand. Off my shoulder. Now."

"I wanna learn," I said softly. "Please teach me."

He held his gaze without blinking, but I could tell he was thinking it over. Finally, he let out a tired sigh. "Fine, fine, you win," he said, with a suspicious amount of enthusiasm. "You want to learn? Fine. I will teach you. Let us start right now. Lesson number one:"

He quickly brought his right arm up and around my outstretched arm, snaking his hand around it until it reached my back. He stepped forward with his left leg, putting it in front of mine. He rotated his torso, forcing my arm forward, pulling my body forward with it, tripping me over his leg, and sending me flying to the ground. He had me pinned before I could even yelp in surprise. All this happened in about a second.

"Do what I say," he finished. "I say take hand off shoulder, you take hand off shoulder. Understand, doraneko?"

I moaned in pain. I had definitely underestimated the old fox. My arm, my side, ribs, my head, everything on that side felt like it was on fire. I was just glad I hadn't landed on my broken arm. "Yeah," I replied weakly.

"I am not going to teach you. I refuse. If I teach you, then you will fight, and get hurt. This is for your own good. You will have to find another way to solve problems. Understand?" I nodded.

He released me, and bent down to give me a hand up. I had landed on the same side I'd gotten hit by the car on, and the pain spread throughout my entire body, threatening to send me to the ground once more. But Mr. Hattori's strong hand held me up again.

"You will learn in time, doraneko," he assured me.

I nodded again. "You still haven't actually told me what 'doraneko' means," I reminded him.

He smiled. "You will learn in time, doraneko."