Dynamic Deeks

Chapter 5 – Confrontations

"What are you doing Deeks?" Callen asked as Deeks put on the protective armour. He was unhappy at how Deeks was acting, first derailing their conversation and now confronting Michael Satokashi, even if it was a friendly spar.

"I'm giving us an in," Deeks stated calmly.

"An in?" Callen asked incredulously. "How does getting your ass handed to you give us an in?"

"Who said I was going to get my ass handed to me?" Deeks wondered curiously. "How do you know I won't be doing the ass handing?"

"Really Deeks?" Callen exclaimed. "You think you have what it takes to beat a man who has been wielding a sword for more years than you have been alive?"

"Who said anything about beating him?" Deeks asked. He strapped on the last piece of armour before picking up his gloves and helmet. "All I plan on doing is sparring with the man until he relaxes a little and opens up to us. At the moment, he is antagonistic and defensive, with good reason; someone has threatened his daughter."

"That is not clear. There could be other reasons for the events of today," Callen argued weakly.

"C'mon, even you don't believe that," Deeks stated. "Someone has threatened his daughter and he will do what any good father will do. Protect her with all his considerable will and resources."

"And you think you can get him to calm down and talk to us?" Sam asked from where he lent against the wall. He had remained silent until now, considering the situation. Kensi and Nell waited outside with Michael, who had dismissed Hinata; Kensi holding onto Deeks' weapons. "This won't be an easy fight Deeks."

"I am well aware of that Sam. Believe me," Deeks said as he looked over at the former SEAL. "I wouldn't have challenged him if I didn't feel as if I had a chance to withstand him, at least for a time. I can do this."

"Sam?" Callen called to his partner. Sam, Deeks and Callen all shared looks before Sam simply nodded his head, trusting in Deeks. He had once considered him to be less than what he really was and would be forever grateful that Deeks had proven him wrong. He had promised himself that he would never make that mistake again. "Alright then. You're up Deeks."

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"So how are you feeling?" Kensi asked Nell as they stood to the side, waiting for Deeks to change. Kensi wasn't sure if he could pull off what she thought he was trying to do but she trusted her partner. Still, it worried her and she distracted herself from looking down at his gun, knife and badge by making conversation with Nell. "It is your first case as an official NCIS agent."

"I'm fine," Nell replied, instantly realising her blunder in using those words. A quick glance at the taller female confirmed her suspicion; that response wouldn't cut it. "I'm nervous. Before, I was an analyst and so the expectations of my performance in the field were lower, more limited. But now as a full agent, I have to be able to do everything to the same degree as everyone else."

"No you don't," Kensi declared, pausing to collect her thoughts before continuing. "We're a team. Each of us has our strengths and weaknesses and we cover each other. We can't all be ghosts, or former SEALS, or snipers or undercover savants. Besides, none of us can pull off an innocent face to save our lives. Never feel like you have to be like anyone else on this team. Hetty chose you, because of what you can do. I try not to look too deep into Hetty's choices anymore. They never make sense to me anyway."

"I guess so," Nell conceded as she considered what Kensi had said. Not wanting to continue on with their current discussion, changed the topic. "When did Deeks get a new knife? I haven't seen him with it before. In fact, I have never seen him with a knife before. Multi-tool, yes but not an actual knife."

"Ah, recently. I'm not exactly sure when he got it though, or where," Kensi dodged; poorly, in Nell's opinion. She knew the answer to both those questions. "Why?"

"Oh, just wondering. Trying to get to know a little more about my team and what their strengths and weaknesses are," Nell offered to divert suspicion. She had a hunch that the knife, which she saw had a similar style of handle to Kensi' fathers knife, was something more than just a utilitarian object. "May I see it?"

"Ah, sure," Kensi said after a moment; a moment trying to think of a valid excuse for why Nell couldn't look at the knife. She held the sheathed blade out for Nell, who took it from Kensi's hand without a word and began to examine it.

"Lighter than I thought but evenly balanced," Nell said as she drew the blade out slowly. Her eyes locked on the small engraving of a fern leaf, barely having seen the rest of the blade. "What have we here?"

"What?" Kensi wondered as nonchalantly as she could, even as she watched the look on Nell's face. "You find something interesting?"

"The blade has a fern leaf engraved on it," Nell pointed out.

"So? Deeks likes ferns. Nothing wrong with that," Kensi countered meekly.

"One fern in particular," Nell stated firmly as her mind worked. She noticed the shocked, concerned look on her friend's face and added that to her considerations. She was silent as she thought, not noticing the growing concern on Kensi's face. And then her mind settled. "You gave Deeks the knife."

"Ah, no," Kensi denied quickly.

"Yes, you did. Deeks prefers his gun or his hands. He may use knives more now than he used to but he is still a gun guy," Nell argued.

"He might surprise you," Kensi interrupted.

"He might," Nell conceded. "But he also wouldn't put a firm leaf on the blade."

"He might have," Kensi hedged. "Deeks is weird."

"He is," Nell agreed calmly as she returned the knife to its sheath and held it out to Kensi. "I'm not asking you for confirmation and I'm not going to say anything to anyone. But we both know who gave him the blade, and at least some of the reasoning behind it. And it's about time."

"Thank you," was all Kensi managed to get out as she took back the knife. She looked at it in her hand, debating whether to say anything else when Deeks, Sam and Callen reappeared. Deeks was barefoot, dressed in full armour and carrying a pair of gloves and a helmet. "Wow Deeks. You look, uh, different."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Deeks said as he walked past the two female agents and over to where Michael waited. "Mr Satokashi."

"Agent Deeks," Michael answered. "Do you have a preferred weapon?"

"Not really," Deeks stated calmly. "Dealer's choice?"

"Katana it is then," Michael said, smiling as he stepped over to a rack with various weapons on them. He lifted two bokken shaped as Katana and carried them back across the room to his position before Deeks. He held one out the agent, who accepted it with two hands before they both took a step back. "Shall we?"

"What's happening?" Tanya asked as she stepped up beside the 4 remaining agents.

"Agent Deeks is going to spar your father," Sam replied. Tanya got wide eyed and looked back at her father and Deeks.

"He is that good?" Tanya wondered out loud.

"What do you mean?" Kensi enquired, confused.

"My father doesn't spar just anyone anymore. He finds it boring unless they are able to keep up with him," Tanya explained. "Your agent must be quite adept at Kenjutsu."

"I, ah, we wouldn't know," Kensi admitted, turning back to look at her partner.

"How can you not know?" Tanya asked, bewildered. "Do you not work with him each day? What do you know about him?"

"Apparently, not as much as we thought we did," Callen stated evenly as he watched the two men square off.

"Are you ready, Agent Deeks?" Michael asked as he raised his bokken.

"I am," Deeks replied as he nodded and raised his own bokken. Michael returned his nod and immediately lunged into a thrust at Deeks' chest. Deeks parried it to the side but Michael recovered and slashed at Deeks' shoulder. Deeks blocked before attempting a slice at Michael's torso. Michael stepped back to avoid the blow.

"Not bad, Special Agent Deeks," Michael complimented genuinely. "But we are only just beginning."

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"You are a refreshing surprise, Special Agent Deeks," Michael said as he took his gloves off. "I have not fought someone with your style and technique in many years."

"That is nice of you to say sir," Deeks thanked as he removed his own gloves. He knew without looking that his friends had many questions but he had to finish here first.

"Tell me, who taught you?" Michael asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"I was told to tell you that Ritoru Wan taught me," Deeks stated. He could see the surprise on Michael Satokashi's face as easily as anyone. "I see you know her."

"I do, though I haven't seen her in many years," Michael replied sadly. "We lost touch when our paths went different ways."

"Who is this Little One?" Tanya asked in Japanese as she walked up beside her father. "You have never mentioned her."

"She is someone from my past," Michael answered, also in Japanese. "I learnt much from her but very little about her. She was full of mysteries and secrets."

"Sounds like an interesting person to have as a friend," Sam said as he and the others joined Deeks, Michael and Tanya. "Have you ever thought about trying to find her?"

"I have many times," Michael admitted. "However, before she left, she advised me to never look for her but that she would keep an eye on things and if I ever needed anything, she would be there. I still believe that."

"Very honourable of you," Sam noted.

"She was more honourable than I," Michael declared. "She was a good friend."

"I think I would like to meet her one day," Tanya said happily.

"You just might get that chance," Deeks supposed calmly, shocking everyone when he spoke in clear and confident Japanese. "She sent us here."

"She did?" Michael asked, hopeful yet reserved.

"She did," Deeks affirmed, not going any further in front of Tanya. Michael caught this and turned to his daughter.

"Tanya, would you be kind enough to leave me with these people," Michael asked his daughter. Seeing the concern on her face, he reassured her. "Just some business troubles. Nothing to be alarmed about."

"I'll be downstairs then," Tanya said after considering her father's words. "Nice meeting you."

"Agent Callen," Michael addressed the lead agent once his daughter had left the room. "I was somewhat rude earlier. You were only doing your job. My apologies."

"Thank you Mr Satokashi," Callen thanked. "You said that it was not an issue that the government needed to worry about. Care to elaborate on that?"

"Prior to today, I would have believed that statement without hesitation," Michael said with a sigh. "Now, I am not so sure."

"There have been other threats?" Sam asked, already knowing the answer. "Of what nature?"

"I have been receiving emails and letters for almost 8 months now. Threatening harm to myself or my family if I don't reveal information to them or stop working for the American government," Michael explained. "I have ignored them. Until now."

"This incident has upped the threat level significantly," Kensi noted. "We're going to need all those threats."

"You shall have them," Michael declared. "What should I do?"

"For now, go about your time as normal," Callen advised. "We'll examine the threats and information from LAPD and get back to you tomorrow."

"I'll be working from home tomorrow," Michael advised the 5 agents. "Please come at any time."

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"Deeks, wait a second," Sam called as they approached the mission. Deeks stopped in his tracks and his shoulders visibly slumped; he had someone else to speak with. The drive back had been quiet, seemingly awaiting everyone's presence before the questions flowed. "We have some questions."

"I know," Deeks stated dejectedly. "Who wants to go first?"

"There are really only 3 questions," Callen said.

"When did you learn to use a sword?" Nell asked firstly.

"When, and from who, did you learn to speak Japanese?" Sam asked secondly.

"And why didn't you tell us," Kensi asked finally. Deeks knew that she really wanted to ask why he hadn't told her but she wouldn't ask that here. That would come later.

"Which of those would you like answered first?" Deeks wondered as he faced his teammates. They just stared back at him, not saying anything. "Right. Well, the answer to the first two questions is the last 6 months; from Hetty."

"That's why you have been the first one into work," Callen realised. "Your lessons have been in the mornings before work."

"That's right," Deeks confirmed. He didn't like being forced to reveal anything but now that it was out, he didn't feel as bad about keeping it a secret. Now he only felt bad for not having told them himself. "2 or 3 hours each morning before work."

"Why Kendo and Kenjutsu? Why Japanese?" Sam asked wondered curiously. "Seems out of character for you."

"Not my choice," Deeks declared. "Hetty suggested Japanese as a way to augment the team's abilities and then threw Kendo and Kenjutsu into the mix because she wouldn't just teach me the language."

"Sounds like Hetty," Callen acknowledged. "Why didn't you tell us though? We would have supported you."

"Believe me, at times I could really have used that support. More than once I wanted to throw in the towel and give up on the whole shebang," Deeks revealed honestly.

"Why didn't you?" Nell asked.

"I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it," Deeks confessed. "I wanted to know that I could set my sights on learning something new and being able to learn it without worrying that I would disappoint all of you if I failed."

"Hetty wouldn't let you fail, Deeks," Callen stated. "She would just work you harder."

"I have a question," Nell said eagerly. She waited till she had everyone's attention before asking. "I've seen Hetty sparring. She is good. I've seen you sparring today. But how do you compare to Hetty?"

"Depends on Hetty," Deeks answered. "Some days I do alright. Other days, she uses her damn ninja skills and I limp away black and bruised despite the armour."

"That would explain all those workout injuries then," Sam noted. "We were starting to wonder where they were coming from."

"Yeah it does explain them," Deeks said, looking at Kensi.

"Back at the house. You told Michael that Ritoru Wan taught you," Kensi observed, changing topic. "Now, I know you mean Hetty, but what does Ritoru Wan mean?"

"Ritoru Wan," Deeks articulated, correcting Kensi's pronunciation slightly. "It means Little One."

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"Was it all a setup? Did you use me?" Deeks asked resentfully as he stopped in front of Hetty's desk. Hetty set down her cup of tea before she looked up at her agent.

"Whatever do you mean, Mr Deeks?" Hetty replied calmly. She had expected such an outburst once Deeks returned and he hadn't disappointed.

"The lessons. Learning Japanese and how to use a sword," Deeks said grimly. "I asked you when we first started Hetty. Why Japanese and what were you scheming? You explained how it would benefit the team but nothing more. I ask you again now, what are you scheming?"

"I am scheming nothing, Mr Deeks," Hetty stated, maintaining her calm in the face of her agent's anger and frustration. "I, however, at the time learnt of a developing situation and took steps to better equip my agents with skills that would benefit them if and when out involvement became necessary. The lessons were beneficial, were they not?"

"Hetty," Deeks practically fumed before he thought about what she had said. She was right; without what he had learnt, the day might not have gone as well as it had. "Yes, they were beneficial."

"And your team? Are they angry with you?" Hetty enquired.

"I don't think they are but time will tell," Deeks answered thinking about one teammate in particular. "Is there anything else about this case you want to tell me?"

"Nothing that cannot wait until tomorrow morning, Mr Deeks," Hetty replied, still coolly calm. "Go home, Mr Deeks."

Author's Note

Hi everyone. Sorry for the delay in the posting of this chapter. However the Major Personal Event mentioned previously delayed my working on this chapter quite a bit, though I wouldn't change anything. Hopefully everyone will bear with me as I adjusted to my newborn daughter's timetable. :D

To those that have wondered when we will get to see Deeks shoot. You will see some of his skills this story and some of his skills in the next one. The same goes for his CQB and Melee combat abilities. I have some amazing ideas on how to showcase them.

I hope everyone will Review this chapter as reviews feed my desire to write.

Take Care Everyone.