Coffee Ninja

It had been a rough night.  Hansuke sat in the all-night café sipping his Americano.  He took it black and preferred it for its slightly bitter taste.  It was in a takeaway cup, green with a black lid.  He sat watching the early morning people make their way to or from their homes as a gentle rain began falling, causing some of them to open umbrellas, splashing the darkness with a dab of color here and there.

Hansuke watched the street display for a few minutes until Daisuke arrived.  Hansuke watched his friendly rival order a cup of coffee from the barista at the counter.  A few minutes later Daisuke arrived, cup in hand, at Hansuke’s table.  He nodded at one of the chairs across from Hansuke and Hansuke nodded his assent, so Daisuke sat down, setting his likewise green cup with a black lid in front of him.  Hansuke knew that Daisuke liked a stronger drink, so he almost always ordered an espresso.

Both men wore dark business suits with pink cherry blossom pins on the left lapel, a mark of the ninja clan they both belonged to.  They sat in silence, both respecting the code of silence their clan ascribed to and understanding that this was a time to relax and recuperate from a long day.

The rain fell harder, sounding flat and heavy on the awning outside the window.  The few people left out at this hour walked faster to their destinations and more umbrellas opened all but obscuring the people carrying them.

Both men stared out the window, lost in their own thoughts.  Hansuke lifted his cup to his lips and took a sip.  It tasted different, stronger.  He set the cup down slowly, staring at Daisuke without blinking.  The other ninja had obviously switched the cups without his noticing and this was a challenge Hansuke was not going to ignore.

Before he could act however, Nishi, another member of their clan, walked up to the table and caught Hansuke’s eye.  She nodded at the chair next to his and he again nodded his assent.  She sat down with a black-topped green cup in front of her.  Like the two men, she wore a somewhat more feminine version of the black business suit with the pink cherry blossom pin on its lapel.

Hansuke took another sip of his coffee.  He nearly gagged at the sweetness.  Nishi looked at him in shock at his reaction and then took a sip of her own drink.  A second later she made a face as if she’d bitten in to a ripe lemon, pursing her lips and screwing up her eyes almost comically.  Hansuke looked over at Daisuke but the other man was still staring out the window.

Silently, the other two ninja traded drinks.  Hansuke took a quick sip and tasted the familiar bite of his Americano.

A wind whipped up, whipping the now heavy rain down the street, streaking the windows and giving the scene outside an almost psychedelic effect.

The three ninja sat in silence, nursing their drinks, lost in their own thoughts.  Hansuke eyed Daisuke’s coffee, looking for an opening to swap cups in revenge.

His attention was broken by Yoshiko standing in front of their table.  Like Nishi, she wore the feminine version of the black business suit and held a black-lidded green coffee cup.

Yoshiko nodded to the remaining chair and Hansuke nodded back.  Yoshiko sat down, placing her cup daintily in front of her.  She like the rest of them had her mind on other things than her drink or the present company.  It had been, Hansuke mused, a rough day for all of them.

Moments later, Hansuke’s attention was drawn to Yoshiko as she gasped, nearly dropping her drink.  She looked at each of the other ninja in turn, trying to figure out which one had switched her coffee.  Hansuke sipped his own and felt the bland taste of a weak tea slide over his tongue.  He stared at Yoshiko and she grimaced, obviously expecting something other that what she’d tasted.  They traded cups and Hansuke sipped his drink, once again tasting his Americano.

A few minutes later, Daisuke stood up.  He picked up his cup, nodded at the others and made his way out in to the windy, rainy early morning.

The remaining three ninja sat staring at the rain for a while, each lost in his or her own thoughts. 
Hansuke picked up his drink and took a long pull, intending to finish it before leaving himself.  It was all he could do to not spit the strong espresso out all over the table.  Instinctively he looked up at the ceiling, but there was no one there.  The other ninja picked up their own drinks and sipped them.  Seeing no ill effects, Hansuke swore in silence to repay Daisuke for his last trick.  He would show his rival who was the better ninja.