Reality Strikes

by Karin De Havin

  A train announcement blared in the background. Kenzo almost shouted, “I’m so glad you called. What did you see this time?”

  “Sorry. I’m not calling about that.”

  Kenzo sighed sounding disappointed. “So, what’s the favor? Something serious?”

  “First, I want you to know I appreciate your trust in me.”

  The noise in the background grew even louder. He must be getting ready to board the train. “Wow, this must be one huge favor. What are you doing tonight? I thought I was going to a gig with my brother, but it was canceled.”

  “Great! I mean, that’s too bad.”

  Kenzo laughed. “I’ve got to go. Just meet me in front of the JumboTron at eight.”

  The noise from the phone was deafening. “Can’t wait.”

  Feeling rather pleased with myself for snagging two teachers, I grabbed my heavy black wool coat, opened the door, and headed off to catch the train to Setsuko’s. I’d prove I was no longer a procrastinator, but a mature woman on a mission. With Setsuko and Kenzo’s help I should be able to manage a simple conversation with Tori’s cousins.

  I blazed through the train line transfers like a pro. Speed walking like I drank twenty coffees, I finally turned the corner to Setsuko’s house—my optimism drained with every step. By the time I reached the front door, I’d convinced myself my mission was impossible. Setsuko opened the door, not looking much better than I felt. Instead of her usual pink fest, she wore a drab grey sweat outfit. Great. Maybe I should just turn around now.

  “What are you waiting for? Get your butt in here.”

  I stumbled across the threshold of her host family’s ultra-modern apartment entry. It was like a miniature version of Fudo’s house. My worst decorating nightmare—a sea of white with grey accents. “Sorry,” I said as I donned a pair of black guest slippers.

  Setsuko rolled her eyes and pulled me inside. “Remember, from now on we only speak Japanese.”

  The next two hours felt like an extended version of an anxiety dream I had before every Japanese class—the one where I sat nude on the floor of my bedroom and recited the vowel chart while Mrs. Masuda tap-danced around me.

  “Setsuko, give me a break. Please speak English. My head’s going to explode.”

  She stood with her hands on her hips in front of her sleek silver TV entertainment center. “Ego dame, don’t use English.”

  I knew she had a stubborn streak, but this was taking it way too far. “I don’t think I can cram any more words in my head.”

  I glanced at my watch, hoping it was time to leave. “Oh crap. I’ve got to go. I have to meet a friend in Shinjuku in thirty minutes”

  Setsuko gave me a disapproving look but was nice enough to switch to English. “All right. You did pretty well. You can leave. But you have a long way to go before I give you a passing grade, though.”

  I bowed deeply. “Gee, thanks, master.”

  She followed me to the door. “So, who are you meeting? Gina?”

  “No. She’s way too busy with Adam.” Before she could ask who, I was in such a hurry to meet, I said, “You don’t like him, but I have good news. You were right, Kenzo is totally not into me.”

  “And you believe Kenzo?”

  I opened the door. “Actually, I do. And don’t worry about me. I’m seeing him for my list. He’s going to help me improve my Japanese, too.”

  “Oh right. I know what he’s going to help you with.”

  I gave Setsuko a reassuring smile. “I’m over him.”

  “I don’t believe it for a second. You watch your back. Make sure you don’t end up on it.”

  Waving good-bye, I felt sorry for Setsuko. Gina and Adam had the kind of relationship she longed to have with her host brother. Life just wasn’t fair sometimes.

  December 6-8:00 PM

  The Ultimate Teacher

  For tonight’s viewing enjoyment, the JumboTron displayed a men’s underwear commercial. A bevy of gorgeous, ripple-chested men two stories tall strutted their stuff to the Broadway show tune, “Babe.” Wow, they were hot! Good thing, as I thought I was turning into an icicle. Winter had come to Tokyo big time.

  As they did a fancy bunch of footwork, their muscles flexed. One of them was just mouthwateringly good. My neck craned to catch his every move.

  “I bet you wished you could take one of those home,” said a voice from behind me.

  I whirled around and practically hit Kenzo in the head. “They’re tempting, but I have more important things to do tonight.”

  “I’m at your service.” He took my arm. “What’s the big favor?”

  Now I felt like an idiot. I didn’t mean to have all this dramatic build-up for such a simple favor. “Nothing really. I hoped you could help me perfect my Japanese accent. I promised my best friend, Tori, I’d visit her cousins. I want them to understand me.”

  “I was expecting something really huge, like you wanted me to marry you so you could stay in Japan.” Despite the cold, Kenzo began to sweat.

  I squeezed his arm. “You know, that’s not a bad backup plan.”

  He laughed. “It will be way on the backburner I hope.”

  “Of course.” I batted my eyelashes. “So, what do you say, will you help me with my Japanese? Just so you know, I picked the Spa Hotel for our classroom.”

  He gave me a smile. “Fantastic, as long as I get first dibs on the hydro-massage.”

  I stuck out my lower lip. “All right. If I have to.”

  “Fantastic. First, I hope you won’t mind if we take a little detour. It’s business.”

  The wind kicked up and I ducked behind him. My nerves prickled at the thought that I would be with him when he met a fellow member of the PSIA. “Sure. Lead the way.”

  We walked down the maze of streets on the far side of Kabuki-Cho. Couples were huddled together to fight the cold. The rest of the crowd walked at breakneck speed. Kenzo had never shown me the business part of town before. He stopped in front of a building with no windows on the first floor. Two impeccably dressed muscle men stood guard on either side of the large metal front door.

  Kenzo gave my hand a squeeze. “Wait here.”

  My breath created a steam cloud as I pulled my coat closer to my body and the two men reached into their pockets. Did I look like someone they needed to protect themselves from? One of the men glared at me while the other ran his fingers through his greased-back hair, revealing a colorful dragon tattoo. I slowly backed away and stood near a streetlight. What was Kenzo thinking leaving me here? Just when I was about to turn and leave, Kenzo came bounding out of the door with a short stocky salaryman-type in tow. “Sorry about that. Had to conduct a small piece of business. Now let’s head off to the hotel.”

  I stood with my feet firmly planted on the tarmac, staring at the smirking man next to Kenzo. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on.”

  He gave me a nervous smile. “It’s not a big deal, really.”

  Reluctantly, I stayed put. “Okay, what’s going on?”

  He whispered into my ear. “My superior wanted to meet you in person. But not formally—yet.”

  I punched him hard in the arm. “Why all the cloak and dagger stuff?”

  Kenzo said something to the man and he walked back toward the building. “I’m sorry. I needed to drop off some paperwork. When my boss heard you were outside, he told me he wanted to see what you looked like.”

  “Okay, but that’s just a bit weird.”

  He sighed. “You don’t know the half of it. My boss is one of a kind.”

  “I’ll take your word for it. Um…weren’t those guys guarding the door Japanese mafia?”

  Kenzo stuffed back a laugh. “You’ve been watching too many yakuza gangster movies. They’re strictly bodyguards. One of them has a thing for tats.”

  I didn’t know if I believed him, but I let it go. My body shivered from the cold. “Why don’t we get to the hotel before I freeze to death?”

  Kenzo took my g
loved hand and we speedwalked to the Spa Hotel. He held open the door and we entered the lobby. Kenzo pointed to the room display that showed only two of the rooms were occupied. “Which one do you want as our classroom?”

  I scanned the pictures hoping the room with the hydro-massage was available. When I hit room ten the display shimmered and then grew brighter and brighter. I blinked hard as the sun goddess, once again wearing the orange kimono, surged forward through the light. She moved to the very front of the screen and stared right at me. I sucked in a breath when she raised her arm and pointed a finger right at me. The force emanating from her caused me to stagger backward until I ran right into the lobby wall.

  Kenzo rushed toward me. “What happened? Did you see Amaterasu again?”

  It felt like all the air had been pushed out of my lungs. I couldn’t speak, so I just nodded my head.

  “Which room?”

  I held up both hands.

  Kenzo raced back to the display for room ten, but I could tell by the dimming light the image of the sun goddess was fading. By the time he got to the display, the goddess had fled.

  Why had I picked the Spa Hotel? I should have known the sun goddess might reveal herself to me again. This time her appearance scared me to the bone. This wasn’t my favorite TV show—this was real.

  Kenzo took my hand. “Erin, I picked room eighteen, the one with the hydro-massage. Let’s get you inside. You look like you could use a drink.”

  Just like when Fudo announced I would be sleeping with him, a stiff drink sounded perfect. I suddenly realized after a year in Japan I might need a 12-step program.

  Once in the room, Kenzo sat me down on the big black leather sectional sofa and then sped over to the minibar. He brought back a small bottle of sake. Kenzo poured it into a shot glass. “Here, drink this down. Then tell me what you saw.”

  Downing the sake, I could feel my nerves relax as the warmth from the alcohol slid down my throat. I closed my eyes and the image of the sun goddess floated before me. Opening them again, I turned to Kenzo. “The sun goddess grew blindingly bright and then she floated to the front of the display and pointed right at me. The heat from her body penetrated through the screen and into my body. It took my breath away.

  Kenzo sat next to me and hugged me tight. “I’m so sorry, Erin. That must have been terrifying. But Amaterasu is a good god. She would never hurt you. We Japanese believe she is the giver of life.”

  I wanted to punch him in the arm. “Why didn’t you tell me that after the first time I saw her?”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know if she would show herself again.”

  “Some Man of Letters I turned out to be. Sam and Dean would laugh at me.”

  Kenzo gave me a smile. “No, they wouldn’t. You are fearless just like them. To be honest, I was surprised you picked the Spa Hotel, but something inside you knew you were meant to come tonight.”

  Was he right? Had I developed a sense of when something paranormal might happen?

  I brushed my hair off my face. “I just wish they would tell me what they want me to do!”

  Kenzo squeezed my hand. “You aren’t the only one frustrated. Brena and the others are receiving cryptic messages too. Back at headquarters, they are trying to see if all the seemingly random messages actually fit together to form one big comprehensible message. But so far nothing.”

  “If the Japanese FBI can’t figure it out then I guess I’m in good company.”

  Kenzo laughed. “Now that’s the attitude.” He stood up and faced me. In Japanese he said, “Lesson time. Repeat after me. My name is Erin.”

  Kenzo knew just what I needed—a major distraction. And after over an hour with instructor Kenzo repeating “Watakushi wa Erin desu,” a hundred times, I realized Setsuko wasn’t a taskmaster at all. Sweat dripped down my back and my mouth ached for a glass of water. In English, I managed to squeak out, “Please have mercy. Give me a glass of water and I’ll do anything you want.”

  Kenzo went to the mini fridge and retrieved a bottle of water. He knelt down in front of me. “Here. Take a big swig and then give it one more try.”

  I guzzled down half the bottle, relishing the moisture returning to my mouth. “Watakushi wa Erin desu.”

  Kenzo clasped his hands together. “You did it! Your accent is perfect.”

  I gave him a weak smile and finished off the rest of the bottle of water while Kenzo did a little celebratory dance. Then he bent over and gave me a kiss on the tip of my nose. “Erin, I do believe you’ve got it.”

  December 15-1:00 PM

  Stamp of Approval

  Kenzo’s terms were harsh, (no English or cheating) but after ten days of working with him my Japanese had improved light years. Although it didn’t help the cause for finding out what was going on with all the paranormal activity. My map to Tori’s went missing again, but that was the only thing that happened. And nothing at all for the last week. My ghost seemed to have fled the Mori household.

  For all my hard work, Kenzo rewarded me with a little brass trophy. The inscription on the brass plaque said. “TO THE MOST OUTSTANDING STUDENT IN THE WHOLE WORLD.”

  Today was my final exam with Setsuko and I doubted she’d give me anything as special. Actually, I owed her big time, not only for her lessons, but she had spoken to one of Tori’s cousins and set up my entire visit. I would leave tomorrow and arrive in the village the next day.

  Due to the weather report, packing for my trip had become a pain. They predicted snow and I could barely fit two big sweaters in my backpack. All I needed was to catch a cold on winter break. I gathered the rest of my things together and tucked the map in my backpack. Luckily, I had wised up to the ghost’s map obsession and had three copies hidden throughout the house. I would probably never know why the ghost kept taking the map now that it left. All I can assume was that it didn’t want me to leave Takao.

  With the Mori’s I had played dumb about my plans. Okasan thought I was leaving for a trip with Setsuko and her host family to the northern island of Hokkaido. One added benefit of studying Japanese for my trip was being able to eavesdrop on the family. I had kept it a secret that I could actually understand Japanese fairly well. Okasan seemed puzzled when I conveniently disappeared right before she and Hiroshi launched into one of their weekly marathon fights.

  But speaking the language well really upped my OBN mission. Otosan was pleasantly surprised at my sudden ability to help him in the garden and not kill anything. Plus, I had worked a deal with Aki for her to do some of my dreaded household chores in exchange for slang English lessons. She was saving money so she could go to New York City with her friends. It felt great to have a little peace in the house before my nerve-wracking journey to interrogate Tori’s relatives.

  I approached Setsuko’s door frozen like an icicle and dreading my final exam. I was sure it wouldn’t be as easy as Kenzo’s. Nor would my reward for getting an A be as enjoyable. Besides giving me the trophy, he promised to help me find an apartment in town for next semester.

  When Setsuko opened the door, my fear suddenly disappeared as she stood dressed in her usual head-to-pink outfit and handed me a huge piece of chocolate cake. “I’ve decided to reward you before you complete the exam. I’m trying reverse psychology.”

  I took the cake from her. “Thanks. I sure need this.” I inhaled the whole thing in four bites.

  As the last bit of chocolate frosting slid down my throat, Setsuko said in Japanese, “Your final exam is to tell me your entire life story.”

  I burst out laughing. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

  Setsuko said with a stern tone in her voice. “Japanese only, please. Okay, give me the Cliff Notes version.”

  Taking a deep breath, I launched into a fifteen-minute autobiography of my life so far. Although my comprehension had grown to high school level, my vocabulary was still somewhat limited. I had to get pretty creative in describing things.

  “I was born near the Big Apple and stayed there five years.
”

  Setsuko nodded. “Good. Now try to add some descriptions.”

  “Then I moved to Idaho and lived in a small group of houses and went to middle school close to the place with big water.”

  Setsuko burst out laughing and said in English. “Are you speaking Japanese or baby talk?”

  “Come on, you know what I mean. I forgot the word for lake.” I sucked in a breath and said in Japanese. “Then I went to high school and made art and then got a prize to come to Japan where I met a girl who will die soon.”

  Setsuko ran to the kitchen and returned with a spatula. She leaned down and tapped me on the head three times. “You have officially passed the exam.”

  “Fantastic! Thank so much, master!”

  “Just one last thing.” She hovered over me. “When I spoke to Tori’s relatives, I didn’t tell them who I was. They think I’m the one who’s coming to visit. Try not to take it personally if they freak out when they open the door and see you.”

  Chapter 8

  Off to the Mukagawa House I go!

  December 17-11:30 AM

  I rode the train to Fukuoka and enjoyed the spectacular view of the countryside. Even though most of the trees were bare, and the rice fields brown, the wide-open space was a feast for my eyes. As we sped by the rolling foothills, I had a sudden pang of homesickness. Parts of Idaho looked almost the same.

  Excitement filled the train as we sped closer to Mt. Fuji. Before I could see the mountain, the oohs and ahhs filled the car. I followed the crowd as they raced over to the left side of the train. The mountain looked very much like the woodblock prints I studied in art class. The top of the volcano peeked out from a mass of clouds. The snow looked like a white blanket draped over the rocky top of the mountain. Maybe my trip to Tori’s relatives would turn out to be a success. It was good luck to see Fuji. Most of the time it lurked behind a shroud of fog. People ran down the car, chasing the fleeting glimpse of the mountain.