“What’s the idea locking me up in a tree!” she yelled when her head was free.
“Um, you’re hurt,” David said, embarrassed, but very conscious of Masao and Natsuki’s presence.
“If you think because I’m your girlfriend you can lock me in a tree every time I get a scratch, you’ve got a lot to learn,” she said as she struggled to extricate herself. Despite the pain stabbing through him, both from the loss of his sister and the remaining pain of his mending back, he could feel a smile starting to pull at his lips.
For an instant, David forgot everything that had happened. Despite the grime and scowl on her, Rie had just proclaimed her feelings for him. He forgot that her father was standing right behind him with a very sharp sword. He pulled off his mask and kissed her, awkward as it was with his helmet. Kou purred within.
“It’s about time,” Reimi said, gliding down in a tight spiral. She alighted on one of the tree roots. “I’m sorry David. She was too quick. I saw her at the station. She got on one of the express trains. By the time you do anything she will be in Himeji or beyond.” The little gray bird landed and cocked her head at David.
Takumi emerged a few moments later. With a glance at the others, Masao retrieved the new ōkami statues and disappeared back into the shadows. Soon, only David and Rie remained in the clearing.
“David,” she said, her yellow eyes flashing. He turned back to smile at the dangerous tone in her voice. “Get me out of this tree!”
A GIRL AND A TIGER
I was afraid. I had expected a quick death, a blazing finish to a lifetime of pain. Was David that sadistic? Would he leave me for all eternity as a wooden statue, just as he had left me in that police warehouse? Chul Soon would not return for me again. The thought that I had risked it all for nothing…
It took a better part of an hour to find all the ōkami statues and pile all of them except Chul Moo into the campsite fires. The young tree confounded them all. From the root, a new tree formed from the twisted shoots that had impaled Chul Soon. Two meters off the ground, Chul Soon’s wooden features snarled from center. In the end, David had to stab the tree with his Seikaku and will the tree to release the statue. For good measure, Masao had him fell the tree so they could burn that too.
With a call to the Imperial Household, Takaeishi was able to get a contingent of his men brought in with Japan Health Ministry suits. They carried the students down the road away from the campsite, and then marked off the area with ropes. When everyone awoke, fake doctors checked them over, telling them they were suffering from a widespread case of tainted water, but that all would be fine.
“It seems every time something happens, someone else finds out about secrets they are better off not knowing,” Masao grumbled once they arrived back at the Estate. Tsubasa chatted with Hidemi about the various wolves they had seen with the Eye.
The final events had finally affected Hidemi. Where she had taken the initial changes in stride, ever since David and Rie had returned to the campsite holding hands she had begun to show some of the strain they would have expected from any classmate. For her it meant becoming very quiet and watching everyone closely while fingering one of the small books she always carried.
David and Rie were quiet during the ride back. He was still processing the fact that Chul Soon had turned Jessica, that he had taken out a disturbing number of wolves, and that he and Rie were together. Rie seemed content just to be beside him. She was there for him, but did not intrude on his brooding. David was pretty sure she was still more than a little angry at him for trying to protect her.
They all spent the next several hours writing their experiences for the Matsumoto library, ensuring the incident would never be lost. When they finished Yukiko allowed them to talk amongst each other so they might understand the full extent of what had happened.
The Jeong brother’s initial plan had been to encircle and attack the party. With David alone, they could have killed him and then gone on to take out Takumi and the rest of the Matsumotos.
“Is there any way to save her?” David asked tiredly. Rie sat next to him, she had not left his side since the fight, and her presence was a tangible comfort.
“This is something our family has studied at length,” Masao said. “Once a human is made into an ōkami there is no going back. Her best hope will be for you to get her to Manami and her friends, to teacher her to overcome her natural tendencies. It may be very difficult if this Master is goading and guiding her.”
“The Akuma Clan will know they have a power over you for as long as he holds your sister,” Yukiko added. “Even if Chul Soon had kept you secret until now, if Jessica is cooperating they’ll soon piece things together.”
“Yes, but Chul Moo may be able to help us get to her,” Masao said. “We should take his statue to Manami in Okinawa. If we revive him-” David and Takumi both frowned at the thought. “If we revive him, he may be able to get us closer than you could get alone.”
“He did warn you, didn’t he?” Yukiko said.
“I don’t know how helpful he will be once he finds out I’m with David though,” Rie said. “He thinks he loves me, but I don’t think he knows what love is. Still, if it will help Jessica, I’m all for it.”
Their discussion lasted well into the night, far after Tsubasa and Hidemi had gone home. After learning she would have to start coming to the Estate to train every day, she left more excited than David had ever seen her before, despite Masao’s dire warnings.
They also received a late warning from the Imperial Household that three people matching the Jeong brothers and Jessica’s descriptions had purchased airplane tickets. The delay was due to the fact they had traveled as part of three different tours with other young people. There were not yet sure, but one of Nakahito’s aides suggested they might have snuck into Japan by taking a fishing boat to a small outer island, then worked their way toward Okinawa on a ferry.
On the Monday after the attack, the third year’s homerooms were full of complaints over the missed party. Their teachers were ready, however, with a promise from the PTA to redo the party in the early fall.
David spent most of his classes trying not to stare across at Rie. He failed so miserably that Takumi, smiling in a way that let David know it was in return for the picture during the school trip, informed everyone that indeed the two were dating. Despite the annoying comments and gossip that again brought him back to the center of attention at school, David decided he had other things to worry about.
‘Why didn’t you partner with her when she saved us? You like her too.’
‘I do not know David. We both like her, but we have known her for such a short time. Perhaps we need more time together, maybe it is because she has a separate link through the layers.’
David spent every minute that he could with Rie. It helped that she was quite adept at keeping up with Kou during his evening runs through the woods. One of the most surprising outcomes from their public dating was that Masao and Yukiko changed their training. In the mornings, David and Rie worked together with Natsuki and Takumi while Tsubasa worked with Yukiko.
Instead of practicing with them, Hidemi had explained she would not train and began studying the Matsumoto diaries. Both the elder Matsumotos tried to talk her into joining, but she was resolute. She arrived every morning, but refused to do more than watch and learn. Her obvious interest in the library, and the way she was able to pull helpful and obscure bits of information from almost any text soon had her in charge of researching a way to help Jessica.
In the evenings, Kou and David alternated practicing with Rie and working with her in the forge while the rest pursued their own training. David feared she would get sick of him, but her smile always made him forget his worries. The last week of school barely registered in David’s mind, though Kou remembered.
‘I’d say this is the happiest I’ve ever been, except for Jess and my dad.’
‘At least you know what happened to her, and that she is still ali
ve. Who knows what might have happened to her as a human or a yūrei.’
‘You’re right. At least now she has some protection, and my father is stabilizing.’
David sent an email to Jessica’s account every night, hoping she might someday read them, and that he would be able to reach the part of her that was still human. Rie sat with him as he wrote. Mostly, she did her homework, but her presence helped to remind him that there were paths back from darkness.
The junior high students’ last day was a recreation day. Instead of classes, they spent the first period cleaning their home-rooms for the summer, then the next three periods playing soccer out on the field. All the A classes, 1A, 2A, 3A were one team. The same was true for B and C. Together each group mobbed their opponents with masses of students in a game so thick that all skill levels were equalized. More interested in talking with Rie than playing the game, David hung back from the center of the action.
Takaeishi was waiting for David just off the field when the games finished. Rie stood beside him as he stared down their homeroom teacher.
“Let’s go for a walk,” he said. He spoke to David, but Rie moved with him, invitation, or no. If Takaeishi was annoyed, he did not show it. David almost laughed as they walked behind the gym to the very spot he had fist fought with Koji. Takaeishi’s restraint failed, and David was sure he missed Reimi glide into a nearby tree. “I don’t know what is so funny. You continue to fail, yet you and the Matsumotos seem fine with it.” Rie glared at him, David smiled in defiance.
“I am not here to fix your mistakes. You will leave for Tokyo in two days. You will spend the summer there. Rie Matsumoto may accompany you as the Matsumoto Family’s representative. You will both receive instruction on the Imperial Family and David will take his place as the adopted son of his highness the Crown Prince.”
Finished, Takaeishi turned and walked into the forest. Reimi glided down and landed on David’s head, her sharp talons scraping his skull.
“He’s always so cheerful isn’t he,” she said.
“It could have been worse,” Kou said.
“Oh?”
“Yeah, he could have said you were going too!”
Kou transformed, making Reimi fall before she could open her wings and glide to the ground. Kou chomped at her, and then ran off into the forest with the two kami playing tag as the end of day bell rang through the school.
The next few days were full of packing and preparations. Masao decided he and Yukiko would also travel to Tokyo to meet the Emperor and observe David’s formal adoption. From a few stray comments Kou was able to pick up, David was sure that Masao also wanted a few words with Japan’s figurehead. Yukiko fussed over David, insisting they make a trip to Himeji for new clothes for both him and Rie. Takumi and Natsuki seemed to alternate between jealousy and happiness, for they were being left in charge of the Estate in the elder Matsumotos’ absence. The responsibility weighed heavily on Takumi, but he seemed rather happy about it to David.
The media got wind of the impending trip and showed up en masse at the Estate. Their reporting led to a stream of well-wishers and students coming to see David so that his preparation time was cut to almost nothing. He spent most of the afternoon before he was supposed to leave assuring his classmates that it was just for the summer, and that he would indeed return to finish his third year of junior high in Class 3B. When Mizuki came, Rie made a point of sitting with David for the brief interview. Instead of taking the obvious seat on the other side of the table, she came all the way around the table and hugged Rie.
“Oh, I’m so happy for you Rie-chan!” she giggled in a high-pitched voice. He watched in fascination as Mizuki knelt beside a horrified Rie and took her hands. “I can’t believe you snared the adopted grandson of the Emperor! I can’t wait for you two to get back. We are going to be such good friends. Just like Elementary school!”
When she finally left, David lost all decorum and rolled along the tatami floors of the main room laughing. It went on so long Rie almost turned red herself, and then gave up and started laughing with him.
“It’s going to be an interesting year,” David gasped. Rie punched him.
“I could use a new playmate,” Kou growled. David’s eyes lit up at Kou’s amusement. Rie swatted at David again.
“There are still bones in the forest from your last playmate, Kou,” she pointed out.
They left early the next morning, escaping all but the most tenacious reporters. Masao drove them to Nakano Station, where they all met members of the Imperial Guard. David was pleased to note none of them had been in the group that had attacked the Estate.
The Crown Prince had decided on public transportation so that people would have an opportunity to view David as a normal boy, taking a normal trip. Masao and Yukiko planned to follow along after. The fact they received no special transportation would solidify the idea he was just a regular boy taken in by a kind public figure. It would feed the cynical analysis from talking heads on the various news stations, that the adoption was for purely political and public relations reasons.
David enjoyed the trip. He made an effort to stay respectful, and avoided speaking with Rie too informally. Their guards sat apart and quickly blended into the other passengers as they transferred in Himeji to a faster train.
It was entertaining to catch bits of news broadcasts in various stations, complete with his picture or a scene from his departure. Rie went through it all with seeming ease, but her confession before they left that such public spectacles made her nervous let David know they were both in new territory. Dressed in her school uniform, as he was in his, they both looked polite yet not too formal. Their baggage, including their armor, had been shipped ahead, so they had little to carry.
“Where do you want to eat?” David asked while they waited for their next train in Kobe.
“How about that one? We can take the bento on the train.”
When the little lunchbox store owner realized who they were, and saw the cameras that mysteriously appeared around them, he insisted they take a fresh box for free and bowed them all the way back to their train. David followed Rie’s lead for responding to the situation. The scene reminded him of all the food shows and references he had seen on Japanese TV.
“I bet that bentoya-san loves us right now,” he said with a smirk when they started on the beautifully arrayed box of rice, vegetables, and fish.
“I love him right now. So good.”
David struggled to smile, feeling Kou fade within as they moved farther from the rural areas and into the cities. As always, the loss was a physical and mental blow. Rie gave him the smallest of nods to show she understood. He sighed and pushed away his empty bento box, staring out the train’s window.
The tall buildings of Tokyo rushed by, and David looked in amazement at the sprawl of the modern city. The train slowed for a final time and he readied himself for the new challenges awaiting him. With Rie beside him, David stood and walked toward the waiting Imperial Guard.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am pleased to work with the team at Tuttle Publishing again, especially with William and Rowan, who have worked so hard to bring these stories to the world. The people of Kitadaito and Kumejima have inspired me throughout the writing process. Many of the names used in this series are borrowed from my students, friends, and teachers, but the characters and personalities of the real people are not attached to the names. I have to thank the JET Programme for providing me the opportunity to live and work in Japan over the last five years. Japan is an amazing place to learn and grow, and I firmly believe that the best way to learn is to teach. I would also like to thank my beta reader Natalie for taking the time to give me a fresh perspective. Thank you to all who have taken the time to read my work.
Benjamin Martin is the author of Samurai Awakening and the blog More Things Japanese. He graduated from the University of Arizona and has been studying Japanese history, language, and culture for more than ten years. Benjamin has spent the
last five years living on remote islands off the Okinawa mainland, teaching English as a second language. He currently lives in Okinawa.
Join the Awakening. Visit www.SamuraiAwakening.com to learn more about the books and connect with the author.
The Tuttle Story: “Books to Span the East and West”
Many people are surprised to learn that the world’s largest publisher of books on Asia had its humble beginnings in the tiny American state of Vermont. The company’s founder, Charles Tuttle, came from a New England family steeped in publishing.
Tuttle’s father was a noted antiquarian dealer in Rutland, Vermont. Young Charles honed his knowledge of the trade working in the family bookstore, and later in the rare books section of Columbia University Library. His passion for beautiful books—old and new—never wavered through his long career as a bookseller and publisher.
After graduating from Harvard, Tuttle enlisted in the military and in 1945 was sent to Tokyo to work on General Douglas MacArthur’s staff and was tasked with helping to revive the Japanese publishing industry, which had been utterly devastated by the war. After his tour of duty was completed, he left the military, married a talented and beautiful singer, Reiko Chiba, and in 1948 began several successful business ventures.
To his astonishment, Tuttle discovered that postwar Tokyo was actually a book-lover’s paradise. He befriended dealers in the Kanda district and began supplying rare Japanese editions to American libraries. He also imported American books to sell to the thousands of GIs stationed in Japan. By 1949, Tuttle’s business was thriving, and he opened Tokyo’s very first English-language bookstore in the Takashimaya Department Store in Ginza, to great success. Two years later, he began publishing books to fulfill the growing interest of foreigners in all things Asian.
Revenge of the Akuma Clan Page 29
