by Jasmine Walt
Then why did Shota push me away?
“So, where are we going?” I asked as we got into the elevator.
“To the rooftop shrine,” Shota said as the elevator doors closed. He pressed the “R” button, and we began going up.
“Rooftop shrine?”
“It’s exactly what it sounds like,” Raiden said. “You’ll see when we get there.”
The doors opened, revealing a sprawling Zen garden with a huge shrine in the center. Finely crushed gravel had been raked into straight lines that ran across the length of the roof, interspersed with circles that surrounded carefully placed rocks and boulders.
Swathes of grass were strategically grown in paths so that one could navigate through the garden without disturbing it. Several Japanese maple and dogwood trees were planted all around, their leaves providing splashes of color. Walls made of honey-colored oak surrounded us on all sides, blocking out the noise and bustle of the city while still allowing the early morning light to gild everything.
“Wow,” I said as Raiden and Shota stepped onto the grassy path that led to the shrine. “This is amazing.”
Raiden smirked. “Wait until you see the inside of the shrine. The Takaokas never do anything by halves.”
I followed them up to the shrine, pausing just before the massive tori gate to bow. The gate was at least twelve feet tall, and the shrine twice its height, a gorgeous wooden structure painted white and vermillion, with a bark-covered roof with edges that curled like parchment paper.
A few feet from the gate was a covered fountain carved into the shape of a sea dragon, and we gathered around it to wash our hands and mouths to purify ourselves. Picking up the bamboo ladle, I poured water over my left hand, then my right hand, then back into my left hand, which I lifted to my mouth. The cool water flowed over my tongue as I swished it around to cleanse my mouth, then spat it back into my left hand before dumping it into the fountain’s run-off tray.
I rinsed my left hand one more time, then stepped away from the fountain so I could shake my hands off and dry them. Raiden nodded in approval, and I bit back a sigh of relief. I was afraid I’d done the steps out of order, as I hadn’t visited a shrine in ages. Not since I was a little girl.
“So,” I said as we began to ascend the stone steps leading to the shrine entrance. “Is there a reason we’re visiting the shrine instead of driving to the beach?”
“Because driving in morning rush hour is for schmucks,” Shota declared. His eyes lit up as he lifted his head toward the twin lion-dogs guarding the shrine. “Why bother when you can shrine-travel?”
“Shrine-travel?” I echoed, looking at him as if he’d lost his mind. “What on earth are you talking about?”
“All Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples are connected to the Reikai in some way or another,” he explained, his eyes lighting up. “Shamans can ride the spiritual currents of the Reikai that pass between temples and shrines to get from one place to another.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “So you’re saying the shrines are like portals?”
“Pretty much. Cool, ain’t it?” Shota grinned as we stepped under the eaves of the shrine. The doors were open, and there were torches flickering inside, illuminating the haiden, or worship hall, with its rows of benches that faced the honden that housed the shrine’s kami.
I thought we were going to go inside, but Shota and Raiden headed straight for the suzu—a gigantic brass bell that hung from the eaves of the shrine and had a long, thick rope attached to it that trailed to the ground.
“We use the bell to get the kami’s attention and access the Reikai,” Raiden explained at my questioning look. “Since we’re traveling as one, we have to hold hands.” He offered me his right hand.
Nodding, I gripped Raiden’s hand, hoping he didn’t notice my palm was growing damp with nerves. “Is it possible to get stuck between shrines?” I asked. “Like, end up in the Reikai by accident?”
Raiden frowned. “I’ve never heard of that happening. Now hush,” he said, lowering his voice. “Shota needs to concentrate.”
We fell silent as Shota bowed twice in front of the shrine, then grabbed the rope and gave it a mighty tug. The bell gonged once, then twice as Shota tugged it again, a deep, melodious sound that vibrated in my chest and swept away the anxiety lingering there.
I half-expected Shota to let the bell go so he could clap—which was traditional when making a wish using the shrine bell—but instead he grabbed Raiden’s hand. I gasped as a flash of blinding light engulfed us and lifted my free hand to shield my eyes. Suddenly we were flying through the air at what seemed like the speed of light, and the bright light was shifting and twisting all around us in a dizzying kaleidoscope of colors. I felt like I was trapped in a tie-dye spin, and my stomach pitched with nausea.
A second later, blackness slammed down around us, and we came to an abrupt stop. Reeling, I clutched Raiden’s arm for balance, and maybe also to reassure myself that he was still here.
“It’s okay,” Raiden said, pulling me closer to him. His voice was close enough to my ear that his warm breath brushed across my cheek, and magically, the knots in my stomach vanished. “Your vision will clear in a second.”
He was right. Gradually, the blackness faded away, replaced by a gorgeous view of the beach. Ocean Beach, I realized as I caught sight of the Sutro Baths ruins down below. We were standing on one of the grassy swells of land leading down to the Baths—a popular tourist hotspot in San Francisco. A salty ocean breeze whipped around us, tugging at my still-damp hair, and I instinctively leaned into Raiden’s warmth as the chill nipped at my cheeks.
“Hey,” Shota said from behind Raiden. My cheeks flamed, and I hastily stepped out of Raiden’s arms to see him watching us, his expression carefully blank. “Let’s get down to the shore so we can call up this sea turtle.”
He turned on his heel before I could answer, heading for the path that zigzagged down to the beach. My heart clenched, and suddenly I felt conflicted, as if I was being disloyal to Shota by clinging to Raiden. But how did that make any sense? Shota had pushed me away earlier. For whatever reason, he’d put up a boundary.
Pushing the thought away, I glanced around to see if there were any other people around. That was when I saw the tiny stone shrine tucked into the rocks behind us.
“So that’s how we got here,” I murmured, crouching down to study it. “Can I shrine-travel using these things too? I don’t see any bell to ring.”
“No,” Raiden said. “We can’t use the mini shrines to travel to places, unless they’re specially built for that purpose. We can only use them as a destination point.” I looked up at him and noticed there was a hint of pink in his cheeks that immediately made me feel better about my own flaming face. “We should get down to the coast before the tourists arrive.” He offered me his hand.
I hesitated for a split second before taking it. That zing of electricity shot up my arm again, and from the way Raiden's grip tightened around my hand as he pulled me up, I knew he felt it too. For a moment, I thought he’d pull me closer again, but he let my hand go the moment I was on my feet, turning away before I could see the look in his eyes.
“Come on. Let’s go.”
Biting back a sigh, I followed him down the dirt path. We caught up quickly enough to Shota, who was now scampering down the path like a happy puppy who’d been let off his leash. He glanced back at us once to make sure we were following before continuing his descent.
“Shota has been dreaming of meeting Ryujin ever since we were teenagers,” Raiden said by way of explanation. “He found that charm when he was fifteen and has carried it with him everywhere since. He probably knows more about undersea kami and yokai than anyone else in the world. I hope he doesn’t start fan-boying all over Ryujin when we meet him.”
Raiden’s lips twitched into a reluctant grin. “I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if he asks Ryujin for an autograph. Too bad you can’t really sign with paper and i
nk underwater.” A curious expression crossed his face. “Unless maybe they have a way of writing on things underwater?”
“Stone tablets?” I suggested as we finally reached the surf. “Sounds like a hefty autograph to carry to the surface.”
“I can hear you guys, you know,” Shota grumbled, leading us past the Baths and toward a group of caves off to the right while Raiden and I snickered. “Let’s go over here, where no one can see us. While it would be pretty cool if we ended up on the national news for summoning a giant sea turtle, I don’t really want to piss off Mamoru.”
“Umm, yeah.” I was keen on keeping as low a profile as possible. We followed Shota onto a narrow path that clung to the side of the cliff and edged our way around it for a good half mile. Finally, when we were far enough from the beach that we were no longer near shallow water, Shota brought us to a stop at a small landing wide enough for the three of us to stand together and gestured toward the waves.
“All right, Aika, it’s show time,” Shota said, his voice alight with excitement. He dug out the Umigame charm from his pocket and handed it to me. His fingers briefly closed around mine in a reassuring squeeze, giving me another case of the warm fuzzies. “Do your thing.”
I took a deep breath as I opened my palm to look at the charm. It blazed in my hand, but instead of telling it to pipe down, I gathered my power around me and latched onto the yoki spilling out of the charm.
“Rise, Umigame,” I called in Japanese, my voice echoing with power. “I summon you from the ocean depths.”
A bright green ball of energy burst from the charm and hurtled straight for the ocean. It hit the water with tornado-like force, throwing water in every direction as the sea began to spin. Foam sprayed up from the whirlpool as the ocean bubbled and frothed below us, and the three of us backed away from the ledge, fear rising in my chest to choke me.
“Take cover!” Raiden barked as an enormous wave began to crest. He dragged Shota and me up against the cliff, which thankfully curved inward, providing a tiny bit of shelter. We watched in horror as the wave climbed to five, ten, fifteen feet of frothy madness.
This is really going to suck.
Sucking in a breath, I squeezed my eyes shut and clung to Raiden and Shota as the wave crashed into us. The icy water smashed us into the cliff wall, but since we were already pressed against the rocky face, it didn’t hurt as much as I’d anticipated.
“Dammit!” Shota gasped, spluttering as the water sluiced back down the cliffside. “My pants are ruined!”
Raiden snort-coughed, hacking up sea water. Or at least I thought that was what he was doing—I couldn’t see him as I was bent forward, coughing out a lungful of water myself. “You should have thought about that when you asked to go riding in on a sea tur…” His voice trailed off.
“Holy shit,” Shota breathed. “You really did it, Aika.”
Slowly, I lifted my head to the ocean. My mouth dropped open in awe, and the miserable wetness and the lightheaded feeling of barely escaping death faded away. Floating in the ocean, right in front of us, was a massive sea turtle. He had to be about thirty feet long and nearly as wide, with a gorgeous iridescent shell and dappled blue and black skin that covered his head and limbs. His body was turned sideways, and he regarded me out of his enormous left eye.
“You summoned me?” he asked in Japanese, his voice echoing in the air even though he didn’t open his mouth.
“Umm.” I swallowed, my throat very dry all of a sudden. “Yes,” I said, stepping forward. “My friends and I would like safe passage to Ryujin’s kingdom. Can you take us there?”
“Hmm.” The Umigame’s eye narrowed. The top of my scalp began prickling, and I stiffened as the sensation swept me from head to toe. Was it doing some kind of weird scan on me? Shota and Raiden shivered next to me, and I wondered if they were feeling the same thing. “Yes, the three of you are strong enough to ride.” The Umigame drifted closer to us until the side of its shell scraped up against the cliff wall. “Jump onto my back.”
I swallowed, peering over the edge of the cliff—it was a twenty foot drop at least. How were we going to get down there without breaking something?
“Don’t worry,” Shota said, correctly interpreting the look on my face. He unzipped a pocket on the pack he’d slung over his back and withdrew an ofuda. “Hiyaku!” he cried, tossing the strip of paper into the air. Soar.
The ofuda lit up, then exploded with a huge pop, like a kernel of corn in the microwave. My eyes widened as a huge white feather floated down in its place, coming to hover just beyond the ledge.
“Ofudas aren’t only good for warding off yurei and yokai,” Shota said as he hopped onto the feather without a care in the world. It shivered slightly beneath his weight, but it held. “Hop on!” He held a hand out to me, as if he were merely asking me to cross the street instead of board a giant feather.
Swallowing hard, I took his hand. He squeezed my hand, giving me an encouraging smile that banished some of my nerves. Carefully, I pressed my foot against the feather to see if it would hold. I fully expected the fluffy strands to part, but they held, resisting the pressure. Satisfied, I stepped onto it, then moved aside so Raiden could join us.
“Koka suru,” Shota ordered the feather. Descend. The feather slowly drifted down, depositing us onto the giant sea turtle’s back. The moment it touched the Umigame’s wet shell, it disintegrated, turning into a soggy piece of paper. “One-time use only,” he explained as he settled, cross-legged, onto the turtle’s back.
“You guys have to teach me how to use those sometime. They seem really useful,” I said as Raiden and I sat down on the hard, damp shell. Those ofuda charms were looking more and more appealing by the second. “How many different kinds of ofuda are there?”
“A lot,” Raiden said, “but we can at least teach you the warding ones that you can use to keep yokai and yurei at bay.” His features tightened with concern. “We should have taught you before we left.”
“It’s okay,” I said, feeling a sudden wave of sympathy for Raiden. He’d probably never had to babysit someone like me before. “I’m sure I’ll be fine with you and Shota here.”
“Of course you will,” Shota said breezily, patting the turtle shell. “Now would you mind doing the honors and getting us under way?”
I turned around to face the back of the Umigame’s head, even though I knew he couldn’t see me looking at him. “Are we going to be able to breathe while we’re riding on your back?” I asked, goosebumps prickling over my flesh as it occurred to me that I didn’t understand the logistics. We didn’t even have anything to hold onto. “How do we stay on?”
The Umigame chuckled. “There is no need to fear,” he said. “I will not let you die while we travel. Are you ready to go?”
I swallowed. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Good.”
And with that, the Umigame dove beneath the waves.
I held my breath as water rushed all around us, expecting to be blasted off the turtle’s back by the currents. But I stayed right where I was, comfortably seated on the turtle’s back, my butt parked between the two grooves I’d settled in. Looking back, I noticed that Raiden and Shota were still there as well. Shota gave me a thumbs up, and Raiden actually grinned. Their hair was waving in the water behind them, a ghostly green sheen on their faces, but other than that they looked totally normal.
“You don’t have to hold your breath,” Raiden said, bubbles coming out of his mouth. My mouth dropped open in shock—his voice was slightly warbly, but perfectly understandable. “The Umigame’s yoki is protecting us.” He gestured around us, and I gasped as I realized a shimmering sphere had surrounded us like a giant glowing bubble.
“So this is why we can talk and breathe?” I asked, gesturing to it.
“Yes.” Shota’s eyes lit up as he looked around the ocean—he was like a kid who’d stumbled into a hidden gateway to Candy Land. “You guys, this is the coolest thing ever!”
“
I hate to admit it, but he’s right,” Raiden said, his normally stoic expression nowhere to be found. His face was slack with amazement as he looked around. I had to agree—the view down here was incredible. Schools of fish were swimming all around us, shimmering waves of fins and scales in a variety of shapes and sizes. Long tendrils of kelp waved at us from the ocean floor, and brightly colored fish darted in and out of the underwater forest, looking for food while hiding from predators.
Off in the distance, I spotted what looked like a pair of sea otters chasing each other through the water, and there were some manta rays sailing through the currents as well. Many of the fish steered clear of us, unwilling to become the Umigame’s lunch, but an elephant seal drew close, curious. I held my breath as it sidled up against the shimmering barrier, wondering if it would try to come up to us. But it couldn’t pass, and after a minute, it swam away.
“Looks like the sharks won’t be able to get to us, then,” Raiden said, sounding satisfied. “I wonder what happens when we get off the Umigame’s back, though?”
“My yoki will protect you for several more hours after you disembark,” the sea turtle said. “Beyond that, you will have to ask Ryujin, or one of his children, to offer you protection from the sea.”
“Sweet,” Shota and Raiden said simultaneously. They exchanged identical grins, and I couldn’t help laughing. Personality-wise they seemed completely different, but in this moment their shared blood shone through clearly.
Boys will be boys, I thought, turning my attention back to the view. I might as well enjoy it while I have the chance, I thought as we sped through the water, plunging into the ocean depths. Because I had a feeling we were headed straight into trouble.
10
It took us several hours to reach Ryujin’s palace, and I spent most of that time flat on my back on the turtle shell, catching up on some much needed sleep. Yes, I know the idea of sleeping underwater while surrounded by amazing undersea sights sounds a bit crazy. Believe me, I spent the better part of the first hour gawking at all the fish and animals. It wasn’t every day that you got to fly past a humpback whale and her calf, or watch a great white shark chase a sea lion.
