[Healer 01.0] The Healer

by CJ Anaya

Victor and Tie broke out into amused chuckles.

  I glared at them, thinking Angie’s question had been perfectly reasonable. I wondered it myself.

  “We aren’t assigned to specific people. More like specific groups of people, places, and things. Victor, for example, is a kami warrior. He descends from a long line of warrior gods created by Bishamonten, one of the seven gods of fortune and the god of warriors,” Ms. Mori explained.

  “Are you in charge of creating war or something?” I asked, feeling a quick flash of revulsion.

  “No, not at all,” he reassured. “Most warrior gods champion those who fight evil. We keep the forces of good and evil balanced.”

  “What is it that you do to balance the forces of good and evil?”

  “I’m the keeper of the Grass Cutter Sword.” He referred to the sword in reverent tones.

  I, on the other hand, almost started laughing. Seriously? Grass Cutter Sword? I had this mental image of Victor wielding an oversized weed-wacker while seated atop a driving lawn mower. I was totally losing it.

  “Well, I’m completely lost,” Angie announced.

  “I still don’t understand what this has to do with Hope,” my father cut in.

  My father’s frustration and impatience was palpable. He was sick of the entire situation. I didn’t think he even believed what Ms. Mori shared with us, but if my father was anything, he was thorough. He wouldn’t leave now until he learned everything there was to learn about the dangers we faced.

  “I’m getting to that, Dr. Fairmont. I understand your impatience, but this bit of history really is necessary in order for you to understand why Hope is so important, not only to us, but to the demon god Amatsu-Mikaboshi.”

  “What an awful name. Doesn’t exactly role off the tongue, does it?” Angie quipped, folding her arms and looking up at the ceiling.

  “Not every kami was pleased with the assignment given them,” Ms. Mori said, ignoring Angie. “Some rebelled against our creators and lost their human forms, becoming something unnatural and evil. Amatsu was one of those who became angered with his role in this universe.”

  “What was he supposed to do?” I asked.

  “He was to welcome the souls of those gone from this earth back into the folds of heaven. What he really wanted was what our First Parents possess. He wanted to create life, worlds, galaxies. Simply put, he wanted power. His rebellion cost him his original position and split the heavens in two. It was the first time anyone had ever rebelled against the gods, and as a result, the seed of evil was planted within the hearts of men. Instead of welcoming those souls who are to return to a place of rest and peace with our creators, he welcomes the souls of those he’s managed to poison into the land of the dead.”

  “Well, that sucks,” said Angie.

  The corners of Ms. Mori’s mouth twitched upward.

  “Okay,” my father said, “so we have the main gods, we have lesser gods called kami, and kami have roles to play and rules to follow. Now we have the first signs of evil from a rebellious kami who doesn’t play nice with others.”

  “Correct, Dr. Fairmont. Amatsu’s behavior instilled such evil in the hearts of men it was imperative this evil be contained. Our First Parents placed a veil between the world of the dead and the world of the living. Amatsu was banished there, never to be released. The kami that followed him were turned into nekomata by the evil they so willingly served. Those spirits who live lives of evil on this earth are sent to the land of the dead, and Amatsu is given dominion over them.”

  “So, what does the Grass Cutter Sword do?” I asked. I stifled back a snort when I said it.

  Victor gave me a strange look, taking note of my poorly hidden amusement.

  “It’s the power behind the veil’s strength. Whoever wields it is in charge of protecting the veil. Unfortunately, the veil has become weaker over the ages. Men are more easily persuaded to do evil instead of good, and the more followers Amatsu receives into the land of the dead the more powerful he becomes. He’d love nothing more than to break the veil entirely and steal the Grass Cutter Sword from those that oppose evil. With the sword, he’d have the power to banish all of us for good, and the earth would be his to do with as he pleases.”

  “Is that why the nekomata are able to leave the land of the dead? This veil is getting weaker?” my father asked a little hoarsely.

  “Yes, that is why the nekomata are able to come into our world,” she replied.

  “If they can come, why can’t Amatsu?” I asked.

  “His banishment is much more powerful because he has dominion there. As the kami of the underworld, he cannot leave unless the veil is broken,” Victor said, giving me a meaningful look.

  My thoughts raced back to the moment I’d broken through that strange barrier to heal Kirby. Had I inadvertently weakened the veil?

  “Why doesn’t this demon god come after you?” I asked him. “You’re the one with the Grass Cutter Sword.”

  “He isn’t worried about me because he knows the veil is failing. His main concern is capturing the one person who can help strengthen it.”

  “It’s Hope,” my father said dumbfounded.

  “What’s Hope?” Angie asked.

  “She’s the one who can help keep the veil from breaking.” My father glanced at me and his lips pursed into a thin line. He was about to go into full overprotective parent mode.

  This time I did laugh. I knew it was probably inappropriate, but I just couldn’t help myself. All my life I’d been doing everything I could to keep people healthy and happy, healing anyone who needed me. It was something I felt so passionate about. I assumed my role on this earth was important and meaningful, and I knew someday I’d understand the reasons behind my abilities. Finding out my real purpose in this life was to heal some invisible veil that kept a demon god and his minions at bay felt like one big let-down.

  “You find this funny, Hope?” Ms. Mori asked. She raised a disapproving eyebrow.

  “Incredibly,” I replied, wiping excess moisture from my eyes. “This has to be a joke. I heal people, not invisible veils meant to keep out rebellious deities. I connect with life forces and give them instructions. Nothing I do translates into healing something that doesn’t live and breathe.”

  Ms. Mori exchanged a look with Victor. I noticed Tie watching me with a guarded look on his face. He didn’t seem very happy, but trying to figure out what was annoying him this time seemed pointless and time consuming. I had other things to worry about.

  “Why me?” I asked them all. “Why am I the one who’s supposed to be able to do this? Tie is capable of healing himself, and Victor has some healing powers as well. Why can’t one of them do it?”

  “All kami are capable of healing themselves, Hope. This is how we remain immortal. Our life forces instinctively know how to keep us living forever. We are in a constant state of healing. Victor diverts some of his power between himself and the Grass Cutter Sword in order to maintain the veil’s strength, but he cannot continue on like this without help.”

  “So let Tie help him,” I said, pointing at the infuriating kami.

  “He can’t. Every kami has a specific role they must play, and they cannot perform any other role without throwing the heavens and earth out of balance.”

  “How long has this veil been weakening?” my father asked.

  “It started about a thousand years ago,” Tie stated.

  “Then why wasn’t there someone like Hope, ready and waiting to help strengthen it when that happened?”

  “There was someone,” Ms. Mori said. “The gods knew that the veil would eventually become weaker as the centuries passed. They found a way to solve that problem, and a prophecy was given concerning the birth of a baby girl to a specific deity and a human empress. It was vital that the girl be half mortal and half immortal in order for her to be endowed with specific gifts and powers. Her immortal father is Fukurokuju.” Ms. Mori paused after saying this name, seeming to need a moment to collect herself. I
got the impression she wasn’t too fond of this particular deity. “His role included bestowing special blessings of health and longevity. The mortal mother was an imperial princess and then an empress of Japan. Her noble bloodline and her humanity were key elements in producing a child who had healing powers.”

  “Why couldn’t two kami with healing powers have produced a child capable of strengthening the veil?” my father asked.

  “Kami are immortal and cannot have children. At least, the female kami can’t. It diverts their power to heal and begins the aging process. Also, the child had to have mortal blood in her bloodline. She had to be able to learn how to heal others and heal herself. Without this kind of knowledge, connecting with the veil and strengthening it is impossible.”

  “There seem to have been quite a few stipulations for such a desperate situation,” Angie piped in.

  “Angie,” Victor started.

  She held up her hands to ward off an argument. “All I’m saying is when push comes to shove beggars can’t be choosers. It just seems ridiculously complicated to me. You crazy deities are always making these life or death situations so impossible to overcome. If I were you, I’d be exhausted.”

  I was getting annoyed by all the interruptions, even from my best friend. I just wanted them to get to the point so I could lie down and pass out somewhere. With any luck, I’d wake up in Germany with my father, in search of tasty German foods and a handsome looking Latino.

  “Okay, so once the child was born and grew up learning how to heal, then what?” I asked, failing to mask my impatience.

  “She’d heal the veil and take her rightful place alongside Victor. If ever the veil needed strengthening, it would be her job to do so. This situation was also unique because she was betrothed to Victor before her birth. Most kami never have a companion and must perform their calling in solitude.”

  I thought I heard Tie give a disgruntled snort. I looked over to see him glowering angrily at the floor. His mood swings were so puzzling. I never had any idea what he was thinking, even when I thought I knew what he was feeling.

  “Why do you need Hope if you have this half mortal girl?” my father asked.

  “Hope is that half mortal girl,” she said evenly.

  I let out the breath I’d been holding. I think I’d known all along what Ms. Mori had been leading up to, but denial was a much easier road to travel down than acceptance. This past I shared with Tie, but failed to remember had happened in a previous life. I had a million thoughts forming in my head, all of which amounted to one general idea. I was no deity, and I wouldn’t be fulfilling some crazy prophecy anytime soon. I was just a simple girl who happened to be smarter than the average heart surgeon. That was it. Just some obscure nobody with a random gift that came in handy whenever someone was on the verge of a stroke or possible heart attack.

  “Do you even hear what you’re saying?” my father argued. “Hope was not fathered by an immortal God. I’m as mortal as they come.”

  “Please calm down, Dr. Fairmont, and let me continue. The young girl was born around the time the veil began to weaken. Over a thousand years ago. When she came of age and was ready to take her role at Victor’s side…an unfortunate event occurred, and she was killed.” Ms. Mori stopped talking, her tone hinting at some raw grief. She swallowed and spoke again. “Her spirit was then entombed in a stone statue.”

  Ms. Mori stared at my father, willing him to make some kind of connection.

  By the way his eyes grew wider, it was apparent that he had. “The statue was of a Japanese woman kneeling before a cherry tree. Her arms were stretched forward like she was reaching for something,” he said flatly.

  I stared at my father in surprise. How could he possibly know anything about that statue? His description of it was so detailed. It was like he’d seen it.

  I glanced at Tie.

  He did his best to appear unaffected by my father’s last sentence but some strange emotion flickered across his face and disappeared quickly. I thought it looked like a mix between anger and guilt, but I couldn’t be sure. I studied Victor next, wondering if his demeanor might reveal something—anything—to help me understand this underlying tension. It was surprisingly blank. His eyes looked a bit unfocused. He seemed lost in his thoughts, remembering something that had happened in another time and place.

  “How do you know about that statue, Dad?” I asked.

  “You were born in Kagami right next to that statue and a huge cherry tree.” He barked out a rough laugh, no doubt thinking how crazy that statement sounded.

  I rose to my feet.

  My dad looked up at me, and there was real fear in his eyes.

  “When you were born you weren’t breathing. The umbilical cord was wrapped around your neck, and I thought you were dead. I unwrapped it, but I couldn’t do anything to save you. Then this strange, thunderous noise hit. It was so deafening it broke the statue of that Japanese woman right down the middle. When it cracked open you started crying. The whole thing terrified me and your mother, and yet we were so relieved you were breathing we barely paid attention to anything else afterward.”

  “You kept this from me. Why did you and Mom lie to me?”

  “We were scared, Hope. Hachiman told us you’d have a gift for healing. He had no intention of allowing your mother and I to take you with us when we left. We thought it best to tell no one about the incident. I’ve been hiding you from them ever since, keeping you safe from them.”

  “The safest place for Hope is Kagami. You were supposed to leave the baby there. She was to be held at the temple under the watchful tutelage of the monks until I could arrive and raise her myself, but you disappeared from the temple in the middle of the night,” Ms. Mori said.

  I watched Ms. Mori’s features and noted her barely suppressed rage.

  “You’re damn right I did.” My father stood up next to me. “There was no way Julia and I were going to hand over our daughter to a bunch of monks just because they said to. We left, and our daughter left with us.”

  “You had no right!” Victor shouted. “We waited hundreds of years for her to be reborn, and for what? To have her disappear without a trace? We’ve been looking for her for seventeen years. It shouldn’t have taken us so long to find her. It was like you guys were wearing some kind of protective shield or something. I can find anybody I want just by thinking about them, but I couldn’t find you. None of us could. ”

  Tie found me. Or was it possible that he knew where I’d been all along?

  Now everyone stood. Tie looked like he was ready to get in between Victor and my father if necessary. Ms. Mori kept looking at me like she couldn’t wait to get her hands on me, and Angie held her purse out in front of her, no doubt ready to render someone unconscious if they took even one step toward me.

  “She’s my daughter,” my father yelled. “If you kami were capable of loving anything you’d understand why leaving Hope behind was absolutely unthinkable. No decent mother or father would have ever considered it.”

  “How did you even get out of there? Kagami is enchanted. You shouldn’t have been able to leave with Hope in your possession.” Victor folded his arms across his chest fully expecting an explanation.

  My father hesitated and cast a furtive look at Tie. No one noticed it though because almost everyone was looking at me. Nor did they see the almost imperceptible shake of the head Tie sent my father.

  “Let’s just say a desperate father has his ways. Julia and I took Hope from that awful place and left Japan as soon as we could. We never talked about it again.”

  “Dr. Fairmont, Hope isn’t your daughter,” Ms. Mori said in exasperation. “Your real daughter did, in fact, die in her mother’s womb. Her death and subsequent stillbirth allowed the statue that Hope had been trapped in for over a millennium to break open, releasing her spirit into the body of your baby girl, giving her a second chance at life. Although Hope may not remember it at this moment, she lived once before in an age and place now lon
g forgotten by almost everyone.”

  An unfamiliar feeling of rage shot through me. Finding out you’re a major player in a prophecy involving a battle between the forces of good and evil is one thing. I think I was actually capable of eventually accepting that kind of bad news. Being told my father wasn’t really my father was enough to break me where I stood.

  He was everything to me. Never once in my entire life did I ever feel he didn’t belong to me or I to him. We were family. Our bond was tighter than most families. That had to mean something, didn’t it? It had to mean I was his daughter.

  I placed my trembling hand on my father’s shoulder and prayed he wouldn’t push it away. Instead of rejecting me he pulled me close and held me as tight as he could.

  “I don’t care who Hope’s spirit belongs to,” he said vehemently. “She’s my daughter, and as far as I’m concerned this conversation is over. I’ve heard enough.”

  He grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the door. Within seconds Ms. Mori and Victor stood in front of us.

  “Dr. Fairmont, I know this is a lot to take in, but you must understand the danger she now faces. Amatsu knows where she is. We have to keep Hope safe until she’s ready to take her place beside Victor,” she said in a placating tone.

  My father visibly bristled and moved me behind him. I accidentally backed up into Angie who gave me a fierce grin. I could have sworn she was enjoying this.

  I peeked out from behind my father to look at Victor and for the first time realized that if everything Ms. Mori said was true, I was supposed to live the rest of my life as Victor’s wife. No wonder he’d been so annoyed with Tie’s flirtatious advances. It explained many things, including the hungry kiss he’d given me earlier. How long had he been waiting to do it? Centuries? A full millennium? Even now, the look he gave me was filled with yearning, but all I could think about was Tie.

  “I will protect my daughter,” my father emphatically stated. “I’ve managed to keep her hidden from you people all these years, and I can do it again if I have to. As far as healing the veil is concerned, I’m afraid your kami friends are going to have to think of some other solution to their problem. It’s no longer Hope’s concern. Come on sweetheart. We’re getting out of here. Angie, let’s get going.”