Samurai Awakening Page 5

  “Since Shima-sensei is out today, we will be having a badminton tournament. Please check this list for your teams and then begin warming up.” Tsukasa’s voice echoed through the gym as he used a well-practiced coach-yell to get everyone’s attention. Upon hearing the news, the vast majority of the students erupted in cheers. It seemed only David and Chul Moo were unhappy.

  “But I’ve only played badminton with Rie at the Estate! This will be horrible. I can’t play a game. Whoever is stuck with me will be furious,” David said, leaning over to Takumi as they walked towards the list. Takumi checked for their names before offering David a grim smile.

  “Don’t worry, you’re with me, I’m good enough for the both of us.” Halfway down the list Takumi smiled widely and laughed. “Rie’s with Chul Soon!” Takumi handed David one of his older backup rackets and led him away from the crowd forming around the lists.

  “What’s wrong with Chul Soon? I just met him today,” David asked.

  “Everyone likes him. It’s just that he’s so nice… He never goes for winning shots and Rie’s really competitive,” Takumi replied. “It’s going to be fun rubbing it in when we win.”

  The class began to run around the courts, warming up before stretches. David trailed behind with a few of the less enthusiastic students. In the past, he had felt being towards the back was his own form of social protest against mandatory sports. After hearing other students encouraging the others around him, he was embarrassed for lagging behind. The other slow people here were doing their best, while David had been merely lazy. He tried to pick up his pace, but was soon out of breath.

  While the first matches began, David and Takumi went off to one corner to practice. On the way, they passed Natsuki and her friend Yuka, followed closely by Kaeda and Mizuki. Seeing David and Takumi, the girls quickly huddled together. Grinning maliciously, Natsuki craned her head out of the group.

  “Aww, sorry Takumi, looks like you’ll be last. Too bad you ended up with the gaijin.” Natsuki filled her voice with over the top sympathy.

  “Better watch your head. He’s more likely to end up hitting you than the shuttle,” added Kaeda with an evil smile. The four girls giggled as David walked away, attempting to appear as if he had not understood their insults.

  “See? He doesn’t even know when he’s being insulted, how pathetic,” Mizuki said, sending the group’s parting shot at David’s back.

  “Don’t worry about them. They’re just mad you showed them all up. By the way, where did that come from?” Takumi asked once they were out of earshot.

  “Now that I understand what the questions mean, I can do them,” David said after fighting down his anger at the girls’ words. “We studied all that stuff last year. I’ve also spent a lot of my free time helping my dad plan his experiments, so I know a bit about science. I’m sorry you are stuck with me though. Hopefully I won’t throw you off.”

  “Really? That’s great!” Takumi’s smile went from forced to genuine. “Now you can help me with my homework. That’ll more than make up for it if we lose.” Seeing David’s face fall, he added, “Just kidding. Relax and have fun. Rie says you aren’t too bad at hitting the shuttle. I’ll show you how it’s done.”

  Takumi’s wide grin was infectious. David knew that studying and getting into the right schools were critical to getting a good job. If he could help them study, then perhaps there was a way to even things out. At the very least, he could offer up his homework.

  David and Takumi’s first match turned out to be against two students from Class 2A. A mixed boy girl team, neither opponent was on the badminton team. With much of David’s inexperience compensated for by Takumi’s extraordinary ability, they were able to win by a relatively high margin. David even managed to score on a lucky shot.

  As the boys grew used to playing with each other, they improved. Each game was more difficult as better players advanced, yet the pair still won their games. David’s unconventional shots, due to lack of formal training, threw off their opponents’ defenses. After the sixth point David made from hitting the shuttle in when it should have gone out, Takumi started calling David’s wild points “gaijin shots.”

  Takumi’s loud shouts and aggressive play were shocking, even after seeing Takumi in class, but he could not argue with the results. In almost no time, they were in the finals. David’s heart fell when Natsuki and Yuka joined them on the court for the last match. Seeing the fear in David’s eyes, the girls smiled.

  “Sorry Ta-kun. No hard feelings when we win, right? Yuka, just hit everything at David,” Natsuki said.

  “You mean like we did with Rie and Chul Soon? That was such an easy first match,” Yuka replied, grinning.

  “Don’t worry, just play like you have been, and we’ll be fine.” Takumi calmly kept up a low dialog through all of the girls’ banter, attempting to keep David’s spirits high.

  “Don’t let them win, Takumi,” Rie shouted from the sidelines. Their matches cut short, Rie and most of the other students crowded around the court to watch the drama play out. Tsukasa took a seat behind David’s side.

  “As if everyone watching isn’t enough pressure, Chul Moo is giving me the evil eye,” David muttered as he wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. Chul Moo stood directly in front of David and stared, his dark eyes flinty.

  After a quick rock-paper-scissors match to determine the first serve, Yuka sent the shuttle flying at David. A high serve, David ran back, but hitting it with the edge of his racket sent it flying into the crowd of students. Natsuki’s derisive laugh was echoed by her friends in the crowd.

  ‘You can do this, just relax,’ David thought, trying to calm down.

  Takumi received the next serve low, returning it to tie at one point. With David in the back during Takumi’s serves, both Yuka and Natsuki hit their shots high, forcing him to return them. After another shot went wide, Tsukasa shouted to Takumi. Before the next serve, Takumi took his hand and twisted his racket.

  “Here, this should keep you from hitting it out. You’re doing fine, keep it up,” Takumi said.

  With his new grip, David prepared to face off against Natsuki’s serve. He could feel his heart beating furiously as competing desires to run away or make some kind of spectacular shot to shut up the girls jostled for superiority. Seeing David concentrating so hard, Natsuki laughed and hit a lazy serve high and back, forcing him to scramble back. The result left no one laughing. Nearly stumbling, David swung his racket wildly. Hitting the shuttle dead center, he sent it smashing back into Natsuki’s shocked face.

  Embarrassed, she composed herself just enough to toss the shuttle back at David for his next serve. Then something happened that David had never experienced before. The crowd cheered him on; he could hear people shouting his name, with choruses of “Gambare” and “Fighto David!” It sent a thrill through him.

  The game grew more intense with each serve. David’s gaijin shots and Takumi’s skill kept the girls on the defensive. Finally, with the boys ahead, Natsuki dropped the shuttle just in front of the net on David’s side. Her victorious smile turned to horror as David flung himself forward. Somehow getting his racket under the shuttle, David sent it back up with just enough force to make it land on the top of the net and tip into the girls’ side.

  “Ha! How do you like that?” David yelled, still sprawled on the court. The tension brought out the part of him usually reserved for when Jessica got on his nerves. Luckily, the resulting cheer from their win nearly shook the gym and covered his all too appropriate Japanese from all but a few. Clapping and with a wide smile, Tsukasa walked up to the students.

  “David, you are going to join the badminton team. I’m sure that with practice and Takumi’s help you’ll do great. You’ve got great concentration, fighting until the end like that. I like that in my players,” he said seriously. “Besides, you need an after school activity.”

  While Takumi made a show of trying to translate, Chul Soon stepped in and relayed Tsukasa’s semi-invitat
ion in English.

  “Do it David,” Rie said, popping out of the crowd. “Dad already gave his permission.” David took a look around at his classmates watching him.

  ‘It was fun to win, and I like practicing with Rie. Maybe it is time I took up a sport. Jess will never believe me.’ The thought of his sister’s incredulous reaction decided him.

  “Sure, I will,” David replied carefully.

  “Good, I’ll see you a bit later today then,” Tsukasa said before turning to Takumi. “Take him through the basics and explain the drills before practice. Anything he doesn’t understand he can pick up later.”

  David ended his first day after the accident so exhausted that he completely forgot to bring up the events of two days before. The games plus drills in the afternoon left him so sore all he wanted to do was crawl into bed. David smiled. He had also made a new friend. Chul Soon had congratulated him after the crowd died down. Before David could make it to his room, Takumi, his formal quiet manner back, caught up with him.

  “You know, you insulted Natsuki with pretty much every word you said today. I know you’ve only been speaking Japanese for all of one day, but there are some things about directness I should probably tell you.”

  Nearly an hour later, David sat before a computer screen, staring at the blinking cursor, his head nodding. After the lecture from Takumi on how to say things in a more roundabout manner, and the different modes of conversation in Japanese, he was trying to send an email to his sister. With all that had happened in the last three days, he needed a bit of clarity. Unfortunately, Masao had been all too clear about secrecy.

  Sighing, he tried to sum up his feelings, but instead wrote about badminton and made vague references to his new friendships. He knew Jessica would be as unsatisfied with his letter as he was, but only hoped she could grasp enough to either ask the right questions, or at least make the right snide comments to get his thoughts working clearly. With a yawn, David hit send and headed for bed.

  Matsumoto Kendo

  April,

  That one simple thought drove me to push out from the confines of my mind. To seek the boundaries and claw past them, if only for a chance to escape the approaching doom…

  When he awoke, David had a response from Jessica waiting in his inbox. It had simply asked what happened? Unable to explain further, he made a few weak excuses and then prepared for the day.

  At school, David tried to capitalize on his sudden successes but met with mixed results. Trying to fit in, he attempted to emulate people back home. This resulted in several older students calling him “KY,” which he quickly learned meant out of touch, or socially awkward. Moreover, Koji and his friends were sure to laugh every time they saw him. It was clear the entire school knew about his hand. The worst setback was when he tried to apologize to Natsuki. Instead of accepting his apology, which he made in front of numerous students, she was even more abrasive.

  “I always thought someone should call Natsuki out for being an uncultured bully,” Naoto told him after.

  Perhaps because of the problems, the week sped by quickly. His teachers remarked at his improvement, and after he scaled back his attempts to fit in, the time he spent with his classmates went more smoothly. Shou began taking time to explain things, and Naoto gave him a manga he had finished. Chul Soon even offered to practice badminton during free periods.

  David’s early evenings were filled with homework and badminton. Thanks to Chul Soon’s after lunch practices, David was soon able to keep up with the first years’ drills. Though he lost every game he played, most of the team members were encouraging.

  Through it all, his impending decision loomed, and Jessica was not content to leave him be. Despite the sixteen-hour time difference, she caught him online after practice one night, insisting he explain what was going on. Although young, she was as strong of mind as anyone he knew. She had to be to check their erratic father.

  Very carefully, David finally explained about his impeding choice, without telling her any of the specifics. He attempted to explain how he had to decide if he should take on a new responsibility, or if he should just leave things be.

  With a lol Jessica replied, “You already know what you will do. So go do it already. That’s always been your problem, too much thinking not enough doing. Go for it. I decided daddy is going to take me to Disneyland. We leave next week.”

  It was surprisingly easy to imagine she had convinced their father that, because of some scientific imperative, they both had to go to Disneyland immediately. With a laugh, David started on his English homework.

  Barely into his second month in Japan, the change was dramatic, and not only because he understood Japanese. Back in the States, cliques ruled most schools, but they were nothing compared to the tight-knit groupings developed over years of being in the same classes that pervaded Nakano. David finally understood that the not so vague feelings of isolation he had felt throughout his first month had little to do with his lack of Japanese. The fact that David had not participated or been a member of any groups meant that most of his fellow students had, subconsciously or not, ignored him. The incident with Koji was an extreme symptom of being so different from his classmates. He was also realizing that Koji was rather unique at the school, but for whatever reason nothing was done about him.

  With his new language skills, and inclusion in badminton and class activities, David felt as if a veil had lifted and his life had finally begun. Accepted, if cautiously, his life quickly became much fuller. He also noticed a new and strong pressure to conform. With acceptance as a member of a group came responsibility. He was amazed at how easily he could feel bad when he let a team member down, or when he lagged behind.

  Among other things, David had difficulty adapting to the separations between each class level. At badminton practice, he was often confused over whether he should be helping prepare for practice or clean up. He knew it had something to do with the social pecking order, but he had yet to figure it out. Most of the time, whenever he tried to help, someone was there to take away the mop or bag of shuttles. Not knowing what to do in the various situations that popped up kept him from integrating as smoothly as he would have liked.

  Things began to change on the Estate as well. Everyday David learned something new about the myriad aspects of the Matsumotos’ lives, yet there always seemed to be a vast store of knowledge to which he still did not have access.

  Although David occasionally tried to talk about the accident, his hazy memories, their busy schedule, and the twins’ reluctance to speak about it made it easier for him relegate it to the back of his mind. Masao and Grandpa had made themselves scarce during the evening hours, making it easier to avoid thinking about his impending decision. According to the twins, the elders were off working in the dojo, doing research in the library, and training in the mountains. David was surprised, then, when Masao came into the main room while the three were studying together after Friday badminton practice.

  “David, are you well?” Masao asked. He was dressed in his usual house clothes. David thought the yukata made him look as if she just stepped out of a movie. Simple, but stylish, it was a stark contrast to the modern Japan he was beginning to understand.

  “I am OK, a bit sore from practice, but I think I am starting to get the hang of things.” David did his best to use formal Japanese with Masao, instead of the regular or common forms used around friends. His new language abilities did not fully cover the complicated social and linguistic differences.

  “Good, good. David, Grandpa and I would like a word with you. Would you come with me?” Masao asked. Outside, Grandpa sat on the stone bridge above the pond meditating. When they were a few steps away, the old man gestured to a stone bench near the water, David’s favorite place to sit at the Estate.

  “The time has come for you to make a most important choice,” Grandpa said as soon as David sat. “It will be all the more difficult since we cannot explain everything, or even much until after you make you
r decision. If you choose not to be a Jitsugen Samurai, I will stop the process that will eventually change your life completely. You will lose your new language powers, but will lead a normal life, continuing the path you began when you came here.

  “If you choose to be a Jitsugen Samurai, you must do so knowing that it is a great responsibility, and you will have to sacrifice much for it. There will be benefits as well. I must say that Japan needs you, for a Kami would not have made such a sacrifice if it was not so.”

  David sat for a long time lost in thought. His eyes fell into the black pond before him, the stars bright lights on the smooth surface.

  ‘What should I do?’ he asked himself. ‘This last week has been the best of my life, yet they want me to be some ancient warrior. I’ve had no clear path to guide me. No dreams of being president. I’ve gone from school to school, activity to activity, searching for the one that would hold me. Even coming to Japan was just another way to widen my experiences in the hopes that somehow I’d find a purpose. Can I take the final plunge, commit?’

  As he watched the dark pool, David wondered at his thoughts, feeling as if once again he stood on the brink before a fall. A memory of Jessica popped into his head. She stood with his father leaning over a lab bench. If he picked this life, he would leave them behind. Sure, they would still be family, but they would grow apart because of it. ‘No matter what, Jessica would not let me get away that easily. She would be disappointed in me if I didn’t take the chance.’

  Looking up at the Matsumotos, David felt his stomach drop as, in a small voice, he said, “You won’t tell me more?” They both remained silent. “I do not know if I can be a Jitsugen Samurai, but I will try.”

  “So be it,” Grandpa said with finality. David finally let go, and jumped.

  Back at the main house, David rejoined Rie and Takumi. Nothing had changed, and then again, it had. He suddenly felt as if there was a doom upon him, that he had a destiny greater than anything he could have imagined for himself. The fiery vision he had had before he fell out of the main room came back to him then, and he shuddered in fear. In the doorway, Masao turned back to David.