Samurai Awakening Page 8

  In the shower room, David was surprised to find that his body had changed from the one that had gotten on a plane nearly two months ago. The weeks of sports, running, and the last days of mountaineering had left faint outlines of muscles that had not been there before. He was nowhere near the bone and muscle of his classmates, but he was pleasantly surprised at the effect.

  The bath helped drain the tension of the last few days out of him. Only a sudden and ravenous hunger kept David awake long enough to finish and head to his room to change. David’s appetite was whetted further when he emerged from his room to the smells of Yukiko’s cooking floating to him from the main room. David found the Matsumoto family waiting for him at three low tables piled with a vast banquet.

  “You picked a very hard stick,” Grandpa said with a severe frown as David entered. After a second, his frown broke and he laughed ruefully as he gingerly touched a bandage on his head. “You’re going to have to tell me all about how you got past us.”

  “He must be starving. Save your questions until after he gets a few bites down. I’m just as curious, I didn’t get to go this year,” Yukiko said from the end of the table, laughing. “David, go ahead and sit down. Grandpa is just being a sore loser. This is the first year I have had to bandage him up.”

  David sat, Rie and even Takumi gave him big smiles, and then with a customary “Ittadakimasu,” everyone began serving themselves from the plates of food. Although he tried to fill his own glass, Rie insisted on pouring his iced tea for him.

  Usually when they ate together, each person had several small dishes accompanied by rice. For the feast, however, the dishes were large and varied, allowing each family member to take what they wanted. There were selections of his favorite Japanese foods, spaghetti, and a few other western dishes. After they had eaten enough to sate their initial hunger, Masao called for everyone’s attention.

  “Tonight is a celebration greater than any we have had before. After every trip, we celebrated the finish, but this is the first year that the newest generation has beaten the previous. David touching the shrine, and Rie and Takumi providing David with the chance to do so, is a great achievement.

  “In the past, this would mark the Matsumoto children’s entry into adulthood. Nowadays this means that all of you will begin learning our family’s deepest secrets. You have proved your ability to protect those secrets. David, having completed your first trip, you should make your own practice sword with Takumi’s and Rie’s guidance. Once finished, you will have the right to carry and use your sword anywhere on the Matsumoto Estate,” Masao said proudly.

  “Now, enough talking. Let’s eat and celebrate,” Grandpa said raising his glass to the young heroes of the evening. “Kanpai!”

  David relaxed and enjoyed the night as everyone traded stories about the last few days. David finally came to understand all the rules and purposes as Grandpa and Masao talked about the traps and strategies they had laid. As he had guessed, the whole point was to simulate an attack on the Estate. As the students learned to infiltrate it, they also learned how they could one day defend it. Everyone was particularly interested in David’s accounts. Finally, though the night was yet early, everyone retired.

  Although he was utterly drained, sleep eluded David for a long time. As he lay before drifting off, the dreams he had had in the mountains came back to him. He felt himself running through the forests and mountains, but with wildly strange perspectives and sensations. The persistent déjà vu was disconcerting.

  The rest of the shortened week went by quickly. Chul Soon was disappointed David had not met with him, but was interested in David’s trip. After only one morning’s rest from training, he was again woken up by Takumi to train before school.

  David had a slew of emails waiting from Jess that for once he was able to answer mostly truthfully. She seemed excited by the idea of the trip, but also laughed at the peculiar Japanese customs. Her pointed questions about the time he had spent alone with Rie also unnerved him.

  “She’s my host sister,” was the only reply he could think of.

  For the first time ever, David was happy to look forward to just the regular schedule of training. No matter how hard basics or badminton seemed, it was nothing compared to his trials in the mountains.

  Three’s a Crowd

  May,

  The darkness receded, but even as I began to comprehend the world around me, I found new barriers to my freedom. Doors without keys, and windows that would not break…

  The next weekend, Yukiko drove David and the twins to Himeji to select a length of wood for a new practice sword. The need to find a fine grain wood of sufficient strength made it more efficient to buy from a dealer than hack down a tree. Once back on the Estate, David wanted to get right to shaping his sword, but the twins had other plans. Takumi soon showed his greatest strength was in working with his hands. Where he might be straightforward in badminton, around the tools and samples of the woodshop he revealed a subtlety and depth of knowledge that was surprising. In the workshop, Rie explained the various wood working tools, then the twins let him practice on bits of old firewood until he got the feel for each one.

  From that point on, David spent every evening working on his sword with the twins. Just as every night another layer of wood was painstakingly removed so that the sword within could be revealed, David worked to integrate into school life. During his first month, many of his classmates had made opinions that were hard for him to break.

  Luckily, the twins provided continuous support. They were a critical anchor for him among the various aspects and activities he was attempting. Physically and mentally exhausted from constant changes, David needed something, someone constant among so many differences. Though they did nothing to indicate a problem, David secretly feared the twins might grow weary of him, and he would end up losing his way. As he studied woodworking, David also studied the twins, attempting to emulate the way they moved. At school, he began to mirror the way they talked around their friends.

  ‘I’ve been far too careless with my words and even actions. If I’m going to be a Jitsugen Samurai, I had better learn how to play the part,’ David thought from the corner of the 2B classroom as Takumi moved easily among their peers.

  David would have enjoyed the days more if he had slept better. His schedule was demanding. He ended every day exhausted. Worse were the nights. Without exception, they were plagued by the strange dreams that had begun in the mountains, yet when he woke, he could never quite remember them. They left him confused and worn out, nearly more so than when he lay down. The worst part was the feeling of panic and dread that accompanied the nightmares, like a slowly approaching storm he could not avoid.

  With the little free time he had, David attempted to escape the constant pressures of his new responsibilities by retreating to his old hobbies. He spent as much time as possible in the library, losing himself in the plethora of new novels available to him now that he could read Japanese. He drank in Japanese history, fairy tales, and manga. For brief periods, the books allowed him to step outside his responsibilities, and focus on a world that was not constantly hammering him down.

  In the library, David finally had a chance to get to know some of his other classmates. He saw Tsubasa so often that he eventually asked about his work. Kenta, another of his classmates, tried to wave him off but it was too late. Tsubasa was in the technology club, there to do research. He spent the next ten minutes babbling on about circuits and gears.

  Outside of the library, it was so difficult for him to concentrate that he had several more run-ins with Natsuki and her friends. David finally realized that Natsuki was one of the “loud girls.” There seemed to be two types in his class. The shy quiet ones would never raise their hand in class or talk to anyone but their friends. When they did talk, it would be with their hands in front of their faces and giggles as their eyes darted around the room. The loud ones on the other hand acted as if they were trying to outdo Naoto for loudness. Natsuki in p
articular liked to shout across rooms and smack people on the head.

  Looking around at his classmates, David was still surprised how different things were from Arizona. He was only recently getting used to what the boys in his class would do when they had to tuck their uniform shirts in. Instead of simply stuffing it in, most boys would just drop their pants all together, smooth out their shirt, and then re-zip. The first time he had seen it, it took him several seconds to realize none of the students had even noticed. It was just how things were done.

  Chul Moo was the only other student in the class with less energy. Whenever David took a step out of the throng that was his class, Chul Moo would be there in the opposite corner, staring out the window.

  ‘Is he bored, or does he just hate us all so much he won’t even look at us,’ David wondered.

  Though he was too tired to notice, David was gradually adapting to the demanding new routines. He won his first badminton game during practice, and was even able to extend his morning runs to one then two kilometers. Every day he lost weight from the excessive training and grew a little stronger. It took David two weeks to finish his practice sword. After he sanded away the last bit of wood, Takumi and Rie finally announced it ready. Rie congratulated him enthusiastically, while Takumi remained more serious and critical.

  “It should hold up,” Takumi said. “Before you use it, we should seal it. We’ll pick some up tomorrow.” Takumi’s lack of enthusiasm might have weighed on David, but he was finally getting to understand his host brother a little better. Where Rie was almost always outspoken, Takumi, on the estate at least, strove to achieve his father’s quiet reserve.

  The next day the trio went to their usual Saturday badminton team practice. After changing and warming up with the rest of the team, they gathered around Tsukasa. Unlike during the week where it was mostly drills, the weekends were mostly practice matches. The team rotated through both singles and doubles, changing partners to gain experience. As the team gathered, David noticed Chul Moo enter and sit in a corner.

  “What’s Chul Moo doing here? I’ve never seen him during practice before,” David asked. Takumi followed David’s gaze to the corner, where Chul Moo had taken a seat near one of the gym’s windows.

  “Who knows? He usually avoids school as much as possible. Maybe Chul Soon dragged him to track and field practice and he got bored,” Takumi said. He was cut off as Tsukasa began speaking to the team.

  “Today we will start doing things a little differently,” Tsukasa called to the waiting students. There will be a mixed doubles competition during the summer so we will start doing mixed teams as well. Find your new partners and opposing teams after I call your name, then begin.” After going through most of the names, Tsukasa called David’s name, followed by Natsuki’s.

  “She doesn’t look too pleased does she?” David gestured to Natsuki, standing with her friends in a heated discussion, her expression furious.

  “I don’t know who she hates more right now, you, or Tsukasa-sensei,” Takumi said. David sighed at his impending plight as Takumi ran off to find his own partner. Annoyed at her scowl, David hesitantly walked over to the fuming thirteen-year-old.

  ‘Sure I made her look bad the day after I began speaking Japanese, but it’s not like I did it on purpose. She acts like my existence is a personal burden on her,’ he thought.

  “You’d better not suck.” Natsuki glared petulantly. It was the only greeting David got before she walked off to a court. David and Natsuki turned out to be stronger than their opponents were, but David’s inconsistency kept them from taking an early lead. While the teams played, Tsukasa wandered among the games, observing and making suggestions. From behind, David noticed Natsuki’s attention shift as she looked past their court to the windows. Chul Moo was walking from his corner towards their court. Distracted, Natsuki missed her serve.

  “Hey! Natsuki!” David called. Her long black hair whipped around as her scowl found him. When she missed his glance at the other team, he pointed. She turned back to the other team stiffly as she realized they were waiting for her.

  The game turned fierce as both Natsuki and David took their frustrations out on the shuttle. Finally, one point ahead, David received a shot just above the net that he was able to send smashing right between the other team, winning the game. After handshakes, Tsukasa came over to hear the score and give advice.

  “David, nice work, you took advantage of a great opening. Natsuki, you’re slipping, get it together or I’ll pair you with a first year for the competition,” Tsukasa said.

  “I can’t believe it! Only two shots the whole game and you get the credit. So typical,” Natsuki seethed. She started to walk away only to abruptly turn. Beyond, David saw Rie talking and laughing with Chul Moo. He was so shocked it took him an extra moment to register Natsuki run into him.

  “Jeeze you’re always in the way aren’t you,” Natsuki growled.

  “What’s your problem?”

  “I can’t believe it, you are so rude.” Natsuki’s eyes tightened in anger as she stepped up to him. “You’re always in the way, running into me and saying sorry like you didn’t do it on purpose. Strutting around as if you own the place, never bowing to anyone. Everyone thinks you’re a jerk. Don’t look at me as if you don’t know what I mean. You’ve been here for two months and you never bow. I know you speak Japanese. You’re so full of yourself!”

  After a final scowl, her open palm sent him flailing back several steps before he could even register an attack. Anger surged within him. Despite being raised to never hit a girl, he wanted to punch her, but when he made it back around only Takumi was there.

  “What was that about?” Takumi asked, suddenly raising his hands in defense as he took in David’s fists.

  “Who knows,” David said, clutching his hands as he tried to relax.

  He made it through the rest of practice without seeing Natsuki, for which he counted himself lucky. After his second game, he had a chance to calm down a bit and think about her words. As he stretched, David watched the other students. Just about everyone bowed at least a little whenever they met someone, and often in the middle of conversations.

  ‘Maybe I have been rude… I don’t know the first thing about bowing,’ David thought as he met up with the twins after practice.

  “Hey Chul Moo finally took off,” Takumi said.

  “He disappeared again after Natsuki left,” answered Rie mischievously. “Apparently he only came because Natsuki had asked him to. He laughed so hard when she missed her shot. I guess he’s not too bad after all.”

  When they got back to the Estate, Grandpa was waiting for them. He smiled in a way David had never seen before. Usually so carefree yet strong, he had a look in his eye that almost seemed on the edge of pleading. His face was so strange, so sad that David immediately assumed something terrible had happened. Before he could react, Rie sighed beside him.

  “Where did she go?” she asked. Looking to her, David was surprised to find a smirk on her lips that seemed at once admonishing and conciliatory. It was a look he had seen a thousand times, but on Jessica’s face.

  “She’s gone to Himeji for a seminar. One of her friends became ill and asked her to cover. She left this morning. We survived on ramen but…”

  David finally understood. With Yukiko out of town, there was no one to cook dinner. The one time both girls had been gone and the elder Matsumotos had been responsible for dinner they had only managed to make instant ramen that had turned out half-soggy and half-crunchy. Takumi had explained that while all the Matsumoto men had attempted to learn from Yukiko, their cooking always turned out horrendous.

  “Of course, I’ll make dinner,” Rie said.

  “Why don’t I help you?” David asked.

  “Awesome, David-kun makes killer food,” Takumi said. He immediately took off to his room.

  “Go seal David’s sword. You know, work for your dinner,” Rie called before he got away completely.

  On the E
state, the kitchen was attached to the side of the main house at ground level, not raised like the rest of the house. When he had asked Yukiko about it, she had explained how traditional Japanese kitchens had been outside. Eventually, they had built the more modern version around the old, but it was still separate.

  Since his father had usually been busy with his experiments, David had taught himself to cook at an early age. Before the accident and his training had begun, David had often helped Yukiko in the kitchen. David smiled. He was looking forward to the chance to show Rie something he was good at.

  Usually Takumi and Rie did everything together, but just like his father, he was useless in the kitchen. David was surprised at how much he enjoyed the time walking to the vegetable garden with her to select ingredients for dinner.

  “So what’s it like to grow up with the history your family has? I don’t even know my grandparents,” he asked as he sliced fresh carrots. She turned towards him as the rice cooker beeped.

  “What? You mean it’s not normal to have an ancient charge to protect and train the heroes of Japan and keep secret its greatest treasures?” Rie laughed but as she looked at him, her smile faltered, as if something about him made her uncertain. “We all have our duties. I’ll do my part.”

  “At least I had a choice,” David whispered, starting to realize he was not the only one who had to make sacrifices. When Rie finally looked up from her work again, it was with a happy smile, one he recognized as more show than tell.

  Takumi, Grandpa, and even Masao praised them for saving them from another meal of badly cooked ramen. As they began to eat, David caught Rie watching him. Her glances reminded him of Jess, how she would look when she was trying to convince herself to do something unpleasant. After dinner, she insisted he go with Takumi while she cleared up. In the workshop, he showed David where his sword lay drying, a fresh coat of sealant already on it.