“Erm, Mr. Takeda?”
No response.
“Erm, this is Akira Murakami,” I said quietly. “And Gabriel Dawson.”
Nothing. He didn’t know who we were. Unless my dad had called ahead or something. Would he do that? Did this guy even have a phone if he’d gone into retirement/seclusion?
“Hello?” I said.
Nothing.
“Mr. Takeda?”
The buzzer went, and the gate opened. No words, just a sign that we could enter.
Cool.
The door to flat 12 was open, and a man was standing in a narrow hallway. “Your shoes,” he said as we stepped inside.
I nodded and took off my trainers. “Thanks for seeing us.”
Ryoka Takeda was a short man, with long white hair, clean-shaven, dressed in a white tracksuit. He didn’t look like the legend he was in his cramped flat with peeling brown wallpaper and threadbare carpet.
“Follow me,” he said.
A black cat came out of a room to my left, instantly purring and winding between my legs. Then it went to G and fell madly in love. The purrs went up, and it even jumped into his arms, rubbing its head on his stubbly chin.
“Aw, who’s a good girl.”
“How do you know it’s a girl?” I asked.
“A gift.”
“Freak.”
The room Ryoka lead us to was small, one brown sofa and an armchair, newspapers piled up in one corner, an old TV playing the news, and a pair of katanas on the wall. A story about the new Murakami was playing, the sound off. ‘Welcome to the world, Riku!’ flashed across the screen.
“Sit,” Ryoka said, himself parking his backside in the armchair.
Me and G sat on the sofa, him with his new best kitty friend.
“What’s her name?” the beta asked.
“Shelly.”
“Oh,” I said.
“What?”
“Just surprised me.”
“I like the name Shelly.”
“Yeah. Suits her.” Foot in mouth. Ugh.
I turned to the katanas on the wall, me sitting the closest to them. Their sheaths were as white as Ryoka’s tracksuit, sticking out like a sore thumb on the manky brown wall. There was an ornate design of flowers and leaves, all in gold.
“They’re stunning,” I said. “Really awesome.”
“As were the ones you lost.”
I turned to the swordy guy. “Yeah.”
His eyes were as dark as my dad’s and as intense. Made we wanna pee myself.
“You gave them to my dad,” I said. “And he gave them to me.”
“They were meant for you.”
Ah, here we go! “Why me?”
Ryoka shook his head. “Would you like some tea?”
“No, thanks.”
“No, thank you,” G added, Shelly and him needing to get a room. He nibbled on her ears, and she was in ecstasy.
Lucky cat…
“My brother is a fool for his actions.”
I waited for him to add to that.
“Hitoshi Murakami is my brother. Akira, I’m your uncle.”
Hello, floor. Meet my face. Okay, not quite, but tenshi! “Say that again.”
“I’m your uncle.”
“What the fuck?”
“I would ask you not to swear in here,” he warned.
What. The. Hell. “You can’t…what? But…what? Why didn’t he tell me?”
“Because your dad is a strange creature.”
“But your last name.”
He sat forward. “Takeda is our family name. Your father removed it from himself when he went to the werewolf academy. You see, he was always destined for greatness. Our father knew he would be High Alpha. All of his parental energies were given to him to make sure he became great.”
“But…why?”
“Why what?”
“Why change his name?”
“My father wanted him to, to remove the shame of our family.” He sighed. “You see, I’m human, Akira. No wolf inside me at all. My father was a wolf, much like my brother, but it skipped many of the members of the family. Those it did reach ended up bringing shame—drunkards, lay-abouts who amounted to nothing. No heroes, no warriors. Wolves cast out. Shame, Akira. My father was riddled with it. So, when Hitoshi was born, he poured all of his hopes onto him. He died the day Hitoshi took the High Alpha seat, passing into death a happy man.”
“This is…what the hell?”
“Your father treated you the same, had high hopes for you. But then your thirteenth birthday came around, and you couldn’t shift.”
“Yeah.” Tenshi help me! What the hell was going on? “I don’t get all the secrecy.”
My uncle sat back again. His face was proper lined and weather-worn. “Listen to me, nephew. Those swords I gave you were just swords. Brilliantly made, pardon my swelling pride, but not magical. When they came into your hands, their magic awoke. It was you who did that, not me. I’m just a human.”
“Who makes brilliant swords,” G added, being his usual polite self.
“Thank you, Beta.”
“I think…I don’t.” Deep breaths were helping. “I did that?”
“Yes. But your dad wouldn’t see that, refused to bend on his views that a wolf should shift.” He shook his head. “Fool. To me, it was a sign you were destined for more, but no, Hitoshi didn’t take to it like he should have. Yes, he was pleased there was something about you that wasn’t fully human. Yet, all he wanted was a shifting wolf, the next him, a son who could become High Alpha.”
Fuck. I wanted to cry. Wham! Wham! Wham! My uncle. Family denied me. Bullshit all around, and no fucking paddle to get me out of it. Anger to the left, sadness to the right, and pressure from above.
Why had my dad done this to me?
“I wasn’t in your life at all, really. Your dad had cut me out of his life on the whole, only writing to me once a year. I had a forge in the city of Kazuno, but gave it all up after your katanas, letting my work become legend. I find the idea of my legend interesting, never thinking of myself as something like that—just a skilled man whose expertise still wasn’t enough to appease his father. My brother held blades I made for him in the war against the mazoku queen. Does he ever use them?”
I shook my head.
“I see. It doesn’t matter.”
Sadness in his eyes, which somehow warmed it up at the same time. I saw my dad in him then. He’d gone from enigma to soft older man just like that.
“Uncle…” I whispered.
“Yes.”
“I…can’t believe this. It…hurts.”
“Yes, Nephew.”
“We’re the same. Both treated badly for the way we were born.”
He frowned. “Your father is incredibly set in his ways. And he was too hurt by the loss of your mother to give you the love you needed.” He hesitated, then sighed. “He blamed you for her death. Your birth had been complicated, left her bedridden in the hospital for three months until she finally passed.”
I wanted to puke. “No…”
“I’m afraid so, Akira.”
G’s hand came to rest on my thigh. “Do you need a break?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“You’re not.”
“No, but what am I gonna do? I have to hear this.”
He nodded, one of Shelly’s paws on his chin.
I couldn’t help but smile a little at that.
“What do you think of my girlfriend?” G said.
“Stunning.”
He smiled back.
“I’ve never seen her so infatuated,” my uncle said, also with the faint line of a smile on his face.
This was nice, a slice of warmth. But slices weren’t the whole fucking cake of joy.
My mum. I’d…killed her.
After a wobbly breath, I said, “Does that mean you can tell me about my mother?”
He nodded, looking even sadder. “I didn’t know her well, only met her once. She was a
beautiful woman, a Tokyo native. Her name was Sakura Demizu. An only child who lived with her mother not far from here.”
Holy shit! “Is my grandmother still alive?”
He shook his head. “Sadly, cancer took her before you were born. I remember my brother telling me on the phone, cold as ice as Sakura sobbed in the background. Nobody saw your mother again. Hitoshi kept her locked away. When you were born, I was sent a picture of you. This is the first…” His eyes were suddenly glistening. “This is the first time I have seen you in the flesh.” Tears spilled down his wrinkled face, catching in the deep crevices.
“Uncle…”
“A terrible family, we are.” He wiped his eyes.
Shelly was suddenly done with G, hopping off his lap and going to comfort her owner. Ryoka rubbed her head, wiping more tears and sniffing deeply.
“I’ll say,” I agreed.
“I’m sorry, both of you. I don’t want you seeing me like this.”
“No,” I countered. “Don’t say that. Showing emotion ain’t a bad thing, Uncle. There’s too much frost in this family. About time we had some spring weather.”
“You liken this sadness to spring?”
“Hey, I’m no good with the analogies.”
He chuckled. “I understand what you’re saying. Maybe if I were warmer, my marriage would have survived.”
“You were married?”
He nodded. “Yes. She’s long gone now. I don’t blame her for walking away.” He kissed the top of Shelly’s head. “I’m sorry my brother doesn’t tell you things, that he treats you this way. I told him he was a fool to blame his son. It wasn’t your fault what happened to your mother. How can it be the fault of any child? Still, he is the spawn of my father, and so his heart is the coldest rock, and his pride is itself a shameful thing. I told him this when he called to tell me you were coming. Look at him now, having to finally admit that you are destined for greater things. I think he cares in his way, that he doesn’t truly hate or blame you deep down, but, as I’ve said, he is from the seed of our father. He was the same to me all of my life. Our mother died, so we were brought up by Father’s iron fist. Cold, menacing, and quick to hand down punishments, but starving me of love. It served Hitoshi well. Look at him now.”
“Yeah.” His power and wealth meant fuck all, though. He didn’t know love. Maybe now he did, with his new son and wife.
I had a new light shone on my father. Like all things Dad related, I didn’t know how to process it. Maybe I was just like him in a way—emotions being a failing point. The cold way I’d dismissed the kiss between me and G.
I didn’t wanna be my father.
“But I knew you were coming here several months ago, Akira.”
Info wave number…I’d lost count. “You did? How?”
“Dreams. Just like you. Your dad told me all about the woman and the snow and petals and the mountain.”
“Yeah?”
“I didn’t experience the same thing, only a woman’s voice in the dark. Once. But once was enough.”
I sat forward. “What did she say?”
He cleared his throat, making Shelly jump. “Your nephew, Akira, is coming. He will need arms by your hand. Make them. Wait. They will be his keys to the trial. He will come to you. Bestow him with your gifts.” He cleared his throat. “So, there they are—the latest swords I’ve made, since the ones I’d made you as your birthday gift.”
I looked at the swords on the wall. “You made more? These are for me?”
“Yes, Nephew.”
“What does that mean about keys?” Gabriel asked. “Are you saying the swords are keys?”
“Not sure,” Ryoka replied. “That’s how I took it. But I’ve never been to any of the three holy mountains to know what that means. All I know, like everyone does, is that they’re dangerous places and have been closed to the public for many years.”
My uncle got to his feet. Shelly leaped off him and padded over the telly to stop and clean herself.
“I think you’re right,” Ryoka said. “At least, it makes sense to me. Akira?”
“Yeah?” I was on my feet.
“It’s time.”
Butterflies in my tummy—butterflies on motorbikes, trapped in a cage ball. My stomach was the ball, and they revved the shit out of their bikes, zipping round and round and round.
Man, I missed my bike. I was never gonna see my Cindy again!
Focus!
Butterflies in biker leather.
Focus!
My uncle took the katanas off the wall and held them out. “Take them, Akira.”
Holy balls! I was doing this! New swords. Key swords. What did that mean? Swords to take to the mountain?
I took them, holding them both by the hilts. “Stand back.”
I drew them out of the sheathes. Instantly, the buzz went through me, the steel igniting with a bright white light that flooded the room. A golden star pinged at the tips of the blades. Shelly hissed, then the light and the golden stars were gone. But not the buzzing.
“They feel…like before,” I whispered.
“Like your old swords?” Ryoka asked.
“Yeah. But with more oomph.”
“Good. You will have to prepare, gather what you need for your journey.”
“Cool. Then we best get on it.”
“Indeed, Nephew.”
“This don’t feel right, though.”
“What doesn’t?”
“Leaving you like this.”
“But you have a duty, Akira. This is no time for sentimentality. When this is done, maybe we can sit down with tea, be uncle and nephew.” He smiled. “There is nothing we can do about the past, about the time that was stolen from us. I should have stood up to my brother, insisted on being in your life. But how do you stand up to the High Alpha when his rule is absolute? Even if you are his brother?”
“Well, you’re right. He shouldn’t have that power over us, though. Fu—, erm, I hate that he does.”
“And I hate myself for being a coward. Yet, here we are.”
I nodded, sad, pissed off, ready to bust some heads. A lot of head-busting was waiting for me. I knew that one hundred percent.
“You’re on for tea, Uncle.”
“Good. Now let me take those other swords off your hands. I’ve made you some matching straps so you can wear these new ones.”
I turned around, letting him unfasten the brown leather on my back. He had a look at the blades. “What shoddy workmanship! Who made these?”
“Erm, some guy.”
“I should catch the next plane to London and cut off his head for this shameful work!”
Whoa.
He shook his head and left the room.
G had his arms folded across his chest. “How does it feel to have that power back again?”
“Not gonna deny it, bruv. It feels fucking awesome.”
“Good. They’ll give you leverage now, for when we head to Mount Tate. Bad things, along with blood and bone-crunching, will be coming.”
The way he pronounced ‘bone-crunching’ in his sexy Texan drawl was enough to make my balls tingle.
Damn. Bone-crunching made sexy?
The way he was watching me…
“Okay, Aki. After you’re done, we need to gather supplies.”
I swallowed and nodded. “Y-yeah…”
“I can give you a list of places that will be of help for your expedition,” my uncle said, returning.
“Cool. Thanks.”
Ryoka came over and fixed the new white straps to me. They had the symbol of the tenshi on them in gold and looked so damn cool.
“I get the sense they won’t stay pristine for long.”
“Hey! What does that mean?”
“Just a hunch, Nephew.”
I frowned. “Yeah, well. It’s true.”
He chuckled. “See?”
“Don’t think you’re so smart, Uncle.”
“I can’t help that being true.” He handed
a list to G, my new weapons secure in the new holder on my back, buzzing against my spine.
Here came a problem. “Er, so, there’s an issue here.”
“What?” Ryoka asked. “Are they too heavy?”
“No. They’re cool. It’s just that whenever my old swords sucked some energy, I had to get them cleaned up afterward. Mama Rita had an anvil, an elvish one, that used to clear out the bad mojo. It seriously has to be cleaned out in twenty-four hours because bad things can happen to them and me. Once I came close to going loco. Don’t wanna be going mad with power or whatever. Not my style.”
My uncle stroked his chin in thought.
“I know a spell that can do it,” I said, “but it’s a proper ball ache. Erm, I mean, pain in the backside.”
“Aching balls are unpleasant. Perfect way of putting it, Akira.”
“Right.”
“I may have a solution to your problem. You will need to give me until morning. Come by before you set off. Say four? I’ll need to make a purchase.”
“Cool. You want some cash? We’ve got a credit card from my dad. Put it on him.”
He shook his head. “Purchase is a broad term.”
“Is it?”
He nodded. “There are some things you don’t need to know. I will get this done for you.”
“No secrets, Uncle. Haven’t we had too many of them for a million lifetimes?”
More stroking his chin. “If I get this done, I will tell you how. Deal?”
“Fine. Four o’clock.”
“I was expecting more of an argument.”
I shrugged. “I can’t be bothered. We got shopping to do.”
“Then come and hug your uncle and be on your way.”
Hugging him was weird, and awesome, and I didn’t wanna leave him. But time wasn’t my best buddy. I had to get moving.
“Bye, Uncle. Speak in the morning.”
He handed me a piece of paper with his phone number on it. “You will, indeed, Nephew. Wait.” He left the room briefly, then came back with a keycard.
“What’s that?”
“This will get you through any barrier, gate, or doorway. Nothing will be blocked. But do show respect and courtesy. In other words, do not think to barge in here without my permission. Sometimes, when the weather is hot, I like to be naked.”
“Message received loud and clear, Uncle.”
“Fine. Goodbye again to you both.”
Shelly meowed, needing more G attention. He gave her a quickie, and we left before she decided to join our shopping trip.
Four Moons: The Complete Collection: (Books 1 - 4) Page 36