by Cole Gibsen
That’s when Akiko first saw him.
He knelt under the tree with his head bowed. His waist-length hair spilled over his shoulders, hiding his face behind a curtain of black. Every so often his chest heaved in a silent sob, unsettling the pink blossoms in his hair that had fallen from the branches above.
A hundred paper cranes took flight inside of Akiko’s stomach. Such a strange sensation and not one she understood. She watched from the balcony as his shoulders shook, his body hunched under the weight of grief. She felt embarrassed, as if she had intruded into someone else’s nightmare. She did not belong.
Lord Toyotomi placed a hand on her shoulder, startling her. “That is Yoshido, the captain of my samurai.”
Akiko couldn’t look away. There were always men in the pleasure house. Laughing, hungry men. Men drunk off of saki and opium. But Akiko had never seen a man so open, so raw, bleeding his misery for anyone to see. “Why does he cry?”
Lord Toyotomi leaned his hands against the balcony rail. He sighed. “Yoshido is in mourning. His betrothed, Chiyo Sasaki, was murdered by bandits.” He shook his head. “So tragic. Even though he was not there, Yoshido blames himself for her death.”
“But why?”
“Because he could not stop it from happening.”
Akiko moved to stand beside him at the rail. “He must have really loved her.”
Lord Toyotomi remained silent for a moment before answering. “Love does not weigh a person down. There are heavier emotions.”
“Like what?”
“Guilt.”
Akiko studied Yoshido, still hunched over with more than a dozen pink petals in his hair. “But if he was not there … how can he blame himself?”
Lord Toyotomi shook his head as if he, too, wanted the answer. “Because that is his way, child. If the world ended tomorrow, he would blame himself for that, as well. But”— he squeezed her hand—“that is where you come in.”
“Me?” Akiko took a step back. She couldn’t understand how she would be of any help to the lost warrior.
Lord Toyotomi nodded in Yoshido’s direction and coughed loudly. The samurai looked up and, upon seeing them, ran the palms of his hands down his face in attempt to erase the trail of tears. “Yoshido,” Lord Toyotomi called out, “I would like you to meet our newest samurai.” He gestured at Akiko, who couldn’t help but duck her head to hide her flaming cheeks.
Yoshido’s face remained impassive.
Akiko bit her lip. She waited for him to storm away, angry, as Zeami had done.
Lord Toyotomi continued, “I sense something in her, Yoshido.”
Yoshido nodded and walked toward the balcony. “You are never wrong about your inclinations, my Lord.”
With the warrior standing under her, Akiko guessed his age at around eighteen. He had wide shoulders, a defined jawline, and dark, piercing eyes that loosened something in her knees and made standing a challenge. She tightened her grip on the railing.
Lord Toyotomi smiled. “That is why I am entrusting you to train her to fight.”
“And so I will.” Yoshido bowed slightly at the waist. “What will be her weapon?”
“Hmm.” Lord Toyotomi frowned and stroked his beard. “The selection of a samurai’s weapon is a serious matter.” While he studied her, Akiko fought the urge to squirm under his unblinking gaze. Finally, he turned his attention back to Yoshido. “As it were, she already has some skill with a blade. Our own Zeami bears proof of that.”
Yoshido’s eyebrows shot up, his laugh muffled behind a fisted cough. “Very well, may I suggest the katana?”
Lord Toyotomi leaned in so closely that Akiko could smell the citrus oil in his hair. “That is the first time he has laughed since his betrothed died.”
Akiko wasn’t sure why, but this information renewed the fire in her cheeks.
Lord Toyotomi straightened and addressed Yoshido. “That will do nicely. Begin the training immediately.”
Yoshido bowed. “Yes, my Lord. What is her, uh”—he met Akiko’s eyes, stirring a whirlwind of flower petals inside her—“your name?”
She opened her mouth to answer, but Lord Toyotomi
stopped her with a raised hand. “Senshi,” the daimyo replied. “Because she has a warrior’s heart. And because,” he said, his voice dropping so that only she could hear, “we cannot be weighed down by our past.”
Before she could react, Yoshido said her name—her new name—and just like that, it was as if Akiko had never existed.
21
Kim’s words hit me like a shuriken to the chest. If it wasn’t for Q’s arms around my shoulders, I would have staggered to the floor.
The others remained motionless. Dr. Wendell only shook his head.
Chiyo Sasaki. Yoshido’s betrothed killed by bandits. The girl he mourned until the day I met him in Lord Toyotomi’s gardens. “She has to be lying,” I said.
“But I’m not.” Sumi entered the dojo from the adjoining lobby. She walked straight to Kim and looped her arm through his. He stiffened but said nothing.
Bile burned the back of my tongue. What the hell was going on? “Kim?” I needed to hear him say it again. To prove I wasn’t trapped inside another nightmare. The buzzing within me grew stronger until goose bumps appeared on my flesh.
Quentin must have sensed the change. He released my shoulders and slowly sidestepped away from me.
“Please, Rileigh.” Kim looked at me, his eyes pained. “So much has happened. I can’t—it’s just—”
“He’s pledged to me,” Sumi answered, smiling.
My hands reflexively curled into fists. Pledged to Sumi? “What are you talking about?”
Kim opened his mouth, but Sumi answered for him. “Because of the pledge he made to me in our past life—the pledge he left unfulfilled—Kim is honor bound to me.”
Michelle’s eyes narrowed. “What pledge?”
Sumi tossed her head, rippling her glossy black hair down her back. “He was my betrothed and failed to protect me. I died and he moved on to love another. Because he is a samurai, he is honor bound to keep the promise that was broken.”
Kim’s brow furrowed and he looked like he might say something. But Sumi pressed herself against his side, a sight that rolled waves of nausea through my stomach, and he remained silent.
The energy humming along my skin began to scratch and push for a way out. Focus, Rileigh. Relax. I inhaled deeply through my nose and exhaled through my mouth. I repeated this several times until I felt able to speak without screaming. “This is ridiculous.” I glared at Kim, who immediately averted his eyes. “You don’t seriously think you have to honor a 500-year-old betrothal, do you? That’s insane.”
But he wouldn’t look at me, let alone answer me. Why wouldn’t he answer me?
Sumi’s eyes narrowed into slits. “You think promises and honor are something that can be disregarded? What kind of samurai are you?”
“The kind that’s about to kick your ass.” I stepped forward, but a hand gripped my shoulder and pulled me back.
“Rileigh,” Dr. Wendell whispered in my ear, “I need to you to be calm. This is a delicate situation.”
Calm? How could he expect me to be calm when my entire world had turned upside down? I jerked out of Dr. Wendell’s grasp. My ki pushed against my barriers with enough force that I had to clench my teeth together to keep from crying out in pain. Yoshido once told me Chiyo had been a gentle soul. Well, there was nothing gentle about Sumi. Somehow she’d managed to find out information about Kim’s past and was using it against us. That was the only explanation that made sense. “Kim, come on. How can you let this psycho manipulate you? Can’t you see she’s lying?”
“No.” He shook his head, which elicited a smug look from Sumi. “She’s not lying. She knows things that only Chiyo would know.”
“So what?” The po
wer inside me surged forward, but I managed to rein it in before it escaped. “Who cares if she is Chiyo? How does that change anything?”
“It changes everything,” he answered.
I could feel the power jumping from my fingertips like a Taser on charge. “It doesn’t have to.”
“You’re wrong.” Sumi slid in front of Kim, all the while keeping her hold on his arm. “He was my betrothed. A lifetime doesn’t change that.”
“Of course it does!” I stepped forward and Quentin made a warning sound in his throat. I knew only seconds remained before I lost control—but I couldn’t seem to work up the ability to care. The only thing that mattered to me was yanking Sumi’s hand off of Kim’s arm.
Kim opened his mouth, but the words wouldn’t come. Lines of confusion pinched his brow and he appeared lost inside his own thoughts.
It terrified me. Gone was my confident warrior. In both of my lifetimes I couldn’t remember a time when Kim looked so lost—so unsure of himself.
After a few seconds, Sumi gave an impatient sigh. “What Kim’s trying to say is he can no longer be with you.”
Her words slammed against me like a fist to the spine. “What?” My hold slipped and a burst of ki pushed through my skin. The weapons rattled against the wall.
Sumi’s eyes widened. “What was that?” Her head whipped around as she studied each sword shaking on its mounts.
Q, Dr. Wendell, and the other samurai eyed the walls nervously. Kim, however, seemed oblivious to the trembling weapons. “I’m so sorry, Rileigh. I never wanted to hurt you.”
Isn’t that what everyone said after the fact? But I knew it was a load of crap. If he hadn’t wanted to hurt me, then he wouldn’t have hurt me. I flexed my fingers out to expel the power prickling my fingertips. Several swords shook so violently they fell off the wall and bounced against the rubber floor. I couldn’t hold on much longer.
Dr. Wendell reached for me, but I shot him a look so venomous he dropped his hand back to his side. “Listen to me, Rileigh. I need you to calm down.” His voice was tight with fear. “Take a few deep breaths and count to ten.”
Through the open windows of the dojo came the sound of tires crunching over gravel.
Dr. Wendell’s eye followed the sound to the front entrance. “Of all the times … Who could that be?”
Drew shrugged. “Probably just a parent wanting to sign their kid up for karate.”
“I’ll get rid of them.” Dr. Wendell marched to the door. Before he stepped into the lobby, he gave me a long look. “Stay calm, Rileigh.”
I ignored him. It was easy to deal out advice if you weren’t the one having your heart filleted. As my emotions ricocheted inside of me, my ki did the same thing outside of me. The glass observation window separating the lobby from the dojo crunched as a spiderweb of cracks zigzagged across it. A second later, it shattered to the floor.
Sumi screamed. Her honey-hued skin had paled to the color of cream. “What the hell was that?”
Kim ignored her. “I have a debt to pay, Rileigh. I failed Chiyo and now I owe her my life for the loss of hers. You know that a man—let alone a samurai—is only as good as his honor.”
I shook my head as the wooden shelf on the back wall splintered, which sent the trophies on top of it hurtling to the ground. The door separating the lobby from the dojo flew open and banged shut on its own. Sumi screamed again. I could feel the energy pulling at me, begging to be released, but by some miracle I was able to hold on. “I have no idea what that means, Kim. How do you owe her your life?”
His shoulders slumped. “Sumi and I are getting married.”
His words cut me deeper than any blade could have. I staggered from the pain left in their wake.
At that moment Dr. Wendell walked back into the dojo, his eyes lingering on the broken glass littering the mats as he made his way toward us. “It was just a meter reader.”
The tiniest shiver of a warning broke through my pain and tickled the back of my neck. I pulled my eyes off of Kim and looked at Dr. Wendell. “Why would you say that?”
He shrugged. “A couple of power company workers—young guys.” He nodded to a window. “They walked around back to check the meter. They said they’d only be here for a second or two.”
Oh no. Not here. Not now. My blood went cold as an icy wind fluttered through me. “Were they driving a power- company truck?”
“No. But that doesn’t mean anything. They’re probably contractors.”
I glanced at the window and saw two figures sprint by, which could only mean one of two things. One: they were engaging in a friendly game of Who can read the meter the fastest? (Which I’d totally play if I was a meter reader.) Or, two: they were ninja. And I knew from experience that when ninja ran, it was because they’d left something unpleasant behind. I looked at Kim and, even though he’d broken my heart, given his grim expression, it appeared he could still read my mind.
He whirled toward the front doors. “Everyone, out of the building!”
“Why?” Sumi glanced between Kim and the doors. “What’s going on?”
I couldn’t help but smile a little. If she wanted to be with Kim so bad, here was her chance to see what she was getting into. “We’re under a ninja attack.”
Q looked at me and after I nodded, he jogged toward the front entrance.
But Dr. Wendell and the other samurai didn’t move. They glanced around the room as if they expected the ninja to jump out of the shadows. I knew we wouldn’t be that lucky. Ninja were cowards and preferred to avoid hand-to-hand combat.
“Are you sure we’re in danger?” Drew asked.
“Has she ever been wrong?” Kim motioned to the doors. “Let’s move. NOW!”
Whether it was his words, or the tone of his voice, something snapped the other samurai into movement. As a group, we ran for the front door. I hung back, letting the others get in front of me—something I remember doing even in the past. But we’d only reached the door dividing the dojo from the lobby when the warning bell in my head turned into a scream. That noise meant only one thing—time had just run out.
22
Get down!” I screamed.
Kim had managed to reach the door in time to push Sumi outside along with Q. I heard her scream of protest even as the explosion ripped through the back of the building.
But the others hadn’t reached the door yet and it was only a matter of seconds before we were engulfed by the wall of flames at my back.
I dropped to my knees and flung my arms behind me, releasing the ki already pulsating at my fingers. I hoped it wasn’t too late.
The power inside me ripped from my body—like a scab pulled too soon—and left me hurt and raw. Sparing a glance over my shoulder, I could see it spread behind me in a shimmering blue wall. The flames and debris beat against the wall, each strike I felt as a push against my own skin, but I gritted my teeth and held on.
Someone yelled as a beam fell from the ceiling and landed a couple feet away from where I crouched. Sunlight filtered in through the hole in the roof left in its wake.
“Rileigh!”
The urgency in Kim’s voice let me know it wasn’t the first time he’d called my name. He held the door open as Michelle and Braden ducked under his arm to safety. Dr. Wendell stood behind him looking helpless.
Kim held the door back with his foot and reached a hand out to me. “Get up! Get out of there!”
The explosion continued to rock the shield at my back. I wavered, trying to keep it from falling. If I dropped the wall now, the others could still get hurt. I couldn’t risk it. I shook my head. “I’m not leaving. Not yet.” A chunk of flaming wood fell from the ceiling and landed by my feet. A spark bounced off and singed through my jeans into my flesh. My shield flickered.
Something large and silver—possibly one of Kim’s swords—flew past me. Kim ducked ou
t of the way before it shattered through the glass door.
Concentrate, Rileigh!
With a scream, I focused all my ki into the shield. It glowed a more solid shade of blue in response. I couldn’t let go until the explosion was over and my friends were safe.
Chunks of ceiling and bits of flaming rubber rained down around me. Through it all, I held on. My muscles burned and my arms trembled from exhaustion. I closed my eyes. The ceiling groaned and bits of drywall pelted my body. An electric charge—a warning—coursed down the length of my spine, alerting me I had only seconds before the ceiling gave in.
Arms slipped around me and hoisted me up. With my concentration broken, the shield evaporated. I opened my eyes to find myself in Kim’s arms, being carried through the lobby as it collapsed around us. Too weak to fight, I held onto his neck to keep from being jostled as he ducked and dodged over burning debris.
How could he do it? How could he tell me he was marrying another girl one minute, and run into a flaming building to save me the next? Did he actually love her? Had he really ever loved me? Was I nothing more than a rebound girl for his murdered betrothed?
Something whined and I looked up in time to watch another beam fall—seemingly in slow motion—directly above us.
“Kim!” I shouted.
He ran faster.
But I knew it wouldn’t be fast enough. Gathering the last of my strength, I held up a hand and released what little ki I had remaining and prayed it would be enough.
The beam shuddered in the air, as if caught by an invisible net. The force of holding back so much weight cut into my body like razor blades. I screamed.
“We’re almost there,” Kim shouted back.
The beam dropped a few feet and stopped. I couldn’t hold it much longer. Darkness seeped into the edges of my vision. I’d lost too much ki and was going to pass out. Son of hibachi. I could feel the cottony thickness of unconsciousness press inside my head, making my thoughts thick and slow. When I spoke my voice sounded far away. “Kim … I can’t … ”