They split without speaking, Masao heading for the Dojo, Yukiko disappearing into the house. Yukiko returned with a bundle in her arms as she sprinted after Masao. When they emerged from the Dojo, it was in their armor. Their swords strapped at their sides. In addition to the traditional wear, they had the radio equipment the Imperial Household had previously given them. Thus connected, they split to search the various tracks around the house as the sun rose above the eastern trees.
David watched as Reimi landed beside Yukiko while she examined the main gate’s mechanism. After a slight jump from surprise that revealed how tightly wound she was, Yukiko radioed Masao and he joined them before the house. After learning the group’s plan to meet that morning, and how no one had shown, even after changing into Reimi, Masao sent her to the Ashikawas’ Estate to see if Natsuki was at home. It did not take her long to get back with confirmation that there appeared to be the same signs of kidnapping that had shown up at the Matsumoto Estate.
“Someone has been sloppy, leaving trails and marks for us to follow,” Masao said, a dark edge to his smile.
“What about David?” Yukiko began. A noise outside the gate stopped her. The sound of steel swords leaving their sheaths rang through the morning breeze as a gangly boy popped his head through the gate. Tsubasa stopped short seeing the Matsumoto elders in ready stances with naked blades, and Reimi fluttering above, red in her wrath. The trio relaxed as Tsubasa stepped forward.
“Did I miss something?” Tsubasa asked as he took in the situation.
“Reimi, would you mind changing back to Takumi? It would be easier to explain what we know once,” Yukiko asked, looking up as Reimi’s color reverted to its usual ash gray. With a blink of her red eyes, she landed and Takumi re-merged in her place. Wrapped in his armor he looked around as he regained his balance and analyzed the situation.
Masao relayed what they knew of the situation, telling them about the gas he had tasted on his lips. He spoke about how David too, had gone.
‘I’m glad they noticed my tracks. It’s why I avoided crossing the older ones. Grandpa did the same thing when he went after Rie.’
“Takumi, take a radio and see where David’s trail leads,” Masao commanded. “Tsubasa, you will have to stay with us on the Estate. Whoever did this may try to come after you next, and though our walls have failed, this is still the safest place.”
“Wait,” Tsubasa called as Takumi turned to leave. “I have something that might help.” Tsubasa clawed through his bag as the four of them walked back to the Japanese garden.
“We call it the Eye,” Tsubasa said, holding out a small box the size of a phone. “Thanks to Ryohei I think I’ve isolated the frequency and other harmonics that resonated with the ghosts. From there we were able to isolate kami by spying on Takumi and David. At first, we could not find a filter that would focus a kami, even though we knew there should be one. Masao helped us out with that of course.”
Takumi turned with a surprise look to his father. David could sense the shock his host-brother had felt as the images showed the hint of a smile playing at the corners of Masao’s mouth, though the rest of his features remained serious.
“We were going to use it to catch you coming in to the Estate,” Tsubasa said with a smile. “It’s like infrared. Just point it and if there’s anything resonating at the setting you select it will pop up on the screen.
“This looks like an old iPhone. You fit all that into such a small case?” Yukiko asked, impressed with the object.
“Yeah, see it’s pretty much just a miniature infrared camera, screen, nob, and a circuit board,” Tsubasa said, basking in the praise. “We were able to cram it all into an old iPhone chassis we grabbed from the school lab.”
Stepping back, Tsubasa demonstrated the Eye, first pointing it at Yukiko. The screen remained black until he turned the nob. Faint wire representations appeared on the screen exactly where the trees were. It was as if someone had ripped them out and replaced them with a stylized metal framework.
“It seems like trees and animals resonate as well, though we haven’t had time to explore what that means,” Tsubasa explained. With another flip of the nob, the screen went blank again. Then he turned the camera on Takumi.
Like fire, the entirety of Takumi’s body was on the screen. The edges of his body were all in orange, going to red, purple, blue, and finally white hot. In the center of his chest, though, was static. The colors swirled and pulsed as if an inferno waiting to explode on the world, beautiful and terrifying, even with the small screen.
“We don’t know why the screen wont register his center, its transmitting, but we have yet to find a way to display the camera’s input,” Tsubasa said, looking over their shoulders. “It can spot them within thirty meters. I tested it the other night during training. It might work on ōkami as well, though I’m not sure. I need one to test it on.”
With the technical presentation finished and every possibility considered, Takumi transformed back into Reimi. Masao filled her in on their plans. Masao and Yukiko would stay with Tsubasa on the Estate. Takumi would track David and stay in contact with them. Masao agreed to let them go alone after Reimi argued that she could take to the air if need be without leaving anyone else behind.
“It’s up to the two of you,” Yukiko said. Reimi changed back and they re-outfitted Takumi with the radio, food, water, his sword, and the Eye.
With a stiff bow to his parents, Takumi ran off in pursuit of David and Kou. Even though he was moving quickly, helped along by David’s clear trail, it still took until after noon for Takumi to find the spot where the gunman had shot David. Noting the messed tracks and bullet casings, he radioed back to the Estate with the information, and with the fact that David had changed to Kou when he found the new tracks. Scanning the area with the Eye showed nothing out of the ordinary, except for one area of sickly green splashes on the screen. When he looked without the Eye, Takumi could find no explanation, but felt he had seen something similar before. He realized the splayed patterns were blood. Just as he could not see Kou’s blood with his eyes, David’s did not register on the screen.
“That’s when I started running full out,” Takumi said. “I switched off with Reimi like you did, but we had to keep going back for the supplies. Reimi can fly father and faster than either of us could run, but in the end, the distance we covered was up to me. We must have been gaining on you.”
David wiped his face, as if rubbing away the last vestiges of the visions. The night was the deep darkness before the first light of morning could begin to shade it to a lighter hue.
“You’ve been running far longer than I have. Anyway, you will have to teach me how to do that,” David said. Looking at his hands, he noticed they had stopped shaking. “Let’s go see if we can’t find the girls. Kou wants to snack on one particular man’s legs.”
Soon after starting off, they reached the peak of the mountain they had begun climbing the previous day. The opposite slope before them was bare and rocky, an unnatural emptiness that left them exposed as it plunged to a wide valley. Where the ground leveled off below them, green trees spread out in an arc that stretched into the distance. Tall sentry trees fenced in another expansive, yet quite different forest from the one they had been traveling through. The trees ahead seemed older, closer, even from their high vantage point. In the far distance, David was just able to make out the speck of a lake by the reflection of lights from the town beside it.
“Look. There’s a fire to the west,” Takumi said, his dark mask locked on the bare glow among the trees. With a growl in his throat, David flung his legs out, his bare feet ripping at the ground and propelling him toward the fire.
DEER FRIENDS
Her memories, the little bits gleaned from her soul while my pack fed stayed with me for the longest time, but Chul Soon was there, as always, to remind me that she was a distraction. Better rewards would come soon enough. I needed the encouragement. Container ships are not conducive to comfort or happ
y thoughts, and a month without feeding, a sore trial. Chul Soon always got so grumpy when he did not have the chance to steal a spirit or two…
David halted just before the first outlying trees. Unlike those on the Estate, these trees were not ancient, preserved by generations of Matsumotos. Fire, floods, and lightning had provided the destruction needed for a continual renewal of fresh growth. The trees were tall and vibrant, full of a thrumming energy.
‘Power washes out from them. There is life beyond the trees.’
The Matsumotos had lived on their estate for hundreds of years. The continual presence of humans had driven away the large animals that had roamed the area when Ninigi had been alive. Here, though, was an untamed land. This was a place where Kou could hunt and find no lack of prey. He could lie under the trees and not be bothered by pollution or the noise of humans.
David and Kou knew that Natsuki and Rie were beyond the trees. With such a driving desire to recover them and to hunt the wild beasts within the forest, it took every ounce of David’s self-control to restrain Kou. The place echoed with an ancient presence. Despite his instincts, even Kou got the sense it would be impolite to go farther without welcome. They could tell Takumi felt the same. David and Takumi had stopped together. There was something on the wind and in the rustle of tree branches. Someone was coming.
‘Prepare to fight,’ Kou thought, his emotions beginning to surge through David. ‘Let me make the challenge.’
“Natsu is close,” Takumi said. Though his face was calm, David saw determination in his stance. His whole bearing urged David to chance a bit of rudeness. With an apprehensive look, David stepped into the forest. The night was getting old, first light, the perfect time to strike would soon come. They moved as stealthily as possible, keeping to the darkest bits of forest as they neared the fire. The acrid smell of smoke hit them first, followed by the weak glow of flames below.
Takumi and David halted to observe the camp. There were several men in the firelight. Natsuki and Rie lay side by side a bit away from the fire and under a tree. The sense that something was approaching, faster now, hung over them. Beside him, Takumi’s head jerked as if he too was feeling the driving will for them to get out. Then a yell burst from one of the men.
Natsuki was up and moving, a sharp twig in her hand and cut tape on her wrists as she pulled off a blindfold. Beside her, Rie remained unmoving.
A giant black bear, tall on two massive legs turned. Coals from the fire scattered as the bear brushed against a log. The bear had appeared behind a group of men who jerked away from the embers. David moved, but already at least two of captors were unconscious and bleeding from wounds inflicted by the bear’s sharp claws. At the far end of the light three men remained standing. Like their fallen comrades, they were all dressed in black, reminiscent of the clothes the Matsumoto used for their own camping trips. With a yell, one of the men sprang at the wild animal with a pair of wicked looking blades. Dodging the massive claws, he managed to strike a leg before the bear’s free paw sent him cartwheeling into a tree.
The man hit with a sickening thump and slid the better part of a meter to the ground. Seeing her awake, one of the men looked between Natsuki, the bear, and the man beside him, then turned and ran into the night. The final man stood relaxed and confident. David scowled as Kou roared within. It was the man with the gun. David was halfway to tiger before he could jerk Kou’s attention back to their priorities. Covered in fur, he was just able to get his human features back to the way they should be as the bear turned on the man. Despite his anger, it was hard not to be impressed as the gunman faced down the monster. As the bear bellowed, a challenge that would have made any of its kindred run, the man smoothly drew his large pistol and aligned it with the bear’s chest.
Natsuki stood in the firelight, frozen by the bear’s rampage. Takumi dodged from tree to tree, trying to cover the ground between him and his partner just as David was heading for Rie. Time seemed to slow as gray smoke whirled through the air between them and the camp. As the bear fell onto his front paws to charge, the man unleashed bullet after bullet. In seconds, it was apparent to both that the useless toy had enraged the beast.
The firelight played over the dark mass of the bear’s hide. The gunman turned a reluctant gaze toward Natsuki, but David caught his attention instead. As their eyes met, David saw not fear but annoyance. Then he was gone, running after his frightened partner into the night, the bear close behind.
Takumi made it to Natsuki’s side just before David found Rie. His host-sister looked back with yellow eyes full of confusion as he removed her blindfold. With a quick look around to ensure the captors were not nearby, he summoned his Seikaku and carefully cut her bonds.
“Looks like your bear got them,” David said as he pulled the duct tape off Rie’s mouth in one pull. She winced but said nothing and kept her eyes shut. When they reopened, she had a look of relief as understanding washed over her.
“I thought I summoned you, or that you were a kidnapper for a second,” Rie said as she sat up, rubbing her joints to restart the circulation. She took in their surroundings, and then smirked at how awkwardly Takumi stood beside Natsuki. “We better go. My… bear? Won’t hold them for long. Let’s grab some supplies.”
They scoured the camp, taking a selection of useful items. Rie laughed as she checked the equipment left behind. When Natsuki asked her about what was so funny, Rie said, “They’ll live. Serves them right.”
With food and water, they made their escape through the woods before the kidnappers could regroup. Though Kou wanted to go after the bear and the man, they both knew they were better off with them occupying each other’s time.
The feeling they were being followed grew and soon Takumi and David had the girls running, trying to reach the edge of the forest. By the time they got to where the trees began to thin, David knew they were too late.
‘Listen,’ Kou demanded as they stopped. David calmed himself. He knew there was no more reason to run. Curiosity seemed to come from the trees themselves. David surrendered himself to Kou and they transformed into a tiger. Kou could almost smell the excitement and anticipation among the woody forest scents.
In the evening twilight, something rustled softly as it stepped gracefully, proudly among the underbrush. Kou sniffed at the air, dumbstruck by the presence, by her presence. David tried to take over as he felt Kou’s control over their tiger form slip away, but he too could do nothing. A silver doe, taller than a horse, stepped out of the trees. A single eye watched them as the girls moved closer together. Reimi hopped a few inches to stand between Natsuki and the kami before them.
“You tigers are all alike. Peace for over a hundred years, then you show up and nothing but fire and mayhem.” Her words reverberated within their minds, as her piercing eye remained locked on Kou. “At least you had the good sense not to hunt here, that’s more than I can say for that annoying sibling of mine. Since you did not kill anything, and are a youngling, I will offer you some advice. Eat more greens.
“Reimi, it’s been so long since I’ve met a fire daughter. Dangerous… But a necessary part of the forest’s cycle… natural, unlike some males I know.” The doe turned its head in a way they read as a scowl meant for Kou. “As for the girls. I have no words of censure for you. I owe you for releasing the bear on those humans. The deer truly enjoyed watching them flee.
“One last piece of advice. Hurry home.”
As if released from a spell, Kou stirred as she disappeared among the shadows. Behind them, four massive deer appeared with lowered antlers. Moving in unison, they herded them past the trees and then left. Kou’s pride bent to the breaking point, but somehow David kept him from attacking his natural dinner. From the edge of the trees, they moved up the mountain, away from the forest and the kidnappers.
At the top of the mountain, David stopped. Prompted by Kou, he looked back over the valley as wistful emotions boiled up from deep within. A bellow echoed from far away that was still strong en
ough to make Natsuki jump and pull at Takumi’s armor.
“Was that the bear?” Takumi asked.
“Probably,” Rie said, her face stricken as if thinking about the creature she had summoned was painful. Without a look behind, Rie stepped forward, heading down the mountain and away from the valley at a brisk pace.
With the girls along with them, the boys could neither run nor fly, so their pace was far slower than the fearful race through the mountains that had brought them to such an uncertain end. The twins figured the valley was at least a three and a half day hike from the Estate. Moving at the edge of their endurance, Kou and Reimi had made it there in just fewer than two. How the captors had moved so quickly bothered David as they made their way back at a normal pace. He felt like he was missing too many pieces of the puzzle to figure out what was going on or why.
They moved cautiously, with Reimi or David transforming to keep their heightened senses on the forest. Even with their exceptional endurance, they still had to stop to eat and sleep. David suggested trying to call the Estate on the radios again, but the twins shook their heads in unison. Whatever Rie had discovered at the camp had Takumi on guard as well.
“Well if we can’t call the Estate, at least tell us what happened,” David growled as he slumped against a nearby tree. The others moved slowly as tired muscles resisted both their attempts to move and relax.
“I woke up before they wanted me to,” Natsuki said in a hushed voice. “I almost wish I had stayed asleep. Waking to total darkness and then realizing I couldn’t move was horrible. Then there was my connection with Reimi. Being unable to act made the distance even worse. Instead of an annoying itch, it was like an almost physical pain. I knew I was in a forest because I could still feel the needles and sticks beneath me, and smell the trees. Then I heard a man curse. They stuck something in my leg and I passed out again.
Revenge of the Akuma Clan Page 17