“It must have been your connection with Reimi,” Rie said around a rescued ration packet. “I was out until just before everything blew up. The pain and panic from being tied up built within me until something broke loose. I knew I had summoned something, but I didn’t know what it was until David released me.”
“How did you get loose?” Takumi asked. He squatted on the balls of his feet, his face showing a professional interest in the method of Natsuki’s escape.
“The second time I woke up I stayed still,” she said. “I tried to relax every muscle like Yukiko showed me. From the pain, I knew we had been there for a while. I slowed my breathing, and as I listened, I learned about what was around me. Our captors didn’t speak, but they moved enough that I got a sense of where they were. It was harder to figure out how many there might be.
“After a few minutes I noticed another body close by me. I could feel Rie’s presence like a vacuum of sound nearby, a warm vacuum, but I didn’t know it was her of course. I waited until I heard the fewest sounds from the men, then started moving. It was hard and painful, but I moved a centimeter at a time. Along the way, my hands picked up a twig and I started working on my wrists as I moved. When the scream came, I still hadn’t made it to Rie, but I was free so I ripped off the rest of the tape to make a run for it, but then you were there.” She looked at Takumi with a smile that made him turn away.
“Any idea where we are?” David asked.
“Well past the Estate,” Rie said. “Aside from Grandpa I’ve done the most exploring. We are nowhere near it.”
“It took us almost two days to get here running full out,” Takumi said.
“In that case, I guess we can forgive you for being late,” Natsuki quipped.
In the middle of their second night from the valley, David woke suddenly from his first real rest since the gunman shot him. The forest was as silent as Kou’s paws on a tree branch. His pulse quickened as Rie rolled a little in her sleep next to him. Natsuki, who had the watch, turned her head toward the movement.
He put a finger to his lips as he stood and backed away from the tree. In seconds, he was gone. Leaving Rie and Takumi asleep, Natsuki regarded every shadow as a potential enemy. Her hand touched Takumi’s sword. A few meters away, a young girl stepped into the faint moon light filtering down through the forest canopy. She had long black hair and a pleased smile. She took a confident step forward, then another. In one smooth motion, Natsuki stood and drew Takumi’s blade. The ring stopped the girl cold and woke the twins. With a quick look, Rie noticed David was gone, and then saw the girl.
“You,” Rie said with venom. Before she could bolt, Kou appeared in a branch just behind and above the girl.
“Manami, I wouldn’t make any sudden moves,” Kou said. She tensed at the sudden sound, but then relaxed and smiled.
“Do you know how long it’s taken me to find your cute butt?” she said, turning so her sides were to both Rie and Kou. As she took a threatening step forward, Rie’s eyes seemed to glow a bit in the darkness. Manami raised her hand to ward off the movement. “Whoa there, don’t need any more rabbits, thank you.”
“Natsuki could I borrow that sword for a second?” Rie asked with a fierce grin. Settling deeper into a crouch, Kou watched Manami, and then blinked at David’s host-sister to let her know he was in control.
“You are far from Okinawa,” Kou growled. “And ōkami run in packs. Oh, that’s right. You had me get rid of yours for you.”
Manami winced at David’s harsh tone as he took over Kou’s throat.
“They really were after me. Yes, I’m an ōkami, but that’s not my fault! You think I came all the way here, knowing how easily you took care of my ‘pack’ for a fight?” she asked with a laugh. When no one smiled and Kou growled from behind her, she frowned. “Did I miss something?”
“Why did you kidnap us? Where are the rest of your friends?” Natsuki demanded, adjusting her sword.
“Hey, I just got into town. What kidnapping?” she said with a quick look back at Kou.
“Speak,” Kou growled. “Why are you here? We don’t have a healthy history with ōkami. This is your one chance to convince us you wouldn’t look better as a statue.”
“You did me a big favor, saved my hide, so I’m here to return the favor. Two Akuma Clan ōkami came through Okinawa looking for help getting out of Japan. They wouldn’t tell us much, but they weren’t a pack, just two brothers, all alone. It was strange. I did some digging, and some eavesdropping. They have a definite beef with you, David. I don’t know what they are planning but it’s going to be big, and aimed at ‘some humans in a town near Himeji.’ I remembered you said you were from Nakano,” she turned, ignoring Natsuki’s sword and Rie’s scowl. “Do you know the Jeong brothers?”
Kou dropped to the ground.
“You had better tell us everything you know,” he said. “They’re the ones who turned Rie into a majo.”
They listened as Manami outlined what she knew about the brothers and their plans. She told them little they hadn’t already guessed, but she did confirm that they had left Japan. They were out of David’s reach.
“David, the Akuma Clan is dangerous,” Manami said. “Since I live on the outskirts of our world I don’t hear much, but what I do hear is scary, even for me. Look–”
“We don’t have time for this,” Kou said, cutting her off. “There are people after us, and we can’t call the Estate. We have to move. You will come with us until we decide what to do about you. If you try to escape or feed off any of us, I’ll turn you to wood and then burn your statue. Previous… help, or no.”
With watchful eyes on Manami, they resumed their course back to the Estate. Their careful but swift trekking brought them to the familiar areas they used during their usual Golden Week trips. They had to be careful, avoiding the numerous traps that Masao and Yukiko activated as soon as Takumi was clear. Rie took great pleasure when her charge accidentally ended up in a rope trap that left her dangling above their heads.
“With any hope, they’ll slow down the… people who took the girls,” Takumi said with a frown. His glance told David he was concerned, but unwilling to speak about the unknown men, and lack of communication with the Estate. Still, he cut Manami down with his sword.
David caught Rie’s attention. She looked as if she wanted to say something, but then turned her gaze back on Manami. Rie had taken it upon herself to follow the lone ōkami, refusing to let her stray more than a sword strike or two away. ‘I think she might actually be embarrassed.’
‘Why are the twins so confident yet seem so wary?’ David asked Kou.
‘Yes. It is an odd mix of emotions. I would think they’d be more comfortable in their marked territory.’
An hour out from the Estate, the sun began to rise. It was early Thursday morning, five days since the girls’ abduction. They were all hungry, as the food they had brought had run out a day before, and the kami had avoided hunting so that they would not give away Takumi’s ability to Manami. Approaching the Estate without knowing the situation bothered David. He was far from an expert on tactics, but even he knew from experience that ambushes were hard to avoid without foreknowledge.
“Rie, Natsuki, would you mind waiting here with our… friend Manami for a bit. I need to talk to Takumi in private,” David said to the girls. While none were happy, David won out and they set about hiding while the boys jogged away.
“Want to tell me what we are up to?” Takumi asked as soon as they were out of view.
“We’ve been going as fast as we could, but with the girls we should have been easy to catch. I have some suspicions I think Reimi can help me answer,” David said, a wide grin spreading beneath ferocious eyes.
David’s orange, black, and white armor shone in the early morning sun. The metal tiger mask surveyed the men around the trees. In the spot where he had shot David and Kou just days before stood the leader of their abductors, arm outstretched, gun pointed.
“Where are
the others,” the man said throwing a quick look around. Despite having his face covered by a hood and mask, he appeared rattled. His clothes were almost as ratty and torn as the girls’ were after the long hike back. With no response, the man motioned with his free hand and two followers left the trees behind him to flank the armored boy. They had the easy confidence of killers, despite the armored hand resting on the hilt of a sheathed sword.
By the time the man with the gun realized his mistake it was too late. A well-aimed side-kick to one of the goon’s solar plexus had him flying back while the hilt of Takumi’s sword jammed into the other. With a roar like thunder, Kou flew out of the forest, claws sinking into the leader’s back as he fell off his rock perch to the ground at Takumi’s feet. As the man fell, Takumi finished off the two other men with well-placed blows. Kou gave Takumi an amused blink, and then caught up the man’s hood with his teeth and pulled.
With the gunman and his subordinates tied up, it was a simple matter to disable the rest of the squad waiting around the Estate. It was impossible for the men to find concealment in places David and Takumi knew so well. The only one not pleased with the outcome was Manami. Rie had insisted on tying her up before they finished their sweep.
“We can’t let them find out about you. They’d insist we make you into a statue right now. Not that I think that would be a bad thing,” Rie had said. “But David seems to think we should keep you around. For now.” David smirked at the thought as he walked back to the ambush site after retrieving his armor from Takumi. With strength born of his year training with the Matsumoto, he hefted the bleeding, but mostly unharmed gunman onto his shoulders and started for the gate.
INVITATIONS
Our ship landed in the cold north, a place I quite liked. With our new identities, it was a simple matter to head south. The land was wide and open, and while border security might have been tighter since the attacks in New York, they were not looking for…
Masao and Yukiko were waiting for them at the Estate’s gate. Beside them stood a man familiar in stance and bearing, but like the other kidnappers he wore a hood that concealed his features. Smiling, David dropped his baggage, eliciting a groan from the bound man. Just out of view among the trees, Takumi and Natsuki watched over their captives, listening in case he needed help. Rie had volunteered to watch Manami.
“David, you can let him go,” Yukiko said, running a practiced gaze over the man, looking for wounds.
“Not until I get an explanation from the Imperial Guard,” David said flatly, his attention focused on hooded figure. “There are a lot better ways to test our abilities. Some of us do not appreciate having our friends kidnapped.”
“Matsumoto-shihan, since when do you allow your students to speak so crudely?” Takaeishi asked as he pulled back his hood. “Where are my men?” His homeroom teacher stared at David with tight lips. A muscle near his temple twitched.
“Oh, I’d say he has every right to speak as he will in this instance,” Masao said with a frown at the man. Bringing his attention back to David, he said, “Let’s get everyone into the Estate and we can unravel the explanations.”
David backed into the forest. As soon as he was among the trees, he sprinted off toward Rie and Manami. It took him just moments to circle around to where the creek flowed under the Estate wall.
“You were right,” he said as soon as he saw Rie. “It was the Guard.”
“What do we do with her?” Rie asked looking at Manami.
In response, David summoned his Seikaku. Manami’s eyes widened in fear as the translucent wood grains glittered in the hard metal of the sword. The Seikaku dropped, deftly slicing through Manami’s bonds.
“David! What are you doing?” Rie asked, even as she turned to block Manami’s escape. Her left foot came forward as her knees flexed in the traditional Matsumoto fighting stance. A light breeze swept warm pine scents through the air as Manami looked between the two.
“One chance,” David said. “The Guard is waiting for us at the gate. They don’t know about you, Manami. If you do as I ask, wait for us in the pagoda near the Shrine, and go nowhere else, then I and the other Matsumotos will listen to your story. If you leave, your trip will have been for nothing. You will have made an enemy of me and I will have to hunt you down. What’s it going to be?”
“I came here to help,” Manami said, rubbing her skin where the tape had bound her. “What are a few extra hours of waiting?”
Rie complained the entire walk back to Takumi and Natsuki. She had wanted, at the very least, to tape Manami to a tree while they dealt with the Imperial House Guard. As they approached the partners, he shook his head to stave off their questions and Rie’s argument. Back with Takumi and Natsuki, they helped up their bound charges. Takumi freed their legs with his sword, but left their hands and mouths taped.
“I still can’t believe you carried a roll of duct tape all the way through the forest and back in that pack of yours,” David said as they approached the Matsumoto Estate’s gate.
“Dust tape can do anything,” he said.
‘I still think you should have let me bite a few of them… That would have taught a much better lesson than being tied up by a bunch of Jr. High cubs.’
‘This was all some sort of test. We need to be careful what we reveal until we know what Takeishi-sensei has to do with all of this.’
David guided the guardsmen around the old rock wall of the Matsumoto Estate. Takeishi glowered at them as they brought his men stumbling to a stop in front of the gate. Yukiko delicately covered her mouth with a slender hand to stifle the giggle that threatened to break out at the sight of the men. Despite all the students had been through over the previous days, the Imperial Guard looked far worse; pathetic with their hands and mouths bound and clothes worn and dirty.
“Let them go,” Takeishi grumbled. Takumi obliged with quick and careful cuts from his sword. The six men were bruised, sullen, and tired, but showed the quality of their training by coming to attention before their commander. None spoke. “You are all dismissed. Return to Tokyo. I will debrief you later.”
As one, the men turned and walked down the dirt road. Soon after they were gone, a quiet military helicopter lifted into view above the trees in the distance and angled east. Takeishi turned and walked past the Estate’s gates without an invitation.
The tall brooding figure of their homeroom teacher angled around the house showing he was well aware of the Estate’s layout. David caught Masao’s gate stiffen as the man walked straight through the Matsumoto garden to the Dojo. Yukiko disappeared into the main house’s adjoining kitchen as they passed.
‘I do not think Masao-san likes Takaeishi anymore than you do,’ Kou thought as they walked up the stairs to the Dojo. Masao was scowling, an expression David had never seen on his host-father.
‘I wonder where Tsubasa is. He was supposed to be here. Masao even talked to his father.’
Once they were in the Dojo, Masao turned on Takaeishi with formal and distant movements, as if welcoming a client.
“Explain yourself,” Masao said, his words a high contrast to his manner. The quiet tones were the one warning Takaeishi would get. “Or are you here to test my patience.”
“I do what I am told, even when my orders are as distasteful as these,” Takeishi said, sitting in the middle of the room. Yukiko arrived with a tray of tea.
“You must all be tired.” Masao looked to the students. “Sit but stay alert and listen. Dear, none for our guest. I’m sure he must leave soon.”
With the slightest twitch at the corner of her mouth, Yukiko served her husband, David, Natsuki, and her children, and then sat with her own cup. There had been no seventh cup on the tray.
“So what brings the head of the Imperial Guard all the way to Nakano,” Yukiko asked.
“I no longer hold that position,” Takaeishi began. “At the Emperor’s request, I have resigned so that I could fulfill the Right of Assessment-”
“There has been no Ass
essment in a thousand years,” Masao bellowed. David was reminded of the time Masao had smashed a table in a fit of rage after his father’s death. He was his calm self again a moment later. David would have wondered if he imagined it, but Kou played back Masao’s face for them in slow motion.
“We, the Emperor, decided that given the unique circumstances around Mr. Matthews’ possession, that he, and the rest of the Matsumotos should be assessed. After all, there is no master,” Takeishi said with an almost gloating smile. When Masao did not react, the teacher gave a disappointed frown.
“We suspected as much when you arrived as Takumi’s homeroom teacher,” Yukiko said. “Although the Assessor might have the right to conduct the test in his own manner, was it necessary to abduct our daughter and Natsuki? We could have limited the danger if you had informed us. Your men would be in far better shape than they are now. We could have warned you how dangerous Rie can be in her present state.”
“I’m going to hold you responsible for the jerk with the gun,” David added as he stared back at his teacher. “Those bullets were no test.”
“You shot the boy,” Masao said, his body leaning forward, his eyes intense.
“From the blood I saw, it looked like a lot more than once,” Takumi said.
“Someone will pay for that one day. No one shoots a tiger and gets away with it for long,” Kou growled.
“Your men shot a kami!” Masao roared. “You could have killed Japan’s best hope for the coming darkness. Are you insane? All for a stupid rivalry that-”
The hand was so fast David missed the movement. Takaeishi went sprawling as Yukiko’s palm connected with his face. Hard. David’s host-mother stood, turned her back on him, and walked out of the Dojo.
“Yes. Go complain.” Takaeishi’s voice was dead, lacking any kind of inflection, feeling, or hint of life. He wiped a bit of blood from the corner of his mouth and righted himself. “He’s alive. And although things did not go as I planned, everything happened within the guidelines under which I was operating. The girl however…” Rie returned his stare. Her yellow eyes glowed brightly despite the low light. “Well, the Emperor will have to decide, I have no specific instructions about her.
Revenge of the Akuma Clan Page 18