I Am Become Death

by Rocco Ryg

  “Sure, Chikara. What is it?”

  “In private?” She led him to the guest room to show him the lead box and strange ring. “This is what she left me. It was in a safe in the attic. Ever seen it before?”

  Her father studied the odd trinket, drawing a blank. “Hmmm. I always wondered what was in that safe, but she kept telling me it was a secret. It looks… kind of familiar.” He recalled seeing something like it before, many years ago, but he couldn’t remember exactly. “I’m afraid I don’t know.”

  “She told me to share it with Renka and this guy from school. Why? This makes no sense.”

  “Chikara, your mother’s actions had a way of working out in the end. If she asked you to share it, there has to be a reason.”

  “Yeah, I guess so. Tomorrow I’ll show it to them.” She closed the box and rested it on her nightstand, pondering how she would tell Renka and Kagekuro Gen about this strange turn of events.

  ***

  The next day, Chikara spotted Renka waiting outside her house with a toasted bagel in her mouth, and another in her hand. Renka lit up in excitement. “Good morning, Chi. Hope you’re hungry, because Mom buttered it just how you like it.” She thanked her and took the snack. Renka, her anticipation at its peak, asked the ultimate question. “So... what’d you get?”

  Chikara held up her inheritance. “I knew that was coming. I got this.”

  Renka studied the bizarre ring on her friend’s finger with an unhealthy mix of curiosity and confusion. “Whoa? Nice ring.”

  “The ring from Planet X. The band itself is gold, but I have no idea what the gem is supposed to be.”

  “You should talk to Mr. Tamashi, the science teacher. He’s good with this stuff.”

  “That’s what I was thinking. Listen, there’s something else. I have to share it with you.”

  “What?”

  “Yes, Mom said I have to share ownership of this ring with you...” She groaned before adding, “…and Kagekuro.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “No, I’m dead serious. She told me to share it with both of you. I don’t know why, but she’ll never forgive me if I don’t carry out her will.”

  “Why Gen-kun? How did she even know about him?”

  “I don’t know. It... wait, Gen-kun?”

  Renka had accidently referred to him by his first name and attached the more formal –kun to it, showing more admiration than the surname. She put her hand over her mouth and blushed. “Uh... I meant Kagekuro-san. I can tell him about it if you want. Not that you can’t do it yourself, of course, but...”

  Chikara giggled. She enjoyed teasing her friend about her little crush. Still, she had to inform Gen about her mother’s arrangements somehow, and Renka may have been the best way to rope him in. “Okay, you can tell him. You’re free after your biology club, right?”

  “Yeah, I can come over.”

  “Great. Tell him to come to my shrine at...” As soon as she reached the path leading to the school, she froze and raised her hand, preventing her companion from walking any further.

  From years of watching her friend battle, Renka knew this meant danger. “The Kendo guys?”

  Rather than the heavy mouth-breathing of the losers in the Male Kendo Club, Chikara could hear whirling motors and the hum of circuits. It had to be something robotic… many of them… small, compact, yet inexpensive to produce. She knew it was Hibana Taichi’s doing. He was always building strange contraptions and gadgets, and she had to engage in battle with his mechanical monstrosities on several occasions. One time, Taichi entered his chainsaw-equipped robot in a Battlebot competition, which she had to destroy when it went ballistic and turned on the crowd.

  She held her pose and waited for the machines to make the first move. When she heard the small motors hum louder, she shouted, “Duck!” and pushed Renka to the sidewalk. On cue, three small, spiraling boomerangs popped out of the bushes and floated directly at her, forcing her to grab her weapon and calculate how to take them down. The three robots spun around her in a triangular pattern, overloading her ability to analyze her surroundings. Although they hovered and spun at a considerable speed, she could tell they were designed to annoy, not destroy.

  Chikara swung her sword at the horizontal circle the boomerangs formed, but the crafty machines dodged and flew over her head. When she turned around to look, another hit her in the back and hovered away as if taunting her. She ducked and rolled out of the circle, deciding to focus on one at a time. The third made a move for her back, but she quickly spun around and swatted it with her sword. It sputtered, so she hit it to the ground and stomped on it, cracking the plastic shell and exposing its fragile circuits.

  She heard another boomerang swooping in over her shoulder. She grabbed the flying pest and clutched it, preventing escape. As the last of the attackers closed in, she flung her captive machine and knocked them both out. With two more swings of her weapon, the robots were history.

  The Female Kendo Club popped out of the bushes and clapped for their captain. Mizuho, held the camera that captured the entire fight. “Way to go, Chikara-san. You managed to down them all in under fifteen seconds. This will look great on YouTube.”

  Chikara sighed. “Let me guess, Hibana built those?”

  Mayumi said, “Yep. They have AI systems that lock on to your target. Aren’t they neat?”

  Renka wasn’t so pleased. “Could you guys wait until I’m out of the way before you pull this crap?”

  “Ohh… we’re sorry.” Kayoko rubbed her head. “Guess we got a little carried away.”

  Chikara slipped her sword back into its holder. “Whatever. Let’s get to class.”

  “Wait a second,” Takako interjected. “Where did you get that ring?”

  “Funny story...”

  ***

  Since she had extra time to spare before class started, Renka decided to swallow her fear and talk to Gen. She found him heading to his homeroom, his friends luckily absent. A fearful knot twisted in her throat. She dreaded the inevitable laughter that would doom her chances with him forever. How was she supposed to tell him that a traditional, conservative girl that he’d never met before wanted to share her dead mother’s ring with him? He’d think she was setting him up for a date.

  On the verge of collapse, Renka approached him. “Kagekuro-san?”

  “Kusaka-chan… what’s up?”

  Renka’s pulse slowed. At least he was open to hear her. “Uh, this may sound sudden, but… Kaminari Chikara wants to talk to you later. She says she has something she wants to share with you.”

  “And that something is...?”

  “You’re probably not going to believe this, but it’s a ring that her mother left her in her will.”

  As expected, Gen gave her an awkward look. “Ooooooo... kay.”

  Renka poured all of her concentration into not fainting from embarrassment. “Look, I know it sounds… weird, but it’s really important. It means a lot to her.” She knew her life was over. He would turn her down and never speak to her again, and he’d tell his friends that she was crazy. She’d be laughed at for the rest of her days and never have a boyfriend.

  Gen shrugged and replied, “Can’t turn down a gift. Where can I find her?”

  “Uh... I’ll write down her address.”

  ***

  While Ms. Minsei wrote notes on the chalk board, Chikara and Renka copied them into their notebooks. Terms like “Nihonkoku Kenpo” appeared named to Douglas MacArthur and “Jieitai”.

  Minsei narrated the history lesson. “At the end of World War II, Japan was crushed. Allied bombs left cities in ruins and radiation poisoning killed the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Under American and British occupation, the entire Japanese government reform into the parliamentary system we have today.”

  Renka whispered to Chikara, “Gen says he’ll come over.”

  “Good.” She tried her best to avoid looking to the back of the room. She didn’t even want to think about M
ichiko at this point. She could almost feel the static of those piercing gray eyes staring at her, planning their next humiliation. She decided to eat lunch on the roof today. The cafeteria was now a danger zone.

  Michiko, from her seat in the back, could see the anxiety in Chikara’s posture, and she loved it. She had wanted to humiliate her for years. Since their days in elementary school, Chikara had been a pain in her side. Whenever she swore or made a harsh comment, Chikara would tell an adult. Every time she broke the rules, the stuck-up teacher’s pet would get her in trouble. But stealing Renka as a friend was the atrocity she would never forgive. For over a decade, Michiko dreamed of getting back at Chikara in the worst way, and now she had the power to make it happen.

  Minsei continued, “The Japanese had their own commission working on a constitution, but the process was slow and MacArthur thought it wasn’t good enough. The new system called for a two-house Diet, made of the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors.” She described the duties and privileges of the Diet. The classmates remembered the American exchange student last year who thought the Diet was a meal plan instead of the Japanese parliament.

  Michiko looked at Chikara again, wondering what she could make her do next. With their senior year almost over, she only had a short time to have some more fun. As she glanced at her rival’s back, she noticed the new addition to her hand. Her gray eyes widened in shock. Chisato and Yukiko, sitting on either side of her, heard a slight gasp and turned to see their friend with a surprised, fearful look. Chisato whispered, “Michiko? What’s wrong?”

  Nagasado calmed herself down and regained her composure. “Nothing.”

  When class broke for lunch, Minsei reminded everyone of the test tomorrow. Michiko quickly got out of her seat and approached Chikara, a swarm of questions buzzing through her mind. “Kaminari-san?” she asked more formally than their usual conversations.

  Chikara scowled. “What do you want?”

  “Look, I’m really sorry about yesterday. That was very cruel of me.”

  “Sure you are.”

  “Now, I’d like to know about that ring on your hand.”

  Chikara suddenly felt very nervous. “Sorry, I have to go to lunch.”

  Before she could get away, Michiko concentrated her voice and commanded, “Let me see it.” Once again, Chikara felt that tingling sensation spread throughout her body. She raised her hand and let Michiko inspect the ring, looking into those gray eyes and seeing the confusion and fear in their expression. She had never seen Michiko this concerned about something, and wondered why the ring scared her so much.

  She realized that she had no defense. What if Michiko wanted to take the ring? There would be no stopping her. She tried to resist, but the mental command overrode her ability to move.

  Luckily, Ms. Minsei interrupted the conversation. “Nagasado-san? I’d like to talk to you about your Korean War paper.”

  The distracted Michiko looked at her, giving Chikara the split-second opportunity to cover her ears and run out of the room shouting, “I am deaf! I can’t hear! La la la!”

  ***

  After Michiko “convinced” Ms. Minsei of the accuracy of her paper, she went to her usual spot in the cafeteria. She didn’t see Chikara and her friends. Not surprising, given the humiliating scene yesterday. Still, she quietly looked at their table on the off-chance they would return.

  Chisato noticed her friend concentrating on the table. “What’s wrong, Michiko? You looked all weird when you saw Kaminari’s ring.”

  “Yeah, what gives?” said Yukiko. “It’s not even pretty. The band looks fancy, but the gem’s just a black block.”

  “That isn’t a normal ring,” she said.

  “What do you mean?” asked her friends at the same time.

  “You don’t need to know.” The girls dropped the subject. “We have to find out where it came from and how she got it… and I have a plan.”

  That evening, after the final class and before the club activities, the trio sought out Kayoko, Chikara’s friend and second-in-command of the Female Kendo Club. Michiko knew she had a different class than the others and would most likely be alone during the walk to the gym. Kayoko would be the perfect instrument in her scheme.

  They spotted Kayoko on her way to the gym and cornered her, preventing her from passing them by. “Yazawa-san, can we talk to you for a second?” asked Michiko, in as friendly a tone as possible.

  Kayoko remembered Michiko’s cruel stunt against her friends. “I have nothing to say to you, Nagasado. Goodbye.”

  Michiko’s authoritative voice replaced her friendly one. “Stop!” Kayoko stopped, just as she was ordered. “Tell me what you know about Kaminari’s ring.”

  Kayoko couldn’t resist. “It’s a present from her dead mother. That’s all I know.” This took Michiko by surprise. Chisato and Yukiko noticed the shock on her face.

  “Okay.” Michiko had to take drastic action before this situation could spread beyond her control. “Here’s what I want you to do...”

  ***

  That evening, after practice, Chikara and the rest of the club entered the locker room to change out of their training uniforms. Practice had gone swimmingly. Even Mayumi, the freshman of the group, had gotten better. Takako said to her, “Hey, great job today, Mayumi-chan. You were so fast, I was afraid to blink.”

  Mizuho added, “Yeah, I’ll bet you can defeat all the boys yourself.”

  Mayumi tried to conceal her happy squeal. “Thanks, guys. Kaminari-sama, what do you think?”

  Chikara tried to be upbeat. “You’re quite the fighter. In three years, I wouldn’t be surprised to see you as club leader.” She could sense something wrong with Kayoko. She seemed less focused than usual, even robotic, like she had an urgent matter on her mind. When she finished changing into her school uniform, she walked over to her club lieutenant. “Kayoko... is something on your mind? You’ve been quiet all day.”

  Kayoko looked hesitant to answer. She slurred her words as she said, “Chikara, can I talk to you in private?”

  “Sure. You girls can go ahead.” When the three others finished dressing and left, she asked, “Is something wrong?”

  Kayoko struggled to speak, as if trying to resist her own actions. “Can I... can I see that ring again?”

  She showed it to her, confused as to why she was suddenly so interested. When she revealed it to the club earlier, Kayoko didn’t seem that concerned. Without warning, Kayoko violently grabbed her hand and tried to pry the trinket from her finger. She pulled her arm away and instinctively posed for a fight. “Kayoko! What are you doing?”

  Her friend picked up her shinai, a flexible bamboo sword, and gripped it tight. “I’m sorry! She made me!”

  “What?”

  “She told me to take it! I can’t stop!”

  “Who?” asked Chikara, although she already knew the answer. Kayoko swiped her weapon across her waist, barely missing her stomach. She ran across to the other aisle of lockers to get to her bokken as quickly as she could. Kayoko maneuvered around the back and cut her off, swinging with all her might at her legs. She leaped off the ground, luckily dodging the blow, and pushed her attacker into the lockers. As she ran to retrieve her weapon, Kayoko grabbed a loose padlock and threw it at the back of her head.

  The stunned Chikara stumbled and saw her friend leap at her. She underestimated her second-in-command. Kayoko had probably held back her full potential all these years. Although dazed, she dodged the next attack and kicked Kayoko in the stomach. With her opponent dazed, she grabbed the shinai and tried to wrestle it out of her grip. Kayoko bashed her head into Chikara’s face and pushed her away. She then thwacked her in the side of the waist, making her yelp in pain.

  Ignoring the sting of the bamboo grains striking her at full force, Chikara punched Kayoko in the forehead and tried to reach her bokken again. With a somersault over a horizontal swipe, she grabbed her trusty weapon. A bokken is made of solid wood, and thus much harder than
a shinai. Chikara’s own version was made of kashi, or American white oak, a wise choice for its tight grain structure, hardness and resistance to impacts. While the shinai was faster and lighter, it lacked the weight, feel and balance of the sword-shaped bokken.

  “I’ve felt her voice too, Kayoko! You can fight it!” Chikara’s attempt to snap her friend out of her trance failed, as Kayoko forcefully attacked her.

  “I can’t! Just... just give me the damn ring!” Kayoko tried to resist her mental programming, but the control took over every sense.

  Exhausted, Chikara had to end this quickly, even if she had to hurt Kayoko. The ring was too important to give up. She ran around the row of lockers, knowing that Kayoko would go the other way to cut her off. Sure enough, when she got to the other side, the fast girl intercepted her. She ran towards her, her bokken in striking position, while the mind-controlled Kayoko raised her shinai into a defensive pose.

  Chikara dropped her sword, leaped into the air and grasped the plastic sewer pipes that crawled across the ceiling. Lifting her legs above Kayoko’s diagonal attack, she swung her body forward and kicked the girl straight into her own open locker. Without a moment’s hesitation, she stuffed the dazed fighter’s limbs inside, slammed it shut and snapped on the padlock, trapping her in the tight, aluminum prison.

  The victorious combatant caught her breath as Kayoko slammed her fists into the locker. “Let me out! Don’t do this to me! I need the ring! I need it!”

  “I’m sorry, Kayoko. I can’t let you give it to her. My mother gave me a task, and I won’t betray her.”

  “You don’t understand! I can’t stop! She told me to steal it and... I have to! She won’t let me stop! I can’t!” Kayoko hit the locker harder, refusing to quit despite the bolted lock.

  Chikara remembered the strange sensation Michiko’s commands gave her the day before... how the compulsion took over no matter how hard her consciousness resisted. It must have been like a drug addict going through withdrawal and willing to do anything for another dose.