Final Showdown

by Karin De Havin

  Ren pulled up my plaid pajama top and exposed a series of nasty looking burn marks.

  “Death is determined to mark you.” Kenzo motioned for Ren to pull my top back down. “He wants to stop the Sun Goddess from getting your powers.”

  “What powers? Like I said before, I’m just a girl from Idaho.”

  Ren shook her head. “You may think that way now. But wait until you meet with the Sun Goddess. She will unlock your powers like she did mine.”

  “Amaterasu gave you the ability to move quickly?”

  “Yes, and so much more. But that story is for another day.” She took the empty mug from my hand. “For now, I want you to rest. You need to heal.”

  It seemed like that was all I had done these last few months in Japan.

  Kenzo got up and kissed me on the forehead. “You’re in good hands. Ren will fix you up. I told Mr. Shinji you’d be out of school until Monday.”

  “Is something special happening? Are you sure I will be healed by then?” I gently touched my ribs. “I feel like total crap.”

  He gave me one of those smiles all the girls in the Harem died for. “The academy is having an Ohanami party on Monday. You can’t miss that.”

  I leaned back against the pillows. “The party sounds like fun, but that only gives me three days to recover.”

  He moved next to Ren and draped his arm over her shoulder. “You’d be amazed what Ren can do. She’s a Japanese Wonder Woman.”

  Party Time

  April 4th 8:00AM

  Kenzo wasn’t kidding about Ren being a woman that can work wonders. After just two days in her care, I felt like a new person. The burn marks on my ribs faded to light scars.

  I never asked her about the ointments she put on my stomach, or the things she made me eat and drink that smelled like they came from the forest—I just gratefully did as she asked.

  As the weather began to warm, the cherry tree in the front garden sprang to life. The cherry blossoms seemed to have healing powers. My mood brightened, and I felt I could actually go to school tomorrow. I no longer had the dull ache in my chest where Death struck me. The cherry trees also cured Tokyo’s concrete curse. It was amazing how stunning a patch of concrete could become with a beautiful cherry tree blooming in the middle of it.

  Sakura season was a big deal in Japan. People followed it like the fall colors in New England. They even had Sakura Watch on all the news stations. The newscasters tracked the blooming trees from Okinawa and Kyushu in the west, all the way to Hokkaido to the east. I asked Ren why the Japanese made such a big deal about following the blooming cycle of the cherry trees on TV.

  Ren said people needed to know when to plan their Ohanami celebrations. They are the first chance the Japanese get to throw a party since New Year’s. The Japanese never struck me as party animals—especially Ren. She always seemed so serious and buttoned down, like Scully on the X Files. Good to know she had a fun side.

  According to the morning Sakura Watch, the prime viewing in Tokyo would be today. Fantastic. I threw on my uniform and grabbed a protein bar for breakfast. The slightly sweet taste of the chocolate mint bar never tasted better after the strange concoctions Ren fed me. But I had no complaints. Because of her healing brews I felt amazing. I picked up my backpack and noticed there was a sticky note stuck to the front flap.

  Erin, I had to go to work, but don’t worry, I put a protective shield around you.

  Best, Ren

  I laughed until I realized she might not be kidding. Maybe that was why I had so much energy.

  Once outside, I breathed in deep enjoying my first fresh air in days. Cherry blooms showered down on me as I walked the path to the front gate. I snapped a picture of the cherry tree and my mind flashed to Tori. She loved the cherry trees her dad planted at her house. I raced to the train station and once on the train, I texted the cherry tree picture to Tori. She had let me off the hook with her list, but I still sent her pictures every once and awhile. Besides, I felt guilt that I had been slacking on calling her. But luckily, although I struck out with Kenzo, Tori had better luck. She was dating a nice Japanese exchange student at Elkridge Academy. Life sure was funny. I came to Japan to find my powers—but not love. Tori had a piece of Japan travel to Idaho and bring her love.

  Scanning the display board in the student lounge, I kept my eye out for a school Ohanami party. I was glad to see Kenzo was right. The party would be held at 4:00PM in Ueno Park. I was still staring up at the display when I heard a familiar voice. “Hey, Erin. Don’t hate me, but I lost your new number. That’s why you haven’t heard from me. How are you feeling? You really had us worried at the factory.”

  I turned to find myself nose-to-nose with Gina. “It’s okay. I wasn’t up to talking to anybody.” I plastered a smile on my face. “I’m much better now. It was so weird that I had such a bad reaction to the heat from the furnace. Guess I can thank Hiroshi for the Hashika gift that keeps giving.”

  Gina chuckled and then gave my hand a squeeze. “I am glad you are okay. That must have been so scary.”

  “Yeah, it was. But I’m fine now and ready to party.”

  The bell rang, and Gina eyed the door. “Great I will meet you here after class.”

  I raced up to my Art History class and breathed a sigh of relief when the teacher gave us our test. My cramming session last night paid off. The questions were all based on the Kamakura Period 1185-1333 and the Muromachi Period 1336-1573. Blazing through the test, I paused when I hit the last question. It wasn’t multiple choice. We were to describe our favorite piece of art. It didn’t take me long to settle on a series of screens that Kano Motonobu painted for the Daisenin Temple in Kyoto. They depicted a beautiful landscape full of birds enjoying themselves. On the first screen there were three birds on a large branch hanging slightly upside down, so that they could take a bath in the mist from a waterfall behind the tree. The second showed two pheasants looking at each other from on top of a group of boulders. Next to them was a beautiful peony bush in bloom. A river gracefully meandered behind the perched pheasants. The last screen had far less detail and depicted ducks diving under the water and swimming. Together the screens were a tour de force in the beauty of nature.

  Finishing the test just as the bell rang, I tossed the test on the teacher’s desk and raced down to the lounge. Knowing I didn’t want to miss out on the Ohanami party, I knew I was going to have to cancel my art class with Kawanasan. There was no way I could make it to his house and back to school in time.

  I pulled out my phone and dialed Kawanasan’s number hoping I would get his voicemail. Instead I heard a familiar voice. “Hey Fudo, what are you doing answering your dad’s phone?”

  “And I could ask you why you are calling. Don’t tell me, you are going to cancel your lesson.”

  “Ah…sorry. I hope your father will forgive me. I know he had to move his schedule around.”

  “So, what is your excuse? You don’t sound sick.”

  “It’s just that the academy is having an Ohanami party in Ueno Park, and there is no way I could go all the way out to your house and make it back here in time.”

  Another voice came through the receiver—Kawanasan’s. “I will only accept your absence if you paint the cherry blossoms in Ueno Park and bring it with you to the next lesson.”

  I couldn’t believe my luck. “Thank you, sir.”

  Fudo laughed through the phone. “You owe me big time.”

  Lunch Adventure

  Same Day Noon

  Even though the lunch bell rang, I was in no hurry now that I didn’t have my art lesson clear across town. For once I could have a long luxurious lunch. Instead, I headed for my go-to spot—the school machines. It would give me more time to run a few errands after lunch.

  I stood in front of the drink vending machine and decided to finally give in to my curiosity and buy myself a bottle of Calpis. Ever since I first came to the academy and saw the can in the drink machine, I just couldn’t bring myself to buy o
ne. I’d broken down and tried Canned Sweat instead. Calpis just sounded way too close to cow piss. Popping a few yen coins in the machine, I crossed my fingers, hoping I wouldn’t regret my choice. I opened the can and took a tentative sip and almost spit it out. It tasted like vanilla yogurt. Something I like to eat, but drinking it just wasn’t the same. I tossed it in the trash and bought a Coke and my usual chicken plate. I sat on my favorite a bench by the academy park and enjoyed the few cherry trees that were in bloom. Sitting by the trees, an occasional petal drifted down onto my chicken. My vending machine lunch had suddenly turned into a high-class restaurant fare. The petals looked as if a skilled chef garnished my plate.

  I sat munching away on my chicken when I heard, “Why don’t you just buy stock in that vending machine? You eat out of it so much.”

  Ah, the lovely sarcastic tones of Setsuko’s voice.

  “I might just do that. Thanks for asking how I’m doing.”

  Setsuko screwed up her face. “Fine. Are you okay? That episode at the factory was pretty terrifying.”

  I gave her a smirk. “Thanks for asking. As you can see, I’m feeling much better. It was just some weird allergy thing.”

  She scrunched up her face. “Wait, I thought Kenzo said it was a reaction to the heat from the furnace.”

  Crap. Why did I say that? And to Setsuko of all people. I’m still not totally on my game. “Right. Well, it was kind of like an allergic reaction to the heat. My throat closed up and I couldn’t breathe.”

  “That was pretty obvious.”

  I better change the subject before Detective Setsuko kicks in. “So, I’ve been wondering why cherry viewing is such a big event in Japan. I mean the Sakura Watch on TV has been non-stop.”

  She settled onto the bench, resting a partially eaten rice ball in her lap. “As a matter of fact, I know quite a bit about the subject.”

  My trick worked.

  “Apparently, it all started with the tree flower blooming princess who lived in Mt. Fuji. She would come down during the spring and bless the cherry trees and the sakura season would begin. The people celebrated Ohanami to honor her and the beauty of the trees.”

  The image of the tree flower princess flying down from Fujisan with her magic wand and touching each cherry until all of Tokyo was in bloom sped through my mind like a movie.

  Setsuko tapped my shoulder. “Erin, are you, all right?”

  “Sorry. I had visions of the cherry blossom fairy in my head.”

  She punched me in the arm. “Wiseass.”

  “All kidding aside, that’s a really cool story. We haven’t learned that one in my Japanese mythology class, yet.”

  Setsuko had a Cheshire cat grin on her face. “If you ever want to know anything else, ask me. I took two courses in Japanese mythology.”

  Of course she did. “I’ll hold you to that. Especially around finals time.” I got up and tossed my empty chicken container in the trash. “You better get to class.”

  “Right. We are meeting in front of the lounge and then heading off to Ueno for the party.”

  “I have to do something for my art class, I’ll find you guys at the park.”

  She gave me a thumbs up. “Watch out for the flower princess.”

  Ohanami Madness

  Same day 5:00PM

  The train was packed like a sardine can all the way to the park. It looked like people were playing hooky from work today. I guess when the primetime sakura alert went out on the morning broadcast, no one wanted to miss out. I had to admit as I gazed out the train window there were splashes of pink and white everywhere. As I made my way toward the park, I noticed some of the trees were starting to lose their flowers, and a shower of petals covered the ground. I had my camera ready to take a bunch of shots.

  When I entered the park, the colorful crowd went on for at least a half a mile. Some of the women wore traditional kimonos. The grounds took over the park with endless food stalls and cherry blossom trinket carts. The carnival atmosphere continued with the smell of grilled chicken and fish mixed with the overpowering fragrance of the cherry blossoms. The main pathway through the park was lined with food vendors selling everything from Popsicles to squid on a stick. Beautiful paper lanterns hung like ornaments high up in the trees.

  The park lawn lay hidden, covered by people sprawled out on blankets and blue tarps. The gang texted me to meet them in front of the main fountain. I had to stop and check out this guy all dressed up like Frank Sinatra and singing his heart out with the help of his portable Karaoke machine. It seemed that Karaoke and cherry blossom viewing went hand in hand. I must have seen at least ten people singing on my way to the fountain. I sure hoped they didn’t plan on doing Karaoke for the school party.

  I spied Adam and Gina holding hands by the fountain. Wearing color coordinated jeans and red shirts, they looked so cute together. Setsuko arrived on the scene dressed head to toe in cotton candy pink. She must have had the outfit stuffed into her backpack. For the Japanese the sakura trees were just another reason to party. For Setsuko it was just another excuse to wear pink.

  Mr. Shinji stood trying to herd a group of students to a nice shady spot under a small copse of trees. The tree’s blossoms were falling at such a fast rate it looked like pink snow. For some reason the scene didn’t look real. All the pink petals laid out like a gigantic floral carpet looked like a movie set. My camera couldn’t begin to capture how incredibly beautiful the mounds of pink petals were. About fifty international students milled around the trees. I couldn’t believe it, but Mr. Shinji sat drinking beer. I guess beer drinking and Ohanami were synonymous, or Mr. Shinji would never condone drinking at a school social event. Kenzo waved when he saw me, but I didn’t join him. I marched over to the blanket were the gang sat happily talking away.

  Kenzo strolled over with a beer in one hand, and a squid on a stick in the other. His hair, dotted by cherry petals, made him even more handsome. “Hi Erin, want a bite of my squid?”

  “Why Kenzo, you sure know how to get a girl excited.”

  Kenzo smirked. “I know. Girls always tell me that.” He sat down across from Setsuko and I. “It sure was nice of Mr. Shinji to throw this party.”

  This ought to be entertaining. It looked like Adam might be giving Kenzo some competition as he already managed to polish off two beers. Gina didn’t seem very happy about it, but she ignored the situation—for now. Setsuko sat enjoying a double strawberry ice cream cone. She took color coordination to a whole new level. Gina threw cherry blossom petals at Adam’s face to get him to slow down on the beer drinking.

  The group of sixty somethings next to us laughed their heads off as the bald guy with a pot belly in the group pulled out a huge karaoke machine and started blasting out Enka, traditional Japanese music, show tunes. I didn’t know how long I could take listening to a bunch of drunken old men sing Enka at the top of their lungs. I could see what the sakura season meant to them—getting plastered and singing Karaoke songs until they puked.

  Kenzo put his hands over his ears. “Wow, those old guys are out of control. You guys want to head someplace more tranquil to view the cherry trees?”

  Adam shook his head. “Thanks for the offer, but we are going to hang out here.”

  Bet he hoped he could snag a couple more beers. People thought because he had a linebacker body, he must be old enough to drink. Gina shrugged her shoulders knowing Adam was an immovable object.

  Setsuko stood up but gazed longingly at the food stalls. “I’m hungry. Think I’ll get a squid stick.”

  Kenzo laughed. “I think a fondness for squid sticks is the only thing I have in common with Setsuko.”

  “You are both weirdos. Squid is gross.”

  He ignored me and took my hand. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

  The glares I got from two of the girls from the Harem went right through me. Kenzo remained oblivious to the staredown. He said, “You’re going to love the place I’m taking you to. It’s in Aoyama. There is a real
ly nice old section of town where the trees are the best in the city. The blossoms turn from the palest pink to snow white. Truly breath taking.”

  Somewhere inside his tough exterior was a poet’s soul. “Sounds wonderful.”

  We walked for a while saying nothing. Instead, we just took in the beauty of the trees in the park. Every so often a slight breeze would kick up the flower petals. They scattered around our feet as we walked. The hundreds of petals falling from the trees formed a thick carpet on the ground. I felt transported to a magical pink wonderland.

  I sucked in a breath when I realized where we were. Kenzo led me to an old part of town all right. We stood right in the middle of a huge cemetery. Somehow cherry blossoms and the moss-covered gravestones just didn’t seem to go together. “Is this your idea of a joke?”

  Kenzo actually looked offended. “Trust me. I’m a professional tour guide, I wouldn’t steer you wrong.”

  “This better be good.” I shivered. “Death makes me nervous these days.”

  “I’ve got your back, don’t worry.”

  We came to the main walkway that cut through the center of the cemetery. Kenzo had been right. The path, lined with the most beautiful, snow-white cherry trees I’d ever seen, truly took my breath away. The petals scattered on the ground made the prettiest snow I had ever seen. The blossoms turned the cold, depressing cemetery into a fairyland. The petals fell gracefully from the trees and onto our shoulders as we walked under them. We passed several small groups of people partying amongst their ancestors’ pagoda-shaped gravestones decorated by bright red and white miniature tori gates. Thankfully, I didn’t see a Karaoke machine in sight. It must be out of respect for the dead. The contrast between the gravestones and people laughing wasn’t lost on me. After all, death was just part of life. I should know after having several close calls.

  Kenzo smiled as he watched the families enjoying themselves. “Just as the cherry tree blossoms fall and wither away, so do we.”