Читать книгу Samurai Awakening - Ben Martin - Страница 11

Nakano Junior High

April,

Back then, I was imprisoned by a total lack of sensation. I was alone in an abyss of nothing. I knew something was missing, but I could not lock onto what it was…

With a groan, David stumbled out of his room. His mouth was dry, as if he had been hiking Phoenix’s North Mountain without water. Just outside his room, Takumi caught him before he could ram his head into one of the hardwood support pillars.

“Wow, you’re finally up. Good, you can grab breakfast with us,” Takumi said almost formally. David stared dumbly until he recognized Takumi in his gi, the outfit he used for martial arts. Takumi steered David toward the kitchen. Since that was where David wanted to go he let Takumi guide him.

“Dad asked me to come get you. He took a break from his research. They’ve spent the last two nights looking into the old writings about the Jitsugen Samurai. They don’t want to miss anything important in your training,” Takumi said in a low voice.

“Wait, so that wasn’t all a dream,” David rasped. Then Takumi’s words fully registered. “Two nights? It’s Sunday isn’t it?”

Takumi shook his head. David grabbed at another post. His eyes widened in shock as his hand made contact. It was completely fine. There were no bandages and no pain. In fact, David could not remember any pain from his hand after the accident.

“My hand!” His shout alerted Yukiko, who found him staring wildly at Takumi. After she explained how the ac­cident had healed more than just the damage done by the metal, and after he pinched himself trying to wake up, she led him on.

‘Could all of that have really happened?’ he asked himself.

An instant later, he was sitting next to Rie. She refused to look at him as she ate one of Yukiko’s breakfasts of fish, rice, egg, and miso soup. When she came back in from the kitchen, Yukiko checked David over with a practiced eye, and then while they ate, hovered protectively. Her concern and thoughtfulness drove his last doubts from his mind.

“Are you sure you do not want any more soup? Rice?” Yukiko asked. When he shook his head, mouth full of rice, she continued, “Well I am glad you are feeling all right. Go get ready for school or you will all be late, and remember, use only the Japanese we have been working on in your tutoring sessions.” Yukiko rushed David out, sending him off to his room immediately after finishing his breakfast.

David was soon outside the Estate, walking along the wooded drive with Rie and Takumi. The walk reminded David of his first day of school, only a week after arriving in Japan. On that day, he had left the Estate and sweated along after the twins through Nakano town. David had been caught off guard by the strange signs, new sights, and multitude of uniformed students walking along with as many incoherent conversations. With his new ability to understand the Japanese around him, it was like the first day all over.

David listened in on the twins’ whispered conversation. With each step away from the Estate, Takumi became less intense, and Rie seemed more her regular energetic self. With a full day of sleep to clear his head, David was easily able to discern the twins’ Japanese.

‘I’m even thinking in Japanese now,’ he thought. The mental leap helped him to understand why he had thought the Matsumotos were speaking English. David was so astounded that he missed a dip in the rough road and ended up on the ground in a heap of uniform and bags.

“Are you alright?” Rie asked. Dressed in her white and blue sailor uniform, she appeared over him with the same concern Yukiko always showed him. When he looked to her, she immediately stood and turned away. David just had time to wonder if he had offended her before Takumi was there pulling him up.

“So, yesterday, I mean Saturday really happened?” David asked sheepishly. Brushing off the dust from his black uniform slacks, he struggled to understand what was happening to him. David looked to the twins for answers.

“Yep, it definitely happened,” Rie replied, suddenly turning on the boys with a bright smile. Her return to the Rie he remembered before the accident made him sigh in relief. He had not been able to talk to her before, but he had definitely begun to worry the accident would keep him from ever getting to know the twins. “Now we can have a regular conversation! Maybe even get to know each other a little better.”

“Right, because he’s so concerned about getting to know you.” Takumi rolled his eyes. Then his hand moved in a blur as he caught Rie’s right punch. A low block deflected what David had thought would be a painfully accurate blow. David jaw hung loosely as he stared at the sudden show of martial arts prowess. Although he had been aware of the Matsumotos’ training, it was the first time either of the twins had been so open about it in front of him.

“It’s a good thing I’m such a nice sister, and didn’t kick you,” Rie said as she ended her attack and returned her attention to David. “Anyway, yes, it was real, but we can’t tell you much more than what you’ve already heard. Dad refused to tell us more, and I’ve only heard...”

“Look, like Dad said, secrecy is important, so we can’t talk about it except at the Estate,” Takumi said. Rie was suddenly very interested in the trees along the path. “You never know who might be listening.”

David laughed once at Takumi’s words, but the complete lack of reply from his host brother quickly stopped the laugh, turning it to a thoughtful frown. Takumi was deadly serious. Even Rie eyed him with concern.

As they turned off the drive to the main road into Nakano, more students began to filter into the town, all walking from the surrounding estates and farms. On his first day, David had imagined their conversations were about class and work. The students always seemed so serious. As he listened, he was shocked and pleased to hear them talking not about math, but cartoons, games, and the latest competitions.

David was also pleasantly surprised as they entered Nakano at his ability to read the various signs, banners, and flags. He had always wondered what the complicated symbols that the Japanese used for writing had meant. Although he had learned basic writing, he had yet to study kanji. Walking into Nakano it was as if he suddenly had an intuitive understanding of it. He smiled to himself as he passed beneath an advertisement for a movie. As they walked, Takumi completed his reversion to school mode, taking on an air more akin to Grandpa than Masao.

“So who do you think will be matched up?” Takumi asked his sister.

“I don’t really know, but Tsukasa-sensei better not try and pair me with Natsuki. I didn’t like the hints he was dropping.” Rie’s features darkened as she mentioned one of their classmates. Surprising both of the twins, David interjected himself into the conversation.

“What’s wrong with Natsuki… san? You two don’t seem to get along, and I always wondered why.” David smiled at his ability to speak clearly, and his new understanding of the words people were always adding to names. The mental fog had completely evaporated.

“I forgot you understand what we say now! You’re going to be a terror at school. Natsuki? She’s just a little back-stabbing, stuck-up-princess, cry-baby, traitor is all,” answered Rie, a crystallized smile serving only to darken her features even more.

“They had a falling out a few years ago. She used to train with us until… well things changed when we got to junior high,” Takumi said, cringing. David got the hint. Takumi was still friends with Natsuki.

“Now she uses every opportunity to make my life miserable. She and her little pack of friends, you know, Mizuki, Yuka, Kaeda, Yuuto, and Daisuke,” Rie added. With the subject on Natsuki, it was as if Rie had forgotten to be awkward around him. David decided to keep it that way.

“Isn’t that almost half the class?” he asked as he tried to remember all his classmates.

“Well maybe a third,” Takumi said with a strained laugh. “They’re mostly track team kids with a few badminton players as well. Mizuki is class rep. She’s the leader of the pack. A lot of what Natsu-chan does is to get along with the group.”

“You always defend her don’t you? I’m going on ahead,” Rie said, suddenly speeding up. She was nearly out of sight by the time David and Takumi passed the Police Station.

“So… what happened?” David asked once he was sure Rie would not hear.

“It wasn’t just one thing. Right before we entered junior high, Natsuki’s father invented some new gadget and suddenly her parents went from so poor they were on the verge of selling their family land to wealthy. Mizuki and her friends started to notice Natsuki. They invited her to their houses, and Natsuki started going out with them more and more. That’s why Natsuki and Rie started to bicker. I think Rie felt left out since our training and other responsibilities kept us from having much of a social life. Anyway, it came to a head one day during kendo practice. Natsuki walked out and Rie has never forgiven her.”

“Wow. Yea, that explains a bit of the tension.” David shivered.

‘I definitely don’t want to get on her bad side,’ he thought. ‘One day knocked out and I’m already seeing sides of the twins I never knew existed.’ Before they got too close to school, Takumi pulled David aside.

“Look, I wanted to say sorry I wasn’t around the other day. Koji-sempai had a couple of his friends led Rie and me off.” Takumi clasped his palms together in front of him and bowed low as he apologized.

More than a little thrown off, David was embarrassed by Takumi’s apology. After all, David had broken his own hand. “Hey no problem, right?” David wiggled his completely healed hand in front of Takumi, which actually prompted a laugh.

“Your Japanese is a lot better today, I mean almost perfect. Don’t forget. You have to keep using English. You can start ‘improving,’ but nothing too sudden,” Takumi whispered. His dark brown eyes bored into David’s.

“Right,” David said, “I’ll try not to forget.” It was hard for David to be concerned about his language skills. He was far too pleased his new ability to let Takumi get him down.

Takumi eyed David skeptically as they crossed the road in front of Nakano Junior High with a group of third years, luckily not Koji’s friends. Mingling, they all bowed and mumbled good morning to Principal Yogi and Police Officer Yonamine. Both stood in front of the school welcoming students, stopping traffic at the crosswalk, and otherwise keeping an eye on things. David smiled widely, listening in on the conversations around him, taking in as much as he could.

“Don’t forget to dumb down your Japanese. You don’t want to stand out any more than you already do,” Takumi added a bit desperately as they entered the school.

With the admonition in mind, David felt the same anxiety he felt on his first day. He would essentially be meeting his classmates anew. Maybe this time he would be able to remember all their names. Since he would be able to understand what they said, he might even be able to have slightly more meaningful conversations than just self-introductions.

Walking into the Class 2B room with Takumi, they got the usual round of shouts that David was now able to understand as greetings. The other members of Class 2B were busy preparing for the day. Most of the students stood in groups roughly divided around the different clubs or cliques. The darkly handsome Korean exchange student, Chul Moo Jeong, stood alone. Although several girls threw him hopeful glances, Chul Moo stared out the window. He was tall and strong; with exotic features that seemed to be held back only by the ordinary white top and black pants of his school uniform. The one time David had tried to talk to him, Chul Moo’s expression had been so frightening that David now did his best to avoid him. With a sudden enthusiasm David never saw at the Estate, Takumi called to his friends as he pulled him towards the back of the room.

“Hey Takumi! How’s life with the gaijin?” Shou asked as David put his bag away. Shou, the most outgoing person in the class, liked to test out new English he picked up from TV shows on David. “How long did it take you to wake him up this morning?”

‘Great, so Takumi complains about me to his friends,’ David thought as he tried not to let it show in his expression.

“Oh, not too long, you know, he’s great. David’s Japanese is improving really fast,” Takumi said quickly, trying to derail the conversation before it did any more damage. He threw David a quick glance as David’s jaw muscles tightened.

“Hey, that’s great, now if only he’d lose some weight and get better at sports. He’s been killing us in all the inter-class competitions,” Naoto said bluntly. Leaning in close he whispered something that sounded a lot like “Third years” and “Stomped.” Takumi’s shoulders slumped a little as Naoto laughed. Naoto was the kind of boy that preferred picking David’s brain for the English phrases he’d never let Jessica or Yukiko hear him say. Missing David’s reaction, the round faced boy retrieved his books for first period.

Attempting to hide the red creeping into his cheeks, David hurried to his desk. The boys’ words had stung; he had thought Naoto and Shou were his friends. Distracted, he accidentally knocked into Natsuki on his way, pushing her into Mizuki, the class representative.

“Hey watch it. Oh, it’s you. Such a waste of space. You don’t even know what I’m saying, so what’s the point of insulting you?” Natsuki said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear. Mizuki and the rest of the girls around them giggled. Before he could stop himself, he eyed her and said, “Jerk.”

Fortunately, it came out in a crude form of Japanese that shocked her dumb just long enough for him to slide out of her way. Watching from the back of the room, Naoto and Shou shrugged as they watched the exchange. Usually, David hung around them until the beginning of class.

With only a minute to go, Rie came in followed close behind by a diminutive man with short black hair. Moriyama-sensei was their homeroom teacher. Despite his somewhat odd appearance, he was energetic and easily commanded the respect of his students. David liked how the Japanese used the suffix “teacher” as a sign of respect. It seemed so much more appropriate than using “Mr.” or “Mrs.” all the time.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. They like you, but just haven’t really had a chance to get to know you,” Takumi whispered. He leaned across the aisle between their desks. “What did you say to Natsuki?” Before David could reply, Moriyama began class.

‘If this is just the start, today is going to be a horrible day,’ David thought. He dreaded finding out what the rest of the school might have to say about him. He almost wished he could go back to his previous oblivion. Moriyama did not improve his mood when he announced a schedule change for the day. An extra P.E. class would be added in exchange for English. ‘At least I’m decent in English class, why couldn’t they just cancel Japanese?’

David began their second period worrying about what Rie, Takumi, and all his other classmates thought of him. Luckily, the next period was math. David found that understanding Japanese enabled him to answer all the problems he had been struggling with for the last month. He had already studied the same material a year ago in Arizona. Math was one of his stronger subjects and he had been on an advanced track. Like his father, David had an affinity for math and science, though again like his father he sometimes ignored social niceties in his pursuit of figures. It was a flaw that his socialite younger sister always seemed eager to bring up.

During the class, Tadashi-sensei asked several students to write the answer to their homework problems on the board. Tadashi was the opposite of what David expected for a math teacher. A track team coach, he was nearly as lithe and energetic as Takumi when he was at school. After circling all but one answer on the board, Tadashi called attention to Natsuki’s.

“Can anyone tell me why this one is wrong?” he asked.

Surprising everyone, including himself, David raised his hand. After a brief pause, Tadashi called David up to fix the problem. As he rose, Takumi gave him a hard stare.

“This, and Natsuki forgot this,” David said, pointing to the mistakes and using only the most basic Japanese. His limitations had the effect of making what would have been a reasonable explanation terse, as if not worth the effort to explain further.

“Very good! Yes, David is correct. Natsuki please be more careful in the future.” Tadashi covered his surprise with praise.

David just caught Natsuki’s face, seething with resentment as he returned to his seat. Despite himself, David felt a little thrill of satisfaction. Takumi leaned over and whispered with a strained voice, “You just made her look like an idiot in front of the whole class.” He was rewarded with several back slaps from the students sitting around him, including Naoto and Shou. It was almost enough to help him ignore the piercing glares from Natsuki and her friends. Takumi looked stoically towards the front for the rest of the class.

David continued to impress teachers over the next two periods, surprising everyone with his sudden participation. By lunchtime, classmates and teachers alike were assuming that David had just been holding back. David also found that if he spoke very slowly, he could get away with more advanced language. He began to overhear whispers. Mizuki and her friends were telling people that he had held back so that he could show off later. The whispers grew to outright gossip when he corrected another of Natsuki’s answers and two of Mizuki’s in science. Although unhappy about the rumors, Takumi told David not to refute them since it was an easy cover in case he slipped.