Читать книгу Jet Black and the Ninja Wind - Leza Lowitz - Страница 18

CHAPTER 9

予言 Yogen

The Prophecy

Ojiisan led them down the path to the huge wooden gate before the temple, where people sat in small circles outside the prayer hall. In the middle of each circle, a blind female itako in a white kimono chanted as she fingered her prayer beads, clicking them together rhythmically.

“Hey! There she is!” Hiro shouted. He grabbed their hands and pulled them toward a stout old woman who appeared to be almost ninety.

“Hello there,” he said. “Remember me?” He crouched next to where she sat. The woman squinted, tilting her head in his direction.

“Ah! I’ve heard that voice before. Yes, I remember! You’re the boy who always comes with your Ojiisan from Mt. Hakkoda. Am I right?”

“Yes, that’s me,” Hiro answered.

“And you came with your Ojiisan today, too. But wait…” She turned toward Jet. “You’re also with a young lady.”

Hiro laughed. “I knew it! You’re just pretending to be blind. You really can see!”

The old lady snorted. “Even if I can’t see, I have a nose and ears. Even if my nose and ears don’t work, I can feel someone’s presence through my skin. Seeing is not the only way of receiving and perceiving. Understand?”

The sound of prayers rang out through the temple hall.

“I understand!” Hiro said confidently, then shifted his gaze to Jet. “Hey… My cousin came all the way from America to talk to the spirits. Here…” He pushed Jet in front of the itako.

She motioned Jet closer. She took a few breaths and placed her right hand on Jet’s heart. It raced under the itako’s touch, the woman’s power charging her like electricity. Then words echoed from the itako’s mouth, though they seemed to come from somewhere behind her body.

“The spirits are protecting you,” she said, “but as you gain power in the present, you are being asked to go back to the past.”

Jet opened her mouth to speak, but the woman’s hand pressed her chest, as if stopping her words.

“You must find the treasure and save the magic mountain. It’s what your mother trained you to do.”

“How did you….” Jet stammered.

“You will save the mountain and its gods from destruction. You will be the one….”

Jet trembled in the cold air. “Me? How?” She also wanted to ask: And how could a mountain be magic? Carpets, sure, and markers, too. But a mountain? But she held her tongue.

The itako lifted her palm. “People from all over the world will come to the mountain for its blessings. It will become a symbol of peace. But only if you help.”

“How! Tell me! How can I help?” Jet asked, her interest more piqued now than ever.

“Find your power. Then trust your power,” the old woman said, nodding rhythmically as the words came out. “The women will guide you.”

“What women? Where?” Jet said, struggling to understand.

The itako nodded. “Ahhh. Look within. We’re always looking outside ourselves, but we’re the ones with the power. Nature gives it to us, if we serve her.”

“Nature?” Jet murmured, puzzling over the itako’s words. “Serve her? How?”

“We’ve lost our connection,” the itako said, head bobbing as the words spilled out in a rush. “It’s there if we look.”

“But I don’t understand. I’m afraid,” Jet said.

Light suffused the itako’s ancient lined face, making her look young and radiant.

She pressed her palm into Jet’s heart softly. “That’s good. It’s only through fear that we can discover our courage. If you’re fearless, you don’t need to be brave. Bravery comes from overcoming your fears.”

“Hmmm. I never thought of it that way,” Jet said, reassured.

“Use the feminine power to guide yourself and others. It’s the only way.”

“Teach me how,” Jet stammered.

“I can’t teach you. You are the teacher. Just trust, and let her emerge.”

The itako shuddered, and the words stopped coming. Jet tried to let them sink in, but the message only confused her.

Suddenly, Ojiisan came to the itako’s side and whispered something into her ear.

“Yes! You must go. Now!” the itako said.

“Wait!” Jet pleaded, “Tell me what to do.”

“Not now, child. There is danger. Come back again.”

Bowing to the old woman, Ojiisan wrapped his arm around Jet, guiding her to the gate.

“Thank you, thank you,” Jet called out behind her as they boarded the bus.

“Quiet. Don’t speak,” Ojiisan whispered, glancing at the other passengers.

Jet nodded, frightened. Hiro looked down.

They rode in silence. Jet had no idea where they were going, and in the silence could only hear the itako’s words ring out loudly in her head: As you gain power in the present, you are being asked to go back to the past.

What could that mean?

Soon the bus had descended the mountain and stopped at the train station. In a flash, they were back on the train.

Then the train stopped. Ojiisan stood up suddenly, taking Jet and Hiro by their arms. Hiro looked around quizically. It wasn’t the right station!

“Quick!” Ojiisan whispered, pushing them both out to the platform.

They got off just as the doors slammed shut. Inside the train, two tall men in dark suits stood up and looked out the window. One shook his fist furiously. With a start, Jet recognized them. They’d been on the bus to Osore-zan!

Ojiisan led Hiro and Jet toward the train bound for Morioka Station—the opposite direction from Kanabe. Night was falling. He bought three sushi bentos at the platform kiosk.

“Where are we going?” Jet whispered. Again, Ojiisan motioned for them to be quiet. The next train arrived, and they boarded quickly. When they took a seat, Ojiisan handed them each a bento. It was just after six, and Jet wasn’t hungry.

“Eat,” he told her. “You’ll need strength.”

She did as he suggested. They broke apart their chopsticks and dug into the cold food, forcing themselves to eat. Ojiisan left half of his untouched and wrapped the box, then leaned back in his seat, eyes closed.

Jet held her chopsticks midair, recalling her mother’s words from years ago.

“If you’re completely hungry, you can’t fight. If you’re completely full, you can’t fight.”

Where did that memory come from? She looked carefully at the way Ojiisan was resting. She felt him gathering his energy, concentrating his power, storing it and restoring himself. She’d seen her mother sitting that way many times.

Outside, dusk was settling on the edges of the distant mountain. The bright autumn colors were gone. The outlines of trees stood darkly against the evening sky.

Ojiisan opened his eyes, looking intently at her. He lowered his voice.

“We’re being followed. These men could be dangerous. They might be the people your mother feared. If so, we’ll have to defend ourselves.”

“What am I supposed to do?” Jet asked, desperation rising.

“Fall back on your training,” he replied.

Jet’s legs bounced up and down.

“Jet!” Hiro said, pushing her thighs down. “You’re making me nervous!”

“I didn’t even know I was doing that!” Jet said, embarrassed.

“Take a moment. Both of you,” Ojiisan told them. “Remember—a warrior has to be in control of the body and mind—even to the extent of hiding who he is.”

“Oshaka-sama,” Hiro coughed. Lord Buddha! Then he closed his eyes and took deep, slow breaths. Jet watched his body relax. She wanted to be able to do the same. She tried, drinking in her breath like sips of hot chocolate. But then her concentration lapsed, and fear brimmed her chest.

“I can’t!” she said, voice quavering.

Ojiisan looked at her kindly, his voice now light.

“Go ahead, try. It won’t be so difficult for you, Jet, because you’ve already mastered the art of sozu. Right?”

“Right.” She smiled, twisting the turquoise ring on her finger. Like she always did when she was nervous.

Ojiisan closed his eyes, turning inward, and Jet did the same, trying to calm her mind, breathing deeply. As vivid as if it were happening now, a memory washed up in her mind.

Once when she was twelve, walking home from school on a rainy day, she’d felt someone following her. She wasn’t sure how she knew, but she sensed it clearly. She kept on walking, not turning back to look. As she rounded a corner, sure enough four girls came up quickly from behind and fenced her in. Instinctively, she put her right hand in her pocket. J-Bird had given her a beautiful turqouise ring for her birthday. She’d wanted to hide it so they wouldn’t take this precious gift.

“Give us your money,” one girl, the biggest, demanded.

Jet turned to run away. They came closer, encircling her.

“Take your hand out of your pocket, Chink,” another one spat out the words.

They can’t even get it right. I’m half-Japanese, not Chinese, she thought.

The rain started to fall harder. The rest was a blur of shouts, kicks, and pain.

The ring was gone and Jet came home with many scrapes and bruises on her body. She had been thoroughly defeated, shamed, and shocked. She hadn’t really known what hit her. She told her mother what happened.

The next week, walking down the same street, Jet was surrounded again.

The big girl lunged toward her, reaching her right hand to attack. But this time, Jet stepped back to avoid the girl’s hand. When the girl came at her with her left hand, Jet grabbed it and shifted back and to the right, locking the girl’s joints and holding her in place, then jabbing her umbrella into her ribs. As the girl fell, the others stepped back in shock. Jet swung her umbrella in a low circle, hitting their ankles hard. She didn’t know how badly she’d hurt them, but had plenty of time to run away.

When she came home, panting and out of breath, Satoko knew something had happened again. And yet her daughter’s expression was completely different this time.

“Tell me about it,” she said, making Jet a cup of hot chocolate.

Jet caught her breath. “I don’t know what happened. I reached for the umbrella, and some force just took over. It was weird…”

Satoko smiled. “Soujutsu. In the old days, people had to use spears and lances. But nowadays, you can use an umbrella, a cane, a stick, or even a rolled-up newspaper. You did well!”

“Where’d I learn that?” Jet asked.

Satoko smiled. “I don’t remember exactly, but I guess we covered it.”

Jet had a vague memory of her mom teaching her this technique using sticks on a mountain, but her school teachers told her she had an “overactive imagination,” and she was always daydreaming in class, so she couldn’t be sure.

The following week Jet took the same route home. The girls were waiting for her again. But this time when she approached, they threw something on the sidewalk in front of her and ran away, scattering in different directions.

It was the ring from J-Bird, wrapped in a Taco Bell napkin. Jet had to laugh. She kept the napkin as a souvenir. Their white flag of surrender. She turned the ring on her finger now. If she could call upon those skills back then, maybe she could do it now. She felt a bit more reassured, remembering.

Jet snapped back into the present when the train stopped at a small station near Misawa Army base. Ojiisan quickly shuttled them out of the car.

The night’s frozen air hit them on the platform, but Ojiisan didn’t let them move until he was sure no other passengers had gotten off. Then, they headed up the street, stopping at a liquor store. Music streamed into the store from a back room. It sounded like it was coming from a TV game show.

“Anyone there?” Ojiisan called out casually over a blue curtain. Jet’s eye travelled the many-shaped bottles lining the shelves.

“Oh, hello! Do you need something?” A plump rosy-faced woman peered from behind the curtain in a white apron.

“I’m sorry to bother you. Can we get a taxi? We got off at the wrong station. We wanted to go to Yaiyama, to see my nephew…” Ojiisan’s voice trailed off.

The woman wiped her hands as she came into the store. Ojiisan rambled on. Jet watched the woman’s cautious expression fade, the wrinkles on her brow ease. He was a harmless country bumpkin.

“Normally, you call a cab from the next town. It takes thirty minutes just to get here. But my husband got home early today, so he can drive you,” she said pleasantly.

“No, no.” Ojiisan shook his head. “I wouldn’t want to put your husband out on a Sunday night. Besides, we’re strangers. I’d feel bad for the inconvenience.”

“Don’t worry. When people have trouble, they should help each other. What goes around comes around.” She parted the blue curtain and yelled for her husband.

“Anta, will you drive this old man and his grandkids to Yaiyama?”

A heavyset man with sleepy eyes emerged from the back room. When he saw them, his round face softened into a smile, just as hers had. They probably didn’t get many visitors.

“No problem at all,” he said jovially.

“Thank you. We know it’s your precious day off.” Ojiisan bowed.

Jet watched as Ojiisan’s expression, attitude, gestures, and tone of voice completely changed. Was this henge, the art of disguise her mother had told her about? He was clearly a master, but Jet was too frightened to feel proud.

Ojiisan bowed and shuffled out, leading them out of the store. In the car, he chatted with the shopkeeper about baseball. Thirty minutes later, he abruptly asked the man to stop.

“We’re not at the village yet, sir. It’s just a few miles more.” The man glanced outside at the dark dirt road nervously.

“It’s all right. My nephew is kind of a hermit. He lives in the mountains. We can take a trail from here. I know this area like it’s my own backyard.”

“But it’s pitch-black outside, sir. You can’t see a thing,” the man insisted.

“Not to worry. I could do it with my eyes closed!” Ojiisan laughed. He put a five-thousand yen bill on the dashboard and reached for the door. “Thank you so much. Here’s some money for gas. Please take it.”

“That’s not necessary—” the man stammered.

“Please. It’s the least we can do.” Ojiisan opened the door and bowed to the man as Jet and Hiro got out.

After the car drove away, Ojiisan stood up straight, his voice clear and sharp again.

“We’ll have to walk very quickly. Come on!” he commanded.

The lights of the village shone to the west, but where they stood was lit only by the glow of the crescent moon. Cold wind whistled against the mountainside. Jet shivered.

“Ojiisan… I’m tired!” Hiro said softly and yawned.

“I know. I am, too. But we have no choice. It will take us two hours to get home on the animal trails. Watch your step. And if you have to talk,” he glanced at Hiro, “speak only in shinobi kotoba. Okay?”

Hiro nodded.

Jet looked at her cousin, eyebrows raised.

She sensed Hiro gathering energy from his core as he sent out breaths like smoke signals. She listened, remembering long ago when her mother spoke in this special way when they played “hide and seek” in the mountains. In daylight, her mother had taught her to use hand signals, but in the darkness—where their range of vision was limited—they used this same language. Now it had a name—shinobi kotoba.

“Do you understand me?” Hiro asked.

Jet nodded, remembering how words were made from the amount of air released when the mouth opened and closed. Ordinary people couldn’t hear anything recognizable as language.

With a start, Jet realized she wasn’t ordinary.

“Can you say something?” Hiro asked.

Jet opened her mouth, trying to let the air come through. She couldn’t. This wasn’t a game, it wasn’t hide and seek in the mountains, and she’d never used shinobi kotoba when there was danger. Focus. Think. Remember! she willed herself, but only strange muffled gasps escaped her lips. Hiro couldn’t understand her. There was no use.

“It’s okay. Come on!” Hiro urged.

With heightened awareness, Jet stepped lightly behind her cousin and grandfather, moving swiftly in the darkness. The moon occasionally passed behind the black clouds carried on the strong north wind.

Then Ojiisan lifted his arm and stopped. It was as if his body had frozen. His mouth moved soundlessly in the secret language. Jet struggled to make sense of the word, and then, instinctively, it came to her. “Danger,” he’d said. Hearing it gave her goosebumps.

Ojiisan crouched behind a tree and cocked his head, listening. Jet listened, too. The wind blew straight toward her, sending branches crashing into each other and casting leaves onto the ground. She couldn’t feel any presence, not even a rabbit or a fox.

Jet tried to speak again, carefully shaping her lips around the air.

“Is someone there?” she asked, haltingly using her breath to push out sounds.

She waited for a response. Had she made sense?

“Yes, they’re waiting for us. But we’re still a bit away from them,” Hiro replied.

Jet’s heart pounded. “Why can’t I feel them?” she asked in the secret tongue, the words coming more swiftly now.

“They aren’t expecting us to come from this direction,” Ojiisan said, “so they’re focusing on the opposite direction. Once we go another mile toward them, you’ll be able to feel them. And they’ll be able to feel you, too. I’m sure they’ve raided the house.”

“Ojiisan, what if they hurt Aska?” Hiro asked.

“Aska’s tough. Don’t worry.” Ojiisan looked at the moon through the branches.

“It’s five and a half miles to the southern mountain ridge. I’ll go there to check on the house and make sure the village is secure. You two go east to Aterui’s cave and wait for me. Okay?”

“We’ll go with you,” she insisted. “We should stay together. It’s so dark, and–”

“Jet’s right,” Hiro added. “Let’s go together. That way….”

“Hiro!” Ojiisan’s body tensed. “The village is surrounded. If I bring you there, that will play right into their hands.”

“No!” Hiro hissed.

“We must separate. You mustn’t be afraid!” Ojiisan said sternly.

“Wait ninety minutes at the cave. If I haven’t come by then, get on a train and go find your uncle Soji in Tokyo. I’ll come later.”

Jet’s mouth opened in astonishment. “Uncle? I have an uncle?”

“Yes. You do.” Ojiisan smiled, but sadness shadowed his eyes. “Our family was being hunted. We had to go our own ways for safety.”

“How horrible,” Jet said, heart sinking. She couldn’t help but feel that this was all somehow her fault. If only she could put an end to it, and soon!

“I put Soji’s address in Hiro’s wallet. Even though Hiro is very capable, he’s still a boy, so please take care of him. Can you do that?”

“Yes, I promise. I will… But Ojiisan, please don’t go!” Jet begged, more afraid than she’d ever been. This wasn’t like the games against her mother. It wasn’t even like the moment she feared she was fighting a stranger on the mountain. This danger was more serious than anything she had ever faced. It might be deadly.

Ojiisan looked at the sky. “You’ll be strong. I know it. And don’t worry about me. I’ve been here since I was younger than Hiro. I know where the gentian blossoms, where the salmon swim, and which tree has the best chestnuts. Even this wind is my friend. I’ll survive.”

“Please, grandpa. Be careful,” Jet pleaded.

“I will, I promise,” he answered as a harsh wind blew and the forest shuddered.

And then, quick as a sword slashing through the air, he was gone. He’d wrapped his body in the wind and been carried deep into the forest on its mighty wings.