Fukusha Model Eight – Chapter 18

“Stay down,” Rin commands, as we crouch behind a large boulder. “It’s circling to the east.”

Shun sighs and runs his hands through his hair. “This is painfully slow. We should’ve been there by now. I bet gossip in town has traveled faster than we have.”

Saki laughs. “Remember when Mom used to say that gossiping with Grandma was faster than any other form of known communication?”

Shun smiles briefly, and it’s one of the few smiles I’ve seen from him. “She always knew the people with the biggest mouths.”

I keep Ninjin at my side, letting my attention balance between Saki and Shun and then Rin. Rin is at work, ignoring our pleasant banter in favor of keeping us from being killed.

“I think they may be giving up.” Rin squats down next to us and stows the binoculars away. “The drone is heading back to the estate.”

“Great. We should keep moving,” I prompt everyone. “I know Gen. He’s persistent, and if he’s followed me to the Southern Continent and joined forces with Haku, then he’s not giving up anytime soon. They’ll fan out on foot if they haven’t already.”

“They may have sorabō as well,” Rin says, hoisting his backpack up. “So keep your ears open and your eyes on the sky.”

“And I thought my life was dangerous,” Shun mutters under his breath.

“Yeah. It’s a real fucking picnic being me. Let’s go.”

Our hike through the country east of Susami takes hours, hours in which we have no food or water, and the sun beats down on us. I try not to think about how thirsty I am and how I was just recovering from a double migraine. Why can’t I seem to get a firm grasp on my health?

We walk for most of the day, and as the sun begins to dip into the horizon, we come across a river that separates us from a small coastal town in the distance.

Saki stumbles in front of me and doubles over, clutching her knees.

“Hey, are you all right?” I ask, coming up next to her.

She takes a few long breaths before straightening up. Her face is scrunched in confusion, looking around at the landscape. “I – I…” She brings her hand to her forehead to shield her eyes from the sun. “I’m fine. Just tired. That was a long walk, right?”

“Too many hours, yeah. I’m pretty beat.”

“Me too.” She glances over her shoulder. “And we weren’t followed.”

“No.” I pause to look hard at her. “You’re acting weird.”

She chuckles and lightly punches my upper arm. “You’re weird. I’m going to get a drink.”

Okay then. But she’s acting strangely.

I let go of Ninjin’s leash so he can run to the water and satiate his thirst. He’s so excited he laps it up too quickly and pukes it all back up.

“Oh, that’s so gross, Ninjin,” I yell at him while Shun laughs. Ninjin is unperturbed and goes right back to drinking from the river.

“Your dog has so much charm,” Rin says, pulling his empty canteen from his bag. He walks up next to Ninjin, pats him awkwardly on the head, and fills up the canteen. Ninjin smiles up at him and barks. Rin laughs, throwing back his head.

My heart warms seeing the two of them together. I had wondered if they would get along, and I’m so glad to see they do. If this is the only thing that goes right this entire trip, I’ll take it.

Rin returns with his canteen while Ninjin prances around in the water, cooling himself off, and Saki and Shun talk to each other on the riverbank.

“Have any thoughts about what we should do next? When we get there?” Rin asks.

“Besides sleep for a million years? No clue. I was going to play it by ear.” I down half the canteen, being careful not to choke on it.

“Samurai Seven. Aoi Uma. Shiroi Nami. The Fukusha Model Eight. There are a lot of moving parts here, none of which I fully understand.” Rin bends over, stretching his back and then his legs. “I wish I’d had time to speak with people I trust. I can’t even begin to guess what Kiiroi Yama would want out of the situation if they’re still going to pursue it after I’m gone.”

I whistle and call Ninjin back to me. He runs up and shakes himself off, splattering us with water. Rin and I both laugh and cringe away.

“Ninjin, you’re such a riot,” I say through giggles as I grab his leash. “If I had to guess what Kiiroi Yama wants out of this whole situation, it would be two things. They want Aoi Uma and all of their androids destroyed. And they’d want Shiroi Nami in charge here, not the yakuza.” I tick them both off on my fingers, and Rin nods.

“I agree.”

“It would seem that Samurai Seven and Kiiroi Yama have goals in common.”

I sigh and take in a deep breath of what I call ‘beach air.’ Ah, I love the smell of the sea, rich with moisture. If I could live at the beach, I would.

Far off in the distant coastal town, a burst of light rises above the rooftops and explodes. The sound reaches us a few seconds later. Saki and Shun point at it from the bank of the river.

What’s going on?

They run up to us, and their smiles light up their faces.

“I forgot that tonight is the town’s annual summer festival.” Saki smiles and claps her hands together. “Not only is it a lot of fun, but most people dress up and wear masks. It’ll be the perfect cover, in case someone followed us here.”

“We can cross the river about half a kilometer downstream. And we can get you both into the town and stay in a safe house on the West End until the festival is in full swing. Hopefully, we can find everyone we need along the parade route before the fireworks.”

“A town festival sounds like the perfect cover.” Rin gestures to Saki and Shun that they should lead the way. He leans in close to my ear. “Fireworks sounds pretty romantic too.”

I bark out a short laugh. “Only you can think of romance at a time like this.”

Still, I let him take me by the hand and lead me away to follow Saki and Shun to our evening destination.

—-

With the whole town distracted by the festival, we slip into the safe house unnoticed by everyone but the landlord. The old woman dressed in a colorful pink and red summer-weight yukata hugs Saki.

“Come in, come in!” She beckons us from the front foyer. “Get off the street before someone sees you.”

“Ah, it’s good to be back home,” Saki says, her eyes bright.

The front room, with its tatami mat floors and Buddhist shrine, is homey and quaint. The house is similar to the one Atsumi rented in Gobo with a room up front and the kitchen in the back. I bet there are two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs as well.

“Is this where you live?”

Saki nods. “I stay here now and then with Grandma. Our room is behind the kitchen, and we leave the two upstairs rooms open for guests.” She leans in to whisper, “She’s not really my grandma but close enough.”

“Ah, what a beautiful dog!” the old woman says, clapping her hands for Ninjin. He pants and sits at her feet. “And so well-behaved as well. I have dog visitors often, so you’re welcome here too.” She scratches behind Ninjin’s ears as I unclip his leash.

“Thanks. He’s a good dog, but I hope he doesn’t destroy anything while we’re here.” I worry as I watch him trot into the house and start sniffing everything.

“You can call me Grandma Endo. I wasn’t expecting anyone today, but the house is always ready for guests. Let me go pull together some food. You can all head upstairs, get cleaned up and relax. There are extra yukatas in the closets, and let me know if you need anything else.”

Shun jerks his thumb at the door. “I’m gonna go. I should check in with the boss before he’s four beers into the evening.”

Grandma Endo cracks a devious smile. “Indeed, you better.”

As everyone stirs to move onto their tasks, I grab Saki’s arm. “I’m concerned that we’ve been followed here. Aren’t you?”

She shrugs her shoulders. “People have been trying to infiltrate this town for years. Trust me. The powers-that-be have it covered. I guarantee they saw us walk in from farther away than the river, tracked us all the way here, and can even listen to us now.”

I glance around the room, wondering if there are tiny cameras everywhere. If there are, I can’t see them.

Saki chuckles. “There’s a dead zone around the entire town that cuts us off from the rest of the continent. It’s how we stay off-grid. Our technology is good, but we lack knowledge in some key areas to help us survive what’s coming.”

I think of the tablet and data device in my bag and wonder what other treasures on them will come in handy.

Rin and I take turns in the bathroom and join Grandma Endo and Saki downstairs dressed for a party. I smooth out the green, cream, and black yukata with bamboo stalks on it I decided to wear. Rin sits next to me in a dark, indigo blue yukata. It’s the first time I’ve seen him in traditional Japanese wear, and it’s a treat for a sore heart like mine. He still hasn’t shaved, and his hair on his head is dark and spiky. I’m slowly getting used to it.

We grab rice balls stuffed with salmon and sit down to eat with Saki and Grandma Endo.

“Shun will be back soon with masks to wear tonight. I expect you’ll be invited to meet with the boss before the fireworks.”

“And please help yourself to anything to eat or drink from any of the stands tonight. Tell them you’re on Grandma Endo’s account, and it will all be taken care of. Do not give out your name or sujō-kazu to anyone, okay? We don’t use either of them here for foreigners. We don’t have any foreigners in town who are not already on accounts or with someone else. It’s not done here.” Grandma Endo nods her head once.

“How do you keep foreigners out?” Rin asks, finishing off another rice ball.

“We have our ways.” Grandma Endo’s smile is small, polite, and firm.

Okay then.

A knock at the door brings Grandma to her feet. I lean to the side to get a good view of the door and Shun is there, clean and dressed up with a bag in his hand.

“I brought dog food and masks,” he says, setting the bag next to Saki. She pulls out a fox mask and hands it to me.

Fitting.

I smile at it as I pick up my backpack and thread my arms through the straps. I’m not leaving the tablet and data device here.

“And the party is getting started in the town center. You guys ready to go?”

I pull a bear mask out of the bag for Rin. “Perfect for your new, hairy self.”

A zap of energy passes between us, a moment when he’s just Rin, and I’m just Yumi. I haven’t been ‘Just Yumi’ in a long, long time, and I only have one memory of him being ‘Just Rin’… One of his signature sighs as he pulled his sheets around me, back in Shin-Osaka.

Oof, the weight on my chest is elephant-sized.

Because this is not how my life was supposed to go. I’m a castaway, lost at sea, riding the currents of politics and trying not to capsize on the waves of change. If things had gone the way I wanted them to, I’d be back at home right now, sticking my nose in places it doesn’t belong, ignoring every man who flirts with me, and driving my parents crazy.

Is that still the life I want? I look at Rin, laughing at the bear mask I’ve handed him and wonder how he fits into my life now. I just had three months away from him, but I thought about him almost every second. Will this next mission, whatever it is, tear him away from me again?

What do I do now?

Rin slips on his mask and growls at me. I laugh as I shrink away from his grabby hands. Running for the door, a squeal escapes my lips, thrilled to be free for once. Happiness rolls through me, a thunderstorm in summer. The delight makes the pain of the last few months fade ever so slightly.

Grandma Endo laughs at us as we pile into the street. She lifts her hand and waves. “Ninjin and I will have a movie night together. Have a great night! And we’ll see you in the morning.”