Reclaimed – Chapter 31

Kentaro’s smile lights up my otherwise dull breakfast.

“It’s good to see you, and my mother sends her best wishes. Her whole area of town never caught fire, so we volunteered at and around the hospital for a few days. Namika was charmed by all the non-Japanese people from Nishikyō and everything we’ve built there. She and Beni really hit it off.”

His smile widens even farther, if that were possible, and his happiness takes up more than half his face. I love to see him happy. This is a far cry from the angsty and ornery young man who came to live with us in Sakai building.

“That’s fantastic,” I say, turning towards a knock on the door. Jiro jumps up and admits Sono to the room. His age-spotted hands shake as he places a tray on the table heavy with oatmeal, fresh fruit, dried and smoked meat, and nuts. He looks older than he did when we landed. I make a mental note to have Sakai start training a new dokumiyaku as soon as possible. Sono should be relaxing and enjoying his retirement, not slaving over a hot stove in the kitchen all day.

“So…” I draw out my statement as I heap strawberries into my oatmeal. “Namika is great. I like her a lot.”

“Stop beating around the bush. You and my mother. I swear to the gods.” Kentaro laughs. I’ve obviously not offended him, so I poke him in the shoulder. “Okay okay. She drives me nuts, but I like her a lot too. There. Are you happy now?”

I push my hair behind my ears and pick up my spoon. “I’m only happy if you’re happy. You know that.”

Kentaro puts his spoon down. “Your own happiness shouldn’t depend on mine or Jiro’s or anyone else’s.”

I chew slowly and swallow before rolling my eyes. “You know damned well that doesn’t work for me. I would have to live in a bubble, never talking to or with anyone.”

“Yes, but no one depends on you being happy to be happy themselves. It seems awfully one-sided.”

Jiro clears his throat. “I am never happy unless she is, so back off.”

“Anyway…” I eye both men and change the subject. “Namika is a great girl. Smart, talented, and not shy or cutesy. I have to say, though, that she picks on you a lot.”

Kentaro chuckles and nods his head. “That she does.” His eyes glaze over with a far-away, starry gleam, and my heart skips a beat. This is Kentaro in love if ever I saw it. I glance at Jiro and he rolls his eyes at me.

“You ever think about Kevin?” I ask, knowing full well I’m stepping into dangerous territory.

“All the time.” He throws two handfuls of nuts into his oatmeal and stirs it. “But he’s on Earth and I’m here, and I’m not in love with him anymore. Namika doesn’t seem to care that I dated a guy. Not that we’re dating, mind you. She still kinda hates me.” He pauses for a second but then lifts an overflowing spoonful of oatmeal into his mouth, crunching loudly. “This is tasty,” he mumbles around the food in his mouth. “Sono’s a pretty good cook.”

“Okay then. I need an update on everything.” I put Kentaro’s mouthful of mush out of my eyesight. Boys are gross. “I’ve been down and out for two days now. Kazuo?”

“Oh,” Kentaro chimes in. “He dropped a message at three AM that he’s found Sachi. She entered the capital and then Fujiwara’s castle. He hasn’t seen her since.”

I drum my fingers on the table and think. Who is she there to see? Fujiwara and his son, Osamu? “Remind him to watch the tunnel exits. Can you send him a diagram of the underground area?”

“Sure. I’ll do that now.” Kentaro reaches for his tablet, and I take the silent moment to think again.

“Hmmm. What is Sachi up to?”

Kentaro shakes his head. “My guess is she’s been working for Fujiwara too. Think about it. With Risa dead and Kazuo gone, Sachi can be whatever she wants to be. A free agent.”

“But wouldn’t Miura be upset about this?”

“Sachi’s probably playing them both, and by blaming Risa’s death on you, it keeps everything in chaos and in Sachi’s hands.” Kentaro scrapes his bowl, and I sit in contemplative silence.

“I suppose this is a theory. When did you get so smart?”

“I’ve always been smart. Aren’t you glad to have me around? Can I have more oatmeal?”

He leans forward and fills up his bowl again from the pot, and I hastily begin eating otherwise I may not get my fair share.

“Nobu and Yukio are causing quite a stir back home,” Kentaro continues between mouthfuls. “They’ve been holding press conferences every day, blasting everyone’s mail with petitions, and camping out in the town square next to a huge portrait of Risa. It’s disgusting. I want to kill them myself. They’re stirring things up, causing a lot of protests to block people coming and going from the hospital. Annoying stuff.” Kentaro shakes his head. “I’ve been called on several times in news conferences to take sides. I wish they would leave and go back to Miura. The city was peaceful before they came.”

“Take sides?” I set my spoon down. “I’m so sorry about all of this.”

“Don’t apologize,” he scoffs. “I side with you, and I told them to take their complaints somewhere else. I also said Risa was crazy and manipulative and tried to poison you once. There was no way she would be talked into doing anything for you. She went to the capital of her own free will.” He nods his head once, final.

“Thank you, Kentaro.” I pat his hand and spoon up some oatmeal. “No word from Julia?” I cover my mouth with my hand to keep the oatmeal where it belongs.

“Her last check-in said they found Miura’s encampment in a town close to the East Coast named Tsūka. I just downloaded satellite images of the area this morning. We can go over them later.”

“I want to hear a casualties and damages report from Yamato.”

Both Jiro and Kentaro stop chewing at the same time.

“Do I want to know? Forget it, I have to know, even if I don’t want to.”

Jiro picks up his tablet. “Lucy was in touch late last night. The death toll from the fires was sixty-three people.” I cringe, and my eyes begin to water so I rest them on my palms and press down. I can’t start crying now. “Twenty-six buildings have been condemned including city hall, and five more can be salvaged. The hospital is treating burn victims but those with lesser injuries are resting at home with a daily nurse service.”

Jiro clears his throat. “She said, ‘I arranged for Helena and Usagi to spend three days in Takayama on honeymoon. Hiro is staying with me until they return. I’m still working on Miko. She just won’t budge. I hate to say it, since she just lost her family, but she’s being a stubborn bitch for no good reason. I keep telling her that pushing away her friends while she’s grieving is not a smart move. She kicked me out of her house the other day. I’ll try again later.’”

I sigh and rest my forehead on the table. “Write her back and tell her not to bother. It’s a lost cause, at least for now.”

Jiro rises at a scratching noise at the door. “Your owl is back,” he says, letting Himitsu in. The little puff of owl flies at me and lands on my shoulder. He rubs his beak against my cheek and nips at my ear.

“What news, Himi?”

“News? I’m tired? There are other owls from the South who say Koga and his men are on their way here. Friends in the East report a strange man has taken over an entire city.”

“Miura. Yes, I know.”

“He is not well-liked? The animals are on your side.”

I scratch the top of his head, until his eyes are closed, then I place him in the blanket on top of my dresser where he can sleep the day away in peace.

“Koga is on his way, and Miura is causing problems in the East. Himi says the animals are on my side.” I pick at my oatmeal, barely consumed. The animals being on my side is a nice thing to hear.

Jiro pokes me in the arm. “Eat.”

I eat as much as I can, and grabbing my sword, the dried meat, and bottle of water, we stop by Arata’s room before descending the stairs to spend the afternoon shooting.

I lie down in the grass in the sun, letting the warmth of its rays cook me from head to toe. I’m so glad we’re transitioning into summer here on Yūsei. Anything is better than the cold, rainy days of late spring. In a few months, if we make it that far, we can celebrate summer holidays, go swim in the ocean, and eat summer fruits until we burst.

We get the target set up, and I shoot for two hours. My aim continues to be crap, but I always suspected there would be a weapon I just couldn’t master. Maybe kyūdō will be something I practice till I’m old and gray and still only hit the target when the gods smile upon me. I share the bow with both Jiro and Kentaro, and they shoot better than I do. Hmph. Maybe it’s because I’m so small and I don’t have the leverage required for handling such a large bow? It’s hard to know. Arata joins us, takes the bow, and hits the target three times in a row.

“Kyūdō is not a precision weapon like sword fighting. If you strike anywhere on the target, you can do damage to an enemy, enough to knock them down so you can move in and strike with a knife or sword. Think of it as…”

Arata’s face pales and blanks as a loud alarm climbs into the sky. We turn and glance about. Men in the watch towers wave their arms.

“Get back to the house!” Namika calls from the balcony of the treehouse. “Lions on approach!”

Kentaro and Arata creep backwards, keeping their eyes on the grass line. No one dares to run.

The hair on my arms stands up, alert to every movement or whisper of air around me. The long grass, just past the shooting target, sways, and my knees buckle in alarm. I reach my hand behind me for Jiro but catch only air.

I know better than to take my eyes off the grass, though.

“Hurry, Sanaa,” Jiro whispers from behind.

I freeze as a giant lion stalks out towards me. He’s at least three times bigger than I am and probably weighs two hundred kilos or more with a silky, groomed mane fanning out around his head. He pushes past the kyūdō target, circling it three times, before sitting on it. The target crunches and disintegrates under his massive rear end. I throw a glance over my shoulder and Arata has his bow and arrow primed and ready to shoot, Oninoten is in Jiro’s hand, and Kentaro stands behind them.

“Talk to him,” Jiro prompts.

“Uhhhhh…” I’ve lost the connection between my brain and my mouth. I should’ve moved faster when I had the chance. Now, if I turn and sprint away, the lion will certainly catch me and eat me for dinner. Blood races through my heart and out to my limbs, and suddenly, I have to pee.

“Do you understand me?” I ask. My voice catches, and my lips are dry, but I press on. “Because I can understand most animals.”

The lion bobs his head, opens his mouth, and vocalizes something between a growl and a purr but a hundred times louder and lower than anything I heard come out of the cats before getting the chip.

My shoulders fall, my chest deflating in a huff. I can’t understand him. He sounds like a lion. Maybe the chip was never programmed to understand lions and other big cats because no one has ever paired with them? I suppose that could be the answer, but it would have to depend on how much of their DNA was manipulated before planetfall. And they’re so close to house cats! Why would it be any different between the domesticated and the wild ones?

Sanaa, focus!

I pat my pocket. “Would you like something to eat?” I withdraw the package of dried and smoked meat Sono gave to us this morning. “I have no idea what you eat out there on the prairie.”

I take one tentative step forward and the lion remains seated, watching me. I unwrap the package, set it on the ground, and take two slow steps back.

“I’d like us to be friends, if we can.” I take another step back. “I don’t like the way Fujiwara rules here, and I want to do something about it.” I step back again and feel the others right behind me. “The other animals are on my side. We could be allies, if you’re interested.”

The lion barks in three short bursts, producing goosebumps up my arms.

“Just something to think about.” I shake off the dread as the lion stands up, grabs the meat I left, turns and trots into the grass towards the hill where his pride waits for him.

We silently back step our way to the treehouse before climbing the stairs and meeting Namika, Rai, and Sakai on the landing.

“You’re all nuts,” Namika cries, tears in her eyes, before she reaches out and pushes Kentaro in the chest so hard he nearly falls over the railing. “Don’t ever do that again,” she warns, her voice low and finger pointed at Kentaro, before turning and stalking off towards her room.

“Sheesh. She’s acting like I planned the whole thing.” Kentaro brushes himself off and leans over to me. “Do you think I should…?” He gestures in the direction Namika ran off in.

“Are you armed?” I ask, raising my eyebrows.

“Right. I’ll let her sit for a bit.”

I head to my room and keep my smile to myself.