‘If we had done as I suggested, we could have tracked him. By now, he must be too far gone for me to hunt. We will just have to hope the monsters they send do not injure your cub mates.’
Class 2B’s schedule for the next two weeks had them focusing on all things Kyushu. In Social Studies, they learned about the history of the most southern of the four main Japanese islands. They also studied the geography of Kyushu’s Prefectures and the history of Nagasaki and its exposure to Western culture through the Dutch. In science, they covered the region’s unique animals and plants, while in Japanese they studied dialect differences.
After school, David joined with the twins and Natsuki in the gym. David laughed at their shivers and complaints about the cold. Just a few weeks before, the team had sweated through each practice complaining about how hot it was. With the change in weather, the entire team had invested in new Yonex HeatTec clothing to keep in their body heat. Even Takumi muttered as he zipped up a full tracksuit. David’s choice of shorts had most of his teammates wondering again if he was sane.
On the courts, they all worked through their usual warm-ups and drills. Takumi and Natsuki’s constant practices together on the Estate showed most when they played together. Few could challenge them because there was such synchronicity in their movements. Their badminton playing, more than anything else, began the rumors that they were dating, though no one dared whisper such things around either of them.
After badminton, David walked the few kilometers back to the Matsumoto Estate with his friends. He opted for a human dinner, much to Kou’s annoyance, then joined the others for evening practice.
Unlike in the mornings where the focus was on physical martial arts, David spent most of his evening practice time repairing the damage he did to the forest trees while practicing with his Seikaku. It took him nearly double the time to fix or create something than it took for destruction. Masao never smiled when he assigned tasks, but David suspected he enjoyed giving exercises that were ever more intricate.
Since the Matsumoto’s swords were in high demand and with Nakano villagers often seeking Masao’s advice as the local Shinto priest, there was also significant enough traffic on the Estate to require the extra time David spent fixing his accidents. Yukiko reminded him of the fact when she came back with a giant radish that still had a rather large wood shard in it. David fixed the vegetable, then left Rie and Natsuki in the forge so that Kou could run with Reimi through the Estate.
“Don’t forget to write about the kappa,” Yukiko called after. David groaned.
“Yet another page in your own Jitsugen Samurai Diary,” Takumi said. “You can title it ‘My heroic near-drowning.’” David lunged after his host-brother, but he disappeared into a puff of smoke as Reimi took wing. Growling, Kou chased after the gray bird.
A TRIP TO KYUSHU
Of course, every time my thoughts strayed, every time I thought I could be more, he was always there to remind me of what I was. His only concern was revenge. I wanted to suggest following, but I was silenced as if dead…
As school and the Estate settled into routine, David almost felt like a regular student again. Excitement for the school trip built up among the second years. The worries about being unable to locate Chul Soon, the monsters that kept attacking, and the statue that the police had found were constant but distant concerns. If only Koji would graduate, David would love being at school.
The next few weeks sped by. David and Kou eliminated two more weak monsters during their usual patrols around the Nakano valley, but caught no scent of the one enemy they most wanted. With a mix of reluctance and excitement, David gave up the responsibility of protecting the valley as his classmates headed north.
David woke up half way through the flight. Getting onto the plane had not been a problem. Unlike when he tried to enter the ocean, no sense of unease or distress had overcome them on boarding the plane at Kansai International Airport.
“Damn, it wasn’t enough,” Rie said, cursing David’s ability to heal so fast. She rummaged through her bag. The sense of otherness and fear that had hit them when the wheels left the ground came back to him as a kind of echo of the initial assault. He vaguely remembered Rie pouring a handful of pills down his throat as Kou convulsed in their shared mind.
Beside him, Takumi sat smiling and watching the clouds outside his window. Reimi, daughter of fire and wind, seemed to have had no problems leaving the ground. Kou on the other hand was a tiger, and was bound to the earth.
David’s throat was coarse and dry, but he managed enough head movement to see Rie struggling to get her bag from under the seat.
“It’s alright,” David said, choking on his words a little. “The panic is gone… I can’t hear Kou.” He sat up straighter as his throat and mind cleared, his strangled senses struggling to take in the other passengers. Their classmates sat arrayed around them in their regular winter uniforms. David shuddered. ‘It’s been months since I’ve been without him. I… I’m alone.’ It took David several minutes to compose himself enough to ask, “What happened?”
“As soon as we left the ground you started panicking so I gave you mom’s pills. It should have been enough to knock out a normal person for a few days. Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked.
“The feeling is there, but I think I can handle it,” David said, frowning at the stale cabin air. “I think that’s why Kou is keeping himself separated, so I won’t feel his full panic. What’s worse is the itch. It’s this drive to get back to land.”
“That’s probably why I didn’t have a problem,” Takumi whispered. “Reimi is cut off from my mind, so I wouldn’t be able to feel her panic even if she did. I do feel the itch though. It peaked a while ago but now it’s fading a little.”
“We must be getting close to Fukuoka,” Rie said. Ahead the monitors changed to a map with a little airplane showing that they were over the ocean. David sighed and sat back, trying not to think about the distance between him and land.
The instant their plane touched down at Fukuoka International Airport, David relaxed in his seat. Around him, the rest of Nakano’s second grade chattered about the rest of the trip. Moving an entire grade was such a logistical nightmare that David was surprised they made it onto the plane, let alone all the way to Kyushu.
Fukuoka was at the northern part of the huge island of Kyushu, one of the four main Japanese islands. As they got off the plane, all the students had to squeeze into narrow lines to keep the terminal walkway clear for the bustle of passengers moving between gates. David looked around at the few shops. He could see the security gate in the distance.
‘Wow, this is almost as big as Phoenix’s airport,’ he thought.
‘I wouldn’t know… but I’m glad we are back on land. I’d prefer never to go through that again,’ Kou mumbled as he peeked back into David’s mind.
‘Well, there’s still the return trip.’ Kou growled and withdrew again to sulk.
Nakano Junior High’s teachers checked the line of students to ensure everyone was present, and to quell bits of restlessness after the flight. In addition to their homeroom teachers, Principal Yogi, three tour guides, and the school nurse were also present. After the rest of the passengers finished debarking, David followed along with everyone else as they wound their way to the baggage claim. They had all packed lightly, but the cold weather necessitated larger bags than they could carry on.
A rumble washed through the female students as they moved past automatic doors and chill wind blew in. It was colder than it had been back on the mainland. Since skirts were still part of their winter uniform, several of the girls started hunting through their bags for extra jackets to wear over their uniforms.
“Glad we don’t