Kami Cursed (Dragon and Phoenix) (11 page)

I shook my
head.  “So you’re saying we should just accept it, no matter how bad it is for
him?”

Fumio shrugged,
the gesture reminding me how young he was.  “Things are not bad or good.  They
just are.”

I laughed
without humor.  “Unless the things are cursed.”

He stared at me
and I explained, one corner of my mouth drawing up into a smile at my bad
joke.  “Then they’re bad.”

He smiled. 
“Well, okay.  You got me there.”

I stood and
started toward the door to the sanctuary.  “Thanks.  I’m sorry for yelling at
you.  I know you’re trying to help him.”

He smiled. 
“Don’t worry about it.  Ryuu did the same thing for you.  He ranted and raved
and stewed and stormed every day until he managed to wake you up.”  He shook
his head in wonder.  “I’ve never seen someone so young love so deeply.  But
it’s good to know that you feel the same way.”

I stared at him
blankly.  “I’m not in love with Ryuu.  He’s just a kid.”

“Of course.”  He
smiled softly, like he knew some big secret.  
Monks are crazy
.

I left Fumio in
the garden and made my way inside.  I hesitated as I walked past the statue of
Buddha.  Feeling slightly foolish, I sat down cross-legged and stared up at the
statue. 

I didn’t know
what to do, so I just sat there quietly.  He stared at me, I stared at him. 
And we came to a mutual understanding.  “Okay,” I said softly after a few
minutes.  I knew what I had to do, and I finally felt calm. 

I did love
Ryuu.  There were different kinds of love.  He was my best friend in the whole
world.  The one person, besides my dad, who I would do anything for.  So, I was
going to start carrying my bat with me.  And I was going to help him with this
curse business.

I nodded to the
Buddha.  “Thanks bud.”

Then I stood and
left the temple. 

*****

Fumio stood in
the doorway of the temple and watched Kit leave wondering, as he always did,
whether he was doing the right thing by leading the children into danger.  The
girl- though he supposed she could be called a young woman now - turned the
corner and disappeared from sight and he let out a sigh of relief.  There was
no use wondering about the future.  He could only do what his heart felt was right
at this very moment.  He was about to turn away and head back to his chores
when he saw a man coming up the path.

He was an older
gentleman, with wide streaks of grey in his thinning hair.  He walked slowly
but with purpose- a man on a mission.  Fumio waited for him, cultivating his
face into a welcoming smile.  Surely, the man was a fellow practitioner in need
of some solace or advice. 

But as he drew
nearer, the young monk began to wonder.  The old man moved with strength and
grace.  His pace wasn’t slowed by age, but because he was approaching the
temple carefully.  Careful, but confident…as if he were approaching an
adversary. 

Fumio descended
the few low steps down to the path, and went to meet the man.  “Can I help you
sir?”

The stranger’s
dark eyes crinkled at the corners as his gaze swept over Fumio.  It was almost,
but not quite, a smile.  The man had Asian heritage, he thought, though if he
had to guess Fumio would say it was probably as diluted as his own. 

“I hope you
can,” the man replied.  “I have a very serious request for you.”

The muscles at
the back of Fumio’s neck tightened.  “Is this perhaps regarding that phone call
I received?”

The man regarded
him with hooded eyes.  “Yes.”

The monk let his
breath out slowly, scrambling for composure.  “Shall we walk?”  He gestured to
the manicured grounds where the monks often took walking meditation.  It was a
pleasing place, and currently empty. 

They walked side
by side for some time, silent but for the soft shush of leaves under their
feet.  Finally, the man spoke.  “You have continued to offer your guidance to
the boy.”

Fumio lifted one
shoulder in a shrug.  “I would have done that anyway.  I enjoy his company and
I want to help him with the challenges he faces.”

One corner of
the man’s thin mouth quirked upward in a wry smile.  “Our organization being
one of those challenges?”

Fumio shook his
head.  “I’m not sure.”

The man stopped
and placed a hand on Fumio’s arm.  The monk’s eyes widened as a warm current of
energy flowed between them like a live thing.  “What you can give him is
knowledge- limited by what you can find in books and legends.  But what do you
know about the power that is inside him?”

With that, the
man withdrew his arm and walked away. 

Fumio watched
the man leave, rubbing his arm as the warm tingling faded.  He sank down to sit
cross-legged on the perfect lawn.  Had this been a threat?  But the man was
right- how could he help Ryuu when he knew nothing about his power?  He felt
the burden of his age- or lack thereof- intensely.  Ryuu should have gone to
one of the older monks for help… but he had come to Fumio. 

He took a deep
breath and asked for wisdom- something that he felt he totally lacked at the
present moment.

M
y eyes fluttered
open and I sat up, wondering where Ryuu had gone.  The dragon sat on the couch
next to me, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.  It was a long,
sinuous thing, white and silver with just a hint of blue here and there.  Light
glinted off its body where it was coiled up in a pile of supple, glossy loops. 
It turned its topaz eyes on me, its silky fur rippling with the movement. 
“Hello.”

It spoke.  I was
kind of surprised to hear its voice, all deep and liquid with just the slightest
hint of lisp caused by its massive dagger-like teeth.

I cleared my
throat.  “Um…hello.”

It had long,
long eyelashes that fluttered as it blinked at me.  “You’re beautiful,” I
breathed, watching the light play across its iridescent body.

The dragon laughed,
a deep chuckle that bubbled up from its scaled chest.  “You’ve grown to be
quite pretty yourself.”  It tilted its head this way and that, flowing around
me and up across the back of the couch before settling down again.  “You’re
hair is darker this time.  I like it.”

I lifted an
eyebrow.  “It’s the same color it’s always been.”

The dragon
laughed again.  “As far as you remember.”  He winked at me.  It was startling. 

“You were in my
dreams before,” I said slowly.  “But Ryuu said he didn’t send you.”

The dragon’s
long tail lashed.  “That boy is still growing.  He doesn’t know what he’s doing
half the time.  Of course he sent me; he just didn’t realize it.”  He preened. 
“I’m Ryuu’s spirit energy.”

I peered at the
creature, awed.  “So you’re Ryuu’s dragon?”

He chuckled
again.  “No.”  A second passed.  “Yes.”  Another pause.  “I belong to Ryuu and
he belongs to me.”  Enigmatic dragon.  Big surprise- my dreams didn’t make any
more sense than my waking world.

The room was
suffused with a soft, glowing light, like afternoon sun.  It shimmered over the
dragon’s body.  You wouldn’t think of a dragon having hair, but this one did. 
He had iridescent scales covering his long underside, but his back and his short
legs were covered in silky hair that rippled when he moved.  He had trailing
whiskers of the same stuff that flowed from his vaguely canine face.  I reached
out a hand.  “Can I pet you?”

The dragon
looked a bit taken aback.  He pulled his head back and settled into his corner
of the couch.  “That’s not a good idea.  Not without Ryuu here.”

I frowned.  “What
difference does that make, it’s my dream.”

The dragon
grinned at me again.  “No.”

I edged closer. 
“I know I’m sleeping.  Ryuu’s probably drifted off too.  He was sitting right
next to me.  He
is
here.”

Big topaz eyes
stared into mine and I stopped my slow attack.  “It’s not the same thing,” he
said.  “Ryuu sent me to you in that hospital place, but I’ve learned to find
you on my own now.”  He sounded very proud of himself.  “So he’s not really
here
.”

I really wanted
to pet the dragon.  “That doesn’t make any sense.  Look, obviously this is all
just my subconscious trying to comfort me.  So why can’t I do what I want?”

He chuckled. 
“Close.  It’s
Ryuu’s
subconscious trying to comfort you- there’s a
difference.”  He winked again.  I didn’t get it.

“Fine. 
Whatever.”

The dragon
sighed and dodged my outstretched hand.  “It will burn if you touch me,” he
said shying away.

A dragon afraid
of being burned.  My subconscious was crazy.  “Why?”

The look on his
long face was suddenly ominous.  “I need Ryuu to protect me from what’s inside
you.”

I stared at him
for a minute, processing that.  “Next time, bring Ryuu,” I said, disgruntled.

The dragon was
amused again.  “I will.  That would be… fun.”

*****

I clutched my
shopping bag and shifted from foot to foot, bored out of my mind.  Andrea
nudged me and gave me an encouraging smile.  I tried to mimic her expression,
but my lips felt tight and I’m sure it was more of a grimace.  The mall was
supposed to be a safe outing for my first time hanging out with kids my own
age, current age anyway. 

I was surprised
when Andrea invited me to join her and some friends.  I tried to dredge up the
memory of how excited I’d been at the prospect to do something normal, but somehow
I just couldn’t muster the feeling anymore.  My feet hurt, and the makeup I had
globbed on to hide my bruised face felt greasy and heavy.

“Ah…man!  Move,
let me do it.”  A couple of boys from our group were arguing over the claw
machine, wasting their quarters trying to grab a hold of a little basketball
while the group of girls watched and laughed.  A short, stocky boy with pretty
green eyes took over the controls, shooting a look my way before he focused on
the joystick.  Andrea nudged me again. 

“I think Sean
likes you,” she whispered into my ear.  I stared at her for a minute,
horrified.  She just laughed.  “C’mon,” she said loudly.  “Let’s go look at
shoes.  This is stupid.”

She tugged me
along with her, and the other girls followed.  They were in Andrea’s grade, and
I didn’t really know them well, but they seemed nice enough, if a bit obsessed
with the boys.  I saw them darting glances over their shoulders to make sure
the guys were following, which of course they were.

I endured
Andrea’s chatter as she pulled me up and down the aisles of the Shoe Depot. 
We’d been in and out of stores for over an hour and I was just plain ready to
be done with it.  I had learned my lesson after the first store.  I didn’t
share the tastes of the other girls, and every time I found something I liked I
could tell that the others thought it was weird.  I had looked forward to
coming here so I could hang out with kids my own age for once, but I didn’t fit
in.  I felt like I was under a microscope.

The boys finally
returned.  Sean sidled up to me and held out a patchwork rabbit with a floppy
ear.  “I missed the basketball,” he said wiggling the bunny. 

I reached out
and took it.  It was adorable, with big embroidered eyes and exposed stitches
to make it look old-timey.  “I thought you might want it.”  Sean ran a hand
through his reddish hair self-consciously.  One of the other girls laughed. 

I realized the
other girls weren’t looking at the stuffed animal with adoring eyes.  I gritted
my teeth.  I was acting like a kid again.  “Why would I want a stuffed
animal?”  I held it out to him.

One of the other
guys snatched it and began a game of toss with his friend.  I refused to look
at the poor little bunny.  Sean looked confused.  “Sorry.  I just thought… you
might like it.”

I laughed with
the other girls and he turned red.  “I’m not a kid.  I don’t like that kind of
stuff.”  But I did.  I wanted to snatch it away from the boys.  I turned and
walked away, feeling guilty and wishing we could just go home already.

When we finally
pulled up to my house, there was a bike on the sidewalk and Ryuu was sitting on
the porch, watching the clouds drift by with an unnatural sort of concentration. 
“Hey, isn’t that that kid you’re always hanging out with?” 

Sean again.  If
only I had a roll of duct tape.  Okay, so maybe I was still holding a small
grudge from years ago, when I’d told off him and a bunch of his friends for
bullying Ryuu on the way to school.  When I thought of it, I still wanted to
smack him upside the head.

Andrea’s eyes
met mine in the rearview mirror but she didn’t comment.  One of the other
girls- LeeAnne I think it was- frowned at me.  “Why does he follow you around
like that?  He’s so freaky…doesn’t it creep you out?”

The sun glinted
off Ryuu’s dark hair as he stood and stuffed his hands in his pockets,
waiting.  I knew he spent a lot of time outside, but his skin was pure white.  “He’s
not freaky,” I said defensively.  “He’s my best friend.”

Andrea sighed. 
“They grew up together.”  She shrugged.

One of the boys
nudged Sean.  “No wonder she acts like a little kid if she hangs out with little
boys all the time.”

I pulled my bags
across my lap and grabbed the door handle, wanting to escape.  “Thanks Andrea. 
Uh… see you around.”  I flung the door open and scrambled out, sure that
everyone would be talking about me and laughing the minute the door closed.  I
didn’t watch them pull away.

Ryuu grinned at
me, his dark eyes crinkling at the corners.  “Your dad said you should be back
soon.”

I went inside
and Ryuu followed.  He watched me toss my bag on my bed and stand there staring
at it.

“So what’d you
get?  Did you have fun?”  He sounded genuinely interested.

I flopped across
the bed and put my arm over my eyes with a groan.

“That much fun,
huh?”  Ryuu didn’t sound too upset about it.  I think he was happy I’d had a
horrible time.  The bed sagged as he sat beside me and started riffling through
my bag.  He pulled out a purple tank-top with a cat on the front and a headband
with a silk flower on it. 

His mouth
quivered as he brandished the headband.  “Wow.  You really suck at being
seventeen.  I think I saw a little kindergarten girl with one of these
yesterday.”

I swatted at him
and sat up, snatching my things and stuffing them and the bag under my bed. 
“Shut up.”

He grinned at me
and ruffled my hair.  I glared at him.  Tears welled up and I dashed them away
with the back of my hand. 

“Ah…Kit, don’t
cry,” he patted my head again and I pushed his hand away. 

“Everything’s
just all wrong.  I don’t get them- the other people at school.  I just can’t
think the way they do.  Nothing makes sense.”

He stood and tugged
at my hand.  “I’ve been waiting for you to come home.  I have a surprise for
you.”  It was strange to see the reserved kid looking so happy.  I was
instantly suspicious.

“Is this about
curses?”  The last time he’d been so ecstatic, I’d made
Wonderland
explode.

He laughed. 
“No.  Not this time.”

Ryuu dragged me
out to the garage and presented me with my mom’s old bike.  “Your dad helped
me.”  He pushed his hair back and glanced from me to the bike, biting his lip
anxiously.  “You used to like to ride bikes, so we fixed it up.”

The bike had
been cleaned and all the parts were shiny with oil.  It had new tires and a new
helmet hung from the handlebars.  “Do you want to go ride at the park?”

I felt myself
grinning before I even realized how happy I was.  “Sure,” I glanced down at my ballet
flats and grimaced.  “Just let me go put real shoes on.”

I followed Ryuu
to the park and onto the mountain bike trails that wound through the woods,
letting the horrors of the day slip away.  I flew over tree roots and hills and
little jumps like I’d just done this yesterday, even though I hadn’t ridden
since I was fourteen. 

Ryuu laughed at
my antics as I slid to a halt to miss a sapling, startling a pair of deer from
the underbrush.  We sat there panting as we watched them leap over a fallen
tree and disappear from sight.

It was much
later when we finally returned to the paved paths of the park.  We parked our
bikes and went to sit on the swings, lazily drifting back and forth and
laughing with spent adrenaline.  I was happy, I realized.  Way more happy and
at ease than I had been at the mall.  Ryuu didn’t care if my hair was messed up
or I was covered with sweat.  He laughed at me as I leaned over and squirted my
water bottle on my head to cool off. 

“Why can’t I
just be a kid again?”  I used the hem of my shirt to wipe my face.  

Ryuu grew
serious, falling into that stillness that everyone else found so creepy.  “I
don’t know.”

“I just want to
be your age again,” I whined.

Ryuu’s dark eyes
met mine.  “Don’t worry,” he said seriously.  “I’m older than you are anyway.”

I laughed.  “Oh,
yeah.  Totally.”

He shook his
head, making his hair glint in the afternoon sun.  “No, really.  Fumio says…
I’m an old soul.”

I stared at him,
my laughter fading.  “Old soul?”

He nodded, one
corner of his wide mouth lifting in a wry smile.  “Reincarnation, you know?  A
lot of cultures believe in it.  In Japan it’s nothing shocking for people to
tell stories about so and so who is the reincarnation of some historical
figure.”  He shrugged.  “Just stories mostly.”

I blinked at
him.  “You mean you believe in past lives and that kind of stuff?”

Our swings had
slowed to a stop and he stared at me for a minute.  I could almost believe it
just then- that someone much older was looking out from Ryuu’s eyes.  I thought
of the long-haired man in my dreams and shivered.

“Don’t you?” 
His soft voice was serious and he was studying my face intently.  I didn’t know
what to say.

Then Ryuu
laughed and he was just Ryuu again.  “Well, I do.”  He gestured grandly.  “I
bet I was something really cool.  Like a warrior or-”