Kami Cursed (Dragon and Phoenix) (14 page)

*****

Fumio strode
through the park, hunching into his heavy coat and pulling up the collar against
the crisp chill in the air.  He would have felt more comfortable at the temple,
but there was always the chance that Ryuu would show up, and he thought that
maybe he should shield the boy from The Order, for at least a little bit
longer. 

Fumio had been approached
by The Order
about a year or so after he first
met Ryuu.  They were mysterious and obtuse in their dealings with him- never
just coming out and saying what it was they did, or what they wanted with the
little boy.  But it was clear enough to Fumio that they wanted to use him.  How
and for what purpose, he wasn’t sure.

The
first man he’d met from the order had hinted that the bits of knowledge Fumio
had managed to acquire in order to help Ryuu hadn’t just come into his hands by
chance.  They never said that they had planted the old books and internet
sources, but Fumio had a strong suspicion that they had done just that.  He had
often found it strange how he eventually always found whatever it was he
needed, hidden away in some dusty book he found in the archives, or in some
shady corner of the internet.

For
the most part, Fumio had tolerated their shadowy presence.  For some reason,
the Order wanted him to help Ryuu.  They had never made a move to interact with
the boy, but Fumio was always on the alert.  What if one day they just up and
decided to snatch him?  He had no reason to believe that an organization as
strange as The Order would have any difficulty making one young boy disappear.

He
crunched over the frosty leaves to a little stone bench and sat down, careful
to keep his coat between him and the bench.  Still, he felt the cold leaching
up into his skin.  He hoped this meeting wouldn’t take long.  He hoped he
wasn’t doing something utterly stupid in asking for their help.

He
hadn’t sat there long when a light scuff of sound drew his eyes up and he saw
the old man coming his way.  It was the same man who had visited the temple before. 
He still moved with that same slow pace which most people probably attributed
to age, but Fumio knew better.  It was the slow pace of a lion stalking prey.

The
man glanced down at the bench, then away at the sidewalk that wended its way
through the deserted park.  “Shall we walk?”

Fumio
nodded, glad for the opportunity to remove his frozen bottom from the icy
bench.  The two men walked in silence for a few moments.  Finally, Fumio
decided to speak before he lost his nerve.

“I
think…” he cleared his throat and tried again.  “I think I need your help with
something.”

The
older man’s gaze was fixed on the path ahead of them.  “Is that so?”

Fumio
licked his lips nervously and tried to pull himself together.  Why was it that
this old man always unnerved him so?  “Yes.  It’s about the children.  The girl
particularly.”

The
old man’s inscrutable eyes studied Fumio’s face.  “The girl?  Is she in some
danger- has she been influenced by an object again?”  He frowned.  “Maybe she’s
not the one we believed her to be.”

Fumio
shook his head, wondering to himself just who they believed her to be.  He’d
always just assumed the Order was only interested in Ryuu, that Kit was just an
added bonus.

 “No,
nothing like that,” he said hurriedly.  “It’s just that she’s under some
pressure and there might be a chance- though I’m sure it’s not really a very
big chance- that she could be removed from her home or placed back in the
institution.”

The
old man shrugged.  “How is this something to trouble us?”

Fumio
tamped down the first indignant reply that sprung to mind.  Instead, he strived
to appear as calm as the old man.  “She means a great deal to Ryuu- and I’m not
sure how her removal would affect him.”

The
old man nodded, and Fumio thought he saw a spark of amusement in his dark eyes. 
“It is important that the boy’s powers keep developing as they are.  We
wouldn’t want to disrupt the environment that is causing him such growth.  But
what’s to say,” he said with a glance in Fumio’s direction, “that The Order
won’t use this opportunity to take the girl away ourselves?  If she does have
some spiritual power, we could train her, coax that power into development…”

Fumio
shrugged, though inside he was a wreck.  “If you did, then the boy would never
forgive you.  He would never join your little club.  If you want to ensure he
will use whatever powers he develops to destroy you, then by all means, do
something to Kit.”

Now
he knew the old man was amused.  “I’m sure you’re right.  Bribery works on
some- but not a man of that caliber.  Given his past, we have always thought it
prudent to tread lightly where the boy is concerned.”

He
glanced up at the steely grey sky.  “So, what is it that you need help with?”

Fumio
explained the situation.  The old man laughed lightly when he described Kit’s
injuries, and the impossibility of explaining them away. 

“Our
people will take care of this,” the man said easily.  “We will make the
suspicions go away.”

Fumio
sighed.  “And…what will this cost?”

The
old man laughed again.  But Fumio thought it was purposeful, this display of amusement. 
“Cost?  Nothing.”  His dark eyes crinkled at the corners as he met Fumio’s
eyes.  “But there will be consequences, have no doubt about that.”

Fumio
left the park with even less idea whether he had done the right thing than when
he set out.  Maybe Kit would be better off, all things concerned, if she
were
tucked safely away at Birch Hill.  He immediately reprimanded himself for the
thought.  But his mind was filled with disquiet. 

T
hanksgiving that
year was a little more lively than usual.  Dad and I were joined by not only
Ryuu and Dawn, but Dawn’s new boyfriend as well.  The turkey was still cooking,
and Ryuu and I were watching
It’s a Wonderful Life
while the adults
chatted.  I pulled my attention away from the TV, however, when I heard Dad let
out a low whistle.

“Congratulations
Dawn, that’s quite the rock,” he said, laughing. 

“What’s he
talking about?”  They were clear across the room and no one was paying
attention to us.

Ryuu glanced
toward them and away.  “Dawn and George are getting married.”

I stared at him,
surprised.  That explained why Ryuu was so quiet today.  “Really?  When did
this happen?”

 He shrugged. 
“They told me today, right before we came over.”

Ryuu was lying
on his stomach on the floor.  I scooted toward the edge of my seat on the couch
and nudged him with my foot.  “And?  I mean, how do you feel about it?”

He sat up and
folded his legs, Indian-style.  “I don’t know.”  A crease appeared between his
brows.  “I guess if it makes Dawn happy, that’s great.  George doesn’t seem
like a bad guy.”

I nudged him
again.  “But?”

“But I just hope
Dawn isn’t doing this for me.  You know, she thinks I should have a dad and
all.  George is a lot older than her…and even though he’s not a bad guy…I don’t
trust him for some reason.”

“Kit, Ryuu,” Dad
called, gesturing at us.  “Come on, dinner’s ready.”

Ryuu and I
helped Dad bring out the spread.  There was turkey and creamy mashed potatoes,
mushroom and green bean casserole, sweet potatoes with brown sugar and
marshmallows, and fresh, steamy bread.  We’d even managed a really nice
dessert- little individual molten chocolate cakes that we would bake after
dinner.  I had to admit, it had been fun spending time with my dad, just the
two of us, as we prepared the meal.  It reminded me of the good old days before
nonsense had taken over my life. 

We passed dishes
around, filling our plates while the adults kept up their steady stream of
chatter.  I stabbed a slice of turkey and passed the platter to Ryuu who passed
it right on to Dawn.  I glanced at his plate.  He’d taken potatoes and
vegetables and a couple of rolls.  “No meat?”

He shook his
dark head, his eyes on his plate.  “No.  I’m, ah… going vegetarian.”

I was
surprised.  I had seen him eat meat before.  “Why?’

He straightened
and opened his mouth to reply, but Dawn cut him off.  She gave a light laugh
and passed the tray of meat back his way.  “Don’t start in with your craziness today,
Ryuu.  It’s rude to refuse the food Kit and her dad made for us.”

Ryuu clenched
his teeth for a minute.  I could see a muscle flex in his cheek.  I thought
maybe this wasn’t the first time they’d had this argument.

I took the tray
from Dawn and set it down on my other side before Ryuu did what it looked like
he wanted to do and flung it at her.  Then I put my hand on his arm to get his
attention.  He was going all black and broody.  “Hey, what’s the big deal?  If
Ryuu doesn’t want to eat meat, he doesn’t have to.”

He took a
breath.  “It’s part of my training,” he said softly.  “The Buddhists at the
temple are all vegetarians.  They say it’s purifying.”

George cleared
his throat and cocked an eyebrow at Ryuu.  “Ryuu, you’re not a Buddhist.”

Ryuu lowered his
eyes.  “No, sir.  I’m not.  But I’m a vegetarian.”

I sighed in
exasperation.  They were ruining our nice little dinner over something so
stupid.  I stabbed my slab of meat and transferred it back to the serving
tray.  “You know what?  I think I’ll be a vegetarian too.”

Dad laughed. 
“Sure thing kid.”  He took my discarded turkey.  “Pass me the potatoes Ryuu?”

 I wanted to
stick my tongue out at Dawn. 
My
dad didn’t push me to do things his
way.  After that, the tension eased a little, but I was still a little miffed
at Dawn.  Couldn’t she even let Ryuu choose what to eat, for crap’s sake? 

When we were
done eating, Ryuu and I cleared the table.  We finally found ourselves in the
kitchen alone and I turned to him with a grin.  “Wow, what was that all about?”

He rinsed plates
and handed them to me to put in the dishwasher.  “Dawn wants us to be as normal
as possible.  George is funny about religion.  I shouldn’t have mentioned the
temple.”

I shook my
head.  “Do you really believe it will purify you, or whatever?”

He shrugged.  “I
figured it couldn’t hurt.”

I nodded,
thoughtful. 

When we returned
to the living room, the adults were laughing and sipping wine.  I was proud to
see that dad’s glass held only sparkling juice.  Dawn turned to Ryuu.  “Oh!  We
forgot the gift.  Will you run over and get it?”

“Sure.”  He
slipped on his coat and shoes. 

“I’ll help,” I
said following.

“Kit,” Dad
interrupted.  “Why don’t you stay here and help me with the dessert?”

I frowned.  I
thought we were going to do that a little later.  “Okay.”

Ryuu left and my
dad gestured to me.  “Come sit down for a minute.”

Dawn and George
were sitting on the loveseat looking at me expectantly.  I felt like something
was very wrong.  I slid into the armchair and Dad hitched a hip on the arm,
sipping his drink.

“What’s going
on?”  I looked from face to face, perplexed.

Dawn smiled at
me.  “Actually, honey, George and I wanted to talk to you for a minute.”

I glanced at
George and he nodded.  I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.  “You
heard that we’re getting married?”  Dawn held out her hand so that I could
catch the glint of the enormous rock on her finger.

I nodded, but
didn’t say anything.  George put his arm around Dawn.  “Of course, Dawn will be
coming to live with me.  I have a big house in Ann Arbor.”  Hours away from
Pine Rapids.

My stomach began
to hurt.  “And Ryuu…”

Dad put a hand
on my shoulder and Dawn leaned forward to pat my knee, but it was George who
spoke.  “You know Ryuu is an extremely smart kid.  Gifted, really,” he said
warmly.  “Did you know the school called Dawn just before the holiday break?  They
want to skip Ryuu ahead a full grade next year.  It seems he’s been bored where
he is, and that’s why his grades have dropped the last couple of years.”

I swallowed
hard, sure that all of Ryuu’s hard work was about to backfire.  “Once Dawn and
I are married, Ryuu will be my son.  I’ve never had children of my own, but
I’ve grown to care for Ryuu.  I’d like to give him the best opportunities in
life.”

I swallowed. 
“What?”  I glanced up at my dad for support, but he just looked sad. 

Dawn patted my
knee again and sure enough- kapow!  “We’re sending him to a private school on
the east coast- New Hampshire, where George grew up.  It’s a place for gifted
teens.”

I put my arm
over my stomach and tried to find my voice.  “Does Ryuu know?”

Dawn shook her
head.  George met my eyes and I very suddenly decided that I hated him.  “Kit,
we know that Ryuu will say he wants to be here with you.  So…we thought it
would be best if we told you first.  If you really want what’s best for Ryuu,
you’ll support our decision and tell him to go.”

I took a deep
breath.  “No.”

Dad squeezed my
shoulder.  “Honey, I know it will be hard for you, but think about what’s best
for Ryuu.  You don’t have to decide right now.”

I looked up at
him and the clenching in my chest eased just a fraction.  Was Dad telling me I
didn’t have to agree?”  But then he spoke again, crushing that notion.

“Dawn, we’re
really happy for you and George.  I’m sure Kit doesn’t want to hold Ryuu back.”

I was going to
argue, but just then, Ryuu burst through the door in a flurry of cold air and
blowing, icy rain.  “Wow, its cold!”  He dropped a bundle of fall flowers,
wrapped in bright orange and red paper onto the little table by the door, and
slipped off his coat and shoes.

He caught sight
of our faces and froze.  “What’s going on?”

I stood and went
to take the flowers and put them in water.  “Nothing.  We were just trying to
decide if we should have desert now or wait a while.”  I glanced at Ryuu’s face
and away, determined not to ruin his Thanksgiving.

“I vote for
now,” he said, rubbing his graceful hands together.  “I want something hot.”

I brushed the
glittering drops of moisture off his hair and pointed at the kitchen.  “Go turn
the oven on to preheat.  Heat comes out of the right corner when the oven’s
on.”

Ryuu sped away
to the kitchen.  I felt three pairs of eyes on me, but I refused to look back. 
I had no idea what I was going to say to Ryuu.   

*****

I tried to focus
on the practice questions Wyatt had given me this afternoon, but it was no
use.  I rolled over on my back and put my arm over my face.  I wished it was
all just a nightmare and I was still fourteen years old- no need to study tenth
grade math. 

“You okay?”  I
peeked out from under my arm to see that Ryuu was marking his place in his book
with an old, beat-up bookmark.  What was I going to do about Ryuu?  I couldn’t
tell him to stay here and ruin his chance to do something great just because I
was scared to be alone.  He shut the moldy tome with a thump and sat
cross-legged on his bedroom floor, regarding me with a worried expression.

I mustered what
little will power I had left and sat up.  “I’m fine,” I said, plastering on a
smile.  “It’s just math.”  No use crying about it.  Though that’s what I felt
like doing.

He squinted at
me suspiciously.  “It’s not just math.”

I sighed,
feeling like his dark eyes could see right inside my soul.  “No.  It’s not.  It’s
everything.”

“Tell me,” he
insisted. 

I shoved my math
book back into my backpack to avoid meeting his eyes.  “I just feel…
overwhelmed.  Like I can’t do anything right.  Like I can’t keep up.”  I rolled
my shoulders, feeling the tension there. 

Ryuu scooted
around so that his back was against the side of his bed.  “Come here.”  He
gestured at the spot in front of him.

I raised my
eyebrows, but did what he asked, sitting facing him.  He made a little gesture
with his hand.  “Turn around.”

I sat
cross-legged in front of Ryuu.  “Okay, now what?”

There was a hint
of a smile in his voice.  “Now you meditate.”

I snorted.  “I’m
not one of your monk friends.”

He leaned around
me and looked up to meet my eyes.  “I know it sounds crazy, but it will help you
relax.”  He sat up.  “Before, when you were…gone.  I felt so confused and
overwhelmed.  When I met Fumio this was one of the first things he taught me-
how to quiet my mind so that I wasn’t stuck in that endless loop of worry. 
You’re no good to anyone if you’re so confused you can’t do anything.”

Was he really
only fourteen?  I took a deep breath.  “Okay.”  I couldn’t really argue with
him when he reminded me about how much he had worried about me, and how hard
he’d worked to get me back.  “What do I need to do?”

“Just close your
eyes.”  I did, feeling extremely silly.

“Now focus on
your breathing.  Don’t try to change how you breathe, but notice it and try to
focus on just that.  Don’t let any other thoughts distract you.  You want to go
blank.”

I tried.  After
a few minutes I almost managed…but things kept popping up, thoughts about my
Dad, worry that he would never be sober again; thoughts about school, my
failing grades, Andrea and Wyatt, and all the other faces that stared at me
every day; worry about Ryuu and this thing he was set on doing; and this
overwhelming feeling that had lingered since I woke up from the curse- that
something just wasn’t right.  I shifted uncomfortably, unable to sit still.

Ryuu put his
hands on my shoulders, urging me to be still.  “I’ll try to help.  Just close
your eyes and breathe.  Think of somewhere nice; maybe a forest, or a garden or
something.”  He put his legs on either side of me and pulled me back so that my
back rested against his chest and I could feel him breathing.  “If you want…”
his soft voice resonated through me, tinged with embarrassment, “you could try
to think of me being there with you.”

It was awkward,
but gradually it started to work.  I told myself to think of nothing.  I
matched my breathing to the rise and fall of Ryuu’s chest at my back.  And then
I was just… there.

The whole scene
opened up in my mind like a movie, but more vivid.  I was standing in a little
garden.  It was similar to the manicured grounds of the Buddhist temple, but
this garden was surrounded by trees- a deep forest with no buildings, no sounds
of cars or street noise.  Just the sound of the breeze rustling the tree
leaves. 

I stood in the
middle of the garden as I watched the dragon bounding toward me in rolling, rippling
loops.  I wanted to speak, but I couldn’t.  The dragon reached me and stood on
his hind legs, regarding me with amused topaz eyes. 
I brought him this
time.
 I could hear the thought and I knew he was referring to the last
dream.  I turned, expecting to find Ryuu behind me.