Kami Cursed (Dragon and Phoenix) (16 page)

Those blue eyes
were on me now, and I squirmed under that gaze, wishing he would hurry up and
look somewhere else.  “And what were you running from?”

There was
another pause while I gaped at him and he waited patiently.  I was sure, in
that moment, that he knew exactly how I’d gotten those bruises.  The silver
around him seemed to grow for a minute.  Then it died down. 

“She was chasing
me,” Ryuu answered for me.  “We were just playing around.”

There were a few
more questions, but John didn’t seem to have much interest in the answers.  He
left with assurances that he didn’t see any danger here- though he slanted a
meaningful and rather wry look at Ryuu and I as he said this- and that the case
would be dropped.

I followed him
to the door, surprised when he paused in the threshold and stared down at me. 
“It was…interesting to meet you, Katherine.”  He leaned closer.  “Please be
careful not to be so clumsy from here on out,” he whispered.  “Oh, and remember
this when someone asks you for a favor in the future,” he said with a wink.  His
blue eyes lightened to silver, and he turned and made his out to the dark
sidewalk, whistling a tune. 

I shut the door
firmly and wondered just who Fumio was making friends with.  I turned to find
Ryuu watching me.  “I don’t like the way that guy was looking at you,” he said
bluntly.

I sighed and
rolled my eyes.  “It’s fine, Ryuu.  Jeeze sometimes you seem like an old man,
but then you say something like that and you sound like a two year old.”  I
laughed.  “Afraid someone’s gonna take your binkie?”

He frowned at
me.  “He knows,” was all he said.  It gave me a slight chill, but I pushed the
feeling away.  “Whatever.  Fumio asked him for help, so he probably told him
about us.”  I messed up his hair as I walked past him.  “The important thing is
I’m not going back to the nuthouse.”

I
dodged slower
moving couples and children, the skates singing under me, rumbling like a
rollercoaster when I ran over the bumpy paths left behind by the other skaters,
then coasting smooth and silent over the glassy surface of an untouched area. 
The wind blew my hair back and I glanced over my shoulder to see Ryuu slowly
closing the distance between us.  He was more careful, the chicken.  It was
thrilling to feel that I finally had some connection with this body of mine. 
It was less clumsy- in fact, just now it felt perfectly graceful and strong. 

Until I hit a divot
in the ice.  I didn’t even see it coming.  Next thing I knew, I was lying on my
back, gazing up at the twilight purple sky, watching the first few puffy
snowflakes fall.  A man with a little girl clinging to his hand stopped and
leaned over me. 

“Are you okay?” 
He looked like he didn’t know if he should laugh or call for help.

I sat up and
rubbed my elbow.  “Fine,” I said, my face hot.  This was what I got for being a
show off.

The man smiled
and went on his way, carefully keeping the little girl upright when she almost
lost her footing.  There was a grinding sound close by, and Ryuu came to a stop
at my side. 

He
wasn’t having
any trouble deciding if he should laugh, and I slapped his leg.  “I could have
died, you know,” I said over his laughter.

He gave me a
hand up.  “Your own fault,” he said, still grinning. 

I sighed.  “How
could I know there was a big hole in the ice?”

He shook his
head.  “Uh huh…”  We both laughed. 

“This was a good
idea,” Ryuu said, gesturing to the skating rink.  The city flooded the park
when it got cold enough, and opened it to skaters for a couple dollars.  Mom
and Dad had brought me here a lot, once upon a time.

Ryuu kept a hold
of my hand as we started off again- at a much slower pace.  I wouldn’t admit it
to him, but he wasn’t the only one who was afraid I would fall again.  I
refrained from rubbing my aching butt.  I was going to have a bruise for sure. 
Luckily, Ryuu and I were the only ones there from our school.  I was glad that
he hadn’t wanted to invite anyone else, and not just because none of them were
here to witness my skills.  I knew that it wouldn’t have been nearly so much
fun if the others were here.

“Can we stop for
a while?”  I think I’d pulled something when I fell, my leg was aching from my
backside to my knee. 

“Sure.  Hey-
let’s get cocoa.”  There was still a hint of laughter in his voice.

We took off our
skates, then went to the small pavilion that catered to the skaters.  We came away
with little Styrofoam cups of cocoa, complete with miniature marshmallows. 

The sky had
darkened even more, and the streetlamps along the sidewalk flickered to life as
we passed.  We found a little stone bench under a bare-branched tree, and
settled in to drink our cocoa.

I slipped a
brightly wrapped box out of my coat pocket and held it out to Ryuu.  One corner
was a little crushed, thanks to my graceful maneuvers on the ice.  “Happy
birthday!”

He set his cup
aside and took the box eagerly, then held it up to his ear and shook it
experimentally.  It gave a little metallic jangle and he frowned at me.  “Uh…I
think you broke it.”

I laughed and
took a drink of my cocoa, pausing to wipe away my whipped cream mustache. 
“It’s supposed to sound that way.  Open it.”

He undid the
little silver ribbon that held the box closed, then pulled out the bracelet. 
It was a prayer bracelet, woven with grey cord and wooden beads.  At the end
was a shiny silver bell. 

Ryuu’s face grew
serious as he studied the bracelet.  “You don’t like it?”  I reached out a hand
to take it back, but he held it away from me.

“It’s different
than my other one.”  His dark eyes were suspicious. 

I shrugged. 
“Fumio helped me get this one,” I said, shifting in my seat.  “I told him I
wanted a real prayer bracelet.  Those beads are hand carved, and it’s been
blessed by the monks at the temple.  I don’t know what they did, Fumio wouldn’t
let me watch, but he said it should be… better.”  I felt dumb.  I was giving
him a blessed bracelet for his birthday. 
Lame.

Ryuu handed me
the bracelet and held out his wrist.  “Put it on for me?”

I set my cup
beside his and wrapped the bracelet around his wrist, pulling the bell through
the little loop at the end to secure it.  He held up his wrist, twisting it to
make the bell ring softly.  “It’s perfect.  I can feel the energy they put into
it- like a charm.”

I let out a sigh
of relief.  “It’s okay then?  I wasn’t sure.  I can’t see things the way you
can, but it… I could sort of feel it.”  It made my fingers buzz when I touched
it.  Ryuu seemed happy, but I hadn’t liked the sensation at all. 

“Thanks Kit,” he
said looking out at the skaters on the little rink.  “This is the best birthday
I’ve had in a long time.”

I shrugged.  “I
should have taken you to the bounce house,” I teased.  “We could have gotten
you a little pizza and some free tokens.”  Just like my dad had done for Ryuu’s
eleventh birthday.

He shook his
head.  “I missed you so much.  I’m glad you’re back.”  His eyes glittered, and
I thought for one panicked minute that he might actually cry.  But then he
grinned at me.  “You know what?  For a few months I’m closer to your age.”

I snorted. 
“That doesn’t count.  You’re still a kid.”  I shifted my feet under me, getting
ready to stand.  I had the feeling it was time to get out of here before he did
something stupid.

Ryuu grabbed my
arm and pulled me back down.  I sat, bracing myself.  “Please don’t do that,”
he said quietly.

I looked at
him.  “Don’t do what?”

He stared at me
with those black pools.  “Don’t keep reminding me that I’m younger than you.”

I sighed.  “You
know I was only teasing you.  Geesh, don’t be so touchy.”

His hand slipped
down to hold mine, and I knew he was comparing the size to my own.  They were
the same now.  “I know I’m not right for you right now,” he said solemnly.  “But
one day soon I will be.  Can’t you just wait ‘til then?”  He gave me a
lop-sided smile.  “I’ll be as tall as my dad was, I know I will.  And I’ll be
just as good looking as that moron that follows you around all the time.”

I pulled my hand
away, tired of having to repeat myself.  “Ryuu,” I said slowly.  “Listen to
me.  You are a kid.  I’m a teenager.”  I waved my hand, my irritation growing. 
“When I’m in college, you’ll still be in high school.  When I’m working, you’ll
be in college- you’ll always be a step behind me.  Always.”

He shook his
head, determined.  “It won’t matter then.  Right now three years seems like a
lot.  But when we’re adults, it won’t matter at all.”

I scowled at
him.  “Yes.  It will.  I don’t like you that way Ryuu.  I never have and I
never will.”  I stood, knocking over our drinks in the process.  “Please just
stop saying stuff like this.  I don’t want to keep hurting your feelings.”

He stood too,
reaching for my hand.  I jerked it away.  “Just stop.”

I expected him
to yell back, to get angry for once.  But he just stood there, quiet. 
Something flashed in his eyes and was gone.

“I’m sorry,” he
said calmly.  “We were having so much fun, and now you’re ticked off.”

I heaved an
exasperated sigh.  “It’s fine.  Just forget about it.”

We walked back
home in silence.  It had been such a fun time- and now I just felt angry and
sad.  The air was frosty, and our breath made little clouds in the night air. 
When we got to the corner of our street, Ryuu spoke again.

“Thank you for
the present,” he said holding up his wrist.  The streetlight glinted off the
little bell and the soft chiming eased some of my cranky mood.

I sighed.  “Sure.”

“Hey Kit?”  He
had stopped and I turned to look at him as he stood in a halo of lamplight. 
“My present…” he stepped closer and I couldn’t breathe.  Ryuu reached out and
put one finger on my lips.  It felt like a current of electricity was arcing
from him to me, and I was suddenly flushed and hot.

Then he stepped
away and the cold night air washed over me as if nothing had ever happened. 
“Never mind,” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. 

I followed him
in silence the rest of the way, stopping at my front door to wave as he
continued on home.  Ryuu lifted his hand and smiled like always as he
disappeared up the walk.

I stood on the
front stoop sucking in big gulps of cold night air that made my throat ache. 
What the heck was that back there?  Was that all because of Ryuu?  Or… did he just
do something to me?

Anger overtook
my fear and surprise.  He was messing with me.  He had just done something to
me with his spiritual power.  “Jerk,” I whispered to the dark.  “You stinking
jerk!  What would you do if you made me spontaneously combust?”

But he hadn’t
seen me catch fire in my dream. 

Maybe I’d just
imagined it all.  I hurried inside and went to bed, where I dreamed of dragons
and bright orange flames.  And of burying Ryuu in a snowdrift somewhere. 
Annoying kid. 

*****

I eyed Vanessa
from the safety of my locker.  The pretty sophomore tossed her shiny blond hair
and fiddled with the necklace while she talked to one of her friends. 

“What in the
world are we going to do about that necklace?”  I pitched my voice low, hoping
no one else in the crowded hallway would hear me.  Ryuu said he was pretty much
positive that her big gothic looking locket was cursed.  Personally, I thought
it was just a convenient excuse for her being a witch- and not in the magic
sort of way.

Ryuu glanced
toward Vanessa and away.  “Don’t worry,” he said with a grin.  “I’ve got a
plan.”  He pulled his locker open and started rooting around.  He seemed to be
taking forever, so I leaned around the door to see what he was doing.  He had
taken off his hoodie to reveal a really cool shirt with a dragon ghosted up one
side.  On any other boy, it would have looked ridiculous.  But Ryuu was just so
darned… pretty.  He was squinting into the tiny mirror on his locker door as he
pulled the angled tips of his black hair forward into ordered disorder. 

Finally, he
closed the door and stood back, smoothing his long hands over his shirt. 
“Okay.  How do I look?”

I stared at him. 
Beautiful.  Stupid.  Completely irritating.  “Uh.  What are you doing?”

 His dark eyes
darted away and he looked at his feet.  “Just… I want to try something.”

He lifted his
head and his eyes meet mine defiantly.  “I need you to get her to take the necklace
off.  The cursed things hate me.  Then I’ll distract her and you do the rest.”

I narrowed my
eyes at him.  “Just how in the heck am I supposed to get the necklace?”

He put both
hands on my shoulders and turned me toward my target.  “I don’t care, just do
it.”  Then he shoved.

I stumbled
across the hall.  Squaring my shoulders, I walked up to Vanessa.  She ignored
me, continuing to talk to her friend like I wasn’t even there- something about
a pool party at her indoor pool.  I cleared my throat.  Finally, she turned her
blue eyes on me.  “Did you want something?”  Her friend smirked at me.

I plastered a stupid
smile on my face and gestured at the locket.  “I noticed your necklace in Art
class.  It’s really pretty.”

She preened. 
“Isn’t it?  It’s an antique.”

I sidled
closer.  “Can I see it?”

She put a hand
over the locket and gave me a look.  “Uh,” I cleared my throat.  “I noticed in
class that it was looking kind of dull.”  I pulled my backpack around and
started to rummage through the contents.  “I have some, um, jewelry polish. 
I’ll clean it for you.”  The excuse wouldn’t seem too far-fetched, since we were
working with metals in art.

She arched an
eyebrow.  “You’re really weird.”  Her friend had grown bored by the
conversation and turned to talk to the boy at the next locker.  I pulled out a
bottle of hand sanitizer spray, being careful to hide the label with my hand.

“Here, take it
off and I’ll fix it for you.”  I smiled like I might not be that bright.  Not
much of a stretch right now.  What the heck was Ryuu’s master plan?  I couldn’t
really take the thing and run- could I?  We needed to take it somewhere less
noticeable to destroy it.  And besides, I didn’t even have my bat.  Again.

Vanessa sighed
and slipped the necklace off over her head, probably hoping I would just hurry
up and go away.  I took it and spritzed it with some sanitizer, then used my
t-shirt to rub it off, pretending to pay close attention to what I was doing. 
I saw Ryuu come up out of the corner of my eye, but I ignored him.

“Hey Vanessa,”
he said cheerily.  “Can I talk to you for a minute?”  I sent a covert glance
his way.  He was actually smiling.  Beaming like the stinking sun.  I tried not
to stare.