Relax, I'm A Ninja Page 14

  Courtney’s eyes widened. “I see.”

  There was nothing I could do to take back what Amy had said, so I motioned to the chair. “Take a seat.”

  She sat down, looking between us. Her knees bounced nervously, but she didn’t say anything.

  “So? What do you want?” I asked.

  “You did what I’ve been trying to do for months. I figured we could swap stories. You ask a question, then me.” Courtney looked away, possibly blushing.

  “Sounds good.” I smiled. She was the curious one now. Funny how the tables had turned. “What are the Akuma?”

  Courtney sighed. “An ancient ninja Clan. They use dark arts to steal and consume kami for powers. They roam all over the world, killing at random in order to feed their addiction to spirit matter. The Akuma are the worst kind of murderers—they don’t just kill bodies, they kill souls.”

  “So that’s why you, the Saburau, fight them? Simon said we weren’t Saburau,” Amy said.

  Courtney held up her finger. “My turn.” Amy rolled her eyes. If we were five, Courtney probably would have stuck out her tongue. “Who trained you?”

  “My father,” I said. “Now, the Saburau?”

  She didn’t seem satisfied with my answer, but she obliged. “Yes, we’ve sworn to protect kami. In the physical realm they look like lights, and it takes a lot of spiritual focus just to see that. But in the kami realm they’re actually immortal beings. Some kami, like human kami, enter the physical realm through the reincarnation cycle. We are all kami, and if trained we can tap into our spiritual power. Even all our ancestors are kami, and they have their own powers.”

  “Wow.” It was pretty clear that the kami must be giving Amy and me power, but we didn’t eat them. Why did our kissing make them come? Or did that somehow augment our own spiritual power? I had so many questions, but I had to wait my turn.

  “How did you get Simon to reveal himself?” Courtney asked. “I…I didn’t know about him, and he was right in my territory.”

  I had to tread lightly. There was no way I was saying that we saw him glow. Especially since she said seeing kami was a big deal. “We were in the hall at the dance when Emma ran by crying like a lunatic. Simon followed her, which I thought was weird. Shouldn’t her boyfriend, Jack What’s-his-name, have been taking care of her?”

  Courtney raised an eyebrow. She didn’t quite buy it, but it seemed like she couldn’t come up with a better theory. “For a nerd you sure know your popular crowd drama.”

  “What can I say? I’m observant by trade.”

  Courtney did her best to hide a smile. “Go on.”

  “We both thought it was weird,” Amy cut in. She tugged at my arm, but I wasn’t sure what she was trying to say. “What with all the murders in the area, we thought we should check on them. Fight broke out, and you know the rest.”

  “You’re not telling me everything.” Courtney folded her arms. “I saw you break his arm.”

  “Adrenaline rush,” I said. “So, how the hell does a blonde cheerleader get caught up in all of this?”

  Any trace of softness in Courtney’s features disappeared. “We lived in Okinawa when I was young. Let’s say I got…recruited. I was five.” No wonder she was so skilled at sixteen. “When we moved back to the States, the Saburau put me in contact with our Clan members here. My turn. If you didn’t know about this stuff, then how did you get mixed up in it?”

  “Fate? An unhealthy amount of curiosity? Seems like it’s been finding me.”

  “No kidding.” She smirked, the smallest amount of admiration in her eyes. Amy tugged at my arm yet again. Was I doing something wrong? “I can’t believe you beat him.”

  “Why? I beat you.”

  She laughed dryly. “The most we can usually do is run them off, stop them from taking more kami. They’re incredibly strong and fast, not to mention hard to track since they’re shadows. Even if you did beat me, not even my superiors have many Akuma defeats.”

  “We did outnumber him,” Amy said.

  “Still. For average mercenary ninjas, that should have been impossible.” Courtney eyed us. Amy and I looked at each other. I was tempted to tell Courtney everything, but I still wasn’t sure if we could trust her. I didn’t know who we could trust.

  “But why do the Akuma do it? What do they use their power for anyway?” I asked.

  Courtney seemed hesitant to move on. “It’s part of their deal with the actual demon named Akuma, hence the whole dark arts thing. He promised to give them power, and in exchange they had to find a way to bring him into this realm.”

  I waited for Courtney to ask her question. Her blue eyes turned shrewd. “When I almost killed you in my room, was that the first time you spied on me, perv?”

  “I…uh …” Why was it suddenly so hot in that freezing hospital room? Amy’s expression was a mixture of panic and anger. Courtney folded her arms, looking proud of the reaction.

  “Well?”

  “My friends dared me, okay? I didn’t know what you were. It was the dumbest thing I’ve ever done—and that includes almost getting hit by a BART train under the Bay.” Please, please don’t make me explain more.

  “Like he’d spend all his time watching you do your hair.” Amy gripped my arm so hard it was going numb.

  Courtney tilted her head. “You seem a little insecure, Amy. Afraid Tosh will dump you?”

  If Amy hadn’t been seriously injured, she might have tried to kill Courtney. The cheerleader was all talk, though. She was only trying to maintain her superiority, not steal me away. Like I would leave Amy for Queen Cranky.

  “We’re getting a little off track,” I said. “What kind of powers do the Akuma gain from kami?”

  “Mostly strength and speed,” Courtney answered, pulling her eyes away from Amy. “I’ve been told they can have heightened senses as well, but it depends on how long they’ve been Akuma and how many kami they’ve consumed. Simon was young and new. I’m guessing he was initiated a couple of months ago. He wasn’t as strong as some, and most killings go unnoticed by the cops. He lacked the finesse of seasoned Akuma. Would you be interested in becoming Saburau?”

  My jaw dropped. How was I supposed to answer that? I was flattered, but I couldn’t leave my Clan. That would be like turning my back on family, literally. Unless, of course, my mom was Saburau, which I was beginning to suspect. In that case, I didn’t know the protocol. “I don’t think so. Not that I’m unwilling to help you guys, but I couldn’t abandon my Clan.”

  “Same,” Amy said.

  Courtney nodded and stood. “Well, it was worth a shot.” She stopped at the door. “I guess I’ll be in contact, if necessary.”

  “One more question,” I said.

  “Yeah?”

  “Are you telling your Clan about us?”

  “Not unless you consider joining. I’m not particularly interested in being accused of treason, so you better keep your mouths shut.”

  “As long as you do.”

  She stared at me without a single sign of deceit. Then she smiled. “Of course. Don’t take it personally when I treat you like crap at school.”

  “Ditto,” Amy replied.

  Courtney left without another word. Amy and I sighed at exactly the same time, which made us laugh. Amy winced at the pain.

  “Well, that was weird,” I said.

  “A little. But I wasn’t expecting any of it to sound normal after all we’ve been through.” Amy leaned into me, probably getting tired. But it seemed more than tired, like maybe Courtney had gotten to her.

  “You okay?”

  “Sure, I just need a nap.” I didn’t quite believe her, but I could tell she didn’t want to talk about it. We kissed once before she nestled into me and fell asleep. I watched the glow under my skin, wondering why the kami showed up to watch us kiss. It seemed like a trivial thing to cross supernatural realms to see.

  23

  The day Amy got out of the hospital, her parents dropped us off at my house since
they both had plans and couldn’t take care of her all night. It really pissed me off that they were too caught up in themselves to care about their incredible daughter.

  I helped Amy walk through the dojo, which was empty during school hours, and then carried her up the stairs. When I opened the door, Dad was actually sitting in the recliner watching TV. He never did that. Mom was in the kitchen with the water running, probably washing rice for lunch.

  I put Amy on the couch and then sat next to her. Dad turned off the TV, leaned forward, and clasped his cracked hands. He glared at us like we were in trouble. I usually stopped holding Amy’s hand at that point, but not this time. She was still in pain and needed my support.

  My mom drifted in from the kitchen. She sat on the recliner’s arm and took my dad’s hand. My parents didn’t do that. Sure, they loved each other—they just showed it in other ways.

  “Toshiro, Sato, the ninja that attacked you wasn’t an average ninja,” my father said, his voice as tight as his lips. Were they about to tell us the truth? I couldn’t let them explain all this stuff and pretend I didn’t know. They’d see right through it.

  I sighed. “I know, Dad. He was part of the Akuma.”

  My parents’ eyes about popped out of their heads. They looked at each other for a moment and then looked back to us. Rather than making them ask, I told them everything I’d overheard and what I’d figured out on my own. Their faces turned angrier with every word, but they didn’t speak. I expected them to lecture me, to fill me in on the rest—something.

  “So, are you in charge of the Saburau?” I asked Mom when I couldn’t take the silence anymore.

  “Only the Northern California division. The Masters live in Japan. Who told you?”

  “Does it matter? I should have learned it from you, but you decided to wait until Amy almost died to clue us in.” I folded my arms, but the look on my dad’s face made me regret my plan of attack.

  He stood up, pure fury. “You do not disrespect your mother. I may agree that you should have known sooner, but she had her reasons, the top two being your safety and happiness.”

  At every word, I shrank half an inch. Whether with a glance or a speech, my dad was a pro at making me feel like crap.

  “Will you speak respectfully?” my father said after a long silence. He sat back down in the chair, but gripped the armrests so hard I wondered if they’d break.

  “I’m sorry.” I couldn’t look him in the eye. There were so many things I wanted to point out—that he seemed to hate me lately, that he’d deceived me too, that he’d married a ninja and shouldn’t have a problem with Amy—but the words wouldn’t come.

  “Good. What don’t you know?” he asked.

  “What you meant when you said Amy and I were ‘it.’ What are we? And why do you want us together so badly?” I glanced at my mom, shuddering at the thought of hearing her happy voice at the sight of us in a bed together.

  “You could be something very important, but we need you to kiss to know for sure.” Mom smiled wide, like she really wanted to see it. Amy and I both cringed.

  “Hisako.” Dad swallowed hard, his constant glower now turned on her. “We don’t need to do that. I know what I’ve sensed.”

  “Sensed?” My eyebrows rose. Could my dad sense kami? He wasn’t Saburau.

  Mom’s smile vanished. “Are you sure?”

  “Is my current state not proof enough?” He didn’t look at us. All his muscles flexed like he was physically forcing himself to stay in the chair.

  “Fine, but it’s on your head if you’re wrong.” Mom turned to us, her expression shifting from stern to dreamy. “Our ancestors have blessed us. We have only seen one other couple like you in our lifetimes.”

  “Would you mind telling us already?”

  “You are Inyo,” my dad said.

  “Huh?” Amy looked as confused as I did. Inyo was Japanese for Yin Yang—the force that kept the world balanced. Night and day, life and death, the endless cycle of ebb and flow. It wasn't really something that could describe two people, though.

  Mom sighed. “You are two halves of a whole. Your qualities together make a complete being. In western terms, you are literal soul mates.” She clasped her hands together, waiting for our reaction.

  Amy and I stared at each other. It didn’t seem completely insane when I thought about the past couple of months. I nursed a bruise from where she got stabbed. We glowed when we kissed. It hurt to be away from her. When she was sad, I cheered her up. When I was angry, she was forgiving. I defended; she attacked. But could we actually be soul mates?

  It sounded too much like a fairy tale, and my mom didn’t seem as certain as Dad. Maybe he was wrong.

  “Why does that make kami come?” I asked.

  “There are few places that are whole in our realm or the spirit realm. Kami seek that peace like we do. When your souls come together, they sense the balance you create and wish to reside there as well. Your power essentially opens a gate to their realm, and your ancestor’s power floods into you, lending you their strength,” my mom said.

  “That makes sense, I think.” Amy squeezed my hand, not seeming as worried about the idea as I was. Dad winced like seeing us together was physically painful. “Is that why we see people glow with kami?”

  Dad nodded. “You naturally have intense spiritual strength, thus you can see spirits bleeding into our realm. Not even the Akuma can do that. They only sense them.”

  I could hardly wrap my head around it. “So, what now? Are we supposed to kill the Akuma?”

  “Yes, you need—” Mom started.

  “No,” my father said over her. “You need to take this slow. It might feel like physical touch activates your abilities, but that is fleeting power. Your souls must be connected for you to become truly powerful. You have much spiritual and physical training to undergo.”

  Mom let go of his hand. “That may be true, but your physical relationship will accelerate your abilities. We need your strength now.”

  Dad pursed his lips like they’d had this conversation before. “They may be strong, but they are still vulnerable so early in their connection. If the Akuma discover them, the whole Clan will come for them. Their nature provides weaknesses as well, Hisako.”

  “Weaknesses?” I asked before my mom could argue. Dad sure seemed to know a lot about the Akuma, and he’d never said anything to me. It stung, even if I knew he had secrets. Neither of them trusted me with something that was obviously a big part of their lives.

  Dad looked at my torso. “You have a wound where Amy was stabbed, don’t you?”

  I nodded.

  “If you argue or lose your connection in any way, you’ll lose some of your power. If one of you dies, the other will as well. The Akuma will try to separate you, which will make you easier prey. And if they capture you…they might even use you to summon the demon Akuma himself.”

  The danger was hard to process, but it didn’t feel like a lie. Amy doubled her grip on my hand. If this was true, it made sense why I needed to protect her—I was protecting myself, too.

  Mom took a deep breath and glanced at Dad. “I will oversee your training once Amy’s recovered. Your father can’t be in the room with so much kami.”

  I tilted my head. The “why” almost left my lips, but then it clicked and I gasped. No, it can’t be. I stared at him, forcing out the thought. There’s just no way.

  “Toshiro …” Mom stood to come over, but I held out my hand.

  “No, don’t say it.” I didn't want to know, didn't want to accept it, but the realization hit like a storm rolling in from the ocean. There was a new weight in the air as I made the connections—his recent rage and avoidance, inexplicable power, and now knowing that he could sense kami. He didn’t hate me being with Amy; it was something much darker.

  My father pulled off his shirt. On his chest, right over his heart, was a tattoo. Reading the kanji was like a physical blow. My father was an Akuma.

  I slumped forward,
putting my head in my hands. My survival instincts whispered that I should jump in front of Amy and get out of there, but I was completely defeated. How had I missed this? I was the blindest ninja on the planet. My father, my sensei, quite literally my lifetime hero, was one of them.

  My heart burned, eaten up by feelings so terrible I couldn’t name them, and still I sat there, trying to block it out. My parents didn’t speak. Their crinkled faces weren’t familiar anymore. Dad’s narrow black eyes had always seemed gentle. Now they were those of a killer. All the innocence Mom’s smile used to hold had been replaced with cunning.

  My whole life had been flipped upside down. I’d been keeping secrets since I understood what that meant, pretending to be a regular nerdy kid at a fancy private school. It was hard sometimes, but at least I had my dad. He knew who I really was, and I trusted him. I knew nothing. Who could I trust if not my own parents?

  Amy pulled herself up and wrapped her arms around my waist. I stared at the top of her head. She looked up at me, and her eyes seemed to say we’d be okay. Her full lips curled slightly, saturating my heart with relief. How could she be strong when I was so weak? I grabbed her in a hug. She was so sincere, so honest with me. I could trust her. She was my anchor now, and I was hers.

  “Stop that,” my father said.

  We were glowing from the hug. Amy let go.

  My mother sighed. “I’m sure your faith in us has been damaged, Toshiro, but I can assure you that your father is trustworthy. He suppresses the urge. It has been over twenty years since he’s taken kami into himself. He’s not the first, nor will he be the last, to help us. If it weren’t for ex-Akuma like him, the Saburau would know nothing of their ways.”

  “So, your Clan knows?” I asked.

  “Those who need to.”

  “I’m not proud of my past,” my dad said quietly, looking smaller in that moment than he ever had before.

  My mother put her hand on his back. “The recent influx in the area is probably a hunting party in search of your father. They view him as a traitor, of course. That’s why we left Japan in the first place. I know this is overwhelming. Don’t focus on the big picture yet; focus on training.”