Monday, April 3, 2006

After the Party

Hikaru sat on a rock down at the beach, watching the tide flow out. The letter from his grandfather weighed on his mind. He wasn’t sure what to make of it. Part of him wanted to pretend the letter never came, and the other part was curious to meet the man. All he knew about his grandfather was what he had been told by Takeda, and sensei may not have been objective in his description of the man.

The sun was beginning to rise and the fishermen were beginning their day. A few saw Hikaru and waved. Hikaru waved back and decided he should get back to the house. He had gone out after Takeda had gone to bed and hadn’t told him he was going.

Hikaru walked back to the house, lost in thought. He hoped that Takeda would not be too angry with him for leaving. He also hoped Sam-san would come and fly the kite with him. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt better when she was around. He didn’t want to ask Takeda about either Sam-san or his grandfather just yet.

Takeda was waiting at the door when Hikaru walked up. There was a look of disappointment on his face. He didn’t say a thing as Hikaru entered.

“Sorry,” Hikaru muttered. “I needed to get some air and think. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

Takeda sighed and shook his head. “Next time could you please leave me a note?” he said.

Hikaru turned to look at Takeda. “You’re not angry?”

“No, not angry. Disappointed, yes. I woke to find you gone again and worried something had happened. I thought we cleared the air about your wandering about at night.”

Hikaru smiled. “I am sorry, sensei. I’ll leave a note next time.”

Takeda smiled in return. He was finding it hard to stay angry with the boy. He also realized that Hikaru was growing up and would become more independent as time passed. He said, “The bath is ready if you’re interested.”

“Thank you. That does sound nice,” Hikaru said and started back to the bathroom. He washed up and sat in the tub for a while, contemplating the letter from his grandfather. He would have to reply, but he wanted to think about what to say.

After he had finished his bath and gotten dressed, Hikaru went to his room to get something to read. He found Takeda doing some cleaning at the front of the house. “I’ll be in back reading, sensei,” he said.

“All right,” Takeda answered. “Is your laundry ready to go? I’ll be doing that later.”

“It’s in my room; do you want me to bring it out?”

“No, I’ll get it when I’m ready to start. Go enjoy your book. I’ll be fine.”

“Thank you, sensei,” Hikaru said and went to the backyard to enjoy his book.
***
The night after Hikaru’s birthday party, Samantha again had the dream about walking on the edge of the sword. It had become more vivid and caused her to lose sleep after it was over. She managed to keep from screaming, but the next morning it showed on her face. She tried hard not to let on that something was wrong, but it wasn’t easy. She got dressed in her old clothes from Boston. It was time to do laundry. She gathered her clothes and left her room to find Midori.

Midori was in the dining room talking to the innkeeper’s wife. They looked up as Samantha came in and both could tell it had been a fitful night. “Ohayô, Sam-chan,” Midori said. “How are you this morning?”

“Good morning,” Sam replied with a yawn. “I’m fine. I brought my laundry.” She set the bundle of clothes on the floor next to a table and sat down. “I’m hungry.”

The other women exchanged glances and the innkeeper’s wife went to get breakfast. Midori sat across from Sam. “Sam-chan, are you all right?” she asked earnestly. “You look tired.”

Samantha started to say that it was nothing, but tears filled her eyes and she said, “It’s that dream again.”

“The one from the other night? I thought talking about it would make it stop.”

“So did I. I don’t know what it means, but it’s more vivid and frightening.”

“Would you like to talk about it? You said it always helps to tell about the dreams.”

Sam waited as Satsuo came out with breakfast. He smiled at her and said, “Ohayô,” as he set the dishes on the table. He seemed to have gotten over his shock of seeing her dressed like a girl the other day. “Arigatô,” Sam said. She sighed and began to tell of the dream again. “It begins the same as I told you the other night and continues to where Hikaru puts his hand on my shoulder and says my name. But this time when I open my eyes and look up at him, his expression is hard to read. At first he seems to be concerned, but his expression slowly changes and his grip on my shoulder tightens.”

Midori gave Sam a chance to wipe away the tears. “Is he still covered in blood?”

Sam nodded and continued, “I can’t quite tell how much of it is his and how much is someone else’s. But as he grabs my shoulder, he drops the sword and falls to his knees. I feel so helpless because he’s bleeding and I can’t do anything to stop it. Midori, I don’t like feeling so helpless.” She began to cry again.

Midori moved around to the other side of the table to sit next to Sam. She put her arm around the girl and held her close while she cried. “It’s all right,” Midori said. “Let’s go over to Hikaru-kun’s house. Then you can see that he’s all right. Would that help you out?”

Samantha sobbed and nodded. “Yes, I’d like that,” she said and wiped away the tears.

They got up, leaving their breakfast untouched on the table. Midori saw the innkeeper as they left and apologized for leaving without eating. When he saw that Sam was clearly upset about something, he said it was all right. Midori also asked if someone could do their laundry. The innkeeper smiled and said it would be done.

As they walked to the little house, Samantha calmed down somewhat, but she was still upset by the dream. “Midori-san?”

“Yes, Sam-chan?”

“Thank you.”

Midori was mildly confused. “For what?”

Sam looked up at the sky. “Listening. Helping. Caring. I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t here to help me.”

That brought a smile to Midori’s face. “You’re welcome, Sam-chan. I’m happy to be of help to you. Ah, we’re almost there.”

Hikaru’s little house was just within sight and they could see Takeda sweeping the step. He looked up and waved as the two women approached. “Ohayô, Midori-san, Sam-chan. How are you two this morning?”

Samantha replied in Japanese. “I’m fine, thank you, Takeda-sensei,” and bowed.

“Very good, Sam-chan,” Takeda said, returning the bow. “Hikaru-kun is in the backyard.” He indicated around the house.

Sam looked to Midori, who translated the last part, and then went around to the backyard.

Hikaru was sitting on the bench at the back of the house reading. He looked up as Samantha came into view. “Ohayô,” he said, smiling.

His smile took Sam by surprise, but she still managed to return his greeting in Japanese.

“Dôka shimashita ka.” he asked. He noticed that she had been crying.

“I’m sorry. I don’t understand.”

Hikaru stood and walked over to Sam. He touched her cheek where the tracks of her tears still remained. “Namida desu. Naze naite imasu ka.”

Even though she didn’t understand what he said, the tears welled up in her eyes again, and she began to tell him about her dream and how worried she was about him. However, she was speaking English and Hikaru understood none of it. She threw her arms around his neck and cried on his shoulder.

Not knowing what else to do, he let her cry and began to stroke her hair.

They were still standing together when Midori and Takeda came around the house. Hikaru backed away from Sam and started to blush. Sam looked over her shoulder at the others and wiped away some of the tears.

Takeda wasn’t angry at all, but had a kind smile. He told Hikaru not to worry. He had done nothing wrong. Midori told Sam that she had told Takeda about the dreams.

“Hikaru-kun, could you help me in the house, please?” Takeda said.

“What? Oh… yes, sensei,” Hikaru said and followed his teacher into the house.

Takeda went to the pantry and started to put together a little breakfast. “I suppose you’re wondering why Sam-chan was crying,” he said.

Hikaru found a tray and answered, “Yes, I could tell she had been crying, but she started to tell me why in English. Then she grabbed me.”

Takeda chuckled at that. “It’s all right. Don’t be embarrassed. Midori-san told me what made Sam-chan cry.”

“I didn’t do anything!” Hikaru blurted.

Takeda laughed. “No, Hikaru-kun, it’s nothing you did. Well, nothing directly. You see, Sam-chan has a gift. She is a seer. She’s been having dreams about you.”

Hikaru blushed again. “About me? Why?”

“Well, that’s the mystery. And they’re really not dreams so much as nightmares. Sometimes her dreams tell the future. Midori-san said that it was a series of dreams that led Sam-chan to Japan from America. Led her to you. She saw you in the garden at the dojo speaking to me under the full moon.”

Hikaru thought about that night in the garden. “The night of the shadows,” he said quietly.

“What was that?” Takeda paused in his breakfast preparations.

Hikaru looked at his teacher. “Sensei, the night you discovered me in the garden was the first time I saw Sam-san. It was a full moon and the shadows around the garden were frightening me. I sat in the open on the bench so I could watch them. You came out to the garden and saw me there. Sam-san came out of the shadows behind you. I turned to talk to her, but she screamed and vanished.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this before?”

“I don’t know. I forgot about it until now. Then, when she found me at the shore, she wasn’t afraid. She could see me in the daylight and touch me. Sensei, what does this mean?

“That is beyond my knowledge, Hikaru-kun,” Takeda said seriously. “But I do know this; there is something about that girl.”

“Something bad?” Hikaru frowned.

“No, something good.” Takeda smiled at Hikaru’s reaction. He handed over the tray of food. “Now, take this out to our guests.”

Hikaru took the tray and headed to the backyard. He paused and said, “I’m glad it’s nothing bad. I like having her around.”

Takeda smiled again. His intuition about the girl was turning out to be correct. And if Sam-chan stayed around, perhaps Midori-san would stay also. He sighed and went to join the three in the yard for breakfast.

After they had eaten breakfast, Hikaru went to the house and got the kite Samantha had given him. With Midori’s help, he asked Sam if she wanted to fly it with him. Much to his surprise, she said she would.

They all walked down to the shore where there was more space for them to fly the kite. Hikaru and Sam led the way. They were pointing things out to each other and saying what they were in their respective languages. Takeda and Midori brought up the rear.

Midori noticed Takeda’s smile and asked him what he was thinking.

Takeda glanced over at Midori and said, “I was just thinking of how happy Hikaru-kun is when Sam-chan is here. He’s been through so much recently, and she seems to calm him. Actually, I don’t remember him laughing or smiling so much, even before his father left.”

“I see. I’ve spoken to Akiko-san at the inn. She says he’s always been so serious. Even as a small child when playing with her son, he hardly smiled or laughed.”

“I know. His early childhood wasn’t happy. His father and I were called to battle when Hikaru-kun was three years old. Shortly after that his mother disappeared.”

“What happened to her?”

“We don’t know. Akiko-san said she went to the dojo so the boys could play and found Hikaru-kun crying in the courtyard. There was nothing to show where Shizuyo had gone. Akiko-san and her husband took him in after that and raised him with Satsuo-kun until we returned.”

They arrived at the beach and found a place to sit while Hikaru and Sam went to fly the kite. Midori spread the blanket out and sat down. “How long were you gone?” she asked.

“Over two years,” Takeda said as he sat next to her. “By the time we returned, Hikaru-kun had forgotten who we were. It was hard for his father to accept what had happened. It took some time for them to get to know each other again. It was not a pleasant time for any of us.”

Midori watched as Hikaru helped Sam with the kite. “They seem so natural together,” she said quietly.

Takeda watched Midori for a moment, and then looked away quickly when she turned to him. “Do you think Sam-chan would want to stay here? Will she stay in Japan?” he asked.

Midori thought about Takeda’s questions for a moment. She watched as Sam and Hikaru ran laughing on the beach. “Yes, I think she will stay here,” she answered.

Takeda then asked a question that took them both by surprise. “Will you stay, too?”

Midori turned to face him. Their eyes met briefly before he looked down at his hands. She was very flattered by the question and answered, “I will stay with Sam-chan as long as she needs me.” She reached over and took his hand. “And I will stay with you as well, Takeda-san.”

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