Thursday, September 7, 2006

Good Morning & Good Night

Samantha woke the next morning to see Hikaru sitting nearby, sleeping. She felt weak and her ankle hurt quite a bit. She was also slightly hungry. She didn't want to wake Hikaru, so she stayed quiet and looked around the room. She was in her own room, but wondered where Midori had been sleeping and how long she had been asleep. She tried to recall what had happened that night in the rain. All she remembered was leading Hikaru down the hill.

The door slid open and Midori came in with a tray of tea for Hikaru. She was both surprised and pleased to see him asleep and Samantha awake. She smiled as she set the tray on the floor. “I guess you can have the tea, Sam-chan,” she whispered. “I'm very happy to see you awake.”

“Has he been here along?” Sam whispered back. “How long has he been there?”

Midori nodded and helped Sam into a sitting position. “You've been asleep for over three days, and Hikaru-san has been here the whole time. He's very worried about you.” She handed a cup of tea to Sam.

Sam looked at Hikaru and sighed. “He shouldn't have stayed here. He didn't need to do that. You would have been here with me at night.”

Midori smiled again and said, “I know, but he's a bit stubborn.” They both giggled at that.

Hikaru woke with a start and the girls giggled again. “Good morning, Hikaru-san,” Midori said. "Would you like some breakfast?”

“Yes, please,” both Sam and Hikaru said at the same time. Sam looked at Hikaru and smiled again.
He looked down at his hands and mumbled an apology.

Sam said, “Midori told me you've been here by me for three days. Is that true?”

Hikaru nodded. “I wanted to be sure you were all right. I wanted to...”

“You wanted to what? Hikaru-san? What is it you wanted? You can tell me.” She reached over and lifted his chin so she could see his face. There were tears in his eyes.

“I'm so sorry, Sam-chan,” he said. “It's my fault you were hurt. I shouldn't have run off like that. If I hadn't, you wouldn't have been hurt. I'm sorry.”

“Oh, Hikaru, that's what you've been worrying about? It's not your fault. I don't blame you for anything.”

“But I...”

“But nothing. Stop worrying about it. I'm all right. You're not to blame.”

Hikaru wiped away his tears. “You're not mad?”

“Of course not,” Sam exclaimed. “That's just silly.” She would have continued, but Midori returned with breakfast for the two of them.

“Here you go,” Midori said as she set the tray between them. “Hikaru-san, there's a letter for you.” She went back to the kitchen.

Hikaru looked at the envelope on the tray. “Who is that from?” he asked. He picked up the letter and began to read.

Sam began to eat some breakfast and watched Hikaru as he read. His expression turned from one of curiosity to one of mild anger. “Hikaru-san? Is something wrong?”

“He can't do this,” he said quietly. “No. He can't do this.” He stood up to leave the room.

“Hikaru-san? Who can't do what? What's wrong?”

“Excuse me, Sam-san, I have to talk to Takeda-sensei. I'll be right back.” He went to the sitting room.

Takeda looked up as he came in. “What is it, Hikaru-kun? Is something wrong?”

Hikaru handed him the letter. “Can he do this? Can he really order me to Tokyo?”

Takeda took the letter and read. The letter was from Hikaru's grandfather and stated that as head of the family, he was ordering Hikaru to go to Tokyo to live. Takeda sighed. “I'm afraid so, Hikaru-kun,” he said. “I wonder what made him do this. We had an agreement that you'd be the one to make the first move.”

“I know. I was planning to write a letter to him, but hadn't started yet. I didn't know what I was going to say.” He sat down at the table. “Now there's no point, is there?”

Takeda frowned at Hikaru's attitude, but said nothing about it knowing the boy was tired from his vigil at Sam's side. “This letter says the carriage will be here the day after tomorrow,” he said. “I'll send Sam-chan and Midori-san with you and I'll stay here to take care of the house and any other business. Will that be all right?”

“I suppose,” Hikaru said flatly.

Again, Takeda let Hikaru's attitude slide. “Why don't you go back and eat your breakfast? I'm sure Sam-chan is wondering about you.”

Hikaru sighed and got up. He went back to Sam's room and sat by her side. He grabbed the bowl of rice and began to eat.

“Hikaru-san, are you all right?” Sam had just finished her breakfast when he came back into the room.

“My grandfather is sending a carriage to take me to Tokyo the day after tomorrow.”

“What? Is that what the letter was about?”

“Yes, he's decided that I need to go to Tokyo to live with him. It's his decision as head of the family.” He picked at his breakfast. “But he and Takeda-sensei had agreed that I could make the first move. I wonder what made him change his mind and do this.”

Sam looked at Hikaru and then at the bowl in her hands. “Yes, I wonder what happened, too.”

Hikaru looked at her and quickly said, “Don't worry about yourself. Sensei he'll send you and Midori-san along with me.”

“Oh. That's nice of him.” She paused and turned the bowl in her hands. “I met your grandfather one day at the inn. He seemed sort of sad and asked me to take care of you.”

“Sensei says he's strict and expects to be obeyed.”

“I'm sure that's not true.”

“He's ordering me to Tokyo and I have to go. He's the head of my family and it's his right to order me. I can't disobey him. It would make him look bad to have a disobedient grandson after what my father did.” He put his rice bowl back on the tray.

“Your father? How did he disobey your grandfather?”

Hikaru took Sam's rice bowl and put it on the tray, also. “My father was the second son. He wasn't allowed to marry without permission from his father and older brother. He fell in love with someone they didn't approve. So they ran off and married without permission. That is why I have to be the obedient grandson and follow orders. It would be an embarrassment to Grandfather if I didn't.”

“I see. So we go to Tokyo. I'm sure it won't be so bad.”

Hikaru frowned and looked away. He growled softly.

“Don't growl at me, Nakamura Hikaru-san,” Sam chastised. “That attitude will get you nowhere with me.” The look of surprise on Hikaru's face when he turned back to look at her made her start to laugh. “Now hand me that robe and help me up. I want to get out of this room.”

Out in the sitting room Midori smiled as she heard the laughter from the other room. “Well, Takeda-san, it seems she cheered him up again,” she said.

Takeda looked up and smiled. “I hope she can keep his spirits up once they get to Tokyo,” he said. “It's not going to be easy for them once they get to Nakamura-san's house. It won't be easy at all.”
* * *
It was the night before the carriage arrived to take Hikaru to Tokyo, and he was sitting on the roof of the house. The moon was just a sliver in the night sky and the stars went on forever. He looked around at the only place he'd ever known as home.

To one side he could just make out the roof of the dojo where he'd grown up. He wondered if the people that lived there now were using it for any sort of training. He could hear the ocean in the distance beyond the dojo. Off to his other side, he could see the silhouette of the Daibutsu. Even though he could no longer bear being near the statue, he would miss seeing it every day.

Kamakura by night was peaceful. Hikaru sat and listened. He could hear dogs barking and laughter in the distance. In the house below, Takeda and Midori were sharing a joke and Samantha was singing as she made final preparations for the trip to Tokyo. Hikaru had packed everything he needed earlier in the day with the help of Takeda. He sighed and looked up at the sky.

“Now where did that boy go?” Takeda asked. “I hope he won't try these nighttime wanderings in Tokyo. His grandfather won't stand for any of it.” He got up and went to the door. “Hikaru-kun, are you out here?” he asked.

“Up here, sensei,” Hikaru said.

Takeda looked up, but couldn't quite see where Hikaru was. “Up where?”

“I'm on the roof.”

Takeda moved away from the house so he could see Hikaru on the roof. “What are you doing up there? How did you get up there?”

“Thinking.”

“What?”

“You asked what I'm doing up here. I'm thinking. As for how I got up here, I climbed.”

“Climbed,” Takeda said with a sigh. He shook his head in disbelief.

“Yes, the things at the end of the house make it easy to get up here. You should try it. Did you need me for something?”

Takeda sighed again. At least he stayed near the house this time instead of wandering through town, he thought. “Yes, why don't you come inside and try to get some sleep?” he asked. “I know you don't need to sleep all the time, but you'll probably be ready for the trip if you do.”

“All right,” Hikaru said and stood up and walked to the edge of the roof to climb down. Takeda watched anxiously as the boy nimbly walked the crest of the roof as easily as walking down the street. Hikaru climbed down just as easily and came around the end of the house to where Takeda was waiting. He yawned and said, “You're right. I think I will try to get some sleep. I'm rather tired tonight.”

Takeda smiled and followed Hikaru into the house. The women had gone to bed and he realized he was more tired than he thought. “Good night, Hikaru-kun. I'll see you in the morning.”

“Good night, sensei.”

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