Plagued: Book 1 (43 page)

“You came to the shrine for a reason, I assume you want something of me.”

I thought a minute before answering. "No, nothing, Hiro. Julian asked me to meet him here." That was the truth. I hadn't come to ask anything. Besides, what I really needed wasn't his to give. I lost my soul all by my own stupid self. "I really like your shrine. And the giant
torii gates are awesome."

Taking my hand again, he laughed, warm and rich. I felt the laugh inside. It was the strangest sensation. Kind of like sitting in a jacuzzi and having the bubbles froth up all around you. This guy was definitely powerful. And charming.

Who knew
kami
were charming?

Who knew
kami
were even real?

"Extraordinary to find a human who doesn't want something of me or my family." Letting go of my hand, he waved elegantly in the direction of the courtyard. "They crowd here by the thousands, day after day, asking, praying, begging. Trying to buy their way into our favor."

“Do you answer?"

"Sometimes. Often they know what needs to be done, they are just lazy, looking for shortcuts."

“Julian wants something though.” Better to point that out, guilt by association and all.

Hiro floated back to my side and stretched out his long legs, held up by a cushion of air. The folds of his kimono smoothed themselves back in place, which was only a little creepy. “My feeling is he wants it more for himself than for you. Am I wrong?”

“Whoa,” I put my palms out in front of me. “That's a pretty tough question. He's trying to help get my soul back. Fight the people who took it. Julian doesn't have to do that. I think it's pretty good of him to even try, no matter what his reasons.”

“Do you like him, this sorcerer, Julian Lake?”

Ouch. That hit a tender spot. My feelings for Julian were, like the
kami
, very much up in the air still. "You have to know someone to like them and I know very little about Julian.” Boy, was that the truth. “He is not a touchy-feely kind of guy.”

Both softly-curved eyebrows rose in unison.

“
Touchy feely?
”

“It means friendly.”

“Ah.”

“Julian is very,” I searched for the right word. “Compelling. And powerful."

The
kami's
eyes became cloudy, literally, the brown turning sort of muddy. "Do you trust him, Lexie?”

Now that was another question I was still trying to answer for myself. I gave a non-committal sort of “
Um.
”

“As a new friend, I say be careful of Julian Lake. He is much like his last name, deep and cold with an impenetrable darkness below the surface."

That sounded pretty much like my early assessment of Julian. “Do you know him?”

“Our magical cultures are different, yet his energy resonates on a paranormal wavelength common to all. I felt his arrival and took some pains to find out about him, the Soul Eaters he used to companion, and their club of fear. The sorcerer has spoken much with some of the lesser
kami
of this shrine and elsewhere. There have been adventures with demons, I hear, farther north.”

I remembered the raised, pink scars on Julian's back. They had looked new.

“He called himself a monster to me once.”

“I have met many monsters, and I would have to agree with his assessment.”

Ouch again. Before I could think of what to say to that, there was a
thump
on the tiles and the younger CG gorgeous guy with the scar landed beside us.

"
Anikee
, the human grows anxious."

Hiro stood gracefully to float facing his brother, the kimono arranging itself in perfect folds. "On his account or hers?"

The other gave an exaggerated shrug.

Hiro looked down at me, staring long enough to make me squirm. "I will speak with him. Lexie, this is Taka."

He gave me a jaunty salute.

"Taka, this is Lexie Carpenter. We are going to be friends. Why don't you escort our guest to Mother's Well and let her have the blessing of the water? Lake and I will join you shortly."

The younger
kami
fist pumped the air. "Yes!" Flashing the same mischievous grin as before.

Taking my hand, we leaped off the roof. I think I screamed as the hard flagstones rushed up to meet us. Instead of a bone-crunching crash, we touched down light as a feather and then, springing up, sailed through the air. Taka repeated this several more times before landing in a quiet, forested glade. Here, thankfully for my stomach, we came to a stop. With a snap of his fingers, Taka summoned the blue flame to light the darkness. In the center of the glade was a set of stone steps and what looked like a well. The still water reflected the glow of the ghost lights. Taka plopped down on the ground and I, thankfully, did the same.

“You said you're from LA?”

“Yep,” I panted a little breathlessly. “Born and bred. At least until I was nine.”

“I haven't been to LA. Soon, though. I've almost got my brother talked into a road trip. You'll have to tell me all the cool places to go. Besides Disneyland of course. I know all about Disneyland. We have one here. Not the same as going to the original, you know? Tokyo version. I think Disneyland is awesome. We have a park you guys don't called Disney Sea;
lots
of fun. My friends and I like to go there. But we really like game centers. Do you play any games? I like Gundam. All the Gundam games. And racing games.” He mimed driving a car. “What about you?”

He spoke so quickly I wasn't sure which question I was supposed to answer first. It didn't matter as he already had another one for me.

“Are you having a good time in our country?”

Groaning, I shook my head. “Not very.”

His eyes widened in surprise and I realized what I said sounded rude. “Wait, what I mean is, I, personally, have gotten pretty messed up here.
Not
your country's fault. Japan, well Tokyo because that's all I've seen, is cool. I've mostly been hanging out in clubs and bars and things like that. I should spend more time seeing the cultural sights but...”

“But?”

“Like I told your brother, I got kind of messed up. I have to find the three parts of my soul and put them together before I turn to dust.”

“Oh.” He sounded as if soul-loss and impending dust-bunnyhood were no big deal. “Maybe if you don't turn to dust, I could show you a different side of the city.”

“I bet you could!”

“Or if you do turn to dust it would be even easier. I could put you in a bag and just carry you everywhere!” He laughed.

I did not. Dust was not a laughing matter for me.

Noticing my expression, he stopped laughing. “Oh, sorry. Me and my big mouth. Hiro says I should think before I speak.”

He gave me a sheepish and very irresistible grin.

“That's okay. Your brother said he is an air spirit. Is it okay to ask what you are?"

Taka stamped one foot and the ground shook like Jell-O beneath us. "Earth."

"Got it." I nodded, grabbing the rough grass under me in case gravity shifted.

“Actually we're half-brothers. Not that it makes any difference. Same mother. She's a water spirit. This is her well." He pointed at the water. "Though they call it the
Kiyomasa Oda.
'Oda' means well. Which isn't fair since Kiyomasa had nothing to do with it really."

"You guys speak awfully good English."

He laughed. "Oh, we're not speaking English.”

“We're not?”

“You are. I'm not. Universal translation.
Kami
perk!"

He held up his hand for a high five and I returned it. Then, pulling me to my feet, led me down to the well.

"Do you have a cell phone?"

I nodded.

"Give it to me."

He switched it to camera mode and took a shot of the well. After a little fiddling, he handed it back. My opening screen was a beautifully centered shot of the dark water reflecting the blue ghost lights.

"Now every time you open your phone, good luck from the well will flow."

Forget the well, I was amazed at his dexterity with the phone and said so.

"Oh, please! I may be an immortal spirit, but I am still Japanese. Everybody knows how to use a cell phone here, even supernaturals!" Reaching into the wide sleeve of his kimono, he pulled out a sleek smartphone with a thick knot of charms and characters hanging from the strap, just like any other Japanese teenager. He plucked at one of the little plastic figures. “Do you know who this is?”

It looked like a red robot.

He explained in his rapid-fire style. “That is a Zaku mobile suit. From Gundam.” He dangled each of the other character charms in turn, describing what or who they were while I nodded, totally clueless except for the Hello Kitty and Mickey Mouse ones.

Finally tucking the cell phone back into his sleeve, he took my hands, picked up a bamboo scoop like the ones at the purification fountain near the shrine's entrance, and poured water over them. He then motioned for me to make a cup and poured more into my palms.

"Swallow, don't spit it out. The sign says 'don't drink,' I know. It's okay. I've purified it for you. Another
kami
perk!"

I laughed and nearly choked on the water. Taka was like the fun sidekick movie heroes got. So very different from oh-so-serious Julian. The water was ice cold and clean. I could almost feel it washing away some of the dark, dirty stains left by the Club.

"My mother knows her stuff. That's what you're smiling about, right? It tastes good going down and feels even better inside. I wish beer was like that. Not that it stays inside you very long. You just sort of rent beer, you know?” He sighed and shrugged. “Not that the water will do that. This power stays for a long time. Helps fight the darkness." He turned his head as though listening. “Oh, hey, I think they're finishing up, my brother and your silver-haired pal. Does he dye his hair that color? He looks like an anime character from a girl's comic or something. All he needs is eyeliner and he would, like, totally rock the look. Come on. We'd better go find them." He moved to take my hand.

I put both of them, still wet and drippy, behind my back. "Is it too far to walk?"

Laughing, he shook his head. "No. They can meet us halfway."

Trailed by the blue ghost lights, we walked through what he told me was the shrine's garden. He also explained about the other beings that appeared in the side courtyard. The foxes were
yokai,
he said. Supernatural creatures
.
"They're master shapeshifters. Human to animal or the reverse. They live as much in the human world as our supernatural realm. Very powerful. Also
hella
' unpredictable. My family has a long association with this clan, though. They trust us and we trust them. Mostly."

"What about the tails? Some had more than one."

"The tails mean a century in human years. The more tails, the more ancient they are. Not all the foxes choose to follow that tradition. It's a bit cumbersome since most of them live to be more than a thousand years old, if not much longer! Can you imagine? You'd have to, you know, put
all
your tails in a carry bag and sling them over your shoulder to get anywhere."

"And the crow birdy-things?" I flapped my arms and cawed, which made him laugh.

"
Karasu
tengu.
Crow
tengu
. Tengu are mountain spirits,
kami,
like us
.
Not as powerful, though. There are lots of gradations of
kami
. Tengu take several forms, some almost human-like. They follow the ways of the mountain Shinto priests. That's why they wear that style of clothing, prayer beads and the black lacquer caps. Like a uniform."

"I don't think priests' clothes are called uniforms," I pointed out.

“Whatever.” Leaning close, he whispered conspiratorially, "Don't let the priest thing fool you. They are terribly mischievous and seriously heinous
drinkers! You would not believe the things they get up to. In the past they used to swoop down, grab Buddhist priests and tie them up in the trees as pranks.
Hilarious
."

“Do Japanese people and, um,
kami
, always hang out like this?”

He stopped walking and looked at me, his head turned on one side like a puppy. An impossibly handsome puppy.
“What do you mean?”

“You know. You and your brother are being so nice. Hanging out and talking. Are you guys usually this friendly with humans like me?”

He started to laugh. “That's
so
funny, Lexie.” He laughed harder and I just stared, not getting the joke.

I pulled him to a stop. “I don't understand, what's so funny?”