smother a sob, I knew that wasn’t the whole truth. That the answer was much more selfish.
As much as I was frightened for them, in that moment I was even more afraid of what would become of me.
9
I ’d just convinced the tears to retreat and the hitch to leave my breath when I heard the doorknob turn behind me. It couldn’t be Takeo—he’d never intrude when I’d told him I wanted to be alone. I stepped to the side of the tiny concrete porch, clutching the flute. The evening air shifted around me, thick and tinged with ozone: the smell of a brewing thunderstorm.
Keiji poked his head through the doorway. When he saw me, he seemed to decide it was safe to come out. He closed the door behind him, scooted past me, and hopped up to sit on top of the gate. The heels of his sneakers tapped the metal bars.
“You know, if I were the one who just found out I had magical powers, I’d be a lot more grateful to hear it than Chiyo is,” he said in his offhand way. “I don’t suppose you could tell me I’ve got some secret ability I never knew about too?”
My fears were still twisted tight inside me, but somehow the arch of his eyebrows and the playfulness of his tone made me smile.
“Sorry,” I said. “Not as far as I know.”
“Oh well. I guess I’ve been doing all right as a regular human being so far.”
He grinned back at me, in a slow, easy way that lit up his coppery eyes despite the dusk falling around us. As if he really was happy being what—who—he was.
“So what’s up with you and what’s-his-name?” he said.
“Excuse me?”
“The tall guy with the sword. Are you two a couple or something?”
To my annoyance, I blushed. It didn’t seem fair that I could feel scared and amused, irritated and embarrassed, all at once. At least when I’d thought I was kami I’d been able to pretend I had a nature that was somewhat consistent.
“No,” I said. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
“No offense intended,” Keiji said. “I just wondered.”
Something Chiyo had said came back to me. She’d asked Keiji if he was turning into one of her “admirers.” He had been paying enough attention to her to notice her talking to us. “Isn’t it Chiyo’s boyfriend you should be worried about?” I said.
He shrugged, bumping his legs against the gate. “He assumes every guy who hangs around her must be trying to date her. Untrue.”
“You had some other reason for watching her?”
“A better one,” he said. “I knew there was something going on with her. She’s cute, I guess, but not so pretty it makes sense that half the boys in school would be chasing after her. And the teachers would never let anyone else get away with hair that wild. And she never seems fazed by anything, like she just floats above bad grades and arguments and... there had to be more going on with her than met the eye, you know?”
“Yeah,” I said quietly. I did.
Keiji fell back into his previous self-mocking tone. “So I was trying to figure it out. I’d already eliminated a whole lot of possibilities—vampire, government cyborg experiment, mystical princess from another dimension. I’ll admit, I hadn’t thought of kami.”
“You seem to be taking it pretty calmly,” I remarked.
He paused. “Like I said before, I’ve done a lot of reading into the supernatural. And if you keep your eyes open, you see things that can’t always be explained. It’s nice to know I wasn’t just imagining all that. And it’s pretty hard to argue with the demonstrations you and your sword-wielding friend have given.” His grin returned.
My sword-wielding friend might have already started Chiyo’s training. I glanced toward the door. “I—”
“So, I guess you lived on Mt. Fuji?” Keiji said before I could excuse myself.
“Yes. All my life.”
“That’s, what, like a hundred years? Do kami get old?”
“Seventeen,” I said. “And they do. Just slowly.”
“Seventeen,” Keiji repeated. “So if
As much as I was frightened for them, in that moment I was even more afraid of what would become of me.
9
I ’d just convinced the tears to retreat and the hitch to leave my breath when I heard the doorknob turn behind me. It couldn’t be Takeo—he’d never intrude when I’d told him I wanted to be alone. I stepped to the side of the tiny concrete porch, clutching the flute. The evening air shifted around me, thick and tinged with ozone: the smell of a brewing thunderstorm.
Keiji poked his head through the doorway. When he saw me, he seemed to decide it was safe to come out. He closed the door behind him, scooted past me, and hopped up to sit on top of the gate. The heels of his sneakers tapped the metal bars.
“You know, if I were the one who just found out I had magical powers, I’d be a lot more grateful to hear it than Chiyo is,” he said in his offhand way. “I don’t suppose you could tell me I’ve got some secret ability I never knew about too?”
My fears were still twisted tight inside me, but somehow the arch of his eyebrows and the playfulness of his tone made me smile.
“Sorry,” I said. “Not as far as I know.”
“Oh well. I guess I’ve been doing all right as a regular human being so far.”
He grinned back at me, in a slow, easy way that lit up his coppery eyes despite the dusk falling around us. As if he really was happy being what—who—he was.
“So what’s up with you and what’s-his-name?” he said.
“Excuse me?”
“The tall guy with the sword. Are you two a couple or something?”
To my annoyance, I blushed. It didn’t seem fair that I could feel scared and amused, irritated and embarrassed, all at once. At least when I’d thought I was kami I’d been able to pretend I had a nature that was somewhat consistent.
“No,” I said. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
“No offense intended,” Keiji said. “I just wondered.”
Something Chiyo had said came back to me. She’d asked Keiji if he was turning into one of her “admirers.” He had been paying enough attention to her to notice her talking to us. “Isn’t it Chiyo’s boyfriend you should be worried about?” I said.
He shrugged, bumping his legs against the gate. “He assumes every guy who hangs around her must be trying to date her. Untrue.”
“You had some other reason for watching her?”
“A better one,” he said. “I knew there was something going on with her. She’s cute, I guess, but not so pretty it makes sense that half the boys in school would be chasing after her. And the teachers would never let anyone else get away with hair that wild. And she never seems fazed by anything, like she just floats above bad grades and arguments and... there had to be more going on with her than met the eye, you know?”
“Yeah,” I said quietly. I did.
Keiji fell back into his previous self-mocking tone. “So I was trying to figure it out. I’d already eliminated a whole lot of possibilities—vampire, government cyborg experiment, mystical princess from another dimension. I’ll admit, I hadn’t thought of kami.”
“You seem to be taking it pretty calmly,” I remarked.
He paused. “Like I said before, I’ve done a lot of reading into the supernatural. And if you keep your eyes open, you see things that can’t always be explained. It’s nice to know I wasn’t just imagining all that. And it’s pretty hard to argue with the demonstrations you and your sword-wielding friend have given.” His grin returned.
My sword-wielding friend might have already started Chiyo’s training. I glanced toward the door. “I—”
“So, I guess you lived on Mt. Fuji?” Keiji said before I could excuse myself.
“Yes. All my life.”
“That’s, what, like a hundred years? Do kami get old?”
“Seventeen,” I said. “And they do. Just slowly.”
“Seventeen,” Keiji repeated. “So if
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