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A TRIP TO KYUSHU
Of course, every time my thoughts strayed, every time I thought I could be more, he was always there to remind me of what I was. His only concern was revenge. I wanted to suggest following, but I was silenced as if dead…
As school and the Estate settled into routine, David almost felt like a regular student again. Excitement for the school trip built up among the second years. The worries about being unable to locate Chul Soon, the monsters that kept attacking, and the statue that the police had found were constant but distant concerns. If only Koji would graduate, David would love being at school.
The next few weeks sped by. David and Kou eliminated two more weak monsters during their usual patrols around the Nakano valley, but caught no scent of the one enemy they most wanted. With a mix of reluctance and excitement, David gave up the responsibility of protecting the valley as his classmates headed north.
David woke up half way through the flight. Getting onto the plane had not been a problem. Unlike when he tried to enter the ocean, no sense of unease or distress had overcome them on boarding the plane at Kansai International Airport.
“Damn, it wasn’t enough,” Rie said, cursing David’s ability to heal so fast. She rummaged through her bag. The sense of otherness and fear that had hit them when the wheels left the ground came back to him as a kind of echo of the initial assault. He vaguely remembered Rie pouring a handful of pills down his throat as Kou convulsed in their shared mind.
Beside him, Takumi sat smiling and watching the clouds outside his window. Reimi, daughter of fire and wind, seemed to have had no problems leaving the ground. Kou on the other hand was a tiger, and was bound to the earth.
David’s throat was coarse and dry, but he managed enough head movement to see Rie struggling to get her bag from under the seat.
“It’s alright,” David said, choking on his words a little. “The panic is gone… I can’t hear Kou.” He sat up straighter as his throat and mind cleared, his strangled senses struggling to take in the other passengers. Their classmates sat arrayed around them in their regular winter uniforms. David shuddered. ‘It’s been months since I’ve been without him. I… I’m alone.’ It took David several minutes to compose himself enough to ask, “What happened?”
“As soon as we left the ground you started panicking so I gave you mom’s pills. It should have been enough to knock out a normal person for a few days. Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked.
“The feeling is there, but I think I can handle it,” David said, frowning at the stale cabin air. “I think that’s why Kou is keeping himself separated, so I won’t feel his full panic. What’s worse is the itch. It’s this drive to get back to land.”
“That’s probably why I didn’t have a problem,” Takumi whispered. “Reimi is cut off from my mind, so I wouldn’t be able to feel her panic even if she did. I do feel the itch though. It peaked a while ago but now it’s fading a little.”
“We must be getting close to Fukuoka,” Rie said. Ahead the monitors changed to a map with a little airplane showing that they were over the ocean. David sighed and sat back, trying not to think about the distance between him and land.
The instant their plane touched down at Fukuoka International Airport, David relaxed in his seat. Around him, the rest of Nakano’s second grade chattered about the rest of the trip. Moving an entire grade was such a logistical nightmare that David was surprised they made it onto the plane, let alone all the way to Kyushu.
Fukuoka was at the northern part of the huge island of Kyushu, one of the four main Japanese islands. As they got off the plane, all the students had to squeeze into narrow lines to keep the terminal walkway clear for the bustle of passengers moving between gates. David looked around at the few shops. He could see the security gate in the distance.
‘Wow, this is almost as big as Phoenix’s airport,’ he thought.
‘I wouldn’t know… but I’m glad we are back on land. I’d prefer never to go through that again,’ Kou mumbled as he peeked back into David’s mind.
‘Well, there’s still the return trip.’ Kou growled and withdrew again to sulk.
Nakano Junior High’s teachers checked the line of students to ensure everyone was present, and to quell bits of restlessness after the flight. In addition to their homeroom teachers, Principal Yogi, three tour guides, and the school nurse were also present. After the rest of the passengers finished debarking, David followed along with everyone else as they wound their way to the baggage claim. They had all packed lightly, but the cold weather necessitated larger bags than they could carry on.
A rumble washed through the female students as they moved past automatic doors and chill wind blew in. It was colder than it had been back on the mainland. Since skirts were still part of their winter uniform, several of the girls started hunting through their bags for extra jackets to wear over their uniforms.
“Glad we don’t have to wear skirts too,” Naoto murmured.
The boys around him nodded their agreement. They were all warm in their usual black slacks, but with the added warmth of heavy uniform jackets. Unlike their summer uniform, the winter uniform jacket was all black with buttons in the middle and a high flat collar, similar to a naval dress uniform. The girls on the other hand wore their usual blue summer skirts with thick blue shirts and white sailor scarves.
Once everyone made it outside, their flag toting tour guides headed down a set of stairs to the subway. Their teachers watched as everyone gathered around the automatic ticket machines. Though his abilities allowed him to read Japanese, it was the first time David had ever attempted to buy his own train ticket.
“Come here,” Rie pulled at the corner of his sleeve. “You look just like the first time you got off the plane from America.”
“Sorry, those route maps were not made to be easily understood,” he replied. “Who designed this thing anyway? There are a million buttons. Besides, I never rode trains back in the States.” With Naoto telling everyone nearby about David’s dilemma, Rie helped him sort through the process before the class moved on without him.
While waiting for the train, students and teachers took pictures for the school album and for the projects they would all have to do on their return. Then, to make sure everyone got on, each class lined up in front of a mark on the ground denoting where the doors would open. When their train came, David hurried on with the twins and Natsuki.
Just as the doors shut, David caught a glimpse of something out the doors. Rie too, looked at the same place, and then turned her gaze on him. He shook his head as the train picked up speed. Whatever he had seen disappeared as advertisements outside the windows began blurring into a stream of bright color.
“I can’t wait to get to the hotel. It is supposed to be really nice,” Natsuki said.
“Yeah, it’s too bad we had to go to school this morning, then spend the afternoon traveling. It’s like we’re losing a whole day!” Naoto complained.
Not long after, the students got off and found their way up to the ground level. Tantalizing smells from a bakery hit them as they left the escalator. David caught several of his classmates moving toward a shop across the way before the guides were able to herd them to the exit. When they emerged, they were in front of a busy intersection with the Miyako Hotel across the street.
Once
