Shinobi (A Katana Novel) (14 page)

Kim took my hand and squeezed it gently. He pressed his other finger against his lips, as if to warn me about saying anything that might give us away.

“What do you suppose,” Gene asked, “would make a girl so young angry enough to kill her own parents?”

“Maybe some people are cursed.” The words escaped my lips before I had the chance to censor them.

Gene folded his arms. “What do you mean?”

I licked my lips. “Maybe we’re all cursed in that we’re destined to relive the same life, over and over again, in every reincarnated lifetime.”

Kim’s eyes widened with shock in a way that made me wonder whether the thought had never occurred to him before. It was a theory I’d considered more and more when it appeared that no matter what Kim and I did, something was always bound to come between us. And if we were destined to repeat the same life over again, did that mean that not only would Kim and I not be together, but also that we’d die at a young age as well?

Gene scratched the white stubble on his chin. “Hmm. That’s an interesting theory, young lady. But one I have to take issue with. I cannot believe fate would be so cruel as to force us to relive the same life over and over again. What is life but an opportunity to learn and find inner peace? No. I believe the same situations might arise as a chance for us to prove we are able to learn from our mistakes.”

Kim set his mug on the coffee table. “So you believe in reincarnation?”

Gene smiled mysteriously. “I believe in many things. Some people might find the things I believe in to be ridiculous or absurd.”

I snorted. “You won’t get that from us.”

“I figured as much.” Gene walked to his recliner, swiveled it in our direction, and sat down. Rosie wandered over to him and flopped at his feet.

“What do you mean?” I asked. “You hardly know us.”

He reached down and scratched Rosie’s head. “You might say I’m a good judge of character.”

I curled my fingers into the sofa as a sense of uneasiness shook my body. If only I had my ki powers, I would be able to sense if something more unusual were going on other than an old man acting strangely.

Kim must have felt something was off as well. I could tell by the way he sat silent and rigid beside me.

“All right,” I said. “What do you think about our character?”

Gene turned his head in Kim’s direction. “Kim, is it? Right away, I could tell you were a strong young man with strong convictions, and an even stronger sense of honor.”

Kim swallowed but said nothing.

“Now you,” this time Gene inclined his head toward me. “You’re a little trickier.”

“Why’s that?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m having a hard time getting a good reading on you.”

I chuckled nervously. “Must be because I’m so complex.”

“No.” Gene shook his head. “If I were to guess, I’d say the reason I can’t get a good read on you is because you’re in the wrong body.”

23

K
im ripped the blanket off and climbed to his feet. I tried to stand as well, but the shock rolling through my body kept me planted on the couch.

Kim narrowed his eyes. “How do you know she’s in the wrong body?”

The man chuckled. “The same way you can look up and see a blue sky, I suppose. I may not be able to see with my eyes, but that doesn’t mean I can’t see in other ways. And that’s how I know”—he gestured to me with his hand—“you are entirely wrong.”

I exchanged a nervous glance with Kim before I asked, “Do you know about this sort of thing? Do you know how to undo it?”

He leaned back in his chair. “I would imagine it was done by some sort of binding, correct?”

“Yes,” I answered. “The girl who stole my body cut our hands and bound them together with a beaded cord.”

He scratched the stubble at his chin. “Then I would guess you need to sever the cord, but you only have a short time to do so.” He reached for me. “Let me see your hand.”

I hesitated and looked at Kim, who nodded his assurance. Slowly, I stood and crossed the room, finally letting my fingers fall into Gene’s open hand.

He curled his warm, weathered fingers around my hand. He didn’t move for several heartbeats until finally he released me.

“Exactly what I thought,” he murmured. “You only have twenty-four hours until the change becomes permanent.”

Ice flooded through my veins and I began to tremble. “That’s it?” I whispered. That hardly seemed like enough time to make it home and cut the bracelet from Sumi’s wrist. What if we didn’t make it? I promised Q I’d get him his body back. And how could I survive a lifetime trapped inside Sumi’s body? Especially since I wore the face of a suspected killer?

Kim wrapped an arm around my waist and hugged me close. His warmth helped quell the shivers coursing through me. “Everything is going to be okay,” he whispered in my ear. “I will get you home safely, and together we will stop Sumi once and for all.”

“That’s right.” The old man patted my arm. “Don’t you worry about a thing. Just give me a moment to pack my things, and we can all be on our way.” He pushed out of his chair and walked toward the kitchen.

Kim’s arms fell from my waist. “Excuse me?”

The man stopped. “Of course. You didn’t really think I’d let you two go off without me, did you? Especially when it’s apparent you’re in so much trouble. We can take my wife’s car. It’s in the garage.”

“Wife?” I asked. The doilies and pictures on the wall suddenly made sense. “Is she here?”

“No.” His voice softened. “She passed ten years ago.”

I placed my fingers against my lips, wishing I could take my question back. “I’m so sorry.”

The man smiled. “There’s no need to be sorry. We’ll be together again. Someday.”

“In another life?” Kim asked.

The man was quiet a moment before answering. “I sincerely hope not. I’m an old soul, as I sense you two are as well. And because of the many lifetimes I’ve lived, I’m hoping this is my last one on this earth. I’m ready for … ” He paused. “ What’s next.”

Gene’s words swirled inside my head. Did I want this to be my last life? When I drew my last breath, would I be ready for what was
next
? There was an old saying that samurai were cursed to keep being reborn as samurai. Was that what I wanted? An endless loop of lives spent fighting? Just the thought exhausted me, making me feel tired beyond my years.

The back of my neck prickled, and I glanced over my shoulder to find Kim staring at me with an unreadable expression on his face. Finally, he gave the smallest shake of his head. “I will follow you down whatever path you walk.”

I slipped my hand inside his before turning back to Gene. “Thank you for your generous offer, but we can’t have you go with us. The body-swapping is only a fraction of our problems. We have people chasing us, people who want to lock up me and my friend forever. Not to mention, the girl who has my body isn’t going to give it up easily. Our journey will be a dangerous one, and I can’t have you risk your life for us.”

He snorted. “My life is my life. I’m the only one who gets a say in whether or not it’s put at risk.” Rosie snorted in agreement at his feet. “Besides,” Gene continued, “it sounds like your life is in jeopardy, and who’s to say my life is worth more than yours? I’m going with you.”

Kim looked at me with his eyebrows raised, as if to ask,
Who is this guy?

I could only shrug.

Gene smiled. “Besides, I’ve waited a long time for you two to show up.” Before we could respond, he walked to the door and plucked a jacket off a hook. “How are the others? You’ve found them all, haven’t you?”

My throat went tight and I nearly choked. “Others?”

He waved my question away with his hand. “Yes, of course. Kiyomori, Yorimichi, and Seiko. You five were woven together so tightly in the past, I’m sure those ties followed you through to this lifetime, yes?”

The weight of his words hit me like a punch in the stomach, knocking the air from my lungs.
It couldn’t be.
But what other explanation was there? How else could he know about our past lives?

Kim’s fingers slid from mine as he took several steps backward. The sun filtering in through the window reflected against his wide eyes. “Are you telling me you’re—but you can’t be.” He swallowed, and added in a soft voice, “Can you?”

Gene quirked an eyebrow. “So my two greatest warriors think nothing of finding each other. But you would believe it impossible to stumble across your old master?”

The strength I needed to stand bled out of me. I collapsed against the couch with my hand clasped tightly over my mouth. A thousand words spilled up my throat, only to be held back by the fingers clamped over my lips. It wasn’t until the shock wore off that I was able to speak. Even then, only one word remained on my tongue. “Lord Toyotomi?”

Gene smiled. “Maybe five hundred years ago. Now? I’ve happily spent this lifetime as a writer.” He gestured to a bookshelf against the far wall and the row of paperbacks bearing the name Gene Landon on the spine. One title in particular caught my eye and confirmed my suspicion about Gene’s identity. It read,
Finding Balance through the Art of Meditation.

Kim made a choking sound and pressed his fist to his chest. “It doesn’t matter how many lifetimes have passed— you will always be my Lord Toyotomi.”

Gene waved his hands in the air. “Please, that’s not necessary.”

Kim dropped his hand. The muscles in his jaw flexed as he worked his teeth back and forth. “I understand. It is because I failed you in the past. I have dishonored myself and brought disgrace to you.”

“What?” Gene’s eyebrows arched in surprise. “Nothing could be further from the truth.”

“How can you say that?” Kim asked. “I failed you.”

“Yoshido, you did not—”

“You died!” Kim cried. “You died, and I wasn’t there to stop it. Not only that, I was unable to kill your murderer to avenge your death. There is no greater dishonor than that.” Without warning Kim spun around, opened the front door,
and disappeared outside. The door slammed behind him
with enough force to rattle the pictures against the wall.

Rosie stared at the door and whined.

“Kim!” I jumped to my feet, but Gene grabbed my arm before I could go after him.

“This must be a great shock to him. Give him a moment to himself. He’ll be fine.”

I wasn’t so sure. I chewed my lip and stared anxiously at the door.

“Do you want to know how I know he’ll be okay?” His hand fell from my arm.

Reluctantly, I turned my eyes away from the door and looked at Gene. “How?”

“Remember the first day you came to me all those years ago? I led you out into the courtyard, where we found Yoshido.”

I nodded. How could I forget the moment that had been branded on my heart forever? If I closed my eyes, I could still picture Yoshido kneeling beneath the cherry tree, his fingers curled into the soft earth at his knees as pink blossoms drifted down on him like snow. “He’d been mourning the death of his betrothed.”

“Yes. And do you remember what I told you then?”

I blinked away the memory. “You told me true love would never weigh a person down. That there were heavier emotions.”

He placed a hand on my shoulder. “Such as?”

I swallowed. “Guilt.”

He nodded. “Such a useless emotion, wouldn’t you agree? It can’t change anything. But our Yoshido, or Kim as he is now called, has an abundance of it. Before you came along, he would spend all his days sulking in the gardens or spilling blood on the battlefield. But meeting you changed him, just as I knew it would. You brought him back to life. You reminded him there is more to the world than grief and guilt. That’s how I know he’ll be fine. He’ll always be fine as long as he has you.”

A tight knot rose inside my throat. “And I will always be there for him. But that doesn’t change the fact he’s right. We were supposed to protect you—and we failed.”

“No.” He shook his head. “I failed you. I had long suspected Zeami carried darkness inside him. I was the one who foolishly thought I could help him. And by keeping him around, I put the viper in our beds.”

I’d found Lord Toyotomi all those years ago, dying with an arrow protruding from his chest. The guilt I’d carried with me since, that I’d disappointed the man who’d been like a father to me, had been an agonizing burden. I couldn’t believe he held himself responsible. “But—”

He held up a hand to silence me. “What good is it to argue about yesterday when it doesn’t change tomorrow?”

My mouth snapped shut. Leave it to Lord Toyotomi to say something that made so much sense. I rushed forward and did the thing I’d longed to do for nearly five hundred years: I hugged him.

He made a startled sound that dissolved into a chuckle. “Oh, my dear, it pains me to hear you were unsuccessful in your last battle.” He shook his head. “I had hoped by making you a samurai, I’d saved your life. Now it looks like I did quite the opposite.” He sighed. “How you must blame me for the way things turned out.”

I thought about that. If he’d never asked me to be a samurai, then I never would have discovered how to control my ki. I would have spent my life as a courtesan instead of a warrior. And most of all, I never would have met and fallen in love with Yoshido.

Kim walked back inside before I could answer. Unlike at his departure, he shut the door quietly behind him before jamming his hands into his pockets and bowing his head. “Please forgive my abrupt departure. I was”—he lifted his head—“taken aback.”

Gene held his hand out to him. “My dear boy, I couldn’t be more proud of you if you were my own son.”

The muscles in Kim’s jaw tightened and he didn’t move. That didn’t stop Gene from reaching forward, snagging Kim’s wrist, and pulling him into a hug.

“I won’t,” Kim said, his words tight, “I won’t let you down again.”

Gene laughed and pulled away. “Do you really want to bring me honor?”

Kim nodded. “Of course.”

Gene clapped his hands together. “Well then, do as I have done. Live your life to the greatest of your capabilities.”

“But—” Kim began.

Gene shook his head. “You devoted your life to me in the past. You’ve earned this one. And it looks like you two haven’t had an easy time of it.” He patted me lightly on the shoulder. “This time, let me help
you
. What do you say? It’s been a long time since I had an adventure.”

A slow smile crept onto Kim’s face as he glanced at me. “What do you think?”

I smiled back. “We
could
use all the help we can get.”

“Excellent.” Gene rubbed his hands together eagerly. “Rileigh, you should probably drive, as our Kim may still be dizzy from his earlier crash.” He pulled keys out of his pocket and tossed them to me. “We can work on a plan for getting your body back as we drive.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. For the first time since I’d awoken in the wrong body, I felt like everything was going to be okay. And how could it not? Lord Toyotomi was the wisest man I’d ever known. With him on our side, there was no way we could fail.

“Okay then.” Gene turned around and walked toward the kitchen. “Just let me grab my wallet and Rosie’s leash, and we’ll be on our way.”

Rosie thumped her tail happily against the floor.

Kim slid his fingers through mine and squeezed my hand tight. “I’m sorry for walking out on you earlier.”

I gave him a playful bump in the side. “I wasn’t worried.”

He arched an eyebrow. “No?”

“Nope. You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried, Gimhae Kim.” I shrugged. “Like it or not, you’re stuck with me.”

He brushed a piece of hair from my eyes. “And that’s just the way I want it. No matter what lifetime or body you find yourself in, we’re meant to be together. I am more sure of that than anything else in my life.”

He leaned forward and, as much as I hated having him kiss me in this body, there was a greater part of me that no longer cared.

But before his lips could meet mine, Rosie barked sharply. She ran to the door, jammed her nose against the frame, and gave a low growl.

Kim jerked back and we both looked at Gene, who stood frozen in the kitchen doorway. The leash in his hands fell to the floor.

Rosie’s growl deepened and her lips peeled back to reveal her clenched teeth.

A tremor danced down my spine. “What’s going on?” I asked.

Gene held out his cane, using it to push me and Kim back as he marched to the front door. “There’s been a change of plans, I’m afraid. You two are going to have to go on without me.”

“What?” Kim went rigid at my side. “We just found you! And now you’re leaving us? Why?”

Gene moved Rosie back and jerked the door open, startling the Network agent on the other side. Before the man could raise his gun, Gene grabbed him by the arm and flipped him over his shoulder. The man landed with a grunt at Gene’s feet. Gene lifted his head in our direction. “I can’t go because I have to make sure you aren’t followed. It’s the only way you’ll escape and make it back in time.”