06-06-2009, 01:40 PM
Dark eyes beamed from underneath thick brows. The lips were stretched into a huge grin under the nose and high cheekbones. Ezekiel Darkwood was looking at
what would become his new home.
He'd recently turned eighteen and he was ready for college. Not everything was right in his mind's eye, though. At sixty-seven inches in height, he
felt he was still too short. True, he was technically of average height, but that was the extreme low-end of the bracket that was labeled 'Average.'
At the very least, though, his looks were well above average. His face was narrow with high cheekbones, giving him the slightly exotic air derived from his
native-American heritage. The dark complexion didn't help in this respect. In high school he would have had the girls all but throwing themselves at him
if not for his odd persona. He never liked any of the fads, music, cars, or anything else anyone liked. He was an adamant iconoclast, determined to be unique
even among the 'rejects.'
"Dad, this is incredible," murmured Zeke from his window seat, his gaze firmly fixed on the ground far below. "Everything is so squared
away!"
Matthieu Darkwood looked nothing like his son. His hair was the color of salt and pepper and his eyes were hazel. He also towered over the younger man, even
while sitting down. Ezekiel's looks came entirely from his late mother, along with a good portion of her attitude and world-view. His mannerisms, though,
he had inherited from his father. Matthieu didn't mind though. The woman he loved lived on through their son and he would not have it any other way.
His father didn't even bother looking through the window. Instead, he simply smiled indulgently. This had been something of present for his son - it was
his final billet in the Navy and it was in the place his son had wanted to come to the most. He would retire here and take up a part time job at the Embassy.
"Of course, son. The Japanese are a very neat and tidy people. Even their civil engineers lay out the towns as neatly as possible."
For a moment they lapsed once more into companionable silence.
"Thanks for bringing me here, Dad."
Matthieu smiled again and, without looking, reached out ruffled his son's shaggy hair. Zeke didn't mind since his style was intentionally mussed.
"For you, son, it's nothing."
Zeke was technically an adult, so he had to travel on his own visa. Months before arriving, Mathieu and Zeke had laid down the ground work, arranging for
Zeke's continued education - namely from an engineering institute in Juban. It was a fair distance from the American naval station in Yokosuka, but that
was nothing that a train ride couldn't fix.
The Darkwoods were an efficient bunch. By the time they had arrived at Yokosuka, they already had the keys for their respective homes in hand. Their
household goods would not arrive for a while, but Zeke didn't mind. Most of what he was waiting for was items of sentimental value - his books, mostly,
and a few curios. He was planning on outfitting his apartment with goods bought locally.
Mathieu was using a week's worth of leave-time to help his son get settled in. The apartment was a small one - a single bedroom mearuing in at six tatami
mats, with a small den, kitchen and bathroom. Zeke was happy with it.
Money was not an issue either. In the event of her death, a good deal of his Mother's life insurance policy went into a trust fund for Ezekiel's sake.
That money now went to work in putting a roof over his head and paying for his education.
His personal belongings arrived sooner than anticipated and Zeke happily retrieved his beloved treasures: his personal library and his collection of curios.
The books filled up two large shelves that dominated the two walls inside the den, leaving little space for the entertainment center. Fortunately, his desktop
computer was kept in his bedroom while the laptop roved. The curios, meanwhile, made up a small, shrine-like affair in the bedroom, complete with candles and
incense. People who asked were told that it simply represented his travels and adventures, and then got to hear the sordid stories behind each of the
nick-knacks.
Once he was done, the apartment had a slightly cluttered, but comfortable and lived-in look. Zeke had one month left before school started, and so he used
that time to settle in and get to know the area around him. He had wanted to come to Japan so badly that he had coerced his father into letting him take
lessons in Japanese, or Nihongo as they called it. As a result, he spoke passable Nihongo for a gaijin on his first visit to the island nation.
It is that sort of thing that garners positive attention from the locals. It started with the smallest things, like greeting the neighbors and lending a hand
with carrying things. He talked and got to know people, but not to the point of being a busybody. Zeke soon came to be known as 'That Nice American
Boy.' And then came the day that Zeke did something that, while he considered normal for himself, was considered extraordinary by the locals.
It was his last week before starting school and he was waiting for a morning train to take him to Tokyo when he noticed an elderly man further down the
platform. He thought it odd that the man seemed to be profusely sweating in the cool morning air, until he saw him grab for his chest. Zeke realized then and
there that the poor man was having a heart attack.
Without a second thought, he broke into a sprint down the platform, startling some of the late-morning commuters, but otherwise merely puzzling them. When he
got there it was not a second too soon - a woman screamed as she noticed the man begin to fall forward towards the tracks.
Ezekiel's unyielding grip caught ahold of the man by his robes and pulled him back, and only seconds before a train arrived.
"It's a heart attack! Call a doctor!" called out Zeke in Nihongo. Despite the chaos around him, the
conductors heard him and snapped into action. "Lay down, stranger, and relax. Help is coming." The man said nothing, but there was a look of
gratitude mixed in with the pain in his eyes.
Soon enough the conductors had arrived with cold compresses, a stretcher, and an emergency defibrillator. Zeke was thanked profusely and asked if he could
stay to answer a few questions, just for formality's sake. Zeke politely answered that he had plenty of time, and went to the station master's office
with the conductors. He was asked the usual things, such as his identity, where he lived, what he was doing in Japan, and why he did what he did.
Zeke astounded them when he explained why he saved the man. It amazed them to think that Americans could be so bold and reckless with their own lives when
someone else was in danger. Zeke countered:
"That man may be someone's son, brother, cousin, uncle, nephew, father, and grandfather. I only have my Father. How could I be so selfish?"
There was nothing more to be added to that. The news networks pounced on the story. For the most part, the authorities dealt with them. A few reporters came
to Zeke's home, but they were polite and abiding.
However, the biggest surprise came after the storm. The doorbell rang and Zeke peaked over his book inquisitively, pondering if it was a straggler-reporter,
before getting up to answer the door.
His preconceptions were completely and utterly blown away.
She stood there, with an unreadable expression on her face. Her hair was cut in a traditional style that evoked the Japanese nobility of times past - long and
perfectly straight. Her eyes, despite the blank expression, had a fire that burned with the almond-framed orbs. She was his own height, and wore the uniform
of an all-girls academy that was nearby. If Zeke didn't know any better, he'd say that she was in her senior year, getting ready to graduate.
"Are you..." she then turned her gaze down at a slip of paper in her hands. "Eh-zeh-kee-eh-ru-san?"
"Yes, Ezekiel is my given name," answered the perplexed young man.
"What? OH!" she cried out as her face rapidly went to confusion and straight on to surprise. "I forgot, Americans put their given names first!
Gomen nasai!" And before Zeke knew it she was bowing before him. Before he could say anything else, she went
on, "Please, Da-ru-ku-wu-do-san, accept this gift as my gratitude for saving my grandfather's life." The next thing Zeke knew was that he was
being offered a platter of curry.
"Sugoi!" said Zeke fervently. If there was one thing he loved, it was a good curry. He just hoped that it
wasn't too hot. "I like curry very much. I'm afraid I won't be able to eat it all by my self, so let's eat it together. Please, come
inside."
"I shouldn't really intrude," she said weakly.
"Nonsense," said Zeke. "In fact, I bet you're hungry."
The girl opened her mouth to respond, but her stomach beat her to the punch, snarling noisily as it protested its empty state.
Zeke smiled. "I thought so. Please, come in. It isn't polite in American society to make a pretty girl starve, especially once she has gone through
the trouble of bringing you a meal."
The girl stood there dumbstruck. In standard Japanese operating procedures, he would have exchanged names, thanked her for the curry, and that would have been
that. However, she had failed to take into account what he'd done earlier that day and the fact that he was an American - not simply one of the loud and
noisy caricatures that the Japanese tend to paint that particular brand of gaijin (though some of them can certainly be that - the sailors from Yokosuka for
example).
She stood in front of the open door, Ezekiel's open invitation, before her wits finally came back to her.
"Ah, Hai!" she said as she suddenly stepped over the threshold and shut the door behind her while slipping off her shoes in exchange for the
house-slippers.
Her host, she noticed as he busied himself in the kitchen, didn't bother with the slippers, and with good reason, too. One look at the size of his shoes
compared to her own told her of how his feet would dwarf most house-slippers readily available in stores. He got by wearing just a pair of heavy socks.
"Go ahead and set it on the table," he said in his passable Nihongo. It wasn't the best she'd
heard, but he was better than most. "By the way, what is you name?"
"My name is Hino Rei," she answered as she set the curry down.
"It's good to meet you, Hino-san," said Zeke as he began to set plates down on the table. "I've been getting to know my neighbors, but
it's mostly elders and married couples with young children. There's hardly anyone around here that's my age." It was the proverbial gospel
truth. Zeke's apartment building was one of the smaller ones set in a quiet neighborhood. Of course, it was quiet because there were few people
Zeke's age there, so it came as a great relief to his neighbors when they found he was as quiet as everyone else.
As they sat down to enjoy the impromptu meal, they talked and began to learn about each other. Rei was surprised to learn that Zeke was actually her age and
that he'd graduated high school two years early and spent the extra time pursuing self-studies of various sorts. Nihongo, engineering of various sorts (mechanical, aeronautical, electrical, hydrodynamic, and (?!) nuclear), martial arts and
computer sciences were his primary interests. He said that he wanted to be someone to revolutionize the world.
Rei could appreciate this sentiment.
She also wish she could tell him what she did in her spare time. Of course, he'd never believe her. Hearing about everything he did and aspired to made
her feel like a slouch when she admitted that all her schooling amounted to was pretty standard.
"Daijobu, Hino-san," said Zeke with a smile. "I actually think that working in a shrine as a
miko is a great occupation. At least your work is quiet and fulfilling."
"What do you know of Shinto?" Rei asked, genuinely curious.
"A little bit. I've been studying all kinds of things related to animism because of my Grandfather."
"Your grandfather wants you to study things like that? I didn't think many Americans believed in things like that."
"That is true, but I'm Native American," said Zeke, correcting her gently. "At least in part. And
my Grandfather is a shaman. He took one look at me and insisted that I be taught in his ways. My Dad thought it was strange, but because he loved my Mother
so much, he let me go as much as possible."
"So why are you here then instead of with your Grandfather?"
"Well, my Father's an officer in the US Navy, so we moved around a lot. I got used to it so I like traveling around. I can't ever seem to stay
in one spot for very long. As for why Nippon, the reason is that I've always wanted to study here. And now I
think you know where I'm going with this."
"You want to learn about what I do?" asked Rei, somewhat disbelievingly.
"You may be able to fool a lot of people, but not me," said Zeke as though he was discussing the weather. "There's a lot of things that I
am not able to do because I've only learned bits and pieces here and there. But I do know enough to see a true... well, whatever you like to call
yourself... priestess, mage, witch..."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Zeke looked at her levelly, as though he were sizing her up, and Rei felt unnerved by the intense gaze. Without a word, he got up from the table and went into
his room for a moment. Rei watched him go curiously and heard a drawer open, something rustle, and then shut again. Zeke then came back holding a black
velvet drawstring bag and some kind of cloth.
At the table, he moved his plate aside (the curry, she noted, had been polished away clean - he hadn't been kidding about loving a good curry) and spread
the cloth out in its place. He then pulled something out of his pocket, open it, and then set it on the table as he began to make meticulous adjustments to
the cloth's placement.
A compass, Rei realized. But what for? She watched raptly as Zeke then sat
down and then looked her in the eyes with that intense gaze of his. It was, she would have to admit, a riveting experience having someone look at her in that
way - a way that she herself would look at people to divine their character.
"This is not divination as some would think it is," he said. "My favored tool is merely one used for lighting paths or objects that would
otherwise be invisible to me - much like using a flashlight in the dark instead of gropping around and guessing." With nothing further to add, he closed
his eyes and took a few deep breathes as he reached into the bag and stirred the contents with his fingers. A sound like marbles clattering together reached
Rei's ears. Then, with his eyes still closed, he pulled out a handful of the contents and then, with great ceremony, dropped them to the cloth.
A series of shiney, silver pebbles appeared on the cloth. Some of them appeared to have rigid, angular markings on them.
Runes! thought Rei, somewhat excitedly. She had heard about this sort of thing - of how witches of the Scandanavian
countryside would cast runes onto a cloth, usually made of wood or sometimes bone, and anointed with their blood to bind them to themselves.
"Interesting," said Zeke as he studied the up-turned stones intently. "You are certainly hiding something from me, Hino-san, but it is not what
I am looking for. It is alright. We all have our secrets - you may keep yours. What I want to know about is your practices at your temple."
Rei turned pink at that. She had been so protective of her secret that she had nearly jeopardized the her other identity.
"Gomen nasai," she said. "If that is what you wish to know about, Darkwood-san, then I'll teach
you about what I know."
Zeke smiled and bowed politely. "Arigatou, Hino-san."
Rei returned the bow. "Dou-itashimashite. I am curious, though. I have heard of these runes, but you use
stone. Is not wood better?"
Zeke smiled - Hook, line and sinker, he thought to himself. "It honestly depends on the person. I myself, for example, am aligned with the elements of
metal and air. Therefore, the mineral, hematite, also known as iron-oxide, is a perfect match. I also tend to be very energetic and hematite is an excellent
stone for grounding excess energy."
"So how did you bind yourself to the stones? They aren't living matter like wood or even bone."
"I found a way around that. You see how regular these stones are? I went out one day where hematite is commonly found and chipped myself off a good size
stone and took it home. There, I chipped out these stones you see here and put them through a rock tumbler to polish them up. That gave me the regular shape
I desired. To bind them, though, I took a sample of my blood with a steryl syrenge and added it to the rock tumbler. And then when I etched the runes, I went
ahead and blooded the etching tool as well."
"So that way you imparted yourself onto the stones?"
"Exactly. Haven't you ever noticed that things like landmarks and cities put out their own aura? It isn't just because of the people that live
there. It's also because of the people that built it, and for some landmarks that took a lot of people. At that point, it doesn't matter how much
spiritual energy your workers have; it is going to leave a mark on the structure no matter what."
"An engineer's solution!" said Rei in surprise as she got what Zeke was talking about.
"Now you're getting it. I'm an engineer, pure and simple. I build and create things with my own two hands, and there is no such thing as an
insurmountable obstacle. If a wall can be built, then it can be torn down or even circumvented. And I apply this wholeheartedly to whatever I learn."
The two passed the rest of the evening cheerfully discussing animism and its related topics.
Zeke soon started going to school and he would slogg through his work with avengence, pitting his wit and intellect at the problems as though he was a Samurai
lord pitted against honorless ronin. He spent as much of his spare time with Rei at the Hikawa Shrine as possible. The only portions of his spare time that
he did not spend there was spent, instead, attending kendo classes with his father at the Yokosuka Naval Station.
Rei and Zeke learned much from each other, but Zeke benefitted the most from it as he took concepts and practices and incorporated it into his own book. He
actually did keep a book, calling it his Book of Shadows, in the tradition of pagans. Rei was happy to flip through the book as Zeke practiced what he
learned.
Zeke's technique was slowly starting to form a whole at long last. What puzzled Rei the most, however, where the experiments he cobbled together with
whatever he had on hand during study periods at his school. She wasn't sure of what he was hoping to accomplish, but he certainly had a goal in mind.
Eventually they got to be on a first-name basis and later on Rei found that she couldn't help but like the iconoclastic young American. Especially once
she found that he could be deadly serious when it was needed, and then later lighten up the situation by being utterly, outrageously, fucking nuts - bursting
into song at random, making celeberty impersonations, and being silly in general.
Sometimes she even had him bring his work to the shrine, just because she was curious about what he did at school. She did this even though he told her it
would be terribly boring. So, one day he decided it was time to spice things up a bit.
"Is everything okay?" asked Rei as Zeke studied the problem before him.
"Heki heki," Zeke replied casually without even looking up. Yes, yes, it's just fine. "It's
not as difficult as it looks. I'm just trying to figure out which solution suits my tastes better."
"Heeeeeeh? Are you serious?"
"Of course. It's part of what being an engineer is about. It is not simply enough to accomplish the goal. You must do so in the most simple,
elegant, and efficient manner possible. Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."
"You engineers are so weird."
At this, Zeke did look up and smile. He really did count himself lucky to have found a girl like Rei. In some respects, Rei was an ideal Japanese woman just
starting to come into her prime: as beautiful as a princess, quick-witted like a kitsune, and well educated. He just loved the way she stared him with those
almond-shaped eyes of hers with her face framed by her long, luxuriant black hair.
"Yes, I am weird," he stated proudly. "Of course, you wouldn't have me any other way because then I'd just be another boring egghead
like your friend, Ami-chan. Not that she isn't cute, either." Zeke's smile was now what Rei had taken to calling his Kitsune Smile and he
punctuated his remark by waggling his eyebrows at her.
"I told you before to stop doing that!" she cried out.
"And for that reason I'll keep on doing it." And with that Zeke's hand darted forward and tweaked her nose. Rei yelped, then snarled and
lunged after him. Zeke somehow managed to roll away and come up on his feet. "Come here you bastard!"
"Hey, I know my father!" Zeke cried out, tossing the remark over his shoulder gleefully as he cheesed it around the corner with Rei in hot pursuit.
"Fox-worshipping fiend!"
"But the servants of Inari-sama are so much fun!"
Rei's Grandfather watched from his chair. He was still convalescing from his heart attack, but he was fit to remain outside of the hospital as long as he
took it easy and got plenty of rest. He watched his granddaughter chase the wily American around the shrine with a smile on his face. He knew exactly what
was going on and he was pretty sure the boy knew it to. The only one that didn't really realize it was Rei herself. He only hoped that the realization
came sooner than later - that girl needed to get herself settled down and the American fellow, even if he hadn't been the one to pull him away from the
station platform's edge, was more than good enough for his granddaughter. Now if only the girl's father would show up now and then.
Oh, what's this now? he thought as he saw Zeke come to a stop and turn to face down Rei. Rei stopped as well, her
elegant hair a mess and her robes disheveled - what a sight! The old man hadn't seen anything like that since he courted his wife after the war! Zeke
then goaded Rei by tweaking her nose again. Enraged, the miko swung at him only to have the blow neatly - gently even! - paried with his open hands. Rei
swung wildly several more times and Zeke parried some and let the ones that would hurt the least through - the the Grandfather knew those would still leave
bruises.
Finally, Rei had the last straw and tackled him to the ground and Zeke unleashed his secret weapon, for few Japanese girls were not ticklish! Rei was no exception as Zeke's fingers easilly found her ribs. However, Rei discovered that zeke was ticklish
as well, and soon enough the two were a giggling mess as they tickled each other into exhaustion.
The old man just chuckled softly and wondered when the wedding would be and how soon great-grandchildren would come afterwards. He hoped it would be soon
enough. He was curious to see what kind of children these two made and he wasn't going to be around forever.
To be added later: some hair-raising adventure where Zeke discovers Rei is a Senshi. There will be WTFs, hillarity, and no-shit-there-I-was material.
Three Months Later...
Zeke felt as though he was in heaven. He was in Japan, independent, at a good school, and he had a drop-dead gorgeous Japanese girlfriend who was a miko at a
lovely Shinto shrine. Yet, he knew that something was going to happen soon that he wasn't going to like - karma was a cold-blooded bitch like that
sometimes.
And it came in the form of Suits who acted on behalf of the UN.
They took him for a rough ride in a rented sub-compact sedan all the way to his Father's off-base residence in Yokosuka. Zeke was surprised to say the
least, but the biggest surprise came when the entered his Father's home and there was an absolutely enormous man there that made Andre the Giant look
small. Even worse was the absurdly loud tiger-stripe suit he wore - Zeke was sure if the room was quite enough he could hear the noise it made. And then
there was the horm he had growing right out of the top of his head.
The situation was quite improbable, so Zeke had to recap.
"Okay then, let me get this straight," said Zeke, glad to be able to carry on this conversation in English. "You've decided that you want
to make a move on my world, but to give us a sporting chance you want someone, specifically me, to compete in a game of tag, which happens to be your national
past-time. Did I miss anything?"
"Nope! You got everything, kid!" said the absurdly huge man, one Mr. Invader. "You're pretty bright, you know? A real credit to your
people, kid. Honestly, I'd hate to conquer you guys, but if it goes down that way I promise to give ya a nice cushy job in the new world order. How's
that sound?"
Zeke blinked at that and glanced around nervously. Everyone around him was giving him pointed looks, not least of all his father and girlfriend. How the hell did she get here so fast!? he wondered, not for the first time since he's known her.
"Ah... I'm speachless!" he said wisely.
"Hah-hah! Don't worry, kid. I'll take care of everything else, you just worry about trying to win."
"Say, who will my competition be, anyhow?"
"She should be here any moment now."
There was a sudden rumbling and everyone but the giant man looked a bit uncertain.
"An earthquake!? Now?" asked someone rhetorically.
Lightning crashed through the patio doors, shattering the safety glass and sending it flying. And where the lightningbolt had rooted itself stood a girl. She
had a small and lithe hourglass figure - everyone could tell because of the skimpy two-piece bikini and knee-high boots she wore, done in the same tiger-stripe
pattern as Mr. Invader. She had voluminous hair framing her face and running down the entire length of her back in the most fetching shade of marine-green and
her eyes were baby-blue. Zeke also noticed that she had the tips of two horns barely poking up from the top of her hair.
"Hello! My name is Lum Invader," said the girl in a pleasant, if energetic, contralto. "I hope that we have a good match!"
"Well now, that was different," said Zeke. "I want some handicaps established."
"Oh? What do you mean?" said Mr. Invader.
"She can fly. And she has electrokinesis. There's no way I can compete with that."
"What do you mean? You don't have those abilities here?"
"No."
"But we were told that you're one of the most intelligent, talented, and physically capable people on the planet."
"Within human baselines. Despite my intelligence and talent, I'm really no different than anyone else on the planet. There's even people that
live here that can beat me at specific things I happen to do as well - I just happen to have the broadest range of capabilities. I'm an adept at many
things but a master of none."
("And I am going to make sure you fix that,") whispered Rei harshly into his ear.
("Rei-chan? Now's not the time,") replied Zeke, surprised that she would be saying that now.
("Fine, but after all this mess, no more games. I know you are just having fun with that school. If you are going to be the husband of a Senshi, then
you had better be worthy of it.")
Zeke sighed. ("Hai, hime-san.")
"I see then," said Mr. Invader, ignoring the byplay entirely. "Lum, darling? No flying and you can't zap him."
"Daddy! Noooo!" wailed Lum piteously.
"Lum, we have to be fair to the Earthlings. Now, come along. We've pestered these people long enough and they need to get ready."
And then, in another blaze of lightning, the two were gone.
Zeke got to choose the field of battle. To make it interesting for their guests, he chose the wild hill country west of Austin, Texas, USA. A brief test
showed that Lum was immune to snake bites and insect stings, so the primary worry was solely on Zeke. He was ready, though. His father had requisitioned some
survival gear for him and Zeke made good use of it, camouflaging himself to blend in with the landscape as best as possible. The survive-evade-escape-recovery
kit was spare and light weight - focusing on giving you the bare minimum needed to get by so your mobility would not be impaired.
The Invaders figured that Zeke would get some help from his people. They didn't care since they picked Zeke for his sportsmanship - he wouldn't use
anythig that gave him too much of an advantage. What the Invaders weren't counting on was the fact that Zeke knew how to track down prey. Lum was on foot
and knew nothing about hiding her trail - why would she ever worry about such a thing?
She was about to get her first lesson in survival skills.
About two hours into the game she got her first scare when Zeke suddenly burst through the sage brush to make a grab at her.
And then she put about a day's distance between herself and Zeke. Not that it mattered any, since a day's distance by foot was all it was. He gave
her another good scare the following day.
She was starting to get a bit freaked out, really. How could he seem to be so fast, after all? Lum was taking breaks, something Zeke wasn't allowing
himself save to get some water and rations vinto his stomach. Humans were built for endurance and Zeke was showing this in spades whenever he caught up with
her. By the third day, Lum was running constantly. It was now more of a challenge for Zeke to catch up with her, but he knew now that it was only a matter of
time before Lum finally wore out and he could run her down. He took his time and paced himself accordingly, like the tortoise racing the hare.
On the fifth day, Zeke had signs that she was close.
Very close.
Now, he definitely took his time, slowing to a near-crawl as he began to stalk Lum. He had never really thought of himself as all that stealthy, but now he
was excrutiatingly careful, duck-walking slowly, moving aside deadfall to keep it from crunching and crackling loudly under his feet. Soon enough, he had
sighted her trying to ford the San Marcos River. He had to give her credit, when someone set down the rules she didn't deviate - she could have easily
flown across.
He continued to stalk until he was finally in pouncing distance, hidden from view by the underbrush by the river's shoals. Lum was still trying to find a
spot to safely cross when she heard something moving in the bushes.
She snapped about, looking around warily. Zeke remained utterly still, his legs coiled like springs. It hadn't been him that made the noise, but even so
his heart was in his throat. When her frantic looking took her gaze well away from where he was hiding, he sprung.
Lum glimpsed him and yelped as she broke out into a sprint, but she was exhausted and sleep deprived. She barely managed a footing as Zeke came at her like a
leopard. And like a jungle cat that had put in the time wearing down and stalking its prey, Zeke had his catch as he took one last bound and caught Lum by the
horns on her head, tackling her into the waterlogged sand.
For a while, the two stayed like that, catching their breath. Lum dimly reflected on what had happened, dazed as she was by exhaustion. How could it be that
a mere Earthman had done this to her? Was he honestly so intent on having her? Did he really want her that much? Her delirious thoughts continued to run
like that until she slipped into a deep sleep, not even noticing the transition and having strange lurid dreams of some huntsman tracking her down and having
his way with her. Oddly enough, she enjoyed it very much. So it was with great reluctance she finally woke up.
She was in some sort of make-shift shelter made from a tarp and a tied-down sapling. She was covered with a foil survival blanket and it was dark outside -
the area was lit by a small camp fire. She got up, slowly, painfully, and looked around. Zeke was not far. He was sitting by the river and looking up at the
sky. As she got with earshot, he suddenly spoke up without looking at her.
"I've already radioed for pickup," he began. "They said the tracking beacon is pretty far out and it'll take a day for them get
anything out to us."
"What about your aircraft?"
"Helocopters? Why bother? We're not in any danger, and I think you father trusts me to make sure nothing happens to you."
"Really? It's interesting that my father trusts you that much."
"Yeah, well, he seems like an okay guy. A bit loud, but then I've had a few friends like him before."
"Enough that he wouldn't mind having you for a son-in-law."
Zeke turned and gave her a look. "Whoah," he said emphaticaly. "Now when was this decided?"
"While I was sleeping. I must say, you were very good."
"Ah, nothing happened last night."
"Maybe, maybe not. I know that whatever it was, I liked it a lot. And where I come from, that is more than just a marriage proposal." At that she
winked at Zeke and went back to the campsite. "I'll be waiting, darling."
Zeke just sat there and gaped as the full implications began to rain down on him.
"Dear sweet Kami-sama, help me."
More to come later!
what would become his new home.
He'd recently turned eighteen and he was ready for college. Not everything was right in his mind's eye, though. At sixty-seven inches in height, he
felt he was still too short. True, he was technically of average height, but that was the extreme low-end of the bracket that was labeled 'Average.'
At the very least, though, his looks were well above average. His face was narrow with high cheekbones, giving him the slightly exotic air derived from his
native-American heritage. The dark complexion didn't help in this respect. In high school he would have had the girls all but throwing themselves at him
if not for his odd persona. He never liked any of the fads, music, cars, or anything else anyone liked. He was an adamant iconoclast, determined to be unique
even among the 'rejects.'
"Dad, this is incredible," murmured Zeke from his window seat, his gaze firmly fixed on the ground far below. "Everything is so squared
away!"
Matthieu Darkwood looked nothing like his son. His hair was the color of salt and pepper and his eyes were hazel. He also towered over the younger man, even
while sitting down. Ezekiel's looks came entirely from his late mother, along with a good portion of her attitude and world-view. His mannerisms, though,
he had inherited from his father. Matthieu didn't mind though. The woman he loved lived on through their son and he would not have it any other way.
His father didn't even bother looking through the window. Instead, he simply smiled indulgently. This had been something of present for his son - it was
his final billet in the Navy and it was in the place his son had wanted to come to the most. He would retire here and take up a part time job at the Embassy.
"Of course, son. The Japanese are a very neat and tidy people. Even their civil engineers lay out the towns as neatly as possible."
For a moment they lapsed once more into companionable silence.
"Thanks for bringing me here, Dad."
Matthieu smiled again and, without looking, reached out ruffled his son's shaggy hair. Zeke didn't mind since his style was intentionally mussed.
"For you, son, it's nothing."
Zeke was technically an adult, so he had to travel on his own visa. Months before arriving, Mathieu and Zeke had laid down the ground work, arranging for
Zeke's continued education - namely from an engineering institute in Juban. It was a fair distance from the American naval station in Yokosuka, but that
was nothing that a train ride couldn't fix.
The Darkwoods were an efficient bunch. By the time they had arrived at Yokosuka, they already had the keys for their respective homes in hand. Their
household goods would not arrive for a while, but Zeke didn't mind. Most of what he was waiting for was items of sentimental value - his books, mostly,
and a few curios. He was planning on outfitting his apartment with goods bought locally.
Mathieu was using a week's worth of leave-time to help his son get settled in. The apartment was a small one - a single bedroom mearuing in at six tatami
mats, with a small den, kitchen and bathroom. Zeke was happy with it.
Money was not an issue either. In the event of her death, a good deal of his Mother's life insurance policy went into a trust fund for Ezekiel's sake.
That money now went to work in putting a roof over his head and paying for his education.
His personal belongings arrived sooner than anticipated and Zeke happily retrieved his beloved treasures: his personal library and his collection of curios.
The books filled up two large shelves that dominated the two walls inside the den, leaving little space for the entertainment center. Fortunately, his desktop
computer was kept in his bedroom while the laptop roved. The curios, meanwhile, made up a small, shrine-like affair in the bedroom, complete with candles and
incense. People who asked were told that it simply represented his travels and adventures, and then got to hear the sordid stories behind each of the
nick-knacks.
Once he was done, the apartment had a slightly cluttered, but comfortable and lived-in look. Zeke had one month left before school started, and so he used
that time to settle in and get to know the area around him. He had wanted to come to Japan so badly that he had coerced his father into letting him take
lessons in Japanese, or Nihongo as they called it. As a result, he spoke passable Nihongo for a gaijin on his first visit to the island nation.
It is that sort of thing that garners positive attention from the locals. It started with the smallest things, like greeting the neighbors and lending a hand
with carrying things. He talked and got to know people, but not to the point of being a busybody. Zeke soon came to be known as 'That Nice American
Boy.' And then came the day that Zeke did something that, while he considered normal for himself, was considered extraordinary by the locals.
It was his last week before starting school and he was waiting for a morning train to take him to Tokyo when he noticed an elderly man further down the
platform. He thought it odd that the man seemed to be profusely sweating in the cool morning air, until he saw him grab for his chest. Zeke realized then and
there that the poor man was having a heart attack.
Without a second thought, he broke into a sprint down the platform, startling some of the late-morning commuters, but otherwise merely puzzling them. When he
got there it was not a second too soon - a woman screamed as she noticed the man begin to fall forward towards the tracks.
Ezekiel's unyielding grip caught ahold of the man by his robes and pulled him back, and only seconds before a train arrived.
"It's a heart attack! Call a doctor!" called out Zeke in Nihongo. Despite the chaos around him, the
conductors heard him and snapped into action. "Lay down, stranger, and relax. Help is coming." The man said nothing, but there was a look of
gratitude mixed in with the pain in his eyes.
Soon enough the conductors had arrived with cold compresses, a stretcher, and an emergency defibrillator. Zeke was thanked profusely and asked if he could
stay to answer a few questions, just for formality's sake. Zeke politely answered that he had plenty of time, and went to the station master's office
with the conductors. He was asked the usual things, such as his identity, where he lived, what he was doing in Japan, and why he did what he did.
Zeke astounded them when he explained why he saved the man. It amazed them to think that Americans could be so bold and reckless with their own lives when
someone else was in danger. Zeke countered:
"That man may be someone's son, brother, cousin, uncle, nephew, father, and grandfather. I only have my Father. How could I be so selfish?"
There was nothing more to be added to that. The news networks pounced on the story. For the most part, the authorities dealt with them. A few reporters came
to Zeke's home, but they were polite and abiding.
However, the biggest surprise came after the storm. The doorbell rang and Zeke peaked over his book inquisitively, pondering if it was a straggler-reporter,
before getting up to answer the door.
His preconceptions were completely and utterly blown away.
She stood there, with an unreadable expression on her face. Her hair was cut in a traditional style that evoked the Japanese nobility of times past - long and
perfectly straight. Her eyes, despite the blank expression, had a fire that burned with the almond-framed orbs. She was his own height, and wore the uniform
of an all-girls academy that was nearby. If Zeke didn't know any better, he'd say that she was in her senior year, getting ready to graduate.
"Are you..." she then turned her gaze down at a slip of paper in her hands. "Eh-zeh-kee-eh-ru-san?"
"Yes, Ezekiel is my given name," answered the perplexed young man.
"What? OH!" she cried out as her face rapidly went to confusion and straight on to surprise. "I forgot, Americans put their given names first!
Gomen nasai!" And before Zeke knew it she was bowing before him. Before he could say anything else, she went
on, "Please, Da-ru-ku-wu-do-san, accept this gift as my gratitude for saving my grandfather's life." The next thing Zeke knew was that he was
being offered a platter of curry.
"Sugoi!" said Zeke fervently. If there was one thing he loved, it was a good curry. He just hoped that it
wasn't too hot. "I like curry very much. I'm afraid I won't be able to eat it all by my self, so let's eat it together. Please, come
inside."
"I shouldn't really intrude," she said weakly.
"Nonsense," said Zeke. "In fact, I bet you're hungry."
The girl opened her mouth to respond, but her stomach beat her to the punch, snarling noisily as it protested its empty state.
Zeke smiled. "I thought so. Please, come in. It isn't polite in American society to make a pretty girl starve, especially once she has gone through
the trouble of bringing you a meal."
The girl stood there dumbstruck. In standard Japanese operating procedures, he would have exchanged names, thanked her for the curry, and that would have been
that. However, she had failed to take into account what he'd done earlier that day and the fact that he was an American - not simply one of the loud and
noisy caricatures that the Japanese tend to paint that particular brand of gaijin (though some of them can certainly be that - the sailors from Yokosuka for
example).
She stood in front of the open door, Ezekiel's open invitation, before her wits finally came back to her.
"Ah, Hai!" she said as she suddenly stepped over the threshold and shut the door behind her while slipping off her shoes in exchange for the
house-slippers.
Her host, she noticed as he busied himself in the kitchen, didn't bother with the slippers, and with good reason, too. One look at the size of his shoes
compared to her own told her of how his feet would dwarf most house-slippers readily available in stores. He got by wearing just a pair of heavy socks.
"Go ahead and set it on the table," he said in his passable Nihongo. It wasn't the best she'd
heard, but he was better than most. "By the way, what is you name?"
"My name is Hino Rei," she answered as she set the curry down.
"It's good to meet you, Hino-san," said Zeke as he began to set plates down on the table. "I've been getting to know my neighbors, but
it's mostly elders and married couples with young children. There's hardly anyone around here that's my age." It was the proverbial gospel
truth. Zeke's apartment building was one of the smaller ones set in a quiet neighborhood. Of course, it was quiet because there were few people
Zeke's age there, so it came as a great relief to his neighbors when they found he was as quiet as everyone else.
As they sat down to enjoy the impromptu meal, they talked and began to learn about each other. Rei was surprised to learn that Zeke was actually her age and
that he'd graduated high school two years early and spent the extra time pursuing self-studies of various sorts. Nihongo, engineering of various sorts (mechanical, aeronautical, electrical, hydrodynamic, and (?!) nuclear), martial arts and
computer sciences were his primary interests. He said that he wanted to be someone to revolutionize the world.
Rei could appreciate this sentiment.
She also wish she could tell him what she did in her spare time. Of course, he'd never believe her. Hearing about everything he did and aspired to made
her feel like a slouch when she admitted that all her schooling amounted to was pretty standard.
"Daijobu, Hino-san," said Zeke with a smile. "I actually think that working in a shrine as a
miko is a great occupation. At least your work is quiet and fulfilling."
"What do you know of Shinto?" Rei asked, genuinely curious.
"A little bit. I've been studying all kinds of things related to animism because of my Grandfather."
"Your grandfather wants you to study things like that? I didn't think many Americans believed in things like that."
"That is true, but I'm Native American," said Zeke, correcting her gently. "At least in part. And
my Grandfather is a shaman. He took one look at me and insisted that I be taught in his ways. My Dad thought it was strange, but because he loved my Mother
so much, he let me go as much as possible."
"So why are you here then instead of with your Grandfather?"
"Well, my Father's an officer in the US Navy, so we moved around a lot. I got used to it so I like traveling around. I can't ever seem to stay
in one spot for very long. As for why Nippon, the reason is that I've always wanted to study here. And now I
think you know where I'm going with this."
"You want to learn about what I do?" asked Rei, somewhat disbelievingly.
"You may be able to fool a lot of people, but not me," said Zeke as though he was discussing the weather. "There's a lot of things that I
am not able to do because I've only learned bits and pieces here and there. But I do know enough to see a true... well, whatever you like to call
yourself... priestess, mage, witch..."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Zeke looked at her levelly, as though he were sizing her up, and Rei felt unnerved by the intense gaze. Without a word, he got up from the table and went into
his room for a moment. Rei watched him go curiously and heard a drawer open, something rustle, and then shut again. Zeke then came back holding a black
velvet drawstring bag and some kind of cloth.
At the table, he moved his plate aside (the curry, she noted, had been polished away clean - he hadn't been kidding about loving a good curry) and spread
the cloth out in its place. He then pulled something out of his pocket, open it, and then set it on the table as he began to make meticulous adjustments to
the cloth's placement.
A compass, Rei realized. But what for? She watched raptly as Zeke then sat
down and then looked her in the eyes with that intense gaze of his. It was, she would have to admit, a riveting experience having someone look at her in that
way - a way that she herself would look at people to divine their character.
"This is not divination as some would think it is," he said. "My favored tool is merely one used for lighting paths or objects that would
otherwise be invisible to me - much like using a flashlight in the dark instead of gropping around and guessing." With nothing further to add, he closed
his eyes and took a few deep breathes as he reached into the bag and stirred the contents with his fingers. A sound like marbles clattering together reached
Rei's ears. Then, with his eyes still closed, he pulled out a handful of the contents and then, with great ceremony, dropped them to the cloth.
A series of shiney, silver pebbles appeared on the cloth. Some of them appeared to have rigid, angular markings on them.
Runes! thought Rei, somewhat excitedly. She had heard about this sort of thing - of how witches of the Scandanavian
countryside would cast runes onto a cloth, usually made of wood or sometimes bone, and anointed with their blood to bind them to themselves.
"Interesting," said Zeke as he studied the up-turned stones intently. "You are certainly hiding something from me, Hino-san, but it is not what
I am looking for. It is alright. We all have our secrets - you may keep yours. What I want to know about is your practices at your temple."
Rei turned pink at that. She had been so protective of her secret that she had nearly jeopardized the her other identity.
"Gomen nasai," she said. "If that is what you wish to know about, Darkwood-san, then I'll teach
you about what I know."
Zeke smiled and bowed politely. "Arigatou, Hino-san."
Rei returned the bow. "Dou-itashimashite. I am curious, though. I have heard of these runes, but you use
stone. Is not wood better?"
Zeke smiled - Hook, line and sinker, he thought to himself. "It honestly depends on the person. I myself, for example, am aligned with the elements of
metal and air. Therefore, the mineral, hematite, also known as iron-oxide, is a perfect match. I also tend to be very energetic and hematite is an excellent
stone for grounding excess energy."
"So how did you bind yourself to the stones? They aren't living matter like wood or even bone."
"I found a way around that. You see how regular these stones are? I went out one day where hematite is commonly found and chipped myself off a good size
stone and took it home. There, I chipped out these stones you see here and put them through a rock tumbler to polish them up. That gave me the regular shape
I desired. To bind them, though, I took a sample of my blood with a steryl syrenge and added it to the rock tumbler. And then when I etched the runes, I went
ahead and blooded the etching tool as well."
"So that way you imparted yourself onto the stones?"
"Exactly. Haven't you ever noticed that things like landmarks and cities put out their own aura? It isn't just because of the people that live
there. It's also because of the people that built it, and for some landmarks that took a lot of people. At that point, it doesn't matter how much
spiritual energy your workers have; it is going to leave a mark on the structure no matter what."
"An engineer's solution!" said Rei in surprise as she got what Zeke was talking about.
"Now you're getting it. I'm an engineer, pure and simple. I build and create things with my own two hands, and there is no such thing as an
insurmountable obstacle. If a wall can be built, then it can be torn down or even circumvented. And I apply this wholeheartedly to whatever I learn."
The two passed the rest of the evening cheerfully discussing animism and its related topics.
Zeke soon started going to school and he would slogg through his work with avengence, pitting his wit and intellect at the problems as though he was a Samurai
lord pitted against honorless ronin. He spent as much of his spare time with Rei at the Hikawa Shrine as possible. The only portions of his spare time that
he did not spend there was spent, instead, attending kendo classes with his father at the Yokosuka Naval Station.
Rei and Zeke learned much from each other, but Zeke benefitted the most from it as he took concepts and practices and incorporated it into his own book. He
actually did keep a book, calling it his Book of Shadows, in the tradition of pagans. Rei was happy to flip through the book as Zeke practiced what he
learned.
Zeke's technique was slowly starting to form a whole at long last. What puzzled Rei the most, however, where the experiments he cobbled together with
whatever he had on hand during study periods at his school. She wasn't sure of what he was hoping to accomplish, but he certainly had a goal in mind.
Eventually they got to be on a first-name basis and later on Rei found that she couldn't help but like the iconoclastic young American. Especially once
she found that he could be deadly serious when it was needed, and then later lighten up the situation by being utterly, outrageously, fucking nuts - bursting
into song at random, making celeberty impersonations, and being silly in general.
Sometimes she even had him bring his work to the shrine, just because she was curious about what he did at school. She did this even though he told her it
would be terribly boring. So, one day he decided it was time to spice things up a bit.
"Is everything okay?" asked Rei as Zeke studied the problem before him.
"Heki heki," Zeke replied casually without even looking up. Yes, yes, it's just fine. "It's
not as difficult as it looks. I'm just trying to figure out which solution suits my tastes better."
"Heeeeeeh? Are you serious?"
"Of course. It's part of what being an engineer is about. It is not simply enough to accomplish the goal. You must do so in the most simple,
elegant, and efficient manner possible. Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."
"You engineers are so weird."
At this, Zeke did look up and smile. He really did count himself lucky to have found a girl like Rei. In some respects, Rei was an ideal Japanese woman just
starting to come into her prime: as beautiful as a princess, quick-witted like a kitsune, and well educated. He just loved the way she stared him with those
almond-shaped eyes of hers with her face framed by her long, luxuriant black hair.
"Yes, I am weird," he stated proudly. "Of course, you wouldn't have me any other way because then I'd just be another boring egghead
like your friend, Ami-chan. Not that she isn't cute, either." Zeke's smile was now what Rei had taken to calling his Kitsune Smile and he
punctuated his remark by waggling his eyebrows at her.
"I told you before to stop doing that!" she cried out.
"And for that reason I'll keep on doing it." And with that Zeke's hand darted forward and tweaked her nose. Rei yelped, then snarled and
lunged after him. Zeke somehow managed to roll away and come up on his feet. "Come here you bastard!"
"Hey, I know my father!" Zeke cried out, tossing the remark over his shoulder gleefully as he cheesed it around the corner with Rei in hot pursuit.
"Fox-worshipping fiend!"
"But the servants of Inari-sama are so much fun!"
Rei's Grandfather watched from his chair. He was still convalescing from his heart attack, but he was fit to remain outside of the hospital as long as he
took it easy and got plenty of rest. He watched his granddaughter chase the wily American around the shrine with a smile on his face. He knew exactly what
was going on and he was pretty sure the boy knew it to. The only one that didn't really realize it was Rei herself. He only hoped that the realization
came sooner than later - that girl needed to get herself settled down and the American fellow, even if he hadn't been the one to pull him away from the
station platform's edge, was more than good enough for his granddaughter. Now if only the girl's father would show up now and then.
Oh, what's this now? he thought as he saw Zeke come to a stop and turn to face down Rei. Rei stopped as well, her
elegant hair a mess and her robes disheveled - what a sight! The old man hadn't seen anything like that since he courted his wife after the war! Zeke
then goaded Rei by tweaking her nose again. Enraged, the miko swung at him only to have the blow neatly - gently even! - paried with his open hands. Rei
swung wildly several more times and Zeke parried some and let the ones that would hurt the least through - the the Grandfather knew those would still leave
bruises.
Finally, Rei had the last straw and tackled him to the ground and Zeke unleashed his secret weapon, for few Japanese girls were not ticklish! Rei was no exception as Zeke's fingers easilly found her ribs. However, Rei discovered that zeke was ticklish
as well, and soon enough the two were a giggling mess as they tickled each other into exhaustion.
The old man just chuckled softly and wondered when the wedding would be and how soon great-grandchildren would come afterwards. He hoped it would be soon
enough. He was curious to see what kind of children these two made and he wasn't going to be around forever.
To be added later: some hair-raising adventure where Zeke discovers Rei is a Senshi. There will be WTFs, hillarity, and no-shit-there-I-was material.
Three Months Later...
Zeke felt as though he was in heaven. He was in Japan, independent, at a good school, and he had a drop-dead gorgeous Japanese girlfriend who was a miko at a
lovely Shinto shrine. Yet, he knew that something was going to happen soon that he wasn't going to like - karma was a cold-blooded bitch like that
sometimes.
And it came in the form of Suits who acted on behalf of the UN.
They took him for a rough ride in a rented sub-compact sedan all the way to his Father's off-base residence in Yokosuka. Zeke was surprised to say the
least, but the biggest surprise came when the entered his Father's home and there was an absolutely enormous man there that made Andre the Giant look
small. Even worse was the absurdly loud tiger-stripe suit he wore - Zeke was sure if the room was quite enough he could hear the noise it made. And then
there was the horm he had growing right out of the top of his head.
The situation was quite improbable, so Zeke had to recap.
"Okay then, let me get this straight," said Zeke, glad to be able to carry on this conversation in English. "You've decided that you want
to make a move on my world, but to give us a sporting chance you want someone, specifically me, to compete in a game of tag, which happens to be your national
past-time. Did I miss anything?"
"Nope! You got everything, kid!" said the absurdly huge man, one Mr. Invader. "You're pretty bright, you know? A real credit to your
people, kid. Honestly, I'd hate to conquer you guys, but if it goes down that way I promise to give ya a nice cushy job in the new world order. How's
that sound?"
Zeke blinked at that and glanced around nervously. Everyone around him was giving him pointed looks, not least of all his father and girlfriend. How the hell did she get here so fast!? he wondered, not for the first time since he's known her.
"Ah... I'm speachless!" he said wisely.
"Hah-hah! Don't worry, kid. I'll take care of everything else, you just worry about trying to win."
"Say, who will my competition be, anyhow?"
"She should be here any moment now."
There was a sudden rumbling and everyone but the giant man looked a bit uncertain.
"An earthquake!? Now?" asked someone rhetorically.
Lightning crashed through the patio doors, shattering the safety glass and sending it flying. And where the lightningbolt had rooted itself stood a girl. She
had a small and lithe hourglass figure - everyone could tell because of the skimpy two-piece bikini and knee-high boots she wore, done in the same tiger-stripe
pattern as Mr. Invader. She had voluminous hair framing her face and running down the entire length of her back in the most fetching shade of marine-green and
her eyes were baby-blue. Zeke also noticed that she had the tips of two horns barely poking up from the top of her hair.
"Hello! My name is Lum Invader," said the girl in a pleasant, if energetic, contralto. "I hope that we have a good match!"
"Well now, that was different," said Zeke. "I want some handicaps established."
"Oh? What do you mean?" said Mr. Invader.
"She can fly. And she has electrokinesis. There's no way I can compete with that."
"What do you mean? You don't have those abilities here?"
"No."
"But we were told that you're one of the most intelligent, talented, and physically capable people on the planet."
"Within human baselines. Despite my intelligence and talent, I'm really no different than anyone else on the planet. There's even people that
live here that can beat me at specific things I happen to do as well - I just happen to have the broadest range of capabilities. I'm an adept at many
things but a master of none."
("And I am going to make sure you fix that,") whispered Rei harshly into his ear.
("Rei-chan? Now's not the time,") replied Zeke, surprised that she would be saying that now.
("Fine, but after all this mess, no more games. I know you are just having fun with that school. If you are going to be the husband of a Senshi, then
you had better be worthy of it.")
Zeke sighed. ("Hai, hime-san.")
"I see then," said Mr. Invader, ignoring the byplay entirely. "Lum, darling? No flying and you can't zap him."
"Daddy! Noooo!" wailed Lum piteously.
"Lum, we have to be fair to the Earthlings. Now, come along. We've pestered these people long enough and they need to get ready."
And then, in another blaze of lightning, the two were gone.
Zeke got to choose the field of battle. To make it interesting for their guests, he chose the wild hill country west of Austin, Texas, USA. A brief test
showed that Lum was immune to snake bites and insect stings, so the primary worry was solely on Zeke. He was ready, though. His father had requisitioned some
survival gear for him and Zeke made good use of it, camouflaging himself to blend in with the landscape as best as possible. The survive-evade-escape-recovery
kit was spare and light weight - focusing on giving you the bare minimum needed to get by so your mobility would not be impaired.
The Invaders figured that Zeke would get some help from his people. They didn't care since they picked Zeke for his sportsmanship - he wouldn't use
anythig that gave him too much of an advantage. What the Invaders weren't counting on was the fact that Zeke knew how to track down prey. Lum was on foot
and knew nothing about hiding her trail - why would she ever worry about such a thing?
She was about to get her first lesson in survival skills.
About two hours into the game she got her first scare when Zeke suddenly burst through the sage brush to make a grab at her.
And then she put about a day's distance between herself and Zeke. Not that it mattered any, since a day's distance by foot was all it was. He gave
her another good scare the following day.
She was starting to get a bit freaked out, really. How could he seem to be so fast, after all? Lum was taking breaks, something Zeke wasn't allowing
himself save to get some water and rations vinto his stomach. Humans were built for endurance and Zeke was showing this in spades whenever he caught up with
her. By the third day, Lum was running constantly. It was now more of a challenge for Zeke to catch up with her, but he knew now that it was only a matter of
time before Lum finally wore out and he could run her down. He took his time and paced himself accordingly, like the tortoise racing the hare.
On the fifth day, Zeke had signs that she was close.
Very close.
Now, he definitely took his time, slowing to a near-crawl as he began to stalk Lum. He had never really thought of himself as all that stealthy, but now he
was excrutiatingly careful, duck-walking slowly, moving aside deadfall to keep it from crunching and crackling loudly under his feet. Soon enough, he had
sighted her trying to ford the San Marcos River. He had to give her credit, when someone set down the rules she didn't deviate - she could have easily
flown across.
He continued to stalk until he was finally in pouncing distance, hidden from view by the underbrush by the river's shoals. Lum was still trying to find a
spot to safely cross when she heard something moving in the bushes.
She snapped about, looking around warily. Zeke remained utterly still, his legs coiled like springs. It hadn't been him that made the noise, but even so
his heart was in his throat. When her frantic looking took her gaze well away from where he was hiding, he sprung.
Lum glimpsed him and yelped as she broke out into a sprint, but she was exhausted and sleep deprived. She barely managed a footing as Zeke came at her like a
leopard. And like a jungle cat that had put in the time wearing down and stalking its prey, Zeke had his catch as he took one last bound and caught Lum by the
horns on her head, tackling her into the waterlogged sand.
For a while, the two stayed like that, catching their breath. Lum dimly reflected on what had happened, dazed as she was by exhaustion. How could it be that
a mere Earthman had done this to her? Was he honestly so intent on having her? Did he really want her that much? Her delirious thoughts continued to run
like that until she slipped into a deep sleep, not even noticing the transition and having strange lurid dreams of some huntsman tracking her down and having
his way with her. Oddly enough, she enjoyed it very much. So it was with great reluctance she finally woke up.
She was in some sort of make-shift shelter made from a tarp and a tied-down sapling. She was covered with a foil survival blanket and it was dark outside -
the area was lit by a small camp fire. She got up, slowly, painfully, and looked around. Zeke was not far. He was sitting by the river and looking up at the
sky. As she got with earshot, he suddenly spoke up without looking at her.
"I've already radioed for pickup," he began. "They said the tracking beacon is pretty far out and it'll take a day for them get
anything out to us."
"What about your aircraft?"
"Helocopters? Why bother? We're not in any danger, and I think you father trusts me to make sure nothing happens to you."
"Really? It's interesting that my father trusts you that much."
"Yeah, well, he seems like an okay guy. A bit loud, but then I've had a few friends like him before."
"Enough that he wouldn't mind having you for a son-in-law."
Zeke turned and gave her a look. "Whoah," he said emphaticaly. "Now when was this decided?"
"While I was sleeping. I must say, you were very good."
"Ah, nothing happened last night."
"Maybe, maybe not. I know that whatever it was, I liked it a lot. And where I come from, that is more than just a marriage proposal." At that she
winked at Zeke and went back to the campsite. "I'll be waiting, darling."
Zeke just sat there and gaped as the full implications began to rain down on him.
"Dear sweet Kami-sama, help me."
More to come later!
