CHAPTER 1: WELCOME TO THE WATER GATE
SEPTEMBER 794 A.E.
EARTH
Toki awoke to the chime-tone of her alarm and turned over to glare at the smart-clock. The blinking red numbers on the holo-display read 6:00. “Alarm off. Lights on,” she said groggily. The light instantly flashed on and stung her eyes as the alarm tone stopped. Squinting against the light, she slid out of bed with a groan and dragged herself to her closet to pull out her school uniform – a plain white dress shirt, navy skirt and an orange bowtie.
Once she’d dressed, she pulled her backpack from her closet, as well. She lifted her tablet from the top of her nightstand and sleepily stuffed it into her backpack. Then, she got down on the floor and reached under her bed in search of her notebook, finally pulling out one with a white and black plaid pattern. She quickly flipped through it and re-read the poem she’d written the night before. “Hmm…Let’s try this…” Grabbing a pencil from her backpack, she began to make revisions. Her brow furrowed as she read it again. “It sounds so corny now – ”
Her door suddenly flew open and nearly slammed into her wall. “Stupid sister! What are you doing? You were supposed to get me up!!” Her little sister, Atsuko, was standing in the doorway with her cloud-patterned pajamas still on and her shoulder-length hair frizzed and tousled this way and that.
“Huh? What time – ?” Toki looked back at her clock to see that the display now read 6:30. “Waugh!”
Her sister stomped into the bedroom and swiped the journal from her. “What’s this? Lovey-dovey poems? Ew!”
“It is NOT! Now, GIVE me that!!” Toki’s face was bright red as she swiped the notebook back and stuffed it into her backpack, and her sister noticed and laughed. Toki raced out of the room, pushing Atsuko out ahead of her. “Hurry up and go get dressed!”
“You’re the one who made me late, so stop rushing me!” Atsuko whined as Toki shoved her toward the upstairs bathroom and turned her loose.
Toki ran to the stairs at the opposite end of the hall and hurried down, taking a sharp left into the kitchen.
“Someone’s running a bit behind this morning – not a good way to start your first day back after summer break.” Her father, already dressed in his full suit, jacket and tie, greeted her with a grin and gestured toward the two table settings of rice and rolled eggs waiting at the table. “Don’t forget breakfast.”
“Thanks, Dad!” Toki sat at the table and started to scarf down her lukewarm breakfast.
“Slow down there, Cherry Blossom.”
Toki nearly choked on her food. “Dad, no embarrassing nicknames!”
“Okay, okay.” Her father left the kitchen to continue on with his morning routine.
Toki self-consciously started tugging at her bangs. Nearly everyone in her family had some sort of red shade in their hair – her father’s was light red and Atsuko’s a dark, purplish color like a berry, while her older sister took after her mother more with her hair such a dark red that it passed for a normal reddish brown. But her own hair was the pale pink color of a cherry blossom.
Hearing her father readying his things at the front door, Toki released the lock of hair and returned to her breakfast. Once she finished, she rushed to make her lunch and Atsuko’s lunch, do her hair and brush her teeth. Her father had already gone outside to load his briefcase and tablet-laptop into the car when she came to the door to put on her shoes. She waited a minute for Atsuko, who had just gotten up from breakfast to brush her teeth, and as soon as she caught sight of her coming down the hallway from the downstairs bathroom, Toki handed off her lunchbox and herded her outside. “Straighten up your bow,” she chided Atsuko.
“Would you knock it off?” Atsuko complained. “Sheesh! You’ve turned into such a nag since Yumi moved out.”
Toki stopped midway to her father’s hatchback sedan and watched Atsuko climb into the back seat.
“Toki, come on, we’re going to be late!” her father called. The passenger door opened, and Toki silently climbed in.
* * * * *
The homeroom teacher was just beginning to take attendance when Toki opened the classroom door. With all eyes turned on her, Toki bowed, lowered her face and walked to her desk in a hurry. “Here comes the anime reject,” she heard a girl say, just loud enough for her to hear, as she passed. Another quipped back, “For real. Crying for attention with that garish dye job? What a loser.”
Toki felt her face get hot as she caught a glimpse of the two smirking girls from the corner of her eye. A new trimester, and there they go again. Isn’t this game getting old for them yet? Finally sinking into her chair, she unloaded her backpack and opened her tablet. She felt a friendly tap on her shoulder and turned toward the freckle-faced girl seated behind her.
“Morning, Toki,” she whispered in greeting.
“Hi, Aki.”
Roll call ended quickly, the class representatives left them with a few announcements, and then the teacher brought the class down to the morning assembly. “Did you have a good summer break?” Aki asked once she and Toki had settled next to each other in the gym. When Toki didn’t answer, she asked again and waved her hand in front of her face.
“Huh? Oh – uh – summer break? It was good,” Toki said awkwardly. “Did you have a good break?”
Aki blinked at her in confusion and asked, “Are you okay? You seem kind of spacey today…”
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
Aki opened her mouth to ask more, but the principal had stepped up to the stage and now began to speak, bringing the low murmur of conversation in the crowded gymnasium to a stop.
As the principal’s greeting echoed through the large room, though, the words barely registered in Toki’s wandering mind.
It was in middle school that Toki first considered skipping class. Her alarm went off, and instead of getting out of bed, she curled up under her covers and brainstormed excuses. My stomach hurts. I’m too sleepy. We have the day off today – no, that’s an obvious lie.
“Toki!” Her older sister stormed into the room. “What are you still doing in bed, sleepyhead? You’re going to be late!” She started to yank the covers down.
“Stop it, Yumi,” Toki said, “I’m not going.”
“What do you mean, you’re not going?”
“My stomach hurts,” Toki mumbled.
Yumi stopped yanking on the blanket and sat down on the bed. “Is it your stomach? Or are your feelings hurt?” she asked. “You’ve been acting pretty weird for a little while now. Is something going on at school?”
Toki slowly pushed off her covers and sat up. She admitted, “I don’t like middle school. It’s all about getting the best grades so you can get in the best school so you can have the best job. I’m not that smart, and all I’m good at is writing rhymes… I don’t like all this ‘competing’ stuff. School’s no fun anymore, and I can’t keep up. My homeroom teacher says if I don’t bring my grades up, I won’t get into a good high school. Does that make me a failure?” The next thing she knew, tears were pooling up in her eyes.
Her sister stared earnestly back at her. “Toki, are you giving it your all?” she asked.
“I’m trying my best, but – !”
Yumi hugged her. “As long as you give it your best, you’ll be okay. So, just keep at it. Okay?”
“Give it your best.” That’s what Toki kept telling herself through the remainder of the day, the next day and the remainder of the week.
She stretched out with the kickboard ahead of her and immediately felt the warm water envelop her no matter how vigorously she kicked and flailed. The foam board escaped her, and she capsized with a loud splash. She felt her feet touch the pool’s bottom, sprang back toward the light and broke through the water’s surface. No sooner had the water emptied from her ears than shrieks of laughter rushed in to fill them.
“She sank like a brick!”
“Go on a diet, cow!”
Toki waded to the nearest edge of the pool, pulled herself up onto the hard, wet tile at the edge and sat on her knees, too mortified to look up, much less stand.
Give it your best… for what?
* * * * *
The school bell rang. Toki and Aki joined the river of students heading out of the front doors of the building. “I can’t believe I have to do a re-test already,” Toki groaned. “It’s bad enough when the teachers get on my case, and now my parents will hear about it, too.” Her brown eyes narrowed. “And on top of that, to have been laughed out of gym class by those pretty, popular girls…”
“Aw, Toki, don’t get so down on yourself,” Aki said.
“They’re just so infuriating!!” Toki fumed, throwing her arms in the air.
She noticed the group of three or four skinny girls, with their hair done up in elaborate styles and some even wearing jewelry and light makeup, off to the side giggling and whispering amongst themselves. One of them turned to look at her. “What was that little hissy-fit about?” The girl smirked. “So lame!”
The others laughed. “Seriously. With no fashion sense, no talent, and no brains, she’s got a one-way ticket to Loser-ville.”
Toki locked her arms at her sides, lowered her head to hide her face underneath her hair and turned the other way. She felt her teeth grit as frustration bubbled up inside her.
A sympathetic smile worked its way across her classmate’s face. “Don’t even worry about what those prima donnas think.” She patted Toki on the shoulder. She started down the front walkway and called, “Anyway, I can’t keep my dad waiting. See you later!”
“Bye, Aki!” Toki called. Toki watched her race off through the sea of students, with her brown ponytail swinging back and forth, until she found her father’s stubby smart car parked just a little way from the front walk and slipped into the passenger seat. All the while, Toki managed to keep a smile on; but as soon as the electric car revved up and zipped off, Toki’s smile melted away.
Aw, man… Toki turned the corner and trudged home. How am I supposed to tell Mom and Dad that I have to come in on Sunday for a re-test? They’ll both freak out… She stopped briefly at the mailbox near the curbside and retrieved its contents before hurrying up the walkway and through the front door.
“Hey, Toki!” called her sister’s, sing-song voice.
Toki sighed impatiently, shifted the pile of mail to her other arm, and kicked off her shoes.
Atsuko was at the door, waiting, her big brown eyes wide with glee, as she held a small box in her arms. “Look what I got!” She showed off the jewelry set proudly, but Toki just pushed past her and trudged into the kitchen. “Hey! Don’t ignore me!” she pouted.
Putting the pile of letters and fliers down on the table, Toki announced, “I got the mail, Mom.” That was when she noticed that the small package on the top of the pile was addressed, To Toki Shimizu. She curiously picked it up and examined it as her mother, who was sitting at the table sipping from a cup of hot tea, started in on the usual questions.
“How was your day, hon?” her mother asked as she started sifting through the pile of mail.
“So-so,” Toki replied as she tucked the small package into her backpack.
“Did something happen?” her mother inquired.
“No,” Toki said, “not really.” When her mother hesitated to reply, Toki knew that she had been unsuccessful in feigning casualness. But before her mother could question her further, she started out of the kitchen and toward the stairs to her right. “Sorry, Mom. I’ve got homework to do.” She would have to tell her mother about the re-test later – right now, she felt her stomach tying up in knots at just thinking about telling her.
Toki heard her sister’s galumphing footsteps behind her as she climbed the steps and went to her room. Still, Atsuko was going on and on about that present of hers.
“Wanna know who it’s from? Do you?” Atsuko kept asking. Her hair bobbed as she bounced up on her tip-toes.
“I don’t care, Atsuko!” Toki snapped.
Atsuko puffed out her lower lip. “You’re just jealous ‘cause I got a present and you didn’t.”
“I’m not jealous!” Toki retorted. “Just leave me alone, twerp!”
“I’m telling Mom you called me that!” Atsuko threatened her.
“SHUT UP, you brat!” Toki exploded.
“MOM!” – And off ran the tattle-tale back down the stairs.
Toki stormed into her room and slammed the door shut. Ugh, what a pain! she thought. I need to relax. Toki changed into a comfy sleeveless top and a purple skirt and then she started rummaging through her backpack for her journal when she caught sight of the little package and pulled it out instead. “That’s weird,” she mused as she examined it again. The only thing on it was her name, hand-written. “There are no addresses. Could Aki have dropped this into our mailbox? Kind of weird that she’d write my full name on it, though…” She tore the wrapping open, wondering what she’d gotten. Honestly, the thought did cross her mind to go back and rub it in Atsuko’s face, especially when she saw what it was: a turquoise gemstone pendant on a golden chain. “It’s so pretty!”
As soon as she slipped the pendant’s golden chain around her neck, a bright flash of light illuminated the room. She felt the carpeted floor drop out from beneath her feet. “What the – ?!” When the light at last receded, the off-white walls of her room and her bed and small, oak dresser had vanished. Grass tickled her socked feet, and a fresh, strong, leafy smell surrounded her. “What was that?!” It took a second for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. The pale light of the moon revealed a field, a small stream, and a large, ornate structure that looked like an old-world oriental castle, its wide, stone stairs spread far in front of it. “Where even am I?!” In the shadow of one of the building’s tall, thick columns, she could make out the form of a person. “Who – Who are you?! Come where I can see you!”
“There’s no need to be alarmed.” The owner of the voice stepped forward into the moonlight. He was a boy, kind of small and certainly younger than Toki, with blue hair and a triangular tattoo on his right cheek. “My name is Takeshi Miyahara,” he said with a smile. “I’m your ally.”
“Ally? What are you talking about? What’s going on?” Toki kept looking around for anything or anyone familiar but found nothing. This can’t be real. I’ve got to be dreaming, she thought.
“Welcome to the Water Gate,” the boy – Takeshi – said. “I brought you here because I need your help.”
“You want my help? For what?”
“I want to wait for the others to arrive before I go into any lengthy explanations.”
“The others? What others?” Toki gripped the gemstone hanging around her neck. “And just what is this necklace?”
“You’ll find that out soon enough. For now, I need you to take this.” Takeshi suddenly tossed a long, sharp object toward her from atop the flight of stairs.
Toki screamed and braced herself before it landed at her feet. Flustered, she blurted out, “Are you trying to kill me?!?”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Takeshi apologized. Hmm…She’s a bit skittish. “You’ll need to carry a weapon for your own protection. That one is for you.”
Toki stilled for a moment. Am I in danger…? She examined the weapon. It was a blade on a long, mahogany shaft which had a gold hand guard at the top and another gold piece at the butt end. “This is some kind of sword, right? I don’t know how to use a sword. I’ve never even held one before.”
Takeshi walked down the wide steps of the castle. “I can show you the basics,” he offered. “Though… I can’t say I’m much of an expert in swordplay, myself.” He smiled bashfully.
Toki could only grimace, as any little confidence she had was quickly crumbling away.
I’m doomed.
Takeshi picked up the long-poled sword and held it out to her. “This is called a naginata. The shaft gives it a long reach as well as some extra defense.”
Toki nearly dropped it when Takeshi let it fall into her palms. The blade was surprisingly heavy, taxing her arms and making the weapon awkward to balance. She lowered the blade to give her arms a break, but, not realizing how long the shaft was, she felt the blade’s tip wedge into the soft earth.
“Lesson number one,” Takeshi spoke up. “Hold the shaft with your hands positioned here and here.” He pointed near the butt end of the naginata and at a spot a little less than midway up the shaft. “That’s how you counterbalance all the weight from the blade.”
“Um… Like…” Toki fumbled her hands to their positions while trying to yank the blade from the dirt.
“Gently!”
The blade suddenly came loose and flew up, and Toki yelped and dropped it, the full weight sending it back to the ground with a squelch.
“Never let go like that! You could’ve cut off your toes just now!”
Each time Toki messed up, Takeshi shouted out what she was doing wrong. This is real. I’m learning how to use a weapon. Don’t you know I’m the worst in Phys Ed? For every small step forward, she felt worse and worse, with Takeshi pointing out her failures like a drill sergeant. Her ability was severely lacking, just as always. Therefore, she could now, with certainty, rule out the possibility that this was some weirdly-realistic dream. Why me?
Finally, Takeshi ended it. “That’s everything I can show you. I hope it’s enough to at least get you on the right track…” He watched her sit there and poke at the naginata as if it were some foreign object. She’s physically weak, lacks focus, and she’s also weak-willed… She may not be cut out for this, he thought disappointedly. “I should probably get going now.”
“Hold on!” Toki cried. “I’m not ready!”
Takeshi looked surprised for a second – maybe even a little relieved – and then smiled at her. She’s willing to put forth an effort now, at least. “You’d better keep practicing, then, shouldn’t you? I’ll be back a bit later with something for you to eat – and a sleeping bag for you to use until I can arrange for something more permanent.” He waved and turned to leave.
“Wait! What do you mean, ‘More permanent?!’ I have a test to retake this weekend – !!” There was a sudden, blinding flash of light, like when Toki had put on the pendant. “What on earth?!?” she cried as she shielded her eyes. When she could see again, Takeshi had disappeared without a trace. She knelt down and picked up the naginata – her naginata. “Just what have I gotten mixed up in?”
