Read Online Kami Cursed (Dragon and Phoenix) by Julianne Price - Free Book Online Page B

other visits, but the man merely looked at me and went back to what
he was doing.  We had almost made it to the main room when a stern voice
disrupted the stillness that always seemed to fill the place. 
    “Stop right
there girl!”
    I spun around
guiltily, though I had no idea what exactly I should be guilty about.  It was
the tone of voice the man used- the one that just made you feel that you had
done wrong, even if you hadn’t.
    A monk in deep,
rust colored robes was heading our way, a disagreeable look on his face.  He
pointed a long finger at the floor.  “This is disrespectful.  I just mopped
this entryway, and look at it.  You should be more aware of your actions.”
    I started at
from his round, angry red face to the shiny wooden floor, where my sneakers had
left a few watery prints.  “I…I’m sorry,” I stuttered, taken aback at what a
jerk the man was being.
    He harrumphed at
me and I hurriedly handed my baseball bat to Ryuu, who looked like he was suppressing
a laugh.  “Where’s the mop?  I’ll clean it up right now.”  Oh God, I’d made a
Buddist angry.  Apparently, my dad was right; I really could try the
patience of a saint.
     The guy didn’t
look mollified.  “Never mind.  You wouldn’t do a thorough job of it.  I’ll do
it myself.”  And he turned and marched away to the broom closet, muttering
under his breath about youngsters and disrespect.
    I turned to look
at Ryuu.  Then, without a word, we both returned to the door and took our shoes
off before proceeding into the temple.
    I was ashamed,
but at the same time, I knew this wasn’t how the people here usually acted. 
Everyone I had ever met at the temple had been friendly and kind, and extremely
patient.
    We waited in
front of the Budda statue for a few minutes before Fumio appeared.  Ryuu didn’t
speak, but he shifted from foot to foot and rolled his shoulders a couple of
times, looking uncomfortable.  I glanced around the room to distract myself. 
My eyes rested on an ornate ledge built into the wall behind the Buddha.  The
only thing on it was a gold lotus blossom.  I scanned the room again, but my
eyes kept coming back there.
    When Fumio
finally joined us, he looked harried.  “Ah, you’re here Kit!  We’ll be so glad
to get rid of this thing.”
    He stretched on
his tiptoes, the front of his robe brushing the floor as he reached up onto the
little shelf where the lotus blossom sat.  He patted the shelf then withdrew
his hand.  “Here it is.”
    He held out a
little, tarnished coin.  It babbled merrily as he held it out to us.  “It
doesn’t sound evil,” I said, staring at the thing but not touching it.
    Fumio frowned at
me, but Ryuu spoke first.  “You can hear it?”
    I nodded.  “Just
a little.  Can’t you?”
    I glanced at
Fumio and Ryuu.  Both of them shook their heads. 
    “Well, if you
can’t hear them,” I asked Ryuu, “then how do you know what they are?”
    He sighed, his
eyes on the little coin.  “I feel them.  And I see them.”  He made a gesture
with his hands.  “This has an aura around it- kind of a dark halo.  And when I
walked into the room I could feel it.”  He glanced at me.  “If I touch it, it
will feel like a kind of…sucking.”
    I shuddered. 
“That sounds gross.”
    He gave me a wry
half smile.  “It is .”
    Ryuu had my bat,
slung over his shoulder in the soft leather case he had found for it.  I took
it and slipped it from its case.
    “So where are we
doing this?”  I tried to sound confident, even though I was pretty sure this
was a waste of time.
    Fumio inclined
his head toward the little back garden.  “It’s damp out there, but a bit more
sheltered from prying eyes.”
    I glanced behind
me to see that the grumpy monk was mopping the entryway with a bit more vigor
than strictly necessary, clearly still peeved.  “Geez,” I said as I followed
the guys out to the garden.  “What in the world is wrong with everyone