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35)

35)

I looked away, “I’ve never heard of him having anyone, but talking about this is really making me really uncomfortable…”

Dare looked surprised, then embarrassed as he took a step back. “Sorry Sara. I didn’t… you know.” He waved his hands around in front of him awkwardly. “Sorry”

I nodded while looking down. “It’s okay, I just don’t know how to have this conversation, and I got to go. Okay?”

He nodded and took another step back. “Yeah, I think we’re good. We can try talking about something, anything else next time. Maybe watches?”

I gave him a confused look but nodded. Odd choice, but a safe one.

Uncle Dave was pretty quiet on the drive home, and his bags, a faded green old duffle bag, and a beat up leather courier's bag were still in the back seat of his rental. A blue four door sedan.

I looked over at him from the passenger seat. “So you haven’t been to the house yet?”

He nodded just enough for me to see it as he kept his eyes on the road, aside from a regular glance to the side with his eyes keeping an eye out for anything coming at the car from the sides. “Your Mother sent pictures. Many, many, pictures. Does she honestly think I need to know what the house looks like from a dozen different angles to recognize it? I have the address."

I stared at him. "You've never had a girlfriend, have you?"

He gave me an irritated side glance. “I was married to a woman from another family. My children chose her when they came of age. Clarice was not a sentimental woman."

I sat there for a moment. “I never knew that.”

He shrugged. "It happened before you were born. I don't feel any need to discuss it further." We slowed down to the front gate of the property my house stood on. A small mostly open sided brick building with two benches inside of it stood to one side of a short metal automated gate.

The shed like building was there for me and my younger sister and brother to shelter from the rain and snow while waiting for the school bus. It even had a heating unit built into the roof.

My Uncle pressed a button on the intercom. “I am here.”

My Dad’s voice came from it, “Very informative Dave. You got my eldest with you?”

Uncle Dave pressed the button again and grunted in the affirmative. He and my Dad had spent a good hour going over male grunting and facial expressions with me once. I thought they had just been joking but I’ve seen and heard at least some of it from other men on screen and in real life, often enough to not dismiss it entirely.

Stolen novel; please report.

I grabbed Uncle Dave's bag and headed inside to run it up to the guest room upstairs. Once inside the front door, I could smell the steamed rice and meat buns. It smelled like Mom was going tradition tonight.

After dropping off his stuff I headed up another flight of stairs and I was at the front of my open bedroom door with Saku sitting in it starring in, she turned her head to give me a welcoming bark, but instead of turning around to run into my legs and try to trip me down the stairs she just turned her head to stare back into my room.

I walked up to my door cautiously. Was my Dad waiting inside to Kato me? Or was this something serious?

Inside my room, leaning up against the foot of my bed, was a naginata, with a blade that was pure black and fitted to the green stained shaft with silvery fitting. A thin band of the same metal secured a pool ball size orb on the other end of the weapon.

It had a feeling of weight to it and felt like it was making a humming sound even though I couldn't hear anything.

I yelled down the steps. “Dad, is there supposed to be a scary looking naginata in my room?”

I heard him shout "What?" and then I could hear him, Mom, and Uncle Dave whisper at each other before Uncle Dave shouted back at me. "It wasn't supposed to come to you until me and your Grandfather presented it to you after the enemy left. Happy Birthday."

Wide eyed, I slowly walked across the room and took up the weapon with a grin so wide it hurt.

“Mine.”

Saku barked. My Dad complained to Uncle Dave as they thundered up the stairs. Ami spoke up from her now open bedroom door. “I tried to get a closer look at it, it kind of growled at me, but without any sound. Then Saku dragged me out by my skirt.”

I turned to look and saw most of my immediate family standing outside of my room, aside from my Mom who wouldn’t chance anything burning just to check out an actual magical weapon showing up on its own in her kid's room.

Uncle Dave nodded in satisfaction. “I made it, your Aunt Rosario enchanted it to find you when it was needed, and your Grandfather paid for the materials I did not already have.”

"He also gave me what was left of a worn out old knife that belonged to his father, and his grandfather before him. But the metal was still true, and I used it along with three of the ingots my father had brought with him from Japan. The steel from the knife had already served your family for five generations since it had served your ancestor in the American Civil War by its make. Now it will serve you."

He gave me a formal bow, which I returned. “There is much I still need to teach you, but you are no longer only a student, but a warrior of House Ichiban.”

My Dad's eyes looked suspiciously wet. “Congratulations Sara. Now go take a shower.” as headed back downstairs he yelled out. “Your Grandpa made a rack for it, he’ll bring it by when he comes over later.”

I grinned at my Uncle and nearly began hopping up and down. "I can try it out for a while before dinner, right? I got to try it out, please?"

He shrugged, “Up to you, managing your time is something a Warrior should be able to do, not like a little girl.”

I nodded, opened my bedroom window, and dove out, naginata in hand.

When I landed the ball on the bottom went six inches into the ground even though I had only meant to set it down. I pulled it out and looked at the hole, and then the naginata. “I’ll figure it out later.”

I managed to do forms with it while running through the woods with Saku chasing along behind me for a good ten minutes before I got a text from my Mom [Shower Now]

Heading back in the front door, my little brother Aran’s eyes locked onto the naginata and he did his best to follow me all the way up to my room. I set the weapon on my bed and watch it sink into the mattress a good inch or so. “Right, check that later.”

Bathrobe in hand I caught Aran at the top of stairs as I headed to the bathroom. “Aran, this is the girl’s floor. Back to the boy’s floor with you. You know the rules.”

He started to sniffle and pointed into my room. “Want to see.”

I slapped my hand against my leg. "Saku." My pup sprung out of her bed and trotted up to me. I pulled my bedroom door shut behind her and pointed at the ground. "Good girl, guard." then I gave my now teary eyes little brother a sharp look. "You do not get to play around with weapons without one of us with you. I will show it to you later, but for now, you have to stay out. Promise me Aran."

He nodded slowly and whispered “Sorry.” Then sat down next to Saku and slowly began to pet her from the back of her neck to half way down her back before giggling as my pup turned and licked his face.

Then I rushed through washing for dinner while I still had some time, which by the sound of my Dad talking to someone on the intercom I didn’t have much time left.