In a room painted a light blue with a castle and a rainbow painted on one wall a little eight year girl with her dark hair in a loose ponytail, in a frilly light green dress plays with her doll collection. She hears a kindly male voice outside her door. She immediately drops the dolls she is playing with and runs to the door, throwing it open. “Uncle Iwoa!” She squealed, jumping up to him. The short man catches her in a hug “Little Akiko!”
He places her on the ground. “Gather your things, we have to go meet your parents at the airport.”
“Okay Uncle” She said as she was running into her room.
At the airport waiting in the car Iwoa quizzes Akiko on the basic strikes of the martial arts he is teaching her. “What are the names of the eight basic punches?”
“Shuto is chop, nukite is spear hand, urukin is back fist, empe is elbow, taisho is palm strike, tetsui is hammer fist, Haito is ridge hand, kukon zuki is turning punch, oizuki is lunge punch.”
Iwoa nods “Very good. Now your kicks?”
Akiko beams after receiving the compliment “They are mi guri, soto guri, maewashi guri. Front kick, sidekick and roundhouse kick.”
Iwoa smiles “I will make you into a martial artist before long. Have you been practicing?”
“Hai, everyday like you said. Look Mommy and Daddy are coming. Can we get out?”
“Absolutely.”
Iwoa stepped out and opened the door for Akiko. Akiko bound out of the car running towards her parents as they separated from the crowd of people departing. Iwoa caught up with her in three quick strides. “Don’t run, there are too many people.” Iwoa keeps scanning the crowd as they walk towards Akiko’s parents. He notices a man in a coat easing away from the crowd towards her parents. “Akiko, go back to the car and lock the doors.” he whispers to her.
“Why?” she questions
“Go now.” he says harshly, but still in a whisper as he lets go of her hand. Iwoa noticing the man in a coat reaching into the coat. Iwoa yells “Anata no ushironi.” Akiko’s parent’s quickly step to their left. Iwoa rushes forward catching the man’s arm as it comes out of the coat, he has a knife. Iwoa pulls the man forward off balance, pushes down sharply on his shoulder with one hand driving the man to the concrete. Iwoa’s other hand locks onto the knife wielding man’s wrist as he steps over the man’s head dropping to a knee on the back and forcing the knife into the man’s ribs.
During the attack Akiko hadn’t gone to the car, she watched it all. Once it was done she ran to her parents clutching her dad’s legs. The police at the airport respond in less than a minute. An ambulance is called for the assailant, Iwoa is detained at the airport until they can review the video recordings, that is due to Akiko’s and her parents testimony. Akiko’s parent’s take her to the car and move it to a parking area. “Daddy is Uncle Iwoa going to be okay?”
Her father’s normally pale face is red with anger and his anger carries over to his response “Yes, he will be okay. Sit back and be quiet as we sort this out.”
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Her mother’s almond eyes are bloodshot as she has been doing her best to hold back tears. She is more compassionate in her response “Baby it will be okay, your father has it under control. This is just what has to happen. Iwoa did his job.”
Akiko kept quiet as she was told, but had her hands locked together.
Akiko and her mother were left in the car as her father took a shuttle back to the airport. A couple hours later her father returned with Iwoa. The car ride home was a tense quiet one. Once home Akiko rushed to her room and hid under the covers and cried herself to sleep.
Later that night Akiko awoke from a nightmare of Iwoa being stabbed, she ran from her room to her parents room. The door was locked, she knocked. There wasn’t any response despite her knocking for two minutes.
Iwoa quietly eased up the stairs hearing the knocking on the door. “Akiko” he called quietly. She stopped knocking and ran to him, hugging his knees. “Uncle Iwoa, don’t die”
He hugged her back “I have no intention of dying young one. Follow me down to the kitchen, I will get you a treat.”
In the kitchen Iwao had Akiko sit at the table as he set out two bowls and spoons. Then went to the freezer “I have found that ice cream helps me sleep after having nightmares.” He returned to the table with a pint of chocolate ice cream “My favorite.” He placed two big scoops in each bowl. “Go ahead and eat without me, I am going to get your gift, I have been waiting for the right time to give you.”
A few minutes later Iwoa returned holding a parchment wrapped package. “This is for you.” Akiko set the ice cream aside, half her bowl empty, chocolate stained her chin. She carefully opened the gift, inside she found a wooden mask. It was fox shaped, dominantly a glossy white, with coal black eye shadow, cerulean blue ears, mouth, whiskers, and three water drops rising from the brow towards the ears.
“A fox mask! I love it!” Akiko hugged it to her chest.
“It is more than a fox mask Akiko. That mask holds a guardian fox spirit called a Kitsune. Specifically Umi Kitsune. When you are scared, put that mask on and the kitsune will protect you.”
“Kitsune, I love it!” Akiko placed the mask on the table and sat staring at Iwoa with her brows furrowed.
“Akiko, is something bothering you?”
“Uncle, can I ask you a question?”
“Always, I may not always answer, but you can always ask.”
“Are you a ninja?”
Iwoa smiled and allowed himself a little laugh “I will answer your question after you answer one for me. What makes you think that?”
Akiko stared at Iwoa “You know martial arts, aren’t afraid knives, and you have a kitsune mask. It is very similar to a cartoon I watch. They do all those things.”
“Fair reasoning, however a ninja wouldn’t say they were a ninja. However I am not a ninja, my martial arts are different from that. Did you know that ninja actually existed?”
“Really!?”
“Yes, they began as farmers who were tired of the government taking from them. They began training in secret and they attacked their foes from the shadows. I think you could be a great ninja if we were in the past. You’re small, brave, and sneaky.”
Over the next two years Akiko’s parent’s business grew and they spent more time away. Iwoa taught her more of his martial arts, but he noticed his health beginning to fade. He knew his time was ending. After sending a message to her parents expressing his concern with his health, Iwoa was replaced with a team of security. He did stay on as a butler. Iwoa gave Akiko lessons on how to use a knife the summer before she left for a private High School. On her last day of summer vacation Iwoa had a bad day, where he was bed ridden. Akiko knocked on his door. In a raspy voice Iwoa said “Come in Akiko.”
She opened the door, tears already welling. “Uncle, I don’t want to go. Can I stay here, we both know you are very sick. It is time for me to take care of you as you have done for me.”
Iwoa shook his head “No, you don’t need to see what happens to me. Know I love you as my daughter and have taught all I could with the time we have. But I do have a secret to tell you. He pulled the covers down to just past his shoulders, on his right shoulder was a tattoo of a kitsune mask with a dagger through the forehead. “A long time ago, I worked with some bad people. I grew tired of doing bad things and left. I had to pay a high price to leave, one I will not tell you, the other was this tattoo. This tattoo was done in a way that it killed my Kitsune and poisoned me. I knew I wouldn’t live a long time once I received it. But being blessed by having the opportunity to raise you as my daughter gave me peace. Know that I am happy. It does me good to see you grow into a young woman leaving to begin her journey in life. Your parent’s do love you, they don’t show it how you would like, but they love you. They never had much, so they want you to have everything.”
Akiko was freely crying now, not racking sobs, but a steady stream of tears flowing down her cheeks. “Uncle Iwoa, thank you for being here for me. I still don’t want to leave you, but I promise I will make the best of my opportunities. I will message you while I am gone. I love you!”
Akiko left that night and would never see Iwoa again.