ASHES OF THE RAVEN
By
Egypt and Wallaby
Chapter 7
Mamushi's eyes were fixed on the road before them, her hands clenched in her lap as she watched the road and the cars whiz by. She hated being the passenger because you never knew where you were being taken. Which is probably why she never went anywhere without at least one knife on her person. Still, it had taken a great deal of time for her to learn to be a calm and relaxed passenger. She was on edge though, clasping her hands in her lap in order to keep from fidgeting. She had nearly jumped out of her skin when Bruce had informed her that someone had been outside her complex. Fear was creeping back into her for the first time in years, and she hated that feeling. It almost made her want to call off the trip, but after the fuss that she had made the day before about him making the trip it would look bad if she tried to back out now.
"The invitation was not unwanted," she said softly, her eyes never leaving the road in front of them, "It was just unexpected."
Bruce glanced over at Mamushi for a brief moment, trying to gauge if her remarks were polite or sincere. Turning his eyes back to the road, he decided there wasn't enough information to make a decision. She looked tense, but then Bruce realized this was the first time he had ever driven her anywhere. His driving, while as safe as he could make, could be unsettling to the uninitiated.
"Sorry," he said with a slight smile, backing off from the accelerator a bit, and moving with traffic instead of knifing through it. "I sometimes forget that not everyone drives like I do.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked, his voice perfectly neutral, without any inflection or hint of a hidden meaning. "I didn't sleep as well as I would have liked, but well enough to handle today's meeting. As long as no one tries to make a speech," he joked, trying to lighten the mood.
Did she sleep well? She had no idea. She didn't even remember falling asleep. She felt rested, or as rested as usual she supposed. No one had ever actually asked her how she had slept before.
"I suppose I slept ok," she said with a shrug, "And your driving doesn't bother me. The car can handle it. Not sure the other motorists can but that's their problem. Besides, why buy a car like this unless you're going to drive it to its full potential?"
He hadn't even hit its full potential yet. She knew, she had test driven one of these cars before. She loved them, but with her 'low profile' attitude she had passed on purchasing one. She needed to remain inconspicuous, which meant that the flashy cars were out. A shame too, she had a thing for cars. Especially this one. It did bear her name after all.
She didn't laugh at the joke, didn't even really smile at it. Her mind was focused on the man whom Bruce had seen outside her apartment. Something was wrong, she could feel it. The call the other morning had set her on edge and now this. She could tell that something was not right, but at the moment there was nothing she could do about it.
"I'm sure the meeting will go fine," she said softly.
Bruce gave her a glance with a boyish smile, down shifted, hit the gas, and squawked the tired as he knifed out into traffic again. It actually took less of his attention to drive full out then it did to follow the rules of traffic. It was what he had trained for, he knew, and it had become second nature. That the streets were somewhat congested only made it more interesting.
Her total failure to respond at all to his jokes, though, bothered him. She was usually far too polite to not at least smile at an obvious attempt at humor. Whatever was bothering her took up far too much of her mind for his comfort.
"When was the last time you took any vacation?" he asked, apparently out of the blue. "I don't remember a day that you weren't there since you started. While I value dedication, you have a most demanding position. I don't want you to burn out, after all; I need you too much!"
He quieted for a moment as his concentration focused on a few maneuvers that would have made Alfred blanch, using the brakes, transmission, and top grade rubber to knife the vehicle through a red light.
"I really shouldn't do that," he muttered more to himself than Mamushi, relaxing back into the leather. "Is there anyplace you have a particular interest in visiting? Anywhere at all?"
"I've never had a vacation," she said honestly, smiling slightly as he slipped the car through a red light, "Never really thought about it. Nowhere I really want to go. I've been just about everywhere. Considered going back home once or twice...but there hasn't been anything there for me in a very long time."
She had not been back to Japan since she had left in search of her Sensei's killer. Like she had said, she considered going back but she had come to the conclusion that there was nothing left there for her. She had made her life in America, and that is where she would stay. Vacation was a nice idea but in her line of work it was never practical. For the briefest of moments an idea occurred to Mamushi, one that made her eyes become distant and her face lighten. However, a moment later she pulled herself back to reality and the 'day dream' was gone. She was what she was and nothing short of death would change that.
Bruce shook his head slightly, the hint of a frown creasing his brow. "At the risk of being imperious, that is another thing that will have to change. I'm not sure the Middle East is a good idea right now. Japan is a possibility, if you'd like to go there, or perhaps Germany or Scotland. If you don't decide, I will, but you are going on vacation when this is over. You deserve it."
Bruce forced the car into an over-steer to enter the parking area, and slid the car into a reserved parking space. It was slightly crooked, a fact he scowled at. "Must have picked up some oil on a tire. Something," he mused, then killed the engine and was out of the car almost before the last of the dash lights had completely dimmed out, and headed around to help Mamushi out. It didn't take long for them to retrieve their bags, Bruce actually having only a small carry-on.
"I really have everything I need already there," he explained. "What I don't have I either don't need, or I can buy."
She gave a slight smile and a nod as she retrieved her single carry-on and a larger suitcase. She did not try to explain why she carried so much, but rather chose to reply to his previous question.
"I suppose I could always go back to Japan for a visit," she said with a resigned sigh, "I haven't been home in almost 10 years, not that there is much to go home too."
It was true. The DoJo that she had grown up in had been sold to a developer who had knocked it down for new apartment buildings and seeing as that was the only home she knew there was nothing to go back to. She had never actually thought of going back, and to be honest she did not know a lot about her homeland. Perhaps a visit was in order. She had only ever known the areas around Tokyo. Perhaps she should take the time to visit a few places that she had not before.
She shook her head, a frown creasing her features as she caught herself day dreaming again. It was nice to do so, but she had never been this prone to it. She was a puppet, one that was steered by her master and once this job was done she would be steered in another direction. There would be no vacation.
Heaving a sigh she turned and headed for the main building, expecting Bruce to follow but not waiting for him.
Bruce couldn't help but smile as he followed her in. "You'll enjoy it. I promise. Besides, vacations aren't supposed to be dreaded. The Kiyomizu-dera Temple is magnificent, and the Nijo-jo Castle is an excellent example of architecture from the Edo period. You probably know more about the country than I do, though. You'll be fine."
He closed the distance to her, moving his hand to take her suitcase. "I can't have you carrying that much more than me. Bad for my image."
She gave a slight frown but gave up the case anyway, allowing him to take it from her hands as she fell into step beside him instead of in front of him.
"Just because one grows up in a country does not mean that they know all about it," she said softly, "I grew up in Tokyo. All I know of my country is what is around Tokyo. I've never even been to Mount Fuji. I've seen more of the US than I have Japan. But that's just because this is where I choose to be."
"And that is to my benefit, no doubt. The places I mentioned are in Kyoto. The old capitol is truly an amazing city. You could spend a year there and still wish you had more time."
He led her around the ticket counter and toward the gate. He smiled and gave Alfred a nod as the elder gentleman waited to see them off. It never ceased to amaze Bruce how much the old man was like a father to him.
"Good morning, sir and miss," Alfred greeted them as he stepped forward. "Punctual as ever, I see," he noted with a twitch of his mustache.
Mamushi gave a smile and a slight nod to the older gentleman. This was the first time she had met the butler, but she had talked to him many times over the phone before. He seemed like a pleasant enough man, and he seemed to genuinely care about his employer. That was a rare thing these days.
"I had some problems with traffic," Bruce lied easily, a warm smile spreading across his face. He knew Alfred wouldn't believe him, but he also wouldn't challenge him. He definitely didn't want to embarrass Mamushi.
"Excuse me, sir," said the elder of a pair of Airport Security guards. "You are Bruce Wayne, sir?"
"I better be," Bruce responded, still wearing an easy smile. "That's the name in my underwear."
"And the lady is Mamushi Keishi?" the guard continued, obviously nervous. It wasn't everyday he was instructed to stop Gotham's most powerful man.
The smile began to fade from Bruce's face. "Keishi Mamushi, actually. Why do you ask? Is there a problem?"
"Well, sir, I hope not. We'd like to speak to her alone for a moment."
"You can speak to her right here. We have a plane to catch, and I'd rather not make it wait any longer than necessary. What's the problem?"
"This is really very awkward, sir," the guard said. He tried to be authoritative, but couldn't quite keep a quiver out of his voice. He wasn't sure, but Bruce Wayne might actually own the airport. "We have reason to believe she may be carrying contraband materials. We have instructions to check her luggage and person."
The frown that had began when she first saw the two guards was now a full blow scowl. She had never been singled out before, and on this of all days. Not to mention the fact that they were on their way to a private plane. Did they actually have the right to search her if she was not getting on a commercial jet?
"Do you," Bruce replied, all humor gone from his demeanor. "What are you expecting to find? A knitting needle? Nasal spray? A ball point pen? No, wait, those are still legal."
His comments would have been funny if it were not for the fact that there were two knives stashed in her suitcase. She was suddenly very aware of what was going on and she didn't like it. They wanted her unarmed, which meant leaving her defenseless. Her bad vibe had suddenly turned into a full blow panic.
"Sir, really, this is really all very routine," the guard replied, trying to be calm and to make this seem less than it was. "If you would - -"
"It is all very not routine," he said sharply, cutting the guard off. He took a breath, knowing he had to be careful. It would be easy to let Batman come to the fore, but Batman wasn't here right now. Still, a little righteous indignation would hardly be out of place. He noted Mamushi was getting tense, but that was to be expected. In Bruce's mind, this was intolerable. "Routine is stopping people randomly, and concentrating on public flights, not private ones. You stopped her by name, and by association with me. Let us end the ruse. What's going on?"
"I told you, sir, we have reason to believe - -"
"What reason?" Bruce interrupted again, then shook his head. "Never mind, you wouldn't know."
Bruce turned to Mamushi, "I'm sorry, but I think it will be more expedient if we leave our luggage behind. I promise you, it will be safe, with Alfred." He reached to take her carry-on from her.
