Chapter 9: The Man from Okinawa

The island of OKINAWA, JAPAN

At a sushi bar, the fabric is moved aside, and The Bride enters the tiny establishment. She was the only one in there and the chef was reading the newspaper. "Hi." she said.

The chef said in Japanese, "Welcome." He put down the paper and saw her. "Welcome. Which Asian?"

"Chinese-American." said the Bride.

"American. Welcome, American." he said.

The Bride smiled. "Domo."

She walked in. "My English every good. You said 'domo.' Can you speak Japanese?"

The Bride walked up to the bar. "No, Nooo, just a few words I learned since yesterday. - May I sit at the bar?"

The chef said as he prepares, "Sure, sure, sure - sit." The Bride sat down. "What other words did you learn – Oh, just a minute –" Then he called out his assistant. "We have a customer. Bring out some tea, quickly."

His assistant replied from the back. "I'm watching my soup operas."

The chef groaned. "Lazy bastard…Screw your soup opera…hurry up!" The bride tried to hold in her laugh.

"The tea's hot. Why don't you serve it yourself for once?"

"Shut up! Get your ass out here!" Then he remembered there was a customer. "Uh, excuse me." Then he went back to work. "What other Japanese you learn?"

The Bride puts on a thinking face. "Oh...let's see...Arigato."

The chef said, "Arigato...Very."

The Bride said, "...Ah-So..."

The chef asked, "Ah-So!" You know what "Ah-So" means?"

The Bride answered, "I See."

The chef said, "I see - Very good."

The Bride asked, "I already said "Domo", right?"

The chef nodded, "Yes."

Then the Bride said, "Kon-netie-wa."

The Sushi Chef goes "Oooh" like he's just discovered the answer to a mystery..."Kon-nichi-wa"...repeat please."

The Bride tried again. "Kon-nichi-wa?"

The chef said, "Perfect. Good, good, good. You say Japanese word like you Japanese."

The Bride smiled. "Oh, you're making fun of me!"

The chef said, "No, no, no - serious business. Pronunciation - very good. You say "Arigato" ...like we say "Arigato."

The Bride said, "Well, thank you - I mean...arigato."

The chef said, "You should learn Japanese – very easy."

The Bride said, "Yeah no kidding. I heard it's kinda hard."

The chef said, "Yes, yes, yes - most difficult. But you have Japanese tongue." That made the Bride laugh. "Okay, okay." Then he brought up the food. Then he realized that the customer doesn't have anything to drink. "Oh my God." He put his knife away on the magnet wall and got another one. "Hey, what the hell happened to the tea? Hurry up…goddammit!"

Just then a bald man came out and went up to her and asked in Japanese, "What do you want?"

The Bride asked, "I beg your pardon?"

The chef said, "Drink."

The Bride said, "Oh yes, a bottle of warm sake."

The chef was very happy. "Warm sake," He holds up his thumb. "Very good." Then he turned to his assistant. "One warm sake!"

The assistant was baffled. "Sake? In the middle of the day?"

His boss yelled, "Day, night, afternoon- Who gives a damn-Get the sake!"

The assistant yelled back, "How come I always have to get the sake? You listen well…" He walked around the Bride and put a hand on her shoulder as he made a point. "For 30 years, you make the fish, I get the sake." Then he let go of the Bride and pointed at him. "If this were the military, I'd be General by now."

His boss laughed. "Oh, so you'd be General, huh?" Then he grabbed his finger and dragged him to the cook door. "If you General, I'd be Emperor, and you'd still get the sake-So shut up and get the sake. Do you understand?"

The assistant said to the Bride, "I'm not bold, okay? I shaved my head. Do you understand me?" As soon as he walked away his boss threw a knife at him but lucky it missed.

"Sorry." As the chef slices the next portion with a large knife, he asks, "Oh! Oh, oh. First time in Japan?"

The Bride said, "Uh-huh."

The chef asked, "What brings you to Okinawa?"

"I came to see a man."

"Aaahh, you have friend live in Okinawa?"

"Not quite."

"Not friend?"

"I've never met him."

The Sushi Chef continues slicing… "Who is he, may I ask?"

The Bride lost the disguise. "Hattori Hanzo of the Shirai Ryu clan." The chef stopped and a cup broke in the back from the assistant. The Bride spoke in Japanese, "I can bring you your twin Scorpion if you help me."

That's when they started to speak in Japanese. "What do you want with Hattori Hanzo?"

"I need Japanese steel."

"Why do you need Japanese steel?"

"I have vermin to kill."

Then Hattori spoke English. "You must have big rats you need Hattori Hanzo steel."

The Bride said, "Huge."

Later that day, Hanzo went to open the attic door. Both he and the Bride climbed up the steps. The room has many handcrafted samurai swords in hand-carved wooden sheaths resting on wooden racks running the length of the second half of the attic. The Bride walks down the row of Japanese steel, looking and touching the shiny wood. She looks behind her to Hanzo who is still by the trap door, and says; "May I?"

The Sushi Chef answers. "Yes, you may…" She starts reaching for one... "...Try the second one down in the sixth row on your left." She finds it lying sleeping in its shiny, black sheath. Her hand lifts it from the rack. She unsheathes the steel, partially…then with great flourish…completely. Hanzo's mouth forms a smile. "Funny, you like samurai swords..." He pulls a baseball out of his pocket. "...I like baseball." Then suddenly he throws the baseball hard right at the Bride's head. Quick as a whip, she slices the ball in half in mid-air. The two perfectly cut baseball pieces hit the floor. He gives her a slight nod, then crosses the attic towards her. "I wanted to show you these...However someone as you, who knows so much must surely know, I no longer make instruments of death. I keep these here for their ascetic and sentimental value." He takes both sword and sheath from her. "Yet proud that I am of my life's work..." He closes them together. "I am retired."

The Bride said, "Then give me one of these."

Hanzo said, "These are not for sale."

The Bride said, "I didn't say, sell me. I said, give me."

Hanzo asked, "And why should I be obliged to assist you in the extermination of your vermin? Granted I haven't seen my twin in nearly 30 years so that I don't mind but why?"

The Bride said, "Because my vermin, the one Special Forces are hunting, is a former student of yours. And considering the student, I'd say you had a rather large obligation."

Hattori Hanzo goes to a dusty window, and writes the name, "MICHAEL" on it with his finger. The proud warrior moves over to the door in the floor, throwing it open. "...You can sleep here..." Then he starts to descend. "...it will take me a month to make the sword…I suggest you spend it practicing." Then he closes the door behind him. She smiles slightly...then moves over to the window, and uses her sleeve to wipe away the name.

~One month later~

There was a small ceremony Hanzo was dressed in white, as well as his assistant behind him and he started to inspect his greatest masterpiece. After testing the balance, he placed the sword down as he spoke. "I'm done doing what I swore an oath to God 28 years ago to never do again. I've created, "something that kills people." And in that purpose, I was a success. I've done this, because philosophically I'm sympathetic to your aim." Hanzo's sword was in its shiny, black wood sheath. At the base of the sheath, by the handle, he's carved an Asian lioness. "I can tell you with no ego, this is my finest sword. If on your journey, you should encounter God, God will be cut." He put the sword away. Then he handed her the sword and the Bride gladly took it. "Vessel of the 4 Gods…Go."

The Bride said, "Xièxiè."