Chapter 1
The sixteen year-old awoke to the feeling of fur tickling her nose. Slowly, she pushed herself up and stretched out. Then scooping the white cat up in her arms, she snuggled it close to her body.
"Good morning, Artemis."
In a rather muffled voice, "Good morning, Minako-chan. Stop smothering the cat."
Laughing slightly, she lay back down on bed. It was early and the sun was just peeking over the horizon. Prancing out of bed, she stretched and faced the new day with a sense of unending optimism.
Artemis had taken the opportunity to curl back up onto her pillow, snoozing until Minako shoved him off the bed. He growled and hissed, "What was that for?"
"Early morning, sleepyhead! It's summer and I'm feeling fine!"
He grumbled, "Don't you have summer camp or something? I'd like this summer to be a relatively restful one."
"Aww, missing our nightly defense of the world already? I'm surprised Artemis. I didn't know you were so nostalgic."
The cat sulkily stalked out of the room, "Don't get too comfortable. Usagi may have defeated Chaos, but I'm not sure I want to believe that all of our troubles are over."
Minako shook her head and began to dance around the room with barely restrained glee, "Artemis, you're just too pessimistic. You've got to believe that things will get better."
He retorted, perhaps a little more harshly than he intended, "The last time I did that, Ail and Ann showed up and we were plunged into open warfare for two whole years. Minako-chan, I'm not being pessimistic. I'm being prudent."
She sighed and plucked her robe off a hook next to the door,"Sometimes you need to trust a bit. I have a good feeling about this summer. And even you, my cynical friend, cannot wreck it for me."
"Sometimes fate does not give us such idyllic choices."
Her face twisted into a painful grimace and Artemis immediately regretted his words, "I am sorry Minako-chan. I did not mean to."
"It's is alright, Artemis. It was almost three years ago. I should be over it already." She smiled winningly, but it fooled neither party. That smile hid a deep-seated pain, within her eyes, that only her closest friend could see and truly understand.
Artemis pawed at his whiskers regretfully, "Go shower, Minako-chan. As you said, we should not waste this day."
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The scenery was flushed with green,as befitting a Massachusetts summertime. The spring rains had just come and gone, leaving in their wake a tidal wave of green grasses and shrubs. Deciduous trees had sprouted permanent new leaves, without the fear of them being stripped by an unseasonal snow flurry or the occasional winds that whistled through the Valley.
And there lay the tiny college nestled among the leaves. Ivy covered brick buildings rose and sank with the contours of the land. Interspersed were numerous modern buildings, bespeaking the wealth behind the school. The lush green New England forest, so different from anywhere else, wreathed the campus with a gentle green glow of life.
Compared to the bustling campuses of the great public and private universities of Michigan or Cornell, it was barely a blip on the proverbial radars of those powerful institutions. But this school of two thousand was far more than an overshadowed piece of the American higher educational system.
Amherst was one of the great independent colleges, in good company with great schools such as Williams and Swarthmore. In an era of increasing specialization, the great liberal arts colleges clung to idea that a well-rounded intellect would triumph in the long run. It matched words to action as Amherst graduates went off to the world to thrive and prosper. Amherst had created graduates that had sat in the Hart Senate Building, led Fortune 500 companies, and generally represented the best and brightest that society could offer.
Perhaps the most apt description had been offered in one of the numerous college guides compiled for the parents of alumni hopefuls. "Amherst is for the curious, those free wheeling exploratory spirits of the modern era, specializing in the training of the Francis Drakes and Jean Lafitte's of all circles of acquaintance: corporate, political, and professional."
Such thoughts brought a smile to the face of Kevin Zhi as he crossed from the student center to the faculty offices of the Asian Studies Department facing them. He breathed in the fresh air and let it go with a hurried puff, as he mulled over the phrase which had attracted him to the school and how his expectations had changed since he had come. Throughout high school the profit motive had burned deeply within him, a tribute to the entrepreneurial bent of his native Boston suburb.
The tech revolution had come just as he had hit puberty. By fourteen, he had purchased his first shares of stock, selling out of Yahoo when it had appreciated three times in less than a year. At the same time, he had invested much of his spare allowance and paper route money into purchasing broken old arcade games. After repairing them, he had placed them in barbershops and family restaurants, charging bored children twenty-five cents each to play an old Pac Man or Galaxian game. Then, sensing the potential cottage industry for websites, he assembled a team of HTML and Shockwave programmers to sell custom built websites to companies too busy to do it themselves.
Finally, his business senses had come through yet again, having the foresight to sell off the website company he had founded to a larger (adult run) competitor for twenty thousand dollars, before the inevitable crash to the dot com bubble.
He had led a charmed life, with more success than any person his age deserved. Yet, the maturity that came after two years of college made him question his affection for such things. Money was nice to have, but the creative spark was gone, the revolutionary schemes seemed now inconsequential, leaving him afloat in a sea of self-doubt and misplaced dreams.
'It's the end of my sophomore year and I have no idea what I'm doing. Good work, Zhi. That's the spirit!' His mouth curved into a sarcastic smile.
Resolutely, he pushed those thoughts from his mind as he scaled the steps up the faculty building. He had an appointment soon. It would not do to be late.
The office was terribly cramped, but in a good sort of way. Sociological and political journals were strewn around the room, filling every available surface, shelves, tables, and chairs included.
The white haired professor behind the desk tossed a pile of papers aside, "Kevin! Glad you could make it! I know you must be terribly busy studying for finals."
Kevin smiled. "Well, to be honest, I wasn't getting too much done. Too much Halo for my own good."
The professor harrumphed. "I hope you've been studying for my final, though."
"Oh yes, professor." Kevin's eyes revealed enigmatic merriment, betraying nothing but amusement. "Day and night, above all else."
The teacher sighed and shook his head, "My students, how they abuse me."
The student grinned, happy for the temporary respite from his own depressing thoughts. "So what's up professor? This can't be about my grades. I'm doing well in your class."
"Indeed you are Kevin. In fact, you have the highest grade in my Modern Japanese Culture class. I came to talk to you about options."
"What do you mean?"
The professor took his glasses off and stared intently at Kevin, "I was wondering what you were thinking of majoring in here at Amherst. I know that major declarations are coming up soon and I was wondering if you might be willing to consider declaring as an Asian Studies major."
A smooth grin crossed his face. A professor, asking him to go to in his department? "I'm not sure, sir. I honestly haven't given it that much thought."
"Tsk, tsk. I would have thought more of you. Well, let me give you a little perspective then.
The professor opened a previously unnoticed folder on his desk and began to flip through it, "Let's see. Mediocre grades in economics and English. A rather unfortunate mark in Art History 101, only partially redeemed in Art History 102. Okay grades in chemistry and biology classes. But in the two other Asian studies classes you've taken, an A and an A minus, quite respectable if you ask me. And if you continue what you've accomplished in my class, you'll balance out that A minus with an A plus in mine.
"Seems to me you've found a calling."
The student shrugged. "I like what I do. I'm not sure I want to major in it though"
"That would be a shame." The professor tossed the folder to the side. "Especially since it might have adverse effects on your grades in my course."
Kevin raised an eyebrow and laughed nervously. "Why does this all of a sudden feel like blackmail?"
"Blackmail? Hardly my intention." The professor smiled cheerfully enough to put that statement into doubt, "Just trying to help you make an informed decision. Besides, I know how much you enjoy the subject. So what do you say?"
He coughed and rubbed away the sweat that had suddenly appeared at the back of his neck, "Entrapment? But...wow. Thanks professor...I think I may have to take you up on your offer."
"Excellent!" The professor jumped to his feet and shook Kevin's hand vigorously. "I look forward to working with you throughout the next few years. Which of course, brings me to topic number two."
"And that is?"
The professor's eyes took on more than a slightly predatory look, "Are you free this summer?"
"Currently, yes. My father has been threatening me with an internship at his company, so I'm open to anything that gets me out of that."
"Well, then I've got something that you might enjoy. I want you to go to Japan with me to do research."
Kevin's eyes widened. "What?"
"I'm doing a project right now that studies the effect of cell phone text messaging on Japanese culture and society and I need someone interested to help me with ground level research. Have you been
keeping up with your Japanese?"
He smiled painfully. "Sorta. I took it during freshman year, but I am sure that I can relearn everything I need to."
"This project with span eight or nine months, which means that you'll need to get into an exchange program for your first semester of next year." The professor rifled through a dozen stacks of paper and then pushed them all off his desk, before identifying what he was looking for, "Now, I have signed all the necessary forms. I trust that you won't be too put out studying at the University of Tokyo. You just need to choose your classes."
"What about the Study Abroad committee? I missed the deadline for Study Abroad by a month at least."
The professor held up a slip of paper, "Already waived you out of it."
"I'll need to call my parents."
"Already have. They give their blessing and are very impressed with your maturity in accepting this assignment."
Kevin laughed disbelievingly. "Aren't there rules against profs treating students like this? You've sewn this up pretty well."
The other man shrugged. "When I see what I want, I go for it. And I want you as a research assistant before you get snapped up by some other department. You're my star student. What do you say?"
The student slumped back, surrendering in gesture if not word. "It's a large decision."
"Is that a yes or no?"
Kevin stared at his professor, evaluating him in terms not unlike a spy would a hostile country. It was INSANE to plan two study abroad semesters in another country this late, much less a summer research program. His inherently cautious nature began to bias his reasoning. There wasn't enough time to consider everything fully and reasonably. If he indeed chose Asian Studies as a major, Kevin would likely get major credits for studying in Japan. It locked him into a single major, a single path in life, for he would very likely be unable to switch once this decisions was made. Regardless of the opportunities it held, it was a very large decision to make in a very short time. 'Hell, the semester ends in less than two weeks! I can't go gallivanting around the world. I need a plan, a clear plan for the future, something...'
'But...' His entrepreneurial instincts began to kick in and a sly smile crossed his face. Kevin knew an opportunity when he saw one. He had always lusted to travel and had vague plans to do so after college. Japan was on the top of his list, not only because of his vested interest in its culture but also its position as the hub of all East Asia. And it was all there, laid out on an academic platter for him to grasp.
"When do we leave?"