Wed. week 8 cont.
Lincoln had gotten three hours of sleep. Not that he felt that way. He spent the three hours of real world sleep questioning Genairre. She was being difficult and the struggle to hold her in place had left him feeling even more drained.
She seemed worried about Shinji finding out about her being in his dreams and even fled her castle once she managed to get past him.
To top it off, he woke up to Shinji in his face and staring at him critically.
She was quick though, he didn't mash his face into hers as he jolted upright. Instead they were nose to nose the whole way and even a split second after, before she sat back on her heels and handed him an energy drink with some of Lynn's homemade energy bars.
She hadn't said a word at all while packing up camp or durring their drive.
At noon they used a prepaid cash card at a gas station to fill up the tank and he got to use the toilette.
She quietly played Angry Birds on her phone.
Lunch was deep fried burritos from said gas station and she still hadn't said anything.
"Are you mad at me?" He asked as they had checked off twenty minutes along a dirt road.
"No. Just thought you'd like to rest your brain a while." She glanced over. "You didn't sleep well last night. Rolled all over, tossed and turned."
"Did I keep you up?"
"No. I never went to sleep." She turned down an even less used road and had to slow as they dealt with the overgrown path.
"I know where I am." She assured him before he could ask. "Need to get to the hunting cabin then walk in to the target zone."
"How long?" Lincoln was feeling the strain.
"About this time tomorrow we should be at his place, by then we could run into other people. You'll learn to use the rifle on the way." She informed. "We won't look suspicious with it, though, it's hunting season." She took a slip of paper from her pocket and handed it to him.
"A hunting license?"
"Better to seem legit than not." She held up her cowboy hat, her license already pinned to the side.
"No offense, but you don't look like a cowgirl."
"Wait 'til I change my clothes, pardner." She grinned.
The cabin ended up being a sparse, one room place with a loft.
In typical no shame fashion, Shinji stripped bare and changed fully. The black hat, a red flannel shirt, black leather duster and black jeans with chaps. The only thing that didn't fit the cowboy look were the black combat boots and the bright orange back pack.
Lincoln was still concerned about changing in front of people, typical teenage stuff. She gave him some time by making an excuse to go get some stuff from the car.
He had a more traditional modern hunting outfit. Camo baseball cap and jacket with tan jeans and hiking boots. He had to slip a thin, orange nylon vest over the jacket. He thought it was stupid but he also didn't want to get shot by some trigger happy hunter.
Almost as if she had timed it, or had secretly been watching him, she opened the front door and set two cases on the lone table.
"These have more kick than that pea shooter you've been playing with. Probably more than the target loads and salt rock Liam loads his shotgun with."
"What are we using?" He asked stepping up to open a case as she had done.
"Kar 98k replicas. Use the Mauser cartridge. Perfect for hunting."
He leaned over to look at her rifle. It was all micarta, black micarta at that, with little white skulls and blood red splatters on it.
She got it together pretty quickly and he was barely able to follow along, mainly because she didn't go slow.
"Why do you get the cool one?" He asked looking over her mauser, compairing it with his wooden one.
"Because this one is mine." Was her simple reply.
"Hey, I'll talk you through the assembly." She scooted closer.
After that he took a few practice shots. She even explained how to lead the target.
Several hours later they were a ways away from the cabin. They kwpt a steady pace and moved along off the trails to avoid easy detection.
They kept on the move after dark and only until sun up did they stop.
Thursday week 8
Wild foraged berries with some edible leaves and roots had made up breakfast.
She seemed really happy to find little golden mushrooms but said that they were for later.
Currently they crept along the ground. Voices in the distance had drawn her attention.
All Lincoln knew is that they were male and not speaking English.
Shinji had been humping the gear so she waved Lincoln over. "How about some practice? Refresh a few things."
"Couldn't hurt."
She slipped the Kar from her back and handed it to him. "Can't remember if it's loaded or not." She was bringing her binoculars up as she told him.
He held it and looked to where she was pointing. Three men. One wore a white suit and an orange vest.
He didn't have much time to think as she said. "Take a look at the guy in the white hat."
He got the man in his scope. "Yeah?"
"A little drop at this distance. Got that center dot on his head?"
"Yes, I do." He answered as he moved the dot over the man's face.
"Move up two." She informed. "And one to the left."
"Okay." It was still weird, using a lead, yet he was aiming at the man.
"Deep breath."
He took in a breath, she didn't even have to tell him to let it out slowly.
"Remember, squeeze." She reminded.
He slowly squeezed.
BAM!
He nearly jumped up, but she threw an arm across him to keep him down.
Eye still looking through the scope, he saw as the man in the white had dropped from view. A red mist blew away into nothing. The hat he had worn had been tossed in the air and slowly spiraled down in the breeze.
She took the rifle from him and as calm as can be she said. "Cabin's that way. Stay low. I'll be in the car when you're ready to yell at me."
Lincoln feared being left in the woods more than he felt bad about killing a random person. He stuck to her like a baby duck following its mother.
It took all night to get where they had been. Where he had shot the man.
It took less than fifteen to get to the cabin and the car. She had apparently taken them in a large cirlce through the night.
Thoughts were starting to form in Lincoln's head.
Shinji quickly loaded up the equipment and Lincoln clambered into the passengers seat. The car started and they were off.
They had just turned onto the smoother dirt road when reality hit him.
He turned and slugged her right in the jaw. The car jolted as she hit the breaks. He grabbed her shirt as she turned to face him, shoving her back against the door hard enough to bounce her head off the side window.
"You said the rifle wasn't loaded! I killed an innocent man! You fucking bitch, I'm a murderer!" He shook her harshly.
"Lincoln." She said calmly. He still shook with rage but he wasn't shaking her any more. "It is important in this profession to keep calm and pay attention to detail. Now, what did I tell you when I handed you the rifle?"
"That it wasn't loaded!" He roared. "Liar, fucking lying bitch!" He went to shake her again but a harsh slap stunned him.
"Have I lied to you before?" She asked calmly.
He blinked, still stunned. "No."
"Now, lets start over." He nodded dumbly. "What did I tell you about since we started the ride up."
"Trust myself." He answered.
"What did I tell you about the pistol when I had you use it?"
"Check to see if it is loaded, that the safety is on. Don't... point it at..." His eyes raised up to look at her. "... anything unless..." His eyes widened in realization, a few words being lost as his mind processed things. "... to shoot it."
"And what ones did you not do today?"
He thought back to the moment she pointed out the man. Then as she handed him the rifle.
"Can't remember if it's loaded or not." Her words from earlier ran through his head.
Then the checklist he was taught followed that realization.
"I should have checked it. I shouldn't have aimed at him. I... I shouldn't have listened to you!" He grew angry again, but he knew that he had broken most of the basic things she had taught or told him. "I killed an innocent man!" It was a heart broken, guilty, and softly spoken statement.
"That horrible, guilty feeling." She eased his hands off of her shirt and held them gently. "Hold onto that! Never forget it!" She encouraged.
He nodded, obviously confused.
"That way, you'll remember the lessons and rules I've taught you, and that you'll never forget to follow them."
"So, I'm supposed to learn from killing a random person. Just forget it like... like..."
"Lincoln, darling, do you honestly think I'd let you kill an innocent person?" She pulled a sheet of paper from her duster pocket and shoved it against his chest.
He looked down to where it had fallen into his lap and unrolled it the rest of the way. The face of the man in the white hat was staring back at him.
The writing, he couldn't read it, but a set of numbers preceeded by a funny looking E caught his eye.
He glared at her, realizing what she had done.
"Yes! I tricked you. But now, now you're ready to learn, and take it seriously. This isn't a game. It's not about the money, not to me. Hopefully not for you. And it isn't about revenge." She explained calmly.
The last part threw him. He wanted revenge. She held her hand up as if sensing what he was thinking.
"Revenge can be justified, but you need to leave emotion out of it. This is all about brains. Using the strongest weapon in your arsenal." She tapped his head. "You have brains! Use them. Think, plan, trust yourself, but also know who to trust." She straightened herself out in the seat.
"That feeling of guilt, you don't need to feel guilty this time, but I don't want you having to feel it for real later. That's why I did this."
She looked to him. "The ability to care, to have a heart, doing the right thing for the world, those are what seperates us from them." She tapped the bounty poster when she said them.
"As my friend, if I ever look like I'm about to kill an innocent person, that I've crossed that line, kill me!" The serious look in her eyes frightened him. "Better to die at the hands of a friend than send yourself to Hell."
He nodded that he would while saying. "I promise." In his mind, that promise was empty.
"Good! That promise goes both ways, remember that."
He felt his temperature drop a little.
She patted his arm. "Congrats on your first bounty. Hope you don't mind getting paid in Euros." She began piloting the car back down the road. "Buckle up."
"Thought you said it wasn't about the money." He commented.
"Baseball is about the joy of the game." She laughed and rubbed her first two fingers together with her thumb.
"Is it strange that I'm hungry?" He asked as he buckled his belt.
"I don't think so. Burgers? And we are walking in! Fast food in one thing, good food served fast is another."
She flicked on the radio and DMV by Primus filled the car, as would other songs that would replace it while they drove.
"Hey Lincoln." She asked later as they waited for their food.
"Yeah?"
"I really am sorry, putting you through that. You really clear on why I did it?"
"To make sure I take it seriously." He told her.
"Yes and no. Actually, I wanted to make you quit. But... You're taking it well enough, and, you got potential. Might as well help." She shrugged at the look he gave her. "My logic is martial arts master logic. Until you learn, you don't understand."
"I thought you guys were joking about being masters, then I saw Yuki and Mika spar one day over the summer." He looked over to her. "I thought being family, your styles would be the same."
"Kanaan Clan concentrates on core moves. Those come from Owashu Fist, a style invented by one of our ancestors. The first Samurai to carry the Kanaan name was Owashu Oda's first born grandchild, Kanaan Etsuko."
"So, your style is different from other members of your clan." He stated.
"Mika chose wrestling, good ol' American wrestling. Yuki uses Greco Roman style, honestly I think she just liked being oiled up and naked."
Lincoln blushed as he imagined Yuki all oiled up.
"Kanaan is Sumerian in origin. A merchant washed up on shore, he was taken in by the family. He married Oda's daughter Hiromi. It is said that Sumeria is where some of the kicks and throws that we use come from."
She filled in.
"Yakamoura Hideo had his family focus on Juijitsu, so many Kanaan use that."
"You have an interesting family history." Lincoln told her.
"My family has plenty of records in our archives. I like to get in there and read. Now where was I? Oh yeah! Kanaan Clan Style is tailored to each user. Originally passed down to blood relatives, two events really helped to allow non blood practicers to be trained."
She held up a finger. "World War Two! The bombing of Hiroshima killed off the Juba branch. No real loss except Old Master Juba. He was in The Great War, you know, W W One. The Second event was the gang wars, those killed off most of the Kanaan Family." She paused as she accepted her plate of fries and a large burger. "Including dad. Of course, those aren't written in world history, most people didn't even known they were on."
Lincoln muttered about not having heard of the event.
"Police kept it pretty much quiet. Criminals killing criminals, they probably hoped it would sort itself out without troubling the common folk."
"Makes sense." Lincoln's mouth watered at the sight of her food. He could imagine his bacon burger.
"I trained a couple friends in Army. Some extended family as well. Mika taught her friend Ezelle. Yuki had trained a couple of her friends as more of a dramatic self defense course than a strict discipline, though they took it to heart, bless the little bimbos. I still can't remember their names, but those bodies." She bit her lip as she sucked in a breath.
"So, what would be my training?" He watched another table be served.
"Lucha, you and Lynn do that a lot. Boxing, you and Lynn do that a lot. She taught you some of that outlet mall Karate I suppose. I suggest you maybe focus on strikes and pressure points to avoid having to lift much."
"Because of my back." He rubbed his leg. "And leg."
"Yeah." She was quick to agree. "But only until you are better."
"I'm pretty much handicapped." He said a bit sullen.
"So am I. I had to completely retrain myself. Modify everything I had worked into my style before I got shot." She patted his knee. He couldn't help but notice how close her hand was to his flacid member.
"We have records, we'll find one similar to what you got to work around and make it a bit easier on you." She leaned over to look him in the eye. "Until you're better."
She patted his knee again to keep him from thinking negatively.
"You have to keep a book of your own, it's tradition. Every Kanaan Clan practitioner has kept a manual of their own unique style. Dad's is a direct variant of Owashu Oda's third manual. The man never changed his core moves, but he never stopped learning, adapting and perfecting his tecnique." Both hands back on her burger. She held up a finger.
"Manual one was before Oda was in the military. Poorly written, as Oda had not been formally educated. Tallented artist though, highly detailed depictions for every motion in each move and stance. Oda's second manual shows how he learned to read and write and how military training came into play, later how he observed and practiced moves from enemy soldiers and friendly competetors."
"I think I understand." Lincoln tapped his chin. "What is his third manual about?"
"Oda had an injury, messed up something in his arm I assume. Later he had lost half of his left foot, dropped a heavy something or other on it. Squished flat and off!" She slapped her hands together. "That changed his stance. Old age made him make more adjustments."
"Was your dad crippled?" Lincoln was surprised by what she had explained.
"No, but Dad was always interested in the best. See, the third manual is considered to be one of the four perfected manuals among the family. Oda died at ninety three years, was The Original Family Master. Naturally he had to have perfected his tecnique, so my dad naturally had to pick that one."
She looked thoughtful as the waitress explained that there was a mix up with the orders to Lincoln, and that his would be a little late.
Shinji was dead quiet as the woman spoke.
As the waitress left, Shinji picked right back up. "Shino passed at eighty-seven, only ever had the one book but notes upon notes are in a box with it. It's pretty useful if you can get through the disorganized mess."
"Mess?" Lincoln was surprised.
"Ever see that old detective show Columbo?" Lincoln nodded. "Compair that note pad of Columbo's to Shino's manual and box of notes." She ate a fri. "Organized it once, dropped the box when I was done reading it. Pissed Oji off." She mimicked her uncle yelling about how priceless the whole thing was and got Lincoln to laugh.
"Please, continue." He encouraged.
"Naw, I could talk forever about the family. Okay, one more, Nimora loved writing about his wives and kids. I remember reading about his daughter Lenore riding her first horse." She took a few bites of her burger. "The girl was saddled on a stallion. After a couple trots around, it decided to do the deed with a mare. Lenore was still on his back. Nimora, the way he wrote about that, I could just imagine Lenore's face!"
Lincoln found himself imagining it as well and laughed with her.
She finished her burger, sat back and popped the button on her jeans. "Good burger."
"I wouldn't know." Lincoln smiled, but it wasn't a happy one. "How much of this is to distract me from my hunger?"
"Pretty much all of it. Plus, I rarely get to talk about the old family." She offered him a fri. He turned it down.
"So, Nimora, he wrote number two of the perfected manuals. His work with the British Army, living in India and later on in Nepal with Gorkhas. He was a real bad ass! But all of his manuals were written for his kids. Since most were half British, Victor was his stepson and Kenji attended one of those fancy schools in Britain, the manuals, luckily for me, were in English."
"So, he left the kids something." Lincoln concluded.
"Yeah! Good dad!" She shifted to be more comfortable. "Another story I like, was when Victor went fishing with Kenta. Kenta came back with a dozen fish. Victor came back with one big fish. Victor was disapointed that he had caught only the one. Kenta was disapointed that he didn't get a big one. They both bragged about eachother so much that Nimora bought a net they both could use." She rolled her wrist. "You would have to read it to really get the humor of it all."
Lincoln laughed, mostly at the look on her face. "You ever think about publishing some of those stories?"
"No. Too precious. Family treasures, meant for family." She held his hand. He understood what she meant then. She continued on.
"Koga, he moved to the states where he grew up in the South. Served as a rebel geurilla. He wrote Manual Four, also called The Book of Koga. He was full of himself." She groaned. "Koga's manual focuses on the use of tomahawks or similar weapons, military sabers and hunting knives. Even includes pistolier techniques from the army, bow tecniques from the natives and gunfighter tips for dueling in the west. As well as tactics used by rebel forces. He met Jessie James! He made that clear, even included a signature."
She puffed up herself some.
"Me, I plan to add the fifth manuscript. Well, considering Yuki, maybe I should prepair for submitting the sixth."
She still looked rather proud.
"I think my nephew P-J might be adding the seventh, he practices all the time. The only reason he doesn't fight more is account that he loves football. Fighting will get him kicked off the team. Could get him hurt too."
"So, my manual would be archived then." Lincoln asked. "I could add the eighth?"
"A copy of it, yes, as for adding the Eighth perfected form, you'll be old and grey, or as obsessed as Koga, before it is considered one of THE Manuals." She answered.
"The reason we archive them, they are history and heirlooms. Your kids and other members of the clan will learn to defend themselves with it. Of course your children will learn what you teach them. The rest will study what you know. I didn't get to start with Sweetie, but I did get to help teach her later. Pepper, well, she had mommy and big sister teaching her things. Her daddy too! Big differences in styles between those two, also, Pepper is training with a baseball bat as a weapon."
"A baseball bat?" Lincoln asked.
"Yeah. She plays baseball as much as her big bro, Billy!" Shinji beamed with pride then broke into a chuckle as a wry grin formed on her face. "Aparrently Lori is a fan!"
Lincoln was confused. He didn't make the connection between Baseball, Billy and Lori being a fan.
"Anyway, think about what you could teach your kids." She clapped happily.
"To kill." He said sarcastically.
"Not what I meant." She said flatly. Shinji then informed him. "Martial arts are for defense, even if ours is tailored to combat, self defense and the defense of others are the main goals. You could teach them your Karate moves, or how to wrastle. Even a good kickboxing technique, you know."
"Yeah. Yeah! How to protect yourself and others!" He pointed excitedly. "FOOD!"
The topic was forgotten as he took his order, a large burger, onion rings and an extra large milkshake.
He found out that the small place was called Tom's as he ate. Finally not focused on anything but chewing his food, he was able to look around more. The sign was right behind him.
Many truckers, a few families, some bikers.
The bikers looked tough. Shinji left Lincoln to himself to have a conversation about motorcycles and rigs with other patrons. She also shared a couple parenting tips with the new parents from Ontario. Her few whispered tips were quickly used to calm the baby. He was amazed with her.
Though it was the redhead waitress had kept most of Shinji's attention.
Tom, the owner, even looked the other way as Shinji donned an aperon and helped wait tables. All it took was a few words from the tall Japanese woman and that was it.
Lincoln made a note that this must be her type because she was stepping in to help the woman. Full bust, red hair, long legs, what Luan once called a Honkey Tonk Badonkadonk. Hours glass figure.
Even though she was in her forties, Lincoln was also eyeballing the waitress with a painful hardness hidden under the table.
Luckily her shift ended and Lincoln was able to will away his embarassment over his slowly sipped chocolate shake.
Durring the time, he had seen his new mentor make a handful of aquaintences, as well as three business deals. He was also pretty sure that she snuck off with one of the waitresses during a lull.
Tom even took their picture to put on the wall. The picture was set right in between a former govenor and a Local TV star.
Later they stopped at a book store, where he picked up a diary type book, and they were on the way.
"How did you do that?" He asked.
"What?" She glanced over.
"Tom let you help out. All those other customers, even the grumpy guy smiled at you. Just... how?" He tried to explain.
"I was polite." She replied.
"Is this going somewhere?" Lincoln asked.
"No, that's it. Politeness and being genuine can be very effective for life in general. Of course you already know that." She pinched his cheek. "Such a polite young man!"
He folded his arms and frowned.
"Well, that was a lot harder to explain than I had thought." She joked. "We'll work on that."
"Yes, Sensei!" Lincoln bowed.
"Yeah, that's funny." She chuckled.
In the hotel that night Shinji turned off the television to hear pen scratching on paper.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"Recording what I already know." Lincoln looked away from the mirrored wall and pointed at the reflective surface. "Isn't that why you booked us at a sex motel?" He motioned to the mirror that covered the wall.
"It was cheap." She explained. "Good use of time though. Bonus points!" She grabbed her own sketchbook and sat up against the headboard.
"When are we getting to Leni?" He asked returning to his sketching.
"When we get word or find her. Until then, we search."
Lincoln flopped onto the bed and sighed.
"Why a single?"
"I really don't sleep alone. My girlfriends, my sisters, my kids, the niblings. Family and friends usually." Lincoln started to laugh. "What's so funny?"
"Afraid of the dark?" He asked jokingly.
"Afraid of being alone."
The delivery was so honest that it stopped his laughter instantly.
"The better part of six years. Alone." She curled up. "Just my heartbeat. My breath. Dripping water. In darkness."
"This is where you make a joke, right." Lincoln asked hopefully.
Her answer was to scoot over to him and pull his arms around her.
"Oh." He hugged her tighter. "I got you."
He heard an eerily child like thanks but with the day he'd had and how quiet the word was, it could have been his imagination.
"So Yuki might add the fifth manuscript to the archives?" He asked taking her mind off the bad memories.
"Better memory than an elephant, takes photographs too." She kept her hold him and he on her, but she was clearly already feeling better. "She terrifies me!" There was a humor mixed with her seriousness. "My little sister's tender, but you get her worked up, nothing will stop her. Not even pain."
They ended the night talking about their sisters.
FLORIDA, MIAMI
"Hello?" The call echoed around the room. "I'm, like, freezing!" The words came out with a chilled breath. "Anyone?" The woman found a mirror as she stumbled along the wall. "MY HAIR!"