Going to school the next day proved to be a difficult task for Kubo. Witnessing a robbery in progress and unable to do anything about it, coupled with the fear of the public's reaction to magic; a power he possessed, had left Kubo with a feeling of guilt and insecurity that was starting to affect his studies.
Reluctant in his work and unengaged in what his teacher had to say, Kubo's mind retreated to the realm of imagination and he began to day dream. What was once Mrs Kameyo's loud and clear voice was now reduced to an indistinct murmur. The chairs and desks of Kubo's classmates transformed into walls, paintings and glass stands, the classroom taking the appearance of what seemed to be an art collection. And in the middle of it all, stood the perpetrator of the museum theft. Smiling as they helped themselves to another piece of mask, as if teasing the recipient of the vision.
That was the moment when Kubo realized that this was no mere day dream. This was a premonition about the future and he had to do something.
"Kubo! The teacher is asking you a question!" Camellia whispered, breaking Kubo out of his reverie.
"How much stronger is a monkey's sense of smell compared to us?" Camellia whispered Kubo a clue, wishing to spare him the embarrassment of being unable to answer the question in front of the class.
"Ten times! Mrs Kameyo." Kubo answered.
"Very good. I see you were paying attention during our field trip." Mrs Kameyo praised Kubo's attentiveness.
"Thanks for the save." Kubo gave his thanks in a hushed tone.
"Don't mention it." Camellia smiled at Kubo. Her eagerness to help him and her smile, giving him the support he needed to keep his focus up and endure the rest of the day.
With Hanzo in the passenger seat of her car, listening to the radio, Sariatu drove towards Kubo's school to pick him up. As a news bulletin ended on the radio, a memory flashed in Hanzo's mind.
"That news report the other day… I've remembered something. The person who broke into my office, they stole something from me as well. Like the piece of mask that was stolen from the museum."
"You mean the eyes of your father's mask you keep on your desk? Could they be related?" Sariatu asked, trying to make sense of it all.
"I have a hunch they are." Hanzo answered in a foreboding tone.
After a few minutes of driving, they had arrived at Kubo's school. Parking the car, Sariatu and Hanzo waited for Kubo to show up. No sooner had she parked, than Kubo opened the car door and climbed inside.
"Hey Kubo! What did you learn in school today?" Hanzo asked, turning his head around from the front seat to face his son.
"Things." Kubo simply replied with a cheeky grin on his face.
"What kinds of things?" Hanzo emphasized, trying to coax the knowledge Kubo had learned out of him.
"Monkeys!" Kubo answered, cherry picking his favourite part of the day's classes.
Eyebrows raising at the answer, Hanzo continued to press for information. "And?"
"And maths and the different parts of a boat and…" Kubo complied and gave his father the boring answer he wanted to hear.
"Mother, can you drop me off here? A friend invited me to his place." Kubo changed the subject. He had told his parents about his day. It was the least they could do.
"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you there? Where does your friend live?" Sariatu checked with Kubo as he stepped out the car.
"It's OK Mother, it's close." Kubo reassured her and waved good-bye.
"OK then, but be back before five!" Sariatu reminded him and drove away.
Pulling his Mighty Beetle Warrior comic book out of his school bag, Kubo looked to its pages for guidance. As the Mighty Beetle Warrior exacted his revenge on the witch who cursed him, Kubo's resolve was sealed. He would find the art collection in his vision and stop the thief from stealing the piece of the mask. That would be his revenge.
Taking out a piece of paper from his back and his shamisen from his guitar case, Kubo made an origami figure of a bird and began strumming his shamisen, bringing the bird to life.
He then told it: "Find the mask."
Obeying its master's words, the bird rose up and flew towards its destination, with Kubo running in close pursuit.
Chasing after the bird until he was panting heavily, Kubo finally arrived at the location of the vision. A private residence with a separate building, serving as a venue for an art collection.
Squeezing through the gap created by a dislodged plank of wood in the fence, Kubo had overcome the first obstacle. Now facing the private building, Kubo noticed the backdoor was ajar. That meant that the owner was around somewhere, but it also meant that Kubo did not have to worry about unlocking the door.
Entering the building, Kubo saw a vast arrangement of paintings depicting flowers, starry nights and grand landscapes. But as Kubo took stock of his surroundings, the thief who was already on the scene, held the piece of mask in their hands. Noticing Kubo's presence, the thief cursed, "YOU!" Recognizing Kubo from the museum.
"You're not going to steal any more masks, because I'm going to stop you." Kubo declared with a firm voice.
"I'd like to see you try, little boy!" The thief taunted, aiming a ball of flame towards Kubo's head.
Parking the car near the driveway of their house, Sariatu sensed that her son was in imminent danger.
"Kubo's in trouble! We have to go back!"
Screaming as the ball of flame hurtled towards him, Kubo ducked out of its path, narrowly missing having his hair singed. Taking an assortment of origami arrows he had folded beforehand out of his bag, Kubo launched them at the thief by playing his shamisen, igniting them with the power of his magic as they neared their target. One of the arrows met their mark, making the thief drop the mask.
Luckily for them, the thief caught the mask before it hit the floor. With their eyes on the ground, the thief noticed the rest of the arrows that had missed their target burning on the ground. Out of spite, the thief threw the burning arrows at a stack of paintings on the ground, setting them ablaze.
It was then that the owner of the gallery finally made their appearance. Entering the gallery through the front door, witness to a scene filled with flames and smoke and two arsonists standing in the middle of it. Dropping his shamisen in fright from the surprise appearance of the owner, Kubo's shamisen played a sour note as it hit the ground. Quickly picking it up, Kubo made his escape through the back door, while the thief dissipated into the shadows.
Seeing a familiar white car near the road, Kubo ran towards it, swiftly opened the door and got in.
"Kubo! What did you do?" Hanzo asked, alarmed by the whole scenario.
"I had a vision of the thief at the museum stealing another mask. I tried to stop him."
"It's OK Kubo, but we'll have to lay low for a while. My brother Hatori owns a house not far from here, we'll be safe there." Hanzo tried to comfort a despondent looking Kubo.
Thank you very much for reading my story, I hope you enjoyed it and would love to know your thoughts on it.
This was the second hardest chapter to write since it involved writing about Kubo facing both an internal and external battle, but it was worth the trouble because it ties into the final chapter nicely.