Chapter 1: A Storm In Kawasaki

Turning down a dark alley, the car came to a screeching stop as the driver looked to see if anyone was around. “Hayaku!” he said to the 2 men in the back as they pushed the motionless body out of the rear door. With the rain falling at a consistent pace for the last 2 days in Kawasaki, the unconscious man landed face down in a large puddle next to the car. Then, just as soon as they came, the car sped off back into the night.






In a different scenario this would have been a peaceful scene – no other sounds but the steady rain coming down. It stayed that way until a loud lightening strike lit up the presumedly abandoned alley. The static figure laid there as the rain drenched his torn and bloodied black suit. Once masked by the darkness until revealed by the flash of light, only a few feet away from him were the silhouettes of 2 children. They had actually been there shortly after this mysterious figure was dumped, however they stayed quiet for fear of getting involved in an ominous situation they wanted no part of. Being homeless and on their own for as long as they could remember, the twin brother and sister always did their best to avoid trouble, especially the kind of trouble that throws bodies out of big black sedans in the middle of the night. So silently they observe but keep their distance.

Acting as an alarm clock, a small lightening strike and thunder clap brought life back into the once prone man still laying face down in the alley. Slowly he starts to move about. Laboring to open his eyes, he's trying to focus still with half of his face submerged in a puddle. He gingerly moves his arms and legs to make sure he still has all of his parts. Not knowing where he is, how he got there or even having a firm grasp on who he is, his immediate goal was to gather enough strength to get up, or at least roll out of the slow growing rain puddle.

The kids remained where they were, still wondering who he is and if they should help him. As he finally makes it to his knees but on the brink of falling back down on his face, the kids run over to help him. Just as they both grab an arm each, there is a slight earthquake tremor. They stop for a moment to make sure there's no immediate danger, and then continue. They sit him up against a wall and out of the rain. Kabu tells her brother, Niku, to get some water out of the pieced together plastic and wooden fort they have been calling home. He runs to get it. The unknown man tries to stand but is in excruciating pain. Kabu says “Suwatsutekudasai!” and guides him back down. Not being able to see clearly due to the darkness and his injuries, he isn't sure who is helping him so he gains enough of his senses to mutter “Who are you? Dare?! Dare?!” As Niku comes back with a bottle of rain water, Kabu says “We heard a car stop, something was thrown out and then it sped off. We came to see what was happening and found that you were that something thrown out.” Niku puts the plastic bottle gently up to the mans lips and tilts it slightly telling him to drink. Kabu then asks “Nihonjin desuka? Namaewa? Or do you speak English? What's your name?” Surprised to hear what sounds like a young girl, he turns his head slightly towards her and says “Yes. How do you speak English so well?” She says “my brother and I have lived on the streets of Kawasaki and Tokyo for many years. Knowing 2 languages means we can ask for double the amount of money and food. From both Nihonjin and gaijin.” Niku says to his sister “Kimiwa bokutachi no himitsu o, shiranai hito ni hanashiteru!” The battered figure turns his head slightly towards Niku and says, “Your secret is safe with me, kid.” Kabu says “We still don't know who you are.” “Well, my secret is that I'm not entirely sure who I am”, says the man, “or why I'm here.” Taking a moment as he starts to drift back out of consciousness, he says “Now leave me. You have done your good deed for today.” Kabu, taken aback by the stranger's crassness and looking annoyed stands and says “We did not help you just to be shooed away. Come on, Niku!” She turns to walk away but Niku stops her. “Yamero! He is hurt and needs our help.” Kabu stands with her arms crossed and back to them and says “We still don't even know his name or who he is. We don't need this in our lives!” Niku, scanning the barely moving man in the dim light being cast by a street lamp notices a damaged cufflink hanging from the torn shirt cuff around one of the man's swollen wrists. The scuffed but slightly shiny form is that of a chess piece, the head of a horse...the Knight. Niku then says, “Since you don't know your name, I will name you.” Reaching for the broken jewelry before it falls to the ground, Niku mutters “ナイト.” After a slight pause, he then says, “Hai, namae wa Knight san.” Just at that moment, the brightest of lightening strikes pierces the dark sky. Kabu looks at his sister, then turns back towards the broken man and repeats “Knight san.”

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