"Do you miss Storm?" I asked again, slowly turning my head to meet his gaze as another tear rolled down my cheek.
His eyes were wide and he looked confused for a second before he sighed. He reached out to wipe the tear from my cheek and moved to wipe the other side. "Yes. I miss her dearly. We all do, even though we're trying our best not to show it. Storm Yuna wasn't just the strongest mage of our generation. She was a beautiful, selfless woman. She loved without holding back and would sacrifice her happiness so that others could smile. She worked so hard and barely had time for herself. Yet, with her spare time she was able to love each of us. It’s thanks to her some of us are alive today." Malachi blinked and his sky blue eyes began to well up. He inhaled deeply.
"My biggest regret is not being there. The love of our lives died alone...and something tells me she did it to protect us. That's the only thing that calms the rage inside me. Am I angry? Yes. I'm so upset that I would love to burn down that shrine and make each member of the Council suffer. But you know what stops me?"
"What?" The word was a whisper.
"Before we went to our meeting that day, Storm pulled me aside and told me that I should always keep smiling. I should never let my anger consume me. That’s what happened to my father. And now he's dead. She said it would make her sad to see me go down the same path." He looked up to the sky.
"Her words always ring in my mind, over and over again. And that night when we were chasing after that thief, I thought I didn't care anymore. I had no purpose anymore. I'd guarded Storm for years and now I had nothing left. We used to go for runs together and we'd all eat together like a big family. It didn't matter how busy we got, we'd make it happen. But since her death, we were all scattered and so caught up in our grief that it seemed we were drifting apart. So I decided that night, I'd murder that thief. And if he got away, I'd kill Konashi and all the other Council members," he revealed, lowering his gaze to stare right into my eyes.
I could see the pain in his eyes, but I also saw a flicker of regret.
"Then I turn the corner and guess who I see? A beautiful Japanese girl with gorgeous blue eyes. For a quick second I thought, 'Wow. I wonder if I’d ever love again. If I would be able to connect with someone like her.' I guess maybe Storm knew somehow you'd be chosen to pick up that watch. I wouldn't have guessed you were an Arashi," he admitted.
"Do you still want to kill them?" I asked.
He smiled, shaking his head. "It’s funny. I was so fired up to do it. Yet, when your mother arrived and we found out you were Konashi's daughter...my resolve died. I was in the shrine that I'd vowed to burn to the ground, yet I couldn't do it because that was your home. Even though I'd heard a little about your story from Yoshi and your 'boyfriend', I couldn't destroy something that may have been important to you. It just felt wrong and..." he trailed off.
"And?" I pressed.
"I didn't want to hurt you. You didn't deserve to go through any of this and you could have potentially died. You weren't the cause of Storm's death. And it made me realize that neither were the maids or housekeepers who worked there. Innocent people would have died because of me. Because I wanted to be selfish and get my revenge because I was in pain. I only realized that because of you, Crimson. Not because a part of Storm is inside you, but because of you."
I was speechless, unsure what to say. I'd never been praised for helping someone. But here was a man I'd just met who confessed that because of my existence, he stopped himself from hurting and killing innocent people.
"Malachi," I whispered.
He met my gaze, looking rather ashamed of his confession. I didn't want him to feel bad for wanting to get vengeance. Anyone in his situation would have dark thoughts like that. What mattered was whether or not you acted on them.
I reached out my hand, caressing his right cheek.
"Arigato gozaimashita.”
His eyes widened at my thanks and I gave him a wide smile.
"I'm grateful from the bottom of my heart that regardless of your pain and suffering, you thought about others and didn't let your anger control you. You did well, watashi no ai," I whispered. I wanted to know more about his past, but for now, the least I could do was show how proud I was about his decision.
I could see a slight blush color his cheeks at my last sentence and it took my brain a few seconds to realize I'd just called him 'my love.' But I didn't regret it. In fact, I was more than okay with it.
His hand pressed against mine that lingered on his cheek.
"Arigato, Crimson," he whispered.
I nodded before I yawned. He removed my hand from his cheek, and got off the bench.
"We should go back. I really doubt they're going to find a hotel at this point," Malachi pointed out, pulling out his phone and quickly tapping the screen.
"Where are you guys gonna go if you can't find a hotel?" I asked.
"Sleep outside, maybe?" Malachi admitted.
He didn't look pleased about the situation and neither was I. They were well-respected men and they didn't deserve to sleep on the streets because my father was being petty.
"You can stay at my place? Well, it’s mine and James', but if it’s temporary, I'm sure he won't mind," I offered.
"Hmm. I don't want us invading your space," he admitted.
I shook my head. "I don't want you guys sleeping on the cold streets of Nokamato. You don't know who might be watching and that could hurt your reputations, which is what I think my father is trying to do. Plus it would be dangerous," I explained.
I could imagine my father's goal was for them to sleep on the streets and get some reporters to take photos and publish them in the tabloids and spread them across Homatomashi.
I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of bringing down my men...I mean, Storm's men.
"Won't Mr. Bipolar be upset?" he inquired with a playful grin.
"You guys don't like him, huh?"
Malachi shrugged. "When he grows some balls and stops acting like a puppet, I'll reconsider. Don't need to stay around someone like that for long to realize that they only care about their status," he grumbled.
"Um...can I ask you something?" I gave him a nervous look.
"Anything, Crimson."
"Was James even there? Not like when I woke, but...you know, when I was unconscious for the last five days?" I asked.
Malachi stared into my eyes with a blank expression. His weighty silence told me what I needed to know.
"That's a no," I confirmed.
"Is he really your boyfriend, Crimson?" Malachi asked.
"I call him my 'Drunk Lover Boy and Sober Best Friend.' But there's no term for that in the friends with benefits dictionary," I joked.
"Ah... To answer your question, no. He asked us to let him know when you were awake. When you were talking to your mom, Itsuki called him since no one else wanted to," Malachi confessed, rolling his eyes.
I grinned. "Not even Yoshi?"
Malachi laughed. "Yoshi is a peacemaker only to the people. Once he has a dislike for someone, they're screwed."
I grinned. "You're all like that, aren't you?"
"Yup and proud of it," Malachi cheered. He walked to stand in front of me, turned, and knelt on the ground.
"What are you doing?"
"We gotta go home," he reminded.
"I know, but we aren't going home with you kneeling down," I pointed out.
He looked over his shoulder to give me a smug look. "A piggyback ride, Crimson."
I frowned. "Why do I need a piggyback ride?" I didn't want to admit I'd never actually had one before.
"You can't walk barefoot with those cuts and blisters on your feet," Malachi reminded.
I glanced down at my crossed legs, having completely forgotten about my feet. "But..." I trailed off, not wanting to be a burden. He did have a point; walking on my bare feet would make them worse. It wasn't like James was around either to heal them.
"I figure you don't like depending on others, but for once, can you lean on me, Crimson? Please?"