"Twenty-three and your parents haven't given your weapon to you simply because you're human?" Aki inquired. He looked pissed off and Quil’s eyes were already beginning to shift from pink to bright red.
"I'm not worthy enough to have a weapon. I'm a human. Why would I need it?" I shrugged, walking over to the mirror that hung on the wall close to the door.
I placed the box on the table that stood beneath the mirror and checked out how the watch would look on my neck.
"You do sword dance training," Quil countered.
"Yes. I do it because that was the only thing I was allowed to participate in. Humans and shifters can practice it. The only difference is I can't use the elements like wind or fire to enhance my movements, like you see in the ancient movies and demonstrated by the masters," I explained, trying to hook the clasp of the necklace, but struggled to do so.
Aki approached me from behind, and his hands brushed against mine.
"Let me help," he whispered.
I smiled at him in the mirror and let him take over. He clasped the silver chain and took a step back to let me see how it looked in the mirror.
I smiled, taking a moment to appreciate the beautiful pocket watch necklace. My finger played with the little charms, making me curious as to what each one meant.
"You've tried asking your parents for your weapon?" Aki asked.
"I have and was denied. I don't know where Father is holding it and my mother won't do anything against my father's command. I don't need it anyways." I turned to face them.
They eyed the necklace I wore and small smiles formed on their lips. I noticed Quil's eyes turned a light blue which my gut told me meant he was sad.
I frowned. "Sorry. It reminds you of Storm, doesn't it?" I felt terrible, knowing I shouldn't flaunt Storm's possession like it was mine.
Aki shook his head and Quil just looked away, blinking a few times. When his gaze returned to me, his eyes were back to their normal pink glory.
"We're still dealing with it. You shouldn't apologize. That watch was dear to her so it's nice to see someone treasure and protect it," Aki reassured me, putting a hand on my back and rubbing soothingly.
"Storm would be happy that you have it," Malachi announced.
We turned to see him sit up and Uru got up and walked onto his stomach. Malachi grinned and began ruffling her white fur.
"It looks good on you, Crim. Keep it safe and know it holds power to protect you when you need it," Malachi instructed. His sky-blue eyes met mine and I knew he was serious about this.
I nodded. "Understood."
He nodded before a smile returned to his face and his eyes lit up like his usual self.
"So, we have to start training Crim, huh?" Malachi asked, directing the question to Quil and Aki.
They both nodded.
I tilted my head in confusion. "Train?"
"We're still investigating who murdered Storm. Which means you may still be in danger. It's better if we begin to train you so in the event we're not around, you can defend yourself long enough for us to reach you," Aki explained.
"Still no leads?" I asked, giving them a sympathetic look.
They all frowned, shaking their heads in frustration.
"The person we suspect is definitely a part of the organization you've heard on the news. They're known as Nozomi Rukensza, better known as N.R.O.," Quil informed me.
"Think of them as a gang of shifters and humans who are against peace. Their mission is to cause chaos so that the Emperor can be overthrown and replaced by someone that's more favorable to their cause. Someone who would allow drug transactions and other underground operations to occur," Malachi revealed.
"The person who killed Storm must have done so by using us as leverage. Storm was amazing in close combat and wouldn't be taken down easily by a few average magic users or shifters." Quil crossed his arms.
"So, you're saying she was blackmailed. For the sake of protecting you guys or maybe a large number of people, she did what they asked and it ended with her death," I whispered. I bit my lips, feeling a cold shiver go through me.
"Crim?" Malachi must have noticed my change in mood. He rose to his feet and walked over to me.
Uru followed and was by my side in seconds.
"I'm okay...just makes me feel weird saying it," I confessed.
Malachi pulled me into a hug which confused me for a moment, but I relaxed in his embrace as the sweet cherry blossom scent surrounded me.
"Nothing will happen to you. We'll train you and protect you. Yoshi is asking around the neighborhood to see if he can gather more info about that night and the increase in crime around the area, and we’ll continue to work on the investigation. All you need to do is focus on yourself and rest up," he encouraged.
I nodded. "Okay."
"And do something about your cry baby boyfriend. He complains like a child and is always yelling," Quil grumbled.
I giggled. "What were you guys arguing about anyway?" I asked, remembering the conversation that woke me up.
"Just the usual 'get yourselves a damn hotel and leave my place' argument. Nothing interesting," Aki summarized.
"He doesn't want us trying to find the other crystals without Mr. Arashi's permission," Malachi added, stepping out of the embrace.
"You mean you guys have a lead?" I asked.
"Maybe. We feel that the thief or people who killed Storm have one. The others have to be in Homatomashi somewhere. The crystals each have strong ancient magic and one crystal can lead to the other. The more crystals we have, the easier it will be to track them down. The magic tries to show you where the crystal is through visions or dreams. Storm said before her parents had passed, they had placed the crystals around Homatomashi and it was Storm's duty to travel and find them all. That's how she learned all about the country and the wonderful people in it," Aki explained.
"So that's how her legacy was born," I whispered.
The guys smiled, nodding in unison.
"Ya," Quil whispered, before walking over to the fridge. He grabbed a bottle of water and placed it on the island.
"Are you guys going to track down the crystals?" I looked down at the watch on my neck and stared at the pink crystal that twinkled in the light.
"Yes. But we'll need you for that and we're not going to start that quest until you’re trained and ready," Aki replied.
"Okay. So...when do I start training?"
"Next week? Let's give your body a few more days to rest. You can still go for your runs if you like, though," Aki assured me, glancing down at my attire.
"If you're going for a run, I'll go with you," Malachi announced.
"WOOF!" Uru agreed happily, jumping up to pet my legs with her paws. I smiled, kneeling down to give her a hug.
"You wanna go with me, Uru. Yes! I know you do." I ruffled her white fur.
"I get no love," Malachi whined dramatically.
I smiled, looking up at him. "Go change, Hottie McHot Pants," I ordered.
A wide smile formed on his lips and his sky-blue eyes twinkled with happiness.
"On it, Hottie." He ran to the spare bedroom and then into the washroom in a flash.
"Here's your phone, Crimson. I think you missed a few calls," Aki announced from the couch, my phone in his hand.
"It must be due to my commissions. I'm gonna fall behind if I don't start working soon," I confessed, checking my emails.
"You do commissions? I've never seen your name," Aki inquired.
"I don't use my name, that's why. Just a pen name. I'll change it soon anyway. Don't know what to, but..." I trailed off.
"What's wrong?" Quil asked.
"I realized when I died that there would be nothing left of me for people to remember me by. I create art for people, yet they would never find out who I really was. I would die and be forgotten by everyone and my legacy would be just as the human girl who was a disgrace to her family. Not Crimson Arashi who created art because she was passionate about it. Or the Crimson who regardless of her challenges was able to get to the top of her sword dancing class. All people would ever remember me by would be rumors and negative impressions from my family. And that scares me," I revealed.