I stared into Aki's green eyes as he continued. "When we brought you to your family’s house, we agreed we would just wait it out. With how the Council acted regarding Storm's case, we didn't have much hope of you cooperating with us. But when you woke up and Yoshi talked to you, he was moved. He explained that he knew you would do well and maybe it would be okay to give you a chance. Just as friends or partners trying to solve Storm's case."
"But then we got to know you. Little by little, day by day, until we’d all been together for about four weeks. I've thought hard about this and I know it may seem rushed to move on so quickly...but I wouldn't mind trying with you. I loved Storm and there’s a part of me that will always love her. But if she wants me and the others to love again, I would like to try with someone as humble, strong-willed, and inspiring as you," Aki finished.
I stared at him in complete shock. To have a man express his vulnerability and feelings the way he just had left me speechless. Not once had a man ever said they wanted to date me.
Even with James, it was me who asked him if he wanted to try a relationship, and that was honestly just because I was lonely and curious. We both wanted companionship, but it had been for all the wrong reasons.
Aki gave me a wide smile which tugged at my heartstrings because for the first time since meeting him, he looked genuinely happy.
"Just give us a shot to stay by your side. Let us prove to you that, regardless of who you are, Crimson Arashi, we won't abandon you. It doesn't matter if you stick with James or not. We'll be here, whether as friends, protectors, or anything you want us to be," Aki vowed, bowing his head to me.
"Woof!” Uru howled quietly and bowed her head too.
I smiled at the both of them and let the last of my tears roll down my cheeks as I let down the invisible walls that had shielded my heart for so many years.
"Okay."
Maybe this was what Storm Yuna wanted. She told me to love these men and accept them and their flaws. I wasn't perfect and I didn't know what the future had in store for us, but maybe the power of healing would mend our broken hearts.
And maybe, I'd learn what real love was.
"Just a little more, Crim," Haru encouraged.
"But I'll burn something. Like the carpet or the sofa," I said through pants as I tried to maintain the ball of fire cradled in my hands.
"You're not gonna burn anything, just take a deep breath," Yoshi instructed.
I did what he said, then exhaled slowly in an effort to calm my nerves.
"Now imagine the fire increasing just slightly," Malachi encouraged.
I nodded, closing my eyes and doing exactly that. I felt the spark of energy inside me and pulled just a speck of power from it to help increase the size of the flame.
"Yes! Stop, Crim," Quillian urged.
I opened my eyes to see the medium size fireball in my hands. I knew it could do a lot of damage if directed at something or someone.
"Now close your eyes and pull the magic back within you, like a vacuum," Itsuki instructed.
I nodded, closing my eyes and mentally called the magic back into my body. I felt the heat within my hands began to dim until it completely dissipated. I opened my eyes and saw the fireball was gone.
"I did it!" I looked to the guys who were crowded around me.
"Excellent work, Crim!" Malachi cheered, coming to give me a high five.
"You’re a fast learner, Crim," Haru complimented.
"Right! That took Itsuki like five days to learn when Storm tried to teach him. He made some tiny little ball of light that wouldn't even burn a fly," Malachi teased.
Itsuki frowned. "You're never letting that go, are you?"
"Nope. That was funny and I'll always make fun of you when I get the chance."
"Maybe you should accidentally light his hair on fire like last time," Quil suggested.
"You better not!" Malachi shouted, pointing at Itsuki who smirked.
"It’s tempting." He snapped his fingers.
Malachi swore when a bit of his hair caught on fire. "Dammit, Itsuki!" He tried to blow it out.
Hmm, I wonder.
I quickly closed my eyes and envisioned a small ball of water just like Haru and Itsuki had taught me, directing it to Malachi. I heard a large splash.
I opened my eyes to see a completely drenched Malachi who just blinked. Quil and Aki burst out laughing, while Haru and Itsuki snickered. Yoshi had a wide grin on his face.
"Good work, Crim. Just do the opposite next time when it comes to water. You need to use more energy to make it smaller."
"What? But I thought that was for wind," I whined.
"Wind needs less energy like fire and electricity. Water and nature magic need more energy to become smaller and more focused," Yoshi explained.
"Oh," I replied, looking back at Malachi. I gave him a sheepish grin and shrugged. "Oops?"
Now all the guys were laughing. Even Malachi chuckled.
"I'm gonna go change," he announced.
"I can dry you off?" I suggested.
He held his hands up in defense. "Nope! I don't want a tornado in this house. I'll change like a normal person," Malachi reassured me.
I pouted, "You're no fun."
"Hottie McHot Pants needs a moment to restore his hotness. You cooled him off," Quil joked.
"You’re an ass," Malachi huffed, pointing to Quil who smirked.
"Go change. We're going out, remember?" Quil reminded.
"Fine. Give me five minutes." Malachi rushed to the washroom, leaving a puddle of water behind.
"You guys have a lead?" I asked, getting up to grab a few paper towels. Aki stopped me before I made it three steps.
"Don't worry about it." He snapped his fingers. The puddle evaporated within seconds. I gawked at where the puddle once was and then back at Aki.
"How did you do that?"
"I'll teach you later." He winked.
"Don't go sucking up to try and get brownie points with her," Malachi called out from the washroom.
"Stop eavesdropping and go shower! Or I'll leave your ass behind," Quil yelled.
"Kutabare!" Malachi shouted.
"Stop swearing in front of Crim," Itsuki chastised.
"I'm not in front of her," Malachi countered.
Haru rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to me. "Yes, Crim. We have a lead. The man we believe was at the crime scene apparently has a meeting with your father in a week and a half from now. We're gonna track where he's staying for now and keep a lookout," Haru explained. Yoshi rose from where he sat on the cushion facing the couch.
"I contacted the Emperor and he's sending us back out to scout all of Nokamato. I've gathered a bit of evidence, but it’s difficult to talk to the females around here," Yoshi admitted.
"Maybe I could help?" I offered.
I knew that because of the increased crime rate, which included a number of rapes in the city, many women either banded together or were very apprehensive around men. It didn't matter how rich or poor they looked. If you took sympathy for a poor person or were wooed by a rich person, it could cost you dearly.
"It's not a bad idea. We'd be able to gather more information for the Emperor. He can't come down himself yet and his undercover team is still working on things. We could try and assist while we gather evidence regarding Storm's murder. I bet someone knows what happened or who is pulling the strings," Aki explained.
"If you're going with Crimson, she's gonna need to change her appearance a bit," Haru pointed out.
"Please don't tell me I need long hair," I grumbled.
"What's wrong with long hair?" Quil asked, looking amused.
"It just gets in the way."
"It's not that bad." Aki pointed to his ponytail which was tied in a gold silk ribbon with red symbols.
"Why do you wear different ribbons?" I asked, realizing Aki never left his hair down, even to sleep.
"That's because he goes all Super Saiyan like Goku," Malachi joked, walking into the living room wearing just a towel.
I stared him up and down, completely zoning everything else out for a good ten seconds.
"Go put some clothing on, Malachi! We'd like to have a normal conversation without splitting Crim's attention," Quil grumbled.
Itsuki chuckled. "Earth to Crim."
I had to blink a few times before I tuned back to the conversation. "Nani?" I asked, accidentally speaking in Japanese.
Haru shook his head. "If you ever need Crim's attention, just take your shirt off," he teased.
I blushed. "I...you guys are mean," I grumbled, crossing my arms.
They all laughed.