"Crimstorm," I nodded in greeting.
"I haven't seen either of you in these parts. Are you new in the area?" Melody inquired.
"You can say that. My boyfriend is new to the area and I wanted to come down to look around," I explained.
"Ah. I guess he's unaware of the crime that's going on in these parts of Nokamato?" she suggested.
I shook my head in disagreement. "He's aware. But we can't live in fear because of people trying to rebel and take advantage of the Council's lack of involvement. I heard the Emperor is working on a way to improve everything that is going on," I explained.
"I've heard that too. You know, none of us have seen his son in a few years. It would be nice for him to intervene on his father's behalf. The level of violence here is appalling," Melody shook her head.
"I agree with you," I replied.
I was such a hermit when it came to politics that it was hard for me to offer anything else on the subject. If it wasn't for everything going on with Storm's case, I wouldn't bother trying to figure out what was going on in our city or worry about finding more information on the Council.
It just reminded me that my father chose his position over me, his child and supposedly future heir. Though, I doubt he'd leave me anything of his to inherit, since I was human.
"You remind me of her,” Melody announced suddenly.
I turned to see her sad eyes and I tilted my head in confusion. "Look like who?" I asked for clarification.
"Storm Yuna," she replied with a sad smile. She returned to watch the people wandering around. "She was such an inspiration to many women here. We watched her grow into a strong woman who didn't take nonsense from anyone. To think she was murdered...it’s an absolute shame. There's no way she would have died if it was a fair fight."
"You think they used some sneaky tactic to lure her into something?" I questioned while trying to keep my cool. Just the reminder of my death and the pity and frustration surrounding it pained the part of me I assumed harnessed Storm's essence.
"I know. I saw them," Melody whispered.
I gawked at her and quickly scanned the area to see if anyone was close enough to hear our conversation.
"Do you speak Yamato Kotoba?" Melody queried.
I smirked, giving her a slow nod. I personally didn't speak it, but at the mention of the old Japanese language, Storm's power kicked in and it was like a door of knowledge opened up.
"Your boyfriend? He must have a brother right? That worked for Storm? He looks just like one of her guards," Melody asked in the ancient language.
"He's related to him, yes," I replied in the same tongue, playing along.
She nodded. "A woman can tell. You can always tell if someone has an authoritative aura around them."
"What does he have to do with anything? I mean Storm's guards?" I asked.
"Well, they were always with her. She was here for a few days and had come down to the markets plenty of times to greet us and discuss bringing peace. That night, however, none of her usual guards were there,” Melody revealed.
She took a deep breath. "I'd approached her and asked if they were away or something and I even advised it wasn't safe for her to be here. She had two new guards with her, but their auras were off. They didn't look like guards from Homatomashi and they just gave off weird vibes. I didn't understand how she didn't feel it, but she said they had a meeting and she didn't want to delay her plans by talking," Melody explained.
"What happened after that?' I asked, on the edge of my seat.
"She said she'd be okay, but then she walked into a building and was in there for a long time. I stayed near the area for as long as I could, until the streets were completely empty. I decided to leave for my own personal safety, but before I went, I noticed the men walk out, but Storm Yuna wasn't with them."
I was silent as I swallowed the lump in my throat and my hands clenched into fists.
"I don't know where I got the courage to investigate...but, I stayed and searched through the complex, but couldn't find where she was. I wanted to do more digging, but then the owner of the building came saying he was about to close up for the night. I explained to him that Storm Yuna had entered here, but had not left yet, so we began to search together and well..." she trailed off.
"You found her," I finished, trying to control my anger.
"I don't know why I'm telling you this. It's stupid of me really. I wanted to wait for the authorities and give my testimony, but then Mr. Arashi and the other Council members showed up and took over. I assumed they would have caught the culprit long before now. Guess I was foolish." She sighed and I noticed tears beginning to pool in her eyes.
I could imagine the guilt she felt at not giving her statement to the authorities. But it wouldn't have made a difference with the Council involved. They would have thrown the testimony under the rug like they were trying to do with Storm's murder.
"If you could provide your statement to the Emperor of Homatomashi, would you?" I stared into her glossy eyes.
She blinked and I noticed the hesitation in her eyes, but a second later I saw courage as she nodded her head. "I would. Storm deserves justice. If we can find who those guards were, we'd be one step closer to catching her killers. I was too far away to get a real good look, but one of the guys had a tattoo on his face," she confessed.
Tattoo? On his face? For some reason, the thought made my head begin to pound and I bit my lip. I noticed the group of men in the corner begin to approach our table. Melody’s body went rigid and I saw fear in her eyes.
I placed my hand on hers and turned, narrowing my eyes at a plump man, who from what I had seen, appeared to be the leader of the group. He stood before us with a smug look on his face that made me want to roll my eyes.
"Shouldn't you maids be working and not sitting around idly?" the man asked as his eyes glanced over my body hungrily.
I tilted my head and gave him a sweet smile. "The last time I checked, I owned my body and can do whatever I want with it. That includes sitting and enjoying this peaceful evening with my friend," I spoke with false cheer, continuing my innocent act.
The man frowned and kissed his teeth in annoyance. "Why don't you be a good little whore and I'll make sure your night ends on a more pleasurable note," the man countered.
I opened my mouth to speak, but noticed the man suddenly grow tense as he straightened his back.
"Or you can move away from my woman before I skin you alive for the world to see what happens when I see such unacceptable behavior," Yoshi's cold voice demanded.
The people walking past were all staring and some scurried further away to watch from a distance. The man slowly looked over to Yoshi, whose eyes were practically gold, unlike their usual gentle sapphire appearance. I could feel the power vibrating off his skin in waves and my body shivered as if I was the one in trouble and not this sleazebag.
"My apologies, Sir. I didn't mean to insult your partner." The man shook with fear as he answered.
"Good. You should also apologize to the woman next to my partner who you tried to shame," Yoshi suggested sternly.
"Shazai itashimasu," the man apologized and bowed.
I doubt he would have done so willingly, if not for the sheath of Yoshi's sword pressing against his back.
"Now you and your friends can go enjoy the evening elsewhere," Yoshi commanded.
The man looked pissed, but slowly turned and bowed his head in agreement before walking back to his crew of men. After a moment, they all began to head toward the exit of the market.
I sighed in relief and Melody squeezed my hand. "Arigato gozaimashita.”
"It's no problem,” I reassured her. I turned my attention to Yoshi. “Yoshi, welcome back."
He gave me a prideful smile as he attached his sword to his waist. "You two okay?" he questioned.
"Yes," I replied, looking at Melody.