So where were they and what secrets did they hold?
I finished the last stroke on the inscription on the second sword and stared at the overall product. It was perfect and looked to be an exact copy of the swords that continued to appear in my dreams.
I took a steady breath and tried to ignore my heart that pounded hard against my chest. These swords have a purpose, but what? What are they trying to show me?
I lifted my brush to try and add a little more detailing in the shading of the blades, but my hand trembled, making it unsteady. Why am I panicking?
I tried to take a few more breaths, but breathing was suddenly difficult. My eyes focused on the criss-crossed swords and widened as I noticed the slight glow to the blades.
It was like the world around me had gone still, but the painting had come to life. The blades were real and their shiny sharpened blades would cut through anything that tried to hurt their owner. Ribbons that transitioned from pink to orange were attached to the hilts and seemed to blow in a non-existent breeze and brightened the twin swords even more.
I stared intently until it made sense. These swords weren't for just anyone. They were for me and I had to claim them. But I needed to know where to find them.
Where are you?
A vision flashed through my mind, and image after image continued to appear like a slideshow; I realized where they were. But the moment I grasped their location, another scene formed in its wake. The scene from my nightmares. The man with red eyes.
James?
No, James couldn't have done anything. He...he wouldn't be capable of killing Storm...right? No...he...couldn't. He wouldn't. But if he had...where did that leave me? Would I be next? No, I couldn't be. I wouldn't be!
"Crimson?"
I heard Haru call out, but I couldn't breathe. It felt like I was suffocating and the world would crush me like a little ant. I needed to find James.
No, I needed to kill him. He deserved to die and I'd do it with my own hands. My blades will glide through him and run red with his blood. He broke my heart and killed a woman who loved wholeheartedly. I'd kill him. I'd destroy him.
"Crimstorm?" Aki called out.
I felt something drip from my nose and I absently used my free hand to wipe away the trickling liquid that wouldn't stop. I lifted my hand to see crimson. My blood?
My surroundings began to spin and my eyes glazed over as I fell into darkness.
AKIHIRO
"Crimstorm?" I called out, staring at Crimson's frozen form. I knew that when Crimson was in her zone, she could stand for ten minutes straight without moving as her eyes made a detailed inspection of what she'd just created, but this time was different. I could feel something was off and the Kitsune inside me wouldn't stop bashing at the magical barrier that kept it at bay until it knew Crimson was okay.
I noticed her trembling hand, but then she lowered it and lifted her free hand to her nose. The moment my eyes spotted the smeared blood on her hand and saw more drops that had fallen to the floor, my body was up and at her side before she could hit the ground.
"Crim!" I called out and Haru was already at my side and midway through creating a magic spell.
"What just happened?" Malachi was visibly shaken.
"Is she okay?" Itsuki asked worriedly.
Quil sank to his knees and gestured for me to rest Crim's head in his lap.
"Malachi, get a towel. Itsuki, get a wet cloth," I instructed.
"Okay," they said in unison and I heard their rushed footsteps fade as they headed for the bathroom and laundry closet respectively.
I quickly checked her pulse while Haru continued doing his thing; his hands pressed above her heart and he looked to be in deep concentration.
I didn't know much about Crim's health, but she did talk about having anxiety and getting fevers before having to see her parents. This could have been another one of those situations, but I felt there was more to it than that.
"What's wrong with her, Haru?" Quil asked.
I knew he was the least patient in these situations and would lose his shit if Haru took too long to answer. Seeing as he used to do the same to Storm, it made me realize Crimson was becoming just as important to him.
"Her heart isn't functioning properly. But that makes no sense. I check on her once in a while just with a little bit of magic when she's too quiet or standing for long periods of time. She’s completely healthy. Yet now..." Haru trailed off, biting his lip.
I could see his frustration, but also saw a hint of anger flicker in his mismatched eyes. I realized Yoshi had been completely silent and I glanced up to see him staring at the painting.
"Earth to Yoshimitsu? Worst time to be zoning out," Quil complained.
I took a quick glance at his annoyed expression, but returned to staring at Yoshi who now had a blank expression on his face. I’d known Yoshi long enough to understand his silence wasn't for nothing. There was meaning to it and I needed to know what it was.
"Yoshimitsu? What are you thinking?" I tried to break through his daze.
Malachi and Itsuki were back; Itsuki placed the wet cloth on Crimson's forehead and Malachi had a roll of tissue and a few towels to clean up the blood.
Thanks to Haru's current treatment, which began with halting whatever was wrong in the individual's body to give him enough time to create a spell to counter it, I knew Crimson wouldn't die on us, but knowing that still didn’t calm the fear rising inside me.
A quick glance at the others proved that they too were scared Crimson would fade away, just like Storm had.
"Has Crimson shared her dreams with you guys?" Yoshi wondered.
He didn't look at us, his eyes still focused on the large canvas that displayed twin swords with ribbons. I knew they were weapons used in sword dancing and that was Crimson's choice of weapon and her specialty.
"The time I watched her after she broke up with James, she did mention something about being cold. And she mumbled ‘swords’ when I asked her about it," Quil confessed.
Haru nodded, but his eyes focused back on Crimson. His left hand remained on her chest while his right rested softly on her forehead, on top of the wet cloth.
"She's definitely mentioned swords before," Haru agreed.
"Swords with me too. I didn't think it was a big deal ‘cause she’s been talking about how she missed sword dancing,” Itsuki admitted.
"She mentioned swords and a Kitsune. I thought she was thinking of Urufu or something," Malachi confessed.
"WOOF!" Uru ran into the room and to Crimson's side. She knelt next to her with her head next to Crimson's and whimpered softly. She must have been asleep and sensed something was wrong.
"She's been having multiple dreams and glimpses of Storm's memories. But the recurring theme is her being stuck in a blizzard, twin swords and a Kitsune with pink eyes...wait!" I paused, remembering the night when James had broken up with Crim. Her eyes were pink.
"What is it, Aki?" Quil asked impatiently.
"Crim's eyes. The night James broke up with her, she was pissed and was giving off power vibes like I hadn't felt since the night Storm's essence took over at the shrine. But this time, it wasn't influenced by Storm's powers. It felt like Crim’s own," I confessed.
"Wait, you mean her eyes were pink like they were yesterday when she went all ninja and almost sliced my cock off?" Malachi questioned.
I saw Haru roll his eyes.
"She wasn't gonna slice your cock off, but her eyes were pink. If she was using Storm's essence and powers, her magic would make Crim's eyes a shade that represents Storm which would have been silver or even blue. Not pink," Haru disclosed.
"So what does this all mean? She's not gonna...nothing bad is gonna happen to her, right?" Quil inquired. He was taking this harder than I had expected.
Yoshi took a deep breath and walked over to the picture. His hand trailed over the writing… "These are Old Japanese incantations," he announced.