Chapter twenty-eight: Confessions
The emerald-eyed beauty felt her heart ready to explode, worried that she would get caught any moment. But she had to do it, she had to find this woman who looked so much like her. To help her, to warn her. And maybe if she could, she would get her Xin back. Her husband back.
She placed the key into the office door just as she heard the front door bang open. She jumped back away from the office, her heart pounding and her adrenaline rushing. She pushed the key into her pocket and calmly walked into the entrance hall where her husband stood, anger raging in his dark eyes.
She felt herself grow cold — she hadn't seen that look since he found out the twins were still alive and in Japan.
"Xia Lin," he growled, catching the woman off guard. He also hadn't called her by her name since he had found the Li boy, Aka-something. She had always been called her other self's name. His true love's name, she was sure.
"Y-Yes?" Her voice shook as his gaze bore into hers. She didn't like that look; it was cold, angry and lustful.
"Come here," his voice was softer, but just as cold.
The emerald eyed beauty, Xia Lin, couldn't do anything but obey. With shaking legs, she walked over to her husband and let him wrap his arms around her. She felt him pull her close to him, and her whole body shuddered — any moment now, he'd be tearing her clothes off and forcing himself on her. Not that he had always been that way; just for a few months, since he had found out about the twins.
But he didn't. He simply held her, resting his head on hers and grinding his teeth together. She was calming for him, and although he did lust for her, he knew he couldn't do anything without hurting her in this state. He was angry — more than angry, he was pissed.
"X-Xin?" Xia Lin finally asked, looking up at him. "What's wrong?"
His teeth ground together as he closed his eyes, simply inhaling her scent and trying to remain calm. "She's not dead. . .She survived."
The woman felt her heart flutter and a small smile spread across her lips, which she quickly replaced with a frown so as not to upset her husband. The Li girl was alive. Xin hadn't killed her. She could still save all of them, not just the boy anymore. Not just the father or her look-alike. She could save them all.
Still, she played her role as the concerning wife. She leaned her head against his chest, "How is that possible though, Xin? You burned the car, ne?"
His grasp on her tightened, though not to hurt her. He growled, "That damn brother of hers. I knew I should have stalled him."
Xia Lin couldn't help but let herself smile — the girl was still alive, and she was more determined than ever to get the information she needed and help this family. Though another thought crossed her mind as well, making her smile falter slightly.
With the girl surviving, Xin would also be more determined. He'd be planning more brutal attacks, perhaps bringing in the innocent like the poor older man he had forced to crash into the Nanamis' car. She had heard the man had died in the crash, and Xin basically pushed it off as he was old anyway. She didn't like it, and if he could murder that old man and attack the Li children, then what was stopping him from bringing in more innocent people and making them victims?
No, she thought. I have to stop this. I have to stop him. . .and I will have my Xin back. I will.
XxXxXxX
Tsukiko woke up in a good mood. No, good didn't even describe it — Tsukiko woke up in an amazing mood. It was Sunday morning, meaning she had no school. And she had only one thing planned on her agenda for the day.
She bounced out of her warm bed and stretched, then gave a quick look around her room. This room, her room in the Li house, was much different from her old bedroom with her adoptive parents. For one, it was nearly double the size, and although she had thought it was too big at first, she quickly grew to love it. The walls were painted a red-orange, with one accent wall — the accent wall was a painted mural of a beautiful sunset, with the sky filled with every colour imaginable. It was peaceful, and Tsukiko loved it.
Quickly, she got dressed for the day, carefully picking out exactly what she was going to wear. Normally, she wouldn't fuss over what she was going to wear, but today was. . .different. She had to look just right. So she picked out a nice pair of low-rise dark skinny jeans and an olive green tightly knitted shirt — the shirt cut off at the shoulders and had a loose turtle-neck neckline that hung low. When her hair was up just right and her make-up was applied, she grabbed the tan corded jacket off her desk's chair and rushed down the stairs.
"Late enough?" Akatsuki teased as Tsukiko entered the kitchen. He sat at the island in the centre, slowing eating a bowl of cereal while still dressed in his baggy white tee and red flannel pajama-bottoms.
Tsukiko blushed slightly, eyeing the time. She hadn't realized how late it actually was, and panicked as she grabbed a bowl from the cupboard and the closest box of cereal to her. She used the rest of the milk and groaned; she had barely enough for her breakfast.
"Akatsuki-kun," Tsukiko lifted the jug of milk , "can you pick up some more milk today? Otou-san and okaa-san are already gone, ne?"
Syaoran had the Li Corp moving smoothly in Japan now, and Sakura worked with Tomoyo. Sometimes she would model, but most of the time she was helping Tomoyo plan fashion shows and acted like a secretary. Sakura was glad she was doing something while being able to stay close to home since Tomoyo worked at her house more than travelling to Tokyo.
"Why can't you?" Akatsuki frowned and looked his sister over. She was dressed nicely, like she had actually made an effort to look nicer than usual. For some reason, this made him agitated. "Where are you going today, anyway?"
Tsukiko sat across from him and blushed violently. "I'm going out. Aren't I allowed?"
His eyes narrowed, "With. . ?"
"Never mind," Tsukiko mumbled, turning to her bowl of cereal. Though she wasn't looking at him, she could feel her brother's angry eyes on her, waiting for a full answer, though it wasn't like he didn't already know.
"I don't like this," he finally told her, getting tired of her not completely answering him. "I don't like him."
"You don't have to," Tsukiko told him simply, only imagining his fuming face by now. "Why don't you like him?"
"Neither does otou-san." Akatsuki completely bi-stepped the question.
Before Tsukiko could say anything else, the doorbell rang. She felt her heart skip a beat and became too excited to really care about Akatsuki's mumbled words and cold glare. She dumped the remainder of her breakfast down the drain and ran off toward the door, slipping on her shoes before pulling the door open.
"Ohayou, Tsukiko," Kai Xing smiled warmly, making Tsukiko's heart skip another beat.
Tsukiko blushed only slightly, hoping he wouldn't notice, and smiled back. "Ohayou!" She grabbed her purse and turned to face the hall. "Remember to buy milk, please, Akatsuki-kun!"
She hurt a small grumble and shook her head, wanting nothing more than to smack him upside the head. But all negative thoughts crumbled as soon as Kai Xing slipped his hand into hers and pulled her gently out the door. He pulled her close to him, and held a firm but loving grip on her hand.
"So," he kissed the top of her head gently, "what were your plans for the day?"
Tsukiko smiled up at him and boldly tugged her hand away from his so that she could wrap her arm around him instead. He seemed to like the gesture, and returned it by wrapping his arm around her shoulders and holding her closer. She smiled, "You showed me around Hong Kong, so I figured I should return the favour."
Kai Xing laughed, making Tsukiko blush a bit harder, as they walked down toward downtown. He kissed the top of her head again — he swore he'd never get tired of kissing her, even if they were small kisses like this. "Sounds great, Tsukiko. . .Lead the way."
XxXxXxX
Akatsuki watched Tsukiko practically skip out of the room, making him feel even angrier. He didn't want her to spend the day with the Chinese boy. It wasn't right. Even though she liked the Wang boy, didn't mean he had to. He even growled when he heard the boy's gentle voice front the door, warmly greeting Tsukiko.
"Remember to buy milk, please, Akatsuki-kun!" He heard Tsukiko call out.
He rolled his eyes, and grumbled, "I'll get right on that."
He waited a bit after Tsukiko left, slowly finishing his breakfast, before finally going to get dressed for the day. He grabbed some money their mother left in a tin for any needs they may have, and shoved it into his jean pocket.
May as well get it over with, he thought bitterly as he locked the door behind him and jogged down the street to the nearby grocery store.
XxXxXxX
Akatsuki handed the cashier the money and took his two bags off the counter, then headed toward the door. He had gotten more than he intended; a package of instant udon noddles and a small box of sushi. He felt too lazy to make his lunch today and wanted something quick.
The automatic doors slid open, and Akatsuki quickly put on the brakes when he was about to run into someone who was entering the store. The person still didn't seem to stop in time and collided into him, almost falling back if not for Akatsuki's fast reflexes and catching their arm.
"Gomen nasai!" A young, feminine voice said quickly. "I didn't see you. . ."
Akatsuki's hold on the girl's arm tightened subconsciously when he realized who he was holding onto, but when the girl looked up at him and let her sentence trail, his cheeks became warm and he quickly let her go. The girl looked surprised to see him, but she smiled and pushed down her own blush.
"Kon'nichiwa, Li-kun!" Akimi said happily, pulling the strap of her purse back up onto her shoulder. She knew his name was Li now, though she was still supposed to call him Iwakura at school since no one else was supposed to know. "Are you shopping as well?"
Akatsuki forced a shaky smile and motioned down to the bags in his hand, "Already have."
"Oh," the girl's eyes seemed to lose their sparkle for a moment, as if she was disappointed, but then they quickly lit up again. She smiled again, "Well, I guess then I'll see you at school tomorrow, ne? Sayonara!"
As she began to walk away, Akatsuki felt himself panic. He whipped around, his heart beating a mile a minute. He spoke before he could think about what he was about to say. "I-if you want, I could help you carry your groceries home. You. . .you live farther from the store than I do, ne?"
Akimi turned to face him. She felt her own face tinge slightly pink, but she quickly hid it with a large smile. "Arigatou, Li-kun!"
XxXxXxX
Tsukiko let Kai Xing pay for their crepes, though she had wanted to pay for her own, and led him over to a close by park bench. So far she had shown him the library, craft store and candy shop. She had pointed out some smaller stores, such as the local toy store and some cafes. Still, they had only gotten through about half of downtown Tomoeda when her stomach had started growling (much to her embarrassment) and Kai Xing had found her something to eat. The closest thing they could find was a sweet stand, and both decided to get crepes.
Tsukiko took a bite of her crepe and smiled happily to herself — strawberry-chocolate had always been her favourite. She turned to look at Kai Xing seated beside her and blushed violently when she realized he hadn't taken a bite of his food yet, and was merely watching her with brightly-lit eyes.
"D-Do I have something on my face?" She asked nervously, not understanding why he was staring at her.
He blinked twice, as if confused by her question, then smiled widely. He laughed and shook his head, receiving a small frown from a very confused Tsukiko.
"No, that's not it," he told her. He reached out a hand and nervously took hers, slowly entwining his fingers with hers. He felt a blush of his own appear when he saw her look down at their hands, but quickly pushed it down and grinned. "I like this, spending time with you. It's nice."
Tsukiko looked back down at their hands and blushed even more. His hand in hers. . .His fingers wrapped around hers. . .It was so nice. So warm. She felt a smile spread across her lips as she nervously looked back up at him. "So do I."
She took the last few bites of her crepe, then scooted herself closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. She felt him stiffen below her, and at first she thought she had done something wrong, but then he had his arm around her and was pulling her closer. She smiled to herself and closed her eyes, enjoying his nearness. So warm. . .So nice.
"Tsukiko," he whispered her name into her hair, making Tsukiko's arm hair stand on end. She pulled away slightly to look up at him, her heart thudding at an incredible speed. She saw an unfamiliar glint in his eyes that made her heart flutter and her cheeks warm.
"Y-Yes?" She felt her voice catch in her throat.
Kai Xing's answer was a breath-taking smile. He ran the back of his hand along her cheek, moving his other hand around her waist. He gently caught her chin in his hand, gazing into her eyes for the briefest of seconds before he closed his eyes and began leaning down toward her.
Tsukiko's eyes widened, her heart racing furiously in her chest. When she saw his eyes close, she imitated the action. She felt herself waiting for his lips, her blood pumping faster and faster as she felt him draw nearer and nearer.
And then, she heart stopped all together. Not because he had stopped his action, or because his lips had touched hers, but because of a sudden pain in her chest and a screaming voice in her head. She felt a curse word on the tip of her lips as her eyes flew open. She felt the magic being used before seeing the lightening rushing toward them, and somehow felt ready for it. Panic seizing her body, she threw her arms around Kai Xing and pushed them off the bench, landing on the ground with a painful thud.
"Tsu — !?" He began, his own eyes flinging open by her sudden actions.
"Crap!" She cursed loudly, surprising them both. Tsukiko groaned inwardly — that was her second time cussing in a week. Her brother's foul mouth was definitely rubbing off on her.
She jumped up once she heard Xin's cold snickers from the distance and glanced around for him. She couldn't see him, but she could definitely feel him. Her frantic eyes glanced back down to Kai Xing, who still laid on the ground with confused eyes looking up at her.
"Get up!" She hissed, not meaning for it to sound so mean. She tried to sound calmer, but the tremor of panic stayed in her voice. "Get up, now!"
He obeyed, watching her look around frantically. He wanted to ask her what she was doing, both concerned and confused by her strange behaviour. He didn't get to ask before she grabbed onto his hands and looked up at him, pleading.
"Please," her voice was strained, shaking even. Not for herself, but for him. "You have to leave. You have to get away, far away. . .now."
"What!?" He stared down at her with fury-burning eyes. "How can you ask that? What's going on!?"
"I. . .I can't tell you," she squeaked, looking away and biting her lower lip nervously. "Just, please, listen to me. You have to get out of here, before — !"
"Aww, is the poor 'widdle giwl scawd of the big bad Li?"
Tsukiko felt her back straighten up and her heart stop. Her hand squeezed against Kai Xing's for a brief second before she whipped around, standing protectively in front of Kai Xing. She backed up close enough to him to place her arms on his hips and stared at Xin with cold, hate filled eyes. Her lip curled back slightly and a low growl left her throat.
"You have some nerve to show your face to me," she growled dangerously, rage flashing in her eyes.
"And what have I ever done to deserve that, Miss Li?" Xin smirked, receiving another growl from Tsukiko. He chuckled coldly before his eyes landed on Kai Xing, a wider smirk running across his face as he saw Tsukiko stiffen even more. "Ah, and who might this be? Someone. . .important, perhaps?"
"Leave him alone," she told him sternly, her hands itching to take him down. "He knows nothing about this and isn't involved in any way. He is to stay out of this, Li. Let him out of here safely."
"Tsukiko?" Kai Xing leaned down close to her ear, nervous about her reaction to the man standing not even fifty feet in front of them. He placed his hands on her shoulders, trying to calm her though it did nothing to help. "What's going on? Who is he?"
Tsukiko ignored him, her eyes never leaving Xin. "Leave him out of this, Li."
Xin smirked. "No, I don't think I will. You see, technically you aren't even supposed to be here. You were supposed to die along with the two you called parents." His smile sank, replaced with a hard, cold glare of hatred toward Tsukiko. "And if that damned brother of yours didn't get in my way, it would have worked out. You wouldn't even be here. So now, apparently, I need to go a new route. And if I need to involve someone to get that," he glanced to Kai Xing and smirked again. "Well then, I will."
"NO!" Tsukiko screamed, not having time to use her own magic even as a defence before Xin's sword spat angry flames toward them. She whipped back around and shoved Kai Xing out of the way, feeling the flames heat against her back. She almost screamed from the pain, feeling the fire's heart burn her back. She bit down on her lower lip to stop herself from crying, throwing off her jacket, not daring to look at the damage. She grabbed onto Kai Xing's hand and ran toward the closest tree — funny, she thought as she ran, he always attacks when there are no people we don't know around, expect for the car crash. And it's always in open spaces. . .
She pushed Kai Xing's back to the tree, making sure he was hidden enough from Xin. She looked up at him, pain in her eyes. She didn't want to leave him there, but she also didn't want to wait for Xin to come around the tree and attack again. A tree wouldn't hold him off.
"Please," her voice was strained, worry filled, as she stared up at Kai Xing. "Stay here, please. Don't move."
"But why?" His voice was also strained. He brought a hand up and rested his palm against her cheek. "What's going on here, Tsukiko?"
"I. . .I can't tell you," she told him honestly. "Just please stay here. I'll be back so — "
"What!?" He choked. "No! He'll hurt you! You can't seriously think I'll let you walk out to him!?"
Tsukiko smiled, placing her hand above his and gently removed it. "I'll be alright, I promise."
She didn't give him another chance to answer. She simply kissed him on the cheek and ran out to the open again, her hands inches apart, ready to perform a spell at any moment. Xin leaned against his sword, a smug smile across his face as Tsukiko came back into his view.
"So he is important, is he?" He asked with a smirk.
"Leave him alone," Tsukiko hissed, her eyes only on him. "He did nothing. He has no part of this."
"Oh, but he is," Xin said coldly. "He's with you, that makes him part of this."
Before Tsukiko could let this reality settle in, Xin was attacking her again. She jumped out of the way before the white hot lightening could strike her, cursed slightly, then threw her wind spell toward him. He, too, jumped out of the way, though the spell still caught him enough. He lost his footing and stumbled back a few steps, glaring at Tsukiko before throwing his own wind spell at her.
Tsukiko landed flat on her back with an groan. Though she didn't allow herself to stay down for too long, and shot a stronger wind force to him. I won't let him win! She screamed at herself as she threw a second spell before he could retaliate. I'll kill him myself if I have to! And where the hell is Akatsuki!? He should have felt him by now, the baka!
Xin was caught off guard by her second attack in a row, and was knocked hard against a tree behind him. He cursed loudly, the pain from hitting the tree spreading through his entire body. He peeled himself off the tree, cracking his back to ease the pain. His eyes narrowed on the gloating girl, as old memories floated into his mind. A younger boy, with the same eyes and hair colour as her, gloating to him that he has won the fight they had just had. Though in this memory, Xin wasn't angry that he had won. He had laughed it off.
No, he snarled, this gloating is completely different! She thinks she's won? Ha!
He pointed his sword toward the tree Tsukiko defensively stood near, and took out another ofuda from his pocket. "You think you're so tough, little girl? And what if I do this?"
Tsukiko stood in front of the tree, her mind growing with even more rage. She wouldn't let him hurt Kai Xing. Not a hair on his head. "I told you to leave him out of this!"
He didn't listen; Tsukiko watched in horror as his spell formed on his lips. She growled again, though it was deeper this time, as her eyes turned murderous. She felt something different in her body as her anger burned to fury and rage. Something was building up. . .Something was different. It was her magic, yes, but at the same time. . .She didn't know. It was new, yet familiar.
Her hands took their normal position. Her eyes narrowed on him and she let the new feeling, the new power, grow and engulf her.
"Kaji — " she swiped her fingers together, hard enough to create the extra friction needed. A small snap could be heard if one listened close enough. " — UMOU!"
Flames wider than Tsukiko had ever seen before shot out from her hands, racing like a rushing stream toward Xin. The brightly lit flames, filled with reds and yellows, flew towards Xin who had been taken by too much surprise to move. His eyes widened in horror as the flames got close enough to feel their heat, before he snapped out of his daze and placed a shield over himself.
Tsukiko watched as the flames — her flames — shot out toward Xin. She was too shocked with herself to notice that Xin was gone by the time the smoke from her fire cleared. Shaking, both from surprise and exhaustion, she turned her palms up toward her and stared down in awe. Sure, she was tired, but not nearly as tired as the first time she had used Fire. And this time it had been on her own, with no outside help. All her, no one else. A grin broke out onto her face.
A hand rested on Tsukiko's shoulder, making her jump away and twirl around. She placed her hands back into a fighting stance, ready for another battle when she saw the boy's worried expression. She quickly calmed, seeing Kai Xing, and immediately felt guilty for being so ready to fight when it was him behind her. She bowed her head, ashamed.
"Tsu-Tsukiko," he struggled to say her name, not knowing where to start. He had been watching carefully, every nerve in his body screaming at him to help her as she had fought Xin. But he knew that he would be of no help. He had seen what he thought was impossible — magic being used. Not only by the man, either, but by Tsukiko, his Tsukiko, as well.
He shook his head, knowing full well he need not be afraid of her, and stepped closer to her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, sighing as he buried his head into her hair. Feeling her in his arms gave him some sort of relief, because he knew she was safe. He felt her stiffen at first, but thankfully settle into his embrace and hugged him back.
"Tsukiko," he began again, "I was so worried. So scared."
"I know," she mumbled into his chest. "I'm sorry. He won't hurt you, I promise."
He pulled away, holding her at arms length with anger in his beautiful eyes. "You think I was scared for me!? How could I be! I was worried sick about you! I was. . .Tsukiko!? Hey!"
He panicked as her eyelids fluttered closed and her head fell limp against his chest. His arms tightened protectively around her, as he sunk to his knees. He cradled her in his arms, keeping her close to him. He frowned, not knowing what to do and panicking over her fainting.
"Tsu-Tsukiko?" He tried to remain calm.
She groaned, her eyes opening a fraction. "Yes?"
He sighed with relief, gently tracing the contour of her face with his fingers. "You're tired?"
She moaned and closed her eyes, burying her head into his chest. "Yes. . .gomen ne." She didn't wait for a reply before she was asleep, her breathing calm and even.
Kai Xing sighed, watching her with worrisome eyes. He held her tighter, kissing the top of her head gently, before struggling to stand up with her in his arms bridal style. He had to get her home, where hopefully her parents or brother would be to help her.
"You will tell me everything," he whispered into her hair. "But for now, sleep, my little yue hua."
XxXxXxX
Akatsuki watched Akimi closely as she walked along beside him. She was telling him about a math question she was having difficulties with, trying to describe how far she had gotten so, hopefully, Akatsuki could help her with it. He had to admit, he was only half paying attention to her. He just couldn't stop looking down at her, watching closely how her lips moved with her words, or how her eyes lit up toward him.
"So," Akimi asked finally, having an odd feeling that he wasn't completely listening. "Did you understand that question?"
"Huh?" Akatsuki turned bright red as soon as the word left his lips, and began glowing when Akimi began giggling. He shook his head, trying to rid the blush, and smiled weakly. "I. . .No, I didn't. I. . .ah, asked Tsukiko for help on it. Maybe she can help you."
"Oh?" Akimi asked with a small smile. "I called Tsukiko-chan last night, and she told me she didn't get it either. Did she figure it out then?"
"M-maybe I'm thinking of a different question then," Akatsuki mumbled, trying hard not to turn an even deeper shade of red when she giggled again.
"I'm just poking fun with you, Li-kun."Akimi got control over her giggling. She went looked up at him. Quickly her smile fell when she realized he had stopped. Before she could ask anything, Akatsuki held out his arm to stop her from walking any farther. His eyes were narrowed, and he began frantically looking around.
"Li. . .kun?" She began, knowing already what was going on, simply from his body actions. She tried following his gaze when it stopped on a particular spot, a tree not fifty feet away from them, but saw nothing. She opened her mouth to ask where he was, but quickly shut it when Akatsuki quickly pulled her close to him and knelt to the ground, holding her close and trying to shield her with his own body.
Before Akimi could ask, she felt the heat and saw the bright, intense fire streaming toward them. She closed her eyes tight, holding onto Akatsuki's arm tightly as the flames flew over them and missed Akatsuki by a hair's breadth.
When the flames were done, and the air above them was clear, Akimi felt Akatsuki's grip on her loosen slightly as he gave a low growl, "Damn Li."
Akatsuki stood, and pulled Akimi along beside them. Forgetting their bags, he broke out into a run while keeping a firm hold on Akimi's hand. He led her to the closest and largest tree, and stopped behind it. Lightly, he pushed Akimi up against the tree and looked at her straight in the eyes.
"Stay here," he ordered.
"Let me help this time!" Akimi asked desperately, her eyes widening when he began to walk away from her. She saw him stop, and decided to continue. "I can help, please!"
"No," his voice cracked, and he refused to look back at her. "You've only seen him fight a few times now, and you have no way to protect yourself. Just, please. . .stay hidden."
Before she could protest, Akatsuki had taken out a sun-shaped pendant and closed his eyes. A glowing golden light emerged before the pendent extended in to his sword. Akimi sighed, and remained behind the tree, though she snuck her head around the trunk to watch what was happening. Akatsuki had his sword out, standing in the middle of the walkway. His eyes were searching in front of him, and Akimi turned her eyes to where he was looking to see the tall man known as Li Xin walking towards him.
"Ah, young Akatsuki," Xin sneered. "I was hoping to find you out today. You see, after defeating your lovely sister, I felt so good I thought to myself, 'hey, why don't you go and take care of the other while you're at it'."
Akatsuki growled and felt his grip on the blade tighten, "What did you do with Tsukiko!?"
"Oh, nothing much," Xin smirked, taking out his own sword. "I really thought she'd put up more of a fight, though. And that boy that was with her. . .What a weakling. Oh, but I'm sure you already knew that."
"She better be alright!" Akatsuki yelled. "You better not have hurt her!"
Xin's devilish sneer only made Akatsuki more angry, and he quickly lashed out. He used his sword to double his powers and set a long, winding line of flames toward Xin. Xin easily jumped them, and pulled out a white ofuda, sending a spinning wind down to Akatsuki, who blocked it by pulling the earth up over as a shield. When the wall went down, Xin landed on ground in front of Akatsuki and quickly their swords clashed against one another.
But Akatsuki was only new using his sword, only having it for less than a month, and didn't have skills nearly equalized to Xin. Although he had been quickly learning how to use the sword, it was useless in a blade-to-blade fight against Xin, who had years of experience under his belt.
Xin smirked, pushing his blade forward so Akatsuki slid a bit. "Ah, so I see Xiao Lang hasn't been showing you proper techniques. Lesson one, Akatsuki; don't un-sheath your sword until you have mastered it."
"I'll take that into consideration," Akatsuki growled, trying to push his blade on Xin but failed.
Xin smiled wickedly, "Give it up, kid. I've been practising since I was three years old, just like your old man. There's no way you can win against me."
"Fu — "
Xin pushed down on his sword again, making Akatsuki almost lose his footing, "Ah ah ah, temper, Akatsuki, temper. Your mother wouldn't want to hear you using such foul language, now would she?"
Before Akatsuki had a chance to respond, the older man's blade was pushing down again and Akatsuki lost his footing. He crashed to the ground back first, and quickly tried to stand again, but not before Xin had the tip of his sword pointed in Akatsuki's face. Akatsuki stopped, his eyes angrily fixed on the threatening sharp point.
"As I said," Xin said with a wicked smile. "You and I may be almost matched for magic, but with playing swords. . .I'll always win. It's too bad, though. . .I was hoping for more fun than that. I figured you'd be better than that pathetic attempt."
He raised his sword slightly to make the final blow, when something hard hit him in the head. He winced slightly, and angrily looked down to the ground to see what had hit him. He almost laughed when he saw the fist-sized rock laying to rest beside him. Quickly, his eyes shot up from the rock toward the spot where it had come from to see a young woman with bright sapphire eyes standing beside a tree, her chest heaving in and out angrily. Her scared but furious gaze was settled on him, as she clutched another rock in her hand, itching to throw it.
"Leave him alone!" Akimi screamed. "He didn't do anything to you, jerk!"
Xin's eyes widened, then slowly narrowed on her. He made a move toward her, when Akatsuki was suddenly standing again and had his blade across Xin's neck. He growled angrily, "Don't touch her, Li. She's not part of this, so just leave her."
"Oh but she is," Xin smirked. "She threw something at me, and needs to be punished for interfering."
Before Akatsuki could respond, Xin was gone. He panicked, feeling his presence still lingering and quickly his eyes shot towards Akimi. Akimi shrugged, not knowing where Xin had done either until something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. She turned to see Xin hiding behind the tree she had previously hid behind, a disgusting smirk across his face.
"That wasn't nice, little girl," Xin scolded her as he walked toward Akimi. His smile grew as his hands reached out toward the frozen girl's neck — no sense in wasting any power on her. His hand was inches away from her when a sudden wall shot up between the two from the ground, placing a thick barrier between Xin and Akimi.
The ground moving seemed to break Akimi's daze, and she whipped around to run. She didn't get far, though, before a hand latched onto her shoulder. Her scream was muffled by another hand pressing against her mouth. She was quickly turned around to see Akatsuki, who had removed his hand from her mouth to push a finger against his lips, signalling her not to scream. He quickly led her to a small row of bushes, hiding her behind them. He crouched in front of her, his eyes filled with a mixture of anger and concern.
"For the love of God, Hamamoto-san," he said sternly. "Stay here, understand?"
"But you needed hel — !"
"No!" He raised his voice unintentionally and balled up his fists, realizing only now that he had dropped his sword. His blazing eyes glared accusingly at Akimi. "Don't you dare worry about me! I'm fine, alright? Just. . .Just stay hidden. If something happens," he looked down at her softer, though more sternly, "run. Just run. . .Got it?"
"But — !"
"Understand?" He clenched his teeth together.
Akimi opened her mouth to object again, but quickly shut it when his intense jade eyes glared down at her even harder, as if daring her to continue. She matched his glare, then looked away, refusing to look at him again. She crossed her arms tightly against her chest and then mumbled, "Fine. Whatever."
Akatsuki winced hearing her bitter tone toward him, but realized he had probably been ten times worse to her. Still, he wanted to extend his hand and touch her, kiss her cheek, apologize. . .But he held back. He had no right to do anything of that sort, and she had been the one who hadn't listened in the first place. She had thrown the rock, endangering herself with her irrational thinking. And yet, he wanted. . .needed. . .to protect her.
He stood up and without another word he began walking towards his — surprisingly — still standing wall. Taking out all of his frustration, he side-kicked the wall and let it crumble without having to use any of his magic.
There stood Xin, waiting behind the wall with a smug smile. He was leaning against his sword, as if getting bored of having to wait for Akatsuki to join him again when he so easily could have torn down or gone around the stupid wall. Akatsuki growled angrily and placed his hands in a ready position for a spell, completely forgetting about his sword.
"Don't bother," Xin said, looking down at his watch. "I'm late for something, anyway. Sorry, it has truly been. . .interesting."
"Then we're just going to work with your schedule, are we!?" Akatsuki asked between a locked jaw. "That doesn't work for me."
"I'd lose that tongue, boy," Xin shot back with as much anger. "After I spared your girlfriend's life."
Akatsuki had no time to say anything else, though a very heavy swear word was on the tip of his tongue, before Xin used a fire spell to blind Akatsuki and then he was gone. Akatsuki growled again — the coward always just disappeared like that. Was he so afraid of them knowing where he went? He still swore under his breath, though not the word he originally was going to say, and walked over to his sword. He shifted it back to it's pendent form — a thumb-sized golden sun — before turning to the row of bushes he had left Akimi at.
He held out his hand, offering to help her up, but she looked at it like it was some sort of disease and stood on her own. He frowned, but said nothing about it and dropped his hand. Akimi approached him, her arms still crossed, with a furious glare in her eyes. He opened his mouth to ask her what was wrong, but she spoke before he could.
"You baka!" She screamed, slapping him across the cheek.
The slap wasn't hard, it didn't hurt him, but it did take Akatsuki by surprise. His eyes widened as he slowly touched his cheek and looked down at her, confused. Tears rimmed her eyes, and before he could say anything else she had whipped around and was running down the street.
Akatsuki watched her for a few moments, still dazed by her slap. Then he grunted, becoming angry himself, and furiously ran his hand through his hair. She would only run home, anyway. And Xin's presence was completely gone, so he didn't need to worry.
He turned to leave and was stunned by what he saw. Not twenty feet from him stood Kai Xing, worry creases on his forehead, holding a limp girl in his arms. Akatsuki's eyes widened on the girl, panic taking over his body, as he ran over to her.
"Tsukiko!" He screamed, holding out his hands to take her. When he saw Kai Xing's grip on her tighten, not willing to give her up, her growled and glared at him. "What the hell happened to her!?"
The boy shrugged, "I honestly don't know. I was hoping you would explain it to me, but please, let her sleep. She was exhausted after this man attacked us, and — "
"Dammit," he growled, holding out his hands again. "Give her to me. She can explain it to you. I won't."
Kai Xing held her tighter still, looking down at Akatsuki with frustration. He knew he was tempting fate, refusing to give her over to her brother, but he still refused to let go of her. He frowned, "Li-kun, it's obvious you don't like me " — Akatsuki scoffed — "and I haven't been here long enough to know any of you well, but it seems she was upset. Hamamoto-san, I mean."
Akatsuki frowned angrily, "Stay out of it."
"It may not be any of my concern — "
"Damn straight it isn't."
"— However," Kai Xing continued anyway, bringing his voice lower and made sure to meet Akatsuki's murderous gaze. "However, are you really going to let her get away?"
XxXxXxX
Once she was far enough not to see Akatsuki anymore, Akimi slowed down her pace to a walk. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep herself warm. Her eyes stung and she had to close them to make the feeling go away. She began softly singing to herself, trying to ease her thoughts.
Hitori bocchi nan ka ja nai'nda to (Escaping into nights, I told myself.)
Yoru ni nigeko'nde ii kikaseta (That I was not at all alone.)
Kekkyoku sore wa jibun no kodoku wo (But after all, it revealed.)
Hinihini ukibori ni shite dake datta (Nothing but my loneliness day by day.)
Gensou kara hanareta kaeri michi (On my way home from the bustle of the city.)
Itsumo tonari mo kawaranai no ni (Though it was no different from any other day.)
Kurikaeshite'ku no ka to omottara (I thought I would repeat such pattern of life.)
Kyuu ni namida ga komiagete kita (And tears welled up suddenly.)
"Hamamoto-san!"
She opened her eyes but didn't stop walking. The stinging in her eyes returned and it was only then that she realized that she had been crying. She touched the tiny droplets running down her cheek and stared down at them, immediately angry that she had been, and still was, crying.
"Hamamoto-san! "
Tayori na kute na sake na kute (Feeling weak and wretched.)
Fuan de samishikute (Uneasy and lonely.)
Koe ni naranai koe de (I wanted some warmth.)
Nukumori o hoshigatta (In a faint voice.)
"AKIMI!"
That stopped her — him saying her name, her first name. She felt her eyes widen and her heart quicken as she heard his heavy footsteps speed up and come closer to her. He spun around her so he was facing her, mixed emotions spread across his face — anger, passion, sorrow, frustration. . .regret.
"Y. . .You called me by my first name," Akimi said quietly, hardly able to believe it.
He grabbed onto her shoulders and looked down at her. "What were you thinking, running off like that!? What if Xin came after you and I couldn't get to you fast enough!?"
Akimi felt her own anger build. She pulled away from him, her fists balling up at her sides, shaking. She glared at him accusingly. "Like you care!"
"What are you talking about!?" Akatsuki yelled, still angry. How could she even think that he didn't care? She knew nothing! Nothing of his feelings for her. He felt his anger grow a bit from her unthoughtful words. "That's not true!"
Akimi shook her head, feeling the tears beginning to accumulate in her eyes again. As soon as Akatsuki saw this, his eyes grew soft for her. Not wanting him to see anything else, Akimi looked away from him and began biting on her lower lip, trying to stop her tears.
Akatsuki sighed and reached out his shaking hand for her. He touched her chin — she jumped slightly at this — and stepped closer to her. He moved his hand to her cheek, and slowly began soothing her cheek with his thumb.
"I'm sorry you feel that way," he told her gently. Then he smiled softly, "It's not true though, I assure you."
Nee kimi wa tashika ni totsuzen araware (But it's certain you appeared suddenly.)
Watashi no kurayami ni hikari sashita (And a ray of light shone in my darkness.)
Soshite sukoshi waratte (You smiled a little.)
Daijoubu datte unazuite (Told me it was all right with a nod.)
Akimi shook her head, wanting that damn song to leave her mind. It was too painful, reminded her too much of him. More tears built up in her eyes, and Akatsuki took this as her not believing him. It hurt him that she was crying, that she wasn't looking at him. He took a chance by stepping even closer to her.
"Akimi," he whispered her name clearly, making both of their hearts beat furiously.
Akimi looked up just in time to see him leaning down toward her, eyes closed, his face beat red. She felt her own face warm and heard a loud voice in her mind, screaming at her to stop him or to at least resist. But she didn't want to stop him. She wanted this. With her face three times darker than his, she closed her eyes and waited for him.
Every angry emotion flooded away from both of them as soon as Akatsuki's lips met hers. Both being inexperienced, they simply stayed there at first, lips on lips. But somehow, only moments later, Akatsuki began to deepen it instinctively. He moved one hand to the nape of her neck and the other to the small of her back, pulling her closer to him and began slowly moving his lips above hers. Akimi felt herself melt and let herself be pulled against him, moving her hands to his chest and taking fistfuls of his shirt into her hands. She, too, began moving her lips along with his, trying to drive all her emotions for him into that single kiss.
And then, abruptly, too soon for Akimi, it stopped. Her eyes remained closed, but she felt his body heat leave her. When she opened her eyes she saw him standing a few feet away from her, deep red in the face, looking ashamed.
"Aki. . .Hamamoto-san, I-I mean. . .Gomen nasai," he stumbled over his words. "That was completely out of line, and — !"
"Why?" Akimi asked softly, disappointment in her voice. "Why the change of name?"
His eyes widened, "I. . .didn't think that you wanted that, Hama — "
Akimi took a step closer to her and narrowed her eyes. "Akimi."
"What?"
"It's Akimi," she told him straight out.
Tsuyoku naritai to nagatta no wa (It was not because I wanted to be dull to pain.)
Itami ni nikoku naru tame ja nai (That I wished to be strong.)
He looked at her nervously, almost wearily, as Akimi stepped closer to him. He didn't move, not knowing what to do, as she snaked her arms around his neck. She was just as red, if not redder, than he was, apparently nervous about this gesture as well, but she didn't back down. She refused to back down. He had made the first move, and she wasn't letting him get away now.
Atae atte yurushi atta (We gave and forgave each other.)
Ano hi imamo o teiki tei (I got what I wanted to protect.)
Mono kateki dakara (On that day.)
She took a small breath and looked down nervously, not wanting to meet his eyes. "Li-kun, what are your feelings toward me?"
"F-f-feelings?" He mumbled incoherently. When her gaze shot up at him, full of frustration and confusion, he drew in a deep breath and felt himself redden even more. "I. . .I like you, Hamamoto-san. You are. . .You are a very nice girl."
"But only as a friend?" She asked with a touch of disappointment. When he didn't answer, she felt her heart stop beating — not because of fluttering, but because it felt broken. She looked away, thinking she had embarrassed herself, and began to pull away when she felt Akatsuki's hands stop her.
Akatsuki grabbed onto her waist, stopping her from moving. He waited until she looked back up at him, glad he had stopped her from removing her hands from around his neck as well, and smiled nervously. Then, for the second time, he boldly leaned down and kissed her again. It wasn't a peck, but it wasn't as long or as passionate as last time, either.
"That's not what I meant," Akatsuki assured her. "I like you a lot, please don't get that wrong."
"But how do you like me?" Akimi couldn't help but ask. She didn't care if he had kissed her — twice. She wanted to hear him say it, hear him confess to her. She had waited too long not to hear him say it.
Akatsuki frowned, his heart pounding away. He wanted to tell her, but didn't know how to put his feelings into words. So he showed her again, by kissing her a third time. This one was heated, passionate, more than their first kiss. Lips moving frantically against each other, bodies pressed against one another. And he didn't want to pull away, though he knew he had to for air. When he finally did pull away, their breathing was rough, ragged.
He leaned down, resting his head on hers and closed his eyes. A smile crossed his lips, "Does that answer your question, Akimi?"
Akimi blushed, her heart leaping. Not only had he kissed her again, and so passionately at that, but he had called her by her first name again. "I. . .I want to hear you say it."
Akatsuki chuckled, "Daisuke, Akimi. . .I love you. You're my number one."
Akimi's blush deepened, "Thank you."
"And you?" He asked softly, drawing tiny circles on the small of her back as he still held her close to him. "What are your feelings toward me?"
Akimi paused for a moment; she didn't want to simply say it. He meant so much to her, and she wanted him to know that. So she smiled and pushed herself closer to him, making him move his head off hers. She leaned up on her tip-toes and placed her lips close to his ear, smiling to herself when she felt him shiver. She started to sing.
"Nee kimi wa tokidoki mububi sugiru gurai ("Sometimes you are too unprotected.)
Watashi ni subete de butsu katte kuru (And come face to face with me with all your might.)
Sore wa amari ni mo mabushii sugiru hodo de (It's so much dazzling.)
Watashi wa mabata kisae mo oshimu no" (That I even spare the time of a blink.")
She continued singing softly in his ear. Her voice wasn't nearly as beautiful as Akimi's, but she thought it was enough. Her voice was small, kind and sweet. And through this song, the song she had always thought of him with, she hoped he would get her message.
"Kimi wa se ni tenshi no hane wo motsu" ("You have an angel's wings on your back.")
"Kono kanashiki jidai no giseisha ni ("I heartily hope that you will not be.)
Kimi wa douka naranaide hoshii (A victim of this sad age.)
Setsunaru omoi ga todoku youni to (I sing this song today just as I pray.)
Watashi wa kyou mo inoru youni otau" (So that my dearest wish may reach you.")
"Kimi wa se ni tenshi no hane wo motsu (You have an angel's wings on your back.")
She finally pulled away after lingering by his ear for a few more moments, keeping her hands rested firmly on his shoulders. He seemed dazed, awed, as his eyes lit up at her. She smiled, then leaned her head against his strong chest. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, resting his lips on her hair.
"I love you, Akatsuki-kun," his name brought a tingle to her lips. She closed her eyes and greedily inhaledhis scent, still musky after his battle with Xin. "I love you so much."
Akatsuki smiled, loving how his name sounded in her voice. "I feel the same way, Akimi. I love you."
XxXxXxX
See? I promise you that no matter what I'd update ^.^ Right? Hopefully there aren't too many mistakes...Jade went through it twice as did I, so I hope we caught everything. If not, I deeply apologize.
PLEASE update!! I know this story is getting horribly long; believe me, in the original outline it was ONLY supposed to be ten chapters. But I hope you'll still update....I started to get lots and now I'm lucky to get any it seems. Please update. The more I get, the more I'll be encouraged and the faster I'll update. SO PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!
~ Rai
