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Before everything had happened, things were a little more balanced. There were morning or afternoon runs with Malachi and Haru, training with Itsuki and Quil, cooking with Haru before everyone came home, and reading with Yoshi. Aki always made an effort to fit himself wherever, but he was normally always there when I painted at night and would take me to bed if I fell asleep on the couch.
Yet, after being more intimate with Aki and getting closer with Yoshi after our dispute, I'd been spending more time with them instead of the others. I could see it might have been affecting them.
"That would be nice. I know I joke a lot...I just...like making you laugh and want to stay around you longer,” he whispered.
"I know, and I love it," I replied, pulling him in a hug and inhaling the soft scent of his cologne.
"We'll work it out. It won't be long before we get the chance, especially once this is all over. For now, just baby steps," I encouraged quietly, and he nodded into my shoulder.
"Hai,” he agreed, holding me in a tight embrace for a minute before pulling away. "Ready for some searching, Hottie?"
"Totally. Let's get looking," I hummed, slipping my hand in his.
We shared a look, and we both smiled at each other before returning our focus to the forest.
Will we find another one of the crystals?
* * *
"Where are you?" I whispered to myself as I strode forward. I let the warmth of the pocket watch around my neck guide me along.
We'd been walking for a few hours through the thick forest, and I thought we'd give up after we reached the third dead end, but then the pocket watch, which was invisible and resting on my neck, began to feel a little hot when I looked in a specific direction.
I'd used it as a guide as I made my way deeper and deeper into the forest, beginning to feel a little closer to what I was looking for. This part of the forest slowly became darker as the trees got so thick I could no longer feel the sun's rays, let alone see them peek through the leaves and branches like before.
I reached a tiny clearing that reminded me of the one I'd found after my disagreement with Konashi, where Storm had taken over and I'd run away after my little demonstration of anger.
The place looked so familiar that I did a double take and questioned if it was actually the same.
"Hey Malachi, doesn't this place look familiar?" I asked.
There was no answer, and when I looked back, I saw he wasn't behind me, which made me frown.
"Malachi?!" I called out but was greeted only with my echo.
I must have wandered off course when I was following the watch's directions. Hmm.
I looked back at the clearing and approached the lake, kneeling down to gaze at my reflection. I wore black tights and a loose pink t-shirt. I hadn’t brought my twin swords since they were being sharpened by Yomato's best blacksmith. I hadn’t seen the need for them when we didn't know what we were going to find to begin with.
I glanced back to see a wooden bench beside the lake and decided to sit down and wait for Malachi.
He'd found me the first time, and I was sure he'd find me again. I rose up and walked over to the bench, sitting down and staring out at the immense beauty of the place. Though it was daytime, it still looked like it was night due to the lack of sun and how cool it was in this area.
I noticed tiny insects that buzzed around and the little butterflies that fluttered about. Urufu would have loved this area, but I let her go with Quil who was searching the south side alone, while Aki and Yoshi focused on the west, and Itsuki and Haru were looking east.
My eyes lowered to where the pocket watch was on my neck, and I lifted my hand up to brush against it. The invisibility spell was temporarily canceled out at my touch, and the object came into view. It was a spell Itsuki had placed on it, stating it would at least hide the pocket watch’s location from enemy eyes and only I would be able to make it visible.
The moment I removed my hand, it would revert to its invisible state, and even if someone tried to grab at my neck, it would be impossible for them to take it off unless it was in its visible state.
I looked at the pink crystal, remembering my Kitsune who was curled up in her spot. She was a little closer to the surface than she normally would be, but she was still completely calm. I could see her eyeing the pocket watch with a guarded expression while her tails lazily swayed from side to side.
"Pink crystal...Kitsune," I whispered, gently rubbing my hand over the stone.
The action made it glow lightly in response, and my Kitsune rose up, coming even closer to the surface like the pink gem was calling to her.
I moved on to the blue crystal, a wave of sadness running through me as I recalled the painful experience Storm had dealt with. One by one, she had felt her familiars forcibly pulled away from her, and even though it didn't happen to me physically, the pain felt fresh in my heart and made my lip tremble in agony and anger.
I brushed my hand across the blue gem, doing my best to compose myself.
