Aoi noticed. There had to be more to this than what he was saying. “But isn’t it lonely?”
He gave a self-deprecating chuckle. “I got my gang, don’t I?”
“I guess so.” She hesitated. “And me.”
A dark brow raised high. “What?” Tatsuo said slowly. “What’re you saying?”
“I don’t really know if you’re a bad guy or not. You may be a yankii, but you’re also a friend.” The words were hard to get out, but she smiled as cheerily as she could. Aoi held her breath, nervous about how he’d respond to such a bold statement.
At last, a grin spread across his lips. “You’re a strange kid.”
“Maybe,” she said with a shrug.
Chapter 10
Tatsuo wasn’t at school the rest of the week, and Makoto had also disappeared from class. The following Monday, Mr. Kiriume announced that Makoto would no longer be attending their class. He didn’t give any details.
Aoi was anxious for lunch to start. Every day she rushed to the roof, hoping to see Tatsuo again. It had been almost a week. Surely he’d be here now. She almost ran out of the classroom when the bell rang.
She grabbed her lunch, bought her drink, and made her way up the flights of stairs. Tatsuo might be waiting for her.
But he wasn’t there. She looked around, hoping she might have been mistaken. But she was alone again.
“He may come. Just relax. Eat your lunch.” Mulan’s reassuring voice echoed in her head.
Aoi followed her instructions and began to eat. There were no tears. Tatsuo was a busy guy, after all. Maybe he’d had other plans.
The door opened, then closed again.
Aoi looked up. Tatsuo stood in the doorway, looking like his old self. Aoi ducked her head down, embarrassed for looking so eager.
Tatsuo quietly took his seat next to her. For a few moments, they ate in silence.
Aoi glanced over at him, and her gaze fell upon his necklace. It was different than before. There was a different stone inlaid in it. It was a much duller red.
“Your necklace changed.”
He looked down with a small smile. “Uh, yeah. Guess so.” He paused, eyes drifting to her bandaged hand. “After I got shot, you wrapped my shoulder with your bandage.”
Aoi stiffened. “I thought you were unconscious at that point.”
“On and off. But, I thought . . . I thought I saw something stuck in your hand. A gem. Was I seeing things?”
Aoi looked to Mulan, who appeared just behind Tatsuo. The spirit nodded, giving her permission. Aoi unwrapped her bandage and showed the gem to Tatsuo.
He took in a sharp breath. “I figured as much . . . then okay.”
Her brows furrowed as he shrugged off his jacket and showed her his arm. A red dragon tattoo spiraled around his upper arm.
“That’s a neat tattoo,” she said, unsure of what he was expecting from her.
“That’s not all.” He tapped one of the dragon’s scales. It wasn’t red ink like the others. It was the gem from his necklace, the original necklace. “Turns out I’ve got a gem too. At first I thought I was hallucinating from the blood loss, but the damn gem and voice never went away. I figured you might know something about this.”
“The voice?” Mulan asked, perking up. She moved around Tatsuo to sit beside Aoi. “Then there are others like me?”
Aoi smiled. She knew what to do.
“This is gonna seem a little weird, but . . .” Aoi took Tatsuo’s hand in hers. “I do know a little about this, and I’d really like you to meet someone who knows more. This is Hua Mulan.”
She released his hand just in time for him to flinch.
“That’s—! A chick just appeared beside you!”
Aoi couldn’t help but smile and shrug. Mulan, however, was a bit taken back.
“A chick?” she repeated. “I’ll have you know, my name is Hua Mulan. Now, about your spirit . . .” Mulan looked around. “Where are they?”
“Right here.” He motioned behind him. He looked down at Aoi’s hand like just touching it might electrocute him. “Guess I gotta grab your hand?”
Aoi shook her head. “Your thumb touched my gem, so I have to touch yours.”
Tatsuo raised an eyebrow but held his arm out to Aoi anyways. She gently placed her hand where the gem was.
“Uh, now what?”
“You introduce me to him. Or her.”
Tatsuo grimaced but forced some words out. “Uh, well . . . I’d like you to meet Fukushima-aniki or something like that.”
In a heartbeat, a man appeared behind Tatsuo. He wore little armor, but his hakama revealed he was Japanese. A sword sheath was in his obi. His hair was shaved around and below the ear, but spiked above it. A toothpick stuck out from his mouth above unshaved stubble.
“Hey,” said the red gem’s spirit. “Name’s Masanori Fukishima. Nice to meetcha.”
He was definitely a spirit after Tatsuo’s own heart.
Aoi smiled at him. “The pleasure’s mine.”
“And mine as well,” Mulan chimed in.
Tatsuo put his jacket back on. “So what’s this all about, Arisawa? Fukushima-aniki’s been saying that I’m some special ‘Linked’ or something.”
Aoi nodded. “Hua-san told me the same thing.”
“I did,” Mulan said. “I believe you two were chosen to protect the innocent of this world.”
“Protect the innocent?” Masanori repeated, one hand resting on his sheath. “Guess that makes sense. I figured they were gonna fight a war.”
Mulan frowned. “Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no way kids would be involved in a war. This is a different time.” And, yet, she’d believed the same thing in the beginning.
The Japanese warrior raised a brow. “Is it really? What’s a lady know of war?”
“I’ll have you know I’ve seen plenty of war I was on the battlefield for twelve years.”
“Is that so?” The man mocked her, but he still sounded interested. “You’ll have to tell me more about this.”
The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.
“C’mon. I’ll walk you to class. Or part of the way anyways.”
“Oh? You’re actually going to class?”
Tatsuo shrugged. “Easier than sneaking out.”
He stood and she followed after him, heading down to the second floor so they could part ways.
But he grabbed her by the shoulder as gently as he could. He still had something to say. “Yo. Kid.”
She turned to him with a small smile. “Yeah?”
“I’ll walk ya home today.”
“Huh?” She wondered if she’d heard him right.
“I said I’m gonna walk ya home after school. What class are you in?”
He wasn’t asking to walk her home. He was telling her he would. It didn’t seem like he’d take no for an answer.
Slowly, Aoi nodded. “I’m in 1-C.”
“Cool. I’ll see you then. We Linked need to stick together, eh?”
Aoi slid into her desk seat just as Mr. Kiriume’s lecture began. Her mind swam with all the new information, and she resigned herself to knowing she wasn’t going to be able to pay much attention to class.
After class ended, Aoi found Tatsuo leaning against the wall outside her class, arms folded over his chest. One of his hands held onto his bokken, and the wooden sword leaned against his shoulder. He was ready for her.
A grin spread across his face when he saw her. “Kid,” he said, greeting her.
“Hey. How was class?”
Aoi exchanged the school shoes for her own, depositing the books she didn’t need.
He shrugged. “Eh. Not too interesting.”
“No?” Was he going to say any more about that?
“Nah.” Didn’t seem like it.
He started heading out the door and Aoi followed.
He changed the subject. “Where do you live?”
He had good reason to ask. Tatsuo may have been in the lead, but he had no
idea where Aoi lived.
“Near the edge of town. I’ll lead the way.”
“The edge of town? Like where all those rich business people live?” It seemed even he knew about that.
Aoi smiled nervously. “I don’t really deal with people well, so Dad tried to find a place where I’d feel safe.” She wouldn’t dare meet his eyes. She was too afraid to see how he’d react.
She knew she’d hear something though. But he didn’t laugh. She risked a look at him, and he wasn’t smiling. He didn’t even insist she was kidding. He just nodded.
“Yeah, I get it. Never really fit in myself.”
That wasn’t hard to imagine.
“Not that I’m much better.” She sighed, fingering her light-colored locks. “I mean, really. Blonde hair, blue eyes—I’m the very image of a foreigner.”
“So it ain’t dyed?”
She shook her head. “Nope. I got it from my mom.”
Tatsuo focused on the ground, as he raised a hand to finger the necklace around his neck. “Your mom, huh?”
Aoi turned back to face him. “Uh-huh.”
“That’s cool.” That was all he said.
But something felt off. When Aoi mentioned her mother, Tatsuo had looked so shocked, then sad. Aoi wondered why. Tatsuo hadn’t said a word about his private life, but Aoi found it strange that he would go to the trouble of replacing the gem from his necklace after he lost the original one to his Linking. She was too curious to stop herself.
“Hey, Senpai?”
“Mm?” He didn’t look at her.
“What’s your mom like?”
He walked faster. At least he knew where they were going now. Or at least the general direction. If he didn’t know, he certainly didn’t care. Behind them, their spirits chatted away about war and battle tactics, oblivious to their holder’s conversation.
“I’m sorry,” Aoi said hurriedly. She had to fix things. She couldn’t have Tatsuo mad at her too. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
He slowed down so she could catch up, but still kept mum.
“I really am sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.” She wished she hadn’t said anything, but it was too late to take the words back. Now she just had to feel guilty and not do it again.
“Forget it.”
“If you ever want to talk about it, or anything really, I’m here for you.” Not that he would. But there was always the off chance he might.
“Yeah, kid. Thanks.”
She couldn’t tell if he meant it or not. “You’re welcome.”
He just nodded, and the two walked in silence. That was OK. Aoi was used to it.
It wasn’t long before they reached Aoi’s house.
“Hm,” Tatsuo mumbled, eying the building. “Nice place.”
It was nice, but she wouldn’t admit it. She didn’t want to seem like she was tooting her own horn. So, instead, she said, “It’s nothing special, Akabori-senpai.”
“Nothing special?” He shook his head in disbelief, brows raised. “Are you kidding me?”
She shifted her weight. She knew it was special, but she wanted to be humble. Now she just seemed like a spoiled brat. How embarrassing . . . Maybe changing the subject would help.
“Where do you live, Senpai?”
“One of the apartments on shady boulevard.”
“Shady Boulevard?” Funny. She was sure she’d remember a street with a name like that.
He laughed, and Aoi was pretty sure he was laughing at her. “It’s just the bad side of the housing district,” he said. “Ain’t a real name.”
“Oh.” And now she was more embarrassed.
And thus the awkwardness brought back the silence. Again. Aoi was going to have to get better at this talking thing. At least she could say goodbye to Tatsuo.
“Thanks for walking me home.”
He shrugged. “No big deal.”
“Still, it means a lot.”
“Well, you’re welcome, I guess.” He looked away, color rushing to his cheeks. “I’ll come by tomorrow. Y’know, to walk you to school.”
“You really don’t need to.” If people saw her hanging out with him, there would definitely be rumors about her being a delinquent. But, at the same time, she didn’t want to be rude. “I mean, you can if you want.”
“It’s no big deal,” he assured her.
She guessed she might as well give in. “Well, if you say so, I guess its fine.”
“Then I’ll drop by tomorrow morning.” That said, he turned and walked away.
Aoi just hoped she wouldn’t have to re-introduce him to her father tomorrow.
Chapter 11
Aoi woke quickly the next morning. Not because she was excited. She was in a rush to get out so her father didn’t have to meet Tatsuo. He would definitely hate him, and Aoi could do without the lecture for now. Honestly, she felt a bit guilty even without the lecture. She knew her father wouldn’t approve, and yet she spent time with Tatsuo anyways.
But the thoughts didn’t hold her back. She readied herself for the day and ate breakfast, trying not to rush. Her father would see. He’d ask questions. But it seemed she was still suspicious.
“You’re going rather quickly today,” her father noted with a raised brow. He looked over his newspaper at her, pausing only to adjust his glasses.
“Mm,” Aoi mumbled as she chewed the last bite of egg.
“Meeting up with friends?”
“I guess you could call it that.”
Before he could ask what she meant by her vague answer, Aoi finished off her juice, grabbed the bag with her lunch, and made her way for the door.
She knew she was being a little ridiculous, but she just wasn’t ready to introduce her father to Tatsuo. Not quite yet. And there was no good way to introduce a rough, rumored-about yankii to her father.
“I’m heading out,” Aoi said, slipping her shoes on.
“Alright. Have a good day.” He still sounded suspicious, but he wasn’t going to ask her anything. She was grateful for that.
“You too.” Aoi headed out—and just in time. Tatsuo had arrived.
“Yo,” he said, raising a hand in greeting.
Aoi hopped down the front yard to meet him at the sidewalk. She smiled cheerfully at him. “Good morning.”
Without another word, he turned around and headed for school. Aoi followed a little behind him.
The streets were filled with people this time of morning—mothers getting groceries for the day, parents on their way to work, kids like Aoi heading to school. They passed run-down buildings and the shopping district on their way to their destination. Aoi noticed some new graffiti on the walls, and one of the shops had been broken into the night before.
“Did you sleep well?”
He shrugged. “You?”
“I did. Thanks for asking.”
He rolled his eyes. “You’re way too happy for it to be this early.”
So Tatsuo was not a morning person. Duly noted.
Noted, and acknowledged. Aoi’s smile was gone in an instant. “I’m sorry.”
Tatsuo winced. Then his rough composure took over again, even if he did sound a little uneasy. “No. Kid, I’m just saying I’m not used to this.”
Not used to what? Walking a girl to school? Someone being nice to him? His linked spirit? Aoi glanced behind herself, where Mulan was walking with Masanori, Tatsuo’s spirit, a few paces behind. She wasn’t listening to them; the spirits were arguing again about something.
Aoi wasn’t sure what to say, so she went with the two words that never seemed to fail her. “I’m sorry.”
Except they did fail that time. “Stop apologizing, kid.” Tatsuo grimaced. “I’m sick of it.”
“I’m sor—” She stopped herself before she could say any more. If Tatsuo didn’t like apologies, then she wouldn’t do it. “If you say so.”
He sighed, probably frustrated with her. “Just relax. Nothing to worry about. I ain’t mad.”
“Okay . . .” She had trouble believing him.
The two fell silent as they caught up with a couple of girls chatting. They looked familiar. If Aoi remembered right, she’d heard them talking about Tatsuo a few times before.
They were oblivious to the two walking right behind them, lost in their own excitable chatter. But they weren’t talking about Tatsuo today. They were talking about Aoi.
“You hear about the first year? The one that looks like a foreigner?”
“Aoi Arisawa, right?”
“Yeah. I hear she’s a total yankii. She bleaches her hair and even wears blue contacts.”
“No way!”
“I hear she dates Akabori-san too.”
“The Akabori-san?!”
“Who else?”
“Yeah. Miki saw him walking her home yesterday. A total yankii couple.”
The girls kept babbling but Aoi didn’t want to hear anymore. Not even one more word. Why did people have to talk about her and Tatsuo like this? She just wanted to be his friend, without having to worry about what people thought of her. But things could never be that easy, could they?
Aoi stood where she was, unable to take another step forward. Her lips quivered and, despite the chilly spring air, she broke out in a sweat.
Her voice was tiny, so tiny she didn’t know if anyone could hear her. “No more. I don’t want to hear any more.”
The two girls continued walking further down the street, still oblivious to their listeners. Tears welled up in Aoi’s eyes, and she couldn’t stop them. Her hands shook. Her feet stayed put on the sidewalk. She was going to cry on her way to school. Embarrassment was ready to overtake her. But more than that—panic. She was going to have a panic attack; she could feel it. And they’d see, and then the girls would spread rumors so everyone in the school could make fun of Aoi all the more.
The shaking spread to the rest of her body. Mulan was by her side in an instant, but the spirit’s cool presence only increased Aoi’s shivers. Then she felt something touch her shoulder. A hand.
Tatsuo shook her lightly. “Kid. Kid, snap out of it!”
Linked: The War of the Gems - Book 1 Page 9