Linked: The War of the Gems - Book 1

by Alexandra Johnson

  Aoi wasn’t sure. She could leave and try to find her way back home by herself, but this wasn’t the first time she’d been in the bad part of town, and she still remembered what had happened the last time. What had happened with Makoto. She even had nightmares about it sometimes.

  Still . . . could people in a gang, people with guns, really be good? She wasn’t so sure. But she might as well give it a shot.

  “Alright. I’ll meet them.”

  Tatsuo grinned and put a hand on her shoulder. “Thanks. You won’t regret this.”

  He led her to the table, pulling out a seat for her and taking the empty spot beside hers. “Hey,” he greeted the guys. They greeted him back.

  Aoi sat down and shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

  “Help yourself,” the blonde guy said, motioning to the pizza. Aoi took a slice and began to nibble on it.

  The table fell quiet after that. She wasn’t sure what to say at first, so she took her time eating to try and make up for that. Finally, it occurred to her that she didn’t know their names, and they probably didn’t know hers.

  “Um, I don’t think I’ve properly introduced myself,” she said. “I’m Aoi Arisawa. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  The black-haired boy turned to her with a grin. “Yo. I’m Sagawa.” He paused to swallow a mouthful of pizza before motioning the others. “Blondie over there is Reiji. The big guy’s Honda. And the fatty’s Gorou. Pleased to meetcha.”

  “Hey! Who the hell’re you callin’ fat, asshole!” Gorou lunged for Sagawa, but the boy was just out of reach.

  Reiji rolled his eyes. “Would you shut up?!” he said, smacking the back of Sagawa’s head. He then looked back at Aoi with an apologetic smile. “Sorry about them, Arisawa. They musta been raised by pigs.”

  “Oh, it’s fine. I don’t mind.”

  Then she realized. That was a joke. They had to be joking, right? She guessed she was just a little uptight right now.

  She needed to relax. Or maybe start a conversation. She did so with the first question she thought of.

  “So . . . Do you guys have guns?”

  The boys burst into laughter as if she’d told the funniest joke.

  “No,” came Honda’s simple reply.

  Sagawa shook his head, adding more. “Nah, man. We prefer fists to weapons. Weapons can break and . . . well, fists can too, I guess. But we’re not big on guns. We’re friends more than gang members.”

  Reiji nodded in agreement. “Yeah. We just get labeled as a gang because we’re yankii.”

  So maybe they weren’t as bad as Makoto’s gang, especially if they weren’t even really a gang. They didn’t have weapons, let alone guns. And Tatsuo hadn’t corrected them or told them not to lie to her. Aoi thought he’d do that if in this case because he was trying to make sure they were friends.

  After that, the conversation quickly devolved into chatting about what Tokyo was like, what kind of video games Aoi was into, and how Tatsuo and Aoi even met. It was surprisingly relaxing, like she was surrounded by friends. Friends? She paused on that thought, before the corners of her lips turned upwards in a smile. She supposed they were friends now.

  But they weren’t like Hana, Kimi, and Yukiko. They may have been rough and rude, but they were there for her and that was all that mattered.

  Mulan seemed to share those thoughts. “You know, I may have misjudged that Akabori boy and his friends,” she said from the gem. “They actually seem like they could be excellent friends for you.”

  “Of course they are,” another voice said. It was Masanori. “Just because men seem like rough warriors, they may still be pure of heart. I learned that on the battlefield.”

  “Oh?” Mulan asked. “It seems I still have much to learn.”

  And it seemed Aoi did as well.

  It was nice having her new friends around. They may have been rowdy and quick to pick a fight with each other if someone said one little thing wrong, but there was more to them than that. They were funny and energetic. Most surprisingly, they were pretty kind too.

  They finished eating pizza and then played some games together. While Aoi was waiting for her turn at a fighting game, she checked her phone. She wondered if Kimi, Hana, and Yukiko missed her.

  But no one was online. She waited and waited, constantly checking while she waited for turns playing games. It had been so long since she’d last spoken to them. She was distracted, so she lost easily. The guys probably just assumed she was bad at games, which wasn’t the case.

  Aoi wandered off to the bathroom as the stress of waiting started to get to her.

  Mulan took form and followed after. “Arisawa, is all well?” she asked.

  Aoi shook her head and showed her spirit her phone. “Look. No one’s on.”

  “Perhaps they’re busy?” Mulan suggested.

  That was exactly what Aoi was afraid of. They were always busy, always doing something, and never online. It was driving her crazy. Did her friends really not miss her at all? Did they not need to chat online now that they could see each other every day at school?

  But what about Aoi?

  Tears started to sting her eyes again. Her hands started to shake. “Why aren’t they online?” she asked, though Mulan had already given Aoi her thoughts.

  She washed her hands and left the bathroom, only to run into Reiji. He was coming to check on her.

  “Arisawa, you okay?” he asked.

  Aoi turned to him, blinking back tears. “Y-yeah,” she said. “I’m fine.”

  “Woah. Are you crying?” His eyes were wide. Great, she’d made him uncomfortable. “I didn’t mean to beat you so bad in that game if that’s what you’re crying about. You just need practice.”

  That wasn’t it at all, but Aoi didn’t know how to tell him that. “I just . . . miss my friends, that’s all.”

  His mouth opened slightly in confusion. No sound came out. He shut it and tried again, “I know it’s rough moving. I came here back in third grade. It’s rough but . . .”

  Aoi nodded as the boy’s voice trailed off. It was rough.

  “Arisawa?” another voice called out. This time it was Tatsuo.

  “I have to get home,” Aoi said quickly. She didn’t want anyone to see her cry. She just wanted to get home.

  Tatsuo approached with a wide smile, clearly in his element, but did a double take when he saw Aoi. “Hey. You okay?”

  Aoi shrugged. “As okay as I can be.” The tears were gone now, but she still felt like crying.

  She saw his body go tense. He glanced at Reiji. “Did he do something to you?”

  Reiji’s brows shot up. “Me? Why’d you think I did something?”

  “Because we look after our own,” Tatsuo growled.

  Aoi gently took hold of Tatsuo’s gakuran sleeve. “He didn’t. Not really.”

  “Not really?” Tatsuo repeated. He sounded skeptical.

  “It’s something another friend did,” she said. “Really.”

  Tatsuo glared at Reiji one more time, as if warning the boy not to do anything to Aoi. Then he said, “You still got practice today, don’tcha? Scram.”

  For a moment, the boy looked puzzled. Then his eyes lit up with realization. “Oh, yeah. You’re right! Forgot all about that!” He grinned eagerly at that two. “Guess that means I’ll see ya later.”

  Reiji turned on his heel and ran off.

  Aoi looked up at Tatsuo, trying to make sense of what just happened. She wondered if practice was some kind of code word to get Reiji out of there. It was the only thing she could think of.

  “Where’s he going?” she asked.

  “The boxing club.”

  “Really?” Tatsuo didn’t seem to like going to class, so she’d never imagined that any of his gang would willingly stick around after school.

  “Yeah. The guys all got stuff goin’ on after school,” he said. “Reiji’s got boxing, Sagawa’s got aikido, Gorou’s got sumo at his parents’ dojo, and Honda just tends to follow Sagawa ar
ound.”

  “Oh.” Maybe it wasn’t so weird for them to have stuff they liked doing, especially since it was martial arts.

  “So, were they as evil as you thought they’d be?” Tatsuo smirked.

  “No,” Aoi said. “They were . . . really nice. Thanks for introducing me.”

  “I knew you’d like them. Come on.” He nodded toward the exit and walked her out.

  Aoi followed. “What about you, Senpai?”

  “What about me?”

  “What do you do after school?”

  “Nothing,” he replied matter-of-factly. “Ain’t nothing to do in this town.”

  He started off down the street, in the direction of Aoi’s home.

  Aoi stuffed her hands in her pockets. “I dunno. I saw a park and a couple of sweet shops that looked pretty interesting.” But she was new here. Of course things seemed exciting.

  Tatsuo just gave her a half-hearted smile. “You really are a kid, you know that?”

  He kept calling her that, but it didn’t make much sense. “But aren’t you one too?” she asked. “You’re my senpai, so you can’t be that much older than me.”

  He shook his head and laughed, but he didn’t comment either way on it. Instead, he had something else to say. “You seem better now.”

  His words took her by surprise, leaving her silent.

  “You were pretty bummed earlier.”

  Oh. So that’s what that was about. “Yeah . . . Something kinda happened with some friends.” Or didn’t happen.

  “Friends?” he repeated.

  She nodded. “Kimi, Hana, and Yukiko are my friends back in Tokyo, but they almost never message me anymore. I rarely get to talk to them.”

  “Sound like a bunch of jerks,” Tatsuo grumbled, also shoving his hands in his pockets. The wind ruffled his styled hair, and she could faintly smell his gel.

  “They’re not! They’re just . . . always busy.” Aoi hoped that was the case, anyway.

  “Why do you keep waiting for them when you don’t know if they’ll ever come online or text you?” Tatsuo asked.

  Aoi froze. She knew the answer, but she didn’t want to admit it. In a tiny voice, she admitted it anyways: “I don’t want to be alone again.”

  He winced. “Kid,” he said softly.

  “I was really worried I wouldn’t make any friends when I moved here, but I met you and your gang. It’s really nice.”

  They made the rest of the trip to Aoi’s house in silence. Aoi wasn’t sure if she’d said something wrong, or if Tatsuo simply had nothing to say. But she was sure that she wasn’t a big fan of the silence.

  “So,” he said at last. “I’ll walk you to school tomorrow.”

  “Right. I’ll see you then.”

  She watched him walk away, before she turned to go in her house. She was stopped by a gentle touch to her shoulder. She glanced over her shoulder to see Mulan standing there.

  “Hua-san?”

  “You forgot someone earlier, Arisawa-chan.”

  “Forgot?”

  “When you were talking about your friends, you forgot me. I am also by your side, Arisawa-chan.”

  Now she understood. Mulan was more than her spirit partner and her guide. She was her friend. And, truthfully, Aoi couldn’t believe she’d forgotten. It was embarrassing.

  “Thank you, Hua-san.”

  But she just shook her head. “That’s nothing to thank me for. Now, come, you have studying to do.”

  Chapter 13

  Aoi and Tatsuo walked the next morning in silence, but it wasn’t stifling. It was almost peaceful. Even if Aoi did want to find something to talk about.

  As they walked, Aoi searched for something—anything—to talk about. But weather was boring and Tatsuo didn’t like school much. Nothing was coming to mind. And then she saw it again. The thin, dark leather string that hung around Tatsuo’s neck. The leather connected to a bronze-colored metal, with an inlaid red gem. It wasn’t the same as the one that was in it before, the one that was now in Tatsuo’s arm. Interesting that he still chose to wear its replacement.

  “Akabori-senpai?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Where’d you get that?” She winced at her own words. They’d come out great. Not.

  “Get what?”

  “Your necklace.”

  He paused, his brows furrowed. “I don’t remember.”

  That had to be a lie.

  “You don’t? But your Linked gem was in it.”

  He shoved his hands into his pockets, letting his thumbs stick out. “Yeah? What of it?”

  “I found my gem in a forest when I first moved here—where I felt most at peace. I wondered if there was something special about how you got yours. Maybe from a girlfriend, or your parents, or something?”

  Tatsuo started walking faster. He was angry, but Aoi wasn’t sure just what she’d said that had irked him. Was it because she lied to him? Or was there something about the gem that spooked him?

  Aoi rushed to catch up with him. “Akabori-senpai!”

  “Kid, I don’t wanna talk about it. This necklace gave my ma a ton of trouble.”

  “Your mom . . . ?” That caught her attention. The last time she’d brought up his mom, he’d gotten really defensive.

  Realizing what he said, Tatsuo stopped walking. He stared at the ground and his shoulders slumped. Aoi stopped a few steps behind him, watching him quietly. She wished she knew what was going on in his head at that moment. If only she could read minds.

  Quietly, she added, “You still wear the necklace, though.”

  He glanced at her for a moment, then looked away. “Please.” He never said please. “Just drop the damn subject.”

  “I can’t,” Aoi protested. “I’ve gotta know. So please just tell me and I’ll never bring this up again.”

  Tatsuo was silent for several long moments. “You promise?” he asked.

  Aoi nodded. “I promise.”

  His dark red eyes stared at the sky for a long time, before he finally looked back at her and sighed. “Arisawa, I don’t got a family.”

  As much as she wished it surprised her, it wasn’t news to her. The doctors at the hospital had told her she was all he had. She just didn’t want to believe it.

  “My father’s still alive, but he really screwed my ma up. Y’see, they had an affair. He was married, and she was his kendo student. They fell in love. You know how that goes.”

  She nodded in silent agreement.

  “Ma ended up pregnant with me. Let me tell you, that was not my father’s plan. He threw her out, made up some lie about her being a cheating slut, and Ma’s parents disowned her for it. But still . . .” He smiled sadly. “Ma raised me the best she could.”

  She knew better than to ask. She’d promised not to. But she just couldn’t help herself. Curiosity got the best of her. “What happened to her?”

  His smile faded. “Ma taught me kendo. It was her passion, and that ended up rubbing off on me. Guess it was in my blood or something. Anyhow, Ma got all kinds of jobs so I could live a normal life.”

  His brows furrowed as he looked away.

  “When I was eight, Ma was walking home from a late-night job and this drunk bastard lost control of his car and ran her down.”

  Tears welled up in his eyes. He tried to hide them, but Aoi could see. She’d never seen him cry before.

  “I lived with one of Ma’s cousins for a while, but they didn’t really want me. They ended up giving me my own place just so they didn’t have to deal with me.” He shrugged. “I guess that’s when I started rebelling. I wanted attention and I was determined to do whatever it took to get it. And then . . . Then I became this.” He gestured at himself, not facing her, holding out his hands in a way that showed off his tattoo.

  Aoi hesitantly reached out and took his hand. “I like you the way you are, Senpai.”

  He spun to face her, his eyes wide with confusion. “Arisawa . . .”

  “If you weren’t this way, who wo
uld’ve protected me? You’re perfect the way you are.”

  Color rushed to his cheeks as he yanked his hand away. “You don’t know what you’re saying!”

  “I do. I like you just the way you are.”

  He started off toward school again. She followed, stifled by his silence. After a while, when he still said nothing, she said softly, “I’m really sorry.”

  Tatsuo breathed out a sigh through still grit teeth. “Forget about it. I know you’re just curious.”

  “Too curious maybe.”

  “I don’t blame ya. I just don’t wanna talk about it. Ever. Okay?”

  She nodded. “Okay. If I even accidentally start talking about your mom, just tell me to stop and I will.”

  He turned to her and forced a smile. “Yeah, yeah. Now, c’mon. We got school.”

  That they did. Though Aoi had a feeling that Tatsuo was just going to hang out on the roof. He didn’t seem like he was going to be too social for a while.

  Aoi didn’t blame him.

  As the day went by, the sky turned dark and grey. Thunder sounded in the distance, and rain followed shortly after. Aoi wouldn’t be eating outside today. That was for sure. Truthfully, she didn’t even know if she was going to be able to eat lunch with anyone either, especially after what had happened this morning with Tatsuo.

  The bell sounded and Aoi rose to find a place to eat lunch.

  Immediately, Reiji came to her side, throwing an arm around her. “So how’s the boss’s girl today?” he asked.

  Aoi’s face turned bright red. “I’m not his girlfriend!” she insisted, then softly added. “And I think he’s kinda mad at me.”

  The blonde led her out of the classroom, stopping by the shoe lockers so Aoi could get her bento.

  “Why would he be mad at you?”

  “I kind of asked about his necklace and pushed the subject a little too far.” Guilt had continued to tug at her stomach throughout the day. She didn’t know if she’d be able to eat a bite.

  “Yikes,” he said with a grimace. “That’s a really touchy subject for Aniki. You apologized though, right?”

  Aoi nodded immediately. “Absolutely!” she said. “I still feel awful about it though . . .”

  Reiji laughed. “Hey, you said you were sorry. He’ll get over it.”