Mama worked very hard to make you something cute to wear. I even have things for your friends—red, pink, and yellow, right? Well, only yours is in this box. Hope you like it!
Love, Mama
To think, Mama really took time out of her busy schedule to make something not just for Aoi, but for her friends too. She needed to thank her for that later.
Then a thought occurred to her. Maybe her mother and father were talking again, especially if Mama seemed to know so much about her friends. It was a little exciting. Maybe they’d get back together. But it also made her a little sad. Why did she have time to talk to her father and not with her? It wasn’t fair. But that didn’t matter.
For now, she wanted to see just what her gift was. She unwrapped the box and opened it, blue eyes widening at the contents—a kimono, made just for her.
She rushed to the bathroom and put it on. She had to see what it looked like on her.
It looked amazing. It fit her like a glove—blue with bubbles that faded into white, especially near the sleeves and bottom. Mama definitely made this with her in mind. She grabbed her phone and scrolled through her contacts.
It rung once, then twice. Then she answered. “Hi, sweetie. Did you get your gift?”
Mama’s accent was different again. It changed more and more the longer she was away from Japan, fading back into her native French.
Aoi smiled at her voice. It had been so long since she last heard from her mother, but Aoi hadn’t tried to contact her. After all, she rarely replied. Mama was a busy fashion designer, after all. She had hardly any free time. Aoi was surprised she had time enough to find out about her friends and even think about sending the gifts.
“I did,” Aoi said. “And it fits perfectly.”
Her mother clapped happily. The phone must have been in the crook of her neck. She was probably working. She always was.
“Excellent!” she cheered. “I worked really hard so it would be simply parfait for you!”
That left Aoi with just one other question. “Mama, you know how big I am, but not my friends. How did you make stuff for them?”
“What a bright girl! I made yours just for you, but I sent your friends ones from my store in several sizes. Make sure Papa sends me back the ones that don’t fit.”
“I will.”
“Well, I have to get back to work and you have a festival to go to. Isn’t that right, cherie?” There came the needle that popped her growing joy.
Aoi nodded, but her mother couldn’t see that. “That’s right,” she said softly.
But she didn’t want to hang up. Aoi knew that the moment she did, it would be at least a few more months before she heard from her mother again. She knew Mama had to work, but it didn’t make her feel any less lonely.
“Talk to me again soon though, okay?” Aoi tried not to sound too hopeful.
Her mother hesitated. Aoi must not have tried hard enough. “I’ll do my best, dear. You know how busy I am.”
Her shoulders slumped. “Yeah. I know.”
There was a small pause. “I’ve gotta go now. Bye!”
“Bye, Mama.”
With a click, her mother hung up.
Aoi breathed a small sigh. But there wasn’t enough time to be sad. Aoi had a festival to finish getting ready for.
Paper lanterns lit the way for the crowd of festival goers, dressed in their kimonos or comfortable summer clothes. Aoi could smell food wafting from the many stalls—takoyaki, yakisoba, choco banana, and much, much more. It made her mouth water. Vendors called out to visitors, waving them down, and those playing games cheered or cried foul play depending on whether they won or lost the festival prizes.
Aoi and her friends trailed along, dressed in the kimono her mother made for them. The girls’ kimono were blue, pink, or yellow—depending on their color of gem—and decorated with pretty flowers and butterflies. Originally, Momoka had received the pink kimono and Asagi the yellow, but the girls switched before leaving the beach house. Tatsuo’s was a simple red with black hakama.
So far, things didn’t seem so bad.
Momoka and Asagi walked ahead of her, giggling at this and pointing at that. They were already enjoying themselves, and the night had only just begun.
Aoi, however, wasn’t so sure if she was having fun yet. There was still a heavy weight between her and Tatsuo, and the massive crowd of people pressing in around her made it hard for her to focus. Aoi’s hands began to sweat. She felt anxious, queasy, even dizzy. It was roaring with noise and she felt the tug of her anxiety start to pull her down. There were too many people.
Aoi took a deep breath. She’d been looking forward to this festival for about two weeks. She wouldn’t let this ruin her night. She just needed a distraction, that’s all.
“So, Senpai,” she mumbled. “What should we do first? Get some food? Play a game?”
His only response was a grunt.
“Never mind.” There was no point in talking to him if that was how he was going to act. She’d had her fill of it. Instead, she turned her attention back to the girls.
Momoka glanced back at her, then whispered something to Asagi, and the blonde nodded in return. Something strange was going on, and Aoi wasn’t sure what. Maybe it was just the anxiety from Tatsuo’s attitude, but she could have sworn she had a sinking feeling in her gut.
She wasn’t sure why that might be until the girls start running. It wouldn’t be long before they were swallowed by the crowd. Aoi’s head swam. How was she going to find them amongst all those people?
“Nishihara-chan! Tachibana-san!” Aoi called out to them. But it was too late. They were gone. Aoi breathed a sigh through grit teeth. “What are they thinking?”
Tatsuo didn’t say a word. He just glared in their general direction.
That was it. The final straw. The one that broke the camel’s back. This was ridiculous, and she was going to get to the bottom of this. Aoi took his hand in hers and started walking. She had to find somewhere they could talk.
“Arisawa?” Tatsuo stammered.
But he could wait for a reply. He’d given her the silent treatment this entire vacation except to treat her like an idiot. Now was her turn to be quiet.
Tatsuo yanked his hand out of hers. “What are you doing, Arisawa?” he demanded.
Fine. If he wanted to talk, they could talk—right here, right now, in the middle of everything.
“What am I doing?” she repeated. Normally, she would have let this go. She would have just accepted his attitude with a nervous smile. Not today. “I think the better question what are you doing? You’ve been acting like a real jerk this whole trip.”
It was all too much. The crowd, Asagi and Momoka disappearing to who knows where, Tatsuo acting like a total jerk—and she was done.
The crowd jostled them as people rushed past them, pursuing this and that. The edges of Aoi’s vision started to go black. Her hands began to tremble, and tears filled her eyes. She wasn’t about to pass out—at least, she hoped not—but the panic was taking hold of her.
“Why . . .? Why are you acting like this?” she managed to stutter out after a few heavy, quick breaths in and out. She was hyperventilating. She might vomit. Not good. Nothing was good right now.
And she was tired of it. She just wanted everyone to be happy and have a nice vacation. Was that so wrong? She’d never been able to deal with conflict well, especially if she was calling someone out on being rude or unreasonable. That alone took courage.
But courage only meant so much when you struggled with anxiety. Aoi’s whole body was shaking, and she could no longer focus on Tatsuo’s face.
Tatsuo seemed to understand what was happening, because he picked her up like a doll and carried her away. He shoved through the crowd, elbowing people where needed. All the while, he mumbled soothing, gentle words under his breath as he carried her to the outskirts of the festival.
He finally sat her down in a quiet spot behind a restaurant, the roar of the festival
a gentle hum in the distance. He waited for her to say something, maybe assure him she was okay. She didn’t. He had to speak first.
“Hey, Arisawa . . .” he said gently.
Aoi’s breathing steadied, but she was still shaking. From anxiety, from anger, from frustration. She dropped her head between her knees, breathing through the thick kimono fabric. It didn’t have the familiar scent of her laundry detergent, but it comforted her nonetheless.
After a minute, she turned her head to the side and mumbled, “Are you angry with me? Is that it?” By that point, tears had begun to make their way down her cheeks. “I don’t know what I did wrong, but I’m really sorry.”
Tatsuo was silent for a moment, then huffed out a sigh. He awkwardly wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him.
“Arisawa, I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I ain’t angry with you. I’m just . . . frustrated.”
“About what?” she sniffled.
“Your dad, for one. I try to be friendly and he just shoves it in my face.”
“He doesn’t really trust people he thinks are delinquents.” And Tatsuo certainly looked the part.
“Yeah, I noticed.”
“I told him what we are. That you’re Linked, too.”
“Oh.” There was surprise in Tatsuo’s voice. “I didn’t know you talked to your dad about stuff like that.
“I talk to him about everything.”
He nodded, considering that. “Wait here.”
Tatsuo got up and walked away, leaving Aoi alone in the alley. A few minutes later, he returned, a bright blue swab of cotton candy in his hand. “You like blue, right?”
She nodded and took the cone from him. “You’re a good guy, you know.”
“I’m glad you think so,” he said, a smile finally turning the corners of his lips upwards.
“I know so.” She took a bite of the cotton candy. It had a faint berry taste. “But, Senpai . . . You can’t just take your anger out on the other people. It’s not fair to them.”
He opened his mouth to retort, but no sound came out. He coughed. “Yeah. I know.”
“He’ll get used to you eventually.”
“I hope so, considering I’m kinda your best friend.” He smirked.
She nodded in agreement.
After she finished her cotton candy, they walked around the side streets of the festival, where there were few people and little noise. They took a seat near a tree, talking about anything and everything—school, video games, Tatsuo’s gang, summer plans—except for the Linked. Tatsuo must have deemed that too stressful. All the while, he held her hand, his thumb gently rubbing circles in her skin to keep her calm. It felt nice.
More than an hour later, when most of the festival goers decided to take their leave, they stood up and headed back to the stalls. Tatsuo still held her hand.
“So where to now, since you’re the one leading me?” Aoi asked.
His face flushed red and he jerked his arm way, as if he was afraid she might turn to lava and burn him. “Sorry about that,” he stammered.
Aoi didn’t mind. She just giggled. “It’s okay. Really.” She said as she took his hand in hers. “This is so we don’t lose each other.”
“Yeah, that’s fine,” he said. But his flushed face told a different story, one Aoi wasn’t able to read.
She’d just go with it though. “So where to?” she asked.
“Let’s try some games.”
Unfortunately, as it turned out, Aoi wasn’t very good at festival games. She tried shooting games, puzzle games, throwing games—but she could never win a prize. It was frustrating.
And it must have shown on her face, because Tatsuo ended up trying out a game. Of course he succeeded on his first try.
“Which prize do you want?” he asked with a smile.
Aoi glanced over the prizes. There were stuffed animals galore—bears, dogs, kitties, and more—but there was just one thing Aoi wanted.
“That one.” She pointed at a small doll near the front, a pale blue bear with a dark red ribbon around its neck.
“Your boyfriend did great, Miss,” the man behind the counter said. “You can get a better prize than that.”
“He’s not my boyfriend!” Aoi insisted.
“And, even if I was, that’s the one she wants. So get her that one.” Tatsuo glared at the man, daring him to try and tell them no again.
But the man wasn’t stupid. He raised his hands defensively and said. “Okay, okay. I hear you.” Then he got the doll Aoi wanted.
Tatsuo smiled at her. “We should probably find the girls.”
Aoi nodded. The fireworks would start soon, and Aoi wanted to watch them with all her friends. “Yeah. Let’s go.”
Luckily, it didn’t take very long to find the girls. They were only a few stalls away, playing another game that used a toy gun to fire at targets. They were very good at it, naturally. They were long distance fighters. Momoka was even better at it than Asagi.
Aoi let the girls finish their game and get their prizes before she approached them. Asagi nudged Momoka in the side, nodding at the approaching couple. Momoka looked up and smiled sheepishly at Aoi. They must’ve thought she was angry with them. But she wasn’t. Mostly, she was just worried that they might have left without her and Tatsuo, since they were gone for so long.
“Onee-chan, we were wondering where you guys went,” Momoka said. But her hesitant tone gave her away. She was lying, and she wasn’t good at it.
“Why did you guys run off like that?”
Asagi answered honestly. No point in lying. “It was Momoka-chan’s idea. She wanted to make things better between you and your yankii boyfriend.”
“But he’s not my boyfriend!” Aoi protested. Why did everyone think that?
“Things are better between you two now though, right? I mean, you are holding hands.” Momoka smiled giddily at them.
Aoi withdrew her hand nervously, and Tatsuo folded his arms over his chest.
“Anyways,” Aoi stammered. “Let’s go find a place to watch the fireworks from.”
They found a cement stairway and sat there, looking up at the sky eagerly. It wasn’t long before colors lit up the night. Reds, greens, and golds danced across the sky.
Aoi ended up having a really nice night with her friends, especially Tatsuo. She leaned against him, his hand still holding onto hers, their fingers intertwined. Part of her wished this night could go on forever. But she knew that was impossible. So she wished for something, like a child, wishing on fireworks. She wished she would always be able to spend time with her friends like this.
Chapter 24
The sands were fairly empty the next day. Completely, in fact. Maybe it was the grey, rainy sky of an approaching thunderstorm. But the storm wasn’t there yet, and Aoi would cherish every moment of the gloomy day.
This left the beach to the Linked. Tatsuo and Momoka were still inside, getting ready. But they’d be out soon. In the meantime, Aoi sat on the beach with Mulan by her side. They watched Asagi play in the water for a while before either spoke.
“I guess I forgot to ask if you had fun,” Aoi realized. She hadn’t spoken to Mulan at all during the festival. In fact, she’d been so busy with school and her new friends that she’d hardly spoken to Mulan at all in the past few weeks.
“I did.” Mulan smiled at the horizon.
Aoi wished she could share her joy, but something still felt off. Mulan hadn’t given her much to go off of. “Are you upset with me?”
She sighed. “A little,” she admitted. “Mostly, I’m just sad.”
Why would she be sad? They talked often enough, right? Aoi comforted Mulan when she said she was, and vice versa. She trained with her spirit sometimes. They were like sisters.
Mulan watched the waves come in and out. “We don’t talk much. I mean, we train every now and then. But Tatsuo is the one who usually trains you these days.”
Oh. She never thought about it that way. “But we can
do better, right? And not just so we can link better.”
“What do you mean?” Mulan looked over at her, dark brows raised high.
“We’re supposed to be friends, but I’ve not really been treating you like one. I want to do better.”
Mulan took Aoi’s hand in hers. “You’ve been doing your best,” she assured her. “I must have made things hard on you as well. I’m too formal.”
She couldn’t blame herself. Aoi wouldn’t let her. “You’re just fine. But I . . .”
Aoi lost her thought as she stared at the waves. Something was wrong.
In the distance, a brunette head bobbed up and down in the water. Asagi spent more time down than up, her arms flailing. She was too far out.
Aoi’s breath caught in her throat. “She’s drowning.”
Mulan released her physical form. “Then save her,” her voice echoed.
But how? Aoi didn’t know how to swim. There wasn’t time to learn either. Tatsuo and Momoka weren’t out here yet, so she couldn’t rely on them. She had to do this.
She got off her towel and took off toward the water, the sand tripping her up. But she kept going. Aoi had chosen to become a Linked so she could protect people. This was her chance, and Aoi was determined to save her friend. She wouldn’t stop until she did.
That determination almost made her feel like she was floating.
Wait a second.
She was! Aoi hovered over the sand, the world around her tinted blue. She didn’t have time to figure out why. All she knew was that she had to save Asagi. If she was floating, she might as well fly.
And she did.
She jetted to Asagi, her inner tube in her hands. “Hold on to this!”
The waves tugged and pulled Asagi further away from Aoi, the swells pulling her down out of sight. Aoi followed, and on the next high swell, Asagi managed to wrap her arms around the ring. Aoi pulled her out of the water into the freezing air, then dragged her back to the safety of the shore. Just before Aoi was able to place the girl on the sand, Asagi’s grip slipped and fell to the ground. She sputtered and coughed up water.
Linked: The War of the Gems - Book 1 Page 23