by K L Ogden
She gave a nod as he left the room. She got some clothes together and slipped out of her pajamas quickly changing into a pair of faded corduroys and a plaid button down shirt. Grabbing her cardigan sweater, she left the room and stepped out into the main room. The scent of bacon was even stronger and her stomach rumbled.
Hitomi stood there for a second watching Guri maneuver around the kitchen cooking. A smile spread across her mouth as she made her way over.
“Good morning,” he beamed glancing up from the sizzling pan on the stove.
“Good morning,” she returned. “What is all this?” She peered at all the pans cooking a wide array of foods. There were pancakes, French toast, eggs, bacon and sausage.
“I just thought everyone needed a good meal. We have a lot of stuff to do in a few days before your birthday. I went shopping early this morning. I hope you are hungry.”
“Famished.”
He gave her a peculiar look, but then returned to flipping pancakes over.
“Where did Obi go?” she asked glancing around.
“Outside. He said he’d be back in a minute. Sit down and I’ll get you a plate.”
She moved over to the table and sat down facing the front door. Spread across the table was butter, syrup, a huge bowl of fruit, whip cream, jars of jams, and new salt and pepper shakers. Within seconds Guri set down a glass of orange juice and a huge plate of food. The plate was most likely a serving platter.
Her eyes widened. “I can’t eat all this.”
“Eat what you can,” he replied with a shrug.
“Guri, you’re going to spoil me.”
“I enjoy doing human things.” He gave her a smirk and then held a fork out to her.
“Thanks.” She took the fork and eyed the front door. “Guri?”
“Yah?”
“Why doesn’t Obi ever smile? You smile all the time. I think I’ve seen him smile once.”
“I don’t think he’s had much to smile about before now. Don’t take it personally.”
Hitomi let out a little huff as the front door opened. Obi came walking in as Guri returned to cooking. Obi walked around the table behind her and leaned down planting a kiss on the top of her head.
“I guess you were hungry,” he commented referring to her heaping platter.
“Oh no. Guri forced this all on me.”
“Did not,” Guri countered.
“Where were you?” she asked Obi as she looked up at him.
“I took the weapons outside. I didn’t want them to make you sick again.”
An ‘O’ shape formed on her lips as Guri came over with another piled up platter. He set it down next to Hitomi and nudged Obi.
“Sit down.” He pushed Obi down into the chair, gave him a fork, and went back to prepare another plate.
Obi leaned over whispering in her ear. “What’s going on?” She gave a shrug in response and reached over for the syrup. She poured a generous helping over the pancakes and French toast as Guri sat down across from them.
“See. Isn’t this nice? A relaxing family meal. It’s just like in the movies,” Guri commented with a huge grin across his face.
“Guri…what the…” Obi started in a mocking tone. Hitomi quickly jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow.
“This is great Guri. Thank you,” she interrupted Obi. She shot Obi a little glare and pushed the syrup to him. Obi gave her a quizzical look back but she returned her eyes to her plate wondering where to start.
They ate most of their meal in silence. Hitomi didn’t realize how hungry she was until she polished off about half the platter. After everyone was done, they cleared the table and she started doing the dishes. Obi came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.
“We’re going to go outside and clean up those weapons.”
She nodded her head focusing on scrubbing off the sticky syrup from one of the plates.
“We’ll just be right out front.”
“I’m going to get stuff cleaned up around here. I’ll be out after the weapons are cleaned. I just can’t handle the smell.”
“I know.” He squeezed her shoulders and ran his hands down along her arms. The heat of his touch even through the fabric of her shirt practically made her drop the soapy plate. Her body slightly trembled and her knees felt weak. “Come outside when you’re ready.” And just as quickly as his touch warmed her, as soon as he removed his hands she felt cold again. She listened to the front door close behind him and she gasped not realizing she had forgotten to breathe. Hitomi wondered if she’d ever not be completely entranced by his touch.
****
Guri was already wiping down the weapons when Obi walked outside. He stepped off the porch and looked up at the grey sky and then returned his gaze to Guri. He had the weapons all neatly laid out on the grass and was whistling while he cleaned off one of the daggers.
“What is wrong with you?” Obi asked kneeling down across from him.
“What do you mean?” Guri barely glanced up and he laid the dagger down next to one of the guns.
“Can’t you take any of this seriously?”
“I think you take this seriously enough for the both of us.”
“Guri,” Obi snapped.
His head snapped up and his red eyes squinted at Obi. “What?”
“You’re acting like we are up here on some vacation.”
“What do you want me to do? Skulk around all irritated and worried? It’s not going to help anything. We might as well make the best of it while we’re here. And trying to keep things more pleasant is better for Hitomi anyway. Didn’t you see the way her eyes lit up having a normal breakfast together?”
Obi relaxed back on the ground and crossed his legs. “I guess I hadn’t thought of that.”
Guri picked up a small gun and started wiping it with the cloth. “You could use a little less worrying too, because your emotions are going to trickle down to her. Have you told her yet?”
“Told her what?”
Guri looked up at him as if he were crazy, shook his head, and returned to the gun.
“Oh. Not yet.”
“What’s the hold up?”
“I don’t know.” Obi shrugged and grabbed another rag starting to clean the gun he had picked out for himself. He really didn’t know why he hadn’t told Hitomi that he loved her yet. He had ample opportunity, but he just didn’t seem to know how to put the words together in a sentence. He should have told her last night, or this morning, or maybe when he first laid eyes on her. He knew he was a coward for not being able to say three simple little words. But to him, the words were not simple. They were words he never understood before her. Obi had easily scoffed at love. It was viewed as a human weakness. Although now, he didn’t see it as a weakness. His love for Hitomi, he decided, was his only redeeming quality. “I will. Soon.”
“What are you doing for her on her birthday? Have you thought of anything for a gift?”
“A gift?” The gun slipped out of Obi’s grip and fell to the ground with the barrel pointed at Guri.
“Will you be careful with that?” he shook his head. “And yes, a gift. How have you forgotten everything about humans in the past 18 years? Don’t even think of giving her a gun or knife.”
“Why not?”
Guri rolled his eyes and placed the small gun back on the ground. He pulled his legs up Indian style and rested his elbows on his knees. His finger tapped against his forehead. “What does an ex-death god turned protector get his healing powered girlfriend for her 18th birthday? Do they have a registry for that?” He laughed at his own joke.
At one time Obi would have laughed at the situation had it been someone else’s. But this was his situation and his mind went into full blown panic. “I don’t know. I have no idea. She’s going to be expecting something and…what should I do? What do girls like?”
“Well, it’s more about what Hitomi likes.”
“I could have asked Rediisu. He knows a lot about girls.”
/> “Probably not the kind of knowledge you’re looking for,” Guri replied. “A present idea from Rediisu would most likely get you smacked across the face. But I think I’ve got an idea for you. But you’ll need these.” He pulled out what looked like small red crystals from his pocket. He grabbed Obi’s hand and dropped them into his palm.
“What are these?”
“It’s how Hitomi saved you. Somehow her powers turned the blood that should have killed you, into this crystal form. In all honesty, I’ve never heard of anyone having an ability like that. I figured she’d be able to save you by drawing out the blood, but to have it put in crystal form was not what I thought. It made it so simple for her to save you.”
Obi closed his fingers around the bright red crystals knowing that he owed his life to her. “So, what’s the idea?”
****
Hitomi finished doing the dishes and cleaning up the cabin. She reorganized all her clothes separating them into dirty and clean. She found Obi’s pile of clothes stuffed in the corner and threw them on the bed. As she started folding them up, his scent wafted from each fiber. The mixture of musk and rain practically made her lightheaded. Faintly she heard his voice outside and went to the bedroom window. Peeking out, she watched him talking very animated with Guri. Just seeing him sitting there with his hair glistening with a light mist and his eyes sparkling green was enough to make her heart beat faster.
Figuring she had kept herself inside long enough, she grabbed a blanket, one of her books and headed outside. The screen door shut hard behind her and Obi and Guri glanced up and stopped talking. She smiled at them and moved over to the swing making herself comfortable. She curled into the blanket and opened the book. Glancing up, she noticed that they went back to talking but kept their voices low.
Hitomi tried to focus on the words on the pages of the book but she couldn’t keep her eyes from drifting up to what she considered her own personal marvel. She wasn’t sure how it seemed Obi became more gorgeous every day. Every so often his emerald eyes would lock with hers and she felt as overwhelmed as the first day they met.
She watched them with curiosity from behind the cover of her book as they started fooling around with each weapon. Guri seemed well versed in handing each weapon, even twirling a dagger around in his fingers. He turned around and flung the blade at a tree. It hit the trunk with a thud and stuck there. Obi seemed to be impressed as he went over and pulled it from the bark.
“Hitomi, you wanna come over and try?” Guri motioned.
“I don’t think so Guri.” She smiled and shook her head pretending to be engrossed in her book. She wasn’t sure she was going to actually be able to touch any of those weapons. She had smelled living blood in them and on them. Obi’s blood didn’t have quite the same scent. His blood hadn’t burned the back of her throat.
Her mind began wandering to what Obi and Guri kept referring to as the ‘the extermination’. According to them it had been very one sided, the Afterworld completely overpowering the Heavens. She wondered what would have had the God of Light so distracted that he didn’t see a war coming. With a brother called the God of Darkness, why wouldn’t he have an army ready at all times? Isbian had let thousands of those under him be slaughtered. The thought churned her stomach and she swore she heard the screams of agony.
Suddenly she jumped as a deafening shot rang out. She snapped out of her trance and looked up seeing Obi handling a very large gun. He had it pointed into the woods and fired another shot. Again her body nervously jerked and she instantly became frightened. The third blast had her covering her ears as she buried her head into her knees letting her book fall to the ground. Her body trembled and within seconds she felt Obi’s warm hands on her arms.
“Hitomi?” His voice was soft and he squeezed his grip slightly. “I’m sorry. I should have told you it was going to be loud.”
“Loud?” she lifted her head. “That’s an understatement.”
“I know. I’m sorry. But it’s something you’re going to have to get used to. Do you want me to show you how to fire a gun now?”
“I cannot use that one,” she replied pointing out towards the weapons on the ground.
“No. I have a much smaller one for you.” He ran his hands up and down her arms. “You’re shaking.”
“I don’t think I can do it Obi.”
He moved one hand up to her shoulder and brushed her hair back from her face. “You have to.”
Hitomi shook her head. “I can’t. I refuse to take another life. I’m sorry.” She threw back the blanket and got up rushing back into the cabin.
She went straight for the bedroom and buried herself in the bed. She covered her ears with her hands and tried to block out the sounds of the shots. She wanted to scream at them to stop, but she knew they were preparing for another war and there was nothing she could do about it.
After what seemed like an eternity of ringing shots, there was suddenly silence. Hitomi finally felt she could breathe again. She started to sit up when the bedroom door cracked open. Obi peered in and he opened the door all the way.
“We’re all done for the day,” he said quietly.
Hitomi let out a deep breath and intertwined her fingers together. She felt like a coward. He was the epitome of strength and bravery and she was weak.
“I’m sorry I ran away,” she said, her voice practically cracking.
“It’s alright.” Obi moved across the room in a few graceful strides and sat down on the edge of the bed next to her. “You can try tomorrow. I know this is very scary for you, but I want you to be able to defend yourself.”
She nodded. “I have to be stronger. I know that. I just freaked out.”
“You are strong.”
“No I’m not. Not yet.” Hitomi slid off the bed and stood up in front of him. “But you can teach me, right?” She reached down and took one of his hands. The warmth wrapped around her entire body as he squeezed her fingers. If she had her choice, she would permanently attach her hand to his.
“I won’t need to teach you anything.” He stared up at her. “You have more strength inside you than you know.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Look at everything you’ve been through.”
“It’s the future I’m scared of.” A frown spread across her face and she looked away from him. “I don’t think I would be able to live if anything ever happened to you again. I’ve gone through all the emotions of thinking you were going to die. I wouldn’t be able to do it again.”
“Hitomi, don’t say that.”
“Obi, you don’t know what it was like…”
“Hitomi, stop. Please.”
She turned back to him not sure what to make of his expression. He looked almost pained by her words. He let go of her hand and put both hands on her waist. Obi pulled her to him and rested his head against her stomach. Her insides fluttered and trembled.
“Promise me you’ll never make me go through that again?” she mumbled as she hesitantly combed her fingers through his hair.
“I promise you’ll never have to go through what you went through that night,” he replied. His jaw moved against her stomach and she could feel the tension. He tried to counter the anxiety with moving his thumbs in a circular motion against her skin.
A smile spread across her face. “Is that supposed to calm me?”
“Is it working?”
“Not even close.” She was surprised she was able to keep her breathing from becoming erratic, but her pulse was racing. His fingers stopped and he snaked his arms around her waist squeezing her tightly. “I didn’t mean you needed to stop.”
“Yes, I did. You are always trying to undermine my self-control.”
“Why do you always have so much self-control?” she smirked as he lifted his head and looked up at her.
“It’s not so much self-control as much as it’s a complete lack of knowledge.”
Hitomi let out a laugh. “Did you just make a joke?”
/> “Possibly,” he shrugged. “I must be hanging around Guri too much.”
“So, due to your lack of knowledge I should probably let you know that you’re supposed to kiss me now.”
He didn’t take his eyes from her as he stood up. Obi’s hands moved up to her face and he held her head. Slowly he leaned down as she closed her eyes. His breath tickled her lips as she stood there anticipating. His mouth closed over hers sending a new jolt of electricity pulsing through her.
Chapter 17
Hitomi raced through the woods. Her feet sinking into the ground slowing her run as she tried to catch her breath. She didn’t know what she was racing to or from. But her stomach clenched with worry. Was she worried about Obi? Was she worried about herself? Her mother? She didn’t know. It was as if everything was crashing down on her. Every worry in the world was on her mind and she couldn’t distinguish any of them.