by K L Ogden
Hitomi took a few more steps closer to him. “I asked where Obi is. Tell me now.”
Domitori rested his head back against the tree and let out a laugh that made Hitomi shake. “Last I saw, your precious Obi was falling from the sky.”
Her jaw clenched. “You’re lying,” she spat as she inched closer. “It was you I saw falling.”
“Maybe so.” He chuckled and then winced at the gaping hole in his chest. Hitomi could see the blood pouring out of his chest turning his blue shirt into a dark purple. She knew that he was dying.
She tilted her head slightly and narrowed her eyes. “Why doesn’t Laebosu want peace? Why couldn’t everyone just get along like before my father was killed?”
“No one ever got along. Everyone just tolerated each other. Besides, power is intoxicating. Once you have it, you don’t want to let go.” Domitori coughed again and blood dripped down from his chin.
“I will restore the Heavens. And I will bring balance,” she commented looking at him more sympathetically. She realized that Domitori was merely a pawn. He was bred to kill and not by his choice. This wasn’t his war. He only did what he was told. “I can save you.”
Even dying, Domitori was able to let out another laugh. “You’re not prepared to fight this war you’ve started. You’re only a little girl.” He sunk down further on the tree landing on the ground.
Kneeling down in front of him, she let out a sigh. “I’m stronger than you think. You could join us. You don’t have to let things end this way.”
He clutched at his chest and then held his hands up inspecting the blood. He huffed and dropped his hands down to his sides. “They always tell you that you’re immortal. I knew it wasn’t really true, but I never thought I would die. I mean, die again.”
“You don’t have to Domitori. I can save you. You can help us.”
Domitori shook his head and the grin from his face faded. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with. Your father left you with an impossible task. You’re all going to die and Laebosu will plunge everything into entire darkness. You cannot beat him.” He winced as he shifted his body. “I can either cease to exist now or later.”
“You would rather die now than help us?”
“Yes,” Domitori nodded. “I would rather die now.” His eyes turned upwards and then there was a hard thud behind her. Hitomi promptly turned around to see Obi tucking his wings away. He stood up from his crouch and raised his gun.
Pointing the barrel directly at Domitori’s head, Obi stared down at him and smirked. “Hitomi, move away from him.”
The glare in Obi’s eyes scared her, but she didn’t move. “I could heal him. He could help us.”
Obi’s jaw went rigid and he spoke through his teeth. “He’ll never want to help anyone except himself. He would turn on any of us in a second. Besides, he tried to kill you and now I am going to finish him. Now, get away from him.”
She bit on her bottom lip and stood up, but positioned herself directly in front of Domitori. “Obi, the killing needs to stop somewhere.” Hitomi moved forward and placed her hand on his arm. She slowly lowered his arm. “It has to stop now.”
Obi turned his eyes from Domitori to Hitomi. “You don’t get it. He was going to kill both of us. Killing me, I can deal with. But killing you? He wouldn’t have stopped. They’re not going to stop. Every day, every hour, you are going to be at risk. And I will not let anything happen to you. Hitomi, the killing can’t stop now. It’s only just begun.” His eyes sparkled a bright crimson red. “I’m sorry.”
He gently pushed her to the side and raised his arm back up. She turned away and dropped to her knees as a shot echoed through the woods. She covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut.
Chapter 24
“Hitomi? Hitomi?” Obi’s voice was muffled.
The shot stopped ringing in her ears and she slowly opened her eyes. Hitomi looked up to see a hand outstretched to her. The curve of the hand and every line was recognizable. She glanced at Obi and placed her hand in his. His fingers curled around hers and he pulled her from the ground. He wrapped his arms around her and tightly embraced her as she buried her head against his chest. She couldn’t bring herself to look back at Domitori and she wasn’t even sure he’d be there if she did.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she mumbled.
“Yes, I did.” He ran his hand down the back of her head and along her hair. “And the sooner you realize that, the more prepared you’ll be for what is about to come.” Obi let out a sigh. “You also need to understand that I will do anything to protect you. Even if that means sacrificing myself for you.”
“Don’t say things like that.”
“I’m only stating the truth. And you should never have come after me. You put everything in danger to save me and you can’t do that ever again.”
Hitomi pulled away and looked up at him. His eyes were closed and every breath he took seemed staggered. “And I would do it all over again to save you.” She reached up resting her palm against his cheek. “When are you going to realize that I love you as much as you love me?”
His eyelids slowly lifted. “Never.” He slid one of his hands from her back and brought it up to her shoulder, and then brushed a few stray strands of hair from her face. She shivered and he quickly pulled her tight against him again. “I wasn’t sure I was ever going to be able to hold you like this again.”
Hitomi pressed her head against his chest listening to his heart beating. She could feel the rythym of her own heart as is seemed to synch up with each thump of Obi’s. It was at this moment she couldn’t remember ever being happier. Even though there had been chaos and death, she was content and relieved. She now knew the truth of who she was, Domitori had been stopped, and Obi was safe.
She wanted to stay in his arms forever and not have another care in the world besides him, but there were others she was concerned about. Rediisu and Guri were still somewhere. There was also the mystery man to consider. Hitomi tried to block out her other worries but they swirled around in her head creating little tornados of fret. She was just about to pull away and say this to Obi when he cleared his throat and pushed away from her.
“We need to go find the others,” he sighed. It seemed as though he had been having the same thoughts as her.
“I agree.” She nodded as she wiggled her fingers in between his. He gave her hand a squeeze and they started moving through the forest. The rain had stopped and the only sound audible was the trickle of drops hitting the leaf covered ground. It was eerily silent and it made her uneasy. The sounds had gone from one extreme to the other. They moved through the trees and branches quietly and slowly. She tried to see Obi’s expression, but he kept his eyes focused ahead. “How are we going to find everyone? Can you still smell them with that poison inside you?”
“No. But I know where we were.” He stopped and looked down at her. “We need to be quiet. Deiman or Kooisan could still be lurking around.”
Hitomi mashed her lips together and forced a slight grin. She hadn’t thought that Deiman and Kooisan might still be around. Her thoughts had been focused on Guri and Rediisu. They continued forward as he tightened his grip on her hand. She became more concerned about who might possibly be around them and she found herself scanning the woods trying to find any figure.
They walked for quite awhile. Hitomi hadn’t realized how far she had actually run to try to find Obi. Suddenly Obi stopped and he almost yanked her arm off as he pulled her against him.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered.
“Shh.” His eyes widened as he glanced around. She kept as still as possible against him while he surveyed the area. She swore she started to hear the faint sound of footsteps crunching in the distance.
“Do you hear that?” she asked.
“Hitomi, hush.” Obi let go of her hand and turned his head from side to side. She followed his eyes unable to determine where the sounds were coming from. The moon had disappeared again behind the cloud
s making it very hard to see anything. “Someone is coming,” he whispered before grabbing her and forcing her behind a tree. He pressed her back against the trunk as he smashed his body against hers.
The steps got louder as Hitomi tried to control her breaths. She found it difficult to concentrate on anything except his body pressed so hard against hers. Her nose was smashed into his neck and she closed her eyes breathing in his scent. Unexpectedly he pushed away from her and lept out from behind the tree.
“What are you doing?” Obi asked the unseen person. Hitomi glanced out from behind her hiding spot seeing Guri standing there in front of Obi.
“Trying to find you two,” Guri replied.
“Guri!” Hitomi ran over to him and wrapped her arms around him. “You’re alright.”
“Of course I’m alright.” She looked up at him as he smirked. “I’m a little irritated you ran away from me though.”
“Sorry,” Hitomi replied simply.
“You’re forgiven.” His smile widened and he gave her a quick squeeze before letting her go. “We should get back to the others.”
“Is everyone okay?” Obi questioned giving another wary glance around.
“Depends on who you mean by ‘everyone’,” Guri answered as he raised an eyebrow. Hitomi noticed Guri and Obi exchange a momentary look.
“Domitori has been eliminated,” Obi simply stated.
Guri gave a nod. “They’re waiting for us.” He turned and started back through the woods as Obi walked over and took Hitomi’s hand again. They followed Guri until they were back where the battle had begun. Rediisu was standing in the middle of the area with a make-shift torch. The fire cast an eerie orange glow across the leaves and branches. Hitomi noticed Liam sitting against one of the trees. He stood up as they approached and crossed his arms moving over towards Rediisu.
“I found them,” Guri announced.
Rediisu stepped forward. “Are you both alright?” he asked glancing between Hitomi and Obi.
“We’re good. Where are Deiman and Kooisan?” Obi answered quickly.
“Kooisan was eliminated. As far as Deiman is concerned, we don’t know.” Rediisu glanced up into the sky as Obi removed his gun from where it was tucked in the back of his jeans. Rediisu returned his gaze back down and focused on Hitomi. “Where did the other man go?”
Hitomi shrugged as she noticed Obi become very tense again. “Obi, he was obviously on our side.” She laid her hand on his arm in an attempt to calm him.
“Of course I am on your side,” the man’s voice boomed behind her. Everyone turned in the direction of the voice and raised their weapons. However, Hitomi did not feel threatened. She stepped forward as Obi tried to grab her arm. She avoided his grasp and took a few more steps.
“Show yourself,” she demanded. The man stepped out of the darkness and moved towards her. Obi stepped up to her side with his gun pointed at the man, but he did not stop as he moved forward. “Who are you?”
“My name is Gareth,” he answered as he dropped down to his knee and lowered his head. “My lady.”
Hitomi instantly felt embarrassed by his display. She began to fidget and bit at her bottom lip. She turned and looked at the other three behind her. Guri gave her a warm grin and also knelt down to his knee. Rediisu and Liam were soon to follow him. She turned her eyes back up to Obi, who was watching the other three shinigami. He lowered his gun and turned to her. He took a deep breath and dropped down to his knee.
“Don’t do that,” she erupted as she grabbed at his arm trying to pull him back up. She was not going to have them start treating her like some god or queen. “I will not have you four bowing to me.” She tugged at him again, but when he did not move she rushed over to Guri. “Get up. You guys are never to bow to me. You are my friends.” Guri started to stand as she went over to Rediisu and Liam. “Stand up now. You are all being ridiculous.” Rediisu and Liam stood back up and she went back over to Obi. “Obi, please get up.” He did not move and she was quickly kneeling in front of him. “Obi?” Hitomi reached over and put her hand under his chin to make him look at her. When he lifted his head, his eyes appeared worried and sad. “You especially are never to lower yourself to me.” His eyes searched her face and they both stood up together. His lips trembled as she leaned up to him and kissed him. “You are always my equal.” She turned to the other three. “As are you guys.” She spun back around to the other man still kneeling and stepped closer to him. “Gareth, please get up.”
“As you wish.” He stood up and appeared even taller than before. He eyed the group of death gods curiously.
“Who exactly are you?” she questioned wondering what connection he had to Isbian. “I’m assuming you were sent by Isbian.”
“Yes.” He nodded and then glanced around. “I will explain everything once we have made sure you are back within the barrier. I suggest we get to the cabin.”
“He’s right,” Rediisu agreed. “We should go.” He walked up behind Hitomi and put his hands on her shoulders. “I will take you Hitomi.”
“I will take her,” Obi interjected.
“Obi, you’re not fully healed. It’s fine. I can go with Rediisu. I know you’ll be right there.” She smiled in an attempt to comfort him, but she could tell from his expression he was upset. Rediisu scooped her up in his arms and within the few seconds it took for her to get situated in his grip Obi had already taken off up into the sky.
“He’ll get over it,” Rediisu mumbled as his wings came out. They flapped once and they took off into the air. The night air was even colder up higher and Hitomi shivered. She watched Obi flying next to them and she could sense everyone else behind them. It was only a few minutes until they touched down outside the cabin. Rediisu set her down and Obi was immediately at her side. She took his hand in hers as Guri, Liam, and Gareth landed.
“Obi?” she mumbled.
“Hm?”
“Don’t let go no matter what, okay?” She smiled up at him. He gave a nod in response as the door opened to the cabin. Regina came rushing out and wrapped her arms around Hitomi, but Hitomi refused to let go of Obi’s grasp.
“Hitomi, thank god you’re alright. What were you thinking sneaking out of here and going off alone?” Her mother pulled away and rested her hands on her shoulders. “That was very dangerous. You can never do that again. You don’t know what you risked.”
“Yes, I do. I met Isbian in the woods earlier. He told me everything.” Hitomi stared at her mother, whose eyes widened.
“Let’s get inside.” She tried to usher Hitomi inside, but Hitomi would not budge without Obi. Her mother let go of her glancing between them then turned and went into the cabin. Rediisu, Guri, Liam and Gareth followed behind her and the door shut with a thud. Hitomi shifted her gaze up to Obi.
“I don’t know if I can go in there knowing that I am the reason you put yourself in danger,” he said with guilt coming from every word.
“Obi, stop. I’m the one who shouldn’t have run away in the first place. You can’t blame yourself. Let’s go inside and get dried off. Everything is over.”
“Nothing is over.” He shook his head. “Everything is just beginning.”
Hitomi bit at her bottom lip and gave a nod. “I know. But we need to regroup and figure out where to go from here.” Obi reluctantly agreed as he squeezed her hand. She led him inside as everyone glanced up from their positions around the coffee table. Neither one of them said anything as they went into the bedroom. Hitomi shut the door and let go of his hand. She walked away from the door and across the room as she pulled off her sweater.
“I should go into the main room and let you change,” Obi stuttered over his words and when she turned back to him, he had positioned himself looking at the door.
“Since you’re staring at the door, you can stay.” She let out a little laugh and peeled off her soaked clothing. Hitomi quickly changed into her dry pajamas and slipped on some socks as she walked up behind Obi. She put her hands on his back an
d slid them around his waist. “I’m going to go out there while you get changed.” He gave a slight nod as he turned around still in her grasp.
“I love you. You know that, right?” he mumbled as he placed his hands on either side of her face.
“Yes.” She smiled as he leaned down and gently kissed her. But this kiss was different than before. She could feel the hesitation in his lips as they moved with hers. He was being too careful as if she was a porcelain doll about to break. After the kiss he rested his forehead against hers. She wasn’t sure what she could say to wash away Obi’s guilt, but she knew that it would take him some time to get over. Hitomi let go of him and went out to the main room where everyone was sitting and waiting quietly. She took a seat on the couch in between her mother and Guri.
“Are you doing alright sweetie?” Regina asked putting her arm around Hitomi’s shoulders.