Facing the Storm

by Wilson, Yumoyori

  He groaned, moved out of the room after kicking the door open, and paused for a second to change my position just slightly so his arm that secured me on his shoulder was on my waist and not my thighs.

  "Tha...oh shit, Hakua?!" I tried to thank James, but my eyes landed on Hakua who was down the hall with five other guards. Her eyes locked on mine, and I noticed she held something round in her hand.

  My Kitsune growled and approached the surface, which made my tails begin to form until I felt six fluttering around.

  "Fuck, Crim, put your tails away." James groaned and began to run.

  "I can't! Hakua!" I screamed, and she pointed at us.

  "INTRUDER! After him!" She ran forward with the guards following right behind.

  I lifted my upper body slightly, my eyes growing wide when I realized where we were going. "Oh, hell no! WE'RE ON THE SECOND FLOOR!" I screamed, but I quickly ducked as James crashed through the glass and we descended to the ground. He landed with ease and he began to run towards the forest that was filled with cherry blossoms.

  I looked up to see Hakua stop right at the entrance, pointing for the guards to go through the steps before she followed them.

  "They're going to reach us, James," I pointed out. "You need to run away."

  He stopped after a minute as we entered a wide clearing that was surrounded by cherry blossoms. He lowered me as gently as he could and gripped my face with his hands.

  "Crimson, I need you to summon that petal tornado thing you did when we met at the forest."

  "What?! Why?! I'm not killing you!" I huffed. That made him smile, but I noticed the sadness in his eyes.

  "Because something bad is about to happen, and I’d rather not allow you to see it. Please, Crim baby," he whispered. I stared into his red eyes, knowing he was doing this to protect me.

  With a nod, I turned to face the way we came and closed my eyes, zoning everything out and feeling the energy of the blossoms around me.

  They could feel my call, and I felt the wind begin to pick up and the rushing sound of leaves which I knew were the cherry blossoms leaving their hold to come to my aid.

  I opened my eyes slightly as the cherry blossoms began to thicken, and my eyes locked onto Hakua's whose eyes were wide.

  James wrapped his arms around my waist, pressed his chest against my back, and he leaned in to whisper, "I'm sorry." I was bewildered as to why he was apologizing.

  "Why are yo..." I trailed off when my Kitsune roared in my mind, and it felt like everything slowed down. My Kitsune ran to the surface, taking control of the whirlwind of pink blossoms that surrounded James and me.

  Hakua ran forward, anger pulsing through her purple eyes that narrowed as she ran with power. She let out a battle scream while the other guards appeared from the forest into the clearing, charging towards us.

  She outstretched her arm that held the circular item, the object heading towards us. I looked at her in confusion; the cherry blossoms became thicker and thicker to the point I could barely see her head while the rest of the view was cut off by the rapid swirling of pink.

  I blinked and realized why James had apologized. That level of anger and disgust wasn't towards him.

  It was towards me.

  "FOR N.R.O!" Hakua screamed.

  James hugged me tightly, covering my eyes with his hand. Hakua's words sank in; my mind went into shock as I realized what was going on.

  The scream that left my mouth wasn't mine, but a battle cry from my Kitsune, and I could feel her seal the last space of the tornado of petals.

  Sealing us away from the world as the bomb went off.

  Have you ever seen something that makes everything just stop? An image, scene, or action that makes the movement of your exhale pause, your heartbeat skip a few rhythmic beats, and your brain unable to comprehend what has just happened.

  That was me.

  As the petals that swarmed around James and I began to dim, the shocking truth started to sink in while the aftermath of what had just occurred played once more. Before my eyes could see the other side of the petal cyclone that shielded us, I could smell three things.

  Smoke. Blood. Burning Flesh.

  The petals wanted to protect me - shield me from the view that would be waiting for me when they dispersed and returned to their simple form of nature. Yet, I had to know. I begged them to reveal the truth.

  * * *

  The truth I so desperately didn't want to acknowledge.

  * * *

  The petals dispersed, just like that, displaying what I knew wouldn't be a happy fairytale as they rained down upon us in saddened dismay. My gaze lowered to the ground a few feet away, landing on the first body parts of many. A hand.

  It wasn't just any hand, but one that had comforted me when I needed someone to hold my hand and allow me to cry when I felt abandoned.

  A hand that patted me on the head when I'd done a good job at training.

  A hand that high fived me after surviving another week of hell.

  A hand that shook mine when I'd successfully sword danced.

  The hand of the woman I'd called a best friend. A best friend who'd ended her life to betray me.

  To Kill Me.

  My gaze moved away; my brain had more than enough of the single image. With the fire that was burning around us, it wouldn’t be long until that body part and the ones that remained would be nothing but ash.

  The ashes of my best friend and the guards that were led astray. Were they led to their deaths, or were they aware of the deed that was about to be done?

  "Crimson."

  I didn't move at the sound of James' voice. It wasn't like I couldn't hear the agony and pain in his smooth tone. Or envision the sadness in his red eyes. He'd warned me. He protected me by looking like the bad guy, yet to my Kitsune and I, we didn't know what to believe.

  Who to trust.

  My ears twitched, making me realize they were out still, and I caught the sound of approaching footsteps. Extremely fast ones.

  James walked in front of me, blocking my sight with his broad back as he pulled out his sword that materialized in his hand, the scabbard appearing on the side of his waist.

  A familiar scent hit me, my senses already telling me who it was. Lion...

  Three seconds passed, and Malachi's large lion form jumped into the clearing, a load roar raging around us.

  I wanted to move. So did my Kitsune. Yet, we stood there like statues, unable to lift a finger as we continued to stare right into James’ back. If I stared at his back forever, would that mean I didn't have to accept what just happened? Could I pretend that I could trust people?

  Another set of footsteps made my ears twitch and the strong cologne reminded me of Quillian. The footsteps grew louder and louder until the sound of someone's rapid breathing filled my ears.

  "Crimson! What the- Mr. Bipolar?! What...what the fuck did you do?!" Quil snapped.

  Malachi growled, but it didn't sound defensive, almost giving the notion that he was calm. Quil cursed and I heard James sigh as he slowly slid his sword back into its case and lowered his arms.

  "See? Even the Lion has more reason than you, ass," James grumbled.

  "Fuck off. Why is Crimson behind you?!"

  "She's...in shock," James admitted but didn't move.

  "Why is she in shock?" Quil demanded, but more footsteps could be heard. James moved just slightly to the side, allowing me to see Malachi's large lion form in its dark beauty, and Quil, whose eyes were dark red with anger. The eyes as dark as the blood that stained the soil beneath us.

  I couldn't make direct eye contact, my eyes just staring at the space, yet my mind understood quickly that Haru, Itsuki, and Yoshimitsu had arrived.

  "What...?" Yoshi began, but he trailed off. I didn't blame him for being speechless, but so was I. He was seeing the aftermath of what had transpired here. He didn't truly see what I saw. He couldn't FEEL the hurt in my frantic heart. No one could, except myself and my Kitsune.

&n
bsp; "The guards," Haru whispered.

  "James, what happened?" Itsuki questioned. James turned his head toward me, and I didn't move, my eyes somehow locked on Malachi now. I didn't get why I was staring at him, my eyes taking great effort to focus on every dark purple strand of his fur coat then to stare at the burning ground around us.

  "Want to put the fire out before it spreads?" James suggested. "You'll need it for evidence."

  I heard the clap of a set of hands, and out of the corner of my eyes noticed the flames suddenly freeze over. The heat that once hovered around us dropped, a cool chill replacing its power and remaining victorious as we stood there.

  "There," Quil stated in a harsh voice. "Now, spill. What's wrong with Crim and what the FUCK happened here?"

  "Hakua tried to kill Crimson."

  The words felt like weights, each word setting a block of cement on my shoulders and contributing to the pounding headache I was currently experiencing. They're just words. They aren't true. Yes. Hakua...she'd...never...never...

  My brain wouldn't let me continue, as I'd stopped functioning completely. It wouldn't allow me to say it, blocking my pitiful attempt at denying something my very eyeballs had observed to the last second.

  The silence that fell felt like a cloak of tension, the unimaginable situation that none of my lovers would have predicted. Hakua...is...my...friend. She'd never...

  Again, denial that I so desperately wanted to play a role in the act that was happening around me. It had to be an act, a simple test or confrontation that needed to be done to make me stronger. Yes. An act. I bet Aki will show up and say this was all an attempt to make me stronger. This can't be real. No way...never...never, never, never.

  "You're lying," Quil whispered, the anger in his voice now absent. What replaced it was sadness. If only it held even a quarter of the amount of misery that was beginning to pool within me. Too bad it didn't stop the growing rage that was flooding me and would overtake me if this prank didn't end.

  "Do I really have a reason to lie?"

  "How did you get here?" Itsuki asked. Here must have referred to the clearing, but how would I know. My eyes were still glued to the magnificent lion who'd yet to move those sky-blue eyes from mine.

  "I got a tip and went to investigate. I snuck into the palace and heard Hakua talking to a specific guard about her plan to lure Crimson here to the clearing and give her a crystal ball. That ball would have been a bomb, the appearance being altered by Hakua before she'd meet Crimson downstairs outside of the building. I stayed on the second floor, knowing Crimson would have no choice but to pass and essentially tried to 'kidnap' her to safety. Hakua caught us with the undercover guard who's a part of N.R.O and the other four guards that were summoned to help do rounds around this area. When they saw us, Hakua ordered to stop us, knowing that I was trying to save Crimson and it would screw up her plan. She chased us here and Crimson created a protective blossom barrier around us...right before Hakua set off the bomb," James summarized.

  Everything was silent, making me wonder if I'd gone completely deaf. The Lion took a step forward, his eyes still on mine, and I had to blink a few times to clear my somewhat blurry vision. I must be losing my senses, because why else would my eyes blur?

  "Fuck..." Itsuki whispered.

  "You’re...not lying." Haru sounded shocked.

  "Don't need to. I'm not spelled to not share something I've just witnessed. It's your choice to take it or leave it. I think we should worry about Crimson right now."

  Even though I could feel more than one pair of eyes on me, it felt like I had tunnel vision and the only thing in my path was Malachi. I need to go...

  My body moved before I could think as I slowly turned away from it all. Away from the pain, truth, and ultimate reality that everything James had said was true.

  "Crimson," James called out, and I stopped, not even noticing I'd taken three steps away. I need to go...

  "Crimson. Think for a moment. Running away won't solve anything!" Haru shouted. My trembling lips parted, while my vision blurred even more. I wanted to say something, to be logical about all of this, but the anger was stronger. The pain and heartache that rooted inside me was what was fueling the built-up rage and was ultimately about to contribute to my actions.

  "I'm leaving."

  "Crimson!" Quil shouted, but it made me even angrier.

  "I. Said. I. Am. Leaving." As I repeated myself, this time my Kitsune helped me out as her body seemed to glow inside my head; the dark eerie pink aura that engulfed her white fur body almost transitioned to pure black.

  "Crimson." Yoshi's voice was stern and that really ticked me off. "You are in shock. You need to trust us to handle thi-"

  "Trust," I whispered, which silenced him. "Trust?"

  The laughter that escaped me was an eerie cry for help, a sound you were more likely to hear in horror movies than to come from my shaking lips.

  I slowly turned around then, my eyes taking their time to scan the men before me and landed on the Lion once more.

  "Trust? You want me to trust? Trust what? You? The others? Your father? My parents? Who should I trust, Yoshimitsu? A woman who'd known me for most of my life decided her last words would be 'For N.R.O.' I trusted her...she was my best friend. Why would she hurt me?" I questioned, the cynical side of me taking over as another laugh escaped me.

  It wasn't as if I found this situation utterly amusing. It wasn't. Yet, my brain couldn't grasp any other action that would help me absorb all of this. The laughter helped me realize I was still alive and very much losing my sanity with every ticking moment I wasted standing here. I. NEED. TO. GO.

  "Crimson. You're in shock." Haru took a step forward as he cautioned me. He froze as his eyes widened, and that only contributed to my curiosity, noticing everyone but Malachi's eyes grew wide with fear.

  Yes. Fear. The only feeling I was currently capable of and what I'd wished I could rid of from my heart. I wanted to pass it along. To give it to these men to carry instead. Along with my pain, sadness, and disappointment, and allow the anger to settle inside me forever.

  It wasn't until Malachi took another step forward that I noticed my hair was fluttering in the wind, and jet-black petals began to gather around me.

  Petals that would be the judge and executor as I brought death to anyone who challenged me right now.

  "Shock? When your best friend deceives you after all these years? That's the result? Shock..." I whispered and bit the bottom of my lip hard. How I wished this was a nightmare and that I'd wake up, but after what had happened with Erica, wishful thinking wasn't going to help me.

  "You will all deceive me..." I insisted, staring at each and every one of them, "You'll break my trust. Just like everyone else."

  "Crimson. We wouldn't dare. Please, don't think this way." Quil tried to reason with me but I shrugged as a laugh left my lips. "Don't think like what? Don't accept the reality that everyone lies to save their asses? To complete their own duty and mission. I lived a life I wasn't destined to live because of a man who wanted power. I was best friends with a person who wanted to kill me. I dated a man who I still don't know whether I can trust or not." I whispered the last part as my eyes landed on James, who had a hurt expression on his face.

  "Crim baby...there's a reason for all of this. Please."

  "I. Am. Done. I can't keep doing this." I slowly realized that I was crying. "I can't hurt like this again. Not after the deceit I'd experienced over and over again."

  I took a step back, and the black petals that began to spiral around me increased in strength and numbers while the wind picked up.

  The guys looked in shock and Malachi let out a roar before he leapt from his spot towards me. With a strong push off the ground, he was able to glide through the air and into the small space that sealed the moment his body passed through it.

  He landed with ease and stood in his spot; the dark petals around us made sure no one else could get through. It was just me and him and the black
petals that felt the multiple feelings running through me. It didn't matter how I felt about him or anyone.

  I knew that one of us wouldn't come out of this alive.

  ~MALACHI~

  Hurt...

  That’s what I saw before me. My eyes did not deceive me, even as one of the King predators in the vast shifter world, the power, and rage that was on the outside surface didn't faze me. Was the woman who we loved and cared about angry? Yes.

  But the hurt that throbbed inside her was stronger.

  The pain needed an outlet, a way to come forth and show how hurt its host was. The magic that coursed through the pitch-black petals that swirled around us was a representation of that.

  The tears that rolled down Crimson's face were enough to confirm my thoughts and my Lion held a level of empathy for her. She needed to get away because she was tired.

  Tired of the lies, deceit, and disappointment. Exhausted from people and shifters alike letting her down and making her wonder if it was hopeless to have faith in humanity.

  Her body trembled while her fist clenched so tightly, I was concerned she'd cut off her blood circulation.

  My Lion growled quietly, and Crimson bit her lip so hard that a blob of blood began to form on the left corner of her bottom lip. Her eyes were a dark pink and emitted the same amount of power that surrounded her.

  "Go. Or I'll kill you," she declared. I wasn't sure who was speaking, whether it was her Kitsune or Crimson actually talking. Either way, I was confident I wasn't abandoning her. She needed to see that not all of us were bad. We don't have such intentions. We won't abandon you.

  My only dilemma now, was how was I going to prove that to her? How could I show her that the others and I weren't going anywhere? I needed to prove it to her somehow. How?

  A thought came to my mind, and it was both stupid and brilliant but either side would potentially get me killed.