Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
AKIRA
Ah, the sweet flood of painkillers.
The lovely people at Hereford County Hospital fixed me up good, and thankfully I’d had no major arteries severed by the gardening tool.
And the staff, along with the SCU, made sure we were hidden away from sight.
We didn’t want any paparazzi or the public getting snaps of me, splashing my name everywhere.
I kept a low profile nowadays, a Murakami or not. And it would be staying that way.
Painkillers didn’t dull my anger at the tenshi, though. They’d played a game with me, shuffled me across the board like a pawn.
I didn’t go for that.
They’d left me a note. Two minutes ago, it fluttered down from the ceiling like a feather, landing in my lap.
The paper was pale pink with a red edge, still in my hands, my eyes repeatedly scanning the text.
Dearest Akira,
You have chosen your fate.
Your choice does not make you less of a target, only one without the gifts of the Cherry Blade.
The mazoku will still hunt you. For you are the symbol of their failure, and the death of the tenshi-blooded mortal is a trophy, a mark of success.
Be sure to defend yourself. As you were told, the resources of our power are being used elsewhere.
The Cherry Blade will draw much of the attention as they awaken from their slumber, a siren song to these terrible mazoku-born and their minions.
Yet you remain a shadow for them, haunting their dark minds.
We have limited insight into their machinations so far, though we are sure these minions will come after you while The Eight direct their attention on your brother.
Every time I read “your brother,” my insides winced.
His life was forever changed because of me, shoved in a more violent direction.
Zach Hoshino is now Sakura Chosen, our warrior on Earth.
He is one with the Cherry Blade and the powers it grants. It has made him stronger, faster, yet without the tenshi blood, he is a diluted version of what you could have been. Alas, such is fate.
You are not chosen.
You are free to live your life as you see fit.
We wish you eternal happiness.
Yours,
天使
Uh-huh. If it was up to them, I’d be Sakura Chosen, and my fiancé would be dead. They would probably never confirm it, but I knew deep in my core that if I took up that katana, G would be dead. Maybe it was paranoia, but I couldn’t shake the word price from my head.
So, by the same logic, did it mean the diluted version of this warrior was also a price to be paid? And how dare they call my brother diluted. He was amazing, an absolute powerhouse of awesomeness.
Talk about taking the coward’s route, sending me this letter. Why not meet me face-to-face to explain why they almost dropped me in a pit of grief? Hash it out with me, no secrets, plain speak.
I liked plain speak. And I wanted to believe they hadn’t tried removing G from my life to turn me into some hardened arse-kicker seeking vengeance and death for the greater good.
Maybe it would be better to stay in the dark on that one.
I sighed, folding the paper. The guilt returned, stronger this time.
Had I shafted my brother for my own selfishness? Did my rejecting this hurt him? I mean, diluted sounded so, well, harsh.
“It should’ve been me,” I said.
“What should?”
G stirred in the bed beside me, the pair of us in the same room.
Stupid guilt making me spout bollocks.
I didn’t want it.
But Zach…
He yawned, stretching, tugging on the wires and tubes attached to his arms.
“Hey, you. How are you feeling?” I shuffled to face him.
“Drowsy.” He turned his head to face me. “Smitten over you.”
“Yeah, same.” I winked at him, blushing a little.
“Confused, too,” he added.
He’d been asleep when the emergency services arrived. Passed out from all the drama. Bless him. We still needed to discuss everything.
Later. Before the letter arrived, I’d been reading up on the Hone-onna for a refresher.
Yep. Exactly what Bony had been based on, but a totally different version.
Where she wanted to feed on the sorrows of love, the Hone-onna (bone woman) were women who died, but their love for their lover was so intense they returned from the grave at night to reunite with him.
A bucket-load of happiness would surround the reunion, and they would usually have sex, both blissfully unaware that she was actually dead.
I found it really sad.
Bony Hag’s version fed on the sorrowful side of love. Like losing it, its destruction, all that nasty shit.
Ugh. If she’d flipped the script on that slice of folklore, then what the hell were the other eight of, erm, The Eight, gonna be?
Yikes.
G reached across the gap between us. I stretched my flesh arm out for him, taking his hand.
He traced my knuckles with his thumb. “Is it morning yet?”
“Soon.”
He exhaled a long breath. “I thought I was losing you.”
Do not start sobbing. “Same. Same. I was so scared.”
“Did I do enough?”
“Huh?”
“To keep you safe.” He winced, poking at the bandage around his neck.
“You always keep me safe.”
“But I let her get me.”
“She didn’t get you. Zach got her.”
“Zach?”
A stab of guilt. “We’ve got a lot to chat about.”
“I see.”
“And if it wasn’t for you, I would’ve died in that fishbowl thingy.” My turn to stroke his knuckles. “You came for me. You rescued me.” I gave him my best lovey-dovey eyes. “My hero.”
He enjoyed that.
“My sparkly starlight man,” I added.
“That’s me.”
“That’s you.”
We kept our hands joined, making googly eyes.
You made the right choice, I told myself.
A selfish one, though.
I hadn’t seen Zach for a couple of hours. He said he’d speak to me properly later, and that everything would be okay.
Yeah, so okay that he was now a chosen weapon for the tenshi, but not quite good enough because of the lack of angelic blood. What about his peace? What about his happiness?
“What’s wrong, Aki?”
Somone knocked on the door.
“Yeah?” I called.
“Brother Akira? It’s me.”
Riku.
“May we come in?” Sarah asked.
“We have snacks,” Uncle Ryoka added.
G and I laughed, taking our hands back.
“Come in,” I answered.
My uncle really wasn’t kidding when he said he’d brought snacks. A shit-ton of Pringles, glacé cherries, chocolate raisins, G’s favorite Doritos—the ones with the hint of lime—along with a twenty-four pack of Fanta. Oh, and a bunch of green grapes for balance.
Nice. I’d give it all my best shot.
While Sarah and Ryoka chatted with G about the new security measures implemented around the city in the wake of this new development, Riku and I devoured sour cream and onion Pringles.
“These are the best,” he said, crumbs around his lips.
“Sure are.”
His expression turned serious. “How badly are you hurt?”
The way he asked it tugged at my heartstrings. “I’m fine, Lil Bro.” I ruffled his hair.
He wasn’t buying it. “You’ve been hurt lots in your life. I hate it.” He shook his head. “It’s not fair.”
Things had never been like this between us before. In this moment, he seemed, I don’t know, wise beyond his six years? I wasn’t sure. But also, he wasn’t quite the little kid I knew.
“A lot of people go through hurt in their lives,” I tried.
He folded his arms. “I’m sad for them. But you’re my brother. And I love you. I miss you. I get worried at night. I have the night sweats.”
“Because of me?”
He nodded. “I’m scared. I don’t want to lose you. And I feel…” He paused, scratching at his chest. “And I feel time is running.”
“Running?”
“Away. Running away.” His forehead creased. “I want to see more of you. And Zach.” His dark eyes glistened with sadness. “I get lonely. I want my big brothers. I want my big brothers to be safe.” He dipped his head.
“Riku…”
“I’m the only one here. Dad’s gone, and I never met him. What if you’re gone next? What about Zach?” He sniffed. “I know you’ve got lives, but what about me?”
Damn, he sounded so down. And his cracked and sad little voice shed light on something I’d never considered before.
Hiding myself away in a bubble invertedly hurt him, as well as myself.
I’ve been missing too much.
“I’m so sorry, Riku.”
He kept his head bowed.
“You’re right,” I whispered. “I’ve been hiding away too much.”
And too lost.
He looked up, wiping at his eyes.
“You deserve to have family around you.”
Shit, a fist closed around my heart. I couldn’t bear the thought of him being alone.
But he had no one else other than his mum and his nanny.
As awesome as it was to have a mum, it would also be such a small world when you knew you had other people related to you, staying away, only popping up now and again.
Damn.
Just damn.
I understood family burns. My dad stubbed enough emotional cigarettes out on me over the years. He wasn’t there for me, his rejection a daily slap.
But I could be there for my Lil Bro.
Things have to change.
“We’ve got to live,” he whispered. “Even when it’s scary.”
“Come here.” I opened my arms.
“I’m sorry.”
Silence fell over the room. The others were listening.
I wanted them to hear this, to know I took my brotherly responsibilities seriously.
“We’ve got to live,” Riku repeated.
Out of the mouth of kids, eh? He was bang on the money.
Stewing in my fears over losing G hurt others. I saw that now, regret bubbling in the pit of my stomach. Because the world wouldn’t ever let up, always running at full steam ahead, chewing through time like a batch of freshly baked muffins.
Everything changes. Hiding away didn’t slow that change.
Didn’t stop fear belting me with a metal gauntlet, either.
“Brotherly awesomeness incoming,” I said.
Riku grinned, big laughter bursting from his tiny body. He threw himself at me, bumping my leg wound.
Oof! I felt that one!
“Careful, Riku,” Sarah warned.
“Sorry.” He adjusted his body, still clinging to me. “Sorry.”
“You’re good.” I patted his back.
We’d connected on a deeper level. I felt it in my core, as amazing as freshly baked bread. This little fella would not be alone.
Not on my watch.
No matter his age, he had a beating heart, and a lot going on in that tiny head of his. He saw things, noticed stuff, and it all mattered. Big time.
I loved him so much.