Aki was walking back home. It was a late night. He promised to stay free today but ended up working today. Aito must be upset. He brought a cake with him. While walking he saw three men were doing something. He could not see properly because they had broken the street lamp. His road had a street lamp but that road didn't, "Strange! Why haven't the street maintenance repaired it yet ?"
He had just crossed the intersection from the train crossing. Suddenly felt he saw they were holding another person who was struggling. Aki thought, could it, might be a girl?
His heart was beating so fast fearing that maybe they were doing something very bad. He went back and 'What are you all doing?' He talked to those men from a distance to see what was going on.
What Aki had feared turned out to be true. Those men were holding a girl and another man was holding the girl's lower portion. Aki felt so much anger and went there. But they ran away as soon they saw Aki. Aki chased them but couldn't catch them. He screamed in frustration. It really hurt him so much that he couldn't catch them. He turned back to that girl. He saw the girl was wearing her pant back. Aki slowed down his walking pace. The girl was leaning on the wall.
"Oh my God! What do I do! Should I call the medic? Where did my phone go!!?"Aki couldn't find his phone. "Did I leave it in the office? What am I supposed to say to the girl?" When Aki got close the girl looked at him.
Her cheek was bruised. Her eyes were red with hair was messed up. Her clothes were torn. Aki closed his eyes and took a breath. His heart was beating faster than before. The girl seemed to be furious. Aki was too. He feels her emotions. Took another breath and bend down to face her, 'I'm sorry!!'
The girl seemed surprised by those words. Aki himself was too unable to understand why he was apologizing. 'What…um…Would you like to tell me…your name please?'
'Tsuba...ki..' she replied with a shaky voice.
Aki says softly, 'I'm Azusa, Tsubaki-chan, you are safe now. So let me take you to the hospital, please. Are you able to stand?'
'It's...ok.I don't want to…go to the hospital.' the girl was strangely calm.
'Alright. We won't then.' Aki searched through his pockets while agreeing.
Aki always carries bandages in his pocket because he always cuts himself from papercut or little things. He brings them out but the design was different from what he uses.
He frowns, 'When did I buy this type? Anyway, this will do for now.'
'Let me see your wounds. I don't have many bandages on me so…' Aki covered her forehead wound that was bleeding.
Then the side of her lips and then the hands. The girl was so pretty, despite having her wounds.
"How can those bastards bruise this adorable face! How will this girl cope now? Aish!! I should have run a bit faster and killed those bastards!" On the inside, Aki was fuming.
'That's all I had.' Tsubaki was looking at Aki and Aki felt uneasy.
Aki asked politely, 'Where do you live? I will take you there.'
Tsubaki shook her head, 'No need...I will be…'
'I will take you home and I need to see if you have or not entered safely. Please…' Aki insisted. A part of him was still scared.
Tsubaki tried to get up. Aki helped. Then Tsubaki started walking and Aki followed behind. She was not wearing any winter clothes so Aki put his blazer on her. Then stepped back again to walk behind. After a few block, Tsubaki stopped. Aki understood that she has reached her home. She opened the gate and stepped to go inside.
Aki said, 'Tsubaki-chan!' The girl looked at him.
He stood afar and said, 'I only tried to cover your external wounds. I don't know the pain you felt or how should I console you...What I'm trying to say is that don't let this...all...I mean…you are the only one who can heal your internal wound. So…be kind to yourself and don't let this darken your soul…'
As the girl was not saying anything he thought he must leave.
So Aki started walking, 'Take care.'
Suddenly the girl came and hugged Aki from behind. She was crying. Aki couldn't say anything. Just waited silently. When he was about to turn the girl ran away inside her home. Aki could not say anything.
'You can count on me. Anytime you need.' Aki screamed in a way so that the girl could hear him.
Then he went back to his home.
Their main gate seemed different, 'When did dad change the design?
When he opened the gate to get inside he saw something wrapped with a sweater and a blazer. He couldn't understand what it was. It moved suddenly and Aki was shocked and stepped away.
'What is this?'He tried to get close and saw a baby.
He was stunned. He kneels down and took the baby. There he finds a note
"Please, look after her for a while. Nobody knows about her yet. I will come back for her when I make it safe for her to live on. I will come back soon. Please till then keep her safe."
At the end of the note, it said, "Your blazer has the kindest warmth."
Aki saw the blazer but couldn't recognize it. He moved the baby towel a bit more. A beautiful babyface.
"What is this baby doing here? Whose baby is she?"Aki looked at her once more.
This time the baby was waking up. Aki couldn't help but look at her. When she opened her eyes, it was just like his amber eyes with different colors. Aki was petrified and couldn't breathe. Somebody touched him in his arms. He woke up…
He was lying on the bed. Ginger was in front of him and Reiji was behind him sitting on the bed touching his arms, 'Are you alright? It seemed you were dreaming.'
'I was.' Aki couldn't understand what was all that about. He had pain in his eye. So he covered his eyes. When he looked at Reiji, he saw Reiji was smiling, 'What did you dream?'
Aki didn't want to tell him about that but didn't want to hide as well, 'I saw a girl...not a girl maybe but seemed like a girl.'
Reiji frowned, 'A woman? Your ex?'
'No! God! No, no!' Aki seemed embarrassed, 'A woman was in a situation…I don't know her.'
Reiji was confused.
'She was being raped by some hooligan.' Reiji's expression changes as Aki says that.
Aki saw that 'I know it's an unpleasant topic. But it seemed…I thought it was real. I saved her and then took her home and said something like "don't let it darken your soul" then on the next I saw a baby wrapped in a blazer with a note saying "your blazer has the kindest warmth"
'What else did you see...I meant did you…' Aki was surprised that Reiji wanted to know more.
'I think I saw myself as the baby. Her eyes were like mine. Amber eyed with different colors.' As soon as Aki was finished, Reiji got up suddenly. Aki couldn't understand why. Then he asked, 'Did you stay here all night? In my room.'.
Reiji seemed tense and couldn't say anything. So Aki said, 'It's ok. I didn't mind.'
Reiji looked at him and said, 'I'm sorry but I need to go out. I couldn't..leave because...you...you were sleeping.'
Aki couldn't understand why he was hesitant, 'Ya sure! Go!'
'Ok! Thanks.'Reiji disappeared within a second.
Aki was shocked. He didn't think Reiji would use teleportation. He got off the bed and was stretching his body, Reiji appeared that shock Aki, "Aaah!! What the hell!!'
He holds his heart.
'I didn't properly say goodbye.'Aki didn't get what he meant by that, 'What?!'
Reiji kissed his lips then touched his head, 'It may take a few days to see you again because I'm going back to my place.'
'Hidden world?'Aki was disheartened.
Reiji nodded, 'Yes! I'm sorry!'
'It's ok!'Reiji disappeared and Aki sat down on the bed
"What if he disappears like this? I don't have any means to get a hold of him if he…ever leaves. Do I have to wait like this without any touch?"
A text arrives on his phone which made him smile.
Reiji wrote, "You can text. I will call you when I get the chance. I promise I will call you every day."
Aki replied but still felt unsettled.
In the hidden world…
The Lin-Ruan Castle…
Reiji enters and hurried somewhere. Jinn with a human appearance but with cat ears greets Reiji, 'Master Ruan!'
'Regina! Is mother in her room.' Reiji asked while striding fast.
'Yes! Lord Ruan had just arrived a few hours ago.' Regina nodded.
'And father?' Reiji kept walking and the maid Regina kept floating behind him.
'Lord Lin is still in the human world. He will be back by evening.' Regina updated him.
'Don't tell anybody that I am here. I need to go back soon.' Reiji went in after foreboding her.
'Yes, Master Ruan!' Regina bowed and stopped following.
'Ma!?' Reiji was about to knock on the door but the door opened and a voice said, 'Come in. I already know you are here.'
Reiji gets in and sees she was sitting leaning on the bed, 'Why is your heartbeat unstable?'
'Ma! Are you ok? Why do you look so pale?' Reiji touches her face.
She is the same girl that Aki had helped in his dream.
'I'm out of my mana.' she smiled.
Reiji touched her hand and sits beside her. The energy was flowing around her like mist in golden color, 'Why are you not letting it enter?'
'I was about to.' She lets those mists enter her body slowly, 'What is it that you wanted to say?' she looked at him.
'Did father tell you about…' Reiji asked but she smiles while saying, 'Your lover?'
Reiji smiles and lowered his eyes.
'Yes, he did. He also told me that you lied about that. That kid doesn't sync with your feelings.' She mocked him a bit.
'He does now.' Reiji smiles and then looks at her. She smiles too.
'Ma, don't feel down ok!?' Reiji cast a spell that surrounds them in a thin layer of the transparent bubble.
'Why cast sound blocking mana?' she sits up fully.
'Aki had a dream…'she nodded after hearing him, 'in it he saw about you. I read inside him then and saw it was actually about you.' He said.
'Show me!' Reiji showed him Aki's dream.
Tears fell down from her eyes. Reiji was about to cry but he hugged her and tried to stop his tears.
'It's him Re, it's Arata-san. Thank God he came back! I was afraid I won't be able to see him again in this life.'Reiji kept holding her. When she was ready she sits up looking at Reiji's eyes and smiles.
Reiji hesitated, 'Are you..are you sure it's him? I know they look alike but is it really him?'
'It's him. I left a note which can be read by humans except the last line…which can only be read by Arata-san."Your blazer has the kindest warmth". That line can only be understood by Arata-san. He had given me that and I knew he would recognize it and understand who's baby she was. He did so without any hesitation and died while protecting her. His wife was so kind too. She even breast-feeded her as her own. All I ever could do, was to watch and wait for the right time.' She explained. Reiji didn't say anything.
'Treat him well. Don't hurt him…now that you know whose reincarnation he is.' She requested.
Reiji asked, 'Is that why you were so persistent about protecting him?! Did you have this premonition, that it could be him?'
'Even if he wasn't Arata-san, I would have tried to protect him not only because he was his descendant but because he had inherited the same kindness and honesty.' She smiled with a saddened face.
'Oh ya…He's honest! Much straightforward with his feelings. The words he advised you I thought he might be more soft and intelligent. But this is totally different from Arata than your Arata-san.' Reiji was still confused.
'Yes yes! I got it! I won't pry on your Aki. He is yours.' She patted his shoulder.
'Ah! No! That's not what I meant.' Reiji became shy.
Sayo removes the spell and gets down from her bed. She inhales a large amount of energy that was flowing around her.Reiji mesmerizingly keeps watching her.
"She is happy!" he thought.
'Your father would be arriving soon. Stay with us for dinner.' Sayo said.
Reiji got up, 'No! No! I will have to leave soon…before anyone sees.'
'How disappointing!' Lin entered the room, 'My son is here yet he doesn't want to have dinner with his parents.'
'Father!' Reiji greets him, 'Actually I have to leave soon.'
'I doubt that.' Reiji understood what he meant.
His followers were informed of his arrival. He sits down disheartened.
Lin patted on his back lightly, 'With great power comes great responsibility.'
Sayo smiled, 'Don't tease him. They just started dating.'
Lin was surprised, 'Oh! Really!! Congratulations!! We should celebrate then!'
Reiji was irritated but couldn't say anything. To see her mother feel so light he felt content. They kept talking for long.