In their room, after the incident with Koba,
Crystal sleeps on her side of the bunk bed but for a while now she tossed and turned in her bed unable to sleep, She gets up and jumps down from the bed and sits in the center of the room in a butterfly position.
Tobi who was not asleep but was on the desk writing down everything Koba had just told him, looks at Crystal with concern "What? What are you looking at?" Crystal questions Tobi's stares "Nothing, just checking to see if you're okay"
"I'm fine but..." Crystal wants to speak but stops herself, "What's wrong sis?"
Crystal pauses for a moment and then finally speaks to Tobi concerned, "Tobi, I can't believe I passed out like that. What happened while I was out?"
Tobi immediately became nervous, "Oh, you know, it was just a weird vision, nothing important"
Crystal immediately became suspicious and stood up with her arms crossed across her chest She shifted her hip to the left "Tobi, I've known you long enough to know when you're hiding something. Tell me the truth".
Tobi hesitating turns away and faces his paper and begins to arrange them "Sis, it's not a big deal. Koba just showed me some strange images. Nothing to worry about"
Crystal was getting frustrated with Tobi and angry, surely what Koba showed Tobi wasn't that big of a deal? "Tobi, I can handle the truth. What did Koba show you?"
Tobi's eyes were filled with guilt, he turned around and forced a smile at Crystal as he decided to lie.
"Sis, Koba said you have great potential and that you're destined for amazing things. It was all positive, really" Crystal let go of her crossed arms and sighed a relief, She sat back on the ground with her arms on her chest,
"Oh... That's... that's okay... I was worried something was wrong with me"
Tobi can't meet her eyes, feeling the weight of his deception, he turns back around and faces his desk wall, The two go back to their separate beds, "Well then, I guess I can sleep peacefully" Crystal said as she turned to her side and pulled the cover of her sheets over her shoulder.
As Tobi reaches for the bedroom light switch, his fingers pause as it makes contact with the switch. With a deep breath, he turns off the light, casting the room into darkness. He softly utters the statement, "Yeah, you are going to do incredible things," His voice carries a mix of reassurance and encouragement, despite the difficult truth he's navigating.
Little does Crystal know that Tobi's hiding a painful secret, one he's trying to protect her from, at the very least elongating her human lifespan.
The next morning Koba summons Crystal and Tobi again, this time for some training.
"It's 6 am, not 6 pm, why did you summon us?" Crystal immediately asked questions, but Koba didn't respond instead he clicked his two fingers and two swords appeared beside him,
"Woah!" Tobi's eyes glimmered in excitement at the sight of the swords, The two swords were in flames but were not burning, one burnt in a blue color the other burnt in a bright green color.
"For now I'll keep you two in my domain until you arrive in Tokishiki"
"Why are we staying here?" Crystal asks
"Come on sis, you'll ruin all the fun take a look at this sword!" Tobi interrupts their conversation and walks toward the blue sword.
"Don't touch it, kid," Koba warns
"But why are we staying here?" Crystal calls back the attention of Koba, "Right... About that... It's actually because of you"
"Me?!"
"What did I do?!" Crystal sounded perplexed.
Koba sighed and shook his head, shrugging his shoulders he said, "You nearly killed the assistant captain of the ship and you're wanted on the ship."
"People are after you Sis?!" Tobi paused and looked at Crystal in a very confused way.
Confused about what was going on, Crystal says to the both of them to sound like they don't know what they're talking about. "I did not fight Lord Alfstrat, what are you talking about?"
"You fought that old man?! I thought you liked him, What a pity, poor old guy got beat by sis, he must've been really shocked sis don't you think?" Tobi said in a solemn voice as if to pay tribute to Lord Alfstrat,
"Not only that he's in a critical state and requires treatment from the state's hospital" Koba continued.
"But I never fought him! I would never!" Crystal yelled back at Koba and Tobi trying to defend herself against the accusation.
"You didn't attack purposely, he was in your way of saving your brother that's why you attacked him, it was a reflex attack I would say" Koba explained to Crystal
"Oh...I guess that could've happened..." Crystal calmed down, "So what are the blades for?" "They're swords, not blades sis," Tobi said bluntly,
The two swords that floated beside Koba were anti-Ackerman swords, the two were meant for both Crystal and Tobi but Crystal dismissed the swords.
"I prefer using my fists," Crystal said.
Koba had a relaxed but frustrated expression, pinching his forehead he muttered "Why are all my children like this?" he says, shaking his head he proposed an offer to Crystal, "If you use the Sword you have a better chance of surviving the battle with the brothers and Tobi may not lose his life"
Crystal listened patiently and still refused, clenching her fists in front of Koba, "I like to fight fair and square, using weapons is not my style of fighting"
"Child! Have you no common sense at all?!!" Koba yells at Crystal, The whole of the domain shakes, making Crystal and Tobi fall to the ground, "What?! Is there a problem with that?!" Crystal yelled back,
"Yes! There's a problem with that!"
"You're going to end up"
"End up where?! Where am I going to end up?!"
Koba refrains himself from getting worked up over a teenage girl, who is hundreds and thousands of years older than her, arguing with someone who isn't merely a millennium old is useless, "Forget the sword... Forget the training... I have something better to teach you"
"What? Are you just going to change the subject?!" Crystal stands up and storms forward in the face of Koba,
"Sis..." Tobi tries to stop Crystal from engaging in any fight with Koba but Crystal keeps walking towards him.
"Aren't I an Ackerman?!"
"Child..."
"It's my pride that I fight! I was born to fight! with my fists and my body! Didn't you create me because of that?!"
"No, I did not..."
"What!?..." Crystal was taken aback, she squeezed her fists so tightly trying to hold back her anger, "I created you to protect"
"All my children were created to protect a divine, a great person, someone who is special and is a chosen one, but most of you failed to recognize your purpose, you were a failed creation."
"Yeah, we Ackermans are failed creations because you failed! How could you create Ackermans with no masters? What were you thinking?!"
Drips of blood dropped on the glass floor, Crystal's arms began to tremble in anger, and her face slowly turned red, "Tell me, if we are failed creations why did you pick me of all the Ackermans that exist why did you pick me?"
"A daughter of true gem that's why I picked you, a sister to a divine being, that's why I picked you, and the world's last hope that's why I picked you, Child you are not meant to live a life of anger and darkness, you are to protect your master, he's a divine being, there is a peace in your bond with him, without him your life is in the oblivion"
Crystal began to weep, she dropped down to her knees as tears fell from her chin, Tobi walked towards her and comforted her,
"Both of you will have to learn how to hide your bond scent"
"What's that?" Tobi asked almost annoyed.
"Can't you see my sister is in tears?" Tobi replied calmly as he held his sister close to his chest with his hand on her hair and back, in a cuddle-like posture.
"Your Ackermainan bond is too strong, If you walked past another Ackerman they would know that she's an Ackerman and that might put her in danger, especially if she were to walk past one of those brothers or both of them"
Tobi understands what Koba tells him but still is offended and refuses to start the lesson, "You've offended my sister how am I supposed to listen to what you have to say?"
"Boy... If you love her that much tell her the truth about what I'm saying and stop comforting her, She'll never grow properly like that"
'Never... I'll never tell her the truth... "