As the clapping ceased, Kai found himself locking eyes with the figure on the rooftop. Despite the distance between them, he felt a surge of recognition flow through him.
"Oh, You," he said, the name burning on his tongue. "I almost forgot you were here."
The figure stepped forward, the shadows parting to reveal a young woman with hair as dark as midnight and eyes that gleamed like opals.
"And I almost forgot how entertaining it is to watch you fight," she said, her voice smooth as silk. "You've gotten better, Kai. I'm impressed."
Kai's posture stiffened at the sound of her name. "Kaori," he said, his voice hard as steel. "What do you want?"
Kaori smiled, a smile that held no warmth or compassion. "Oh, I just wanted to congratulate you on your little victory," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I mean, taking down a bunch of low-level yomigaeri? That's quite an accomplishment for someone like you."
Kai's grip on his staff tightened, the air between them growing thick with tension.
For a minute, Kaori's taunting remarks lingered in the air, and then she burst into laughing, which Kai quickly joined.
A wild, uncontrollable laugh erupted from deep within their chests, resonating with the surrounding deserted buildings.
But Kai's laughter was fleeting. A strong jolt of anguish shot through his chest as his body eased into the familiar pleasure, the memories of the aches he was experiencing flared back up.
Kaori stopped laughing and hurried to Kai's side, her eyes softening with concern.
"Hey," she murmured in a soft, real voice. "Are you okay? Hope I didn't do anything that contributed to the hurt?"
Kai gazed at her, a mask of tiredness and agony on his face. "No," he answered in a raspy, strained voice. "You're not to blame. I simply still need to increase my stamina to keep up with it because of the weakness and suffering that I experience whenever I employ the energies from these markings."
Kaori extended her arm, her digits following the age-old patterns on his hand.
Kaori smiled, her eyes shining with pride and affection. "You've gotten a lot stronger, you know?" she said, her voice soft and reassuring. "I still remember when you first told me about this plan to train yourself to fight the yomigaeri. I thought you were crazy. But look at you now."
Kai let out a half-laugh, a wry smile playing at his lips. "Well, I guess you could say I'm crazy like a fox," he said, trying to lighten the mood.
"Yeah, a crazy, kick-ass fox," Kaori said with a chuckle. "Seriously, though, when we first met, you were barely able to fight off a single yomigaeri. And now look at you—taking down a whole pack like they're nothing. You've come a long way, Kai."
Kai nodded, his gaze drifting towards the fallen yomigaeri. "I just wish I could have been this strong back then. Maybe I could have saved her maybe even all of them."
His words hung heavy in the air, the weight of his loss a constant presence between them.
Kaori put a hand on Kai's shoulder, her touch warm and compassionate. "Listen to me, Kai," she said, her voice firm and steady. "What happened to her was not your fault. You can't blame yourself for something that was beyond your control.
The yomigaeri attacked us out of the blue, and even the best trained fighters would have had a hard time dealing with that."
Kai looked at her, his gaze haunted by memories that refused to fade. "But I was supposed to protect her. I failed."
Kaori shook her head, her eyes full of empathy.
"You didn't fail," Kaori said, her voice soft and full of conviction. "You did everything you could, but sometimes things just don't work out the way we want them to. It's not your fault. It's the way the world is now."
Kai's gaze fell to the ground, his expression heavy with regret. But Kaori wasn't done.
"Remember, you're not just fighting for her anymore. You're fighting for everyone else too. You're fighting to keep them safe, to keep this world from falling into darkness. That's what she would have wanted."
"You're right," Kai said, a flicker of determination returning to his eyes. "She would have wanted me to keep fighting, to keep moving forward. And I will. For her and for everyone else."
Kaori nodded, her hand still resting on his shoulder. "That's the spirit," she said, her voice strong and confident. "You're the best fighter I've ever known, Kai. Well except for the ones I've seen in movies. And I know you won't give up, no matter how hard things get."
Kai stood there for a moment, his heart filled with the memory of Shiro—one of the losses that still haunted him.
Kaori stood up straight, her posture regaining its usual strength and determination. "Come on," she said, giving Kai's shoulder a light squeeze. "We should head back to the hideout before your 'training' turns into a full-blown yomigaeri apocalypse. I don't think even you are ready for that."
Kai let out a small chuckle, the tension in his body easing slightly. "You're probably right," he said, his gaze drifting back to the fallen yomigaeri. "But maybe one day I will be."
Kaori turned on her heel, the long, dark strands of her hair swaying in the wind. "One day, maybe," she said, her voice tinged with a hint of amusement. "But not today. Today we go back to the hideout, get some rest, and figure out what to do next."
With that, she started walking down the deserted street, her steps light and sure. Over her shoulder, she called out, "Come on, Kai. No dawdling. I'm getting hungry."
Kai's chuckle echoed through the street as he ran after Kaori, his boots clattering on the pavement. With a grin, he caught up to her, giving her a playful smack on the head before speeding past her.
"Hey!" Kaori exclaimed, her eyes flashing with feigned indignation. She let out a laugh as she turned to chase after him, her laughter mixing with Kai's as they raced through the streets.