Yami No Matsuei Fan Fiction ❯ Cherry Crush ❯ Looking for Airi ( Chapter 26 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
Chapter Twenty-Six: Looking for
Airi:
-Twelve Hours Earlier-
Tsuzuki began to see the cracks. Anna looked like she would doze
off. Tsuzuki waved his hand in front of her face.
“Usagi-chan? Usagi-chan?” he asked. “Hey. Hey.” Anna jerked her
head upwards.
“Huh?” she asked. Tsuzuki frowned.
“Are you feeling okay?” he asked.
“No,” Anna said.
“What's wrong?” he asked. She moved her hand to her chest.
“Where is she?” the kitsune tsukai asked. The shinigami froze.
“She's not here,” Anna said in a stern voice. “Where did she
go?”
“I… I… I…” Tsuzuki said. His wife frowned.
“Asato-kun,” she said. Her husband had a sheepish look on his
face.
“Um… well…” he said. His eyes shifted left and right.
“Asato-kun,” Anna said again. Tsuzuki shut his eyes.
“It's kind of hard to explain,” he said. Anna glared at him.
“Shit,” he said under his breath.
“Asato-kun,” his wife hissed. Tsuzuki dropped his shoulders.
“Fine,” he said. He broke down and told her everything. Anna's face
looked so red.
“Why didn't you stop her?!” she asked.
“You know how she is,” he said. That did little to fix the problem.
Anna looked ready to scream. Tsuzuki put up his hands.
“Okay, okay,” he said. “We'll go get her.” His wife formed on
Tsuzuki's head.
“Oh boy…” he mumbled. Anna glared at him.
---------
-Now-
Tsuzuki felt a light buzzing in his right ear. The shinigami went
still. He lowered his head.
“I understand,” he said. Tsuzuki vanished into thin air.
--------
She looked worn out. Where was she again? Hey, she was still alive.
What do you know? Airi laughed and coughed to herself.
“I did it,” she said. “Kirika-chan is safe.” It hurt to move.
Still, she had one more thing to do. The kitsune took her finger
and drew on the stone bench underneath her.
Circle. Eight. Two. Six. Six. Dot.
The text vanished into the stone. Airi smiled and fell asleep.
---------
Sometime later, two hunters approached her bench. A man in his
twenties turned to his seventy-something partner.
“Is that her?” he whispered.
“I don't know,” the old man said. The men slowly approached her.
The kitsune had on a thick grey cloak and hood. Airi didn't even
look up. The men slowly made their way to her. If this was her,
they would be set for life. Vengeance would be served. It all
depended on this moment.
“Oi!” the old man shouted. She didn't look up. The younger man
pulled off her hood. Both men froze.
It looked like Airi. But the hair and tails were a silvery-white.
The older hunter had to count two or three more times. Nine. Nine
tails.
“It's not her,” he said. The younger hunter dropped his shoulders.
Both men walked away.
---------
The next morning, Tsuzuki made it to the rock garden. He looked
around for that stone bench.
“Airi? Airi-chan, where are you?” he asked. His feet moved on their
own. Step. Step. Step. Step. Step. Step. She had to be close. Step.
Step. Step.
Tsuzuki paused.
He found her on that bench. Airi's new hair and tails exposed. The
shinigami ran to her.
“Airi-chan!” he said. Tsuzuki reached for her shoulder. The kitsune
lifted her head. Tsuzuki gave her a calm smile.
“There you are,” he said. “Are you okay?” Airi stared up at him,
silent. It was faint but she was still there.
“Come on, let's go home,” Tsuzuki said. He picked her up and
carried her off with him. However, he knew this wasn't over
yet.