Sweet Burden (41 page)

Hitomi hastily interrupted him. “Don’t say ‘nothing is going to happen’.” She pushed away from him and turned her back as his hand dropped back to his side. “When you were hurt…the first time, I dreamt I was being tortured. My back was torn open like yours. That cannot be coincidence. And my power…” she trailed off.

Obi’s jaw tensed. “What about your power?”

“It’s, or they…I don’t know. I can feel something inside me getting stronger.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s hard to explain.” She turned around and crossed her arms. “I just feel different. Last night when I woke up from my dream, my hands were glowing. They were completely illuminated like the time I healed you.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Obi’s brow creased.

“I don’t know,” Hitomi shrugged. “I guess I was just scared.”

Obi moved over to her and put his hands on her arms. “You should have told me.”

She let out a sigh and looked up at him. Her gaze appeared to be nervous. “What was I supposed to say?  This power stuff is all normal for you and Guri. It completely freaks me out.”

Obi watched her face realizing a lot of what was going on was affecting her; she just seemed to hide it well. “It takes time. You will learn to accept everything. It gets easier. I promise. And we’re here to help you. I will be here for whatever you need.” Hitomi forced a smile and gave a nod. “Let’s get back to sleep, okay?”

“Okay.” She let out a deep sigh and started for the door. Obi watched her as she stopped and turned around. “Are you coming?”

“In a minute.”

She didn’t ask any other questions and she went inside. Obi almost instantly missed her as he turned and looked back to the sky. He couldn’t shake the worry tonight and it made him wonder what was coming up next for them. His body shivered violently and he craved Hitomi’s warmth. He hurried back into the cabin securing the front door and walked into the bedroom. She was already curled into bed with the covers tucked around her. Obi didn’t even bother to walk over to the other side. He pulled back the covers behind her and slipped into bed. She scooted over to make room for him as he wrapped his arms around her. He moved her hair and gave her a light kiss on her neck. She let out a murmur he couldn’t understand and he closed his eyes already feeling better holding her in his arms.

The next day Obi was up early. He cautiously moved out of the bed leaving Hitomi asleep. He tucked the covers back around her and pulled on a t-shirt. He left the bedroom and went out to the main room. Guri was still asleep and he was careful not to wake him as he grabbed the bag of weapons. Carrying them outside, he sat down on the porch steps and opened the bag. He pulled out what was to be his main weapon and laid it across his lap.

Obi stared at the gun. It was large and commanding. His fingers traced along the silver edges as he thought of Domitori. The things he had said about Hitomi made Obi’s stomach turn and he clutched the handle. He knew he would kill Domitori if it was the only thing he ever did. But the weapon he had chosen would need to be mastered. He wiped his now damp hair from his face and got up charging off into the woods.

****

A loud boom caused Hitomi to sit straight up in bed. She turned to the empty side of the bed and immediately threw back the covers. She rushed out of the room practically colliding with Guri, who was also rushing towards the door. He grabbed her to steady her and they both looked at each other with concerned faces. Without a word, they both started for the door again and almost trampled each other to get to the porch.

The air was cold and damp. The wind gusts hit Hitomi’s bare legs sending her body into a shiver. Her feet felt frozen against the wet wood of the porch.

“Hitomi, get back inside,” Guri ordered.

“Not until I know where Obi is.”

Guri walked over to the bag of weapons as another shot rang out in the distance. Hitomi’s entire body shook. His head shot up and he glanced at the sky.”I’m sure he’s fine. I’ll go find him. Please go back inside.”

“But…”

“Hitomi, get inside!” Guri shouted as he pulled something out of the bag and ran off into the woods. He left her standing there with her mouth half open. She wrapped her arms around herself and walked back into the cabin. In the bedroom she pulled on some sweatpants over her shorts and grabbed a sweater. Yanking the sweater over her head, she slipped on her shoes and went back out to the porch.

Hitomi couldn’t help but worry that something awful had happened to Obsidian. Maybe the other death gods had found them. But she couldn’t understand why he would go to meet them alone. Her body trembled as terrible visions ran through her mind melting into thoughts of how she would survive without him.

It was only a few minutes before she heard two loud thuds and she looked up finding Guri and Obi standing at the edge of the woods. She practically jumped from the porch and ran over to them. Her heart pounded with worry and anger.

“Don’t go off like that again,” Guri said as he gave Obi a punch to the arm.

“You guys were still asleep,” Obi shrugged. He barely had a chance to see Hitomi coming towards him before she threw her arms around him.

“You have someone who worries about you now,” Guri huffed as he trudged off.

Hitomi crushed her face against his chest and squeezed as hard as her arms would allow. “You’re okay?” she mumbled.

“I’m fine. I was just out practicing since you were both asleep. I thought I went far enough away that it wouldn’t bother you.”

“Yah, well, you didn’t.” She pushed away and looked up at him. “I didn’t know what to think. I had all these awful thoughts…”

“Hitomi,” he put his hands on her face, “stop thinking I am so quick to rush into a battle that could take me away from you. I am the one that has everything to lose.”

She took a deep breath not knowing what else to say. He pulled her tight against him again. They stood there for a few minutes as the rain starting falling harder, but Hitomi didn’t care. She waited every second of the day for moments that she could be in his arms.

It wasn’t until they were both soaked that Obi suggested they go inside. Hitomi dried off and changed into dry clothes. Once she was done in the bedroom, Obi went in and changed. She plopped down on the couch across from Guri, who was draped over his favorite chair. She surveyed the items strewn across the coffee table. A few of her favorite books sat there, some new candles for when the power conveniently went out, and her cell phone. She grabbed her cell phone and powered it on.

“So, what’s the plan for the day?” she asked as she waited for her phone to start up.

“I guess we’re making bullets or something.” Guri shrugged and turned back to the fire. He seemed to be lost in thoughts of his own.

Her phone beeped as the screen finally lit up. There was a notification that she had new voicemails. She listened to her messages hoping there was nothing urgent again from Rediisu. The phone was pressed to her ear listening to another message from Bradley when Obi emerged from the bedroom. He walked behind Guri and tapped him on the head motioning for him to follow him into the kitchen. Guri gave him an irritated glance, but got up and followed him. Hitomi closed the phone happy there were no urgent messages and looked over the back of the couch into the kitchen area. Guri and Obi were having a very quiet conversation when Obi glanced up and noticed her staring at them.

“What are you guys talking about?” Hitomi asked.

“Just weapons stuff,” Obi replied and nudged Guri. They started moving around the kitchen and Obi grabbed a plastic bag dropping it on the table. He began pulling out items and arranging them. Figuring they wouldn’t let her help anyway, Hitomi turned back around and grabbed one of her books.

She spent the day curled on the couch reading one of her favorite books for the twentieth time. Guri and Obi were incredibly quiet as they worked behind her. Every once in awhile she would glance up to see what they were doing. They were both very focused on their task and she didn’t want to disturb them. Only once did she enter the kitchen and that was to make something to eat. She really had no idea what they were doing when she got a closer look.

The silence through the day was eerie. She could sense that everyone had something on their mind that they didn’t want to discuss. It wasn’t until later in the day that Obi got up and came around to the couch. He sat down next to her and rested one of his hands on her knee.

“I have to go out for a little bit. I won’t be long. I promise.”

“Where are you going?” she questioned marking the page she was on and closing the book.

“I just have to run an errand.”

Hitomi wanted a more specific answer but knew if she pressed for more, he still wouldn’t tell her. “Okay.” She gave a nod and opened the book back up. He gave her knee a squeeze and got up quickly leaving. She closed her book again and got up walking over to Guri, who was sitting at the table. “What’s going on Guri? Where’s Obi going?” She gazed over the table at odd bullets carefully lined up by size in organized rows.

“Um…”

She reached over and grabbed one of the strange bullets. It was hallowed out with a weird clear casing. “What are you doing to these bullets?”

“We’re making them so they can kill a death god.”

“How does that work?”

“Well, we have to put something in them and then when they enter the body, the clear material actually breaks and poof! Dead death god.”

“What do you have to put in them?” she raised an eyebrow placing the bullet back down in its row.

“Hitomi…”

“What do you have to put in them?” she asked again with more edge to her voice.

“Blood of the living.”

“What? Is that were Obi went? Is he going to kill…”

“No, no. He’s going to a blood bank. He’s just concerned about the smell making you sick.”

“Oh.” She immediately felt guilty that she had even thought that Obi would go out and kill innocent people. He was no longer that emotionless death god she had first met. Hitomi went over to the couch and grabbed a blanket. “I’ll be out on the porch.”

****

Obi finished up at his last stop and looked up into the sky. It was already starting to get dark as he tucked the small box into his pocket. He secured the few bags he had in his grasp and made himself invisible before he took off into the air.

It wasn’t long before he saw the cabin down below. He landed in the woods and tucked the bags away by a tree for safe keeping until Hitomi was asleep. He walked out of the woods as he tucked his wings away and saw Hitomi waiting for him on the porch. His pace quickened and he took the steps two at a time as she glanced up. He wasn’t sure how just seeing her seemed to make him feel so calmed.

A smile spread across her face as he walked over to her. He patted the box in his pocket to make sure it was still secure and he sat down next to her on the swing.