“Thanks.” Asagi’s voice was raw.
“Are you okay?” Aoi asked, landing on the sand beside her.
“I think so.”
Panicked voices came from the boardwalk, followed by two pairs of feet rushing towards them.
“Tachibana-chan!”
“Kid, you okay?!”
“She’s fine!” Aoi called back to them, looking over her shoulder at Tatsuo and Momoka with a small smile. She felt so relieved.
Tatsuo and Momoka slowed to a stop a few steps away. Their mouths fell open, and their eyes were wide. They looked like they’d seen the strangest thing in the world.
“What’s wrong?” Aoi asked.
“Onee-chan, is that really you?” Momoka asked, her head tilting this way and that like a curious animal.
“Of course. Who else would I be?” She gave a nervous laugh. But Mulan understood what the others were trying to say. “Perhaps you ought to take a look at yourself, Aoi-chan,” she suggested.
What a weird idea! Why would she look any different? But stranger things had happened. She might as well play along with this.
Aoi glanced down at her body. No longer was she covered in a pale blue, ruffled two-piece. That had been replaced by a futuristic costume—a white sleeveless coat, black leather shorts, unattached sleeves, and knee high boots. She raised a shaky hand to her head and touched the visor that covered her eyes—the reason why her vision was tinted blue.
Aoi looked up in shock at her friends. Her gaze fell on Asagi, really focusing on her, and words appeared around her.
Name: Asagi Tachibana
Age: 13
Status: Unwell. Almost drowned.
Holder of the yellow gem. Ally. Friend.
Were those . . . stats? That was strange. She looked to Tatsuo and Momoka and similar phrases appeared around them.
“What on Earth . . .?”
None of this made sense. But it didn’t matter right now. Even if she didn’t get it, that was okay. As long as Asagi was safe. In a blue flash of light, Aoi’s futuristic gear vanished, replaced by her swimsuit.
Tatsuo gave her a small poke as if to make sure it was really Aoi. It was. “Good to have you back with us, Arisawa.”
“I never went anywhere,” she said.
“But something did happen,” Asagi said.
“Something amazing,” Momoka added.
Their spirits appeared around them, nodding in agreement.
“I’ve never seen anything like that! I didn’t know Miss Arisawa was a magical girl!” Pocahontas exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly.
“I don’t think that’s it—whatever a magical girl is,” Masanori said. Tatsuo’s spirit held his head. “I’m sure this has to be related to the Linked somehow.”
“I agree,” Mulan nodded, a proud smile on her face. “Allow me to search the inner world for answers. I’ll tell you when I find something.”
She disappeared, and Mansanori vanished as well, murmuring his agreement.
Pocahontas lingered a moment longer. “I really don’t want to go back in there, but if searching for answers will help, I will.”
That said, she vanished too.
Aoi hoped the spirits learned more soon.
The rest of the vacation concluded without incident. Over the next month, the Linked trained, chased off a few thugs tagging a building, and played some video games—all the while working on their summer homework, sometimes together. Now it was the night before summer break ended, and Mulan had yet to find any new information. It was starting to make Aoi antsy.
Aoi settled in her bed in her room, laptop on her lap. “Mulan, have you found anything yet?”
“Not yet.” Mulan’s voice reverberated around her. “But I’m sure I’m close.”
“How do you know that?”
“I just have a good feeling about this, I suppose.”
Mulan had been in the inner world for days now. She was still looking for answers about what had happened on the beach, as were the other spirits. Aoi decided to call it the Change Link. So far, she’d found nothing. Aoi wished she could help too but, try as she might, she couldn’t get back into the village through her dreams.
Aoi wasn’t sure what exactly had happened that day or why it did, but it was definitely something else. It was special, and there always the chance Aoi might need it in the future. She had to know more.
But she knew so little about it, and was sure of nothing. She felt like the Change Link was stronger than the Basic Link. It also must have had something to do with her bond with Mulan. After all, she’d felt closer to her spirit in those moments than ever before.
But, if they’d been so close, why couldn’t she do it now? She’d been trying so hard, with no result. The others hadn’t had any luck either.
It bothered her, but there was nothing she could do about. Not until they understood what the Change Link was. Not until they could control it.
Aoi scrolled mindlessly through a cooking website, trying to find the perfect recipe for a celebratory first day of semester meal. She’d make it tomorrow, after school for her friends.
“I think I may have found something.” Mulan said from where she was in the gem.
“Oh, yeah?” Aoi asked, perking up, her attention temporarily taken away from the recipes. “What is it?”
“I found a scroll talking about a ‘Secondary Link’ in an abandoned house. I can only assume that this is our ‘Change Link’.”
“It definitely sounds like that,” Aoi agreed. “What does it say?”
“Let me see . . .” Mulan was quiet, no doubt reading over what she’d found. Every now and then, she would murmur a few words. “Secondary Link . . . Changes form . . .”
Aoi knew all that already. She wanted to know what else there was.
“Ah. Here we are. The Secondary Link—our Change Link—transforms the user to be equipped with that which aligns to the holder’s inner desire. Because interests vary, form also varies from holder to holder. One thing always remains the same, however. The Change Link can only be achieved in times of extreme danger, either to the holder or someone they care about.”
That would explain why Aoi wasn’t able to do it anymore. Asagi had been drowning last time, but everyone had been safe since. If things kept up this way, they wouldn’t be able to achieve the Change Link for a very long time.
“Anything else?” Aoi asked. She wanted to be sure they didn’t miss anything.
“No,” Mulan said after a moment. She appeared in the room, a frown creasing her smooth face.
Neither was Aoi. “You still want to know more too, huh?”
“Indeed.”
Aoi felt the same. She needed to know more about this. Not just about the Change Link, but about being Linked in general. After over half a year, they still weren’t making much progress as at all.
“We hardly know anything, Mulan,” she said, eyes on her spirit. “We have to learn more.”
She nodded. “I realize this, Aoi-chan. I shall continue to look for answers in my spare time.”
“Thank you,” Aoi said. “Don’t wear yourself out though.”
Mulan just smiled at her. “Not to worry,” she said. “I don’t have much else to do. Searching for clues is the least I can do for you.”
“Well, if you say so,” Aoi said softly as she turned back to her computer. She needed to tell the others what she’d learned. The chat program loaded with its customary bloop.
Blue started a conversation with Pink, Yellow, and Red.
Blue: Mulan figured out what happened on the beach.
Red: Hey! Great timing. Aniki may have figured something out too!
Pink: Aww! Lucky!
Pink: I wish Po-chan learned something!
Yellow: And what did you two learn?
Red: Arisawa, you go first.
Blue: Okay.
Blue: The Change Link is actually called the Secondary Link. It changes what we look like when we or someone close to u
s is in danger.
Blue: Oh. And the changed look is based on our interests for some reason.
Pink: Woah! Really?
Pink: Does that mean I can look like a magical girl?
Blue: I don’t know. Maybe?
Yellow: And you, Akabori-san? What have you learned?
Red: In a hurry, aren’t ya?
Yellow: I am. My brother invited me to go out with his friends.
Yellow: We were just about to leave.
Blue: Oh. I’m really sorry. I didn’t realize.
Red: Hey. You don’t gotta apologize, Arisawa.
Yellow: Akabori-san.
Red: What?
Yellow: Tell me what you learned!
Red: Alright. Sorry.
Red: So, thing is, our weapons are also tied to what we like.
Red: For some of us, like Nishihara, it’s pretty obvious.
Blue: But mine doesn’t make any sense.
Red: Yeah. I don’t get yours either. But that’s fine. No big deal.
Red: Oh. And apparently the situation’s gotta be pretty serious for the Change Link. Like, deadly.
Red: Or at least it has to seem that way, according to Aniki.
Yellow: That it?
Red: Yeah. That’s it. You can go.
Yellow has logged out.
So Aoi wasn’t the only one learning things.
“You read all that, Mulan?” she asked.
The spirit nodded. “I did.”
“Why do you think stuff depends on the holder?”
There was a pause so she could think things through. “Perhaps you not only need to understand your spirit but yourself to grow.” She sighed and shook her head. “But that’s just a theory. Given time, I’m sure we’ll find a better explanation.”
Aoi nodded. “I guess so. But at least we know more than before now.”
“Indeed. That’s just one step further to accomplishing our goal. Our mission begins soon.”
Aoi readied herself for bed. She put on her favorite pajamas and went downstairs to eat a late-night snack. She was almost up the stairs when her father stopped her. He sat on the living room sofa, his brows furrowed as he read the paper.
“Aoi, do you know a Makoto Azuki?”
She froze. She hadn’t heard that name in months.
“We used to be friends. Why?”
“This here says he was found dead last night in a dumpster downtown. And look at this.”
Mr. Arisawa beckoned for her to look at the picture on the front page. Aoi blanched when she saw the crime scene, Makoto’s lifeless body sprawled amongst black trash bags. Her father pointed at Makoto’s foot, sticking out above the piles of trash.
“There. See that?”
Aoi bent closer. Nestled into the top of Makoto’s foot was a shiny stone. In the grainy picture, it almost looked like . . .
“Is it a link gem?” Aoi asked, breath hitching in her throat. Mulan appeared in the room, examining the picture herself. The worry on her face confirmed Aoi’s fear.
“It looks like a diamond,” Mulan said.
Her father shrugged. “You tell me. But if it is, promise me you’ll be careful.”
She nodded and said she would. But she was scared. Who would kill a Linked? Were they hunting them down? Anyone of her friends could be next. Then a horrifying thought occurred to Aoi. She, Momoka, Tatsuo, and Asagi all had each other, but Touya was on his own. He was in danger, and someone had to warn him.
But, first, she had to tell the others. She ran upstairs and opened the chat program back up.
Blue: A Linked’s been killed. We need to meet up.
Chapter 25
Aoi had never been in the backroom of the Nishihara ramen shop before, not even in all those times she hung out with Momoka, reading manga and playing games. Today was a first, but they’d needed somewhere private to have this conversation, and Momoka had happily offered her own home as a meeting place. Her father was fine with it too, though he didn’t know what the kids were meeting about.
“So I guess you guys know why I brought you here?” Aoi said hesitantly.
“It’s about that boy, right? Azuki-san?” Asagi asked.
Tatsuo spit. “What about the ass?”
Aoi turned to Tatsuo. “He died.”
Tatsuo glared at the ground. Aoi could tell he felt bad for what he said now, but Makoto’s death didn’t mean he liked him any more.
“What!” Momoka put a hand over her mouth. “What happened—and, who is he?”
“He tricked me into being his friend and tried to kill Akabori-san,” Aoi said. “Dad told me he was killed last night. In the newspaper picture, you can see a gem attached to his foot. A clear one, like a diamond.”
Tatsuo cursed under his breath. “Of course he was Linked. I should have kept a better eye on him.”
“But what does that have to do with us?” Asagi pressed.
“He was Linked,” Momoka insisted. “Does that means someone’s targeting us?”
A hush fell over the room. Momoka’s panic seeped into everyone there, and the group became uneasy. What were they going to do?
Aoi shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “There’s something I’ve been keeping from you guys,” she admitted. “There’s another Linked.”
“Who?” they asked in almost unison.
“Touya Midorikawa. He’s the student council president at the high school.”
Tatsuo swore under his breath again but, before he had any time to comment on the turn of events, Asagi turned on Aoi.
“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” she demanded, pointing an accusatory finger at her. “You don’t get to keep secrets like that.”
Aoi lowered her head. “He said he thought we were yankii. It made me so upset that I stopped talking to him and . . . I didn’t want to ask him to join our team. I know it was petty.”
“Just bring him to meet us as soon as possible,” Asagi said with a huff, folding her arms over her chest.
Momoka just gave an apologetic smile. “What Asagi-chan means is that it’s okay. Just don’t let it happen again. If we’re in trouble, we’ve got to stick together.”
“I won’t,” Aoi assured them.
Aoi spent all of her free time the next day looking for Touya at school. But try as she might, she couldn’t find him. The days passed slowly. Tuesday turned to Wednesday, then to Thursday. Even Friday passed without even running into Touya. She was scared for his sake, but there was nothing she could do if she couldn’t find him.
On Monday, the guys forced her to join them for lunch, and she reluctantly agreed. Despite her fear and anxiety, she had to admit she liked spending time with the yankii again. Tatsuo shared her fears, but he hid it better. As they sat in the cafeteria, she noticed him glancing around the room, keeping an eye out for Touya.
“I know I’ve said it before, but it’s nice to have ya back, Arisawa,” Reiji said with a grin.
She gave a small laugh. “I know. You’ve told me a few times already.”
“Have I?” he asked and was met with the group nodding. “Guess I have. Though, I’ll tell ya, Aniki got all sulky without ya there. He probably thought the class president’d steal ya away.”
Tatsuo’s face reddened. “I did not!” he insisted. “Don’t lie to her!”
Grins spread throughout the group. Even Honda, who rarely smiled, showed the slightest hint of smile.
“I dunno, Aniki. You were more irritable than usual,” Gorou chimed in.
Tatsuo’s fists balled up at his sides. “Enough of that. That shit ain’t true at all.”
One of the boys opened his mouth to say something. But this had to stop. Tatsuo was already angry enough.
“Please,” Aoi said. The boys’ mouths closed. “Let’s stop this. It’s not nice to tease Senpai.”
“Oh, sorry.” Reiji was quick to apologize. “Didn’t think I was crossing any lines.”
The others followed suit, each one apologizing for angering Tatsuo. Except Ho
nda. He was silent. But he gave a small nod. That was the closest he’d come to an apology.
Tatsuo breathed out a sigh. “These guys listen more to you than they do me,” he muttered.
“I’m sorry.” Her shoulders slumped.
“Hey. I ain’t mad at ya,” he assured her. “I was just saying.”
“Okay . . .” she said softly.
But then Tatsuo tensed up. Aoi wasn’t sure why. Was he still upset at the other yankii? No, he was looking at something past her. Aoi glanced over her shoulder.
Touya Midorikawa.
He was about to walk up the stairs, possibly to head to the student council room with the lunch he’d purchased. Aoi couldn’t let that happen. She had to catch up with him.
“Please excuse me,” Aoi said, getting up and chasing after him.
Touya didn’t see her and continued on his path, but he stopped when she grabbed his sleeve. He glanced over his shoulder, brows raising when he saw who it was.
“Arisawa-san?” he asked. The senior was a little taller this semester, looking even more professional than he had in the spring.
Aoi forced a smile. “Hey. Mind if we speak in private?”
“Of course,” he said.
He led her up two flights of stairs and into the student council room, where he took a seat in his usual spot. Aoi decided to stand.
“So what’s wrong?” Touya asked. Before she had a chance to reply, he said, “Is it about that Linked boy—Azuki-san? I already figured that out, Arisawa-san. I’m not stupid.”
Aoi clenched her fists at her sides. But she wouldn’t get too angry. She wouldn’t storm out. His life depended on this.
“Look, Midorikawa-san, I think there could be trouble. Someone might be hunting down the Linked, and you can’t be alone. My friends and I have been training for trouble, and I think you should join us. We’ll be safe in numbers.”
Touya sat very still. After a brief moment, he sat upright, folding his hands before him. “There are . . . more Linked, than just you and I?”
Aoi nodded. “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you about my friends, but I didn’t think you’d listen when you think all Linked except you are yankii. That’s not fair.”
Linked: The War of the Gems - Book 1 Page 24
