~AKIHIRO~
Faster.
I sprinted through the raging blizzard, squinting my eyes in an attempt to spot Crimson or anyone else in this thick storm. Please, be alive Crim.
"WOOOOFFFFFF!"
I slid to a stop and my ears twitched, straining to hear the howl I'd just heard. It would have been impossible with my human hearing, but having switched back into my half-Kitsune form, I could center my senses on the far-off sound.
"WOOOOFF!"
I turned to my left and began to sprint. I'd known Urufu long enough to identify her various howls and this one told me that she was frightened. Crimson, hold on!
I caught the outline of a wolf and skidded to a stop when the form of Urufu appeared as she bolted to meet me partway.
"Urufu! Where's Crim?" I asked desperately.
"Wooof," she whimpered and slammed her paw into the snowy ground over and over again. Shit!
"She's alive?"
"Woof!"
"Let's find her," I declared and Urufu howled before darting to my right. I followed her as we raced through the heavy snowfall. Ten minutes passed and we entered an area where the blizzard had calmed.
Uru ran off in one direction then whimpered as she tried to skid to a stop. I pushed off the ground, initiating a spell to get me to Uru in two seconds. I hooked my arm around her and cursed when we both began falling.
"WIND!" I called out and a whirlpool of air caught me. I sighed and looked over to see the remains of two people. I squinted my eyes, but they looked to be shifters and the lingering scent in the air didn't match Crimson’s unique scent thankfully.
"A cliff. Dammit," I grumbled, looking back up and instructing the wind to lift us up. After we reached the edge, I carried Urufu a few feet away before setting her back onto the ground.
"Woof! Woof!" She began sniffing the ground and started running straight.
Crimson was here? I began following her, calling out Crimson's name. Another five minutes passed and I knew we were running out of time.
"CRIM! CRIMSON!" I called out frantically and Uru raced forward before she skidded again. I began running, fearful she'd fall off another cliff, but then I tripped over something and face planted into the snow.
"Ow!" I groaned and went on my hands and knees. The snow was at least up to my elbows in this section, but was still fluffy which told me it hadn't been long since it came down.
"What tripped..." I began before my eyes caught a twinkle.
"Blue?"
"WOOF!' Urufu was back, but my eyes couldn't pull away from the little blue sparkle.
I reached out to the silver item that had a blue crystal attached to it, reminding me of Storm's pocket watch when all the crystals had been in their designated places. As soon as I lifted it up, I saw the pink crystal and my eyes grew wide.
"CRIM!" I cried and began sifting through the snow as Urufu used her paws to dig carefully. When I saw her, I pulled Crimson out of the snow and into my lap.
Her lips were blue and her body variations of blues and purples. I quickly checked her pulse at her neck and listened while Uru whimpered beside us. I can't lose you, Crimson. C'mon my love, don't do this to me. Don't leave me!
I found a pulse, but it was extremely weak. "Urufu! Find the cave!" I commanded.
Urufu immediately began to sniff the air while I lifted Crimson up.
"Kuroku," I commanded and a cloak appeared above me, draping over Crim's body. It wouldn't do much, but any added warmth would help.
Urufu howled and began running; I raced after her. She knew how urgent this moment was and neither of us could afford to lose the person we loved.
My memory triggered as we turned to our right and I saw the cave entrance. We rushed and I reached the end of the little cave. Urufu tugged at the cloak and laid it on the floor. I used my wind magic to straighten it out, warming up the wind with a little bit of fire magic before I lowered Crim to the ground.
I checked again for a pulse and it was incredibly weak. I need to warm her up. I tried to take her jacket off, but it wouldn't budge. I bit my lip and realized she must have put some type of spell on it.
I raised my hands above her. "Magic that binds my love’s clothes to her body, hear my plea. She will die without my help. Keep concealed whatever is hidden, but let me save my love from the shackles of death and release your hold," I commanded.
I didn't know why Crimson would place a spell on her coat; she must have had a reason, but now wasn't the time to ponder on it.
An orange magic circle appeared beneath us and when it faded, I tried again. It moved easily this time and I peeled off the rest of her clothes before creating a kimono of thick material. I wrapped her up and began to make a fire to warm up the cave when Urufu started to whimper and bark urgently.
"Uru, what?" She began poking Crimson’s cheek and rubbing her face.
I listened for a moment and realized she wasn't breathing. I was at her side in a heartbeat and my hands were on her chest doing compressions. I wasn't like Haru who could restart her heart and by the time they got here, it may already be too late.
"Don't die on me, Crimson!" I begged as I continued to press on her chest. I moved to her lips and did mouth to mouth before returning to do more compressions.
Back and forth, I tried to get her heart to beat. With each passing second, the fear that I'd lost her grew.
"Not you too. Crimson, don't leave me. Please!" I cried as tears fell from my eyes and onto the pink fabric of the kimono.
Please. Please! Storm, don't let Crimson die. I won't be able to move on again. I won't have any other purpose left. Please!
Crimson began to cough before she took a big breath.
I sighed and turned Crimson to her side. "You're okay, Crim. Just breathe. Help is coming," I reassured as she continued to cough.
When she finally relaxed, I pulled her into my arms and wrapped my tails around us to insulate the heat. Her breathing was visible as her chest moved up and down at a faster rhythm, but I still needed to warm her up. Urufu sat right next to me and kept rubbing Crimson’s face with her head.
"You're okay, Crim. You'll be fine, just breathe for me," I urged.
She moaned softly and turned her head to rest on my chest, just above my heart. My heartbeat seemed to calm her because her tense shoulders relaxed.
Within minutes, her breathing had slowed, but was steady and her body began to warm up. Uru rested her head on Crim's stomach and relaxed, keeping an eye on her. I relaxed against the wall and closed my eyes.
Thank you.
~CRIMSON~
"Crim?"
I opened my heavy eyelids to see a blurred image of what looked to be Akihiro. I waited for my vision to clear and relief blossomed on Aki's face as his eyes began to pool with tears.
I lifted my hand to brush away the first tear that rolled down his cheek. I gave him a tired smile. "Why are you crying?" My voice sounded as weak as I felt.
He blinked, trying to stop his tears, but more began to spill and he lowered his head to kiss me softly.
I relaxed into his kiss and my thumb brushed his cheek over and over again in an effort to comfort him. He released my lips and pressed his forehead against mine.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't get to you in time and you had to suffer alone. You had to fight for your life and were actually dead for a few minutes. I just… I'm so happy you’re alive, Crimson. My love, I'm so thankful," he cried.
I lifted my head slightly to kiss him gently on his quivering lips before sliding my arm around his neck. I pulled him into the best hug I could give in this position.
"I'm here. Don't cry," I soothed. My Kitsune whimpered at Aki's sadness and it was difficult to keep it together, but I had to be strong for him in this moment. I’d died and he had to be the one to find me and bring me back to life. He deserved to shed tears and I hoped I could bring him some level of comfort.
He held me tightly and cried for a while. I kept repeating that I was alive and okay until he calmed down. Uru woke up and had her moment of whimpering and little sobs as she pressed her head against my cheek.
We all remained quiet for some time, basking in the warmth of the fire which felt like heaven. My body still felt weak and I was still numb in places, but Aki reassured me the others would arrive soon and Haru would work his magic.
I reflected on everything that happened in such a short period of time. I went from human to shifter, killed two people, died and came back to life. Guess it was quite an accomplishment to achieve all that right before my birthday.
"This wasn't the way we should have been celebrating your birthday," Aki admitted.
I stared up at him and the sad expression on his face. "It's not too bad. I get to lay here in one of my lover's arms with my awesome familiar next to a nice fire. We're just missing the marshmallows," I whispered, trying to lighten the mood.
"I should have told Malachi to bring some. That and green tea ice cream," Aki pondered.
I let out a weak giggle. "It would melt by the time we finished the marshmallows," I pointed out.
"Hm...I'd have Quil keep it cool. Or we'd leave it outside in the snow," Aki reasoned.
"True."
We were silent again and I closed my eyes, enjoying Aki's heart rate that was finally beating at a decent rhythm.
"Crim?" Aki spoke and I wondered at the note of concern in his voice.
"Hai?"
"You're not human anymore?" Aki's hushed tone gave away his astonishment.
I opened my eyes again to look up at him. "Oh, about that. It's rather long...and hard to explain. The answer is in my jacket pocket. The inside of it...so...I'm gonna nap...and explain...later," I whispered as my eyes slowly closed.
"Crim, there's a spell on it. Can you release it?" he asked.
"How?"
"You state you want to reverse the spell cast on your jacket," Aki instructed.
"Abracadabra, bye, bye spell of hidden secrets, goodnight," I mumbled sleepily.
Aki snickered. The sound made me smile, knowing my Aki would be able to get past this and heal.
I felt something soft press against my lips and then my forehead.
"I love you, Crimson. Rest up and leave the rest to us," he whispered reassuringly.
I wanted to nod or reply, but I couldn't stay awake any longer.
"Crim! Aki!" I heard Malachi's voice and mentally sighed with relief. The others were here and we'd be able to go back home.
I'd been lost in multiple areas of my life. From the direction of where my life would take me, to my career, love life, and family. But with a fated encounter and a silver pocket watch, I was able to find out more about myself in less than two months than all my years searching for answers.
I was once lost, but now I'm found.