Reagan
I winced as a soft boom shook the tunnel and aggravated the injuries that the earlier explosion and gunfight gave me. The boy I saved, Kennedy Taguchi, was a couple feet in front of me guiding the way. He turned to check on me and rushed over when he saw I was lagging behind.
"You okay?" Kennedy asked. I nodded and flashed the boy a fake smile.
"Never better!" I lied through my teeth. Kennedy frowned at me then walked over to my side and draped one of my arms over his shoulder to help support me.
"Don't act tough. You're not Master Kingston." Kennedy said with a huff then started leading me down the tunnel. I suppressed a chuckle from the boy's matter of fact tone.
"Why do you think I have to act tough? Can't let the boss see me as less than useful." I said solemnly.
"Makes sense with Master Kingston being a star farm crystal bearer and all." Kennedy said. I said nothing to that comment. I have heard several splicers call Chase that since coming to Tsushima Island and figured it had something to do with the star shaped crystal on his hand.
The tunnel started to rumble again only this time it wasn't an accompaniment of a muted boom or pop. I felt Kennedy tense up and looked down to see the boy looking down at the floor.
"Is the island waking…?" He muttered. That made me arch a brow, however before I could ask any questions Kennedy started walking faster, nearly pulling me down the dimly lit tunnel.
"What's the rush?!" I exclaimed Kennedy however didn't respond, his attention focused solely on getting through this tunnel.
When we reached a bend and quickly turned the corner I saw a shorter tunnel with a light at the end. I felt a wave of relief wash over me, until Kennedy started running full speed towards the exit and I nearly tripped and took him with me. Though given how fast he was running I was sure he would have just dragged ne along the ground with him.
It was only when we exited the tunnel that Kennedy finally stopped. True to what he'd told me earlier we were standing at the mouth of a mining tunnel. An abandoned one at that. Several abandoned buildings that I assumed had to deal with the mine's operation and storage dotted the open space around us. There was a single neglected road that lead from the mineshaft through the mine site and towards a village not too far from us.
"The village!" Kennedy exclaimed, relief evident by his face. He started tugging me and guiding me down the path. "This way! We have to get to the village! The island might be awakening!"
"Awakening? Islands don't wake up!" I exclaimed as I once again struggled to keep up with the younger boy.
"Tsushima does! By the will of the First Shogun!" Kennedy replied.
"Will of the what?" I grumbled but that was drowned out by a loud explosion in the distance, multiple explosions.
I jerked my head in the direction they came from and saw the sky light up in a dazzling aurora. Within that aurora I could see several dozens of smaller shapes flying around, flashes of odd light blinking in and out of existence. A cloud suddenly formed above the aurora sending snow and tiny crystals falling down.
"Fighting…on Tsushima!" Kennedy exclaimed then kicked his running into another gear.
"Kid! Slow down!" I yelled however my cries fell on deaf ears. It wasn't until we neared the village entrance that he did slow down.
The village in question was in utter chaos. Men and women were rushing around trying to secure their homes and account for their loved ones. Children were screaming, panicked by the obvious fear on the adults around them. Animals and evos were stampeding around, trying to get out of the village. The scene reminded me too much of the scene in St. Louis that day two years ago.
"Come on! My house isn't far!" Kennedy exclaimed then lead me into the village.
I had been worried about walking into a village with Kennedy while wearing a American soldier uniform but my fears were unfounded since everyone was too preoccupied to notice me. Kennedy weaved through the panicked adults and children while somehow managing to keep me close until we reached a house near the center of the village.
His home was larger than what I was expecting though to be honest I wasn't sure what I was expecting. It looked to be twice as large as any of the houses nearby, which looked to be one to two room dwellings. This one had to have at least four rooms there was a forge attached to the side as well. What had been forged there I couldn't tell. Kennedy ran up to the front door regardless and yanked it open.
"Mom! Mom!" He yelled as he ran inside.
I walked calmly after him, mostly because I was certain that anymore running would result in my ribs fracturing into dozens of pieces. The inside of the house felt warm and lived in, there was a mixture of western and Japanese furniture and art scattered through the various living spaces.
"KENNEDY!" A voice cried out from another room.
I peeked in through the sliding canvas door and saw a Japanese woman dressed in a kimono kneeling down and hugging Kennedy tightly. I stood back and waited to be noticed by the woman which didn't take long, she stood up straight and stepped in front of her son. Regarding me with a cautious look.
I had to admit she looked breathtakingly gorgeous. She was tall, just a hair below my nose. Her skin tanned lightly but flawless, piercing grey eyes shined with clarity and intelligence. Her hair cascading down her back and shoulders like a waterfall of onyx silk. While she wasn't a big woman she wasn't light. The toned muscle of her forearms and obviously definition of her trapezoids gave her a strong yet alluring aura.
"Who are you?" The woman demanded, narrowing her eyes at me.
"I..ah…uhhh…" I stuttered, then mentally slapped myself for getting tongue tied by a beautiful woman.
"He's Blake Reagan! He works for Sho'lajah Artifact Company!" Kennedy exclaimed.
'Thank you kid!' I thought. Kennedy's mom shot him a look that made it obvious that she didn't believe that for one minute.
"He's obviously does not. He's wearing a American soldier uniform." She said sternly.
"He also had a different face earlier and body!" Kennedy protested. His mother scrunched her face at him incredulously.
"What does that mean?" She balked. I took that opportunity to explain.
"I had a spell cast on me that swapped my appearance with a American soldier. I was supposed to infiltrate the military and figure out what they were planning against Chase but…" I paused and glanced down at Kennedy. His mother tensed up at seeing this and addressed her son.
"What did you do?!" She demanded. Kennedy looked down at his feet sheepishly.
"The other kids dared me to go up to the deserted village…there were soldiers up there and…" Kennedy clammed up earning a death glare from his mother. She said something in Japanese, her voice was even and controlled with a frigid tone that needed no translation. Kennedy replied meekly in Japanese and was promptly slapped on the back of the head. He definitely told her what happened. She then turned to me and bowed.
"I thank you for saving my son." She said in universal standard.
"It was nothing." I said dismissively. Kennedy's mom stood up, her eyes zeroing in on my injuries.
"Don't lie, you're hurt." She said then reached out and held her hand a few inches from my side. One of those spell circles thingies formed in front of her hands and a green light shined from it. I felt a sharp pain in my ribs followed by a crack that made me scream and stumble back, slamming into the wall.
"Mom! You should have warned him before using Broken Mend." Kennedy said. I took several rushed breaths as I struggled to breathe through the pain. Not only were my ribs burning but also my arms and legs.
"If I had warned him he wouldn't have let me heal him." She replied then stepped in front of me and placed her hand on my chest. "Breathe slowly, the pain will pass soon."
I did as she told me and slowed my breathing. The pain started to dull and then disappeared entirely. Reached down and touched my ribs tentatively, finding they didn't hurt anymore. I looked back up at Kennedy's mom and saw a soft smile on her face.
"Good, it seems like you're fully healed." She said. I was about to ask how when another rumble started, this time shaking the house. Kennedy's mom stumbled and fell into me, I caught her out of reflex and the two of us fell to the ground.
"Ow…" I winced then immediately stiffened when I realized I had Kennedy's mom in my arms. Doing everything in my power to not notice how good it felt to have her there.
"Mom! It's the island! The island!" Kennedy exclaimed jumping to his feet. His mother pushed herself out of my arms and immediately got to her feet.
"I can see that Ken." She said sharply then walked over to a nearby window and looked outside. "They're evacuating the village. Something is wrong though. Where are the warning sirens? The RJSDF? Then there are those bright flashes and explosions."
"The Americans have something to do with that…" I said then pushed myself off the floor and dusted myself off. "They were planning an ambush for my boss and the others in Sho'lajah. I was supposed to report this back to Chase but…I lost my communication ring along with the bracelet that changed my appearance when I fell into that mine with your son."
"Ambushing a Star Farm crystal bearer? Here? On Tsushima? Are they asking for disaster?" Kennedy's mom balked.
"Considering all the things I've seen the boss do in the last two days I'd say they have a death wish. But they seem certain they'll be able to kill him." I replied. Kennedy's mom bit her nail then pointed to Kennedy and shouted something in Japanese. Kennedy nodded and replied in kind then rushed off into another room.
"Follow me!" Kennedy's mom order then stomped off into another room.
"Umm miss…I should…"
"Unless you want to die follow me right now!" Kennedy's mom snapped, the steel in her tone left no room for negotiation or refusal.
"Yes ma'am!" I exclaimed and quickly followed after her.
"Kaguya."
"Huh?" I muttered. Kennedy's mom stopped in front of a closed door and looked over her shoulder at me.
"My name is Kaguya Taguchi. Blacksmith of Kugare village." She elaborated then opened the door. "I wouldn't want you to just think of me as Kennedy's mom or something like that."
"Kaguya…pretty." I said. I saw a slight blush appear on her neck and face before she turned and strode into the room. I followed her into what appeared to be a bed room.
"This island…in fact all of Japanese has ben sculpted and guided by the loving hands of a Star Farm crystal bearer since the time of the First Shogun. This isle is holy ground for the Shogunate and the Star farm crystal bearers. Though few in numbers the Star Farm crystal bearer's influence can be felt across the globe millennia and eons after they perish. This island is but another vestige of that influence." Kaguya said as she walked over to a small dresser and started going through it.
"A history lesson? I thought my life was at stake here?" I grumbled. Kaguya looked over her shoulder at me with a amused smirk.
"Oh it is. You wear the clothes of the Star farm crystal bearers enemies, pretty soon the island will awaken enough to defend its homeland and the current star farm crystal bearer." Kaguya said then pulled out another robe like kimono, this one in a more masculine style that the one she had on. "Dressed like that the island will see you as a threat because the Star Farm crystal bearer sees those soldiers as a threat."
"Awaken? Threat? What is this island? Some ancient high tech splicer base or something?" I asked. Kaguya paused and looked over the clothes she held then turned and tossed it at me. I caught it and frowned.
"It is worse than that. Worse than even the Star Farm Crystal bearers evos." Kaguya replied. I felt my stomach drop at that declaration, the idea of something being worse than Chase's evos seemed impossible and downright outlandish.
"That Yukata was my late husband's. He wore it whenever he visited our son and I here on the island. It should be enough to keep Tsushima from seeing you as a threat." Kaguya said. She walked around me and turned, grabbing the door handle. "Change quickly! We will need to evacuate and you will be needed at the Star farm crystal bearers side."
"Ummm…I don't know how to wear this…" I said holding up the aforementioned garment.
"Just get out of those clothes. If Americans are attacking Master Kingston and the island then the local military will see you as a threat. Just get the Yukata on and Kennedy and I will worry about how it looks." Kaguya ordered.
"Yes ma'am!" I exclaimed. With that Kaguya closed the door, leaving me alone.