Linked: The War of the Gems - Book 1 Read online

  “I . . . can’t say I really understand,” Aoi admitted with a sigh.

  None of this was normal. None of it should have been happening. But it was. And Aoi didn’t have enough time to process anything new before the next confusing thing was shoved at her.

  “I suppose I am a bit eager,” Mulan said with a small laugh. “It’s just . . .” She took a deep breath of air. “I’d forgotten how crisp everything is in this world. It’s been a good thousand years or so since I’ve been on this side of the gem.”

  A thousand years? Had she really been trapped in the gem that long? That had to be lonely. Aoi didn’t understand why Mulan didn’t just leave. Was she not able to without the gem?

  “Were you alone?” Aoi asked.

  Mulan shook her head, tinkling a soft laugh. “No, there are others with me. But no one has linked to someone on the outside before. You are my first bond, uh—?”

  “Oh!” Aoi gave a quick bow. “Arisawa Aoi.”

  Mulan gave another small bow. “Pleasure, Arisawa-san.”

  Aoi felt her cheeks redden. A Chinese warrior thought meeting her was a pleasure. That didn’t make sense, either. “But, why me?”

  Mulan took a seat on the rock—the one the gem had been hiding under—and motioned for Aoi to sit. Seemed she had plenty to say.

  “You’re the only one my soul could link to, because we’re of the same mind.”

  “What’s that have to do with this thing?” Aoi waved her hand and the gem sparkled in the dim light. She sat on the ground near Mulan’s feet and wrapped her arms around her knees. The more the ghost talked, the less things made sense. Probably because she was related to that crazy jewel.

  Mulan took a moment to get comfortable on the rock, crossing one leg over the other and placing a hand just behind her to keep herself steady.

  “In this world,” she said, “there are people whose souls live on, even after they reach their grave. I didn’t understand where I was, after I appeared in my inner world. From what the others say, our spirits have some kind of protective power that the inner world needs. We have a mission to accomplish.”

  A mission? As this soul’s holder, Aoi was starting to like this story less and less.

  Mulan’s tone changed, a hint of frustration biting at her words. “I’m not sure why we linked, to be honest. No one’s ever been able to leave the inner world before. One day there was just a large shake and half the town disappeared and—” She stopped herself at Aoi’s alarmed look. “The point is, I’m here.”

  “But why are we connected?” Was it just because they thought alike? Or because they felt similarly about something? Somehow, Aoi couldn’t help but think that wasn’t all there was to it.

  Mulan smiled knowingly, sending a shiver down Aoi’s spine. Aoi may have been on the right track, but she didn’t think she was going to like anything else Mulan said. Really, she’d stopped liking the story the moment Mulan had mentioned missions.

  “I believe the spirits of heroes were put together in the inner world to hold off some force of evil. And if I’m now here, with you, then there must be something in this world you and I are meant to fight.”

  Aoi had to stifle a laugh. Was Mulan crazy? It sounded more like she was talking about the plot of a kids’ anime than real life.

  But she sounded serious.

  “You’re not joking, are you?” Aoi asked hesitantly.

  “I am not.”

  No way. This was not something Aoi wanted to involve herself in. This was not the kind of mission she wanted. If she was stuck with some kind of mission, she’d want it to be making friends regardless of the century, maybe even finding information thought to be lost forever. That’s what she’d wanted. But fighting? No way. Aoi was just an ordinary, timid girl. Her blonde hair and blue eyes, courtesy of her European mother, may have made her stand out in the Japanese crowd, but that was it. Other than that, she was completely normal. At least, she was supposed to be.

  Aoi hugged herself a little tighter. “I hate to disappoint, but I can’t fight.”

  “You can’t?” Mulan raised her eyebrows, surely thinking she was calling Aoi’s bluff. “Anyone can fight. They simply must be taught first, as well as have the will to defend what is precious to them.”

  “Okay . . .” Mulan wasn’t listening to her. Aoi tried again, choosing her words more carefully this time. “Maybe I can be taught to fight. But I don’t want to. I don’t like fighting.”

  “You’re a pacifist, then?”

  Before Aoi could answer, the woman laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. But then her giggles stopped with a sigh. Mulan’s cheery face turned serious. “I shouldn’t laugh. I felt the same way, you know. I wouldn’t have gone to battle if I had the choice. But, when they called for my father, I knew what I had to do. He was too old and weary to face the horrors of war. So I had to save him. And I did.”

  That was all good and well, but what did any of that have to do with Aoi? That may have been the case for Mulan, but there was no way Aoi was the same.

  “But there is no war, Mulan. And my father wouldn’t fight even if there was one.”

  “There may not be a war now, but there are people in need of a savior, even if there is no war. The weak, the young, the old, the innocent—would you protect them from evil? It’s our purpose, Arisawa-san. I have no doubt that you could be that savior.”

  A savior? Aoi had never thought of herself like that. There had never been a need to.

  She wasn’t sure if anyone was truly being oppressed, but Mulan seemed certain Aoi was hero quality. Aoi wasn’t so sure. “I don’t know. . .” Aoi said softly. Her shoulders slumped. “This is all too much.”

  After the pain of the gem, the surprise of meeting Mulan, and that crazy story, how could the woman just expect her to make a decision right here, right now?

  “Please, I need you to do this. There could be something out there we’re meant to find. Don’t you want to protect people?”

  “I thought you said you didn’t know for sure.”

  “I don’t, but—” For the first time since meeting Mulan, she almost sounded . . . desperate. “But we won’t know unless we look. Why else would I be here?”

  She sounded like she truly needed Aoi to do this for her, like no one else could do it. But what was she supposed to do? Learn to fight just because a ghost had a hunch? Aoi was weak. Even if she could learn to fight, she didn’t want to. What good was she to Mulan? That’s what the majority of her brain told her. But there was this annoying little voice in the back of her head. It asked an important question.

  “I don’t have a choice, do I?” Aoi asked.

  Mulan’s voice was soft. “You always have a choice, and I will always give you that choice.”

  Aoi hesitated. She was sure she’d misheard. But Mulan still had more to say.

  “But, I would be greatly appreciative if you would try. Just . . . give it a shot. Please.” Mulan stared at the ground, seeming to take an unordinary interest in the dirt.

  Aoi hadn’t expected the savior of China to be this humble. She expected a no-nonsense, “you must do this and no buts” attitude from her. But that wasn’t what she was getting. Instead, the warrior was humbly asking for help. Probably because she couldn’t do it on her own.

  In a way, Aoi supposed Mulan was also a person in need of a savior. Strange as it seemed, Mulan seemed powerless without the blonde, tiny girl she was talking to.

  No one had ever needed Aoi before. Not even her old friends. The most they’d ever done was ask for money at the mall. She’d been happy to oblige, even if she knew they had plenty of money of their own. Deep down, Aoi guessed she just wanted to be needed.

  But this was different. Mulan, the great warrior and savior of China, needed Aoi to fight. No one else could do it. Or so Mulan said.

  In a small, shaking voice, Aoi said, “I can’t do it.”

  Mulan lowered her head. “Are you sure about that?”

  “I am.”

/>   “I will remain in your gem, you know.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me.” Well, it kind of did, but there was no point saying that. So now she had a spirit following her around, wanting her to participate in some strange war. Great. Just great.

  Aoi shifted, trying to find a way to make the ground comfortable. If only it was so easy. The ground was uneven and uncomfortable; rocks poked at her legs and butt.

  This wasn’t the place to have an important conversation like this. But, as silence weighed heavily on them, Aoi realized the conversation was over. She’d made her not-so-heroic declaration. What else was she supposed to say?

  She looked up at the sky. It was turning orange now.

  “I need to go home. Will you, uh . . . will you be coming with me?”

  Mulan rose from the rock and extended her hand to Aoi. “I go where the gem goes. Lead the way.”

  Aoi hesitated. Would Mulan be able to touch her? Wasn’t she a ghost? She didn’t think ghosts could touch people. Or, at the very least, move other people. Certainly not help them up.

  Not wanting to look stupid by swiping her hand through empty air, Aoi reached out and poked Mulan’s thumb. Her finger made contact, slightly dimpling Mulan’s cold skin. Aoi jumped in surprise.

  Mulan jerked her hand back. “What was that for?”

  “Nothing,” Aoi said quickly. “Just seeing something.” She smiled, extending her hand up towards Mulan. Wary, Mulan helped pull her to her feet.

  Aoi pointed towards where the path had been. “My place is this way.”

  “Lead the way then.” With an elegant wave of the arm, Mulan motioned for Aoi to start walking.

  And she did. She headed down the path until she noticed something was off. Only one pair of feet was making the rustling sounds through the leaves. Aoi glanced over her shoulder to see that Mulan had vanished.

  “Hua-san?” she called, looking around.

  “Not to worry, Arisawa-san,” Mulan’s voice reverberated around her. “I’m in the gem.”

  As the Chinese warrior spoke, her voice seemed to be all around Aoi, echoing. It was definitely strange. A little creepy too. She really hoped Mulan didn’t do this at night or Aoi would have trouble sleeping.

  Aoi reached her house in troubled silence. She didn’t know what she’d do if a situation arose where Mulan needed her to fight. She had no support, not yet, but if she could have one man on her side, that would be more than enough.

  “Mulan, there’s one last thing I want to do today. I’d like for you to meet my father.”

  Chapter 2

  “So, welcome to my home.” Aoi stood in the doorframe and awkwardly motioned inside. She held the door open for Mulan for a moment, then paused. That’s right. Mulan wasn’t “here” right now. She may have been able to hear Aoi, and maybe even see her, but she wasn’t using her physical form. She couldn’t go through the door. Aoi let the door swing shut behind her.

  “It’s quite a nice place,” Mulan said, her voice echoing around them. “Two floors and all this furniture—you must be rich.”

  Aoi couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m not rich. Just average.”

  Mulan materialized beside her. “Well, this house is certainly more than average.”

  There was definitely awe in the spirit’s voice. Aoi wondered if this was the first time Mulan had ever seen an ordinary house this large.

  “That you, Aoi?” her father called from upstairs.

  “Yeah! I’m home, Dad!”

  “Welcome home!”

  The bottom floor was littered with their unpacked possessions. No longer in boxes, but not yet put away tidily. Aoi picked her way to the stairs with a smile. Mulan followed her in her physical form. Good, she wouldn’t scare Aoi’s father by materializing out of thin air. “You’ll love my dad, Hua-san. He’s really nice and friendly, even if he works a lot.” Aoi’s smile faltered, but only a little. Fathers worked a lot. It was just the way things were.

  “I see,” Mulan mused, obviously interested. “What kind of work?”

  “He’s a sales rep for a chain of supermarkets.” Mr. Arisawa left early in the morning and came home late at night. Sometimes he didn’t come back at all because he had impromptu business trips or too much work to even consider coming home. But that was alright. Aoi knew things had to be hard for a single father. Mr. Arisawa was doing the best he could.

  Now Aoi just had to figure out what room her father was in. She was considering just poking her head into every room when she heard her father’s voice. “Who are you talking to, Aoi? Did you make a friend?”

  A friend? Well, that was one way to put it. She preferred “strange spirit who was now connected soul to soul with her,” but that was a matter of personal opinion.

  “I guess you could say that.” She made her way into the room her father was in, and gasped. Painted pale blue with white accents—Aoi knew immediately this was her room. Her bed was draped in pastel blue covers with white pillows. A few stuffed animals leaded against the pillows, others sat on top of her desk, accompanied by her laptop and a lamp. A few pictures and books rested on shelves nailed directly to the wall. There was even an oval-shaped mirror hung on the wall, surrounded by white wood.

  Her father had worked hard to make this room something she’d love. And she did love it. It almost felt like home. A framed photo on her desk of Aoi and her friends reminded her otherwise.

  “Do you like it?” Aoi’s father asked as he pulled another stuffed animal from the last box.

  “I do.” Aoi stepped into the room, turning slowly to absorb it all. “Thank you.”

  “Good.” He hesitated, glancing around the room. “Now, about your friend?”

  Oh, right. She hadn’t introduced Mulan yet, had she? “Her name is Hua Mulan. You know, like the one from the Disney movie.” A glare from the doorway shot through her like a dagger, so Aoi quickly added, “And from the Chinese ballad, of course!” Not that she’d ever read the ballad. She’d have to add that to her to do list.

  Aoi’s father looked around, his brows knit together with confusion. “But where is she? I thought she came upstairs with you.

  Aoi glanced at the door. Mulan stood there, leaning against the door frame, an eyebrow quirked. Her eyes were on Aoi’s father.

  “She’s right there, Dad.” Aoi pointed at the door hesitantly. He should have been able to see her.

  “Dear . . .” The word was smothered with concern, but Aoi couldn’t figure out why. She didn’t think she’d done anything wrong. Mulan only looked a few years older than Aoi did, nowhere close to her real age. That shouldn’t have been a problem. Granted, Mulan did look a little strange in her historical costume.

  And then, after a pause that lasted entirely too long, “There’s no one there.”

  Aoi didn’t understand. She had made sure Mulan took on her physical form just so her dad didn’t think she was crazy. But he did anyways. Mulan was right there. She was standing in plain view. He had to see her.

  “Dad, she’s right there,” she insisted, sounding more desperate than she wanted to. But she had to prove she wasn’t crazy before things go out of hand.

  Still, her father didn’t greet the spirit. His brows were knit, his lips drawn in a thin line. He kept his eyes on Aoi as he took a seat on her bed and patted the spot next to him. “I think we need to talk.”

  That was the last thing Aoi wanted to hear. Those six words never meant anything good. It meant he didn’t believe her.

  But she followed him to the bed and sat where he wanted her to. Before she had a chance to explain herself, Mr. Arisawa spoke again. “Aoi, there is no one there.”

  Mulan shook her head in disbelief. “I’m right here, sir,” she said. Mulan walked over to them and took a seat on the floor. Her father still didn’t notice Mulan, not even a glance. Was he blind?

  “She’s right in front of us, Dad.”

  But he didn’t listen. He ignored Aoi. “I know you’re still a bit scared about moving here. Yo
u left your friends behind, but I promise it’ll be easy to make new ones. You don’t know anyone yet, but you will, and you don’t need to make up imaginary friends just so you don’t feel lonely in the meantime.”

  Mulan’s brows rose. “Imaginary?” It was the most indignant Mulan had ever sounded to Aoi. Aoi could sympathize. It was insulting. She was in plain view—right there in front of them.

  The warrior rose to her feet and waved a hand in front of Mr. Arisawa’s face. Still no reaction. Mulan tried to poke the man’s forehead to catch his attention, and then it all made sense. Mulan’s hand went right through him.

  “Oh,” Mulan said. She no longer sounded insulted. Just surprised. “This is a problem.”

  It was indeed. Seeing Mulan would be enough to prove her existence, but her father couldn’t see the spirit. But there had to be another way to make him believe her.

  Aoi tried to think of what that other way would be, and then it hit her. The gem!

  Even if he couldn’t see Mulan, he had to at least be able to see the jewel. No matter how crazy she sounded, everything would make sense soon. He just had to listen to her.

  Aoi lifted her hand and showed him the sparkling blue jewel. “Dad, look at this. Mulan is kinda sorta tied to this gem because she’s a spirit.”

  Mr. Arisawa jumped in surprise. “You glued a rock to your hand?”

  So he could definitely see the gem, but he hadn’t listened to her at all. And he most certainly didn’t understand.

  “Let’s see if I can get it off,” he muttered.

  If the situation hadn’t been so serious, Aoi might have laughed. She knew the jewel wouldn’t come out. It was in there deep.

  He took her hand and pulled at the gem, but it wouldn’t budge. So he pulled harder. Nothing happened, just as Aoi expected.

  “What kind of glue did you use, Aoi?”

  “It’s not glue, Dad. It’s really in my skin. I already tried to pull it out. Please just listen to me.” Aoi tried to stay calm, but her hands began to shake. She bit her lip. If she panicked, everything would go to hell. He’d really think she was crazy then. But it was hard. The more they talked, the more nervous Aoi became.