Seiki. Not in a good way. Something hungry.
At those words, Isako's eyes widened. Something was wrong with Seiki... Big brother... No! She struggled not to drop the dress, but instead of it, she pulled the closest simple gown from the wardrobe, wrapping it around her small figure, and tossed the dress onto the bed as she tied the thick sash around her waist. The white silk did indeed compliment her, but compared to her usual garments, she appeared ghastly - just as she felt.
If Seiki needed Haru... It meant that it was all bad.
She grabbed Tariq by the shoulder, and frantically muttering something hardly coherent bolted out of the room, barefoot, and wild like a wolf off the chain. "We gotta get Haru, Haru's on the bottom floor, we go get Haru first, then you call father, I get Haru out, we have to hurry and we can make it, but we have to let them know, and Shinobu disappeared, so Shinobu can't help us, I searched for her, but she's gone, and it means that Haru is the only one that can help us!" though her shallow breaths she spit word after word, dragging him across corridors and down stairs, till finally reaching a wide door, painted with crimson flowers.
She pushed it open, revealing the figure in a beautiful crimson kimon, working on a bouquet in a painted vase. "Haru! Come quickly! It's about Seiki! Seiki need us!" she blurted out, only then stopping for a moment to catch her breath.
The woman in red stood up abruptly, though not without elegance. She was beautiful, more so than any other Adachi lady, though she bore a clear resemblance to the head of the house and his sons and daughters. She gave her a nod, as if already knowing everything, and followed Isako out of her room, not uttering a single word.
It was then when a strong surge of spiritual pressure appeared out of nowhere, like a lightning shaking the senses of anyone that could feel it, and disappeared at once. It could not be mistaken for anyone else's - that was doubtlessly Shinobu.
Isako froze in her tracks, and shook her head. "No. Can't get father. He felt it, I don't doubt it. Haru, we have to hurry up!" she proclaimed, and let go off both of them, herself bolting towards the main entrance. Haru bowed her head in understanding. "That was Shinobu's spiritual presence. It is an emergency signal. Tariq, be so kind, and do inform the head of the house."
With no more than that, she was suddenly gone in a flash.
Shinobu sank to her knees, finally hitting the familiar steps, and at once, a massive amount of spiritual energy was released. It was strong enough to be sensed from afar, and would warn everyone in the house of her presence. Her chest heaved with breaths that she forced in and out, in and out, only managing as much without dropping Seiki's body, that now rested in her lap, pressed tightly onto her chest, though the gaping hole under his ribs was staining her crimson. Her hands traced up to his back, all the way to his head, and bore into his soft hair, sinking in, and pushing it up, above her shoulder. She could hardly catch her breath, so exhausted she was.
The door was suddenly pushed open, and Isako's figure, standing in it, was revealed, closely followed by the crimson-garbed Haru.
"Seiki!" Isako shrieked, bolting forth towards her, and throwing herself onto her knees, hands begging for Shinobu to let her brother slide into her arms, where she was sure that he'd be safe. But it was Haru, not Shinobu, who would get to take care of Seiki. Shinobu, quivering softly, slowly unclenched her hands, which were tightly wrapped around him till then, and let his figure slide off her lap onto the wooden floor before the main door.
