Hey, readers! Sorry for the little wait, I got busy! Anyway, let's move right along with chapter 4!
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Yuma opened his eyes to find himself lying in what appeared to be a hospital bed. He sat up slightly and looked around the room only to find Astral curled into a ball in the corner, crying. Yuma rubbed the sleepiness from his eyes and he began to pick up the sound of voices outside the door.
"I don't understand!" One voice said. He recognized it as his grandmother. "Why would someone hurt a little boy? And to take his baby…? It's just sick…!"
"Don't worry, Grandma," The other voice replied. Akari. "We'll get to the bottom of this…"
Yuma looked back to Astral, who had his head buried between his knees and had yet to notice that his charge had awaken. Yuma still felt a bit confused as to what had happened or how he got here.
"Astral…?"Astral's head perked up quickly and he seemed immensely relieved by the sound of his partner's voice. His crying increased as he neared Yuma's bed.
"Oh, Yuma," The blue ghost started. "Thank goodness…!"
Yuma was about to question him when the door burst open and a sobbing Haru rushed to her grandson, embracing him in a bone-crushing hug.
"Oh, my baby!" She cried through her tears. "Oh, my poor sweet Yuma! Are you alright, dear?" She began petting his face gently.
"Grandma…?" Yuma croaked weakly. "What's going on?""Oh, sweetheart, you don't remember…?" Haru asked, her hand stilling in the stroking of his cheek.
Yuma thought for a second and then shook his head. His memories of the day's previous events had been jumbled by his concussion.
Akari sat next to Yuma on his bed and began rubbing his back.
"From the looks of it, someone must have broke into the house while we were gone. They attacked you and…and…we think they might've kidnapped Hope…"Yuma's eyes widened and his breath hitched.
"What?""Don't worry, dear, we're trying to figure this out!" Haru assured. "We couldn't tell the police about her, though, because, well, you know…""…She's not exactly a normal baby." Akari finished.
Yuma shook his head in disbelief.
"Hope…she's gone? Someone took her? Someone took my baby…?"Haru and Akari watched in unspeakable sadness as Yuma stared into his empty hands and began crying. He then looked over to Astral, the last person he recalled seeing before he blacked out.
"Astral!" He cried. "You were there, what happened?"Astral eyed Yuma's sister and grandmother curiously, knowing they couldn't see or hear him. He opted to answer his partner regardless.
"Black Mist got himself out of the key somehow. He attacked you and took Hope! I was downstairs when it happened…I heard you calling me so I went upstairs and…" The spirit's voice cracked as he struggled to hold back tears.
"I first found you on the bathroom floor. You were bleeding…! Then I noticed Hope…" Astral trailed off as if he were still in shock.
Haru and Akari remained quiet as they figured the blue ghost was still talking. Yuma stared at Astral sadly.
"Did you try to go after him?"Astral nodded. "Once your sister and grandmother got home and you were safely tended to I went inside the key to look around, but I found nothing…"
"Go after who?" Akari asked.
Yuma thought as to whether or not he should discuss Black Mist's existence with his family. He figured if they believed him about Astral, they would believe anything.
"You remember the number cards I collect, right?" Akari nodded as her brother explained. "Well," Yuma continued. "There's one that's kind of…an evil version of Astral. We got into it a few months back and he's been out to get us ever since."Haru's eyes widened and she covered her mouth.
"So, where is Hope?"Yuma looked to Astral, who shook his head sadly and shrugged.
"We don't know…"
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"Aww, aren't you just precious?" A wicked voice cooed, dragging a fingernail down the little girl's jaw line. Hope jerked her head away quickly in disgust.
Black Mist frowned playfully as the child spat at in him baby-talk, attempting to form insults against her kidnapper.
"Now, now," Black Mist said darkly. "Does your father know you talk like that?"
Black Mist extended his hand again to the girl's face but she was quick to slap it away, blowing a raspberry at him and kicking her legs.
"What's the matter, love, you don't like me?" Black Mist questioned in feigned disappointment, cocking his head and pouting childishly.
Hope crossed her arms and suddenly rolled herself over onto her stomach, attempting to make a quick getaway. Black Mist laughed and grabbed the girl by the waist, lifting her up so she was face-to-face with him.
"No, no, princess! You're not going anywhere!" He said. "We have to wait for daddy, remember?"Hope babbled away angrily and lashed out a stubby arm, hitting the evil number square in the face.
"You little…!" Black Mist growled, raising a hand and preparing to strike the girl. He froze as he saw Hope cringe before she burst into tears. She fought her way out of his grasp and dropped to the floor, scurrying away on hands and knees to crawl away from the monster.
Hope moved as fast as her little body could, which unfortunately for her wasn't very fast at all. Black Mist merely floated along behind her, taunting her. Hope stopped her crawling and turned back towards him, sticking her tongue out at him and slapping at his legs.
"Da! Da da da!" She cried in her own little language, pointing a threatening finger towards Black Mist. At first the monster was unsure as to what she meant, but as she continued to babble he began to catch on.
"Oh, Hope," Black Mist began. "Are you upset because I hurt your daddy?"The little girl thrashed at him again, her hands making contact this time as Black Mist felt her tiny fingernails scratch against his skin. He reached down and picked up the helpless little girl again.
"Listen, angel," He said with feigned sympathy. "I didn't mean to hurt your daddy! I just had to teach him a lesson! Just like he'll do with you when you misbehave. Isn't that right?"In and instant, Hope lunged forward and bit the black ghost on the nose. He grimaced in pain and nearly dropped her again.
"You," Black Mist bit out dangerously. "Are a very naughty little thing! You're quite lucky I haven't killed you yet…"Black Mist heard the baby growl slightly as she began sucking on his thumb, eyeing him with an angry and offended glare.
"I'm just waiting for your daddy to get here." The monster said with a chuckle.
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Astral couldn't take much more of this. It was the third night in a row that Yuma had cried himself to sleep. He did not bother to climb all the way up into the attic and instead chose to sleep in his bed, where he lay currently with his face in his pillow as he soaked it with tears. The two had spent those last three days searching the key left and right for their daughter, but to no avail. Astral concluded that Black Mist must have taken her to a very secret and secluded part that not even he knew about, but he was determined to find her.
Astral sat on the bed beside his young counterpart, wishing there was something he could do but knowing their was nothing.
"Yuma, come on, enough of this. You need to get to sleep." Astral said, trying to encourage the boy.
Yuma raised his head up and turned towards Astral.
"Why should I get to have a good night's sleep when my daughter is trapped somewhere with a maniac, scared and alone?" He said through his tears, his voice cracking in his dry throat.
Astral bowed his head. "Yuma, laying here crying about it is not helping the matter. If we keep searching we will find her."
"Whatever, Astral." The boy responded in heartbreak and frustration. Astral already knew his reassurance wasn't going to help and he didn't know why he even bothered trying. He stood off of Yuma's bed and moved to sit next to him on the floor, staring into the dark room as tears came to his own eyes. The sudden sound of clapping echoed through the room ominously.
"Ah, good show, little one! Good to know you're still just as pathetic as before!"Astral shot off of the floor the same time that Yuma's body jolted, both turning their attention towards the familiar intruder.
"What have you done with our daughter!" Astral demanded. "Answer me, damn it!"Black Mist came forward as the moonlight from the window illuminated his dark form slightly.
"Astral! What terrible language to use in front of the child." He sneered, looking over Astral's shoulder towards Yuma, who was now sitting up on his bed.
"What did you do to Hope!" Yuma screamed. "If you hurt her, you'll be sorry!""Yes, yes, I'll be sorry." Black Mist mocked. "Just shut up for once, will you, boy?"Astral growled and moved his body in front of Yuma, trying to protect him.
"What do you want? What do you want from us? What does kidnapping our daughter have to do with anything? She's done nothing to you!" Astral cried.
"We've never officially settled our score! Have you forgotten what you two did to me? I won't stop until both of you are dead." Black Mist explained.
"Astral's already beaten you twice!" Yuma cried. "You just can't accept the fact that Astral is more powerful than you!"
"Didn't I tell you to be quiet back there?" Black Mist said, pointing a finger towards Yuma. "Or shall I teach you another lesson…?"Astral's eyes narrowed. "Don't you dare…!" He spat dangerously. "If you hurt Yuma again…!"
"You'll what?" Black Mist replied.
A silence fell over the room as the two spirits exchanged glares. After some time, Black Mist chuckled to himself and shrugged.
"Well," He began. "Regardless, I came here to invite you two to a little show inside the key! I figured you'd both want to be there to say goodbye to Hope when I kill her."
In a flash of light, Black Mist was gone. Astral turned to Yuma and neither of them needed to say a word. They simultaneously closed their eyes and focused their energy, transporting themselves inside the key in the hopes of saving their daughter…
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Ta-da! There you have it, chapter 4! For those who follow me on Tumblr, you know that my sister's about to have a baby! So, that might mean my updates might not be as frequent as they were with 'Power of Love'. But I'm 'hoping' to update as often as possible! I'm tossing around a few different plot ideas that I think you guys will like, so until then, until then!