Test

As Hana sat upright in his bed and stared at the thin green blanket covering his legs, thoughts of James grew more difficult to ignore. He didn't understand fully why he thought of the boy in the first place, but this didn't ease his guilt. Hana had no reason to feel guilty; he was defending himself. But, there were many people in the world who wouldn't have shared this view. They would definitely condemn him because they didn't understand. No one could understand Hana's thoughts and feelings, especially his parents. Perhaps this was the real reason he decided to run away. Finding his uncle was an excuse to escape his miserable existence, and he wondered if he would ever consider going back.

But, this was useless rambling. Of course he had to go back. His parents would definitely be worried sick about him, and Mei was too uncomfortable with the atmosphere to—

Hana frowned and bit his bottom lip. He hadn't heard from Mei since they were separated in his uncle's room. This was beginning to feel strange. Thoughts of confusion and longing angered him suddenly, and he clutched the blanket in his hands.

"I don't care," he said. "She's not my friend anyway."

He had to say it aloud; this was the only way he could convince himself. But sudden cramping in the pit of his stomach revealed his deception. Hana hated her so much. Mei insisted upon being in his life, constantly interfering with every decision he ever made. This was the perfect opportunity to get rid of her. Perhaps she would just get lost in the woods and he would never have to speak to her again. That would be absolutely perfect.

If only he didn't miss her so much.

"You need to eat breakfast." The warm voice startled him from the random thoughts.

"Okay," he replied. Hao had entered the room secretly; Hana never heard his footsteps.

He smiled at the boy and sat on the edge of the bed. Hana met his eyes briefly but quickly looked away as his discomfort grew more apparent.

"You think about him too much," he said.

"...Who?"

"James."

Hana frowned at his lap but dared not lift his eyes. "How did you know about him?"

"I know everything about you, Hana."

Hao stood briefly to sit closer, and Hana involuntarily shifted his weight toward the adjacent wall. He placed a strong hand on his shoulder once beside him. Hana scratched his head nervously and stared at the wall in front of them.

"He's your enemy, and if you hadn't defended yourself he would have hurt you."

"Yeah," Hana sighed, "but, I went too far. Tamao said so."

"How many times has this boy attacked you?"

"Every day for the past two years."

"And, you decided to fight back once. Do you still think it was excessive?"

Hana mumbled something inaudible under his breath, but Hao ignored it.

"People like James will never stop on their own. If you want the bullying to stop, you make it stop. You take your destiny into your own hands and shape it at your will."

"I don't understand." Hana was slightly embarrassed for admitting it.

Hao paused for a moment and ran his fingers through the boy's thick locks. He stared at him intently then rested his hand on his back. Hana didn't move, and chills ran down his spine until the man spoke again.

"Your abilities should be admired, not ridiculed. They hate you because they fear your potential. They criticize you because they don't want your power to grow. They want to suppress your strength and keep you contained. But they will not succeed, Hana. You are strong and powerful. Soon they will fear you. Soon they will pay for their ignorance. Soon the world will witness your greatness, and you will bring all of them to their knees."

Hana turned his head briefly to stare at him but noticed his fixed gaze against the wall in front of them. Hao's eyes increased in intensity, something Hana thought wasn't possible, and his thin lips curved slightly into a smile.

At least, that's what Hana saw.

"Um..." He hesitated and bit his bottom lip. "Who's 'they'?"

"Come on." He stood abruptly and ignored the boy's question. "Let's get food for you."

Hana followed him out of the bed but paused hesitantly and sat on the edge.

"Um...Uncle Hao?"

"Don't call me that."

"What?" Hana stared at his back and held his breath when the man turned around.

"Don't ever call me that again." His eyes revealed unfounded anger, and Hana noticed his teeth were clenched.

"Okay," Hana said quickly and swallowed hard. Hao was scaring him; panic filled his brain.

"Let's go," he said.

Hao's demeanor morphed quickly into cheerful sincerity, but this only increased Hana's discomfort. There was no one he could think of in his life who had the ability to evoke emotions of anger, apathy and happiness in one sitting. Hao's expressions shifted too quickly and yet completely, and Hana was greatly disturbed. The pain in his stomach returned swiftly, and Hana knew this feeling wouldn't be ignored.

There was something wrong, but Hana was too afraid to find out the source.

The tents Manta and Ryu brought along were uncomfortable. Tamao didn't want to sleep in them and hoped their journey wouldn't require it. She shared her tent with Anna; it made sense for the women to be together, and Yoh had already decided he didn't want to see her. Anna sat across from her with her knees bent, and she held a small photograph of Hana in her hand.

"We'll find him, Anna. I promise."

She didn't respond.

"You did the right thing. It was necessary to protect Hana. If Yoh had known about this, things would be much worse."

"I'm not sure I agree with that," Anna replied and squeezed the edges of the photo.

"You would have lost them both, Anna." Tamao pleaded with a strained whisper. There was a possibility their conversation would be over heard.

"He won't talk to me," Anna sighed. "I don't know what will happen when we find Hana."

"Yoh wouldn't side with Hao," Tamao replied bitterly. "He kidnapped Hana...and Mei. He tried to kill you. He's done so many terrible things...killed so many people..."

"He won't see it that way. Hao is his brother. That's all he sees."

Tamao considered her statement very carefully and frowned. Anna was right, in theory. There were things Yoh did in the past that made no sense, but he couldn't be talked out of them. Tamao and Anna decided to keep Hao dead and away from Yoh for good reason. Anna didn't want her husband to be manipulated...coerced...brainwashed.

And Hao was the master of control.

The door flap opened suddenly, and Tamao flinched. Anna didn't move from her position, but her expression quickly softened when she saw Yoh crouch down inside the opening.

"Yoh."

"Tamao, I want to talk to you," he said coldly, ignoring Anna's greeting, and quickly left the tent.

Anna exhaled bitterly and closed her eyes. Tamao glanced at her sadly before following Yoh into the clearing. Yoh lead her to a large tree stump; Lyserg and Manta were sitting near it on the grass. There was a small piece of paper lain against the smooth surface, and they were discussing something on the subject.

"Manta made a list of people in Hao's camp," Yoh said. "I want you to confirm the names."

"Okay, Yoh," she replied.

Tamao sat on her knees beside Manta and stared at the list. Lyserg smiled at her when she sat down, but she didn't see the gesture.

"There aren't this many," she said after a few moments of silence.

"What?" Manta countered. "He has three teams of people."

"Just go over it," Yoh demanded impatiently and sat across from them.

"Well, Matilda's still captain of the first team," Manta said.

"Sure."

"Her team consists of Marion, Kanna, Pirika..." Lyserg clenched his teeth when Manta mentioned her name and looked away. "Chocolove, Ashil and Faust."

"Ashil's dead," she said. "He was killed during an attack last year."

Manta crossed out the name with a black pen and stared at the paper in silence. After a long pause he resumed.

"Nichrom is the second captain," he said confidently. "It's a big team."

Yoh narrowed his eyes.

"It should be Rutherfor, Namari, Thalim, Peyote, Fudou, Cebin—"

"Cebin and Peyote are dead too."

Manta marked the paper with his pen again.

"Magma, Big Guy Bill—"

"They're dead," she mumbled.

Manta paused again and crossed out the names. He was growing slightly irritated with the interruptions but knew it was necessary for an accurate list.

"And," he sighed, "Horo."

Her eyes welled, and she blinked a few times to dispel the overwhelming emotion. Lyserg stared at her with saddened eyes, but she quickly cleared her throat and nodded for Manta to continue.

"The last team is led by Luchist," he said. "The members are Meene, Porf, Pino, Chris, Zria, Marco, John, Hans—"

"Porf, Chris, Hans and John are dead," Tamao said. "Hao killed them himself."

"Okay," Manta replied and grabbed the pen. "That's it."

"What about Jeanne?" Lyserg asked eagerly.

Yoh's irritation quickly faded, and they both waited for an answer.

"She could be there; I'm really not sure," Tamao replied.

"Well, where else would he have taken her?" Lyserg demanded. "I mean...unless she's..."

He didn't finish the statement and scratched his neck.

"If she were dead, Tamao would know about it," Yoh suggested calmly. "Manta, read the list back to me."

"Okay," Manta sighed. "Team one: Matilda, Marion, Kanna, Pirika, Chocolove, Faust."

Tamao nodded but didn't look at him.

"Team two: Nichrom, Rutherfor, Namari, Thalim, Fudou, Horo. Team three: Luchist, Meene, Pino, Zria, Marco. And possibly Jeanne."

"If she's there she would be with Marco," Lyserg said.

"Yoh?" Tamao asked. "How are we going to do this? If we're right about this list...we're outnumbered."

"Do you know anything about their powers, Manta?" Yoh asked, ignoring Tamao's question.

"Well..." Manta shrugged. "Zria and Pino manipulate water like Horo and Pirika. I guess ice would be more accurate."

"Matilda, Marion and Kanna have no powers. They play with daggers and pretend to be important," Lyserg added.

"I don't know anything about Thalim, Rutherfor or Namari," Manta sighed.

"If we needed to guess, I would say earth/stone or metal manipulation," Tamao suggested. "Most of the people on that team manipulate elements, and...well, I don't know."

"Luchist's team, with the exception of Zria and Pino, handle artillery/war weapons," Lyserg added. "Their military grade equipment is fused with some kind of poison. I don't know what it is exactly."

"What about Fudou?" Yoh asked with a frown.

"I don't know," Manta sighed. "I've seen it, but I can't explain it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he does these chants under his breath and strange hand movements," Manta rambled. "It seems harmless, but then people die."

"It's some kind of paralysis or body manipulation," Tamao said. "You lose control over your limbs so you can't fight."

"That's pretty impressive," Lyserg mumbled.

"We'll keep moving," Yoh said sternly and stood. "Gather the tents. Lyserg, keep tracking the camp, and let me know when we get within ten miles."

"I will."

"Um, Yoh?" Tamao bit her lip as Manta and Lyserg walked away.

"What is it?"

"Should we tell Ren about Jeanne?" She almost whispered the question and paused. "In case she's there?"

"We'll deal with it later," Yoh replied. "He needs to be clear headed for this or we'll lose him."

Hana followed Hao down a long dirt path once they reached the outer cave. The wind blew vigorously through the surrounding trees, and his hair wildly slapped against his face and neck. Hana's nerves increased as a sudden chill trembled his limbs, and he buried his hands deep into his pants pockets. Hao stopped his pace suddenly and stared at the nearby trees.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he said and inhaled the fragrant air.

"Yeah," Hana replied. "It really is."

Loose leaves rustled around their feet as they continued their walk, and Hana's pace slowed as the cool breeze calmed his senses. He was beginning to feel intoxicated, although he didn't know why, and he stopped walking briefly to close his eyes.

"What is this?" Hana took a deep breath and raised his arms in the air. The environment surrounding him was so beautiful, inviting and tempting. He was being lured into something. He had no idea what was creating this wonderful euphoric feeling in his head, but he didn't want it to stop. After several moments, he realized he was lagging behind and opened his eyes.

And he panicked.

Hao was nowhere in sight, and the possibility of him being lost in the woods was imminent. He turned in every direction, but his desperate scan was met with trees all around. There was a clearing ahead he saw once he began to calm his nerves, and he walked slowly toward it.

"Stop being a baby," he scolded himself. "You're a man. Be a man, Hana."

When he reached the clearing, the area was completely empty. He couldn't remember how to get back to the cave, and he needed Hao to get back inside it. But, he couldn't panic. Panicking would prove to everyone he was weak. His mother and father would shelter him for the rest of his life. Mei wouldn't respect him. And, James would—

"Where are you!" He tightening his hands into fists.

A stinging sensation irritated his feet suddenly. He tried to shake his foot but realized he couldn't seem to move it.

"What?" he whispered under his breath and stared at them.

The burning grew in intensity suddenly, burrowing through his legs and into his torso. Pain immediately signaled the nerves in his brain, and he clenched his teeth. He tried moving again to no avail, and after several seconds the stinging enveloped his entire body.

"What...the...hell?"

Hana fell hard to his knees as he found himself struggling to breathe. Involuntarily, he rolled over onto his back, hitting the ground hard, and he stared into the sky with a frightened expression before briefly closing his eyes. The change in the air around him was startling, and he quickly reopened them. The unwilled movements continued; this time he was hurled back upright onto his knees with his fists firmly planted onto the ground in front of him. He was unable to lift his head, but as he raised his eyes he could see a man standing in front of him with a blank face. Hana blinked a few times; staring was uncomfortable, and his eyes burned. He'd seen that man with long red hair before.

The man said absolutely nothing. He stared at Hana with a cold, enigmatic expression and didn't react when he was joined by other adults. Hana couldn't make out how many entered the clearing. The pain was making reasoning too difficult. But, there was one person he recognized from the group completely, and when he saw her his eyes filled with tears.

Matilda. He meant to say her name aloud, but pain prevented him from uttering any noises except for occasional moans. She didn't speak nor did she look at him, deciding instead to stare at a nearby tree. The woman whom he now felt was betraying him stood behind a man he'd never seen before. He had very long black hair, and his smile was uncomfortable.

"Hello, Hana," he said.

Hana couldn't respond.

"My name is Nichrom. He's Fudou."

He pointed to the red haired adult standing in front of him. But, Hana didn't really care. He wanted the pain to stop.

"I hope you're ready to die. I'd hate to see you piss your pants."

Matilda closed her eyes and clenched her teeth.

The panic Hana tried so desperately to dispel was back and much stronger than before. Where was Hao? Was he going to let his accomplices do this? Was he really going to die...right now?

The tears increased rapidly and fell in large drops onto the ground below him. He felt abandoned and betrayed. Hao lied to him. He thought the man wanted to know his nephew. He thought he cared for him at least. But he led him out into the woods to be slaughtered by his accomplices. He wanted Hana dead.

Hana's thoughts raced wildly in his mind as he stared at the ground. The panic quickly subsided as the anger presented itself more insistently. Hao must have thought he was weak. This was why he wanted to kill him. He felt he was useless.

I'm not useless.

Fudou stared at the boy silently, but his blank expression quickly changed into a slightly confused frown. Matilda opened her eyes, and as she glanced at him she held her breath. Nichrom's eyes narrowed as he shared their focus, and he clenched his teeth.

"Uh, Captain..." Horo, who was standing next to Nichrom, lightly scratched his head. "He shouldn't be able to move like that."