A Promise of 500 Years
"It's too late," Anna said softly. She rose from her position beside Ren's unmoving body. The clattering of her beads sounded in the occupied yet silent room. She moved away calmly, knowing what the others' reaction will be once the words left her mouth. Horohoro was the first. He jumped up, wrapped with bandages on nearly every part of his skin. His fist clenched and his body shook.
"You mean that's it! He's gonna stay this way forever!" he shouted at Anna, but everyone knew it wasn't really Anna that Horohoro was angry at. The blue-haired boy tended to get enveloped in his emotions and losing a friend he tried everything to save was an emotional high point for the boy. She gave him a sympathetic look.
"Hao had his soul bounded to him. As long as it remains that way, I can't call it back," she sighed, disliking the words that were coming out, "We weren't able to make Hao release him…" She turned away. She didn't want to explain further. She didn't need to explain further, that Ren can never go back in his body. The others understood. Crying broke out in the room. The friends of the unmoving boy cried without reserve.
A slow mechanical thumping of a set of footsteps came from the other side of the room. Anna looked behind her then moved away to let the boy pass. He made no sound nor was there any emotion on his face. He knelt then delicately lifted Ren into his arms. It was when he held that cold body close to his chest when the first drops of warm tears fell from his face.
Yoh wept bitterly and loudly. It was as if he was hurt at the very depths of his heart. Anyone who heard it would be heartbroken and for his friends who knew the always cheerful, happy-go-lucky boy, it was just too much to bear.
He couldn't help it. Even he didn't know. He held Ren tighter.
The sadness washed over him.
He never expected this. He always tried his hardest and it always worked out in the end.
He tried his hardest.
The helplessness came over him.
He looked down at Ren's calm face. He saw the way his friend's body was limp in his arms.
The pain overflowed his heart.
Nobody dared to make a move towards the heartbroken Yoh, as if fearing if they did they might end up hurting him more. Nobody dared except for Anna. She made her way towards Yoh and placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to look at her. Though he tried his best to repress his tears when facing her, streams of tears had fallen from his eyes. The clear sorrow could be seen on his face. It almost made her want to turn away. She had never seen Yoh so hopeless before. She swallowed her surfacing emotions.
Putting on her usual serious face, she told him, "Crying won't bring him back."
"Go find a way to stop Hao."
"At least take his soul back."
She whispered the last words at the end. It was all that she could do. All she could say to her one's sad face. Even Anna was breaking down. There was a silence as Yoh dropped his head again. Slowly his arms began to loosen from the grip he had around the boy's body. He lifted Ren back into the white sheets of the bed and picked himself up. Everyone in the room had their eyes on him, wondering why he suddenly stopped crying. The brown bangs covered his eyes and most of his face, but when the words came out of his mouth, everyone knew there was a change.
"You're right. Let's find a way to beat Hao."
The tone was low. The voice was eerily calm. Most importantly, the usual carefree tone was gone. Eyes lit by determination shot up. Yoh pulled his head up, unafraid to show his change. The relaxed features were gone from his face. If being his old self cost his friend's life, then he couldn't be himself anymore. Yoh turned and walked out of the room, not wanting to waste a single bit of time.
Poor Yoh, so hard on himself... Well, see you in the next chapter!