Threshold

Anna stared silently at the dashboard and clasped her hands tightly in her lap. The silence was growing uncomfortable, but she decided not to speak. Yoh sat beside her holding the steering wheel loosely in his hands, and he stared out of the windshield into the distant trees. The steady wind rustled the leaves and grass; vivid sunlight pierced through the large tree branches and glimmered against the surface of the nearby lake. They were parked near the clearing, and as the engine hummed in the background Anna glanced out of the passenger window and briefly closed her eyes.

"They're not here," she said.

"I know," he replied, "but, I think you knew before we got here."

She grabbed her dress but didn't respond.

"What's going on, Anna?" He didn't look at her. "There's something you're not telling me. I seem to be the only one here in the dark."

"We should head back home," she replied.

"Where did they go, Anna? Did Hana tell you something he didn't tell me?"

Anna closed her eyes again and bit her bottom lip. She knew once they were back with the others she wouldn't be able to avoid his questions. Someone would answer them even if she refused. If he was going to learn the truth today she had to be the messenger.

"Should I be...worried?" Yoh's voice faltered slightly. His wife's silence was deeply uncomfortable. He braced himself for frightening news.

"They ran away."

The sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach rose to his throat suddenly, and he swallowed hard. He opened his mouth slightly to respond but said nothing.

"They're looking...for Hao."

"What?" Yoh's response was mixed with confusion and irritation. "Hana knows my brother's dead. Why would you let them do something like that? "

"He's not dead, Yoh."

Anna's statement barely reached his ears as a stressed whisper. She didn't meet his gaze; he stared at her with widened eyes when he heard the words.

"He's alive," she said after a hesitant pause, "and he's been after Hana ever since he was born."

Yoh stared at his trembling hands and didn't speak. Anna found herself unable to observe his reaction. She didn't veer her gaze away from the dashboard.

"I didn't tell you because I was trying to protect him," she sighed. "I was prepared to defend our son at any cost, but I didn't expect him to leave willingly."

A rush of conflicting emotions overwhelmed him suddenly; his ability to speak malfunctioned as her words faded sourly against his ears. Sadness, fear and anger dominated most of his thoughts, and he clutched the steering wheel in his hands.

"We have to assume Hana is with him now. We'll need to—"

Yoh suddenly moved the gear shift and pulled away from the parking lot, rudely interrupting her. He didn't speak as he sped down the street toward their house, and Anna decided not to push him. This was too much information for him to absorb at once. Regret clouded her mind momentarily before she quickly pushed the emotion away.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

There was no way of knowing if he heard her; his silence was uncomfortable. When they arrived in front of the house, he quickly pulled the key out of the ignition. She gently grabbed his arm as he opened the driver side door.

"Yoh, we should talk about this."

He roughly jerked away from her and slammed the door once outside of the car. She rubbed her face with her hand and took a deep breath before following him to the front steps. Yoh was definitely angry, but there was nothing she could do about it now. He entered the house with haste; she weakly sauntered behind. Tamao was first to greet them when they reached the dining room. Ren was sitting in a nearby chair and stood when they appeared. Yoh also noticed Manta and Ryu at the table who brusquely ended a conversation about ammunition when they saw him enter. Lyserg surfaced from the kitchen. Everyone stood in apprehensive silence staring at Anna.

"He knows."

"Yoh," Tamao replied. "I—"

"Where are they?" His voice was cold and stern.

"Hao's camp is somewhere twenty to thirty miles outside of the city." Lyserg stepped forward. "I can narrow it down once we get closer."

"We brought weapons," Ryu said. "Manta's father loaned us some items."

"Ren, what would be my brother's motivation for taking Mei?"

"I don't know," he replied. "Matilda would want to kill her, but I don't know what would be his aim."

"Her abilities would be useful," Anna sighed.

"What...abilities?" Tamao whispered.

"She hasn't mastered her telepathic power," Ren said with a reluctant frown.

"There is another ability I think she possesses." Anna glanced at him but quickly looked away. "I haven't confirmed it."

"What are you talking about?"

"I've only seen it once, Ren. It may be insignificant."

"What about Hana?" Yoh asked. "What do you think he wants with my son?"

"Honestly," Ryu suggested. "...I think he wants to use Hana as a weapon."

"Hao will manipulate him into doing what he wants," Ren added. "He'll brainwash him against us...against you."

Yoh clenched his teeth but didn't respond.

"I should have said something..." Tamao bit her lip. "...but, he begged me not to tell you...I mean—"

"I'm aware of Hana's power," Anna interrupted. "We both are."

"What?"

"It's not something you can hide," Yoh added.

"What do you want us to do, Yoh?" Lyserg asked and scratched his neck.

"I want a list of everyone in this camp," Yoh replied, "and their abilities, if you know them."

"I can get that for you," Manta said. "Tamao and I will."

She nodded then stared at her feet.

"Lyserg, I want you to continue tracking them as we get closer. We'll need to know exactly where they are, or at least narrow it down to ten miles."

"Sure, Yoh," he replied.

"We'll leave at four am and will need to travel light. Get some rest tonight, and pack a small bag."

Everyone nodded with slight anxiety except for Ren who was relieved Yoh was taking the situation so seriously.

"What are we going to do?" Tamao asked. "I mean...we're out numbered."

"We're getting the kids back," Yoh replied bluntly and walked away.

Anna glanced at Tamao briefly before following him to the staircase. Ren grinned and folded his arms over his torso. He knew including Yoh was necessary, but he didn't expect the man to take charge in this way. Yoh's anger would definitely be useful.

Yoh walked back and forth in front of the bed once he reached the bedroom. When Anna stepped inside she gently closed the door and watched with her arms rigid at her sides. She didn't know what to say to him, but she needed to figure out a way to communicate.

"Yoh—," she started.

"You knew he was alive for eight years." He stopped his pace and clenching his hands into fists. "You didn't think that was important for me to know?"

"I was...protecting you."

"You let me believe I killed him." His eyes welled with thin tears. "I blamed myself every day for what I did to him. You made me believe I lost him forever. You were...protecting me? From what?"

Anna was visibly confused by his outburst and took a step forward. He noticed the move but was too angry to protest.

"Yoh..." She lightly exhaled. "He took your son. He's going to kill him."

"He wouldn't hurt Hana. You know that's not true."

"Hao is...evil." Irritation flooded her voice. "He's not the loving brother you wanted him to be. He was never that person, Yoh. He's more dangerous now than ever."

"I had the right to know. I had the right to know my brother is alive! He's my only brother...and you...took him away from me!"

Are you serious? Anna frowned at him as random thoughts clouded her brain. Yoh's devastated expression increased her irritation, and she clenched her teeth.

"He has Hana," she sighed. "He has Mei. You know why. You know what this is about, Yoh. Nothing else matters right now. We have to get them back."

"We'll get them back." He headed for the bedroom door with a disgusted growl.

"Yoh—"

"Don't talk to me." He didn't turn around and slammed the door on his exit.


Hao sat silently in the dark room with his elbows rested against the stone table and his hands cradling his face. The darkness was deeply uncomfortable for them, but they didn't voice any concern. Matilda stood behind him with nervous energy she couldn't control. Nichrom leaned his back against the wall a few feet away. Luchist was sitting at the table in a nearby chair, and he stared blankly at the stone.

"Everything is prepared," he said finally. "We can begin tomorrow morning."

"Excellent," Hao replied.

"Yoh and his allies will be here soon. They should discover our location within three days."

"Should we take any precautions?" Matilda asked.

"No," he said with a smile. "Instruct your teams to defend themselves as necessary when they arrive."

"Master," Nichrom said, "I thought we were trying to keep them out."

"You can kill them all, but allow Yoh to pass." Hao shifted his weight in the chair and scratched the side of his face.

"We can't let Yoh infiltrate this camp!" Matilda said with anger. "He's our biggest threat!"

"Matilda, if you harm him in any way I'll kill you."

The words sent haunting chills down her spine and disabled the will to continue her thoughts. She weakly lowered her head and bitterly closed her eyes.

"He will look for me," Hao continued after a brief pause, "and I want him to find me. No one should interfere with this."

"Yes, Master." Nichrom stepped forward, grabbing Matilda by the arm. "We understand."

"Good," he said with a cheerful smile. "Get some rest. Tomorrow will be a big day."