Potential

Leaves rustled in the distance as the small adult crowd encircled him. The pain in Hana's limbs was unbearable; the burning sensation melted his skin from the inside. He couldn't recall experiencing this type of agony before in his life; even the fights at school paled in comparison to this torture Fudou effortlessly inflicted. The restraint was tiresome and irritating. There was nothing worse in Hana's mind than being betrayed, and he hated the thought of others seeing him as weak. But he couldn't decide what to do or how to escape. His thoughts were too consumed with anger. Visions of James laughing at him. Those surrounding adults laughing at him. This was a joke to them, and he was the main event. Tamao was telling him not to react. His mother was telling him to be polite. His father suggested he hide his power as long as possible and not fight under any circumstances.

Nichrom wanted him to wet his pants.

Hana's anger grew difficult to contain, especially under this uncomfortable restraint. He clutched his hands into fists and growled as a new emotion grew painfully apparent. It was something he never felt before, and he couldn't stop the infectious spread through his arms and legs. The blood rushed violently to his brain; he couldn't reorder the voices of unsolicited advice. Redness flushed his eyes momentarily and he closed them. His movements were slight but noticeable, and after pausing for a brief moment Hana opened his eyes again, allowing this new feeling to completely take control.

Rage.

"Captain..." Horo didn't remove his gaze from the boy.

He was interrupted by a disturbing sound. Hana was still on his hands and knees and had only moved a few inches. After several seconds Horo concluded that muffled groan didn't come from him. Matilda took a step forward and stared at the boy in confusion, and Nichrom clutched his hands into fists when he glanced slowly at Fudou.

The man was still on his feet for now. He had been completely silent until this moment; his companions didn't notice the blood seeping from his nose until he made the low sound. Fudou stared at Hana with eyes of slight shock and confusion. He never had to concentrate this hard before and realized quickly he was no longer able to contain him.

Pirika stepped closer for a better look and stopped directly beside Matilda. No one spoke; shock overwhelmed them. Hana growled a few times before sitting upright, and as he pushed himself from the grass to stand on his feet, Fudou quickly collapsed. She ran to his side, ignoring Matilda's demand for her to stay put, and attempted to rouse him.

"What the hell?" Horo blurted.

"He's unconscious," Pirika said. "Matilda, we need to—"

She interrupted her own statement and dodged a large rock aimed for her face. It was suddenly apparent that Hana was standing on his feet, unrestrained and preparing to attack. Matilda instinctively stepped back, an action that angered Nichrom greatly.

"He's a kid. There's no reason to fear a kid!"

"This is interesting," Luchist said. He was several feet away from them with Marco at his side and seemingly had no intention to fight.

"Horo," Nichrom demanded bitterly, "restrain him."

He seemed reluctant to obey the order but stepped forward anyway. The seconds that followed were dangerously unexpected.

If any of these adults had abilities, Hana never saw them. The earth shifted beneath them, sending a large rift through the clearing. Wind increased rapidly in pace, forcing nearby trees to break apart; rocks and leaves loose in his path disintegrated as he stepped toward them. Hana's physical movements were very slight; he opened the palms of his hands a few times and waved them with delicate ease. But the effects were devastating. Horo was first to receive a crushing blow to his stomach, and the force drove him back several feet. He fell onto the ground hard enough to be stunned, and he didn't recover for several minutes. Pirika froze the boy's feet quickly in an attempt to keep him from moving any closer, but the ice shattered instantly without a misstep. He glared at her with wrathful eyes, causing her to rise involuntarily into mid air. She struggled in vain to free herself from this forced levitation, and after frightful seconds of pause she was hurled violently into a pile of broken tree branches far away from the clearing.

Matilda's daggers sprung out from her utility belt with a strange circular pattern, and the sharp blades sliced her skin and clothing in various places. The blood surfaced quickly, and she fell to her knees from the pain. After mercilessly cutting through her hair and narrowly missing her neck, a wound that would have been fatal, the daggers lodged into the thick tree trunk behind her head. Faust, who although at this point had only been an innocent bystander, was slammed into the ground and crushed by a boulder sized stone. He was unable to free himself, since his legs were pinned beneath it, but Hana's attention quickly turned away.

Marco and Luchist approached slowly behind, but Hana was unable to focus on anyone else except for the man in front of him. Nichrom had been restrained by the feet with the rift created in the initial attack and was now staring at the boy as if experiencing an impossible dream.

"I am not weak."

Hana's declaration rumbled through the clearing with a frightful echo, and his voice resembled an enraged beast. He took a few steps forward before clutching his hands into tight fists at his sides, and several medium sized rocks levitated in front of him, spinning vigorously until forming into sharpened spears. Nichrom's eyes widened as the sharp points discharged through the air like bullets; Hana had aimed them at the man's face, and seconds before reaching their destination they fell limply onto the ground.

The wind stopped abruptly, sending everything that was swirling through the clearing to the ground. Horo held his torso with one of his hands as he limped toward the unconscious body of Fudou, and Pirika quietly joined them. Matilda didn't move from her position against the tree; her eyes filled with tears as her terror was apparent. Nichrom stared at the boy with a startled expression, and although his mouth was agape he was unable to speak. The palms of his hands were planted firmly onto the ground and he gasped audibly when Hana suddenly fell face down in front of him.

Marco was standing behind him and lowered his gun, signaling to the witnesses what had just occurred. Nichrom blinked his eyes, staring briefly at the pistol in Marco's hand then stared at the boy again who didn't move.

"That's enough for today," Luchist said authoritatively after joining Marco's side.

He wanted to say more but was distracted when Hana began squirming against the ground.

"It's poison," Marco warned him. "You shouldn't fight its effect or it will kill you."

Hana clenched his teeth and dug his fingernails into the dirt. He moaned audibly, and soon the sound grew into a painful whimper. Marco frowned at him but his expression quickly softened when he saw a small piece of metal slowly protruding from his back.

"He's removing the bullets," Luchist said with enthusiasm. "Incredible."

The metal shards fell heavily against the ground beside him, and he exhaled weakly a few times before finally losing consciousness. The adults that were able to stand encircled the boy again without speaking. Nichrom looked away momentarily with a bitter frown, but Luchist's excitement was obvious. Horo and Pirika stood holding hands. Matilda didn't move from the tree. Faust struggled to free himself again until Nichrom removed the boulder in frustration, but he was unable to move when realizing his left leg was broken.

"That boy," Horo said, "is strong."


"Thalim, what are you doing?"

He froze suddenly upon realizing he had been discovered. The hallway was supposed to be empty, and all of Hao's accomplices were supposed to be strengthening the camp's defenses. The dorm rooms should have been abandoned at this point, and he thought this would be the perfect opportunity to escape. But Rutherfor's familiar voice had surely caught him in the act, and he had no choice but to explain himself. She was loyal to her captain and would report him as soon as Nichrom's mission was complete. There was no use in dragging it out, he supposed. He had to tell her the truth.

"We're leaving," he said and slowly turned around. "Namari and I."

"Leaving?" she frowned and stepped forward. "Master Hao won't allow that, and you know it."

"We have a plan, Rutherfor," he sighed. "Just pretend you didn't see me."

"If you're caught leaving this place you'll die." Rutherfor's words were deliberately forceful, but her expression didn't change. "Master Hao will kill you."

"Yoh and his friends will be here in less than two days," he blurted in frustration. "You want to just wait for them to come and attack us?"

"What exactly were you planning to do?" she asked.

Thalim closed his eyes briefly but didn't respond.

"You can't go after them, Thalim." Her voice softened. "Yoh is more powerful than you. Even if you take Namari with you it's an impossible fight."

"Rutherfor—"

"His friends won't just watch either. All of them will attack you, and you'll die."

"Not if we split them up. Trust me, Rutherfor. We have a plan, and I really think it will work."

"Your plan doesn't matter," she sighed, "because you can't leave."

"We have a way out, and the only way we'll get caught is if you rat us out."

"Did Namari talk you into this?" she asked suddenly, folding her arms tightly over her torso.

"No," he sighed, "we came up with it together."

"But he brought it up, didn't he?"

"It doesn't matter," Thalim said as he scratched his head. "Are you going to tell Nichrom or what?"

"This is a mistake," she said. "This is a terrible mistake, Thalim. But, if I can't change your mind I can't keep you here either."

He smiled at her weakly and quickly disappeared down the hallway. Rutherfor stared at the floor silently for a few moments then worriedly scratched her neck.

"You're going to get yourself killed," she whispered bitterly.


Hao slowly entered the dimly lit room, and as his bare feet fell dully against the cold stone he stared at the bed that was neatly made. She hadn't slept there in days and opted instead to sit in a far corner against the floor. He knew she was aware of his presence, but she didn't speak. The woman was small with her bent knees tucked tightly into her chest, and her arms rested weakly against them. Gray cotton pants pulled against her frail frame, and the tiny white t-shirt revealed the petite curves of her torso. Beautiful strands of her long hair shimmered brilliantly despite the dull atmosphere, and she didn't restrain them as a few partially hid her face.

"I can't let you do anything if you won't eat," he said.

She glared at him with bitter disdain and didn't respond.

"You have to eat to keep up your strength. It's not negotiable."

She clenched her teeth but continued her silence. Hao sat beside her on the floor, and she quickly crawled away, resuming her clutched stance against the wall. He smiled at her warmly, however, completely ignoring her disposition.

"I'm not your enemy," he whispered.

"You can't keep me here. You can't keep me here forever."

Hao moved closer, grabbing her arm when she attempted to flee. She punched him a few times with her free hand, but he pulled her into his torso and wrapped his arms around her, restraining her movements.

"You have to stop fighting me, Jeanne," he sighed.

She wriggled free from him suddenly, and he allowed her to stand on her feet.

"You took them away from me! You took everything away from me!"

"What are you talking about?" he asked innocently.

"I want my family!" Tears filled her crimson eyes as she pointed a shaking finger at him. "My husband...my daughter...you can't keep me here!"

"Jeanne, you're not married."

She hesitated and stared at him with a shocked frown. He didn't elaborate, and her limbs began to shake.

"No," she whimpered erratically. "You're lying. You're lying!"

He stepped closer and grabbed her wrists. She tried to pull away, but he tightened his grasp and pulled her forward, forcing their eyes to meet.

"You were never married, Jeanne," he rephrased the statement with the same tone, "and you don't have any children."

The confusion in her eyes overclouded her expression, and she stared at him with her mouth partially agape.

"Don't you remember?"

Jeanne remained silent as he released her wrists and rested his hands firmly against her shoulders. She sniffed audibly, placing her open palms weakly against his chest and stared at his neck.

"Stop doing this." The statement was barely audible, and he kissed her forehead delicately before continuing his plea. "Come back to me."

The confusion and frustration in her eyes faded almost immediately when he whispered the last statement in her ear. A contrasting expression of blankness mixed with slight apathy consumed her senses, and she weakly pulled away.

"I'm hungry." Her tone was stern, and she stared at him with bitter indifference.

"I'll bring you lunch." His enigmatic expression was difficult to decipher, and for several seconds their eye contact remained intact.

"Thank you," she said plainly.

He walked away from her slowly, and as he reached the exit he paused. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. Mei is here."

"Who's Mei?" she asked with an irritated frown.

He looked back at her calmly. "Your daughter."

Jeanne stared at him silently and carefully considered the answer. She bit her bottom lip and rolled her eyes before taking a few steps closer.

"I don't have any children," she replied severely.

"I apologize." He nodded. "It was my mistake."

She didn't answer and watched as he slowly exited the room. Hao walked down the hallway with a deliberate pace. Although he remained silent, keeping his emotions completely under subjection, he couldn't manage to hide the amused grin painted over his lips.