Abduction

Manta adjusted the collar of his beige shirt nervously as he slowly walked the dirt path. The silence was uncomfortable, but he didn't know how to start the conversation he desired. Yoh hadn't said a word to them since they awoke that morning, so he was unsure of his mood. Ryu seemed to share the same apprehension when he glanced at him. He buried his hands deep in the pockets of the denim jeans he wore and gave Manta a concerned glance. The three of them knew they were separated from the rest of the group, but Yoh decided not to look for them, thinking they would reunite at some point. Yoh's pace quickly pulled him away from them, but they kept him in their line of sight.

"What do you think?" Ryu asked gravely without removing his eyes from Yoh's back.

"He's angry," Manta replied.

"What kind of power does Hana have?" Ryu asked and scratched his neck. "Why would Hao go through so much trouble?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure it's great," he replied and glanced at Yoh. "With Yoh being his father. He's been after the boy ever since he was born. There has to be a reason for it."

"Maybe Hao knows something we don't," Ryu added reluctantly.

"They have to make up," Manta said sadly, "or at the very least start talking to each other."

"He's not going to talk to Anna right now," Ryu sighed.

"They have to resolve this before we get to Hao's camp." Manta slowed his pace and folded his arms across his chest. "Yoh doesn't think clearly when he's with Hao."

"Yeah," Ryu agreed. "You're right. We have to do something."

They continued their walk in silence for several moments as the looming trees swayed in the distance. Manta stared at the various branches with a frown, and Ryu noticed.

"What is it?" he asked.

"There are too many trees here," Manta replied curiously. "Or...plants."

"What do you mean?" Ryu asked in confusion.

"There weren't this many before," he added. "Or, am I just seeing things?"

Ryu spanned the area slowly, catching a glimpse of Yoh who was still walking ahead, and noticed several green vines wrapping around the various trees. He closed his eyes briefly and groaned.

"Thalim," he said gravely. "He's the only person I know that can manipulate plants."

"Where is he?" Manta stopped walking completely and stared at the trees.

"I don't know," Ryu replied angrily. "But he must be up to something."

They were distracted when Yoh quickly stopped walking and stared at the ground with his hands balled into tight fists. Ryu and Manta jogged toward him but stopped abruptly when he spoke.

"Come out," he said angrily.

There was no answer, and Ryu began looking around the trees over his head.

"I said come out," Yoh repeated as his voice elevated. "Now!"

Again there was no answer, and Manta swallowed hard and stared at Yoh's back.

"Manta, Ryu," he said softly. "Stay back."

They obeyed the request mostly out of anticipation. Ryu and Manta were aware of Thalim being somewhere in the woods, but perhaps Yoh sensed something or someone else. Manta grinned suddenly but quickly changed his facial expression. He hadn't watched Yoh fight in several years, and it was always exciting.

"Thalim's an idiot," Ryu mumbled under his breath. "He's no match for Yoh. What is he thinking?"

"It could be a trap," Manta offered worriedly. "We should help him."

"We'll just get in the way," Ryu replied. "He can handle this."

The earth beneath them began to shake suddenly, and they leaned against a large tree. Yoh stood in the center of the dirt path with his hands tightly at his sides and stared at the ground. He took a deep breath as if trying to relax then closed his eyes. Several seconds elapsed before muffled noises were heard in the distance, but Manta and Ryu didn't see anyone in the woods.

"If I drag you out here," Yoh called, "it will hurt much more than that. If you want to fight me come out."

The vines began to unravel around the trees, and Manta noticed the extra plants began to recede. Ryu tapped Manta on the shoulder when he saw the outline of a man emerging slowly from the trees. He held his torso with his right hand and walked with a slight limp, but once he entered the dirt path, they recognized him immediately.

"There he is," Manta said with a smile.

Yoh stared at the man with great apathy as he slowly fell to his knees. His heavy breathing prevented him from speaking for several seconds, and drops of blood began to drip onto the path from his garment.

"Please," Thalim said pleadingly. "I don't want to fight you."

"What were you planning?" Yoh demanded as he stepped toward him.

Thalim saw the man approaching and held out his free hand, motioning for him to stop. Ryu frowned at him and sighed, but Manta took a few steps forward as compassion began to overwhelm his senses.

"I...I..."

"Answer me," Yoh interrupted impatiently. "Where's the rest? I know you didn't come alone."

"I can't tell you," Thalim replied fearfully.

"Yoh, he's not the mastermind behind this." Manta ran out and stood in front of Thalim suddenly, blocking Yoh's path. "He's kind of an idiot. Someone else put him up to it."

"I'm not an idiot," Thalim protested but was ignored.

"If this is a trap, we need to keep moving," Ryu suggested. "Just leave him."

"Who told you to split us up?" Yoh asked as he pushed Manta roughly out of the way.

"Wait a minute," Ryu groaned. "He split us up?"

Thalim didn't respond and grimaced in pain as he held his torso tighter. He planted his free hand against the dirt and moaned weakly under his breath.

"Attacking Yoh would be stupid," Ryu continued. "They know that. Splitting us up was the only smart thing to do."

"They're going after Anna," Manta said gravely.

Yoh charged the injured man quickly and kicked him in the face; he began crying and pleading under his breath for them to spare his life.

"How many are there?" Yoh demanded angrily.

"Four," he blurted. "There are just four of us! Nemari, Pino, Zria and me!"

"I want you to take us to them."

"What?" Thalim glanced at him fearfully and clenched his teeth from his injury. "I can't-"

"You can take us," Yoh grabbed the fabric of his shirt and pulled him close to his face. "Or you can die right here, and we'll find them anyway."

"Okay, okay!" he blurted. "But...I don't...know exactly where they are."

"You have ten seconds to figure it out, Thalim," Yoh growled and released him to the ground. "Get up."

He rose to his feet as quickly as he could but bent over slightly as more blood began to seep through his fingers from his torso. Manta stared at it with a frown and approached him for a closer look.

"What happened?" he asked weakly.

"Let me guess," Ryu said sarcastically. "You found out we were looking for Hao's camp, and you wanted to be a hero by taking us out before we got there. Hao doesn't even know about this, does he?"

"That's not what I meant," Manta mumbled under his breath.

"They would be heading this way," Thalim said and pointed to a large web of tall trees behind them. He entered the grouping slowly, and Yoh quickly followed, but Manta hesitated and stared at the ground.

"Come on," Ryu said calmly.

"Did Yoh do that to him?" Manta asked randomly without lifting his head.

"What?"

"When he was hiding in the trees," he continued. "That...wound..."

"Yeah," Ryu confirmed. "I guess he did."

They began to follow Yoh again when Ryu noticed the worry in Manta's expression.

"What's wrong Manta?" he asked with concern.

"I've never seen him do that before," Manta replied gravely.

"Yoh is very powerful," Ryu countered. "There are probably many things he can do we don't know about."

"He stabbed him with something." Manta bit his bottom lip and stared at the surrounding trees. "Maybe a branch or-"

"Does it really matter? Why does this bother you so much?"

"Because," Manta sighed, "that was ruthless, and he did it without moving. That wound probably won't heal."

"It seems like something Hao would do," Ryu suggested.

"This is bad. Yoh's going to take out his anger on everyone in that camp," Manta replied frankly. "People are going to die."


"This is bad, Anna. Really bad."

Anna stood in the middle of a small clearing with her arms folded tightly across her torso. The wind blew the hem of her dress slightly, and a chill ran down her spine as she watched the trees in front of them sway back and forth. Tamao paced in front of her nervously and bit her bottom lip, pausing only to drop the large bag she had been carrying on her back to the ground.

"How did we get separated from them?" Anna asked blankly and squinted through the trees.

"I...I don't know," she replied nervously and scratched her head. "But we can't be out here alone. Hao's camp must be close by and-"

"I get it," Anna replied dismissively. "I'm not exactly the person you want to be stuck with in a fight."

"I didn't mean it like that, Anna," Tamao sighed. "It's just dangerous. I can't protect you by myself if there's an ambush."

"There's nothing we can do about that right now," Anna sighed. "We should keep moving, and eventually we'll find them."

"But-"

"Calm down Tamao," she continued. "You won't be able to fight when the time comes if you're freaking out now."

"I'm sorry." Tamao grabbed the bag again but paused without lifting it from the ground. "I can't help it. I'm worried about Hana and Mei. And Yoh. And, I can't shake this terrible feeling something bad is about to happen."

"You're over-thinking this," Anna replied softly. "You're worrying about things you can't control."

"I know," she sighed. "But, that doesn't make it go away."

"Let's change the subject," she said abruptly.

"Well," Tamao bit her bottom lip and pulled the bag onto her back. "I guess there's something I've wanted to ask since we left."

"What is it?"

"When you talked about Mei," she said gravely. "Well...let me ask this first. How long has Mei been able to hear people's thoughts?"

"Probably since she was born," Anna replied. "It's likely she inherited it from Jeanne."

"You mentioned she may have another ability, but no one seemed to notice you said it." Tamao's expression shifted into a concerned frown. "What were you talking about?"

"It may be nothing," Anna replied breathlessly.

"Did something happen?"

"Sort of."

Tamao took a few steps forward and stared at Anna in painful silence. Anna considered carefully whether this was something that needed to be mentioned, but she knew not telling her would increase her anxiety.

"I took her to the market once," she started and exhaled. "A few kids were there bullying her, and somehow we were separated. I looked for her for about five minutes, and she came running back with a fearful look in her eyes. I tried to ask her what was wrong, but I saw the kids behind her...and that's when it happened."

"What?" Tamao blurted eagerly. "What happened?"

"Everything stopped for...maybe twenty seconds. She grabbed my hand and dragged me away."

"Wait, what do you mean by that? Everything stopped? What does that mean?" Tamao asked with a frown.

"After she held my hand everything around us stopped moving." Anna paused to pull a few strands of her hair away from her face. "The kids were frozen in place. The other patrons were frozen in place. There were leaves stranded in mid air. Everything stopped."

"Are you saying she can stop time?" Tamao held her hand over her mouth when she asked the question, and her eyes widened.

"I wouldn't describe it in that way," Anna replied. "If she were able to stop time I wouldn't have been able to move, and my watch would have stopped."

"But still, that's impressive."

"I didn't mention it because it's not an ability she's aware of," Anna sighed.

"She has to know about it," Tamao countered.

"No, I mean she doesn't know how to use it. That time was random, and she probably can't duplicate it. If it's a power she possesses, she's not aware of it yet."

"Do you think..." Tamao bit her bottom lip again before deciding to finish her thought. "Hao knows about it?"

"I don't know." Anna frowned at the question and stared at the tree behind her. She hadn't thought of the possibility, and now it bothered her.

"I thought he took her because of Ren, but he wouldn't seek revenge. Matilda would," Tamao explained. "Maybe he used that as an excuse to convince Matilda to take her. If he could focus that power or help her sharpen it...

Anna closed her eyes and sighed as Tamao's voice trailed off.

"If he combined Mei's power with Hana's, he'd be unstoppable," Tamao continued.

"He would have to make them cooperate," Anna replied. "They're extremely strong willed children. And, it really doesn't matter because we're going to get them back."

"You're right." Tamao smiled at her warmly then took a deep breath. "Let's keep moving. We should run into-"

She paused involuntarily and quickly pulled the bag away from her back. Anna watched with a frown as she fell to her knees and began slowly gasping for air.

"Tamao?" Anna called and approached her quickly.

She couldn't respond, and Anna noticed her face blistered quickly with a blueish hue. They attempted to open the collar of her shirt, but she only clutched her chest with her hands in response.

"What's happening?" Anna demanded as panic began to invade her voice. "What's wrong, Tamao?"

As a terrible shade of purple flushed her face, Tamao opened her mouth slightly before collapsing to the ground. She didn't move for several seconds, and Anna stared at her in shock.

"She'll be dead in five minutes."

The female voice was somewhere in the woods behind them, and Anna spanned the surrounding area quickly to find the source.

"What did you do to her?" Anna called out and stood.

There was no answer, and she briefly closed her eyes.

"Why don't you stop hiding and show yourself...Zria?" she added with irritation.

There was no way she could hide her identity. Anna recognized the heavy Russian accent immediately. The silence was irritating, but before Anna could speak again she saw the woman emerge from the trees.

Zria was much taller than Anna and wore a long wool dress with leather boots. She wasn't carrying any weapons with her, and the long strands of her hair were restrained with a black band. As she stepped closer, Tamao began slowly clawing against the ground to get to Anna, but she was only able to move a few feet before collapsing again.

"So you know my name," Zria replied with a sly grin. "I'm flattered."

"Release her," Anna growled.

"Sorry," she smirked. "I don't have the desire to."

The numbing sensation of ice ravaged her limbs as Zria spoke, and Anna realized her legs were trapped in a large block of ice. The pain was overwhelming, and despite her greatest efforts she couldn't hide this in her expression. Zria watched her squirm and smiled at her, but her attention diverted quickly to the woods. A tall man with short blond hair joined her wearing a brown hunting outfit with black boots. He glanced at Tamao briefly, who was still struggling to breathe but quickly directed all of his attention to Anna.

"Here she is...in the flesh," he said proudly. "The Ice Queen."

Zria giggled lightly from the statement but did not move.

"That's a strange name to have," he continued, "considering you have no power."

Anna glared into his eyes angrily but couldn't prevent her body from shivering.

"Is it cold?" he snickered. "Don't be afraid. You'll go numb in no time."

"What...do you...want?" Forming a sentence was terribly difficult as her body temperature began to drop dangerously low.

"Isn't it obvious?" he said with a smile. "We wanted to find you. And, we did. Lucky us."

"Let us go...now," she growled weakly.

"Your reputation precedes you, Anna," he said softly. "Even in this situation you're still so forceful."

"Pino, we'll run out of time," Zria interrupted.

"You're right," he replied reluctantly. "I won't get to torture you before you die. You should thank me, Anna."

"You won't...kill me," she said through clenched teeth and folded her arms tightly over her torso.

"Really?" he replied with deep sarcasm. "Why not?"

"You won't...have the...chance," Anna explained angrily. "I'm not...alone."

Tamao crawled closer to the block of ice and held out her hand before falling onto the ground again.

"Why are you still alive?" Zria mumbled in irritation.

"You're counting on Yoh to save you." He said the man's name with great contempt and increased the size of the ice block, allowing it to rise to her waist. "I wouldn't count on it."

"He won't...let you...hurt me," she said between breaths. "You made a...fatal mistake...coming here."

"Are you threatening me?" Pino approached her angrily and leaned menacingly in front of her face, but she did not recoil.

"If you don't...let us...go," she continued, "he'll kill you."

"I'm not scared of that bastard!" he yelled at her suddenly. "You think he's scares me? I'm just as strong as Yoh is, and I can fight him. I'm not afraid to fight him!"

"We don't have time for this," Zria said with an elevated voice and grabbed his arm. "She's stalling us, Pino."

"Then, we'll make time," he replied angrily and melted the ice.

Anna fell to the ground clumsily; there was no way she could stop the move, and there was no feeling at all in her legs. She tried to crawl to Tamao but was unable to drag them. Pino grabbed a large section of her hair and dragged her across the clearing, but she had no strength left to resist.

"Pino!" Zria yelled in frustration. "What are you doing?"

"We didn't have time to torture her before," he seethed. "But, we'll have to make time."

"This is not a good idea," she warned. "You'll make things worse for us!"

"Stop being so scared!" he snapped at her. "If Yoh wants her back, he'll have to find her. And, maybe she'll still be alive."

"You'll be provoking him more than necessary," Zria pleaded. "It's not worth it!"

"Oh, it'll be worth it," Pino said with a sinister grin. "Trust me."

Zria waved her arm through the air with a slice, and Tamao began coughing up water for several seconds. She tried to sit up but was only able to rest on her hands and knees before noticing them walking away in the woods. Tamao glanced over at the place where Anna had been frozen, but the ground was wet with no sign of her.

"Anna," she called weakly and began crawling toward the trees where she saw them. "Anna!"

The strength had not yet returned to her body, and she rolled over onto her back as tears quickly filled her eyes.

"ANNA!"