Evening

The sun waned in the distance as an orange hue shadowed their steps. Tall trees swayed with the steady wind and swirled around the clearing where they stopped. It wasn't their decision to pause, but exhaustion overwhelmed them from excessive walking, and they needed to regain their strength. Anna's limp body was unbearably heavy now, and this was evident with Pino's slowing pace. Zria stood behind him with a worried expression and briefly closed her eyes when he hurled the woman onto the dirt below like a burlap sack.

"Why did you do that?" she demanded angrily.

"She was heavy," he replied calmly. "And besides, we should rest."

"Tamao will tell Yoh you killed her," she continued nervously. "He'll hunt us down now because of you."

"You're the one who let her go," he countered.

Zria glanced toward the dirt and clenched her teeth when viewing Anna's sprawled body. She quickly approached her, leaning her back gently against a large tree, and began slowly whisking deposits of dirt from her clothes with her fingers. Pino rolled his eyes at her but was ignored and sat on a small patch of grass a few feet away.

"We should get back to the camp," she said gravely. "Things will be soon out of our control if we don't."

"No," he sighed, "we're going to wait for her to wake up then teach her a lesson."

"It wouldn't be wise to wait for that, Pino."

The voice startled Zria, but Pino did not move from his position and waited for the man to emerge from the trees before responding.

"Perfect timing, Nemari," he said sarcastically. "Where's Thalim?"

"He's been captured."

"I'm not surprised," Pino mumbled under his breath then stood. "So now what?"

"We'll take her to Master Hao," Nemari said plainly. "Zria's right. We should move quickly. I don't intend to die out here today."

Anna blinked her eyes very slowly but was unable to open them completely. Fatigue ravaged her body as the pain resurfaced, and she moaned lightly while turning her head. Zria stood beside her but took a step back when Nemari ran toward her and punched Anna in the face. She fell clumsily to the earth and remained in her position without moving.

"Let's go," he said quickly and began walking away. Pino lifted Anna's body again over his shoulder, and Zria stared at them both with widened eyes.

"What was that for?" she demanded nervously.

"We need to make sure she stays unconscious," Nemari explained. "Keeping her captive will definitely level the playing field."

"It's not like she can attack us," Pino scoffed. "She has no power."

Nemari stopped his pace and slowly turned around. Zria stared sadly at Anna, whose arms dangled loosely from Pino's back, and her hands slapped him when he stopped walking.

"You really know nothing about the Asakura family, do you?" Nemari's question seemed rhetorical, but Pino was too stubborn to let it go.

"I'm not afraid of them," Pino barked. "Yoh isn't stronger than any one of us. He has an infamous reputation, but he can't be that strong. The only thing threatening about Anna is her mouth. And Hana's just a kid."

"I'll explain this to you as best I can," Nemari teased, "so try to keep up."

Pino rolled his eyes again and Zria took a few steps forward. She didn't know much about Hao's family and was eager to find out.

"If Anna is conscious, alert and angry," he sighed, "she can kill us. She has power that is more subtle than Yoh's. She can't defeat Master Hao, but that only benefits him."

"And how would she kill us, exactly?" Pino asked skeptically.

"Have you ever had your thoughts invaded?" Nemari asked with a smirk. "It's very painful. The blood vessels to your brain could rupture. Your head could literally explode."

Zria gasped at the explanation, but Pino released an exaggerated sigh.

"Anna is dangerous. Make no mistake about that, Pino. And so is her family."

"I've seen this Yoh before," Pino growled. "He looks like a wimp to me."

"I'm sure meeting him would change your mind," Nemari said severely.

Zria quietly held her breath, but Pino frowned at him with great apathy.

"You should hope you never get the chance to fight him," he continued, "but Hana is extremely powerful. If the rumors are true, he's definitely a force to be reckoned with. There's almost nothing that kid can't do, and if you make him angry enough he can kill you without much effort."

Although Pino's expression didn't change, Zria clutched her chest as he spoke.

"But he's not who you should worry about," Nemari said and raised one finger in the air. "You should worry about his father. Yoh's unassuming appearance gives him no justice. He's much stronger than he looks, and it would not be wise to underestimate him."

"How strong?" Zria asked eagerly.

"He's the most powerful member of the Asakura family."

Pino seemed offended by the statement and clenched his teeth. "What are you saying?" he demanded. "Are you saying he's stronger than Master Hao?"

"I'm saying if he wanted to kill him he could."

Nemari's statement sent chills down Pino's spine, but he refused to appear afraid. Zria stared at the ground as her hands began to tremble.

"But luckily for us, Yoh has a weakness. Well, several of them if we're counting."

"What do you mean?" Zria asked.

"He never fights with all of his power," Nemari said with slight disappointment. "Yoh doesn't like to hurt people, so he tends to defend himself when in a fight. He never attacks."

"That's not really a weakness," Pino grumbled.

"Sure it is. When they come for us they'll be ready to attack. Yoh won't do it, and even if he does he'll only attack at half of his capacity."

"He's loyal to Master Hao," Zria added. "I've heard that, but I didn't think it was really true."

"Yoh won't do anything to harm his brother," Nemari explained. "That's our advantage."


Pirika entered the dimly lit room with a smile as she observed her brother sitting on the edge of his bed. Fudou was fast asleep on the other side of the room, so she tiptoed inside so not to wake him. Horo frowned at her but did not move from his position and leaned against her arm when she sat beside him.

"What are you doing walking around like that?" he asked softly and briefly glanced at Fudou. "You're not injured?"

"Hao healed the more serious wounds for me," she explained. "I'm fine."

"Why does he give you special treatment? I'm still in pain here," he sighed and pointed across the room, "and Fudou's probably in a coma over there."

"I think it's because I'm a woman," she replied. "Haven't you noticed how he treats the women here?"

"Don't tell me it's some kind of chivalry," he said and rolled his eyes. "He was never kind to Anna."

"That's different..." Pirika paused suddenly and stared at the floor. Horo did not break the silence and gently held her hand. "He sees Anna as a threat. None of us are standing between him and Yoh."

"We should talk about this thing," Horo said gravely. "Hana just tried to kill us, and if it hadn't been for Marco we'd probably be dead. You can't tell me you're not blown away."

"He's definitely stronger than I thought," she agreed. "We underestimated him."

"With Hana's help, Hao will be able to move forward without restraint."

"I guess so."

"Everything is happening so fast," Horo added. "Yoh and Anna will come for Hana. This is war."

Pirika glanced at her brother silently and noticed the worry in his eyes. She squeezed his hand and exhaled.

"Are you okay with this?" he asked sadly. "Can we really stand with him?"

She scratched her eyebrow with her free hand but didn't respond.

"Do you know how many people will be dead before this is over?" he continued. "Should we accept this?"

"I'll stand with him until I can't any longer," she sighed, "and then run for my life."

"I'm serious, Pirika." Horo frowned at her and sat upright.

"So am I," she whispered. "Hao is paranoid. I'm not taking any chances."

Horo glanced at Fudou's bed again and released a weak moan.

"We have to see this through, Horo. We don't have a choice."

"And what about Mei? You're going to abandon your plan?" he asked worriedly.

"Rutherfor told Hao where she is," Pirika replied. "He has to rescue her now to save face."

"Well now you have an even bigger problem," he groaned and scratched his head.

"What?"

"He'll take her to Jeanne, and I'm telling you..." He paused and released her. "That won't end well."

"She deserves to be in Mei's life," Pirika protested. "That's the least Hao could do for her."

"In case you haven't noticed, Sis," he sighed with frustration, "that woman is a complete nutcase."

"Horo-"

"You know I'm right," he barked. "Why do you think he keeps her so contained? She has her own quarters, and we all have room mates. She didn't even fight, and I'm sure Hao told Luchist he couldn't take her with us. Mei's better off not knowing anything about her. Hao did that girl a favor."

"She's not crazy, Horo," Pirika said sadly. "You know that's not what it is."

They sat in a brief pause staring at the floor. Fudou had not moved from his position against the bed, but his light breathing was now audible.

"What did he do to her?" he asked gravely. "She's not the Jeanne I remember."

"At first I thought he was drugging her," she replied, "but it has to be something more complicated than that."

"She's been here longer than we have," Horo sighed. "And, she used to be so naïve. He could have easily brainwashed her against Ren."

Pirika stared at her lap and clutched the fabric of her dress with her hands.

"What?" he asked.

"I think that's the first time you've said his name in years," she answered weakly.

"Please don't start with that," he said and exhaled.

"Sometimes I wish things were different," she continued. "It didn't have to be this way."

"Nothing good would come of a reunion between Ren and me," Horo groaned. "One of us would die. Period."

"This is all of Yoh's fault," she mumbled under her breath.

"What do you mean?"

"Yoh created this mess," she growled, "and forced all of us to pick sides. He started this war a long time ago, and now that Hana is involved Hao wants to finish it."

"They're our enemies, Pirika," Horo said sternly. "You need to remember that."

"You can't just shut your emotions off so easily," she countered. "What if Tamao is with them and you run into her?"

"I told her if I ever saw her again I would kill her," he replied. "And, I intend to keep that promise."

"If they really are our enemies, why are you so hesitant to stand with Hao?" she demanded.

"Because Hao is paranoid," he replied. "You said it yourself. Sometimes he can't distinguish accomplices from his enemies. You haven't noticed how our numbers have dwindled over the years?"

"They died because they were stupid," she said and folded her arms over her torso. "No one here is dumb enough to betray him now. They're too afraid."

"Yeah, you're right," Horo replied with obvious sarcasm. "After all, Chris got himself killed because he took Jeanne for a walk outside of the camp. What an idiot. I mean, who would think something like that would be okay?"

"Hao specifically ordered us not to go near her. He did anyway. What do you expect?" Pirika sighed.

"So you think his actions are perfectly justifiable...and rational?" Horo frowned while staring at Fudou's bed and considered standing. "What would keep him from killing one of us?"

"Well, I'm a woman," she reminded him, "and I'm not Anna. But I guess you're fresh out of luck."

"It's really sad that you're able to joke about something so serious," he fumed.

"As long as Hao sees us as useful, we'll be fine," she said plainly. "It's really that simple. Nichrom trusts you with his life, and that's a bonus. And I hate to keep bringing it up but...I'm a woman."

"Get out of my room," he sighed and poked her in the arm. "You're so annoying."


Rutherfor tiptoed carefully across the room to grab a small blanket then returned to the bed and paused. The boy had been sleeping for several hours, and Marco stressed to her he should not be disturbed. But there were obvious goosebumps covering his arms and legs, and the small t shirt and pair of shorts he wore would not keep him warm. He needed a blanket, and she was determined to get him one without waking him. She stood over him apprehensively; thick blond strands of his hair covered his face and neck, and several swayed gently near his mouth as he exhaled. He looked extremely peaceful in a wild way, and something about the scene triggered an emotion she didn't expect. She quickly unfolded the blanket and spread it over his limbs then took a step back and held her breath. He didn't move from his position on his stomach, and she exhaled with relief.

"You're so beautiful," she whispered softly.

There was no response but the room filled quickly with the sound of his breathing as she stared at him in silence. Marco would surely be furious with her for hovering, but she felt the need to linger anyway. Hana's unconsciousness was a sign that he was vulnerable, and his age overpowered her ability to be cautious.

"Leave me alone," he mumbled weakly.

She darted her eyes to the mass of hair covering his face and froze. He didn't move from his position, and she was suddenly worried her presence was discovered.

"Hana?" Rutherfor didn't intend to whimper but she didn't want to forcibly wake him.

He mumbled an incoherent statement, and one of his arms dangled over the side of the bed.

She took a few steps toward the bed and reached out her hand to pull his hair away from his face, but she became suddenly paralyzed with fear. This was definitely irrational, but she couldn't control the emotion and folded her arms tightly over her torso. Waking Hana would be a mistake, and it was now time for her to leave before making matters worse.

"I hate you," he growled loudly.

Rutherfor gasped involuntarily and stared at the boy without moving away from the bed. He was definitely dreaming about something, and now she wasn't sure how to proceed. Her mind raced as she considered possible actions to take but held her breath again when she noticed a muffled moan.

He was crying. Was he asleep? She stepped closer and pushed his hair away from his mouth then knelt in front of him with deep worry. He shifted his weight against the pillow and grabbed her dress with his free hand, forcing her to lean over onto the bed. She rubbed his back gently with her hand and whispered something comforting in his ear when he quickly opened his eyes.

Hana movements were too fast for her to fully react. She knew he was awake but could not move away. He scrambled back against the wall the bed was leaning against and held out his hands to push her back. She stood from her position, but as an uncontrolled action her body was hurled several feet back, crashing violently into a stone wall.

He crawled out of the bed and slowly walked toward her but stopped before close enough to touch her. Pain ravaged her back and neck mercilessly, and she tried to stand but couldn't move.

"Who are you?" he asked angrily and squeezed his hands into fists.

She began clawing at her neck with her fingers and gasped for air, but he ignored the action and tightened his grip.

"Answer me," he added with the same tone. His hair covered most of his face, but she could sense fear in his eyes.

"Please stop," she pleaded weakly as her face flushed a terrible burgundy. "I can't...breathe."

"You came here to kill me?" Hana took a step closer and clenched his teeth as she began squirming against the wall and kicking her feet.

"Stop," she managed to say through a fierce struggle against the floor.

He watched her movements with a frown, but after several seconds he loosened his hands, and she began coughing and gasping with her hands tightly over her chest. Her black hair was suddenly familiar, and his expression softened as she struggled to stand.

"Rutherfor?" He whispered her name and took a few steps back.

"I'm sorry," she said weakly, "for disturbing you. Are you okay?"

"I didn't mean to..." Hana paused and looked away from her before continuing his statement. "I thought you were someone else."

"No one is trying to kill you," Rutherfor replied sadly. She was too afraid to move any closer to the bed but slid her back against the wall until she was close to the door. "They're training you."

"Training me?" he asked with a frown. "For what?"

"You have to be strong enough..." she paused to clear her throat. "...to face Master Hao. If you're not ready he'll kill you."

"What?" Hana's frown quickly diminished, and his voice immediately revealed the fear he was trying to hide. "I don't understand."

"No one told you about this?" she asked apprehensively.

He didn't respond and searched her eyes with growing desperation.

"You should rest," she said abruptly and turned for the door. "You'll need all of your strength."

"Wait!" he blurted as he ran toward her and grabbed her wrist. "Please, just tell me what's going on. Why do I have to fight him? Why do I have to fight any of them?"

"I'm sorry for disturbing you," she repeated and pulled away from him. "Please get some rest."

Rutherfor left his room hurriedly without looking back and ran down the hallway before disappearing around a dark corner. Hana watched her until she was out of sight then began pacing worriedly in front of his bed.

"What the hell?" he whispered fearfully.