Void
Hana's body lay perfectly still against the thin mattress. The side of his face was buried into the pillow with thick, blond hair sprawled over his eyes and mouth. His hands were rounded into fists and tight against his body, and a large, brown blanket covered his legs. Hao watched the boy for several minutes. He took a moment to gently rub his head but then leaned forward and whispered softly into his ear.
"Wake."
The boy blinked his eyes heavily like he had been in a coma, and he scratched his head a few times while lightly exhaling.
"Good morning, Hana."
Hana was unaware he was sitting on the bed. He slowly sat upright and cleared his throat, but the grogginess still covered his eyes.
"Did you sleep well?"
He stretched his arms over his head with a yawn. "How long...was I asleep?"
"You slept peacefully through the night. I think you needed the rest."
He rubbed his face and heavily exhaled.
"I must apologize, Hana. I haven't been forthcoming enough. There are things I should explain."
Hana folded his legs and leaned his arms over them while softly blinking his eyes.
"My accomplices were trying to help you sharpen your power. They didn't intend to scare you. You can consider it...a sort of training?"
"Why?"
"You want to be strong, don't you?" He rubbed the boy's head with his hand. "You were frustrated because Yoh told you to hide your power and blend in. James bullied you because he thought you were weak. You don't have to fit in with those people. You're stronger than they are, and that's why they hate you."
"Papa's strong." He sighed. "But...he never fights. And he doesn't like it when I fight either."
"That's why you wanted to find me. You knew I would help you, right?"
Hana slowly nodded his head. He was mostly confused but didn't want to appear that way.
"Don't worry, Hana. When we're done you'll have absolutely nothing to fear."
"I...had a dream," he said. "It was scary."
Hao stood from the bed and slowly paced in front of it with his hands behind his back.
"Mama was looking for me, but some people stopped her. She was so mad." Hana rubbed his arms like he was cold. "She...did something to them and they fell down. I thought they were dead."
"I'm sure it's nothing," Hao said. "Just a dream."
"What if she finds me? I don't wanna get in trouble. She'll never let me leave the house again."
"Let me handle your mother, okay?"
"...Okay."
"I want you to eat breakfast and prepare for this training. Rutherfor will take you there. I have to do something, and I'll join you later."
Kiyomi paced in front of her bed with stiff shoulders and tight fists. A slender man waited at the door to be noticed by her, and he bowed when she faced him.
"What is it?"
"Captain Shumei has arrived to the infirmary. He gave orders not to go into the demon's room."
"Fine."
"The demon Asakura is still asleep. We can't wake him."
"I...know."
"And...you have a visitor. Shall I send him in?"
Kiyomi nodded with a thoughtful frown. He disappeared down the hallway as quietly as he entered. She sat on the edge of the bed, but when her visitor entered the room she stood again. He closed the door and locked it, much to her surprise, and he walked toward her until he was an arm's length away.
"Tao."
She intended to say more, but his presence was intimidating. Ren stared at her with dark eyes she couldn't read. His thoughts were completely inaccessible. A strange aura surrounded him. She was suddenly afraid.
"I've been here before."
She slowly nodded.
"Who was with me?"
"Usui Horokeu."
"I have no memory of this place. Why is that?"
He took another step forward. She backed away without an answer.
"Did we participate in the raid?"
"...No."
"Why were we here?"
"You tried to kill Shumei. Horo intervened."
Confusion filled his face as his expression softened. She nervously rubbed her hands together and took another step back.
"Was Shumei the target? The purpose for the raid?"
"Yes." Tears filled her eyes she tried to blink away.
"Why were all the women and children killed?"
She took a deep breath. "The soldiers were away for a training exercise. Shumei was with them. Tamotsu was here with me."
"He has no power?"
"Speed. He hid as many people as he could. But speed doesn't matter when facing a demon."
"Yoh intended to destroy the entire village...just to find Shumei?"
"After you failed."
He sat on the floor with his legs folded and rested his hands in his lap. She knelt in front of him, placing one hand on his knee. A faint scent of jasmine intoxicated him. He suddenly felt dizzy. She pulled his hair behind one of his ears and placed both hands on his shoulders. He moaned softly as she kissed his forehead then he pulled her into a tight embrace. She leaned her body against him and stared at the floor. Her green eyes pooled into black orbs initially, but she dug her fingernails into his back as the darkness subsided.
Your memories have been altered.
Her voice pained his ears. He tightly closed his eyes. She hummed a sweet melody that eased the pressure. When he opened his eyes again his expression was cold and blank. He pulled away from her and stood. She followed him to the door.
"Who has this power?" He stared at her with a long gaze of mixed anger and acknowledgment. "To alter memories?"
"I don't know." She glanced at the floor. "As children we were told stories of dark arts, rare powers too dangerous to obtain. But no one has ever witnessed this actually being done."
Ren leaned against the door and heavily dropped his hands. "You know more about Asakura Yoh than I do. That's clear. I want the truth."
"Hao's ancestors were considered demons that roamed the earth with unimaginable power. There was to be a single heir who would surpass them all and ultimately destroy our world. Asakura Keiko was meant to bear this demon child. There were plans to kill him shortly after birth to spare her life. But there were two children. Identical twins."
Ren sat in a chair near the door with widened eyes and lightly held his breath.
"The decision was to kill them both. There was no way to determine which child was the demon. But when the family, along with solders from this village attempted to carry this out they were massacred."
He swallowed hard.
"Asakura Mikihisa and Asakura Keiko were spared. They reared the boys in the most normal environment they could come up with. But as they became adolescents, their behavior took separate paths. Hao displayed an underlying rage that couldn't be quelled. Yoh wanted to fit into society and peaceably coexist. Both were encouraged to hide their power to blend in. Eventually these differing views collided."
Ren rubbed his face with one hand and frowned. "That doesn't explain the raid."
Kiyomi paced back and forth in front of him and took a deep breath. "I believe Hao and Yoh are two halves of one whole. They are separate...as Hao and Yoh...as brothers. But they are also the demon Asakura…one entity."
"Separating them is the only way to stop the demon living inside him." He bitterly closed his eyes.
Anna moaned and grabbed the blanket with her hand. Her slumber was pained and restless, but fatigue kept her eyes closed. Her breathing elevated and then leveled. She clenched her teeth and buried her face into the pillow. After a few moments, the discomfort grew into excruciating pain. Her eyes shot open as she sat up and crawled back against the bed. Blurry redness filled her vision as she struggled momentarily to breathe. She hit her back against the wall and clawed her fingernails along the skin of her neck.
"Painful, isn't it?"
She gave no answer. Instead her speech was a garbled mess of incoherent grunts. Hao's voice was calm and near, but she was unable to see him in the darkness. She balled her hands into fists and dropped them to her sides. The throbbing sensation beneath her skull was not to be ignored. She slammed her head against the wall a few times as tears streamed down her face.
His frown faded as he crawled onto the bed and held her face in his hands. She closed her eyes and grabbed aimlessly for his shirt. He slapped her arms away with one hand and pushed her onto the mattress with the other. She lay still on her back for a tense pause, and after much labored breathing she opened her eyes to the dark ceiling. He wiped her tears with a soft cloth, but she turned her face toward the wall and clenched her teeth. Hao lay beside her on his stomach with one arm over her waist and his face buried in her hair.
"I had to," she said.
"It wasn't your place."
She sighed. He squeezed her tighter.
"Hana needs training. I won't fight you on that. I won't interfere."
"I know." He closed his eyes as the smell of her hair engulfed his senses.
"What do you want, Hao? What will any of this accomplish?" She delicately placed her hand on top of his and faced the ceiling again. His lips brushed her ear but he didn't adjust his position.
"I want my brother."
"You want a war."
His breathing grew heavy, his body limp. Anna knew he was asleep; the fatigue was too overwhelming to fight off. She nestled beneath him, pulling his body closer, and wearily closed her eyes.
Tamao sat in a wooden chair staring at his still body with wet eyes. Her hands trembled despite squeezing them as hard as she could. She glanced at the blood stains covering his shirt and clenched her jaw.
"What happened, Yoh?" she whispered. "I don't understand."
"You shouldn't be in here." Shumei entered the room and closed the door. She jumped when she heard his voice and quickly stood from her chair.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!"
"We don't know what he'll do when he wakes. Let me take you somewhere safe."
She hugged his waist and buried her head into his chest. He stumbled but quickly recovered and closed his eyes.
"I'm sorry," she repeated.
"Please come with me, Tamao."
Tamotsu was waiting in the hallway when Shumei and Tamao exited the room. His expression was solemn and nearly hopeless. He gave her a weak smile.
"I apologize for us meeting under these circumstances," he said. "My name is Tamotsu."
She stood close to Shumei and grabbed his hand. "Hi."
"Your servant Lyserg is down the hall."
"I'll take her," Shumei said.
Tamao wrapped her arm around his as she squeezed his hand. He slowed his pace and took a deep breath.
"Please don't be afraid. I'll protect you."
The room he led her to was small with no windows. Lyserg, Ryu and Manta were sitting in silence when he opened the door. She released him, and as she walked inside he closed the door behind her.
"Where is Kiyomi?" Tamotsu folded his arms tightly and frowned.
"I don't know. Junichi?"
"He's resting. What are we to do now? The demon is sleeping, but he has a protective barrier keeping us from touching his body. Tamao is too weak to move him anywhere else. What happens when he wakes?"
Shumei walked away from him. "Not here."
Tamotsu reluctantly followed him down the hallway and outside of the small building. Kiyomi and Ren were approaching, and the four abruptly stopped in front of each other.
"We need to speak privately," she said, motioning for the men to follow her.
Ren entered the infirmary as Tamotsu and Shumei quietly followed Kiyomi into the woods. She leaned against a wide tree. Tamotsu sat on a large stump near it, and Shumei knelt on one knee.
"Why were you with him?" Tamotsu rubbed his hands together and glared at her.
"There are two ways to end this." She paused as her face reddened. "And neither are painless."
"There's nothing we can do," Shumei stood and stepped forward. "He's being protected."
"If there was a way to break the barrier, would you still be willing to kill him?"
"If that were possible, yes. But it's not possible."
"What is your plan, Kiyomi?" Tamotsu's face softened into confusion and worry.
"If I'm right about the origin of the demon's barrier I can remove it. You'll have to strike him before he opens his eyes."
"And if you're wrong?" Shumei scratched his nose with one finger and clutched his sword with his free hand.
She paused. Tamotsu held his breath.
"It could kill me."
"What's the second option?" Tamotsu stood from the stump but immediately sat back down.
"We wait for him to wake up and offer a sacrifice."
He smacked his forehead with his hand and clenched his teeth. "That's not a plan!"
Shumei scanned the trees in the distance with a blank gaze. "She's right, Tamotsu. If I'm sacrificed this war ends. No one else would have to die."
"There's no guarantee he won't kill us after he has what he wants. We can't take that chance."
"We don't have any leverage, Tamotsu. I don't...know what else to do."
Her tears were unbearable for the brothers to see. They both turned away.
"We can't offer Shumei after a failed attack. There would be no way to attack him once he's awake." Tamotsu rubbed his face with both hands.
"He wants to finish what he started. There's only one choice, Brother."
Kiyomi cleared her throat and closed her eyes. "He'll force you to fight, Shumei."
"Yeah."
"You can't do this alone!" Tamotsu's voice wavered as he spoke, but Shumei offered them both a warm smile.
"I have to. I'm the only one of us who can."
Ren walked along the narrow hallway glancing into the various rooms as he followed the sound of familiar voices. Lyserg peeked out of the doorway and saw him approaching. Ryu and Manta had been arguing but immediately stopped when he entered. Lyserg sat in a chair next to Tamao, and all of Ren's friends watched him silently as if waiting for an important speech.
For several moments he said nothing. The words were caught in the back of his throat and he had no will to force them out. Tamao offered him a smile, but it quickly faded. Manta dropped his eyes to the floor in fear. Lyserg and Ryu exchanged worried glances, but all of them gasped loudly when Ren was finally able to speak.
"We have to kill Yoh before we reach Hao's camp."
"...Okay."
Tamao and Ryu shuddered in disbelief when Lyserg responded. Manta kept his head low as tears slowly dotted his lap.
"What is wrong with you?" Ryu stood from his chair and shook his fists. "Yoh is our friend! We need to find out what happened to him and help him!"
"You saw what he did out there," Lyserg walked away from his chair and leaned against an adjacent wall. "That wasn't Yoh."
"We can't..." Tamao sniffed loudly.
Manta wiped his face with his sleeve. His hands were trembling.
"Hao kidnapped Mei and Hana to lure Yoh out of hiding. He doesn't care about us being exposed. He's not after the kids." Ren's voice remained calm despite the anger in his eyes.
"He's after Yoh." Lyserg ran his fingers through his hair and cursed under his breath. "We're playing right into his hands."
"I don't understand." Tamao's face burned bright red as she admitted it.
"Then we have to protect him," Ryu said.
"Do you really think Yoh needs our protection?" Manta mumbled the question but didn't look at him.
Lyserg held out his hand. A small ball of fire appeared then quickly dissipated. "We can't let Hao have Yoh."
"Junichi told us everyone will die if we go to Hao's camp. Hao wants us to bring Yoh." Ren tightened his jaw. "It's a trap."
"There has to be another way." Tamao stood from her chair and held out her hands. "We can't do something like that. He's our friend."
"At this point, I don't know what he is," Ren said.
"We need a plan, and we need one now." Lyserg's eyes glowed as the room fell warm. "Yoh won't stay unconscious for long."
"I won't let you do this, Ren." Ryu clenched his teeth and balled his hands into fists. "I won't let you betray us!"
"How do you intend to stop me?" Ren took a step forward and glared at him with piercing eyes.
Manta clasped his fingers behind his neck and loudly sniffed.
"Please stop," Tamao said. "We can't fight each other."
"He's talking about killing our best friend! That's not an option!"
"Cool off." Lyserg's voice was low and agitated. He glanced at his open palm and tightened it into a fist. "Ryu, you know you can't fight Ren. If it came to that he'd kill you. Sit down."
"If we're not killing him...we need a strategy." Ren looked away and rolled his eyes.
"We go with the original plan." Manta stood from his chair and walked to the door. "We get the kids back, try to leave in one piece, and stick together no matter what happens. That may be all we can do."
Rutherfor led Hana down a long hallway in silence. She resisted the urge to hold the boy's hand. His pace slowed before they reached the dining hall, and he stopped before they could enter.
"Should I be afraid?" His voice was frail and low.
"You're safe here, Hana. I promise."
"I'm not hungry. Can I see Mei?"
She paused. He frowned upon noticing her hesitation, but the expression quickly faded.
"I guess that would be okay. Come with me."
She grabbed his hand and he didn't resist her as she led him away. He stared at her black hair as they went. Her grip was firm but soothing. A smile crossed his lips as his thoughts wandered. Rutherfor was a very beautiful woman, intimidatingly so, but something about her demeanor made him feel comfortable. She reminded him of someone in his life he couldn't name. After several minutes of passing through different areas of the camp, they arrived in a place he was sure he'd never been.
Rutherfor placed her free hand against the door. "I think this is her room. Do you want me to wait for you or come back later?"
"You don't have to babysit me," he said with a sheepish smile. "I'll be here when you get back."
She excused herself and disappeared down the hall. Hana took a deep breath and lightly knocked on the door.
"Come in."
He opened the door slowly and stepped inside like he was expecting a lecture. Mei sat on the edge of a small bed in the corner fully dressed. She stood when discovering her visitor, but her eager smile quickly morphed into an irritated frown.
"Hi."
She slapped him so hard he stumbled and fell to the floor. "Where have you been?"
Hana rubbed his face and groaned. Her eyes welled momentarily but she quickly wiped them with the sleeve of her dress.
"I'm sorry," he said. "There was a bunch of stuff happening."
"You have to stay by my side from now on. Promise me."
He scratched his ear with a confused frown. "Why?"
"I met my mother. Hao claims she's sick and that he needs to train me in order to help her get better."
"He told me the same thing." Hana folded his legs and rested his hands on his knees. "Not about your mother, but he said he needed to train me."
"You see what's happening here, don't you?"
He slowly nodded but paused. "Yeah...no."
"I don't trust him, Hana. I have a bad feeling something is coming."
A chill ran down his spine as he considered her statement.
"That Matilda woman tried to hurt me. Hao intervened, but it felt forced. We're not safe here."
His hands tightened into fists as he stared at the floor. Was Hao lying to him?
"Hana...what happened?" Mei sat in front of him and placed her hand on his shoulder. He met her eyes and frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Fear feathered through her voice, and her hand trembled as she squeezed his shirt. "I...can't hear your thoughts. Are you blocking me?"
"Um...no?"
"I don't understand. It's just like Father. There's this...void."
