"Hanako, wake up! It's Christmas!"
My vision was blurred at first; all I could see was a little ball of orange bouncing vertically like a fuzzy basketball. I felt my bones creak like a rusty gate as I leaned forward, unable to sit up straight due to my incredibly stiff lower back. There was something else that bothered me, however, other than the pain in my back; I couldn't quite remember the dream I'd had the previous night, but somehow I knew it had felt so vividly realistic. I sat up in bed that morning with an odd click in my head, listening to Morgan's earnest enthusiasm pouring out in the form of laughter and brief spurts of words and impatience—whatever that dream had been, I was completely comfortable with saying that this was indeed reality. And this specific morning was going to be filled with nothing but happy things. I was going to enjoy myself today with the people I cared about. And for the first time in a long time, I would be able to spend Christmas with my father. Although he wasn't here yet, I had a strong, kindling belief that he would be; after all, he had promised me, and I knew that my father would never back down on a promise.
"Hanako, get your lazy butt outta bed already! Come on!" Morgan whined, tugging at my arm forcefully enough to pop a joint—the tugging eventually turned to dragging, and I found myself lying on the floor in just a matter of seconds. "Everyone else is already waiting in the living room—that is, everyone but Suri." Morgan paused to take a big whiff of a sweet, gingery scent that was currently drifting into my room through an open crack in the door. A stupid grin stretched across his face and he sighed, "Did you know Suri knew how to bake? Mmm...it smells really good..."
I stifled a laugh before peeling myself off the floor and walked over to the door, giving it a gentle push with my foot to open it wider. "She would make the perfect wife," I purred, "if you ever married her."
The neon red that flushed his cheeks said no, but his eyes so openly cried yes. "Ha, very funny, Hanako," he said, chuckling in spite of himself. "That's...u-unlikely, I mean, she's...o-older than me anyway, and stronger, for that matter, so I doubt she'd ever want a guy like me for husband." He held up his arm for a moment and stared disappointedly at where his bulging bicep would have been if he'd had one. "I mean, just look at–"
"Alright, lover boy, if you insist."
He wasn't too fond of my teasing, but I couldn't help it. He was such an was easy target.
"Just don't look at me if there happens to be a mistletoe incident near the end of the niiight~..." I threw a jesting smirk over my shoulder before waltzing out of the bedroom, leaving poor ol' Morgan to ponder my words alone.
In all honesty, I felt happy for him. It was evident that he and Suri had grown rather close, especially over these past couple of weeks. I had even spotted the two alone together on a few occasions, talking and laughing and simply enjoying each other's company like any legitimate couple should. Whenever I would ask Morgan about his feelings towards Suri, however, he would typically dodge the question entirely or deny everything—at least, he tried to deny everything, but he would never be able to convince me of imagining the way his face turned another color at the mention of her name.
I headed down the stairs and into the living room, where I found Jeremy and Gabriel sitting on the floor playing a game of chess. Levin was lying flat on his chest, his legs swinging back and forth as he watched the game intently. His attention was soon diverted, however, the second I stepped into the room. "Hanako!" He shouted, shooting up like a spring and dashing over to hug me. His little arms squeezed me as tightly as they could, and he rubbed his head against my stomach, giggling happily. "Merry Christmas, Hanako!"
I smiled and ruffled his hair fondly. "Merry Christmas to you, too, Levin."
"Knight C3 to capture Pawn on E4. Checkmate, I win."
"Mmm, no it's not. That was an illegal move right there."
"No, it wasn't. Are you blind?"
"That was a backwards 'L' movement. You can't do that."
"Yes, I can. Those are the rules of the game."
"Well the rules of the game suck. Three games out of five?"
"Jeremy, I swear..."
"Are you guys ignoring Hanako or something?!" Levin placed his hands on his hips and glared at his brother, then at Gabriel. "I said Merry Christmas to him, and you guys are just sitting there and acting like he didn't just walk into the room! How rude..."
Jeremy's eyes shot open, and he stared at me as if this was the first time we had seen each other in years. All of a sudden he was on his feet and running over to me, just as Levin had done, and the next thing I knew, he was hugging me with all his might. "Merry Christmas, Hanako..."
"Merry Christmas, Jeremy."
After pulling away from the embrace, Jeremy gave me a hard slap on the back and let out a quiet laugh, which in a matter of seconds turned into a wholehearted laughter. I was confused at first, and even more confused when I joined him. My eyes filled with tears. Happy tears.
"Did I miss a funny joke or something?" Suri walked into the living room carrying a tray of gingerbread cookies. "They're finished," she said, holding out the pan. "Although I don't know if they're any good."
I took one carefully off the pan and held it in my hand. It was rather cute. Suri had decorated them with little faces, and even gave them buttons and boots. I took a small bite of the cookie and was instantly amazed at how good it tasted. The cinnamon and ginger blended well together, white icing adding to its sweetness. I nodded my head approvingly as I took a second bite. "This is amazing," I mumbled.
"Merry Christmas, Hanako," Suri said with a smile almost as warm as her cookies. "Where's Morgan? I sent him to wake you up, but he hasn't come back down."
As if on cue, my orange haired friend came bolting down the stairs in a hurried manner, then ran straight up to Suri and me.
"Ah, there you are Mor-"
"THESE COOKIES SMELL LIKE HEAVEN."
Suri looked stunned. "Uh, thank y-"
"I JUST THOUGHT I SHOULD LET YOU KNOW THAT."
She blinked, then shot me a puzzled look. "Would you like one?" Suri said slowly, holding out the pan to Morgan, who jumped back in surprise. "Morgan, would you relax? You seem...on edge."
I snorted. Morgan gasped dramatically. "Did you see what he just did? I can't believe he just did that! Hanako, you little devil, I bet you think it's funny toying with my emotions, but I don't like it! And I promise you, if you ever-"
"Morgan, one more word and I'll kiss you in front of everyone."
This shut him up immediately. His lips trembled as he tried to avert Suri's eyes. He reached up his arm shakily and took one of the cookies off the pan. Sticking it in his mouth, he muttered a 'thank you', then turned his back to her and walked off to sit down beside Gabriel.
Suri narrowed her eyes curiously at Morgan, who had now begun to play with a very reluctant cat. "Is he okay?" She asked. "Did something happen?"
I smirked, in spite of my obviously lovestruck friend. "Not really," I said. "I'm pretty sure he's just trying to sort his feelings out right now. It's probably a new feeling for him, having his eyes on just one person right now. But don't worry, he'll figure it out sooner or later." With that being said, I shot Suri a suggestive look, hoping she would catch on to what I was inferring.
Suri smiled a sweet smile, setting the pan of cookies carefully down on an end table by the couch. She stared at Morgan for a short while, and even behind her slightly fogged up glasses, I could clearly see endearment in her eyes. "I don't think that I've ever gotten so attached to a single human being in my life," she whispered, just as Morgan had hoisted Levin up onto his shoulders and had begun circling the room, making airplane noises as he went. "And would you look at that..." She bit her lip, and I could've sworn she looked like she was about to cry. "...he's good with kids, too."
"Why don't you tell him?" I suggested, hoping she wouldn't catch on to my enjoyment of being a self-proclaimed match maker. "It's not good to bottle up your feelings. You should let him know how you feel, Suri. I'm pretty positive he's already fallen for you."
A light blush crept up onto Suri's cheeks, and she hid her mouth behind her hand. This was new, I thought, stifling a laugh. I had never before seen Suri Adams, fearless general of the Synthesia Elite Corps, get embarrassed. It was...actually pretty cute. Morgan is a lucky man. I hope he realizes that some day soon.
"Hey, you two!" Jeremy shouted, snapping Suri out of her daze and grabbing my immediate attention. "Get yourselves over here! We're going to pay our respects now. You know...to Niall."
My breath was taken away from me for a second. That's right. I almost forgot. Niall isn't here to spend Christmas with us. A familiar feeling of sorrow settled itself within me as I recalled myself kneeling beside his lifeless body just 3 weeks ago. I remembered the feeling of his cold hand as I held it, and the song we sang together upon his request. "Niall..." I had uttered his name as quietly as I could, expecting no one to hear. However, a certain someone standing right beside me did hear.
"Don't cry," Suri said to me. "Don't even frown. Consider it a Christmas present to him, and smile. Okay? Let's all just smile for him."
Even though she had said this, I could still catch a faint trace of a tear in her eye.
+++
Christmas morning, all the way through the afternoon and into the evening, went smoothly, and there was not a single moment I spent with a frown on my face. Each and every time I smiled or broke into an unstoppable fit of laughter, I felt a rather strange, yet pleasurable sensation. I loved it...I really did. This was the first time in my entire life I had felt so loved and so wanted. I had wished that this day could have lasted forever, but sadly, all good things must come to an end.
Not yet, though. There was still one thing I had to look forward too.
"I wonder if he'll be here soon..." I thought aloud, a hopeful look in my eye.
Jeremy, having overheard me, turned to me and gave me a curious stare. "Wonder if who will be here soon?" He asked.
"My dad. He promised he'd spend Christmas with me."
"Oh." Jeremy's shoulders drooped, and his head fell, in a somewhat depressed manner. "I almost forgot about that."
"You sound...upset."
"I am," he said immediately, which caught me off guard.
"W-"
"Hanako, if that coward doesn't show his face now, then he's never going to."
In that moment, my perfect Christmas had all of a sudden become not-so-perfect...
I narrowed my eyes angrily at Jeremy. "I don't appreciate the way you're talking about my father," I said sternly. "He made a promise to me. He's going to be here."
"Yeah..." Jeremy scoffed. "He'll be here alright...but I'm not so sure you'll want to see him."
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
Silence. Jeremy's eye seemed to fill with anticipation and a hint of grief as he stared at the floor, completely ignoring me as I called out his name. After of few minutes of this, I finally decided that it was pointless, and I slumped back in the sofa, heaving a deep sigh of frustration. My bitter mood quickly began to dissipate, and the one edge of my mouth curved into a half smile. "You know, if it means anything, things were going rather nicely up until this point," I said to him, not expecting a reply, but simply hoping I could get my point across. "I had a good time with everyone. And I suppose...I shouldn't get mad at you. After all, you're a big part of the reason I'm happy."
Jeremy shuffled a bit, which let me know he was listening. So I continued.
"I'll never forget the day we first met. Quite an entrance, you made. You utterly terrified me upon just looking at your face, and even more after I witnessed you kill those officers right before my eyes. But let me just say that my opinion of you has drastically changed since then. I'm no longer scared of you. Not one bit. I guess, you could say, I'm even grateful for what you did for me. So let me just formally say...thank you. Thank you, and I'm sorry."
"What are you-...what are you apologizing for?" Jeremy finally spoke up, his head sinking more until his hands were gripping his hair. "Why are you thanking me? Why? Why are you saying all of this to me? You're making...you're making me feel even worse...about what I'm-...what I have to do..."
I stared at Jeremy in shock, completely and utterly thrown off balance due to his sudden despairing tone of voice. I was about ready to ask him what he was talking about, but I was abruptly cut off by the sound of his crying. "J-Jeremy, why are you...?"
"All good things must come to an end, isn't that right?" His voice was wavering, and I could easily tell he was having trouble even getting this words out of his mouth. "All good things...which means....you'll leave me, too. Just like they all do...you'll grow to hate me, and soon you'll walk out that door with a head full of twisted, hopelessly confused thoughts, and a heart full of hatred for me, and maybe even towards Gabriel..."
"Jeremy, that's never going to h-"
"LIAR!!!" His head snapped back in a second, and the next thing I knew he was gripping my neck with his metal arm, scowling furiously at me. "You have no idea, Hanako. You have no idea how horrible I feel! I called your father a coward, but in reality, I'VE been the coward ever since the day you were born! I made Gabriel lie for me, I made him lead you along so you would at least have the chance to have a normal childhood, but then...one thing lead to another and....everything slipped away from me. You slipped away from me..."
Jeremy's grip loosened on my neck, and soon everything had become quiet again, all except for the soft sound of his weeping. As I felt his tears fall gently on my face, I hurriedly tried to process the words he had just thrown in my face.
They stung, like a lethal poison in my chest. Even though I couldn't understand what they meant, in the back of my mind, I knew that what Jeremy had said to me had some sort of dark meaning behind it. Dark meaning that he thought would change my opinion of him. For a second, I had considered leaving it at that. I thought about disposing of my questions and curiosity. But I just couldn't. I held a firm belief in my heart that there was nothing Jeremy could do or say to me that would change the fact that I valued him greatly as a friend. So I took that step of faith.
"Jeremy, please..." I spoke as calmly and relaxed as I could, determined to ease the tension in him. "Could you please explain everything to me in a way I can understand? Start from the beginning and go slow."
A look of deep sorrow swept over Jeremy's face as he opened his mouth to speak. "I'm not who you think I am," he whispered, words stained with a dark, irrevocable aura that added to the mystery, but at the same time coated with the tears left behind in his eye. "I go by three different names, two of which you already know. The third name-my true identity-is the root of everything connected with the creation of the Midnight Legion. You see...the Midnight Legion was created for the sole purpose of bringing you to Satan, because in case you didn't know, it's impossible for Satan to leave Hell. It is possible, however....for me to leave Hell. And I am not like anyone else. I am no king of Hell, I am no demon, I am no human confined by the laws of life or death...because I am...I am Death itself. Death walking in the body of a human, overcome with my own power that I had to forge something that was able to keep that power held in one place, without expelling it and causing it to spread throughout my systems, destroying this pathetic body entirely.
"Long before I left Hell, when I still worked for Satan, I had at one point become painfully lonesome. This lonesomeness began to eat me from the inside out, and eventually it drove me insane. Up until that day, Satan had been ordering me around and treating me like a slave, sending me to do his dirty work while he sat back leisurely in a throne made of rock, metal, and flames, torturing souls that had been condemned to his kingdom of eternal fire. I couldn't take it anymore, and I snapped. And so....on that day....I created a being from the dusts and darkness of the pit I was in, and I gave it a portion of my strength. Little did I know what would happen because of my actions. This demon...this demon that I created...it became too much for me to handle. Some time during the first few years of its life, I had created for it a sword, using my own blood mixed with pieces of metal from Satan's throne. I offered it to the demon as a gift, and it accepted the sword with open arms. However, I had foolishly forgotten about the wild and unpredictable spirit of my creation. It attacked me head on and left me with a severed arm and few minor flesh wounds. Luckily, I was able to steal the sword back from the demon and use it to my advantage. However, it could only heal the minor flesh wounds, while my severed arm was too big of an injury for it to handle. So I had to cut it off entirely and replace it with a metal one. It was then, as I stared into the terrifying, yet astonishingly beautiful eyes of this demon, my creation, that I suddenly became fascinated with how it lived and breathed. And I wanted only the best for it.
"I left Hell that day with a profound level of determination in my heart. To be completely honest, I wasn't sure why exactly. I only knew that I wanted my creation to live a normal life, away from Hell, away from Satan, and away from anyone who could bring harm to my magnificent demon. And even though I had created it using my own blood, I just couldn't find the will to call myself its father. It deserved better than me, I thought. The look in its eyes I had seen that day had almost changed me. It was almost as if I could see into the future through the windows of its soul. With this thought in mind, I ran away with the young demon in my arms, not sure of where I was going. However, it didn't matter to me that I didn't know. All that mattered to me was that it was kept safe...that he was kept safe. He was in the body of a young child now, a young human child so that he would blend in with the rest of the world. I spent a very long time searching for somewhere I could keep him, and I eventually came across a beautiful city blanketed in snow. It was a wonderful place for him to start his new life, I thought. A beautiful city for a beautiful child...that's what I wanted, that is, but something horrible happened...
"Satan found out. He found out that I had left Hell, and he found out about my creation. Needless to say, he was downright furious. And when the king of Hell gets furious...let's just say being on his 'most wanted' list is not a position you'd want to be in. Immediately upon hearing that I had left with the young demon, Satan took drastic action. He gathered a group of 10 of his strongest demons, along with a corrupted angel named Natalya, and gave them the name 'Midnight Legion.' However, despite Satan's quick actions...I was even quicker. From the moment I had created this demon, I had anticipated that Satan would one day find out about him. So I came up with a plan. It was a last resort, but at least it would provide a way to hide the existence of the demon child from the king of Hell, as well as his little pets...
"My plan backfired at the last minute. In the end, I wound up in the center of a barren snowfield, clutching his hand in my own like a mother frightened of losing her son. I was surrounded by each member of the Midnight Legion, and they all had their weapons drawn and pointed at me. It was at that moment...that I heard him speak for the first time. And ya know what he said to me? He said, 'it's okay, dad, I'll protect you.' That's when he let go of my hand and took a step out in front of me. Like I said before, he was just in the body of a small child, maybe 4 or 5 in human years, so he was already pretty fragile in physical ability. That's what I thought, that is. What he did next astounded me...
"His body suddenly became emerged in a strange black substance, and wings like sharp, curved blades grew out of his back. The entire Midnight Legion was rendered speechless, and out of fear, they charged at him. I fell to my knees and called out for him to stop, but I was ignored. A battle broke out. It was 11 against one. I should have been able to assist him, but I was paralyzed with fear. He was strong...very...strong...but eventually, he was taken down, along with 10 members of the Midnight Legion. They did not die, but were simply knocked unconscious. The last member that remained standing throughout the entire battle was a demon by the name of Ylverys. Ylverys was different from the rest of the Legion, both in the way he looked and the way he acted. I still remember how it felt to look into those eyes of his as he stared the little child lying motionless on the ground, falling snow gradually piling up on him. Ylverys was absolutely fascinated with my creation. So fascinated, that it almost seemed as though he didn't want the child to die. Before I could process what was happening, Ylverys dug him out of the snow and carried him over to me, then carefully laid him in my arms. 'This child deserves to be protected,' he told me. 'So I will do you a favor, so long as you do me one as well.' I clearly remembering looking down at the child's face, finding myself unable to hold back my tears anymore. I was so desperate to save him at this point, I agreed to Ylveris's offer. And so...he told me...to lay the child down on the ground and step back. I did exactly that, unaware of what would happen soon after.
"Darkness like I had never seen before began to crawl towards the child as if he were its prey. Shadows like blades shot up into the sky and came down upon him, striking into his body and piercing countless holes into him. It wasn't until I heard his cries of agony that I even knew he was alive. I cried out to him and stretched forth my hand, but Ylverys stopped me. I waited for what seemed like hours, unable to tear my eyes away from the horrific scene that was taking place right before me. When it had finally ended, I raced as fast as I could to the child, then fell to my knees in front of him.
"Ylverys had told me about what had to happen to ensure the child's survival, and I didn't like it. He told me...that he would have to erase the memories of everyone in the Midnight Legion, except him, of course. That, I was okay with. However...he told me that he would have to...destroy the child's memories, and send its body and mind into a state of temporary hibernation. This way...it would be able to keep the body that I made for it, without having to suffer the burden of carrying around the memories of what it saw in Hell, and what it saw during the battle in that snowy field. I should have been grateful...but I was too busy self-pitying. I was heartbroken...shattered...in pieces...but I had to go through with it, for it was the only way.
"Ylverys told me that when the time came for the demon child to be awaken, he would be the one to raise it. That was his end of the deal. He made up an incredibly detailed story which he then passed on to the Midnight Legion. It eventually became known as the Shadow Keeper Prophecy, and surprisingly enough...it worked. Satan was confused, but he knew that Ylverys would never lie to him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, though, he knew that the demon child was still alive, even without Ylverys telling him. So he decided to keep the Midnight Legion together. In order to test their patience and preserve their loyalty to him, he assigned them assignments that they would have to look forward too. A companion in the future, a friend. Yes, believe it or not, this was Satan's plan. He was bribing them. He knew how their minds worked. He knew how lonely they all were. Because he knew how I was. Although I was the only one who actually took that step and did something about it."
Jeremy stopped talking. He lifted his head after having it hang low for what seemed like forever, then looked at me, his eye filled with tears and about to overflow. Then, ever so quietly, he whispered, "And I don't regret that at all."