Kyo and Ushio still haven't woken up...and Yui and Kiyoko aren't going to wake up any time soon due to the fact that their spirits aren't in their bodies...Yuta, you're all I've got.
"Yuta, are you alright? Can you move?"
Yuta appeared to be too frozen with fear to even speak, yet she managed to choke out a reply through her tear-stained face: "I'm fine. But what about the others? They're not dead are they? Please tell me they're okay, Hiro..."
Yuta fell forward and latched onto me like a child clinging to its mother. Unable to find the right words to say, I simply accepted the gesture with open arms and did my best to comfort her. When she finally stopped crying, I informed her of everything that was going on. Throughout the explanation I forced myself to keep a calm expression to avoid causing Yuta to worry. Much to my relief, she was able to comprehend everything I told her. She certainly was happy to know that her brother was okay, but she still insisted that we call an ambulance. I supported her suggestion wholeheartedly.
"But what about you, Yuta?" I asked her, taking careful notice of the scars she had been given as well.
Yuta gazed down upon her arms and gently touched her face with her fingertips, eyeing the blood that remained on her skin with fury. "That woman..." She whispered, her voice dark with hatred. "She did this to me...and to my brother...and the others. We...we have to avenge them, Hiro." Suddenly Yuta pulled back from the hug and gripped my arm tightly, staring at me with a vengeful look in her eyes. "I can never forgive someone who hurts my family."
"Yuta, I'm going to need you to calm down," I said strictly, taking her hand and removing its grip from my arm. "I'm going to go after Reiha, but not for the sake of getting revenge. I just want to get Niall back. Understood? If I can't be assured you'll keep this in mind, I'm going to have to leave you behind with the others."
"You still don't trust us...do you, Hiro?"
My eyes widened in shock. I quickly scanned Yuta's face to search for a reason as to why she would say this, but all I could read in her expression was pain. I wanted to say something. I wanted to tell her that she was wrong, and that I trusted her as a dear friend. But as I watched a single tear fall down her cheek, I found myself unable to speak at all. My mouth was sealed shut by the guilt in my heart.
"I'm right, aren't I?" Yuta muttered, struggling to get to her feet due to her injuries. "I thought you agreed that we were all part of a team, Hiro. Why do you still insist that you can handle these things yourself? I know we haven't known each other long, but that doesn't mean you should exclude me from everything! We want to help you, Hiro. Most of all, I want to help you! Why can't you just stop being so stubborn and accept that already!!"
Something about the way Yuta spoke to me made me feel worse than I ever had felt before. However, despite the unbearable aching of my chest, I could easily tell that there was something wrong with all of it, too. It was almost as if...something had happened to Yuta regarding me. Something that I had no knowledge of.
"You don't have anything to say for yourself? Did I get everything spot on?"
"You're hiding something from me."
Yuta's gaze softened upon hearing this statement. She almost looked guilty herself now, and I was honestly afraid she would collapse right in front of me. "I am," she confessed. "You saw right through me, didn't you? So what now, did you want me to tell you what it is I'm keeping secret?"
"If you don't mind," I said.
"Very well then," Yuta sighed, turning her eyes away from me as a shameful look was cast over her face. "I...that is, Connie sent me a dream, or rather, a memory. I'm sure you experienced something similar, so I'm not going to go too much into detail. However...the dream she sent me wasn't one of my own memories...but one of yours."
What did she just say?
"It was of a time when you were little. You were standing out in the rain, comforting a little boy with dark red hair. If it weren't for what Connie had told me, I never would have guessed it was you and Hanako. The thing is...you seemed so different. The way you acted when you spoke to him made me feel as though I was just a toy you were playing with. For goodness sake, you didn't even tell me your real name! It's Morgan, isn't it? Morgan Owens...that name has a lot more meaning to me now than I had thought it ever would. Your name is written down on the pages of a very important book my brother and I once had. It was called 'The Legend of the Midnight Legion.' Unfortunately, we lost the book years ago and haven't been able to recover it ever since. There was one line of text that I still remember from what I was able to read in the short time we possessed the book: 'He has the ability to tame the mighty beast himself with just his words.' That's what it said. Just what are you, Morgan? Some kind of god able to manipulate others?"
"I told you already. I'm Hanako's best friend." As I said this, I made sure to look Yuta directly in the eye with the most serious expression I could. I needed to let her know that I wasn't joking around anymore. "I don't need to possess strange powers to be able to change Hanako's mind. I've been his friend since we were 5 years old. I know him better than anyone. That's exactly why I'm chasing after him in the first place. Without a friend by his side to guide his way, Hanako will be extremely lost. I need to find him before it's too late. Can't you understand that?"
Yuta didn't utter a word. She still looked heartbroken and betrayed. I couldn't say I blamed her, though. After all, I had basically been lying to her since the day we met. However, despite this, I still honestly valued her as a friend. And that was the precise reason why I couldn't let her down any more. I had to make things right.
"Yuta...I want you to punch me."
"W-what?" It was almost comical how quickly her expression changed. She now stared at me like I had grown another head. "Why would you say something like that?"
"I've hurt you, haven't I?"
Yuta's head fell sadly, but she didn't reply.
"I know I've hurt you. I'm truly sorry." I made my way over to her and stood directly in front of her, then waited until she lifted her head before I spoke again. "In return for the damage I've caused to a friend, I want you to strike me with all you've got. Knock me in the jaw. Knee me in the gut. I don't care what you do, just do something. If you don't, I don't think I'll ever overcome this guilt."
I was shocked at how quickly she acted, but at the same time I was glad she even showed a sign of acknowledgement. It wasn't packed with much power, but a deliberate smack to the face was all Yuta needed to give to get her feelings across to me. "There," she said, almost with a hint of of satisfaction in her tone. "I hope you're grateful."
I smiled at her as I rubbed the sore spot left behind on my left cheek. "I am grateful," I said with a laugh. "Thank you, Yuta."
"So then, Morgan, what do you propose we do now?" She asked. "That is, after we call an ambulance for the others."
"Catch Reiha before she gets away with our friend," I replied. "I don't care how far she's gotten, we will find her. I'll make sure of it..."
"Looking for someone?"
Yuta and I swiftly turned our heads in the direction of the dark voice that had spoken. We were shocked to discover a certain scarlet-haired demon leaning against the door frame of the cafe's entrance. A long, dark red coat was draped over her shoulders. She had a suspicious gleam in her crimson red eyes, and her devious smirk only added to her threatening appearance.
"Y-you!" Yuta exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at the woman. "I thought you had run away! I gotta hand it to you, though. You've got guts to come back here again!"
"What have you done with Niall, you demon?!" I snapped, glaring at Reiha with intensity. However she didn't seem the least bit intimidated. "Give him back!"
"Ah! It's you!"
"H-huh?" Reiha's sudden change in tone caught me off guard. I shot her a demanding look, but she simply continued to laugh.
"You match Karm's description perfectly!"
There was something about that name that struck a cord within me. I frantically searched through my memories in a desperate attempt to uncover just why the name made my blood boil, and it was only a few moments later that I found what I was looking for.
"Karm..."
A single syllable name, yet it held such hatred and unpleasantries.
"Ah, so you've met my sweet little brother before?" said Reiha delightedly.
"'Sweet' isn't really the word I would choose to describe him," I scowled. "But yes, I have met him before. A long time ago. Now, could you please tell me what you've done with Niall?"
Reiha closed her eyes and frowned. "You're quite rude. Here I am, trying to have a nice conversation, and you speak to me with a tone like that? I hardly think that's appropriate."
"Don't play around with us, demon," Yuta hissed, her eye beginning to twitch furiously. I had a feeling she was ready to snap at any given time, so I gave her arm a tight squeeze, hoping to calm her nerves.
"You're a feisty girl, aren't you?" said Reiha, grinning again. It was obvious that she was getting a kick out of mocking us. "Yuta, was it? Ah, I thought so. I remember your precious brother screaming out your name as he tried so desperately to assure your safety. But you didn't run. I honestly don't know whether to commend your bravery or laugh at your foolishness!"
"That's it!!"
Yuta charged recklessly at Reiha with her fist at eye-level, ready to sock the scarlet-haired demon in the face. However, Reiha was far too agile for Yuta to even come close to matching her ability. In the blink of an eye, Yuta was flat on the ground with Reiha's foot forcefully pressing her head into the floor. "This is fun," she whispered, smirking as she watched Yuta's useless efforts to stand. "There's nothing I love more than watching the weak struggle. How does it feel? Do you like being looked down upon?" Reiha fell to her knees and seized Yuta by the hairs on her head, yanking them back so that she could look at her helpless face. "I don't pity you. You deserve this for disrespecting me. Hasn't anyone ever told you any manners?"
"Let go of her!" I shouted. "Why did you come back here anyway? Did you just want to torment us? Or do you actually intend on returning what's rightfully ours?"
"You can't possibly be referring to Niall, can you?" Reiha shot me a look of pure disgust, almost like she was offended by what I had said. "You think Niall belongs to you? I oughta pound your face into the ground, you little brat!"
"Isn't pounding my face into the ground enough for you?" said Yuta, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Just how greedy are you? Why don't you break this toy before playing with a new one?"
What is she doing? Is Yuta trying to save me?
"You're right, Yuta, I am greedy." Reiha smashed Yuta's head into the ground one last time, knocking her out cold. Then she looked at me. "I want at least two toys to play with. So what do you say, boy? Would you like to play with me?" Before I even had the chance to respond, Reiha whipped out a gun from the inside of her coat and pointed it at my head. "I'll see you at my playhouse, then..."
+++
"Morgan. Morgan! You've got to open your eyes, Morgan!"
I awoke to the gradually increasing sound of Yuta's voice calling my name. Once my vision finally became clear again, I noticed that there was something off about where I was. For starters, it was much darker than the cafe where I previously recalled being. Secondly, I spotted a couple of new scars on Yuta's face, and even the sleeves of her shirt had been torn. I shot her a frantic look, but she simply shook her head. "Morgan, I don't have time to explain now," she said in an urgent voice. "I'll tell you about it when we get you somewhere safe."
"But where am I?" I asked.
"I told you already, we don't have time!" Without another word, Yuta seized my arm and draped it over my shoulder, then proceeded to help me to my feet. I was confused at first as to why she didn't just tell me to stand on my own. It wasn't until after I stood on my own two feet that I felt a surge of pain coming from one of my legs. I took a sharp breath through my gritted teeth and pressed against the leg with my wrist, unsure of where exactly the wound was. I looked at Yuta, hoping to get an answer, but she had already turned her head away from me and was beginning to walk forward, slower than normal due to the support she was giving me. I had so many questions to ask her, I but decided to obey her wishes and wait until the appropriate time.
I could tell now that we were in a forest. But the real questions to ask were, what forest was it, and how did we get here?
These thoughts soon disappeared as what appeared to be a small cabin came into view. Yuta picked up speed at this point, but she was still careful enough so that I wouldn't put any more pressure on my wounded leg. Once we arrived at the cabin's door, Yuta opened it and rushed inside, then slammed it shut and locked it behind us. Afterwards she hurried me over to a sofa near the corner of the room and ordered me to put my leg up on the coffee table. I immediately did as I was told.
"Can I ask questions now?" I said hesitantly, just as Yuta had made her made over to the kitchen sink to get a washcloth. "This is a safe place, right? Could you tell me what the heck is going on?"
"This is all Reiha's doing," Yuta replied coldly as she knelt down beside me. She carefully rolled up my pant leg up to my knee and began dabbing the wound, which I could now see was a large, bloody gash that was around the middle of my calf. I bit down on my tongue as the stinging sensation started to feel worse. Luckily the pain soon died down a bit, and before I knew it Yuta was wrapping soft bandages around the wound. "There," she said with a heavy sigh. "There didn't appear to be much dirt or anything in the wound, so you should be good for now."
"Reiha's doing...?" I was slow to respond to her statement, but it wasn't until just now that I recalled the events that had taken place at the cafe. "But Kyo...and Ushio, and the others. What happened...?"
"I already tried calling my brother's phone just to see if it would ring, but I can't get a signal from where we are," said Yuta, a look of disappointment washing over her face. "And I apologize, but I couldn't find my phone, so I had to borrow yours."
"My...phone..." Seraph! The second that name crossed my mind, I wondered if Yuta had seen Seraph, and I worried just what she thought about him. "Uh, Yuta, where is my phone?"
"I've got it right here," she replied, reaching over to take the device off an end table.
After she handed it to me, I immediately switched it on and scanned the screen for the hoodie-wearing boy. To my relief, I soon saw him poke his head up from behind one of the icons. However, instead of speaking to me, he pressed a finger to his lips and shook his head. I guess he doesn't want Yuta to know he's here, I thought, letting out a tiresome sigh. That sucks...I was hoping he could help us out...
"What's wrong, Morgan?" Yuta asked, no doubt noticing the depressed look on my face. "Is it just your leg? Do you need something? Uh, you know, this kitchen is actually pretty well-stocked. It's quite convenient, really. Would you like something to eat? Something to drink? Honest, if you need anything, just ask. I'm lucky enough not to have had any misfortunate encounters like you. I didn't run into any of those wild beasts out there, or at least, I got away from them. As you can see from my ripped sleeves-"
"Yuta, that's enough!" I didn't mean to raise my voice, but if I hadn't spoken up, I was sure she would have continued to ramble. "I appreciate your concern, Yuta, but I'm fine. Really, I already owe you my life."
My words seemed to reassure Yuta, and for that I was extremely grateful. She smiled warmly at me and was about to take a seat on the sofa when all of a sudden we heard loud knocking coming from the front door. After exchanging worried glances, Yuta began to make her way cautiously over to the source of the noise and put her eye up to the peephole. Following a gasp, I faintly heard her utter the words, "I don't believe it." Then she took a step back and stared at the door as if she had seen a ghost.
"Who is it?" I asked. "What did you see? Is it Reiha? Or Niall? That would be good news..."
"No..." She whispered, still barely managing to speak through the shell-shocked look on her face. "It's...it's that man...the blonde haired man from Niall's photograph. He's right outside the door, Morgan."
Is she serious right now? "Well let him in already!" I urged. "Don't keep him waiting out there!"
"R-right." Yuta quickly unlocked the door and opened it wide, then grabbed the man's arm and yanked him inside the house so that she could close and lock the door again. Shocked by her sudden actions, the man stumbled forward and just barely managed to stop himself from falling. He shot her a concerned glance, but she simply ignored it. Instead she began firing at him a barrage of questions. "Who are you, blondie? H-how did you get here? Did Reiha get you, too? What's your name? You're Niall's friend, aren't ya? Have you come to rescue him, too?"
"Who's Niall?"
Completely skipping over every other question Yuta had asked him, this man managed to stun us with just two words. "Unbelievable..." I whispered, my mouth falling open in disbelief. "You're kidding me, right? Please tell me you're not serious."
"Who the heck are you to judge me?" He snapped. "Are you calling me a liar?"
Niall was right...this guy does have a bad attitude. "Never mind what I said," I told him. "I'm sorry. Could you tell us your name?"
"Jean," he replied. "Jean Ortega."
It wasn't until now that I noticed how tall this man was. He looked to be about my age but was at least half a foot taller. Okay, maybe not quite that much...but close enough. His eyes were a dark shade of blue, perfectly matching the color of Niall's hair. It honestly made my heart sink just knowing that Jean didn't recognize Niall's name. After all Niall had told me about Jean...it was really cruel. If only there was some way we could have them meet...then maybe Jean would remember him, just like I had when I saw Niall.
"So why did you come to this place anyway, Jean?" Yuta asked.
"I live here," he said, locking his eyes on Yuta as if she were his enemy. "Normally I would have thrown you guys out immediately for coming into my house without permission, but these woods are known for being extremely dangerous, so I suppose I can understand if you guys just needed a place to hide. And besides...you both look like you're in pretty bad shape."
"O-oh, my gosh, I-I am so sorry," Yuta stuttered, nervously avoiding Jean's stare. "I-I had no idea that someone actually lived here. I thought, well, that-"
"Is that so?" said Jean, raising an eyebrow. "Since when do vacant houses stock themselves with supplies?"
Yuta's face was red with embarrassment now as struggled to even talk to Jean. "I....I'm really sorry, sir," she spoke shyly, proceeding to walk over to me as if to hide herself from him. As soon as she sat down beside me, I gave her a gentle nudge with my elbow and let out a quiet laugh, causing her to become even more embarrassed. "Oh, shut up," she muttered.
"What about you guys?" said Jean, crossing his arms as he looked directly at me. "Why are you two in this forest by yourselves? Got a death wish? Or maybe a dangerous honeymoon plan on your bucket list..."
"We're not married!" Yuta and I said at once. Jean laughed at us.
"Right. Then why are you here?"
Yuta and I looked at each other with saddened expressions, both unable to think of what to tell him. "We...we don't know," I said finally. "The last thing either of us remembers is being in a cafe at Aobasani. There was this scarlet-haired woman who knocked us both out, and we believe that she was the one who took us to this forest."
"A scarlet-haired woman?"
I nodded. "Yeah. Her name's Reiha. Do you know her?"
"Can't say I recognize the name," said Jean. "I'll tell you what, though, I can help you guys find her, if you'd like. Oh, then again, is that even what you want? You said she knocked you two out, right? And Aobasani is pretty far away from here...geez, just who is this 'Reiha' woman anyway? Some kind of psychopath?"
"Yeah," I said, heaving a sigh. "Believe me when I say neither of us ever wanted to get involved with her. We just want to get out friend back."
"And I'm guessing you're referring to that Niall fellow your girlfriend mentioned earlier..."
"My name is Yuta and I am not his girlfriend!" Yuta exclaimed, her face turning even redder than before. I didn't think it was possible... "This guy's name is Morgan. We're just friends, I swear."
Jean snorted, no doubt amused by Yuta's panicky behavior. "Whatever you say, lady, it doesn't really matter to me. Anyway, it's already dark out, so you guys should get some rest. We'll look for your friend tomorrow morning."
I smiled at Jean to let him know I genuinely appreciated the offer. "You're a kind man," I said, despite my previous judgements. "Thank you."
Jean clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes at me. "I'm not being kind," he said. "I just want you two out of my house as soon as possible..."