I actually thought...for once...that things were going smoothly. I thought that things could stay the way they were...and they did, for a while anyway. Yuta and I told the Ushio and Kyo about everything that happened, including the fact that we were now officially dating. Honestly, I had been kind of fearing what their reactions would be, but now I know that there really was nothing to be afraid of. In fact, they both seemed relieved for some reason. Ushio said that if anyone were to get together with his sister, he would have liked it to be me. And Kyo...well, he only said three words to me: "It's about time."
Yuta and I went on several more dates after that. Activity was once again quiet in the Midnight Legion, and for the entirety of three weeks, we were all actually able to enjoy ourselves without stressing out over things. Three weeks doesn't really sound like a lot, but for me, it seemed to last a while, long enough for me to recover from...well, everything. I felt genuinely happier than I had before I let my secrets out.
However, by the time December came around, I found myself gradually falling back into depression. It wasn't as severe, though, now that I knew I didn't have to face it alone. When the day of Hanako's birthday arrived, the four of us took the day off to have fun, hoping it would take our minds off the fact we hadn't made much progress recently. I, of course, was the one who was most deeply affected by this reminder, and more so at the thought of Hanako spending his birthday alone. We had always spent that day together...it almost felt like breaking a very important tradition. I hoped that there was some way I could make it up to him. So on that night...the night of Hanako's 25th birthday...I looked up at the stars and made a solemn wish.
"I wish that Hanako and I will be able to see each other again...before this year comes to a close."
Whether or not that wish was where it all started, my life to sudden turn for the worse soon after the 3rd of December...and the worst part of it was...I hadn't braced myself for it in the slightest.
+++
It was around 9:30 in the morning, and I was just getting ready to have breakfast when suddenly the doorbell rang. However, when I opened the door to see who had rung it, there was no one there. I did notice that there was a red envelope left behind on the doormat, so I picked it up and took it back inside the house.
My first guess was that it must have been from Connie, but upon taking a closer look, this wasn't her usual choice in stationary, and the handwriting wasn't even remotely similar.
'Dear Seraph,-'
That was how the letter started out. I knew that this couldn't possibly have been accidentally delivered to the wrong address, considering the fact that as of now, Seraph's address was the home screen of my phone...
'Dear Seraph,
It's been a while, my friend. I'm sure you haven't forgotten me, but in case you couldn't tell from the disgraceful handwriting, it's Ryuu.'
"Ryuu?!" I exclaimed, rubbing my eyes and checking again to make sure I had read the name correctly. "Does this mean Seraph and Ryuu know each other?"
'Since this is meant to be a friendly letter, I suppose I should tell you how I've been doing. Absolutely fantastic, to be honest. Ignis is one sadistic son of a gun, just like you said. He's utterly inspiring. It's a shame you two weren't on good terms, otherwise you could have, perhaps, joined me at his side. I'm having loads of fun with these gullible, idiot followers of mine. If I'm not mistaken, a few of them used to look up to you, didn't they? But after you rejected them so harshly, they rushed to my side. I'm a role model now. Jealous? You were always the jealous type, Seraph. Seraph...every time I say this name it makes me laugh. Why did you choose it, anyway? Did you think simply by choosing a different name that you could start a new? 'Seraph' means something along the lines of 'angelic,' doesn't it? You're no angel, my friend. You can barely be considered a demon.'
"Demon?" That word seemed to hang suspended in the air as soon as it escaped my mouth, and I was only left to wonder, "Is Seraph a demon, too?"
'Anyway, I'm not usually one to procrastinate, but I guess I was just getting caught up in the nostalgia of it all. What I was planning to say from the start is that I want to see you again, old pal. Face to face. I want you and I to duel like we did back then. Of course, I'm aware of the current condition you're in now, so don't worry. I promise to give your former body back to you...on one condition. You and whoever it is that has taken you under their charge--meaning whoever it is that is reading this letter before you are--must meet me in Bluegate. Everything should work out perfectly from there. If you seem hesitant on whether or not you wish to come, simply ask yourself this question; how important is Aki Izumi to you?'
There. The letter ended right there, just after establishing a strong sense of fear in my heart and mind. My hands shook uncontrollably as I reread the last sentence of the message repeatedly to myself, while at the same time reaching for my phone.
"Seraph, you gotta see this!" I blurted, holding up the letter in front of the screen to show him.
Seraph took one look at the letter and nearly dropped his jaw. "That handwriting..."
"So you know what this is?!"
"Yeah, I just never expected Ryuu to try and contact me again," he muttered, gazing crossly into my eyes. "Listen, it's not going to be easy for me to read it from where I am, so how about you just tell me, in as few words as possible, what the letter says? And another thing, just relax, okay? It's not like you to get this worked up over something like this."
I took a deep breath and tried my best to paraphrase Ryuu's message in the simplest way possible. It went something like this:
"Ryuu wants to meet us in Bluegate, where he promises to return your body as long as you agree to fight him, and if we don't show up, he's going to hurt Aki."
"Huh?!" That was Seraph's immediate response. His head shot back so suddenly that his hoodie almost fell off, but he was quick to cover his head again. "You've gotta be kiddin' me! Does he expect me to believe he'll actually return my body?! He must be insane! And using Aki as a target is just downright dirty...agh, I'll get him for this, I swear I will..."
"So what are we going to do?" I asked hesitantly. "I don't mean to sound like a coward here, but for some reason I don't like the sound of going back to Bluegate, especially if it's to rendezvous with a demon. Then again..."
'If you seem hesitant on whether or not you wish to come, simply ask yourself this question; how important is Aki Izumi to you?'
"...I can't risk Aki's life just because I have doubts."
"Same here," Seraph agreed. "I may not have ever met the boy in person, but just knowing how close he was to Hanako makes me certain of what I gotta do."
"Right."
"We should probably leave as soon as possible. Ryuu isn't a very patient man."
"Of course. We'll leave right away."
And when I said that, I meant it. I didn't take time to eat breakfast or call my friends or anything. After simply turning off all the lights in the house, I put on my coat and grabbed my keys, then hurried out the door and over to my car. However, just as I was about to get into the front seat, I heard a familiar voice call my name, immediately putting me in a rather uncomfortable situation.
"Hey, Morgan! Where ya headed to so early?"
It was Ushio. When I turned around to look at his face, I noticed he seemed rather happy. It almost made me want to hide the fact I was actually in a rush to save a friend's life...knowing him, he would probably insist on coming along. And he'd bring along Kyo...and Yuta...then they'd all be put in serious danger.
"I could ask you the same thing, Ushio," I laughed nervously.
"I'm on a jog," he replied.
"In the middle of December?"
He shrugged. "I'm not that affected by the cold, to be honest. Any time of the year is a great time to get outside and exercise."
"Well, that makes one of us." I sat down in my car and was about to close the door when Ushio stopped me by grabbing the handle. "Hey, what are you doing?"
"You still haven't told me where you're going," he said in a more serious tone. "I know better than to leave you on your own, Morgan. Just tell me where you're going and I'll let you go."
He's persistent. "Why are you so concerned?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm just going to do a little shopping, that's all."
"I can't believe you're lying to me."
Crap! Why did I tell him that? Even I wouldn't believe an answer like that!
Ushio released a heavy sigh and looked me dead in the eye. "Just how many times are you going to lie to me before you feel satisfied?" He said, sounding extremely hurt. "You know that if you ever need help, you can always call on me. You never have to face anything alone."
"It's not like that!" I shouted, tugging harder at the door handle, but Ushio was still able to prevent it from closing. "It's not that I don't trust you. It's not that I like lying to you. I only do it because I'm afraid of you guys getting hurt! I'm allowed to make my own choices, you know!"
"If they involve risking your own life, then I refuse to let you make them."
Risk my own life? But that's not what this is about. I'm trying to save my best friend's little brother...I'm not concerned about myself at all. "Ushio, please...let go of the handle."
"No."
Now he's just being stubborn. "I don't have time for this, Ushio. I'll tell you all about it when I get back. Okay? But you just have to trust me-"
"Trust you?!"
Shocked by Ushio's sudden increase in volume, I released the door handle and clenched my fists tightly, soon to be seized by the collar and yanked out of my car.
"How could you even say something like that?" He said, seeming highly offended by my statement. "After all those times you've put yourself in danger? After all those secrets you kept from us? How could you possibly ask me to trust you at a time like this? I know how selfless you are, Morgan. I know how little you care about your own life. You say you want to protect us but all you're really doing is hurting us."
What? What is he saying?
I asked myself this, and yet somehow, I knew exactly what Ushio meant. He was absolutely right about me. Down to the last detail.
"So what do you want me to do then?" I muttered, glancing to the side to avoid Ushio's sharp glare. "Take you with me? I'm sorry, but that's not happening."
"You sure about that?"
Before I could realize what he was doing, Ushio had released his grip on my collar and leapt into the front seat, closing the door and locking it immediately behind him. He rolled down the window a bit, just enough so that he could look at me directly from inside the car. "Oh no," he said monotonously. "I accidentally stole the driver's seat from you. I guess if you want your car back, you'll have to settle for shotgun and simply tell me where you want to go."
Is he freakin' serious about this?! "Ushio, this isn't funny!"
"Darn right it's not funny. Now if you really need to get somewhere fast, I suggest you get in the car and listen to me."
There's no way out of this...I need my car...it's the fastest way to get to Bluegate. I have no choice but to agree to Ushio's conditions...
I reluctantly went around to the other side of the car and knocked on the window. After Ushio unlocked the door, I climbed into the vehicle and shut the door behind me, then crossed my arms and turned my head away crossly.
"Where to?" he said, in a more cheerful tone this time.
"Bluegate," I replied.
Ushio paused for a moment as I dropped my keys into his hand, looking now to be a little shocked by my answer. "Sure thing," he said at last. "I was going to ask why, but I guess I'll find out when we get there now won't I?"
Unfortunately, yes...
+++
Usually it wasn't hard to tell when you were nearing the city known as Bluegate, due to the fact its weather and temperature conditions hardly ever matched those of the other cities throughout most of the year. However this time, when we drove passed the sign that said 'Welcome to Bluegate,' I noticed immediately that not only was it still cold there, but there was snow on the ground, as well.
"This place looks amazing," said Ushio as he drove the car down one of the quiet city streets. "There don't seem to be many people around, though. Is there a reason for that?"
"In case you didn't already know, Bluegate isn't that big of a city," I muttered. "But if you're really wondering where everyone went, just wait around until the week before Christmas. This place becomes really lively then."
"Did you used to live here?" Ushio asked me, just as we drove passed the old school building I once attended.
"Yeah," I said, fighting back a smile. "Hanako and I both did for the first 19 years of our lives. It really brings back memories."
"So where exactly are we headed anyway?"
I paused. "Come to think of it, I don't actually know."
"You're kidding, right?"
"Nope." I shot him a side glance and shrugged nonchalantly, then continued to gaze out the window. It was then that I caught a glimpse of a particular shop, and all of a sudden I knew where I wanted to go. "Pull over here, Ushio."
Ushio parked the car right outside of a certain bakery I hadn't visited in nearly ten years. I was overjoyed it was still around after all this time, and even happier at the thought of seeing my old friend again. Seeing that the bakery was in fact open, I pushed open the door and walked inside, with Ushio following close behind me.
"Hello there, sirs, could I interest you in-..."
Thank goodness he's still here. "Hello, Lloyd," I said, smiling at the raven haired man standing behind the counter. "How've ya been these last six years?"
"How have I been?" Lloyd rubbed his eyes. "I'm getting old, that's how I've been. I need to get some glasses, I don't think I'm seeing things right..."
"You don't need glasses, your eyes are fine," I insisted, laughing at the shopkeeper as he paced back and forth in disbelief. "It's Morgan, Lloyd. I've come back, and I've brought a friend."
Ushio bowed his head slightly at Lloyd and smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. My name is Ushio."
"Well, you're awfully polite," Lloyd chuckled. "You can drop the formalities, by the way. Any friend of Morgan's is a friend of mine. Please, you two, have a seat. As you can see, I don't have any customers at the time, so it's completely alright if you want to talk."
"I'm afraid I can't talk now," I said sadly. "I didn't come to Bluegate simply because I wanted to. There are some things I need to take care of here, but first I want to ask you a question."
"Alright...what is it, then?"
"Have you spoken to Aki recently?"
"I actually spoke with him earlier this morning," Lloyd replied. "The kid's doing fine, so you don't need to worry."
"Is that so?" I felt incredibly relieved to hear him say that, and suddenly I felt as though I didn't need to be in such a hurry anymore. Of course, I still had my concerns, and I certainly did not want to waste too much time, just in case Aki was under Ryuu's intent surveillance. "Thank you, Lloyd. I've got to go now, but it was nice seeing you again."
"Wait, Morgan." The raven haired man stopped me just as I was about to walk out of the bakery, and he approached me holding out a little red box that was tied together with a piece of string. "I kept this all these years, just in case you ever decided to come back home. It's a birthday present...or a Christmas present...or whatever works."
"Thank you." I laughed under my breath as I gratefully accepted the gift, tucking it in my large coat pocket before exiting the bakery.
"He seemed nice," said Ushio thoughtfully. "Kinda reminds me of my dad, to be honest. Does Lloyd have kids?"
"No," I said. "He did have a fiancé once, but there were some complications, and she's married to another man now."
"Oh..." Ushio looked away, as a bit of awkward tension filled the silence. "Sorry, I...I shouldn't have asked."
"It's alright," I sighed. "In other news, I think that we should-..."
My sentence was cut off by the sound of Ushio's phone ringing. He whispered an apology as he took out his phone and pressed the 'answer call' button,' then held it up to his ear. "Hello? Oh, hey, Yuta. Hmm? No, I won't be home for a while. I'm on a little trip with Morgan. Ha, I betcha can't guess wh-...yeah...yeah it is Bluegate. How did you know? Oh...oh so basically you were spying on me. Mhm...well, if you are planning on coming, don't forget to invite Kyo, okay? It wouldn't be the same without him. Okay, bye. See ya then."
"Ushio..."
My white haired friend smiled innocently as he dropped his phone back into his pocket. "Yes?"
"You've done it now..."
"What have I done?"
"Why did you tell her where we were?!" I yelled angrily, barely resisting the urge to use force against him.
"I didn't tell her where we were," he said, turning his back to me. "She happened to overhear our conversation. And when I say 'overhear,' I mean 'spy.' No clue what she was doing there at the time...I guess maybe she wanted to talk to you or something. But either way, she and Kyo should be on their way here now."
"You can be really cruel at times, ya know that?"
Ushio nodded proudly. "Yup. So what'll we do until they arrive? You said you had something important to take care of here, didn't you? You still haven't told me what that was."
"I have to protect Aki."
"Huh?" Ushio seemed surprised by my immediate answer, and he looked at me with deep concern. "But Lloyd said the kid was fine, didn't he? Why do you seem so worried?"
I should probably tell him about the letter...no, rather I should show it to him. That way, I won't have to explain everything to him, and I'll also be able to clear my conscience. I mean, I told him about Seraph, already didn't I? It shouldn't be a problem. "...fine, Ushio," I said, heaving a sigh. "You've convinced me. Take a look at this." I reached into the inside of my coat and took out the letter, then handed it over to him. Ushio glanced at the letter, then at me, a worrisome look now on his face.
"You're not being blackmailed, are you?"
"In a sense, I suppose I am," I told him. "Just read it already."
Ushio listened to me without another question and began to intently read the message Ryuu had written on the letter. After just a couple of minutes, he looked up from the sheet of paper and stared at me with wide eyes. "Well, then...this doesn't sound good at all..."
"Yeah, no kidding," I scoffed, taking the letter back from him. "That's why I didn't want you to come along. And now you've gone and invited Yuta and Kyo, like this was all some sort of friendly get-together."
"Morgan, I didn't mean to..."
I looked at his face and found myself feeling guilty for speaking so harshly to him. I could tell he was genuinely sorry for what he had done, and that there was no way he meant any of in a bad way. He truly did care, and the only thing he ever intended was to help me.
"Wipe that look off your face," I said, trying my best to smile at him. "I'm not mad at you, Ushio. It's going to be alright. Things'll work out...they just have to. Seraph will get his body back...and Aki will be okay. I won't let any of you guys get hurt, understand?"
"Yeah...and I'll do my best, too." Ushio nodded firmly, shooting me his biggest smile. "I promise to protect you guys till my last breath."
Don't say that, Ushio...you make it sound like you might die. That's not going to happen. I swear it won't...