Chapter 20

Setting the Stage

Don’t look at me like that any more, you hear? I won’t have you worrying about me— your mother needs you now, more than ever. You have to keep her strong, alright? I know I don’t have much time left, but just know that I’ll always be with you, always. Never forget that.

The warm sun sneaking up across the shoreline finally awoke Hisoka from his long nap on the beach. Sitting up slowly, sand damply sticking to his face, he tried to open his eyes. The sun was so bright out across the ocean in front of him that he couldn’t see much of anything for quite some time. He brushed some of the sand off with the back of his hand, then rolled his head back and forth until his neck cracked loudly.

“Alright, I’m awake now…” he said as he rubbed the stiff feeling from his neck.

Then suddenly, it hit him. He was at the beach… the beach! How did he get there? And how long had he been there? He didn’t remember a thing, but from the way his body felt now, he knew that he had to have been there for a while, maybe all night or longer. As he tried to stand, a strange sort of emptiness seemed to overcome him, almost feeling like he was going to throw up. He slapped his hand over his mouth just to keep the sensation down where it should be.

“What the hell?” he said to himself. He shivered as his whole body seemed to lose its heat. Maybe it was the morning wind brushing off of the sea, or maybe it was just his imagination, but whatever the cause, he didn’t like it. Too many of these unexplained feelings had been taking control of his emotions and present attitude. He was tired of it, tired of being weak, tired of being clueless of the events transpiring around him. If there were going to be an end to it all, he would have to bring it about himself. Just where would he begin?

Clenching his fist tightly, Hisoka turned his back to the ocean and began walking. People say that the best way to calm one’s spirit is by simply walking, taking in the sights of nature. However he ended up at the beach at least would allow him some time alone, time to think. Where had he been before this? Pictures of his memory flashed back and forth in his mind, thoughts of the Dredge, the little boy that he envisioned, and the voice that he heard. He heard that voice somewhere… recently, too. The more he thought on it, the faster the memory slipped beyond his reach and was forgotten again. But if the last thing he could recall was being inside of the Dredge, then how did he get out here? How much time pasted since then?

“Doesn’t make any goddamn sense!” he said as he stamped a foot into the sand. He clenched his left hand into such a tight fist that the nails began to dig into his skin. The sudden chill that passed through him earlier began to turn in the opposite direction as a strange aura began to irradiate from his hand. Holding it out to see, he stretched his fingers apart and saw the nail marks that were left in his palm. The heat seemed to be centered directly in his palm as he examined the nail marks carefully with his other hand. Then as he touched the area, his hand flared a bright red color, like it had been engulfed in some sort of energy flame. Surrounding his entire left hand, this fiery-like energy felt warm, extremely warm in fact, but not damaging. Then just as the nail marks slowly faded from sight, the heat-flame also died down until his hand felt normal again.

This was the second time that he had seen and felt this sort of thing come from his hand, but it still shocked and amazed him. The last time it happened it was just a cool sort of feeling, but this time the flame actually healed him! What sort of power was this? Was he just dreaming and making it all up— maybe he was still in the Dredge and none of this was really happening… But he wasn’t in the Dredge when the last fiery-hand incident occurred. This was the truth, this really was happening!

Maybe this was just what he needed to break his downward spiral into fragility. Fuck the unknown, the unanswered details in life. Screw them all. He didn’t care. All that mattered now was moving forward with firm footholds. Let chaos come; the next time something might happen, he would face it face-forward with all his weapons drawn.

Then the thought occurred to him. What if he could call upon this power whenever he wanted? What if it wasn’t just a freak happening that he had no control over… Outstretching his arm, palm facing outward, Hisoka quickly flipped his hand over so the palm would now be facing upward— and it happened again. The red-orange flame reappeared, dancing all around his hand and partially down his arm. It was such an empowering feeling. His whole arm felt like it had fallen asleep, powerful tingling sensations passing up and down. Then with his other hand, he softly petted the curling flame, wondering if his right hand would catch on fire, too. He slid his right hand across his left, but each time it seemed that the flame would transfer to his right hand, it simply died out. Time after time, he tried to ignite his right hand with the fire from his left, but it was as if his right wasn’t compatible with the flame. Maybe this energy couldn’t be transferred to any other part of his body at all. Maybe it was just something special with his left arm. Roughly shaking his arm once, Hisoka quenched the flame. He looked again to his left arm, flipped it over to view the five crescent shaped scars there. His mother never mentioned anything about them before, and he really had no concern about them until now…

With nothing left to do on the beach, Hisoka quickly broke into a sprint to quickly find a taxi to take him back home.

The twinkly, golden dust on the beach glittered in the morning sunlight. Then, for only a moment, the figure of a dragon appeared just slightly above the sand. It appeared and simply smiled, smiled for the sunrise, smiled for the blue sky, smiled for a day that still might come to pass.

**********

The phone rang in the office of the new head of the PCM facility. Since the building was still being renovated and restored from the explosion of the Dredge system, Chryarnth’s office was set up on the 3^rd floor. Sitting in a large swivel chair with deep black leather upholstery behind his desk filled with paperwork, he reached over to the small desk to the right of his desk and picked up the phone.

“Yes?” he said, not paying much attention to the one on the other side of the line. He had far too much other work to handle after the sudden death of Gulabel.

“Sir, your special client is here. He wishes to speak with you privately for a moment.”

He sighed silently and raised his eyes from the papers. “Fine, you may send him in. But be sure to tell him that it will have to be quick.” Not waiting for a response from the woman on the other line, Chryarnth returned the phone to its resting spot and quickly swept up all the papers from his desk and tossed them in to the trash.

A few moments later, the large wooden doors to his new office opened and the receptionist stepped through. “Sir, Mr. Iwanaga to see you, sir.” She stepped aside to allow the boy to enter the room before she closed the doors securely behind.

“Ah, Kataki,” Chryarnth said, rising to his feet. “Please, have a seat. It’s been some time before we last spoke face to face.”

Kataki, walking with the aid of his cane, reached the chair before Chryarnth’s desk and sat down. Chryarnth also returned to his seat as the boy sat in front of him. It seemed that Kataki had gone to the doctors that he requested. He was already beginning to show a great deal of improved mobility. But that was just the beginning. Chryarnth couldn’t keep from smiling as he thought of all the possibilities this young man could be capable of accomplishing.

“So, tell me, how have the treatments been fairing you? I see you’ve already seen some changes, haven’t you?”

Kataki just sat quietly in his seat, his eyes down on the desk logo in front of him. Then in a quick moment, he raised his head and set his dark eyes on Chryarnth’s. “Yes, everything has been going well, but it’s all too slow for my liking.”

“Too slow?” Chryarnth grinned. “If only it could happen over night, huh? Listen, if you’ve come here to just complain that your treatments have been too small, too slow, too painful, then I’m afraid I’ll have to show you the door; however, if you have something more worth-while of my time, then I suggest you get to the point, and quickly. I have a cleaning crew coming in the next hour to clean the mess I’ve got upstairs.”

Still staring deep into Chryarnth’s eyes, Kataki answered, “No, I didn’t come to complain. I’m sorry if that’s how I sounded. It’s just that I get frustrated with this body. I can never quite get it to do what I want it to.”

“I can understand that. Mobility is one of the most necessary functions of the body.”

“The reason I came here was to hear more about this experimental device I’ve heard you have.”

Leaning forward, Chryarnth asked, “Experimental device? What exactly is that?”

“I’m not quite sure, but from what my contacts tell me, it could be the key that I need to get up and run again; now.”

Chryarnth grinned again and sat back in his seat. “I knew you wanted to speed things up. But I’m afraid, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Perhaps your contacts—”

Kataki frowned impatiently and stood as quickly as he could. “—Don’t give me that shit. I know damn well that you have this sort of ability locked up in this building. Why else would your boss suddenly disappear?”

“Are you trying to implicate something?” Chryarnth said, face grown placid and unconcerned. “This is certainly not the way to get me to do you any extra favors, even after my great generosity that I have already bestowed upon you, boy.”

Kataki flinched slightly but still did not back down. “All I want is to be able to walk… to run… to protect my sister.”

“Protect your sister? What sort of danger could your sister possibly be in?” Chryarnth said, intentionally weakening Kataki’s position and strengthening his own.

The crippled boy clenched his cane tightly and sat once again. He looked away from Chryarnth and stared out the clear window to his left. “I can’t be positive, but I know something is going to happen to her— I can just feel it. And it’s all his fault.”

Interesting change of topic! “His fault?” Chryarnth egged him on. Keep talking, keep talking!

“My sister Sakura… I keep telling her to stay away from him, the bastard. But she never listens to me. She just thinks that I have some sort of revenge planned against him, which I wouldn’t mind having. I only feel the way about him because of what I have experienced. I know what I saw… Whether he shows his true self now or later, I still know that there’s a demon walking around inside.”

“I see. I presume you speak of this Hisoka from your past, correct?” Kataki nodded his answer. “I may not know this character personally, but from studying these case reports of his own visits here, I can tell that there definitely is something out of the ordinary about him; whether it’s a demon or whatever, that is still yet to be proven. But that’s quite interesting. You wish to protect your sister from something that merely has a potential to explode and injure others around it. I like that. I like that gusto, even from someone like you.”

Kataki leaned forward in his chair. “The please, help me protect my sister!”

Chryarnth grinned, played with a lose thread from his jacket then ripped it lose. “I’ll help you, but these procedures have not been tested on a human subject yet. There is no telling what the side effects or physical changes there may be. After the procedure, you may no longer be yourself. Do you want to risk that much, to protect your sister?”

The boy stood once again, this time he let go of his cane and put both of his hands on the desk in front of him for support. “I’ll do anything as long as I can keep that menace from my sister!”

“Fine,” Chryarnth said without much thought to the contrary. He opened a drawer in his desk and took out a pad of paper and pen and began writing. “Just take this note up to the 7^th floor and give it to the secretary. She’ll send you to see the doctors there. This is still not going to be a one shot deal and you’re all better. You will still have to come every week for treatments, yet you’ll see far more progress in a shorter amount of time as you had before.” He handed Kataki the note and put the pad of paper and pen back in the drawer. “Now, if you would please excuse me. I must return to my work.”

Kataki took the entrance note from Chryarnth and held it in his hand as if it were a drug, he could almost smell it. He wanted it so badly and now he finally had it in his grasp. He would cure the weaknesses of his body, protect his sister, and have his sweet revenge. Taking his cane, he began to walk toward the door. Then he turned back around and said, “Thank you.”

“Don’t get me wrong, Kataki. I’m not doing this for you. I am doing this for the advancement of science. If everything goes well, we as human beings will gain a tremendous amount of knowledge in this area. I wish you good luck.”

Kataki nodded, as satisfied with Chryarnth’s statement as he could be, and continued his way out of the room, closing the door behind him.

With the boy gone, Chryarnth reached for a control panel built into his desk and pressed two buttons on it. One locked the door, and the other dimmed the lights. The early morning sun still shone through the window but it didn’t light as much of the room as it would normally. As the light pealed through the spotless window and tried to reach further into the room, it just stopped and faded into the shadows. There was no extending beam of light on the floor, nothing that would actually follow logic or fundamental physics. Sighing, Chryarnth rested his head on the desk and stared out the window.

“Perhaps soon the serpent shall hunt the dragon once again.”

ONE MONTH LATER…

Friday, December 14

The mild fall winter slowly slid into a chilly winter. The bare trees covered in a thin layer of snow created the beautiful backdrop for this time of year that was so well known and rightfully appreciated. A few snowflakes fluttered to the ground from bright white-gray clouds hiding the blue sky above. It was one of those days still days of winter, only a few people here and there walked about the sidewalks and rarely a car would pass cautiously by on the poorly maintained roadways. All the local schools were in recess that Friday. It was the annual Festival of the Dragon.

竜祭

This was a student’s matsuri, even though it was never intended to be as such. Over the 1,000 of years, the legend behind the festival was lost and only a hand full of people across the entire land of Japan could recall the meaning of the festival. Nowadays, the Festival of the Dragon was celebrated simply because it was another of the national holidays plastered on the yearly calendar. It was a reason to get together, drink, and bang on the drums all night long. It was a reason for stores and schools to shut down. What other reason could there be?

Across town, down past the city hall about 2-3 blocks north of the high school, the sounds of matsuri danced on the air from the Tenku shrine. Sometimes festivals would be held in a local district next to an elementary school and other times they would be held in the area just in front of a shrine or temple. Those that were located near such a religious structure were truly special, even if the people could not remember why.

“Aa! What a great party!” Tomoko said as she held up her empty sake glass. “Where’d the waiter dude go? I’m out of spirits again!”

“You never change, Tomoko,” Aiko said, trying to ignore her friend’s enthusiasm towards alcohol.

“Hey, I’m just trying to stay warm, ok? That’s why you’re still shivering. Here, here. I’ll get the waiter over here.” Holding her empty glass high above her head, she shouted, “Oi, waiter! Sake, sake! Bring lots of sake! Yea!”

“It’s ok, really. I don’t really like to drink.”

“Nonsense. Everybody likes to drink. This is a party. You have to drink.”

One of the waiters dressed purely in white clothes and a light blue apron placed a fresh glass on the table in front of the two women. As he began to place a new glass in front of Aiko, she held up her hand and said, “Ah, thank you, but I think I’ll pass this time.”

“Aiko! That’s no fun! Must drink, drink!” Tomoko said, chugging down half of her drink in one gulp. “Hey, where’s the kids? They didn’t run off to the… the… um, what’s-it-called, did they? Ahh, I remember running off over there one year with the cutest boy in school. Heh, how fun. I wonder what happened to him. Hmm…”

“Speaking of the kids, I’m not sure where they took off to.”

“Or maybe they just got bored and… I don’t know. Who would get bored here, anyway? They obviously didn’t have some of this stuff!” Tomoko chugged down her drink again and nearly let out a loud belch. Covering her mouth with her hand, she mumbled, “Uhh, I think I’m about done. Done, done. Yeah, I’m done.” Her head rocked on her neck in several circles like a top spinning over and over until her head slammed loudly onto the table.

“Once again, you’ve over done it…” Aiko said with a slight grin. Then as she looked out to the crowd and saw Sakura, Yukiko, and Mieko walking together towards them. “Ah, girls,” Aiko said, standing up to greet the three friends. “You haven’t seen my son around, have you?”

“Hisoka?” Yukiko asked.

“No,” Sakura answered, “I think we saw him a little while ago, but I haven’t seen him since.”

Aiko nodded, seeming a little unnerved. “I see.”

“Is there something wrong?” Mieko asked shyly, clinging to her pink knitted hat.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I was just thinking about heading back home soon, since my company is rather out of commission…”

Yukiko grinned. “Heeh, had a little too much to drink, eh?”

“Ee, just slightly too much, I think.”

“If we run into Hisoka again, do you want us to tell him anything?” Sakura asked.

“Oh, just tell him that I went back home. The matsuri should be just about over soon, anyway.”

The girls nodded their understanding. Yukiko turned to Mieko and seemed to have said something to embarrass her as Sakura continued to keep Aiko’s gaze. There was obviously something on her mind that she wasn’t saying.

Sakura turned to the two girls and said, “Um, you guys can go on a head and get some of that candy before we leave. I’ll meet up with you in a little bit.”

“Oh, alright, Sakura,” Mieko said, regaining some of her composure though her face was still red.

“Don’t take too long though,” Yukiko said, “or we’ll take all that’s left! No candy for you! Haha!”

“Whatever,” Sakura smiled. “I won’t be long.”

As the two girls walked off together, Sakura turned back to Aiko sitting at the table. She took a seat opposite to her and again asked if something was amiss.

“Oh, it’s nothing really,” Aiko responded. “It’s just this festival that gets me a little emotional.”

“The Dragon Festival? Why— ”

“It’s a long story… but if you’d like to listen…”

Sakura nodded. “Sure, if you don’t mind telling me.”

Aiko lowered her head in thought, let out a long sigh, then began her story. “Do you know how long people have been celebrating the Festival of the Dragon? Approximately 1,236 years. That’s a long time for such a small festival as this to be around. Why would we still be holding this festival if no one even remembers the reason for it? Do you even know the legend behind the festival?”

“No, I’m afraid I don’t. I just know it has something to do with a dragon…”

Aiko smiled. “That’s just about all that anyone seems to know about it. I wonder why… Well, anyway, the legend is of a great dragon with golden scales that came to our world to fight a black serpent god. Both of them had enormous wings to carry them throughout the reaches of the sky. They fought for days without a winner, then they simply disappeared without a trace. There is no designated winner in the legend, but we believe that the golden dragon represented good and the black serpent represented evil. Of course, we’d like to believe that good will always win over evil, right? So, that is why we hold this festival, to support the side of the holy dragon, to support the way of good over evil. But this festival has changed so much over the years, it is no longer of a religious nature but merely a party,” she glanced at her friend beside her, “and a reason to get drunk.”

“That’s some legend. How come you know about it?”

“My father was the one who told it to me. It was one of those legends that has been passed down throughout our family. I’m not the only one who knows this story, so my family isn’t special or anything like that. We’re just like anybody else, only we know and are able to appreciate this time for what it really is. It’s something special to us.”

“Why wouldn’t people remember or even acknowledge something of this importance? At least, I would imagine that it would be something important to think about.”

“I don’t really know the answer to that, but I guess the only thing we can do now is just pass the story on to whomever is willing to hear it. Ah, I’m sorry. I’m sounding like a classic old lady telling folk tales. I must really be boring you.”

Sakura shook her head. “Not at all. I like hearing stories like this. I’m glad I actually know the legend behind this festival now; it’s interesting. Is there any more of the story, or was that the whole thing?”

“Well, that’s pretty much all of it, but there is a little bit of speculation as to what comes after that part in the legend. Some people say that the dragon was the victor and before he left our world, he shed his golden scales out over the ocean. That’s why the sunrise appears so beautifully over the water. Then other people say that the dragon was defeated by the black serpent; and to the north, there is a range of mountains where an ancient village lay in the middle, completely surrounded on all sides by the mountains. Near there, it is said that the dragon fell to the earth beside a lake. Then others say that neither of them won, but rather neutralized each other in the battle. Which ever side actually won doesn’t really matter because the legend says that one day the dragon and serpent will return. That is why we remember this day and look forward to the future.”

As the two continued to talk, the sounds of the matsuri slowly died away. Head officials began clearing away tables, tearing down red and white decorations all around, volunteers packed up the food and carried away the garbage. Gradually, the crowd spread out and began to exit the area.

“Well, it looks like they’ve just ended the festival,” Aiko said with a degree of disbelief in her voice.

Sakura looked at her watch. “But it’s only 4:30. Why are they packing everything up now?”

“I don’t know, but it is getting dark, precisely the reason why I don’t like winter. It gets dark far too early than it should. Anyway, I won’t keep you any more. I must tend to my friend here and find Hisoka…”

Standing up from her seat, Sakura said, “I can take a look around and see if I can find him for you.”

“Oh, could you? I’ll have to drive her home… I’d really appreciate that. I’ll be waiting for him at home.”

“Sure, I’ll let him know. Thanks for telling me that story… It was quite interesting.”

Aiko nodded. “Please be careful walking home.”

Sakura watched as Aiko awoke her friend and helped support her walking out of the festival area. Sighing, Sakura turned from the table where they had been sitting and looked out into the central shrine section. That was the only place she hadn’t been yet that night, so perhaps Hisoka was there…

As Sakura walked through the gate which marked the entrance into a sacred place, Kataki stood at the main gate, accompanied by Streeten and Gaiger. Kataki watched as Sakura walked off through the gate and up the hill with 100 some steps that lead up to the shrine itself.

“Dude, let’s go,” Gaiger said impatiently.

Streeten added, “She’s just doing the lady a favor.”

Kataki stared on into the distance and didn’t seem to hear. He stroked his right arm unconsciously, feeling the strength that throbbed longingly underneath.

**********

He was just trying to find a quite place away from the noisy atmosphere of the matsuri and he found himself drawn up the stairs to the shrine of the heavens, Tenku-ji. Hisoka passed through the second set of gates leading to the inner shrine area, past the two stone guardian dogs, and up to the shrine itself. He stepped up the three small steps and stared blankly at the ornaments there. Hanging on the wall in front of him was the crest of the dragon etched in the surface of a shield made of solid gold. On the shield, the dragon stood in front of the morning sun high in the sky with its wings outstretched, the sunrays stretching out as if it were irradiating the light itself. Taking slow, thoughtless steps toward the relic, Hisoka reached out his left hand to touch the treasure. But when his fingertips came within an inch from touching it, his arm burst into flame; the shield flashing a brilliant yellow light. Hisoka took a step back and grasped his arm with is right to stop the reaction. Just then he heard footsteps behind him.

“Hisoka?”

Quickly turning around, he found Sakura standing at the base of the shrine. Hisoka blinked several times as if waking from a daydream. “Sakura,” he said, shocked.

“What was that light just now? It practically lit up this whole place.”

The light? Had she seen what happened? “Uh, I think it was just some fireworks left over from the matsuri.”

“Really?” Sakura turned to look back down the long set of steps. “I thought they had packed everything up already.”

Hisoka stepped down the few steps from the shrine and met with Sakura.

“Your mom was looking for you, you know. Why’d you come all the way up here?”

“Eh, I don’t know.” He turned back to look at the relic in the shrine. “I just felt like something was—” Shaking his head, Hisoka looked back to Sakura. “Ah, never mind. You said my mom was looking for me? What’d she say?”

Sakura shrugged her shoulders. “Nothing really. She was just going to drive what’s-her-name back home since she drank her wits away… She said she’ll meet you at home.”

“Heh, Tomoko’s hit the bottom of the barrel again I take it…” Sighing, he continued, “So, were you about to leave, too?”

“I guess, since there’s nothing else to do here. Why’d they end the festival so early?”

“Who knows,” Hisoka said, as he began his way out of the main shrine area and down the stairs with Sakura following close behind. “The festivals recently haven’t been all that much fun, not like they had been in the past. It’s strange. It’s like nobody really cares about them anymore.”

“Yeah, it’s odd,” Sakura said.

“Anyway, sorry you had to come looking for me. I didn’t mean to wander off from everything the way I did…” Hisoka’s voice trailed off in thought of the reaction to the dragon emblem.

Sakura, sensing something was not quite right, said, “Is something the matter? Did something happen up there?”

Hisoka smiled. “Ah, I’m sorry. I always seem to lay all of my problems on you. You must think I’m really strange after everything that’s happened already.”

“You mean the thing with your dreams and your memories from Sakuba? Hisoka, if you want to talk about something, you can always tell me.”

“Thanks. I’ll remember you said that. But really, I’m okay. So, uh, did you have a good time at the festival?”

“Well, other than the fact that it was way too short, it was okay. I was with Mieko and Yukiko most of the time.”

“Aa. I don’t really know why I came. I guess I’d rather just go so that mom wouldn’t be alone, even though her old classmate was here. I just kinda feel sad for her. It’s been fifteen years since my father passed away, but still I think she misses him. No, I know she misses him tremendously.”

Sakura, now walking side-by-side with Hisoka as they descended the stairway, watched as Hisoka spoke. She could see the sadness in his face, the desire to help his mother any way he could, and yet no matter what he did, he could still never bring his father back for her. That, above all else, is what he wished he could do for her. If only it were possible.

“Heh, I’m doing it again,” he said, finally breaking the moment of sorrow. “Hit me next time I start rambling about these depressing things, ok?”

“No, it’s okay. I know you must miss your father, too.”

Hisoka looked out to the festival area and the people scrambling about to clean up. “You know, to be honest, I don’t really remember my father all that much. Doesn’t that sound horrible? The only thing that I remember about him is just his presence, what it felt like having him around. It was like such a peaceful feeling, like I knew everything would be alright when he’s there. It’s a nice feeling, but it’s also kinda sad when I think about it. I wish I could remember more about him.”

“Do you think it’s because of the accident at Mt. Sakuba that you can’t remember him?” Sakura asked.

“No, I don’t think so. Well, I guess I really don’t know, since I’ve lost so much of my memory because of that… But still, I can’t be sure that that is the reason why I can’t remember so much. There’s just too many things that I can’t explain about myself. Feels like I’m living in another world or something, you know? All this mystery and stuff.”

“Yeah, it would make a good book, wouldn’t it?”

“Heh, maybe,” Hisoka laughed.

Finally making it down the flight of steps, the two stopped for a moment, watching as the cleaning crew packed up the rest of their gear and exited out of the vicinity.

“You have a way of getting home?” Hisoka asked.

Sakura looked about, looking in the distance for her brother. “Kataki was supposed to be waiting for me, but I don’t see him.”

“Or anyone else for that matter,” Hisoka added. “How long were we up there?”

“I dunno, but they sure did clean up fast.” Looking at her watch again, she said, “It’s just about five o’clock. You wouldn’t mind accompanying me home, would you?”

Hisoka smiled. “Of course not. I wouldn’t let you walk home alone after dark anyway.”

“Thanks,” Sakura said and smiled back.

They slowly walked out of the shrine grounds and onto the city sidewalks. Sakura’s home wasn’t but five blocks or so away, close enough that she would have been able to walk home by herself if necessary, but still far away that it would be dangerous for any young woman to travel.

About two blocks from her home, they began talking about Kataki and his “bad” friends at school.

“You know, he really worries me sometimes,” Sakura said. “He seems so out of control and yet his injuries won’t let him step out of bounds. If he were well like, I don’t know, you for instance, I don’t know what he’d be capable of doing. He’s always hated our father, just because he’s so demanding, especially after the Mt. Sakuba incident.”

“Has he always been that harsh on your brother?”

“I don’t really know, but as far as I can remember, he’s always been somewhat intimidating toward him. He’d like yell at him for just being a normal, young boy; you know, he’d like do something dorky and then my father would like completely yell at him; seriously! It wasn’t like they were just toying with each other. My father really meant business.”

“Wow, I guess I’ve had it good in that sense.”

“Yeah, maybe. It just makes me mad. I wish there would be something that I could do to help him. I’d like to stick up to my dad for him, but what can I do? Not a whole lot…”

“I don’t think it’s much of your place to do anything about it. Kataki’s got his own mind. If he wants to change and become stronger to face your father, then that’s the step that only he can take. He’s got to take the first step to change. There’s nothing that you can do to help him even if you wanted to.”

“I know… It’s just so hard sometimes…”

They continued talking as they came to a main intersection in town. From the left side of the road, they continued on across the road when a speeding car from the right apparently came out of no where. The car attempted to stop, but the icy roads thwarted any ability to stop in time. Sakura didn’t hear anything coming in time to react, but Hisoka did. Time seemed to stop, just as it had done at Mt. Sakuba. He saw the car coming towards them, and he saw the stakes laid out in front of him. The same voice echoed in his mind as before:

You have the ability to save her. But do you have the guts to call out your power? Do you even know how to do it? Try it, if you dare.

What more could he do than to watch the car come speeding towards them and possibly kill them both? No, the car wouldn’t kill him, but what about Sakura? What would happen to her? Would she die because he couldn’t or wouldn’t try to use whatever power he did have? He couldn’t bare that sort of guilt. He would have to do it, whatever that was, to protect her!

His left arm grew red hot with the fire burning in his heart. His emerald green eyes shone like a star in the dark night as the fire exploded from deep within his soul to envelop around them both. As the car approached, he used all of his strength to run out of the way. He heard the squealing of the car’s tires scraping against the snowy road and then finally a crash as it plunged into the fence along the sidewalk on the other side of the road. Making it safely to the other side of the road, the fire around them faded away as they both crashed onto the ground from the sheer speed of their escape.

Slowly setting up, Hisoka looked back to the center of the road and saw whoever was driving the car get out and inspect the damage to their car. He didn’t even know there were people crossing the road… Then Hisoka turned back to Sakura, who lay motionless on the ground.

“Sakura, are you okay?”

But there was no answer. Surely the car hadn’t struck her nor had she really hit the ground all that hard, but still she remained unconscious. Why? What happened? Why would she be harmed even if nothing physical struck her? He couldn’t understand it… but then he thought of the voice… What if he had done something wrong? What if he had caused her to lose consciousness? Instead of the car causing her injury, it was he that hurt her in the end even though he was the one trying to protect her!

“Sakura! Sakura, wake up! Sakura!”

Poor little dragon, burnt by his own flame… hahahaha And now she dies!