The Fear of Losing You

"They chained us to metal chairs. Metal freakin' chairs in the middle of their freakin' dining hall with the freakin' lights off. I can't see a freakin' thing! It's been 3 hours, don't you think we could use a break?!"

"Shut up, kid, or we'll stick a sock in your mouth..."

"Some birthday present this is..." I muttered, letting out quiet whines as I shuffled in my seat. "These chains are going to wear through my wrists and ankles..."

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The room fell silent. I felt as though my lungs got caught in my throat as I heard a familiar voice come from the other side of the door.

"Hanako? It's me, Jeremy. Let me in, alright?"

I wondered then if he were really as stupid as his words made him sound.

"Karm? Charis? We know you're in there, too. Quit playing around. You guys had your fun, now give him back."

Geez, he makes it sound like I'm some sort of borrowed possession...

"...alright...I guess we'll have to break the door down..."

Jeremy, no!

I meant to call out to him, but Karm slapped his hand over my mouth to prevent that from happening. The broad, wooden doors to the mansion opened wide and slow, making a very irritating creaking sound with each agonizing second. When they were finally open, I saw Morgan and Jeremy standing back to back, wearing awfully strange, awfully similar clothing: black leather jackets, black pants, and black fedoras. Yup. All black. They each had one hand tipping their hats as they shot menacing glares into the mansion, at no one in particular.

What on earth do they think they're doing...?

"Prepare for trouble..."

"And make it double..."

What.

"To protect the world from devastation..."

"To prevent our friend from annihilation..."

"Jeremy..."

"Morgan..."

"Team Ironmage blasting off at the speed of light!"

"Be prepared to fight, fight, fight!"

"...uhhh...that's right..."

I felt rage bubbling up inside me, and soon enough, I just couldn't hold it in any longer. I bit Karm's finger as soon as he had let his guard down, then, at the top of my lungs, I voiced my thoughts without bothering to sugarcoat them.

"YOU IDIOTS HAD THE TIME TO CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES AND STEAL THAT LAME TEAM ROCKET MOTTO FROM POKEMON, BUT YOU COULDN'T COME AND GET ME FIRST?!?"

My harsh words somehow managed to silence them. Jeremy, Morgan, Niall, and Suri all froze, now standing as still as statues and with blank expressions plastered on their faces. It wasn't until a minute later that Jeremy finally spoke up.

"Wait...who's the girl?"

I would have face-palmed myself if it hadn't been for the chains wrapped around me. "You really are an idiot, aren't you, cyborg?"

"Hey! Ironmage!" Charis shouted, taking a few steps forward to draw attention to himself. "Remember me?"

Jeremy didn't reply. Instead, he walked casually into the mansion, his arms behind his back, eyes scanning the room with careful interest. "Nice place," he said, bobbing his head in approval. But then he stopped—dead in his tracks, and he lowered his head ever so slowly. His eye had become dark—not with color, but with intensity, and his voice soon shared that darkness.

"So, Tweedle-dumb and Tweedle-dumber, you two care to tell me why you've got my friend there tied up in chains?"

I could've sworn I saw Charis flinch. "He belongs to us, Ironmage," he answered coldly. "You lost your privileges to him long ago."

"Privileges? Hanako is not a hot potato to be tossed around." Jeremy narrowed his eye and glared at the twins. "He's more like a cold...potato."

Was that supposed to be an insult? "This isn't funny, Jeremy!" I flailed around wildly in a desperate attempt to escape, but it was useless. The chains were far too tight, and I was far too weak to break free anyway, even if it had just been string that bound me.

"Hold on, you guys, I got this..."

The room fell silent yet again, just as a certain carrot-topped friend of mine stepped into play. He strode right up to Jeremy and adjusted his fedora, shooting a funny look in my direction. Clearing his throat, he faced me, and soon after began speaking in a rather strange voice.

"Fear not, my dear princess," he began, "for it is I who hath come to save thee. Twas a long and arduous task to locate the mansion where thou hast been bound by the chains of fate, but twas worth it, for alas, I have arrived. Along with the much appreciated assistance of my beloved friends—eyepatch, blueberry, and ageless goddess, I shall assure your rescue will come quick and painless. I only hope with all my heart, and with all my soul, that these charming twins will abide humbly with my request for your release from these chains that crush your bones. Forsooth! Egads, and other poetic exclamations..." With that, he took a bow, as if expecting applause to follow his heartfelt—yet incredibly stupid—words.

Not a moment later, he and Jeremy burst into laughter.

These guys are most definitely drunk.

"Enough with your games!" cried Suri, and she stormed in ahead of Morgan and Jeremy, drawing her sword and glaring vengefully at the twins. "You have something that belongs to us. Now give it back. Or else things are gonna get real messy in here."

"You got some nerve, Adams..." Charis scowled. He threw out his hand and slowly rolled up his sleeve, and I noticed that the tips of his fingers were black, looking as though he had held them lightly against an ink pad. My eyes widened in fear as I watched the blackness began to cover his entire hand, and before long, it spread over his entire right arm. "Do you want to know why I'm called the demon of chance?"

Suri sneered. "Do you want to know how much I don't care?" She rose her sword in the air and, before anyone could react, began charging recklessly at Charis.

I cried out to her, but my warning was to no avail.

Suri dragged her sword against the floor, then, with one sweeping motion, brought it back into the air to strike Charis. Charis easily blocked the attack with his arm, as if Suri were merely a child playing with a plastic weapon. "Pathetic," he spat. "Simply pathetic." He shoved Suri to the ground and began forcefully kicking her side, and my heart sank when I realized the general was unable to retaliate.

It all looked so familiar to me. This situation my friend was now trapped in was exactly the same as the situation I had encountered countless times...thanks to the heartless creatures who terrorized me in my school days. And it was for that reason that my heart went out to her. But sadly, it was not I who had the strength to speak up this time.

"Suri!" Morgan outstretched his hand as though intending to stop the demon's ruthless actions. He wanted to run to her. I could see something burning in his eyes as he remained fixed to the ground on the other side of the room, wary to move but a single inch, for he knew he wouldn't stand a chance. Instead, he used his voice. "Leave her be!" He cried. "She's done nothing wrong, please!"

It didn't surprise me that this was something the hazel-eyed demon would find amusing. A devious laugh escaped Charis's mouth, seeming to send signals to his own brain that it wasn't time to stop the torture just yet. I could see that Suri was desperately trying to get back up to fight, but the gradually diminishing strength in her body was screaming at her to give it a rest.

And it was in that moment that I finally saw Suri in a new light. As I looked at her...I no longer saw the strong, staid, undefeatable general I had always thought her to be. No...right now, Suri appeared to me as a fragile, broken young girl.

A broken young girl whose bravery was a lantern, unable to be put out.

"You...f-fools..."

Blood dripped from Suri's mouth, her fingernails scraping against the carpet.

"Just who...who are you kidding? Why do-...why don't you open your eyes...and look at what's in front of you...?"

Charis stopped and lifted his head. And there was no doubt in my mind that the first thing he laid eyes on alarmed him...to say the least.

Niall and Jeremy were pissed off. That was made clear by the steadily increasing rage in their expressions. Jeremy's mechanical arm was outstretched, glowing with a familiar, eerie green light. Niall's eyes were black, seemingly void of any traces of light. He dug his fingernails into his cheek, pressing deeper and deeper until he drew blood. Then, with one quick swiped, Niall returned his hand to his side, allowing the crimson liquid to fall in four narrow lines down his face like red streams.

"Karm, Charis, you both left before I had the chance to show you how I manned up since the last time we saw each other."

I remember this...I remember this very clearly now. The same thing happened when I first met the twins.

"I'll give you one last warning, brothers," said Niall. "Give Suri, Hanako, and that girl you have back to us right now, or I will not hold b-"

"Don't."

Niall narrowed his eyes. "Are you a fool, Charis?"

"Maybe." Charis shrugged. "Or maybe I'm just doubtful. I don't think you have the guts to lay a finger on your beloved br-"

"BULLCRAP!!"

"J-Jeremy?"

"Karm, get your slimy, despicable self out here before I force you to!"

I wasn't aware that it was possible for him to grow any more furious. But with just one look, I could practically see the volcanoes erupting within his head, drowning any sense of logic or patience he had left. His breathing was ragged, his facial features twitching. Yet strangely enough, I felt as though his energy was something feigned. But regardless of that, Jeremy's tenacity was like nothing I had ever witnessed before.

"In case you haven't noticed, boys, I'm not entirely sober right now, and that just makes me 100% more dangerous. So I'd highly suggest we make the teams even. What do you say?"

The twins glanced at each other and smirked.

"Sure, why not," said Charis.

"Sounds good to me," added Karm.

Niall raised his hand and placed it over his chest, closing his eyes for but a moment. "For Hanako, I'd gladly lay down my life...so give it all you've got, brothers..."

No...why are they doing this? Why are they going to such risks...just to save me? I'm not worth anything...it's not like I've done anything to deserve their friendship...so why...why are they trying to save me?

I wanted so badly to cry out and beg for them not to fight, but I just couldn't. I didn't have the courage, nor did I have the strength. And so, because of my weakness, I was forced to sit back and watch as they destroyed one another in a pointless battle to win me back.

Niall was the first to strike. The golden rings that had formed around his arms acted as blades as he swung his fists at Charis, who managed to successfully evade each attack. He grabbed Niall by the wrist and heaved him up over his shoulder, then slammed him into the floor—so forceful, it seemed, that a dent was even left behind. Niall didn't seem fazed by this at all, and he was quick to get to his feet again.

Jeremy was at the same time having a heated battle with Karm. His mechanical arm proved to be quite effective against the demon, and soon enough the cyborg had the twin pinned against the wall, struggling desperately to escape his grasp.

"I'll give you credit, Ironmage...you've...certainly been improving, haven't you?"

"That's because this time I actually have someone I'm fighting for."

"He's not your friend you know."

Jeremy froze on the spot. "What was that?"

Wait, what? Why would Karm say something like that all of a sudden?

"It's true," said Karm, attempting to pry Jeremy's fingers off his throat. "I can tell just by looking at him. He's not sticking around because he likes you, he's simply...afraid of you."

That's not true at all.

"N-no...you're wrong..."

Jeremy's voice is wavering...it's shaky...no...he can't possibly believe what this demon is telling him, can he?

"You know I'm not," Karm said with his signature smirk. "I mean, come on, look at the poor boy. Don't you see the way he stares at you? He knows about the things you can do. He knows about the horrifyingly disgusting creature that lives inside your body."

Jeremy snap out of it! He's manipulating you!

Jeremy's arms were beginning to shake as much as his voice. "W-what creature...? There is no creature inside me."

"But think of it this way, Ironmage: Hanako is a demon. He should be with his own kind, shouldn't he? I know your feelings for the boy. You love him as if he were your own son. So don't you want what's best for him?"

His words were like fire, burning through the skin on Jeremy's chest, straight to his heart. Karm was feeding him lies. Nothing but lies. And Jeremy was believing them all. This no-good demon was actually tricking Jeremy into thinking I hated him...that I was afraid of him...that the only reason I stuck around him was because I feared he would hurt me if I didn't obey him. He was just like a little fish deceived by fake bait, soon to be reeled in and slaughtered for his gullibility.

And I just couldn't let that happen.

"Jeremy!!"

I finally managed to gather up enough strength to shout out to him.

"Jeremy, don't listen to him! Everything he's saying is a lie! It's all one big lie!!"

Despite my having said this, Jeremy's facial expression grew even more sorrowful. But why? I wondered. Why was he being so easily fooled by this? Had this thought been something that was bothering him from the very start?

"Jeremy, you need to focus!" Cried Niall, despite at the moment being pummeled into the ground by Charis's fists. "We'll sort out personal issues later!"

Apparently this was all Jeremy needed to get his head back in the game. "You filthy lowlife," he spat, hand tightening its grip around the demon's neck. "Don't you ever compare me to your kind. I'm not like you, and neither is Hanako. Despite being a demon, he's not at all similar to you. He doesn't deserve anything he's been put through, and frankly..."

+++

I watched with a horror-flooded eyes as Karm's face began to lose all color it once had, and not a second after, Jeremy finished his sentence in a soft, yet piercing whisper.

".....I don't deserve it either....."

He gave Karm's neck one last squeeze, then threw him to the floor. "I may not be able to kill you, Karm, but I sure can put you through pain like you've never felt before."

Jeremy's voice was undeniably terrifying. Actually, his entire demeanor right now was terrifying. I had never seen this side of him before, so needless to say I was stunned. And not at all in a good way. I wanted him to stop. I had initially thought it would've made me glad to see someone give the twins the punishment they deserved, but for some reason, I didn't feel that way now.

Somewhere in the middle of all this, Suri had crawled over to me and sat up against the legs of my chair. I wanted to say something to her, but I feared it might have been too difficult for her to talk.

"Scary, isn't he?"

I looked down at the general with concern. Her glasses had been knocked off and broken, her eyes were nearly swollen shut, and the blood on her face had almost dried.

"Suri, you...you don't have to talk. You should probably just rest and let Jeremy and Niall take care of things."

"Where's Morgan?"

I smiled softly. Although her voice was faint and rather hard to make out, I could still easily detect the genuine concern she had for my friend.

"He's in the corner of the room," I told her, "trying to find a way around the violence."

Even at the distance he was from me, I could still sense the fear and desperation in his eyes. He didn't like what he was seeing. He wanted them to stop fighting, too.

Meanwhile, it seemed as though Niall's determination to defeat his brother had skyrocketed. His blades marked Charis's face with deep, bloody gashes, causing the chestnut haired demon to stumble and groan in pain. I hadn't thought of it at first, but it must have been hurting him, too. Niall loved his brothers sincerely, that I knew for certain, so to hurt them like this must have brought him emotional suffering.

And all the while, while my friends were risking their lives just to save me, I sat there, helpless as a naive child, locked by these so-called chains of fate.

"This isn't like Niall at all," Suri said in a quiet voice. "The Niall I knew would never...never lay a finger on any of his family members."

"Well then...why is he acting this way?" I asked.

"He knows he doesn't have much time left. He knows that she's coming for him...and she'll take both of their lives...most definitely..."

My eyes trembled. "D-do you mean Reiha?"

Suri gave a solemn nod. "It's tragic that she had to be the first to go. If that were not the case, I believe Niall may have been able to go on living. But since things did happen this way, he wants to give the best of his life to you, his master and friend, before his time to die should come."

She couldn't have been more direct. Whether or not Suri realized it, her words were coated with a poison that I wasn't strong enough to protect myself against.

"So basically...you're saying that...what Niall has become...is my fault?"

"Not at all," she replied, with a slightly kinder voice. "Hanako, please don't blame any of this on yourself. It's not your fault. Just remember what Jeremy said, and how earnest he sounded with those heartfelt words of his. You don't deserve anything you're being put through..."

At that moment, I could've sworn I saw a tear run down Suri's cheek as she turned her head in Jeremy's direction. "....and neither does he."

"YOU ALL DESERVE TO DIE!!"

Jeremy's booming voice echoed throughout the mansion like rolling thunder on an empty plain. It was almost as though I could feel the rage induced heat rising from his head as he continued to "punish" Karm. I wanted him to stop. I couldn't take this anymore.

"What you've done to Hanako is unforgivable!!"

No...stop this at once...

He seized Karm by the collar and smashed him against the wall repeatedly, shouting, "I'm going to torture you until you beg me to take your life!!"

I've had...enough of this madness...

"It's heartbreaking, isn't it?"

Suri's voice was even shakier now, and when I looked down at her again, I found that her eyes were closed.

"Yeah," I whispered, and I felt my own eyes threaten to well up with tears. "I don't...I don't like seeing him like this..."

"This is what happens when you befriend people like Jeremy and Niall. They get easily attached to things...to people...and they both greatly fear losing things. You, Hanako. You're one of the only good things left in their lives, so do us all a favor...and stop them." She lifted her head and locked gazes with me. "Stop this insanity."

I didn't need to be told twice. I knew what I had to do. Even if I couldn't use my demonic powers to intercede, I could always use my voice.

But what can I say? What can I say that will have a big enough impact to stop this fighting? I'm not good with words like Morgan. I can't change the mind of a foolish boy who just wanted to run away from home. I don't have that kind of power. I suppose...I'll just have to give it a try...

I gathered up all the air I could fit into my stomach at once, then with a loud voice, I cried out to them.

"Will everyone just listen to me?!?"

Much to my surprise, the room became silent, exactly how I had wanted it to. All eyes fell on me. I felt my face go pale, but I quickly shook off the approaching anxiety and held my head high with feigned confidence. "Jeremy, Niall..." You got this, Hanako. Take control. "In ten words or less, tell me what the heck you think you're doing, and why?"

"It's because we don't want to risk losing you," Jeremy said immediately, and despite the word limit I had given him, he went on. "And especially not to guys like Karm and Charis."

"Well, this certainly isn't the way I want you to do it."

Jeremy's hands trembled as he clutched Karm's collar tighter. His gaze dropped to floor in what I thought to be shame.

It's working, I thought with relief. I'm actually reaching them. "If you...if you keep this up...then how are you any different from them? You can't do this. You can't be like them, Jeremy, Niall. You have to be better than them. Your fear is consuming you from the inside out. Why can't you seem to realize that?"

At that time I could hear quiet sobbing coming from the corner of the room.

"I'm never going to leave you. Any of you. So if that's what this is all about, then you can throw your fears away with the rest of your worries. Because as long as I'm alive, I'm here to stay with you. Morgan, Niall...and you, Jeremy. Screw what Karm said. You're my friend, too."

It took him a minute to thoroughly process my words, but eventually, he released his grip on Karm, allowing the demon to collapse to the floor. Niall stopped as well, but not after giving Charis one last forceful shove. The two of them then began to make their way over to me...rather slowly, but I was confident that they wouldn't turn their backs on me this time. Morgan came running, too.

Once they had reached me, Niall immediately helped me get free from the chains. My arms and legs felt so much relief, I could've jumped with joy. But I was captured by the caring arms of my friends. All four of them.

"You did it, Hanako. You managed to tame their restless spirits," Suri said, and I could feel her smiling into my shoulder. "I knew I could count on you."