Chapter 19
Haru wakes to the morning sunlight filtering through the window. His kitten brushes against his arms, mewling loudly. Haru smiles and strokes the cat’s soft fur. “Sorry, I don’t have any food for you here,” he says. “You’ll have to wait ‘til I get you some fish.” Haru ties on his headband and laboriously pulls himself to his feet, then walks shakily to the door. If I had something for myself, that would be nice, he thinks. He frowns and glances at the papers stuffed in the corner, recalling what he’d told Asha the day before. I’ve gotta quit kidding myself, Haru thinks. Food won’t help me one bit.
He swings the door open and steps out to find Asha and Hikaru at his doorstep. “Hey, Haru,” Hikaru greets him, holding up a bag. “I hope you’re hungry, ‘cause we brought a lot of food!” Haru blinks at him in confusion.
“Breakfast, Haru-san!” Asha says, smiling. “If we don’t eat it soon, the food will get cold.”
Haru steps back and lets his friends inside. His kitten comes up and greets Asha with a loud meow and rubs against her legs. “Good morning, kitty!” Asha laughs kneeling down to pet it. “Haru-san, when are you going to give this little one a name?” she asks Haru.
“I...I never thought about it ‘cause I was going to give it away,” Haru replies.
“Well you offered him to me,” Asha reminds him.
“Oh, yeah, that’s right,” Haru muses. “Uh… do you still want him?”
“It doesn’t really matter right now,” Asha says, “because I’ll be visiting enough so that he’ll already know me just as well as he knows you.”
“Asha...”
“I want to be with you as much as I can,” Asha says with finality. “Nothing you say will change my mind. Besides... I know you need your family with you right now.”
Hikaru unwraps the food and presents it to his friends. “Dig in, guys!”
They all sit down around the food. “You guys didn’t have to do this for me,” Haru says.
“Hey, it’s no trouble considering it’s for a friend,” Hikaru says, smiling.
“Thanks.”
“We even brought some for the kitten,” Asha announces. “How about Yume?” she asks suddenly.
“Yume?” Hikaru repeats. “For a cat?”
“Why not?” Asha asks. “It’s a nice name, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it is,” Haru replies. “That’s a good name.”
Asha holds out some food for the kitten. “Here, Yume!” she calls softly. “Come eat!” The kitten bounds over to her and takes the food from her palm.
“Hey, Haru,” Hikaru begins.
“Yeah?”
“I was thinking...we haven’t gone anywhere in a while, and it would be nice to get out and get some fresh air. Wanna go out for a walk?”
Haru thinks a moment. “That would be nice,” he answers. “I’ll go scope out a place after we eat.”
“You will?” Asha asks excitedly.
Haru nods. “Unless you already have an idea of where you want to go.”
“Well, we already went up that hill, so this time we should go somewhere different, I guess,” Asha says.
“Then I’ll go and check out a place,” Haru says. “While I’m gone, I don’t want you guys sticking around here, all right?” he cautions them.
“Then shouldn’t we go with you?” Hikaru asks.
“We should let Ari-san know that we’ll be gone a while,” Asha points out. “We told her we were just dropping by for breakfast, remember?”
“Oh, that’s right. I forgot.”
“But we’ll come back after we tell her,” Asha says. “Is that okay? Do you think you’ll be back by then?”
“I should be,” Haru answers.
“Okay. Then we’ll meet back here,” Hikaru says.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Haru finds a large wooded area near the hill that looked like a nice place for a short adventure. He hopes that Asha and Hikaru would like it as much as he does. As he is walking back into town, he begins to feel worn-out, his legs jerking with each step he takes. I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle the walk back, let alone coming down here again later. I don’t understand...I haven’t even used my powers lately...Why am I getting so weak so fast...?
By the time Haru gets back to his hideout, he can barely stand. He nearly falls against the door as he pushes it open. Inside, it is completely deserted. He doesn’t even hear his kitten’s familiar mewling. “Guys?” Haru calls, half-panting. “Is anyone here…?” No one answers. “Here, Yume!” Haru calls. The cat doesn’t come out to greet him. Haru begins to panic. “Guys?! Asha, Hikaru...! Where are you?!” He stumbles farther into the building in hopes of finding someone there. They just fell asleep, Haru tries to convince himself. Or maybe they tried to come looking for me, and they’ll be back soon.
Then he spots the familiar ball of brown fur sprawled out on the ground. “Yume!” Haru cries. He gets down on the ground. The poor kitten looks as if it had been treated roughly, perhaps even kicked or thrown. Haru strokes the kitten’s fur as it mewls pitifully and tries to move. Someone’s been in here, Haru thinks as he glances around and notices that his few belongings are spilled and strewn across the floor. The papers that he’d gotten from the factory are scattered all over the room. “Could it have been...?!” Haru scoops up the injured kitten and scrambles for the door. A sickening dread creeps through him as he realizes just who had probably broken into his hideout. How could they have known? Why would BIOTECH show up here?
Haru breaks into a dead run, bolting through the streets hoping that he isn’t too late to find his friends. Maybe they’re still at Ari’s! he hopes desperately. Please, please still be at Ari’s!!! Haru trips and falls on his injured arm, holding the kitten protectively. He struggles to get back up and falls again. C’mon, you stupid legs!!! Move!!! A wave of pain surges through his arm, then through his whole body. I can’t slow down now! I’ve gotta get there before it’s too late! He forces himself to get back up and pushes himself to keep running until he gets all the way to Ari’s house.
“ARI!!!” he screams as he runs up the porch. Haru collapses into the door and bangs on it as hard as he can. “ARI, ANSWER THE DOOR!!!” he screams. Still, no one answers. “ARI!!!”
Finally, the door swings open and Haru falls forward. Ari catches him just before he hits the ground. “H–Haru?!” she cries. “What the heck happened to you?!!” Ari half-drags him the rest of the way inside. Quickly, she carries him to her room and tries to haul him up onto the bed.
“Sis, who was there?” Ryo calls, coming in.
“Tell mom and dad we’ve got a problem–!”
“Don’t–!” Haru interrupts her. “Don’t tell anyone anything yet..!”
“You’re hurt!” Ari cries. “You need help!”
Ryo’s eyes grow wide with surprise. “The Loner? Haru?”
Haru tries to get up. “Ari, where are they?” he cries.
“What do you–?”
“Asha and Hikaru! Where are they?!”
Ari shakes her head and looks down at her feet. “They’re not here,” she murmurs.
Haru puts down his kitten and bolts to his feet, trying to hit the ground running. “STOP!” Ari cries, holding him back. “You can’t help them the way you are now!! You need to get treated!!!”
“I don’t have time...!” Haru cries. “If I don’t catch up to them soon... it’ll be too late to help them!”
“Nothing will happen to them if they want you to–!” Ari stops herself as Haru eyes her incredulously.
“You…You know where they are…don’t you?!” Ari won’t answer him. “You’ve gotta tell me, Ari!!! Tell me where they are!!!”
“Haru, you can’t help them in your state!” Ari rebuts.
“TELL ME WHERE MY FRIENDS ARE!!!” Haru demands.
“If you want me to tell you...then fight back,” she says, her voice cracking.
“Ari, what are you doin’?!” Ryo cries. “Let ‘im go!”
“Fight to make me let you go, and I’ll tell you,” Ari repeats, her voice cracking even more.
Haru struggles to pull himself out of her grip. When that doesn’t work, he gathers up his strength and knocks her backward, then tries to pry his arms free. Trying to fight takes everything out of him, and, just as he finally breaks out of her grip and gets up, he passes out.
“Ari, why did you do that?!” Ryo yells.
“He’s definitely determined...” Ari murmurs. “But he won’t be able to do anything if he’s not strong enough to get away from little ol’ me.”
“Sis...”
“Go ask mom and dad for the emergency kit. Tell ‘em our friend is hurt.” Ryo turns and runs down the hall, calling for his parents.
Ari picks Haru up and puts him on her bed, then looks him over. He’s not hurt that badly, she observes. It’s just his arm. She frowns as a realization hits her. Of course... I guess if BIOTECH gave him his powers... She grips her own arms as if she could feel his pain. I guess Haru and my brother and I have a lot in common...
Ryo and his mother bring the emergency kit moments later. His mother treats Haru’s arm quickly and tells her children to let him rest, then leaves.
“Is Haru...like us?” Ryo asks. Ari nods. “Then…does our uncle have his friends?”
Ari nods again, looking grim. “They shouldn’t hurt Hikaru and Asha if they want Haru to show up,” she says, partly trying to reassure herself.
Haru’s eyes flicker open and he tries to get up. “Don’t, Haru,” Ari says. “You need to rest.”
“Where are they...?” Haru asks weakly.
Ari smiles slightly. “I guess you did get away from me, didn’t you?” Her smile melts back into a frown. “BIOTECH has them. They must already be at their rendezvous point by now. They won’t hurt them if they expect you to show up.”
“Rendezvous..?”
“Another factory a town or so away,” Ari replies. “My uncle runs the place.” Haru pushes himself to sit up. “I said, lay down, doggone it!” Ari yells. “You don’t have a chance of freeing Hikaru and Asha if you can barely even escape me!”
“...If your uncle is with BIOTECH...then you know their methods,” Haru says. “You know what they could do to them, don’t you…?!”
“I’m very well aware of how desperate you are,” Ari says, “but you’re in no shape to go chasin’ after BIOTECH right now. You’re too weak.” Haru flings himself out of bed and tries to run again. “HARU!!!” Ari yells as she chases him down the hallway. “COME BACK!!!”
Haru swings the front door open and runs out only to fall to the ground again, gasping for breath. Ari pulls him back to his feet, but he pulls away from her. “DON’T TRY TO STOP ME, I’M NOT LETTING THEM GET AWAY WITH MY FRIENDS!!!” Haru yells.
“Haru–!”
“If those two get killed–!”
“They won’t be – I made him promise!!!”
“HOW COULD YOU SELL US OUT TO THOSE LOUSY—!” Haru doubles over, hacking and gasping. Ari has to catch him again before he falls.
“He’s really mad,” Ryo murmurs.
“…Let me… go...” Haru mutters before he passes out in her arms.
“I can’t let him do this,” Ari says. “Not before...Go ask mom for the syringe.” Ryo nods understandingly and goes off to summon his mother a second time.
“We’ll get your friends back,” Ari says as if Haru can still hear her, “I promise.”
