Fear and Anger

"Wishes?" Nox said in shock, "You're kidding right?"

"I'm afraid not," Hitsu said solemnly, "these butterflies are real, and they are out there. They fly around carefree until they decide they want to grant some person a wish. Good people, bad people, they don't care. They grant it."

"So that's why these people want my wife? So they can grant their wishes?" Nox's father asked.

"I don't see anything else they would want," Hitsu responded.

"So what are you going to do?" Nox asked anxiously.

"Well... I'm gonna stay here," Hitsu answered.

"That's it?" Nox asked in a panic, "You're just going to let them come here? Come get my mom?" What's wrong with you?" How can you ju-"

"Nox!" Hitsu interpreted, his face filled with conflicting emotions.

Nox stopped her words immediately. She realized at that moment she saw Hitsu not as a person, but as a tool. She lowered her head in shame, once again her feelings had taken over.

"I understand," Hitsu said softly.

Nox's eyes widened in surprise as she raised her head to met his gaze. Hitsu stared back at her, the conflicting emotions replaced now with one of sympathy.

"I get it," Hitsu continued, "you're scared. There's someone out there who wants to take your mom. This person is strong, strong enough to control the shadows. This person definitely wants the butterflies for a sinister reason and they want to come here. You want this all to stop, you want it to be gone as soon as possible, and so do I. I don't want you guys to have to live like this, I want to stop this right now... But I can't. I'm just a human and I can't do the impossible. I don't know who's doing this, where they are, when they'll come, I just don't know."

Nox could feel the despair filling her soul.

"He's right," she thought, "he's only human, what's he supposed to do?"

"But," Hitsu said suddenly stopping Nox's thoughts dead in their tracks, "I am a hero."

With those words Nox found the despair being replaced with hope. She listened anxiously, feeling as though his words would guide her confused feelings.

"As a hero, it is my job to make sure nothing happens. I'll protect you! I'll protect your mom! I'll protect your entire family! I'll say it right now, let this bastard come. Let them come here and show their face. Let them come here and try to even look at this house. Let them come so I can make them regret it all. Let them come so I can kick their ass."

Nox took in every word as if it was the air she needed to breathe. The feeling those words gave her as addictive, so much so one would fear when they would end. To Nox, those words were more than just a speech to make her feel better, they meant so much more, those words were a promise, a promise from the heart.

"Well thank you, Mr. Hero," Nox's father said suddenly. Hitsu and Nox had forgotten they weren't alone and his sudden words startled the pair. "I glad to know we have someone to protect us."

"Uh, I uh, I'm just doing what a hero should," Hitsu struggled to say as he attempted to compose himself.

"Let me say," Nox's father said with a smile, "that was some speech you just gave to my daughter. I think it helped me feel safer too."

"Uhh, well," Hitsu said clearly scared.

The boy's explanation was cut short by the sound of crying from somewhere in the house. His head spun in the direction of the sound in an attempt to locate what was causing the sound. Hitsu quickly found the source to be from the room closest to Nox's, the only other room he hadn't searched.

"Uh oh," Nox's father said to Nox, "Looks like Sissy woke up."

The large man lifted himself from the couch and made his way to the room. As he opened the door Hitsu could make out some details from the room. Like the house the room was small, its wall was plain and without decorations, the only thing filling the room seemed to be a crib. Hitsu could make out the shape of a small child, likely only weeks old, laying in the crib. His view of the room was obscured by Nox's father closing the door behind him. Something about the situation bothered Hitsu as he turned back to Nox.

"Hey No-"

Hitsu stopped himself when he saw the girl's expression. Any sense of hope from his speech seemed to be replaced by sadness and hatred as Nox stared down at the floor. Her fist was clenched and she looked as though she could break out crying or scream in frustration. Juno sat on the couch next to her as she watched Nox carefully.

Hitsu's thoughts began to connect themselves as he looked from Nox to her sister's room and to her mom's. As his brain processed all the information it had something Nox had said forced itself to the forefront of his mind.

"...I just can't let you in that room. It's dangerous."

Those words pulled all the pieces together and Hitsu finally understood the situation he walked himself into.

"Earlier," he said aloud without looking at Nox, he knew she wasn't looking back. "You didn't want me to go in your mom's room..." Nox still didn't move, as if she was a statue. "...Not because it was dangerous for me... But it was dangerous for her. Right?"

Nox's reply was nonexistent as she continued to sit in silence, her hair obscuring her eyes. Without any words, Hitsu understood what she was saying.

"I think I get it," Hitsu said sadly.

"Oh, you do?" Nox said her voice both angry and sad. "Well, that's great for you."

Nox looked up, her eyes forcing Hitsu's to meet hers. A single tear rolled down her cheek as an empty smile covered her face.

"Because I don't get it at all."

With those words, she quickly stood and walked out of the front door closing it softly as she left. Hitsu stood alone in the living room of someone else's house. He stood in silence as he stared at nothing in particular. He realized now that he was alone, alone but surrounded. On one side of him was a looming threat, darkness and evil with a chance to have anything it wanted. Om the other side a family that was drifting apart right under their noses. In the middle of it all stood one thing, one hope, one chance, one person responsible to fix it all...

...Him.

...

End of Episode 9