Chapter VIII

As the sun rose back over the white blanketed world, Sao and Akuma vanish over the horizon; an exchanging of waves between them and the members left from each other's views. Sao and Akuma's bodies are slowly erased from the bottom up by the background, and Hannah begins her training. Her face is stern, determined in shape, but her eyes couldn't hide the childish excitement she feels, glittering like a disco ball reflecting the strobe lights in a nightclub. She and Yuda take a seat in the snow, blissfully calm, agonisingly cold; crossed legged in meditation. The birds did not sing in choirs but murmured a solemn hymn masked behind the wind; which whisks away all scents from the pair. Lost in thought, Hannah struggles to find it within her: the suppressed power.

Many hours pass and nothing has come of it. Snow continuing to stockpile as the mild precipitation is relentless throughout the winter.

'This is getting nowhere,' says Yuda, 'Let's try a different approach.'

'Of course, but might I add, the reason for this wasn't explained; if you could?' Hannah asks.

'Sure. Why not? To use nature, you have to trick it into thinking you are a part of it, not an addition of it. That is why you have to meditate, but it isn't working, which in this case may be good.'

'How would you propose this as good. I respect your knowledge of this world, truly, but if I cannot acquire this ability with haste, Akuma would go out of control, and then he would… and then he could… and then-'

Yuda halts her rant with a consoling hand on her shoulder, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it, you're worried, who wouldn't be? However: first, you can't rush this; second, Sao and I can deal with Akuma for now; third, this cuts our options down to one.'

Yuda leads, with Hannah following closely behind, towards a nearby river. It is glazed over by a thick sheet of misty ice, obscuring what it contains; even if it is obvious, the reasons and specifics hide till the sun casts itself upon it again, clearing the watery world in hiding. Yuda holds out his hand over the ice stream, causing the sheet to crack, then break, revealing the water resting untouched, 'Take a seat next to the water, then stare into the water and do not stop until you cause a ripple. Also, don't move any part of your body once you are sitting down.'

As instructed, Hannah takes a seat by the hole Yuda created, staring into it with avarice intent, painting the water green with her reflection. More hours passed by on her journey to her goal down the highway of time; with each hour spraying doubt and yearning onto her with heckling that only she hears. The corners of her lips twitch, her eyes strain.

'Wait, Hannah, look at me quickly,' asks Yuda.

Hannah does not budge; gathering her twitch, becoming still; she stares at something.

'Hannah, I'm serious, can you look at me quick? I need to see your eyes.'

She refuses to move; the only motion being a red tinted tear, dragging down her cheek.

��Hannah!'

Yuda moves in front of her, holds up her head – despite her attempts to resist –, staring directly into her eyes. They're pink, entirely, 'Hannah! We're done for today. We're going back to the house.'

'Stop it! If you just give me some time, I'm sure I can do it. Of course, I can do it; you said I could. I must be doing something wrong, something,' Hannah smacks her face on both sides with her hands; she stays unfocused on Yuda.

Reluctantly, Hannah is removed from the river, staring intently at the hole, her hope leaving through her leaking eyes. Finally, the water ripples.

The door is thrown open. Yuda fights to bring Hannah into the house; Hannah fights to leave, violently moving her shoulders so she can break free. She bellows glass-shattering screams rivalling the loudest hawks, releases tears from her eyes at a rate only a dam can match as she thrashes, snow slinging off her cloak from the base. She wears the same cover as the previous months; she's attached. 'Hannah, stop! I need to check something.'

'No! I need to continue. I have to!' Her outburst of anger and frustration is indiscriminate, as is all wrath; that is nature. She begins to tire; her body begins to slow. In time, Yuda places her on the bed and takes a seat next to her. A tiny flame ignites at the tip of his index finger, its shine an un-astonishing yet satisfactory one. He opens one of Hannah's eyes, steadily to not wake her into another violent fit. Once his sight is in line with her eye, he slumps back into his seat; he rejects his hypothesis' support, he blocks his eyes with his eyelids and his arms for further closure.