||To Change a Destiny||

{~Chapter 9: Searching, Searching, Searching~}

Bai He wasn't the best when it came to analyzing. She was only a child, after all.

However, the moment the girl met the group, she knew that they had lost something very important to them. Somehow, she knew that something was missing.

And Bai He vowed the moment she met them that she would help search for the one they lost. She helped ask around, she helped put up Missing posters, she helped as much as she could.

At first, she wondered how she was going to explain this to her parents.

Unfortunately, Bai He realized shortly after Spider Queen's attack that she wouldn't need to explain anything.

Mei had to pull her, firmly but gently, away from the wreckage of the home. Her home. Mei tried to shield her eyes as fast as possible, but it was too late.

Bai He had seen the blood. She had seen the hand of her mother, which laid there, cold and uncovered, beneath the blanket as people brought the bodies away. She had kicked and screamed, begging Mei to let her go, begging for this all just to be a nightmare. She tried so hard to deny it, but it wasn't until hours later that Bai He had to face the hard truth.

Her parents weren't going to come back. She was never going to see them again in this life.

Perhaps that was one reason why Bai He focused more on helping with the search. Any time she wasn't searching, the horrible images began to flash in her mind. She couldn't bear the pain. So she avoided it.

She saw how much the boy's disappearance had affected the team. She didn't like seeing them so upset, so sad. Bai He wanted to help them. When he had tried to help her in the alley, he had seemed so nice. Of course she wanted to help.

They had already searched the alley. It was the first place they searched. However, there was no sign as to what happened to MK. There weren't even signs of a struggle.

They needed to keep searching.

They looked everywhere, pondered every possibility, asked anybody and everybody they encountered. But no luck.

It was as if the boy had vanished.

Despite the lack of progress, they still pushed on. Pigsy had even closed the noodle shop.

At some point, somehow Red Son managed to get involved.

<***>

Red Son was not a fool. He never was, and hardly considered himself to be one. He had clearly noticed a certain Noodle Boy's absence, and was understandably concerned. When Red Son eventually asked on the way to collect ingredients for the antidote, he was coldly brushed off, as the gang was still wary of him. However, Red Son managed to piece it together.

Noodle Boy had gone missing.

Red Son didn't know how to react when the realization hit him. He knew he wasn't happy about it. But why? Every time they had crossed paths, that delivery boy had messed everything up for him. And yet, he felt no satisfaction in learning about MK's disappearance.

It frustrated him. It frustrated him that he actually felt some sort of... concern for that idiotic delivery boy! I mean, come on! That idiot had to have noodles for brains!

And yet...

Something told him that MK's disappearance wasn't so simple. He felt that there was a bigger force at play here. What exactly, he wasn't sure. But the thought kept pounding in his head, so strongly that eventually Red Son had to step up and admit it.

He had to find MK.

So, the next time Red Son saw one of the many missing posters the gangs had plastered around the city, the demon snatched it off of where it was, and made his way to the noodle shop.

<***>

Naturally, the others were instantly suspicious.

"You? Wanna help look for MK? ...Why?" Pigsy asked. MK had been the one Red Son hated most. Why was he suddenly offering to help join the search?

Red Son groaned in annoyance. "Because, pig, that Noodle Boy wouldn't just go run off somewhere, despite his stupidity. Obviously, something bad happened to him. And if we don't find him, who knows what will happen?! We barely managed to defeat that eight-legged freak last time she went on a rampage.

Even I admit: Noodle Bo— MK... is probably... ugh... the only thing keeping this city from total destruction. So. Are you going to let me help you or are you peasants going to make me search for that idiot all by myself?"

There was silence as MK's friends looked at each other, struggling to make a decision. On one hand, Red Son had helped them take down the Spider Queen. On the other hand, he still hated their team.

A small voice broke the silence. "I mean... I think we should let him help."

Everyone turned to look at Bai He, shocked.

"But...! Bai He! It's Red Boy! Who knows what he actually plans to do!! For all we know, he could have taken MK!" Mei exclaimed, resulting in a glare from the red headed demon at the accusation.

"Well... I mean, he did help us defeat the Spider Queen... and, to be honest... I don't think Red Son captured MK. Come on, guys! Can we at least give him a chance? Please?" The girl begged.

Eventually, Pigsy broke under her puppy eyes. "Ugh... fine. But only because we need all the help we can get."

Red Son huffed and nodded, not wanting to acknowledge the sense of relief he felt at Pigsy's response.

He didn't know why but...

The demon felt that something horrible was coming. Something none of them were prepared for in the slightest. As much as he hated to admit it, it scared him. They had to find MK.

All they could do was keep searching until they found something.

They needed to keep searching.

Just keep searching.