"We're Finishing You Off, One by One"

Chapter 3: Secret: Battle Lover Epinard

Chapter 3: Secret: Battle Lover Epinard:

Atsushi looked at Gora and Io looked down as Atsushi asked, "Gora-san...where's Yumoto?"

Gora looked down and sighed, "He's in his room...he hasn't come out in a while." He looked at Atsushi, "I haven't asked him to work yet today either...he seemed upset yesterday."

Wombat looked down and thought, "I've worked him too hard...he's been worrying about his friends too..."

"Gora-san...may we see him?" Io asked softly and Gora nodded, "Go right ahead."

He led them to Yumoto's room and walked back to the front. Atsushi bit his lip as he knocked, "Yumoto...? It's Atsushi." He frowned when Yumoto didn't answer and Wombat sighed, "Yumoto, it's Wombat...may I come in?"

"Yes..." Yumoto finally replied and Atsushi opened the door. Atsushi looked at the first year and frowned.

Yumoto's eyes were red and puffy from crying, his hair was disheveled (most likely from tossing in his sleep, Atsushi noted) and he was wearing his red pajamas still.

Atsushi knelt down beside him and smiled, "You up to do anything today?"

"L-like what?" Yumoto replied softly and Atsushi replied, "Anything you want."

Yumoto nodded, "I-I want everything back to normal." He replied and Atsushi nodded, "I know. We all do."

"Atsushi-senpai, what do you think happened to them?" Yumoto asked softly and before Atsushi could reply, Io said, "They were just taken to lure you out...they won't kill them."

Yumoto looked down in shame...En saved him and not himself. He should have been the one to have been taken...not En-chan! He felt Wombat nuzzling his arm as Wombat was trying to sit in his lap.

"Yumoto, don't worry. No one else is getting taken." Wombat spoke and Yumoto looked away. "What if they take someone else?" he asked and Wombat sighed, "Then we have no chance in winning."

Io gasped, "So then it'll be all for nothing if one more of us is taken?"

Atsushi shook his head, "No. We just can't let them take Yumoto, he's stronger than us, Io." Io nodded, "Of course."

Yumoto looked down and clutched at his blanket. Tears began to fall and Atsushi looked at him. "No...no one else is fighting...I'll go by myself...I can't risk losing you both two!" Yumoto cried and Atsushi shook his head again. "No."

Yumoto looked up at Atsushi. "I-I let En-chan-Senpai push me out of the way! I should have gotten taken! NOT HIM!"

"Yumoto." Io stated sternly, "None of this is your fault."

"Y-yes it is, Io-senpai!" Yumoto cried, "I was too slow to save Ryuu-senpai and I was too weak to save En-chan-Senpai!"

Io sighed, "Yumoto...believe me...if this was your fault, we would have told you."

Atsushi stood up, "Get dressed Yumoto...we're going to get some food."

That perked Yumoto up, he was hungry. "Okay."

Atsushi talked to Gora about letting Yumoto go. Gora thought it would be good for his little brother, but he thought it was strange that only two of his friends were there. He wondered where the other two were at...

Yumoto smiled as Atsushi and Io took him to a café. Atsushi offered to pay for Yumoto and Io gave him a look that said: have fun, he eats a lot.

Atsushi tried to keep Yumoto's mind off of En and Ryuu and Io was busy checking his stocks after he had finished eating.

Yumoto began to mess with Wombat and cuddle him, while Atsushi just stared absentmindedly at his phone...he kept expecting En to text him...but he knew that wasn't going to happen...it had been almost three days since En was taken and almost a week for Ryuu.

Atsushi noted how Io didn't seem worried anymore...but he knew that Io was still worried on the inside. Yumoto had taken it the hardest though...

Atsushi frowned as the love alert went off and he stood up, "Let's hurry and figure out where it's coming from."

Yumoto looked at him, "Y-you're not going to get taken...right?" Atsushi nodded, "I won't, I promise."

The three of them ran to the school and Yumoto looked around. "I don't see anything..." As soon as he said that, Io pointed to the side of the school. "There it is!"

"It's a...Lightbulb Monster...?" Yumoto replied, "These things keep getting weirder and weirder!"

Io nodded, "They really are..." Wombat rolled his eyes, "Just transform already!"

Yumoto nodded and the three remaining Battle Lovers transformed.

Scarlet looked at it, "I know why you're here again! I won't let you take anyone else!" He yelled and the Lightbulb monster laughed, "I was only sent here to take one of you."

Scarlet growled, "You're not getting any of us!"
He gasped as he saw Epinard running forward, "Give me back En-chan!"

"Epinard stop!" Scarlet yelled and Wombat gasped, "That monster tricked him somehow...!"

Scarlet turned to Wombat, "How do I stop him!?" Wombat just shrugged, "I don't know!"

"Epinard Love Hurricane!" Epinard yelled and the Lightbulb monster reflected it.

Epinard's eyes widened as his own attack was sent back towards him and Scarlet let out a cry of shock as Epinard's attack surrounded him.

His attack created a vortex around him and Scarlet quickly yelled out, "Scarlet Love Lumiere!"

Sulfur quickly yelled his attack out too, "Sulfur Love Gaia!" The two hoped their combined attack would rescue Epinard but when the monster was destroyed...nothing happened.

"I won't let them take Atsushi-senpai!" Scarlet thought and ran towards Epinard. He cried out as he was flung back by something and Sulfur ran up to him.

The two looked up as they saw Epinard being taken too. "NO!!" Scarlet screamed, "HE PROMISED ME HE WOULDN'T!"

Sulfur grabbed him, "Calm down! You can't do anything to stop them! You've done all you can!" He yelled and Scarlet pushed Sulfur off him. "ATSUSHI-SENPAI!" Scarlet screamed as he ran to where Epinard was at and collapsed. Sobs raked through his body and he wrapped his arms around himself.

"N-no!" Scarlet sobbed and Wombat ran over to him. "W-why?! H-h-he told me he wasn't going to let them take him, Wom-san!" He cried and Sulfur just stayed where he was...Sulfur didn't know what to do with the youngest.

They never really talked and Scarlet was always a handful in school...but Sulfur tolerated him.

He slowly walked to Scarlet, "Yumoto...it-it'll be okay..."
"I-Io-Senpai?" Scarlet whimpered and Sulfur nodded, "Yes?"

"I-I'm sorry that we haven't found Ryuu-senpai."

"Don't worry...we'll find them all...together."

Scarlet nodded and looked up at the sky...remembering what Atsushi told him... "Don't worry...we'll find En-chan and Ryuu. I won't get taken, I promise."