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Yu-gi-oh 5Ds: Rise of Darkness and Corruption (Athene/ImaginaryMuse & Razgriz)


And when two more of his cards vanished, not including Chain Coil with Safe Zone's destruction, now Armstrong was becoming noticeably panicked; the fuck was going on? Even more so when he realized just how exposed he really was. To say this wasn't good was an understatement of the century...Even if he wouldn't necessarily take any damage, he still felt god damn horrible about this; how the fuck did this kid just turn it around like that? He had everything set, every move made up...

And yet something happened; the Warden then actually went and looked at his Duel Disk; that blackout...Did someone tamper with it?

"Don't think you won just yet, boy! My turn, draw! I'm not going to let some piece of trash humiliate me in my own Facility! I'll set a monster face down...Turn end!" he said, adding on to let Yusei hear him well and clear. "But think about this before you attack me next, boy...You really sure all those shocks are good for her? Hmmm, what was it you said before, bitch? Oh right, "You fucker, what did you do?!" At this the Warden just let a grin cross his face, "You never know; I'm certainly no doctor, but I also know that certain drugs can cause problems when there's too much stimulation...Food for thought, right?"


Both Hotsuma and the doctor made faces of disgust as they heard the Warden speak, Hotsuma getting quite mad when he hinted that he might have injected with something not so kosher. Thankfully, the doctor had given Miyamoto a mild sedative to help keep him asleep and calm, so he wouldn't be an issue. "That barbarian...I think I know what he's talking about; he tried to give it to my patient here once to see what it would do. Luckily for me, he's got about as much knowledge in medicine as a baboon does in math, so switching it to something nonlethal was easy. He is right though...If she gets shocked too much, and it is what I'm sure it is...She would have a massive aneurysm." Hotsuma cursed, "Please tell me you can reverse it."

The doctor nodded and retrieved another syringe from the cabinet, "This will do it...But we'll have to hurry; and with our patient unconscious, it's going to be difficult to move him anything remotely quickly." At this Hotsuma debated with himself....But thankfully that didn't last long. "I might be able to help speed things up...But you gotta promise not to freak out, okay?" he then said, the doctor looking at him confused; before long her eyes widening in surprise as a dark glow began to envelop him, his aura increasing almost tangibly to her as he began to shift.

The glow became brighter and brighter, his form getting larger with each second as the light became fire and lightning, forcing Mei to close her eyes and cover her face with her arm...Moments after this was done, she would open her eyes again, seeing that this 'Fiend' had indeed changed. He was fairly tall before, but now he was gigantic...And covered on every inch in thick, hard purple armor. "H-how?" she stuttered, Hotsuma replying "No time..." before grabbing Miyamoto's gurney entirely, lifting it with ease. "Come on!" he shouted, barging his way through the doorframe and breaking it off from the width of his shoulders, leaving only a massive hole where the slab and its frame used to be. "Hey! I said don't jostle! Wait!" Mei called out, finding Hotsuma at the bottom of the stairs.

"You push, I'll bulldoze...Now let's go! Before he decides to make things any worse!" he then declared running, Mei wheeling his brother directly behind him.


Kiryu just smirked, "I'm sure we'll both get a good feel of things once we're out of here. But man, what a fucking coward, right? How was anyone afraid of this prick?"

At this, he whispered to himself, "That's it Yusei...Just one more attack, and you and I can finally have a little reunion. Oh, I'm glad you came in...I can't wait for the fun when we get out!"
 

Yuna scoffed, barely managing to raise her right middle finger up at Armstrong before it weakly fell down. "Look here, you shit head, if you're trying to scare me, it's not --- "

Okay. Maybe his words didn't freak her out, but the next few heart beats did. They actually hurt her. Her fists clenched as she tried to push herself up, even if only to a kneeling position rather than on her hands and knees. Her breathing shifted from a more lax pace to a very heavy, labored one.

"Hah... hah ... y-you .... ahhhh!"

Yusei grimaced, his own fists clenching as he stared furiously at Armstrong. "Never again ... when I finish this duel, I'm making sure you never get to her again. That's a promise. She may be the Fiend's woman, but I'm not heartless like you. I'll help her out in his absence."

Oi? Sosuke? I really hope you're heading over. Yuna's gonna need a doctor - one that won't make her worse on purpose, preferably. This duel should end soon but ... she's not doing well. Barely hanging on. I'm sorry ... I can't stop her from getting the damage ...

Yusei took a moment to close his eyes. This turn ... if it went well, it would be a double-edged sword.

But hopefully, Yuna could cling onto her life; at least long enough for someone to arrive.

"Draw!"

Well .... winning wasn't an issue. That much was clear from his hand and what he held. This all now came down to praying Yuna could be tough enough while simultaneously hoping Sosuke was close by.

"I summon Blindly Loyal Goblin. Road Synchron, attack the set monster!"

Flashing an apologetic glance to Yuna, he steeled himself ... and went in for the final attack. "Junk Destroyer! End this duel!"

A few stray tears fell from Yuna's eyes as she weakly cried out, shuddering and convulsing from the shocks. Her heart ... yeah. It was definitely hurting. If she'd only thought earlier something was horribly wrong, now she knew it. Her eyes started fluttering as Yuna gasped, clutching at her chest.

Once the electric devices fell off himself and Yuna, Yusei briskly strode forward. His eyes remained firmly planted on Armstrong as he knelt down and began picking Yuna gently up into his arms. "I - as well as all of the other inmates - expect you to keep your word. Just like I said, you're leaving her be ... starting right now. You may be Warden of this Facility, but this is even over-stepping your boundaries. I am putting my foot down. No more... you're not going to make her or anyone else suffer like this ever again."
... Was Yuna dying?!

With how much trouble it sounded like she was having breathing, it seemed like ... something had happened.

Then .... the Warden was serious about whatever's in her system?

Fayth felt sick. How could such cruel people exist in this world? Even though Yusei did win, she was scared; now less for herself and Kiryu being hurt and more for her cell mate. She trembled, holding herself while Kiryu's hand stayed on her shoulder.

"He really is!" Fayth replied, not hiding her anger at the low acts Armstrong had resorted to. "Fucking coward! That's ..... so fucked up. Yuna .... "

The name of her comrade came out in a whimper. Fayth's hands pressed tighter against the blindfold, her body frantically trying to calm down.

"I'm glad Yusei won; don't get me wrong. But I just hope ... fuck. Whatever's happening .... if she dies .... I'll never forgive him. He may be the first person I've seriously wanted to even try to kill."

And with Fayth normally being a very non-violent person, it was quite the confession to hear from her. Which went to hint how much of a bond she'd made with Yuna in the relatively short week she'd been locked away here.
 

The Warden just snickered as Yusei rushed over to check on Yuna; truth be told, this hadn't gone the best way at all. But even so...He was still in charge. "Hmph...You might have won brat, but you're a long way from demanding anything of me.

And next, everyone would hear another announcement, preceded by a loud commotion as yelps of pain would be heard, commands to restrain them being shouted before another officer called out, "Armstrong sir! We found a group of intruders in Control Room A! They tampered with your disk, sir!" At this Armstrong just gave another 'Tch' and stated, "So then that blackout...Well then, it's pretty fucking obvious that this duel is invalid! Which means you and your cheating friends lose by default! Guards, get these slimeballs back in their cells! All personnel, initiate total lockdown!"

"No...."

That was all that was heard before a loud "BANG!" shot out from behind where the Warden was standing, a titanic form emerging after having knocked down a wall as if it were a house of cards, bits of rubble falling off the armor that covered him. "What the hell..." the Warden muttered, now seriously freaked out; who the fuck was THAT?! Yusei had seen Yuna's transformed state...Now he was staring right at Hotsuma's.

"Doctor...If you could be so kind..." Hotsuma asked, Mei nodding and rushing over to Yuna's side and having Yusei hold an arm of hers out to find a vein. "Sorry, dear...But this should reverse the Meperidine and Oxycodone cocktail he injected you with...You're going to feel a little sting..." she whispered, Armstrong shouting angrily, "Hey, why the hell are you saving that worthless bitch!?" Mei's eyes snapped furiously over to the Warden, stating heatedly "Because last I checked, this is what I was paid to do! Oh and by the way, I quit, you fat slob! I'm not working in a place that condones and encourages this kind of barbarism anymore!"

Armstrong sneered, pointing right at Hotsuma "Feh, whatever...You're replacable! Guards, shoot this asshole!" A barrage of bullets rained down from the levels of the prison above towards the armored titan...And predictably bounced right off as if they were raindrops on a roof. Two of which nearly hit Armstrong, who shouted as he fell down to the floor, hands over his head "Hey, hey! Stop shooting!" He would look up though, as he felt a series of heavy footsteps approaching him, only to yelp as he was lifted effortlessly by the scruff by his jacket. Impressive considering how large the man was. Hotsuma snorted, "Warden...Today's not your day, is it? I should kill you for hurting the woman I love...But then you won't be able to witness what happens next."

The Warden chuckled, "You think you're in any power? I still have control over this prison!" Causing Hotsuma to laugh before turning to look at Yusei and Mei, "Can you two get Yuna and Miyamoto somewhere safe? The Warden and I...need to have a little talk."

Once the two were hauled off, unseen going to where Yanagi was tending to Jin's injuries, he would then turn his attention back to Armstrong, "Now....You were saying I don't have any power? Maybe before...You're right, I had none. But now...You're going to witness the fall of the Facility."

Elsewhere in the facility, the guards Hotsuma had subjugated were standing in the different control rooms; a few were completely alone, but others were surrounded by the bodies of their fellow officers. The panels covered in bloodsplatter as they then went to work, using the codes and protocols needed to unlock every cell door in the Facility. One by one, the inmates that didn't get to witness the duel would see their doors open, poking their heads out; and with no guards around, they would see their way was clear out of here. Something they were more than happy to take.

"For too long, Sector has used its power to imprison all those your 'society' has deemed unworthy of freedom. Unworthy of being alive, as you put it. Today, that changes...Today, you pay the price for their incarceration! My brothers, my sisters, my blood! Carpe diem! Rise up and revolt, for today you are free!"

And within a matter of moments, all hell broke loose; reports would come in for assistance from the few guards that had been forced to stay behind, only to be cut off. The Facility was being overwhelmed, that much was certain; inmates would assault Sector officers, stealing their weapons. Others broke down doors through sheer force and robbed supply lockers, arming themselves for the violent takeover.

The Warden paled as he realized what was happening, Hotsuma sneering "Not so tough without your goon squad to protect you, are you? The Facility will fall today, Warden; you've lost. Sector has lost, Goodwin has lost." Armstrong whimpered, "Wh-what are you going to do with me?" He would be answered by being thrown roughly to the floor, Hotsuma reaching for the blade across his back "I should kill you for everything you've done. It would only be fair..." Armstrong then cowered, yelling as he waited for the blade to cut him down; however, he looked back up and saw that Hotsuma wasn't going through with it.

"But...Another idea comes to mind...One that I think would suit you. Cruel as you are...You were still a puppet. So instead, you'll serve someone new...Namely me!"

Armstrong then felt an armored hand connect with his cheek, screaming as pain ripped through him, Hotsuma's demonic voice shouting, "Fall before me, Warden!"



Kiryu chuckled at Fayth's commented, smiling as he replied, "Well...You're not the first, I'm sure; the guy's probably got a list bigger than his ego...And his gut."

However, both would get a surprise as the sound of the wall being broken down played across the Facility, followed by the declaration of another voice that Kiryu didn't recognize at first. At least not until he heard the remark about killing Armstrong. "Hot damn...Hotsuma? The hell is up with his voice though?" Kiryu remarked, standing up as he listened to everything unfold. Was he serious? How was he...

He didn't even get a chance to finish his mental question as a loud buzzer rang out down the solitary block, all the gated doors opening and letting the inmates run free. "Hell yeah!" "I'm fucking out of here!" "Imma find a female guard and make her my bitch!" "Let me in on that, bro!" were some of the more noticeable comments that rang out among the cacophony of disorder. Grinning as he saw that he was indeed getting out, he just said "Well, I'll be damned...Yuna and Hotsuma really did deliver, didn't they? But...I think we should wait for a minute; I'll get us both out of here, but I think we should wait for the others to clear out. It's going to be chaos for a minute, and we'll let them draw the guards away so we can get out ourselves."

Once Kiryu was sure it was clear, he then grinned, "Ok...Now...Let's go." Grabbing her hand, she would then find herself right in the center of a hammerlock hold, her arm twisted quite painfully as he locked it against her back. "Sorry, Fayth....But it's time for us to go. You, me and Yusei are going to have a little playdate." She would then feel something sharp press against her back, "Also...Just in case you were thinking of trying anything. Now move it!"
 

"Wrong," Yusei shot back, "We're prisoners, are we not? I may not be a certified lawyer or anything. But last I heard and checked, inmates do have certain rights. You, Armstrong, are seriously overstepping your boundaries and taking away quite a few of them from all of us. It's unacceptable, and I'm putting my foot down." Getting Yuna in his arms was easy. It was the next few minutes that ticked away. She was sweating, and her breathing was getting swifter. And if none of this was bad enough, her tears and cries were even worse.

Come on, come on ....

Just in case Armstrong had a change of heart, Yusei took a few, calm steps back to help ensure he kept Yuna out of immediate reach.

"Whatever you've done for Yuna is a perfect example of going past your obligations as warden. This ... isn't just wrong. It's inhumane. And last I heard, she was perfectly justified in her attack. You let guards touch her. Try to rape her. What you should have done was called them off. But you didn't ... so she did the appropriate thing and retaliated. You're not a Warden ... you're not even a man. You're the true definition of a monster."

Which was very ironic, considering how the next few seconds played out. Yusei's head turned as the doors opened ... and even his own eyes widened. He hadn't doubted that Yuna wasn't serious about Hotsuma being a Fiend. But a really strong one like that? He hadn't quite planned on such a sight. But seeing the nurse made his focus shift. Good; he must have heard his inner thoughts. He soon flet, however, Yuna's arm wasn't the only place he had to hold down. The 'cocktail' the doctor hinted was making her thrash and jerk wildly --- even while still in his arms.

"Yuna .. slow down. Easy. Let her help you."

"I'm trying! I fucking hurt! Can barely breath ... "

... Don' take this the wrong way, he inwardly added, gently taking a hold of Yuna's hand. "It'll be over soon. Just try to stay still."

... Whatever sensation she'd felt while waking from her coma returned. It was ... natural. Calming, even. Weird. Why? Why was this happening now? Was something wrong with her? Aside from being injected with far too much shit? She didn't know ... but she didn't really care. Her tremors at least calmed enough for Mei to proceed with giving her what Yuna could only assume to be some sort of antidote --- or something to at least make this pain and agony end.

Yusei sighed in relief, watching Yuna's breathing go back to a normal pace. He began to pick her back up .... before stopping in the midst of standing to his full height.

... You're kidding, right?

His arm ... it was burning. The Sign, specifically, was. His eyes narrowed. Was it Fayth again? He didn't want to think that was the case ... but he'd made Yuna a promise. And if he could keep true to that ... he would, damnit. "Miss? You mind getting her away? I'm needed elsewhere. Excuse me."

A slight twinge of guilt shot through Yusei as he darted out of the arena and soon found himself in a sea of inmates. He tried to move as quickly as possible while avoiding hurting anyone or shoving them too roughly. Please be fine. Please prove me wrong, even. Kiryu .... don't let me find out there was a reason she's been as terrified of you as she was before getting thrown in with you. You're not like that ... right?
Fayth grimaced, holding herself tighter as she heard it again. That voice - the same one she'd heard in her duel. "It's ... I guess his other personality. It'd be easier to explain if I could see. But this was what I heard during our fight. He's ... brutal when he's like this."

But that was fine; at least he was taking those emotions out on someone who actually deserved it. Granted, it didn't make her PTSD go completely silent; but at least she wasn't worrying about him seeking her out and unnecessarily hurting her, either.

"Yeah," she whispered, her head tilting back as she sighed in relief. "They did it. See?"

A smile spread over her face; thank fucking god! She could leave this hell-hole ... get back to her life. And maybe her dimension, depending if her disk was fixed yet. At least back to her studio - that would be a nice start.

The green light was all she needed to hear before eagerly getting up to her feet. The process was slightly wobbly, mainly from having been forced to remain in solitary for a few days, where there had been no real point in standing. Almost none, anyway. A pained yelp resounded as she felt the pressure. "Kiryu ... ??"

... This was a joke. Rough housing? Anything but what she'd been fearing, right?

NO!

Just as abruptly as it had started in her duel versus Hotsuma, Fayth's shoulder burned. And now, Kiryu would also know that little secret; that she, too, was somehow a Signer.

"S-Stop! Ahhhh, that hurts!"

The same panic and fear he'd felt since waking up with him in solitary returned. Her heart began to quickly race as she lowered her head, intending to bring it back and headbutt her assailant. It stopped, however, as something cold and metal registered against her back.

"Fucking liar!" she snarled, wincing as the shank continued pushing into her back. " .... Fine. Give me directions if you want me to get us out successfully then, traitor."

Goddamnit. God-fucking-damnit. She'd been a fool to even let her guard down at all. And now, because of her recklessness, she was about to force Yusei into a very likely unpleasant situation. Her fists angrily clenched as she begrudgingly heeded any and all instructions, trembling against Kiryu's hold.

"What do you mean playdate?" she finally forced herself to ask in a shaky voice. "What are you really going to do to me? To us?"
 

Hotsuma's little 'session' with the Warden was quick, Armstrong falling down hard as he was released. Groaning in agony as the shockwaves from his 'branding' ripped through him, his mind swimming with only the desire to serve Hotsuma. "I think I kind of like this...First turning Beelze against Sector and now their own troops? Heh, karmic justice indeed." Hotsuma snarked.

Mei was still tending to Yuna, having taken refuge in Jin's cell where Yanagi had used his jacket - parts of it, rather - to help form makeshift bandages. "Miss Mei...Is the young lady going to be alright?" the elderly male asked, Mei nodding "It might take a little bit, but the antidote should help calm her heart and strip the opiates from her system...I still can't believe the Warden would go so far."

"I can...But I suppose it's because I don't think Sector ever had any limits to begin with. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, after all." she would then hear Hotsuma remark, turning to see his giant armored self kneeling. "Doc...Just wanted to say thanks; but if we can, we should try to move. Much as I wanted to free everyone, I forgot how rowdy some of them can get...And if we don't move out soon, they might just try to trap us in here."

Mei needed no further convincing; however, with three injured and incapacitated patients, it was going to be no easy task. "While I agree, there's still the issue of transport. Your brother's out cold, your lover's still recovering from her abuse, and Jin is still hurt from the torture Armstrong put him through." At this Hotsuma just laughed, "Well, I can at least take care of one of those worries...Oi, fatass! Get over here and carry Jin!" And when the Warden complied with no retorts of any kind, Mei and Yanagi were shocked. "I....How..." the silver-haired elder asked, Hotsuma just saying "Long story." as the former prison commander lifted the beaten inmate into a fireman's carry.

However...They would soon find others were joining the party, namely a purple-haired male and a couple of other inmates. "Where the hell is Armstrong taking Jin? Put him down, fat boy!" Kohei demanded, Yanagi stepping in, "Wait, wait! Don't ask me how, but our large friend - the scary one in the armor - helped orchestrate this breakout!"

Nodding, Mei said "I don't know either...But if we want out, I say we follow him for now." Hotsuma laughed, "We could always use some more help though...Can one of you carry Yuna? Just...Try to be careful, she's had it rough." At this, Kohei's larger friend stepped forward, "I'll do it..." making the purple-haired man smile "Thank you, Hanachi...Now then, what's the plan?"

The Fiend just laughed, "Quite simple...You all just follow behind me and don't lose step...We're quite literally busting out of here." At this the dark-skinned woman in his group spoke up, "You're kidding right...There's at least ten walls you'll have to penetrate to get outside like that, not to mention the main perimeter; this place is..." but Tobi interrupted her, "The man's a giant, Isara...And he's covered in armor...Plus if what Tenzen-san said is true, then he could very well do it."

Hotsuma just sighed, "How about I show you instead of trying to convince you?" And not two seconds later, he ran right at the opposite and delivered a crushing punch. Bringing the slab of iron and concrete crumbling down, turning back to see all of them staring. "Well? You want to be here forever?! Let's go!" he shouted, the group getting their wits back together and following him out as he led the charge.

Hotsuma used his strength as this beast to plow through each barrier with ease, the chaos caused by the other inmates making the guards not even look in their direction. It was a racket for sure, and one the Director would not be pleased to see the report of once word got back that his impenetrable fortress was now under Satellite's full control. And after going through the ten walls Isara claimed, they would be outside...The last wall giving as easily as the rest...All that was left was the main perimeter wall, and about twenty guards that surrounded them. "FREEZE!" they declared, Hotsuma growling "I don't have time for this shit..." and swung an arm outward, the black tendrils erupting from under his right bracer and ensnaring all of them; a quick pull back to himself flung them all either through the hole he made or against the outer surface.

"Keep moving!" he would shout one last time; and a quick charge across the way later, he drove both armored fists through the main barrier and shattered a large enough entrance to get them all through and then some. Other inmates seemed to have followed as well, shouting their thanks as they flooded from the depths of the prison, cheering loudly and flooding back into the Satellite again.




"Ah, ah, ah...That'd be telling...But trust me when I say it's going to be fun, hahaha!" Kiryu laughed, using the leverage provided to lead them the opposite way; truth be told, he was doing some scouting of his own. One of which was that he used his previous wins to get tours, but not of the control rooms. No...It was where Sector kept the Runners around here. And thanks to that, he knew the exact way to get there now.

Yusei, meanwhile, continued to push through waves of people; inmates were running wild, and he just prayed that Hotsuma and Yuna would be safe in this chaos. Though with the Fiend looking as menacing as he did, he was sure none of the other inmates would bother them. And when Yusei got to the solitary wing, he found no trace of Fayth or Kiryu anywhere.

Muttering a low curse, he just kept pushing on; his Mark told him that Fayth was indeed close, especially with how strong the sensation had gotten. He did manage to hear Fayth's voice though after going down a long corridor, something that pushed him onward.

Just ahead, Kiryu kicked open a door; the sky was overcast, and already small droplets fell down. "Well...Looks like it's gonna rain. Sucks for us, these jumpsuits don't exactly like moisture! Hahaha!" he laughed, dragging over to one of the parked Runners. He felt a presence behind him though, and turned to see Yusei just minutes away. "Heyyyy, Fudo! Glad you could make it! Hope you don't mind if I borrow your little girlfriend here! She and I are going to have some fun, you can join us if you like! But you gotta catch me first, bwahaha!'

And throwing her roughly onto one of the bikes, he hopped on and said more than a bit manically, "Better hurry, Yusei!" before starting it up and gunning the motor, taking off like a madman. Needless to say, this would give him quite a headstart; Yusei rushed out and hopped on another bike, only to find this one wasn't working...But thankfully the second choice did, the motor revving loudly before he would take off after Kiryu.

"Damn it, Kiryu...What are you planning? Don't drag her into this! I screwed up, I got you arrested, just leave her alone!" he pleaded mentally; hopefully, he could catch up to them and try to talk him down from whatever it was he was planning.
 

"Hell yeah I will," Yuna weakly replied, grinning as she heard some foreign voices inquiring if she'd pull through or not. "Hate ... to tell that prick Armstrong I told him so, but I really did. I'm not that easy to kill off." Her eyes slowly blinked, eventually coming into view as she weakly looked around. Hotsuma was in his Emperor form ... the Warden wasn't ... attacking? Why not? He was literally in the room; he was just standing there and accepting the Facility turning into such a chaotic state?

Yusei ... where'd he gone off to? He was nearby not too long ago.

Briefly tapping into his surface thoughts, one name made her eyes widen; Fayth.

Has that so of a bitch done something to her?!

She didn't even get a chance to push herself up before Mei helped her lay back down. "Absolutely not! You may have pulled through, but you're nowhere done recovering. That is going to take .... a few days. Maybe a week, heavily depending."

"But -- "

She could see - definitely sense - Mei's resolve straightening. That made Yuna sigh; she had to admit, the fact there was finally a not-so-corrupt nurse did help her comply. Best to stay on her better side, for now. "Fine," Yuna bitterly responded, forcing herself to remain on the ground. "But yeah. What he said. Let's leave this joint. Floor's not very comfortable. Becoming too cold, in fact."

Thank you for keeping your promise. You're a good comrade and man, Yusei. Let me know later .... that Fayth's fine, alive at least; that's what I wanna hear when whatever the fuck is going on is over.

Another inmate she didn't recognize walked over and hoisted her up. Yuna purposely leaned her forehead against his .... and quickly skimmed through his mind. If she had to be in someone else's arms, best to make sure she could sleep and not worry about feeling like she wanted to bite an arm or more off. "Okay," she weakly stated when she seemed satisfied enough. "I don't usually let strangers do this sorta thing so ... be careful, okay."

And do prove Hotsuma didn't make a mistake in allowing you to hold me.

Despite all the chaos going on around her and the others, Yuna managed to easily fall asleep in Kohei's arms seconds after shutting her eyes.

Instincts helped her wake up a mere hour or so later. Beside her were Eikichi and Shivini. Both held worried expressions on their faces. Given neither easily revealed those sorts of emotions, it hinted how badly she probably looked.

"Yomi? That where I am?"

"Of course!" they both exclaimed, looking almost shocked to think she'd be elsewhere.

"Heh. Fucking hell ... we did it. More Hotsuma, honestly. God, I kept getting used like - screw that, as - fucking bait. It was really embarrassing." Her eyes softened when she noted Hajime was still missing, " ... He's still with them, huh?"

"I'm assuming so," Eikichi muttered, his own eyes darkening and narrowing.

"Don't worry," Yuna reassured her purple-haired lieutenant. "That was the next thing on my agenda; getting him out. And now hat the Facility is all but ruined, that will come soon. Wait a bit longer .... please."

You too, Hajime. Hang in there ...

Yuna knew it was risky as all fuck to even send that metal message over. But fuck it. He'd been without a single hint for the past week or so. He deserved it. And quite frankly? She was more than fine with Aki or Dvine picking up on that. Let them know a very pissed off Yuse would soon be there. They'd find out just how stupid they'd been soon enough. Besides, Hajime wasn't weak. On the off-chance anyone in that base tried to take their aggression out on him for something she did ... he could handle it. More than that, it was simply more fuel for her already burning fire.
It's ... not gone?

Well ... she supposed that made sense the more she thought on it. The pas two times, Fayth promptly passed out. Also, the danger went away much sooner. Neither of those conditions had been fulfilled so ... she could see how and why it was still burning slightly. Her teeth latched onto her lower lip to hide the muffled whimpers wanting to escape her lips.

This was bullshit; complete and utter crap. Five seconds after freedom and what happens?

Some nonsense resulting in her becoming a goddamn hostage.

I keep dragging everyone in my fucking messes! First Reiji, Yuna, Fuyu .... and now Yusei .... I .... I ....

For the first time in years, she felt tears form, and then fall. Odd. She'd always thought the lacrimal sacs had been ruined. Apparently not, it seemed, ad this event definitely set her off far enough to make Fayth cry sincere tears of horror and desperation. A few seconds before Kiryu's head turned, Fayth's did. She could hear the footfalls, and even feel them impacting with the floor. That wasn't ... was it?

No .... NO!

Her head quickly shook from side to side, a whimper eliciting as Fayth was shoved froward. "I -- I'm fine, Yusei. Just leave me ... "

No. That wasn't right. It wasn't what she truly wanted to say. And at the same time, she sorta did. Still, the part of her that knew it was a half-lie in any regard trembled.

"Really .... I'm fine."

The engine revving up and Kiryu's laugh, however, suggested otherwise. Turning herself so she was sitting sideways on the wheeler, Fayth stretched her right arm out as far as she could. "YUSEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

Would it be worth risking any injuries to allow herself to fall off? Maybe if the damn thing weren't going so fast ... maybe. Also, if she'd had a helmet. Both of those would make her feel bold enough to try getting off the already moving motorcycle. As it was? She'd be lucky not to lose another sense, or even worse. Being just blind was hard enough. She didn't want to think about blind and losing something more. A frustrated growl mingled in with the wind as she forced herself to sit correctly, holding onto the handlebars for dear life.
 

Hotsuma currently wasn't in the room with Yuna; having been assured by Mei that she would be fine, plus given that Eikichi and Shivini would be there to watch over her, he was currently tending to his brother. He was in pretty bad shape, but this was the best place he could think to bring him. At the very least, it would be safe enough for them to reside here until the storm blew over.

Meanwhile, Yamichi and Hotsuma were standing in the room with Mei and his brother, the former having shifted back to his normal human state. But not before everyone in the underground base saw him; thankfully, he was able to revert back and have Eikichi, Takeshi and Yamichi verify it was him. Plus, showing Yuna as she was made them even more convinced it was them. He promised that he would give them an explanation...But first was the fact that he had to have his brother stabilized, something that Mei did.

"You can talk to him now...If you want. He's pretty weak, but he should be able to speak. I'm going to go check on Yuna, see if there's anything else she needs." Mei said, Hotsuma nodding his thanks as she left them alone. "So...That's him, huh?" Yamichi asked, Hotsuma just saying "Yeah...That's my brother. He's the one I wanted out, the whole reason I went on that suicide mission...Though gotta say, busting everyone else out is definitely a nice bonus. Goodwin's probably shitting himself right now." Yamichi could only frown, "You should have told me...Should have told us. We could have helped you sooner." Hotsuma shook his head, "It was my business, Yamichi; you guys did enough...More than enough. We didn't like keeping secrets, but we needed to have Sector in the dark as much as possible."

Yamichi couldn't argue that; he still couldn't believe Raiko was a traitor this whole time. "Man...And I was the one who told you about him getting shot when we raided that reactor building; I hope he got what was coming to him." Takeshi stated angrily, clenching his hands. At this Hotsuma smiled, "Oh he did...We had a nice, long talk." Takeshi let out a small sigh, "But is that really it, Hotsuma? You and Yuna got used like guinea pigs?" Hotsuma paused for a moment, then said "Pretty much...All that dick talked about was us becoming stronger and shit, how we're destined for this. Well, I'm going to show him what's he destined for: We rest up for a bit, wait for things to settle...Then we go knock on Divine's front door and kick his ass for what he did."



Kiryu had a pretty good idea of where to go; it was a place that Yusei would remember from when they were in the Enforcers, even though Kiryu had little to no knowledge of what had transpired after his imprisonment. And even with how hard the rain was coming down now, he seemed to handle the Runner fairly well. "Aww, don't be mad, my friend; after all, I was planning this from the start. Well, maybe not taking you hostage, but I was definitely planning on a reunion with your little boytoy. Now then...Where was it....Ah, here it is!"

Fayth would hear the tires screech to a halt as the Runner came to an abrupt stop, finding herself back in the hammerlock position as she was forced off the bike; and before long, she would feel the butt end of his shank connect with the back of her head, knocking her on the ground. "Alright then...Today, Fayth, we're going to put Yusei to a little test, hmm? You see, it was HIS fault I landed in jail! He got me arrested, sold me out to Sector just to save his own ass!" he snarled, going into the side compartment and getting the metal tow cable and starting to wrap Fayth up in it. "But knowing him, he's the type who will still think me his friend. Someone worth saving...So we're going to give him a little test, the only way we know how. A nice little Duel!"

He then double-checked and made she was properly restrained, before whispering in her ear, "You hear that? That's his Runner now! I would tell you the rules but I'll just wait until he finds us! Save us both some saying the same shit over again, right?!"

And sure enough, Yusei's tires would screech as he found Kiryu...With a restrained Fayth Milner tied to a Duel Runner facing a very familiar pier. Yusei's eyes widened as he recalled that day: Jack having floated Rally out to sea, and giving Yusei the ultimatum of his life: Take back Stardust and his Runner and lose Rally, or save Rally and lose his prized card and motorcycle. It wasn't much of a choice for him; even if losing Stardust made him sad, he'd feel even worse if the 'thief' as Sector had called him somehow got hurt because he threw away a chance to save him.

"Ah, Yusei! Glad to see all your time on the outside's kept your driving as sharp as ever!" Kiryu mocked, Yusei replying "Let her go, Kiryu; she's got nothing to do with this!" At this the white-haired male just laughed, "And risk not seeing your angered expression? See, this is exactly why I took her...So tell me, what's going through your head, Yusei? That I'm a monster? That I should be locked up for the rest of my days? That I'm beyond salvation?"

Yusei was silent for a moment, only the sound of the rain hitting the ground being the ambient noise before giving his retort, pulling the onboard Disk from his own Runner, "No one's beyond salvation, Kiryu. Even after everything you've done...I know why you're upset. But know that it wasn't me that got you put in there! You don't have to hurt her to get to me! Let her go and we can fight this out however you want!" At this Kiryu just shook his head, "Ah, you'd like that wouldn't you? But see...If it were just me and you, who knows what you'd pull. Certainly was the case when you threw me under the bus, you fucking traitor!"

Giving a wicked grin, he then said "So here's what we're going to do: You and I are going to have a friendly little duel...Starting now!" And with this, he activated the Duel Disk on the stolen Runner, the screen flashing up with "Turbo Duel Engage!" and making its engine fire...Before trying to rocket off the pier, and it would have were it not for the fact that he had it anchored to three separate points by its cable. Though Fayth would certainly feel a small tug after it took off, even more so as Yusei's runner too took off, going off the end of the pier and into the water below. And if Yusei noticed, he would see a similar chain attached to Kiryu's waist in a loop.

"By the way, I suggest you finish me quickly...The environment's not as sturdy as you think, and with all this rain it's going to make things slick! If you win, the Runner shuts down and your friend is saved! If you lose...Well, you saw what happened to the Runner you stole...And don't worry, she won't die alone! So let's do this! Yusei! The ultimate death match! You and me! Hahaha!"
 

".... Yuna?"

Only when Eikichi saw his leader look over did he elaborate more on his question. "Who the fuck are these Arcadia pricks, anyway? We've literally never heard of them."

"Eikich! I get you're upset, but --- " Shivini tried to argue, only to be interrupted by the purple-haired male.

"But nothing! It doesn't sound like a goddamn gang name, so I doubt that's why Hajime was recruited; as a forced member. Or am I wrong?! Yuna, this has been driving me mad. Please understand ... "

Yuna weakly smirked, sighing and nodding in understanding. "It has been doing that with me too since Judai arrived and gave me that message. The problem is ... telling you now ... I know all of you well enough. I'm not letting you go there by yourself."

"Yuna!" Eikichi tried to protest.

"Absolutely not! I'm still breathing, therefore I'm still in charge!"

A low "Tch" was all Eikichi uttered before storming out. And were it not for the fact Mei walked inside, he looked ready to slam the door shut.

"I'm fine," Yuna murmured to the nurse. "Really, I am. Unfortunately, you came at what can easily be labeled as a really shitty time for many in this base."

"I'm ... seeing that," Mei acknowledged, pushing her glasses up. "Nothing to drink or eat at the very least?"

" .... Maybe some green tea. It'd be appreciated. I otherwise am fine." Yuna would wait for Mei to leave before motioning for Shivini to lean closer. Placing her lips beside an ear, she whispered softly, "Please make sure Eikichi doesn't run off. You're fourth as far as when you joined. Strength wise, though, we both know you beat him easily."

" .... It's dangerous, isn't it?"

Yuna nodded, leaning her head back against the pillow. "It's the simplest and kindest way to put it, yes. I'll give all of you an explanation later, including why Hotsuma appeared the way he did. The truth is ... he's not the only one who can do that. I have that ability too ... I was just ... too weakened with all the drugs in my system. Changing wouldn't have been good for me."

That certainly made Shivini blink. Yuna ... could also transform? The fuck? If that was true, she wasn't joking. These Arcadia people were far scarier than even Eikichi realized. "Okay," the Amazoness user dictated after a bit, "I'll do what I can with him."

'Thank you; that's all I ask for; effort."
... Boytoy?

The word made Fayth's head quickly move from side to side, "N-No, no! That's ... we're not like that. Really, I promise."

Was that all this was over? Jealousy? How petty. She'd heard Reiji say time and time again emotions like that could be some of the most dangerous beasts; now Fayth was beginning to better understand what he meant.

"Fuck, ahhh! Not so rough!"

Fayth whimpered, groaning as she felt her head assaulted with the shank. At least the non-lethal part, something she could appreciate. Sill, this was as necessary as the abuse she endured in her duel with Hotsuma.

"Forgive me if I dn't believe you. If anything, Jack set me and Yusei up. At the same time. If he were that kind of man ... he'd help Jack out, more likely than not. Either way ... I wasn't around during this. The fuck are you trying to prove?! I didn't make whatever happened between you two occur!"

More tears of frustration mingled in with the rain. She didn't nod, nor need to in order for Kiryu to know she certainly did hear Yusei's wheeler.

Damnit. Why didn't you stay away?

Her head fell on her left hand as she trembled and sobbed. Fayth's tremors and shakes only strengthened as she felt herself jerked foward. "Oh my fucking god! Kiryu, please stop. You can't be serious about this!"

The worst part?

Yusei was hesitating, and quite honestly, Fayth couldn't blame him. She could swim, sure.

But ... if she had no way of knowing whether she'd grab onto a hand or even part of the pier, Fayth would be as good as dead should this go very badly. Her fists clenched as she shivered, both cold and very much afraid.

... But as a second engine caught her ears, her head turned.

Huh?

There was only one immediate person that could even make such a last second arrival. Sure enough, the voice confirmed exactly who it was.

"E-FUCKING-NOUGH! I'm not here to waste precious time figuring your history out. And you - boy - seem to be taking too long in giving an answer. So I'll do it for you."

Fuyu stepped in front of Yusei, glaring furiously at Kiryu as she pulled her hair back and tied it in a ponytail.

"I got enough bits and pieces from what people were left at the Facility to know you were last with Fayth. That's all I really need to know to fairly assume you're behind this crap. Unless, of course, you can prove me wrong and say it's the man behind me I should be lashing out at. I'm only giving my name out once, so don't make me repeat it again; either of you. I'm Fuyu Uehara and I'll be dueling in his stead. Same rules otherwise apply, if that makes you feel any better."

"But ... do you not see how this is set up?"

A ghost of a smirk spread over Fuyu's lips. "I'm disappointed in you, Fayth. Sure, I rushed over. But do you really think I did so without a plan of any kind?"

Fayth went quiet, thinking on her words. Her head slowly nodded after a bit as she wiped her blindfold against her sleeve. "Alright ... alright then. Do what you need to."

Suddenly, the fear that Fayth had been openly displaying seemed to vanish. Clearly, she understood where Fuyu was going ... even if neither of the guys likely would.

"So ... will accept me in his stead or no?" Fuyu inquired again, inwardly cursing. Ttthe rain had been abrupt ... and now, it was steadily taking its toll on her outfit. She hadn't needed any other incentives to rush winning and intervening with this duel, but that would definitely be a secondary reason.
 

Hotsuma listened to the storm outside; man it was getting bad. But at the very least, it would also mean most of the rogues he'd let out from the Facility would try to seek out shelter. And when the door opened, he would see Kohei come in; with him and his group having helped Yusei win, they were naturally more than welcome to stay there as long as they needed. More allies always helped, especially when they were capable people like Tobi and Isara.

"Hey Hotsuma...Just wanted to let you know that we finished the sweep. No Sector anywhere to be found...Also, thanks again for the change of clothes and letting us crash here. Probably won't stay too long; our group's probably wondering what the hell's going on and all." Hotsuma just waved a hand dismissively, "No problem, you scratch my back, I scratch yours right? 'Sides...It's coming down like a hellstorm out there. Stay as long as you need." Kohei nodded and looked over at the man laid up in the bed, "How is he?" to which the Fiend responded "Better, I think. Just trying to let him rest for now." Kohei just nodded, "If you need anything, just let me know...Also, you might want to separate Tobi and your pal Yamichi; those two are way too smart for a shitty place like this."

Hotsuma just laughed quietly as Kohei would leave, Miyamoto stirring and saying "Hotsuma...Is it raining? I hear raindrops?" The younger Oboro just nodded and sat by his brother's bedside, "Yeah, bro...It is. I know how much you love the nature crap, and let me guess..." Miyamoto finished, "Can I be taken outside...Just for a moment?" Hotsuma was about to say he would need to talk with the doctor, but she happened to walk back in to change an IV bag and heard the question. "Let me undo your IVs...Then yes." Hotsuma could only smile, "Thanks, Doc...For everything."

Mei just shook her head, putting his IVs in order "It's obvious you care about him; and the fact that you broke into the Facility for him...Well, I would say that speaks volumes. He's lucky to have a brother like you."[/i] Once it was all said and done, Hotsuma gently lifted Miyamoto out of bed and carried him...And soon enough, both of them were outside. Becoming quickly soaked in the downpour. "Damn...Least there's no wind." the Fiend chuckled, Miyamoto just saying, "Can I try to stand, brother...I want to feel the ground." Of course, with him having been in a bed for as long as he was, Hotsuma was reluctant at first...But decided this was more for his own sake, so he would say "Fine...But you're holding onto me, got it?"

And when Miyamoto stood up, he seemed to grow rather content...And after some more convincing, the elder Oboro was allowed to stand on his own two feet. "I never thought...I'd see the rainclouds again...Feel it against my skin. Here in the Satellite of all places...Hotsuma-ototo...Thank you..."

And just after he said, Miyamoto seemed to buckle almost instantly; Hotsuma was barely able to catch him and stop his head from hitting the ground. "Nee-san? Nee-san!" Hotsuma shouted; he was just fine not too seconds ago! The hell was going on?! "Hotsuma...I didn't want to say anything...But I'm afraid this is our last goodbye...I was trying to hold on...Just to see you one last time. I'm just glad...you're alright..." Hotsuma shook his head furiously, tears streaming down his cheeks "Nee-san, no...No, don't say that! Doc Mei's going to make you better...You're going to the Tops, and going to have a better life! That's why I got you out!" Miyamoto then shook his head, albeit very weakly as he then grabbed his younger brother's hand, "Hotsuma...It's alright...Don't be sad. Kami-sama was kind enough to grant me the chance to see you one last time as my mortal self...And even more so to feel the rain again."

A weak smile crossed the elder brother's face, "Hotsuma...Just promise me...Live well..." Hotsuma's eyes widened as he felt his brother's grip slacken, before long it falling away and landing limply on the ground, his brother's eyes slowly closing before his head drooped. "Nee-san...." Hotsuma whimpered, feeling his throat tighten and tears prick freshly anew at the corners of his eyes, his jaw tensing as the reality of the situation set...And after a fork of lightning shattered the air, the only cry that would be heard from him was a loud and very anguished,

"NEE-SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"


Needless to say, Kiryu wasn't happy when yet ANOTHER person showed up; he only took Fayth because he wanted to make sure Yusei would follow. To make sure he wouldn't be a little bitch and run off, like he did when he basically got handed over to the Facility. And it was very much evident in the scowl on his face, especially since her 'mightier-than-thou' attitude was exceptionally strong.

Even so...The thought of this completely being out of Yusei's hands was intriguing, to say the least. If she did fail, then it would be even more his fault if the worst happened because he could do absolutely nothing to stop it, something that made him grin wickedly.

"Fuyu...I appreciate it, but this is between me and Kir..." Yusei started to say, but Kiryu interrupted over the sounds of the tires on the D-Wheeler peeling out, jumping onto the seat of the Runner so that he was still facing her, the roiling ocean at his back, "Interesting, I don't quite know who you are, but if you're with this Fayth girl too then the look on your face when you fail will be delightful too! Very well, Fuyu Uehara! Let's do this! One stipulation though! Yusei interferes and tries to go for Fayth, and you lose automatically!" Yusei cursed; damn it, he was hoping that he'd be able to get to Fayth while Fuyu dueled him...But now his hands were completely tied, and with Kiryu seated as he was, he would be able to see them both.

"Fuyu...I ask you...Please, save them both...Kiryu wasn't like this before, I swear." Yusei pleaded to the white-haired woman.
 

Yuna's feet lightly tapped on her bed. Bed rest; she just wasn't suited for this kind of crap. She never had been, and probably would never be. She was too restless. There was shit to get done, she couldn't just stay here forever. And since Hajime was still gone, she couldn't ask him to take her stead. Given Eikichi's state, she wouldn't even try to pull such a feat on him. He was already like a time bomb all but ready to explode with Hajime still being held captive ... hopefully that was his status. He hadn't replied to her earlier mental message ... or, if he had, Yuna had been unconscious.

Groaning and grunting, Yuna pushed herself up to her feet ...much to the annoyance of Mei, who finally arrived with her green tea. The two just stared at one another before the nurse finally sighed and pu the cup down beside Yuna.

"I really wish you wouldn't ... but I can see I'm not gonna win this argument."

"Look .. I am grateful you reversed whatever the Facility pumped me with. Really, I am. But I just ... if the worst is I feel dizzy and am a tad slower than usual in reacting ... I don't really need to stay in bed. Especially as leader of my own group; that's too lazy for me. If this were different and I were in worse physical shape, I'd get it."

Mei's head slowly moved from side to side. Slowly, she pushed her glasses up before holding her right index finger up. "I'll allow this on one condition. You can not be alone. Have someone always with you. Just in case your muscles try to act up."

"Fine. That's more than fair. Thank you. Okay, Shivini. Since Eikichi's left, that means you're it."

The Amazoness smirked, walking over and taking one of Yuna's arms, placing it over her own shoulder. She began to guide Yuna away, stopping as she watched her leader take the cup and down a good majority of the tea in one gulp.

"Okay. Downstairs then. Sounds like we got company; it'd be bad to not be a good hostess."

"Ever think you overdo this sometimes, Yuna?" Shivini finally asked.

Yuna simply shrugged. "Maybe. But I chose this exact location because it's perfect for what we do. That's how we've stayed hidden."

As a familiar face came into view, Yuna waved to Kohei. "Hello guys, and welcome to Yomi. I .. don't think I got your name. I was too out of it but um ... thanks for behaving while getting me out of that shit hole we used to know as the Facility." Her words started to shift to her Fourth. "Okay, ummmm .... we need to ---- "

Whatever had been on her original to-do list was interrupted by the very loud cry from Hotsuma. The lack of wind made it easy enough to hear.

... Why the fuck's he outside?!

Yuna quickly nodded her head and, with a bit of effort, the two arrived outside, beginning to get soaked from the rain pouring rapidly down on them. Yuna's heart sank as her gaze went from her lover to his brother. No, no. This could not be happening! They just spent a week full of Hell in the Facility! This was a good reason why they risked their lives! He couldn't just up and die like this! "Christ! Get him inside! his rain's not gonna do him any good! Come on, come on! Let's get him back to Mei right quick! ... Please don't tell me my words are too late .... Hotsuma? He's not .. is he ... ??"

.... Everything going fucking wrong! God-fucking-damnit! Still haven't heard anything from Yusei, which means that prick Kiryu probably still has Fayth! FUCK! Too many bad omens for my own good ...
"Hmph. Trust me; you don't need to know exactly who I am. You just need to know that, yes, I am with her. And you picked the worst person to take hostage." Her head turned as she glared at Yusei, "Oh? Well ... if you wanted to keep this between you two, should have fucking manned up, shouldn't you?!"

"Oi, Fuyu! Calm down a bit, please!"

"Any reason I should?"

"Because .... remember the two people I hinted who helped me at the Facility when you visited me?"

"He's one of those two people?" Seeing Fayth nod out of the corner of her eyes, Fuyu scoffed, turning back around to face Kiryu. "Could fool me with how he's refusing to say or do anything. Yes, this set up isn't exactly the best nor most encouraging. But if you truly cared, you would have just said yes and had a plan in mind. You gotta think real fast, especially on battlefields."

... Did no one ever teach these brats that?! Goddamn; this would be quite the painful lesson.

"Fuyu...I ask you...Please, save them both...Kiryu wasn't like this before, I swear."

... Soft spots. Believe it or not, Fuyu did have a few. Holding her left arm out and activating her disk, she mulled over Yusei's words, choosing her own carefully. "I can't make any promises. I will try. While what I did manage to catch wind of earlier - that not everyone is beyond salvation - is true, there's another part to that logic. Some people don't want to be saved. And honestly? That's the feeling I'm getting from your comrade over there. Luckily for you, an ice queen isn't the same as a murderer so .... I'll try. Consider it my way to repay you for keeping an eye on Fayth when she was wrongfully incarcerated. DUEL!"

.... I almost pity you, Kiryu. Almost.

This was easily one of the best possible hands she could have started with. "I may have agreed to try to give you mercy. But so help me, if I succeed in that, you will get the beating of your life for the shit you pulled. Just know that in advance. From the looks of things? Well, I hope you got a decent threshold for pain, because this is already looking bad for you. I activate the field card, Umiiruka. I then summon Samurai of the Ice Barrier and, for now, end my turn."

Courtesy of her field, however, what used to be an 1800 attack point monster had jumped to 2300.

If there could have been anything she would have altered, it would have included a trap or spell in her hand. But for now, this would work. Her deck had already responded; once it was on this kind of path, the only thing it could do was get stronger. Fuyu had seen that enough times before.

Fayth smiled. She definitely felt it. The guys might not - at least not yet. It wasn't an overly strong sensation ... but considering Fuyu's disk was the same as what she normally used, she was used to these feelings. Already, a slight chill was beginning to fill tthe air. Not simply from Mother Nature, but also her cards. In their own way, people from the Pendulum Dimension could be considered natural Psychics. If this was how she intended to try to keep everyone alive ... then all would be revealed soon enough.
 

Even with the cold, the heavy rain and the cracking of thunder overhead....Hotsuma didn't register any of it. He just felt so dead all of a sudden, like his heart had been ripped right out of his chest. All he could do was stare at his brother's limp body, mouth open with the want to cry out again but his breath robbed from him. His chest shallowly rising, harsh but muted wheezes leaving his throat.

He was dead...All that work and he was dead. All that suffering he and Yuna endured, all the bullshit at Central and at the Facility...All these years of fighting, planning and hardship.

He cried so hard that the raindrops quickly replaced his tears, his voice gone for the most part, not even able to hear her...Only feeling his sadness boil over into a near mind-breaking rage; and while he didn't have the powers of a god, the cry he let out definitely seemed to make the heavens themselves respond. For a few seconds, fork after fork of raging lightning crashed through the sky, some even striking down dangerously close to Yomi itself.

But what could be said...Other than that he just had his world break in front of him.

Yamichi could only stare with his hands over his mouth, his eyes also pricking tears; Takeshi too was in complete shock, and some of the others that had joined them - Yanagi, Jin, and Kohei - could only watch in silence. "The heavens weep for his death...Hotsuma..." Yanagi commented, Jin placing a hand on his shoulder to stop. "Let him mourn...I know all too well how that goes."

At this, Mei stepped out, not caring herself about getting soaked, kneeling next to Hotsuma and saying "Hotsuma..." but the young man finally making a motion of wiping his eyes, even if there was nothing there. "I...I need to bury him...Takeshi, Yamichi...Help everyone get settled...And keep an eye on Yuna, make sure nothing happens to her...Don't wait up."

"Hotsuma, don't! It's too dangerous!" Yamichi cried, Takeshi just replying "Let him go, Yami...If anything, he needs closure right now. Besides, if we don't..." And just like, Hotsuma took carried his brother's body to one of the sheltered Runners, and after revving it up, was off like a demon out of hell. "Mei...We should close this place back up...Don't want Sector finding us like this...Not now."


Kiryu just made the motion with his free hand of a person talking, showing how bored he was with her threats. "Jeez, you fucking women...You spend all this time talking instead of just doing. I'm going to beat your ass, I'm going to murder you. Maybe you might be taken more seriously if you actually did things, yeah? Also might help if you didn't make such general threats; I've had more people that were far more frightening threaten me. So trust me, Snow White, you absolutely bore the crap out of me".

Still...When she activated her Field Magic and summoned the ice-adorned samurai, he did give an appreciative whistle; and if anything, the storming waters around them seemed to get both colder and more violent. "Well then...Wouldn't be the first time a woman's told me to fuck off by starting strong. Well...Then I guess it's my go! Draw!"

He certainly didn't have anything to go against that kind of attack power...But he could at least stall for time. "First, I'll set a card....Then I'll go ahead and summon Mad Demon in Attack Mode! Then I play the Equipment Magic, Mist Body! With this, my Demon can't be destroyed by battle!" He did have other cards that could back him up in case this failed, but for now that would hopefully keep her off his back.

And from his vantage point, seated reverse on the Sector Runner, he could see Yusei's face; yes, this was perfect...It had to be killing him to feel so hopeless...And it would get even better as a loud creak from the chains echoed from around them, the still-running motorcycle lurching just a bit as the first chain threatened to give. "Well, I'll end my turn here...You better hurry, Fuyu; this storm's going to get a lot worse, and who knows how long these chains will hold? Good a swimmer as Fayth might be, I doubt she'll do well with a Runner and my scrawny ass weighing her down!" Closing his eyes and giving a shrug, he then added "Of course...Doesn't really matter what happens here, does it?" pausing to point at Yusei and shout, "The stain of your failure will haunt you forever! Yusei!"

Yusei clenched his hands, not just from the cold torrent of rain but from the anger and regret he was feeling; he should have tried harder, should have assaulted an officer or something. "Kiryu! Stop this! It doesn't have to be this way!" he pleaded, getting genuinely frustrated. Something that made Kiryu laugh loudly, "Ah yes, there it is! That's the look! You better hope Fuyu-chan here can back up her tough talk! Otherwise we're both going to give 'sleeping with the fishes' a much more literal meaning!"
 

This was a fucked up joke, right? It had to be. She'd agreed even long before knowing Hotsuma had a sibling trapped in the Facility because she fairly assumed the right thing. Now as a former convict, Yuna knew her assumption was right. The place had been beyond fucked up. No one deserved to be locked away there. Not even Kiryu. Of course, it didn't justify any actions Yusei's surface thoughts hinted as to what he may have done with Fayth. Still, a more fair prison was what he deserved, not the Facility.

Now ... she was staring at the most cruel insult for her and her lover both. More so Hotsuma, true.

But ... she was mourning also. Maybe not nearly as much nor bad, but enough that her own tears mingled in with the rain.

"Hotsuma? Come on back inside. Seriously, staying out here --- "

Yuna flinched as the loud cry resounded, causing her to shudder and sigh. "It's not gonna do us any good. Come in ... please."

With how much he'd spoken of Miyamoto, Yuna simply had wanted to meet him. And now ... that was gone. Anything she could have spoken with a potential brother-in-law with .... vanished. Furthermore, the simple glance she could get of Miyamotoo hinted he'd been innocent much like Fayth. So for him to just perish mere hours after earning freedom? What bullshit.

"Oi. Please say something."

And when he did, Yuna clenched her fist. "Oh come on! I literally have been doing nothing the past several days but staying put. Fuck it, let me help you out. HEY!"

By the time he rushed off, a squeezed hand kept Yuna from joining him. Her head turned as she shot an irked glare at her fourth. "Just ... let him be, Yuna. The rest of your words are right; staying out here won't do any off us good. Come on. You still need to -- "

"Don't you even finish that sentence, Shivini! I'M FINE!"

The Amazoness user sighed, slowly letting go of her boss -- but only after making sure she went back upstairs. A loud SLAM! hinted she'd shut herself in her room ... and very likely locked it.. "Okay ... well, fuck. Yamichi? Takeshi? Either of you need help with anything?" Shivini offered.
"You talk a lot yourself. You sure you're not a woman, Kiryu?"

Her smirk widened as she watched him play his turn out, eliciting a very satisfied and arrogant 'Hmph' as he finished. "Thank you," she stated whilst drawing her card. "You've helped prove my thoughts were right. In and out of duels, you're just a cowardly child. All bark and no bite. Shame. Here I go! Draw!"

And there it was; the first spell or trap coming to her hand. Perfect. Her deck was indeed responding to her.

"I'll set a card. I then summon Dance Princess of the Ice Barrier and activate her effect! By revealing an Ice Barrier monster in my hand, I can send a set spell or trap on your side of the field." That was, unfortunately, the main drawback; it could only work on anything just set. So, for now, Mist Body was safe. Putting all but one card into her left hand, Fuyu's right revealed her Strategist of the Ice Barrier. Her grin widened as she watched the set card shatter. Good. It meant he didn't have anything in his hand to prevent its destruction.

"Shut up with the 'failure' talk. You haven't even started backing me into a corner. You also don't begin to make me nervous. So I suppose that makes two of us."

Ugh.... saving him's gonna be a real pain, isn't it?

In fact, his word choice only seemed to strengthen what she warned Yusei not too long ago; he really was revealing himself to be the type of person who didn't want to be saved. But ... she'd try. Probably regret it, but it was the least Fuyu could do for Yusei.

"Turn end for now."

Fayth was also shivering, and all for the same reasons Yusei was. Anger, disgust, cold .... that last one was really starting to work its toll on her. Kiryu hadn't been joking when he said the prison outfits didn't like water too well. At this rate, she wasn't sure if she'd be more lucky to get out of this alive or while avoiding pneumonia.
 

Yamichi shook his head when Shivini asked if they needed help, in the process of cleaning the corners of his eyes, "No...No, I'm good. Takeshi?" His comrade would also shake his head in the negative, "No...I mean, with the rain none of us are really going to be doing much. And Hotsuma, much as I didn't want to let him leave...Well, think it's better if he does his thing. Just sucks...Can't believe he's had a brother locked up all this time. I mean, I guess I get why he didn't want to tell us...But we could have helped him."

Yamichi let out a sigh, "I don't know...But I'm not gonna lie; I'm seriously worried he's going to do something crazy. I mean, we already are going to go to the place where they got their 'abilities'. And there's no doubt Goodwin's going to retaliate. I just got this gut feeling things are going to get a lot worse."

At this Takeshi couldn't help smiling, "Well...That's we get though. It's work that never stops, that's for sure. Anyway...Shivini, our turn to ask you. Anything you can think of that needs doing? I know Hotsuma said get everyone settled, but it seems like most everyone's got their stuff in line. And hey....Yamichi here's got to start prepping for his big debut in the Fortune Cup, ain't that right? If there's anything I can think of that will give Aki a big 'Fuck you', it's kicking her ass in that tournament again."

Hotsuma, meanwhile, drove with a single-minded determination; maybe the cold and rain combined with the shock of the sudden loss was affecting him more than he thought, but now more than ever he wanted Goodwin's head on a pike. If only to get revenge for the bullshit he had to endure; he didn't care what justification he tried to use, what reasons if any he may have had for the atrocities he committed.

It was here he made a solemn vow: If he ever saw Goodwin again, he was going to murder him. How, he had no clue; though honestly part of him just wanted to run right over into the Tops, march into whatever shitty stronghold he had and crush his skull like a grape.

But...The scene that helped keep him stable played again in his head, his brother smiling at him, even on Death's doorstep the man smiled.

"Promise me....Live well"

And it was because of this tears threatened to fall anew, especially when he arrived at where he wanted to be: A dirt lot behind where he and his family used to live, the only testament of his past being a mound where his father was buried. He could still remember that day as if it only just happened: The dirt was hard as clay, baked from the sun...But he and Miyamoto used whatever tools they had to give their father a proper burial. Each gave three coins for their father's passage into the Underworld, and managed to cover him back up...And even now Hotsuma could feel the hard rock over his fingers, even through the downpour.

He said nothing as he started to dig, the mud sliding and slick as he used his anger to fuel his drive; it was the only outlet he had, his jaw clenching as he dug and dug, memories of their youth flashing through his head. The time his brother stuck up for him against a group of bullies...The time he started to teach him how to Duel...Their times fishing with cast away rods, refuse from the Tops' overflowing wealth...Maybe those moments were cliche, but damn it, they were good times...

And now it all ended here. His brother's eyes closed, his body still as stone. Robbed of life because some asshole decided they weren't good enough...

"Hotsuma..."

And it was here that the Disciples' boss would get another surprise; the Emperor just referred to him by name? "What? No 'whelp'? No 'Stop your sniveling, worm?' Hotsuma snarled, the Emperor silent for a moment. "Believe it or not...I understand what you're enduring. There was more than just idle disgust that I had you remove those Dark World traitors from your Deck. Brron, that foolish and mad king, defied me when I assumed control of the Labyrinth. Always had. I offered him a chance to have his forces and mine work together...But instead, he would go on to defile my daughter right in my very own courtroom...Before long slitting her throat right in front of me...That is truly why I wanted those vermin gone. So I killed him back...And sent my forces out to the darkest corners of the Spirit World to find his legions and put an end to their blight. The Empress and I could always have more...But the stain of that final act of defiance will always haunt me...Even us demons have things we hold dear."

Hotsuma just snorted, "Forgive me if I don't believe you." making the Emperor reply, "Don't then; just know that I will be with you...If I might make a suggestion, however. I can see it in your mind. You wish every Sector officer dead...And I've little doubt they'll be able to withstand your fury. But, just as you branded the ones in the Facility...Why not brand the ones out here as well? Supplement your forces with that of your adversary's; you wish to get to Goodwin, show him how insignificant he is. When his officers fall on bended knee to you, to US, that will surely crumble his facade of might. And you will spare others of having to fight...Of having to lose as you have lost...Isn't that what you wanted?"

Hotsuma was silent, placing his brother's body in the hole in the dirt, staying knelt in front of the makeshift grave before fishing into his pocket; it was six simple coins. Fare to cross the Sanzu River for himself, as he always figured he would slip up one day and wind up dead...But his brother deserved it more, as he laid the pieces on his deceased sibling's chest, placing a hand over them. And as a token of last parting, Hotsuma reached up and removed the pendant from around his neck, placing it instead about his brother's own and laying the other hand to keep it secured. "She was with me, Miyamoto...Now let her be with you. To help you find your way...And whatever you do...Just don't look back. You asked me to live well...But...Nee-san, I can't. Not with everything Sector has done..."

And once he finished covering his brother again, the mountain of dirt identical to that of his father's, he would stand up again...His eyes already starting to change back to the red color of the Emperor's, the storm above worsening as he then replied to the Emperor, "I think that is a great idea, Emperor. Let's go see how much of a mess we can make." And hopping back on his Runner, he would gun the engine and peel off into the night.



Kiryu just shrugged, "Honestly, I couldn't care what you think of me...Besides, just I can't touch you right, you can't touch me! And honestly? This duel's not hurting me one bit! If anything, your inability to even touch my life points right now is hurting him!" Kiryu would point to Yusei, shouting "So, Fudo! Enjoying the show yet?"

And of course, he didn't even bother to correct her when she declared his cards destroyed; Dance Princess - if he was reading this right - returned them to the hand, not sent them to the Graveyard. Whatever, he would just set them this turn anyway.

And as if to emphasize his point, the Runner gave another hard lurch, the first of the chains dangerously close to freeing itself and definitely scaring Yusei as Fayth was pulled another couple of inches. "Whoops! Guess I didn't hold it down as well as I thought! Just remember, Yusei! You try and get even an inch closer and your friend loses! Hahahahaha!" Kiryu laughed, making Yusei wonder if it was really worth it to try...No, no it had to be! Kiryu was still in there, somehow beneath the pain of alleged betrayal; if only he could get through to him!

"My turn then! I draw!" he grinned, seeing the card he drew. Perfect, another back-up, just in case things did go south. "I'll set three cards this time...And end my turn! Your move, Fuyu! Hopefully you get something to go through this little of mine! Otherwise, you might as well just start saying your goodbyes now!" he declared, chuckling as he crossed his arms and waited for her to make her move.
 

Shivini sighed, shaking her head from side to side. "I'm not even gonna try to make you guys help me out with Yuna. That's ... well, it'll be a nightmare. I guess .... I'll just make sure she stays there and doesn't try anything dumb."

It was gonna be a very, very long night. She didn't need to be a Psychic to know that much was true. Shivini just yet didn't realize how accurate her thoughts were.
Oh don't worry boy; Ice Barriers are amazing at destroying things. I've got tons to remove that cowardly Mist Body card ...

Still, even she knew that, for now, she couldn't recklessly use Dance Princess's effect. She'd have to think and carefully decide when to use that. Taking her turn to draw, Fuyu smirked. " ... Well, you did ask. Now you get what you wanted. I activate Raigeki! With this, that annoying Mist Body vanishes also!"

Heh. Three sets and none of them were used, huh? Either all bluffs or just all for the wrong circumstances.

Well ... she'd find out soon enough. "I next summon Sacred Spirit of the Ice Barrier." She took a moment to send up a quick prayer ... and felt torn. It was heeded on one hand ...but as if to taunt her, something else happened rather than any of the sets being activated.

"Monster effect, Battle Fader! I discard him from my hand to end the Battle Phase!"

Was that better or worse? She didn't know. Scoffing in annoyance, Fuyu felt her fists clench. "Turn end .... but before it completely comes to a halt, Sacred Spirit's effect activates. Since I have another Ice Barrier monster on the field, it doesn't come back to my hand. Rather, I choose something on your field and bounce it back to yours. Be gone, Battle Fader!"

... Well, that was even more convenient than Fuyu originally intended. It didn't bounce a all. Instead, it went to Kiryu's banished part of the disk? Odd .... but hey, that was fine. One less Battle Fader to worry about.

"Fuyu ... " Fayth whimpered, her voice somehow staying audible despite feeling the urge to cry and shiver trying to take over her.

"I know. I know. I already got him reminding me ... seriously. I came here with every intention of getting you back, regardless of this duel outcome. You should know Reiji would have my head if I even dared allow failure to be an option."

"Yeah he would," Fayth weakly replied, shuddering as a new shiver trailed down her spine.

"Alright, boy. Your go."

No more fucking stalling, she internally added, almost hoping to somehow curse his deck and make it cease answering him. Honestly, if she could do so without it being obvious, she would just hack his disk ad be over with this. It was bullshit ... and Fuyu literally didn't have time for it. But just as Yusei wasn't taking the threat of moving lightly, neither was she. She was fast ... but not that much to be able to succeed in hacking his disk without being noticed.
 

"I suppose I did, didn't I?" Kiryu asked rhetorically; not like it mattered if she attacked or not, as he definitely had something to back him up in case of an event like this. His deck might not have responded to him like hers was...But it was doing a good enough job to keep his Life intact for the moment. And with his sets, he would be assured a steady supply of monsters to help build up his defenses.

"Oh my, that's going to hurt...Or at least it would if I didn't have this!" Kiryu declared, adding "Monster effect, Battle Fader! I Special Summon this card from my hand and end the Battle Phase!"

And he could see that the move angered her, or at the very least got under her skin; if anything this was turning about better than he hoped. And with the engine still going strong, it wouldn't be long now before both he and Fayth gave the native sea-life a new addition to the watery depths. However, he did take his turn to scoff as she bounced his Fader right off the field, its effect removing it from the game.

"Well then, I suppose that's it then...Turn end. Now let's see what you got, Fuyu." he teased; if she thought this stalling was bad, he would just laugh as she might attack him...Then she'd see the power of his set cards. Evidenced as such when she launched her first wave of attacks; his two Damage Gate and single Damage Condenser cards helped repopulate his field after one got destroyed, but it still a significant dent in his Life by the end of it all. Even though on the next turn he was able to summon Demon Giant God and equip it with yet another Mist Body...And powerful as her monsters were, even with Umiirika they couldn't touch his monster.

Of course, she did play a rather problematic spell: Namely Swords of Revealing Light, which sealed his attacks for three turns. He did see a play he could make...But the question was, should he?

"If you want your revenge, play that card...Show them your resolve. Fall you might here...But know that I will not allow you to go unfulfilled if you play that card."

There was that voice again, talking to him...But now Kiryu, with everything he'd seen, understood what it wanted. It just wanted him to acknowledge it, to accept it and let it take hold of him. "Heh...Fine then, play time's over, I guess..." Kiryu muttered, barely audible over the sounds of the running engine, crashing water and air-shattering lightning overhead. "Yusei! I'm really glad you came! Because I want you to see this power that will ultimately break you! My turn! Draw!"

He then would make his next move, "I banish Hellway Patrol from my Graveyard to Special Summon Dark Resonator, then I activate the effect of Mist Demon in my hand! I can Normal Summon this card without Tribute, but at the End Phase it's destroyed and I take 1000 damage! But that's okay, because he's not going to stick around long enough to hurt me! I'll tune Mist Demon with Dark Resonator!"

And for the second time, Fayth would feel a similar energy as when Hotsuma summoned Beelze; moreover, it would even have a similar summoning ritual: Mist Demon's body became transparent as Dark Resonator split into three orbs of light, disappearing into the demon's form and twisting it as a black miasma cloud enveloped his side of the field. "Dragon of darkness, arise! March on from the deepest depths of Hell and manifest as the very embodiment of annihilation! DARK SYNCHRO SUMMON! PURGATORY DRAGON - OGRE DRAGOON!"

And as the sequence completed, a pillar of black fire broke apart to reveal a very hellish-looking dragon, throwing its head back and roaring violently. "What the hell..." Yusei muttered, eyes wide as he stared at this monster; Kiryu never had a card like that! Especially not something so...malicious. "Surprised, Yusei? You shouldn't be! I've changed since you threw me away, traitor! I've gotten stronger for this very day, and if I have to run over anyone who stands in my way, then so be it!" He then would turn and point at Fuyu, "I just hope you have something that can overcome this! Because once your little radiant toothpicks vanish, it's open season from here on out! Turn end!"
 

Goddamnit, come on!

A sideways glance at Fayth hinted all the reasons Fuyu had to hurry this up. Disregarding the possibility of her drowning, she wan't looking good. She'd been out in this rain for far too long, and the poor girl was constantly shaking like a leaf. Fuyu grimaced, bowing her head slightly.

I'm sorry. I don't usually go against these kinds of decks ....

Thankfully, though, an opening arrived soon enough. With her monsters barging through any special summons Kiryu may or may not be able to conjure, he plummeted from 8000 to 2400. Fuyu definitely couldn't help but feel irked; if he hadn't called anything out - especially the Archfiend Heiress - she could have ended it then and there. Or at least gotten closer, than she already was. By now, the temperature had gotten more obvious, seeming to react to Kiryu's life points. Unfortunately ... Fayth was feeling it the best and - respectively - worst.

"F-Fuyu! Cold ... I can barely feel anything ... "

Her head tilted as she closed her eyes and let out a long, deep breath. Had she hinted how annoying this duel was getting yet? Fuyu knew she was making the right moves ... but at the same time, they were also wrong. If he hadn't chained Fayth so close to him ... this wouldn't be nearly as bad. She could feel her own eyes staring to sting .... but before it got any worse, she almost swore she heard Reiji.

"Don't you even dare! You're better than that, Fuyu Uehara!"

.... Yep. He would say something like that.

Fuyu smirked, keeping her eyes on the field in front of her. Amusing as it'd be for him to appear, she knew he hadn't actually done that. Too much was going on at the Pendulum Dimension for him to directly intervene,
unfortunately.

"Hmmm.... "

Well ... that definitely would be a problematic dragon to deal with. "This duel's not over yet! DRAW!"

Although the effects of her cards were certainly making the environment worse, it wasn't just that playing a role. The storm itself was naturally taking quite the violent turn. Even the waves were crashing against the pier ... this was looking really bad. And, for Yusei, very likely familiar; much like when he was last at this spot, probably.

If push really comes to shove, you do still have Mirror Force, she thought, nodding to herself. It'd just need to be used when Kiryu's hand wasn't empty .... but it could otherwise destroy his cards if push came to shove. Even Fuyu was starting to shiver at this point, the cold steadily working on her now. Since the rain hadn't been predicted, she came without a jacket of any kind. The outfit, thus, left a considerable amount of her skin exposed to the seemingly never-ending droplets of rain.

"I'll shift Samurai of the Ice Barrier to defense. By doing this, I can draw a card."

Good. That could help out later. It probably looked like a waste of a move ... but if anyone saw what she draw, it was simple enough to connect the dots and understand why Fuyu was otherwise feeling confident. "I'll set a card then end!"

Torrential Tribute ... how oddly appropriate to help mach the ongoing storm and circumstances. Compared to Mirror Force, she'd easily rather use the card she first set. But if he got anymore overly strong monsters .... that may be the better option. She'd just have to wait and see how to proceed with her set cards.
 

Kiryu laughed as he noted Fuyu's frustrated expression, "Oh, how this must be killing you! Probably not as bad as Fayth though!" He paused here to sneak a small glance at the restrained woman, turning his attention back to his opponent, "She's not looking too good, is she?! Hahahahah!"

And as if to make a dire situation even more so, one of the chains was already giving a loud set of creaks and groans; before long, the first anchor point actually gave way, shearing from its point with a loud 'PUHM' and the bike lurching forward a few feet...Dragging Fayth the same distance and making Yusei cry out "NO!"

However, when the bike stopped with its tires still spinning, they would see he hadn't even budged...But he was still laughing his ass off. "Well, Yusei?! Do you feel it yet?! The hopelessness and despair of your situation?! As I said, this is your punishment, you backstabber! You always were too soft, so willing to put your trust in others! Never doing what needed to be done, even if it meant sacrifice!" At this Yusei couldn't help himself, "That's because there's always another way, Kiryu! We choose our own paths through life! We are the masters of our own destiny, our own fate! This isn't a path you have to walk down! Let us help you, damn it!"

Kiryu just laughed even harder, "You sound like a complete fucking moron! Who said this was about destiny or fate?! This is your own failures coming back to bite you! And look, one of the restraints already gave! If that's not a clear cut sign of what's to happen, I don't know what is! I won't even do anything this turn, this is so much fun! Turn end!"
 

"I wouldn't say killing me. Just giving me a damn good idea how hard I need to beat your ass when this is all over. I'd say pretty fucking hard, too. Oi, still your turn. You didn't forget, did you?"

Fuyu's feet tapped, refusing to look back over at Fayth. She already knew that answer. This bastard was reminding her of all the things she didn't want to think of. It was bad enough about half of it was directly her fault anyway.

"FAYTH!"

"Oh god .... NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Fayth whimpered, trembling in between light sobs and shakes. Her head weakly moved from side to side as she gripped the handles again, tighter this time. Not like this ... not like this. I don't wanna die .... especially over something I wasn't even fucking involved in.

If it had completely vanished, then she hadn't noticed. Now, however, her sign burned again ... seeming even stronger than when Kiryu dragged her out of the broken down Facility.

... Fayth? What ... ??

Was that another thing those pricks at the prison made her receive? Fuyu quickly shook her head; there would be a time to ask questions like that. Right now, she did need to haul ass; a very unfair trap, indeed. Her life hand't been touched; yet still, Fayth was being dragged forward.

"I hate to say it, Yusei, but words and actions like that? Yeah, I really don't think he wants to be saved. I'll still try but .... "

"At this rate, I'm seeing only the worst possible outcome for him ... "

It was really hard to imagine Kiryu being a somewhat decent person; then again, he was making a very strong impression as a sadistic fuck. Fuyu grimaced ... ugh. Some days, she wished she could shove her honor away. She was not looking forward to helping her opponent out ... but she'd hate herself more for breaking her word.

"Draw!

Him ending because he was getting some sick form of amusement would be his downfall; Fuyu had full intentions of making sure that would definitely happen. "I'll set a card, then summon Dewdark of the Ice Barrier! I'll use him and my Sacred Spirit for a Synchro Summon! Level Six! White Aura Dolphin - Synchro Summon!"

No doubt an odd choice, particularly as it wasn't directly involved with the Ice Barrier Clan. But to make up for the seemingly out of place decision came in the form of ....

"I activate its effect! I can target one of your monsters. I choose Void Ogre Dragon. It's attack will become cut in half! White Aura Dolphin! Eliminate the unholy beast! Pure Burst Attack!"

Again, Kiryu's life would drop, going from 2400 to 1000.

Almost, Fayth ... almost. I'm not letting you go with that fucker; I swear it!

"Turn end! Lest you can turn this around soon ... I see this duel ending come my next turn. More than enough time to stop your suicidal-homicidal trap."
 

Yusei's fists clenched as Fuyu would take her turn; damn it, if Kiryu didn't have such a great view of where they both were, he'd have no issue sneaking behind him and getting Fayth out. But as it was...He was trapped, and it honestly sucked. "Kiryu...What happened to you that made you this way? Even at your worst you were never this bad...Is it really because you believe I betrayed you and had you locked up?"

Kiryu just snickered as she summoned a dolphin-like creature, still smiling even after it showed off its abilities and destroyed his Purgatory Dragon. "Well...Not bad from something that belongs in a canning plant!" he stated, grinning even more as the second chain threatened to give; seemed the rain and the force of the acceleration was starting to get to his restraints. And this time the bike would shoot forward a fair bit more as the second chain gave way, Kiryu laughing before it came to a halt again.

"Oh dear...Well, if you can finish me off before the last one breaks, then you're right! And I'll be all yours, darling! Hahahahah!" Kiryu laughed madly, declaring "My turn! Draw!" Regardless of whether he won or lost, it seemed like he was going to get what he wanted. "One chain left, Yusei! Can she do it!? Will she save your little girlfriend from being dragged into the abyss by an oversized Duel Disk!?" And as if to emphasize his point, the last chain was already starting to succumb to the forces at work; the anchor starting to give more and more, feeling the bike shake with the utter desire to just rocket off the pier.

Needless to say, he found this more entertaining than he possibly thought; if she couldn't end it soon, then it would be all her fault and Yusei's! "Hahaha, talk about a two for one of a lifetime! Instead of just him, I'll get to ruin your life with regret too! I'll set one card face down and end my turn!" he then declared; not really paying attention, likely due to his mania, Mist Body wouldn't protect against Life damage...Meaning Demon Giant God was still very much fair game.
 

... Darling?! Fuck you, you son of a bitch! Don't call me such a nickname!

"FUYU! Oh god ...." The Sign burned even brighter, her heart pounding furiously against her chest. Some of the waves were high enough that she could feel them splashing at her arms and even a bit of her face. Her eyelids tightly shut behind her blindfold as she could do one of the few other things whilst in her predicament; pray.

Please let her win. Let this nightmare end. I don't wanna face Death like this again. A more natural way, fine ... but not like this. Not again ....

Fuyu's eyes narrowed; how were those giving away so fucking fast?! Her teeth latched onto her lower lip as she waited ... and found herself shocked. He just ... sealed his fate, regardless of whether he realized it or not. "Hah! This ends now! DRAW! I flip over Call of the Haunted to get Dewdark back to the field. But he won't remain for long, as he plus my Strategist will be used! Come forth, my second White Aura Dolphin! It's true that Mist Body prevents destruction ...but not damage. So I'll activate the effect once more to weaken your Demon Giant God! Go forth, White Aura Dolphin! Pure Burst Attack!"

Fuyu hardly waited. While the rest of Kiryu's life rapidly decreased, she was already rummaging through her deck.

Come on, come on ..... I know I have one .... HERE!

Seconds after the disk registered the end of the duel, Fuyu almost slammed the card she produced onto her own disk, keeping everything else set or summoned. "Cryomancer, come forth! Work your magic on the chains to keep them safe! Ice Creation: Winter's Embrace!"

Unfortunately, the problem came with the fact she only had one. So while it worked on Fayth's chains ... the tell-tale splash! made her know it was too late to keep Kiryu from drowning. "Fuck!" Fuyu hissed through gritted teeth, setting her disk carefully down on the ground. "I'll be back, Fayth. Yusei! Start working on getting her free and warm!"

"Just remember; I promised to try ... that's all I can offer."

"W-Wait! You're really going to ... ??"

"I'll be back!" Fuyu repeated, running forward - all while making sure to be careful of colliding with the D-Wheeler keeping Fayth attached. She took a long, deep breath before jumping off ... and disappearing beneath the waves. Thankfully, there was an easy way to help her catch up; the chain around Kiryu's waist. Reaching forward and grabbing tightly onto it, Fuyu began pulling herself down ... down ... and soon found herself face to face with Kiryu. Her left hand stayed on the chain while her right began trying to unwrap it.
 

Well...He should have figured it would come to this. He really should have, but only now did he see the folly of his strategy. Just like most Duels, it came down to a single move. And he made one fatal mistake. One that would cost him his life.

"Ah well..."

He seemed eerily accepting of defeat, waiting for the engine to die...Except it didn't. Even he cocked a brow as it still kept running; it should have stopped after his Life hit zero, right? Even so...Maybe he could get some payback. "Well, your new little friend might have won the battle, Yusei...But it looks like she lost the war! Hahahahahaha!" Kiryu cackled maniacally, watching as the final support gave way...Just in time too, as Cryomancer's technique would freeze the chains around Fayth and cause them to shatter. And as soon as she was free, he felt his body jerk as he carted along at high speed.

Watching his former friend's eyes widen in shock as he would watch his former leader plunge to a watery demise, the silver-haired male laughing like a madman, "You failed, Yuseeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiii! Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeee!" he would howl, feeling himself go weightless for a few moments before he felt the bone-chilling waters envelop him. Now all he had to do was wait...And the dive reflex would kick in, slowly shutting his body down.

"So...You accepted eternity then? Your drive will make you stronger in rebirth, Kiryu Kyosuke."

There it was that voice...And all things considered? He did...Even going so far as to reply as he felt his body sink farther and farther, "You know what? I did....If what you said was true, then I give you my life...To get revenge on Yusei Fudo, and everything he holds dear." A sinister chuckle burst from the back of his mind, "Then allow yourself to sleep...Cast off your mortality and become a Dark Signer. Accept this as your fate, and you will have what you desire."

However...Like all good things for people like him, there just had to be someone who played a hero...And soon enough, Fuyu - his defeater - was right in his face, feeling her try to undo the chain about his waist. Grimacing, all she would hear was a strangled sounding yell as he used his last vestiges of strength to retrieve the shank from his pants...And deliver a painful stabbing wound into her right shoulder before starting to swing wildly to get her away.

"Get away! Fuck off, you psycho bitch!" he would try to yell through the water; at the very least, this would make him tire out more quickly before succumbing to death.

Yusei, meanwhile, tried to get Fayth warm; even going so far as to bring her under a nearby overhang where it was relatively drier. Unfortunately, his own clothes were soaked, so he was holding her as close as possible to try and share body heat. His toned figure pressed quite closely to hers, having stripped himself of his shirt to maximize contact. He could see Fayth's mark burning...And his was still burning all the same...His teeth grit as he held the blind woman's shivering form close to him, having squeezed her clothes to try and get the moisture out of them without resorting to undressing her.

"Crimson Dragon...If you are real...Please, hear me! I need your help! Don't let Fuyu or Kiryu die! Please!" he cried out mentally; much as he wanted to believe he could save Kiryu...He was more than certain the man was already dead...So if he could save someone, it was the one who did her best to live up to her end of the bargain.

And as if it were a prayer from heaven answered, Fayth and Yusei would feel their Marks burn even brighter...So much so that a radiant glow enveloped them both, providing at the very least a temporary reprieve from the soul-sucking chill. Up above, Yusei heard a muted roar and saw that same Dragon he'd seen during his encounter with Jack suddenly dive into the water.

Underneath the waves, Kiryu kept up his fight, still swinging but going much slower now; trails of red bled from his makeshift weapon, the woman who tried to save him still holding on like someone possessed. But he would pause as he saw a giant serpent-like dragon descend, one clawed hand wrapping around her whole body before the other would come for him.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! THE BOY IS MINE!"

Just then Fuyu would get one last bit of proof that Kiryu wasn't normal: A giant spectral shadow erupted from around him and delivered an almighty push to the dragon, making it roar soundlessly before it ascended...Leaving Kiryu to his fate. "Well...You really do care...And Sosuke...Thanks...At least you understood..." Kiryu muttered one last time, feeling his breath finally give way and water flood his lungs. Surrendering his mortal shell to oblivion...And preparing the shadows for his eventual if unknown rebirth.

Yusei watched the surface...Seconds feeling like hours as he waited, still trying to rub Fayth's limbs and body to try and warm her, doing everything he could to stop her from shivering...And just then, the dragon re-emerged, breaking the surface of the water in a spectacular fashion and gently laying the white-haired woman on the ground next to Yusei. "Fuyu....Fuyu!" Yusei called out, the giant dragon roaring before both his and Fayth's marks faded, the young man scrambling over to try and help her too. He tried to bandage her wounds as much as possible, using bits of his discarded prison shirt to form makeshift bandages; did he really stab her? Why was he so consigned to die? What would possibly make him think about torturing him like this? All these thoughts ran through his head. And for the first time in a long while...He was crying, mostly over the thought of a woman dying over someone who in retrospect (and her own words) didn't want to be saved in the first place...But also for the fact that Kiryu was right: He had failed.



Jack, meanwhile, had been riding around his mansion; while there had been reports of a small-scale tropical storm in the Satellite, the Tops seemed to only have slightly overcast. However, the reason he was stopped now was because he had felt that birthmark on his arm glow brightly...And it hurt like a son-of-a-bitch too.

"This again...What the hell is going on?" Jack muttered, having taken his helmet off; he stepped off his Runner and went to a nearby overlook. Peering off in the direction of the Satellite, as that was where he was feeling the energy coming from.

And it was at this he felt his resolve strengthen; Goodwin was holding out on him, he just knew it. Whether it was important or not, he knew it was something...And giving a firm nod to himself, he resolved to go and talk to the Director himself.
 

Fayth all but slumped against Yusei's body once the restraints came off. The effects from Fuyu's deck plus the natural storm caused her to get a high risk for more than just pneumonia. Frostbite was another real danger ... and a real possibility why she could feel almost nothing. A low groan passed her lips as she began quickly feeling warmer. She pressed herself tightly against Yusei's body, moving more out of instinct and a will to live than any other emotion or incentive one would assume. Her head weakly turned after she was certain a minute had passed by.

" .... Has ... she not come back?"

Her voice and body shook harder. Fuyu definitely had a good lung capacity but it was getting to a point where she was putting herself at a very dangerous risk.

"He .... he didn't really kill her, did he?!" Fayth hysterically asked, remembering that had been something Kiryu vowed to do to Fuyu. "I can't ... I can't .... " A new set of tears streamed down her face from under the blindfold. What would she tell Reiji?! This was as much her fault as it could be considered Kiryu's. She couldn't handle, or even accept, the possibility she may have actually joined Kiryu in a stupid, watery grave; one she didn't deserve.

I'm too weak! Even with Yuna helping me out, it's not enough! And now .... now I ....

"FUYU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Really, boy? Really? Are you so eager to die that ---- ??

Fuyu's eyes widened, a few bubbles leaving her mouth as the stab connected with her shoulder. She shivered, tightening her grip as she shook her head from side to side.

"I promised Yusei! Were you fucking deaf for that part?!"

Fuyu tried to keep hanging on, freeing Kiryu, and avoiding the blade. It was at least slowed due to being underwater; something she was glad for. Unfortunately, the same was true for herself. So, even though his swings were wild, quite a few hit her. One across her right cheek ... several more over her right arm, above and below the elbow. It would be her left palm getting scraped - damn well nearly stabbed through - that finally made Fuyu let go.

And just before she tried to swim back up, the back of her right leg was stabbed. Her head tossed back in pain as she held her leg.

YOU FUCKER! URGHHHHHH!

Her body thrashed wildly as she tried to pull herself up ... only to feel herself sinking with Kiryu despite not holding onto the chain anymore.

... Was she already dead? Her eyes swore she found themselves looking at ... a red dragon? The fuck? Well ... the feeling of air returning to her lungs confirmed one thing; that was not an illusion. And, somehow, she hadn't died. Fuyu's eyes shot open as she gasped and coughed, forcing more of the liquid out from her system.

"I'm sorry," she weakly answered in between coughs, "He .... well .... rejected my help. Screw that, he fucking stabbed me several times. I ... I tried, but .... "

Fuyu's head turned, knowing it was painfully obvious at this point he as far beyond saving. He was somewhere buried under the ocean ... and by now, likely unable to be found, let alone reached, by anyone.

"H-He what?!" Fayth asked in disbelief, shakily starting to crawl over towards where Fuyu and Yusei were.

"No! I ... it was nowhere fatal. You stay there. Keep ... keep yourself warm." Fuyu closed her eyes, allowing more breath to return to her before opening her eyes and looking softly at Yusei. "I really am sorry. I'm not just saying that. But .... you ... got a place nearby? Fayth's is in the Tops; that's my main issue. But .... we do need to get her out of this rain ... and all of us, really."
 

Yusei finished his rough bandage-work; he knew it was by no means professional...But at the very least she would be alive. "She's right, Fayth; try not to move too much. Conserve your strength" he would add, turning back to the woman he was trying to help, his voice low, "...And Fuyu, I know you tried. And I thank you for it...I'm just sorry it was all for naught."

When she asked if he had a place nearby, he contemplated his options; he could take them back to his house...But with his recent breakout and the need for professional medical care, there was really only one place he could think to take them...He just hoped the guy wouldn't mind, nor his adoptive mother.

"I know a place...I'll drive us there..." he breathed, glad that Fuyu was alright enough. Once he was sure they were both stable enough to be transported, he would load them all up on Fuyu's Runner (to say it was a tight fit was an understatement) and went off to see an old friend. He knew it'd been a while since they'd last seen each other...And he couldn't help smiling a little as he thought of the surprise he would get. Talk about one of the worst ways to say hello to an old friend, he thought.

Thankfully, the hideout he intended to go to wasn't too much farther away. It was hardly considered the nicest place he could think of...But he knew his recent friends would be able to at least get shelter. Plus, the unassuming structure would easily be passed over by Sector as just another homeless camp; deeper inside, the place was better insulated. It would still be somewhat chilly, but much warmer. Especially with the recent break-out staged by the Fiend; that was going to give Sector a lot of headaches for a good while yet. "We're here." Yusei muttered, helping Fuyu and Fayth off the Runner and starting to lead them towards the make-shift structure.

And as luck would have it, a doctor from Puzzle Hospital was here too; being a Satellite facility, it was definitely not for those who were afraid of the violence of this place. Even more so for those who were brave enough to make house-calls. "Yusei?" he would hear, seeing the orange-haired male poke his head out, "Dude, the hell are you guys doing out there? Come on, get out of the rain!" Crow would come out and help guide the injured Fuyu inside, the young man grinning "Long time, Yusei...A heck of a way to stop by." Yusei gave a little smile, "It is good to see you, Crow...I promise I'll fill you in once these two get settled."

The doctor had stopped by to check on some of the orphans; all seemed to be in good health, and at Crow's request would also try to stabilize Fuyu's injuries. "So...What exactly happened? You got a criminal mark too...Which means you've been in the Facility." Crow then asked, Yusei giving a small sigh, "I tried to go see Jack; needless to say, Sector was right there. Fayth, the girl with the blindfold, had tried to see him too...About what I don't fully know and we got sentenced to stay in the Facility."

This next part he wasn't sure Crow would believe, "But...While I was in the Facility, two inmates staged a breakout. A massive breakout...Everyone who wanted out got out." At this Crow just laughed, "Dang, two inmates broke the Facility's walls...No wonder I've been hearing warning sirens all day. I thought it was Sector was just stepping up their raids." And to punctuate this, another set of sirens blared off from the other side of the Satellite, loud enough for everyone to hear it. "But...Kiryu took Fayth hostage and wanted himself and I to Duel; he still believed I betrayed him, and he was...He was so convinced that he rigged his Runner into believing it was a Turbo Duel on the pier. Had Fayth all restrained to drag her off should I have lost." Crow's eyes widened; he knew Kiryu had developed a somewhat sadistic personality, but he was that far gone? "Yusei...So, if you're here, that means..." Crow asked, Yusei just nodding in the affirmative, the former Enforcer patting Yusei's forearm, "I'm sorry, man; I know you tried to help him, but...I think Kiryu's stay just made whatever he had even worse, you know?"

Yusei seemed a tad forlorn, but just said "Yeah...And Fuyu? She went so far as to try and save him...But it was unwinnable. He didn't want to be saved...And he was sure to let me know it." Letting out a sigh, he then said "But the weirdest thing...I prayed to not let them die, and a giant red dragon appeared and pulled her out of the water...And this mark on my arm started burning. Painfully too, like it reacted to its presence."

At this Crow held up his own right arm, showing the black lines on the skin there, "So you're the reason this decided to go off; I felt it go off about a week ago, too." Now this surprised Yusei too, "Crow...You're a Signer?" Crow could only blink, "Eh? A Signer? The heck is that? What does it have to do with this mark?" Yusei then went on to tell him what Yanagi had said to him in the Facility, Crow listening intently as he took in every word.

"That...Wow, I won't lie, that's quite the tale...But why now? What great evil is there? When is it supposed to appear?" Crow then asked, Yusei shaking his head, "I don't know...But based on how many times it's appeared now, I'm thinking it's getting closer."
 

"You drive?! Oi, I can still --- "

Fuyu stopped, wincing as he finished wrapping a makeshift bandage over her stabbed leg. Fine. So maybe her driving wouldn't be the best idea. Her head nodded as Fuyu swallowed her pride and agreed to the plan. "Okay. Fayth? Get behind me. Don't wanna squish ya."

"I'm not that small," she muttered.

"You will be according to the Wheeler. Just trust me, okay?"

Thankfully, it seemed like most other times Fuyu brought up points, this one had also been right. It was indeed a hell of a fit. How very fortunate the Facility had been broken and torn to ruins, because poor Yusei would very likely get in major trouble for allowing so many people to ride past the maximum capacity. Just as Yusei insisted, the place was relatively close by. Good; neither woman really felt like staying out in the rain too much longer. Fayth would borrow one of Yusei's shoulders, walking in with a slight limp courtesy of her only having one decent leg.

For the most part, Fuyu would remain still while her injuries were worked on. The times that Crow would find her having the most difficulty complying where anywhere Kiryu actually stabbed her; namely her shoulder and leg.

After the patching up, Fuyu would sit with Fayth and the others. She quietly pulled a certain something out. It'd been manipulated so it took up a different shape ...but once she handed it over to Fayth, she smiled. "My disk!"

"Mhm. Made sure to grab it before running out of the Facility. Another part of why I cut my arrival close; took a hell of a while to make sure I found yours and yours alone."

The two would allow Yusei to speak first, giving him the chance to inform Crow of what had just happened mere moments ago. Fuyu wore a contemplative look, quietly whispering an idea to Fayth.

"How?" the two would hear her gently reply back, causing Fuyu to sigh and point down at her disk. "Don't tell me you've forgotten these have an automatic recording function. Reiji personally added that for instances such as your private talk with Jack."

" .... You found that out?"

"Well ... the notes he left were still a your place. I did meet with him personally, yes. That's how I learned you were at the Facility in the first place." Helping pull Fayth close - partly to ensure she continued to get warm and also so she could tap away on the disk, Fuyu found a second video that could be shown .... but that would definitely be later. And with Fayth's consent, given the content had on it.

Here, at least, is the answer as to why Fayth met with Jack.

Jack waited in the night, his eyes staring across the bay to the run-down island of Satellite. His violet hues drifted right, seeing the desolate bridge that was never completed and likely never would be. Even in the dead of night, it stood out so prominently, almost begging for people to complete it and give it the life it deserved. However, so long as Rex Goodwin was in charge of Sector, the Tops and Satellite were currently and likely forever would be two sides of the same coin.

Hearing the whistle, he saw the young woman approach, looking over his shoulder at her; he was surprised by her outfit even though it was a decent temperature but said nothing. As she questioned his intent, he just scoffed and said, "As much as it pains me to admit it...Last night had me thinking about a lot of things. And I came to the conclusion that maybe there were some elements that held truth." Turning around to face her completely, he then said, "Even so, I *do* find your tale of being from another dimension quite far-fetched. That being said, I will listen to what you have to say more carefully."

Next was something that even Fayth had failed to hear. It didn't get a visual since the man was hiding; however, a low voice soon murmured:

"Sir...Milner's made contact, they're talking now..."

That made Fayth cover her mouth. How the fuck had she missed that of all things?! Her eyebrows furrowed a she listened to the rest of the still playing video.

"Jack...Surprised to see you out here." Yusei would state calmly, stepping off the second D-Wheeler he'd made before continuing, "I've come back for Stardust and I'm not lea---Fayth, what are you doing here?"

Fuyu allowed that much to play out, helping verify and confirm Yusei had indeed been there the same night Fayth ended up being arrested. She then made it skip forward a few frames and seconds forward, stopping and showing the next vital scene.

"... Wait a minute. Then ... is he saying the Stardust you used in the tournament .... that's Yusei's?!"

Eyes narrowed as Fayth scoffed in disgust. "There are two types of people I can't fucking stand," she muttered, not caring if either male paid heed to her words or not. "Those are sexist pricks and thieves. Ugh. Good riddance. Excuse me." she mumbled, beginning to walk away from both Jack and Yusei, biting her lower lip she detected a tingling sensation in her right shoulder.

Jack gripped her arm and yanked her back hard, "You're not leaving until we're finished talking!" making Yusei step in and grab Jack by his coat, "Don't lay your hands on her like that!"

The officer down the alley meanwhile, was starting to panic; who the hell was this now?! No one told him there would be a third to this conversation! "This is Officer Tanaka, put me through to the Director! Now, damn it!" And it wasn't moments later before he was talking with Goodwin himself. "Sir, we have a situation with Atlas! Requesting immediate back-up; it looks like someone from Satellite!" he shouted into the portable radio frantically.

Goodwin, meanwhile, pinched his nose in agitation; now of all times? Go figure...Then again, this could work to his advantage. Calling the checkpoint that Jack and Fayth had met near, he told the CO there, "Mobilize all available units on Officer Tanaka's location ASAP! We have a breach north of the pipeline! Watch out for Jack, he is in the immediate vicinity! I repeat, Atlas is in the immediate vicinity! We have an unknown assailant trying to target him, and I'm rescinding the protection order against Fayth Milner as of this exact moment! If you have to imprison her to ensure Atlas' safety, then do so!"

But before things could get too ugly between them, Jack and Yusei both started feeling uncomfortable as well; both and pains on their right forearms, making Jack let go of Fayth and Yusei let go of Jack. "Damn it...This again?" Jack growled as he gripped his arm in pain, Yusei looking up as his face contorted into a wince while mimicking the same action, "Again? Are you feeling it too?"

All three - Fayth, Yusei, and Jack's - Signs would burn before the officer from earlier spoke.

"Atlas sir, please back away, let the officers handle this!" said one officer, gently leading Jack away as the rest of the squad moved in to secure the scene. Two officers then roughly grabbed Yusei, the young man trying to struggle as they forced his hands into cuffs, twisting his arm behind his back. "Per Article 3, you are under arrest for crossing over into the Tops, as well assaulting Jack Atlas!"

Fayth would begin her protests about Jack being able to ge away with heft, only to have her train of thought interrupted.

"Take this uppity bitch in too! Throw her in for obstruction and disturbing the peace!" one officer shouted, his stripes showing him as a First Sergeant, his underlings roughly handling her and slapping the irons on her wrists. By this point, all three of them had their marks vanish, the Dragon having long since faded from view.

"So ... that fucker Goodwin .... he set me up?!"

Fayth's fists clenched, her head angrily turning. "I never should have agreed to meet with him at that damn tournament. The moment Mikage revealed that ... it did sound too convenient."

Fuyu quietly rubbed her more uninjured hand up and down Fayth's back. "So, like she said in the first part .... the simple truth is neither of us are from this Dimension. We're from the Pendulum Dimension. Because I can understand your hesitation .... there is .... something here filmed solely from our home. But ... " Now she turned her head and looked at Fayth. "I need to be sure you'll be fine with me playing it again."

"Why should I mind?"

It took maybe five seconds after she asked for Fayth's mind to click and realize what she was mentioning. "W-Wait! Really?! It still has that day saved?!"

"Unless you've deleted it, yep. But I found it while scanning through your saved flashbacks."

Fayth grimaced, biting her lower lip before nodding. "Under one condition; mute it. They'll just need the visual for proof. The audio won't matter .... nor need to be heard by anyone else."

" ... I was gonna, Fayth. Five steps ahead of you."

So now, it'd all depend if either - or both - guys were curious or wanting enough evidence to see how valid the story of them being from elsewhere hailed. Fuyu at least got Fayth's disk ready, jumping to the scene in mind and pushing the Mute button; just in case.
 

With Fuyu's injuries mostly taken care of, it would be easier for them to relax...At least until Fuyu started the playback; the design of the disks was different enough that it caught their attention. But the most these could do was link up with the Multi-Duel Voice Network. The fact that these had audio/visual playback was astounding...But not as much as what was revealed during the session. And Crow actually would slam his hands over the speaker as the officer started to cuss, as well as when Fayth herself would curse; last thing he needed was to have the other younger orphans hear those kinds of words.

"Eh-he...Sorry, but I wasn't expecting it to be that kind of dialogue. Kids present, you know." Crow grinned; still, that was presently the most disturbing revelation he'd ever seen. Jack was untouchable as ever; seems his time in the Tops certainly helped elevate his celebrity status. Even so...He couldn't believe Jack didn't try and step in and correct the assumption that Fayth had been in the wrong. Did Goodwin have some kind of hold over him? Had to be, it was the only reason he (and unknown to him) Yusei could think of for him to act this way.

"Hey, you said a bad word! Crow-sama, she needs to put a coin in the bad word jar!" one of the orphans came over, a brown-haired little girl in a fitting pink T-shirt and white shorts, her bright green eyes staring right at Fayth. "Aoi, it's alright; she's had a rough day...I'll pay for her on that one." Crow smiled, patting the little girl on the head and giving her the coin. "I'll be over shortly...So play with Eita for a bit, alright?" he would then say, Aoi nodding and sticking her tongue out at Fayth before waltzing off.

"I know you're new here...But please try to keep offensive language to a minimum, alright? Most of them are old enough where they've heard worse...But some haven't, and I'd like to keep it that way for as long as possible. Yusei couldn't help smiling after that little display, "Still trying to hold the fort down, Crow. Glad to see you haven't changed." Crow just grinned, "Someone's got to; not many want to look after orphans, and lord only knows the Satellite's made far too many kids grow up like that."

But when she asked about muting the audio, Crow nodded, "Please do...I'm not sure I like how this sounds, but if you're really not from here...Won't hurt to learn more about what's going on." He just shook his head, "But...If you saw Jack react this way, does that mean he's a Signer too? That's what it sounds like, right?" Yusei nodded, "Seems to be that way; it's more than coincidence we've met like this...But I'm not entirely sure what else to call it."

And with that question answered, at least well enough for now, Crow would then turn to Fuyu and say "Alright...What is it that we're going to be seeing here?"
 
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