Patreon LogoYour support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)

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


Fayth's face immediately turned red. Had she really been that ... harsh in her vocabulary? It was at least justified and not random, but even she was embarrassed. "I'm so sorry. This ... " She waited for Aoi to move away before finishing her train of thought, "This dimension has steadily been bringing out the worst in me. I'm not this ... way, for a lack of better wording. I'll umm .... work on that. Also not used to being around actual children; just other teens that resort to such colorful terminology."

Reira was one of the few exceptions; however, due to his own upbringing and circumstances, he wasn't seen much. Not without Reiji being nearby, anyway. And even then, getting him to talk was short of a pure miracle. ... Hopefully he could muster his own courage one of these days. He deserved to, and it was absolute bullshit his mother had him so wrapped around her fingers.

Fuyu's eyes remained upon Fayth ... whom had scooted closer to Yusei. Even with the next part going to be muted, it was clear she was only agreeing to help shed light on this situation.

"Before I reveal that .... can you two explain this Signer thing later? It's ... interesting that somehow, Fayth has become one, more so since she's never been in this dimension prior to about a month ago. Anyway, this .... is a glimpse into the Pendulum Dimension and the war we're trying to fight against. It can - and will, if Leo gets his way - effect here also. That explanation will come after this ends."

Knowing this would be way worse than any PG-13 scene, Fuyu helped lower it, keeping the scene out of immediate sight of the children. After double and triple checking that the Mute function was active, Fuyu finally pushed down. It started tame enough ... with showing Fayth fighting off three masked figures. Three more were dueling other individuals; given they were beside Fayth, it was fair enough to assume they were allies in some form or fashion. What may not be expected was between the four of them, for Fayth to be the only one emerging victorious. The match was tougher than usual due to the handicap nature, but she would win thanks to summoning one of her higher up monsters.

However, it was nothing close to the fairy deck she had on her.

A purple-ish vortex that looked like a miniature galaxy appeared, and out from it emerged ... an odd bird with plants on it?

Whatever it had been, it helped take out the last of her masked assailants.

While Fayth looks around, her blue-green eyes widen in horror. Before she can move forward to try to stop, the three others who had been helping her have disks pointed out them .... and turn into cards. Two of the men that fought against Fayth run beside her and grab her roughly by the arms, keeping her in place. She bites on her lower lip, looking as if she's expecting the same fate. And it appears they almost were ready to do the exact same thing back.

Before they can go through with that, though, a blue-haired boy - barely, if even a teenager - steps forward, shaking his head no. Whatever he was going on about, it was enough to insist Fayth should be spared from being carded. He bites the lollipop easily in half, tossing the stick away onto the floor. He reaches down and pulls a small jar out. He points to the discarded candy ... likely hinting this is what they're usually for, but has decided to put it to another use.

One more command is uttered, and the men holding Fayth visibly tighten their grip.

The boy actually hums - or appears to be doing that - as he walks forward and, without any warning, forces Fayth's eyes open and pulls them out. One at a time. Quickly ... but painfully. Each orb is put in the jar, and only after the process is finished do the men drop a panicking Fayth to the floor. The teen gives a mock salute and walks away, smirking and laughing all the while. Fayth manages to shakily feel around, find her disk, and contact Reiji ... probably begging for help and to be found. When the call ends, so does the video finally.

"That boy," Fuyu began to explain, "Is one of the Duel Academy's - also known simply as Academia - best soldiers. Ruthless, acts without any remorse or second thoughts. His name is Sora Shiunin. He's helping Leo Akaba in trying to fuse all of the dimensions; the Standard, Synchro, Fusion, XYZ, and Pendulum. That summon you all saw Fayth perform is an XYZ. There were a few reasons Fayth was sent here; to hide from the Obelisk Task Force - any of those masked men - and to try to warn Jack. The truth is ... he also resides in the Pendulum Dimension. In there, he known as 'The King' also. It didn't immediately click until I recognized you ... but you, Crow, are also in the Pendulum Dimension. How? That's the mystery, and exactly what we were trying to warn Jack about."

Fuyu took a few moments, knowing this was already a lot to listen to.

"In the best, and least likely, of scenarios, nothing will happen. But truthfully? There's a higher chance one version of you may very well die. What will come of the Dimension that loses said version of each person? Another thing we're not sure of, and definitely not wanting to test out. Leo .... doesn't care about those kinds of consequences. He's too driven by his own selfish desires to stop and think. So ... I hope you better see what I hinted about how - if he gets his way - it can, and will, bring ruin to this and the other dimensions."

Throughout the entire explanation, Yusei and Crow would notice Fuyu purposely lowered her voice; using that as her own precaution to ensure none of the kids risked hearing or seeing anything the two had just witnessed. A, hopefully, sign of good faith she and Fayth would comply with Crow's rules regarding them, and an effort to make up for the last recording.

"So .... go on. I'm sure there are some questions you have. Thank you for tolerating that, Fayth."

When Fayth didn't immediately reply, Fuyu's head tilted.

" ... Fayth?"

A closer examination revealed that she had either passed out or fell asleep due to exhaustion. Which happened first? That was anyone's guess. Either way, she was unconscious, with her head against Yusei's arm.
 

Crow just shook his head, "Don't worry too much about it; I just want to give them as much peace as possible, you know? World's got enough cruelty in it to last it a hundred lifetimes." And in truth, he knew the world out there wasn't kind; the fact that children as young as Aoi had to grow up without her parents was difficult enough. Even worse was the sickening thought of those that would try to take advantage of her and girls like her...He had to actually try to suppress a shudder. The things both Sector and the Gangs did to women sometimes, they weren't even comfortable discussing...Not even in a serious setting.

"I can try...But admittedly, I don't know much about it myself. Only what another inmate told me about the legend behind it." Yusei clarified; he would certainly try to answer, but he wasn't sure how helpful he would be.

Regardless, he put his attention back to the Disk, Yusei gently putting an arm around Fayth's shoulder as the scene played out before them. So that was what Fayth's eyes looked like, Yusei thought. They fit her, honestly. "Wow...Fayth's putting the hurt on them." Crow commented lowly; though both he and Yusei leaned in a little closer when they saw the dark vortex appeared, her monsters turning into green bolts of light that swirled upward into the center of it. What kind of Summoning was that? The closest thing that Yusei had seen to that was when Kiryu and Hotsuma both performed that 'Dark Synchro Summon'...Something he still was confused about. Maybe he would ask Fuyu if the methods were related...Likely not, but he was curious now.

And when she went on to win the match, the two former Enforcers grinned; they didn't really know what was going on, but if they were fighting these guys...Then there had to be a reason right? However, Crow held back a gasp, Yusei clasping a hand over his mouth as they witnessed and Crow gripping the edges of the table as they bore witness to the very rough enucleation. And though there was no volume, Crow was certainly very glad no other children were around to see this...Especially as she was then left to her own devices, her closed eyelids bleeding as she tried to reach out for help.

"What the..." Crow shook, Yusei equally speechless; Sector was bad, sure, but even they weren't this brutal! And it was here that Yusei actually remembered something that Fayth said, after Fuyu explained everything that they saw in the video. There was so much that he wanted to ask...But what? Would it really matter? What could they do?

Crow just shook his head, "Not gonna lie...That's a lot to take in. But I mean...With these marks, and you showing us this...Kind of hard to deny it." Yusei would look down as Fuyu tried to thank Fayth, only to see that she was sleeping, for lack of a better term. No doubt she was exhausted after everything that happened. "Crow...Do you have a spare bed by chance? Fayth could use the rest, as could we all." The orphanage 'overseer' just nodded, "There should be a free one across from my room...Northwest corner." Yusei just nodded his thanks and gently cradled Fayth, carrying her to let her rest.

And as he did that, Crow turned his attention back to Fuyu, "You are right...I do have some questions. I would ask why there are two of me and two of Jack...But since you don't know yourself, I won't. My big thing, what does this 'Leo' guy hope to gain? If it's truly going to cause such a cataclysmic event, as you said it could...That's a huge and unnecessary gamble he's taking. And most importantly, if you guys are from that 'Pendulum Dimension'...Then how did you even get over here?"
 

Fuyu let out a loud, audible sigh. "Thank you!" she muttered audibly, yet still keeping her volume a bit low. "Poor Fayth had ... the exact opposite luck when trying to tell Jack. Granted, I can understand this is hard to believe, but ... ugh. He didn't need to shove her words away and simply dismiss them."

Already, Fuyu was feeling much better about informing these two. Yes, they were clearly the more reasonable people to speak with here in this dimension.

"Anyway, while I can hack ... I wouldn't dare tamper with certain things. These video files are some of them. Reiji - the man you saw her call near the end - would lash out at me. Rightfully so ... and ... no. It's just not my style even if he didn't. He's, more or less, our leader if you want to put it in layman's terms."

Fuyu took a moment to watch Yusei gently pick Fayth up into his arms. Good. He handled her decently. Cautiously ... but made sure his hands didn't go anywhere they shouldn't. That made her feel much better. It made up for the initial bad impression upon first meeting him. It seemed Fayth had been smart enough to put her trust into him whilst she was at the Facility. Her own icy eyes turned back as she made eye contact again with Crow. "Reiji is gathering the why part, along with some of the Lancers back home. They're essentially the best duelists in our school, LDS. Duelists-slash-soldiers, to be more blunt, in our fight against Leo. We've got a few guesses ... but aren't yet sure. The main thing that does feel like a fair theory, however, is some sort of ritual. He's been having his subordinates card so many people. That's not just because. It's for a reason ... one we're not yet clear about. How I got here .... that I can show you."

Fuyu would reach down, rummaging through her side deck. Soon, she'd hold up what appeared to be a Magic Card; the text and image, however, revealed it was not any of the official ones such as Raigeki, and so on. "Our disks have been enabled to teleport us where we need. We just use those and ... voila. As long as we don't lose your concentration, we can go wherever we're needed. Fayth's somehow broke soon after arriving here. It's ... attempting to be worked on but ... well, with our own issues, we can't just send someone to get that repaired over. I'm here - as you can probably guess - to help Fayth live in this world. A guide of sorts, to make up for her forced blind state. Things only recently got calm enough for me to come over .... otherwise I would have done so much sooner."

Now Fuyu took her turn to stretch. She was weary too, but definitely not nearly on the same level as poor Fayth. Besides, she could remain conscious to answer a few more questions ... and that was exactly what she intended to do.

After Crow got ample time to study the card, she took it back and slid it into her own side deck.

"It isn't just you and Jack who are in multiple places. There are a few others ... which makes it a bit more odd. It seemed like this was only an issue with people from the Synchro Dimension. Apparently not. The only thing I can begin to assume ... is all of you were purposely chosen. Just like how Fayth was to be a brutal example on what Academia could do, if they so felt like it. It's definitely not an accident ... I don't think it is, anyway. That's the best I can guess until Reiji confirms it with me."
 

Crow took the card, turning it over and studying it; it seemed normal enough, which was quite obviously an intentional design. Didn't need to have someone confiscating it, and naturally he had many questions about how Dueling might have changed over there aside from the different summoning methods...But in reality they seemed to matter little in terms of consequence if what she was saying was true.

Yusei, meanwhile, had just returned from putting Fayth to bed; hopefully tonight they would be able to soundly sleep. He'd heard about them being able to teleport; both he and Crow seemed to agree, after looking at each other, that this too wasn't exactly impossible. After all, someone in the Fortune Cup Selection Tournament had done it after they abducted another duelist. And Yusei would voice as such as he sat back down, "If I hadn't seen someone get abducted and teleported away during a recent tournament, I probably wouldn't have believed it if you had told me. Then again...Seen a lot of things I didn't believe."

The young man then asked her, "Two questions. One...While what you're describing is certainly a grim situation, what exactly can we do? Short of going there to assist directly, I don't see how we can help with this." Crow nodded, "Especially since you're here to help Fayth live in this dimension until she can get back, I don't imagine you being able to take something with you back through."

Yusei then asked his second question, "Second...Have you ever seen anyone turn into a Duel Monster in your dimension?" Crow raised an eyebrow as his fried asked this, "Yo, Yusei...Even with everything she just said, there's no way that's possible." Yusei would then give Crow a bit of a hard stare, "Unfortunately, it is. While I was in the Facility, those two inmates that staged a break out? They could, and I saw the Fiend literally become one." Crow felt a bit of a cold sweat cross his brow, "Wait...You mean the Fiend is a literal demon?" Yusei shook his head, "No...At least, I don't think so. And his friend, who I'm assuming was Fayth's real protector in there, could change also. She turned into Rose, Warrior of Revenge...The Fiend was able to shift into the monster called Genesis Demon. He even knocked down a wall inside the Facility as if it were loose brick before a sledgehammer."
 

" .... "

Apparently, the golden question Reiji had forgotten to give her the answer to had bee found. And ... yeah. She definitely needed to call and ask him because, unfortunately, they were right. Short of going back with her - if that was even doable somehow - it seemed like they were resigned tot relying on things to settle down, if not stop altogether in the Pendulum Dimension. "Off the top of my head," she slowly began to answer, "I think maybe I can somehow speak with Reiji about talking to Crow's and Jack's counterparts. At least while in there, they can - hopefully - be swayed to ally with Reiji and everyone over there. But ummm ... I'll have to ask Reiji that myself in the morning. I'm ... as unsure as you two, unfortunately."

Her head tilted, an eyebrow raising curiously as Fuyu softly snickered. "Excuse me? Okay. Yes, we got a lot of weird shi --- stuff. But even that isn't something we have happen. The closest to what you're mentioning is we have Action Duels. They're .... hmmm."

Explaining these was always easier with visual. So - she pulled her own disk up and flipped to the last duel she'd had while in the Pendulum Dimension. The volume wasn't muted, mainly because there was no cursing. However, it was lowered to allow everyone who was sleeping to remain that way.

The first difference would be what almost sounded like an odd chant of sorts.

"Duelists locked in battle!
Kicking against the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!
They storm through this field!
Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling! Action Duel!"

As the last line was uttered, she and her opponent rose a hand each, snapped their fingers, and within seconds, the field shifted from a bland, ordinary dueling area to a very long and wide plateau. Something like the Grand Canyon in the United States, to be more precise. Fuyu quickly fast forwarded to a a point where she saw one of the many cards scattered on the ground. She jumped off the cliff ...

And landed right onto Trishula's back. It flew her beside what would have otherwise bee an impossible ledge to climb down. Fuyu reached forward, grabbed it in between her fingers, ad slid it into her disk. "Action Magic Card open! Miracle!" An attack that had bee coming towards her stopped, much like it would if one were to use Negate Attack, Draining Shield, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow or any other card to force the battle phase - or at least an incoming offensive maneuver.

"That is something we do have," Fuyu confirmed, stopping the video. By now, they likely had a fair understanding on what she meant in saying Action Duels existed in the Pendulum Dimension. "Literally making fields and cards come to life. But becoming said cards?"

Her eyebrow raised further. "Hmmm... she did mention she had two people helping her out. So ... this other you're speaking of - assuming it was the same individual Fayth mentioned - she can become Rose? That's ... interesting."

Fuyu thought on ths, grimacing as the thought came to her mind. "Actually ... depends who has that capability. That may be one thing Leo's aiming for; to create an army that's not just full of typical humans. I don't know for certain though, but I'll see about mentioning that as a possibility to Reiji. He can look into it."

Now fatigue as beginning o get the best of Fuyu. Teleporting always took a toll on the user. Now, the mental and physical exhaustion from her duel and the stabbings afterwards were helping the Ice Barrier user become tired. "This question and answer session can be resumed later ... preferably when I have more definite answers to at least some of these inquiries. Um ... would it be easiest if I just stayed with Fayth, or ... ??" Whatever the response, Fayth would heed the directions, bowing her head to both Yusei and Crow. "Thank you both for everything you've done thus far. It really means a lot, especially to Fayth." She'd offer both men one last wave before vanishing, albeit half-limping in the process.

Her leg would need a few good days of rest to fully recover from where the shank had sunk in; but otherwise, it was clear Fuyu would pull through.
He'd heard her .... he knew he had. And that was exactly what was keeping Hajime restless and wide awake. It was short, and incredibly brief. But there had been no mistaking it. Hajime had definitely heard Yuna beg him to keep hanging on for a bit more. That could only mean one thing. Somehow, she and Hotsuma had succeeded in their otherwise crazy plan. And that was making the blue-haired lieutenant wearing quite the smug smirk.

Told those fuckers they'd regret pulling this bullshit against me. Heh! They're really gonna get it now ...

They could hear .... he hadn't forgotten that. The problem - one he felt certain Yuna took into consideration - was the moment she reached out to him, both Divine and Aki knew also.

... In fact, now that he dwelled upon it, he suddenly started feeling a bit nervous. Normally, he didn't mind being alone. But now? He was starting to wonder if that was really a good thing or not. It'd be risky ... and there would be a good chance this would fail, backfie, or both. But he had to try. This would be one of the few times Hajime would willingly use his powers, if only because it was on his terms. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and attempted to pry into Divine's thoughts.

Mainly because of a few very specific reasons. One, he was the leader. Whatever may or may not happen, the plan would be officially given out by him. So it seemed logical to go into his mind. Also, during his stay, he'd felt that Aki was almost always prepared for this sort of attack. He was hoping to catch Divine off guard, even if only for a few seconds. Yeah, it'd lead to his own punishment; that was a given. But fuck it. They needed him, that had also been displayed time and time again. So it wasn't like Death was the first thing he had to worry about.

On the contrary, it was probably one of the last ones ... which made his arrogance on a very dangerous, although justified, level.
This was dumb. Very much so. But poor Eikichi was beside himself. After the death of Miyamoto, everything had gone to shit. Such crappy timing, too; the Disciple and Yomi leaders had gotten out of the Facility, only to be trapped in the cell known as depression. Hotsuma was off doing gods only could guess what. Yuna had cried herself to sleep ... and if that wasn't bad enough, she did so while locked in her room. She'd been frustrated with her partner, understandably so.

Still ... he couldn't wait. He'd done that for an entire week, probably longer. Eikichi was done with this 'waiting game' bullshit.

And now that the rain had finally stopped, it seemed like between the weather being decent and everyone else being asleep, now was the perfect chance to slip out.

Sorry Yuna ... even you, Shivini. But I can't wait for everyone to get out of their funks. Hajime fucking needs us.

Hell, even Hotsuma would surely understand why he was being this hasty. He had to, given he literally lost his own brother. Then again, with no confirmation, even that might be a possibility ... but no. Eikichi had been desperately holding onto the belief he was still alive, if not that plus well. But god help him if he was already deceased ... because there would be a shit ton of hell to pay.

He double and triple checked his deck, making damn sure every card was there. He'd likely have to fight ... but that was fine. He was ready to break quite a few rules of his own personal code, including resorting to physical violence should it come down to that.

Slowly, Eikichi opened the door to his own bedroom, peeking cautiously out. Coast clear? Yep. Good. Feeling fine and positive he was alone, the Spellcaster user began stalking towards the front door, ready to grab his Wheeler and ride over to this Arcadia place ... wherever that was. Likely in the Tops; he sure as fuck had never heard of such a place existing in the Satellite. So unless they were amazing hiders, he was fully expecting to have to infiltrate his way into the Tops.
 

Yusei had figured as much; still, with all of these new things happening, he was honestly curious if this was a phenomena she had witnessed. Clearly not. However, both he and Crow seemed to be intrigued by the concept of these 'Action Duels', leaning in to watch the short segment from her disk.

"Won't lie...That's awesome." Crow smiled, leaning back in his chair once the playback had concluded; if he truly was in the Pendulum Dimension, he wondered if his counterpart participated in them. Given Fuyu's interactions towards him, he seemed like kind of an unknown in that world. Yusei seemed impressed that Dueling had come so far in that world; he couldn't help but think of how the people here would react if they had monsters that could literally come to life in Duels.

If it was anything like he reacted though...Maybe that wouldn't go over so well. Especially since he'd seen Fuyu summon a monster after a Duel had concluded.

Regardless, Crow nodded as Fuyu asked about where she should stay, "I think if you're as close to Fayth as you seem, you staying with her would be the best." And once she would leave, Crow would turn to Yusei, "You certainly know how to keep things interesting. A prison break-out, finding someone from another dimension...Someone who can change into a Duel Monster? I'm in the wrong line of work." Yusei just smiled weakly, "None of that was by choice, though; still...Thanks again, Crow. I really do owe you a lot...But I should probably head back." Crow just shook his head, "Nah, man...You'll stay here tonight. I got spare beds...It sounds like the rain's stopping, lightened up at least. But with all the insanity out there, just...Stay." Yusei seemed surprised that Crow would be so adamant, but just smirked and replied, "Alright...Tomorrow I might need your help to get Fayth and Fuyu back across into the Tops."


Divine was more than sure that Hajime would try to use his powers somehow once he figured out how to tap into them. Even if it was on an elementary level, the boy seemed a quick study. The Arcadia leader knew well beforehand that Yuna and Hotsuma had succeeded; in fact, several of his top 'recruiters' were already in the Satellite, finding new people to bring to his organization.

It would be one reason of many why Sector wouldn't lose immediate control of the Satellite; their large recruiting campaign had bolstered Security's forces significantly. And with Divine's group bringing people back from behind the scenes, he found it ridiculously easy to make them submit. All he had to say was that he planned to give them an edge, a way to make sure they would never be looked down on again by the Topsiders. And they signed over so willingly; even if they would take a month or two to mature, he too was receiving quite the influx of new Psychic prospects.

"Hotsuma...Yuna...I might have regretted letting you free at first, but now I see I was right in doing so. You have my gratitude." Divine thought gleefully, feeling Hajime probe into his mind. And while the boy wouldn't get much, Divine would let the young man see what it was his other stronger disciples had been doing. Gathering recruits, transforming them into Psychics. All in the span of a few hours...He didn't do too much, because he didn't want to attract too much attention. And besides, with the Facility decimated, he still had a very nice pool of candidate to choose from.

And...He could feel that someone in particular was reaching out to him...Which, if anything, meant he would be seeing her again very soon. "Aki...Be a dear and light the way for our guests; I believe some friends of our dear Hajime are wishing to come and pay us a visit." he would then say to his most trusted associate; to think he would get two more for just taking one. "Hotsuma...Yuna...Your eye for talent is impeccable." he would then mutter to himself, giving a very confident smirk as he looked out from his office window across to the Satellite.



The rain had lessened significantly, though Hotsuma had yet to return from wherever it was he had gone. With the death of his brother still very much fresh in his heart, it wasn't unthinkable to believe that he would go after Sector even harder than before. And perhaps...This was just his way to vent some frustration.

Something that a particular member of Yomi seemed to understand all too well; given how long Hajime had been trapped at Arcadia, it was understandable that some would feel the 'waiting around' wasn't going to cut it. Something did in fact need to be done. But unknown to Eikichi...One of Hotsuma's own felt the same way.

And right as Eikichi would approach the front door, he would feel a hand come to rest on his shoulder. "Easy, Eikichi...It's just me." Yamichi would whisper, keeping his voice low. Like Eikichi, he was starting to get antsy of just waiting around; and while normally he wasn't one to stick his neck out like this. "I told Takeshi I was leaving...But he won't say anything unless he suspects something happens...So please, Eikichi...Let me go with you. It was my fault I couldn't get Hajime away from Aki...Let me help you get him back."
 

Hajime's hands gripped the sheets. His eyes shut tighter as he tried to strengthen his focus.

I'm mute, not dumb; I've heard and even seen some of hat within the past few days ...

And yet ... nothing. A frustrated growl passed Hajime's lips as he collapsed onto his back, panting heavily. Part of his was his fault ... he knew that much. But there had been times where cooperating would be fucking stupid; particularly when Divine had tried to force him to hurt Yuna. Mentally and physically, he'd shoved Divine away. In the process, however, his powers weren't nearly as potent as they could - and likely should - have been at this moment.

It was fine on one hand, if only because it kept him from being the soldier Divine had hoped for. Times like now, however, were the ones that made his lack of Psychic powers the most frustrating in how frail they were.

.... Yuna would have an easier time, huh?

A weak smile crossed his face as he thought of his leader. Even though it'd only been a bit over a week, it felt much more closer to a full month since he last saw her. Although part of him was still terrified of her learning what had happened to them, Hajime had better accepted what reactions may or may not come from it. If anything, they'd strengthen her more ... not weaken her. Just more reassurance he would not remain here for much longer.

"Absolutely not!" Divine would hear Aki shoot back. "Has it not yet clicked to you that they did what no one else has succeeded in doing?! They've done it! They escaped from the Facility; the goddamned Facility! Divine, if they truly accomplished that ... they're far too dangerous. Taking anymore of their people in is all but suicide."

Her arms crossed over her chest. She'd been leaning against on of the walls closest to Hajime's cell ... staying out of sight, but probably sensed, even if barely.

"We have one of three options hat are our smartest moves. Ignore the two heading over, let Hajime reunite with them, or even both. But the moment you do anything against whoever's coming, it will lead to not just Arcadia's downfall, but yours as well. Or hell, let us be even wiser and leave. Get stronger - as well as the other recruits sans Hajime - elsewhere and remain under their radar. You know I've never said no without a really good reason. So please, I implore you, listen to me now. More so than ever, I need you to heed this advice. Please."
Eikichi's eyes widened as he quickly turned around. Rather than seeing Shivini or Yuna like he partially expected, it was Yamichi.

... Why though?

When he recalled the day Hajime had been abducted and remembered Yamichi had been there, it made sense. Of course he'd wanna tag along. He had guilt, just like Eikichi had frustration and rage at his ototo being abducted.

" ... I don't know. Just .... if we both go, that puts us both at risk. And even if neither of us are fighting experts, shouldn't at least one of us remain to warn Yuna? Or Hotsuma if he returns?"

... He could see it though. Yamichi's determination and resolve, they were reflecting in his eyes like a small but powerful fire. Which caused Eikichi to sigh. "Okay ... fine. I can see I'm not winning this argument. Let's walk and talk." Eikichi finally turned around and pushed the door open, closing it quickly but quietly behind himself and the tech Disciple. "Then at least promise me something. Stay at a distance. I'll take the up-close risks. If anything, think you may be able to hack this place's security, even if only partially?"

He'd glance quickly around before gazing back at the second-in-command for the Disciples.

" ... For that matter, even know where this place is? I can only assume the Tops but ... that's not an address, you know?"

A quick trip to the garage later, and Eikichi would grab his Wheeler. He'd leave it up to Yamichi if he got his own or opted to ride with him instead. It'd been suggested as a precaution though; just as the implication of them both ending up very badly injured or worse, the same applied to two D-Wheelers being stolen instead of just one.
 

Needless to say, Divine was more than shocked to hear that Aki was actually disregarding a direct order. Her reasoning was sound...But also flawed.

"Aki...Do you honestly think I have no contingency for them showing up? Have you that little faith in me, even after everything I've done to show you I am capable?" Divine then asked; he needn't remind her, of course, that it was him that helped hone her powers. Tame them, bring them under her control. "Besides...I happen to have in good knowledge that Hotsuma, that emotional weakling, is of little threat to us. And if there's no one to report back to Yuna, then I'd say we're in the clear, yes?"

Giving a small smile, Divine then added, "Besides...I do intend to fully let them reunite with Hajime. I'm sure the poor fellows are worried sick about him...Only fair they get to see him after such an abrupt parting." It would be clear that he wasn't planning on heeding her advice, or at the very least not in the way she wanted him to. "Trust me, Aki...This will all work out for the better." he then said to her, his mind reaching out and touching to the two young men who planned their little rescue operation.

The tech in Hotsuma's group might not be as affected as Eikichi would be...But he could feel the guilt eating him up inside. Which meant he was going to be even more easily manipulated than he originally considered.


Yamichi just sighed in relief as Eikichi relented; he wasn't a strong fighter, that much he knew. His talents lay more in the technical side of things...But even still, he wasn't weak. All the same, he would at the very least try to avoid direct confrontation, if necessary.

"Promise" Yamichi reassured him, following him to one of the many stash spots for their Runners; it was best they kept these locations as discreet as possible, and having multiple points to retrieve them from would keep from having to lose them to any random Sector raids. Unaware of what he was about to hear next.

"Well then...You two seem like people capable of great action. I know who you are, even if you might not know me...And I know what it is you seek. Eikichi, you in particular are probably upset about your 'brother' being kidnapped. Rest assured, he has received the best medical treatment and no further harm has come to him. And Yamichi, you're of course welcome to see him too...So by all means, stop by."

That was all they would hear before the contact severed, a last flash image showing a very vivid address as well as an appearance of the building in question. And once that strange connection left both of them, Yamichi held the side of his head; that was both sudden and unwelcome. "The hell was that..." Yamichi groaned, one eye squinted from the rather abrupt communication.

Yamichi still wasted no time, and whipped out the datapad he seemed to have glued to him at all times. Sure enough, he put in the address that the strange voice provided...And the map function pulled up an exact duplicate of the image they were provided.

"I think we should take one Runner; even if Sector's busy, I doubt they're going to appreciate us trying to cross over. Plus, if you drive, I can lead us there...Up to you, really. But I say whatever we decide, we should get moving."


Divine sensed the resolve spike from the two young men, grinning a bit maliciously. "Well...That was easier than I thought." he spoke aloud, then saying to Aki, "If you don't wish to show yourself, Aki...I'll greet our guests personally. Just do me this one favor and keep Hajime from trying anything overly ambitious." It was here that he would then press a button near his desk; with this, communications to the outside world would be kept contained. He'd learned enough to where he could keep anyone from reaching out without interfering with the ability to use their powers from inside this building.

Stepping out of his office, he would then get into the elevator and ride the car down. Yes...If this went well enough, he could use these two very well.
 

Aki's head quickly moved from side to side.

"Faith has nothing to do with my suggestions. But the fact is ... it's been barely a month since we gave them freedom. They've grown too strong. It's a strategy, common sense even. Also, there is no way whoever's coming is the only other person Yuna has in her group. What if they told others before leaving they were gonna come for Hajime? Even if that's not the case, Yuna already knows. The moment she gets well enough .... this is not going to end well."

Her foot slammed angrily on the ground. An irked scoff elicited from Aki.

... If he wasn't going to listen to her, so be it.

Hmph. It's not Hajime being ambitious you gotta worry about, idiot, she bitterly thought, blocking these from being heard by anyone else. Finally pivoting on her feet, she walked forward.

Hajime's eyes narrowed ... as he soon found himself face to face with Aki.
" ... The fuck?!"

Sure, Eikichi talked with himself every now and again. But this ... was different, and definitely not something he'd experienced before. Never before had a voice spoken in his head; but now that it did, even Eikichi looked a bit on edge.

"Hey ... Yamichi? You heard that too, right?"

When Yamichi gave an affirmative answer, Eikichi grimaced. "Alright. That settles it; stay back and help from a distance. If some creep can just talk that easily to us from so far .... no telling what else he can do. Alright, hop on. We'll use just one. It's all we need, really."

... Okay, maybe not all. It'd definitely make leaving with Hajime a bit crowded ... but it'd be worth it.

After Yamichi got behind him and all preparations were complete, Eikichi revved the engine and drove swiftly off. All the while, he heeded and took Yamichi's directions to arrive at Arcadia's building.
"Don't give me that look, Hajime," Aki bitterly murmured. "In fact, you may wanna step back. In case."

" ... The fuck are you doing?" Hajime inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Getting you out. What's it look like?"

Hajime blinked several times ... then shook, his body giving away he'd be laughing if he could. "Wow. that's rich coming from you who fucking muted me. Why the change of heart, huh?"

"Because," Aki stated in a matter-of-fact tone, placing her hands on the door and beginning to mentally command for it to deactivate its locked status and turn to unlocked, "I was fine with getting recruits. What Divine is doing ... that will start a war against Hotsuma and Yuna. One I know we can't win. But ... he's being stupid. I can't condone anymore of you being taken .... not like this."

"... Anymore?"

"Yeah. Apparently two people who know you are coming over. If I get you out ... we can rendezvous with them. But we have to be quick considering Divine has a head start. So, gonna let me help you or not?"

"If this is a set-up .... "

"It's not! If I wanted to do that, I wouldn't have even come over here! Now move, goddamnit!" I'm gonna shatter the glass! And then get that collar off you!"

Hajime stayed still for a few moments, merely glaring at Aki. Finally, he gave a slow nod, and moved until he was inside the bathroom. Sure enough, from outside was a loud array of shattering sounds. Only when he heard "You're clear" did he step out ... and see Aki had kept her word.

"Come on, quickly."

" ... I'm gonna pretend you didn't boss me around," he shot back, moving swiftly forward, simultaneously being weary of the fallen glass. True to her word, Aki placed her hands on the collar. A few seconds later, it easily fell off and landed atop the broken glass.

"Okay. Elevator."

"Why not teleport us down?"

"Because he'll sense us. And I'm helping you block your thoughts so he doesn't immediately pick up on what I'm doing; otherwise we'd be in huge trouble."

Aki would make a hasty 'come on' gesture and finally run. Luckily, there wasn't only one elevator. So even though Divine had used one, they could use another and begin their race downstairs. A soft ding! echoed as Aki pushed the button to the ground floor, the car beginning its slow, steady descent downward.
 

Divine was humming to himself as he rode the elevator down, initially unaware of Aki's intentions. However, when he felt a presence near the cell holding him - followed by a loud and harsh noise that could only be broken glass - Divine sighed in disappointment. "Aki, Aki, Aki...You were to be a modern-day Joan of Arc. A symbol for all the down-trodden Psychics out there. I guess I truly was too lenient letting you be that close to Yuna. Ah well; when he reached out, he could sense the boy's thoughts being clouded; only one person had the capability to mask anything from him.

It seemed to be true, Aki had finally betrayed him...It was irksome, but he was a man who tried to think of possible contingencies and how to deal with them. And...As unlikely as it was, this was one that he did foresee. Just wished that it didn't actually happen, let alone so soon.

He would step off the elevator as it got to his floor; even if she had masked their thoughts, he would have more than likely taken note that another elevator was coming down. Which he would have found odd regardless, as it was to be curfew for everyone in the building. So, keeping his distance, he would stand and wait for the elevator to fully descend. And when the doors opened...Both Hajime and Aki would find themselves staring at none other than the very leader, his face sporting a very displeased expression.

Letting out a sigh, he would then stare right at his lieutenant...Well, soon-to-be former lieutenant. "Aki, I'm hurt. Truly I am. Can you not see I'm trying to do this for the betterment of Psychics everywhere? If we're to be taken seriously, to be able to walk around without being judged by others, it's unfortunately come to the point where we have to build a strong base. A large following of fellow supporters; after everything that's happened to you, I'd have thought you would be on my side. On our side, Aki. You and I have accomplished so much...I didn't honestly want to believe that one day you would just throw it all away."

He was quiet for a moment, but then added, "But it appears I was wrong. I see now that I have been far too care-free with you. A real shame; you performed admirably and went above and beyond my expectations in helping me build this haven. Of building the foundation for who we are to. It is my fault for placing so much trust in you, it seems. Even if you believe nothing else I say, believe that I was happy to have you as my confidant and second-in-command." Walking forward he would then say something to the redhead that likely sounded quite odd to Hajime, or anyone for that matter.

"When the witch sleeps, the Underworld reaches out from beyond to grant her shelter and protection."
 

DING!

The doors swung open once again, and both Aki and Hajime would eagerly run out. Only to just as swiftly come to an abrupt halt, with Aki stretching an arm out to keep Hajime from running right into Divine. Her fists clenched, her arm lowering after ensuring she'd kept Hajime safe enough. "What you're doing is not for 'the greater good' of Psychics! This is seriously suicidal! There are lines that should never be crossed; even you have agreed with me on that much. That's exactly why I went on and killed Tokumo .... because he went over that line. Now .... it's your turn."

... She killed someone? Seriously?!

A difficult to believe thought, much like it was for Divine to realize Aki had indeed betrayed him. But not an impossible one, either.

"Long story," she muttered, "But the long and short of it ... that was a good part of how I helped Yuna and Hotsuma get out; by removing Tokumo from our ranks and this earth. He can confirm that much ... if he so chooses to."

Her head shook as Aki shifted her words from Hajime to Divine. "Not carefree, no. You are right, though, in realizing there was a flaw of some sort."

Indeed, the phrase certainly stood out ... however, Aki understood it as she felt her head getting dizzy. Something like an invisible finger trying to force her to go from 'active mode' to 'unconscious'. Her left hand quickly rose as Aki gripped her head, fighting against the command attempting to overpower her..

"Out!" she hissed, shoving Hajime forward with her right hand. "While he's focusing on me, out! NOW!"

.... Would Yuna try to help her out if she were here? Probably. But with his powers already being limited as it was ... taking Divine directly head on would be very foolish. He had a better chance of winning at a card duel than a Psychic one. Catching his balance after stumbling forward a few steps, he began to ran forward.

And was met half-way by the front doors busting open, with a heavily panting Eikichi running in, accompanied by Yamichi. He'd ridden over as fast as Hotsuma left Yomi's base; there was no doubt he would have gotten arrested for all the speeding laws he broke. But as his head lifted and he found his ototo, he felt all the more assured this had been worth it. "Ha ... Ha .... Hajime! Holy fuck come ... come on! Let's bail!"
 

Divine let out a 'Tsk' as Aki tried to defy him, hearing her referencing the very event that probably led to her wanting to rebel against him. Oh, the pretty little lies she was told. He couldn't help but curse Yuna and Hotsuma; maybe he should have stoked the flames of hatred between her and the Disciples' boss a little harder. Would have not made her want to associate with Yuna, more than likely, or it would have driven Hotsuma and Yuna farther apart. Likely either would have been beneficial for him.

Too little, too late.

"It's useless to fight, Aki; remember, I helped you unlock your fullest potential. I know you, inside and out...Including where to 'push'." he would reply, repeating the phrase once more and adding a hint of psychic delusional energy to his voice to help it affect her more strongly. He knew Hajime would try to take this opportunity, especially now that his two guests had all but ruined his front door.

"That was quite expensive you know; I might be a wealthy man, but even my resources are finite." he would say, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out his Extra Deck. It was here that he would fish out three copies of a very unique card. One that was arguably the staple of his deck. "Aki, did you honestly think I wouldn't be without some tricks of my own? Come now, with how long we've worked together, you ought to know me better by now." Of course, with how much she had blindly followed him in the past, he knew very well she had only knew what he'd let her see.

"Hajime! Come on, man! We're getting you out!" Yamichi cried out, holding out a hand to try and pull him closer...But unfortunately, the Arcadia overseer had other plans. "And now...I'm afraid I can't let you leave." he would smile, another burst of enormous Psychic power leaving him as the three cards erupted in light; soon the trio from Satellite would be set upon by three Mental Sphere Demons. "Mental Sphere Demons...Please restrain them" he would then say calmly, the three oversized monstrosities flying with inhuman speed. One caught Hajime as he was right next to the Runner that would be his liberation, the other two grabbed Yamichi and Eikichi, their grips inhumanly powerful as they would then bring them back to Divine.

"Now then Aki...Why don't you be a dear...And go to sleep" Divine leaned in closer to her, whispering the command phrase one last time; behind him, he could still feel the three of them struggling to escape his Mental Sphere Demons' holds. "It's useless to resist, even for you, Hajime." the man said, Yamichi struggling even more as he grunted, "The hell...is this?! You're the one responsible for what happened to Hotsuma and Yuna?! Why'd you do it, you sicko?! The hell did they ever do to you?!" Divine just shrugged, "It wasn't what they did, boy...It was who they were. So ripe for development, and they would have wasted it getting caught and sentenced to life in prison by Sector. Speaking of which - Yamichi Hizumara, right? - once I get everyone settled back in...You and I are going to have a little talk. Mental Sphere Demons...If you would be so kind as to silence them for a while."

And at this command, the three demonic monsters would pour hushing energy into the minds of the three young men, Divine then snapping his fingers; about a dozen individuals in dark robes - members of Divine's highest order of ranked students - rushed out to his side, and after a short scuffle iron manacles being slapped on to not just Aki's wrists, but those of the boys from the Satellite as well.

"Now then, Aki...Please understand that I don't wish to hurt you, but you do need to be punished for your insubordination. Gentlemen and ladies, please escort them to the holding cells; I'll deal once I get the lobby cleaned up from the mess they made." Divine then said, the large group of Psychics leading their new captives away. Leaving the Arcadia leader to his own thoughts, the three monsters he called out fading back into their cards. "My word...All this trouble over sentimentality; there was a reason I asked her to let me think for her." he muttered, rubbing his temple with one hand; even so, for now at least things were quiet...But now he had to figure out how to approach this.

Minutes later, Aki, Hajime, Eikichi and Yamichi were all under lockdown; with the restraints the former two were wearing, it would dampen their abilities enough to where them breaking out was extremely unlikely. Even so, their cells were constantly monitored...And poor Yamichi seemed both confused and angry...More so the latter when he laid his eyes on Aki.

"Can't say I'm happy to be stuck in the same room as you, let alone in the same building that turned Yuna and Hotsuma into those things...But seeing you in a cage, it makes this trip almost worthwhile! You fucking bitch!" the tech spat venomously; honestly, it seemed like even if he was explained to that she was trying to help Hajime, he likely wouldn't even care.
 

"Not .... useless!" Aki hissed through gritted teeth. "Difficult at worst, but not impossible. Like you said, you trained me. I've had to tolerate much worse from you!"

Her head lifted ... and face paled as she watched Divine pull three copies of a card out. There were only a select few options that would be the best. Best, of course, meaning best for Divine to use. Either way, none of the options were good. She reached out, trying to yank the cards away while also fighting his commands. "RUN!" she shouted, wincing as she fell back onto her knees, her reaction a few seconds too late to stop Divine in summoning the Demons.

Hajime could practically feel Yamichi's fingertips. And right before he could accept the Disciple's hand, his eyes widened as he felt a foreign pair of arms wrap around him. "The hell?! NOOOOOOOOOOOO! LET GO! LET GO OF ME!"

"OI!" Eikichi growled, getting up to his own feet. "He's my ototo! You can't keep him for whatever the fuck you want! GIVE HIM BACK!" His eyes narrowed as he saw the other two demons ... even tried to time when they were gonna reach for him and Yamichi.

Rather than dodging and saving himself, he tried to shove the tech away. It was for this exact type of scenario he hadn't originally wanted to feel like he was dragging Yamichi along. If he could get at least him out, he'd feel a bit better. "GET, GET! WAKE YUNA'S ASS UP --- URGH!" The 'fight' part of his fight or flight instinct kicked in ... even if it was as pointless as Divine hinted. He squirmed, kicked, tried to elbow the Demon's gut; any and everything that may offer it to let go for a few seconds, he attempted to succeed in.

"Talk?" he repeated incredulously, glaring furious at Divine. "It damn well better be about your demise, because there's not much else to speak with any of us about. Fucking! Coward! Too afraid to take us on in hand-to-hand?! HUH?!"

Between the energy from the Demon's and Divine's command finally working, all four figures would black out, falling on the floor in a matter of seconds.

Aki, not too amazingly, would be the first to come to. When she felt her and Hajime's Psychic energy significantly lower, a sigh passed her lips. "... He's never had to use anything like these before," she mused, leaning her head against the wall of her cell.

Eikichi would be next ... and found that in the cruelest of jokes, Hajime was across from him. The cell and these manacles were the only thing keeping him from reaching out and holding his brother. "Motherfucker!" he spat, turning and looking for Yamichi. "You're here .... right, Yamichi? Damnit .... I'm sorry. This is what I was trying to avoid."

"Aniki ... Yamichi .... why isn't Yuna or Hotsuma with either of you?"

Hajime groaned as he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. Eikichi sighed, grimacing as he stared at his blue-haired ototo. " .... So .... Judai and the others weren't lying about ... your .... "

".... No. Afraid not. My voice, you were gonna say? Yeah. I am mute."

Eikichi kicked angrily at the doors, not caring if this was as redundant as his struggles against the Demons. "HOW DARE YOU!" he screamed. "OHHHH! Wait till your Karma arrives. It'lll be amazing to watch you all burn to the Abyss where you fuckers BELONG!"

"... That's not going to get either of you anywhere," Aki calmly replied.

"Fuck off. Is it also true that you were the one who muted Hajime?!"

" ... It is, yes."

A low "Tch" passed Eikichi's lips as he gave his door one last kick ... stopping if only to preserve some of his strength. "I have to agree with Yamichi then. Seeing you as stuck as us? Yeah. Definitely makes failing to get Hajime out worthwhile. Anyway, why? Because .... too much has been going down. Nothing good, either. Even after getting out ..... neither of them have gotten much of a break." A very unorthodox smirk crossed Eikichi's lips. "But Yuna doesn't need much; just a bit of rest. When she figures it out ... and she will, because a certain someone was supposed to ensure I wasn't stupid like this ... she will come for us. She has never forgotten about you."

"Rest? Why? What happened to her?"

"She was .... drugged or some shit in the Facility. Whatever happened, it's got her incapacitated ...." Eikichi quickly shook his head as he heard an internal whimper from Hajme. "She's fine. Really. Don't give up yet."

"No, no. I believe you about Yuna. But ... shit! So fucking close. We were so fucking close!" Hajime buried his head upon his knees. "I just wanna go home ... "

" ... We will," Eikichi firmly replied. "We definitely will. You've done well. Keep hanging on, alright?"
 

Yamichi huddled down, fresh tears starting to prick the corners of his eyes; it wasn't that he was upset that they were caught. More like they were now prisoner of the man that did...whatever he did...to Yuna and Hotsuma. Even worse was the very fact that they did fail; Hotsuma had enough to worry about, he didn't need to add his being held hostage.

Even so, he furiously wiped his eyes, glaring at Aki as she commented, "I hope you feel proud of yourself...Really fucking proud of yourself. All this time, Sector's been targeting people of the Satellite...People who have done nothing wrong. Their officers label them as monsters, trash, garbage, you fucking name it." Yamichi's jaw tensed; even without any noticeable Psychic potential, even Aki would feel his anger really starting to boil over, his voice cracking a bit as he screamed, "What about you, huh? You and your precious Master...WHO'S THE REAL MONSTER!? YOU STEAL PEOPLE FROM THEIR HOMES AND TURN THEM INTO THESE FREAKS?! IT'S NOT THEM, IT'S YOU! IT'S YOU AND IT WILL ALWAYS BE YOU!"

He was really getting riled now, especially since Aki seemed to be so calm and collected...And that really pissed him off, his lips noticeably trembling as his fingers pressed even more tightly against the glass. "WELL?! YOU GONNA JUST SIT THERE?! YOU EXPECT US TO FEEL SORRY BECAUSE YOU'RE HERE WITH US!? FUCK THAT! I HOPE YOU BURN IN HELL! I HOPE THAT WHEN HOTSUMA OR YUNA GET HERE, THEY ABSOLUTELY RIP YOU APAAAAART!" Yamichi felt his poor body shaking so much he was so mad, his throat feeling raw from having raised his voice so much; he'd never gotten like this before. Maybe it was because the memory of seeing Hotsuma lose his brother, after shedding so much of his own sweat, blood and tears...And if Aki even bothered to try and probe, she would be able to glean that little memory from the tech's emotionally wracked mind.

But...Maybe it was also because deep down he felt responsible in some capacity for the mess they ended up in. He just didn't want Eikichi to go alone; he didn't really come to exact vengeance or anything ridiculous like that. He just wanted to make sure Eikichi didn't get in over his head...And now here they all were, stuck like rats in a cage. He was with Hajime; he just wanted to go home. Sector, while weakened, still needed to be dealt with. They shouldn't have to be here, wasting time with these assholes...Listening to someone who probably never saw a real day of hardship in his life lecture them.

"Well now...For someone usually so mild-mannered, seeing you enraged is an interesting sight."

And there it was, the voice that no one in this room wanted to hear, the man that led this organization flanked by two of his more trustworthy disciples. "I think he likes you, Aki." Divine joked, turning instead to see the other bluenette and the blonde-haired disciple. "You..." Divine started off, pointing to Eikichi, "Are certainly someone worth studying...But not right now. I'm more interested in your friend here...See, Aki here was kind enough to remind me of why letting your bosses go was a bad idea. Repeatedly, I might add...You see, I didn't just have Hajime join our ranks because he had Psychic potential. I was trying to show Yuna and Hotsuma why they should have stayed; we both want the same thing really. Sector gone, namely...And that tyrant Goodwin overthrown. Surely you three can relate to Aki and myself? Judged, deemed unworthy to live...Called monsters. Why, Aki's parents went so far as to drive her out of their very home...Think of it, her own flesh and blood labeling her a demon. Can you think of a crueler fate?"

At this Yamichi just snickered, "Far as I'm concerned, her parents were dead on. Only a demon, a goddamn monster, robs someone of their voice and takes them from the home. You and that psycho bitch can claim yourselves innocent all you like...But just like Goodwin deserves to go...So do you two." Divine raised a brow, "My, oh my, such cruel words...But thankfully, you won't be thinking those much longer. No, my boy, I have a nice little niche for you to fill." And at this, the door to Yamichi's cell opened and Divine stepped in, Yamichi staring defiantly at the older male. "You see, you're quite a strong Duelist even without Psychic abilities. Of course, I always need a contingency in case some of my former disciples...And you, my boy, are going to be one of them."

Giving a nod, the two that came with him hauled Yamichi to his feet, the young Disciple yelling and squirming but Divine raising a hand and making a closed fist, the tech's form stilling instantly. This was more of a paralysis technique than anything else, and really just to make it so that Yamichi wouldn't be able to struggle. "Now then...Let's go somewhere more private...Ta-ta for now, you three." Divine then said with a cheerful grin, leading a weakly wiggling Yamichi - yelling and trying to fight as much as he could - away from his friends despite whatever protests they might have had.
 


Hajime grimaced as Yamichi screamed out the word 'freaks'. He knew it hadn't been directly worded at him, per se; but the simple truth was he was one of these 'freaks'. It wasn't obvious, thankfully ... god, what would they think, even? His fists clenched as they dug into his palms, his head burying further into his knees.

" .... Ototo?"

"... You're not reading my mind somehow, are you?"

That made Eikichi tilt his head. "Fuck no. Just your body language. That's more than enough. Hajme, what's going on?!"

Even as Hajime shook his head from side to side ad tightly latched onto his lip, Eikichi was starting to piece the last reply - a certain part of it - together.

".... Come to think of it ... you're telepathy or however you're talking to us. Hajime ... ?? Have you .... what have they done to you?!"

" ... Some 'waking up' bullshit. I don't fucking understand it fully. Just .... four to five days of constant experimenting on me. Wouldn't leave me alene! And if it wasn't them, it was that fucking shock collar!"

" .... Shock collar?!"

Well .... so much for calming down. More so when Divine returned. "Really?! Really?! Fucking experimenting on humans?! You're all sick! I'll gladly make an exception to you in my 'anti-violence' policy; you and your precious little bitch."

Aki, meanwhile, actually had remained silent. Indeed, not only did she choose to simply 'sit there', but ignored Yamichi. The truth was ... she didn't even start to expect pity, forgiveness, nothing. Even if Divine wasn't usually a malicious man .... treason was a whole different story. It'd be a miracle if he'd even let her live, knowing fully well how dangerous she was. Especially without the chains. And yet .... that was oddly fine also. She could at least die knowings she'd tried to heed Yuna's advice and turn her back on her ex-Master.

"My, oh my, such cruel words...But thankfully, you won't be thinking those much longer."

Eikichi didn't need to hear his ototo whimper for him to react at those words. "The fuck is that supposed to mean?! GET AWAY FROM HIM!" He gave the door a few more harsh kicks before actually trying to force it open with his own shoulders. Each failed attempt made him hiss and wince ....but fuck it.

"WAIT! Please, stop! You've wanted me to cooperate?! Fine, I'll do it! Please, leave him alone!" Hajime pleaded, a few tears of his own beginning to stream down his jeans.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF HIM!"

Whether more civil or not, all the pleas went ignored. One last angry kick would be given before even Eikichi's head fell against the wall, tilting back to hide his own tears. Cowards! he internally shouted. Couldn't fight us without using whatever they can do!

Worse off were these fucking chains. If they were gone .... he could have done more. Maybe at least grabbed one of the guy's legs? Anything was better than nothing. But now .... he was terrified. Both for himself and Yamichi. "Oi? Hajime? Please reply back; this is important. You think you can reach Yuna even from this far?" The question was whispered in a very hushed tone.

"I .... I don't know! Even if I can ... I can't block anyone else from hearing me."

"Try. Please. When people finally calm down and go to bed. We need Yuna and Hotsuma .... one or the other for sure. At least try."

".... Alright. For you and all of us, I'll try."

"There we go," he reassuringly whispered, sighing as he wiped any lingering tears off on his shirt. "Right now ... you're our best hope for leading to a successful escape. I'm counting on you."
By the time morning rolled around, both Fayth and Fuyu had woken up a bit after dawn. Partially out of habit ... but mainly to do something important before Crow and Yusei woke up. Something that needed to be done alone.

"You ready to talk to him, Fayth?"

She swallowed ... nervous for some stupid reason. Barely a minute would pass before she offered Fuyu an affirmative nod.

"Okay. Just give my sleeve a tug whenever you want me to talk for you." Fuyu then connected with Reiji. She'd already pulled him up on her own duel disk. Now that Fayth gave her the green light, the call was official and live. Before he spoke, however, Fuyu rose a finger to her lips. "We're in one a make-shiift orphanage within the Commons area. Everyone else is asleep, at least as far as we know."

"Understood," Reiji replied, immediately lowering his voice. "Good to see you again, Fayth."

"Thank you, sir. Good to see you again?"

" .... Sir?" Reiji smirked, even chuckled softly, pushing his glasses up. "I'm not even an adult yet. Heh. Guess they at least gave you manners .... hmmm? What's with that inverted cross?"

"Their brand they gave me."

Reiji raised an eyebrow but nodded. It didn't make sense, but .... whatever. "So ... I doubt they released you. Relieved as I am, can you relay what happened?"

Fayth's mouth opened .... and then her lip quickly began to tremble. She quickly pulled on Fuyu's sleeve, turning her head away.

" .... Hmmm. I wish you'd fill in the blanks. I don't know all the details myself, but .... alright. I'll take over. So .... I was on my way to visit her. When I arrived, the entire Facility was in ruins. Some inmates must have succeeded in not only causing a riot, but escaping. When I asked where Fayth was, someone informed me of solitary. Upon arriving there, she was already gone. So I hacked her disk and tracked her down. She was ... caught in between some fight amongst a Yusei and Kiryu fellow. The latter had, supposedly, taken her hostage in hopes of getting back against Yusei ... and ... constructed a suicidal-homicidal duel. Yusei was hesitant to duel .... so I stepped in and took his place."

Reiji frowned, already understanding well enough what had obviously happened. "Well ... you seem to have removed the 'homicidal' aspect, at least."

"Yes. I had my Cryomancer freeze the chains before Fayth ended up being dragged under water. Before the duel began, I promised Yusei to try to save Kiryu. So I gave my word .... and got rewarded with a shank." She moved into frame, allowing Reiji to see the bandaged shoulder. "Suffice to say, he didn't want to be saved."

"Hmmm. I can't say I'm happy to see you hurt. I am, however, glad you're alive and mostly well. Thank you, Fuyu. You have my eternal gratitude for getting Fayth back. Anything else?"

Fuyu would nod, sneaking a glance to Fayth who still seemed to be in a bit of shock; fair enough. That wouldn't probably go away for several more days. "I informed Yusei and another of his comrades of our origins. Just them. But they asked a good question in return. Aside from the sake of knowing, is here another purpose for informing them of what Leo's trying to do?"

"You must have been tired. That should have been an obvious answer. Yes, there is. Then again, I'll also admit we only recently got this data, so don't worry about not having figured this out. So .... " Resting his head atop his hands, Reiji continued, "I have a theory thanks to all the newest data we've gotten. It may not be the main goal, but certainly one from my disgrace of a father. If all of the dimensions do get aligned close enough, Academia could potentially invade all of the dimensions simultaneously instead of one at a time."

Fuyu had to fight the urge to face palm! By god, that was a scary thought! And ... it made perfect sense! Fuyu grimaced at that, nodding and acknowledging Reiji's words. "One last thing ... Fayth? I think you should tell him this."

"Hmmmm?"

"Your shoulder and the odd mark there."

Faytth nodded; that she could mention, at the very least. Turning back around, although still shaking slightly, she paused before slowly replying, "Ummm ... this is another mystery I don't know all the facts about. But ... supposedly, I'm a Signer. What's weirdest about this, though, is everyone else who has a similar mark is from the Synchro Dimension. I shouldn't .... I feel like I'm breaking a pattern or something."

"Signer?" Reiji hesitantly repeated, "Mark? Show me, if you can."

It was faint. But sure enough, as Fayth moved her sleeve up and allowed her right shoulder to come into view, he could detect an odd outline upon her flesh. "Odd. I've never seen that before. Where'd that come from?"

"Before ... before I got arrested, When I secured my place in the Fortune Cup in a mini-tournament, in fact. It ....bled. Formed, appeared, however you wanna say it. Then it activated again the night me and Yusei were arrested. Not only did my Sign react, but so did Yusei's and Jack's."

"Jack? So he's a Signer in this world?" Reiji's fingers drummed against the desk he was sitting in front of, nodding. "Think you can have Fuyu help send all of the video files showing such a display over? I want to study these myself and see if I can give a better reason as to how you may be one of these Signers."

"Yeah, that can be done."

The reassurance was uttered by both women.

"Well .... " Reiji mused, nodding after a few more moments. "I'm gonna let you two go for now. Thank you both for the update. Fayth? Still can't send a more mechanically inclined person over with your disk. But hopefully, Fuyu remaining with you will make your stay in this Dimension much more tolerable."

"I .... alright. Thank you, Reiji."

As Reiji's face vanished from Fuyu's disk, the Ice Barrier user stood up, wincing slightly as her leg throbbed. "I will," she quickly reassured, "But not until after we get back to our place. I'll start resting when we arrive though; I promise."

"I think I will too. Until the Fortune Cup, I'm not sure I wanna go out too many times unless absolutely necessary."

Fuyu smiled, nodding in approval .... and finally let out an irked sigh. "Mind ... if I borrow your shoulder?"

"N-No! Of course not!"

Slowly, the two would walk - limp in Fuyu's case - back to where they had revealed a good chunk of information to both Yusei and Crow last night.
 

Across the way back at the Satellite, the night had passed not so quietly; the initial terror that plagued the Satellite from the massive breakout had started to subside. Sector, despite being weakened, was still a fairly strong fighting force and most of the inmates had long since been separated from whatever groups, leading to some being recaptured and thrown into the holding cells. And with the Warden now officially dethroned, the Facility would make a very strong base for whoever wanted to use it.

Of course, those that had rejoined found themselves welcomed back with open arms, more than a few of the Duel Gangs reinvigorated as the other leaders would settle back into their roles, telling their underlings of the giant that had liberated them, the Satellite's very own Fiend. And because of this, if they didn't choose to go back underground to plan out how to expand, they went on to cause trouble elsewhere and start getting some payback on the blue-suited bastards that locked them up in the first place.

But, that whole deal was the furthest thing from Yusei Fudo's mind; he managed to get a decent amount of sleep...But woke up fairly early, having slept on the couch in the main room of Crow's hideout. He then went into the pocket of his prison jumpsuit pants and fished out the cards from one of the pockets, thankful they hadn't gotten wet or damaged. He looked to the Great Cattle Demon card Jin had given him, remembering his words:

"Kid...I'm betting if you went into the Tops, you had your stuff confiscated, yeah? Take this card and go to Bootleg when you get out. Ask for a glass of milk and show this card to the bartender. A man named Saiga will help you get it back."

Would it really work? Would this guy really help him out? Jin seemed pretty honest about him, and a large part certainly wanted to believe it was true...And if he could get it back, then he could try and see to Jack again. Maybe this time, he could explain everything that was going on; even if he couldn't get Stardust back, the very least he wanted was to do was try and reach out to Jack.

But...For right now, he needed to help Fayth and Fuyu get back across; strong as they were, the city was in havoc right now. And this was no place for someone without vision, even with a bodyguard. At the very least, they could try and blend in; Sector wouldn't suspect them to run to the Tops and at the very least he could try to meet up with her later. And the sounds of shuffling feet made him sit up and see that both were in fact up and about; it was still kind of early, but hopefully that meant they could.

"Morning, you two...Hope it wasn't too cold." Yusei said, slowly stretching himself out and standing up...Only to soon be joined by Crow. "Seems like everyone's up this morning...Was about to get started on breakfast. Won't be much though." Yusei just shook his head, "It's fine, Crow; I appreciate you giving us shelter for last night." Crow gave a dismissive wave as he started washing up some rice and setting out a pot to cook it on. "So...Given your newfound freedom, what's the plan?" the orange-haired male asked, Yusei replying after giving a sideways glance to Fayth and Fuyu "Well...Depending on how you two feel, we can see about trying to get you back into the Tops; with all the uproar from the release, we should be able to sneak back through the pipeline. Hopefully, anyway."


Jack, unfortunately, couldn't meet with Goodwin the day before; it seemed there was something going on and Mikage absolutely refused to tell him what. Plus...He had to attend another public appearance display; something that was arranged to get people even more excited for the upcoming Fortune Cup tournament.

The whole time, while he had given his speech, all he could think about was the fact that the mark on his arm had burned. Just like it had before Mister E's interference at the Selection Tournament, and when Yusei had confronted him before being arrested. He fished into his Deck, pulling out the Stardust Dragon he had taken from Yusei...Before long, taking out his Red Dragon Archfiend and holding the two side by side.

Suddenly...The white-armored dragon seemed so...alien for his Deck. Like Red Dragon should be the one he has. It wasn't that he felt guilty, no that wasn't it. It was more like Stardust didn't belong, not just to him but in his Deck.

"Red Dragon...Are you trying to talk to me? Tell me to give this back?" Jack asked...Before long shaking his head. No, that wasn't it; they were cards, they couldn't talk. Regardless, he had to talk to Goodwin...Now, and whatever he had going on was just going to have to wait. Picking up his phone, he then dialed Mikage's number. "Mikage? It's Atlas; let the Director know I'm on my way." he said, pausing as the assistant tried to explain that Goodwin was busy, Jack's eyes narrowing as he responded back harshly, "Well then he's just going to have to make time! I have questions about all this, and he's not going to get out of me answering them!"

Hanging up before the woman could reply, he would get dressed and after a quick instant breakfast shake, hopped on his Runner and took off. "Goodwin...You're hiding something from me. I don't know what it is, but I intend to find out. This mark, this Dragon...You explained it before, but too much isn't adding up." Jack thought to himself.

And when he arrived, he would see that Goodwin was in fact looking rather stressed...But now was not the time for pleasantries. "Goodwin...I really need to speak with you, and no this cannot wait." Jack then said in a rather demanding fashion; there was more to this 'Crimson Dragon' than met the eye, and he could just sense that Goodwin knew something.
 


"Morning," the two foreigners replied back .. although Fayth's voice was a bit more content to hear Yusei call out to them.

"No, it wasn't too chilly. Thanks for the concern though," Fuyu replied, hissing slightly as she sat down. "Guess it went in deeper than I thought. I'll... probably admit myself to the hospital when we get back. The treatment that was given is appreciated; but I think I may need a more professional touch, per se."

Fuyu inwardly smirked. She had let Fayth scooting close to Yusei last night slide. It made a bit more sense; she'd been around him for a while and could probably trust him. So it didn't seem odd for her to be near him when Fuyu displayed the truth of their origins.

But now that she was calm and not in a freaked out state .... yet still sat close to Yusei; that didn't go unnoticed.

Got a crush, do you? she traced on Fayth's arm.

Fayth blushed and lightly slapped Fuyu's hand away. "Too early," she muttered.

Fuyu chuckled lightly, holding her hands up beside her head before lowering them. "Fine, fine. Fair enough." Her gaze shifted to Yusei as she nodded, "Well ... given you did get all of us here fine enough, yes. I'd prefer heading back. Grateful as I am for all you two have done ... I don't wanna impose on you for much longer. And ... yeah. I'm definitely gonna need to get to the hospital. But ... "

Fuyu nodded towards Fayth.

"I'm pretty confident she'll wanna change first, nor would I blame her for that. So I can let her do that much. Don't worry about the hospital part; I can call for an ambulance."

Fayth nodded, both in agreement ... and to add her own comment in. "Yes. Thank you both for everything."
It had been very uneasy. But, eventually, Hajime had fallen asleep. The promise he made to Eikichi, sadly, had ot wait until morning. They were being closely patrolled which did make enough sense. Between him and Aki, there were two potential people that could do something even with the restraints on.

Luckily, Yuna had always been a bit of a morning person. Itt made picking up the habit of waking up early easy for Hajime to take up also. His head tilted back as he thought carefully. Whatever he'd need to say, it'd have to be quick, but to the point.

His head nodded as he peeked out of his cell. Good; if anyone was awake, they were at least not doing any guarding rounds.

Yuna? Yuna? HEY, Yuna!

Back at the Yomi base, Yuna groaned. Even with crying herself to sleep and remaining unconscious for as long as she did, she still felt like shit. Probably due to the last bits of whatever Armstrong forced her to get injected with. One hazel eye hesitantly opened ... was that .... ??

"Hajime? Hey? I mean, glad to hear from you, but .... "

"HEY!"

Now Yuna was starting to sit up. There was a definite sense of urgency in his voice ... which meant this wasn't a mere random 'hello' message like one would assume.

"... You sure it's just hey, Hajime?"

"HEYA technically, but --- "

A grimace spread over her face as the connection was forced off. That definitely meant something .... but what? She needed to wake herself up. So, she opted to go through with the first thing that came to her mind; a shower.

Before moving to her bathroom, though, she unlocked her door. She'd been a grade A bitch yesterday; wasn't even gonna deny that. So, to make up for her immature attitude, she'd allow anyone who may need to speak with her to enter ... the room, anyway.

Yuna then pivoted on her feet, entered the bathroom, and closed the door behind her, beginning to peel her clothes she'd passed out in off her skin.
 

Yusei didn't seem to mind that Fayth sat next to him, even more so that she was still closer as she was as when she was scared. He didn't really think anything of it; she probably just needed some form of contact/closeness to remind her that people were still around. And if that was the case, he could easily give that to her; with how she'd been treated, it was the least he could do.

"Well...I have business over in the Tops anyway. I'll be happy to drive you guys over once we get some food in our stomachs. And if it's early enough, we shouldn't have any problems sneaking over." Yusei said, Crow raising a brow as he set out the bowls of simple food: Rice and steamed canned mackerel. It wasn't much but it would at least keep them sustained until they got back. "Business? What's over there?" the young man asked, Yusei stating "Before I left, an inmate told me of a way to get my stuff back. My Runner - and likely my Disk - are locked up somewhere in the Tops; there's someone I can meet that can help me get it back."

Crow let out a 'Tch' as he explained, "Figures they would carry it back over there; wonder how they do it though. Have to have a boat or something, since the Facility was located over here." Yusei just shrugged, "Don't really know; never really bothered to explain where they take our things when we get thrown in there. They must not do it with everyone's though; would explain how Fayth's Disk was actually at the Facility itself. They had underground fighting clubs in there, a gambling ring for the officers, so they probably just had some of the confiscated Disks for use in that."

Crow just sneered, "Oh, so they can play the game...Well, I wish I could have met this Fiend guy. Give him a big ol' handshake for busting everyone out." Yusei just stayed silent; while he was definitely grateful to be out, he still wondered if Sosuke being a monster of that kind of power would in fact be good.

Even more so when he remembered Yuna's words:


"It is true that I don't know what caused... whatever I woke up from. But ... given there is a common trend, I'm guessing it involves using my form too long. I just used the more subtle parts, but I was definitely in it for far too long yesterday. I don't know if Fayth's hinted we're certain about forcing our way out. But ... that's basically the long and short of why. Because we have the capability of making this place collapse ... and more. However ... if Sosuke is changing in a very literal sense ... this may be a blessing and a curse. And when the latter arrives ...

"I'm not even sure if I - or anyone, really - will be safe."


If it was really that bad, he was hoping for everyone's sake that Sosuke would be able to keep it in check. But...It was here that Yusei realized he forgot to tell Yuna that Fayth was actually out and safe; closing his eyes as he continued to eat his food he would then say to her, "Yuna...I don't know how far this might reach...But wherever you are, I just want to let you know that Fayth is safe. I'm going to take her back to the Tops in a few minutes."

Once everyone was finished with their meals, he would help Crow clean up and after being given a change of clothes - a sleeveless racing jacket and a pair of ripped pants, namely - would help assist the two foreigners get ready themselves. "Thanks again, Crow...Really, I owe you." Crow just laughed, "If you're over in the Tops, find a pack of Super Duper Cup Ramen, yeah? I've been dying for one of those!" Yusei just smiled, remembering the times he and Crow would literally share one cup of the stuff, "Sure, I can do that. With any luck, this shouldn't take too long...Return trip may take a bit though! Bye!" And after starting the engine, he would then take off...Not knowing what was going to happen.


Goodwin, meanwhile, was busy sifting through the small mountain of reports he'd received. His expression was definitely not calm, not since having learned about the breakout of the Facility. Needless to say, once he got his hands on that reject Warden, being fired would be the last of the fat man's concerns. How could this have happened? The Facility was the most secure prison in the entire world; how the hell did the inmates get organized enough to overcome all those armed officers?

It had to have been them; he just knew they were responsible somehow. But at the very least, he knew that if they tried to cross over. If the Fiend wanted himself to be well-known, well, having his and his lover's mug plastered all over every precinct would make sure they couldn't enter the Tops without being instantly recognized. That and with their marks...It'd be easy to tell where they were.

However...He soon found himself being interrupted as Jack burst into his office. Instead of getting mad, Rex actually welcomed the opportunity. And he knew exactly what it was that Jack was referring to; well, the truth had to come out sooner or later. "Mikage, please hold all calls regardless of urgency and tell anyone who asks for additional reinforcements within Satellite that they're being deployed as we speak. I'll not leave my officers hanging out to dry and those scum running about as they please." Jack raised a brow after Mikage bowed and left, the King asking "Is it really that bad over there." Rex just sighed and patted Jack on the shoulder, "Nothing Security can't handle...The former inmates might be numerous but by and large they are disorganized, undisciplined. Now...I'm assuming this is about the mark on your arm, yes?"

Stepping across the way, Goodwin would then push a button on the wall; the panels slid aside to reveal a hidden room. "Jack...What I'm about to show must be kept absolutely secret. Understood?" Goodwin asked, Jack nodding and following the Director inside, the walls closing shut behind them.
 

"... Sneaking over? Is going back and forth really that big of a deal?"

Though Fayth was the one who asked, Fuyu looked just as intrigued on the concept as Fayth. Apparently, neither women had been informed of certain customs this Dimension had, including the segregation between Satellite and the Tops.

"Sorry. You're doing a lot of reckless things for us then, huh?"

Fuyu would lightly tap Fayth's shoulders as her breakfast was set down in front of her. The meals would be finished off easily enough, with little hesitation. It seemed Fuyu hadn't simply been saying they were ready to get back just because; in many regards, this was very true.

But it wouldn't hit Fayth until the D-Wheeler stopped that there was one thing she'd regret; the distance that would soon be between her and Yusei. Her head turned as she watched Fuyu dismount first. "Umm ... can you get inside fine?"

"Yeah. Why? Want a bit of time alone?" An already knowing smirk was on Fuyu's face, and it only spread further as Fuyu nodded, her face burning once again. "Alright, alright. I suppose you earned this much with all the shit you endured. Okay."

Having been right behind Yusei when he drove her and Fuyu over, she laid her hand upon his shoulder ... not only for support, but at least right now, it seemed like that was the only reason she was doing this. "Seems like your life got a bit more hectic since we met. Even still ... you ummm ... you and Yuna have really done wonders for me." Her hand slowly slid up a bit further, her thumb lightly rolling over his right cheek. "I don't know if I could ever begin to thank you properly ... so .... it's a bit selfish but .... "

Noting where her thumb was still gently resting, it moved away, only to be soon replaced by her lips giving Yusei's cheek a soft peck.

"I umm .... hope to see you again soon. I know the Facility's ... not exactly the way it used to be anymore, but be careful."

If she hadn't already been red enough, it looked like Fayth may join Fuyu. With how crimson her face was, it was easy to think she had a hell of a fever ... which, for the record, wasn't too inaccurate to assume or say. "Later, Yusei!"

Before Yusei would get too far out of earshot, he'd hear Fuyu tease from inside, "Knew it! But that was too tame. Really? Only the cheek?"

"Shush and get ready," Fayth muttered, the door finally closing behind her.
Yuna had been almost finished when she heard Yusei's thoughts. She temporarily forgot she'd let him know what she actually was. When she recalled, however, she sighed. Good. At least not everything was working against her.

"Thanks. I'm guessing you or someone else will be able to keep helping her from here on out. Anyway, thanks for helping when I couldn't watch her. You've earned my complete trust as an ally and comrade."

Now that the worry of Fayth's safety was taken care of, her mind shifted back to Hajime's message.

HEY ... but technically HEYA. Why technically?

The shower had helped, but ... she needed something more obvious, as far as clues went.

"YUNA!"

Her head turned as she heard Shivini sounding worried, which, in turn, made her return the feelings. "Come in and tell me what's up."

Yuna would barely finish wrapping a towel around her torso before the Amazoness user hurried in, meeting the leader as she exited the bathroom. "O-Oh! Sorry, Yuna!"

Yuna merely smirked and waved her hand dismissively. "Don't fret about it. I invited you because you're another woman. And besides, I'm not indecent ... anyway. What brought you here?"

"R-Right ... Eikichi!"

Yuna's eyes narrowed. Slowly, the HEY clue was beginning to add up. "Go on."

"He's .... he's not in his room."

Yuna had to grip tightly onto the towel, lest she risk flashing her fourth-in-command. "Check the entire base. I'm gonna help you look as soon as I get dressed." Right as Shivini left, Yuna finished drying herself and threw the towel aside.

HEY -- were those initials?

Hajime .... Eikichi .... and someone else?!

"Fucking idiot!" she hissed through gritted teeth, rummaging swiftly through her drawers for an outfit. Thank god she was always a more causal woman, because jeans and a dark top would very likely be needed to help out.

I told him to wait! Dumbass! Well ... fine! Guess the priority to get to Arcadia's even higher!

Assuming, that was, her fears were correct. And if they were .... well, then she may have to get a hold of her lover. There were very few other people who had a name - aside from herself - starting with a Y. The first name that popped into her head was one Hotsuma would not be pleased about hearing.

But first thing was first; step one came in the form of getting dressed. Step two was confirming if Eikichi truly was gone, along with whom she suspected to be 'Y'.
 

Yusei just smirked a little as he caught the tail end of their conversation; well, at least he'd gotten her back safely. He could definitely take pride in that; he placed a cap over his head to help hide his face and not let people see the criminal mark on his face. Last thing he needed was to draw undue attention. Since he'd taken Fuyu's Runner over, it meant Yusei would have to do the rest of this on foot. And now that he thought about it...He had no idea where this 'Bootleg' was. He was kind of a moron thinking back; rushing off to try and help Fayth back in the Facility, he hadn't thought to ask for directions to the place.

He pulled out the Great Cattle Demon card again, pondering what he was supposed to do now. "Jin...You wanted me to find this place...But I didn't ask where it was." he mused; however, when his finger pressed on the back of the card, he noticed a small bump. Weird; Duel Monster cards didn't have those...Looking more closely, he then saw that the card had a false back. And when Yusei would peel it back, he'd see a folded up square...And when it was opened fully, he found an address, making a smile cross his face. "Jin...You really did look out for me." Yusei muttered; now the only problem was getting there.

He could go back and ask Fuyu for one last trouble; but she needed to rest and have her leg examined. He'd find his way...Somehow. Tilting the bill of the cap downward a little more, he would walk off to find his way to Bootleg...One thing he knew for sure, was that if it was associated with the Faciity's inmates then it likely wasn't a place that most people of the Tops would want to associate with.

Unknown that he was being followed by a very particular police officer...


The next morning in Yomi had been relatively uneventful; no one at the moment was aware of Eikichi or Yamichi's disappearance, nor even that they had left at all. First order of business was the checking of the perimeter around the hideout, to make sure nothing was compromised.

Takeshi would wake up the next morning to see a very frantic Shivini and Yuna going about, himself just leaving his own quarters; only when he heard a very specific name pop up did he realize who it was they were looking for. Though he was confused; it wasn't a name he was expecting to hear, not in the slightest. Which made the fact Yuna was looking for him at all that much stranger.

"Eikichi's gone too? Where'd he g...." Takeshi muttered mentally, taking only a few seconds to put it together and actually ducking behind the wall when he realized the potential implications. Man, Hotsuma pulling a disappearing act was already bad enough for her...This was the last thing she needed. "Ah, crap...Don't tell me they both went?!" Takeshi asked himself rhetorically; and when he heard a voice ask "They both went where?" he just about jumped out of his skin.

Only when he saw Judai's face did he calm down, a hand over his racing heart as he said near breathlessly, "Oh shit...It's just you, you scared the crap out of me man." The brunette just smiled, "Sorry....But who went where?" Takeshi seemed to have a bit of a sweat forming at his brow; fuck, he didn't want to tell them where they'd gone. Or at least where Yamichi went; man, if Hotsuma found out he was a dead man! "Ugh...I knew I should have tied his ass down! Fuck!" Takeshi kicked the floor, muttering afterwards, "Judai...I just want you to wish me luck and pray I don't get killed...."

Judai then placed a hand on the Disiciple's shoulder, asking "Dude...What is it? Where's Yamichi?" Takeshi let out a sigh, "Ok...Here's the thing...You know that place where Hotsuma and Yuna got their...upgrades? Where that Aki bitch took Hajime? Well...Yamichi might have snuck away last night...And when I caught him he may have told me not to tell anyone...And if my gut's any degree of right, someone else may have gone with him..." At this he looked right at Judai, "Just...Let me tell her, alright? I don't want you getting in trouble, especially after what you did for us in the Facility. Just...Make sure I'm buried properly, is all I ask." He had a distinct feeling when he did tell Yuna...He might very well end up dead, and that was IF Hotsuma didn't straight up kick his ass into next year first.
 

Oh shit ...

The moment Shivini's eyes landed upon her boss, she knew she'd turned into her 'woman on a mission mode'. And like this, there would be no one stopping her - not even Mei nor Hotsuma - from leaving today. She was armed and ready - literally so - to go into a war, hinted heavily by her outfit.

These were usually reserved for recon or espionage missions. Today, however, Yuna had made up her mind. Arcadia had, as far as she was concerned, all but declared war on her and the Disciples. She was simply answering that call. A few gun holsters were located on numerous parts of Yuna's body. Some in .... very bold locations. Most discreet, too, but a few were obvious and easy to detect even with the camouflage adorning her skin.

"Shivini!" Yuna called out, storming swiftly towards her fourth. "Any signs of him?"

"N-No. Y-Yuna .... I'm not gonna try to stop you, but .... do you ... ??"

"Absolutely not!" Yuna snapped, finishing her question with a simple read of Shivini's surface thoughts. "Them going together - unprepared at that matter - is exactly what got them in this fucking predicament. I'm not sacrificing anymore of you to help me out. You all will need to hold this place down. Even with me using a good chunk of my abilities, I'm not expecting to get out of this without enduring some injuries. And don't you dare try to use that as a factor to keep me from going; that's not good enough!"

Shivini sighed. Now, there was really no way of talking her boss out of this. That was made painfully clear. "I understand," she whispered softly.

"Good. Perfect!" A simple turn of her head revealed someone that was usually alongside Yamichi; Takeshi. Her head tilted for the briefest of moments .... why was Judai with him? Nah. That didn't matter. "Hey, Judai. Good to see you on much better terms - well, mostly better. If you don't mind, I need tot ask Takeshi something alone." Her hands rested on her hips as she waited for the brunette to leave and stared right at Takeshi. "Eikichi's gone," she stated simply. "And ... knowing he was impatient with me not getting Hajime out, I'm fearing the worst. The fact Hajime gave me a coded message this morning ... isn't really doing anything to help lessen my fears. Takeshi? Is Yamichi even here? The message was HEY -- HEYA, technically, he added near the end. So ... assuming I've pieced this correctly together, Hajime, Eikichi, Yamichi and ..... someone else. The technically .... "

Yuna's head quickly shook as she dismissed the extra letter.

"That doesn't yet matter. Not right now."

Leaning forward to where she was dangerously close and had little space separating herself from Takeshi, she added, "Please prove me wrong. Paranoid even. Tell me Yamichi is here .... please."
 

Takeshi had just nearly finished his talk with Judai when he heard Yuna's voice speaking right to the brunette; the very fact that she was present sent a lethal chill down his spine. And when his eyes saw what she looked like...He confirmed it. He was dead. So very, very dead.

Judai would just nod, saying "Good to see you too, Yuna." before leaving the two in peace; he noticed her demeanor, and could tell something was about to happen. He too wanted to talk her out of whatever it was she was planning; violence didn't solve anything and to be perfectly he was shocked more and more that things had gotten so bad. What happened to Dueling was supposed to be fun? If this was the future, then for the Satellite at least it was a Dystopia for sure. How could anyone be proud of such segregation? Cruel as Professor Cronos had been, even he wised up to the bad living conditions of Slifer Red...Granted they hadn't been nearly as bad as this, but still.

"Hey...Uhm, is your boss going to be alright?" Judai would then ask Shivini; honestly? He was kind of worried about her, if she was going to do what he thought she was.

Takeshi gave a hard swallow as she then asked the very question he was dreading; fuck, he thought. That was his only thought. He took a noticeable moment to collect himself, replying "Yuna...I wish I could. Kami save me, I wish I could...But he's not. He had his own plan to go after Arcadia, try to find a way to get Hajime out...I can only guess he and Eikichi met up, and decided to go together."

Letting out a sigh, "I tried to talk him out of it, Yuna...I really did, but you didn't see his face. He felt horrible about not being able to save him at the tournament; in his mind, I could see it. Getting Hajime out would ease the guilt over his perceived failure to stop his abduction in the first place."



As the pair would talk, another unfortunate event was about to unfold. Two former inmates ran their asses off, still in their prison oranges and being pursued by Sector foot patrols. "Freeze!" one of the many officers shouted, another shouting into a radio, "Targets spotted heading west into the Old Industrial Area! I repeat, heading west into the Old Industrial Area!"

They knew exactly where they were going, and once they were sure they had the right area, both made a hard turn right down a narrow alley. Too narrow for the large group to fit through all at once, the officer in charge shouting "Flank around, you idiots! Control, the escaped are now heading south! Still in pursuit!" Some of the officers following the command and going around to the left to head them off.

The inmates continued to run, eventually finding their way to the hideout for the condemned, thinking themselves lost of their blue pursuers. "Hot shit man...We made it! Yomi's just ahead; once we're there, we're home free!" one escapee shouted. Unaware that Sector had split up and were much closer...And leading them right to what was supposed to be a safe hideout.

And after a few moments, everyone that was awake would be jarred as the corrugated metal doors got pounded on. "What the hell...?" Takeshi muttered, a voice outside shouting "Hey, let us in! Sector's on our ass!" Making the Disciple just groan, "That's just what we need..." But it only got worse when ANOTHER set of voices joined them:

"Oh is that right? Well now...What is this, some kind of hideout? Thanks for leading us here, boys!"

"Hey...Wait a sec, I'm reading another mark here...It's Yuna Takeda! Dude, we've found it! This has to be it! Yomi!"

"Huh, well no shit! Taking back the Facility AND finding Yomi in less than a day? Goodwin'll be happy to hear that after Armstrong fucked us! All units, lock on our location! And get the transports ready; we're going to have a big haul for sure!"

Takeshi's heart dropped to his stomach, his fists clenching as he realized what just happened: Two idiot inmates just gave away their location, and even though no one else in the base was talking at all to at least try to make it seem like it was an abandoned warehouse, he could see it in their expressions that they knew this to be true also. "Yuna..." he whispered, adding "We need to get everyone out of here...Right now."
 

Shivini merely moved her head from side to side. "I don't know. In all the time I've been around her, she's never gotten like this ... not as her true self nor while disguised as Yukio. Granted, no one's literally abducted members like this either, but ... " TThe Amazoness sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm worried too."

And there would be more justified reasons for such a reaction, all quickly approaching, it seemed.

Yuna could scarcely believe what Takeshi was telling her. Not only did he know Yamichi was gone but, ultimately, he was partially responsible for his abduction. Yuna trembled, and before she could stop herself, her instincts kicked in. "You did WHAT?!" She thrust the other Disciple roughly against the wall, feeling her heart beating wildly in her chest. "I don't even believe the stupidity I'm hearing from you! DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'VE JUST ALLOWED TO HAPPEN?! DO YOU?!"

One hand remained tightly on Takeshi's lapel of his shirt. Her hand rose .... and right before it could land on his cheek, the cries from behind the door saved him.

"... You're not my man, anyway. You're under Hotsuma's command, luckily for you. I'll let him deal with the danger you put his second-in-command in. Whenever the fuck he gets back."

Muttering the last sentence in disdain under her breath, she turned and hurried over to the front door. "Agreed," she murmured with Takeshi, "Too early and definitely the last thing we need." Her hand rested on the door, ready to unlock it ... but stopped.

"Hey...Wait a sec, I'm reading another mark here...It's Yuna Takeda! Dude, we've found it! This has to be it! Yomi!"

NO! FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!

If it weren't for the fact she had to get ready for a fight, Yuna probably would have broken down and cried. The tremors increased ... and if only because she knew what she had to do, she forced them to leave, at least for now. "Indeed, we do. First thing's first. You may not wanna watch." Pulling out one of the pistols from the back pocket of her camo pants, she deactivated the safety as quickly but quietly as possible. Yuna swallowed softly ... well, this would be a first. But it was necessary. They had already probably called for reinforcements, so .... no sense in giving Sector more of an edge than what they already had.

"Start helping everyone else! You, Judai, Shivini, everyone in some sort of position of authority! Judai counts; he earned his spot as far as I'm concerned! NOW GO!" she ordered.

Taking aim at the door, using the voices from the officers to help her train the gun, Yuna would throw the doors open.

BANG!

No remorse. No hesitation. Yuna pulled back on the trigger, shooting one of the Sector officers right between the eyes. "YOU! BACK!" she spat at the remaining officer. "BACK! RIGHT FUCKING NOW! YOU TWO! IN! HURRY, HURRY, HURRY!"

Once the ex-convicts were inside, Yuna slammed the doors shut, hastily re-locking them. She then pushed a button to her right ... one she never imagined having to actually press down on. A loud alarm soon wailed throughout the base.

"THIS IS NOT A DRILL! HAUL YOUR ASSES OUT! NOW! FIND SOMEONE AND FOLLOW THEM OUT! I'LL COVER YOU GUYS!"

Well, fuck. Not quite the war she prepared for ... but ... it was the one that was happening first.

Thank god you packed some extra ammo too, she inwardly added, keeping her back firmly pressed against the metal doors.

"God-fucking-damnit! Hotsuma?! Where are you?! Everything is going to shit! Back-up would be great ... especially now that Sector's found Yomi. And as much as I'd love to say that's the last bit of bad news, it isn't. But that can wait .... having everyone else help the others evacuate. I'm holding the fort for now."

Y-Yuna ... Shivini was visibly trembling. She just ... killed an officer. In cold blood, no less.

"YOU TOO! GODDAMNNIT, SHIVINI! HELP THEM EVACUATE! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!"

Gulping nervously, she gave a 'come here' gesture to the two newcomers. "Please .... this way. Hurry!"
 

Takeshi could hardly believe what he was seeing; Yuna, even as Yukio, hardly ever advocated deadly force against Sector. The Facility really did change her, he thought; not that he minded, but it was just a shock to see her so easily whip the gun out and pull the trigger. And there the officer was, lying flat on his back with a hole between his eyes. Blood pooling under his head as his partner would duck behind one of the many pallets of barrels that surrounded the base. "This is Officer Sato! We have an officer down, I repeat, officer down! Shots fired, requesting immediate back-up!" the Sector patrolman shouted into a radio, peeking out to see that Yuna had closed the door again. Looking over at his dead partner, his lips formed into a grimace as he aimed at the corrugated slab and pulled his trigger several times, the alarm sounding soon afterwards signaling the evacuation of the base.

Needless to say, the base was in an uproar; there was a scramble to get everyone accounted for, as well as much of their supplies as possible. Obviously with them having to scuttle their location, anything that couldn't be salvaged would soon go up in smoke, the smells of the fuel oil used for the burners soon starting to flood the base. "Come on, come on!" Takeshi shouted, ducking as the bullets pierced through the doors; luckily no one got hit, but some were damn close. Thankfully, there was a contingency in case they were discovered: A utility tunnel that led out of the warehouse and into a nearby (and long since deactivated) power station. At the very least, they could get people held up there until there was another place to settle in.

Judai too was helping get people, working with the Disciple to usher people through the underground tunnel. "Follow Shivini, she'll lead you to safety!" the dimensional duelist hollered, soon even more gunfire erupting as Sector reinforcements apparently arrived. "Please hurry! We don't have much time!" he added, trying to get people to move it; some of the injured were hobbling along, other runaways and condemned helping to carry them out.

"This is Security! We have the building surrounded! All unauthorized occupants, vacate the premises and come out with your hands up! This is your only warning! We have authorization to use deadly force if necessary!"

That was the message that would get blared over a megaphone, the gravity of the situation now more apparent than ever. Giving a curse as the last of the Yomi mainstays were out, Takeshi said to Judai, "Oi, go! I'll stay with Yuna and cover you guys!" Judai tried to protest but Takeshi said, "God damn it, don't argue! Strong as you are, I know you haven't been in a firefight! Help Shivini get everyone settled; she's been with Yuna a long time, and she'll walk you through it!" Judai's eyes narrowed, but finally just nodded, "You better pull through!" before disappearing, the hatch to the tunnel.

Takeshi pulled out his own sidearm and went to join Yuna, standing on the other side of the giant doors that led into the base, their surface riddled with holes. "Yuna...Everyone's out. You need to leave...And don't argue! I might have let Yamichi go, but I'm not going to let you do this alone!" he shouted, the bullhorn going off again:

"You had your chance! We're coming in! Sector, get ready!"

"If you had any sense, scumbags...You would turn back now."

The second voice definitely didn't belong to Sector...And a loud 'THUD' from just above them on the roof demonstrated that something very heavy just landed.

"The hell is that?!"

"Who cares! Shoot it!"

The officer's collective guns then went off again, a multitude of metallic 'PING' noises emanating as whatever they were firing at seemed to deflect all the bullets. Only when the firing stopped did the second voice speak up again, a second 'THUD' echoing through the empty space as whatever was on the roof landed on the ground just outside the locked doors. "Feh...Just like you. Trying to kill anything that threatens your rule...Well, if you want to be lambs to the slaughter, then I will happily oblige you."

Takeshi looked out through one of the bullet holes and saw a massive figure - easily over seven feet tall - covered in full purple armor, a hand reaching behind to draw a ridiculously oversized blade of nearly the same in length, its edge and surface stained in eyespots of what looked like rust and blood. The titan then howled, Takeshi feeling his bones and entire body chill as it then rushed forward and swung the enormous blade forward...And bisected over half a dozen officers in a single strike, their bodies falling apart as the weapon cleaved them like a butcher's knife.

"Keep firing!"

"Fuck that, retreat!"

Takeshi swallowed nervously, his body frozen at the sight as he then asked in a tremoring tone "Y-Yuna...I-is that Hotsuma?"
 

Shivini was assisting Judai, pointing and leading everyone and ensuring the people were going the right way. There were a few wrong turns purposely created, just in case this sort of situation occurred, so it was especially important that they followed her and Judai. The Amazoness peeked her head around the corner as the last figure vanished, staring nervously at her leader. "Yuna?!"

An irked stare would be her immediate result. "Why are you still here?!"

"Please ... get through this fine."

Yuna merely smirked at that. "Heh! I went the first time willingly. I had no intentions of going back a second time." Seeming satisfied enough, Shivini disappeared from sight, joining Judai and the others in hurrying through the tunnel.

And honestly? It wouldn't likely be 'a second time'. Between all she'd done in the Facility and mere moments ago, it'd be much more likely to be a straight-up execution. The only saving grace would be if Goodwin wanted her alive ... though that could be argued it'd be better if she got killed on sight. He was already probably pissed off for failing to get any decent information from her during their last talk. If he was half as smart as she assumed, he probably had pieced together she was part of the reason for the Facility's downfall.

If Yuna hadn't pissed Goodwin thoroughly off ... oh, she definitely would when this all ended.

The thought shouldn't have made her smirk ... but it did. Yep; her stay at both Arcadia and the Facility had greatly changed her.

"... If you're trying to suck up ... it's actually kinda working. Don't think I'm happy with you yet, but thanks for the back-up, Takeshi. As far as leaving goes? Well ... I know. But they're not making it easy, really."

Yuna barely pressed herself flat against the floor to avoid another bullet; how the fuck were these getting through metal?! What the fuck did these bastards have that could get through something like that?

" ... Unauthorized?" she repeated, snickering lightly. "Go fuck off! All of you! THIS IS MY BASE! THEY DESERVE THE SANCTUARY HERE! Hah! Unauthorized my ass!"

Whilst keeping herself against the floor, Yuna crawled closer to Takeshi. There was too much at stake right now. She literally couldn't afford to lose this fight, for an array of reasons.

"Please, Hotsuma!"

Her eyes had subconsciously shut while sending up the silent prayer. Yuna latched onto her lower lip as the last warning was given ..... and felt her heart skip several beats as a familiar voice caught her ears. "Oh thank god!" she replied, her head leaning against the door as she sighed in relief. Takeshi would see probably the worst answer to his question as Yuna gave him an affirmative nod. She didn't really need to peek to double check .. but did so anyway. Just in case. "Yep. It is him. And you are telling him how stupid you were when this is over. Don't worry, you can walk and talk for all I care. But you tell him ... or else, I will. One way or the other, he's finding out though."

"Goddamn. Trying to show off by making a heroic entrance or something? Anyway ... next problem. Now where? We didn't have a back-up base for this sorta situation .... "

As it was, everyone was just using a very temporary and make-shift hiding place. Particularly with the retaliation Yuna - and now Hotsuma - were performing against Sector? That wouldn't be a good place for them to remain. These faux cops were definitely gonna try to find all of her members and the people who'd sought her safe haven out. No. Staying where they were forever was definitely not an option. Something much more permanent would need to be worked out .... preferably sooner as opposed to later.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom