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


Takeshi was more than a little surprised, even now; did he really have nothing? No, Judai wasn't the type to make those sort of declarations to trick people. It was another way in which they were very much the same. Both played to the fullest of their ability, and held nothing back.

So if Judai was saying he had nothing...Then he had nothing.

"Well...We'll definitely need a tie-breaker, Judai! I would say this doesn't count, because I think your Wrist Dealer screwed you...But we're in a tournament, so everyone kind of saw it." Takeshi grinned at him; yep, he would definitely make sure their next Duel emphasized the strongest powers of their decks. And when Takeshi's turn came, he would attack directly with both his monsters and end the game. "AND THERE YOU HAVE IT! THE UNDERWORLD LORD CARRIES HIS LEGIONS INTO THE QUARTERFINALS!" MC would announce over the sound of roaring applause, the audience much more entertained after a duel like that.

Yamichi just laughed as Ling asked, "Well...One of our other comrades is no slouch either; his own deck is pretty brutal, and we tried to add that element of swarming to our own. Thankfully, we happened to chose archetypes that matched it well." He avoided saying too much; after all, Hotsuma and Yuna seemed to always pick the best-supplied storages to plunder for supplies and cards. And when she would stand up to take her turn, Yamichi just tapped her on the arm, "Hey...Good luck out there. You're going to do great."

It was quick, but action packed...Something the spectators loved. And as Takeshi would follow behind Judai after walking to give him a handshake, he just said as Ling would make her way forward, "Yeah, have some fun, Ling...And if you win, you might get to face me or Yamichi!" He teased her of course, but it was mild at best. And once MC announced that this was the second to last match of the first round, the crowd seemed to get even more amped than before.

And when her opponent's name was announced, she seemed to walk as if she were standing on air. Wispy, almost silent in step, a dark hood and robe covering her entire face and body. "Ling, was it?" she then asked in a fairly quiet voice, giving a polite bow and adding, "Fortune smiles upon you this day. I am Un...Let us duel enjoyably, yes?" She seemed to possess a distinct but mild foreign accent, one that most would likely have trouble placing.

And when the time to declare turn order came up, she would get the choice to attack first. Not that she was sure why it was called that, since the first turn prohibited attacking. But...Small details truly; more upsetting were the numerous divination ceremonies Goodwin had her do. A factor that she knew would play into her untimely defeat. Suffice to say, there was a consequence to tampering with fate...And oh, how she knew his own scheme would backfire. For now, however, she tried to clear her mind and focus on her opponent. Hoping to at least face her honorably, as a strong duelist deserved.

"I'll go first. I'll activate the Permanent Magic, Tribal Solidarity. And with that, I'll end my turn." Un would state, motioning to Ling to take her turn.

"A magic card? That's it?" Takeshi asked, nudging Judai, "Must have been how your hand looked at the end there; bad luck must be running rampant right now. Kind of unfair for her, if she's nothing to play." Yusei nodded, "Unfortunately, that's a risk that comes with it. Sometimes, you can build a perfect deck and the cards just won't line out. She must have something else in reserve, just in case."
 

"Ohhhh, yeah. No arguments from me on that tie-breaker. Don't worry!" Finally, the last barrage of undead would run towards him. He rose his arm, keeping himself from stumbling back too far while the direct hits impacted him. The dust cleared and revealed a grinning Judai whom, despite having what was easily the worst reversal of luck in his dueling life, looked otherwise fine with the loss.

Ling would turn back and smile at her boyfriend. "Heh, thanks." When Takeshi added his own congrats, she took her turn to giggle anxiously. "Umm .... I think you're a bit too quick for me. But we'll see I suppose. Alright! Here I go!"

"She's right," Fayth added, "You're all ... good god. How are none of you professionals? You definitely have that type of capability and talent. I know it's highly likely, but forgive me if I don't feel like going against any of you tomorrow."

Despite the word choice, the awkward bu otherwise genuine smile hinted poor Fayth was attempting to jest. Probably her worst joke thus far, but at least she was finding it easier to lighten up and not be serious 24/7 in this dimension.

"Um ... yep. That's me."

... Interesting cloak. Honestly, the entire outfit was ... different. Unexpected too. Were they not burning up?

Ah well. Whatever floated their boat, Ling supposed.

Wait, what? The duel hasn't even stared ... why are they so sure about that?

The 'prediction' - if one could call it that - didn't bother Ling, per se. But it definitely caught her curiosity.

.... Only Solidarity? Nothing to ensure it can be activated? Odd.

Kinda made the play slightly redundant but ... well, she wouldn't judge. It was just a play Ling wouldn't dare make without being able to have the card activate.

"My turn. Draw!"

..... Oops. They completely skipped the coin toss. Ah well. Poor MC and everyone else was likely getting a tad - if not very - tired a this point. It had been along day, and it wasn't going to end even after this duel. Not right away, anyways.

"I activate Polymerization! I'll use the Luster Dragon and Rabidragon in my hand! Fusion Summon! First of the Dragons, appear! I then normal summon Dodger Dragon."

As per the last play, Dodger's effect wouldn't immediately kick in. Buuut should an opportunity arise, she'd be ready.

"First of the Dragons! Dodger Dragon! Direct attack!"

It wasn't that Ling didn't feel bad; on the contrary, she felt horrible getting an easy hit off so easily. Simultaneously, this Un seemed to know very well what she'd gotten into. Pity was an emotion few duelists wanted to have shown, and typically for good reasons. So, she wouldn't offer it.

"And for now, that'll be all. Turn end."
 

"And there it is...She truly is strong. I was right about you, Ling." Un thought to herself as she summoned two powerful monsters in a single turn. Of course, her having nothing to really summon made this infinitely harder than it could have been. But with her deck, it was largely through the use of sole cards that she was able to make her combos happen.

An arm would come up to shield herself as the force of her dragons nearly knocked her over, reduced her Life by a significant margin on her very first turn. To less than half, as a matter of fact. "Whew...That was quite the impressive combination." Un said, brushing off the front of her robe from the aftermath. Indeed, it was an odd choice of clothing...But as one of her profession, a degree of anonymity was desired. Most would probably guess Un wasn't her real name, but rather something that people could merely identify her with. To be truly nameless was next to impossible in this world, especially with so many other souls needing such to learn about their own holdings.

Both Takeshi and Yamichi looked at each other and snickered as Fayth asked how none of them were professionals; the answer to that was quite obvious, but nothing either of them would admit. "Well...Let's just say we don't get the chance to do this sort of thing very often. So really, we're here just to see how far we can go." Yamichi started, Takeshi finishing, "And getting the chance to fight awesome Duelists like you all? That makes this even better."

And with Ling's turn concluded, Un just said, "My turn. Draw. I'll set a card, then I'll activate the Magic Card, Thunder Bolt! All your monsters are destroyed!" And as the lightning crashed down, Ling's field would be cleared once more, buying the strange robed woman a small reprieve from an all-too-quick defeat. "But sadly...That is all I can do for now. I end my turn." Un would then say, holding her arms about herself confidently; she would do her best to give Ling at least some form of challenge. "Amazing! After a brutal offensive by the Dragon Empress, Un retaliates with a decisive strike of her own! But with still no monsters to protect her, how will she stand up to the massive onslaught of Ling's powerful beasts?!" MC would declare excitedly.

Even if it was fated for her to lose to this young woman. She remembered her own divination, to see how the Director's meddling would have interfered. And when her second deck - one not meant for this type of play - revealed to her the Five of Swords, she felt a bit stung. There was an unspoken rule amongst diviners: Never tap into the mystic more than needed in a single period. Any more and one would set events in motion that would drastically alter the course of fate.

"I know you will ask for more later, Goodwin...But even my abilities need a rest." Un would speak to herself, keeping her thoughts private as she awaited Ling to make her next move.

"Ouch...That's a hell of a response. Guess you were right, Yusei; she was holding something in case this happened." Takeshi spoke, Yamichi nodding, "Well, I know Ling; she'll have something ready as well. She won't go down that easily."
 

.... Figures. To be fair, Thunder Bolt really was one of Un's best hopes. The First of the Dragon's effect made death by battle impossible, after all. Which meant if she hadn't used a magic or trap card, Un would have had to resort to mass summoning, ultimately leading to something akin to what she did ... but with the Arcana cards. Alas, her deck didn't appear to function like that.

" .... Wow. I .... never thought I'd visit memory lane so many times. That's a deck I haven't seen in a while." Judai muttered. He even leaned closer, curious to see if indeed Un was a fake name and Saito was underneath. It didn't look like it. Still, what were the odds someone here would be using the same archetype he'd had?

This is definitely the most warped sense of humor I've seen blatantly displayed in front of me in quite some time, he internally added.

" ... This a good or bad trip?" Fayth curiously inquired.

"It's complicated. The original flashback ... not so good or pleasant. But at least this Un doesn't resemble the same mannerisms as the last person who I saw use this deck so .... a bit of both, I suppose. Not to mention Saito had an uncanny way of making his cards always work. Poor Un is having what must be the worst luck."

Wait a minute. Only Thunder Bolt? No summoning?

Well ... that really was unfortunate for Un, Ling decided. Because despite losing two powerful monsters, her deck hinted it didn't care. It was ready and very raring to help make up for the loss. "I summon Bright Star Dragon, who'll attack you directly."

The faintest of grimaces spread over her face as Un's life dropped even further, stopping at 1500 LP now.

"Turn end!"
 

Un held an arm across her face as she was struck yet again; indeed, fate seemed to wish her to lose in this Duel. Not that she minded; this young woman seemed to be the generous sort, as the past few opponents had been with each other. Even if she could not fulfill her duty to face a Signer, she would gladly give that chance to Ling. "Whether we believe it or not, fate always guides down the path it chooses. We can struggle all we like, but in the end, it is ultimately out of our hands." she told herself; even still, there was no way she was just going to give up.

After all, even by her own admission, the off-chance that something unexpected could happen excited her. There was always a joy in pleasant surprises, even one with her talents would confess to that.

"You have me in quite the corner, Ling. But don't think I'll give up just yet; after all, if our last two opponents showed anything, it's that a Duel should always be carried through to the end." Un said, declaring, "My turn, draw!" Looking at her hand, there was only really one chance she had as of now.

"I summon Arcana Force VI - The Lovers!" Un then said, the monster's card appearing overhead and slowly rotating clockwise. "This series of cards is unique; depending on how it is positioned, it will have one of two effects. Now then...Let us see where fate takes us. All you need do is say when to have it stop."

And when Ling would make her decision, the card would appear upside down. "Oh dear...The reverse position. A difficult decision awaits you, my friend; the best advice I can say is, your emotions are there for a reason. Do not be afraid to embrace them." Un would say politely. Pausing for a moment, she then continued, "And for me, I'm afraid my Advance Summons are now sealed as long as this card remains on the field." And with her monster currently at only 1600 ATK, there was nothing else she could do.

"And with that I'll end my turn."

Takeshi raised a brow, "So you've seen this deck before, Judai? What does it do?" It was here that Yamichi jumped in, "It seems like it's a deck focused around gaining or losing effects. That's a tricky deck to work with; this Un is brave, I'll give her that." And people thought his self-destructing deck was suicidal? Especially with all the factors in the game, an archetype based around what was essentially luck put the user at an overwhelming disadvantage. Which meant that whatever positive effects the monsters had were certainly powerful enough to counter the potential deadlock a Duelist would inflict upon him/herself.
 

"Hmmm. That's the very simplest explanation of what that deck could do. But Yamichi is technically correct. If she has a similar enough deck that Saito used, she should have the same field card in there. It allows the owner of the Arcana deck to select what effect they want. Going off this turn, if she'd gotten heads, it could count as two tributes. And then there are a lot of other monster cards with very devastating effects -- when they don't bite you in the ass, that is. But ... yeah. When played correctly, this can give even the best of users a run for their own money. It did with my own HERO deck, to give an idea of how well it can work."

Damn .... finally find a fairy that counts for two tributes and it completely goes against what I'm running ...

Fayth internally sighed, deciding to continue enjoying the last of the first day. Besides, maybe she'd overlooked something? She could certainly re-look though her duel disk upon returning home.

"O-Oh? Really? I choose when ... ?? Okay. Now!"

The slight stammering hinted Ling had clearly not expected to get that type of advantage. She wasn't one of them, but rumors of people who could time coin tosses almost perfectly did supposedly exist. Had she been one of them, Ling could have purposely made this duel work against Un.

Granted, her luck wasn't seeming to get better, as even now, Un's fortune - lack of - was all but shining brightly down on her. Like a rather ugly spotlight of some sort.

.... Wait. Is she giving an actual reading?

That had to be what she was doing. The first words Un uttered otherwise didn't make sense when trying to apply it to the result of the coin toss. Ling covered her mouth, stifling a giggle. "Sorry, sorry. Nothing against you. Umm ... " Ling cleared her throat, lowering her hand back down. "I've just ... never had anyone do that for me. It is as interesting as I've heard though. Thank you. I'll keep your words in mind. Draw!"

In the long run, she understood what she was about to do could very well work against her. It'd definitely allow Solidarity to begin working for Un.

But ... it was a risk she was going to have to take.

"Bright Star Dragon will attack Arcana VI - The Lovers!"

"Trap Card, Open! Solar Ray!"

It wasn't much - only 600. But it was enough to make Ling shield her eyes as the light shined brightly in her eyes. With the defeat otherwise not being halted, Ling knew she'd activated the extra attack boost to any future monsters Un would summon. "Turn end!" Ling declared, rubbing her eyes after the last flashes of light vanished.
 

Now both Takeshi and Yamichi were very much surprised; this archetype had a card that allowed the user to select an effect? "There has to be a downside to that; and from the sounds of it Judai, it sounds like there's even a way to make the 'bad' effects work for them." Takeshi stated, Yamichi adding, "Even so, like Judai said, it has the potential to bite someone hard. And Un's current situation is, I think, a very good look at what happens when this deck decides to work against you."

Un smiled gently as Ling laughed; she did not find offense in the gesture, rather finding her reaction humorous and uplifting. "No offense taken, Ling. I realize now that perhaps it was a bit awkward timing to read the meaning of the card. Given I actually use the cards this archetype was inspired from, I can't help myself but decipher meaning from them." Even so, she was happy that this woman had not shunned her; more than a few times, she had been ridiculed for using her cards to tell people's fortunes in a Duel, even if they had been right far more often than wrong.

Even so, she hissed a little as her dragon shattered her monster, bringing her Life even lower than before. But not before she would declare, "Trap Card, Open! Solar Ray!", and deal 600 points of damage to her opponent from its effect. "Not good; at this rate, I'll be surprised if I make it the next two turns." Un said to herself mentally, placing a hand on the top of her deck. "My turn, draw!" she would declare, going forward with, "I now summon Arcana Force I - The Magician." And just like before, the card appeared over Un's head, slowly rotating in place. "The same rules apply, Ling. Whenever you are ready." she would then state...And once more, Ling would be staring at an inverted card.

Now it was Un's turn to frown even more; not so much from the negative effect (it wasn't nearly as bad as it sealing her Advance Summons), but from the fact that this was the second card that had come up reverse. Even so, her own experiences told her that this card wasn't exactly meant for Ling. No...And she was fairly certain of it, but felt it necessary to ask.

"Ling, forgive me and I apologize if I come across as rude or intrusive...But do you by chance have a lover?"

Now *this* was a question very few would have expected one duelist to ask another, especially in a very public place like this. It was something that everyone heard; Yamichi's face turned beet red, whispering in a very shallow but somewhat terrified voice "How the heck did she figure that out?! She wasn't even here in the seats with us, right?!" And it was Un that would reveal herself to have quite excellent hearing, "I see...Indeed you do. Well then, I will say that this current interpretation does not apply as much to you as it does to your partner. However...All I ask is be wary. To both of you, and show no fear when it comes to matters of the heart. Be open with each other, and do not let your personal doubts impeded discussing what only two souls meant to be together must talk about."

Taking a small breath, the others mostly stunned into silence, she would then say, "Apologies. Back to the Duel at hand...As for the Magician's reverse effect, every time a Magic card is activated, his power will restore 500 points of your Life. Sadly...I have nothing I can do further. Turn end." Takeshi, Yamichi, Lua and even Frank would blink a few times, the Professor even stating "Well...What an interesting young woman. To play the role of the diviner is not an easy one, from what I've seen. I wonder if her predictions have any sort of merit." Of course, he knew better than most that she was indeed very good at it.
 

"Heh, of course! As you may assume, however, making the not-so-pleasant effects work for you is a much easier said than done. But it still is a doable task, yes."

Well ... so far, this duel was staying on a far more positive note than when Judai went against the Arcanas. It helped him relax, a faint sigh of relief passing his parted lips as he curiously watched. It was looking real bad for poor Un. And so far, there were zero signs of it turning around.

But ... he'd been in Un's spot tons of times and made a come back. So in his eyes - and probably everyone else's - the duel wasn't yet over.

Ling, meanwhile, tilted her head as she took note of Un's grimace. Was this really going so badly for her? Or was there something else that made her frown?

Her mouth opened as Ling started to ask ... only to hear a question thrown over to her first. One that made her copy a certain tech's face. For those who hadn't known the answer ... it was now very likely painfully clear.

"Wait, really?" Judai asked, quickly noting the reaction Ling and Yamichi seemed to share. "Congrats, dude! You kept that one quiet!"

Shit. So much for being discreet, Ling cursed, her cheeks burning brighter as she gave an affirmative nod.

It hadn't felt nor seemed possible to blush even harder. But Ling was doing just that. It looked like the poor dragon user was bout ready to pass out. And some part of her probably would have gone on and caved into the temptation -- if it weren't for the fact she had a duel to finish.

Sweet gods, personal much? Wow ...

Finally, Ling managed to clear her throat after nodding once more. "Heh ... well, noted. Thanks .... I guess. My turn! Draw!"

Her head tilted as she took a few deep breaths, temporarily shoving the very intimate advice away; at least far enough so she could properly focus. After taking several deep in and exhales, she re-opened her eyes and glanced down to her hand.

"I'll set a card and end. Your go."

"Guess that got to her too much," Judai chuckled softly, stopping as he saw Fayth's head moved from side to side.

"Thanks to Solidarity, The Magician's tied with her Bright Star Dragon. Whereas Mukuro had a way to make a kamikaze work, there's none for her. Whatever she set, however, will likely come into play to even everything out soon enough."

Having to utter Mukuro's name and actually say something positive left quite the bitter taste in Fayth's mouth; so much so that she grabbed her tea and took a sip. But ... there was no other appropriate analogy to use.

"Oh .... huh. Fair point. You sure you're --- "

Fayth quickly offered Judai an affirmative nod. "Sorry, but I've heard that inquiry far too many times. It's something I can hear from miles away, more or less. Yeah, yeah I'm sure."

"Sorry. I guess it probably is sensitive to speak of. Well ... you've adapted far better than most. That an old comment also?"

A small smile managed to cross Fayth's lip as she shook her head in a 'no' direction. "No, actually. It's .... relatively new. Mainly because ... I haven't been this way for long."

She hasn't? Damn. Then she really does have quite the survival skills.

Just like how many people in Yomi and the Disciples were curious about his entire background, he found someone who had grabbed his own interest.

Then ... does that mean the blindfold isn't just for show?

It seemed like that was the case, but ... why? Weren't most blind people just ones whose irises had turned white or something?

But then, it was becoming more and more obvious Celeste was anything but 'most people', blind or otherwise.
 

"Trust me...I was hoping to keep it a secret a bit longer." Yamichi said; while he was sure it was obvious to everyone that what he had with Ling went beyond being friends, he was at least trying to keep it concealed that they were aiming for something truly close and intimate with each other. And the fact that this Un had deduced it so easily from a playing card?

Yeah...That was more than a little infuriating. Especially since she was trying to give them relationship advice; who does that during a Duel? "Yamichi...You alright, man? You look like you just bit on a lemon or something." Takeshi would then ask, Yamichi snapping out of the hardened glare he'd been giving Un unconsciously. "Eh....Yeah, sorry, just trying to figure out this Un. I'm still confused as how she managed to think of asking that. It's not something you hear from another duelist, right?"

Un, meanwhile, had overheard the conversation; yes, sometimes, her insights were unwelcome. She was cognizant of that...But at the same time, she honestly believed in helping people avert catastrophe as much as possible. And the fact that not just the Lovers, but also the Magician, had appeared in reverse worried her. Yamichi didn't seem a dangerous fellow, aside from his deck being insanely fluid...But perhaps there was more to him than he was letting on?

She couldn't say...And honestly, she wouldn't.

But when Ling chose not to attack, Un smiled, "Yes...I suppose we're both at a standstill for the time being. But hopefully, one of us will be able to break the current deadlock." With her Magic Card out, her Magician matched her Bright Star in terms of power. Even so, Ling had an overwhelming advantage...And with any luck, she would be able to turn this around.

"My turn, draw! I summon Arcana Force III - The Empress!" she would declare; and much like the last two turns, her card appeared overhead and started to rotate. Except this time, Ling would have an answer for that.

"Trap Card, Open! Divine Wrath!"

And at her declaration, a powerful beam of light shot out and struck her card, shattering it and effectively negating the Summon. "Well...I suppose that is it, then. I have nothing else I can do. This victory is yours, Ling." Un would say; she hadn't foreseen herself emerging victorious other than through sheer luck. No, it was better she advanced in any case; even so, she couldn't help but find humor in the irony that of all the cards that were fated to never be played in this Duel, it was the Empress. A metaphorical rejection of femininity...Though perhaps now she was simply reading too much into it. Even so...With how both the previous cards had turned out, she couldn't help but be concerned for Ling and her partner.

For her to toss aside the Empress, could very well spell potential doom for their relationship. "I pray to you, Ling...Hear your partner out. Whatever it is he must say, do not close your heart off too easily. And as for you, Yamichi...Take care not to place the needs of others above your own too often, for it will ultimately lead you astray from your connection with her." she would then say to herself, giving Ling a polite smile as she awaited her inevitable loss.

Goodwin, meanwhile, watched from above. "Are you sure these are some of the best Iliaster has to offer, Rex? Aside from Bommer, none of the others have made it through." Jack then asked the Director, Goodwin nodding, "It would seem I made a miscalculation in the strength of the contestants. Regardless, I feel this will work out more favorably; these Duelists are all here to win. Having that organic feeling of wanting to push each other to the limit will be a great catalyst in bringing the Crimson Dragon here."
 

Ling was just as taken aback as Yamichi. However, whereas he was being very open on his annoyances, she was trying to keep them tucked away. This was a duel, and she was still not yet done. Allowing her focus to dwell on the readings of the cards would only aid in allowing Un to turn this duel around in her favor.

Simultaneously, Yamichi's complaints had some truth to them.

Really, what are the odds that of all the cards she summons, they happen to link to something so ... personal and intimate?

She'd heard enough about the Arcana archetype to know only the Major Arcana cards were used. And not even all of those had been created.

So it wasn't even a 1 in 22 chance. Less than that.

And yet ... odds had somehow been defied. So very .... creepy.

"Trap Card, Open! Divine Wrath!"

Even though none of the effects would have been too annoying should they succeed for Un, Ling wasn't willing to tempt her fate any further than she may already have been doing.

"Indeed," Ling concurred as she drew her next card. "This is the end, it seems. Thank you. You were an interesting opponent. I activate Dragon's Mirror! I'll remove the four dragons from my grave and Bright Star Dragon! Fusion Summon! Five God Dragon!"

A proud smile crossed her face as she heard the crowd erupt in cheers. Even with Un having the only bane of Five God Dragon - LIGHT monsters - none were strong enough.

"Five God Dragon ... attack Arcana Force I - The Magician!"

Even if it had appeared in upright rather than reverse, Un had taken too much damage. A loud, slightly prolonged beep in the form of Un's life hitting zero officially signaled the end of the duel.

"Thank you again," Ling replied, bowing her head politely as she happily walked back to the bench.

"Damn," Fayth praised, "I don't think I've seen anyone summon Five God Dragon that easily ever. Very nice."

"Yeah, yeah! It definitely was an awesome sight!" Judai agreed.

Ling blushed, at least now doing so more from the praise and pride that came with the words rather than embarrassment. "It umm ... it does take a bit of effort and work. Not gonna lie. But once you figure everything out, it's not too difficult. Thanks though."
Alright. Let's start getting ready.

The words came from Yuna, who had been watching the Fortune Cup with Hajime and most of the others. The past few days had been hell, as far as recovering went. In all honesty, she wasn't at 100%. But compared to when Hotsuma and the others had rescued her, she was a lot bettter. Around 75% at her peak strength.

But that was fine.

It was actually another reason she was going to be smart and simply head to the Tops to relay a message rather than fight like one may assume. This way, she could tell Fayth all she needed to know and leave; all without having to get bruised or hurt.

.... That was the plan, anyway.

She hadn't forgotten she was on Goodwin's shit list. However, he was likely at the Fortune Cup. Surely, he had more important things to do than track her down. And with the tournament going on, security would be more focused there than in the streets.

With any luck, that would apply to keeping most of Sector near the area even after the last duel ended.

... Still, in case, she did grab a pistol and tuck it in the rear pocket of her jeans, pulling her top down to hide it.

Now the golden question; to put a hoodie or some similar article of clothing on or not?

There would be a huge risk of her otherwise standing out. Buuut .... she had figured back-up plans out for this exact sort of scenario.

With her finishing up, all that was left was to wait for Hajime. Smiling softly, she leaned near the front door.

Sorry everyone. I promise I won't be gone long, nor am trying to abandon my new position. But this has to be done.

It was only kinda a good hing no one could hear her. She didn't want to cause any unnecessary panic should anyone hear her thoughts. Yuna's new, muted state was a rather twisted version of poetic justice, as far as she was concerned. She'd failed o save Hajime from this state; so now, it seemed to be her punishment. Fair enough.

Either way, all she knew was nothing hat had been sealed away had returned thus far.

From what she could discern, this was a permanent status for her. But .... that was fine. She'd live. She'd survive. And oh, would she surprise that bastard Kiryu and the man responsible for muting her by proving they had failed to completely keep her quiet.

That last thought especially made her smirk, feeling far too proud than she should despite knowing they were very dangerous and capable men.
 

And with that final attack, Un would be eliminated from the Fortune Cup. Suffice to say, the only real downside thus far would be the fact that they hadn't managed to make Fayth's own sign appear; so far though, most everything had gone well. And even with Aki having vanished from sight, Goodwin had his ways to track her movements; needless to say, his meeting with Divine was two-fold. One, he did want some things clarified...But the other reason was more so to have a means to track where Aki had went. His Espionage Unit had been monitoring the small tracker he had slipped on the leader's person.

And he made the mistake of breaking pattern; the man had gone to some remote location off his usual path. And taking a listen from one of the recordings, he had heard the very voice which he knew was part of his organization: Akiza Izayoi. Interesting to learn that they had had a falling out; was she not with the Arcadia Movement anymore? Would explain why she'd been so silent; last he'd known of her, she was quite the zealous follower.

He could only fathom what would cause her to be so disillusioned. But, all the same...Perhaps it would make uniting them all the easier if she was broken of Divine's control. "Well Director, it would seem this first round is about to end, yes? Just one more match." Akutsu would then say, having closed up his laptop now that all the known Signers had dueled for the day. "Quite; Jack, Akutsu and I will need to be alone for a while." And with that, Jack would nod and go off on his own, leaving the researcher and the Director to their business.

"We have a lot to go through, Akutsu; we'll need to make sure those D-Sensors are still functional enough for tomorrow. Besides, I still need to talk with Yamichi and Takeshi." It was here that Akutsu then added, "Ah, Director, sir...Those two have had a long day. Perhaps it would be best to wait until the end of the tournament? After all, whatever it is you might wish to speak with them about...Could distract them from trying their hardest and awakening the Signers." Goodwin put some thought into this, then replied, "Hmm, you might be right. Mikage, cancel the requests; I'll have you send them up after this tournament is concluded."

Back on the ground, meanwhile, Shimoda and Kodo would be up to Duel, walking past Ling and preparing to take their turn at the ring. "Ling, you call my deck scary? Nothing I have could take on that monster you summoned." Yamichi joked, Takeshi laughing, "Yeah, that thing's a real powerhouse. And able to summon it with just one card? That's insane!"

However...Everyone would get their own surprise as the next turn progressed; for a while, it seemed Kodo's deck destruction strategy was working, but then the young man made a move that no one expected. "I Flip Summon Scapeghost! And with its effect, I Special Summon four Ghost Tokens to the field. Next, my facedown card! Token Christmas! I release all four Ghost Tokens to Special Summon Jester Confit, Swift Scarecrow, Battle Fader and Turbo Booster from the Graveyard!"

He then took his only remaining card, the very one he'd drawn on this turn and held it high. "I send all four of them back to the Graveyard! Rise, Titan of Anguish!" A giant vortex of dark energy would appear, Shimoda's chant continuing, "Let your roars of anger bring hopelessness against all who would face you! Crash with the force of ten thousand men down upon your foes! I summon you, Despair God - Anti-Hope!" And in a flourish of energy, a giant among giants would claw its way to its controller's field, roaring in rage as the crowd erupted in cheers.

"What a monster! Just like Ling beforehand, he's managed to summon a massive monstrosity! And at 5000 Attack Points, it won't be easy to defeat!" MC announced; Takeshi let out a low whistle, "Damn...That's not an easy card to summon if it took him having four level one monsters. Kudos to him; if he manages to win, he deserves it." And with Kodo having used Destruction of Destiny earlier but failing to activate Barrel Behind the Door due to a Counter Trap in Shimoda's deck, he was now poised to make one last strike.

"End this, Despair God! Final Crash!" Shimoda declared, his monster raising a mighty fist and striking hard against Kodo, the unknown Dueling Assassin stricken to zero Life in one brutal finisher. "Incredible! And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen! Let's show their faces, our quarter-finalists!" And with that, the massive screens would show the names and pictures off the contestants. "That's all for today! I'll see you all tomorrow for the next round! And Duelists, better make sure you're ready, because you're all in for a treat tomorrow!"

And with the Duels concluded, they had the option of retiring to the provided hotel rooms for the evening. "Hey...Ling, I was wondering...Since we don't have much to do, did you want to go grab some dinner?" Takeshi overheard but chose to say nothing, addressing Shimoda, "Damn dude...That's what you were hiding?" The young man rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah...Well, it's a powerful monster, right? Plus, with its summoning conditions, it makes it all the more rewarding to get it out. Even so...I might need to make some serious changes. Especially if you, Ling and that Yamichi guy are getting through; I won't have a chance if I don't make this more streamlined."

It was here that Yusei patted him on the shoulder, "If you want some good material, try using a Normal Monster swarm deck. Or, if you can find them, Duston monsters work well too. They have a lot of cards meant to getting them out more effectively."

Takeshi just grinned, "Oi, oi...You sure giving him advice to get THAT monster out is a good idea? For such a strong card, it's got to have a powerful effect hidden away." Lua here would laugh, "What, Takeshi? Afraid that giant's gonna turn your zombies into paste? You'll be fine! YOu might not even face him tomorrow...Oh! Who's going to face that Mukuro creep, eh?! I feel bad for whoever gets selected to be his opponent!" Takeshi just chuckled, "Well, that's not till tomorrow though, right? And I don't know about you guys...But I'm ready to head back and take a nap, I'm freaking exhausted."


Hotsuma, meanwhile, had been busy but not so much so that he couldn't watch his own guys kicking ass in the tournament. "Haha, that's right, you two. Show 'em what the Satellite can do." Hotsuma cheered silently; while he would have loved to make his own entrance, he was more than certain his crimes wouldn't be so easily forgiven. Not like Aki's, the rude bitch queen. "So...Your own henchmen have cleared a way to victory. With their performances, I doubt even this 'King' Jack Atlas will stand against them so easily." Hotsuma just laughed, "If you knew their Dueling at all, that bitch boy doesn't stand a chance. Yamichi alone would make him pull his hair out; Takeshi would probably make him commit suicide, especially if he uses Beelze."

And in all honesty? Hotsuma had wanted to see Takeshi use it, but could understand why he didn't; Judai had been more of an ally than most he'd met in his years of being in this life. That, and just as importantly, doing so would have brought a massive amount of negative attention to himself.

However...He would pause when he saw Yuna about to leave; where was she off to, he wondered. Going over to her, he gently placed a hand on her shoulder and asked quite plainly but also in a mildly teasing tone:

"You look you're about to go back to the Arcadia building for round two...Where are you off to in such a hurry?"
 

Ling chuckled softly, grinning as she heard both Yamichi and Takeshi take their turns to tease about her Five God Dragon. "Even still ... I need to summon it. You both are swarmers. Able to get your own insane cards out in one to three turns, depending."

With the last fight finally underway, everyone's attention seemed to be mostly on the last duel.

Ling would be the first to notice, however, that Fayth appeared to be asleep. She even chuckled and whispered softly to her partner, "Poor thing, I think she's exhausted."

"Only partly true," Faytth would reply, purposely pulling some of her blonde hair in front of her face while keeping her head against Yusei's shoulder. "I'm .... really comfortable."

Ling and Judai both shared a similar looking smirk; one that pondered if they had been lying about being an item. Not like they'd judge; on he contrary, they looked really cute together. And Yusei had seemed to help her without any real issues by guiding her up towards the stadium.

But, for now, both left the young woman alone. Partly out of respect - mainly, really. She had hinted to the group she was usually with another friend. If there were anything like half of this bunch of duelists, she heard enough from them on a regular basis as it was.

"I'd love to," Ling agreed, her gaze going back to the tech as she picked up his offer. "Since we kinda skipped eating on our last outing, anything you're allergic to? Or any type of restaurant you especially like? Just give me a time and enough of a chance to freshen up and we should be golden."

Fayth stretched, groaning slightly as her arms raised over her head before falling back at her side. She lightly patted her pocket, noting her keycard for the hotel room she and Ling were sharing was still there. "I think I may join you - at least in concept, Takeshi... right? Voices are how I identify people primarily. Hopefully I got it right. Either way, I'm likely gonna fall asleep pretty fast after getting to my room."

Judai, meanwhile, had a few other plans. However, upon hearing Luca mention Mukuro, he lightly patted the young duelist's shoulder. "What Takeshi said; worry about that tomorrow. Besides, now that the morale's gone back up, I don't wanna risk it getting spoiled. Oi! Naizen-san! Interesting deck, especially now hat I see what you were aiming for. Good luck tomorrow!"

Slowly, everyone began getting up to their feet, Fayth lightly hooking her arm over one of Yusei's to keep herself from getting lost.
Yuna's focus had been so on the upcoming mission that she forgot Hotsuma had been watching. Then again, he had all the reasons in the world to. His men (hers if she wanted to be super fucking technical due to Hotsuma relinquishing his position to her). They had conquered hteir opponents ... although, shame with Takeshi. Luck - lack of, obviously - forced him to go against Judai again. Butt what was more unfortunate was seeing his deck seeming more like it'd wanted ot take a nap than give at last a somewhat decent display.

Ah well. She knew everyone better.

And in the case of her own associates?

They were more than competent; that wasn't the issue. They'd all just gotten shitty match-ups; from Hajime going against Yamichi to Eikichi facing Sasaki and Shivini being put against Takeshi. Between here self and her mind, Shivini got the best deal, per se; at least the loss had been fucking close - or so she heard that was the case. It was definitely a match she sincerely lamented not seeing for herself.

Oh. Hey there~

Her head shook as Hotsuma would hear an interal snicker at his jest.

Hell nah. If I wanted round two, I'd bring four to five more guns.

Yuna's face go a bit more stoic as she finally revealed where she was heading off to.

I'm gonna rendezvous with Fayth real fast. While I have a makeshift way to speak ... I want her to be prepared. Kiryu was as dead set on finding her as he was learning everyone's names. Nu-uh. Not letting that fucker get what he wants ... not if I can help it. At least ... if he does succeed, it isn't because I failed to notify her, ya know?

As Hajime returned, pulling his own top up to reveal he also had his own firearm in case, Yuna would proceed to add.

However ... I'm gonna need someone who - no offense - doesn't stand out. Otherwise I'd extend the invitation to you. And since he was part of the rescue crew, he knows more of the Tops layout than Shivini or Eikichi.

Of course, that was going off what she knew. Which meant not realizing Shivini had a lover in the Tops. Even still, the assumption wouldn't be completely wrong.

Since it's just a quick message relay, I should be away for ... thirty minutes at most. And that's mainly because I'm gonna ride to the Tops. Should be fast enough otherwise.
 

Yusei said nothing as Fayth moved some hair out of her face; honestly, he didn't mind in the slightest, despite the fact that he still hardly knew her. After everything she had endured at the Facility, and his own failure to get her out of Kiryu's clutches, he could at the very least be a support for her. Besides, she actually felt kind of nice to have lean against him, if he were being perfectly honest. Maybe it was because she was so lithe.

"Ah, not really allergic no. I don't think anyway. I was thinking we could try sushi? I haven't had it in a while, for obvious reasons. But if you don't like fish, we could try a Chinese place?" Yamichi replied; it was true that their previous meeting was more about getting to know each other. And with his own winnings, he could at least do the gentlemanly thing and treat her to dinner. "Oh? What's this? Going for a night out, eh? Good for you, man." Takeshi teased, making the tech blush vividly. "Hey Ling, don't let this guy out of your sight, alright?" Takeshi continued, laughing as he went off with the others.

"Anyway...No worries; I gotta change too. We can leave from the hotel after it's all said and done." Yamichi would then say, holding an arm out for her to take. "Shall we?" he then asked her; granted, this was something he didn't know too much about, but he would at least give common chivalry a try.

"Come on, Celeste...I'll help you back to the hotel." Yusei would say to the woman, gently helping to take her up. And soon enough, the others would be in cabs taking them back to the hotel that Goodwin allowed them to stay in for the duration of the tournament. The rooms were quite plush; Celeste/Fayth and Ling shared one room, and the group of guys got a super suite that made the Presidential look like a regular room. "Man, Duelists here are treated like kings! This must be what that Atlas guy gets to live with every day. Lucky bastard." Takeshi said as he crashed back on the king sized bed. "Yeah, but don't get too used to it; this is probably just to make sure we don't have to go too far for the tournament, you know? Anyway, I gotta shower, then get out of here!" Yamichi yelled as he ran in the bathroom; while it was just dinner, he would still at least try to make himself look presentable.

"Oi, Shimoda...Where'd you get that monster, anyway? I don't recall seeing that one before." Takeshi would then ask, the light-brown haired male laughing and saying, "It's actually a pretty common card; no one really uses it because it's harder to Summon than most other monsters. I had another deck that was built around getting it out, but I kind of worried it wouldn't work so well. Might change it up like Yusei said though."


"Oh good...Because one pistol, especially as you are now, wouldn't be nearly enough. Might want to pull your top down a little more; the grip's sticking out against the back hem of your shirt." he would then say to her, a small smirk on his face. Even with everything that happened...He could at the very least try to keep things civil between them. "None taken; I've had enough of the Tops for a while. Rather be here; even if the Satellite's a shit-hole, it's my shit-hole, yeah? Besides, might take a swing by Syd's place tomorrow. That Runner I hijacked to get here is going to need some new paint and deets. Can't let Sector try to pin grand theft auto to my sheet, right?"

"Feh...You're just lucky my host holds no animosity towards you. Were it I in his place, you would be long since dead." the Emperor then spoke, Hotsuma shaking his head and saying "Dude, can you please shut the hell up? God damn, never thought a demon king would be so chatty." It was probably true that he should be more pissed at her for trying to kill him, but it also wasn't totally her. Rose had taken over, and by some small stroke of luck missed his vitals despite having every opportunity to flay him like a fish.

"Yeah, probably for the best; she's tough, but if Kiryu's that far gone...Just try to be easy about it, alright? I swear though, if I see him again he's worm bait." Hotsuma then replied a little heatedly; and as an afterthought, he then said, "I'll hold down the fort while you're gone. But, do me a favor...I know we promised no more secrets to our people, and I know you don't like holding stuff back from Hajime. But...For now, can you hold off on what we talked about if you happen to run into Takeshi or Yamichi? I don't want either of them getting potentially distracted, especially if they have a chance to be riding in Turbo Duels tomorrow. And...If you see Fayth, can you just let her know I'm sorry again?"

It was a small favor to be fair, but he was just trying to look out for them. And with everything that did happen...Well, he wanted them to be able to enjoy it without thinking anything at home was amiss.
 


"Sure. Thanks, Yusei." Celeste - for now, that's who she was, anyway - would wave to the others before leaving with Yusei. Thankfully, she didn't hear Mukuro while leaving ... but just as a precaution, she moved even closer to her escort of sorts. He'd made his own intentions painfully clear ... and if it could be helped, she wanted to stay away from him as much as possible.

Obvious reasons? Ling pondered.

Thankfully, Ling remembered what those were before asking and causing poor Yamichi any further embarrassment. Instead, she nodded, giving him an understanding smile. "I see. No, no. I like fish. Having something that's different would be nice, actually." As Takeshi took his turn to jest, Ling stuck her tongue out - something no doubt he wouldn't have expected. Nor did the others, as the reaction earned an array of chuckles. "Ohh, shush. If you're that jealous, get your own gal. Not all of us are scared of undead - or users with said decks. Later!~"

Ling would give Yamichi another affirmative nod and accept his arm, linking it through.

"See you all soon!" she'd call out, finally beginning to walk with Yamichi to the hotel.

True to his thoughts, Judai plopped down onto his bed, though not before kicking his shoes off. He then pulled his deck ou and slowly examined it. Most of the cards complimented one another pretty well .... but maybe here were some he should re-look over? It was worth a thought. And besides, it wasn't like he was gonna give up on the HERO deck altogether; just make a few edits.
Yuna, meanwhile, was feeling ... eager to get going. But, Hotsuma - and, of course his Majesty - had some parting words.

.... Seriously, like he said, shove it. I literally do not have time to listen to your bitch fits. Yeah. I understand. Unfortunately, with the Fortune Cup taking place in the Tops, I kinda gotta go to her; otherwise I'd give Fayth coordinates to rendezvous ... somewhere between here ad he Tops. But nah. Not enough time.

And, like all good plans, it had literally jut come to Yuna's head. Go figure. Her eyes rolled at herself as she smirked, pulling her shirt further down.

Whatcha going on about? What gun?

Before Hajime could place a hand on her shoulder, Yuna rose her own up. Go on and get the Wheeler ready; I'll be over soon.

It wasn't just for her sake. She could hear - thanks to the shared link - there was still more from Hotsuma. And it'd be easier to keep him from using up too much energy by taking certain precautions.

I'll ... only promise to try being 'easy'. The talk alone is gonna be anything but that. She may be blind, but she otherwise can confirm if he really did die somehow. So learning that alone's gonna be a living hell as it is. But ... I'll do what I can. Not gonna promise it'll be a simple chit-chat, but I didn't plan for it to be, either.

A groan mingled in with a sigh as she heard the next request. Even without using telepathy, the sight of Yuna's arms going over her chest hinted the appropriate reply. But .... Hotsuma would hear it soon enough.

... Only because of two things. One, you asked nicely. Two ... you're right. Especially if anyone does have a riding duel tomorrow. Fine. You're right, I don't like it. But I'll do it.

The last thing he brought up caused Yuna to genuinely smile.

Absolutely. I'm sure she'll be glad to hear that, in fact. Thanks for agreeing to hold the fort down. Now .... I'm gonna go haul ass so I can return and ge you off guard duty. Later!

Once Hajime felt the tap on his shoulder, he turned. Upon confirming it was indeed Yuna, he revved the engine and sped off. Time had been lost with whatever Yuna had spoken to Hotsuma about. And they did need to find Fayth which, already, was going to be a bit of a challenge in itself.

Thankfully, the decision to go faster than the speed limit had helped out. Poor Fayth stood out like a sore thumb --- and Yuna felt unsure whether to grimace or feel a bit relieved as she saw Yusei.

Well ... shit. She hadn't wanted to relay bad news to more than one person. Apparently, some fucked up deity decided that was gonna be her fate. But in an odd way, this was kinda good. Yusei had been there also, if she recalled. He'd likely wanna know.

Hold it! Fayth and Yusei would hear in their heads.

To help confirm where said voice had come from, the Wheeler would come to a halt beside them after Yuna gave Hajime a few taps to indicate those were the right people. And Yuna would be he first to remove her visor.

" .. Yuna?! Um .... "

Somewhere discreet. I didn't expect Yusei to be with you, but this works out, somewhat unfortunately. Happen to remember any abandoned alleys or buildings nearby?

Though the question was directed to them both, Yuna expected a much more accurate answer from Yusei.
 

And once everyone was settled, Yamichi was out the door, dressed in a blue blazer with white undershirt and jeans. It was something he had picked up in the days before the tournament; it allowed him to spend some of his winnings to get new clothes. Nothing too much, since they would need to take the boat back, but all the same it was kind of nice to be able to wear something different without having to constantly launder his old outfits and patch holes in it.

Takeshi meanwhile, just grabbed the remote. "So hey, what do you guys want to watch? What's even on over here besides Duelcasters? I mean, I like Duel Monsters as a whole but after today I just want something mindless you know? Any good movies?" Shimoda nodded, "Switch to Channel 46. Always broadcasting action movies and stuff like that. I might not watch though; I wanna go through my deck." Takeshi just shrugged, "No worries...Hey, where's Yusei at though?"

At this Shimoda just shrugged, "No idea; probably making sure that creep Mukuro didn't follow Celeste or something. He's a nice guy, but Mukuro's an ass if I ever saw one. Whoever he faces tomorrow, I hope he gets his teeth kicked in."


And when Yamichi would find Ling, he was all smiles. "Wow, Ling...You look fantastic. Shall we?" Once they would hail a cab, Yamichi would then ask, "Do you know where The Hot Roll is?" The driver nodded as he turned his head, "Ah yeah...Hey, you're those two Duelists from the tournament! Wow, no way! Little dude, you're one scary man! Not saying you're any pushover yourself, ma'am; to summon that card like that? Very well done; I wish you both the best of luck in the next round.

Yamichi just grinned sheepishly and squeezed Ling's hand, "Well...Guess I should have expected that. Thank you though, it's much appreciated." And with that, the driver would cart them off to the restaurant.


Yusei had been one of the last to arrive with Fayth; it didn't help that Yusei was helping to be vigilant for Mukuro himself, since he'd announced his intent so publicly. But in any event, there seemed to be little sign of him. "We're here, Celeste...Slide this way." he would say, helping her gently leave the car and giving the driver his fare before it would take off.

However, before either of them could get inside, he'd heard a familiar voice in his head. Turning, he would see none other than Yuna Takeda; the world was she doing here?! Was she crazy? Well...Maybe, but if she came all the way from the Satellite...It had to be important. Very few would risk themselves like this for something minor...Though he wasn't sure about the blue-haired male that was with her. Then again, if he knew anything from his short time with her, it was that she chose her allies very carefully.

"No buildings...Follow me though; there's an alley half a block down. Should give us some privacy." Yusei would then say, motioning with his head to have them follow him. And once they were there and it was clear that they weren't being listened to, Yusei would then state rather pointedly, "Well...Won't lie, I'm more than a little surprised to see you again. But given the urgency I heard, I take it you're not here to catch up. So...What's going on?"



Lua, meanwhile, had gone home with his sister. Needless to say, he could tell she was about ready to blow up at him for dragging her there...And even more so that he'd taken her identity to participate in the Fortune Cup. And even though she hardly went off at all, the times when she did were more than a little terrifying.

"So...Hopefully there's time for an 'I'm sorry', sis?" Lua asked, tapping his fingers together after fixing his hair back into the single ponytail that he normally wore it in.
 

Ling sighed, somewhat disappointed Celeste had yet to return. Soem advice rom another woman would have been incredibly helpeful.

... First thing was first, and that came in the form of a quick shower. She wasn't a complete wreck; however, being out in the sun for a prolonged period of time had made her begin to sweat somewhat. "Hmmmm. What to do, what to do?" Although Ling tended to favor anything that had some bits of her heritage, she wanted to step out of her comfort zone. Today would be a day for many new things, hence part of the reason she agreed to sushi. It was no secret that sushi was supposedly raw. But ... obviously it was edible enough if people could eat it. It couldn't be too raw to kill people.

"Outfit, outfit, outfit ... ummmm ..... shit!"

... Okay, so maybe it was a good thing she was alone. The unorthodox cure would have been weirder to hear than Takeshi watching her stick her tongue out. Finally, something did indeed catch her eyes ... and made her blush. It'd show off a lot of skin. But .... it was definitely not her go-to sorta outfit.

Why not? What's the worst that can happen? Don't answer that, brain!

Ling took a deep breath, steeling herself for both the best and worst case scenarios before grabbing the clothes and getting clad in them. Combined with the shower and picking something out, Ling would only take about thirty minutes to finish her preparations.

When she finally walked out, Yamichi would finally see what she opted to wear. "You look nice, Yamichi. Yeah, definitely. Let's go."

Apparently, the sight of their faces must have spread around quit a bit, because she and Yamichi were almost immediately recognized by the cab driver. "Heh, thanks, sir. It's .. definitely appreciated." Ling's fingers would intertwine with Yamichi's, though not before getting her seat belt buckled in. Her head leaned back as Ling relaxed and enjoyed the official beginning of her and Yamichi's second date.
Yuna merely nodded, quietly confirming that - sadly - she wasn't here simply to catch up. She'd slide off the Wheeler and help Hajime move it. If it was that close, no point in riding there. Plus, the noise would gather any unwanted attention. She really had meant for this to be a simple 'tell and leave' sorta mission. After leaning the bike against one of the walls and double checking with Yusei they weren't being listened in on, Yuna paused. Mainly to gather her thoughts. The beginning was always the worst place to start these things at.

"So .... yeah. I mean, glad to see you're well and all, but ... why now?"

Well ... I suppose let me get the more positive thing out of the way. Hotsuma wanted to inform you he really was sorry about how your duel went. He admits his Emperor went overboard ... and feels crappy about it.

Indeed, the reaction was what she expected; to see Fayth raise an eyebrow. "I mean, I'm glad to hear that. But ..... how is that the positive thing? What else is there?"

Both Yusei and Fayth would hear Yuna sigh before she slowly nodded, finally deciding the blunt route was the only way to go about this. I don't know how - nor does he. But ... Kiryu's alive. Revived, to be more accurate; at least that's what he told me. And he's very hell bent on finding you, Fayth.

"NO!"

Fayth scooted back, damn well nearly tripping over Yuna's wheeler. "That's .... please tell me you've gotten some really warped humor since we last spoke. That can't be true!"

Fayth .... why do you think I haven't been speaking normally? Yuna calmly moved Hajime's hand off her shoulder ... and tried to talk herself. Only to reveal she couldn't. And if both needed more proof, she lifted her neck, allowing the scar from the bite mark to be seen.

Not only is he back, he's with some .... group. They seem really obsessed on finding .... Signers? But they know you're one, which seems to be why Kiryu wants you; no doubt that's just the obligatory incentive. I'm sure he's got his own fucked up motives. They tried to leave me permanently mute and for dead, but ...

Yuna smirked.

Well, there was a reason I kept my subordinates' names hidden from them; to ensure they didn't find out there was a plan B for trying to keep me quiet. Anyway ....

Yuna's arms crossed over her chest.

I don't recommend being alone, if doable.

"W-Wait. So .... you're saying not only is Kiryu alive, but he incapacitated you that badly?"

At that, Yuna's hand tilted in the air.

He's not responsible for me being silenced; that was another member. However .... it is Kiryu who sealed Rose away. And as far as I've felt? Both of those may be very permanent things. I've been like this for .... about a week, pushing two. Nothing's improved. If it weren't for the fact Hajime has his own telepathic abilities, I wouldn't be able to warn you. Period. Then, you'd really be in worse trouble than you already may be in. I'm sorry. I know with the Fortune Cup going on, this is the worst time, but .... it's probably the best for Kiryu.

"Best?"

Yet, that was as far as Fayth got. She wanted to elaborate on her inquiry ... and at the same time, she didn't. This was already too much. She'd gotten mentally and psychologically better. Now ... hearing she had to worry about him again?

It was making Fayth want to cry.

... You don't believe me fully, do you? I can show you; but don't accept that offer lightly. You're not really going to be able to unsee what I reveal to either of you. But .... if it'll erase your doubts, then take my hand. Just make damn sure you want to truly view what I fought against for two weeks. With this, Yuna extended both of her hands out. If either agreed, she'd telepathically show how the two weeks of torture and interrogation had gone - and, in the process, confirm Kiryu was indeed alive.

... Fought against? What did that even mean? So many questions .... and not enough answers. This would definitely be what she needed. But it was as Yuna asked; was it what Fayth truly wanted? She gulped nervously, glancing to her side where Yusei was before feeling Yuna lightly guide her hand over her own outstretched one. "Are ... are you going to do it, Yusei?" Fayth asked softly.
Luca had honestly just wanted to forget about today. In fact, the first thing that she did after eating dinner was head to her room. She started to change into pajamas ... but ceased upon hearing her brother talk to her.

An exasperated sigh would be he very first thing h'd hear, followed by her door opening.

"You are so stupid and selfish sometimes! God, Lua! Forget the fact I didn't want to participate! Do you even know what could have happened if someone found out you were impersonating me?! You could have gotten in so much serious trouble. It's not funny to think about. I can barely handle much alone as it is. If you got taken away or something .... "

Her head quickly moved from side to side.

"I'm not sure what I'd do."

Luca tilted her head back, cloed her eyes, and took a long, deep breath.

"But .... since nothing like that happened, yes. I can forgive you." A sly smile crossed her face as she added, "Don't worry. I'd still forgive you even if something did happen. It just wouldn't be as quick. Really though, don't ever scare me like that again. Please."

Although .... in its own regards, the apology was kind of redundant. He'd lost, so .... it wasn't like there was a reason to worry about tomorrow.
 

The ride to the restaurant wasn't too long, thankfully; at most it was about a fifteen-minute drive. And with the time they were going at, the sun still slightly overhead but the oranges and pinks of the evening dusk starting to set in, they would find the sushi bar fairly empty.

Taking a seat, they would soon be greeted by the head chef after sitting down at the bar: A tanned-skin male dressed in his chef whites, his cranium shining in the dim lighting of the restaurant. "Welcome, welcome!" the chef would say enthusiastically, adding with a polite bow, "I am Tone." Yamichi would bow his head in return, "Yamichi, and this is Ling." Tone smiled, "Ah, such a lovely young woman. I saw you two compete in the Fortune Cup, but I'm guessing you had enough talk about Dueling for one day, yes?" Yamichi could only smile, "Quite so...I'll admit, I haven't been to this place yet. What do you recommend?"

Tone held a small menu, listing a dozen or so items, "We have some of the staples. Aka-gai, sake...But for you two, I can offer something special. O toro. Very rich, and melts in your mouth...But I would suggest saving that for the end of the meal." Yamichi nodded, smiling at Ling, "Well...Let's dig in shall we?" And when Tone would serve them some fresh soup - strips of wakame, some tofu and the miso itself - that was when their evening would begin.


Yusei's eyes were focused intently on Yuna as she started her story; naturally, having been there when Kiryu was pulled into the ocean, he was finding it very hard to believe that he had survived his watery demise. Even the Crimson Dragon hadn't been able to save him; so how could he have come back?

The fact that he had gone after Yuna wasn't surprising...But the fact that their meeting was clearly more than just a simple hello, going far over into the depraved and indifferent, unsettled him. If he truly had been revived, then whatever let him return had only amplified his rage. Made his already unstable behavior even worse. And as strong as they were...Now he was starting to worry if anyone could handle him.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Fayth ask if he would accept Yuna's offer. If she was going to truly show them what happened...No, he couldn't be afraid. It would be unsettling, but she could endure experiencing it, then he could endure watching it. And...He needed to know for sure; if Kiryu was in fact alive once more, that would mean he needed to prepare.

Because more likely than not, Yusei would indeed be his first target above all others.

"Yeah...I'll do it; I need to see for myself." Yusei would finally reply, placing a hand over the two of theirs. And when the memories began...He was shocked. At first he saw Kiryu being cornered, Yuna having the initial advantage...But something made the air heavy, like it was suffocating everything around it. Drawing everything deeper into a dark abyss...And then silence and darkness...Before long, Yuna awakening once more.

And then the torture began...But one thing he noticed was that Kiryu was indeed not alone. There was someone else with him: A woman, dressed in the same style of robe as him but with green accents instead of purple ones. "Yuna...You had said that it wasn't Kiryu that silenced you. Was it her? Who is she?" Yusei then asked



Lua cringed a little; it wasn't that she got overly violent was why he was afraid of her. She had an exceptionally skillful way of pointing out his mistakes and making him feel genuinely guilty for it. And once she finished and said that she would forgive him, Lua's hands clenched a bit. It was true, he could have gotten taken away; but if anything, he could have argued that what Mukuro did was much worse! He openly stole a contestant's spot, and was still allowed to duel!

Regardless, he knew better than to argue that, so he would take a deep breath of relief as well and say, "Well, good...And trust me, I'll...Well, I'll try my hardest not to. You know I can be a bit of a knucklehead, but if I do compete, I'll definitely let you know."

"But...Speaking of dueling, wanna go see the quarterfinals tomorrow? I know you don't like crowded places, Luca, but this will be good for you! You need more sun, is all! And the weather guy says it's going to be cooling off throughout the week! Plus, you gotta admit, the round's going to be intense! Especially if they get to do Turbo Duel!" her brother then exclaim excitedly, his eagerness to watch at the stadium itself more than a little apparent.
 
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"Gorgeous, isn't it?" Ling whispered softly, pointing towards the sun set beginning to decorate the sky. Her fingers lightly brushed along Yamichi's hand, stopping only when the taxi did so she could get out. Her own nervous smile would be given to Tone as he acknowledged recognizing who they were.

"Hehe ... yeah. Definitely had enough duel talk, if you don't mind."

Taking a seat across from Yamichi, she'd let him handle the ordering. In truth, she hadn't been here either. More often than not, Ling favored cooking as opposed to eating out, so this was a treat in its own rights for her.

After the start of their meal was served, Ling bowed her head politely to Tone. As he walked away, she blew across the miso soup and took a small sip of it. "This is really good. So ... maybe I just overlooked some stuff, but it sorta felt as if you knew some of those conestants. Are they from the group you hinted from our first outing?"

Takeshi, at least, had given her that impression.
While Fayth and Yusei were contemplating, Hajime's grip on Yuna's shoulder tightened slightly.

... I honestly wish you wouldn't do this again. Me and Hotsuma watching this was disturbing enough. Isn't there another way to give them proof?

Yuna regretfully shook her head. Short of him appearing right then and now, but .... I checked. We weren't followed. So that's not likely to happen. As far as Kiryu and the bastard who muted me - they were mart not to give names out - are concerned, I'm supposed to be helpless. And since Rose is sealed, its likely impossible to sense my usual aura. That's working for me .... for the time being. So I'm gonna take advantage of ruining heir plans while I can.

Hajime internally sighed. Unfortunately, he wasn't coming up with any alternative ideas either. Which mean, even if he didn't want to, he'd have to watch it all again. And whereas Hotsuma could probably block out whatever he wanted to ignore, he wasn't quite that strong.

I'm sorry. I promise to make it up to you somehow, Yuna apologized, clasping her hands around Yusei's and Fayth, although the latter - as she expected - seemed hesitant to accept this sight. Well ... fair enough. It at least meant Fayth had taken the time to think before acting instead of just outright accepting her offer.

And there he was. He'd been stalking Yuna ... wait, that was Yuna? The red hair and contacts made it difficult to tell. But then, when they were facing one another, even Fayth saw what Kiryu must have; her criminal mark. It was otherwise a damn good disguise.

Yeaaaaaaah, Yuna bitterly muttered, hearing Fayth's surface thoughts, I was not happy that stupid ass mark was the only thing that gave me away.

When she heard Yusei's question, Yuna snickered, shaking her head from side to side. Nah. She was easily the most useless of the group. Didn't know at all what she was doing. No. Her name's Misty, apparently. I don't even know exactly why Kiryu brought her along, aside from the fact he supposedly fancies her. Misty's so-called talent sure as shit didn't do her any favors. She's supposed to be amazing at reading people. Got next to nothing off me. Fayth? If you wanna let go, now would be the best chance. Because .... Hajime's right to bitch about this. It .... it is only gonna get more graphic before more tame.

"I appreciate the concern," Fayth softly replied. "But I can't keep relying on you, Yusei, Fuyu, or anyone else. And ... you said it yourself. He's looking for me, so ..... I guess I need to know just how far gone he is and what I should expect."

The sight of the make-shift Chinese water torture made Fayth grimace.

Well .... Yuna had tried. Still, the sight of her shutting her eyes would no doubt get Yusei and Fayth's attention.

Before either could ask why, they'd see for themselves.

.... He didn't really .... did he?! Oh god!

That damn well nearly made Fayth let go of Yuna's hand.

Oh yeah. More times than he should have. Never for too long, but .... yeah. He went there.

The various torture sessions - be it locked away in the coffin or beaten with the hammer - would go slowly, revealing what she'd endured for two weeks straight. The malnutrition and awkward, forced showers would be noted, as well as how close Yuna had gotten to caving in and revealing names.

By the time the flashbacks ended, Fayth had fallen on her knees, looking paler than usual. "You ... how'd you ... ??" Her head shook as she sniffled. "Why'd you ... ??"

Because look at you now. And that's just from knowing Kiryu wants to find you. If I gave you away? Multiply your fear by a hundred .... maybe even a thousand. He's not even human - and I'm not saying that because he's revived. Well ... you saw what I mean. Any trace of sanity and self-control he did display at the Facility? Gone. And although none of my people are Signers .... fuck if I'm gonna subject them to the same shit I went through. Truthfully? That would have been what'd make me give up, probably. Seeing any of them suffering.

A shudder traveled through Yuna's spine before she stumbled back, collapsing against Hajime.

This is exactly why I didn't want you doing this now. You just got well enough to move around! Hajime chastised, keeping his arms firmly wrapped around Yuna to ensure she remained standing.

Yuna merely chuckled, panting slightly as she wove her hand through the air.

Save your strength. I know this shared telepathy kinda drains you. But .... well ..... if this is permanent ....

Yuna allowed the thought to trail off, knowing he could piece together what she was going to say well enough.

Anyway .... yeah. If you can find a way not to be alone, I very highly recommend it, Fayth.

"W-What am I supposed to do?! How do I prepare for something like this?! I don't have even a quarter of your prowess; physical or mental! There's no way I ... "

You just said you didn't wanna rely on others forever, didn't you? Figure something out. You're smart. You've proven you can be a quick thinker and adapt. Those will be your best friends -- plus anything maybe Yusei can come up with. He did know Kiryu, after all. As much as I'd love to stay and resume our training we started in the Facility .... that's not doable. Not now, especially.

Fayth weakly nodded, looking all but completely defeated.

I can't remain here for too much longer, but ... if either of you have any questions, get them outta the way now.
Good. He'd understood. That chapter was out of the way now; or so it'd seemed.

Luca elicited an exasperated sigh as she heard her brother give away the catch to this apology.

"Lua .... I really don't know. The headaches were annoying. I .... I felt stupid just sitting there and watching. Especially because .... w-well ..... "

Her arms went over her chest as she tried to come up with a valid reason. It was only partially true, somewhat regrettably, that she didn't enjoy the duels. It was more like there were specific ones she hadn't liked.

Even still, that felt like enough of an excuse.

But .... Lua was right. Seldom, if ever, did they get to leave the house.

"Fine. But only to watch, although .... I don't know if you'll be able to have as good of a view anymore. Either way, I suppose I can watch with you."
 

Yamichi smiled as she complimented the soup, Tone going off to assist others at the bar while they would take their time to place the orders they would like. "Yeah...I don't get to eat miso often, so this is definitely a treat. Speaking of which...The bill is mine, so no arguing, alright?" the tech said back to her; he hoped she didn't mind him footing the bill this time around. Part of this was to get closer to her, and doing the gentlemanly thing such as picking up the tab was only proper etiquette.

When she asked about the group, he had to pause. Noticeably so; he didn't want to tell her too much, but he didn't want to lie to her either. "Yeah, they're from that group...Well, Judai not so much, but he's a really good friend. I would say the only one I know well is Takeshi; growing up where we did, it pays to find people you can trust. Even more so if you can keep them around." That last part was said with a hint of remorse; so many times, he'd seen others turn people in to Sector just to save their own asses.

There was no loyalty, no wanting to try and keep others from getting sent to the Facility. At least not until he found Hotsuma...And being he was his first recruit, Takeshi being the second, it was like he'd found a family again. One he was proud to be a part of.

"So, what about you, Ling? Do you have a circle of friends...Over here, I mean. People you meet up with and hang out? I apologize if I sound a bit...well, dumb...but I don't exactly know what a typical day in the Tops is like." Yamichi then asked, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.


Yusei kept watching, his eyes closed as he tried to keep himself from recoiling. He was doing a pretty good job too, but...To think Kiryu would be this far gone, to do these sorts of things to Yuna. She was right in one respect; whatever had brought him back had robbed him of his humanity. Even so, Yusei couldn't help but feel it was still buried deep in there. Under all that anger and pain, the weight of his past, he knew Kiryu was in there somewhere.

But...Would he even want to be saved, to have it re-emerge? If the Duel with Fuyu was any indication, and this series of visions...That was a solid and resounding no. Even more so when he got the brilliant idea to lock her in a box...Then a coffin. He was honestly starting to feel physically ill, so much so that he actually squeezed Fayth's hand in his own to try and steady himself.

And when the series of visions ended, Yusei was more than a little unsettled; this was what he did to someone who knew him. What would it be like if he lost and was at Kiryu's mercy? Even so, he knelt beside Fayth, trying to help keep her calm. "Unfortunately....Yuna's right, Fayth. But...Try not to worry too much; whatever might happen, I'm not going to let him have his way." Even if he would have to use himself as bait...He would do that for Fayth.

After all...Kiryu was his real target; anyone else he went after would be solely to get to him.

" Yuna, the only thing I can say to you is how sorry I am you had to go through...Despite everything Kiryu said to you, it's me he wants. And if this group is so focused on the Signers...He'll just use me to get to Fayth. And it's why he beat you, because he saw you with me." Yusei started off; he was feeling like this was his fault. And in truth? It kind of was, especially with how he was now going after people that he only had met at first.

"But...If there's a claim I can say I'll follow through on, it's that I will do everything I can to protect Fayth until she's able to return to her dimension. No matter what it may take." he would then say in finality, holding onto the young woman's hands with a firm resolve, somewhat dispelling the cloud of self-doubt that had been hovering over him.

"But you are right...It's getting to be time for Sector to start their patrols; with the first round of the Fortune Cup over, they'll be dedicating their manpower to try and keep the Tops secured." Yusei would then whisper, helping Fayth to stand back up.

"And Yuna? I know you went through a lot of trouble to get this information to us...Thank you. At least now we can try to prepare for if and when Kiryu starts to get more active in looking for us."



Lua gave his sister those big eyes of pleading as she went back and forth with herself on whether or not she would want to. "Please say yes; I just wanna see how far Yusei goes!" the young man thought to himself excitedly.

And when she finally said she would go with him, Lua gave the biggest shout of joy and hugged his sister. "Yes! Don't worry, Luca, it's just to watch the duels! Now, off to sleep! We gotta get up so we can get good seats!" he exclaimed excitedly, finally going into the restroom to brush his teeth and get ready for bed.

Whether Luca would know it or not, Lua would be quite excitable for the night, rushing back into their room wearing his bright-blue pajamas that seemed to nearly match the color of his hair. "Night, sis! Trust me, we're going to have fun tomorrow!" he said to her, the goofiest grin she would ever see on his face before he pulled up the covers and laid his head on the pillow.
 

"Oh good. Thanks."

Ling's face flushed as she quickly explained, "Of all the things I did and didn't come prepared with, bringing some of my own money sorta fell under the latter. It's all at home, hidden away. So umm ... I appreciate the gesture. Wouldn't wanna get in trouble because I was too careless. Heh. Yeah, I just ... deck, some drinks, that's it."

There was also the same logic Yamichi had picked up on; she had been taught it was typically the man's job to do certain things while dating a woman. Paying when going out to eat was one.

Maybe he won't have the worst time with mom and dad when I bring up he offered without me asking, she thought, smiling at both thought and food.

"Soooo everyone else isn't part of your group then?"

Aki wasn't too amazing. She'd looked like such a loner. Celeste and Yusei, however? They seemed ... well, not as if they were separate from his group. "Huh. I'm guessing you have a lot more who just didn't show up then? Or is your group that small?"

Option B could always be possible ...but that didn't feel right. Yamichi had an odd sense of charisma, whether he knew it or not. Hence why Ling was certain there had to be a lot more people than the ones she'd simply met. "Heh, yeah. You and Takeshi definitely acted really close. I'd almost believe you were blood brothers -- were it not for the screen showing your surnames were different." A slight grimace formed on her face as a more grim thought came ot her head. "Is ... is it true a lot of people in Satellite are orphans? It's a common rumor, but ... well, I don't like believing in those. Because ... otherwise rumors are little more than fabricated lies, you know?"

Her hand would tilt as she let go of her spoon, waving from side to side in the air fore grabbing back onto her utensil. "Sorta," she murmured. After getting a few more sips of the soup in, Ling elaborated. "I do have friends, but we're not nearly as close. They care much more about their social and financial standings in the Tops." Her eyes rolled as she lowly scoffed. "I'ts really annoying, truthfully."

A neutral expression entered her eyes, as did a new thought. One that, after thinking over several times, caused Ling to nod and look up at Yamichi.

"It's still just a contemplation -- but, as a hypothetical inquiry, do you think I'd be able to join your group if I wanted to? Not necessarily live with, but be associated and a member otherwise? Of course, if I got the living arrangements wrong, then do correct me. I was just taking a guess."
Around the time Yusei squeezed down on Fayth's hand, she did the same. Her head had turned ... and it was obvious that if it weren't for her own will power, poor Fayth probably would have actually allowed herself to vomit. She wasn't feeling much better than Yusei with all of this.

Yuna, meanwhile, just sighed. This had, unfortunately, been the reaction she was expecting. It was as she'd told Hotsuma; there would be no easy nor merciful way to relay this news without making at least someone feel disgusted. I really do regret coming here to deliver not-so-pleasant news. Trust me when I say I'd rather be here for better reasons. But at the same time, I'm glad I could at least give you both a warning. I'd be probably literally kicking myself if I hadn't found a loophole from everything being sealed away. That is why I kept silent during the interrogations, no matter what. I didn't want any of you getting dragged into this if it could be helped.

A weak grin spread over Yuna's face as she heard Yusei apologize.

Nah. I should have listened to Rose before she got sealed away. she was screaming at me to get away. One of the times I sincerely regret not listening to her. His Immortal .... it's unnatural. More so than what I could normally do.

" .... Excuse me? Rose? What are you going on about?"

.... Oh yeah. I never told nor showed you that. Well ... normally, I can change. Take on the form of Rose, the Warrior of Revenge. Fucker removed that ability, though. That's part of how I originally got my telepathy. Arcadia found and experimented on me and Hotsuma both. Don't think I didn't trust you; far from it. But I couldn't draw too much suspicion on myself or Hotsuma while we worked on executing our plan to break everyone out. So I had to be more cautious than usual on who I hinted my abilities to.

Her head moved back tto Yusei as her words were now direced back tto him.

In any case, even if you are his main target, I think he's conjuring a way to get immediately to you. Hence the focus on Fayth. He likely would have just kept using me were I a Signer. And going off the names of the Signers he and Misty revealed ... I hate to say it, but Fayth is the best choice. I doubt there's much of a link between either of you or Aki. And .... well, I'm not gonna assume anything of Jack. He's a wild card.

There it was. Confirmation her ears hadn't been playing tricks on her. Aki was truly one of them also? Suddenly, it felt like there were a million things Fayth now had to look out for.

Dimension?

Yuna smirked, chuckling softly. Well .... seems like we both had a secret to hide. It's fine. I would have had a hard time believing that .... if it weren't for everything else I've gone through already. So .... you're not even from here, huh? Honestly? I'm not too surprised. You don't seem like you're from here or the Tops.

YUNA! Hajime hissed. Sorry, but ---

To help prove his point, he pulled her out of sight as several D-Wheelers drove hastily by. A quick glance would reveal it was indeed Sector, now working on their patrols.

Tch. Fine, fine. Point made. Yep, I'm soooooo high on Goodwin's shit list, it's actually kinda funny. Mainly for me but whatever. Before Hajime could fully cut the link off, she pressed his hand down, allowing her to reveal one last thing. If you two ever wanna find or meet me again .... we overtook the Facility. Yep. That was me and Hotsuma's doing. Our old base got found, so we had to relocate. Hope to see you guys again soon .... and under better circumstances. Fuck! Okay, okay! I'm going! Goddamn.

"Y-You what ... ??"

Fayth scoffed, finally grinning as she continued holding onto Yusei's hands. "I don't know if you two are more insane or bold. But it seems to be working in your favor. Take care, Yuna."

Yuna merely nodded, briefly rubbing her arm where Hajime had pinched to emphasize they needed to hurry up and leave now. She put her visor on to hide her face once again, before wrapping her arms around Hajme's waist. Partly because she could, partially to tease him, but mainly to help give the impression they were lovers rather than someone Sector was seeing out. No speeding this time around then.

... Who do you take me for, Yuna? I'm your second-in-command, not some random idiot.

Yuna rolled her eyes, the action hidden courtesy of the visor. Shush and just go. While the coast is clear.

The engine would rev as Hajime started the vehicle up. Before they were too far out of sight, Yuna would sneak in one last wave. Soon, the two would disappear completely from sight.

Fayth, meanwhile, was still reeling from everything she'd just seen and learned. What will power she was clinging onto plus Yusei were the only things keeping her up on her feet. Otherwise ... her entire body was violently shaking, threatening to give in and make her fall back to her knees. " ... Is there even anything we can do? If her own ability got sealed so easily ... what ... what about us?"

There was only one definite thought coming to her mind. She had to bring both decks with her. Her true one would be used if push came to shove. But it would be the best chance Fayth would have to beat Kiryu - or anyone else affiliated with this group, for that matter. Damn the consequences. This definitely fell under the 'desperate times call for desperate measures' proverb.
Despite another sigh - now primarily fueled by exhaustion - passing her lips, Lua would catch Luca grinning. Spoiled as he could be, he was all she had. And the same worked vice versa, particularly with their parents gone. There were quite a few days she felt as if they were orphans in a very well-to-do residence. But, she wouldn't ever wish for that to actually come true, of course. It was just a thought and observation.

"Yep! You too! Off to bed as well!"

Luca would quickly return the hug, waiting for Lua to be out of her room before shutting the door and finally beginning to change into some light pink pajamas. The door would re-open as she finished getting dressed and walked into the nearby bathroom to brush her teeth and finish with her night time preparations.

I hope so, Luca internally replied while sliding under the covers of her bed. She did always hate feeling as if things became less fun because she could seldom enjoy much of any activity. In that regard, Luca wanted to make up the feeling that she tended to ruin moments like watching and partaking in the Fortune Cup to her brother. He deserved that much --- and quite a bit more that she had never dared to reveal to him. Namely a better, stronger sibling.
 

"It's no problem; I feel like I kind of cheated us the last time by not taking you up on your offer before. So...Hopefully this makes up for it?" Yamichi joked, grinning a little goofily.

When she started asking more about his group, he had to pause at first; he didn't want to fib (too much), but he couldn't outright say who they were. Much as he was getting the impression Ling wouldn't outright sell him to Sector, he also didn't want to mix her up in his other life. She deserved to have someone who wasn't so conflicted, who didn't live his life.

And if it weren't for the fact that the deepest parts of him wanted this to work, he would have never called her in the first place.

"No...It's fairly big, but...Well, Sector doesn't exactly approve of us coming over here, you know?" he said in a bit of a hushed tone; even if he wasn't marked, the news that he was from Satellite would be quite devastating if the wrong people heard it. And it was true; he knew of Goodwin's laws about arresting people who crossed over. Yuna had explained as such when she told them of this 'Yusei' guy that Fayth had met in the Tops.

When she would then ask about the people of Satellite being without families, Yamichi gave a solemn nod. "Yeah...And unfortunately that's largely because the situation is so bad in areas that their parents...Well, they don't get to enjoy their children very long. And the kids don't get to know their parents at all half the time" Again it was hushed...But if she were to look, she would see that he was actually starting to tear up a little.

Wiping his eyes, he then said, "Sorry...Heh, probably seem like a dweeb, eh?" The talk had brought up the fact that he himself was an orphan, but...It also reminded him of Hotsuma holding his brother. He was still a kid despite his size and strength, and he'd just lost the rest of his family. It was hard...But giving a small sniff, he then gave a weak smile and replied to her last question, "But...Uhm...I might need to get back to you....That OK?"


"No...You're right, it's better that you did. I would rather know the truth than believe a lie." Yusei would reply, having calmed down a good deal. And when she brought up Rose, he didn't have the same shocked reaction as Fayth. He had been shown her ability to transform before, when he visited her in the Facility's infirmary and she had explained everything.

And he realized that he had inadvertently slipped a secret of Fayth's to Yuna, muttering a small but well-meant "Sorry...Forgot you hadn't told her." And in truth, he should have been more considerate of that. He'd lapsed in the fact that not everyone knew she wasn't from this world. But...With how she would go on, she didn't seem to mind, so for that at least he was internally grateful.

But he did share a similar surprised look when she mentioned that they had been the ones responsible for the overtaking of the Facility; should have figured, he thought. Hotsuma especially seemed the sort to weaponize anything and everything he could, at least that was what he gleaned from the few times he met the guy. Even so, with the fact that Sector was starting to get out in force, it would be the best time for them to leave.

"Take care, Yuna, Hajime...Get back safely." he would then say, watching as they drove off. The news they had just received was certainly unsettling...But if anything, Yusei seemed to adapt quite well after processing all of it. And...He was trying to keep a strong front for Fayth, especially now that he could still feel her shaking.

"To be perfectly honest, Fayth...I don't know. But for right now, I don't think worrying about it is going to do us much good. And at least Kiryu's staying quiet; if he wanted to make a move, this would have been a good time to do it. So, that means to me that he's waiting somewhere not here...All we can do, is sleep on it for now." he would say to her at first, smirking a little and adding "Besides...We both have Riding Duels tomorrow. We'll need to make sure our bodies and minds are rested if we want to do that to the best of our ability."

Taking her gently by the hand, he would then say, "So...I say we go back, and get some rest. That sound like a good idea?"

And with that, he would lead her back to the hotel and into her room; he would assure her that he was just down the hall if she needed anything, and rejoined the others in the room. Yamichi still wasn't back yet, but Takeshi, Judai and Shimoda were now all going over their decks. Something Yusei would do himself...After a quick but much-needed shower; the heat would help rid the residual disgust and shock from his body after seeing what he did. His mind momentarily plagued by thoughts of Kiryu...And how his former friend had fallen so far.
 

"Well ... first outings are always awkward. Either way, this definitely makes up for skipping out on a meal last time."

It wasn't until Yamichi started looking ... torn that Ling's mind couldn't help but go back to the readings Un had given her. Naturally, she'd dismissed them during the duel. But now ... was there some truth to them? As much as she did want to know, she simultaneously didn't want to pry or risk driving him away.

Ling would slowly eat, listening carefully to his response. All while also noting his reactions.

"I suppose," she responded gently, acknowledging that - on the most technical of notes - he shouldn't be here, as per the stupid laws Goodwin was constantly enforcing. "O-Oh. I'm ... sorry. I should have thought before asking a sensitive question like that." Ling's head quickly moved from side to side. "No. I don't think you're a dweeb, anyway. You're very sweet. And ... I'd prefer you show emotions like that. Too many men try to act 'macho' or like nothing can wound them. That feels ... borderline inhuman to me. There's no shame in crying, or somehow reacting. But far too may guys go down that route. It's kinda frustrating."

When Yamichi wasn't busy eating or doing anything with his hands, Ling carefully reached over and brushed her fingers along his hand, moving away to resume her own meal.

"Sure though. Like I said, it was merely a rhetorical inquiry. Take as long as you need. I expected it to be a difficult decision."
It'd take Hajime and Yuna another fifteen or so more minutes. But finally, the D-Wheeler would be parked and the two would walk back into the Facility.

Home sweet home, Yuna mused, wasting little time in heading towards her room. Hajime followed suit ... though not before it'd looked like he had some temporary second thoughts. Which, admittedly, caught Yuna's attention. Not enough to chase and further tease him, though. The poor guy looked tired which ... made sense. It helped prove what she'd assumed; the shared telepathy did drain Hajime a bit. Thankfully, not so much he failed to get them back.

Still ... she noted it for later.

Well .... that went really smoothly. More so than I would have assumed.

Yuna briefly pondered on that ... before deciding to just count her blessings. She'd meant to keep her own mission simple. No sense in secretly hoping a bit of action would have found her. Yuna softly yawned, plopping onto her bed as she reached her room. She reached back with her left hand, withdrawing and putting away the pistol she'd taken as a small precaution. Yuna then pulled open the same drawer on her nightstand where the weapon rested ... and pulled her music player out. The new, albeit unknown, leader of both Yomi and the Disciples began putting the earbuds --- all while keeping her eyes staring towards her doorway. Just in case anyone walked this direction.
Fayth, meanwhile, was literally speechless. Her stomach was tightening, the knots just as uncomfortable and fast as the sensation of her head spinning. She knew and understood what she'd just heard - and even seen, courtesy of the telepathy.

She just ... didn't want to believe it.

"Sleep on it?"

... Sadly, there weren't many other options. "I ... don't know if I'll be able to but .... I'll try. Hey. Don't worry about letting that slip. Best to do so to Yuna over almost anyone else. I'm not mad or anything. I really do feel a tad sick though. As if worrying about Mukuro wasn't bad enough .... now he's back? Shit."

Her head weakly shook from side to side, stopping as she resigned herself to walk back to the hotel with Yusei.

"Ling?" Fayth called after opening her room. She waited .... and after a whole minute of silence passed by, she confirmed her roommate was still gone. For now, that was fine. There was one way she could even start to get rest, and it'd be easiest to do without anyone else around. For ... certain reasons. Fayth sniffled slightly, turning her arm and beginning to move her fingers across her own duel disk. As the last button was pushed, the voice she'd wanted to hear echoed from her disk.

" .... Fayth? You actually .... look kind of pale. What's up?"

She got a hold of one of the few people she could. It was also one of the people with the least chances of interrupting them somehow; Reiji Akaba. With Fuyu working full-time, there was a much higher chance Fayth would risk getting her during her shift or when she was about to pass out. "Not really," Fayth responded with a defeated sigh. "That ... that same person who trid to kill me wtih the suicide-murder trap? Yeah, he's back ... apparently."

" ... Back? So ... he survived? Is that what you're saying?"

"I'd prefer that. It'd be less creepy. No. He .. he got revived somehow."

"And ... you heard this somewhere, yes? Or .... you haven't run into him, have you?"

"Not yet, no. Yuna - the other person who helped me in the Facility - came personally to warn me."

"So she's seen this new version of your assailant?" Reiji checked, pushing his glasses up slightly.

"Yes. She ... she only told me about Kiryu because .... shared telepathy with another comrade of hers. Otherwise ... she wouldn't have been able to do this. He's with some ... group. Almost looks more like a cult. Either way, they're looking for the Signers. And one of their members muted her. Maybe permanently, given she's been in her state for as long as she has."

" .... Hmmmm. And .... how was she rendered to such a state?"

"They have their own abilities, apparently. She said something about ... Immortal? But .... any idea what that means?"

Fayth would hear Reiji quickly typing, no doubt in front of a monitor. Though she coudln't see, she could feel him narrowing his eyebrows. "The only thing coming up are cards called the Earthbound Immortals. But to think they have capabilities like that? It's ... unnerving, no doubt. But not impossible. It's also strange, though. How are the spirits over there acting like they're from here? Able to form - and, apparently, more - but without an Action Field being present?"

That made Fayth pause. She'd never realized nor even started wondering about that. Bu now that Reiji mentioned it .... very good question indeed.

"I ... I'm not sure," Fayth softly admitted. "Reiji? Have ... have you been able to make anymore progress?"

"Very little, unfortunately. Not just because father's been busy trying to make moves, though that certainly isn't helping. At this rate, me or Reira would have to find time to get there and fix it in person. Doing so from afar? Not as smooth as I was hoping. Too many risks, and I doubt you want more of those if they can be avoided."

"Very true," Fayth weakly responded, chuckling nervously.

"So ... at the soonest? Whenever we can force this conflict into a stand-still. At the latest? When it's done and over with which .... could be as short as weeks and long as years."

Fayth felt her heart sink. Her hand turned into a fist as it grabbed onto the sheets, her head turning quickly away.

"I'm sorry. I know that's not what you want to hear. Keep hanging in there. You've been doing really well, you know?"

"I don't feel like it," Fayth shakily answered.

"You have," Reiji firmly replied. "And I don't just hand praise out. You know me better than that. You've far exceeded my expectations, particularly after being forced into your own personal ... condition. You didn't even have to accept coming here so soon after Sora did blinded you. But you did. That alone took guts and nerve, and I truly am grateful for it. I'm sorry it's turned into a chaotic mess for you. Just keep staying strong. Keep Fuyu and everyone who's been helping you close when you can. Don't you dare give up, though. Is that understood?"

Fayth nodded, quickly moving her right arm under the blindfold. They hadn't fallen yet, but tears were forming under the cloth.

"Good. Now ... if I'm not mistaken, the Fortune Cup isn't over, correct?"

"Since I didn't get eliminated, right."

Reiji let out a low 'Hmph' first, pushing his glasses up once more. "Like I expect anyone to easily handle you. Even without your Sylvan deck, you're tough. Then, since you proved my point, get some rest. Freaking out - even with a very good reason - isn't going to do you any favors. Night, Fayth."

"Night," Fayth murmured, sighing as she hung up. Thankfully, the talk had the desired effect she had hoped for. She was definitely feeling better. Not to the degree of forgetting she was in danger; but at least able to focus on the here and now. The more immediate future -- including her duel tomorrow. Furthermore, should Yusei be correct in guessing she would be put against someone who could give her a turbo duel, she'd need more rest than usual.

... How many people could even drive, anyway?

Oh well. She'd find out tomorrow, Fayth decided.

Removing her duel disk, she stood up, briefly stretched, and guided herself into the bathroom. The door would be shut behind her - out of habit more than anything - as Fayth stripped, entering after adjusting the water to a lukewarm temperature.
 


Yamichi just shook his head, "I know...But still, this is supposed to be a happy time. A place where we can enjoy each other's company." He didn't want to try and make things even more awkward, let alone try to drive her away.

Smiling as she brushed his hand, he turned his hand upward to caress her own fingers as she would pull it back. "Thank you, Ling...I do promise I'll have you over to meet them one day. It's just a bad time, especially since we're both in the Fortune Cup, you know?"

Tone would come back occasionally, having them try different pieces of nigiri and sashimi, finishing the course with a nice serving of o toro. The man had been quite right about the flavor; it was heavenly. And by the time their meal was finished, Yamichi was pleasantly full.

"My goodness...That was incredible. Tone, that was excellent." Yamichi would say, the elderly man smiling "Thank you, you are too kind. Is there anything I can get the two of you?" When both would say no, Tone would them the total for the night. It was a fairly hefty sum, around ¥40,000 after all was said and done. He was sure glad now that the hotel was being paid for; also that Takeshi and Judai were helping to foot the bills around Yomi.

Once back in the taxi, it was a short drive back to the hotel. "Hey...Ling? Thanks again for a wonderful night; I really enjoyed that with you, and would love to do it again." he would say, holding her hand snugly but not too tightly. "And...Sorry again if I might have ruined it a bit at first. But I'm still glad we did this..."

His cheeks flushed as he thought about trying to go in for a short, chaste kiss to the cheek. Evidenced as such when they approached her door, and he tried to lean in but immediately pulled back. "So...Uhm...We should...Probably call it here, yeah?"


Hotsuma had been on overwatch, checking the perimeter under the cover of the external spotlights; with the sun starting to set, this was a precaution that everyone had put in place to make sure any Sector asshats couldn't try to sneak in. Thankfully, the demons that Hotsuma had supplemented the forces with seemed to have an insane capability to detect any interlopers.

And with him 'back at the helm' in keeping them in line, people in Yomi were certainly not afraid to relax; Yuna would see on her way to her office that a few of the younger ones were undergoing a makeshift lesson in Duel Monsters by the older residents in the Dueling arena inside the former prison itself. And when Hotsuma was sure she was alone, he would go into her office.

"Hey, Yuna...So guess the meeting went well, eh?" he would ask, a hand coming up to rest on her shoulder. "Well, at least you warned her, right? Hopefully she can figure something out, especially if Kiryu's made her a target like you said. But...I know you're busy and tired, so I'll make this request quick. Do you mind if I take a short trip? I just...need to go take care of something. Personal stuff, hope that's alright."
 

Ling playfully rollled her eyes, moving her hand through the air. "A few seconds of temporarily sniffling isn't going to ruin an entire night. Don't beat yourself over it, okay? I'll live."

She smiled softly, hoping the simple gesture would reveal yes, she was fine with waiting and perfectly understood now was a bad time to meet all of his comrades.

While everything was still warm, however, Ling opted to turn her attention to the rest of their meal, and thus evening.

"Oh woooooow. This was ... whew. Amazing!"

Ling was also very satisfied and full. Part of her inwardly joked if she'd be able to move or not come the next morning. She'd manage, though; she always did figure something out.

A brief drive later, and the two were back in the hall of their hotel. When he opted not to kiss her ... she wasn't sure if she felt more annoyed or relieved. In fact, she had to quietly and seriously contemplate this.

In the end, she decided to heed Un's advice, as well as her heart. She'd said to trust and confide in one another - something like that, anyway. If he'd stopped, it had to be for a good reason.

"Yeah, thanks. Probably after the Fortune Cup's over. But I'd love to go out again also. Mhm, indeed. Good luck with your match tomorrow!"

Ling waved to Yamichi, her grin widening even as she walked inside.

The first noise Ling would immediately hear was the water to the shower turning off. "Oh good! You're back!"

"Of course. We weren't gone that long."

"Well ... fair enough. I just know by the time I had to leave, you weren't back. I kinda wish you would have been able to give fashion advice, but .... I think this worked out pretty well."

"Oh .... sorry?"

Ling quickly shook her head. "No, no. It's fine. Really. I umm ... need to work on my own self-confidence anyway."

Fayth would finally walk out of het bathroom, clad in a single towel covering her intimate parts. Ling quietly watched as she navigated her way easily around the room. Even rose an eyebrow as she opened the right drawer set that had her own clothing in it.

"See, it's things like that which make me find it hard to believe you have such a handicap. That's .... impressive."

Upon hearing Fayth clear her throat, Ling paused. What was that supposed to mean? Her gaze lowered to Fayth's hands, seeing a nightgown in them. "Well ... I suppose. Okay. We're both women, but I guess you have your own insecurities, huh?"

"Yeah, actually," Fayth replied, waiting until she heard Ling's feet pivot before pulling he towel off and beginning to get dressed. "I definitely appreciate the fact you agreed to turn around anyway. That means a lot. So ... how'd your date go?"

"Amazing. God, that was damn good food. It was nice to have something new. I .. tend to stick to more traditional stuff, including meals."

At this, Fayth's head tilted, "And what would that be for you, if not Japanese?"

"Chinese," Ling swiftly replied.

" ... Interesting. Yeah, that is different."

Ling paused, turning her head only as she heard Fayth begin to move. Sure enough, the other girl was dressed and decent now. "So ... I heard one of the guys ponder this thought. How do you ... determine how people look, anyway?"

That made Fayth go quiet. She'd never really thought about it. But now that someone was curious enough and inquiring ... she tried to come up with an answer. "Well," Fayth slowly began to reply, "I visualize them. Or try to. Sometimes .... feeling them can give hints. Like - and no laughing or judging - the first time I met Yusei, his hands were a bit calloused. It gave me an indication he's able to tinker and work on D-Wheelers. When I asked if that was true, he confirmed it was. I don't usually try to feel areas like hair or the face. It doesn't work as well as it's portrayed in movies or books."

True to her word, Ling hadn't made fun of Fayth.

However ....

"It really is odd. You two seem to have such a history together but ... you're really not an item?" When she saw Fayth shake her head no again, Ling added, "Do you wish you were?"

Fayth's face blushed darkly, "That's an unfair question," she muttered, sighing softly. "Hmmm. Sometimes, yes. But ... I'm not gonna push for it. He obviously doesn't want that. No sense in pursuing a one-sided type of relationship. Right now, I'm fine with viewing him as a brother I never had. He definitely takes up the role really well."

" .... That's really mature of you. I respect that answer, and I'm sure he would too."

A brief pause would linger before Ling stretched.

"Well ... may as well get sleep, huh? Good night and good luck, Celeste."

"Thanks. You as well."

With this, both women slid under the covers of their bed. Ling would turn the lights off and soon, the two worked on getting some very essential shut eye.
Yuna lifted her head, tilting a hand in the air as Hotsuma asked how the talk had gone.

I mean .... about how I expected. She and Yusei - go figure he was with her, eh? - were shocked, naturally. But it's not like I blame them. After seeing him sink to those kinds of degrees and twisted measures? Only those as fucked up as him would look like they supported his actions.

Yuna inwardly sighed, lightly shrugging.

Buuuuuuutt at least I can sleep, knowing I was able to warn them. Feel a shit ton better than if I didn't go out. Hopefully they can figure something out. His Immortal's abilities are ... unnatural. Even more so than what Divine helped us obtain.

She started to tease that she was only one of those - tired but definitely not busy. Before that, though, Hotsuma hinted he had his own ... well, not necessarily agenda, but task for sure.

Now that isn't really fair. I gave you more details than 'I'm going out' before leaving. I'd really prefer you would do that. What I helped Fayth out with? That was personal for me on the most technical of notes. But ...

Yuna reached up, placing her own hand gently atop Hotsuma's.

I'll agree with a rather easy condition. Just get back here. And I'm trusting you'll be able to do that much -- unless you're going on a secret suicide mission which, if that is your goal -- better not let me figure it out. Look. I know we had a fuck of a rough patch. But the fact you don't hate me enough to kill me .... I wanna eventually fix what we had. I can wait for that, though; for us to know I deserve you back and vice versa. At least ... think on if you want that. You don't have to give me an answer right away. I can wait for that also. Either way, if this is only me wanting this ... then you can ignore it. I don't wanna go afer something that's impossible, and that would include a one-sided relationship.

After keeping her hand atop Hotsuma's, she - reluctantly, but still - let it slide down and fall back on top of her lap.

Sector is doing their rounds. Even if more are in the Tops for the Fortune Cup, there are probably some in the Satellite, so .... careful, yeah?
 

Well, he shouldn't have expected much; how else would you tell someone that the person who tried to off them magicallly came back from the dead? It was best to just be blunt with it; anything else and they would be done a disservice. "Well...Can't blame you for trying at least; now it's on them to figure it out." he would say back. He wasn't sure what this Immortal was; the Emperor's comments had hinted that he knew something about them, but His Majesty didn't seem to feel like sharing.

However, her next comment earned quite the scowl; seriously? She was going to get on his case about this shit? "Considering I almost died...Rough patch I think is a bit of an understatement." Hotsuma would correct her; Rose or not, she had tried to kill him. Personal was personal; he had no obligation to explain himself to her. And she would be stupid if she had even the smallest concern he would turn them over to Sector.

"Back together...Well, someone's feeling hopeful." Hotsuma commented coldly, adding "Pretty sure the sword through my chest was the ultimate sign that we shouldn't be an item, not to mention the number of times I tried to save you ending up backfiring and making shit worse. I'll admit we had a good thing, but I'm sticking around because I don't want the others to suffer. Just because I'm mad at you doesn't mean I have to drag down Yomi with it."

Standing up straighter, he then finished with, "You let me worry about Sector; they try to start any shit, they get what's coming to them. So trust me...I'll be back before you know it." And with that, he would take his leave. Soon the sounds of his Runner echoing as he took off...To where, though was the biggest question.


And as he rode, his mind played through the events. Of everything that had happened since he'd gotten back to the Satellite. Kidnapped by creepy psychotic, tuned into a monster. Old Yomi gone, new Yomi built. Family gone. To call his life a shit-show was an understatement...Sometimes he considered honestly just giving up. Ending it all...But then Goodwin would be the winner, and there was no way in hell he was going to let that happen.

"So explain to me again why we're going here?" Hotsuma then asked aloud; now that he was alone, he would just talk. Besides, no one was around to hear it and he didn't care in the slightest if they thought he was crazy. Far as he was concerned, he was; and if that meant he'd be left in peace.

"Boy, it's no secret what it is you desire...I admire what you wish to do, and you're right to keep the others out of the loop for now. But this...This will help you get even stronger; if you wish to bring everything Goodwin has built crashing down, you're going to need more power." the Emperor replied, Hotsuma's eyes narrowing as he started to see the massive crater. "You never did tell me; I know you know more about these Immortals than you're letting on." The Emperor just laughed, "I said I knew of them, and that they were powerful beyond compare. Well, mayhaps not to me, but even so, very few can stand against them."

And at this point, Hotsuma would approach the crater from a different direction...Even so, he remembered the last time he was here. A small smile crossed his face, the breeze kicking at the edges of the long coat he wore, "We were so sure he was hiding something valuable...Fucking prick." The Barbaric Area after Damage, or B.A.D, that was what he'd heard it called by Sector patrolmen; to almost everyone else in the Satellite it was just called 'No Man's Land.' If there ever was a place of true lawlessness, it was in here. With Sector barred from getting anywhere close (except on certain assignments, apparently), it was a safe haven for criminals and their associates. And the perfect place for anyone looking to escape the blue man's arm of the law.

Now at the base of the crater, he killed the ignition and slipped off his Runner. Taking a moment to stare at the slight incline, started to ascend one of the raised edges, climbing higher and higher. Three copies of his 'Demon's Fortress' Field Magic in hand; according to the Emperor, this place was a literal gateway to Hell. And if he wanted power, he had to create a link between himself and the monsters in his Deck. And apparently, this was a way to do it; besides, he had other options available if need be. Or he could just steal another copy; wasn't THAT hard to find, after all.

More so since very few ran the Imperial Demons to any capacity in their own decks. Like Zushin, it was a 'poor man's card' in that it was very cheap and ridiculously available. Little did he know that he wasn't quite as alone as he thought he was.
 
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