" .... Fine. Just ... careful. You
saw that barrier. They're much more than mere ruffians. What more?"
Ling shook her head.
"I'm not sure, really. But that wasn't the first supernatural display I've seen tonight. Earlier at the theater, the first guy in robes made the whole room feel heavy. Me and Yamichi were stuck to the floor ... like gravity just ceased to exist or something."
Her head shook again, a visible grimace appearing on her face.
"It was unnatural," she simply replied, not able to describe it any other way than with the cold, hard reality.
When the doctor began to speak, she clutched the phone against her chest. Ling held her breath ... releasing a deep sigh as she heard Yamichi had pulled through. A new set of tears fell down her face as she quickly nodded, "Thank you .... thank you for saving him."
As glad as she was for being able to have worked on making amends with her dad, she was just as glad to hear only one of them could stay at the hospital. This was something she'd wanted to do alone. If her father wanted to speak or thank Yamichi, she wouldn't be against it. Just for tonight, she would have figured a way to ask to be with her lover alone. Even if not in the best of situations.
"I'll see you tomorrow," she whispered back, soon finding herself without anyone around her. Ling's head slowly fell down to the phone, lifted before glancing at the door. This would repeat a few more times before she gulped and steeled herself. With hearing how roughed up the tech had gotten, she had figured the sight would be less than pleasant.
She just didn't know how right she'd been upon pushing the door open and finding all of the machines attached to Yamichi. It overwhelmed her, in all honesty. To the point where she damn well nearly
dropped his phone.
"Yamichi .... "
Taking note of the cot nearby, she first sat down in a chair beside his own bed. Her left hand shakily rose and fell gently atop Yamichi's own hand. She wasn't trying, nor expecting, him to wake from the simple gesture. She just hoped the warmth and gentle feeling would give him some solace to ensure his sleep could remain peaceful. That he could somehow know she was safe and beside him.
Her right, meanwhile, pushed down on the phone, finding the "Contacts" with ease. And only one truly stood out. The one labeled "Home". From what she did know of his past, it seemed like the right number to call.
But for a few minutes, Ling hesitated. Would Hotsuma answer? Would he lash out at her for giving this news out? Was he really as bad as Goodwin had hinted in the Fortune Cup?
Her head shook again. Even if he was, they deserved to know. She had to be brave, even if a part of Ling was wishing she didn't have to do this. Ling took another breath, tilting her head back briefly before looking back down.
And finally ... she forced her thumb to push down on the "Send" button.
"Hello?" she heard from the other end.
With all of the Disciples gone, it would be a familiar voice she heard.
" ... Judai? I didn't know you were here."
"Oh, Ling! Heya! I know I already said this and all, but congrats on becoming Queen!"
"Heh, thanks, but umm ... that's not why I'm calling."
"Okay. Go on. You got my attention."
"Well .... "
Now she just didn't know how to begin. Did he even know Yamichi had gone out with her? What did she need to tell him? In the end, she decided the best answer was everything; that come to the Tops and they both went to the premiere of
Atlas Rising, that Kiryu had ruined the movie showing as well as the theater, that
another Dark Signer had arrived and forced him into a duel. But above all else, that he saved her despite the coerced nature of the duel, as well as
why it was so significant.
"So ... you dad doesn't approve of dueling so much he tossed your deck away?"
"Tried to, anyway. I got most of it recovered, but ... some of the cards got permanently lost."
"Damn. That ... really sucks. All of this does. Shit."
"Yeah, yeah it does. So ... I'm staying with Yamichi tonight. I'm probably gonna be coming here after school for a while, to be completely honest. But .... "
Ling would pause, being cautious with the words she chose to say out loud.
"I still don't know every single thing about Yamichi. But from what I've gathered, he's got a link with Hotsuma and Yuna. And with how highly he's spoken of them, he must trust them a lot. So .... even if Goodwin was right about their true colors, they need - nay, deserve - to know why he hasn't come back. As well as anyone else who may be there."
"They'll definitely appreciate you at least keeping them informed. But ... yeah. They're definitely not gonna like hearing this. Takeshi's still missing, and that's been really taking a toll on everyone here. They're out trying to find him, in fact."
Ling knew Judai hadn't meant to make her feel guilty. But a surge of regret definitely flooded her. That wasn't what she'd expected to hear; that Takeshi was
still missing. Her mouth opened. But .... no. That could wait. If this was an ongoing problem, then there was a good chance everyone was mentally exhausted and not in the mood to speak on the matter.
"I see. I hope they find him. I'm sorry to add more bad news, really -- "
"Hey, hey. It's fine. The honesty will be appreciated. Promise. Take care of yourself, okay?"
"I will. Thank you, Judai."
The "End" button was now pushed, with the phone being placed on the nightstand between her and Yamichi's cot. She'd roll her fingers lightly over his knuckles before gently kicking the heels off her feet. "Sleep well," she whispered softly, carefully getting under the covers of her own temporary bed. She stared at the unconscious tech, not falling asleep for at least ten minutes. Only when she felt confident his heart monitor would keep beeping did fatigue overcome her, lulling the new Queen into her own unconscious state.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yuna sighed softly. She understood perfectly where Hotsuma was coming from and why he seemed to all but ignore her right then and there. But at the same time ... even his own spirit had seemed to understand now was a fight neither of them could have won, and that included
if Yuna had the ability to ask Rose for any aid at all.
"Hotsuma! This was meant to strictly be a search mission, with no to little physical contact! Now come on, please!"
The 'little' came into play when people like Demak had appeared. It was inevitable to not act when he'd kept her pinned and from reaching her Wheeler. But after that had been done? That was when Hotsuma should have vanished. He had the ability, and a far more stealthier one than Yuna possessed.
Her teeth dug tighter into her lower lip. Another breath passed her lips as she watched Demak disappear.
Good. Because it was becoming more and more obvious Hotsuma wouldn't have otherwise ceased. As much as Yuna enjoyed a good fight every now and again, she also knew her limits; something that her other partner wasn't always as good with accepting or acknowledging.
" ... Don't be stupid. Look at yourself! You're barely walking fine! Even
if you found Takeshi, then what?!"
Her head shook.
"Listen. I got the areas narrowed down. Let's go back and recover. There's only so many times they can keep transferring him around, really. I should know. That's what they did with me; only moved me around when it was absolutely necessary. Besides ... "
Yuna would finally get off of her Wheeler and stand in front of Hotsuma, placing her hands gently but firmly on his shoulders.
"Finally,
finally, we have a saving grace! Proof that he's alive! Before tonight, we didn't even
know that for certain! So please ... I know you hate this. I do too. But even your Emperor knew fighting that bastard wasn't smart, and ... "
.... She could feel it. She wouldn't win this debate easily. Not unless she resorted to certain actions. Hotsuma would hate her even more.
But hey, what more do you have to lose when it comes to you both?
Goddamn did that thought send a surge of pain in her heart. It really did. Hell, maybe Hotsuma would sense that much. Her eyes softened as she let her hands fall away. He would move three paces before something metal and hard slammed against the back of his head. The last thing he'd hear Yuna utter were the words "I'm sorry" and maybe even feel himself lifted and carefully guided towards their Wheelers.
From there on out, Yuna would ride off with her ex, using the tow cable to get his own motorbike back to the Facility.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It had now been two days since Kiryu attacked the theater. Her nights were primarily when she participated in her training with Morningstar, though it would ultimately depend on Jack's schedule. With him being occupied with Goodwin, the fallen angel had managed to sneak in a few early afternoon sessions.
Ahh, the perks of having his own share of powers; he could make the room sound proof. In fact, it was needed. Because he had been as hard on her as he'd warned. Worse, to be honest.
If Fayth had thought seeing what Yuna suffered was horrible, getting her own version in an attempt to help Fayth out was worse.
But, as promised, Morningstar did make some significant alterations. He wanted her getting stronger, not panicking and scaring herself to death. Even still, her back was now covered with a considerable amount of relatively fresh welts from being repeatedly lashed and whipped. Verbal insults and taunts would be hurled in as well. Each time Fayth spoke out, it earned another slash on her back.
"The more you argue with him, the more satisfaction you give the brat. That's exactly what he wants, Fayth!"
Those had been the first bits of advice Morningstar gave Fayth.
Now, though, she was getting one of the few reprieves. The sun hadn't yet set, after all, so it wasn't time for them to do another session. Fayth didn't often use her powers, as those required precautions. Now, however, she was taking enough advantage of them to activate the abilities. Whilst sitting in front of the large windows, she stared out and watched the sky get painted with bright, vibrant colors.
Simple, yes.
But these had been things she hadn't been able to witness in months that felt more like an eternity. Fuyu and Morningstar had both noticed and teased Fayth about it, but the observation was correct. She did have a romantic side to her. It was just .... never made painfully obvious.
Or .... she tried to keep that part tucked away.
This dimension had basically no chances nor right moments to let one's guard down. She had with Yusei, because .... well ... he deserved it. Didn't he?
Fucking hormones. They make things too fucking complicated, she internally cursed, resting her chin in her right hand. Despite the inner thoughts, a warm smile was on her face. Granted, she never fully forgot what had happened very recently as far as seeing Kiryu. But it was the seemingly small things which helped her avoid fully succumbing to the more negative emotions like despair.
Of course, to keep the guise that she didn't have any 'unnatural' - as some people would very likely call them - capabilities, she still had the blindfold. Fayth just now had the ability to actually
see the sight before her.
You ever going to see Jack with that new ability?
A satisfied smirk that Fayth could
now see appeared on the angel's face. Though it wasn't yet time to do their training, he'd found watching her to be interesting. That was the word he used for himself, of course.
If anyone else knew, they'd likely use 'creepy'.
But that was fine. Why should he care? As long as things kept going mostly down certain routes, there were very, very few things that Morningstar
truly cared about.
" .... Maybe. I mean .... it'd be doable since he probably added two and two and likely knows the pact came with some bonuses. But ... "
As her thoughts trailed off, Fayth sighed.
"This has been great and all; being able to finally see, even if limited. But it's brought quite a few other emotions with being able to regain my sight."
Do you feel guilty?
"A bit, yes. I may already be dead in this dimension. So for me to have the ability to manipulate something that should be permanent ... is this really right? And yet ... why was it more just to have my sight taken away to begin with?"
Then have you not answered your own question?
" .... "
Well ... she couldn't argue with that. Her own smile widened as she slowly nodded, replying with a simple "I suppose" and going quiet again. Opting to enjoy the sun steadily setting instead of worrying about every rather small thing. There was already enough as it was to be concerned about. Giving herself more worries over nothing overly significant would do no one good, least of all herself.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It hadn't been many times, thankfully. Still, the fact remained that even though the Fortune Cup had been over, his own Sign had acted up. A few days ago, in fact.
While it hadn't been enough to conjure the Crimson Dragon, this honestly wasn't something Yusei had intended to feel so soon. It was bothering him ... and that was putting it kindly.
Something was very, very wrong. He could
feel it, and it was this instinct that led him to getting in touch with Crow the day before and agreeing to meet up. Preferably somewhere without the kids nearby, as this would be a very mature conversation.
For that, though, Crow needed time to get a temporary sitter to ensure the kids could be safe. And that was more than fine with Yusei. It, likewise, would give him time. He didn't really
need to tinker with his Wheeler, but it was an easy way to help pass the time.
Fayth and Jack had been the first people that came to his head, mainly because of the timing of his Sign going off. Everyone, regardless of whether they lived in the Tops or Satellite, at least
heard about the movie premiere. And with them both being Signers ..... it was a fair enough concern.
A somewhat tired but moreso satisfied huff passed his lips as he put the wrench away and took a bit to admire his work. Good. Now, he could focus. In fact, a quick glance at the sky hinted he'd finished at the best possible time. It was drawing near for him to head off, anyway.
Grabbing his visor off the handlebar, Yusei placed it over his head. He then proceeded to start up his Wheeler. The engine loudly roared before speeding off, going towards the docks; the very destination he and Crow had agreed to meet up at.