AN: Sorry, no AW fights this chapter, but there's a little action in the RW. =)
Chapter 4
It was with heavy eyelids that I woke up the next day. A yawn escaped my lips as I forced myself to sit up. Sunlight shone brightly through the thin curtains closed in front of the window in my room, falling just short of my bed. I gazed outside dumbly as my brain restarted itself after a good night's sleep.
It was another five minutes before I was conscious enough to get out of bed, albeit reluctantly. A quick bath sobered me up before I went to put on some clothes. Today I had promised to go out with some of my friends, and I wanted to at least look presentable.
"Heading out?" Ryusei walked into the living room yawning. He was wearing nothing but a pair of boxers, promoting me to blush as I ran my eyes over his athletic body.
"Put on some clothes!" I tossed a pillow that had been lying on a couch at him. He returned to the guest room muttering under his breath about sisters who couldn't take a little exposure, at which I threw another pillow at him.
Sighing, I picked up both pillows and put them back on the couch as Ryusei came walking back out in a shirt and shorts. A lot more respectable attire, I decided. He was grinning cheekily as he kept his hands behind his back...
I quickly ducked his pillow throw and launched the two I had just returned to the couch at him in one go. One fell short while the other hit him in the face.
"Oh that's it, you little buster..." he mock-growled as he grabbed the pillows and threw them back at me.
The situation dissolved into an all-out pillow war, though we both took special care not to destroy them. Mostly I was the one landing the hits thanks to a few Burst Links here and there - I knew I was being wasteful and childish, but I just couldn't help getting too caught up in the scuffle.
After about 10 minutes of tossing pillows back and fourth me collapsed onto the couch panting. I checked the clock hovering in my HUD, finding that I still had a good period of time before my appointment. With a giggle I whacked Ryusei upside the head with a pillow and quickly moved away before he could retaliate.
He chuckled heartily and threw the pillow back at me, only for me to dodge it again.
"No fair, you have Brain Burst," he grumbled good-naturedly.
"I wasn't using it all the time..." I huffed playfully as I punched him lightly in the ribs.
"You probably should get going soon if you're in a hurry," Ryusei smiled.
I glanced at the clock floating on my HUD once again. Not much time lost, just a few minutes. But hey, couldn't hurt to be early. We were meeting at a nearby shopping district anyway so there'd be plenty of things to see - no getting bored there!
"I suppose," I shrugged. "Are you going anywhere today?"
"Nope. I'll just be chilling out at home enjoying instant ramen," my brother smirked.
"While I'll be eating fancy food outside," I couldn't resist the jibe at him - he was now shooting me a wounded look, the playfulness in his eyes completely ruining it.
"Alright, alright! Go have fun with your friends and leave this aging, moulding brother of yours at home..." he pouted.
I socked him in the chest gently, eliciting a light-hearted chuckle from him.
"Then I'm heading out, onii-chan!" I called out as I headed for the door.
"Have a safe trip!" he waved vigorously. I waved back cheerfully as I exited the house.
How I got into this situation I didn't quite understand though... All I remembered was walking out of my apartment building, and after walking for a short while, something hit me and the darkness claimed me until I woke up gagged and blindfolded, without my Neuro-Linker...
I stayed quiet for as long as I could trying to detect where I was. All I could pick up were the sounds of shuffling feet, clinking objects that sounded like they came from weapons... There was also the traffic passing outside, but that could come from anywhere...
The place smelled musty and decrepit, probably some old, unused building. I inwardly groaned at my situation - couldn't they have chosen to put me somewhere more civilised instead of this dump?
"She's not waking up, boss."
"Shut it, whelp. She'll come around - we didn't knock her out that hard."
On the contrary I could feel a warm trickle of blood coming down the back of my neck... Not that hard? Blasphemy. I could feel a dull ache on the back of my head... Hopefully it was nothing serious. What a way to start off a weekend either way... Ouch.
"Oy, get up!"
The next thing I knew, a splash of cold water hit my face, causing me to splutter and choke in my shock. That had the unfortunate effect of alerting my captors to my consciousness.
"Good, she's awake. Open the blindfold."
I blinked as the blindfold was removed from my eyes, allowing me to see again. The state of the room was much as I had expected - decrepit and abandoned. Two muscled men sat on crates scattered about the room, cradling guns. Another one was on the floor with his gun in pieces polishing it.
And another two not as burly ones stood in front of me, one holding an empty bucket dripping water, and the other wearing sunglasses just standing there looking smug and cool. Sunglasses. In a closed room! Seriously? I scowled at them, unable to talk because I was gagged...
"Oh, she's one of those defiant ones," Mr. Bucket remarked. "Shouldn't you be feeling scared? Nobody's going to come looking for you."
I carefully schooled my expression to still appear defiant, but internally I was starting to panic. Without my Neuro Linker I couldn't contact anyone to come and help... somehow. How was I going to get out of this?
"You're good, I'll give you that. But let's see how long that mask will last, shall we?" Mr. Sunglasses laughed.
I looked around frantically for some clues as to where I was... There was an open window here from which I could see... an aging clock tower preserved for historical purposes... a shopping mall to its right and a park on the other side...
... Crap, that wasn't enough for me to determine my location - I wasn't familiar with this area at all!
"Now listen closely and do what we say or we won't guarantee your safety..." Mr. Sunglasses continued as he dangled a blue circular object in front of my face... My Neuro Linker! "We're going to give you back your Neuro Linker, and you're going to call your parents. We'll hijack the link from there and tell them how to get you back..."
I hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly. There wasn't anything else I could do at the moment...
"After that, we'll move to a different location so you can't get away with ratting out our location during the call or anytime else," said Mr. Bucket gleefully.
Oh crap.
I hung my head in defeat and allowed them to put my Neuro Linker back on after removing my gag. My vision went fuzzy for a short moment as my HUD came back into my field of vision. As it did, I caught sight of my Brain Burst application icon. Hopefully I'd be able to get out of here and continue using it...
...
Wait a second!
When my Neuro Linker connected to the Global Net, the first thing I did was whisper, "Burst Link."
The world around me flickered once before gaining a blue hue to it. Everyone around me froze as I stepped out of my real body in my virtual avatar gracefully. I knew I had as much time as I needed when accelerated, but that was all for naught if there was no one nearby I could call for help...
I hurriedly brought up my Brain Burst menu and checked for challengers nearby... There were quite a few in the area it seemed, but I didn't know any of them... Proved that this was a totally different part of the city. Crap...
I was just about to give up looking when a name came up that made my heart skip a beat.
Shadow Phantom (Level 6)
That guy was in the area! What the heck... But I didn't think I had any other choice at the moment if I wanted express help... A quick gulp later, I bashed the Duel button that had descended on chains from thin air with a closed fist hurriedly.
The world around me quickly changed in the blink of an eye, from a decrepit old building to an old room with crystalline growths coming out of the ground. Everywhere outside that I could see was the same - those crystalline growths. I knew they had raw energy coursing through them and would cause damage on contact, but that was about it...
Like my last battle before, my enemy location indicator went haywire right at the beginning, so I didn't know where he was. That was the problem... he'd find me first and when he did, I wouldn't have the time to talk to him before we started fighting. I knew this was a risky move to make... but I slammed my rifle into the ground barrel first and sat down on the ground. My point-defence guns shut down as I did.
And then I waited.
It took several minutes, but then a black cloaked figure appeared in front of me from thin air. I made no move to reach for my gun, and he stepped forward cautiously. Still I didn't even move a limb, though I did look up to face him.
"I take it you want to talk to me about something," a deep, obviously masked voice boomed from under the figure's hood.
"I do. I wouldn't be sitting here like this otherwise," I gestured at my discarded weapon. "You can even take it, but right now I need to talk to you urgently..."
Obviously still distrustful of me, Shadow Phantom took my gun and put it behind him. He also moved part of his cloak aside to show the blade of his scythe poking out behind him, and I gulped for a moment.
There was an awkward silence for several moments as we stared at each other, but I couldn't hold it for long in my panicked state and looked away.
"I'm... being kidnapped now. In normal time..."
I almost missed the sharp intake of breath that escaped Shadow Phantom's lips, but he didn't show anything on his face - or rather I couldn't see it at all since he was hooded. Not that expressions were visible on Duel Avatars' faces, come to think of it...
"Where?"
"I don't know... but you're the only person in the area I know - all the other Burst Linkers here are strangers to me. I don't live in this area and I don't know where is where..." I suddenly realized I was talking way too fast and quickly forced myself to take some deep breaths.
"So you decided to challenge me just to tell me that? You still have your Neuro Linker?"
"Look, they want me to make a call to my parents for the ransom money. I won't have the time to do much besides that in real time," I argued. "After that they'll take away my Neuro Linker and take me elsewhere... Please, you have got to help me!"
"My question was where."
"I could see an old clock tower from where I was... a shopping mall to its right and a park on its left. I'm in an old-looking building... And I can hear cars passing by on the ground level."
Shadow Phantom paused for a moment as he began looking through some menus on his screen I couldn't see.
"I got your position. It's close to where I am now."
"Please... help me out here..." I whimpered, having lost all composure at this point. "I want to go back home safely..."
"The police won't be in time, and they're not subtle enough. I'll go myself."
I blinked in surprise at his willingness to help out. Was this really Shadow Phantom? He wasn't acting like the cold, indifferent person I had made him out to be...
"No! They have two men with guns! There are probably a few more hanging around too! It's too dangerous!" I tried to dissuade him from going frantically.
"Do you want to be saved or not!" Shadow Phantom snapped.
I recoiled backwards as if stung by a bee. I did want to be saved... but I didn't want him to die because of me!
"You forget who we are. We are Burst Linkers... Bullets won't hit us."
With that, he vanished into thin air.
"I'm going whether you like it or not, Yukina," his voice rang out from all around me...
That had me doing an impression of a fish - he knew my name in real life... Who was he, really?
After a few minutes of accelerated time the battle ended in a draw. Shadow Phantom didn't appear anymore during that time, and I couldn't track him down to ask him how he knew my real name anyway because of the fluctuating location indicator. After another fruitless search I gave up and sighed in defeat.
"Burst Out," I muttered half-heartedly.
All too soon I was back in real time and that sticky situation with a gun pointed to my head. Maybe it'd be better to call my brother first...
"I'd like to make two calls... another to my brother..." Come to think of it, I needed to stall for time until Shadow Phantom arrived. Just as well... hopefully he was good enough.
"Whatever. Just so long as we get our money," Mr. Sunglasses waved a hand flippantly, still wearing that freaky smile.
I sighed and quickly brought up my menu, reaching for my list of contacts to call. I was so scared that I almost forgot to breathe as I shakily navigated to Ryusei's icon and hit the call button.
It was a short while before he picked up. "Yuki? Something up?"
"O-onii-chan..." I began, but my words after that caught in my throat and wouldn't come out...
"Yuki, why do you sound like that?"
"Well... Uh..." was all I could get out of my mouth before the door exploded, flinging shards of wood everywhere.
"What the heck?" Mr. Bucket shouted as he unholstered a pistol and turned to aim at the destroyed door.
Several gunshots rang out clear through the air, and I had to do my best not to let the scream escape my mouth... I didn't want to draw their attention back to me...
A black blur appeared out of the smoke from the destroyed door wreathed in dust and debris. Immediately the two muscleheads opened fire with their assault rifles, and I began fearing for my to-be saviour's life... He was going up against real guns! Even if he was a Burst Linker... real guns were too much!
I could already see the figure using Brain Burst to full effect as all the bullets kept missing him - he effortlessly dodged all of them. Before one of the gunmen could react, the figure had delivered a roundhouse kick to the side of his face, sending him flying into a wall. The other gunman blocked a kick with his burly arm and raised his gun to fire.
He never got to pull the trigger as suddenly he staggered backwards and fell to the ground clutching his crown jewels howling in pain. Another kick to the back of his head knocked him out cold as the figure returned to the first gunman and KO'ed him in the same manner.
"Who're you!" Mr. Sunglasses gaped. Not just everyone could take down two gunmen while unarmed after all!
"Just a passerby..." the figure wreathed in dust replied.
Wait. A. Darn. Second. That voice... I knew that voice! But why was he...
"- who's going to whoop your arse," continued Kyrius Igzelier, a blazing fire evident in his piercing gaze.
"Kyrius!" I called out. No way... Kyrius was actually Shadow Phantom! But... but... he had never told me about it!
"Tch, you're just a lousy brat!" Mr. Bucket charged right at him holding an aluminium baseball bat.
Kyrius whispered something before ducking under the wild bat swing and grabbing the man before spinning around causing Mr. Bucket to stumble forwards before being slammed hard into the ground face-first. An audible crack made me wince - that must've broken his nose...
"Son of a bitch!" Mr. Sunglasses roared as he began wildly firing his pistol.
Again Kyrius whispered, "Physical Burst," before continuing to dodge the bullets as if they were flying at a snail's pace. He only dodged the bare minimum needed, allowing the bullets to whizz past him missing by mere millimetres. Once he got within striking range, he lashed out with a foot, catching his opponent in the knee.
"OW!" Mr. Sunglasses yelped as his kneecap shattered from the force of the kick. He went down clutching his knee even as Kyrius delivered a swift kick to the back of his head, knocking him out.
"...Yuki, I'm calling the police!" suddenly I realized that the call was still active... and my brother had heard the entire gunfight.
"Onii-chan..." I started, but the call cut off before I could tell him I was fine now.
"Yuki, are you alright?" Kyrius quickly made his way over to where I was tied up. A frustrated growl escaped his lips after a short look at the bonds.
"I'm... fine now..." I wasn't quite sure what to say. "You're... Shadow... Phantom...?"
Kyrius flinched slightly as I said that, but quickly recomposed himself as he wrapped his hands in plastic bags before stealing a knife from one of the unconscious buffoons and working on the bonds using it. His silence was answer enough.
"You never told me..."
"Yuki, would you have taken it any better either way? I'm a cold-blooded killer in the Accelerated World. I'm THE Shadow Phantom. How would you have reacted?"
"But..."
"I suspected you were Ruby Sniper after hearing your voice and seeing your reaction after I sent that message. But even if I knew, our identities are supposed to be secrets. I wouldn't have told you anyway, and I assume you wouldn't have told me your identity either."
"..."
"I hope you understand," Kyrius sighed as he started working on the last bond around my waist.
"But... why? Why save me?"
"I don't know!" Kyrius growled. "I just had this nagging feeling inside to go save you and I panicked! Believe me, if any other person had asked, I wouldn't have lost my head like that! I don't know what's wrong with me when it comes to you!"
The words in my mouth froze at his sudden outburst as I turned to look at him, slack-jawed. Somehow I made him do this...?
"Kyrius, I..." I started, only to be interrupted again.
"It's not your fault, Yuki. It's something up with me," he sighed, his annoyed demeanour from earlier gone.
"... You placed yourself in danger for my sake..."
"Exactly. For your sake. It's all about you - I react differently towards you than other girls. When I'm near you, I feel warm. When I hold you, I feel like my heart's going to explode from beating too fast. When Ruby Sniper popped up and told me she was being kidnapped... I practically lost it."
"Kyrius... I..." I couldn't believe the direction this conversation was going in...
"Don't say a word, Yuki. I chose this... I... I want to protect you."
At that point, the roiling emotions that had been building up inside me simply exploded as the dam holding them in broke. I started sobbing as Kyrius cut through the last of the bonds, and practically leapt at him to bury my sobs in his chest. Caught off-guard, he toppled to the ground with me on top of him...
Kyrius... He did all that just for me...
"Yuki..." I felt his hands wrap around me protectively.
"Kyrius... thanks for co-coming to my help..." I sobbed as I used his sweat-soaked shirt as a handkerchief.
Before Kyrius had the chance to reply, I felt him push me away just as a gunshot rang out audibly in the room. I opened my tearing eyes to see Mr. Bucket holding a smoking pistol in his hand, blood leaking from his broken nose. He wore a triumphant smile on his face... that meant... I quickly turned back towards Kyrius.
He was lying on the ground clutching his left shoulder... with blood dripping from it and pooling on the ground...
"KYRIUS!" I cried out in horror.
At that precise moment, I heard a loud sound of boots on the ground... lots of them. People clad in blue uniforms rushed into the room and before Mr. Bucket could fire again, he was pinned back onto the ground and his gun was knocked out of his hand. The other men were also pinned even though they were unconscious...
"Police! Don't move!" one of them shouted. "Put your hands in the air!"
Not that there was anyone conscious enough to put their hands in the air... but I couldn't care less about the police right now!
"Kyrius! Stay with me!" I cried. "Police! He needs medical attention!"
"Matsumoto, get the ambulance! Tsukihara-san?"
"Y-yes?" I sniffed as the officer knelt down beside me.
"Your brother called us saying you were kidnapped. You're safe now..."
I just continued to cry my eyes out as I hugged Kyrius tight. He gripped my hand and gave a weak squeeze as he forced a smile onto his face. At least... at least he wasn't lost yet...
"Tsukihara-san, your brother's waiting at the precinct," the officer said as he gently laid a hand on my shoulder. "Your friend will be okay."
"O-okay..." I sniffed.
"Ju-just go, Yuki. This... this is nothing," Kyrius winced in pain. That sure as hell did not look like nothing! The bullet had lodged in the wound, and I could almost see his scapula...
Next thing I knew, I was throwing up on the floor as the full implications of the wound hit me.
"Tsukihara-san, we'll bring you to the precinct. You can see him again after he gets some medical treatment."
I could only nod as the nauseating smell of my own bile made me throw up again. The officer quickly pulled me away gently and left the building.
"Yuki!" My brother stood up as I entered the room he was in and rushed towards me to engulf me in his arms.
I stood there just crying as Ryusei hugged me tightly... not even bothering that he was doing it hard enough to hear my bones cracking. All I could do was cry and reciprocate the hug...
"Kyrius... He..." I sobbed.
Ryusei turned an enquiring eye towards the officer that had brought me back. He cleared his throat and began explaining.
"We found another boy with her. He appeared to have broken in himself and taken down most of the kidnappers before being surprised from behind with a gunshot."
"Kyrius? I'm going to need to have a talk with him."
"Onii-chan..." I cried. "I was so scared..."
"You're safe now..." he gently rubbed my forehead. "How did that boy take down four armed kidnappers by himself? And why?"
"He passed out before we could ask, but judging from the injuries the kidnappers took, he used his bare hands and feet while somehow dodging fire from two assault rifles. Lots of bullet holes around."
One of Ryusei's eyebrows shot to his hairline. I sniffed as he gave me a 'We'll talk later,' look. All I could do was incline my head slightly, knowing there was no way I could get out of this now.
The officer left us for our teary reunion, and I just continued to cry into my brother's shirt while he stayed silent. It didn't take much longer for me to calm myself down in his warm, loving embrace... Once I was done crying my eyes out, I settled for sniffs as I buried my face in his shirt.
"Are you hungry?" Ryusei asked patiently and softly.
I nodded imperceptibly - I hadn't eaten anything since morning... and it was already evening now... He didn't seem to catch the gesture, but the loud rumbling sound from my empty stomach alerted him regardless and managed to break the tension as it made him laugh.
"Onii-chan!" I growled in embarrassment.
"Sorry, sorry... I'll take you out tonight. God knows you'll need some heavier stuff than normal tonight. My treat, you deserve it after what you've been through."
"Then... Pizza Hut," I blushed, most of my woes forgotten already.
"Very well," he rubbed my forehead gently just like he always used to do when I was young. "Got time for a bath back home? You're a right mess now."
I looked down at myself. Ryusei was right - the men hadn't been quite gentle enough when moving me, it seemed. My dress was torn and tattered, and I had cuts and bruises in quite a few places. A quick sniff alerted me to the smoky smell permeating the air around me - darn smokers. I cursed under my breath at my ruined dress - it had been one of my favourite ones too...
...
"Onii-chan, don't look!" I lashed out with a hand, catching my brother off-guard and punching him in the face entirely by accident while I pulled my dress up to cover my unintended exposure...
"I wasn't... looking..." Ryusei gasped as he fell backwards to the ground.
Luckily my underwear covered it... but either way I wasn't happy about the wardrobe semi-failure... "Stupid kidnappers," I huffed as I settled my ruined dress as well as I could.
Another officer chose that moment to step in with a first aid kit. She gave the twitching man on the floor a passing glance before approaching me and opening the kit.
After 10 minutes of sharp pains and wincing, my brother and I were on our way back home in a squad car since I could hardly show myself in public to ride the commuter train like this. I couldn't help thinking of Kyrius as I directed my stare out the window of the car...
Why did my heart ache when I thought of him? Him getting injured just for my sake...
Regardless I'd need to visit him tomorrow. The police had been very helpful and applied for several days off from school for both Kyrius and I to recover. I knew I was still quite shaken by the event, and shuddered as I thought of what could have happened to me if he hadn't come to save me...
I forced myself to put the thought aside as the car stopped next to our apartment. That wouldn't happen anymore, so I didn't need to work myself up over it anymore... I needed the mental rest more at the moment.
"Yuki, we're here," my brother grasped my hand gently and led me out of the car.
I just followed in silence, trying to clear my mind of the events of the day. My expression was mostly blank even as we rode the lift up. I didn't understand it... Why did Kyrius have to do that for me and put himself in danger? Granted, he did manage to save me, but regardless of whatever he said, I still felt guilty about him landing in the hospital...
My sigh sounded abnormally loud in the relative silence of the lift...
"I know you're worried about him, Yuki," my brother smiled as he laid his hand on my back softly. "We'll go visit him tomorrow."
I nodded absent-mindedly and leaned into my brother's side for support. Now that my adrenaline had mostly worn off, I was feeling quite... tired...
"Yuki?"
... When had I fallen asleep? The last thing I remembered was being with my brother in the lift... I became vaguely aware of the soft, cushy thing I was lying on - my bed. Ryusei must've carried me to my bed... I chuckled lightly as I sat up. At least he had the decency not to undress me. I was still in the torn dress from yesterday...
It did miff me that I had to sleep in my bed in dirty clothes though... Not to mention I still smelled like I had passed through some nightclub - I positively reeked of cigarette smoke.
An annoyed sigh later, I rummaged in my wardrobe for a clean set of clothes, pausing only to glance at the clock floating in a corner of my HUD. Yikes, I was late for school already! I hurriedly grabbed a clean uniform and scrambled into the bathroom, tossing all my clothes aside.
Barely 10 minutes later, I was trying to wrestle my uniform on while combing my luxurious silver hair at the same time. It was in that state that my brother walked in on me on, yawning sleepily...
...
"Why are you putting on your uniform? You got a few days off from school to rest..." he yawned.
I went bright red in embarrassment - I had totally forgotten about that! Gah, force of habit... I retreated back to my bedroom to pick out a different set of clothes, still half-dressed with only my shirt and underwear on.
"Hmm, she's growing up into a fine woman..." I heard Ryusei murmur not-so-quietly.
My blush expanded down to my neck as I grabbed a bottle of water and flung my bedroom door open with a loud crash to throw it at my perverted brother.
"ONII-CHAN!"
I slammed the door shut on a spasming Ryusei on the ground with a huge lump on the back of his head.
Five minutes afterwards, I had changed into a blue shirt with black patterns running across it, paired with a black pleated miniskirt. The grey stockings covering my legs up to mid-thigh didn't leave much for imagination. I also put on a silver star hairclip and a brooch. Mostly satisfied with my attire, I exited my bedroom.
Ryusei had already recovered by the time I was done, dressed in a black leather jacket and long black pants. He smiled at me as if nothing had just happened, and I returned it, completely unrepentant.
"Couldn't you have thrown a pillow? That hurt," he complained.
"Your fault for being perverted," I returned.
"Ouch," he winced.
We left the apartment together and took a taxi to the local hospital in silence. Even when Ryusei tried to make small talk, I was too busy wrestling my conflicted emotions to respond. What if... what if Kyrius had lost the use of his arm because he took that hit? What if he... what if he...
"Yuki, you're shaking."
I gripped my shaking arm tight, mentally berating myself for showing my panic to my brother. He laid a gentle hand on my shoulder and smiled at me knowingly. I really couldn't help but lean towards him for support - just being near him made me feel safe and protected. But lately I had begun to get that feeling around Kyrius too...
...
"Don't be nervous about meeting him. I'll be with you after all," Ryusei gently patted me on my back as if sensing my discomfort.
I flashed him a weak smile as the familiar tall white hospital building came into view. It had been years since I last came here, but it hadn't changed one bit. We exited the taxi after my brother paid the fare, and not five minutes later we were stepping into the hospital lobby. I took in the sterile smell and the sight of hospital staff and patients milling around doing their business.
Still the same as ever...
Ryusei strolled up to the counter nonchalantly as the nurse manning it turned to face her. "We're here to visit a Kyrius..." he turned to me pleadingly.
"Igzelier," I supplied. "Kyrius Igzelier."
"Oh, you're the girl he saved, right? Um... Tsukihara Yukina. Your silver hair is quite distinctive," the nurse smiled sympathetically as she continued, "Mr. Igzelier is on floor 5, ward 507. Just follow the directions I'm sending you now."
Immediately a series of arrows appeared on my HUD directing me towards the elevator off the lobby. I thanked the nurse and led my brother off towards it.
Within minutes I was standing in front of the correct ward and fidgeting nervously. I reached a hand towards the door handle, but hesitated as I grasped it. Ryusei smiled supportively and patted me softly on my back as he motioned for me to open the door. I took a deep gulp of air and pushed the door open.
"Excuse me for-"
"Yuki-chan!" I was interrupted by a voice I never thought I'd hear again.
It was a testament to my enhanced reflexes from the Accelerated World that I managed to dodge the body that came flying towards me. That very familiar body missed me by a hair's breadth as it wrapped its arms around my brother.
"Yuki-chan, I've missed you so much! How could you just leave me lying in the street like that, my lovely snow flower?"
Ryusei turned an enquiring stare at me as I stifled my laughter at the guy having hugged the wrong target without even realizing it.
"So, Yuki-chan, let me welcome you with my special kiss full of my love for you..." Uehara Sanno smooched his lips as he raised his head towards Ryusei's.
Only to be met by a rough hand shoved in his face.
"Oh my, your lips are so rough... eh?" Sanno finally opened his eyes and found himself staring at a highly amused and irritated Ryuusei.
"While I do appreciate your love for my snow flower of a younger sister... you should probably kiss her instead of her older brother. That being said, I believe we should have a little... chat, should we?" Ryusei flashed a creepy smile that had Sanno going completely pale and flinching as he was led away with an arm around his shoulders.
"Have a nice long chat, onii-chan!" I called out as he passed by me, still barely holding in my laughter.
I reentered the ward a little more cautiously this time to see Kyrius lying there on a hospital bed laughing at Sanno's predicament. His shoulder was bandaged up, and several parts of his body had marks left over from treatment - comparatively minor scratches, I assumed.
"Your brother certainly knows how to put on a show," he remarked.
"He does," I agreed as I took the empty seat beside his bed.
There was an awkward silence for several moments as I averted my eyes from his shyly. I didn't dare to make eye contact after what he had done for me...
"So... uh..." I stammered, only to be interrupted by a finger hovering in front of my lips.
"No need to apologize, Yuki. No one in his right mind would ignore a damsel in distress," he cut me off before I could continue as if he read my mind.
"But... I got you hurt! You could've died there, Kyrius!" I began tearing up despite my best attempts at keeping my tears contained. This was just... just too personal... "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I knew you died trying to save me! "
"But I didn't. Besides, do you think I'd be able to live with myself abandoning you when it could've been my only chance to save you?" he countered and grimaced in pain as he shifted slightly on his bed.
"Does... does it hurt?" I asked hesitantly.
"Of course it does," he growled out through the pain. "Hurt even more yesterday though. Now it's mostly okay."
"I'm really s-"
"Don't, Yuki. I'm not angry at you for getting me injured. I was just careless," he interrupted me again. "Now stop apologizing and I'll give you a special discount the next time you stop by that restaurant I work at, Cuisine de la France."
Totally caught off guard by the bribe, I found my expression alternating between shock and amusement. Either way I couldn't quite hide the trail of drool currently running down my chin, and by the time I had wiped it off, Kyrius was already smirking at his successful bribe.
"No fair," I pouted.
"Yes fair. You shut up already, right?" he grinned.
"Hmmmph," I snorted derisively.
He chuckled as he leaned towards me. "This is final, Yuki. I put myself in that situation of my own free will. It was out of your control - you didn't know I was Shadow Phantom at the time. Besides, it's all in the past now," he said with a tone of finality.
With that tone, I really couldn't do much but nod in acquiescence.
"Good girl," he teased, only to grimace again as he shifted his shoulder. "Ow."
I settled down beside him as calmly as I could. Internally I was still trying to fight my guilt... But when I thought of that discount on the French food, I couldn't help letting that goofy smile creep onto my face...
"You're drooling again."
I blushed bright red as I wiped the drool off again embarrassedly. Kyrius had that smirk on his face again.
Darn, now he had blackmail material on one of my weaknesses...
"Anyway, nice job taking off my leg in our first battle. I didn't see that landmine coming," he remarked.
"We got each other good," I nodded, and paused as a question that had been lingering in the back of my mind came back forward. "What is Erohara-san doing here?"
"Erohara? I suppose you mean Sanno. He's... a friend of mine."
... Kyrius, the cool and calm prince hanging out with a disgusting pervert like that...? I couldn't imagine that happening...
"I get that look a lot when I say it," he smiled. "But Sanno's really a good guy inside when he's not chasing skirts."
"I find that hard to imagine," I blanched and made a gagging motion.
"I know, right? He's a Burst Linker too, by the way."
That statement had me sitting up straight in my seat and staring at Kyrius wide-eyed. That... that pervert was actually a Burst Linker! No way...
"Don't tell me he has some ability related to seducing female Burst Linkers," I adopted a pose with my hands on my hips as I eyed him questioningly.
"He doesn't. I'll leave it for when you challenge him to a fight to find out. He doesn't know about your rapid-switching ability after all."
"How did you figure out my ability that fast?" I gaped.
"It's not too hard. None of the gunner types with multiple weapons I've gone up against can switch that fast," he shrugged. "I was actually wondering when you'd overheat that gatling gun and switch it for something else... slowly."
I blushed - he really wasn't called the Reaper for nothing. The overheating part was one I was loathe to admit though. That was something I tried to keep secret but clearly he had too much experience with firearms. My gatling guns had a tendency to overheat if fired continuously for too long. The same held true for most of my gun's other modes too.
"When did you become a Burst Linker?" I asked.
"Several years back. I've lost track already after spending so much time in the Accelerated World," he looked thoughtful for a moment before he continued, "I think it was about... a year after I moved to Japan. My mentor... got Brain Burst uninstalled after losing too many battles. He was quite rash anyway..."
"I can understand the feeling. My mentor lost Brain Burst too. She doesn't remember me anymore... It was about the only thing we shared in common," I nodded sympathetically with a hint of sadness in my voice.
"I see..." Kyrius mused. "I lost contact with my mentor several weeks after obtaining Brain Burst and never saw him after he got it uninstalled. So people lose their memories of the Accelerated World after losing it?"
"That seems to be the case."
"No wonder I never saw my mentor again either," he sighed.
"I guess... we're pretty similar in that respect," I chuckled light-heartedly.
"Yup. So... How've you been after the kidnapping?"
"Well... I..."
"You don't have to say it if you don't want to," Kyrius quickly said once he detected my discomfort.
"No... I'm fine," I took a deep breath before continuing, "It's just that I've been feeling so paranoid about safety lately. I get so scared just thinking I might get kidnapped again. It's a good thing I have onii-chan with me..."
"You sure seem quite attached to your big brother," the long-haired foreigner remarked.
That remark had me blushing as I returned, "He's always been particularly fond of me. I don't know where I'd be without him... He alerted the police to our position yesterday."
"I surmised as much," Kyrius nodded slowly.
Ryusei chose that precise moment to return, followed by an extremely pale Sanno. The former strode into the ward confidently and smugly while the other half-staggered in looking like he'd seen a ghost. A particularly scary one.
"So how's my little sister's saviour doing?" my brother extended a hand towards Kyrius. "Tsukihara Ryusei, I'm Yuki's older brother."
"I'm Kyrius Igzelier. Pleased to meet you," Kyrius shook his hand warmly.
"Which one is your surname? I can never quite get used to Western names..."
"Igzelier is. Even after living in Japan for so long I can never understand Japanese names either," Kyrius laughed.
"Heh. I really have to thank you for saving my sister from those kidnappers. She's really can be a klutz sometimes," Ryusei said, earning him a good poke in the ribs from me. "I'm immune to that!"
I promptly stepped on his foot... hard. "Onii-chan!"
"You know, Yuki, aren't you here to visit a patient rather than admit a new one?" Kyrius commented with an amused smile on his face.
I blushed as I quickly took my foot off Ryusei, who had his mouth open in a silent howl of pain.
"What the man said!"
I scowled playfully at my brother, but lost it after a short while and settled for sticking my tongue out at him.
"So anyway, before I was rudely interrupted..." he shot me an accusing look while I whistled innocently as he continued, "Thanks for saving my sister. The Tsukihara family is indebted to you."
"It's what anyone in my situation would've done, Mr. Tsukihara," Kyrius replied politely. "Besides... Yuki's my classmate. I could never knowingly abandon a classmate in trouble as the class representative."
"Oh please, when younger people call me that, it makes me look over my shoulder for my oto-san. Ryusei's enough, or just Ryu. You've earned the right to use it," my brother beamed happily.
"Thanks, Ryu," Kyrius grinned.
"I should really be the one thanking you though... How's your injury coming along?"
"It still hurts, but the doctor said I'll be out by tomorrow. Gotta thank medical nanobots."
"Indeed. The Tsukihara family will pay for your hospital bill - it's the least we can do to repay you."
"There's no way I can refuse that, right?" Kyrius frowned.
"Nope. Just live with it," Ryusei nodded in affirmation. "Money is nothing compared to the life of an innocent child which you happened to save."
"I suppose..." my class representative sighed, and perked up as he noticed Sanno still looking rather terrified. "Sanno, you've been awfully quiet this whole time."
"Don't mind me... Just big brothers getting to me..." the pervert suddenly noticed my brother giving him the death glare and shirked back in fear, "Eep."
"I'm getting to you? That's a good thing to know," Ryusei grinned ominously.
"Anyway, you two want to try duelling? Sanno's a level 4 Burst Linker, he should be enough of a challenge for you, Yuki," Kyrius smiled.
Sanno seemed to regain his spirits at the prospect of a challenge as he almost jumped right off his seat. "That sounds like fun, Yuki-chan!"
I recoiled backwards in disgust as he started to approach me again, only for Ryusei to step in front of me protectively. The pervert paled again and stopped his advance.
"Good boy," Ryusei smirked as he patted the guy on the head none too lightly. "Now, I believe you haven't really earned the right to use my little sister's nickname yet...?"
"Sorry, I overreacted," Sanno slumped in defeat. "Yuki... Yukina-san, will you forgive me?"
"Only if you concede this duel to me," I grinned. "Just kidding, I wouldn't do anything of the sort. Fixed duels are simply no fun."
Sanno stared at me expectantly, turning a terrified eye to look at my brother every now and then. Kyrius was watching the scene unfold with a cocked eyebrow.
"I do forgive you, Erohara-san..." I waited for his face to light up before delivering the coup de grace, "Just remember my brother when you're around me."
The effect was instantaneous - Sanno's face took on an aghast look that soon had Ryusei and I howling with mirth. Even Kyrius was completely ditching his impassive mask and openly snickering at his friend's plight.
"Can we stop the... big brother thing now? I promise to be good!" the pervert caved in.
"As if anything could possibly cure your perversion..." I snorted derisively.
"I'd call it more... having a sense of appreciation for Mother Nature's best works of art," Sanno adopted the puppy dog look as he gazed at me.
I wrapped my arms around my chest and returned fire with a glare. "That's basically another explanation for perversion!"
Before anyone could say another word, the door to the ward was suddenly flung open and standing there was the last person I expected... or wanted to see. I would recognize that obnoxious twintailed blonde anywhere...
"You... you! I can't believe the nerve of you, Tsukihara Yukina!" Hoseki Takanashi stormed into the ward angrily.
"Hoseki-san?" I blinked in surprise.
"You have the nerve to come visit Kyrius-sama after he got put into the hospital saving your pathetic life! You should be ashamed of yourself!" the obnoxious blonde demanded, punctuating her words with several rough jabs of her finger at my chest.
"Hey!" Kyrius started to get up, but winced as he accidentally put pressure on the arm attached to his injured shoulder.
"Maybe I should teach you a lesson, stupid girl! Or should I say..." she smiled creepily as she voiced her next two words, "Ruby Sniper?"
Oh... crap.
"Burst Link!"