Just a disclaimer to say, that Yu-Gi-Oh doesn't belong to me. All characters are owned by others. I'm merely using them in this fanfic for fun.
Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's – A Second Rose – Chapter Four
"Konami! Konami! Let me in!"
Misty stood outside the former Slifer's apartment, knocking heavily on the door. He had missed their coffee morning an hour ago, causing Misty to worry about the young man's safety. It wasn't uncommon for him to sleep in or get caught up working on his Duel Runner and forgetting all about his previous plans. What had the supermodel worried was the fact that for the first time in the months she knew him, Konami had his front door locked.
"You better open this door before I have to ask again!" Misty cared greatly for Konami, but his reckless habits could be could vexing to put it politely.
"C-Coming. I'll be right there," came the weak reply, "Oh Ra!"
A loud crash could be heard from inside the apartment. Misty's eyebrows shot into her hairline as she started to worry more. What was happening in there? A loud twist of the bolt quickly followed, as Konami pulled back the door.
Misty gasped as she took in the boy's appearance. He looked four shades paler than normal, his hair was sweaty and a tangled mess. Dark bags under his eyes gave Red Hat the look of a panda. His torso was exposed, revealing sloppily applied bandages flecked with bits of blood. The boy looked a mess.
"N-Now before you say anything-" Konami began before Misty stormed in.
The model was surprisingly strong for a woman of such slender build. She dragged Konami over towards his sink and gently took his bandages off. It revealed a deep cut on his back, nearly identical to his scar, just fresher. Blood seeped out of the cut, mixing with the sweat on his lower back. If she wasn't mistaken, the boy also must be sick, possibly from an infection to the wound.
"L-Look, Misty. I-I know you're angry with me, but-"
"I'm not angry," the raven haired beauty softly whispered as she rinsed a cloth under the tap and began cleaning the blood away, "I'm just disappointed that you didn't listen to me. I'm disappointed you let yourself get hurt again after I told you to be careful."
Konami hung his head his shame. The words from Misty hit harder than anytime a professor told him something similar at Duel Academy. She had always been so nice to him and he had let her down. Konami hated one thing more than anything else: hurting those he cared about. He struggled to find the words to express his feelings to Misty.
"I care about you, Konami. You have no idea how much you mean to me. I never want to see you hurt. You're family to me. When you're hurt, I'm hurt. Just remember that and think before you act next time."
"I had a good reason! I promise!" Konami replied, his voice a pitch higher as he quickly got his sentences out. "I was helping this young girl and her sister when-"
"I don't doubt you had good intentions, Konami," Misty cut across, "but it's not your responsibility. If someone needs help, you should send them to Sector Security. You shouldn't put yourself in harm's way. Isn't that why you left your friend Jaden and came to Neo Domino City? To put the mad adventures of Duel Academy behind you and move on with the next step of your life? To enjoy a quiet life?"
"Y-Yes, but I can't just leave people who need help on their own. It's not right."
"Kon-kun, it's not your responsibility. We can't change other people; we can only look after ourselves. I knew a boy like you. He had the same ideals as you. To help everyone. To always do the right thing. You even have his admirable but annoying habit of trusting people with important information about him. That got him nothing but hurt and pain. Don't make the same mistakes. I can't protect you from everything as much as I wish I could."
Konami started to feel tears well up in his eyes. He knew Misty cared about him, but he couldn't let go of his ideals, could he? He was a strong person, he could take whatever blows life threw at him. Wasn't it his responsibilities to help those less fortunate than him? Besides, when it came to Akiza he had to repay her.
"Kon-kun, please I'm begging you. Don't do anything stupid that'll get you hurt even worse. I don't want to lose you. If I were to lose you, I don't know what I'd do."
Konami struggled to twist his body around to bring the model in for a hug. His back ached and the action stretched his skin, reopening the wound, but he didn't care. All that matter to him was hugging his friend. Misty returned the boy's affection, gently wrapping her arms around him, cradling his battered body as if he was a newborn.
Misty pulled back and held Konami's face in her hands as she gently stroked his face. She locked eyes with him before gasping.
"What's the matter, Misty?" Konami asked, looking around the room.
"N-Nothing. It's just I saw your future." Misty looked a little shook.
"Oh. Cool. What did you see?"
Misty hesitated before she spoke. "You and I standing together. Side by side." Konami couldn't stop himself from laughing. "What's so funny?" Misty said, an annoyed look on her face.
"Some fortune telling skills you have! I could have told you that! Like I'm leaving you anytime soon." Misty playfully slapped his shoulder, forgetting the boy's injuries. "o-Ow!"
"Sorry. To make up for that, I'll get you patched up in no time."
The pair laughed as Misty scolded Konami for missing their lunch. The model cleaned Red Hat's back, applying bandages to it as he laughed jovially. With his back turned to her, Konami was unable to see the pain in her eyes.
"DUEL COMPLETE! VICTORY AKIZA IZINSKI!"
The duel bot repeated this several times as Sayer made his way over to his prized student. The burgundy haired girl barely broke a sweat as she easily disposed of the mechanical opponent in record time. Sayer was impressed with how she was shaping up for the Fortune Cup.
"Nice work, Akiza. Keep this up and the Fortune Cup will belong to the Arcadia Movement." The man's silky smooth voice carried an air that of kindness to it. This wasn't matched in his eyes.
"I need to do better. I need to keep improving." Akiza responded like an empty shell. She seemed distant despite her comfortable victory. Almost as if she wanted to just get the exercise over with.
"You will, don't you worry." Sayer said as persuasive as a used cars salesman. "But there's something else I'd like to discuss with you."
"What would that be?" Akiza asked as they walked back to Sayer's office.
"I've just heard reports about a powerful Duelist. He's found of wearing a red hat and goes by the name of Konami." Akiza immediately froze up. "I was just wondering if you knew anything about him. One of my reports claims that you two tag dueled together. He seems to have had quite the time in Duel Academy Island, after a transfer from the mainland Duel Academy."
Akiza gulped nervously. She didn't care much for Red Hat, but if she gave anything away about him it may lead Sayer to Sakura or cause Red Hat to not help her. Sakura deserved a better life than she had, so she'd do what she needed to protect her. It served her best interests to keep her cards close to her chest. As much as she hated lying to him, she'd have to deny her knowledge of Red Hat.
"Yes, I recall dueling with someone who matches that description. However, I have not seen him since or had any contact with him."
Sayer looked in Akiza's eyes before nodding his head and sighing. "That's a shame. I was hoping to see if he'd be interested in working with us if he had your recommendation as a Duelist. Never mind. That'll be all. You can rest up now."
Akiza left quickly; she didn't feel good about lying to Sayer, but she needed to protect Sakura. And she didn't feel as though she should mention Red Hat's claims about seeing Duel Spirits. How could she tell Sayer that without telling him about why he told her that?"
Back in his office, Sayer sat in silence with his chin resting on his bridged fingers. He contemplated what Akiza's lies meant. The boy must have some degree of control over her if Akiza would lie to her saviour for him. Or was she trying to hide something else? Was it to try protect little Sakura? No, that would be pointless. The young girl was a squib as far as psychic powers were concerned. She was useless to Sayer. And he had overheard the boy mention something of having powers of his own.
This Konami was someone that Sayer would definitely have to test. And he knew just how to do it.
Konami answered his PDA. Misty had left a few hours ago to go on a chat show, leaving him to rest up.
A gruff voiced barked out an address they wanted Konami to go to for a job. Something about a security door malfunctioning.
As much as he knew Misty wanted him to rest up, he had to pay his bills. His growling stomach reminded him he needed to do his groceries. Sighing as he threw on his clothes, Konami left for the address in the City Top's.
{A/N}
Apologies for this being much more delayed than I intended. I had some issues at work to deal with, and once I sorted those out college work piled up on me. This chapter is a little short, but I decided to upload it as connective tissue for the next Chapter. Hopefully that wouldn't take me as long as to update. Thanks for anyone who read, reviewed, favourited or followed this story. Much appreciated.
