Episode Four: A Bet of Faith (Part II)
Hitomi's sags as all the air leaves her lungs. "Kirei!" She says. The red-head presses harder over her mouth. "Sh!" She says severely. Not a second passed before the officers ran by their room. Hitomi froze as she listened. Kirei waits until the sounds of running fade away before taking her hand off of Hitomi's mouth. She leans out the door. "I think they're gone." She whispers.
"Hey! She's not here!"
"Where did she go?"
"She's probably hiding back there!"
"Not for long." Hitomi groans. Kirei grabs her hand. "Come on!" She says, pulling Hitomi out of the room. She runs down the hall and away from their pursuers. Hitomi pants as she tries to keep up with Kirei, but the young woman was in much better shape than she was. She wasn't even out of breath.
"Slow down." Hitomi begs. Kirei looks back over her shoulder. She sees the officers skid to a halt at an intersection and look both ways. Seeing the girls, they point and run after them. "Not a chance, kid! Here they come!" She says. Hitomi didn't believe it was possible, but Kirei started to run faster. She pulls Hitomi around a corner just as the officers unload a magazine of ammunition. The wall behind them explodes into dust and debris.
Hitomi sobs. Panic now drove her to keep up with Kirei. "Why are they shooting at us?" Hitomi cries. "It's the law out here." Kirei says. "Resist arrest, you will be shot." They round a corner and come face to face with an officer. All three gasp. The officer fumbles and raises his gun. "You're under arre--" His head snaps back and then he bends over holding his stomach. Kirei moves a bang back behind her ear. She stares down at the man as he groans. "Good night." She says. She kicks him in the face and he flops onto his back. Hitmoi gasps. "Wow!"
"This way! Come on!"
Hitomi looks down the hall and grabs Kirei's hand. "Here they come!" She says. She and Kirei run off again. They come to their old camp spot and Kirei runs over to the elevators. Hitomi points. "Aren't we going to use the stairs?"
"They wouldn't expect us to use these." Kirei says. "Besides, they're all up here. Once we reach the bottom we'll be in the clear!" She pushes the elevator's button rapidly, tapping her foot. Hitomi runs over and taps the other elevator's button. "Come on, come on, come on..." Kirei mutters impatiently.
There was a chime and the doors open. The two girls dive into the elevator and Kirei hits a button to close the doors. Another chime sounds and the doors slide closed. Hitomi hits the lobby button. The girls grab the railing on the walls of cabin as it jostles. Nothing seemed to happen. Both watch the floor indicator. The floor numbers started changing after a few moments. Both sigh with relief and fall against the walls of the cabin. "It works." Kirei says with a smile. Hitomi nods. "Thank goodness."
They both close their eyes and relax. Hitomi wasn't sure, but she could have sworn there was music playing in the cabin of the elevator. It was slow and warped. It was probably a beautiful melody at one time -- one that the passengers would actually enjoy listening to.
"Listen kid." Kirei says. "I'm sorry about earlier." She looks over at Hitomi. She gives a weak smile. "You see, I grew up with Yuudai. Our parents were very good friends and we were raised side by side since birth." She looks down at the floor. She doesn't speak for a long time. "There's a Yuudai I know…a different Yuudai than the one you see on the outside. The Yuudai I know is a sweet, caring and nurturing boy. He loves me like his own sister." She looks up at Hitomi. "I guess you can say that's why I'm so trusting and loyal."
Hitomi's eyes water. "Kirei." She murmurs. She wipes her eyes. "Now don't get all mushy." Kirei says with a roll of her eyes. Hitomi giggles and smiles at her. "I'm sorry too, Kirei. I just expected Yuudai to be different, that's all. I never expected him to be…" "I know." Kirei says. She shrugs. "Stories can do that." She looks up at the ceiling of the cabin. "Stories make people expect different things and miss what's really there. Sometimes what's there is better than the stories, if you take the time to look." Hitomi nods and follows her gaze. "Still doesn't mean there's a hero in Yuudai." She thinks bitterly. Both of the girls sit there quietly. Kirei closes her eyes and yawns.
"What happened to him?" Hitomi asks, breaking the silence. Kirei looks over at her. "What do you mean?" "I mean, what made him change? If he was as you said, then what changed him?" Hitomi asks.
Kirei sighs and hangs her head. "Yuudai made me swear never to speak of it. And I won't break my promise. All I will say is: he hasn't recovered even to this day. He still hurts. I think that's why I'm the only one who has gotten this close to him." She shrugs. "I'm the last thing from his past he never lost." "You need each other." Hitomi says softly. Kirei looks down at her feet and nods.
The elevator slows to a stop. Kirei's face snaps up as the chime sounded and the doors slide open. A group of officers stood on the other side. Seeing Hitomi and Kirei, their eyes widen. Hitomi brings her hands to her mouth, squeaking in fright. Each side stared at the other, but neither moved.
An officer comes into view form around the side. "What's up?" He asks. He follows his friends' gazes and his jaw drops, as does his rifle. Kirei searches their eyes, her body tense like a panther's.
The chime sounds again and the doors slide closed. The elevator starts to move again. Both girls continue to stare at the elevator doors. Hitomi shook, with her hands still over her mouth.
"Well." Kirei says as she wipes her brow. "That was interesting. Now we know to run out those doors when we reach the bottom." Hitomi lowers her hands and nods. Kirei looks over and shakes her shoulder. "Stiff upper lip, kid. You're doing fine so far." Hitomi nods again, still staring at the doors.
Kirei looks up and watches as the floors pass on the indicator. Only twenty more floors to go, but it felt like forever to her. As the indicator approached ten, Kirei pulls Hitomi to her feet. "Get ready to run. We don't stop until we are out of this place." Hitomi nods.
The elevator stops at the lobby and the doors slide open. Kirei and Hitomi bolt out the elevator and across the lobby. Kirei looks around as they run. She didn't see any officers around. "Freeze!" A voice echoes from above. Guns go off and tear up the floor around Kirei and Hitomi. Hitomi covers her head and whimpers as pieces of tile flew up around her. Kirei grabs her and throws her ahead. "Move it!" She yells.
The two jump through the gaps in the glass doors and run out into the street. Hitomi holds her chest and looks up at the building. Kirei chuckles as she pants, leaning on her knees. "So far, so good." She says. She feels Hitomi tap her shoulder and she turns. The young girl points to two cars that just pulled up. They were sleek black sedans. Four men dressed in suits step out of the cars.
"Give me a break." Kirei groans. Hitomi slips behind Kirei. "Who are they?" She asks. "Bad news." Kirei says. She grabs Hitomi's hand and pulls her along as she starts running again.
Ω
Yuudai shakes and throws back his head, laughing out loud. "What's so funny, Yuudai? Cracking under the pressure?" Kuro asks. Yuudai meets his eyes. There was an evil glee in his voice when he spoke. "I'm far from done, Kuro. Do you honestly think I was going to lose to you?" He says. He sweeps his hand through the air. "This game is still on!"
"No it isn't!" Kuro objects. "You're done! My Maju's attack will wipe you out!" "Not when I activate my trap card!" Yuudai says. His hologram of Draining Shield rose. "You were so quick to build up your offense you didn't keep an eye on my defense." Yuudai says. "Now it will cost you the duel. You honestly think I didn't have a hunch on what you were trying to do?" Kuro stumbles back. "No! You knew I would try this combo?"
Maju Garzett slashes down and his claws glance off the barrier formed from Draining Shield. Yuudai closes his eyes and tilts back his head as a green aura lines his body. His life points rise to 8000. Kuro stomps with a growl. "No! I don't believe it! How can you possibly keep one-upping me?"
Yuudai draws. He picks a card from his hand and holds it up. "I summon to the field Disciple of the Forbidden Spell!" Another Disciple rises before Yuudai and draws his sword. "And with him, I will destroy your all-mighty Maju Garzett!"
Kuro slaps his forehead and laughs. "Destroy my Garzett? Are you losing it, Yuudai? Can't you see your monster's attack points aren't even half of my monster's?" Yuudai snickers. "You shouldn't underestimate my monsters." He points at Great Maju Garzett. "Go, my Disciple! Forbidden Sword!" His Disciple dashes and leaps high, dragging his sword through Maju Garzett. He lands behind Garzett and sheaths its blade. He snaps his fingers and Garzett groans and explodes.
"How?" Kuro demands. "How can that puny monster defeat my Great Garzett?" Kuro points at Yuudai, his eyes wild. "You cheated! I know you did!" Yuudai chuckles and runs his finger under his nose. "You seriously need to start reading your opponent's card effects. You see, you brought this on yourself!" "How?" Kuro asks. Yuudai points to his graveyard slot. "You destroyed my other Disciple of the Forbidden Spell. Since there was one in the grave, I get to choose an attribute. If the Disciple I have on the field destroys a monster of that attribute, it is destroyed immediately."
"You planned this? Since the beginning?" Kuro asks. He clenches and unclenches his hands. "I'll get you yet, Yuudai! I have other strategies I can use! One will get you, I know it!" Yuudai lowers his duel disk arm. "I end my turn. Let's see these great strategies of yours."
Kuro draws a card. He eyes Yuudai before slapping it down on a panel. "I set one card face down and set another. With that I end my turn."
Yuudai draws. "If that's one of your strategies - stalling - then I'm not impressed." He looks at his hand. "I don't like all these stall and search tactics Kuro's using." Yuudai thinks. "I'll just give myself a little insurance." He picks a card and shows it to Kuro. "I activate the spell card known as Painful Choice. And I promise you, you'll find the choice most painful."
Yuudai takes out his deck and searches through it. He picks five cards and puts the deck back in its slot. "Pick the one that goes to my hand, Kuro." Yuudai says, clearing the field so he could lay the cards down. Holograms of the cards appear; three were Marie the Fallen One cards and two were Necro Gardna cards. Kuro gasps and shakes his head. "But...but they all benefit from being in the graveyard!" He exclaims.
"That's where the pain comes it." Yuudai says haughtily. "You must choose depending on what will cause you less pain in the future!" Kuro examines all the cards. He mutters and scratches his chin. He points to one. "I pick one of your Necro Gardnas!"
Yuudai brings it to his hand and discards the rest. He places Disciple back on the field and looks at his hand. He chuckles and selects another card. "Now I use Monster Reincarnation! By discarding a card from my hand..." Yuudai holds up his Necro Gardna so Kuro could see. Kuro groans as he puts it in his grave slot. "...I can bring another back from the grave to my hand." Another card slips out and Yuudai grabs it. "And now I summon it! Come on back, Jain!" His Paladin rose with a yell and spun his sword. "Now I'll end my turn." He says. He discards two cards from the top of his deck.
Kuro draws a card and points at his face-down monster. "I flip my monster face up!" The hologram of his face-down monster flips and the creature rises from the picture. It was a mechanical jar. "My Cyber Jar's effect now activates! All monsters on the field are destroyed and we pick up five cards, then we..."
Yuudai draws five. "I know how it works." He says flatly as his monsters vanish. He looks at the drawn cards and selects two. "I summon Garoth and Lumina to the field!" His monsters rise from a pool of light. Kuro examines the five he drew and selects three. "I summon one Insect Soldier and two Neo Bugs!" The three bugs claw up from the ground and hiss.
Kuro throws out his hand. "Now I sacrifice all three to summon Gilford the Lightning from my hand!" Yuudai's eyes widen. Gilford lands before Kuro and raises his blade. "I think you know what happens now." Kuro says with a cocky smile. Gilford's sword sparks and crackles with electric energy. He roars and throws down his sword, unleashing a wave of lightning. The wave strikes Lumina and Garoth, destroying them on contact. Yuudai throws up his arms to block himself as their shattered remains splash over him.
"Now I sacrifice four bugs in my graveyard to summon two Doom Dozers from my hand!" Kuro declares. Two huge centipedes break up from the ground and settle on either side of Gilford. "Now attack, my creatures!" Kuro orders.
"You forgot about my Necro Gardna monsters! Now I use their effects to stop your Doom Dozers from attacking!" Yuudai says. His Necro Gardnas slip out of his graveyard and Yuudai pockets them. "But what stops my Gilford from attacking?" Kuro says. Gilford lunges at Yuudai, stabbing him in the chest with his sword. Yuudai groans and cries out as the sword pumped electricity into his body. Gilford withdraws and Yuudai falls to one knee, grasping his chest as his life points drop to 5200. "And what stops all three from attacking next turn?" Kuro asks with a laugh.
Yuudai chuckles. "You poor man." Yuudai says. He stands and dusts off his knee casually. "You talk a good game, but you've repeatedly failed to deliver. What makes you think I'll take you seriously now?" Kuro sneers. "Just you wait, Chiyo! I'll show you!"
Yuudai draws. He is suddenly wreathed in a green aura and his life points rise to 5800. Kuro gasps. "What was that?" He asks. "Seems you forgot I have three Marie the Fallen Ones in my graveyard. For each, I receive 200 life points on my standby phase." He holds out a card. "Now I activate the magic of Terraforming! This brings one Field Spell card from my deck to my hand!" Yuudai declares. He searches his deck and picks a card. He shuffles the deck and puts it back in its slot and puts the card he selected into his hand.
"Now I think I will play it." Yuudai says. A separate slot opens at the end of his duel disk's panel. He slips the field spell into it. "I use Light Realm!" The world around them ripples and morphs. They now stand before pearl gates of a large city lit by pure light. On either side of them were tall towers. "Then, I summon Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress!" His magician rose and stuck out her mace. Yuudai switches Lyla into defense mode. "Now I use her special ability. By switching her to defense mode, I can destroy one face down card in your Spell and Trap Card Zone." Lyla kneels and a wave ripples out from under her. It strikes Kuro's face-down card and destroys it.
"Having fun?" Yuudai asks. Throws out his hand. "Have some more!" His face-down card flips up. "I use Glorious Illusion to summon Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon!" A bubble of light explodes behind Yuudai, stretching up to the clouds above. The tower bulges and then explodes as Gragonith opens its wings. Gragontih lowers behind Yuudai with a shower of glittering lights. "Finally, I use the trap Destruction of Destiny. By discarding three cards from the top of my deck, I lose 1000 life points for every magic or trap card that is discarded by this effect." His life points drop to 3800. Three windows in the two towers light up. Kuro looks up at them. "What are those?"
Yuudai tilts his head to look. "Those are Shine Counters. My field card gains them every time a card is discarded from the top of my deck. And for every Shine Counter, Lightsworn Monsters gain an additional 100 attack points."
Lyla and Gragonith's attack points rise to 2000 and 3500 respectfully. "Now attack, Gragonith! Iliaster Purge!" His dragon blasts Gilford with his breath and destroys it. Kuro groans as he leans against the explosion. "I end my turn." Yuudai says, discarding eights cards. Suddenly, a humanoid beast with a wolf's head appears on Yuudai's side of the field. It growls and grips his staff. Kuro steps back. "What's this? You ended your turn!"
"Let me introduce Wulf, Lightsworn Beast." Yuudai says, gesturing to Wulf. "You see, when he is sent from the deck to the graveyard, he is special summoned to the field." Yuudai explains.
Kuro draws. "He won't be around for long." He says. "I summon Shadow Ghoul! And then I equip him with United We Stand! With his effect and the effect of United We Stand, his attack points rise to 4800!" Shadow Ghoul rises from his shadow. It grows to enormous size and hisses. Yuudai chuckles. "Too bad you wont be able to attack me with him." "What do you mean?" Kuro demands.
Yuudai throws out a hand. "I activate the trap card Solar Ray! For every LIGHT attribute monster on my side of the field, you are dealt with 600 points of damage!" "No!" Kuro exclaims. "No, I can't lose! Not again!"
All of Yuudai's monsters began to glow white. They grew brighter and brighter. Kuro covers his face with his hands and cries out as the light becomes too bright. His life points drop to zero and he falls to his knees.
The holograms fade and Yuudai deactivates his duel disk. He walks over to Kuro and stands over him. "Well?" Yuudai says. "I believe you owe me one keypass." Kuro looks up at him and laughs. "No. You're getting nothing out of me." Yuudai glares. "What do you mean?"
Kuro laughs. "You may hold all the cards in the game." He looks off to a building. "But outside of the game, the cards are in my favor." Yuudai follows his gaze up to the building. He could see black figures standing on top of it. He looks off to another building and there were little black figures on top of it as well.
"I will keep the keypass." Kuro says. "And you will be dragged off to the maximum security prison." "So you brought friends, eh?" Yuudai asks. Kuro nods. "Yes. And a few are looking for your friends as we speak! Face it, you won't escape this time!"
Yuudai turns back to him. Kuro's eyes widen. Yuudai's eyes were clear like glass. They were frightening - almost not human. It made his blood run cold to behold. Yuudai's hand reaches for his deck. "How much are you willing to bet?" He asks darkly.
Ω
Kirei and Hitomi plop down behind an old bus and rest. Hitomi lays her head back against the rusty metal and breathes hard. "Who are they?" Hitomi asks with a hoarse voice. "Special Forces. They're the most dangerous. They're good duelists and even better marksmen." Kirei says. She gets onto her hands and knees. She peers around the side of the bus. She pulls back and a bullet ricochets off of the bus where her face once was. "See?" She says.
"Where do we go?" Hitomi sobs. Kirei looks around. She sees a large building across the street from where they hid. Its doors were wide open and there were pillars, trees and cars to provide cover for them. "We'll go there." Kirei says. Hitomi looks and nods. "Alright. Say when." The two get to their feet and crouch. "When!" Kirei yells.
The two bolt from behind the bus. Immediately, the Special Forces fire at them. The bullets buzz by their heads and glance off of the ground at their feet. Kirei throws Hitomi behind a tree and dives behind a car. The bullets rain heavily around them. Hitomi huddles close to the tree as the bullets eat away at the sides. "Kirei!" She yells over the sound of gunfire. Kirei looks around and grabs a rock. She waits until the shots lessen before standing and throwing it. She was rewarded with a meaty thud. The bullets stop and she runs out and grabs Hitomi. She pulls her by the hand across the lawn of the building and up the stoop. They got behind one of its pillars just as agents started shooting again.
"We're almost there, kid." Kirei says. "We're going to have to chance it." Hitomi looks up at her with surprise. She looks over at the entrance. There was still a huge porch to run across before they got to the door. "But it's wide open! They could shoot us before we get in!" "That's why it's a chance." Kirei says. "We got to try. They're getting closer."
Hitomi looks at the entrance. She nods. "Alright. Let's go." "You first." Kirei says. Hitomi shakes her head. "I don't want to leave you alone!" "Well I won't leave you alone." Kirei says. "And one of us will have to give in or we'll both be captured." Hitomi bites her lip. She looks at the door and back up at her. "But I…" She covers her head as a shower of plaster covers her. "Just go! Hurry, kid." Kirei says. With a deep breath, Hitomi runs out and through the front door. Bullets splinter the door as she passes it. Kirei smiles. "She's definitely got nerve!" She says. She waits a bit before she runs out and follows Hitomi through the door.
When she entered, Kirei's eyes turned up and she slowed to a stop. She stood in a huge, domed room. It was full of bookshelves, lined with rows and rows of books. "Wow." She mutters as she stares up at them. She walks between two of the bookshelves and runs her hands along the top of a dusty volume. She looks at her finger and runs the dust from the book between her fingers. "So old." She thought. Of all the times she's been to this city, she didn't remember a library being here.
At the end of the bookshelves, Hitomi stood in the center of an open floor. She, too, gazed at the large selection of books. Kirei runs over to her. "It's a library." Hitomi says as she comes over. "I see that. Let's hope those thugs want to check out a book when they follow us in here. Might give us some time." She says. She looks around between the shelves. "Did you find another way out of here?" Kirei asks. Hitomi shakes her head. "I didn't see any." She says. Kirei runs along the aisles, looking between them. She spots another doorway. "This way." She says, waving Hitomi over.
The girls run to the door and through it. It led them to a stairway. They climb up the stairs and into a large reading room. It was, in fact, two floors with the higher level enclosed by a railing. Tables and chairs lay scattered and asunder in the middle of the open floor. A large stain-glass window filled the wall opposite of them. It showed a man in a white robe with an open book resting in one hand and a candle was held in the other.
"There's go to be an emergency exit somewhere." Kirei says. The sound of pounding feet comes from the stairway behind them. Kirei and Hitomi turn and watch as the Special Forces run up the steps and come into the room. They train their guns on the girls. "Put your hands behind your head!" One orders.
Kirei looks at Hitomi, who looks at her. She sighs and nods. The two girls put their hands behind their heads and wait. One of the men approaches, still aiming his gun on them. "Get the handcuffs, Gene." He says to another. His friend reaches into his pocket and pulls out two pairs of cuffs. They looked like two silver bands. Pressing his finger on a scanner on the side, a band of energy connected them.
Hitomi weeps softly, squeezing her eyes shut. Kirei sighs. "Sorry kid. Sorry it has to end like this." The man came around them and took Kirei's hands. He opens the cuffs and rests them on her wrists.
A bright light shines onto them through the stain-glass window. The Special Forces groan and block the light with their hands. "What is this?" One demanded. The sound of a million tiny screams fill the air and a shower of glass falls on them. The agent behind Kirei groans and tumbles to the side. A dark figure rolls between the two girls and kneels before them.
"Yuudai!" Hitomi exclaims as the lights die down. The Special Forces aim their guns at Yuudai. "You! Stand up! Put your hands on your head!" One yells. Yuudai looks up passed his bangs at them. His eyes were alive with a light deep within. He rises slowly. "Run." He says to Hitomi and Kirei. "What? No!" Hitomi exclaims. Kirei grabs her and pushes her. "Do as he says! Run!"
The Special Forces cocked their guns and Yuudai pulls out a card from his deck. The agents open fire on the girls and Yuudai holds the card up before him, which lights up. The bullets fall short of their targets, glancing off an invisible wall.
Hitomi and Kirei watch from their hiding place behind a shelf. As she watches, the words of the old man from the refuge ring in Hitomi's mind.
"Young Yuudai has a gift for dueling and has used that gift to help those who are cast out from Domino City..."
"Is that his gift?" She asks breathlessly. The men stop firing and lower their guns. All was silent as they stare in awe at Yuudai. Yuudai merely stares back. A small breeze flutters his hair and clothing. All was deathly silent as though the sound had been sucked out of the very air. The agents look around at the bookshelves and windows as they rattle and shake.
Everything freezes in time and the air shudders. A wall of wind explodes from Yuudai, and the agents are flung back. They slam against the walls and are held there by the wind. Books fly off the shelves and flutter about. The wood shelves are torn off the ground and thrown down. All the windows in the library shatter and burst out onto the streets.
The wind stops and the agents fall to the ground. They groan and try to rise, but fall back on their faces. Yuudai lowers the card and slips it back into his deck. Kirei smiles and runs over. "Yuudai!" She yells. Hitomi runs after her. "I knew you'd come for us, bro!" Kirei says as she hugs him. "You were that worried about me?" Yuudai asks. Kirei nods. "A bit." She sniffs and pulls back. She wipes her eyes and rolls her shoulders. "But I knew you'd come back. I knew it."
Yuudai looks over Kirei's shoulder at Hitomi. She looks down at her feet. "You alright?" He asks. Hitomi nods. "I am." Yuudai walks over to her. "Still upset, are you?" He asks. Hitomi nods. "A bit." A chuckle filters out of Yuudai's cloth. "Then look at this, and tell me if it makes you feel better."
Hitomi looks down as he places something in her palm. It was a plastic card. Hitomi examines it. "What is this?" "A keypass." Yuudai says. Hitomi gasps and looks back up at Yuudai. "You won?" Yuudai's eyes narrow. "No…I lost and he felt so bad for me, he gave it to me. What do you think?" Hitomi laughs and then stops. "Yuudai…I, um…I want to apologize." She says. She looks down. "I should have trusted you."
"You would have been a fool to do so." Yuudai says. "You were right to not trust in a complete stranger." Hitomi gasps and her heart flutters feeling his finger curl under her chin. It guided her face up so she looked him in the eyes. Yuudai's eyes were soft and calm. Hitomi's cheeks turn pink as he whispers to her, "just have faith in me. That's all I ask."
Hot tears fell down Hitomi's cheeks. She nods and gives a weak smile. "That's a chance I'm willing to take." She says. "It's the least I can do, Yuudai." Hitomi bites her lip and her chin quivers. She throws herself into his arms and weeps into his chest. Yuudai looks down with surprise. Kirei chuckles and shakes her head. "What an infant." She says with a smile.
"Thank you, Yuudai." Hitomi says. Yuudai pats her head. "You're welcome, Hitomi." He says. Hitomi smiles, feeling safe in Yuudai's presence. She looks up at him. Though he still had the cloth over his mouth, she could tell he was smiling. Now she understands what Kirei meant -- she has seen it for herself. There is a hero in Yuudai.
