Treachery
By: SilvorMoon
It looked like it was going to be another glorious day. The rain had cleared up in the night, and the world had a freshly-washed look about it. Misawa, up at the crack of dawn as usual, opened his window to enjoy the fresh morning air.
"Life is good," he told himself.
He went through his morning grooming routine, changed into his fresh white uniform, picked up his deck and thumbed through it, mostly just to admire his wonderful new cards, and then ambled downstairs to breakfast. Despite his early awakening, he had showered and dressed at a leisurely pace, so there were already plenty of people downstairs eating when he got there.
"Hey, Misawa, come sit with us!"
"No, over here!"
He couldn't repress a smile; this tournament was exactly what he had needed to put his popularity ratings over the top. The general consensus in the Society was that he was the favorite to carry off the gold, and everyone seemed to want to be on his good side all of a sudden. Whether that was because they were really that impressed by him, or because they were hoping that if they acted friendly towards them, he might not single them out for a duel, he hadn't bothered to consider. He simply picked out the table where the most people had already gathered and seated himself among them. They immediately scrambled to make sure he had everything he wanted in terms of juice and muffins and extra butter and whatever else they could think of that he might want to be well supplied with.
"Thank you, but that really isn't necessary," he told them.
"Yeah, but we want to help!" said one boy eagerly. He was one of the few Whites who had lost his medals the first day. "You've got to keep up your strength so you can win big for the sake of the Society!"
"Well, there is that," he admitted. He picked a banana-nut muffin out of the basket and began buttering it.
This isn't half bad! Not even Saioh is getting treated like this, he thought.
And indeed, it was true. Saioh had turned up for breakfast that morning, but he looked rather drawn and preoccupied, and seemed to have no interest in food. There was nothing before him but dry toast and coffee, and he wasn't even paying a great deal of attention to that. He was, however, trying very hard to ignore Manjoume.
"...but Master Saioh, this is important," the boy was pleading. "I really need to know..."
"You can put off knowing for a little while," said Saioh, unusually terse. "I have other things on my mind."
"But..."
"No."
"If you'd just tell me what it means..."
"That is not for you to know," said Saioh. "The mysteries of the Tarot are for those with the power to understand them. You have your own work to do. Concentrate on getting that done before you bother me about things that are beyond your comprehension."
Manjoume looked sullen. "Yes, Master Saioh. I think I understand."
"Good. Then leave me be. I have important matters to consider, and I have no time for your useless questions."
Manjoume walked off, radiating annoyance, and hid himself at the far end of a mostly empty table.
I wonder what's wrong with him? Misawa wondered. Mysteries intrigued him, even when they were none of his business. Why could he possibly want to know anything about the Tarot, anyway? He doesn't strike me as the spiritual type... Even Misawa, who had come to accept that Saioh's powers as genuine, still harbored a healthy skepticism regarding Tarot cards. As far as he was concerned, they were on the same level as a Ouija board - a set of pretty pictures you could use to express what was already lurking in your subconscious, with interpretations so vague that you could claim they meant almost anything. They wouldn't be any good to someone who wasn't like Saioh and didn't already have the gift of foreknowledge. Why Manjoume would be so passionately interested in the subject this morning was a puzzle. He made a point to keep an eye on Manjoume throughout the meal, and when he finally slipped away, Misawa excused himself and followed him.
"Where are you sneaking off to all alone?" he asked him, as he caught up to Manjoume in an empty hallway.
"Nowhere. What do you care?" Manjoume snapped back.
"I just thought you seemed to be acting unusual this morning, and wondered what you were doing," Misawa replied.
"Nothing. I just had a question for Saioh, and he wouldn't answer it, and it ticked me off," said Manjoume. "Nothing more to say."
"What was the question?"
"Are you always this nosy?"
"I have a compassionate interest in my fellow human beings," said Misawa. In a burst of honesty, he added, "And also, I'm nosy."
"Humph. Well, if you must know, I asked him what the meaning of the Tarot card called The Hanged Man is."
"That's all?"
"I wanted to know, all right?" said Manjoume. "Hasn't Saioh ever done a Tarot reading for you?"
"No," said Misawa, feeling a pang as he realized he might have missed out on something.
"Well, he did one for me, and he says the Hanged Man represents me. I had a weird dream about it last night and wanted to know if it meant something," said Manjoume, "so I asked Saioh about it, since he's supposed to be the expert in all that, and he told me to buzz off."
"Then maybe it's not important," Misawa suggested.
"It's important to me," said Manjoume. "I'm telling you, if I don't get some straight answers soon, I might just listen to my dream instead of Saioh. It was a lot more informative than he's being."
"You're going to trust a dream over Saioh?" Misawa repeated incredulously. "Speaking from a purely objective, scientific standpoint... you've lost your mind."
"Maybe so," Manjoume muttered. "It would help if Saioh would just answer me, but he's got more important things to worry about than what I think."
"Perhaps that should be your answer, then," said Misawa. "In the list of important things to do, talking about dreams is fairly low on the list. Listen, Manjoume. No matter how compelling a dream is, it's only a collection of random nerves firing in your brain, causing a series of mental images which your mind tries to interrelate into a cohesive whole because it's human instinct to try to find order in chaos. Dreams are brain static - nothing more, nothing less. They don't mean anything."
"Then let's say they put an idea in my head, and I can't shake it," Manjoume replied. "I mean, I want to believe Master Saioh, but when he won't answer my questions..."
"Well, what do you want to know?"
"You wouldn't be able to answer," sand Manjoume, rolling his eyes.
Misawa took that as a personal affront; it was a matter of pride to him that anything he didn't know, he would at least know where to find out.
"Try me," he said.
"Fine. I want to know what the Hanged Man really means. I want to know why I can't remember anything about those Ojama cards. I want to know what's really going to happen when the Society takes over the world. I want to know if Saioh has been lying to me. I want..." He took a long breath. "I want to know why the darkness feels better than the light."
Misawa was silent for a moment.
"Say that last bit again," he said.
"I woke up in the middle of the night last night, after all those crazy dreams," said Manjoume, "and a circuit breaker or something had blown out, and everything was pitch black. I knew I should try to do something about it, but I didn't. I just couldn't bring myself to do anything. It felt too good for me to want to change it."
"There's something wrong with you."
"I knew you wouldn't listen to me," said Manjoume.
"I don't believe you," said Misawa. "How can you call yourself a member of the Society of Light - and one of rank, at that - and start talking this way about darkness? You'll lose your place with Saioh if you keep up that kind of talk."
Manjoume gave him a sardonic look. "Well, look who's got his priorities straight."
"I'm being practical," said Misawa defensively. "I personally believe in Saioh and what he's doing, but if you feel like questioning him, that's your business. My advice is just to keep quiet about it. You've got a good thing going here; I know if I were you, I wouldn't want to give it up."
"Humph," Manjoume grumbled. "What are you telling me that for? You probably want me to give up the whole thing so you can take my place."
"Wait a minute - are you actually talking about leaving the Society?" asked Misawa, aghast. Ever since he had joined the Society, he had never thought even fleetingly of leaving - he had been thanking his lucky stars that he'd seen the light and asked to join. He was having trouble imagining what would prompt anyone, especially someone of Manjoume's standing, to even consider that there might be a reason to leave. His own personal satisfaction aside, his experience thus far had led him to believe that everyone in the Society was completely happy. They wept with joy as Saioh spoke to them of the new world they would be creating together, and worked enthusiastically towards the cause, filled with contentment by the knowledge that they were accomplishing something great together. The thought that the highest-ranking member of the group next to Saioh himself - the person in the best position to know what the current state of the Society really was - might be having second thoughts was a deeply troubling one.
"I don't know," said Manjoume. "But I think later today, I'm going to find out."
"How are you going to do that?"
"By talking to Juudai."
"Isn't he the one who's supposedly destined to bring about the downfall of the Society if he isn't stopped?"
"Right. That one."
"Now, wait just one minute here," said Misawa, flaring up. "It's all right for you to start questioning things yourself, but if you're going to try to ruin it for the rest of us, I'm going to have to put a stop to it! That's treason, and if you do it, I'll tell Saioh."
"I already tried to tell him. He isn't listening," said Manjoume.
"In that case, I would advise being patient until he's got time for you," said Misawa. "Master Saioh is a very important man, and if he is working on something, you can be sure it's something worthwhile."
"Suck-up."
"I'm being sensible," said Misawa. "All this business about Saioh lying to you... what on earth do you think he's lying about?"
"I don't know, okay?"
"Then it seems to me that your fears are groundless. Are you sure you're not just letting the pressure of the tournament get to you?"
"The only thing getting to me is you," Manjoume snapped. "You're just so sure you know everything! Well, you know what? This is one time where I know more than you!"
He stormed off, leaving Misawa to stand there alone, completely baffled.
I don't know what's gotten into him, he thought. He seemed fairly rational yesterday. Did he hit his head on something?
Still, whatever the problem was, it seemed to have Manjoume seriously rattled. Why else would someone who had invested so much time, energy, and fanatic devotion into a cause, suddenly turn around and start doubting, or worse yet, thinking about quitting it all? From one perspective, it looked insane, but from another...
What if he really does know something I don't?
That was a sobering thought. It was common knowledge that Manjoume would, as Saioh's closest helper, be called into the great man's rooms to discuss plans for the Society. Indeed, Asuka was also called upon at times, sometimes alone and sometimes in Manjoume's company. Everyone knew that these two knew things about the Society that lesser members were never told, or only found out about later, and accepted it calmly enough. Most people seemed willing to do as they were directed without having to sit through dull explanations of the reasoning behind it all. Manjoume seemed to enjoy it, though - whether because he had inherited some managerial genes from his business-minded family, or whether he just liked being in the know. Either way, if there was something rotten at the heart of the Society, he would be the first person to get a scent of it.
But if that was true, then it meant, among other things, that Misawa had been fooled, and he wasn't prepared to accept a conclusion like that based solely on Manjoume's erratic behavior. Manjoume tended to be a little erratic at the best of times, so there was only so much faith you could put in him without investigating the matter a bit further.
Come to think of it, this could very well be a strategy to get me into trouble with Saioh, he mused. If he spun a wild tale about wanting to betray the Society, and Misawa carried it back to Saioh, Manjoume was fully capable of denying he had wanted to do any such thing, and Misawa would be the one who looked stupid. That was just the kind of crazy thing Manjoume did when he wanted to get even with people. Misawa dimly remembered an incident from what felt like decades ago, something about having to duel with Manjoume and Manjoume stealing his cards and throwing them into the ocean. If he could do something like that, then pulling a manipulative stunt like this wasn't something that could be put past him.
The best thing to do would be to collect more evidence, Misawa decided. He would keep a covert eye on Manjoume to see what he did, and if he showed no signs of actually going over to the enemy, then all would be well and the matter could be allowed to drop. And if for some strange reason, he did decide to defect, Misawa would be the first to report the news back to Saioh.
I really don't see anyone as ambitious as Manjoume giving up his place here and going back to Osiris Red. He wouldn't be able to humble himself like that. But if he does, his loss may very well be my gain.
Just because he had an appointment at noon didn't mean Manjoume couldn't get some work done in the meantime. Society or no Society, dueling was his first priority, and there was enough time for at least four or five duels between breakfast and noon.
"Thirty-six, thirty-seven, thirty-eight..." he counted, hooking the medals one by one to the inside of his coat. He was going to have to go back to his room and stash them somewhere soon, he thought, before his jacket became too weighted down to wear. His initial thinking had been right: you could definitely earn more medals more quickly as the lesser players were removed from the game, and the better players were netting increasingly high numbers of medals. The professionals were drifting in, too, and some of them were already worth thirty or forty medals by themselves, if you could catch them. He had stalked a few of the lower-ranking pros, and had been pleased to find out that he could deal with them without much more hassle than it took to pick off high-ranking students. He had always suspected that he played on a professional level, but it was nice to have his suspicions confirmed. He was especially pleased that he had won without using that strange skill Saioh had "taught" him.
Looks like I really don't need him to be a great duelist, he mused.
"Fifty-two," he finished, as he put the last medal in place. "Not a bad morning's work, if I do say so myself."
He shrugged his jacket back on, listening to the satisfying clink and clank his winnings made. It felt good to think he had accomplished this much by himself. After devoting every minute of every day for so long solely to the Society of Light, he had almost forgotten the pleasure of doing something just because he wanted it done. He had set out that morning with good intentions, telling himself to forget his reservations and concentrate on attaining a victory for the glory of the Light, but somewhere along the line, that intention had been forgotten next to the sheer pleasure of dueling. He hadn't been thinking about some glorious white-hued future; he was thinking about the adrenaline rush of battle, the feeling of command as he watched his monsters do exactly as he had planned for them to do, the clarity of mind that came from intensely focusing on strategy. That had nothing to do with serving someone else's purpose, and everything to do with enjoying himself. The fierce joy he got from winning was even better than the vague bliss of the Light. Even so, it felt strangely like something was missing.
Saioh would say it's because I've turned away from the Light, or something, he mused. He always has a nice neat answer like that. Somehow, though, he was not sure that attitude would work for him. It was getting harder to keep some abstract ideal in his mind when he was in the middle of watching a monster bearing down on him and knowing he had better do something fast before he was given a severe jolt. Manjoume was starting to want something a little more concrete to fight for than a promise that someday the world would be wonderful. If it wasn't working for him right now, why should he believe it would work years from now?
I'm not getting anything from the Society that I couldn't get myself, except for stuff I don't want anyway.
A niggling voice, one last vestige of Saioh's training, whispered to him that he couldn't fight his own Destiny. He had seen clearly that Saioh had the power of prognostication - everything he and those cards of his predicted came true. Manjoume had already seen what happened when he challenged Saioh's prophecies. For all his boasting that he would form his destiny with his own hands, everything had still fallen out in Saioh's favor.
Then if I can't change my future with my own hands, I'll find someone who can help me do it, he decided. After all, he told himself, that was what important people did: they hired skilled people and got them to do what needed doing.
And that, he decided, as the noonday bells chimed, meant talking to Juudai.
Seems like it always comes down to this: me and Juudai, staring each other down. And somehow it always ends up with him on the winning end. I guess that's what Saioh would call stagnation.
Manjoume made his way up to the front of the school, and, seeing no sign of Juudai, sat down on the front steps to wait. He felt oddly calm. Maybe this was how Saioh felt all the time, knowing exactly what would come next every minute of the day. Knowing that he was about to duel Juudai felt about as natural to Manjoume as drawing his next breath. They would fight, and one of them would win, and that was the way it would be until the world turned around and brought them together to fight again. And that was all right. If one thing could be said for Juudai, was that he made an interesting opponent. If Manjoume was stuck dueling the same person over and over for the rest of his life, he didn't mind it being Juudai.
Saioh says I'm never going to win until I stop thinking of him as a friend.
He had believed that, once. His life had been suffused with an all-or-nothing mentality - either you won or you lost; you were at the top or the bottom; you were weak or strong; you were used or you used someone; you were an enemy or an ally. It was impossible to go two directions at once, so it made sense to believe that he could not both sincerely want to defeat Juudai and also like and respect him. If it took a burst of white light to burn such impossibly conflicting thoughts out of his mind, that had seemed like a reasonable price to pay.
Juudai came racing up the path, panting from his run and flushed with excitement, with his two best friends hurrying along behind him.
"Sorry I'm late!" he called as he ran. "Batteries on my Duel Disk went dead, and I had to get new ones!"
"Whatever," Manjoume snapped. "Did you bring the cards?"
"Got 'em right here," said Juudai. He reached into his card pouch and pulled out three cards. "I'm not letting you get out of this! You're taking these cards back just as soon as we finish this duel!"
Manjoume made a show of stretching lazily, leaning back on the steps, pillowing his head on his folded arms, and crossing his legs. He yawned.
"What if I don't feel like dueling?" he asked. "What then?"
Juudai looked heartbroken. "But you promised. Today at noon. That's what you said."
"Well, it isn't noon anymore, is it?" Manjoume replied. "Sorry, buddy - that train's gone."
"But..."
Manjoume gave him a long cool look. Juudai, he had always thought, was a bit of an idiot. A Fool, if you wanted to take that route. But he was one of the only people in the world who knew Manjoume - really knew him, not just the outward facade. He had seen Manjoume with his defenses down, had even seen him crying once. Despite all that, he seemed to like Manjoume anyway. Somehow Juudai had always believed that the best parts of Manjoume's nature were the most important ones. Manjoume knew that if he wanted a friend, Juudai was probably the best one he could have. If he wanted one.
"Since I'm such a nice guy," Manjoume drawled, "I'll give you a second chance. Convince me you've got my best interests at heart. If you can convince me I ought to listen to you instead of Saioh, not only will I take those stupid Ojama cards back, I'll turn in my white jacket and leave the Society of Light for good." He glanced at his watch. "You've got five minutes. Go."
"Convince you?" Juudai repeated doubtfully. "I thought we were going to duel."
"I told you, I don't feel like it," said Manjoume. "And you're wasting your time. Four minutes. Do you think I should leave the Society or don't you?"
"Well... yeah!"
"Yeah, what?"
"Yeah, you should leave!" said Juudai. "Saioh's a creep, and he does nothing but brainwash people and turn him into their puppets, and you're better than that. That's what you were trying to get away from with your brothers, weren't you? You wanted to be your own person, and not live up to what someone else has planned for you. Your real friends are the ones who aren't trying to use you for anything and don't care if you win or lose - and that's me, and Shou and Kenzan and Fubuki, and the Ojamas, too!"
"Supposing I don't want any friends?"
"Well... you still want to be a duelist, don't you?" Juudai persisted. "Why should you give up your dream to go to work for Saioh? Face it, the Light's not for you. You're the phoenix who rose from the depths of Hell - remember that? That's the real Manjoume Thunder."
"Well, maybe I like the new me better. Then what?"
Juudai's expression darkened. "Then I'm going to work as hard as I can to change your mind... because it's my fault you ended up where you are, and I'm going to take responsibility for it."
That got Manjoume's attention. He raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"
Juudai nodded. "I didn't see it, at first. I used to think that dueling was all just for fun, and it didn't really matter whether you won or lost. I didn't know that losing could hurt until I lost that duel to Ed. You're my friend, Manjoume, and I hurt you and didn't even know it. There was a lot I could have done differently, and it makes me mad to think about it, but this time I'm going to do right by you - and that means doing whatever it takes to get you out of that Society and back where you belong!"
Juudai was looking slightly breathless by the time he had finished this impassioned speech. There was a ringing silence after he'd finished. Manjoume glanced at his watch again.
"That took more than five minutes," he said.
More silence followed. Juudai and his friends exchanged glances. Manjoume suppressed a smirk.
If Manjoume had wanted a friend, Juudai would have been the best one he could have asked for. If he had wanted a rival, there was probably no one on the island with as much skill as Juudai had. But the Hanged Man existed between extremes, neither fully in heaven nor on earth, but somewhere in the middle. His great flash of insight was to know that the two places were inextricably linked - that not only could you have both, but it was impossible not to.
You were wrong, Saioh. I don't have to choose between anything. I've got it all right here.
"Well, I've made a decision," he said. "I'm not doing anything."
He watched Juudai's face fall, and then quickly harden again into a determined expression.
"I'm not doing anything," Manjoume said again, "until somebody gets me my jacket, because I've had it up to here with this stupid white getup!"
There was a joyous whoop from Juudai and his friends, and Manjoume smiled slightly. Whether it was his imagination or the last remnants of the spell he'd been under falling apart, he felt as if he had been smothering under a heavy blanket that had just now been pulled away. Already he found himself wondering what he'd ever seen in Saioh.
"Here," said Juudai, pressing the three cards into Manjoume's hands, "hang on to these and I'll be right back!"
Juudai rushed off with his friends trailing him. Manjoume looked down at the cards in his hand. They looked back at him.
"B...Big Brother?" asked Ojama Yellow tremulously. "Can you hear me?"
Manjoume rolled his eyes. "Of course I can hear you, you frog-eyed twit! You guys never shut up!"
His response was a chorus of overjoyed squeals, and he found himself being tackle- hugged by an assortment of spirits. Fortunately, being spirits, they didn't cause much in the way of physical discomfort, but he shooed them away anyway.
"All right, all right, you don't have to get all slobbery," he said. "Just because I decided I wanted you back doesn't mean you have to make an issue out of it."
The Ojamas looked up at him with eyes brimming with tears.
"You really wanted us back?" asked Ojama Green.
"Sure I did," said Manjoume. "You're all a bunch of pains in the neck, but you're my pains in the neck, and anybody who doesn't understand that is asking for trouble!"
"Aww, shucks, we love you, too!" Ojama Black said.
"Yeah, well... don't go spreading it around," Manjoume muttered. "So are we going to win this tournament or what?"
"You bet, Big Brother!" the Ojamas assured him.
"Right," said Manjoume. "But first thing we're gonna do - we're gonna get rid of this stupid deck!"
With that, he took out his deck - full of rare and powerful cards that Saioh had given him - and picked out every last one of the pretty white cards and sent them sailing off on the breeze. When the last one was gone, he tucked the Ojamas safely into what remained of his deck Just as he was finishing that, Juudai arrived, waving Manjoume's jacket over his head like a black flag.
"Got it!" he exclaimed jubilantly.
"Well, fork it over already!" Manjoume snapped back. He shed his white jacket (which landed with a clatter on the steps, as the medals clashed against each other) and pulled his old one on. He remembered fleetingly his desire, when he had awoken in the night, to pull the shadows around him and hold them close; this felt like the answer to his wish.
"Looking good, Manjoume!" said Juudai.
Manjoume clicked his tongue. "That's not what you're supposed to call me. The correct phrase is..." He held up one finger. "Ichi..."
Juudai grinned as he recognized the familiar chant. "Jyuu!"
"Hyaku!" Shou and Kenzan chimed in.
"Sen!"
"Manjoume Thunder!"
Manjoume took a moment to revel in the sound of his own personal cheer. No matter how many times he heard it, it still sounded good. Then his face fell.
"I've got to re-pin all my medals," he said.
Meanwhile, from a secure vantage point on the upper floors of the school, Misawa watched the proceedings with a variety of emotions. His first reaction was shock - he had not thought Manjoume would actually go through it, and had thought almost to the end that Manjoume was simply acting. His second feeling was a sense of horror that someone would actually choose to leave the Society, along with a vague puzzlement that Manjoume actually looked happy about it. Misawa couldn't recall him ever looking so happy while he was in the Society. Smug, yes. Occasionally transported by spiritual fervor. But this kind of simple, uncomplicated happiness was something new. It confused and vaguely disturbed him. He forced the feelings out of his mind with an effort of will; he was supposed to rule himself by logic, not by whatever his mixed-up emotions were telling him. He had a procedure to follow, and right now, the procedure was to go find Saioh and tell him about it. He turned his back on the celebration unfolding in front of the school - several other Osiris students had heard about Manjoume's change of heart and had come to welcome him back to the fold - and hurried off to the Obelisk dorm.
The building seemed to be empty when he got there, but when he made his way up to Saioh's room, he could hear the sound of someone speaking. It sounded as if Saioh had a problem on his mind, and was trying to sort it out by talking to himself, first arguing one side, then the other. It went on for a while, but it was too far away and too distorted by the echoes in the barren room for any of it to be heard clearly. When it became clear that there was no chance of the argument stopping any time soon, Misawa gathered his courage and knocked loudly. The murmuring stopped.
"What is it you want, Misawa?" asked Saioh. His tone of voice was not overtly hostile or even annoyed, but it did warn that it might be soon if Misawa didn't have anything important to report.
"You may already know this, but I thought it best to inform you that Manjoume has betrayed us," said Misawa. "He's thrown away his uniform and his deck and gone back to Osiris Red with Juudai."
There was a long pause. Then Saioh's voice said, "I think you had better come in and tell me that again."
Misawa went in. He found Saioh, as usual, at his card table, but he was not doing anything with his cards.
"Come in and sit down," he said. "I wish to confirm your words. Should I take it that you witnessed the event, or did you only hear about it?"
"I saw it all first-hand, Master Saioh."
"Then you had better shuffle these cards," Saioh replied, pushing the deck towards him.
Misawa did as he was told - after all, if there was one thing any student of the Academy knew, it was how to shuffle cards. It gave him a slight feeling of satisfaction that at last he was being trusted to participate in one of these readings, even as his more scientific nature kept telling him that there was nothing to be learned from a Tarot card. When he felt they had been adequately shuffled, he passed them back To Saioh. Saioh selected three cards from the top of the deck and laid them out face-down in front of them. He turned the first one over, and a chill ran down Misawa's spine as he read its title.
"The Hanged Man," Saioh murmured. He frowned at it, as if he thought the card might be defective.
"That's the card Manjoume was talking about earlier," said Misawa. "He wanted to know what it means."
"Different things at different times," said Saioh vaguely. "It is the card that identifies him." He turned the second card over. "The Wheel of Fortune. A change has come over him. And the last card..." He turned it over. "The Fool. Juudai... Well, it looks as though you were not mistaken." His eyes blazed suddenly. "Curse him! How could I let this happen? Oh, I know how it happened, but still, his perfidy is astonishing. This does not bode well..."
"I'll do anything I can to help," said Misawa.
Saioh gave him a speculative look.
"I suppose you will," Saioh replied. "Very well. I appoint you my new second-in- command. Start spreading the word of what has become of Manjoume. If you can, make it appear to be Juudai's fault. Even if what has happened appears to be Manjoume's choice, it is Juudai who persuaded him. Fool though he is, he has been invested with a power of darkness that clouds the light of even the brightest minds. I will greatly reward anyone who is able to overcome him, particularly if they are also able to acquire a key he carries, and bring it to me as proof of their victory. The same goes for Ed Phoenix, who also has such a key. I believe he conspires against me."
"I wouldn't doubt it," Misawa agreed. "I'll start immediately. Is there anything else you need?"
"Nothing at the moment. I will call upon you later to speak to you when I have had some time to consider this development. Once I have decided on a course of action, I will brief you on your new duties."
"Thank you, Master Saioh! You won't be disappointed in me," Misawa assured him.
He left the meeting with his good spirits restored. Speaking with Saioh had cleared up his doubts. It felt to him now as if he had always known this would happen: Manjoume had always been too chummy with Juudai, even going so far as to room with him at one point. Obviously this was what had led to Manjoume's defection, which meant that the Society was as true and sound as it had always been, and Misawa had nothing to worry about. Moreover, he had gotten what he saw as a well-deserved promotion. Now, he decided, the best thing to do was carry out Saioh's orders as efficiently as possible, and then start looking for an opportunity to get that key away from Juudai, Ed, or both. If he could manage that, it would be just the thing to set the seal on his position.
As luck would have it, the first person he encountered after leaving Saioh's room was Asuka. She had apparently had good luck with her dueling, but unlike the male students, she didn't have a long sweeping jacket to pin them to. It appeared she was taking a handful of them to her room to be safely put away.
"I have news," Misawa told her.
"What kind of news?" she asked him skeptically.
"News about our friend Manjoume," he replied. "It's a terrible shock. I hate to be the one to tell you, but Master Saioh instructed me to start spreading the word..."
"Don't try to coddle me, Misawa," said Asuka. "Just spit it out."
"Very well. Manjoume has quit the Society."
There was a clatter. Asuka had dropped some of her medals.
"Here, let me help you with that," said Misawa, and began briskly gathering them up again.
"What do you mean, he quit the Society?" asked Asuka, aghast.
"I mean he quit. I saw it myself. Threw away all the cards Saioh gave him, took off his jacket and put on that tatty old black thing, and walked away with Juudai and the others. That would seem to be strong evidence that he has given up on us."
Asuka remained silent. Misawa shook his head sadly as he handed her medals back to her.
"I know, it's deplorable," he said. "I didn't see it coming, either. But we can't let his actions undermine the strength of our Society. We must stand firm."
"Yes," she said vaguely.
"Glad you agree. Anyway, Saioh lays the blame at Juudai's doorstep, and I think he's quite correct in doing so. He's offered a reward to anyone who can defeat him and bring back a key he's carrying, or anyone who can do the same to that sneaking Ed Phoenix. Anyway, I would love to stay and chat, but I still have a lot of other people to tell, and I want to finish and get back to the dueling. Take care."
He hurried off, leaving Asuka standing silently in the hallway, her gaze turned inward. Finally, she shook herself from her daze and walked slowly back to her room.
"I knew he didn't really love me," she said.
Manjoume returned to the Osiris dorm and somehow managed to wring a hero's welcome out of it. By rights, they should have been irritated with him for joining the Society and going about forcibly converting most of the school, but his natural charisma seemed to be sufficient to convince people that he truly wasn't at fault for the whole thing. He told compelling stories of Saioh's brainwashing techniques, until he had everyone in the Red dorm convinced that joining the Society was something like a fate worse than death, and that Manjoume was really a bit of a hero for being able to buck off Saioh's magic and return to where people were sane and trustworthy. The Reds were pleased with anything that gave them a reason to feel superior to their more privileged classmates, and as Manjoume was quick to see the advantages in letting them know how much better off they were than the Whites, they were willing enough to forgive him for leaving them. Besides, he was still leading the games by a healthy amount, and they were hoping that between him and Juudai, they would be able to claim that one of their own was the winner of the GX World Championship.
He was also welcomed by at least one other person. Since his declaration of independence from the Society, he had taken to spending most of his time with Juudai, Shou and Kenzan. Whether he was doing this because he wanted to, because he thought it advantageous to present a united front with Osiris Red's hero while he was living in their dorm, or whether he was just doing it to annoy Saioh was anyone's guess. Most likely it was a combination of the three factors, but at any rate, he seemed to be enjoying himself that morning, as he and the rest of the crew scoured the island for likely opponents and collecting a fair amount of medals for their collections. It was during this process that they encountered Fubuki. He caught sight of the group, realized who was with them, and his face lit up.
"Manjoume, you came back!" he exclaimed, running over and flinging his arms around him in a powerful bear hug and shedding tears of joy on Manjoume's jacket. Then his expression changed completely, and he clenched his fist and bopped him over the head. "What did you do to my sister?"
"I didn't do anything!" Manjoume squeaked. "She was going to kiss me but she changed her mind, so I didn't get the chance!"
"Not like that," said Fubuki, looking at Manjoume as if he were an idiot. "I don't mind that. What I wanna know is, what did you do to make her join that Society? The only time she ever speaks to me now is when she tries to talk me into joining it with her! She's completely changed." He sniffled sadly. "My poor little sister..."
"Don't blame me! It wasn't my fault," Manjoume protested. "It's that Saioh guy! He made me do it! He's got this thing he does where he sort of looks at you and says stuff in that spooky tone of voice, and whatever he says to you, you go along with it! He could tell somebody to go walk up to the cliffs and jump in the ocean, and they'd do it without a second thought. That's why all those girls are following Misawa around lately," he continued, warming to his subject. "Saioh told them to think he's hot, and now they do!"
Fubuki looked hopeful at this. "You mean I haven't lost my touch?"
"Of course not! You'll always be the best," Manjoume hastened to assure him, with the fervency of one who truly believed it. In his mind, Fubuki was still the Wizard of Love. "Saioh's just got everyone thinking backwards. He had me thinking backwards, too." It was the closest he had come so far to being completely honest about the whole fiasco, but he found it easier to be honest around Fubuki than around anyone else.
"Yeah, that's what Juudai told me," said Fubuki, relaxing a bit. "I shoulda known you wouldn't do something like that on purpose!"
"No way," Manjoume assured him. "I wouldn't do something like that to you, and I'd never do anything like that to Asuka." He sighed, and his gaze wandered off in the direction of the Obelisk dorm; from this distance, its gleaming white roof could just barely be seen above the trees. "Poor Asuka... she's still stuck in there..."
"We'll just have to get her out," said Juudai.
"How are we going to do that?" Kenzan asked, in the tone of one convinced that Juudai had all the answers.
"Dunno," Juudai admitted. "Hey, Manjoume, what made you decide to leave?"
"Hmm," said Manjoume. "A lot of different stuff, I guess. Mostly I guess I just realized Saioh is full of hot air. He talks a good talk, but he's really just a big liar manipulating everybody who comes in range. But try telling that to the rest of the gang and see how far you get. They all think he's the most awesome thing ever. He told them so himself," he added with a grimace.
"Well, there's gotta be some way to get around it, or you wouldn't have realized it," Shou pointed out reasonably.
"I just happen to be exceptional, that's all," said Manjoume, drawing himself up proudly. Then he considered. "But so is Asuka, so it ought to be a cinch to wake her up!"
"Yeah, that's right!" Fubuki chimed in.
"So how do you plan on doing it?" asked Juudai.
There was a moment of thoughtful silence before Fubuki lit on the solution.
"We'll wake her up," he declared, "using the passionate feelings of our hearts!"
"Huh?" said Juudai.
"Yes!" Manjoume declared, posing dramatically. "The white light is no match for the flames of love!"
"Hey, that's a good one," said Fubuki.
Kenzan shook his head. "They spend too much time with each other."
Juudai just gave one of his careless laughs.
"You never know," he said. "Crazier things have happened. It just might work!"
Meanwhile, the subject of their conversation was standing thoughtfully beside the lighthouse. Asuka had often gone there in different times to mull over the problems life had thrown at her. At the moment, she could not quite remember what all of them were, now that the Light had made all the world's mundane little issues fade into obscurity, but something in her longed to be comforted, and that was the first thing that had come to her mind. Now she stared out at the rippling waves and tried to work through the emotions that were swirling through her.
Asuka had always prided herself on keeping her emotions under control. She had always considered it one of her greatest assets as a duelist, that she never lost her cool under pressure and always kept her mind working clearly. She could be just as at ease dueling a friend or an enemy as she could while battling a perfect stranger. Out of the dueling arena, she conducted herself the same way, maintaining her poise and self-control at all times. Romance in particular had been carefully avoided, and even while she had sometimes wondered if she might be missing out on something, she had always been able to fall back on a sort of pride that she had never let herself do something stupid because she couldn't keep her heart under control.
Now that pride was shattered. She had given it up when she had made up her mind to accept Manjoume as her destiny. For a moment, she had permitted herself to feel without any restraints, and what it had felt was good. There had been something mysteriously pleasurable about being held in the arms of someone she genuinely liked and respected, and who she was certain loved her. For a fleeting instant, she thought she had seen what it was her brother and people like him saw in this whole romance game.
And then, before she'd even had a chance to enjoy it, it was gone. She hadn't even managed a first kiss before Manjoume had gone chasing off after Juudai and had decided not to come back. After she had heard that unbelievable news, she had gone to Manjoume's room with a vague notion of possibly talking to him about the matter, only to find a number of irritated Society members gathering up his things, which had been none-too-carefully carried downstairs and deposited on the lawn for Manjoume to come rescue if he cared to. She was even more appalled to discover that the hurry to empty out his things was not just because of a desire to get all traces of a traitor out of the building, but also because someone had declared Misawa to be Saioh's new second-in-command, and he was taking over the room closest to Saioh's to reflect his change of office. That didn't bother her greatly - she was not as ambitious as Manjoume or Misawa, and had no desire to rise above her station. What bothered her is that nobody in the Society seemed to care that one of their own had fallen from grace. Nobody seemed to care about him at all, or made any effort to rescue him. It made her wonder if anyone would miss her if something bad happened to her as well.
Not only that, but Manjoume seemed to be happy. Every time she had seen him from a distance, he had always appeared to be enjoying himself - dueling, bantering with Juudai and the others, basking in the applause of his dorm-mates as he continued to pile up medals. Nothing in his demeanor suggested he was anything but glad to be out of the Society. As far as she could tell, he didn't miss any of it, including her.
I knew he didn't really care. I knew it was a mistake to trust him...
She knew, but that didn't make her feel any better.
At one point in her life, her brother had promised her that if a boy ever broke her heart, she could come to him and he would do anything he could to make her feel better. Right now, she ached for his comforting presence. As erratic and sometimes annoying as he could be, Fubuki always had a way of making her smile when she was down. Right now, she needed him, and he wasn't there for her. No matter how many times she had begged and pleaded and even threatened him, trying to persuade him into joining the Society, he had firmly stood his ground and said that he knew in his heart that it was the wrong thing to do. Even the ultimate threat, that she would not speak to him until he joined, would not sway him. The look he had given her would have broken her resolve if her faith in the Light had not been so strong, but even so, it haunted her.
Why does everyone abandon me?
Even as she was wondering that, a shadow fell over her, and she looked up to see that someone had walked silently up to her without attracting her attention.
"Ryou!" she exclaimed.
"Hello, Asuka," said Ryou quietly. "I thought I'd find you here."
Asuka wasn't sure what to say. She regarded him for a moment, trying to reconcile her blurry memories of the past with what she was seeing before her now. It wasn't just his new outfit that was throwing her for a loop, though the unrelieved darkness of it offended her enlightened sensibilities. There was something different about the way he stood and the set of his features, something unsettling.
"You've changed," she said.
"So have you," he replied. "The question is, for the better? Or for worse? Frankly, I haven't heard anything good."
Asuka stiffened. "Then maybe you've been asking the wrong people."
"Possibly. That's why I came to ask you," Ryou replied. "So what's all this I hear about a Society of Light?"
"It's the best thing ever to happen to Duel Academia," said Asuaka, relaxing a little now that she was on firm ground. "Master Saioh taught us the true path to happiness and wisdom. He knows everything, and he's going to unite the whole world in the Light."
"Humph," said Ryou. "Right. You look happy."
Asuka's eyes flashed. "So things aren't perfect yet. We've encountered some setbacks, that's all."
"Some setbacks your all-knowing leader should have anticipated," Ryou scoffed.
"He doesn't have time to keep watch over everything," said Asuka defensively.
"Then he doesn't know everything, does he?" There was a jeering note in Ryou's voice that Asuka had never heard before, and it unnerved her. "Really, Asuka, you disappoint me. I never thought I'd live to see the day when you'd bow to anyone and call him 'master'."
"I do it out of respect," said Asuka.
"Respect." Ryou spat the word out like a curse. "Look where respect got me. I'm through with respect! It's just asking to let other people who haven't got any walk all over you."
"That isn't what you used to believe," said Asuka.
"I used to be naive," Ryou replied. "I've been out in the world now, and learned a little about how it works. But if you want to bring things like that up, I could say that you used to be different, to. You didn't need someone to tell you what to think and how to act and even how to dress."
"You don't understand," said Asuka.
"No, I don't understand. I thought you were strong, Asuka. I thought you were one person I could count on not to let your destiny be decided by someone else. I can't believe how I overestimated you."
"It's not like that, Ryou..." she said. "I just found something that works."
"It works? What does it do?" Ryou countered. "Makes you feel special because you joined the club? Makes you feel more important than everyone else?"
"No," she said. "It's not..."
"It's not like that. Then what is it like?" asked Ryou.
"He's shown us the truth."
"About what?" he persisted. "That's all any of you have for me - empty rote phrases. When it comes down, you don't believe in anything. You're just having fun dressing up in costumes and pretending you're better than everyone else."
"Well, so are you!" she shouted back. "You think you're so special, now, just because you've joined the Pro Leagues! Calling yourself the Hell Kaiser and strutting around like you think you can't be beaten."
"I haven't been beaten yet," said Ryou. "Not even by Fubuki. He challenged me today, you know. Really pulled out all the stops. I was almost impressed, actually. But you see, Asuka, we're different. You've seen the Light, and that's all you've bothered to look for since then. I saw the light and I preferred the darkness, and even in the darkness I'm still searching and testing it. You've just taken the first thing someone's given to you and haven't questioned anything ever since."
"I don't need to question anything," she said defensively. "Saioh tells me anything I need to know."
Ryou smirked. "My point exactly. Do you plan to never think anything ever again but what he tells you to? You really are a disappointment."
"You're jealous because I've found the truth and you haven't," she accused.
"Me? Jealous? That's a laugh," Ryou replied. "I'll find my own truth, thanks. I may be right or I may be wrong, but at least it will be my choice and no one else's. I'm not going to sell out to anyone."
"I haven't sold out," Asuka insisted.
"You just keep telling yourself that," said Ryou. He turned and began walking away. "I can see it was a waste of time trying to talk to you. It's just making me sick. You've lost everything that made you worthwhile."
"But..." Asuka began, but she couldn't think what to say. She could only watch as her oldest friend and childhood protector walked away from her without another word. She stayed where she was until he was well out of sight before getting up and hurrying away. After the way Ryou had spoken to her, there was no way she was planning on letting him see her cry.
Everyone is leaving me. I'm completely alone...
Then she pulled herself together and reminded herself that this was not true. There was one person left who she could trust. She would go to him for advice, and he would make everything right. With purposeful steps, Asuka turned in the direction of the Obelisk dorm, with her mind made up to find Saioh.
She reached his room and hesitated for a moment outside the door, feeling slightly nervous. Usually she would not have dared to interrupt him unless he had specifically sent for her. It was possible that he wasn't even home right now, but had gone out dueling with the rest of the students.
If he isn't home then it won't bother him if I knock, she told herself.
Asuka raised her hand, but before it struck the wood, she heard a voice say, "Did you need something, Asuka?"
"I... was wondering if I could talk to you about something," she said.
"Of course, my child. What am I here for, but to help in times of need?" answered Saioh soothingly. "Please, come in."
Warily, Asuka stepped inside. She found Saioh at his usual place, but instead of having his deck of Tarot cards before him, he had a small tea service set up. She couldn't help but notice that there were already two places set out.
"The cards have informed me that you are uneasy in your mind," said Saioh. "I thought perhaps you would find a warm drink to be soothing. Come, have a seat and tell me what is bothering you."
His comforting manner reassured her, so Asuka stepped forward and daintily took a place at the seat across from him. It occurred to her to wonder if he was going to offer to read her tea leaves when she was done. Saioh gracefully filled her cup, and offered her cream and sugar. She had rarely seen him behave so kindly - generally Saioh tended to be a bit aloof - and she found his deference somewhat surprising, but at the moment she was willing to accept it.
"Now, tell me what is on your mind," he said.
"I don't know where to begin," Asuka replied. "I just feel... even though I'm part of the Society, I feel as if I'm completely alone. The people who used to be my friends refuse to see the light. Even my brother has turned away from me. Manjoume has betrayed us, and Ryou... he's so far gone, I can't talk to him at all. It feels as if everyone I've ever cared about has left me."
"It is indeed a tragedy," said Saioh with a heavy sigh. "You see, Asuka, this is the pain that darkness brings. The darkness has infected their hearts, drawing them to isolation. When the Light has taken its rightful place, they will be returned to you. You must continue to have faith."
"I know, Saioh, and I truly do believe that the Light is the right way," she said. "It's just so hard having to go through it alone."
"But you are not alone. The Light is always with you, and I am here to help you," said Saioh. He reached across the table to place his hand on hers. "Would you like me to make it stop hurting? I can take the pain away."
"What?" Asuka exclaimed. "What do you mean?"
"Do not be alarmed. I will not harm you," he said soothingly. "I mean only to strengthen your will and clear your mind, if you will permit me."
"How are you going to do that?" she asked.
"By opening your mind and allowing the Light to flow through you more strongly," said Saioh. "It will clarify your doubts and relieve you of any lingering desire to return to the darkness. With the Light to strengthen you, you may even be able to draw your loved ones back to your side. That is what you want, correct?"
"Yes."
"Then let me help you."
Asuka nodded and raised her eyes trustingly to look into his. She was surprised to see that they were glowing faintly. Faintly? No, the light was very bright, and growing steadily brighter. There was something strangely fascinating about it...
Saioh watched, pleased, as Asuka's pupils contracted to pinpoints, and her expression went slack. He leaned back in his chair to admire his handiwork. Asuka was a strong young woman, and he had almost despaired of finding enough chinks in her mental armor to completely win her over.
"Asuka," he said, "do you feel better now?"
"Yes, Master Saioh."
"Very good. Now listen closely to me, Asuka. The pain you have been feeling is caused by the darkness. The darkness is keeping your loved ones away from you. The only way you can win them back is for the darkness to be defeated. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Master Saioh."
"And do you know who is responsible for bringing the darkness among us, Asuka?"
She nodded slightly. "Yuki Juudai."
"That is correct. So what you need to do is find him and defeat him, and bring me the key he carries. If you do this, all your troubles will be over. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Master Saioh."
"Excellent. Then go make me proud, Asuka. Do what is best for all of us."
"Yes, Master Saioh." Asuka rose from her chair, bowed to him, and wandered out of the room with an expression that suggested that she didn't even see anything in it. Saioh settled back comfortably and poured himself a second cup of tea.
Poor child... Your weakness for your companions has been your undoing. In her eagerness to have the emptiness in her mind and heart filled, she had willingly allowed the Light to fill her until her original personality was completely obliterated. I will not make the mistake I made with Manjoume again. Try as you might, Yuki Juudai, you cannot bring your friend back this time. There is nothing left to bring back!
To Be Continued
