Chapter Seven
And I Am Yours
I gently knocked on the door towering over me. It swung open in a matter of heartbeats; I tackled Martha in a hug. She laughed and patted my back. "We did it, Martha! We did it!"
"I heard! Wonderful job to you and the other four."
"Thanks! How're you?"
She rolled her eyes and threw her shoulder towards the door behind her. High-pitched squeals and the rumble of small, running feet leaked from within. "The usual."
"Do you need help with anything? I'm just waiting for Kalin, so I have time."
Martha nodded and guided me into the kitchen. We sliced vegetables next to each other. I tried to match her swift strokes. She moved to set the broth on the stove and asked, "Have you remembered anything, Rain?"
"Not really. If a memory comes back, it's just a snapshot that brings up more questions than answers."
I moved from the carrots to the green onions. Martha watched closely. She asked, "Is Kalin helping you?"
"Helping..?" I redoubled my focus. A bead of sweat formed on my temple. "Yeah. Yeah, he helps a lot."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Martha lean back against the counter. I swore she must have been smiling but trying to hide it. "I have to thank you, Rain. Since you showed up, he's finally started using an inside voice and showing an ounce of patience on occasion."
"I'm sure it wasn't so bad."
"His voice carries for miles," she said, "unless you're in the room."
The knife stopped. It hovered one chop away from being finished, yet I was held captive by her words. "I… I wouldn't want to change someone. That isn't right."
She laughed, saying, "You're too considerate for your own good, dear. It's not something he's throwing away; it's something he does for your sake. Similarly, my husband wasn't very comfortable around children. He swapped between seeing them as wicked demons or fragile as glass. Regardless, he helped me with my work because he loved how passionate I am. It's a mark of caring, Rain, to make some sacrifices and compromises for those you love."
Orange sunlight spilled through the nearby trees. Martha's garden bounced with joy in the breeze. I watched them through the window with a gentle smile. "I… I see. Hey, wait – I never said I- I mean, he-"
Martha took the knife from me, sliced the last of the green onion, and dropped the portions into the broth. Her all-knowing smile said enough. "I appreciate your help, Rain."
I bit my lip. "Um. I was wondering- well, if you don't mind me asking, your husband..?"
"He passed away." The hard lines of Martha's face stiffened with her mouth set in a thin line. "It's been years, but I think about him every day. The memories are fond now. I'm not in pain. There are still times, though, I turn to tell him something that would make him laugh, and he isn't there."
My fingers touched the heart on my blue bracelet. "I'm sure, wherever he is, he's cheering you on for continuing to follow your passion."
Her features lightened the smallest amount. "Thank you, dear. I'll take care of the rest. Kalin might miss you if you're waiting in here."
We exchanged regards, and I walked to Martha's garden. Golden light from the setting sun sparkled on her flowers. Their pleasant scent was a kind refrain from the rotten smell of the rest of the Satellite. I wandered about the area, appreciating a moment of silence.
A child's voice broke it: "Hey, Rain!"
"Um, hi." It was one of the kids I'd seen when I lived at Martha's cottage. He and a couple of his friends hopped in front of me.
"You're that chick with the cool powers, right?" asked one. "Can you show us? Pleeease?"
"…Sure." I slapped Blue-Eyes White Dragon onto my duel disk. He burst to life and sniffed at the children. The third kid, who hadn't spoken, screamed and fled. The other two laughed at him. One rubbed the Blue-Eyes' head, which made it purr.
"This is so awesome," he said. "I bet you use them all the time!"
"Well, no," I muttered. "They're not…things to be used. They're my friends, and we work together. Kind of like Team Satisfaction!"
The other child said, "You guys are super amazing duelists! I want to be just like you someday!"
I twirled a strand of my white hair around my finger. "Um…"
"I'm sure you will be!" An arm slung around my shoulder. Kalin pulled me close, and his grin was brilliant. He had two black bundles tucked under his other arm. "Mind if I steal Rain from you? We have some work to do."
"Y-you're Kalin Kessler!"
"In the flesh."
The kids gaped at us. "Y-you two are legendary! Would you tag duel us?"
"No can do," he said with a wag of his finger. Kalin interlaced his fingers with mine and led me away. "The Satellite needs us."
When we were far away from the cottage, I said, "Hi, partner."
"Hello!" He stopped and let me go, covering his mouth with his gloved hand. He looked into my eyes, and his were darkened to brown by the sun's now-red light. "Rain… you shouldn't show your power to everyone like that."
"I… shouldn't?" Though his hand covered his expression, the tilt of his eyes suggested concern. "Okay… sorry."
"No need to apologize!" His smile was back in a flash, and he stole my hand again. "Hey, Rain. One day, we'll make it so that those kids can be whatever they want to be. We'll make it so they don't have the fate of a Satellite."
I muttered, "When you say it, I really believe it."
"And with you by my side, I can believe in anything."
I blushed at his words, and he glanced back and laughed. "What?"
"You're too damn adorable. Over here." We ducked into a narrow alley. He dropped one of the bundles he held and pulled the other over his head. It was a dark cloak that hung on him loosely. "Our first food distributions are tomorrow, and I heard a tip that a couple members of an old gang are trying to ruin one. I set up a trap for them. We're catching them in the act, which means being sneaky. Think you can manage that?"
I whispered, "Yeah."
Kalin laughed and set a hand on my head. "I know you can! Here, put this on. You're too eye-catching!"
"Didn't think it would ever be an issue," I grumbled while pulling the mantle over my head.
"It's not." He tilted my chin up to kiss my forehead. Heat rose to my face. "You're beautiful."
"Y-you r-really think so?"
He tilted his head. "You're joking. I thought I made it obvious."
"R-right. Like I said: when you say it…" I stared at my feet. "I really believe it."
He flashed a grin. "Good! Follow me."
"You're going like that?"
Kalin stared down at himself. "Is something wrong with me?"
"That's not how you wear a cloak, dummy," I said. I tugged on his hood so it cast a long shadow over his face. Lines of fabric on the inner lining tied together at his chest, tightening it to cover his clothes. The bottom barely masked the bright blue of his jeans. Mine brushed the concrete.
"How did you know to do that?"
"I get the feeling I've done this before."
"Oh yeah?" He smirked. "Maybe you were an assassin in your past! Or a vigilante! Or…"
"Someone who wore cloaks," I offered.
"That's what I…" He pinched the bridge of his nose, and I laughed. "Goddammit, Rain. Okay. Now follow me."
Night had captured the Satellite, and stars watched us climb to the roof of a building. I matched Kalin's steps as he leapt from one roof to the next. We stopped beside a shattered glass dome. My partner hovered near it then held up two fingers. Two opponents made it reminiscent of our first partner mission.
Kalin silently opened a hatch and hurried down a set of stairs. I followed into pitch-black. The sound of his breathing led me to him; I clutched at his cloak. He moved more slowly until we reached the room beneath the glass dome, where moonlight broke through the black.
Two shadows lingered near stacks of boxes. One said, "This is it? I expected more from the great Team Satisfaction."
"They're just putting up a front," said the other. "They don't give a shit about other Satellites. They're no different from the rest of the gangs."
Kalin shouted, "Wrong!"
He palmed something with a red light and clicked it. The boxes exploded into a smokescreen, consuming them. Kalin sprinted forward and tossed a pair of cuffs at one of their silhouettes, and I did the same. I mumbled, "What happened to being discrete?"
He pulled the hood of his cloak down and winked at me. "C'mon, princess, you gotta admit how cool that was."
"I didn't say it wasn't amazing. Which it was."
The smoke cleared. Two men wearing jeweled robes stared at us with wide eyes. "Oh, shit! Kessler and his shadow!"
"L-look, we weren't gonna- We just wanted- please don't duel us! We'll walk and never screw with you guys again!"
"Little late for that," said my partner, activating his disk. Mine sliced through the air, and I drew my cards.
"DUEL START!"
Following our combined shout, Kalin said, "I'll take the first move! I discard Archfiend General to bring Pandemonium to my hand and activate it. Next I'll summon Shadowknight Archfiend, set a face-down, and end my turn."
"I swear to God we'll leave you alone if you stop now!" one begged. Kalin set his fist on his hip, and his eyes thinned with his wicked grin. I might have joined in if I wasn't staring at the unfamiliar cards in my hand. This wasn't my deck. I'd never seen these monsters before. And what did that word mean..?
"At least try to keep your dignity," grumbled the other. "I summon Defender, the Magical Knight in defense position, activate the continuous spell Arcane Barrier, and place a face-down. Defender gains one Spell Counter, which will prevent his destruction once! Turn end!"
I could use this card. Couldn't I? So weird… Had someone switched my deck, or..?
"Rain." My partner's voice was low. "This is normally the part where you're pulling a combo to kick their asses into next week. Why do you look so nervous?"
"I, uh, I got this! I summon Dragunity Brandistock and use the effect of Dragunity Arma Mystletainn, sending Brandistock to the grave to special summon Arma! Arma's effect returns Brandistock to the field in the form of an equip card for Arma." A yellow dragon with black wings shone in the filtered moonlight. It wielded a massive spear. A tiny, light-blue dragon wrapped around its weapon. Mystletainn had 2100 attack, 100 more than Defender's defense.
Kalin whistled. "That's new."
"As an equip card, Brandistock allows Mystletainn to attack twice," I explained. "That means his two attacks destroy Defender, and Shadowknight Archfiend can attack directly!"
Our opponents' knight shattered, and Kalin's monster sliced one. He grunted at the true damage, and his life fell to 3000 since Shadowknight's effect halved the damage of his 2000 attack. I passed my turn, thinking I'd done okay with the weird deck.
"Mine! I summon Alchemist of Black Spells and attack Mystletainn. Then I activate the trap Magician's Circle to bring the Dark Magician Girl to the field and use the spell Magicians Unite. Alchemist has his attack cancelled and can't attack this turn, but Dark Magician Girl has her attack boosted to 3000! She destroys Mystletainn!"
Kalin's trap was fiend-related again, so no help there. My dragon was shattered, and Brandistock was sent to the grave with him. A pink beam of light singed my skin. I grit my teeth and scowled. Our life fell to 3100. "My turn's not over yet! Alchemist of Black Spells swaps himself to defense position and can add a Spell Counter to our Arcane Barrier. I set one face-down and end my turn."
"Your little magic tricks are cute. Want to see one of mine?" Kalin asked while swiping a card from his deck. "Shadowknight disappears, and Archfiend of Gilfer takes its place!"
A massive, black creature clawed into the hellish landscape of Pandemonium. It wielded 2200 attack and 2500 defense. "Attack Dark Magician Girl!"
"Ha! You're so full of shit, Kessler! I activate Magical Dimension! By destroying Alchemist, I can destroy Gilfer and special summon the Dark Magician from my hand!" The magical pair stood side-by-side, and our field was wide open. "You two are finished!"
Kalin's smirk remained. "My partner and I are impossible to beat. I special summon Dark Necrofear in defense position by removing General, Shadowknight, and Gilfer from the grave!"
The blue-skinned monster had 2800 defense, 300 more than Dark Magician's and 800 more than Dark Magician Girl's. "Whatever. It's my turn now, and I know exactly what I need to destroy that card! I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior and remove his Spell Counter to destroy your face-down!"
Kalin's Bark of Dark Ruler was destroyed. Our opponent continued: "I activate Arcane Barrier's effect to draw two more cards! Oh, look. They're exactly what I need to destroy that card of yours. Say hello to our strongest monster! Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl are sacrificed to special summon Sorcerer of Dark Magic!"
A dark-armored spellcaster with a three-pronged staff spawned from a combination of the pair. It had a massive 3200 attack.
"I hope you didn't expect me to be stupid enough to attack Necrofear without protection, Kessler. I activate Diffusion Wave-Motion! By paying 1000 life points, I can attack your Necrofear and negate its effect!" The blue fiend was shattered. Our field was empty. "Haha, you two have no chance!.. The hell? Why are you smiling, Kessler?"
Kalin met my eyes. His were silver by moonlight. "Time to win, Rain."
He was seriously doing this again? I sidled closer to him. I whispered, "Um, Kalin, what's a tuner?"
"You don't-" He quickly regained composure, his shocked expression wiped away. "Do you know what Synchro Summoning is?"
"Sync-what?"
My leader breathed in deep. "Okay, Rain. Let me see your Extra Deck."
I withdrew the small deck that was stored in a compartment beneath the main one. Kalin fanned them out, and they were five white cards I didn't recognize. Each had the name Dragunity Knight.
He explained, "Synchro Monsters are created using a tuner and one or more non-tuners. Your cards here need a Dragon that's a tuner and a Winged-Beast that's not a tuner. You have to have the tuner and the non-tuners on the field, and their stars added together have to equal whatever the level of the Synchro monster you want is. Does that make sense?"
"Yeah! This deck… makes a lot more sense all of a sudden. I think someone switched it out while I wasn't looking."
He raised an eyebrow. "Unlikely. If someone wanted to steal your deck, it'd be gone. There wouldn't be one in its place."
"What the hell are you two doing? Hurry up and lose!"
"Hey, partner." He winked at me. "You've got this. Finish them."
My heart soared and my smile with it. "My draw! I start by summoning Dragunity Pilum, and by its effect, equipping Dragunity Tribus to it! Next I activate Double Summon and bring Dragunity Militum to the field! His effect special summons Tribus alongside them, and Tribus lets me send a Dragunity to the grave. Now I tune one-star Tribus and four-star Militum with the three-star tuner Pilum to Synchro Summon eight-star Dragunity Knight – Barcha!"
My monsters blanked into see-through silhouettes filled with stars. Those aligned and a pillar of light exploded from them, forming a grand green dragon. It snaked onto the field and glowered at Sorcerer of Dark Magic. Barcha had 2000 attack.
"Lotta fancy moves for a weak monster," mocked our opponent.
"May seem weak until I use his ability. I can equip as many Dragon-type Dragunity monsters in my grave to Barcha, and each one gives him a 300 attack boost! Mystletainn, Brandistock, Pilum, and Darkspear return to the field!" Each of my fallen dragons joined with Barcha. Its attack boosted to 3200, matching the Sorcerer.
"S-so what," said one of them. "The best it can do is equal our Sorcerer!"
I threw up my hands. "I don't need to attack your monster at all. As an equip card, Pilum lets me attack you directly with halved damage!"
"It's okay," said the other. "We'll still have one more turn!"
"Ah ah ah. I brought Brandistock back, too, so Barcha can attack you directly twice! End this duel, Barcha!" With two mighty swipes of my dragon's tail, their life fell to 400 then zero. They were both tossed to the ground by the attack. Their disks exploded.
I turned to my partner. "Did I do it right?"
"Holy shit," he breathed. "There's no way you haven't done that before. You- You're-"
He pulled me into a kiss. For precious moments of stolen breath, the only feeling in my world was two matched heartbeats. Then he broke away, retrieving his cuffs. I was still stunned. He handed me my pair and said, "Oh, sorry for distracting you, princess."
"N-no you're not!"
"Guilty," he admitted with a shrug. He turned towards our opponents, who were collapsed on the ground. My dragon must have done some serious damage. Kalin said, "You can try again and again, fellas. When you mess with the Satellite's peace, all you'll find is loss and pain. Seriously, that 'best card' of yours couldn't stop shit. You should have listened to me when I said it's impossible to win against us. Maybe one day you'll duel well enough to satisfy me. Ha, who am I kidding? Like that'll happen. If I ever see either of your faces again, I'll kick your asses myself. So. Get the hell out of here."
They struggled to their feet. One scrambled away, sprinting out the building's main entrance. The other snarled at us. "Who the hell do you think you are? You just- you take and take and-"
"That's rich," Kalin said, crossing his arms. "You're the one trying to steal food distributions from people who need it."
"How do you know I don't need it?"
"Then you could've gotten a ration like everyone else. That chance is out the window now. The Satellite is united against selfish people like you. Now, are you going to get out of our face, or…" Kalin cracked his knuckles. The man hesitated for a moment then broke into a run. "Alright! Another success to our names! Say, have I told you that you're the greatest partner of all time?"
"Um." I was sifting through the strange new deck. "Maybe. Wait, what did you say?"
His brow furrowed. "What's with you? Why were you using a Synchro-based deck without knowing how to Synchro Summon?"
"Hm, well, have you heard this one before?" I shouted, "I don't know!"
"…Sorry."
I sighed. "It's okay. I'm glad we pulled through that. Thanks… for explaining that to me. If you hadn't…"
"No worries!" He slung his arm around my shoulder and led me outside. "That's what teammates are for. You can ask me anything!"
"Oh." I wound a strand of hair around my index finger. Starlight shone silver on it. "What can I do to make you feel free?"
He froze, and his face went blank. "Rain…"
"Yeah?"
"Just… be with me. That's all."
I clapped my hands together. "Oh, goodie. I love doing that!"
He smiled but it disappeared. "Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?" He pointed behind me. I turned toward it but there was nothing more than silence, darkness, and rubble. When I looked back, my partner was gone. Panic bit my heart. "K-Kalin?"
I tugged my hood low and crept through the alleys around the building, but they were empty. Shadows seemed to claw at me as I combed the streets. I couldn't find him. I was alone, alone-
"Rain?"
He appeared behind me, breathing heavily. My fingers curled into a fist. "How could you leave me like that? I was- I thought-"
Kalin closed the gap between us in an instant and embraced me. He was tense and shaking. "I'm so sorry. I just saw- well, nothing. Please… don't be scared. It'll be okay."
I buried my face in his cloak. A few tears slipped. "J-just… don't you dare leave me alone again!"
"Never! Um, hey…" He drew back and searched my eyes. "Rain… would you… come home with me tonight?"
I tilted my head. "Go… home with you?"
"Yeah!" He grinned. "I've seen your cool stage, so I thought you might want to see where the legendary Kalin Kessler calls home."
"…Why?"
"Call me crazy, Rain, but I don't want to say good-by to you tonight." Heat rose to my face, and he smiled. "Aw, could it be she feels the same way?"
"I- uh- no!"
He laughed at me. "It's so obvious you're lying. You're easier to read than a book! If you won't admit it to yourself, I could always kidnap you."
"What do you-" He lifted me over his shoulder before I could react. "K-Kalin!"
He broke into a fit of laughter and set me down. "I'm kidding! I wouldn't do that to you!"
"Stop messing with me!"
"How can you ask that of me when you look so damn cute when you blush?" The heat harshened, and I stared at my feet. He giggled. "You're really good at proving me right, Rain. Take for example every single one of our duels. You always pull out the win. You're the greatest duelist ever."
"Me? What about you?"
He cleared his throat. "Let's keep this between us."
I couldn't suppress a smile. "Even though I didn't know what Synchro Summoning was?"
"Remember what I said about proving me right? Yes, Rain. God, yes!"
"Oh… well…" I rolled a strand of hair between my fingers. "I guess I could… stay the night with you."
His eyes widened for a split second before being thinned by his smile. He offered his hand. I took it. Kalin led me to the rooftops once more, dashing from building to building. He crossed a long gap and waited. "This one's a little tough, but you can make it. If anything happens, I've got you."
I nodded and stared into his eyes instead of looking at the gap. I leapt with all of my might, and he caught me in his arms. "There's my girl. Knew you had it."
He always… he made me feel like anything was possible. "I want… to keep being yours."
"Oh, yeah?" He snapped his fingers and winked. "Better get used to being my Rain."
I smirked. "And you're my Kalin."
"Oof. Poor girl got the short end of the stick."
"I did not!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. You coming in or not?" He propped open a door. Endless darkness yawned within. "I'll be right behind you."
I believed him. Pitch-black surrounded me again, but he lightly rested his hand on the small of my back to help guide me. Kalin led me to a balcony overlooking a huge factory floor. A single machine remained; the rest was empty space. Wide windows several feet above the floor shone moonlight on the dirty floor. Some large boxes were strewn about. Kalin threw himself over the balcony, landing with unusual grace on the machine. "Home, sweet, home. Pretty cool, right?"
I cocked my head. "What is this place?"
"I'll show you. C'mon down."
"Uh… okay." I copied his movements, ending up in front of him. He stepped off, and I followed. Several tiny metal objects were scattered on the machine's conveyer belt. "What are those?"
"Eh… just some tech projects. I usually get Yusei's help with them. He's taught me a lot. He's been busy working on a duel runner, though, so I try not to bother him with it."
I blinked. "So… those smoke bombs today…"
"Yeah! I set that up."
"…Woah."
He placed a hand over his heart and faked seriousness. "Oh, my Rain, you flatter me. Over here."
Kalin led me to an arched corner of the building that the light from the windows didn't touch. He palmed a lighter and fired up a lantern, casting firelight upon a mattress and a large cardboard box on the floor. He tossed his cloak onto the bed. "A little old school, but it's the most reliable thing I have besides you."
"Comparing me to a lantern, huh. You're so smooth." He shot me a glare but a muscle in his jaw jumped, a ghost of a grin. Curiosity pushed me to peek inside the box beside him. "This is… what? This is, like, hundreds of that same red shirt you wear!"
"Exactly!" He flashed a grin. Lantern light flickered on his face, and fire burned in his irises. "This was a mass production clothing factory back in the day. They locked it up tight when the machines started being stolen, so not everything was looted properly. Lucky for me when I broke the lock on the rooftop entrance! I would give clothes away, but in the Satellite, kids are the ones in need of them… and this place only made adult sizes. Bummer."
Hope lit my eyes. "Does that mean- is there- um, are there more Team Satisfaction vests?"
"…Sorry, Rain." He pouted. "I had these special made for us. Each one took several weeks. It was supposed to be a surprise, but… I'm having another one made just for you!"
"You r-really mean it?"
"Uh, duh. Seriously, is that your catchphrase? You're a part of our team! And… so much more. I mean, I…" He gained a sudden interest in the floor tiles. His voice was less than a whisper: "I've never showed anyone this place before."
I twiddled my thumbs. "What happened to… being a private person?"
"Yeah, well, I guess you're a part of it now, aren't you?" He sat by his bed and removed his gloves and headband. He pulled off his vest and shoes, and he arranged the items neatly. Kalin side-eyed me. "Can't help but notice you're staring."
"I just… uh…"
"Aw, it's okay." He stood and untied my cloak. When it fell, he swept it and the one he had worn into the box of clothing. Kalin sat with his back to the wall of the alcove and said, "You get some rest, princess, and I'll keep watch! If anything happens, I'll take care of it so you can keep sleeping… um… why do you look so angry?"
I grabbed him by the front of his shirt and dragged him onto the mattress. I curled against him and said, "You're staying right here."
He laughed and held me. "How can I say no to that?"
The warmth of his embrace and beat of his heart lulled me to sleep. My dreams were empty, but I swore I heard a voice calling my name. Blue fire like the ghost who'd led me to my runner burned in the distance amidst darkness. Instinct guided me towards the fire. I buried my hand in the flames and they licked my skin. Either they carried no heat… or I didn't feel it.
The normal blackness of my dreamscape shattered into a dark, mountainous region. Lightning flashed over the image of a dragon's skeleton chiseled into rock. A woman's voice called, "Please hear me! We need you, young dragon! We need you to save us again!"
The vision broke into shards like glass, and reality pulled me past the sharp edges. When I awoke, it was… so cold. I pushed myself up, adjusting to the light spilling into the factory. I was alone. "K-Kalin? Kalin!"
He kicked away from the machine and wheeled into view on a rolling chair. "Something wrong?"
"N-no." I told myself it was just a weird dream. I'd never… dreamed before. Were they supposed to feel so real? Whatever. It wasn't as important as what's right in front of me. I swallowed a deep breath and observed my partner. He wore only his red t-shirt and jeans. "I just… I woke up and you weren't there."
"Sorry! You sleep kinda late. You can take all the time you need, but I have work to do!" He rolled back to his tech.
A smile found me. Same old Kalin… no patience whatsoever. I was so surprised when he stopped and explained Synchro Summoning. I thought he'd be mad. Same with my runner. I should know better by now. He really cared about me. He's my partner.
I crossed the floor, leaned over his shoulder, and kissed his cheek. He dropped everything. I whispered, "I love you."
"I- I love you, too. Can I tell you something?"
"Anything."
He swiveled around and gazed through the window. His hazel irises sparkled in the midday light. "I was… afraid to invite you because I knew that, once I did, I'd never be satisfied alone here again. Now, though… I wouldn't trade this memory for anything."
Kalin searched my eyes and smiled. "Aw, there's that adorable blush again."
"Sh-shut up!"
He rose and pulled me tight against him. It reminded me of last night, and my face heated further. "Oh, but I know my Rain, and you looove when I make you blush."
A dumb grin spread across my face. "You know me too well."
"Okay! No more distracting!" He stepped away. "You're scouting with Jack later. He'll be waiting at his theatre."
I frowned. "Why is he always sitting on that throne?"
"Guess he has dreams to be King of the Satellite! Hell if I know, Rain. Maybe it nurses that ego of his… as if he doesn't get enough!"
I giggled. "Aren't you the king, though?"
"Me? I don't want to be king. I just like helping. And protecting."
"That's my Kalin," I said with a smile. It inspired his own. I said, "We'll make a bunch more memories like this, okay?"
His face fell, his eyes suddenly filled with so much pain. "I want… that…"
"Wh-what's wrong?"
"Nothing," he said, and it was all erased by his smile in an instant. "Hey. Remember… I want what's best for you. Keep that in mind for me."
"Of course!" I glanced over the items strewn along his makeshift table. There were… an awful lot of explosives. "What are those for?"
"Oh, you know. Shit like today, people who want to screw with the good of the Satellite – or want to screw with us."
"That's… kind of drastic, don't you think?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not trying to be a saint here, partner. I do what needs to be done… for the best of all of us."
"I don't think Yusei or Crow would approve," I said with a snicker.
"That's fine. They can't stand a guilty conscience. I can handle that burden."
"Guilty conscience," I repeated, my mind far away. The blue bracelet bearing a small heart on my wrist sparkled by the noon's light. "The person I used to be… I get the feeling she was fine to have one of those, too."
His working hands paused. "What gives you that idea?"
All the people my monsters have hurt, the man who set up a trap for us, and the man who attempted to kill Yusei and Kalin… I knew I should feel remorse or at least a tinge of guilt about what I've done to them.
I didn't. I winced and said, "I guess neither of us are particularly good people."
Those hazel eyes scanned me. "Rain, I swear all the good we're doing will outweigh it. That's what we're fighting for. We'll be heroes to the Satellite, and it'll be as great as the City one day!"
I didn't know anything about the City or how it compared to the Satellite, but I knew my partner. I know the good in my Kalin, because it's why he saved me… and kept saving me. If he believed what we're doing was right, then I believe, too. My doubts eased. "You think we can make it as heroes?"
He winked and said, "You already have the superpowers to go with it and everything."
He… didn't think my powers were evil in the slightest. I grinned and slammed my fist into my open palm. "You always… make me feel great, partner. I'm with you in anything and everything, okay? Good, bad, whatever."
His expression evened. "Look out for yourself, too. Keep on the down low."
"Pffft, why would I need to when I have an angel to save me?"
"I can't…" He clenched his fists and avoided my gaze. "I can't save you from everything."
"Well, you haven't failed me yet." I shot him a wink but he was staring intently at his workbench. "Um, is something wrong? You've been acting kinda weird. And there was that whole thing last night when you disappeared on me…"
"It's nothing," he said quickly. "But, hey, you're totally right, Rain. I'd save you no matter what, and I want what's best for you."
I raised my eyebrows. "You've been saying that an awful lot, and more serious than normal. C'mon, what's gotten into you?"
"Eh, guess I'm a little more stressed since I've got the whole of the Satellite to take care of now. Then there's you always getting into trouble on top of that!"
"H-hey!" He laughed at my flustered look. "W-well, don't forget about your team. We have your back!"
"…Yeah." His smile wavered. "Good luck with the scouting. Bye, Rain."
I left via the roof exit and blinked at the noonday sun. What was he working on? It looked like… some duel disks rigged with explosives…
End of Chapter Seven
(((A/N: So, about this chapter. Honestly, I was back and forth on including it. In the end, I figured it's nice to give a glimpse into the madm- I mean, uh, the totally pure leader of Team Satisfaction. Yeah, let's go with that. What do you guys think?
Thanks for reading, y'all! Next week will be our last chapter in the Satellite. Bummer. Stay tuned for Chapter Eight, Fall Together))
