Chapter Seven

We Carry On Our Backs A Burden

David had managed to calm his nerves by the time he returned to the Black Crown. With a sigh he parked in his usual, reserved space, then pulled down the mirror for a last, quick examination. The red mark on his throat was partially visible, even with his shirt buttoned as high as it would go. But if he was lucky, maybe it would just look like a shadow. If anyone asked, he was sure he could think of a believable white lie.

He exited the car and headed for the doors, raising an eyebrow at the scene before him in the main room. Jared was leaning over the counter, staring in horror at a small piece of paper. A pen was laying nearby, as if it had recently been used to write the contents.

"Strange news?" David asked.

Jared leaped a mile, dropping the paper to the countertop. Then he straightened, trying to regain his composure.

"The police called," he reported. "They said that someone ransacked Mr. Devlin's apartment! Mr. Otogi went there and discovered it."

David stared. "Is Otogi-san alright?" he gasped. His mind was whirling again. The smugglers must have done it, but why? Had they been looking for something? Or had they just wanted to do something cruel to Otogi, knowing that the apartment was now his?

"Yeah," Jared said. "I think he's at the apartment with the police."

David frowned. "Why did the police call here, anyway?" he asked.

"The officer who called wanted to talk to you, sir," Jared said. "Maybe he thought you could tell him something about who might've done it. . . ."

David glanced at the note, then turned away. "Or maybe they think I did it," he said, with a touch of genuine anger. "They admitted I was a suspect in Mr. Devlin's murder."

"I thought everyone was a suspect," Jared said.

"They are," David said. "However, one of the officers who questioned me kept giving me black looks. I could tell he really thought I was involved somehow, or at least, that I knew who might be."

"But you would never hurt Mr. Devlin!" Jared gasped.

"I know. It's an insult." David stalked to the door. "But I'm going to the apartment anyway. I should see exactly what they want with me."

Jared nodded. "Mr. Tanaka . . . if you don't mind my asking . . ." He hesitated.

David glanced over his shoulder. "Yes?" he asked in surprise.

". . . Do you think Mr. Otogi suspects you?" Jared looked embarrassed to be inquiring, but also sad at the thought.

David looked away. "I couldn't say," he said, sadness slipping into his voice. "I hope he believes in my integrity, but he's so hard. I have the feeling that he doesn't trust anyone. Still, that wouldn't have to mean that he'd suspect me in Mr. Devlin's death. There wouldn't be a reason for him to do so."

"No, of course not," Jared said.

"I doubt his death had anything to do with the store or anyone here," David said. "There must have been something else. Maybe he saw something he shouldn't have while walking home some night."

Jared nodded, looking glumly at the counter. "I just wish the police could find some leads!" he said with a touch of anger and frustration.

"Whoever did it didn't leave any, from what I've heard," David said, his own anger returning.

". . . Too bad Mr. Devlin can't just come back and tell us who did him in," Jared said.

"Maybe he didn't know either." David stepped forward, letting the automatic doors read his presence.

"I don't know when I'll be back," he said now, abruptly changing the subject. "Keep looking after things here."

"Yes, sir," Jared said as David went out the door.

****

Otogi was waiting outside the apartment building when David arrived. David blinked in surprise when he saw his boss, then quickly parked and turned off the car's engine. Otogi never moved from his location, though it was clear he saw David. He remained where he was, his hair casting shadows across his already-impassive visage. Only when David was practically in front of him did he look up and visibly focus.

"We've got a problem," he said low as he pulled open the front door. After waiting for David to enter, he passed through himself, keeping his voice so hushed that no one other than David could possibly hear.

"You mean besides the ransacked apartment?" David frowned.

Otogi gave a swift nod as they began to ascend the stairs. "There's a really unfriendly message on the bathroom mirror," he said. "It complicates everything."

He refused to say more, leaving David to puzzle over the meaning as they climbed the stairs to the third level.

The door to Duke's apartment was still open, but now a police officer was guarding all passage in or out. He studied the duo as they arrived, looking at David far longer than the surprised man deemed necessary. But then the officer turned, gesturing for them to come inside. Once they were over the threshold, he shut the door.

David was about to speak when he fully caught sight of the disaster in the living room, still not even begun to be cleaned up. His mouth dropped open in shock and dismay.

"Really something to see, isn't it."

He blinked, for the first time noticing another person in the room. A guy who looked to be around his age, dressed in black and sporting either gothic or punk makeup---David was not sure which---was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed.

"You're Mr. Devlin's neighbor," David remembered.

"Pete Coppermine," the goth greeted. "And you're . . . David Tanaka, right? I remember being introduced to you before."

David nodded. "What are you doing here?" he wanted to know.

"I was just coming home when I saw Duke's door opened," Pete said. "I figured it was the new owner, so I went over---mostly out of idle curiosity, you understand---and the place looked like this! Some creep was still hiding here too, so I helped Otogi here catch him. And then, of course, the police wanted to talk to me. So here I am."

"They're about to let him go," Otogi grumbled. "He can't really tell them much." From his tone, he would be much more at ease when Pete and the police were out of the way and he could speak to David in private.

"I'm sorry I can't be more help," Pete said. "I was shocked when I heard about Duke. Everyone was, the other card professors included."

Otogi snorted. "You're little more than a mercenary," he said. "And Duke never hired you, so you never profited from him. You're probably not too broken up."

David looked to him in shock. Otogi was cold, but that was not something David had expected to hear.

Pete looked shocked too. But then he laughed it off.

"Well, you do have a point there," he said. "Still, you're making a mistake if you're thinking all a card professor cares about is money. We have honor, too. And we respect our opponents. A true card professor is not going to demean himself with cheating in a duel."

"Oh, and that's why you joined Tenma's R.A. project," Otogi jeered. "I remember your name now. Duke told me you were mixed up in that mess. Real honorable there."

Pete frowned. "I don't have to defend myself to you," he said. "Come on, I know you're upset about the place, but don't take it out on me!"

Otogi turned away. "When the police are done with you, I want you out of here," he said.

"Sure thing," Pete said. "But gee, you're nothing like Duke. What a sourpuss."

Otogi did not reply.

David shook his head. Otogi was serious about distancing himself from his old identity. Even if he did hold some disgust for Pete's career, most likely right now he was trying to protect the other. He did not want Pete involved in something like this, where he could get hurt.

One of the officers emerged from the bedroom. "Mr. Coppermine?" he said. "You're free to go."

"Best news I've heard," Pete said, pushing himself away from the wall as he looked to Otogi's back. "I'll see you later . . . maybe." He glanced to David. "Nice seeing you again."

David nodded, watching as the card professor stepped around the mess with care and to the door. In a moment he was gone.

David looked back to Otogi. Until the police were gone, there would not be any privacy. But they needed to have a talk later, about a lot of things.

". . . There's something the police didn't tell Coppermine." Otogi finally looked in David's direction out of the corner of his eye. "They wanted as few people as possible to know. But they want you to see it."

Now David was surprised. "Me?" he said.

Otogi nodded, looking to the officer as if for confirmation. The policeman nodded too.

"That's right, Mr. Tanaka," he said. "Once you see what it is, I believe you'll understand why we don't want it widely known. Come this way." The officer turned, navigating around the fallen furniture in the bedroom as he led the way to the bathroom.

David followed, with Otogi right behind him. Even without words, the tension cut through the air like a knife. Something had greatly upset Otogi. He had mentioned an ominous message on the bathroom mirror. Was whatever it was the explanation as to why he had suddenly treated Pete so harshly?

Then David caught sight of something red on the mirror. His eyes visibly widened. That wasn't . . . blood, was it? He went closer, entering the room for a better look.

The message was a jolt to his heart and his entire being. It was a nightmare, something he had feared since this misadventure had begun. His dreams for the past two nights had been haunting him, though he had said nothing about them or their contents to Duke. In them, he had seen Duke's enemies with knowledge of the truth. He had seen them coming after Duke, attacking in different ways each time---guns, knives, a harsh beating---but always with the same result. Once they had even set up an "accident" made to look like a suicide and had thrown the desperately-fighting teen over a cliff. Duke had cried out in panic before being abruptly cut off by the impact. David had awakened in a cold sweat upon seeing him laying dead.

He had tried to make himself believe that no one could have seen Duke jump from the car. Duke's explanation of why it was unlikely had made sense to him . . . or maybe he had just tried to rationalize that it did. But now . . . now there was this. It was not another dream; it was there for all of them to see.

He whirled to look at the officer. "What does this mean?" he demanded.

"I don't know." The policeman frowned. "We were hoping you could tell us, Mr. Tanaka."

David took a step back. "What are you talking about?!" he said.

At his side, Otogi tensed. Did they think David was a suspect, or . . . ?

Gabrielle Valesquez appeared in the doorway. "Can you tell us if it's true, Mr. Tanaka?" she asked quietly. "Did Duke Devlin survive the car bomb?" She looked into his stunned eyes. "Did he come to you?"

Otogi prayed he looked calm, because the storm now raging inside was impossible to quell. Don't tell them anything! he mentally screamed and pleaded. We don't know if we can trust them! Don't tell them. . . .

David took a deep breath. "I'm afraid you're talking nonsense, Officer," he said. "As much as I would like it to be true . . . it isn't." His insides knotted a bit as he lied, but he pushed the feeling away. When there was a possibility that there was an enemy among them right now, it would be a fatal mistake to go against Duke's wishes and reveal the truth.

Hesitating, he then queried, "Why would he come to me, anyway? I was just the store manager. There were other people to whom he'd be more likely to go, people who were his friends and not business associates."

"Maybe," Gabrielle said. "Maybe not." She crossed her arms. "He might not want to endanger his friends."

Otogi frowned. "Oh, so he wouldn't care if he endangered his manager?" he spoke up.

"That isn't what I meant," Gabrielle said. "However, he might feel his manager would be older and more experienced, and less likely to be in as much danger as the friends who are his own age or younger."

Was that the explanation? It was something that had continued to bother Otogi ever since beginning this quest---the fact that though he did not want to involve Yugi and the others, he had gotten David involved and at risk. Had he tried to rationalize that David would be in less danger? Maybe it was true, but did that justify getting him into this?

He tried to shove those thoughts aside. He had needed help, plain and simple. There was no telling what would have happened to him had he not sought out someone to treat his injuries and hide him. And he had just gone to the first place his fogged mind had thought of. Still . . . why would that have been the first place, especially considering his doubts and his worries about David's loyalty?

. . . Maybe, deep down . . . he had always trusted David. And maybe he had been too afraid to admit it because his father had still been alive then. Even now, he had seen how difficult it was to ignore his father's teachings.

But he was being unfair to David, who had only shown him kindness. David had been the only one to keep insisting on trying to see Duke even when his father had forbade friendships with him and with others whom he had deemed dangerous to their goals. The others had been scared away, yet David had stayed by him. Yes, there was always a chance David could betray him, but he had to let his fears go. He had to accept and embrace trust.

David . . . please forgive me. . . .

"This is ridiculous," David was saying now. "Why are we even having this conversation? No one could have survived that explosion!" He looked away, his voice lowering. "Not even Mr. Devlin could have done the impossible."

Gabrielle sighed. "Yes, I imagine you're right," she said. "But whether he is alive or not, whoever left that message apparently believes he's alive. And that could be very dangerous for you, Mr. Otogi." She looked to the punk. "It might not be safe for you to stay here . . . at least, not yet."

But Otogi shook his head. "I'm not going to be intimidated by a stupid death threat against someone who's already dead," he said. "I'm staying right here. And if some idiot does show up, I'll see that he's caught."

Gabrielle's partner frowned. "That's highly dangerous, Mr. Otogi," he said. "In the dark, someone could mistake you for Mr. Devlin. Your hair is the same color, you both have some level of Japanese heritage, and you look to be around the same height and weight."

"I'll keep a light on," Otogi said, somewhat facetiously. "If you really want, Officer, you could keep a man posted around the building."

"I just may," the policeman replied. "Mr. Otogi, you would be in effect using yourself as bait if someone did attack."

Otogi closed one eye, looking bored. "You really think they think Duke would be stupid enough to come back to his place?" he said. "They left that message out of desperation because they didn't know where else to go to put it. If they had known of a better place, they would've put it there."

The policeman sighed, looking weary. "If you're determined to stay, Mr. Otogi, of course we can't force you to leave."

Otogi nodded. "I'm staying."

The officers questioned them both a while longer about the ransacking and the threat, as well as asking Otogi about his past association with Duke Devlin, but soon conceded that there was nothing more they could learn. After taking several last pictures of the mess, they left.

Duke waited until their footsteps faded down the hall. Then, casually, he opened the mirror and peered into the medicine cabinet. Striving to be completely quiet, he moved bottles, the toothbrush container, and the toothpaste. Apparently not having the success he had hoped for, he shook one of the bottles with a frown. At first it was silent, but as he smacked the lid with his palm, suddenly something rattled inside.

David gaped at him. What was he doing?

Duke signaled for silence, then unscrewed the lid and turned the bottle upsidedown. A small disk fell into his gloved hand. He threw it to the floor, grinding it into the tiles with his foot. Glowering at the pieces of metal and exposed wire, he looked back to David.

"That bug wasn't there before," he said. "I checked before the police arrived. What with the message on the mirror, I thought maybe the culprit might stick something in the cabinet."

David was stunned. "So one of the police officers planted it?!" he gasped.

A nod. "The problem is, I don't know which one," Duke said. "Maybe they're even both in on it. Come on---we need to see if there's any more."

David gave a dazed nod.

For the next hour, they simultaneously cleaned up the disaster zones and looked for homing devices. They remained silent, searching in every nook and cranny and on every object until the apartment was in order. Furniture was set aright, clothes were tossed in the hamper, and food was placed back in the cupboards. As Duke reset the curtain rod in the living room, he paused to examine the drapes. Then, satisfied, he moved on.

By the end of the search, three more bugs had been found and destroyed---one each in the bedroom, living room, and kitchenette.

Duke ran a hand through his hair as he and David met back in the living room. "Some of these could've been planted by the intruders," he said. "I didn't check the ripped mattress or the lamp---or the oven---for bugs. It was hard to do much of anything, both before and after the police showed up."

"So it could have been an elaborate scheme," David said. "Maybe they planned all along that some bugs would be brought by the ransackers and some by the dirty cop, or cops, as the case may be."

"Yeah." Duke frowned. "Gabrielle Valesquez was always a big help when Yugi and the others solved mysteries, but I'm not willing to count her out just yet. Sometimes the people you think you can trust are the ones who turn against you."

David was silent for a moment. ". . . More than nearly being killed, it's who did it that hurts the most, isn't it?" he said then.

Duke looked away. "We don't even know who did it," he said.

"But you know some of the Black Crown employees were involved," David said.

He sighed. ". . . I made contact with the smuggling ring today," he confessed.

Duke whirled to look at him. "What?!" he burst out.

"Most of the ones you said were guilty were there," David said, "including Rich. But I was surprised by some others."

Duke frowned. "Who?"

David told him. But as he spoke, Duke's attention was drawn to something else.

"David, what happened?!" he demanded now.

David blinked. "What?" he asked, echoing Duke's previous exclamation.

"Your neck!" Duke said. "There's a mark on your neck!"

A hand flew to the offending spot. "My shirt must have been buttoned too tight," David mused. Inwardly he was annoyed with himself. All the hard work picking up the calamity had pulled his shirt collar further down and left the evidence of the knife's blade all the more visible. He had not even thought about it.

Duke shook his head. "It's no good, David," he said. "What did they do?"

David sighed, letting his hand drop. "They were trying to intimidate me," he said. "But things more or less went well; I'm on a trial period in the ring."

Duke came closer. "Is this from a knife?!" he gasped, staring at the broken layer of skin. "They could have slit your throat!" What had he gotten David into?!

"They didn't," David said firmly. "They wanted to see how I'd react. But I don't think they would have killed me anyway; the last thing they want is to attract more attention to themselves. Going after you was a risky move. They might be starting to regret it."

Now Duke turned again, making his way to the window. For several minutes he stood, staring out at the late-afternoon sun.

"I shouldn't have got you mixed up in this," he said.

"It was my own decision," David said firmly. "Don't blame yourself; you couldn't have stopped me."

"Stubborn," Duke muttered.

"The pot calling the kettle black if ever I've seen it," David smirked.

He paused. "I know why you treated Pete Coppermine the way you did," he said.

Duke shrugged, unsurprised by the conversation taking this turn. "I told you Ryuuji Otogi would be different from Duke Devlin," he said. "He has to be."

"Seeing the message on the mirror deeply bothered you," David said. "And just in case they know you're Duke, you decided you'd better get to work right away at making them second-guess themselves. But that's not all you're thinking of; you're trying to more actively push people away in the hopes that they won't be hurt."

Duke snorted. "Why didn't you go into business as a psychologist?" he asked. "You'd make a fortune."

David smiled. "I can't read everyone," he said. "Just you, Dukey-boy. And it took a long time before I could start figuring you out, with all the doors you built around yourself."

Duke looked back. "I never could figure out how you got through, either," he said. "I didn't open any of the doors for you."

"Of course not," David said. "You've always been a tough guy. But someone doesn't try to keep people out unless they've got a lot of pain they're trying to hide."

Duke fell silent again. "It annoyed me at first," he said. "I didn't want anyone to see through my masks. In another way . . . I wanted it more than anything."

"I know." David watched him. "It takes one to know one."

This stunned Duke. He turned back. "You?" he said in disbelief.

David nodded. "Surely you didn't think you were the only one with a love of facades," he said. "I use them myself."

Duke frowned, a bit confused. "But you've had a pretty normal life," he said. "Your family all seemed nice to me. You came off as greedy and scheming in school, but you always seemed to have friends. And you didn't have any major tragedies in your life that I knew of. What do you have to hide?"

A shrug. "You know, I think everyone uses masks," David mused, "just to varying degrees. And you, Duke---I've never seen anyone use so many.

"Sometimes you're a flirtatious ladies' man. Oh, I know you really have a love of the ladies, but what you really like is the attention they give you. And some of the rumors that go around about you are not something any good girl would like hearing. But you never even try to set them straight."

"People believe what they want," Duke said. "Even if I tried to strike down those rumors, there'd be people who'd still think they were true."

"And you mix that in with the mask of a cocky, arrogant teenager," David went on, as if not hearing. "You've probably got half the guys jealous of your success with women and the other half hating your guts because of your attitude. I've heard you were one of the most popular students at Domino High. But that doesn't mean you were well-liked."

"Okay, so I'm not. Or I wasn't, since I'm gone now." Duke crossed his arms. "Even the girls who professed to be nuts about me are probably done crying about my death. There's always some new idol for them to love. They never stick around; they're just empty-headed fangirls."

Sometimes he had wondered if some part of him subconsciously held some bitterness towards women because of how his mother had left him and his father when he had still been so young. He did not want to believe it about himself, but it would make sense. It could explain some of why he was so flippant about their hearts and quick to assume that they would all leave, just as his mother had left. On the other hand, however, so far that had been shown to be true. While he had been at Domino, the girls who had followed him around generally changed from week to week---or at least month to month.

If he did hold some kind of unfair bitterness towards women, however, what would that have meant for him and Serenity? Not that they ever could have gotten together; she always acted like she had liked Tristan better, anyway.

. . . He always had felt that Serenity was different than those fangirls. What he had written to her in the letter was true. Maybe . . . maybe there was no underlying bitterness towards women in general, but only towards those whom he had seen were the types to leave.

. . . But if his mother had been a good person and had felt driven to do it, could he believe that someone else would not be the same way? Even Serenity? There were not really any specific "types" who would leave; there were always exceptions, positive and negative, everywhere.

This was all pointless to be thinking about now, anyway. He was not Duke Devlin anymore, not outwardly. And there was always that chance that when this mess was over, he really would not be forgiven for what he had done.

"Duke?"

He started. "Yeah?"

"Are you alright?" David was watching him closely now. He had been quiet for far too long to suit the older man. And the emotions going across his face only served to further the concern. He was thinking deeply about something.

Duke did not answer. ". . . You know how my mother just up and left us," he said.

David gave a slow nod. "I know."

Suddenly Duke looked up at David, his eyes flashing. "You know me so well, so tell me. Has that continued to affect me all through these years? Do you think . . ." He hated to even say it. "Do you think I might be bitter against all women because of it, subconsciously blaming all of them and thinking they're all the same as her?"

David frowned as he looked back. "Do you think you might be?" he returned, deliberately not answering the question.

"I don't know. . . ." Duke sighed, looking away as he ran a hand into his hair. "I hope it's not true," he said in defeat, his outburst fading as quickly as it had come. "But . . . I know it doesn't matter right now. What was the point you were trying to make?"

David sighed too. ". . . You've added this Ryuuji Otogi to your list of roles to play." He lowered his glasses, studying Duke's eyes. Even with the brown contacts, his discomfort could not be concealed. He was not sure where David was going with this, but he did not like all of his facades laid bare on the table.

"Each one of your 'characters', if you will, embodies a part of your personality that's being magnified," David said. "Otogi . . ." He frowned. "Otogi is the darkest part of you. Cold, unkind, downright rude and even hateful. To everyone he encounters, he's supposed to be little more than this. He also embodies some of your better traits---he's calculating, cunning, and has extremely sharp business sense. But if you mix those with the darker aspects of his personality, you get quite a dangerous combination."

"I already told you I'd be careful," Duke said.

"But you have to remember, you really feel all of those things to some extent," David said. "I've seen the anger and the hate building inside you. You're furious about the betrayal. You want to make them pay."

Duke averted his gaze. "If you think Otogi's too hard, I'm sorry. But I can't change who he is."

"If you don't change him, he'll change you," David said. "The longer you live with a facade, the more it leaves an impression on you. You take a part of it to heart, and without you even knowing it, it's not really a facade any longer. It's who you've ended up becoming."

Duke looked back. "Okay, now you sound like Atem," he said.

"Well, at least one of us does," David quipped. He sighed. "Duke, I'll be completely frank---I'm worried about you."

Duke blinked, stunned by David's revelation. How often had he ever openly said that he was worried about anyone or anything? He only remembered David saying he was worried about Duke one other time---when he had agreed to help his father two years ago and had become cold and hard, just like now. David had teased him, as per usual, but then had admitted his concerns. He had asked if Duke really wanted to go through with it, and when Duke had retorted that he had already said for David to never question him, David had said he was worried.

"You can't let Otogi become who you are," David said now, breaking into Duke's thoughts. "You're so much more. You're better than he is."

Duke frowned, searching the other's eyes. Yes, the worry was there, along with other emotions---some of which he did not understand.

"I won't let it happen," he said in a quieter tone devoid of his previous impatience. "David . . . thanks. Your concern means a lot."

David gave a slow nod. There was not much more he could say; the topic was clearly at an end. His logical side knew that the Otogi facade was necessary and that Duke could not change the character's personality, but that did not mean he would not remain concerned. Still, maybe he was too overprotective. He would have to trust Duke's judgment and his ability to keep hold of himself.

"Say, what happened to seeing whether your other copy of the information is untouched?" he asked, changing the subject.

Duke smirked. "I did," he said.

David blinked. "Then where is it?" he asked.

"I'm not getting it out until after dark." Duke poked the hem of the drape with his foot. "I can tell it's still here."

David stared at the hem, for the first time realizing it was both wide and tall enough to house a long white envelope. Then he shook his head in amazement.

"You're something else," he said.

Duke brushed his hair over his shoulder. "I know."