No Such Thing as Coincidence

Chapter XI: Secrets

Jack and Yusei jumped at nearly the same time; they both heard the voice that had spoken in the room. Ayano hadn't heard it as she looked at Yusei with a funny glance.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"N-No," Yusei muttered, looking back at Ayano. Something wasn't adding up. Looking back at when this all started, Yusei remembered something. He couldn't quite place the picture, but it was red and smeared.

It took him a moment to remember…

The scar on her back! His memory of the design was fuzzy, but he remembered there had been a distinct pattern to the scar on her back. However, he couldn't ask her to turn over now… he would need to wait until she was feeling up to par to get a better view of it.

"Yusei?" Ayano asked, stirring the wolf from his thoughts. "Something wrong?" she asked again.

Yusei couldn't bring himself to ask her about the scar and her past… If she wanted to talk about it, then she would bring it up.

"You died, but came back to life," Jack interrupted Yusei's thoughts, standing beside the bed. "How?"

Ayano raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"You just died," Yusei clarified, "but Tildrum came back and gave you…" he trailed away at Ayano's defeated look.

"Tildrum, huh?" Ayano asked, her voice soft and defeated. She rubbed the blanket sheets between her fingers and exhaled. She moved her elbows and began to prop herself up, but Yusei placed hands to her shoulders, shaking his head. Instead Ayano, with Yusei's help, propped herself up enough on pillows.

"You still haven't answered my question," Jack said, his voice showing his irritation. "How did you come back to life?"

Ayano didn't answer right away. She looked away from Jack's intense stare and sighed. Jack was in the edge of forcing an answer when the half-breed spoke, her voice quiet.

"It's not exploitable, if that's what you're asking…" she began. "Only I can be brought back through Tildrum's essence. Tildrum is my guardian and my 'Life Keeper'. He carries the extra lives I have as a Cat Sìth." When Jack opened his mouth to ask, Ayano rolled her eyes. "I am a 'legendary panther creature'… aka a Cat Sìth. I am one of the last of my kind… " Ayano trailed away, her eyes falling to her hand which were clasped together.

That's when an idea formulated itself in Jack's head. He smirked, looking at Ayano with the lust that he'd felt for Yusei not too long ago.

However, that lustful look was not overlooked. Yusei growled and passed protective arms around Ayano, his eyes narrowing as he saw the gears in Jack's mind grinding away. "Whatever you're planning to do with Ayano, I will not let it happen!"

"Yusei, leave." Jack wanted to test this idea he had and if he wanted to do that, Yusei's absence was needed.

The half-breed growled his rage. "No."

Jack spat dissatisfaction and reached for Yusei's arm. However, Yusei wasn't the one to swat him away. Ayano had reached out and directed his hand away from reaching Yusei. Though, it looked accidental by the expression that crossed Ayano's face as soon as she realized what she'd done.

"Sorry," she muttered, her hand returning to her side.

Jack seized the opportunity and grabbed Yusei's wrist, and began to drag him towards the door to his room. "I will send for you when you are allowed back in," Jack was saying as he toted Yusei. He looked at the half-breed and saw to his great jealousy that Yusei was still looking at Ayano, a longing in his expression. But, Yusei wasn't putting up a fight. Did Ayano say something? Or was he accepting Jack… maybe a little?

Tossing Yusei into his room, Jack closed the door before the half-breed could attempt to get back in the Master bedroom. Locking the door, then moving to Ayano's door and locking that one too, Jack turned to Ayano, that smirk plastered to his lips.

"Now," Jack began, "how many Cat Sìth's are there left?"

"Wh-What do you mean?"

"You said you are one of the last of your kind… Why?"

Ayano grimaced at the memories. "A Cat Sìth has powers specific to when it was born and who the parents were," she began. "We were hunted for our powers which could literally change the tides of war."

"What kind of powers?" Jack was severely interested. And he had some of this power at his fingertips…!

"Some of us have a seductive draw, others have explosive powers. Some have passive powers while others have active powers."

"Are you going to tell me your powers?" Jack growled. He wanted to know how he could use Ayano.

Ayano shrunk away from Jack; or as far as the pillows would allow her. She didn't want to answer, but Jack was her master, and if he asked her to do something… she didn't have to unless he ORDERED her! She didn't have to answer right away!

When the defiant look skittered across Ayano's expression, Jack's anger grew. He disliked being ignored and hated not getting an answer. Especially in a defiant way.

Throwing himself towards her, Jack pinned the half-breed down, a knee against her torso and her hands by her sides. "Answer me," he growled. "What are your powers?"

Ayano swallowed the lump in her throat. Nearly all thoughts in her head screamed at her to answer her Master, but the softest voice was that wait until he ordered her to answer. And, in the bottom of her heart, she wished it wouldn't come to that.

Hissing dissatisfaction, Jack leaned in and kissed Ayano, prying into her mouth with his tongue. Growling with her own discontent, Ayano bit down on Jack's lip, causing her Master to end the kiss, whispering curses as he withdrew.

"How dare you-!"

"I'd rather you not hurt her..."

Jack was about to hit Ayano, but the voice echoing in the room caused his fist to fall short.

"Who's there?!" he called into the darkness that had suddenly engulfed the room.

"Just a friend looking out for another friend."

"Yusei?" Ayano's voice was barely audible, but Jack did hear her. He looked at her, confused.

"What's going on?"

"Is that you, Yusei?" Ayano asked the darkness, ignoring Jack's question.

"Ayano… Look away. I will punish this outsider for his arrogance."

"No!" Ayano started to move, but a tendril of darkness held her down. "You can't!"

"And why not?" The voice was starting to sound closer and closer to Yusei's voice. Was it really Yusei in that darkness? Jack had to wonder what was going on.

"He's is our Master!"

"I am your Master!"

Ayano cringed at the ferocity in the darkness. Her expression turned to pain as the darkness tendril pushed on her further.

"Do not interfere! I will punish the outsider."

"Oh?" Jack asked. He had listened for the source of the voice and felt like he had a grasp on where Yusei was. He stood and began to wade through the darkness towards a corner of his room. Mentally conjuring a picture of his room, Jack envisioned where the dresser was. Yusei would be around there. It was the darkest place, and probably the best hiding spot. "Will you punish me? How?" Laughing, Jack scoffed at the ideas that ran through his head about how Yusei would "punish" him. "What will you do against a human, you inferior half-breed?"

Reaching the place he knew as the area near the dresser, Jack knelt down and felt around in the darkness. His hand brushed flesh and he grabbed onto the arm there. "Gotcha!" Pulling on the arm, Jack pulled a startled Yusei into the light.

Light?

Jack looked around. It was dark before; he couldn't see his hand in front of his face. But now he could see Yusei's frightened expression as well as vague outlines of the room. Looking around, he saw Ayano emitting a faint aura of light, enough for the two to see each other.

Ayano's eyes were closed and she exhaled, her head falling to the side, the light slowly fading. Yusei made to go to her side, but Jack held onto his arm, jerking him back to the Master.

"Let go!" Yusei growled, looking at Jack with yellowy-orange eyes of anger and hatred, but also an immense sadness. "I'd rather not make the Cat Sìth angry with me."

"Does Ayano have a greater power than you?"

Yusei looked towards the fading light source. "Yes."

"How so?"

"She can grant wishes."