AHHH yeah I have no excuses for my inactivity since my last update! T-T But as a special treat I've written an extra long chapter this time, the longest in the history of this story! Mostly because I had so much I wanted to happen but didn't feel right breaking it up into separate chapters. YEP.
As usual I would like to thank all my lovely reviewers; Stardust854(I know I owe you an email don't think I forgot!), Kagehime-sama53, mittensx7768, fireworks1820, Osseo Fan 48127, Count Morningstar, Molly Grace 16, and my lovely and mysterious Guest reviewer! I really appreciate all your support even when I wasn't updating. (I'M SORRY!) Now on with the story!
Disclaimer: Yugioh 5Ds is still not mine.
The wind rushed through his ears as he raced down the track, going speeds most wouldn't dream of reaching without the use of a D-Wheel. It was in times like these that he was calm where the problems of the world couldn't catch him, because you can't catch what can fly away.
And that's how he felt right now; like he was flying through the sky.
The announcer in a loud booming voice called an end to the duel as Blackwing Dragon vanished from above him, smile lighting up his face as he heard the words that they had longed to hear since it was decided they would participate.
"And the winners of the WRGP are Team 5Ds!" applause filled the stadium, and as he glided toward his teams pit he saw the faces of Martha and the children smiling and cheering along with everyone. Finally his team came into sight, laughing and giving high fives to one another. Even Jack was doing a dance with Carly in his excitement!
However there was one face he was looking at specifically; pale blue eyes shinning with happy tears, waist-length black hair tied back in a loose braid, wearing just a blue v-neck sleeveless shirt with a black lace cami peaking out the bottom of the shirt over a black pair of shorts with matching knee high socks and mid-calf boots.
Raven was clapping her hands and smiling sweetly at him, but as he pulled to a stop the others surrounded him before she could take a step. Words of congratulations were exchanged among other idle chatter, but for him it didn't matter. The person he wanted to hear from most was seemingly getting farther away as more faceless happy people surrounded him.
Heart racing he tried pushing through the people, their smiles becoming blurs are he made his way through the seemingly endless crowd. But it seemed no matter how close he came to her, she would just get farther and farther away from his reach.
"Dammit! Get out of the way!" he yelled frantically pushing through, his instincts telling him he had to reach her before it happened. He had to save her.
Finally, breathing hard and arms sore he fell from the crowd of people landing on all fours a few feet from Raven's boots. He smiled up at her, taking in her dazzling features in the summer light.
So entranced was he that when a loud pop echoed through the area he paid little attention to it, that is, until her blue shirt began to get soaked in a red liquid right above where her heart would be.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion then as his steel gray eyes watched the smile never leave her face. His mark burned like fire before vanishing and appearing again on Raven's back, the full mark of the Crimson Dragon forming calling the dragon himself from inside her.
And just like that she was in his claws, her body slowly turning to dust as the dragon squeezed, sucking the life out of her body. He wanted to yell, to scream, to do….anything. Yet his body remained immobile, the shock simply too much for his heart to take as tears made their way down his face only a single word left his lips as the girl who had stolen his heart turned to nothing before his eyes;
"NO!"
~0~0~0~0~0~
Crow shot up from his sleeping position, sweat running down his face and panting heavily. He closed his eyes as a wave of dizziness came over him from sitting up too fast; placing his left hand over his face he struggled to calm his pounding heart and racing mind as the dream played over in his mind.
'What the hell was that about? Shit…' steel gray eyes opened staring at the darkened room, moonlight shone in through the window giving it an eerie feeling. A slight shifting next to him made his head turn and stare into bleary pale blue eyes, her hair ruffled and sticking out in odd angles from sleep.
Raven's hand squeezed his own shaking hand, the warmth seeming to spread from her to his own suddenly cold body.
"Are you okay?" she whispered the sound of it sending shivers down his spine, he couldn't respond as he was just content with watching her; the way she bit her lip in worry, how her shoulders rose and fell as she breathed, every little move her body made screaming "I'm alive!"
Crow squeezed her hand back and leaned forward, pressing his lips against her own his free hand coming up and brushing some hair from her face. His tongue slipped out asking for permission and it was given as the wet muscle dived into the warm cavern of her mouth, electricity shot through his body as her tongue shyly touched his own and once again they began a dance that the red haired male could never get enough of.
Finally coming back to himself he pulled away, smiling as Raven lay beneath him flushed and dazed, breathing labored. Her pale blue eyes followed him as he lay back down next to her pulling the covers back over them, her body instantly curling up into his own as his arm wrapped securely around her waist holding her just short of tight.
He burrowed his face into her hair, taking in the scent of her shampoo the soft puffs of air tickling his neck as she breathed out. He smiled, 'When did I become such a sap?' the tenseness of her back showing she was still worried he finally found his voice;
"I love you Raven, I'm alright." He felt her smile as she once again fell into sleep again, Crow following not long after this time dreaming of happier things.
Carly sat at her table a long sigh escaping her lips as she stared at her computer screen. It had been nearly a week since Raven had been confined to the Garage, and thanks to that sudden lack of sightings Angela had run out of steam in her hunt for the girl. Not that Carly wasn't happy to see her rival not get a scoop; she just preferred that she was the one to get the true story in the end.
The thought alone brought a smug smile to Carly's face as she imagined the blonde woman freaking out and sitting in exactly the same position she herself was in; arms folded on top of her desk, chin resting on top and staring aimlessly.
Her thoughts were interrupted as another update played out on the TV behind her;
"The number of infectees continues to rise, while reports from outlying towns of residents showing sign of this mysterious illness have begun to come in. People are urged to stay inside and quickly contact Sector Security if anyone you know begins showing any of the listed symptoms." A little blue screen would then appear with a list of the symptoms.
It had been the same report they had played for days, even after one of the victims suddenly regained consciousness as well as a full bill of health without any explanation. Though the happiness was short lived as the others showed no signs of the same miracle.
Jack huffed from his seat on the couch as he turned the channel to a duel tournament somewhere,
"Damn idiots, at least give us some useful information!" his frustration showing through in his very demeanor, which was why he was here. Jack's temper had gotten the better of him as his concern and stress over the lack of new information finally boiling to surface, resulting in an argument with not just Crow but Yusei as well.
Carly didn't mind him being here, honestly but it wasn't like she had anything new to report either, so instead he parked himself on her couch and munched on her snacks while watching her TV.
She sighed again, having put out word to all of her contacts about Wulf and any info she could get on Pandora had lead to a lot of very dead ends and rumors of conspiracy theories. Grey eyes slid over to her open laptop in front of her indicating that she had gotten an email, she lightly tapped the little envelope icon at the corner of the screen.
As it expanded and Carly's eyes looked for the sender she sat up a bit straighter, it said 'Unavailable'. In her time as a journalist she had heard of people getting anonymous emails that would provide information to the writer that no one else had known before. She had always hoped to get one but never really expected to, so with this in mind she read the email with more gusto.
"I have the information you require. Bring Raven to these coordinates by noon tomorrow."
Under it was the said location; she had to reread it another four times before it hit her. Carly jumped from her seat, knocking over her chair in her excitement.
"Geeze Carly!" Jack yelled having been startled from his seat on the couch at the noise, whatever else he was about to say was cut off as she shoved the computer screen in his face. Pushing it back slightly she took his silence to mean he was reading the words on the screen.
"We don't know this is real." He said slowly, Carly nodded having already thought this through as she read it another five times before showing him.
"I thought so to, until I saw this." She pointed out Raven's name, "The only ones who know her name are Mina, us, and probably Trudge. Not even Angela with all her expensive resources could get a hold of this information." Jack seemed to consider this for a moment before nodding.
"Let's head back and show the rest of the gang."
Raven shivered as the garage door opened, the winter chill piercing through the wall of heat that had surrounded the inside of the house. Through the door Jack's circular D-wheel glided gracefully into his parking spot, tuffs of snow and ice trailing behind it as another storm began it's powdery decent.
She was honestly surprised to see him back so soon, lately when he would leave to Carly's he would be until late the next day, maybe earlier depending on when she would leave for work. So needless to say she was indeed shocked, not that she wasn't happy to see him, to have him back so quickly and with Carly hanging onto his shoulders for dear life.
The dark-haired girl stared as she put aside the pair of Crow's pants she was sewing and stood to greet them. The bottom of her sweat pants pooling at her feet, having already been rolled up three times. Since her self-confinement she had taken to wearing clothes more meant for comfort than function, Crow and Yusei both agreeing that wearing jeans just to stay inside all day was pointless and just made for more laundry. On top she wore a black shirt with a white outline of a bird on the front that Crow made fun of her for because he said it looked like a chicken.
"Welcome back!" she smiled, Bruno walked out of the kitchen with two mugs of hot cocoa in his hand having witnessed the blonde's sudden return and tense aura.
"Hey Jack, What's the rush?" Carly answered very excitedly as she hopped off the blondes D-wheel and ran toward Raven,
"You have to see what I got!" Raven yelped as the overly elated girl shoved a glowing screen in her face. She blinked a few times as the words came into focus, her brain began to process as a smile slowly made its way onto her lips and Carly's own excitement seeped into her body.
Raven hugged the female in front of her as she grabbed the glowing screen, breaking away she ran to Bruno who stood with a confused smile on his face like he believed they both had gone mad. Her excitement bubbled as he put their drinks aside and met her halfway; she held up the screen and watched anxiously as his eyes slid over the words, he furrowed his brows in thought.
She had spent a lot of time in her many hours of confinement just talking with him about many things; getting his advice on any thoughts she may be having, any tips he could give her on dueling. Though mostly they spoke of system things; programs that he clearly didn't need help on but asked her opinion regardless, and using her small stature to reach into the nooks and crannies of the D-Wheels much to Crow's displeasure especially after she accidentally wiped grease on his shirt as they kissed.
The topic of his amnesia was one they frequently visited as Bruno was at a loss for what he could do to regain his memories, so far her holistic remedies proved less than helpful as the black pepper experiment proved when he sat up all night with a stomach ache. In the end she told him;
"You're happy now aren't you? Then that should be all that matters, everything else will sort itself out!"
Now though as her thoughts returned to the present, Bruno's mind was still churning over the words on the screen. She stared as hard as she could, willing a favorable response from him. Sensing her stare drilling holes into his skull he looked back at her and after a slight rising of the brows in surprise he smiled,
"This is good right?" she spoke softly, her heart hammering in her chest as she waited for his response. Bruno's gaze went toward Jack instead, who now stood behind Carly his arms crossed over his chest and signature glare on his face. Bruno turned back and nodded his head slowly in agreement as he stood up straight, his posture matching Jack's though it was in contemplation and not macho stance, as Crow had called it.
"But we've got to consider this could also be a trap to lure you out of hiding." Raven bit her lip, her free hand gripping tightly to them hem of her shirt.
"I know…"she whispered, "But this is the first lead we've gotten since last week! We're running out of time, this city is running out of time! I can't afford to just sit around anymore!" Her voice cracked at the end and she realized Bruno didn't really deserve to get yelled at, but she was frustrated! Getting all that information from that patient and her father's research just lead to another dead end and she was getting no where just hiding here, meanwhile more people kept getting infected and those first victims were getting worse and worse.
Raven wasn't sure if it was the Crimson Dragon or her own soul telling her, but she knew that this was what she had been waiting for. And if she didn't take this lead now, they would run out of time and Wulf would win. Bruno's hands on her shoulders broke her from her thoughts;
"I didn't say we wouldn't check it out, but I just think we need to cover all of our bases before we go rushing in blind." Raven turned her gaze between the male in front of her and Jack as her hand lightly gripped the formers wrist.
"You're right, but I'm scared and I can't really explain it but I feel like this is what we've been waiting all this time for. We have to go, we at least have to try…" she was shaking by the time she finished and there were definitely tears in her eyes, but these were her honest feelings.
Jack sighed heavily, "How did I know you would say that? Fine, whatever! But you get to deal with the bird brain when he gets back and I am going with you. That is non-negotiable." Raven smiled, nodding enthusiastically. However right after she could feel a different type of anxiousness bubbling beneath the surface as her mind already began to supply various ways the red head would take this news.
The wind blew sharply past her helmet, tiny white flurries getting stuck in her hair that was flying freely behind her back as Raven practically flew down the road. Truly she had missed the feeling of being on her runner; how fast her heart would beat from excitement, the elements rushing past her skin, the feeling of freedom that gave her long caged soul wings.
Though the detainment was only a few days, for Raven it was an eternity and in many ways took her back to her days back in Alturas when she would sit inside after school and watch as the other kids played and the adults conversed and laughed. She had wished more than anything she could be like that, that they would look at her with pride.
Shaking the thoughts from her head she continued to follow behind the D-Wheels in front of her, 'I don't need their approval, I've got them and that's all I need…' as they came upon the exit for the meet up she couldn't believe they were actually letting her do this, actually it was all much easier than she had anticipated as she thought back to earlier in the day.
Raven could never explain how she knew Crow had arrived back at the garage, she never questioned it either, but today especially she was glad for it because when she came down to greet him she had already showered, washing the final remains of her red shield down the drain and dressed.
She wore a pair of plain black skinny jeans with some mid-calf grey boots and a simple white long sleeve shirt with a rose design on the side and thorny vines going up each sleeve. Crow smiled as she approached, his steel colored eyes roaming up and down her body, making her blush but no less determined as she hugged his chilled body dusting the bits of snow from the back of his jacket. Pressing his cold lips to her cheek his hand wandered to her waist,
"Jeans today Raven? Not that you don't look good, but it's still totally fine to wear my PJ's." he leaned closer to her ear, "I prefer it actually." Both his breath in her ear and what he said turned her face an impressive shade of red and caused a burst of laughter to come from the red head as he hugged her close.
Raven however pushed her embarrassment aside and continued with her plan, she smiled sweetly at him as she stepped back taking his hand in her own,
"I have something to show you." Crow returned the smile with a raised brow, and after placing his helmet back on the Blackbird he followed her into the main room. Everyone else had thankfully decided to be elsewhere for this, except of course, Jack. Who was making his staring very obvious as he observed the pair entering the room from the kitchen, a cup of that very expensive coffee in his hands.
Raven led the red head to the couch and after urging him to sit, she went over to Burno and Yusei's desk, something she tended to steer clear of, however today was the day for exceptions as she found what she was looking for.
"It isn't another Etcha Sketch picture is it? Because honestly I think you made Jack look way better than he actually does in that last one." He laughed while Raven sweat dropped; she had discovered the strange drawing object while she was organizing their storage. Yusei seemed to use the strange device fairly easy when he had demonstrated its use, however when Raven herself tried?
Well let's just say it was more of a blob than Jack's actual face and it was something she was sure Crow was never going let either of them live down. And by Jack's grumbling from his seat she knew he wouldn't either.
Shaking herself she picked up the information tube, Carly had been kind enough to transfer a copy of the email to it for easier access on Raven's part. Turning back she went and sat next to Crow, his arm draped lazily behind her head, vaguely she noticed his fingers lightly tapping her shoulder as she looked at him.
"What's going on Raven?" he kept his voice light, but his eyes said he was serious and scared. She smiled to reassure him before she began,
"Earlier today Carly received a mail from a mysterious sender, "here she opened the tube and showed him the copy of the email to read. "As you can see, someone has made contact with us and would like to meet." His eyes stayed on the small screen reading the text over and over, just as she had done before.
"This could be a fake, someone just trying to lure you out." She nodded, the same thought had occurred to everyone else she had shown the text too.
"But you wanna go anyway, don't you?" this time as he spoke his eyes looked straight into her own, she stared with as much conviction back and nodded her head.
"Has Bruno or Yusei checked this email out? You know, done their techie thing with it?" again she nodded,
"They could find nothing, whoever sent it wants no traces of it ever having been sent and has done a good job of covering their trail." His eyes wandered slightly, something he did when he was thinking.
"What about the meeting place, where is it? Have we at least checked it out yet?" nodding she went over to her notes page on the tube to relate the information Yusei and Bruno had brought back.
"It's a place directly under the main highway, just past the retail district some kind of underpass I believe they called it. Yusei and Bruno went earlier and said it was 'shady' but not completely unsafe." He nodded and seemed to consider this for a moment, his gaze shifting between her and the concrete beneath his boots.
The waiting was what was tortuous the most, because even if he said no she was determined enough to go behind his back. But she most definitely did not want to do that; she would never forgive herself for it. Finally after what seemed like hours later his gaze met hers again and he smiled.
"Kay cool, we'll go then! It's definitely better than sitting on our rumps waiting for something else to blow up in our faces." He smiled widely as he nodded as if agreeing with himself before getting up and walking away.
Thus how they ended up heading toward their current location, D-wheels stopped just before the entrance to what looked to be a tunnel that was directly underneath a bridge. As all four of them; Jack, Yusei, Crow and herself climbed off their runners Yusei checked the time.
"We've got about two minutes, we just head straight down these stairs and a bit down the corridor and we'll be there." Jack huffed,
"Could they have chosen a more disgusting place to meet? I can smell it from here." Raven smiled at his attempt to lighten the tension that was going through all of them. The underpass was dark, the little yellow lights barely breaking the shadows making it even more creepy looking.
"Didn't this used to attach to the Satellite too? Shouldn't it be filled with water or something?" Yusei nodded,
"Yeah, but they sealed it off when the two split after Zero Reverse." Jack rolled his eyes and started down the steps.
"Enough talking already! Let's get our answers and be done with this disgusting place." Raven nodded as she followed after him, grabbing Yusei's and Crow's hands along the way.
"He's right." 'Though I do have a strange feeling right now…' she shook the thought from her head as she reached the bottom step, and shivered violently. The cement surrounding them was very decrepit looking and all around there were crumbling bits of it at their feet.
The sounds of life behind them were muffled to almost nothing as the crunch of their shoes hitting the ground echoed around them, just being in such a creepy place made her heart rate jump up and she began to wonder if the others heard it as well as they continued to walk. The yellow lights stuck in the ceiling flickered ahead of them, though she still could not see the end of the tunnel, but only added to its creepy demeanor.
"It's okay Raven, this place is just old is crusty. Nothing's gonna come popping out of the shadows." Crow's soothing voice made her turn and she realized at that moment just how hard she was gripping his own hand and quickly loosened her hold blushing slightly.
"R-Right…" just as she was turning back to continue forward her eyes flew wide, heart flying right into her throat. Standing not two feet from her was two hooded figures, one taller than the other. Yet very clearly they had not been standing there when she turned to speak with Crow.
A scream ripped out of her throat a second later.
Crow's heart jumped out of his chest as Raven turned and screamed bloody murder, it was no wonder though as he got an eyeful of the two cloaked figures suddenly standing in their path. Cursing he jumped back, Yusei and Jack following suit as he pulled Raven behind him. Her trembling fingers digging tightly into the back of his jacket. Crow was vaguely aware of how cliché this all was but considering he was still trying to get his heart to jump back in his chest it wasn't really a top priority.
"Who the duces are you?!" Jack was quicker on the uptake and yelled,
"I'm glad you showed up Raven." The shorter of the two replied, it sounded like a female voice, he narrowed his eyes as the voice sounded somewhat familiar.
"We are the ones who sent the email, thank you for coming." The taller replied, this one was a gruff male voice though Crow could tell he'd also heard it before but couldn't put his finger on it.
"You have information on Wulf right? What is it?" Yusei said getting right down to business now that the goose-bumps faded. The female responded first;
"I would like to see Raven first, come stand in front of me." Her voice was kind but Crow didn't want Raven anywhere near them, Jack and Yusei agreed as they flanked both his sides.
"That wasn't part of the deal lady, just get down to business already." The woman shook her head, the hood of the cloak she was wearing shifting ever so slightly showing off her short light brown hair.
"We won't harm her boys, but what we have to tell must be said to her face." The gruff man said, and for some reason Crow was inclined to believe him. The grip loosened on his shoulders as Raven dropped her hands, he turned his head staring incredulously at her, 'She couldn't really…'
"O-Okay…" slowly she stepped out from behind them, 'Apparently she is.' He sighed internally as Jack placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her close enough to yank back should things go sour. Her hands were trembling at her side as she stood in front of them, definitely scared out of her mind but still standing up to these unknown yet familiar people. Well didn't that just impress the hell out of him?
'Not that she doesn't do that on a daily basis.' Crow thought idly, though instantly snapping to attention as the female reached forward gently cupping Raven's face in her palms. The action was done with so much care; like she knew what she was touching was beyond priceless. Raven seemed to stop breathing as the woman began to speak;
"You've grown so much…" she sounded, sad? The males gruff voice came next, "Yeah, I told you she'd grow to be quite the looker…Our little rose has finally bloomed." He laughed sadly. 'What the hell?' Crow wasn't the only one with a case of confusion, though Raven's next words blew all of it out of the water.
"Mommy? D-Daddy?" somewhere in Crow's mind he heard the squeal of tires as his previous thoughts were brought to an abrupt stop. Her voice was hoarse as she continued on;
"It's you isn't it? N-No one else calls me that!" Tears fell from her eyes as she spoke, her voice sounding of a child's desperation. Jack's grip tightened on her shoulder bringing her gaze toward his own.
"Raven, don't be daft. They are probably just trying to mess with you," His tone was the softest Crow had ever heard it, a tone he had only used with Carly on occasion. There was so much sadness in her voice as she replied that Crow's own heart started to break for her.
"But Jack…" Crow glared at the two in front of them, "If this is some sort of twisted joke you're gonna bleed for every tear she cries!" clenching his fists he meant every word, Raven suddenly appearing in his line of sight shocked him however.
"Please don't!" she clasped his shoulders, "R-Raven?! They are just trying to screw with us! They probably don't know anything!" the girl shook her head, "Believe my words, a child knows their parents Crow!"
His heart broke for her; for her losses, her pain, and her desperate wish for this to be true. Raven broke away from his hold and turned as a sudden eerie wind traveled through the tunnel. The folds of their cloaks blowing wildly, they all had to shield their faces as a gust swept through them.
When they again looked up the two standing before them were without their cloaks; the woman barely a foot shorter than her companion with short light brown hair and soft brown eyes, in her ear she wore two silver hoops the hair in front of her ears left long and hanging down to the base of her slender neck. Her clothes were a simple black blazer with a white blouse and black pants and short heels on her feet. A soft smile was on her lips as she stared at them, her eyes shinning with tears.
The male next to her was huge, a whole foot taller than Jack. His dark brown hair and tan skin combined with the square jaw and cigarette hanging from his lips making him look gruff, however the proud smile on his lips making his dark stubble stand out as his dark brown eyes shone with unshed tears. Like the woman his outfit was simple; a white button down shirt tucked into a pair of tan trousers with matching suspenders going up over his shoulders and a pair of dark brown shoes on his feet.
Crow stared at the two, though he had never seen their faces he was sure without a doubt who they were. His mind whirled as images from Raven's past filled his head; the woman who held a broken girl to her chest as if she were the most precious thing in the world, a man who stared at her with nothing but love and adoration. Silence was all around them as they processed this new development, this impossibility.
"Raven are they?" Yusei spoke, his voice barely a whisper. She fell to the ground, her legs unable to hold her weight any longer as she stared at them. Mouth opening and closing but no sound coming out, tears cascaded down her cheeks and as her entire body shook.
"My parents." Her voice came finally as the woman bent down to her level, tears falling from her eyes now as her hands cupped Raven's wet cheeks wiping away her tears with a gentle thumb.
"My little rose, I'm so sorry. I know you must be confused and saddened by seeing us again but I'm afraid we don't have much time." Crow remembered her voice, from the vision of Raven's past. This was Jane, the woman who risked her life to save her from Wulf when she was young.
"Yes, I'm afraid we have a lot to tell you all. So why don't we start by standing up huh little rose?" That means the man standing next to her was John, her father. Crow rushed forward gently helping her to her feet whispering calming words to her as she wiped away her tears. Crow didn't think he had to worry about meeting her parents but now that they were standing in front of them he felt like he should be wearing a penguin suit or something fancy. Not jeans that had a mustard stain on the leg from lunch.
John looked at him skeptically and Jane smiled warmly at him before turning back to her daughter, who now stood straighter the determination back in her eyes.
"In order to understand what is happening now I think you all should know what happened in the past. It began with the woman named Rose Tachibana, she worked as an assistant with Doctor Wulf. Together they worked on studying diseases; from discovering new ones to studying old ones and the cures that went along with them. It is due to many of their discoveries that medical science has come as far as it has today." Jane began her eyes grave as John took over, his gruff voice firm.
"Naturally they fell in love and two years after their marriage welcomed a young girl into the world named Raven. Due to an accident in the lab while she was working one day Rose among many other staff members was infected by a specimen they had acquired and named the 'Ener-D virus.' A strain of disease that was most common in people working closely around the reactors at the time, the man, Dr. Fudo was the one to originally bring it to our attention as many of his staff would catch it. Now while the strain isn't fatal in small doses it had the capability to cause massive harm if it were to be combined with any other natural disease."
"Rose sadly was recovering from a cold at the time so the strain combined with the cold virus and strengthened the cells immunity to medicine." Crow glanced at the girl next to him as her grip tightened on his hand, Raven's eyes were glued to the couple as they spoke but there was also the glint that said she was thinking hard about this.
"Goodwin found out about the outbreak and tried to cover it up so the general public wouldn't know right?" Yusei said as they nodded, as Jane took over again.
"Goodwin shut down the department and sent many of the uninfected staff to different parts of the company, buying their silence about the matter with large sums of money. Others were sent into quarantine and weren't heard from again, Wulf pleaded with Goodwin to give him more time to try and save her life. When he was denied Wulf resigned and took Rose, his 3 year old daughter and the Ener-D Virus and vanished.
"He worked for months attempting to figure out how to save her, but ultimately…Rose died the day you turned 4." Her pale blue eyes were wide now, shinning again with tears.
"Wulf didn't take the loss well, in fact he blamed all of Neo Domino city for her death. But he wasn't stupid he knew he couldn't just take down an entire city by himself, he needed a power large enough to wipe everything and everyone in the city out. He began to research things, something he could use to fulfill his hatred." John's fists clenched tightly at this.
"He discovered the Crimson Dragon and found that with the use of a portal he could access the power it held. The ancient scriptures he found told him exactly how to obtain the portal, and on his journey found more like-minded individuals. Together they did horrible tests and did anything they could to make the portal." There wasn't a need for them to say who the portal was they had all seen the results first hand.
"How does all of this connect to what's going on now though?" Crow asked getting just a bit impatient. Jane laughed making him blush as it sounded very familiar to the way Martha would laugh at him for his impatience, it seemed like a very mom thing to do.
"Well, not long before we took Raven and left we were also working for him. Our part was the find a way to empower the Ener-D Virus so they it could stand on its own without combining with another, we discovered the only way would be with a massive amount energy of the opposite scale would be enough to cause a cellular change to the virus. That theory combined well with what we learned about the Dark Signers; however no further action could be taken without their appearance. So while we were in a waiting period Wulf placed Raven in a chemically induced coma in order for her to retain the power she gained from combining herself with the Crimson Dragon. It was then we made our move, we took Raven and escaped as far from Neo Domino as we could. Raising her as our daughter and training her for the day she would no doubt come into contact with Wulf again." Yusei spoke again now;
"So during Zero Reverse he got all the energy he needed to combine it with the Ener-D Virus but what did he need the Crimson Dragon for?" They were silent now, but Raven answered instead.
"Because the Crimson Dragon can't come over to our plan of existence in physical form without the portal or the use of a Signer. But once it does it basically has the power of a god, with it you could pretty much do anything. So imagine holding the key to all that power on top of sitting on the cure to a plague on the world, he could do whatever he wanted." Her eyes were narrowed as she spoke, sharpness in them he saw when she was dueling or more recently reading over Wulf's research. He saw her putting the pieces of a puzzle together that she couldn't quite figure out until now.
"So…Since negative energy is the main component in strengthening the original Ener-D Virus wouldn't it stand to reason that positive energy would break it apart?" Yusei now joined in coming to stand just behind Raven and setting his calculating eyes on her parent's.
"In theory yes, but we never got far enough in our research to even begin to prove it as anything other than theory." Jane answered,
"Wait, the virus has spread to the outermost parts of New Domino city. Even if we could prove it true, we would need a massive amount of energy. That much would cause another tragedy like Zero Reverse!" Raven's voice showed how scared she felt at this revelation, and she tensed even more as her father nodded. Crow frowned,
"So you dragged us out here just to tell us it's hopeless? Don't you know how much Raven's worked and worried over this?! Like hell we're giving up now! We can't let a bastard like him win, not after everything he's done!" Her parent's both smiled and looked at each other before glancing back toward them.
"It seems like Raven has finally found her people, I'm so glad." Jane sniffed and rubbed at her eyes. She moved forward enveloping Crow in a hug, one that extended around both Jack and Yusei. It reminded him of Martha's hugs when they were children.
"Thank you so much for taking care of my little girl, we're so happy she's finally found her important people. Thank you." Drops of water fell on his shoulder as she spoke her voice thick with emotion, Crow Just shook his head.
"Thank you for saving her, for being her parents. Thank you for helping her get to us." She just held on all the tighter.
Tears poured down Raven's face as she watched her mom, her mom, sob into Crow's shoulder and hug all of her friends at once. She cried even more as her dad wrapped his own arms around her frame, she sagged into his body. Feeling the familiar feelings; the scent of smoke he carried with him, his tall muscular frame that he gained from months of working outside, the warmth that his body just exuded. Everything saying home.
Unable to hold her emotions any longer she leaned heavily into him; sobbing for all that she lost, crying harder than ever as she felt her mother come behind and wrap her arms around the pair. Letting out a string of broken apologies between gasps of air, she could hear her own sobs echoing throughout the tunnel but really couldn't care less if someone heard. Salty tears continued to make their way down her cheeks, releasing all the sadness and sorrow that she had held inside all this time;
"My little rose," her dad's voice reached through her sobs bringing her gaze from his now very wet shirt to his face, which was also, marked with tears his eyes shinning with more unshed ones.
"There is nothing you need to apologize for. You my daughter were the greatest thing to happen in our lives and we couldn't have asked for any other blessings. You're the heart that beats outside of our chests, and dying so that you could live and find those boys over there? It was damn worth it if you ask me and we would do it all over again." Gently he kissed her forehead; her mother's voice turned her gaze behind her.
"If anyone should apologize it should be us; for not getting you away from Wulf sooner, for bringing you to a place we knew would be difficult for you to grow in. If anything we wanted you to live peacefully and happily without any cares." Her grip grew tighter as she spoke.
"But we knew Wulf would find you, and he would do whatever it took to get you back to control you again. Please forgive us dear Raven, if we ever pushed you it was so you would be strong enough to over-come him. So that you would have the strength to finish what we weren't strong enough to do back then, if anyone needs to be forgiven it's us."
The sadness cut Raven to the core, leaving her cold like the icy wind that she could hear echoing down the tunnel. No doubt another storm would come in tonight however as she looked at the woman she called her mother for as long as she could remember she could see no reason for her to have to apologize. Even as tears dripped down her face, and her nose was still running and she was no doubt going to have a headache later the corners of her mouth lifted as she stepped away from her parent's hold and took both of their hands in her own.
Holding them up to her cheeks she smiled softly, feeling their warmth and familiarity all around her.
"You're the best parent's I could have asked for, and the fact that you saved me and raised me as your own is something that is beyond measure. I'm so grateful to call you my parents!" She felt warmth spreading from her hands to theirs, the air shifting around them. Memories of their lives before Raven knew them flashing through her mind; their first date, their wedding, living and smiling with her.
Just like with the Doctor she felt something pass between them, but at the same time it was different. Where the doctor lacked hope, they lacked forgiveness. And she gave it to them, all the forgiveness they thought they needed and all the love in her heart. In the back her mind she was aware of a soft red light emanating from somewhere but paid it no mind as her parent's, who just a moment ago looked so sad a guilty, but now as the red light enveloped them as well they looked…at peace.
The light gradually faded into them and the air once again shifted back to its original dank smell, though the feelings they shared were still very much between them. They smiled and once again embraced, though this time it was one with love and happiness.
"I want you to meet my friends!" Her mother smiled, and her father nodded as she turned and made the introductions. As she got to Crow she blushed deeply as the word 'boyfriend' left her lips, but other than a slight upturned brow at his name neither of them showed any disapproval at him. Though as the moment passed and another eerie wind blew through the tunnel she began to get worried, even more so as they both shared a look between them.
"Raven-"she cut them off, a sharp "NO!" leaving her lips as she crashed into them, hugging with all her might. Her own silent prayer for them not to leave, her father; strong and hopeful, patted her back.
"My little girl, will you do us one last favor?" She looked up, even as more tears began to burn at the back of her eyes, and she felt herself nod.
"Sing for us, one last time my little rose. Let us hear your voice." Biting her lip, she nodded again. But would she be able to do it? With how much her heart was hurting could she muster the strength to give them one last parting gift?
A voice inside her gave a very resolute 'Yes.' And with that she resumed standing in front of them, holding both their hands in her own as she took a breath. Starting low she began a song she had heard somewhere before.
"Listen to my heart, can you hear it sings? Seasons may change, winter to spring
But I love you until the end of time." She had to clear her throat now as her emotions bubbled again; a strong hand on her shoulder gave her the strength to continue. Here her voice rose with that strength.
"Come what may, Come what may. I will love you until my dying day." Ending on a slight high note she moved forward, even as her parent's formed began to emanate a soft light from their bodies.
"Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place. Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace. Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste." Here Raven looked toward Jack, Crow and Yusei as her voice echoed through the tunnel.
"And there's no mountain too high, No river too wide. Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side." Their forms became translucent, yet she could still feel the warmth of their hands in her own as her voice rose higher.
"Storm clouds may gather, And stars may collide" Holding out the last words she took another breath, here their voices joined her own and her heart beat painfully as tears ran down her cheeks again.
"But I love you…until the end of time." They echoed these words strong and clear and Raven committed the sound to memory as the feeling of there hands faded, their bodies fading away into the light that seemed to draw them in.
"Come what may...Come what may…I will love you until my dying day!" the smiles on their faces and the love in their eyes she would never forget as the light enveloped them completely, on the last word she sang as high as she could pouring her sadness and grief at having to say goodbye to her parents a second time. Then the light too was gone and as if her parent's were never there at all, it all vanished.
Everything slowed down at that point, her heart beat painfully in her chest the memories of their happy faces and all the times they were together flashing through her mind. She was happy they had found peace and could move on to where ever they were going, but in her heart right now all she felt was sorrow.
A strangled sound left her lips as her knees buckled and hit the hard concrete floor, the sound of her tears hitting the ground was drowned out by her crying. The sound of their voices echoing over and over in her mind as she sang her love for them, meaning every word and yet knowing they were her last words to them.
Strong arms pulled her up and into a comforting embrace, she sagged and just let her tears come. Even if it made her head hurt, and her eyes burn and her nose stuffy she just let her emotions come; her sadness, anger, frustration, sorrow. All of it right here in the moment coming forth and one great surge.
~0~0~0~0~
Raven wasn't sure how long they stood there, but as she stood up straight again and wiped her dying tears with her sleeve and sniffled. Just as she had anticipated she had a headache, but it wasn't all bad. She felt better than she had in a long time, she was definitely all cried out at this point.
Moving back slightly she looked right into Crow's steel gray eyes and smiled, kissing him lightly on the lips and taking a deep breath. Jack and Yusei stood nearby with strange looks on their faces, like she was going to explode into another emotional tide any moment. Unable to control it she laughed,
"You're faces are priceless!" she said as more laughter bubbled up her throat, naturally Jack huffed and raising his arm gave her head a hard noogie. Though it only served to make her squeal and laugh more, keeping up with her playful attitude she stuck her tongue out at the blonde male giggling as his face blushed.
"You little!" he tried to noogie her again however she slipped past him and ran down the tunnel laughing as he chased her yelling half threats as they went.
"Bet I can beat the 'Master of Faster' home!" Jack gaped, his mouth opening and closing as he frowned. He laughed in indignation and crossed his arms,
"As if a newbie like you could possibly beat a professional like Jack Atlas!" giggling she couldn't help the thought that crossed her mind, 'Too easy.' As they exited the tunnel there was more snow falling, though it was slow and resembled more powered than the clumps that had been falling recently. Looking behind she saw Yusei and Crow exit as well, smiles on their faces.
Looking at the snow still piled up from the day before she got an idea so while Jack was stalking over to his D-wheel she picked up a handful and calling his attention to her quickly threw the ball at his face. He blinked comically beneath the white mask and she laughed devilishly as she turned and ran toward her own runner quickly placing her helmet on her head.
Crow and Yusei were already revving their own as she gave them another smile, Jack's face promising revenge as she took off flying. And like a bird that had been freed from its cage she rode the wind and even though the chill burned her cheeks she smiled and laughed the whole way.
She only vaguely remembered the fear and anticipation as they approached the tunnel before, now as she left it she felt freer than she had ever felt before and now that her wings had opened and felt the wind nothing, not even Wulf, could stop her.
And thanks to her parents they now knew how to stop Wulf and save the city, so even if the trip had taken a lot out of her emotionally in Raven's mind? It wasn't wasted.
After all; she got to see her parent's one last time. And that was worth more to her than anything.
Thank you for reading! As always any reviews you wanna give are welcome! I promise I will continue working hard on this story, I refuse to abandon my baby Raven! T-T We've got about 3 chapters left until the end! *Sobs* So I hope you all will stick with me to the end! Also I would like to say I know NOTHING about viruses or diseases and how they work so everything I said here is very much fictional and not at all supposed to make any medical sense. The song Raven sings here is 'Come what may' From Moulin Rouge, it's terribly beautiful and I cried when I wrote that particular part so please let me know how I actually did. DX
Till next time! :3