Whoa, homework was light today so I was able to get this done shortly after the release of Avatar's episode 27. Leaving for Berea, Kentucky tomorrow but I might try to get 39 started before then.

Chapter 38

Cassandra had sat down in the chair across from the desk, afraid to be next to Goodwin anymore. She watched as he dialed a number on his cell phone again and she listened as he told Lazar to take Cassandra home when he arrived. As he hung up, she was about to ask about Midori, the Oracle of Twilight as there was a knock on the door. Goodwin looked up from her towards the door.

"Come in, Yusei," he said and the young man entered slowly. Cassandra remembered that he was injured, as Lazar had said in his report. She stood up, knowing it was Yusei's turn to talk to Goodwin. Plus, he probably needed to sit down anyways.

"It won't be long, Cassandra. You can wait outside," Goodwin told her. Cassandra nodded and headed out the door. As she closed it, she quietly placed her ear to the door and listened. She wanted to know what Yusei wanted to say. He was the boy who had defended that poor girl, Sidney. She also wanted to know what Goodwin had to say for himself and if he let anything slip that she didn't know about, she wanted to hear it.

"Am I safe to assume that this is about the arrangement I have made for Sidney to marry Jack?" she heard Goodwin ask.

"If you really intended to protect Sidney, why did you do it?" Yusei's voice was stern. By the sound of it, Cassandra assumed he was really mature compared to other boys his age, like Jack.

Goodwin laughed and Cassandra frowned. She probably didn't want to hear what he had to say, but her feet were frozen there. "You don't seem to understand the concept of 'keeping up appearances', Yusei. Sidney needs one of the Signers to look after her, and it would look odd to have someone following her around as a bodyguard, and it would seem strange to demote Jack to such a position. Besides, Jack has taken quite taken with her, I've been told. So, the idea of a marriage makes sense, doesn't it? It's a perfect disguise."

"If that's what you think of it, than I'm completely convinced this will go nowhere. Sidney isn't safe with Jack. Do you have any idea how he's been treating her?" Yusei voiced was laced with anger. Cassandra's eyes widened. So Yusei had noticed too. Goodwin sighed.

"If the Dark Signers capture her, they'll do worse things than anything Jack might be doing…and trust me, Yusei, if there are Dark Signers in New Domino City…I can be certain at least one of them is being sent to hunt her down…Tell me, Yusei…what's your business in all of this? Why does it matter to you?"

Cassandra was anxious to hear his answer. "Jack treats Sidney like she somehow belongs to him. He thinks he can just do whatever he wants to her and it doesn't matter what Sidney or anyone else thinks about it. Nobody should have that kind of power. It's abusive and it's hurtful."

"That poor girl…" Cassandra whispered.

"I can't change the way Jack expresses his passions… Do you think you'd make a better guardian for Sidney than Jack? Because I seriously doubt you can do anything of the sort until your injuries have healed."

"I'll do what I have to. Sidney and the rest of us are in this together… I don't want anything to happen to any of them. But it's more than just having someone to keep her safe. She needs to feel safe with that person…and I know she doesn't feel that way about Jack." Yusei explained to Goodwin. Cassandra smiled. He was perfect for Sidney.

"You mean she doesn't love him? Do you think it matters how she FEELS? Do you think I have time to care about some teenage girl's feelings when I'm in a war…?"

Of course Goodwin would say that, Cassandra thought.

"Of course it matters! It always matters how someone feels, even if it won't change anything…" Yusei's voice started to get soft, almost heartfelt. Cassandra figured he had very strong feelings for Sidney to be arguing like this. "You can't force a person to do something that hurts them…"

"I think I understand. You're smitten with Sidney, aren't you?"

Cassandra's heart beat fast as she wondered what was going to happen.

"I…I care about her! …I don't want her to be hurt or miserable." The words came out slowly and decisively. Cassandra smiled.

"I see…" Goodwin said and there was a long silence before either of them spoke. "If you can prove to me that you would be a better guardian than Jack, then I will not force Sidney to marry Jack. However, there is a catch…"

Cassandra waited for Goodwin to explain the catch but he stopped.

"It's Akiza! She's a in a Shadow Duel…I can feel it. But…I can sense someone else. Sidney's nearby… but what's she doing there!?" Cassandra heard Yusei suddenly.

"Well, looks like you're starting here. You'd better get going Yusei." Goodwin told him.

Cassandra heard footsteps from inside the room and she stepped back so she wouldn't look suspicious. She turned to see Lazar and Mina coming down the hall. Neither of them looked like they had enjoyed coming here but as Lazar came up to Cassandra, he became slightly cheerful.

Yusei walked out of Goodwin's office and saw both Lazar and Mina as well. "I need to get to the Arcadia Movement Headquarters," he said, knowing Mina would help him. She was such a kind person.

"We saw the lights, too. But…why do you need to…?" Lazar was cut off by Yusei.

"Akiza is in a Shadow Duel and Sidney is nearby. I have to go and make sure they're ok…" he said.

Cassandra looked worriedly out the window, seeing the signs that had appeared earlier.

"I can give you a ride." Mina offered him.

Cassandra tried to speak when Lazar ushered her away. "Goodwin called me on my way here and wishes that I take you home." He remembered after receiving the call, Mina began to pester him about Cassandra. He was still blushing.

"Wait Lazar…" Cassandra looked back out the window and back at Yusei and Mina as they were leaving. Her prince would be coming for her again, as he had promised to her in a dream not long before. She wished she had said goodbye to Goodwin, Mina, and Yusei although she had never officially met him. She remembered talking to him at the Fortune Cup and he knew her name. Jack talked about him all the time, so she supposed they had knew about each other before.

As Lazar led Cassandra down to the lobby, he thought back to the phone call.

Lazar hung up the cell phone and sat quiet for awhile.

"Who was that?" Mina asked curiously.

"Goodwin; he wants me to take Cassandra home when we get to the office," Lazar replied.

"It's amazing how he only trusts you with Cassandra," Mina said to belittle him.

Lazar sighed and looked at the floorboards. "He probably shouldn't anymore," he said and Mina looked over at him crossly.

"Why? You didn't hurt her did you?" Mina asked quickly. When they stopped at a traffic light, she turned to him angrily. "I will personally deal with you if you did!"

"No! No, nothing like that!" Lazar said, scared of this new Mina. "I mean, you know how she's not allowed any other male other than Goodwin, Jack, and I? There's a special reason for that."

"I know," Mina nodded, focused on the road. Lazar was silent for awhile, hoping Mina had caught on. "Oh, so what you are saying is that Goodwin shouldn't let you around Cassandra anymore because you…Wow, you have feelings?" she asked sarcastically.

"Shut up!" Lazar snapped. He calmed down but Mina was still snickering. "Yes," he sighed. Mina finally stopped and smiled warmly.

"You have a better chance with Cassandra than any other guy, simply because she's only around you," Mina started, hoping that this would settle Lazar's burning hatred towards her.

"She keeps talking about this prince she's seen in her dreams…" Lazar muttered.

"That's probably you! She just doesn't know it yet," Mina told him optimistically, "Lazar, I've always hoped that one day, Cassandra will find true love. With the way Goodwin is, she may never find it. You are the only man she sees; you may be the only man for her. If she doesn't feel the same for you now, you still have a chance to change her mind."

Lazar liked hearing that he may be the only man for Cassandra. He wanted to be the only one for her. "She says we're friends," he told her.

"That's good. At least you're closer than all the other boys in Neo Domino City!" Mina grinned as they parked outside Sector Security.

"Thanks, Mina," Lazar choked out the words as they walked up to the doors. She gave him an encouraging smile.

They waited on the front steps for a security car to arrive from the garage. Cassandra was nervous and they both knew that the dark signers were coming for her and the girls.

"If it makes you feel any better, I can stay at the mansion with you," Lazar muttered, looking away. He was hoping he could get further with Cassandra tonight.

"Okay," Cassandra said quietly. She was worried Lazar might get hurt if her prince came to take her away tonight but if she said no, Lazar would most likely insist anyways.

Lazar helped her into the security car and within no time, they arrived at the mansion. The sky was dark and in the distance, Cassandra could still see the glowing signs. She was glad Goodwin didn't send Lazar to investigate them. Jasmine tickled Cassandra's nose and she walked off into the garden as the car pulled away. Lazar hopped behind, trying to catch up with her.

"Oh, wow, all the buds have bloomed tonight," Cassandra commented as she bent over a jasmine bush in a clay pot and smelled one of the small white flowers.

"Is that odd?" Lazar asked curiously.

"No, jasmine is supposed to bloom at night," Cassandra pulled off a dead branch and walked over to sit in a bench.

"Oh," Lazar followed. He tried to think of something to say but everything he had thought of earlier after his conversation with Mina had left him.

"Will Sidney and Midori be okay?" Cassandra asked him worriedly.

"Yes, they are with the other signers, I do believe," Lazar told her as he sat next to her on the bench.

"No, I'm not as worried about the Dark Signers. Yusei was saying that Jack was after Sidney. I believe he will hurt her," Cassandra said to him, "And little Midori, she got hurt from something. I have a really bad feeling about it, Lazar."

"I believe what you say about Jack," Lazar said thoughtfully, "But please Cassandra, don't worry about these things. Goodwin is taking care of it and the girls are in good hands."

"That's exactly what Goodwin told me," Cassandra looked at him sadly. "I don't believe him."

Lazar was silent for a moment. "Just please trust me, you should be more worried about yourself," he told her.

"It's just that since the Fortune Cup, Goodwin isn't himself anymore," Cassandra looked away into the rose garden. The gardener had clipped most of her roses so they would grow next year. Some of the rose petals blended with the fallen leaves like potpourri.

"He didn't do anything to you did he?" Lazar asked defensively. Cassandra looked at him for a moment, thinking.

"He grabbed my hand today shortly before you came. It was weird," she replied. Lazar frowned.

"If he tries anything funny, you call me right away," Lazar reminded her. She smiled and nodded at him. "I care about you… I don't want to see you get hurt."

Lazar's speech seemed familiar but before Cassandra could remember, Lazar's cell phone rang. He frowned and answered it.

"Yes sir. Alright then," Lazar said and hung up. Cassandra looked at him expectantly. "I'm needed back at Sector Security. Will you be alright alone?" he asked her as he got up from the bench.

"I have the maids and some of the guards," Cassandra told him and stood up as well, towering over him.

"I'll come back as soon as I can, I really need to talk to you when I get the chance," Lazar seemed nervous. "Please take care!" he shouted before running off into the dark. Cassandra smiled awkwardly before heading into the mansion.