"Yes, I know what you'd say to me
Exactly what you said to me
I still hang on every word."
-Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark by Bono & The Edge
"Kirika, give us an update on time," Yusei glanced over to the dark-haired girl from his spot on his D-Wheel.
"We have an hour, three minutes, and forty-two seconds until sunrise," Kirika informed the group with a slight nod. Yui gripped Kirika's waist tighter. They only had one hour until the end of the world. Their group consisted of Jack, Ushio with the twins, Yusei, Yui with Kirika, Crow, and Lina.
Lina felt uneasy. She remembered Misty Lola at the premiere party of 'Atlas Rising.' She wanted revenge for what happened to her brother.
"I hope Aki realizes what's at stake," Jack commented with a gruff tone.
"She does," Lina bit back defensively. "She's an amazing duelist. She's got this."
"Damn, I hope so! We're a little short on time," Crow looked out across the Satellite. Lina knew he was thinking of his kids. Crow had told them that they hadn't come back yet.
"Lina, you said before that Misty Lola was invested in Aki because she believes Aki killed her brother, right?" Kirika's D-Wheel came right beside Lina's. Lina nodded. Kirika held an interested look on her face. Lina knew she was thinking of something.
The Tower that marked Misty Lola's was just inside an abandoned amusement park. Lina stopped her D-Wheel right beside Yusei's and took off her helmet. The braid given to her by Ayeka Fudo was still firmly in place.
"This place looks so sad..." Ruka glanced around at the park. It was true. While some parts may have been once bright and cheerful, they were now faded and bleached with age. A lonely rollercoaster stretched out across the park. In the middle of it all stood a large control tower.
"Kirika was this-" Lina had begun to ask a question.
"No, this did not use to be KaibaLand. The one that stands in Neo Domino City is indeed the original," Kirika took off her helmet and shook free her hair. Lina was surprised that Kirika knew exactly what she was going to ask. "This was actually an attempt to rip off KaibaLand. My Father sued them, and to put salt in the wound, bought the park so he could use it for the RRD division, hence the control tower placed strategically in the middle."
"This used to be an amusement park?" Rua stared around with wide eyes.
"Rua, what do you think it used to be?" Ruka rolled her eyes. Lina smiled affectionately down at them. She was thinking of when she took the two to KaibaLand for the day. That had been the catalyst for Lina reuniting with Yusei, and their descendent into this madness.
"It's garbage now," Jack stuck his nose in the air.
"Sure would be nice to fix this up for the kids," Crow was glancing around with thoughtful eyes.
"That would be nice," Yui agreed quietly.
"Fifty-seven minutes," Kirika announced as she checked the time on her watch.
"We have to find Aki," Yusei looked to the group. "Let's split up and try to find her."
"On it! Jack and I can search around on our rides," Crow smirked at his friend.
"Who said you can tell me what to do?" Jack argued back but didn't appear to be too upset by the notion.
"Rua, Ruka, stick with Ushio," Yusei gave a pointed look towards the twins. They appeared disappointed but didn't complain out loud.
"They're safe with me, Yusei," Ushio told Yusei seriously. "Mikage should be here somewhere. We can look for her."
Yusei nodded. "Lina-"
"I'm with you all the way," Lina grinned up at Yusei, a sparkle in her eyes. "There's no getting rid of me."
"Nor us," Kirika gave Yusei a neutral stare. "Yui and I would wish to join you."
Yui was glancing around. Her nerves were up. Something was there, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was.
Yusei looked annoyed that others would be joining Lina and him but nodded in agreement. "Fine. If something happens, you know what to do," Yusei gestured to the walkie-talkies.
"Let's go, hero," Lina took his hand in hers and began to walk inside the amusement park. Lina didn't seem to notice Yusei glancing down at her, but if she did, she didn't give it away. Kirika and Yui walked behind them, with Yui glancing behind them every few steps.
"Yusei," A different voice came out of the walkie-talkies. Lina recognized it to be Saiga.
"What's up?" Yusei replied back.
"Careful out there. A boat just showed up on the coast of the Satellite. Pretty suspicious, don't you think? People are disappearing, and some bastard comes on vacation."
"Thanks for the heads up. We'll keep a lookout," Yusei raised an eyebrow down at Lina.
"Someone's trying to kill us. What else is new?" Lina almost seemed amused.
Yui jumped in the air. Kirika looked to the other girl in concern. "What happened?" Kirika questioned the purple haired girl.
Someone was there. Someone powerful. Yui had only felt someone with that type of aura once before. Lina and Yusei noticed something was going on and stared behind them in concern. Yui put a finger to her lips to quiet them all. Silence past by. Yui's eyes widened. In a quick motion, Yui grabbed a hold of Lina's hand and pulled her behind one of the buildings. Lina tried to talk, but Yui put a hand over her mouth, her other arm moving to wrap around Lina's shoulders.
"Please. For just a few minutes, stay quiet. Someone's here." Yui calmly explained to the small blonde. "I'm hiding both of our auras so no one can feel we're here."
Auras? Yui had never explained all that psychic technical terms to Lina. She was lost but accepted the situation. Yui would never try to trick Lina.
Yusei had begun to call out for Lina, but Kirika effectively cut him off by grabbing his arm. Yusei began to say something, to tell her that he didn't want Lina to leave his side, but a sight above her made him stop. "Look out!" Yusei shoved Kirika to the side. A sign for the old amusement park billboard fell beside them. Yusei missed by just a hair but managed to avoid injury by pulling off an impressive flip that Lina would have been overjoyed to see. He landed on his knee.
"Are you alright?" A man in a trenchcoat hurried over to Yusei in alarm. Half of his face was hidden by a hat and his hair. Kirika straightened her posture in shock. From behind the building, Lina's knees locked.
She knew that voice. That voice was dead. That voice tried to take away everything she had.
"It's okay. He doesn't know you're here. I'm right here," Yui was murmuring calmly to Lina.
"It's him," Lina was shaking. "How is he alive?" He was going to be after Aki. Lina just knew it.
"I am, thank you," Yusei recognized the strange men. He just didn't know how. He would figure it out.
The strange man took a wallet out of his pocket and flashed a badge. Yusei was reminded of Saiga's warning- about a man who had shown up on the Satellite coast in a boat in the middle of the war. Judging by Kirika's expression, they were thinking of the same thing. This was the man from the boat.
"I'm from the Public Security Bureau, see? Director Godwin sent me here to find Miss Aki Izayoi," The man shot them a charming smile.
"He did? Why does Godwin want to find Aki?" Yusei's eyes narrowed. He knew at that moment who the man was. His mind traveled to when he and Lina were sitting on the couch together. Lina had pulled back her long blonde that tied together in a ponytail to reveal a scar on the back of her neck.
I think I know better than anyone what it's like to take real damage during a duel.
That's what she had said that day. He held her as he stopped Lina from beating the shit out of the strange man. It's my fault. Those words rang in his head after he held the sobbing girl. He had seen the monitor footage of the Arcadia Movement, of Lina dueling, and he had to see Lina do one of their tests.
This man was supposed to be dead. He would pay if Yusei had anything to say about it.
"It's a need to know kind of operation," The 'stranger' put away his badge. "Director Godwin doesn't think I need to know. You know how the Director is. He likes to keep everyone in the dark."
"That's Godwin," Yusei spoke through gritted teeth.
"We can help you find Miss Aki Izayoi," Kirika spoke smoothly, even if her smile held a hint of malice. Yusei could tell that Kirika had also realized who this man was. "Would you like to join us? I'm sure with more help, we can find her with time to spare."
"Of course. Although, if I may ask, wasn't there more to your group?" The stranger glanced around.
"Of course not. It's just Yusei and I," Kirika replied smoothly.
"Got a problem with that?" Yusei began to walk forward. Kirika stepped in line right beside him. The stranger had no other option but to follow.
Once they were out of range, Lina collapsed on the ground. She was hyperventilating. She couldn't catch her breath. Yui kept her arms around her and stroked soothing patterns into her back.
"He's alive. How the fuck is he alive," Lina wouldn't stop shaking. Divine. The man who took her away from the Satellite and killed one of her best friends. Divine was alive.
"He didn't see us. He can't get you. I told you that I would protect you from him," Yui spoke in a soft voice. "I'm right here."
Yui was right. Divine didn't notice her. He didn't even look in this way. Why? "How did you do that?" Lina calmed down enough to ask the question. She was staring at Yui with wide eyes.
"Even if it's small, you still have an aura, Lina," Yui smiled comfortingly towards her friend. "I think it's because you have powers too."
"I can see duel spirits. That's not something like your powers," Lina protested.
"No, but you still have an aura that shows you have power. Other psychics can see it and tell who other psychics are," Yui explained in a low voice. She wasn't completely certain that Divine wouldn't show up again, despite feeling that he was out of their range. "I felt someone was here. I recognized his power from when Anya and I were..." Yui trailed off. She didn't want to finish the sentence. Lina knew she was referencing to when the two were in the Arcadia Movement with Yanagi, Himuro, Ruka, and Rua. That was when Aki was first attacked by Misty, and when Anya was taken by the Earthbound Immortal.
"Power..." Lina repeated the word. She had an aura. Lina figured that must have been why Divine was so transfixed on her. He had seen a tiny bit and expected more.
"It's very, very small," Yui admitted with a frown. "Compared to Rua, it's not a lot. I didn't want to take a chance with him." Lina had never heard Yui speak words as venomously as when she referenced to Divine.
"No, I figured," Lina stood up and glanced in the direction that Kirika, Yusei, and Divine walked off to. "We should hang back and see if they need our help." Lina looked to Yui with intensity in her pale green eyes. "I know him. He's up to something. He either wants Aki, or me, or both of us. We can't let him touch her."
Nobody would get hurt ever again. Not if it were up to Lina.
Yui seemed to understand. With a nod, the two girls began to walk through the empty amusement park.
Crow stared at the entrance of what appeared to be a giant maze. He could hear sounds coming from inside. This is where the duel between Misty and Aki was taking place.
"Ready or not, here I come," Crow stepped inside of the maze into the hall of mirrors.
Meanwhile, from deeper inside the maze, Aki was staring at her opponent with narrowed eyes. There was one opponent at the end of the hall that was holding a duel disk. Aki figured that had to be the real Misty Lola.
"I'm going to enjoy taking your life like you took mine," Misty Lola held a sinister grin on his face. "Since this is is the hall of Mirrors, I think I'll play the Mirror Labrinth field spell!" Misty Lola laid the card on her duel disk. "With that activated, I think it's time to reminisce. Let's start by opening up the first chapter of my Sad Story- Sorrowful Memories!" The wall around them began to glow. Aki stared at the mirror in front of her. It was a vision of the past, she realized. Misty stood in the middle of the room, a phone to her ear.
"Yes, Adrien, I'm visiting soon!" Past Misty held a large smile to her face. "Stop teasing me, yes, I mean it this time. Yes, I will bring Toby with me." Misty could hear the door start to open. "That's him. I'll have to call you again tomorrow. Yes, same time. Goodbye, Mr. Adrien." Misty hung up the phone just as a younger boy around Ruka and Rua's age- perhaps even a tad older than the twins- ran into the room.
"Hey, sis!" A past version of Toby stepped into the room. "Are you in there?!" He was wearing a Duel Academy uniform. "I'm back from school! Look what I found for you on the way back!" Toby was bouncing up and down from excitement.
"Whatever it is, I'm sure I'll love it," Misty graciously took the present from him and gasped in awe. It was a beautiful locket. When Misty opened it, soft music began to play. "Toby," Misty sounded touched. "It's beautiful. I'll put a picture of you in and wear it everywhere I go." Misty slipped the locket around her neck and proudly showed it off. Toby was grinning ear to ear.
"Oh, and hey, guess what!" Toby glanced at his sister in excitement. "I heard these two girls talking the other day- and guess what I heard! One of them was like me! Her name is Aki Izayoi. She's with this really cool group that calls themselves the 'Arcadia Movement'- and I even got to see her duel the other day!"
"Toby, I'm not sure about this," Misty reached out and gently touched her brother's hand. "We should find out more about this group and-"
"Why shouldn't I join up with people like me?" Toby yanked his hand away from Misty. "They would understand me, unlike Mom and Dad, who tried to get rid of me. That's why I live with you now, remember?"
"That's him," Aki breathed out softly. She remembered that duel by the pier. Her powers had sent her opponent into the water. She'd come back to the Arcadia Movement shaking. Lina had made her hot chocolate to make her feel better.
She couldn't think of that now. Lina was gone. She had to focus on the duel so she could win.
Yusei, Kirika, and the stranger were walking down a path. The stranger glanced over to Yusei. His expression was unreadable due to the sunglasses he was wearing.
"Are you sure that Aki can defeat this Dark Signer?" The man had something underlying in his voice. Yusei didn't like it.
"Have you ever seen her duel?" Yusei's reply was monotone.
"No, but I heard she was trained by the best. Her and...Miss Atlas," The stranger seemed to consider his words.
"If you're talking about Divine, that guy was a creep," Yusei glanced back to see the man's reactions.
"Indeed. A menace who deserved what he got," Kirika glanced at Divine without so much as flinching. "The things he did to vulnerable children. If he were alive, I'm sure he would get what was coming to him. What do you think?" Kirika smiled, but it held no warmth. She was toying with him.
The man seemed indignant. He raised his chin in the air. "I take it the two of you have some sort of bias. Tell me, do you have special feelings for Miss Atlas? Is that why you feel so strongly about this?"
"Is that relevant when the crimes are against a horrible man?" Kirika interrupted before Yusei could answer. The man stared at her, his eyebrows furrowed together as if he were trying to figure out who Kirika was.
"Nothing will happen to Lina while I'm here. That's all I gotta say," Yusei answered coldly.
The man didn't seem to be too pleased with either of their responses. His hand moved to point to a window of a building. "Hey! I saw some movement in that window!"
Kirika and Yusei exchanged glances. It could be a trap. Or Divine could have done something to someone.
They didn't want to risk it if he did. Yusei began to spring over to the building- with Kirika following and threw open the door. The door fell off of its hinges, but that didn't slow the pair down. When Yusei glanced down, he saw he was standing on a metal grating. Nobody was inside.
"We were tricked," Kirika noted with an undertone of anger. Kirika whipped her head around, just in time to see a fireball flying towards them. Kirika ducked her head, while Yusei flipped in the air to avoid it.
"Come on out, Divine!" Yusei called out with an edge to his voice.
"Clever. I didn't expect either of you to figure it out so quickly," The man stood opposite of them. "You didn't seem as smart when we first met, Yusei Fudo. I'll leave you with some advice. Aki doesn't need friends like you dragging her down. The only person Aki needs in her life is me. I'll be taking back what belongs to me, and that includes Éliane."
"Over my dead body," Yusei growled out.
"We can arrange that," Divine placed a card on his duel disk. A very real looking sword came into his hands. It was glowing where the metal was.
"After all this time, and you still believe you're in the right?" Kirika returned to her feet and looked in shock towards Divine. "You murdered children. You used them in your own game of war."
"Should I know who you are?" Divine chuckled to himself.
Kirika was shaking from rage. "You should. You murdered my brother, you egomaniacal bastard." Kirika's dark green eyes- the same color she shared with her brother- glowed with hate. "I am Kirika Kaiba, and you killed Kaito. You should be rotting for your crimes. If not by death, then by my family's team of lawyers. You will not make it out alive. Not if I'm here to say anything."
"Kaito," Divine's eyes lit up with understanding. "Yes, the dog who needed put down. You're the sister. Too bad the only family he needed was the Movement."
"We tried to find him! You were the one who killed him!" Kirika was furious. "Don't act as if we pushed him away, not when you stole him."
"Enough of this! If you want to join him, allow me!" Divine rushed at Kirika. Kirika held up her duel disk to block his sword.
"Lina got away!" Kirika snapped back under the strain. "You killed him for saving a girl you tried to murder!"
"He defied me. He deserved his punishment," Divine pulled his sword back when Kirika shoved him back. His attention turned to Yusei, and his sword vanished.
Yusei's mind flashed back to the scar on the back of Lina's neck. "You used them. All of them," Yusei accused Divine. "You tried to kill Lina. You're not touching her or Aki ever again."
"We'll see," Divine placed another card on his duel disk. Another fireball appeared. Yusei lept to the side while Kirika moved out of the way. They were both bracing themselves for Divine's next move.
"They belong to me. They're the property of the Movement," Divine hissed out. "And I won't let any of you have them."
"Hate to break it to you, but the Movement's over. They belong to themselves," Yusei glared ahead at Divine.
"Are you mocking me?" Divine snarled out. "I'll show you," Divine summoned his sword again and brought it down towards Yusei. Yusei- like Kirika had- managed to catch it on his duel disk.
"Yusei, watch out!" Kirika tried to warn him. Yusei managed to step back before Divine could try to hit him in the gut with the hilt of his sword. Divine clicked his tongue, obviously annoyed before he changed tactics. His arm moved out, grabbed Kirika's, and pulled him to her before she could worm her way out of his grip. The edge of the sword was pressed against her throat. Yusei froze in his tracks.
"Let her go," Yusei spoke in a warning tone.
"Or what?" Divine pressed the sword closer. Kirika breathed out a hiss, but otherwise, she showed no outward emotion of fear or worry. She was glancing with resolution at Yusei. "I'm the one in control."
"What do you want?" Yusei's glare only deepened.
"I want what's rightfully mine," Divine sounded insane. "And I will get it back." Divine shoved Kirika towards Yusei suddenly. Both duelists fell through the open piece of the door, with Kirika landed on top of Yusei. They heard Divine laugh above them as he slammed the trap door shut.
"Aki is destined for greatness. Éliane has her own fate in store for her once I find her. And the two of you? You're only holding them back. Say goodbye." One last fireball made its way to the metal grate, setting it aflame and warping the metal shut. Yusei and Kirika were trapped.
"Dammit," Kirika was angry at herself for letting herself be in such a vulnerable position.
"We have to find a way out," Yusei began to search around for a possible exit. A strange sound echoed throughout. Yusei and Kirika could only stare in horror as water began to pour into the area they were trapped in.
"He's trying to drown us," Kirika spoke in shocked horror.
"We need to find a way out now," Yusei had to get out before Divine could get his hands on either of his friends.
Aki was walking down the hallway. She had to follow Misty deeper and deeper into this maze of hers. She looked in the mirror and saw her reflection. Aki wasn't sure what Misty's objective was, but she had to keep her mind clear. Thinking too hard wouldn't do anything for her when she had a duel to win.
Misty led Aki to another hallway with two corridors branching off. Misty was facing Aki once more.
"It's my turn now!" Misty drew a card. "And the memories just keep coming. I activate the next chapter in my Sad Story spell combo- Unwavering Truth!"
The field changed once more. Aki knew where they were. They were standing in the many floors of the Arcadia Movement. Aki saw a younger version of herself walking along the halls. Aki knew the look on her face. It was the aftermath of Lina's disappearance and Kaito's death- her two friends. A younger version of Toby ran up to Aki.
"Aki!" Toby began to run up to Aki. Aki saw the younger version of her flinch. Lina had called her that name. The younger Aki turned sharply to the boy with an annoyed expression on her face. "Hi," Toby looked rather bashful with a pink tint to his cheeks. "I saw you duel the other week and-"
"And?" Younger Aki was already on the defensive. She had expected some sort of attack.
"And I spoke to you afterward!" Toby spoke quickly. "And you mentioned the Arcadia Movement, so here-"
"Right. So you're here to see what we're all about," Aki's reply was cold. "Go bother Divine. All of this is a waste of my time. It's not my duty to take care of the amateurs." With that, Aki stalked away without even a glance back towards Toby.
"I wasn't myself then," the present version of Aki whispered out. "I didn't mean to be like that." Aki had just lost the two closest people in her lives at that point. Divine had called them traitors. Aki had believed him. Divine was all she had.
He was dead. Just like Lina and Kaito.
Aki was alone.
Water kept pouring into the building. It was up to Yusei and Kirika's chest.
"This isn't looking good," Yusei knew they wouldn't last too much longer. He looked up, only to see a pale yellow fox staring down at them. Yusei jumped back. Renard seemed to blink at them before setting something on the ground. He let out a loud bark. Yusei could see that the item Renard set down on the ground was one of Yusei's spare gloves that he kept under the seat of his bike.
"Good boy! You found them!" Lina came into view. Lina glanced down at the metal grating with a glare. "Stupid son of a bitch," Lina glanced down at the burned metal. "How are you hanging down there?"
"Like a fish," Kirika replied back dryly.
"Mind getting us out?" Yusei tried to keep a light tone. "I'm not getting any drier down here." The water was now up to their necks. They were struggling to stay above water.
"Fuck," Lina tried to look for anything to help them out. "Renard, we need Yui. Now." Lina glanced down at the duel spirit. The fox spirit began barking like crazy.
"Lina? Is something-" Yui rushed into the room, her duel disk on her arm. She gasped once she saw Yusei and Kirika under the water. "Kirika!" Yui stretched out her arm and flung it upwards. The metal grating came clean off- as if it were made of plastic and not warped metal. Yui almost seemed surprised by her strength. Lina was surprised. Yui normally would have used of her cards, but instead, she used her own power.
"Yusei!" Lina automatically reached down and pulled at his hand. Lina helped Yusei out of the water while Yui helped Kirika. Once Kirika was out, Yui flung her arms around her, despite Kirika being soaking wet. Kirika slowly returned the hug after her shock wore off. Yusei struggled with getting Yusei out but managed to do so. Lina rubbed his back while he coughed up water.
"Need mouth to mouth?" Lina asked teasingly. Lina could feel him chuckling between bursts of coughs.
"No," He wheezed out. "Maybe later."
"Don't die on me, idiot," Lina tugged at the end of her braid while her cheeks flushed pink. Fuck, she really wanted to kiss him, but they had to save the world first. "I thought we promised we'd stop doing that to each other. I love you too much to go through that again." Lina smiled but stopped when Yusei sat back and looked to Lina. His gaze was so intense. His face moved forward. Lina could see that his gaze traveled down to her lips. It almost seemed as if he was about to kiss her, but his lips moved to her forehead instead. His arm wrapped around Lina and he pulled her tight against his chest.
"Stay by me," Yusei murmured into her ear. "Divine's looking for you. I-I can't-"
"Okay," Lina agreed quietly so she could stop him from going on. She didn't think anyone could go against Divine, but she trusted Yusei.
"If you two are finished, we have to keep moving," Kirika was holding Yui's hand rather tightly. Yui took Lina's card off of her duel disk and gave it back to Lina. Renard disappeared in a flash of light. "A monster's loose," Kirika narrowed her eyes. "If we don't catch him, someone could get hurt. Or worse."
Aki was following Misty once more. This time, Misty was glaring at her from all sides. All of the mirrors abruptly blanked out, leaving Aki only facing one mirror of Misty.
"I have to warn you; the next part is pretty emotional," Misty held a smirk. "You see, every sad story needs a gut-wrenching climax that's full of heartbreaking loss. I'm activating the Dreadful Day spell card from my hand."
The walls began to glow one last time. Aki knew this place. The scene she saw was full of misfortune and panic. Thick thorny vines covered the concrete as bystanders scatter and are thrown aside. Three more vines shot out into the side of a building- effectively scattering debris.
"Remember when you lost control and tore up Downtown of Neo Domino City?" Misty raised an eyebrow. "Toby went to see you duel that day, and I never saw him again."
In the vision, people are scattering as they tried to race out of the scene. Toby was looking around at all the chaos.
"There's no way," Aki realized in horror as the vision faded. "You think I actually killed him? There were no casualties that day! The investigation said-!"
"Oh, right," Misty cut off with a sneer. "The investigation that was funded by kickbacks and bribes from the Arcadia Movement. Have you ever heard of a coverup, Aki?"
"That's not what happened!" Aki shook her head.
"Accept what happened, along with the fact that from this moment on, my Sad Story spell combo prevents us from drawing any new cards. Like someone who has lost someone they care about, and who can't find the strength to move on without them- all we have now is what's in our hands. Show me what you're holding in your hand, Aki!" Misty's face appeared in all of the mirrors with a laugh. Aki was surrounded.
"Do you think I haven't lost someone?" Aki was on the verge of tears. "Because of the Dark Signers, I lost someone I care about more than anything. It wasn't a cover-up, and I didn't hurt your brother! I'm going to show you the truth. I'll start by activating my Illusion Destruction!" Misty's Reptilianne Servant vanished from the mirror. The glass shattered, effectively scraping Aki's cheek as it whizzed by.
"Did you know Reptilliane Servant gets destroyed whenever it's the target of a spell or trap- or is that just classic Aki? You don't care who you hurt," Misty glowered at Aki.
The statement hurt Aki. She only wanted to help people. That's all she ever wanted. "I'm sorry for what happened to your brother," Aki tried to speak the words in a strong voice. "But that didn't happen. You're looking for someone to blame, and it isn't me," Aki insisted.
"You're the one in denial!" Misty shot back. "As far as I can see, Lina's death is payback for what you did. My sad story ends with Sorrowful Chain!"
"I don't want to see this anymore!" Aki cried out, but she couldn't stop the vision that appeared in front of her. Misty was driving down a dark road late at night. Her eyes were blank. She took a sudden turn off a cliff. Misty was shown rushed into an ambulance- and then down the halls of a hospital.
"I couldn't deal with losing my brother. I wanted to end it all. I died- but I was reborn as a Dark Signer. They promised me the power of revenge. And I owe it all to you." Misty smiled cruelly towards Aki.
"Divine lied to me before," Aki was talking to herself. "Who else did I hurt?" Aki stumbled backward. She found herself starting to trip on a piece of shattered glass. She was falling. She thought she could have seen a flash of orange- ready to save her from being impaled by a razor-sharp piece of glass sticking out on the floor- but someone else caught her. It was a stranger in a trenchcoat that held her in his arms. He had her propped against him as he sunk to one knee.
"Pull yourself together, Aki," The strange man spoke in a low, comforting voice.
"Who are you?" Aki's eyes were wide.
"The only friend you'll ever need. You're not alone anymore."
"Your voice..." Aki knew that voice. Her heart skipped a beat.
"It's me, Aki," The man ripped off his hat and sunglasses, revealing Divine's scarred face.
"Divine!" Aki slowly returned to her feet. She watched him die. You-" She couldn't finish the sentence. She wasn't alone anymore. "I can't do this. I need your help. Please. I'm all alone."
"Listen to me, Aki," Divine cupped her face in one of his hands. "You're not alone while I'm here. When you first came to me, I locked away some of your powers with my own. Let me awaken it inside of you. Let me help you." Divine moved forward and whispered one sentence into her ear. A surge of power swirled around her. The stabilizer that held back Aki's powers fell out of her hair. Her loose strands flew around her face. In the center, Aki smirked.
Aki would show them all her real power.
Crow, in the corner, stood watching it all. He had to snap her out of it somehow. He wouldn't let things end like this.
When the group exited the building, Yui stiffened. "Do you feel that?" Yui could feel the raw power in the air. "
"I feel something," Lina could feel the knot in her stomach. An Earthbound Immortal was free. Yusei's mark glowed, further confirming Lina's feeling.
"Come on. We have to help Aki." Yusei grabbed onto Lina's hand and began running. They had found a reasonably safe spot to view the duel. The mirror house was gone. All that was left was shards of glass scattered throughout the ground. Aki stood, her hair blowing wild in the wind. Lina let out a gasp.
"Aki, no," Lina appeared upset. She looked up, her eyes narrowing at a window across from them. Divine.
"The Black Rose Witch," Kirika commented as she observed the duel. "It appears she made a comeback."
"We have to help her," Yui fretted.
"I think I know just the person responsible," Yusei caught on to the same image Lina saw.
"We need to go over there and stop him. He did something to Aki. I know it," Lina could face him. She had to, for Aki.
Yusei glanced down at her in concern. Lina couldn't look at him. "We're wasting time," Lina began to lead the way. She was taking the steps two at a time. The others were struggling to catch up. Lina was too quick.
"We're so close, Aki. Finish her," Divine was talking to himself.
"That's not Aki anymore. It's over," Lina stood in the doorway. Divine turned around. He was startled by her appearance, but his eyes narrowed, his mouth curving into a smirk when he saw who was standing across from him.
"Éliane," Divine seemed pleasantly surprised. "And here I thought this entire time you would be trying to hide from me."
"Guess not. You can't really escape your past," Lina couldn't breathe. His presence was frightening, but Lina could not back down. "You can't touch me anymore, Divine. I'm here to make sure you let Aki go."
"And how will I get revenge for what the Dark Signers did to us or our Arcadia Movement?" Divine lifted up a wild patch of hair that was covering his right eye, revealing the scarred and destroyed skin around it. Lina stepped back in disgust. "Aki will make that revenge possible. You could join us, Éliane."
"No," Lina replied with no hesitancy. "I'd rather die again than join your cult. I found where I belong. I'm Lina Kazukata, I'm not a psychic, and I have friends who need me. That means Aki. Call me Éliane again, Divine. That's not my name anymore. You hold no power over me. Not anymore. We're through." Lina dared to take another step closer to Divine. Divine activated his duel disk.
"Did I say we were through? Aki's through with nothing, and neither are you! Not until I say you are, and I'm never letting go!" Divine activated his Hinomata spell card. A fireball shot out at Lina. Lina didn't move. A shield appeared in front of Lina, effectively absorbing the fire and protecting her. Lina's braid blew back, but she was otherwise unharmed.
"How-" Divine seemed speechless. "Are you-"
"A psychic duelist?" Lina laughed at the thought. "No. I never will be."
"Some people don't need your movement," Yui appeared from the doorway. Her duel disk was activated. "Controlling people is wrong. You're wrong."
"Aki has always needed someone to guide her. It's because of me she was able to unleash all of her powers!" Divine spat out. "You never could see that, Éliane. You were always too weak."
"You're pathetic," Yusei came up beside Yui.
"No, but this one here is!" Divine pointed to Lina. "The outcome is clear! She's no different from the idiot out there. She's let hate cloud her vision, and all to find out the truth of her stupid brother's disappearance."
"You killed him," It wasn't a question that came out of Kirika's mouth. It was a statement. "Just like the others."
"Misty chose to believe what she wanted to believe. She chose to blame Aki," Divine laughed out.
"I think we all know who's to blame," Yusei glared at Divine. He stepped closer to Lina as if he were going to protect her.
"You're the one responsible for everything, Divine. It's always been you," Lina's voice was cold. "The only reason you tried to kill me is that you were wrong. Aki deserves better than you."
"What are you going to do about it?" Divine's voice was menacing. "There's not a thing any of you can do to stop me." Divine raised his hand, but Yui was faster. She pushed in front of the others and blew Divine back against the wall. The arrogant smirk wiped off his face as he realized who his opponent was. Yui had managed to catch him off guard, but Divine would come back harder. Divine placed a card on his duel disk. A fireball appeared. Yusei dragged Lina to the ground to avoid it- but he didn't quite manage to dodge it. He winced in pain.
"Yusei-" Lina looked to him with worry in her eyes. He shook his head.
"Later," Yusei quickly kissed her on the lips in relief that she was okay. That seemed to shut Lina up. "Do you remember the trick I first did when I came to Neo Domino City?" Yusei whispered the words.
Lina titled her head to the side as she tried to think. The thought made her draw in a breath. "You used your duel disk to make sure I heard yours and Jack's duel."
"Bingo. Kirika-" Yusei turned to the brunette.
"I heard. I'm hacking into your duel disk to project it onto the amusement park loudspeakers," Kirika was furiously typing on her holographic keyboard that connected to her watch. Lina was wondering what was keeping Divine busy. When she struggled back to her feet she saw that Yui was going head to head with him. Yui, the same shy, quiet girl who never had an ill word to say to anyone was fighting for her friends' lives.
"It's too bad you never joined the movement," Divine smirked to the girl standing across from him. "With your power-"
"I would never have joined!" Yui barked out. "You rob people of everything they have by telling them lies and making them think they're loved by only you. You just want our power!" Yui was breathing heavily. "You only care about yourself. I would rather be dead than in your cult." Yui didn't regret the harsh words she said. She meant every word.
"Over here, Divine!" Lina tried to turn his attention back to her before he could try anything with Yui. "Tell us about Misty's brother, Divine. Why'd you frame Aki? What use would you get out of that?"
"I couldn't jeopardize my work with the Movement," Divine shrugged as if were nothing. "It was just after Kaito's unfortunate suicide that I orchestrated." The words made Kirika bristle with anger. "Aki's troubled past made her the perfect scapegoat. It was similar to you, Éliane. His body couldn't hold the electricity. He failed to live up to the tests. Only, he didn't have a dog to save him."
Yusei moved closer to Lina, his body moving to stand in front of her.
"You killed him," Lina wanted confirmation. She wanted everyone to hear.
"Yes. His abilities were like yours: pathetic," Divine hissed. "He didn't come close to the standards of the Arcadia Movement."
"You won't get away with this!" Lina shouted, her arm moving to push Yusei away. She was face to face with Divine. "You'll get what's coming to you, Divine. You're done killing and taking lives!"
"We'll see about that!" Divine lunged for Lina, but a hand stopped him. Jack Atlas had his fist gripped around Divine's in a tight squeeze.
"You're never touching her again," Jack spoke with hatred. "Do you understand that, you pathetic man? Touch another hair on her head, and you're going to be thrown out of the window."
"Who's going to stop me?" Divine spat out. Yusei walked forward, his eyes narrowed.
"She has us," Yusei yanked Divine's duel disk off of his arm and flung it away. Kirika kicked it off the ledge and over the building where it fell. Yui stood with her hand on her cards- ready for anything that came her way. Lina felt touched by her friend's presence. She felt energized.
They were here, and they were going to make sure nothing bad ever happened to her again. This man no longer held power over her.
"Do you think you've won?" Divine let out a laugh. "You're still going up against the most powerful duelist!"
This time, Lina was the one to laugh. Divine cut his gaze to her. "What's so funny?"
"The most powerful duelist, and you never noticed that Yusei was recording our entire conversation to anyone here," Lina gazed to him with a smirk on her face. She won. "Misty and Aki heard everything, Divine. You're finished."
"How is that possible?" Divine struggled to get out of Jack's grip. It was pointless. Yusei held up his duel disk. There was a clear blinking green light next to his life point counter.
"Kirika hacked into my duel disk's functions to broadcast our duel onto the loudspeakers outside," Yusei seemed amused. He made his duel disk from scratch, and he was glad he added the recording feature to it. It came in handy the past few months. "I enabled the live function feature." Jack let Divine go and pushed him away. Divine looked down at the duel. Misty was looking right up at him. She clearly had heard every word.
"You'll pay for this," Misty was trembling. "It's been you all along." Her mark began to glow violet.
"His powers were nothing!" Divine yelled back at her.
"And you're nothing to me!" Misty flung her arm out. Divine seemed to notice that Misty's Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua was looming over him. The lizard shot his tongue out- as if he were a tasty fly- and wrapped itself around Divine. The leader of the Arcadia Movement made a noise but was powerless as the Earthbound Immortal consumed him.
Lina felt nothing as she watched Divine. No, that was a lie.
She felt relief.
"Aki's not turning back," Yui glanced down at the duel.
"Forgive me, Aki," Misty appeared regretful. Aki held the same glassy look in her eyes. "It wasn't your fault. I am so so sorry for blaming you for everything that happened. Perhaps by forfeiting this duel, you will see that I am sincere. Maybe then you will find it in your heart to forgive me." Misty's hand hovered over her duel disk.
I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO END THIS DUEL.
A deep voice echoed throughout the arena.
"I've seen this before!" Jack looked over the edge. "With- with my opponent- the darkness took over when she tried to quit the duel. It's the darkness controlling her."
"We have to stop her," Lina frowned. "Aki- she's not out of it yet!"
"Hey, Aki!" A familiar orange haired friend ran forward to Aki and gripped his hands in hers. "You gotta snap out of it!"
"Get away from me," Aki's voice was low. She wasn't herself. "I have a duel to win."
"Don't you get it?" Crow growled in frustration. "Look- when I fought a Dark Signer, I fought for a revenge, but a friend told me I was wrong! You gotta see that there's people worth fighting for!"
"And she's dead! I have no one else!" The wind around Aki was beginning to push harder. Crow gritted his teeth against the wind but refused to let go.
"She's talking about me," Lina realized. She turned to Yui. "I need to get down fast."
"Do you trust me?" Yusei's voice spoke up. Lina turned to him in shock.
"Do I trust you?" Lina repeated the sentence in confusion. "Of course I do."
"Then get ready to jump," Yusei nodded to her. Lina hesitated. Jack gave her a reassuring nod.
Lina was terrified. She had fallen before and died.
But this was for Aki. This was to help Aki. Yusei told her to trust him, and goddammit, she trusted him.
She loved him with everything she had.
She knew Yusei would catch her when she would fall. That's what you do when you love someone.
Lina stepped closer to the edge and continued stepping back until her feet left the edge. Her eye caught Yusei's. He was nodded to her in reassurance. Lina smiled back at him.
She wasn't afraid. Not when she had him. He caught her before. He would do it again.
Yusei flung a card towards Yui, who easily caught it and placed it onto her duel disk. Speed Warrior appeared and caught Lina in his arms. Lina had to laugh as the duel monster carefully set her down onto the ground and vanished.
She was alive and she was on the ground.
"You've gotta snap out of this. You're stronger than that!" Lina could hear Crow trying to talk to Aki.
"Hey," Lina called out with a wave. Crow turned to Lina with a relieved laugh.
"What are you waiting for?! Get your ass over here and wake her up!" Crow stepped out of the way. Aki seemed confused until Lina stepped forward and grabbed her hands.
"Aki, it's me," Lina smiled down at her friend. "Wake up. You gotta fight this."
"Lina. That's Lina," Aki's eyes started to clear. She blinked. Lina knew she was back. Aki's eyes immediately began to water. "You're alive."
"Yeah," Lina agreed with a nod. "I'm right here. But I think you have a duel to stop."
"You're right. And now there's nothing holding me back!" Aki turned to face Misty. "I'll finish the duel!"
Aki was in control of her powers. Lina was proud to see it. The duel concluded with Aki taking out Misty's Earthbound Immortal, and the rest of Misty's life points. The marks left her body, her eyes alight. She sunk to her knees, but when she glanced back up at the group, she was smiling. The locket had snapped from her neck. "I'm free," Misty sounded relieved. "Adrien, my only friend. Tell him we'll see each other again," When Misty spoke this, she was looking right at Lina. Lina didn't understand why, but she took her words seriously.
"I will. I promise," Lina nodded to the woman. Misty seemed content with this.
"Toby," Misty smiled. "Your big sister's coming."
Misty disappeared into ash. Aki silently walked over and grabbed the locket off of the ground.
"Aki?" Lina quietly called out. "Are you okay?"
There was a pause. Aki turned around. Tears were clearly in her eyes. She ran forward and wrapped her arms around Lina. Lina had to step back from the sudden rush but wrapped her arms around her friend.
"Don't you ever do that to me again!" Aki had her scary voice on.
"I won't! I promise," Lina rubbed her back. Stars lit up the sky. Lina knew people were returning from when the Earthbound Immortal captured them.
"I'm afraid this is where I must depart," Kirika's voice interrupted everyone's thoughts. The group turned to Kirika in shock.
"You're not staying!?" Lina's mouth dropped open.
"I'm afraid I have other duties to attend to," Kirika had a look on her face. She was up to something. Lina knew it. "Just because I'm not here for the final battle does not mean I'm not here in spirit. I just have other things I must do." Her gaze traveled to the side of the park. "I have some errands to make. But," Kirika turned and reached her hand out to Lina. Lina took it in hers. "It was a pleasure to help you, Lina Kazukata. Thank you for everything. I know you will win this war. I'm just off to fight another battle for you. There's some loose ends that need to be tied."
"No, thank you. We couldn't have done it without you," Lina smiled at her. "I hope you find what you need."
"I will, don't you worry about that. You forget who you are talking to," Kirika looked to Yusei and bowed her head. "Good luck, Yusei Fudo. You may need it." Kirika began to walk off towards her D-Wheel. Lina could see that Yui was gazing after her. Lina elbowed her.
"Go after her," Lina spoke playfully, causing Yui to jump in the air. Yui's cheeks turned bright red. "I know you want to."
"No, no I don't! I want to stay with you," Yui nodded determinedly.
"It's not your fight. You did a lot for me already, and..." Lina glanced after Kirika. "You've both been through a lot. It might help to go with someone who understands," Lina glanced back to Yui with a pleading look. "Go with her. I want you to be happy. You deserve it. To her...you're equal." Lina knew she was using both Yui and Anya's words against her. Anya wanted Yui to be with someone who could be her equal. Kirika and Yui were equals in the eyes of each other. It's what Yui deserved.
Yui had tears in her eyes. She took Lina's face in her hands and gently kissed her on the cheek. Lina beamed at her in return. "Thank you," Yui told her passionately. Yui sprinted forward to try and catch up with Kirika. "Kirika! Wait!" Yui wouldn't slow down until she was right in front of the beautiful, powerful, brunette girl with long legs and stunning eyes.
Kirika glanced back, her eyebrows lifting in surprise. Yui noted that Kirika seemed pleased. A smile touched the edge of her lips, despite Kirika's bewilderment. "Yui? I thought you would stay with Lina."
"I want to come with you," Yui confessed with red tinted cheeks.. "Because- well-" Yui didn't know what to say. She couldn't figure out how to express the words she needed. So instead, she took Kirika's face in hers and pressed her lips to hers. For the first time, Kirika Kaiba seemed to be caught off guard. The kiss was pleasant. It made Yui feel as if she were flying in the air, and she never wanted to come back down. Kirika wrapped her arms around Yui's waist and pulled her closer. When Yui pulled back from the kiss, she could see Kirika had an amused smile on her face. Kirika's face was also tinted with a slight pink.
"If that's what you wanted, you should have said so sooner," Kirika let out a laugh, causing Yui to giggle in return. "Come on. I have some calls to make. There may have been a bastard who appeared after Misty was defeated that needs locked up."
Meanwhile, back at the control tower, the ground started to shake. The group jumped, their guards automatically raised.
"What's going on!?" Rua cried out.
"Look!" Ruka pointed up at the sky. A new golden light appeared in the shape of a new Mark: the Mark of the Condor.
"Another Dark Signer?" Crow sounded pissed off. "Who the hell could it be now?"
"Looks like we're about to find out!" Yusei watched as a light appeared from where the Old Reactor used to be. Lightning struck around the crater. A figure started to crawl its way out of the ground. The group realized in horror that they never shut off the last control unit. This was the King of the Netherworld about to destroy the world.
"It's headed to the city," Lina's eyes widened. She turned hastily towards the group. "Is there a way for your bullshit Signer magic to stop it!?"
"Roman did say that if we failed to seal the four towers in time, this would happen," Crow could only watch the monster crawl towards the city."
"I'm guessing that's him," Yusei replied in a deadpan voice.
"We have to do something!" Ruka winced as her mark lit up. One by one, all of the other Signer Marks lit up. More lightning crashed from the ground. Yusei grabbed onto Lina and wrapped his arm around her shoulders protectively.
"What is that?" Lina felt that familiar strong pull, but when she tried to reach out, it felt like she was trying to listen to another language.
"It's the Crimson Dragon," Yusei informed her.
"What's it doing?" Lina asked back.
The Crimson Dragon let out a cry. It turned towards them, lunging as if it were about to snap at them. A bright flash of light and the group was soaring through an endless void of stars.
"Are we inside of the Crimson Dragon?" Aki couldn't believe what was happening.
"Yeah- and I think it's taking us somewhere!" Jack tried to move around.
"I think our stop's comin' up!" Crow seemed amused by everything.
Another flash and the group found themselves back in the real world. Yusei, Lina, Jack, and Crow all had their D-Wheels with them. They were standing on the edge of a familiar looking garden.
They were outside of Godwin's mansion, right where the Stairway of the Crimson Dragon lay. Only this time, it was much taller.
Godwin sat at the top.
None of this could be good.
Divine woke up outside of the abandoned amusement park. His entire body hurt. His eyes opened, only to see a tall figure standing directly in front of him. The figure was wearing a green button up with a long purple coat that billowed in the wind. The power, the presence, reminded him of one person.
"Seto Kaiba," Divine hoarsely spoke out.
"Wrong," The voice was feminine. Divine's vision cleared enough to see a woman standing in front of him. Her dark green eyes stared down at him as if he were the scum on her shoes. "I'm his daughter, the sister to Kaito Kaiba, the man you murdered." Divine finally noticed Kirika was standing in front of a team of people, all dressed in security uniforms. A tall man with silver hair stood beside her, his nose upturned. Yui stood in the back, watching at a safe distance, but her duel disk was activated just in case.
"You," Divine growled out.
"Me," Kirika's mouth turned into a smirk. "I've died by a Dark Signer too, Divine. I knew you would be back. That's why I decided to call my team- so I would be ready. I told you that you will rot for your crimes. I'm here to keep my promise. Itsuki," Kirika turned to the silver-haired boy beside her. "Will this evidence suffice?" Kirika pressed a button on her duel disk.
"I couldn't jeopardize my work with the Movement. It was just after Kaito's unfortunate suicide that I orchestrated. Aki's troubled past made her the perfect scapegoat. It was similar to you, Éliane. His body couldn't hold the electricity. He failed to live up to the tests. Only, he didn't have a dog to save him."
Kirika had replayed Divine's own words back to him. Itsuki held his own smirk on his face.
"He won't be out for a long time thanks to justice," Itsuki Phoenix glanced down at Divine. "You won't be able to touch anyone ever again. We have a cell create just for you. It blocks out your powers thanks to new technology created by KaibaCorp. We've been waiting for you." Itsuki held the handcuffs in his hands.
"You won't get away with this," Divine snapped back. "I have my own money, my own lawyers-"
"One call from a member of the Kaiba family, and I ended your whole life," Kirika's smirk only grew. "After all, who wants a Kaiba on their bad side, especially after hearing the confessed murder of their only son?" Kirika's gaze hardened. "It's over. You will be brought to justice. You will pay for touching a member of the Kaiba name."
"No," Divine realized the wall he hit. "This can't be-"
"Divine Kaiser, you are under arrest for the murder of Kaito Kaiba, along with a long list that includes the kidnapping and attempted murder of Lina Kazukata, the death of Toby Lola, and countless more," Itsuki listed off the offenses with a smile. "We have witnesses for the trial already lined up. Your reign of terror is over."