Note: Jack's dragon has a different name in japanese, Red Demon's Dragon Scarlight, where here it's name is Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend. The official subs use Scarlight, but Jack himself says Red Demon's, which is the name I will personally be using in this fic. Just so everyone knows and isn't confused, since the name I hear Jack say in my head is Red Demon's it's what I decided to go with.

Now onwards to the chapter~

"I said I'm fine."

"Collapsing with no warning is not categorized as 'fine'."

Eyes avert. "I'm just a bit tired..."

"Then let me finish checking you over and you can go rest. It won't take much longer."

Yugo doesn't quite keep the petulant pout off his face, the other two occupants of the room just keeping the amusement off their faces. The doctor looks over his wrists. "The swelling is gone and the redness has decreased a lot. Has the salve helped?"

"Yeah, though it smells weird," Yugo says, wrinkling his nose.

The woman lets out a small laugh. "Medicinal ones rarely smell nice. Soon you can use a normal one with a nicer scent if you'd like."

"I-I'm fine, I don't really need that kinda thing..."

The woman only hums in response, not adding anything. She takes the time to check over the cut on Yugo's foot. "Seems this is healing nicely as well. Just try to stay off it for a little longer and keep it clean, and it should be good as new."

"Okaaay," Yugo says reluctantly, sour over having to be careful for longer.

"It'd have healed better now if you hadn't made the wound re-open," the woman says, voice a tad bit sharper. Yugo flinches and droops into himself and the couch he was sitting on. Jack looks away from the pointed look from the doctor, face as stoic as ever.

Yugo glances up. "Sorry."

A sigh. "Just be careful. It's looking good, no sign of infection or other problems, so you've done good so far letting it heal." They finish putting a new pad over the wound and put the bandages away. She turns to them both with a small smile. "However, nothing else seems to be wrong. But considering you did collapse, please take it easy for a few days and make sure to eat and drink properly. Otherwise, you're good to go."

The words make Yugo brighten up and smile. He stands back up, only to almost crumble to the floor when his legs turn out to still be a bit too unsteady. A hand wraps around his upper arm, keeping him upright.

"Go rest." Jack's voice is hard and leaves no room for argument.

"I'm not tired," Yugo protests anyway, straightening up stubbornly when his legs won't threaten to buckle under him anymore.

"You said earlier that you were tired," Jack says, Yugo wincing as his words are used against him. Jack gives his back a light push. "Don't make me carry you."

Yugo grumbles, staring stubbornly up at the man for a moment before turning on his heel and going to his assigned room with a small pout on his face. The two left wait until his door clicks shut, silence falling over the spacious living room of the King's quarters.

"You sure have taken to your role of guardian well, Jack."

Jack gives the doctor a blank, unimpressed look, making her giggle behind her hand. He crosses his arms over his front. "The boy is just too carefree to leave on his own."

"Yes, yes, my apologies."

Jack grunts as the woman packs away her things into her case. There's a silence between them, broken only by the shuffling of medical gear, before Jack sighs again. "Thank you for coming on such short notice, Aki."

Aki Izayoi simply smiles and waves her hand. "It was nothing. I just had an evening of paperwork planned, nothing important. When you call me sounding so frazzled, you can figure out what takes priority."

"I was not frazzled."

Aki shakes her head in light amusement, clicking her case safely shut and placing it on the floor next to the sofa.

Jack sits down heavily in an armchair, letting out a sigh. "There's really nothing wrong?"

Aki shook her head. "I didn't sugarcoat anything I said to Yugo. He really appears to be fine. It'd be easier to tell with some more tests, but…"

"Not for a while," Jack answers with a frown.

"That would be for the best," Aki says, a dark look flashing over her face as she thinks back to the puncture marks on the boy's forearms when he had first been brought to her…

Jack bringing a gaunt teenage boy in a hospital gown to her out of nowhere one evening was about the last thing she had expected. He looked a bit skittish, glancing around her office nervously like he wasn't supposed to be here, yet was anyway.

"This is Aki Izayoi," Jack said to the boy, whose head had snapped over to him. "She's a doctor, the one I trust the most. She won't hurt you."

Warning signals had started ringing immediately just from how Jack addressed and described her. More went off when she caught how the boy's face had twisted in discomfort when the word 'doctor' had left the man's mouth. He had marginally relaxed at the reassurement that she wouldn't hurt him.

Discreetly, she looked him over once more. When she spotted the bloody foot he wasn't standing on, the glaring red circles around his wrists and ankles, the signals only blared louder and louder. And the way he seemed to be refraining from hiding behind Jack but didn't stray too far from him.

Instead of immediately asking questions like she wanted to, Aki put on a smile and calmly stood up. "Bringing me patients personally sure is a new one for you, King."

Jack only grunts in response. Aki stops just beyond arm's length from the boy, smiling reassuringly. She holds out a hand to him. "Like you just heard, I am Aki Izayoi, but you can call me Aki. What's your name?"

The boy seems taken back at her actions, glancing at her hand and back to her eyes again. Likely a Commons then, though Aki had already been quite sure of that, going by all the signs she was used to seeing reflected on the boy's body and reactions.

He did take her hand, grasping it in a way that said he wasn't used to polite handshakes, grip a bit tight and moving it up and down awkwardly. He didn't look away from her gaze, however. "I'm Yugo. Uh, nice to meet you."

A genuine laugh came from her at the greeting that seemed to have been almost tacked on, like he had to remind himself to say it. "Nice to meet you. Do you mind if I look you over? I promise I won't do anything to make you uncomfortable."

That foot definitely needed a look at quickly. She couldn't tell if it was still bleeding or where the wound was, but all possible ways it could have gotten there that surfaced in her head told her sooner was very much better than later. Then there were the puncture holes left from needles she saw on his arms…

'God, Jack, what kind of kid have you brought to me, and what have you gotten into.'

Yugo looked a bit hesitant, curling a hand over his wrists and giving Jack a quick glance.

"Jack can of course come too if you'd like. And the moment you say no, I'll stop everything I'm doing, I promise."

Jack gives an affirmative nod when Yugo looks up at him. Finally, he nods himself. "Okay."

Aki smiles again. "Follow me then."

She leads them to her private examination room down the hall outside her office, that only she had regular access to and no outside surveillance. It was spacious, but not enough to echo, and almost homely. A potted plant here and a pair of green curtains there leaving it not looking quite so sterile but still professional. The boy seems to relax slightly as they enter, looking around curiously.

She directs Yugo to hop up on one of the pallets as she washes and sterilizes her hands. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees how Jack stands near while the boy hops up, only stepping away once he's sitting comfortably.

Yugo looks over to her, pulling down the hospital gown he was wearing. Aki wondered where she could get her hands on some proper clothes for the poor boy. Maybe Jack already had something in mind.

Aki pulls out one of the blankets she keeps in a cupboard, a soft light green one, and brings it with her when she rolls over on her chair to the end of the bed. She hands it over to Yugo, who takes it with a somewhat confused but grateful look. She gestures to his foot. "Could I have a look?"

Yugo moves it to her gingerly. He jolts to as the gown slides up more and quickly moves to lay the blanket in a heap over his legs, cheeks pink in embarrassment. Aki, already expecting this, keeps her eyes on her equipment, pretending to go through it. When the boy stops moving around does she turn to him again.

Aki looks over the wound, brow furrowed. "Seems you stepped in some glass. There are still shards in there I will have to take out."

"T-take out?" he nervously repeats.

"With a pincer. They can't be left in there, but I promise I'll be as careful as I possibly can."

Yugo's eyes follow after her as Aki gets up to get the pincer and a tray to put the pieces in before sitting down again.

"Just tell me if it hurts or you want a break," she says, pincer in hand and metal tray on a stand next to her. Yugo warily eyes the metal object in her hand, but nods his head resolutely for her to start.

It's slow going, but Yugo doesn't complain. He winces and let's out a whimper here and there, but otherwise stays quiet and still, stubbornly shaking his head 'no' every time Aki asks if she should stop. He's firmly not looking in her direction, hands wrung in the soft blanket laid over his lap and shaking just a little.

"How old are you, Yugo?"

"Oh, uh fourteen," he stumbles to answer, glancing at her like he was unsure whether to look at her while they were talking or not.

She wasn't looking away from her work aside from a quick glance, so she wasn't offended. Hmm, next topic here would usually be where he lived, but that seemed a bit of a sore spot right now. "Do you like dueling?"

Aki finds out she chose the right question when his face brightens up almost right away as he nods. "Yeah! It's a lot of fun, especially riding duels! I kinda wish me and Rin could have one each- oh Rin is my best friend! She's really strong!"

"Oh?"

Yugo nods, and when Aki glances up, he's almost glowing as he talks about this girl. "She's beaten me lots of times, but I've won a lot too! We've dueled so much we've forgotten the score-" his voice cuts of with a pained hitch in his voice as Aki dug out a particularly nasty piece.

"Sorry, do you want a break?" Aki asks, the glass hitting the metal tray with a clink.

"N-no, I'm fine," he says, straightening up and puffing out his chest, even though there are tears in the corner of his eyes.

"Very well." Even though she says this, Aki takes a moment to clean off excess blood from the pincer before resuming.

"Jack comes here to be treated by me," she says offhandedly, "Sprains, sores, normal colds, whatever you can think of."

Aki leans in a bit to mock whisper to the boy, who's now looking at her in interest. "If you ask me, I think he might be scared of doctors."

It did the trick, Yugo snorting and quickly covering his mouth with his hand as he giggles, nervous tension running out like water from a watering can. He looked much more like the child he really was.

"I am not scared of doctors. How stupid…" Jack mutters where he stands, leaned silently against the wall next to the door. Out of the way but still within the boy's eyesight, Aki realised. How cute.

"You keep telling yourself that," Aki says, ignoring the irritated look directed at her back. She knew he wasn't, of course, he just preferred that if someone had to look over him, it be someone he trusts and knows. Didn't mean she couldn't poke fun at him sometimes.

"Done." She leans back, seeing blue eyes widen, surprised over how quick it went. Aki stands up. "Still okay?"

Yugo nods quickly as Aki goes to get two bowls of water and get a soft rag. He tries to flex his foot only to flinch when pain flares up and more blood leaks out.

"Try not to move it too much, it needs time to close." Aki gently chastise as she sits back down, bowls in place on her table. He nods, face still screwed up from the jolt of pain. Aki soaks the rag in water before carefully cleaning off the blood.

"Are you and Jack friends?" Yugo asks. He looks more relaxed again, eyes looking lighter and almost starting to sway in place before stopping himself to not disturb her work.

"Mmm, I suppose you could call us that," Aki answers, dunking the rag to wash out the blood and turning the water red. She wrings it out and dunks it in another bowl with clean water, repeating the process. "We've known each other for years now, before he became King."

Yugo looks surprised at this. "Really?"

Aki nods. "I do trips down to the Commons on occasion, offering my skills as a doctor for free. We ran into each other a few times that way."

"Wow…" Yugo sounds genuinely awed over this. He smiles, the brightest she's seen him look since she laid eyes on him. It looked very natural on his face. "You're a really good person!"

Aki blinks in surprise at the genuine sentiment. There was no hidden motive in his voice, just stating matter of factly that he thought she was nice. She smiles, the gesture a tad softer and genuine than her previous ones.

"Did they give you something odd? To drink or by injection," she asks carefully as she finishes up and starts bandaging the wound after double-checking there were no glass pieces she had somehow missed.

"Umm, I don't think so. I just felt very tired or passed out when they put anything in." As he says this, hands move to subconsciously cover his lower arms, folded against his stomach. "Think the food was normal though."

Sedatives only, then. There might have been something else, but she saw no obvious signs as of yet. Keeping tests to the minimum would be the best for now.

"Oh, but I got shocks," Yugo says suddenly. He doesn't notice how Aki and Jack abruptly stills. He runs a hand over his head, ruffling his hair. "To my head, it hurt a lot and I get a bit hazy during it and usually collapse. But it doesn't hurt for long after, just some headaches that I sleep off."

"I see," Aki says, forcing her voice to remain steady and her hands to keep working. She finishes dressing the wound, Yugo pulling the foot to him on the bed and running his fingers curiously over the bandages. "May I have a quick look at your head?"

Yugo eyes her dubiously, running his hand through the blue strands almost protectively as he leans away. "You're not gonna shave it, right…?"

It almost makes Aki snort. Almost. A smile pulls at her lips regardless, a huffed cut-off laugh coming from behind her that the boy doesn't seem to realise having come from Jack.

"No, no, I won't need to do that. I just want to check that there's no obvious damage."

Still looking suspicious, Yugo nods. He sits quietly as Aki turns his head here and there and parts his hair to look at his skull or presses down on certain areas. "Tell me if it hurts anywhere or feels uncomfortable when I apply pressure somewhere."

"It doesn't hurt." A hand go up to tap near his temples. "Something usually hurt around here when they jammed that damn helmet on me, though."

Aki finds small marks that looked like someone had pressed something sharp against the skin for long periods of time, and has to take a slow, calming breath to soothe the rising anger inside her. She looks over to Jack now that the boy couldn't see her face. His expression has darkened, eyes looking somewhere that wasn't here.

His eyes meet her demanding ones. He mouths a word that makes her blood run cold and boil in anger at the same time.

'Roger.'

Roger. Of course it was that slimy excuse of a human being. Aki could not think of a worse man for this boy to end up in the clutches of, nor one she despised more.

In the back of her mind, something slithered and rustled. Aki shushed it. Later, she promised.

She misses Yugo flinching and his eyes jumping around the room.

After a bewildered look from Yugo when she asked if he was aware of any allergies, she gave him ointment for the rough circles around his wrists and ankles. As she's showing him how to apply the ointment, he starts to hiss and have to stop himself from pulling his arms away from her. "Is that supposed to sting like hell?"

"It's because your skin is so dry and raw. After a while it will stop hurting if you keep applying the salve, don't worry."

He looks dubious and not very happy but nods with no other voiced complaints. The boy is certainly more well-behaved than some kids she had treated in the past. Perhaps in part because of his lack of experience with doctor visits leaving him unsure how to act in this new situation. Or whatever he had been put through before Jack discovered his soft side and got him here. Aki was sure to interrogate the man thoroughly as soon as she got the chance.

Aki sits up straight and rolls back a bit. "There, all done. Are you doing alright?"

"Y-yeah! Uh, thank you," Yugo says, looking awkward but still grateful.

"You're welcome. You're free to go now, just remember to keep applying that salve and try to keep your wrists and ankles in the fresh air. Don't put too much strain on your foot until it's healed, it's preferred if you kept from standing up too much. It's supposed to itch as it heals, but if pus starts coming from it or the pain gets worse, come to me right away."

The last part was aimed at both Yugo and Jack, Aki rolling back further to look at the man listening, his purple eyes widening a tiny bit. The words had another meaning, in a way. That she was in on this whole ordeal whether he wanted her to or not. Jack looked her in the eye and nodded his head in gratitude.

Yugo moves to slide off the pallet, but looks at the blanket Aki had given him. He starts to take it off. "Oh, this thing…"

"You can keep it for now, if you'd like," Aki says before he can pull it off himself completely. Blue eyes look at her in surprise and Aki only smiles in response. "I have spares. You can give it back later, once you've got some proper clothes."

No doubt he would feel much more comfortable walking around with something more covering him than just that hospital gown on.

Yugo gets down and, after a moment of consideration, wraps the blanket around his shoulders. His eyes linger on the fabric for a second, eyes softening and turning a bit somber. He gripped it a bit tighter around himself. Aki was concerned at the sight, but refrained from asking.

"If there's nothing else, we're going," Jack cuts in, stepping away from the wall and to the door opening it. Yugo jumps at his voice, hurrying over as best he could while limping, bare feet pattering against the floor. He goes out first into the hall at Jack's gesture. "Thank you for your help, Aki."

"It's my job, don't mention it." Even as she says this, she looks sharply at Jack as she follows them the short distance to get back to her office, saying certainly but with no words that 'We are going to talk about this'.

The man only nods in response before turning and walking off again, Yugo looking back at her before quickly following. Aki noticed with not slight amusement that Jack was walking slower than usual, so the limping boy could comfortably walk next to him.

It tickled her so much she couldn't help but keep standing outside her office, hand resting on the doorknob. The sight of the Duel King holding back on his usual long strides just so a child that just reached up to his chest could keep up with him was one she would never forget. Nor let Jack forget any time soon.

Before they veer off down another hall and behind the corner, Yugo looks back at her and, seeing her still looking their way, waves goodbye with a smile.

Aki blinks in surprise and finds herself waving back, even caught off-guard by the innocent gesture.

Then, the hall was empty.

And the slithering started again. Aki pulled open her office door and slipped inside, shutting it with a soft click.

"It's unlike you to be curious about humans this quickly… Black Rose."

Her dragon hums as it rises to the forefront of her mind. "Like us."

"In what way?" She sits back down at her desk, but with no real intention of doing any work. She was frankly a bit drained after that debacle.

"He heard me. A dragon's child, that one. They're calling out for him."

Aki leans back in her chair, listening intently to her unusually chatty dragon. Well, in that she wasn't only talking about violence. "The one calling to him, is it his dragon?"

Black Rose chuckles, satisfaction emanating off her. "Correct. They're powerful, more than me and Red Demon's. They won't stand to be separated from their hatchling for much longer."

Aki frowns, tapping a finger against the armrest. That sounded ominous… Might be a bad idea to leave alone.

"Do you know how Jack found him?"

Black Rose curls up in amusement at the question, wines and petals rustling. "Something called out to the boy. And Red Demon's noticed him after that. Panicked and scared, running for freedom, like a little caged bird."

That would explain it, but Red Demon's was about as likely to care about other humans as Black Rose was, so very unlikely. But it seemed Yugo was an exception.

With a sigh, Aki gets up from her chair again. "At least he's safe now, before something terrible happened."

"Even if we had done nothing, he would have been rescued eventually."

Aki stops in front of her door, frowning. "What do you mean?"

"Pack mates look out for each other at all cost. It just so happens that these one's masters are quite close as well." Black Rose seems to be holding back a delighted laugh. "The carnage that they would have caused, had they been forced to come here when the boy's cries grew too loud or cut out completely… it's a pity we won't get to see it."

Despite herself, a small shiver traveled through her at the tone in her dragon's voice.

'It'd be nice if nothing occurred…'

The sentiment felt naive before she even finished the thought.

Aki takes a sip of the cup of coffee in her hand. "So, any idea yourself on what happened?"

Jack doesn't say anything, frowning down into his own cup. Aki waits, taking small sips and looking at the skyline of the city outside the windows.

"Aki, what do you think of telepathy?"

The question sounded so odd coming from him, it took her a good while to even formulate a response as she stared blankly. Jack doesn't seem to care, just waiting for her answer, eyes never leaving his drink.

"...Well, I might be capable of it on a small scale, but I don't know much or how to explain it. Nor of others with similar powers." She puts her cup down on its saucer on the coffee table. "Why the sudden inquiry? You've never paid much mind to psychic powers before."

"I asked him a while back why Roger locked him up."

Aki straightens in her seat, attention now focused fully on her long-time friend. "Did he tell you?"

Jack nods, brow furrowed. "You remember the girl he talked about the day you examined him?" the man puts down his cup too, leaning back in his seat with his arms crossed. He continues after Aki nods. "Security came after them both one night. After they were told they'd let the girl go free if Yugo came willingly, he sent her away."

Aki frowns, puzzled. "Sent away?"

Jack shakes his head, looking slightly exasperated. "He doesn't know how he did it. Just that he apparently sent her to another dimension."

"...Jack. I know you aren't into jokes," she ignores the annoyed look sent her way, "So excuse me if I can't tell if you're messing with me or not."

"I had a hard time believing what he was talking about myself, but," he sighs, "It was the look in his eyes. I couldn't see a hint of deceit in him anywhere. He said that there were three other worlds besides our own, and that he had friends in each one that he could talk to telepathically."

Aki attempts to absorb his words, or look for any hint of Jack suddenly developing a sense of humour. But there was nothing.

"You're serious."

Jack only nods. Then, his expression turn grim. "Aki, when did Roger get here?"

Aki frowns, sensing the mood change. "Three years ago."

"And his lack of background before then has been noted."

"Yes, but-" Red eyes widen as it clicks in her head. "You mean he came from another world?"

"The Fusion Dimension, is what Yugo told me he would be from." Jack's eyes move and linger on the boy's bedroom door. "One of his friends said their homebase, Academia, should have sent an agent over here in preparation for an invasion at least two years ago. Another one's home has already fallen into ruin thanks to them."

Aki bites on her thumbnail, mind whirling at the things she's being told. It matched up. Roger's arrival always made her suspicious, along with the Real Solid Vision technology he brought with him. But if the scum was here for such a horrendous reason...

"You're making a familiar face there, Aki."

Red eyes sharp as the thorns on her dragon flicker up to him, face screwed up in barely subdued fury. She grunts. "No one important is here."

Jack makes a half-offended noise but stays quiet otherwise. He picks up his cup again and take a sip. Aki sinks into her seat a bit further, eyes straying up to the ceiling. "Things are turning out to be a lot more complicated than I ever thought they could be."

"An understatement to say the least."

Black Rose is laughing lowly, excited for the chaos in the upcoming future. Rubbing the corner of her eyes with her thumb and forefinger, Aki sighs.

When she looks back at Jack, she notices he suddenly looks… almost tired. Drained, in a way.

Aki's brow furrow. "How about you, Jack? Are you alright?"

Purple eyes flick over to her shortly before looking outside again. "I am fine." He's quiet for a moment, and Aki waits. "...I'm just impressed he's back on his feet so quickly after that."

'That', being the state Yugo had been in when Jack had called her and when she had practically flown through the door. Even through the phone, Aki had heard the boy, sobbing and hiccuping and mumbling gibberish. By the time she had gotten there in record time, he was calmer, but still near unconsolable, still crying and gripping onto Jack like a lifeline where they sat in a heap on the floor.

Even so, she had been able to make out a few words as she tried her best to make him breathe properly and calm down.

"Where did they go- They're nowhere- nowhere no-"

It took some time and a lot of gentle urging and soft words, but Yugo did manage to look them in the eye. Shimmering with tears and red rimmed and looking so distressed Aki worried he was having a panic attack.

She didn't know what he saw, for neither of them managed to get a word out before his eyes slide shut and he crumbled to the floor.

"...Was the people he couldn't hear his friends from the other worlds?"

"That's what I figured too," Jack sighs. "They've been together every day for over two years, I suppose you can't blame him."

Aki nods in agreement. She couldn't imagine what suddenly loosing such a connection would be like. When she likened it to the possibility of never being able to speak to Black Rose again, she couldn't quite keep the shiver of discomfort at bay.

"I'm going to Standard."

No response. Not that she expected one.

Serena looks at the sleeping figure on the bed for a while longer, slowly rising up and down. She thought he was making fun of her when he turned his back to her to sleep, but somehow it was easier to talk with him facing away from her.

"I heard from the spy sent back from Standard that there are Xyz refugees there." Her hands clench tight over her lap. "If I find and defeat them, the Professor will have to admit my strength."

Yuri doesn't show any sign of being awake to hear her, only sound coming from him is soft inhales and exhales.

Serena doesn't know why she's talking about this when Yuri can't even hear her. Not to matter why she's even talking to Yuri. Why did she even think to tell him about it when she spotted him in the hallway?

She gets up, deciding she had stayed long enough that he wasn't faking being asleep. She walks over to the desk and moves aside the chair pushed up against it, getting down on her knees and crawling underneath. She reaches over to the plank closest to the wall by the left table leg, pushing down on it until it pops out. She picks it up and sets it aside, peering into the space under the floorboards. The corner of the decoy cardboard box is what she first sees, and promptly ignores, reaching inside. Her fingers grab around until it finds a smaller, wooden box that she promptly grabs hold of and pulls out.

Removing the lid, she finds the spare key to Yuri's bedroom door. It was near identical to the one for Serena's room, just the teeth were different. Same round, detailed top, just as thick and heavy in her hand. Hidden in the same place as her own spare key.

Serena palms it, puts the lid on the box back on and returns it to its place under the floor. She's a bit hasty when crawling back out from under the desk though, and slams her head in the desk when she tries to get up. Something clatters to the floor.

Serena bites back the pained yelp that almost escaped, gingerly holding her aching head. She stays quiet, listening for any sign that the commotion woke Yuri up. But the deep breathing continues without interruption.

Carefully this time, Serena crawls out from under the desk, putting the key in her pocket as she moves. Her hand brushes up against something on the floor, making her look over.

It's a book. Leather bound with a leather strap and button that looked like it was supposed to be holding it closed, but had clicked open in the fall. It wasn't too thick, but not overly thin either. What looked like bookmarks stuck out from the top, quite far apart from each other.

She picks it up as she gets back on her feet, meaning to put it back on the desk, when a flash of colour within the pages catches her eye. She pauses, staring at it.

…Would Yuri be mad if she looked through his things?

Yeah. But he was the one who had it out in the open. And she didn't really care if he got irritated or not.

Serena turns it open at the beginning.

And blinks.

Flowers. Petals and leaves, pressed and held into place with tape decorated the quiet thick pages. On the page she was on, it was full of red in all sorts of shades, carefully taped into place on the surprisingly thick page. Turning the page, some orange and more leaves turned up, until the flowers became blue, white and yellow. Flicking further turned up purple, violet and almost black petals and flowers.

Some looked fresher than others, not having been in here as long as the others. Serena was a bit surprised when she could recognise some of the complete flowers or a particularly weird petal as ones she had seen in Yuri's garden.

Text was written next to the pressed greenery in swirly handwriting she didn't bother trying to read, but she guessed they were names of the plants.

The book wasn't full, as she flipped through it she eventually reached bare pages. The colours had long started blending together since, looking less overly neat and more like an attempt of neatness had been made.

"What's even the point," Serena mutters to herself, mindful of her volume. "You can't do anything with this kinda thing anyway."

Serena shuts the book and clicks the button back in place to hold it closed. Despite her words, she puts the book down carefully before walking over to the door.

Pausing with her hand on the doorknob, she glances back. Yuri hasn't moved, still sleeping. Serena opens the door and steps out, locking it again with a soft click.

/I can't believe I missed out on Yuto wearing my clothes.\

~It was hilarious!~

{Quite the bold act from our dear phantom.}

[Can we drop it. Please.]

/Please tell me someone got a picture.\

~I told him to get one so we all could see but he said no.~

/Yuto you killjoy.\

[I am not sharing that with more people than needed.]

/But a whole stadium saw you! No fair! Do it again later!\

[No. Your clothes are too uncomfortable.]

/What's with that, stingy.\

[Too many colours.]

/Well sooorry for liking some colour in my life, Mr. Dour!\

[Do-?!]

~Pffthahaha!~

{Well, that is one type of description.}

[I wear colour sometimes!]

{Black is not a colour.}

[...I wear purple too.]

{Oh, lovely, I'll be sure to get you a lavender shirt in the future.}

[Guh-]

/It'll match his hair Yuri, do it!\

~Hahahaha!~

[...Leave me alone.]

"I didn't know you were into cosplay, Yuto."

Yuto flinches, looking up at Ruri who's eyeing him with an amused expression. He had barely walked into the inner parts of LDS, and he was already under attack.

"N-no, that was-"

Ruri dramatically turns away, hands held behind her back. "Aaahah, maybe I should go ask my doubles if I can switch clothes with them too. It looked pretty fun."

Yuto flounders. "It wasn't, I mean- I'm sorry I didn't say anything, but it was a bit of a last minute decision, so-"

"Suddenly hit with the urge to impersonate your Standard double?" Shun adds, amusement actually slightly visible on his face. "And here I thought you were a planning type of person."

Yuto's eyes swivel between the two, unable to come up with a retort at the teasing he was put under. Neither Kurosaki seemed willing to take pity on him, Ruri tittering and Shun having a ghost of a smile on his face.

He sighs. "Yeah yeah, laugh at me. Not like I haven't had enough of that today."

Ruri looks at him, mouth and smile hidden behind her hand. "Your other two?"

"Yugo wouldn't stop cackling for a good while, even after the duel started I could still hear him."

Ruri giggles again. What sounded like a snort came from Shun, but when both Yuto and Ruri snapped their eyes over to him, he had turned his face away and was completely quiet.

Shun coughs. "Anyway, this isn't the time for this." He looks to Yuto, eyes now grim and making him straighten. Ruri quickly turns somber, gaze falling down to the floor. "Something happened while you were gone."

Yuto turns alarmed almost right away, walking closer to the siblings. "What happened? Why didn't you contact me?"

"Nothing happened to us, don't worry. And we didn't want to bother you," Ruri answers, gripping her left arm with her right hand.

Yuto frowns. "What happened?"

"Someone was carded." Yuto's eyes, wide and alarmed, snap over to Shun. Ruri's head hangs low. "The security cameras caught someone being carded by a girl in a hooded cloak. He used Xyz."

Yuto's stomach sinks as the possible implication slowly hits him. Ruri's hands are shaking now, even clenched tight as they were in an attempt to hide it, fingers digging into her bare arm. "But that could mean…"

"They're probably here for us," Ruri says, voice heavy. "The boy, Shijima Hokuto, was competing in the tournament. The Fusion user probably saw them on the screens playing the duels, and assumed he was one of us."

"We don't know that for sure," Yuto says in an attempt to comfort her, despite doubt clawing at him. "I mean, why would Academia send forces to catch only three Xyz users?"

"We don't know. But she was seen watching the duel of another Xyz user today," Shun says. He looks sour. "Akaba Reiji has forbidden us from intervening when he deals with it. And we only know because Ruri was there as they watched the footage."

The notion that Shun didn't believe they would have been told if Ruri hadn't been there wasn't said, but lingered heavy in his voice.

Yuto frowns, chewing on his lip. "Yuri hasn't mentioned anything of anyone being sent here yet. But he's also been sleeping for the most part of yesterday…"

He doubted Yuri wouldn't mention something like that. It's more likely he just didn't know.

Yuto notices that Ruri is still shaking a little, a complicated expression on her face that almost looked haunted. Is she feeling that bad over this? "Ruri? Are you okay?"

She flinches, hand falling away from her arm to hold her clenched fist in front of her. Her eyes looked dark, from seeing something frightening or anger, he wasn't sure.

Shun frowns, taking a step closer to her but doesn't touch her. "There's one more thing."

Yuto quickly looks up at him, glancing between the siblings. "What is it?"

"The girl who carded Shijima Hokuto," Shun looks down in concern at his little sister, who's now frowning as he talks. "She looked exactly like Ruri."

Yuto's eyes widen. Oh.

Oh no.

"President."

Reiji looks up as Nakajima enters his office. He had work to do, too much to sort out and plan for. Nakajima knows this, and the man would also not bother him if it wasn't something important.

"What is it?"

Nakajima doesn't look very happy to be interrupting. "One of the people from Xyz wishes to talk to you."

Reiji's eyes go to the doorway behind the man when a dark shape fills it. His mind automatically registers him as Sakaki Yuya, but another glance over says differently.

Yuto, his mind helpfully supplies to him, looks silently into the room, face blank. "If it's a bad time, I can come back later. But I think we're overdue a talk."

Reiji leans back in his chair and pushes up his glasses. "There's no better time than now. Come in."

Nakajima doesn't look happy, but bows and excuses himself. Yuto walks up to Reiji's desk, cloak fluttering behind him like an overly large shadow. He stands there silently, simply looking at Reiji, who proceeds to do the same. This would be the first time they have a proper conversation, now that he thinks about it.

Much like Ruri with Hiiragi Yuzu and Rin, he looked eerily identical to Sakaki Yuya. But now that he had the opportunity to look at the boy properly, he could single out differences. The hair and eyes were the obvious ones, but he could sense a different air about him compared to Sakaki Yuya. Weightier, more weary, but still ready to fight at a moment's notice if need be.

A trait that Reiji, Standard as a whole, was in need of.

They sit and stand in silence, Reiji waiting for the other to speak, fingers folded in his lap. If he had sought him out, then he must have a reason.

Finally, Yuto opens his mouth to speak. "I heard from Ruri and Shun. That someone was carded."

Reiji's brow furrowed, just barely enough to be noticeable. Having Kurosaki Ruri present when they watched the footage was not ideal, making the already distrusting group even more paranoid. He had no intention of withholding it from them for long, but he would have liked some more time. Nothing to do about it now.

"I see," he says, pushing up his glasses with a finger. He tries not to think of Shijima Hokuto's frightened face, frozen in time on a small slip of paper. His student, his responsibility, his failure.

"What will you do with them?" Yuto asks. The light frown on his face was the only change in his expression.

"At the moment, we are putting all our resources into reversing the effect." Reiji answers, seeing no reason to withhold that information. He pushes up his glasses. "With utmost care."

Yuto nods after a moment of silence. Then, his eyes turn almost somber. "...What about his family? Or friends?"

Ah, so he was concerned about that. A surprising show of compassion, going from his appearance and dueling style, from what his opponents had reported.

Reiji takes a moment to answer, folding his fingers and placing them on his desk. "Currently, he is only reported as 'missing'. When it comes to it, we will reveal the truth to his family and take responsibility for what happened."

Grey eyes blink in mild surprise. "You're acting more accountable for this than I expected."

Reiji doesn't answer, letting the boy draw his own conclusions. Instead, there was something he was curious about himself. He closes his eyes. "In terms of responsibility, it appears you have taken on some in regard to Sakaki Yuya." Purple eyes open to look keenly at the boy. "Enough to duel in his place."

Yuto barely hides his flinch, but not fast enough for Reiji not to notice. Grey eyes slide down to the side, looking away from Reiji's gaze for the first time since he stepped inside his office.

"...If he hadn't come to the park, he could have still been awake now. I didn't want him to be disqualified because of me."

"So you feel guilty because of what happened?" Reiji pushes up his glasses, gaze not leaving the boy. "Are you that close, or did something happen that we didn't see?"

An eye twitches, but otherwise no obvious reaction. Yuto looks him in the eye again. "I don't know what happened that night. What I want to know, is what you plan to do to fight against Academia."

Reiji allows the conversation shift, having seen the topic coming. At the sight of accusation forming in his eyes, Reiji guesses the siblings must have given him some information.

"With this tournament, I want to find warriors who can fight against Academia."

Yuto's eyes narrow slightly. "Warriors?"

"The Lancers, as they've been dubbed," he responds, leans back in his seat. "The young duelists who have yet to become accustomed to a single way of dueling, have the best potential to fight against our enemy with the only thing unique to us."

Yuto inclines his head, eyes sharp. "Pendulum."

Reiji nods. "They'll take to it better than any of our more experienced duelists."

Yuto looks like he wants to argue for a second, but doesn't, just clenches his jaw.

"And how will Yuya feel about this?" he asks in a low voice, a dark tremor lying undercurrent in his words. "That the summoning method he created will be used for war?"

Reiji closes his eyes for a moment, taking a breath. He knows, even with minimal contact with the pioneer of Pendulum Summoning, what he would think of this. However…

"His feelings do not matter." When Reiji looks back at Yuto, his eyes are hard as iron. "Too much is at stake. Too many lives threatened, to be worried about what one single person will think."

Something seems to flare up behind Yuto's eyes, like a flash of lightning reflecting in them. But the weather was clear and sunny outside the windows behind Reiji. And just as fast as a lightning strike, it was gone, cloaked shoulders slumping slightly.

Reiji folds his hands in his lap. "The warrior from Academia is not here by orders. But soon, forces will arrive to retrieve her." Yuto's head snaps up at his words, eyes alert. "The last part of the tournament will be changed into a Battle Royal, to protect the citizens and avoid panic."

"Are you sending them out to die?" Yuto says, voice rougher with anger. "They won't know, will they? That they're going to fight a war. People will die."

Reiji's hands clench in his lap, but he stands up from his chair and meets Yuto's burning gaze evenly. "I know. But if they can't fight Academia off, then no one can. I am prepared for the consequences."

"They're not," Yuto snaps back. "They don't know anything, and that lack of knowledge will cost them their lives."

"Perhaps." Reiji pushes up his glasses, willing his hands to remain steady at the very real possible consequences thrown at him. There was nothing else he could do in his current position. And to convey that, he had to remain calm. "But neither did the people of Heartland once. And it's a barrier that needs to break."

Yuto seems to tremble in place, looking furious. Finally, he straightens up, hand straying to a red piece of cloth tied around his upper arm. "I'm going out too. I won't let them fight alone."

Quietly, Reiji let's out a sigh, straightening up himself. "I won't stop you. They won't be the only ones out there, and Kurosaki Shun will be there as well, to see if anyone is worthy of joining the Lancers."

Grey eyes narrow slightly at the mention of the name. He nods once, and turns on his heel to walk out of the office without another word.

It's first when the door shuts behind him and he's alone in his office once again, that Reiji lets himself sink down in his chair once more. He rubs at the corner of his eyes, hoping he's made the right decision.

"Are you really okay now, Yuya?"

Yuya gives Yuzu a reassuring smile. "I'm in tip-top shape! After all that sleeping, I'm itching to go out there again!"

Yuzu looks hard at him for a moment, before finally cracking a smile. "Okay, fine, I'll believe you."

"Make sure not to push yourself too hard," Gongenzaka says roughly next to Yuzu, arms folded over his chest. "It'll be bad if something happened."

"Don't worry! I'll be just fine!" He smiles reassuringly, pulling a small smile from both of them as a result.

They look ahead as Nico shows up with a mic. "Everyone, thank you for waiting! Now, the 16 finalist will be participating in a Battle Royal!"

"Huh?" Yuya and Yuzu say at the same time. The crowd goes quiet in surprise, but soon excitement starts to emerge.

"Well then, let me explain the rules! Pendulum cards created by Leo Corporation is hidden across the city. When a duelist has gathered two of them, they are able to duel! They then decide how many to wager in a duel, and the winner get's the losers Pendulum cards!"

"Everyone has Pendulum cards?" Yuzu repeats.

[Yuya!]

Yuya jumps, earning a weird look from Yuzu. He laughs awkwardly. "Must be the nerves."

/What's wrong, Yuto?\

"The battle begins at noon! The time limit is 24 hours!"

[Something bad has happened.]

/Huh?\

The timer has started and Yuya busies himself with readying his duel disk. Just minutes left.

{Bad news.}

/Wait- Yuri you too?\

~What's happening?~

"Open the gate!"

The big gate leading out into the city opens, the audience seats lifting upwards.

[From the Fusion Dimension-]{That damn Serena-}

~Gaaahh! We can't make anything out when you try to talk at the same time!~

"Actiooon…."

Yuya grimaces as he gets anxious from all the noise in his head, coupled with the timer ticking down. Mere seconds until it was time.

"Duel!"

The clock hits noon, a sound goes off, and Yuya's running along with everyone else.

[Academia is coming!]

And his heart promptly hits his throat.

*rides by sitting on a skateboard holding a sign that says "I do what I want" before crashing into a tree*

So yeah I put in Aki in here. I like her. No clue if I got her right, so if anyone has any tips on writing her, I'd welcome it, cause I don't want her to be completely out of character. Hope I get Jack right too, I like him but he's hard to write for me ;v;

If I forgot any super important event, I'm sorry, my brain is jumbled up like hell form juggling all the events that's changing and stuff that needs to happen still. Working with many characters that do different things that occasionally match up is hard man, major kudos to people who can do it well.