Chapter Eleven
A Small and Satisfied Smile
"Why is this so pressing?"
Rain and Rahlin had been walking for ages, and while Rahlin appreciated the company, her arm and leg ached. She'd forgotten the difficulty of walking. Rain told her she had disappeared from Domino City for two weeks.
Her time in the other world felt like eons, and she felt she had aged the same amount. The distant chorus of car beeps and engine rumbles must have been a dream. A handful of passersby stopped, stared, and whispered; she remembered her reputation in the City.
The KaibaCorp building, king of the skyline, towered blocks behind them now. They'd strayed towards the shore. A wave of nausea threatened Rahlin as she recalled her moment on the docks, when she dueled Serenity Wheeler.
While, yes, she had saved those whose souls she reaped, she could run into them at any moment. Her sacrifice wasn't public knowledge. As long as she remained in Domino, the people around her would be a constant reminder of who she truly was.
Yet the girl walking in front of her spun on her heel, grinned while walking backwards, and said, "You gotta try ice cream! It's the least I could do for you!"
Like she hadn't noticed the glares. The scorn.
"I love you," Rain had said.
Rahlin held up her flat hand to shadow her eye. Her focus skimmed the distant sky. Smokestacks disguised the red arm of a construction crane. Her lip jumped. Rahlin couldn't stop herself from smiling.
"Whatcha looking at?" Rain asked.
"Nothing."
She nudged Rahlin with an elbow. "C'mooon!"
A wave crashed over rocks, and rusting hulls groaned. Rahlin whispered, "I worked hard on becoming a good actor to keep secrets from Geh, but a certain someone saw through my act. I was reminded of him."
"I, um." Rain scratched beneath her hat. "I met some people who knew you, and they didn't have the nicest things to say. So, so I made sure to tell them how great you are!"
"Who did you meet?"
Rain recounted dueling Kaiba and Joey, neither of which had kind words to spare for Rahlin. She attempted to explain why the duels ended in no contest results. Rahlin's head spun as they approached a stand on wheels with a teal-and-seafoam striped awning.
"So he's from the future, this Paradox guy," Rahlin said.
"Yup."
"And you're from the future?"
"Yup."
"But he's from a further future, and you were at odds because you disagreed about the future he had seen?"
"Yup."
"How could he be wrong about what he experienced?"
Rain's head tilted. "Uhhh. Paradox got told why the future was all apocalypse-y, but that person was lying to him. He believed 'em, though. He followed the orders of somebody trying to make his future worse… not that he knew it."
An exhale whistled out of Rahlin's nostrils. The story reminded her of Geh. She wondered about Rafael, Valon, and Alister. Okay, she may not have cared too much about Rafael and Valon, but Alister at least she worried about.
There was Mai, too. Rahlin expected her to be better off without having to put up with a "kid." Considering how it ended with her duel against Joey, she expected the return of the souls to bring Mai back to her real friends.
Rahlin glanced up. Rain was staring at her, and sweat beaded on her forehead. Rahlin said, "What?"
"Y-you, uh, were really thinking about the things I said."
"Woops." She smiled a little and touched the bridge of her nose. "Mind's a maze."
A horribly awkward and loud laugh came from Rain. Rahlin gave her a look. Rain's hands flew to cover her mouth. "S-sorry. Sorry, I, uhh…"
She wheeled around and said to the vendor, "Three soft serves please!"
"Three?" Rahlin said. "You're sure I'll like it that much?"
Rain pushed a cone into her hand. Frosty air drifted off the curly waves of white. Rahlin blinked. From the name, she supposed she should have expected cream and ice to have been cold. She was expecting a drink, though. Whatever the stuff was, it came frozen solid.
The other two cones Rain pinched between her knuckles like ninja stars. She struggled to keep the ice cream up while also fiddling with the green gem on her bracelet. Tapping it brought up a holographic menu.
"What's that?" Rahlin asked.
"I really shouldn't. This is probably a bad idea. Er, this is the time machine that brought me here. I was gonna go back with you and see- um. The third ice cream cone isn't for you."
Her eye widened.
She knew exactly who Rain meant, but: "It's dangerous, right? It could change things?"
"Yeah."
Her voice was near silent and her pout clear.
Rahlin scanned the pair of cones Rain managed to keep steady. "Let's go. Not for long, of course."
"Of course!" Rain said, her eyes sparkling. "And, and it's not like we'll say anything important!"
"No way!"
"Hold onto me," Rain said, "and we'll go."
A mix of giddiness and apprehension broiled in Rahlin's gut as she leaned on her sister.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/
"There are two of you now?"
Glints of sunshine danced upon endless waves. Their glimmering waltz stretched from horizon to horizon. Three pairs of naked feet dangled over the sea. An occasional salty spray wet their shins. The two girls' legs were pale as ghosts compared to his dark calves.
The oppressive sun enticed a drop of Rain's ice cream to splotch white onto the island's edge. Far behind them, a castle loomed, and the highest in society clustered around the base like babes at the teat. The trio faced the turquoise sea rather than civilization. Rain in particular refused to look away from his golden eyes and the way his too-long hair framed them.
Rain giggled at how he couldn't stop glancing from one of their faces to the other. Rahlin smiled. The sea breeze bothered her stray locks, so she tucked one beneath her eyepatch band. "It's confusing. You can just act like I'm not here."
"You're kidding!" Ranue threw his arms around their necks and dragged them closer. Rain grinned and leaned into it; Rahlin was more shocked than anything. "This is great news! Now there's twice as much to love!"
A lump formed in Rain's throat. She tried to swallow. Ended up bawling instead. Over her sobs, Ranue said, "What'd I do?"
"She's just emotional," Rahlin said, her voice strained. "I mean, we both love you too. A lot. I'm sorry."
"For what? You shouldn't apologize for- no, don't be sorry! You have a time machine and you use it to… visit me? Together? Stars above, you really do love me. You guys…"
Tears spilled from his misty eyes. Unable to look away from them both, Rahlin said, "D-don't."
"What?" Rain squeaked.
"Don't." Rahlin's shoulders quivered. "Or I'll-"
A stream of tears fell from her eye. Rahlin, Rain, and Ranue cried together in their sibling huddle. Sea-skimming gales buffeted them. For all the warmth between them, the cold didn't bother them.
Their conversation was blubbering at first due to swollen throats and eyes. Rahlin wiped a knuckle beneath her nostrils. After a final sniffle, she said, "Rain's engaged and hasn't said a word about it."
"You what?" he shouted. His mouth opened and closed. He whispered, "It's not Dru, is it?"
"Nononono!" Rain squealed. "No, he's the sweetest and most considerate person of all time! He even- he knows how much I like flowers. We live in a desert-ish place. He figured out how to make a greenhouse work there with sprinklers and everything. Now, I get to grow the flowers for my own bouquet! The sprouts are already perfect! Oh, I picked a certain kind of oleander to go into my braids and also the shade of blue is just perfect with my dress and it's got a black middle did I tell you that? I love black so I found the most perfectest one and I think I just used the word perfect for like the third time and also I- I'm sorry. I'm babbling."
Pink touched her cheeks. Her head lowered. At the same time, Rahlin and Ranue said, "Why'd you stop?"
Rain peeked up at them. Tears built in the corners of her eyes. Bawling, she tried to speak and failed. Ranue pulled her close and spoke over her shoulder. "What's a regular day look like for you, Rahlin?"
Her eye focused on the horizon. "I don't have a normal. Erm, it was a difficult situation for me. I'm... I'm actually excited to see my friend again. I was away for a long time."
"Friend? Just one?" he ribbed.
"Just one," she confirmed. "As for how life's going, let's say I'm on unstable footing at the moment."
Ranue stared at her cane. His swallow was hard. Before he spoke, Rahlin groaned. "It was a joke! Ugh. I'm fine. If I'm over it, I ask you join me here on the other side."
He shook his head. "I- I'm sorry it happened, is all."
"Me, too. If you ever meet a rich asshole, punch him for me."
"I can do that!"
Rahlin laughed, and he beamed. She said, "I can't tell you about my current life, but I'll say I have big plans for the future. My highest priority is my dream. I want to be a scientist like you. I want to invent astounding inventions like yours."
His golden eyes widened. "That's not- they're not at all! My duel disk design wasn't even accepted as standard!"
She threw out her arm, and the Chaos duel disk materialized. "And yet remains the best."
His smile shivered.
Their conversation moved onto hypotheses testing methods and small-scale engineering. Rain understood little but listened to all. Finally, Ranue said, "'Scientist' is broad. Anything specific?"
Rahlin's focus drifted up as she thought. "Broad is good. What I want to accomplish is the same."
Rain's inhales and exhales paused. A memory played out before her.
"…an artist, a scientist, an engineer, an architect, and a technician – all to wit I am appropriately qualified."
Ranue chuckled and watched a cloud's lazy trawl over the sun. "To tell the truth, I worried about your future a lot. To know it's so bright and you both have each other's backs – I'm so happy!"
Rahlin smiled but it dropped. "We have to leave soon."
"Oh," Ranue said.
In Rain's mind, this moment had gone by as bittersweet smiles as they left. In reality, they all cried. Again. She couldn't recall a moment in her life where she felt more part of a family.
He said he knew it was so far in the future, but he wished he could be at her wedding. It hurt too much. Rahlin said she'd never live up to his mind. He said he couldn't wait for her to surpass him.
The air back in Domino City tasted more like gas than salt. Rahlin folded her hands over her cane. "Nothing seems too different."
Rain said, "Right."
"The ice cream was as good as you said."
"Yeah."
"You think about him a lot?" she asked. Rain's nod was nigh imperceptible. "I do, too. It makes sense. He was one of the few good people we knew. I- when I was struggling on what decision to make, I wrote him a letter."
"What about?"
Her smile struggled. "Just about being a spoiled princess. It's funny-"
She threw her head back and watched a particular point in the sky. Rain wanted to ask what she kept looking at but also didn't want to overstep. Rahlin said, "I was talking with a friend, one time, and he asked about what I wanted to invent. I told him a time machine… so I could ask my brother what the right thing to do was."
Rahlin was laughing to herself but broke off when she noticed Rain staring with wide, wide eyes.
"Um. Was it something I said?"
"N-no!" She flashed a too-wide smile. "Nothing at all!"
Rahlin's stare was too questioning, so Rain added: "Okay, fine! You just admitted it. You said you had a friend!"
Rahlin avoided eye contact and grasped her tie. Her hand dropped. She loosened the tie and tugged her collar away. "I may have made a big mistake. I think I've done something cruel."
Rain balked. "Cruel how?"
"I thought I'd have more time, so I didn't have a chance to say good-by. I… disappeared on him."
"Ohhhh!" Rain's smile finally became genuine. "You mean Ryo!"
"You met Ryo?"
She'd never heard Rahlin's voice reach such a high pitch. Rain's fingertips pressed together as she said, "Yup! He's super excited to see you again! I guess that makes two people I need to look for since I need to give back the Millennium Puzzle. Yugi said he'd be waiting in Domino Square."
A sigh passed Rahlin's lips. "That's far."
Rain tried not to look at her cane and failed. "I could go and bring him back. If you want to see him, I mean. Yugi said you were his friend. Well, the tall Yugi. The short one didn't talk much. Oh. There's, like, a tall one and-"
"The prince said that? About me?"
"He sure did," Rain promised. "So? Can I tell them where you are?"
Her stare into the distance was blank. She closed her eye and nodded. Rahlin pointed to a park across the street.
"You'll find me waiting under the apple tree."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Gears within the obelisk holding the Domino Square clock clicked and grinded. The bongs marking the hour repeated four times total. Ryo stood beside Joey at the tower's base.
Yugi sat beside them. The taps of his feet were constant. He would reach for his chest, but his hand would falter and fall. Yugi said, "She's taking a while."
"Bet she stole it," Joey grumbled.
"There is no way to know for sure," Ryo said, "but I believe everything will turn out just peachy! For one, I'm certain it takes longer than expected for Rahlin to travel from place to place. That must be what's keeping them!"
"Yer a real ray of sunshine, eh," Joey commented. "What's got you so excited, anyway? Lookit, Yug! Bakura's hopping like a rabbit!"
Ryo had been shifting his weight from foot to foot. He stopped, and pink dusted his cheeks. "Apologies."
"It's okay." Yugi slouched, and his fist pressed into his cheek. "I hope you're right-"
Yugi shot to his feet. Ryo followed his line of sight. The clicks of Mai Valentine's heels bounced off the buildings enclosing the square. Her hair and hoop earrings bounced with her long gait. A figure behind her struggled to keep up with her speedy walk.
"You owe me a meal, hon," Mai said to Yugi. "I found kid number two lost in the city trying to find you."
Rain had doubled over and was drinking in deep breaths. "Sorry, sorry, I'm sorry…"
Metal jangled. She handed the Millennium Puzzle out balanced upon her fingertips. Yugi smiled and took his treasure back into his hands. A soft, yellow glow emanated from the item. He pulled the chain over his head; the Puzzle rested upon his chest.
Ryo tried and tried to stay quiet and polite as Yugi asked Rain about getting lost. Rain spoke on forgetting the directions. Running into Mai in front of the museum was a miracle and a half, she claimed.
Finally, Ryo blurted, "Excuse me, but, um, are you okay, Rain? Did you find Rahlin? I th-thought she might be here with you!"
The easy smile she showed eased the ache in his chest. "I should've told you sooner. There was a bit of trouble 'cause someone who reeeally didn't like Rahlin tried to keep her asleep. He couldn't stop us. It was a long ways to get here, and she didn't want to walk. She's waiting at the park under the apple tree."
Ryo's throat tightened. He recalled the white queen and a black knight chess pieces clashing, the story woven by a skilled verbal seamstress, and the touch of someone he thought he might never see again.
A thorny intertwinement of nervousness and excitement stabbed his gut.
Blinding light flashed from the eye on Yugi's Puzzle. The Other Yugi took his place. Ryo rubbed his eyes to be certain they weren't playing tricks. The Millennium Items had ways of helping their hosts blend in by planting doubts in those around them.
A fact he unfortunately knew very well and fortunately would no longer need to worry over.
Other Yugi, nigh in hysterics, asked, "Rahlin is alive? Truly?"
"Truly!" Rain affirmed with a wide grin and the pressing together of her fingertips.
"The kid's really back," Mai murmured. "I'll have to… I'll swing by the apartment first. Grab some of her things."
"What, yer just gonna go see her after she blew you off?" Joey said.
She knocked her knuckles lightly on his skull. "Use your brain! Sometimes, I swear. Kid number two explained about a thousand times how Rahlin got herself stuck. Have you heard Rain once?"
He crossed his arms and stuck his nose up. "Nawp. Where's my Red-Eyes?"
Rain held the card out to him and couldn't meet his eyes. "Sorry. It was really stupid of me letting it get taken like that."
"Yeh!" He sniffed as he looked over the card. "Thanks for stealin' it back, though."
"And I knew I could trust you," Other Yugi said. "Thank you for keeping my soul safe."
Rain balked. "You, uhhh, heard all that?"
He gave a little chuckle and offered a thumbs-up. Rain buried her blushing face in her hands. "I- I think I get it. Rahlin has a hard time admitting it, but she's pretty lonely. She doubted anyone thinking of her as a friend. She… she'll be so happy you guys want to see her again."
"Lonely?" Ryo shrieked.
"D-don't tell her I told you! But yeah, she'll be glad- hey!"
It was, quite frankly, unacceptable, so Ryo Bakura broke into a sprint towards Domino Park.
The adrenaline pumping with each pounding step had him fearing his heart may implode. He was all-too aware of a napkin scraping in his pocket. The note scrawled on it was written in a language he couldn't possibly understand himself.
"I"
Because of that, she wouldn't have wanted him to know what she wrote, surely? Would it be bad manners to acknowledge he knew what it said? Ryo sprinted by a statue of two graceful figures embracing one another in the dip of a tango. What if she appeared confused – had no idea what he spoke of? What if the message wasn't meant for him?
"love"
He took the stairs down two at a time. Two weeks ago, in a quiet and anxious tone, she asked him to carry her down the flight. She'd held on tightly enough for her heartbeat to pound against his back. The sole of his shoe scraped against the corner of the bottom stair, and his shoulder slammed against the concrete. He instantly pushed to his feet and kept on. The apple tree was in sight, and the set of giant, plastic chess pieces stood as army ranks.
Sunlight dripping through swaying leaves landed upon silver hair.
"you"
Skidding to a stop at the park entrance, he questioned everything. Was it right to bother her? Rahlin's black jacket, tie, and gloves lay beside her. The top button of her shirt was undone, and her white collar brushed her pale cheek. Would she want to see him at all? Her cane bearing the silver dragon lay across her lap. A ray of sunshine seeped through the apple tree and brightened her blue eye, which watched the sky beyond the branches.
"Rahlin could never forget how much she loved you."
His legs trembled. He took a shaky step forward. He thought he might vomit. He took another step. He linked his own fingers together in attempt to disguise their quaking. His shoes whispered over the grass.
Offering the slightest of bows, he blurted, "H-hello!"
A sharp intake of breath marked her surprise. Rahlin stared, and he fought to hold it. He stumbled over his words as he said, "I apologize if you didn't want to see me, or if you left because you wanted to be rid of me, or if-"
To his utter shock, she pushed up and balanced on her leg so she could throw her arms around his neck and pull him close. He wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her up. She whispered, "I'm so sorry I didn't get to say good-by. I got too caught up in wishing I didn't have to."
He tried to say anything back. Fat tears welled in his eyes. He cried on her shoulder. Her hand crept up between his shoulder blades. He tried to say lots of things, like how he missed her quite a lot and never wanted to let go and loved her, too.
He just sobbed.
"It'll be alright," she whispered. "Take your time. I'm not going anywhere."
He sniffled and fought with the tightness of his throat. "I- I-"
Her laugh was light and near silent. "You don't have to say anything."
"No, I, I never want you to be lonely!"
She tensed. "What?"
"You shouldn't-" He choked on his words. "I apologize. I was told not to speak on it. Hearing it broke me to pieces. I'm your friend, and I'll stay by your side howsoever long you desire."
Lip quivering, she said, "I'm n-not lonely."
Soft exhales filled the silence.
"But," she whispered. Rahlin untangled herself and landed back in place under the apple tree. Bearing a kind smile promising a brilliant future, Rahlin finished, "But that does sound perfect."
He matched her smile but his trembled. She lifted a hand. Its movement stopped. She reached into the black coat laying beside her. Rahlin held Change of Heart out to Ryo.
"You were right – both the lesson that every person has two sides and that I would need the reminder," she said. "It's only fair that, after the reminder paid off, the card should return to its rightful owner."
He lifted the spell card. Staring at the glittery, iridescent foil locked in place his decision: the truth. "You should keep it. There's… something you left me that's paid off, too."
The raising of her eyebrows asked for her. He struggled and struggled to eke out, "I- because of how you vanished on me, I nearly thought you hadn't existed at all. That went away when I visited the museum and they were able to translate what you wrote on the napkin the day of Mai and Joey's duel."
Her statuesque silence accelerated his heart rate. Rahlin reached forward, plucked Change of Heart out of his hand, and grasped his wrist. She turned over his hand and folded the fingers around the card.
Her breath was warm on his skin. She planted a soft kiss on his middle knuckle. Looking up caused her thick lashes to darken her eye to cobalt. In a whisper quiet as a divine breeze, she said, "Call us even."
He could faint. Heavens, he could faint, and his woozy smile said as much.
"Yes?" was all he could squeak.
Her slant of a smile showed her uncontainable amusement.
"Rahlin!"
Other Yugi sprinted past the legions of huge chess pieces. She greeted him with a hearty laugh. "Oi, prince! The snake bastard couldn't keep me down after all!"
He stared and stared.
"Fine," she sighed. She tugged down the sleeve of her white button-up and extended her hand. Other Yugi accepted.
"I kept your secret," he said.
She searched his eyes. "It's killing you."
"Yes. Gods, yes. I wouldn't break an oath on my honor for your memory, but you have no idea the difficulty of hearing the slander they issue upon a knight's name. A true knight; an honorable and dutiful knight. I couldn't even tell my friends why I was in such pain."
"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I didn't think it through. You don't need to worry about it anymore – just so long as you tell your truth out of my earshot. It'll drive me crazy to hear how you'll lie and talk me up."
"The truth from my perspective is not a lie."
"What are you talking about?" Ryo asked.
"I'll explain everything." He glanced to Rahlin. "Later."
The racing of Ryo's mind was wiped away by the arrival of three newcomers. One said, "See? You won't get lost with me around, kiddo."
Rain, again gasping for breath, had arrived flanked by Mai and Joey. Mai hefted an oblong, black box. She left the other two and approached Rahlin. Mai thrust the object towards her, saying, "You owe me twenty songs."
Sunshine glinted on the silver clasps as Rahlin freed them. She opened the case. Her eye closed but smile grew. She set aside the box and asked, "What have I done to earn such a debt?"
"The Irish good-by." At Rahlin's confusion, Mai said, "Sneaking away without telling anyone. The songs are one for each night Elegant yowled over missing you. Elegant's my cat in case you forgot."
"I didn't forget." Rahlin's brows scrunched. "I was away fifteen days at most."
"Twenty songs," Mai repeated.
A corner of her mouth lifted as she reached into the box. Rahlin balanced a white violin across her palms. Casual as ever, Rain plopped down beside Rahlin. Rain asked, "Was it always white?"
She nodded. "A gift from Geh if you'd believe it."
"He liked you?"
"As long as he thought I was doing what he asked, yes."
"Oh! That reminds me!" She dropped her Decoy Dragon backpack. The item she fished for was large enough to leave her struggling to free it from the sack. She finally yanked out the cylinder and passed it along. "I brought this for you! Um, I left mine at home, but it's meant to be a matching set."
Sand black as the sky between the stars sprinkled through the skinny center of the hourglass. The dark wood framing the glass was blank except for a cursive phrase engraved above the sand.
"Worth every second," Rahlin read aloud. Her expression softened. "This is a precious gift. Thank you."
Rain beamed. "Now we have to take pictures!"
"Eh?"
She pulled a professional camera from the pack. "Yep! I need to take one of you and all your friends!"
"My what?"
"Your friends," Mai said before Rain could speak. "Get dressed, kid. You're a professional, right?"
She blinked at the items sitting beside her. Rahlin scrambled to throw on her coat, gloves, and tie. As per usual, the tie was eschewed. The sight earned a giggle from Ryo. He offered his palm. "I can help you up."
Smiling, she draped her fingers over his. He pulled her to her feet and passed along her cane. Behind them, Joey and Rain fought over the camera. Joey said, "I'll take the pic!"
"No! You gotta be in there!"
"Hell nah am I bein' in the photoshoot!"
"Dude, you're not getting anywhere treating a lady like that." Tristan meandered to their spot in the park. Téa dashed ahead of him and ripped Joey away from Rain. "Looks like the whole gang's together now! You had us worried there, Rahlin!"
She pointed at herself. Téa said, "Yes, you did! I just knew something was up with you, and the way the pharaoh wouldn't talk about you only confirmed what I thought!"
Rahlin scanned her smug stature. "What was it you thought?"
"That you were totally a good guy!"
"I am no guy."
"That's not what I-"
She stopped when she saw Rahlin giggling. Tristan belted out in a laugh. "She joked on Téa! She's in!"
"Vetoed!" Joey said.
"C'mon, dude, let it go!"
"She's an okay kid," Mai added.
"It's fine." She folded her hands over her cane. "Letting bygones be is not always so simple."
"But you have… right?" Rain asked Rahlin, a note unnerved. She gave a simple nod in return.
Joey took the chance to snatch the camera from Rain. "Photo op time!"
Mai rolled her eyes. "Give up on him. Hand on a hip, ladies."
All smiled except Rain, who was caught deep in thought on which hand and which hip. Rahlin noticed and freed her from her suffering by saying, "You don't have to."
Then, all smiles.
Rain squealed in delight when she saw the pictures. She snapped a last candid of Ryo and Rahlin then tacked one on of Joey standing relatively close to the group. He demanded she delete. She pretended to.
They spent a fair few hours under the apple tree with the gang regaling Rain and Rahlin with tales of tournaments, dark spirits, and Egyptian gods. At a certain point, Other Yugi slyly returned a set of dragon and knight cards to Rahlin. Rain begged to hear about Rahlin and Other Yugi's duel despite her sister's protests. Other Yugi's description of Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon left her starry-eyed.
"If yer here, least ya could do is tell us about the future!" Joey said.
"I don't think I'm supposed to," Rain murmured.
"C'mon! One little thing?"
"Invest in motorcycles?"
"Future sounds awesome already," Tristan said.
Rain's smile was sheepish. "I have to go home soon, but I want today to last longer."
Ryo glanced to the horizon. The wavering disc of the sun touched the edge of the world. "Oh. How about dinner together?"
Her despondent pout answered. Rahlin whispered something in her ear, and she perked up. "They have what?"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/
"There are very important terms you need to understand. English is really complicated, so I keep a list," Rain said.
A golden flare from the sunset lashed between skyscrapers and burned upon a pair of empty pie tins. A couple of blueberries stained the bottoms. Rahlin said, "Mhmm?"
"There's this one they say: 'what goes around, goes around.' It means, like, when an action comes back to bite you!"
"I see."
"And when someone says they're 'feeling under the feather,' they mean they are suffering an allergic reaction related to poultry. At least I assume because they're always sick when they say it."
"Makes sense."
"The opposite is saying you are 'fit as a violin.'"
"Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue."
"English is bad at that."
"Agreed."
"Thanks for this." Rain tapped her tin. "Tastes just like Ranue made it. I'm determined to figure out how they made it so tasty."
"Let me know when you do!"
Her smile fell. "I won't be able to come back."
"Sure," Rahlin said, "but we'll meet again, won't we?"
Her lips spread into an all-out grin. "Absolutely. I'll miss your friends, though. They seem fun!"
"I'll tell you everything about them. Someday."
"Someday," Rain repeated. "I love you, Rahlin."
"I love you, too, Rain."
She hopped up from the bench, crossed to the other side, and pulled her into a hug. "G'bye."
"See you again. Follow the wind."
She sniffled. "Bahh! You always know the right thing to say! Um, and enjoy every second you fly."
Rain backed away, spread her stance, and touched her bracelet. She fixed the holographic interface to return to her time. She looked to her sister. Rahlin executed a full-handed salute, which represented extreme gratitude and respect. With a shivering smile, Rain mimicked.
Rain slapped her hand over the bracelet, saying, "An ending defied."
She coughed. The air of her new location was dry as uncooked rice. She fanned herself with her hat. A squeak above got her to look up at the swaying sign, which read, "Satisfaction Town."
Like at Domino City, the sunset painted pastel pink, blood orange, and deep scarlet in a gradient towards the horizon. She approached the first house on the left. Rain offered a little wave to the burst of blossoms within the attached greenhouse.
A gentle knock on the door had two pairs of feet running. A young girl and boy threw open the front entrance. In unison, Nico and West shouted, "You're back!"
They embraced her, and she laughed and hugged back. West said, "In time to make dinner!"
"Uh. Sure! Where is he?"
Nico rolled her eyes. "Talking to his imaginary friend in the kitchen."
Rain dropped her hat on the table by the entrance, pet Stupid the cat, pet Cloud the dog, and headed down the hall. He was hunched over a chessboard. The tip of his tongue peeked out of his mouth.
She shouted, "I DID IT!"
Kalin jumped. Blinked at her. Grinned, hopped up, and shouted, "YOU DID IT!"
Rain leapt into his embrace. He started into a bazillion questions, which she was quick to answer. They were mostly easy, like the typical "are you okay" and "did you get hurt." Paradox only kicked her once. Once!
"What about you?" she asked. "What were you up to while I was gone?"
"Handled the Paradox thing, then-" He pointed an accusatory finger at the chessboard, which was swarmed by black. "She's been beating my ass!"
"Fun!"
"Not really!"
She smiled and interlaced her fingers with his. "Let's sit outside some."
On a ridge beneath the sky, they watched night's approach like an all-consuming tide. The sprinkle of stars winked into sight one-by-one. Rain said, "I made a few friends. One said I'd make a good teacher. What do you think?"
"Shit, with that cool head of yours? You'd piss off kids when they'd try to break you. Sounds great."
She giggled. "I had an idea."
"Yeah?"
"So like, in all the movies, they let out doves at weddings."
"Sounds like a hazard."
"Wonder if we could do a bunch of blue butterflies instead."
"That's trademark infringement."
Rain gasped. "I'll be arrested?"
"…It was a joke. The butterflies are kinda Rahlin's thing."
"True." She hugged her knees to her chest. "They're pretty."
"You, too."
"Y-you can't just say that!"
"Sue me."
Her breath caught. "I forgot one last thing. Be back in a sec!"
His brow lifted. Rain dashed inside. West and Nico were preoccupied arguing about whether soup should be classified as food or drink. Rain tiptoed into the bedroom. Her closet used to hold a dove-white suit coat. In a castle suffocating the sky, who would be god had told her how to save Rahlin.
"When all is said and done…"
Rain retrieved a candle from the shelf above her clothes, placed it on the nightstand, and sparked a match. The warm source of light reminded her of torches far beneath the sea. She removed the green-studded bracelet and held the Orichalcos over the heat.
Silver dripped into the fire. A memory gnawed of thrones and violins.
"So that you are not tempted by the minor and major regrets that are typical to human life…"
She placed the softened bracelet on the floor. Rain breathed in deep and lifted her foot. Her muscles shook. This was the invention of the wisest mind to ever exist, and Rain's only out if anything horrible were to again occur.
"Destroy my greatest invention, Rain, such that you may live unchained. There are no cycles and this is the only timeline. Welcome to the brilliant future."
So she listened to the wisest mind to ever exist and shattered the time machine. She gathered up the pieces and dumped them into the trash. Rain exited beneath the stars and brought the camera with her.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/
"What d'you think she's after?" Kalin asked.
Rahlin watched the symphony of stars gallivanting across the heavens. A miniscule smile graced her face. "I have a good guess, but who can know for sure? I've heard the future is a mystery."
"You're hilarious," he deadpanned.
She kept her eye on the stars. Her azure butterfly rounded her head, the tip of its wing brushing her ear. She tucked her hair back. The butterfly landed on her kneecap. A gust of wind sent a tumbleweed rolling over the silver landscape below their ridge. The butterfly held strong.
She thought on her encounter in the past. That final person, Z-ONE she could now recognize them as, had told her three very important words: "In due time." Z-ONE knew best. A comforting thought, considering…
Her smile broadened.
"What're you so happy about?" he asked.
"What is this, an interrogation?"
"Hell yeah!" he said. "Tell me everything you know about Ryo."
Her brows lifted. She leaned back on the heels of her hands. The movement caused two rings on a necklace beneath her shirt to clink. He didn't need to know that. She offered a lazy smile. "In due time."
"Fuck you."
"Love you too."
"Yeah, same," he admitted.
Dust kicked up behind Rain as she sprinted towards them. She slid into a sitting position between Kalin and Rahlin. Rahlin was sort of surprised Rain didn't run straight into her considering Rain couldn't see her; she was a duel spirit attached to Kalin only.
"Looklooklooklook!" Rain said. She showed him the screen of a digital camera. Happy photographs of Rain, Rahlin, and her friends from Domino City scrolled by. Rain prattled on about Yugi, Mai, Joey, Ryo, and even Kaiba. At the Kaiba stories, Kalin said he'd kick the CEO off the roof.
Rahlin burst out laughing. Against her better self, there was a little bit of satisfaction in the mental image.
Rain continued on about her experiences with Paradox, the Spirit of the Ring, Zane, and Geh. Rahlin kept her eye on the butterfly. She thought more on Z-ONE. The time traveler had desired, more than anything, to see the butterfly effect – or, Chaos Theory – be realized. Z-ONE acted out every conceivable way to alter the course of the future. None panned out. The lack of proof on the butterfly effect sent Z-ONE spiraling into hopelessness.
The butterfly crawled onto Rahlin's fingertip. She'd had times in her life when the days seemed to run together and she wondered the point of it all. Wake up. Go to work. Go home. Do whatever distracted her enough to reach tomorrow. Repeat.
Yet there was a moment that kept her going; there was a certain moment in her past that was her Butterfly Moment.
When her imprisoning crystal shattered and she fell into Rain and Geh's duel, she'd heard Rain defending her. Rain called Rahlin a… hero. That moment had played on repeat in her mind for years and years.
Someone from the future, someone who understood her character, knew she was capable of good.
That scene, which she referred to as her Butterfly Moment, rippled her way of thinking from then onward. If she, of all people, was capable of being a hero, anyone was. Where she formally thought others as not to be trusted and out to take advantage of her, she managed a brighter outlook. She believed in the people around her, and it changed her world.
Rahlin wanted to stay. She liked staying in that world, and she loved the life she led.
"Hey."
Her word was little more than a quiet exhale, but Kalin heard. He said, "What is it?"
"There are plenty of endings out there, y'know. The world could always be better. The people, too," she murmured. She offered the sky a small and satisfied smile. "But… I like the one we've chosen."