Coming to the future had been impressive but there wasn't a steep learning curve to adjust to. However, Yugi and Jaden weren't there for a field trip. They were rightly curious about the group intent on killing them and were trying to learn as much as they could without risking altering history once they were safe to return to their own times. This was highlighting a few problems that were usually covered up by nuances of the situation.

"So there's 'Nanashi' but that's not his real name?" Looking at Yusei for confirmation, Jaden had an unexpectedly good question lined up by the time he arrived that day. "Leading the Yliaster that tried to kill you three times before but are now sort of working with you?"

"And tried to drop a city... on the city." Having to say the sentence aloud suddenly made childhood stories a lot more chilling and Musume sat upright on the couch. "How the fuck did you guys end up working with them?"

"Don't worry." There was still a lot of bad blood over that reveal. "It wasn't like we had a vote about it." Jack sipping his coffee meant he was in a state of either extreme rage or untroubled calm. Since starting anger management, it had become incredibly difficult to determine which he was feeling. One of his staff compared him to a rusty landmine; it may not explode but always watch your step all the same.

"Riiight." There was clearly a unilateral move in there. Jaden knew from experience how well those turned out. "Who's in control of the... other side?" After hearing three murder plots and city-to-city missiles from the allied group, 'bad' was relative.

"We don't really know. Nanashi said they're gathering factions but anyone who joins won't talk to anyone not with them." It was scary. They seemed to be fanatically devoted to whoever was leading the rebel forces. Yusei knew that Nanashi probably used torture as freely as he asked question. That only underlined how deep the devotion ran.

"The Duellist who told me to go to France mentioned his name." After Yusei admitting to forming a partnership with a wanton murderer and yet unnamed figure without consulting his family, Crow felt safe mentioning his unsanctioned excursion. "It's Atag... Atagchu?" He hadn't been paying much attention to names.

Being thrown into a shadowy realm, seeing a childhood saviour he had thought long dead and then being thrust back into the world scarce minutes for the hours he had been gone had shaken him slightly. Luckily, he wasn't the only one in the room who knew the name. "Ataguchu."

"Yeah, Ata..." Crow cut off halfway into his attempt to speak the word. "How did you know that?" All eyes turned to the culprit that nobody would have suspected. Frozen under the glares of everyone in the room, Leo changed colour and failed to make any noise as his mouth flapped soundlessly. Stepping back away from the others only clustered them tighter against him.

Leo? Stepping up in front of him, Phantom placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. 'Qam rimay? Qam yachay shimi? Atiy qam hap'iqay?' Even though the tone was gentle, the words were unlike anything that rest had heard.

"... 'Ari? Qam rimai?'" Yet Leo, albeit haltingly, replied in the same language. "'Kay wiñay kawsay. Ataguchu ayqiy mach'ay!'"

'Qilla, qilla.' Waving away any concern, she positioned herself between the growing horde and her unlikely charge. Could you all take a deep breath and unwind? No gentle smiles as she switched back to Japanese. They would either back off or she would break anyone who took an aggressive step towards Leo.

"Leo?" Being deep in trouble already made Yusei the perfect person to approach first. "How do you know that name?" Turning her head slightly, Phantom made sure that Leo wasn't about to freak out before she stepped slightly to one side. Not entirely. It was plainly clear her guard was still up.

"It's an Incan myth. 'Ataguchu' was the name of a god who saved everyone by finding a way to escape the end of the world through a hidden tunnel in a cave." He could feel the secret about to come out. Unlike everyone else in the room, his clandestine activity was neither important nor extensive. It was merely incredibly embarrassing.

"And why do you know the myth?" Luna knew her twin was incapable of being part of Yliaster. Asking him to hold a secret was like asking him to hold a priceless glass sculpture – expensive and inevitable messy.

"I researched the Signers. Like, a lot." Every time he wasn't taking part in, or waiting to join, a tournament for the past eight years, he had been reading history books and studying mythology. The highlight had been a three-month holiday touring Peru and neighbouring regions to study the history in-depth.

"I don't buy it. You're probably with Yliaster." Luna was saying what everyone was thinking. "Why else would you bother doing research?" Everyone in the room had someone they could relate the statement to. Many of them picked Musume.

"Well... Yusei and Jack got super-cool upgrades to their dragons." And then everyone could see where this was going. Even Yugi and Jaden could figure out what was happening after a few days of knowing him. "And I thought that maybe I could find a way to do that for Life Stream Dragon."

"Okay. But what language was that?" Even Yusei didn't recognise it. If Phantom was speaking an unknown language, it probably wasn't good. If Leo was speaking an unknown language, it was probably harmless. They were two very different areas with little room for crossing over.

"Quechua. It's what the last Signers spoke. I thought it'd be neat to learn." Taking a deep breath through his nose, Jack knew he was hearing the truth. Leo was too precious for that world. He probably belonged in the Spirit World where everyone was happy and sparkles were everywhere.

"And why the fuck do you speak it?" Musume had honed in on the more troubling question that had almost been avoided by other revelations. Leo misguidedly learning an entire language (incredible as it was), Phantom always had a reason for everything she did.

Records indicated that a formal declaration was necessary to initiate a Dark Duel. Backing away from Leo's overwhelming enthusiasm, she felt hiding in the pool might be necessary to ignore the tidal wave of emotion. I hypothesised that it may be possible to alter the conditions of one if I gave the declaration first.

"Huh." Trying to figure out how she had rigged the Dark Duel that night had given Musume a headache. Even reading through the many reports hadn't given her a clear answer. "Fair enough. But no teaching Leo magic!" No matter how slim the chance, she wasn't going to let Leo take it.

You have my word. Everyone relaxed slightly. Their most immature member was universally loved but nobody wanted to worry about his summoning demons over mispronounced Latin.

"No, fuck no!" Hearing Crow swear in anger was a rare experience. Aside from smashing into furniture and the rare accident, he rarely cursed. Musume raised an eyebrow as he pointed an accusatory finger towards Phantom. "We've given you a lot of leeway but you expect us to just believe that you learned a dead language in case it was useful?"

Yes. Sarcasm was as wasted on Phantom as a good sandwich.

"Bullshit." It was obvious from the astonished look on Musume's face that this was new territory for everyone in the room. "What else do you speak, Martian?"

Fluent English, Japanese and French. Passable Russian, Mandarin and basic Spanish. But I would like to learn Martian. All the looks she was getting were slowly breaking through her usual social difficulties. She would have thought that being in a room of people with everyone speaking at least three languages would have eliminated the freak factor. Apparently not.

"People can't just learn languages because they feel like it." Crow sounded especially angry with the perceived lie for some reason. "'Si vous parlez français, vous comprendrez cela. Eh bien? Peux-tu me comprendre?'" Swapping to French, he threw out the accusatory questions with growing anger.

Oui. She felt a bit more was needed. Je parle français? Keeping with the eternal habit of her life, Phantom made the wrong choice. She could see it in the tightening glare of his eyes.

"'Vous ne trompez personne. Vous ne pouvez pas simplement prétendre connaître une langue en utilisant quelques mots courants'." There was a distinct pause before he spat out the final word. "'Chienne'." Only three people in the group spoke French fluently enough to recognise the word: Crow, for his nearly suicidal relationship with Sherry LeBlanc, Yusei, who regularly spoke with Dr Undercliff of CERN and Musume who had been raised with the second language. But everyone knew the tone of the word.

Exactly what passed was difficult to describe. Phantom seemed to take a deep breath in without actually breathing as the frost crackled over her exterior. Ice shattered in her grin as she smiled beneath her mask. Excusez moi. Turning to the highest authority in the room, her flawless French made the situation suddenly tense up. Autorisation de rendre la pareille?

"Sure. Go ahead." Musume hadn't known that Phantom could speak French. Language fluency was hardly a conversation which came up over the dinners she couldn't eat. Also, she was curious exactly what sort of reaction they were about to see. Turning back with the speed of an iceberg also carried the advanced warning of knowing there was an icy reception coming.

Quoi qu'il arrive pour vous mettre en colère, je suis désolé. Si vous voulez que quelqu'un s'en charge, c'est un rôle que je jouerai volontiers. Mais tu n'as pas la chance de crier après Leo ou quelqu'un d'autre dans ta famille! Even Martha wouldn't have taken that exact tone. 'Calm down' with touches of 'we care about and are here for you' with a sprinkle of 'I can break you'.

"What's she saying?" Standing beside Yusei, Akiza was amazed as the language flowed without a single break or pause. Phantom usually took a lot more care of her words to the point of not speaking. Leaning down to one side, Yusei began to whisper a hurried translation into her ear.

Pensez-vous que vous êtes le seul à avoir des problèmes? Akiza a suivi une formation de médecin pendant huit ans et peut-être rester debout et regarder mourir l'homme qu'elle aime. Flinging an arm around for an instant, she pointed across the room at where the doctor stood as she closed the distance between herself and Crow.

"What was that?" Knowing nothing of the language didn't stop Akiza from recognising her own name and the breath tickling her ear died away for a moment. "What did she say?" But the conversation was continuing and he managed to slip past the sentence without drawing more attention to it.

Pensez-vous que quiconque dans cette salle n'a littéralement aucun problème? Même Jack était assez fort pour obtenir de l'aide. Prenez une pause, déterminez ce dont vous avez besoin et tout le monde dans cette salle sera là pour vous aider à le faire. Gripping him by one shoulder, a lot of the chill thawed from her smile. Peux-tu me comprendre?

There was tense silence as everyone attempted to figure out the state of play. "Fuck off." Slapping the hand away, Crow pushed towards the door and practically slammed it open in his rage.

"Fuck me." Leaning back as amazement, Musume hadn't seen anyone so efficiently crushed with compassion before. It was a beautiful sight. "That was impressive."

Merci. Pressing a thumb into her right palm, she tried to stop the fingers from spasming. Excusez moi. Opening the patio door with an elbow, she slipped outside and slipped from view around a corner.

Nobody in the apartment knew quite where to look until Yusei made an executive decision. "Jack and I will get Crow. Musume, can you talk to Phantom?" For once, she didn't even offer an insulting response and merely nodded mutely.


The silent armour was leaning in the alcove around the corner from the door. She had been concerned that it might have fled once again. "Hey." There was a little start as she spoke. "You alright?" Super-hearing was probably on the fritz. They were still working out how it operated.

My apologies. It has been... a while since I last spoke French to... Folding her arms tight didn't entirely obscure the tapping ring finger. It was beating another staccato beat to the thumb to vent her anxiety. Well, it is difficult. Thinking of my brother.

"Why do you speak so many different languages?" Two or three was the average. If she was telling the truth, Phantom spoke at least seven.

Pardon? Drawing her attention to the question, the answer came out with a tinge of embarrassment. For the most part, because I was... non-verbal as a child. I thought learning more languages would help. It did not work as... Okay, go ahead and laugh. The mirth was building to palpable levels.

"Because you couldn't talk, you decided to learn other languages?" Grabbing her on one shoulder for balance, Musume nearly howled in laughter. "That's the dumbest shit I've ever heard. And that includes the time Jack brewed a saucepan of coffee." It had been one of Crow's favourite stories to tell her growing up. There were pictures as his brother succumbed to a caffeine overload followed by a caffeine crash.

Well. Scratching at one cheek didn't help ease her own smile. Looking back, it did seem ridiculous. I am technically retarded. That sobered up her companion in a flash. All amusement at learning the reason had caused Musume to forget Phantom's underlying autism. But even I would never brew a saucepan of coffee. There was a moment where she managed to meet Musume's eyes with a serious gaze before they collapsed into laughter.

"Ah, you'll be okay as long as you don't do a Jack."

"What are you two talking about?" Jack had overheard his name as he opened the door and could see the two women laughing. Towering over the weaker target, he played on the infallible subservience. "Phantom?"

There were seconds until she crumbled under the pressure of being asked a direct question by the most intimidating member of the Signers and they all knew it. Grabbing the back of the boiler suit, Musume bodily picked up her companion and slammed her into the pool. Water exploded in all directions and flooded over the pair still standing on the patio.

"Oops." Brushing a damp lock of hair from over her eyes, Musume sounded unapologetic. "My hand slipped." Silent outrage radiated from Jack as he tried to flap the worst of the water from his coat. "What did you come out here to ask?"

"We calmed Crow down." Transferring his phone and wallet to trouser pockets, he gripped the neck of his coat and shook it as hard as he could at arms-length. "He spoke to Bolton yesterday." Nothing more had to be said. Musume would know the story of how Bolton had betrayed Pearson. Revisiting that trauma only to immediately meet someone who saw Shadow Duels as a research topic would be enough to shake anyone. "What about her?" There were still ripples in the pool but Phantom had told them it restricted her hearing as long as she was immersed.

"Remembered her brother. Sounds like she misses him." They didn't need to cover the trauma of losing a family member, even if they weren't dead. Over his shoulder, she saw Yusei and Akiza pulling on their coats. "Come on, looks like we're back on track."


Back inside, the pair were making to leave. "I need to arrange a couple of things at the SRC before I go. It shouldn't take too long, Trudge agreed to give me a lift." Not that he had much choice. Being in charge of Yusei's freedom and a long-time friend, the ICC would be anxious to take any chance to monitor interactions between the two.

May I accompany you? After levering herself from the pool, Phantom had overheard the plan from outside. There are a few... tasks which require my attention.

"What sort of 'tasks' are you talking about?" Jack was right to be concerned. Only minutes ago, she had brought Crow to tears with words alone. Enough time alone could probably lead to more pervasive chaos.

I... that is... One thumb across the room slipped out a sliver of blade. Laundry. A bit of cleaning. Embarrassment filled the air about her.

"Sorry?" The idea of household chores conflicted with the enigmatic figure. "You didn't seem like a laundry person."

"Explains why you never did your share." Recollections of mounding dirty clothes filled his mind as Yusei shrugged his jacket on. "I'm not sure that Trudge will be able to take you in the car. He'll probably be under orders to monitor me."

That will not be a problem. Slipping from her boiler suit, the vantablack armour became a flat outline independent of depth-perception. I will be able to keep up.

"Fair enough." Saying his farewells to the group, Yusei remained silent until all three were in the elevator and it had dropped several floors. "Why do you want to come to the SRC?" The buildings were rising to meet them. Soon enough, they'd be in the basement parking and splitting up to go their separate routes. "If you really wanted to do laundry, you wouldn't waste time following us there."

Cerulean eyes met azure ones as two shades of blue evaluated one another. It is on the way anyway... and... I would like to... test a hunch.

"What hunch?" Yusei was polite, comforting and welcoming to everyone who came his way. That did not make him foolish enough to believe Phantom so readily right when he was about to leave his time.

I was able to... detect Vice-Chief Trudge before he arrived. I was... hoping to... hear Abi.

At first, he wasn't sure how to respond as he picked through what she was trying to say. Whatever new limits her hearing had, she claimed to be able to differentiate between inanimate electronics and living things. Getting within range of the network in Building Four of the SRC might prove nothing. It might prove everything.

"How do we know that you can even do that?" Akiza could sense his trepidation being held back by hope. As much as she liked the personality the machine had crafted, she didn't have the same attachment to Abi as her partner.

You... can trust me. You should not. But you can. The lift doors opened into the underground parking and she flitted out before they could stop her.

"That her?" Trudge had glimpsed the flat outline before it escaped.

"Huh? Yeah. Yeah, she wants to check on something." The idea was far too simple to accept. Getting a quick answer about Abi seemed impossible. Even though he knew inside that she was as real a person as could be, there was still the moral question of her being alive. Then he realised who Trudge had been talking about. "Aren't you recording us?" He shouldn't be so cavalier if every word was being reported back.

"Whoops. It appears I left my phone in the car." There wasn't a hint of shame in his wide grin. He couldn't do much to stall the ICC but he could still afford a few unobserved moments of conversation. "What's the plan?"

"I need to talk with Kamikawa and his team." Disdain soured Trudge's face at the mention of lawyers. Even those working on his side grated his disposition. "But we're nearly ready. I'll be leaving any day now." They paused outside the door to Trudge's cruiser.

"Is he okay?" Trudge hadn't seen Yusei so distracted since Akiza had taken him to the boat wearing a fabulous dress.

"I think he's just received a shock." There would be no way to verify whatever Phantom reported back. If she said Abi was alive, Yusei would push that much harder to preserve her. If she said Abi was nothing more than a very complicated computer, it might just break his spirit.


Once they had arrived at the SRC, Akiza had peeled off to her work with Din while the men went to deal with the bureaucratic nightmare that was his legal defences. No sooner had they been greeted by Yusei's lawyer than an unpleasant surprise arrived. Elevator doors drew back to reveal the wizened form of Hiraguchi standing beside the pencil figure of Pessimal with briefcase in hand. It was clear that he had followed them as soon as they arrived on the grounds. "Dr Fudo. I trust that I am not interrupting anything?" There was a loaded trap hiding within the simple question. Few defendants would contact their lawyers when it wasn't necessary.

"Not at all. I was hoping to see you." The professionally calm face remained impartial while the air soured slightly. "Kamikawa, is there somewhere we can all speak in private?"

"My office is available." Sparks clashed as the two lawyers watched each other. Theirs was a battlefield where every single move had to be at least perfect. "Pessimal, speak to one of my assistants."

"Actually, I am here to speak with Dr Fudo." The SRC accountant shattered the silence with twin clicks as he reached for a green folder in his briefcase. "This is my final report of all materials suppliers claim to have sent us. It is, of course, subject to change should they uncover further details."

"What's this now?" A kindly smile settled on Hiraguchi's face. Nobody bought it. "Trouble getting all your nuts and bolts in a row?"

"A minor discrepancy was noted in the form of a double order when Dr Fudo returned from America." The briefcase was sealed shut again as Pessimal received a nod to explain. "He requested a more thorough audit of any similar claims by our suppliers."

"Dr Fudo agreed to not directly involve himself with any ongoing SRC business while the investigation proceeds." The kindly smile switched to a razor-blade tone.

"And this does not qualify as ongoing SRC business." Pessimal coldly responded. The only people pickier than lawyers were accountants. "Dr Fudo has personally reviewed every department since the SRC was conceived. This makes him the only person capable of identifying major discrepancies reported by our suppliers. Or will you charge him with simply remembering past activities?"

Hiraguchi mulled over the argument for a minute. "Is there any information in there which could require security clearance?" A slight shift of posture drew his attention to Yusei. "In case it was to be stolen or copied without your knowledge. Despite the investigation, few believe you are untrustworthy."

"Most everything we are supplied with is publicly available materials." Yusei could tell that reading the thick folder would require a few days to process. "And the few that aren't are usually obsolete after we're done with them." Military-grade suppliers had tried blocking the SRC before learning that it only meant a few months delay while they built everything from scratch.

"Good day, gentlemen." Leaving the room with a quiet click of the door, Pessimal left Yusei holding the conversational ball as he turned to his lawyer.

"I understand the official rules in this instance are for the SRC to operate independently of my orders." Of course, he knew the rules – he had written them in the first place. "Which I why I'm speaking as the defendant and not as your boss: Abi is the priority. I'm willing to accept any plea bargain if it means she can go free."

"You can't be serious." Hiraguchi reacted before Kamikawa could. "I appreciate your devotion to your work but throwing away your freedom for one experiment isn't worth it."

"Of course, we will still attempt to seek an arrangement which does not unduly inconvenience you." Smoothly acting as if nothing happened, Kamikawa was already snapping fingers for one of the thronging peons outside his door to come in. "Dr Fudo has asked that we shift focus to preserving the SRC. Research every possibility to protect Abi but try and spare some time for the defendant as well."

"It will never happen." Staunchly ignoring all form of evidence has never changed the outcome. Though he had implied he stilled trusted Yusei, Hiraguchi did not apparently extend that as far as his opinion on Abi's safety. "Not even you are so indispensable to allow her uncontested continuance. Regardless of your attempts at sacrifice, it is most likely that the computer will have to be at least partially disabled." It was lucky that Trudge was still standing off to one side. Without the respected policeman as a witness, the lawyers might have torn Hiraguchi apart and kept bouncing the blame until the case was colder than Yusei's expression.

"Close the door, please." Nobody had ever slammed Kamikawa's door before. It drew all the eyes that Yusei had tried to avoid drawing yet he continued as if nothing was amiss. "In case you forgot where you are standing, it's in one of the most advanced institutions of all time. You are negotiating with enough lawyers to qualify as a small army and with more totals years of experience than all of recorded history." Everyone had seen his serious face on screens during the Pegasus Trinidad. Very few of them had ever experienced the overwhelming pressure seeming to strain against the glass. "And you are threatening the man who revolutionised the global energy system in under a decade. With all that, do you really expect that there is any situation where you will be able to harm any person I protect without repercussion?"

"Easy." Trudge rumbled from afar. He wouldn't step in to protect the lawyer but to stop his friend sabotaging himself.

"Now, I want you to spend the rest of the week thinking about how you cannot possibly find any legal way to do what you are thinking of doing." Those eyes seemed to be burning right through his soul. Hiraguchi had spent a long time taking on the hardest and most high-profile criminals but none of those searing, hate-filled eyes could hold a candle to the billowing passion staring him down. "And then I want you to realise that you could take me down without any effort if you find a way to keep Abi safe. You could even say that she's being studied and stick a couple of your technicians in the roster for the next twenty years. But you will not harm a single bit of one line of her code as long as I still walk this planet." Walking over to the door, he held it open for the raptured face to walk through the parting crowd.

Legally, of course, Kamikawa was not trained enough to recognise how Yusei had just used shock and fear to implant a suggestion. Unofficially, he was impressed. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Do you have any spare stationery around here?" A room crammed with books in a digital age meant that there was almost certainly extra paper around and the lawyer was quick to provide. Hunched over the desk for several minutes, Yusei wrote his usual elegant calligraphy across multiple sheets and housed each one in separate envelopes before signing them. When the work was done, he quickly tucked them out of sight. "Well then." Shaking Kamikawa's hand, he followed with a formal bow. "I suppose that I should let you get back to work."

"Perish the thought." One wrinkled hand waved away the concern. "My department receives a small fortune in wages specifically so that I do not have to work as hard as I once did. Especially when the boss can motivate my workers so effectively." The blunt reminder of his outburst caused Yusei to flush slightly in embarrassment. "Give my best to your family."

"Of course." A sudden bustle of activity started as he opened the door. It appeared that his audience had been waiting in further anticipation. Walking to the elevator, he felt them watching his every move. Might as well put his thumb on the scales. "Can you hold onto these for me?" Paper crinkled as he held the envelopes out to his friend.

"What for?" Trudge recognised most of the names written out. A couple sounded vaguely familiar, probably from somewhere around the SRC. The rest were members of Yusei's family. One was even for him.

"In case... something happens to me." Everything they said would undoubtedly be recorded. If he had said 'in case I don't come back', the ICC would have him locked up in an unfindable cell before dinner. Either way, this would stir more sympathy to his cause.

Professor Fudo. A silent whisper echoed in one ear as they stepped into the elevator together. All the shuffling lawyers were still avoiding looking his way as the door closed again.

"This could be interesting." Flipping open lines of numbers from the folder Pessimal had given him, he didn't focus on the content. "I wonder how it turned out." Tapping a random total meant nothing as he awaited the answer.

Silence echoed in a way that he knew meant she was contemplating the situation carefully. Exactly if that was because she was about to deliver bad news or because she couldn't entirely believe it was only known to her. … I cannot tell you anything that... you did not already know. Another pause came as the cube jostled slightly in the shaft. It is getting... louder. I will... stay nearby as long as I can.

"No need to waste time." He nodded to Trudge glancing in the reflective surface of the door. "Let's head straight to the penthouse." Flipping the pages closed beneath a musing smile, he watched the doors open as a barely visible slip of oily blackness darted across the gaps between the rooftops outside.


It had been an unusually quiet day with Din. Nobody had wanted to give the International Criminal Court any more ammunition in their witch hunt while Yusei was temporarily back on grounds and had taken steps to prevent doing so. Not even the brutal genius was enraged enough to try his usual tricks with half the SRC security forces waiting right outside his door. The constant stress of waiting for him to snap was more exhausting than tidying up any resultant mess and Akiza was exhausted long before most people would have even finished dinner.

"So that's it then?" Lying prone in bed, she was loving the feeling of Yusei idly toying with loose bits of her hair. "They'll let Abi go and lock you away forever?"

"Probably not." Tucking a tumbling curl behind one ear, he delicately traced the contours with a pinkie. "But I'll agree if that's what it takes. Especially," Leaning down, he whispered into her ear. "If it'll mean more visits like the last one."

Rolling over, Akiza propped her head up with a shark grin. "Okay then." Closing the distance brought him within biting distance. "How about right now?" She knew the idea was tempting by his uneven breathing as she closed in. One hand slipped up under his shirt before running down as he set a shaking hand on her hip. Both eyes closed as he leaned forwards slightly. "Oh, you poor idiot." Her teeth gently nibbled at his ear and caused his disappointed eyes to open again. "What would your brothers think if they heard us? Of course, as soon as they're not." Akiza paralysed him with a passionate kiss to convey the rest of her sentence.

It took a minute to regain his breath as he processed the turbulent changes she had put him through. "You're more stressful than the ICC, did you know that?" At least he could escape them for brief periods of time.

"Do you believe her?" A blank look repeated his confusion at the sudden change in conversation. "Phantom. Do you believe what she said about Abi?" Nobody knew exactly what changes she had gone through but Phantom's enhanced hearing had been able to correctly identify people before seeing them several times now. It was equally possible that she was somehow able to hear the unique operations of the computers Abi used instead of identifying her as a living being.

"It doesn't matter. I've known the truth for years." Having confirmation was unnecessary. The ghost in the machine was every bit more real to him than dozens of scholars and scientists he had corresponded with while never directly meeting.

"And what about that thing you refused to tell me this morning?" Not knowing French had also made it impossible for her to repeat the words for Din to translate. As with all established knowledge, he had conquered the subject in a few weeks but that hadn't helped him figure out what she was trying to say. Ammo for mockery, that was what she had given him.

"I'll tell you," A glint shimmered in one eye. He had learned his lesson after her first few ambushes. "If you come here first." Wrapping an arm around Akiza, he made sure to pin both arms. Whatever viscousness that had been passed down to Musume would definitely be triggered when he told answered her question.

"Okay." Squirming slightly only tightened his grip. Nobody else would have been trusted enough to even get this close. "You've got me. What did she say?"

"Phantom said," Leaning in close to her ear again, he could feel the smile starting to show in his voice. "That you love me."

Akiza said nothing for a while. "She's been through a lot." Snuggling against the pillow was within her limited range of motion and she moved to hide herself. "She probably has no idea what she's talking about."

"Mmm." Kissing her neck let him sneakily check her rampaging pulse and his lips tightened at the deduction. "I dunno. She seems plenty smart enough. Admit it; you love me."

"Don't push your luck." Leaning up, she was able to peck gently against his throat in a pointed reminder that it was still within biting distance. "Go to sleep. Doctor's orders." There was only one problem in his head as she twisted around to lie more comfortably in his arms. Even though Akiza hadn't denied it, she hadn't said those vital words yet either. Though he wasn't one to push, there was precious little time left until Yusei would become a visiting footnote in a dusty history book. Part of him was worried that – if the worst happened and he met a literal untimely end – never hearing those words would hurt worse than whatever actually killed him.


Truly, French is the language of romance just as surely as reviews are the language of feedback.