Returning home, Yumi needs to prepare for the coming battles.
Yumi's head was pounding when she woke up. Pain turned to confusion as the harsh overhead lights cut through her drowsy vision. As the fog in her brain cleared, she found herself underneath an unfamiliar gray ceiling.
"Where am I?" she asked, unsure if anyone else was in the room with her.
"Miss Yumi!" That loud and obnoxious voice could only belong to one person. "You're up!"
Turning her head, Yumi was comforted to see Kazuhiko sitting beside her in what she now recognized as a hospital bed. That said, this room didn't look like any hospital she'd ever seen. Cold concrete walls, no windows, and about a dozen empty beds lined up near hers. What was this place?
"You've been out for hours," her friend explained.
"What happened?" she asked, her memory replaying the duel with Izar. She won, but it must have been too much for her to handle. She remembered collapsing, but she didn't know what happened after that.
"They got another van and they took us here," Kazuhiko told her. "I don't really know where that is, but I'm pretty sure it's underground."
Yumi pulled herself up in bed, noticing that she had an IV stuck in her arm. She also noticed that, despite the pain she still felt, her injuries had been healed up. Even the burn on her shoulder was gone, though the skin was scarred and discolored.
Suddenly, what Kazuhiko had said finally registered. "Wait, hours? What time is it?" She reached for her phone, seeing that it was almost 8:00 PM now. "I have to call home," she said in a panic, preparing to dial her grandmother before realizing there wasn't any reception.
"We'll return you home soon," Alramech said, instantly drawing the attention of both of the teens. Had he always been there?
"You want to tell us where we are yet?" Kazuhiko asked him, crossing his arms.
"You're at the EEDF facility in Chiba, Japan," he answered. "It's where we coordinate our defense against the others. And, yes, it is underground."
Yumi was having a hard time wrapping her head around that detail. "This place has been under the city this whole time?" It was hard to believe all of this had been going on while she and everyone else lived out their lives. If so much hadn't already happened, she'd have to think this was all just some strange joke.
"Not always," Alramech said. "It's been constructed over the last decade and finished development in January. For whatever reason, this was all done without the knowledge of the rest of your planet despite the fact that secrecy slowed things down considerably."
"Probably because most people wouldn't believe an alien invasion was coming out of nowhere," Kazuhiko said. He grunted, adding, "I still barely believe it."
"Well, it doesn't matter now," he said. "As long as it's completed, it should serve its purpose."
"When can I see Yuu?" Yumi asked, deducing that she was likely to be stuck down here somewhere.
Alramech shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know anything about that one."
"Then find someone who does," Kazuhiko said to back Yumi up, furrowing his brow. "That's the whole reason she's here."
"Technically, the reason she's here is to recover from the battle," Alramech corrected in the douchiest way possible.
"Whatever!" he shouted, standing up to go pace in a circle. "Just...figure it out."
"If you say so," he replied. "Also, Takano Yumi, your injuries seem minor enough now. You should be able to leave for the time being. Someone will contact you again tomorrow." He left the room after that, likely disappearing after turning a corner.
This left Yumi and Kazuhiko by themselves, plenty of questions still swirling in their heads. Neither of them was totally sure what to do about the IV, though someone did eventually come in to help them out. She was a young woman in a white coat, dark hair clipped short on her head and black sunglasses obscuring her eyes.
"General Yamada says they have to transfer that one here from another facility," the doctor eventually answered as she removed the drip from Yumi and patched her up. "I don't know anything past that."
"What happens once she gets here?" Yumi asked, wincing as she stood up from the bed. Whatever had been used to treat her only seemed to force her body to heal, leaving the pain behind for the better part of the next day.
"Like I just said, I don't know," the doctor answered, pulling off a pair of latex gloves. "You don't listen good, do you?"
"We're just looking for answers, lady," Kazuhiko said, lending Yumi his arm to steady herself.
She sighed, writing something down on a clipboard she'd placed on a nearby table. "If you want to know, your best bet is asking the General directly, but good luck on that. He's still doing a report to the government about what happened today, so I doubt you can reach him."
Yumi sighed, feeling helpless once again. She'd made it this close to Yuu now, yet there were still barriers between them. Granted, these barriers mostly seemed to involve simple distance and time, but they weren't any less infuriating. She wanted to see her again. To let her know things were finally going to be okay.
Kazuhiko huffed, dissatisfied with all of this. "What did they pump her full of, anyway?" he finally asked. Hopefully, they could at least get an answer to that. "You people better not be drugging her up on something bad."
"The alien's blood," the doctor said, acting as if that was the most normal thing in the world. "Or, you know, energy. It seems to make people heal faster." She cleared her throat. "Also, it's Doctor Shinkawa." With a sigh, she added, "Might as well call me Doctor Feel Good with what my main job here is, though."
"Thank you for treating me," Yumi said. Irritated or not, she should probably still be courteous to the person in charge of putting her back together after a fight. "I would bow, but my...a lot hurts."
"Don't worry about it," she replied, still focused on documenting something or other in her notes. "Out the door and to the right. Keep going and you'll see the main entrance. Someone should be there to take you out of here."
They said a terse goodbye, exiting the room as she instructed after grabbing Yumi's backpack from beside her bed. While the urge to turn left and explore deeper in was certainly there and tempting, neither of them was in any shape to go snooping around right now. Reluctantly, they turned right, passing by several gray doors that nearly blended right into the cement walls that made up this place.
Eventually, they came to what almost looked like a normal reception area for a company, the main difference being that the person behind a semi-circular desk was one of the black-clad military men like in the van. He gave a quick salute to both of them, pressing a button on his desk without a word. This summoned another man in his same uniform, this one gesturing for the two of them to follow him. They weren't big on talking down here, it seemed.
He led them up a large ramp and into a garage with several vehicles parked inside. Moving past a group of open-topped jeeps, they found their way to another unmarked white van. The kids were shuffled into the back, their escort taking the driver's seat. They headed off without a word, Yumi resting her head against Kazuhiko's shoulder.
The drive didn't seem to take long, the van coming to a stop after what seemed like around ten minutes. Neither of them had checked their phones since exiting the underground, though, so that was just speculation. As the door opened, the apartment building Kazuhiko's family lived in came into view, illuminated by street lights.
"Guess it's my stop," he sighed, nudging Yumi to make sure she was awake. She was, sitting up. "I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow," he said.
"What are you going to tell your family?" Yumi asked.
"I don't even know," he said with a shake of his head. "I'll...figure it out." He gave his friend a pat on the head. "Get some rest. You were pretty cool out there."
The door shut almost as soon as he hopped out of the van, leaving Yumi in barely-lit silence. Moments later, the engine started up again. She considered sending some texts to people, but she had no idea what to say. Maybe after a night of sleep, her brain would feel more clear.
Soon enough, they'd arrived outside her house. As the door opened, Yumi felt another wave of fatigue wash over her. The sight of her family home lit up against the starry sky was comforting, but it made getting to the door that much more of a challenge. All she wanted was to fall onto her futon and sleep for the next year.
As she walked away, she heard a grunt from behind. Turning, it was the soldier who'd driven her home, now giving her a thumbs up before hopping back in the vehicle to drive away. At least she made a new fan, or something.
Taking a deep breath, Yumi braced herself for what might happen once she got home. Hobbling up to the front porch, she finally made it to the door. Swallowing hard, she slid it open, giving a quiet, "I'm home," as she walked through and took off her shoes.
"There you are," her grandmother said, getting up from her chair and running over to give her a hug. "You came home so late, and you never answered your phone. I was getting worried."
Yumi resisted the urge to sink into her arms and go to sleep. She really needed this after such a long day, but there was a lot she had to explain. She couldn't just lie to her grandmother, especially if she was going to be going back to that place soon.
"I'm sorry," she said, squeezing her back as tight as she could. "A lot happened today."
Sensing that something was wrong, her grandmother patted Yumi on the back. "Let's go talk about it," she said softly, leading her over to the couch. They both sat down, Yumi settling in with a groan.
Running her hands through her hair, Yumi removed the goggles from the top of her head. Before she could prepare herself to speak, though, her grandmother interrupted. "What happened to your clothes? You look like you've been running through fire."
Yumi sighed. "Uh...well, sort of." That answer would obviously not suffice, so she had to figure out what to say. "Okay, it's a little more complicated than that."
"Did you get set on fire in the science lab again?" She sighed. "We've talked about this. You need to be more careful when there's an open flame."
"No, it's not that," she said, trying and failing to force a smile. "It's…" She sighed again, shaking her head. "It's hard to explain."
Placing a hand on her granddaughter's shoulder, the older woman reassured her by saying, "Take your time. Just tell me what happened. Did you get hurt?"
Yumi groaned, rubbing the sides of her head. "I was walking to training when school let out," she started, sighing as she realized just how foolish she was about to sound now that she had to play back everything that happened inside her mind. "I was going there, and I met up with Kazuhiko, but on the way, someone came and stopped us."
"Someone set you on fire in the street?" she gasped.
"No, I'm getting to that," she sighed, pausing for a moment to collect her thoughts. "I met this man before," she admitted. "After they came to take Yuu away. I went out searching for her, but he showed up and told me to stop. I didn't think I had another choice."
"But he came back," her grandmother deduced.
Yumi nodded. "He said I was needed for something, but then someone else showed up. He…" Thinking of Izar again still unsettled her, but she pushed through it. "He wanted to duel me, and I did. And I won, but...it wasn't like normal." She gestured to her torn up school uniform. "It was like real. The attacks had mass. It...hurt."
"But how is that possible?" she asked. "The duel disks only make holograms, right? It's just light."
"I don't really know," Yumi sighed. "But I still won," she said quickly.
"But are you okay?" she asked, placing both hands on Yumi's shoulders. "Did he hurt you?"
"I'm fine. I think I'm fine." Yumi had to get to the point, otherwise she might get too scared to continue. "But what I really need to tell you is...it's not...over."
Her grandmother just looked more confused, turning her head to the side. "But I thought you won."
"I did, but it's not done yet. He's going to come back, and there's going to be more people to duel like that, and-"
"And what?" her grandmother asked. "This doesn't involve you. One was too much already."
"But it does," she argued. "I've got to protect people. I can do it."
Her grandmother sighed. "Why is that your job?" she said. "You're a child, Yumi. I don't know who these people are or what they're telling you, but you aren't responsible for protecting people or fighting...whatever this is."
"I am," she insisted. "I'm the only one who can do it, or at least one of the only ones."
"Then let whoever else can do it take care of it." She shook her head. "This isn't some kind of joke, is it?"
"It's not!" she shouted, quickly regretting that she raised her voice. "Sorry, but it's not. I didn't mean to yell."
Her grandmother crossed her arms, shaking her head. "This is ridiculous. I don't know why we're arguing about this in the first place." She met Yumi's eyes, telling her in no uncertain terms, "I believe what you're saying, which is why you're not going to be doing more of whatever this was." With a huff, she muttered, "I should see what the police have to say about all this."
"I have to," Yumi tried to argue.
"No," she replied sternly.
"I have to," Yumi said again. "I have to do this, just like my parents."
"Absolutely not," she said, her voice raising slightly.
"They had to leave because there was something important they needed to do," Yumi told her. "Now I have something important I need to do."
"You will not," her grandmother told her. "You're not going to end up like them."
"Like what?" Yumi asked, taken aback at this. She'd been following in her parents' footsteps for years now, so what was she trying to say?
Of course, it was obvious that being inspired to take on their profession and potentially risking her life were two very different things, something her grandmother was prepared to point out. "Yumi, you're not doing this. I'm not going to let you die, too."
"Die?" This stopped her in her tracks. "What...what do you mean?" To an extent, this was the first time she really considered that fighting Izar meant she could have died. As existentially terrifying as that was to her young mind, though, she was far more concerned about what created that thought.
Her grandmother sat in silence for a moment, lips pursed as she tried to explain. "Yumi...you know. You have to know."
"No, tell me what you mean," she said, slowly standing up from the couch.
After another second of pause, she finally said it. "Yumi, they aren't coming back."
"That's not true," Yumi said, trying to keep her voice measured. "My parents will come back."
"Their trip was going to last a month," her grandmother explained. "We haven't heard anything from them in almost seven years."
"They're coming back," Yumi insisted, wiping one of her eyes. "It's just taking a long time."
"You know that isn't true," she said, sniffling and standing up. She tried to move in for a hug, but Yumi rebuffed her, shaking her head. "Yumi, we both know. It's okay."
"No!" she said, hands clenched into shaking fists. "They promised they were coming back! They aren't going to break their promise!"
"Yumi," she said again, trying to calm her down.
"They're coming back," Yumi repeated. Between the physical exhaustion and the mental toll this was taking on her, whatever maturity she'd developed as of late started to fall away. "They're coming back, just like I will. And we can-"
"I'm not losing you, too!" her grandmother shouted, bottom lip quivering. "I can't lose anyone else," she said, voice lowered to a whisper. "You're not going out there to do...whatever this is. You're not. You're going to stay here and you're going to be okay."
Yumi wanted to argue. She desperately wanted to find the right words to make her grandmother realize she was wrong. Her parents were definitely still out there. Definitely still coming home one day. Just like she'd come home from this war. She'd beat Izar and everyone else and things would be fine. She could protect people, just like her parents would do. Just like she had to do.
She couldn't do it, though. Unable to keep the tears back, she turned and ran to her room, her grandmother calling out her name as she did. Closing herself in, she ran to her closet and pulled down her old duel disk. It was her link to her parents, she thought, hugging it against her chest. She still felt like she could sense them whenever she held it.
Several hours passed, her grandmother trying and failing to get her to come out before finally falling asleep. Yumi had also dozed in and out of a fitful slumber during this time, getting at least a bit of much-needed rest. By the time she woke up, though, she was still hurting in more ways than one.
After stretching out her back (curling up against a duel disk inside a closet wasn't a great way to sleep), she checked her phone. It was a little after 5:00 AM now. Looking out the window, that seemed pretty accurate.
Staying as quiet as possible, she stepped out of her room. Tiptoeing down the hall, she went to the kitchen, first to get a glass of water, then to was her face and find something to eat. She hadn't had anything since lunch yesterday.
Cold rice and cold takoyaki. Not exactly the best meal by any standard, but it was satisfying. She wolfed it all down in a matter of minutes, cleaning up before heading back to her room.
She had to do this. No matter how much she hated disobeying her grandmother, and no matter how much she could understand where she was coming from, Yumi was convinced she had to do this. The whole world needed her to do this.
Finding some paper and a pencil, Yumi began to write. "I have to do this," she scribbled. "I'm sorry, I have to leave for now. I don't want to hurt you. I'm sorry."
She never was very good at writing. For around twenty minutes, that was all she could think to say. It wasn't nearly enough, though, and she knew that. She also knew that she had to get this done soon, otherwise her grandmother would wake up and try to stop her.
"I know you're worried, but I can do this," she continued. "I'm able to be brave because of you and my parents. Please don't worry about me. I'm going to be okay."
She wiped her eyes, ashamed at herself for starting to cry again. "I'll come back soon. I promise. I love you." It wasn't enough, but it's all she could think to say right now.
Folding up the paper, she went and changed out of her tattered school uniform. As much as she'd like to have a shower, that would just make too much noise. To that end, she pulled on a shirt and overalls, packed up a few extra sets of clothes in her backpack (emptied of her school supplies), then headed for the door.
By morning, she'd make contact with the EEDF again. By the time she was back at their facility, her grandmother would find the note. There was no going back after that.
Decompress a little after a big duel, except not really since we're already back to emotional turmoil.
We're finally addressing the parent question a little more. I wonder who's right between the two of them. I wonder what Yumi's parents went off to do, too. We may never know.
Like the title says, we're setting the stage for the final battle. There's only a couple of chapters left before it kicks off, so emotionally prepare yourself. It should be fun.
That's all I have for now. Thanks for reading. Share if you're enjoying. Always remember to use incognito mode and a VPN when buying plane tickets to find the best rates depending on where the airline website thinks you are.