Signs of Renewal Special Update 5

Hello again everyone. This is mostly just going to be another update and thank-you chapter with a bit of Ruri and Rin backstory. As usual, I am overwhelmed by the vast amount of support and contributions I have received from all of you, the readers. I cannot thank you guys enough for all you give to this series. It is a true delight to write this work for you with the knowledge that you all will find enjoyment from it. Let me make something clear before I go on. I GREATLY appreciate ALL of you for reading, reviewing, liking, following, and contributing to this work. With that said, let's continue to some specific acknowledgements.

(I never get tired of writing these thank-you acknowledgements. You guys really mean that much to me. If, however, any of you get sick and tired of the nearly weekly praise you receive, let me know and I'll stop writing these messages for you.)

AngeLight952: One more chapter, and then you'll see Adeel in action, and you can bet the cards you created will be displayed not too long afterwards. I'm excited to write about this character and his lovable seeing-eye dog companion, Fluffals. Thank you for the very many cards you've contributed. I have some big plans for the VERY creative cards you've contributed, ESPECIALLY Amaterasu the Celestial Canine Wolf. Stay tuned.

CorinnetheAnime: Lydia and Joho are almost here. Just one more chapter, and then the next chapter will feature these two. Stay tuned for their appearance and for some questions I will have for you about a few minor details. I think you'll love the trials and adventures I have planned for the Shiunin siblings and their dear cousin, Satoru.

Epsilon Tarantula: Well, are you satisfied with Akato so far? I sincerely hope the last chapter met your expectations. I had a lot of fun figuring out Akato's plays and the designs for those amazing monsters. I'm pretty sure there are quite a few other fans who have come to love him. So stay tuned! He will be doing a lot more and in not too much time! Take your time with the other characters and their decks. Although we are approaching the time when they will make their appearance, I will give you a heads-up when we reach that point. Stay awesome and don't let your school work stress you out. I appreciate your continued support.

FanOfKings: Kiryu will be returning in just two chapters along with MANY more Phoenix Guard. I wouldn't worry about his first game being a loss. He's still alive, still kicking, and still determined to grow. I have faith that he will rise to become a valiant warrior and defender. Stay tuned and thank you for the amazing character and the amazing cards you have provided.

Ghost83: There are three more scenes for Chapter 11 and then we will have a little excursion into the Xyz Dimension where your character WILL be waiting. Stay tuned and thank you so much for being SO very patient throughout the excruciatingly painful wait.

Greninja: You have been a great and wonderful supporter. I absolutely adore your characters and intend to do them justice. How have you liked what I've done for Gin and Erika so far? Just wait, I have a revelation especially mind-blowingly interesting planned for Erika. So hold on to your seat! Thank you for your many and very detailed contributions. Next chapter will be featuring Lilly Hoshi so stay tuned!

Kaploblast: Two more chapters and then Semal will be appearing along with his brother. He's got an important role to play, especially in regards to a certain Earthbound Disciple who made her appearance last chapter. Thank you very much for your support! Stay tuned.

Kurogane Fang: Fang and Jorq will each be making their appearances very soon. Expect Jorq to have an especially important role in the upcoming war. It has been a true delight to get to know you! Stay tuned for some awesomeness from both your characters!

MaesLawliet: I'm glad you enjoyed Nevan Bourne's appearance, and don't worry. He'll be appearing again and he'll be doing a lot more in the future. Stay tuned and thank you for your contributions!

Nox Descious: Thank you for being a great friend (even if our stories are technically competing with each other!) For those of you readers who haven't already read Nox Descious's "The Ice Queen Cometh," CHECK IT OUT! It's an AMAZING alternate universe story featuring some of the best complex Yu-Gi-Oh antagonists ever, the Barian Emperors, and especially Queen Merag!

Shimmering-Sky: Two more chapters Shimmering-Sky. Two more chapters. Also, I will be reading your story. Stay tuned for a review, and more reviews, and more reviews. (Nox Descious will be able to give you a hint of what's coming. All I'll say is, expect to see a lot of kitty faces.)

Solphage: Next chapter my friend. Next chapter. Stay tuned and thank you for the suggestion. It's given birth to an amazing character who I have BIG plans for!

TheTiger39: GET PUMPED FOR A SHOW FEATURING LOTS OF CUTE AQUATIC MAMMALS IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! WHOO! Thank you for your contribution. I appreciate the uniqueness of your character and the GREAT amount of detail you included in your submission! It makes my work so much easier when you do that! Stay awesome my friend and stay tuned!

This next week, I will mostly be working on my other fanfic, "Venom's Quest," so you guys may have to wait upwards of seven… long… agonizing… days… for the next chapter. Just please be gentle when you guys tar and feather me for the delay. All joking aside, A SINCERE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE… for everything you all have done. Writing this story would have been enjoyable just for writing it, but it would not have been nearly as enjoyable were it not for you guys! Everyone stay tuned for MUCH more "Signs of Renewal" in the future.

And now let's move on to the Character Question segment. Once again, everyone is free to submit questions they have to ANY characters featured in "Sings of Renewal." Here's a list of the OC's that have made an appearance thus far (excluding those three Academia soldiers who were dusted by Rin in the second chapter. If any of you REALLY want to ask those three any questions, just let me know and I'll see if I can patch through to them in the underworld):

Name: Yuu Hashimoto / Original concept by: Donjusticia / Deck: Unknown / Allegiance: Dark Signers / Status: Presumably active

Name: Pyotr Ivanov / Original concept by: Donjusticia / Deck: Mineral Guardian/Rock Sentinel / Allegiance: Dark Signers / Status: Active

Name: Elizaveta Ivanov / Original concept by: Donjusticia / Deck: Volt / Allegiance: Dark Signers / Status: Active

Name: Garret Kinsley / Original concept by: Donjusticia / Deck: Survivor/ Allegiance: Dark Signers / Status: Active

Name: Mita Takeda / Original concept by: Donjusticia / Deck: Formerly Goyo, now unknown / Allegiance: Dark Signers / Status: Active

Name: Santiago Guevara / Original concept by: Donjusticia / Deck: Formerly Goyo, now unknown / Allegiance: Dark Signers / Status: Active

Name: Gin Tami / Original concept by: Greninja / Deck: Baguazhang-style Ninja/Ninjitsu / Allegiance: Her family and friends Lilly, Lucy, and Erika / Status: Active

Name: Emma Grayson / Original concept by: Donjusticia / Deck: Stygian / Allegiance: Phoenix Guard / Status: Active

Name: Kyosuke Kiryu II / Original concept by: FanOfKings / Deck: Infernity / Allegiance: Phoenix Guard / Status: Active

Name: Aaron Tarleton (The Dreadroot) / Original concept by: Donjusticia / Deck: Unknown / Allegiance: Dark Signers / Status: Active

Name: Satoru Shishido / Original concept by: Donjusticia / Deck: Procesystem / Allegiance: Dark Signers / Status: Active

Name: Daichi Ishikuma / Original concept by: Donjusticia / Deck: Psychic Ink / Allegiance: Academia / Status: Active

Name: Friedrich Hoffman / Original concept by: Nox Descious / Deck: Force / Allegiance: Academia / Status: Active

Name: Lilly Hoshi / Original concept by: Greninja / Deck: Unrevealed / Allegiance: none (Synchro Dimension Civilian) / Status: Unknown

Name: Erika Havoc / Original concept by: Greninja / Deck: Unrevealed / Allegiance: Unknown / Status: Unknown (Last seen evading Security)

Name: Akio Fujimoto / Original concept by: Donjusticia / Deck: Six Samurai / Allegiance: The Tami Family / Status: Active

Name: Akato / Original concept by: Epsilon Tarantula / Deck: Anarchy Agents / Allegiance: Unknown / Status: Active

Unknown Disciple from the previous chapter / Original concept by: Shimmering-Sky / Deck: Unknown / Allegiance: Unknown / Status: Active

And now for this week's question from Greninja!

Question: So you are from academia which means fusion dimension and you know how to fusion summon can you synchro summon as well? Also is there anyone else you think is also from another dimension?

Erika: *folds her arms and looks at the ground, nervously tapping her fingers against her sleeves* … I'd rather not talk about my time in Academia. It was… bad. But… yes… I do know how to Synchro Summon. I learned after I… well… after I got away. My friends helped teach me how to Synchro Summon and I've been incorporating the mechanic into my deck ever since. *starts brightening up, letting her arms fall to her side as she becomes more animated* Actually, I had this plan to use a Synchro monster to beat those Security guys. You see, using my Tuner Monster, White Lotus Monk, I was gonna…

REDACTED IN ORDER TO AVOID SPOILERS!

... and that's how I was gonna beat them.

As for people from other dimensions… I came here, so I think it's a given that there are plenty of other people who have crossed over to this dimension. I don't know how many there are, but I know Roger is one of them. I… had a history with him. Nothing I want to go into details about right now though.

Thank you for your question Greninja. If any of you other readers have questions for any other characters appearing in "Signs of Renewal," please feel free to ask them.

And now, onto the short bit of backstory!

Signs of Renewal Special: "Thank You for Your Cooperation."

It had been a long day… a very long day, but now, hopefully, it would all be worth it.

After being subjected to so many more tests and examinations after Daichi's brief interview, Rin fully intended to take advantage of the reward she had received. Sure, Daichi's gift was probably just a way for him to manipulate her into thinking he was her friend, but time with Ruri was time with Ruri, no matter where that time came from.

Once the door to her tower had been securely sealed and Apollo had taken his position to perform his regular guard duties, Rin quickly strolled over to the computer terminal Daichi had described before inserting some of his tokens into the coin slot into the wall. Immediately, the adjacent computer terminal began displaying the number of virtual points in Rin's bank before displaying a set of options: Video Chat, Call Daichi, Make a Request, Games, Review, and Exit.

Pressing the Video Chat button, the computer displayed a dial giving Rin the ability to set the desired time for the Video Chat. Sliding her finger along the screen, Rin set the time to five minutes just to be safe.

Behind Rin, a large holographic projector began displaying an image of Ruri's room directly in front of Rin's bed. Sitting down on her bed, Rin positioned herself in front of the screen before calling out to her friend.

"Ruri! Ruri! Are you there!? It's me… Rin!"

From the back of the room, Rin could hear Ruri's feet padding across the floor of her tower. After a moment, Ruri's head appeared in the corner of the screen before the rest of her stood in front of Rin. It looked like she had just come from the shower. Her clothing had been replaced with some bath robes and her long undone hair was slightly shiny with moisture. Blinking with surprise and confusion, she nervously folded her arms before settling on her bed.

"Rin? What are you doing here?" she asked, voice slightly hoarse. Rin could tell she had had a rough day. Her fingers were nervously twitching and her eyes looked heavy and swollen, like she had recently cried… a lot. Rin didn't know what had happened with her, but she could immediately tell it had been much worse than anything she had suffered that day. The thought made Rin feel guilty.

"They gave me some privileges…" she nervously explained, "…I… I really wanted to speak with you. Uhm… how are you holding up?"

Rin immediately regretted asking the question. It was obvious just how well Ruri was doing. She flinched immediately after Rin asked the question and looked away, eyes closing as if tears would begin flowing out.

Folding her arms even more tightly together, Ruri eventually turned to her friend, an angry expression on her face, before snapping, "Why did they give you privileges!? What did you do for them!?"

Rin was shocked by the accusatory tone in Ruri's voice. She hadn't exactly expected the video chat to be casual friendly fun times, but she had at least hoped that she would be able to brighten Ruri's spirits a little, maybe offer her some hope and comfort… maybe receive some hope and comfort from her. The last thing she expected was an interrogation.

"Look, I did some tests!" she snapped back, voice sharper than what she had intended. She rubbed her hands together. "I… I was just asked to duel this person…"

"Daichi!?" Ruri snarled, looking even more inexplicably enraged.

"WHAT DOES IT MATTER!?" Rin hollered, eyes and mouth gaping open with shock as she stared back at her counterpart. "I just did a quick duel with that guy and hardly even spoke to him! It's not like I was revealing any sensitive information! I just… I just… I thought you would be happy to see me again!"

"DON'T YOU GET IT!?" Ruri roared back, slamming her fists against her bed, "HE'S USING YOU, RIN! DO YOU HONESTLY THINK DAICHI CARES ABOUT YOU!? DID YOU THINK HE GAVE YOU THOSE STUPID… THOSE STUPID… THOSE TOKENS BECAUSE HE'S NICE!?"

"I'M NOT AN IDIOT!" Rin snarled back, face turning red. This was not going at all how she had hoped it would.

"THEN WHY DID YOU TAKE THEM!?" Ruri screamed back, fear, pain, anger, and sorrow twisting her features. "CAN'T YOU SEE THIS IS JUST ANOTHER ONE OF DAICHI'S SICK SCHEMES TO GET US TO… TO… TO REVEAL SOMETHING ABOUT OURSEVES!? HE'S RECORDING THIS THING RIGHT NOW, AND YOU'RE HELPING HIM GATHER THE INFORMATION!"

"I'm not…" Rin protested, balling up her own fists with rage and shock, "…I'm not helping him… I'm trying to help you!?"

"THEN WHY WOULD YOU…" Ruri suddenly stopped, clamping her mouth shut as tears rolled down her cheeks. Evidently she had almost said something she REALLY didn't want to.

This time it was Rin's turn to take the offensive.

"GO AHEAD!" she snarled. "SAY IT! WHY WOULD I DO WHAT!? TELL ME!?"

"Forget…"

"TELL ME!?" Rin insisted, throwing a pillow through the holographic image of Ruri.

"Why would you betray me!?" Ruri moaned, head falling into her hands as her body convulsed with weeping.

Rin couldn't believe what Ruri had just said. How could she think that!? How could she think she would ever betray her!? Did she honestly think she was cozying up to Academia so she could receive some cushy privileges from them? Had she forgotten how she had stood up for her not too long after arriving at Academia?

Another question formed in her mind. Could Ruri be at all justified? Had Rin really sold them out?

Squeezing her eyes shut to hold back the tears, Rin leaped off her bed and ran to the computer terminal.

"I thought we could be together again." She called back to Ruri, struggling to keep her voice from sobbing, "I thought I could… help you… give you support… that you'd be happy to see me…" she clenched her fists together. "…my mistake!" she snarled, reaching over to end the call.

"WAIT!" Ruri hollered, frantically reaching out her holographic hand.

Rin's finger stopped, finger inches over the command to end the recording. For a few moments she just hovered there, wondering if she should really go back, or just teach Ruri a lesson and end the call, which, just a few seconds ago she had insisted was bad for both of them.

Rin was about to go with the latter option, when she made the mistake of looking back at Ruri. Ruri was in pain… so much pain. Looking into her face, Rin still didn't know what had happened to her, but she could tell that whatever it was, whether or not the call was being recorded for Academia's analysis, Ruri needed her now more than ever.

Rin slowly walked back to her bed, tears streaming down her cheeks. How could she have been so selfish? Pushing back all the ugly enraged thoughts, Rin could see what was really going on. Ruri had been here longer than she had, and she knew Academia's methods better than she did. It may not have been tactful, but Ruri was trying to protect her.

And why should Rin expect her to be tactful after all she had been through. Rin had only been in Academia a few days, but the stress was already wearing on her. She had already lost weight, she had struggled sleeping, and she could hardly eat anything without feeling sick. Of course Ruri would have been upset to see Academia trying to cut open her mind and farm information from her like a surgeon with a cadaver. Ruri was not the enemy. Right now she was her friend. Scared, on edge, maybe a little unjustified in her accusations, but she was still her friend.

For a few moments they both stared at each other, eyes shimmering as they both shed a torrent of tears.

Finally, both of them blurted out in unison, "I'M SORRY! I…"

They both stopped.

"You don't have to be sorry!" Rin insisted, vigorously shaking her head. "You were right. I was being…"

"NO!" Ruri denied, shaking her head. "Everything I said… it was wrong. I shouldn't have said that! I know you'd never do anything like that! You've been one of the greatest friends I've ever met! I was just scared! I've been through… I've been through a lot…"

"You were right though!" Rin replied. "I shouldn't have done that! I shouldn't be helping Academia out! You were just trying to protect me! You were right! If I ever see Daichi again, I swear, I'm gonna throw all those stupid tokens in his face and not do ANYTHING he says! I promise you I'm not gonna betray you anymore!"

"Wait!" Ruri insisted, looking nervously around the room. With a subtle gesture of her eyes, she looked at Rin as if to say, "Listen to what I'm about to say. I think I have a plan."

"You… you should do what Daichi says." Ruri mumbled, nervously tugging at her hair.

"Wha-…" Rin began, shocked to hear those words from Ruri.

"Just listen!" Ruri insisted. "I… I resisted Daichi, and now… and now I regret it. I… I don't want you to go through the same things I've gone through."

"What did they do to you!?" Rin growled, cracking her knuckles.

"Just… just do as Daichi says… alright…" Ruri insisted, ignoring the question, "…I just… I just want what's best… for us."

"I'M NOT GOING TO SIT AROUND AND LET THEM TREAT ME LIKE PRINCESS WHILE THEY TORTURE YOU!" Rin roared, getting up from her bed. "Good lord I deserved for you to yell at me! I deserve to be yelled at a whole lot more! I've been an idiot! An absolute and complete idiot! I don't care what happens to me anymore! I swear to you, with my dying breath, I am gonna fight them and I am gonna break us out of here! I'm not gonna let you stay another minute here!"

"No!" Ruri protested, gesturing for Rin to calm down. "Just listen!"

"You don't have to apologize, Ruri!" Rin insisted, "And you don't have to protect me! You've got it all backwards! I should've been the one to protect you! I promise you! I promise you… I'm gonna…"

"No, please, listen!" Ruri repeated, eyes widening with urgency.

There the look was again, insisting that Ruri had figured something out. Realizing that there must have been more to what Ruri was saying, Rin quieted down and settled on her bed, listening intently to her friend.

Ruri nervously swallowed before continuing.

"I… I think it would be good for us if we interacted more." She explained. "I really want to talk with you more, and… and if you don't do what Daichi tells you to do then… then… then I might not… see you… anytime soon… again."

The gears in Rin's brain were turning. Finally, she understood what Ruri was saying. If she just went with her instincts and fought against her captors like a mother grizzly bear, she would just receive whatever treatment Ruri had received. She'd lose, and she'd be forbidden from speaking with Ruri ever again. But if she at least acted compliant, then she could use Daichi's system to her advantage. She and Ruri could do more than just chat with each other about idle topics. With the right planning, they could find ways to communicate other messages to each other. And if they could do that… they might just find a way to escape.

Looking into her Rin's face, Rin nodded her head, communicating to her counterpart that she understood her hidden message.

"You're right." She replied. "I… I really do want to be with you more. I think it would be good for us."

The spent the rest of the allotted time laying on their beds, chit-chatting about irrelevant things, though carefully omitting any details about their life before Academia, or any other items of personal info. When the recording ended and displayed the option of inserting more tokens for more time, Rin turned off the computer terminal and changed into her nightgown before going to bed, resolving to do whatever it took to secure more time with Ruri.

"Twenty-five points for filling out the questionnaire." Daichi congratulated with a smile, handing a stack of tokens to Rin, who nodded her head in gratitude before depositing them into her purse.

"I must say…" Daichi went on, shuffling his deck in preparation for another duel, "…you seem remarkably relaxed today. How did things go with Ruri?"

"It was nice." Rin replied vaguely, zipping up her purse before shuffling her own deck and drawing her opening her hand. "Actually… I… I was thinking about what you said to me before… about other prizes. I have a request I'd like to submit."

Daichi looked exceedingly pleased. "Name it!" he enthusiastically encouraged before slipping Rin another five point token for good measure.

Rin carefully exhaled through her mouth. "I want more than just a video chat. I was thinking, if I got enough points then we could hang out together in person over in the Academia gardens."

Daichi nodded his head in approval, adjusting his glasses as he wrote a note on his notepad.

"An excellent request!" Daichi congratulated, tossing another coin to Rin before Rin began her turn. "Thank you Rin. Thank you for your cooperation."