Disclaimer: Yugi-Oh GX does not belong to me nor its characters or rights over the story.
Warn: This story may have heavy and uncomfortable themes/situations like use of drugs, violence, suicide, abuse, sexual harassment, rape, depression, trauma and bad language. If you do not like such, Do not read this.
presea221: They will have even more sweet scenes, but they both have a long way to go. As for the Kaiser fangirls, yeah, they will probably fangirl someone else when he is out of the academy. We will get to see more of her parents in a couple chapters too and through the fic, but for now we enter the Mythic demons arc!
ToBlazePurple: If I made a deck for Rie, it would be a spellcaster deck like the witchcrafter deck + her signature Magician Valkyria (you can search the witchcraft deck build searching on google). For now, it's fine for her to have used his deck, but we will see what will become of her later. As for how they found out, it was what the psychologist posted on the forums before the duel at the abandoned dorms.
Thanks for your reviews! PS.: Ok, I give up making those chapters shorter... i . i
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Chapter 9: Protect the Seven Keys
During the early morning, the first place Ryo goes is to the psychologist's office. After staying a night in clear, he convinced himself that was the best place to start. There were many strange facts about all that happened.
They should have proof of Rie's abuse without a doubt, yet they said there was no conclusive evidence, on top of that, her psychologist induced her to believe she was hallucinating about the shadow duels and all, even medicating her with strangely crafted pills that accentuated her bad mental state.
"He certainly knew all along about the shadow duels and he admitted being the culprit for taking her friends… Still, after that he disguised as a school psychologist. Why? What did he want in our school? He even gave her pills that made her feel worse… Almost as if he wanted to keep her the way she was, in misery and out of his way… But… For which reason? Was it truly out of a twisted personality? He was rambling on about Darkness and a master… If he has a master, who is he and where is he right now? How does it involve Rie and her friends?"
He enters the office without knocking, a voice answers, much to his surprise, he opens the door to find professor Daitokuji in front of the table.
"Ryo-kun. Nyah" he pets the cat, a placid smile clinging to his lips.
"Professor Daitokuji…? What are you doing here…?"
"Probably the same as you… I came looking for him, but… It seems he took a work leave." He picks a paper and shows a note saying the psychologist was on sick leave. "I had some matters to discuss, but it seems I came late. Well, it doesn't matter much. It's better for me that way."
"Sick leave?" he frowns in confusion, it just can't be right.
"Well, not without leaving some instructions for his patients, it seems..."Picking up a bundle of paper sheets and letting the cat rest on the table, skims through them.
Ryo ponders deeply. So he left a sick leave note before confronting them at the abandoned dorms. Smart, but he won't be coming back anymore, which leaves his office unattended.
"Ah, maybe you'll want this one..." the professor offers a file.
He takes it. It has Rie's name on it, he gapes in amusement, how did the teacher know who he was here for? His tranquil smile and temper sent a chill. For some reason, the professor looked menacing for a second.
"Thank you. I'll give it to her."
Leaving the office slightly frustrated with professor Daitokuji there he can't check it peacefully. He decides to check the instructions written since he was given them.
"Don't forget your pills. Remember it was not your fault, listen to the videos I sent to your device and try to occupy your mind with other subjects. I am sure your voice will come back."
He crumples the paper a bit, bothered by how unsubstantial that was, it almost would seem as if he left documents to pretend he was still taking care of her. That was not what he needed, he had to get her profile from that office or even the archive of the interrogation from her perspective.
That same day, after the lectures, he is called by the professor to go to the director's office. Did they maybe notice something was wrong? For which reason would they call? Other familiar faces are there: Judai, Asuka, Misawa, Manjoume, professor Chronos and professor Daitokuji.
They are all stunned hearing about the seven keys and the duels of shadows. If someone had told him before, which did happen, he'd also dismiss it as unbelievable or think it could be trickery, but he knew the pain of those duels too well by now.
The school is told about the duels against the mysterious seven characters who will come after the key. Later that day, Judai is being challenged by the first opponent, Darkness. In the meantime, the Kaiser meets Rie at the lighthouse.
"Ryo-san… You'll be participating in shadow duels again…? I heard from Asuka about it..."
Her eyes oscillate with affliction as she asks the question, his lips open unwillingly in a subtle surprise upon seeing her worry, he then stares at the horizon too.
"Yes. But this time it's important to defend the secrets of the academy and this world as it is… You don't need to worry, I will be fine. We won't lose this."
"I hope everyone will be safe..."
She looks at him with a half worried and half discouraged tone. He takes a paper out of his pocket and offers it to her.
"It's from the psychologist's office, some recommendations he left for you. I don't know why he left this, but it seems he pretended as if he was on sick leave. He still intended to let you use those odd medications had you not noticed it… It's probably not great to see, but you should take a look at it."
She takes it in her hands but looks at him in confusion and curiosity, gaping. What was he doing there? Why did he have that? And how come the therapist even left such an unimportant note.
"Are you wondering how I have it?" he smiles briefly "I went to the psychologist's office this morning… I thought I could find some clues about…" he stops, sighing heavily.
"True, what they told me is that he is on 'sick leave'… Since I woke up from our shadow duel, I didn't visit his office again… It is just…"
"You don't need to go back there if it brings you bad memories."
"I don't know… I thought he was helping me, and it's true not all he said was hurtful and it helped me, but still… To think he was… To think he was the same that took everything away… I can't…" her expression becomes vacant on the sea, still in disbelief.
His orbs become distant and thoughtful. Why was Daitokuji sensei there? He has this oddest feeling in his chest, that something is very wrong with this whole tale. His flux of thoughts is broken by her hand tugging his sleeve, calling his attention to see a message:
"You don't need to worry, I am fine. I felt a lot better after I stopped the medicines, and since the last time we were in the forbidden dorms, I… Stopped seeing my friends in nightmares too..." her gaze averts from his on the last part. "I think I was afraid of forgetting what they looked like... But that was just silly. I will never forget any of them..." she puts a hand to her chest, saddened.
"What about those girls? Did they chase you again?" He crosses his arms, a hint of annoyance on his semblance.
She is slightly taken by surprise with the question, but denies with a shake of her head, typing cautiously:
"No… But I still don't get how they knew it… Where did they hear about it?"
"It seems some anonymous person started it. When I think about it, perhaps the person who did it was that man, but… It doesn't matter now, once the director got wind of it, they deleted all the comments and you shouldn't have problems with it anymore. Those girls were also punished, right?"
"Yes… They were scolded by Ayukawa sensei… I heard they're helping her with the infirmary now as a punishment… They couldn't be expelled because of the ruckus it would be, but… That should teach them a lesson…" her orbs stagnate on the screen, then they lift curiously looking at him "Were you the one who… Did you do something?"
"No." A tiny smile flashes on his lips "That one you owe to Asuka. She talked to Ayukawa sensei and the principal about all that happened and those girls got reprimanded it seems, though they might still be thinking of troubling you… If that is the case, you can tell me, I'll do something about it next."
Her eyes flicker for a moment thinking of how Asuka and he were trying to help, her lips open to say something, but that moment is interrupted when they hear an explosion, turning around, they can see a huge pillar of lava arising from the volcano.
"Don't tell me…!"
He immediately darts towards the place, she is startled at first, but follows him without delay. Is this already the first shadow duel? And who is the first student challenged? He has a bad feeling.
The duel finishes by the time they are there, Shou and Hayato who were taken as hostages are saved and the person who dueled Judai and lost, Darkness falls to the ground. Instead of having his soul sealed, another soul is sealed inside the card and much to Asuka's surprise, under that mask is…
"Fubuki!"
The Kaiser and Rie arrive just in time to see the defeated opponent, much to his surprise, Asuka declares something unexpected.
"Ryo, this is my brother! It's him!"
He rushes to his friend's side, holding him and supporting his back on his chest, while Asuka cries out of joy for finally meeting her brother. He is weak and must be taken to the infirmary.
With help, they get him there and he is treated, his life is not at risk, but when he will open his eyes and explain what has transpired is unknown. Asuka stays beside him. She came to the academy to find him, just for that reason, and now it's done, but…
"I am sure he will recover soon. You know how he is."
Ryo smiles faintly, tapping her shoulder, she smiles back and dries her tears with a single finger. With the first opponent defeated, they protected one of the keys, but they didn't expect the next opponent to be such a disastrous woman.
On the lake inside the island, a boat with a coffin floats, the coffin opens, fog invading the air around and from there, a gorgeous woman arises, her smirk is evil, and it is possible to see the protuberant fangs coming out of her mouth, her eyes shining bright red under the moon.
The next morning
The chit chatting is all over the school. Ryo can hear everyone commenting about a vampire as he passes by. A bunch of senseless rumors, he thinks. His steps halt when he sees the pink-haired standing near the windows of the corridor, dazed off.
Her immersion is broken when she hears his steps drawing closer, with a startle, she looks at him, frightened, her swift typing makes him think how good she has become at writing those messages fast.
"Ryo-san, did you hear about the vampire that appeared yesterday near the lake?"
He can see her hand trembling while holding the device, as if millions of shivers run through her whole body, his brows angle up, feeling the hopelessness of her fears and finding it a tad cute while pitying her given her previous experiences with shadows.
"Are you afraid of vampires and ghosts?"
"That's not it!" she shakes her head off, texting the next part reluctantly "Yesterday I was walking back to the dorm when it happened… When that woman appeared… She had fangs… And looked scary..."
His expression changes, his eyebrows finally angling down in perplexity. So it is true there was someone, on top of that, a suspicious person. His fists clench slightly. It is likely this is another of the seven enemies they must face.
"There was something about her… It was ominous..." a chill makes its way down her spine, her shoulders shrivel in response.
His mind drifts off to the windows, looking at the direction she was also looking at not long ago, a shade darkening his expression until someone calls out for him.
"Signor Marufuji, the Principal wishes to speak to us."
"Professor Chronos..."
His eyes open slightly at the sight and he nods, he walks a few steps, but then ceases, turning sideways, a fleeting smile on his lips, saying his last words before leaving:
"You don't need to be so scared, but don't walk near the lake late at night."
The last part sounded like a warning to her, she is amazed by his words for a while until his back disappears from her sight. At the principal's office, they are told about the rumors of the vampire circulating in the school grounds.
Knowing the opponent awaits them, they start checking their decks and revising dueling strategies, unaware that vampire bats spy on their cards and on them. Camula receives all the information needed to duel them.
Under the moonlight, the duelists with the keys except Judai and Asuka gather at the borders of the lake, a red carpet rolling from the castle towards the land, the vampire woman finally appears in sight, challenging them.
She looks at Kaiser, expecting he would be the one dueling, but due to a clumsy mistake, Chronos steps forward, being the challenger instead. He can't believe in the dark duels even after feeling the pain, or rather, he refuses to accept such a duel exists, the idea of a duel being a way to hurt someone is something he truly despises.
Ryo watches the duel with a strained feeling constricting his heart, he knows very well the agony those duels bring, to see his professor being hurt like that, to protect his students, no less. They had hopes he'd make it, but in the end he loses, surprising and angering everyone when his soul is sealed into a doll that she throws away.
With one of the keys taken, the vampire goes back to her castle afloat on the lake, with an evil laughter that echoes, piercing their ears as she promises they will be invited again for the next challenge. The efforts of their professor was not in vain, taking the doll with them, they retreat to the infirmary. Judai fusses about being the next one dueling and so do the other boys.
Ryo watches silently as they discuss among them, in truth, underneath his skin his blood boils furiously. That woman disrespected their teacher and looked down on them for being humans, she treated Chronos like a toy and him as a prize.
His eyes narrow smoothly, it is not like he doesn't share the same annoyance of the younger and louder colleagues, however he is not one to say it out loud. With a freezing and seemingly apathetic gaze, he walks away.
Shou's eyes flicker in worry seeing his brother leave discreetly the room, he follows behind, ignoring the bunch of loud friends.
"Brother! Ah… Hm… You shouldn't duel frightening people like her! Those duels are dangerous, please… Don't duel."
Ryo casts a glance over his shoulder, upon seeing the concern in Shou's eyes, his brows coil upwards in a compassionate tone. Even though he is the younger one, sometimes it felt like he got their roles inverted, he should be the one taking care of Shou, not the other way around.
A faint and caring smile sprouts on his lips, that is his only answer to his sibling, it was good to see someone worrying about him as a person despite ranks or anything else. He goes away without saying a word of appreciation for the gesture, leaving a concerned Shou behind, watching his back become more and more distant.
From the outside of the windows, an ominous bat spies the interactions between the siblings and transmits to Camula. As soon as Ryo walks further down the corridor, someone else comes out of the infirmary, Shou's eyes widen in surprise.
"Rie-san! Please, you have to say something to my brother too! I think… He is seriously considering taking part in another shadow duel! We can't let him do that! The last time he was hurt…"
He closes his fists, almost in a plea, she can see how much his eyes flicker, consternated with the possibility of having his brother wounded again. He is much shorter than Ryo, but she can see a few similarities in their faces and how he expresses his concerns so emotionally unlike his older sibling.
"Why me?" she gestures trying to understand.
"I feel like my brother won't listen to me, but maybe… He will listen to you! You both had a shadow duel in the dorms, didn't you? Please, say something to him… I don't want to see him hurt again…"
His head lowers, his eyes wavering in a deep sadness, that depression is broken when he feels a hand tapping his shoulder. The older student shows a message to him.
"I will try. But, Shou-kun, he is your brother, you should know he will not recede once his mind is set."
"I know, but… I have a bad feeling about this… A really bad feeling."
"You should also calm down. No matter how dangerous it may be, everyone is doing their best to win. You should trust Ryo-san too."
She smiles faintly. He gapes for a moment, in awe with those words, maybe she was as worried as him too, she was also in a shadow duel before. He then nods, lacking confidence, but his brows relax slightly.
"Thank you, Rie-san. Please take care."
Shou enters the room again and she looks at the eerie corridors ahead, the artificial light dimming out on the corners. She feels observed. Why? Looking around scared. Outside the window there is nothing.
With a drop of sweat rolling down her face as her tension builds up. The only sound she can hear are her own footsteps, unaware the spy bats hide in the dark outside. She gulps, stopping to look back at an empty corridor, the light of the intersection is off.
As soon as she turns, she catches a glimpse of a figure standing in front of the window, her eyes open wide in shock, screaming without a sound until she recognizes the person under the moonlight.
"R-Ryo-san…?"
Her hand slowly comes to her chest, her heartbeat racing against it. He is mildly confused at her reaction, wondering what is going on until she comes a few steps closer, taking a deep breath in relief, showing the screen display.
"You scared me. Why are you standing here in the shadows?"
"I'm sorry…"
"Your brother was worried about you." Her expression twists in sadness "Ryo-san, you're not planning on doing this alone… Are you?"
His gaze lands on her face for a second, vaguely stupefied. Then a brief, fond smile spreads on his lips. The number of people concerned about him was increasing, but that was not a bad feeling at all.
"You're both worrying too much…" He blurts out, but his tone suggests he wasn't bothered by it in the least, his smile grows a tiny bit.
There is something enticing in that smile, beautiful, it strikes her with amusement shortly. It is the serenity it carries. Even though they are in the middle of a dire situation, he can be so calm. She doesn't know if that is a reason to admire him or not.
"In the last dark duel you got hurt too… In hindsight, it was pointless to hide it from the director if he was just going to call the duelists from school to do it… He knew all along about those…" she sighs heavily "Even so… This time the opponent is a ruthless vampire, you should take care… All of you."
The smile he had vanishes as his bluish orbs gaze into the distance, towards the mountains concealing the castle hovering over the lake like a bad omen. The peaceful, collected glint on his gaze changes completely, she can sense an intimidating burning aura coming from him as if he is staring at an enemy.
"Is he upset…?" She asks internally, a tense mood installing in the air.
Before she can conclude anything, a swarm of bats hovers outside coming close to the glass, she steps away from the window. Ryo's face wrinkles subtly, then he makes his way outside the building. She tries to ask him what is going on, but he doesn't spare a glance at her text, so she tags along in a hurry.
All the seven key holders, Judai and Chrono's doll included reunite at the lake again, the Kaiser walks ahead on the red carpet towards the somber castle, followed by all the others, Rie looks around with a nervous drop of sweat, the scenery is exactly like in horror movies.
When they arrive in the main salon of the castle, a voice welcomes them, Camula stands atop a broken bridge, awaiting for the challenger. The boys scuffle to decide who is dueling next, until the woman gives her ultimatum:
"I am not interested in boys or girls… I want you." she points at none other than Ryo.
"All right." he frowns at her, determined to put an end to this.
All of the presents are astounded with the match up. Rie's eyes flicker knowing he is again throwing himself into a shadow duel, the reminiscence of what happened before brings terror to her eyes.
Right at the first turn. Kaiser goes all out, using the power bond to fuse 3 Cyber Dragons on his hand and summoning his Cyber End Dragon. The crowd watching the duel gasps in shock.
"Ryo summoned his ultimate monster already?"
"My brother always duels with respect, he tries to win a well fought duel, but he is different today..." Shou's concern is written all over his expression "He's really angry..."
Rie's heart throbs at the sight, the deep scowl on Ryo's face reminds her of when he was dueling that shadow, completely unsettled. It doesn't feel right to see him this disturbed by it, she has a bad feeling.
"Power bond comes with risks, when this phase ends, you'll be taking damage equal to the original ATK of the monster you summoned with it."
"Power bond doubles the ATK of my monster, you'll not need to worry about the End Phase!"
The creases on his face accentuate, he grits his teeth, showing neither respect or mercy for that woman who trampled all over his teacher. Ordering the attack, his strategy of one turn kill is blocked by a trap card: Dubious Red Moon, it restores the amount of ATK of the monster to her life points.
To counter her strategy, he uses the card Cancel Fusion, nullifying the effects of his Power Bond damage to his life and reverting her life points back to 4000. Shou and Judai are admired with his prowess in changing the tide in a minute, but Rie sweats coldly, uneasiness spreading through her mind.
"I'm shivering! It just felt like you're the best type for me!"
"I'm sorry, but I have my own tastes."
"My, how cold of you… Still, this is why you are something I want."
Her tone comes off seductive and provocative, the spectators are creeped and preoccupied with her declaration, but the blue-haired is unfazed. She proceeds summoning Vampire Genesis with 3000 ATK, Kaiser counters by summoning both his Cyber Barrier Dragon and Cyber Laser Dragon, destroying her Vampire Genesis with the Cyber Laser Dragon's effect and directly inflicting damage to her.
Her face changes shape, her jaw relocating in an inhumane way as she draws the next cards, it is when she uses her trump card: Phantom Gate, an unknown card.
"This card can first destroy all monsters in my opponent's field!"
After unleashing her anger and decimating both his dragons, her appearance switches back to her beauty lady self and she divides herself in two, he can't believe his eyes. If one of her was not bad enough, there is now a second one.
"Let me tell you something even more interesting… This card can special-summon a monster used in this duel ignoring any requirements. That included the Cyber End Dragon you used only once, despite its fusion being cancelled."
"Impossible! A card that in addition to destroying my monsters allows you an unconditional special-summon?!"
"Obviously, the price is high! This card's activation requirement would be… My own soul. Should I lose this game, my soul will belong to the Mythic Demons."
"Isn't it too much of a risky card?!" Manjoume comments from afar.
"Yes… Although, since it's a card of complete darkness… Why don't I use it in a way befitting this duel of Darkness?" she casts a guileful glance at the spectators "For instance, having your little brother take my place."
Ryo's eyes open wide in despair, he gasps at those words. It's happening again, he knows what she means, it's the same as that vile psychologist did, threatening other people's life so he can win the duel.
"Run, Shou!"
"Too late."
She smirks, one of the Camulas descends to the audience and sneakily comes behind Shou, Rie tries to react, but it's not in time, everyone watches as Camula bites Shou's neck and grabbing him, she flies away towards the other Camula, bringing the boy close to the ominous gate.
"Shou!"he steps ahead worriedly, a drop of sweat forming on his face.
"I'll sacrifice this child's soul to summon the Cyber End Dragon!"
With the command, the magnificent Cyber End Dragon materializes on her field, bathed in a green light that emanates from Shou's body. The young student screams in pain, his energy drained, linking his soul to the dragon's.
Ryo watches as his own signature monster looks down over him like a giant fortress, his brother fainted from the pain. He prepares to draw, but she interrupts him, smirking cynically:
"Please, destroy this Cyber End Dragon! This child's soul, sacrificed for its revival will then be unable to return to this world! I wonder if that is acceptable?!"
Ryo's hand that was eager to draw recedes, going down. He considers his cards, his field and his chances of winning. He could use a couple of them to prevent the attack of the Cyber End, but if he does… His face creases and his teeth grind unconsciously.
"My victory and Shou's soul hang in the balance… This is just like..."
He casts a discreet glance at the observers, Rie watches the duel in pain, his fist clenching slightly, reminiscing of what they went through in the abandoned dorm.
"Now the Kaiser can't do a thing..." Misawa comments almost out of breath.
"This is unfair, Camula! Why aren't you playing fair and square?!" Judai complains.
"I don't want to." her voice is seductive and mooched. "Hearing this talk about fair and square makes me disgusted."
The Kaiser glares at that woman, so despicable, a grumble of anger coming out of his throat hoarsely, how could she play such dirty tactics? He should've learned in that other duel that those people are not interested in winning alone, they like to provide suffering and watch over other's agony and misery. But why did it have to happen to his brother of all people?
"Now, if you're able to do something, please do so! If you don't mind what happens to the soul of your cute little brother!"
"Brother… Win, brother."
Shou's eyes open again, his voice comes out low and feeble, but he looks at his older sibling, he has similar eyes to Rie's when she was in the shadow duel too. Ryo's expression changes in a second from fury to stupefaction.
"As the proud Kaiser, you're the goal I've set for myself. That's why you can't lose for someone like me."
Ryo's eyes flicker, his tension swelling up even more, an almost soundless grunt coming out of his lips as his teeth grind stronger.
"It is all right. No matter what, I won't blame you, brother."
That sentence perforates through his ears, it reminds him of when Rie had those eyes as if she was ready to die just so he can come out alive. This can't be… This can't be happening again, this is not fair to him. This is not fair at all.
"I mean… I'm right, aren't I? If someone like me, being the lowest rank Osiris Red told everyone I'm your little brother… You'd feel embarrassed, brother and I'd just be a hopeless guy."
The dark-haired can't move, listening to those words, a compassionate smile coming to his lips, moved by those feelings of admiration. He'd known he was an example because he is the older brother, but for Shou to look up to him to this extent...
"And my dueling…" the borders of his eyes become watery "If duel ranks were part of a building, I'd be the basement fifth floor parking lot, if it's a triangle, I would be just part of the base… I'm hopeless… No matter how hard someone like me tries, they're hopeless." his tears start dropping as his voice falters, coming off unstable "That's why It'd be a big mistake if you lost for someone like me, brother!"
A fond smile plays on Ryo's lips as he silently listens to those emotions. He was never the most expressive one among the two, but if Shou excelled at something, it was being emotionally soft since they were kids.
His little brother felt like that for so long. He tried to teach him to have more confidence, but to not become overconfident. But what disturbed him the most was that inferiority he felt was for "The Kaiser" and not for him as a brother, it just grew larger. The gap between them widened as a result. It's in part, his fault, he should have known. It's his little brother after all, right? He should've known.
Why does everyone around him act like that? He trained to be talented, he gave his best and poured his soul into it. Rie too, back then, she was willing to give up on herself for him, her own life, she gave up on her voice too, he won't ever forget that. And now his brother...
For a moment, he feels like there are just the two of them as Shou gazes at his older brother with a saddened expression. Forget the world or everything else, if he can't save even his brother or a single girl, then he shouldn't call himself the best duelist of the academy, a friend or a brother.
"Shou, you have grown a lot. Your dueling too, compared to before, it's quite a difference. You should be more confident." he stretches his hand in a gesture of assurance.
"Brother..." he smiles, unable to contain the teardrops tracing a line on his face.
"Try your hardest from now on, Shou."
Saying those unusual kind words bathed in fondness he smiles at his younger sibling. This time, he should make sure to protect what he wanted to, right? He shouldn't let anyone else get hurt because of him. Has he changed at least a bit in this whole time? Has he grown too? Are his shoulders able to bear at least a bit of their good expectations on him now?
How could he not choose him? Just like the last time, he still can't make the decision of saving himself. He feels sorry, but he never would… Choose himself first. He cast a last side glance at Rie, after all her efforts, he still couldn't...
His figure distances from his younger sibling, noticing what he is about to do, Shou claims in a desperate plea:
"You can't, brother! Please!"
"Cyber End Dragon, attack the player directly!" Camula doesn't miss the opportunity and brings the battle to a close.
Bowing to fate, he receives the full blow of his own monster, suffering from the pain. They all call out to him, his body quivers from the excruciating sensation of all his life points being taken in a swoop, he falls to his knees. His key is taken. His eyes become lifeless and his body disappears, his soul being sealed into a doll.
"I will take the key and this doll. Don't worry, I'll love it fondly as part of my collection!"
Shou drops to his knees and Rie panics inwardly. The younger brother has no words to say as the woman laughs, becoming dust and vanishing from their sight.
Outside her castle, Shou is on the ground, crying for the loss of his brother, his eyes don't avert from the somber castle over the lake, surrounded by fog. How could she, how could she use such a dishonorable trick?!
Rie's heart is also pained, she covers her face trembling in fear, remembering how all her friends were taken, now Ryo too, even after he escaped once, why did it have to happen? Why him? She casts a glance at Shou, dropping to her knees and touching his back with a hand, he can't stop crying, he must be in a worse pain than she is now.
Judai promises his friend to take care of it personally. Later on, they go to the infirmary and talk about everything that happened, this is when Judai receives from Fubuki the other half of the mystical item that will protect him for the next dark duels.
All of them go and watch the next duel, Judai versus Camula. Even though Rie is afraid, she wants to see it with her own eyes, face this darkness and not turn her gaze away like she did before.
After he wins, both professor Chronos and Kaiser are back, but while the professor seems fine, Ryo is unconscious and needs to be taken to the infirmary.
"Please, wake up…"
Shou clutches his hands together in a plea, looking at his bedridden brother, his eyes closing shut in a silent prayer. He awakes from his meditation when footsteps draw closer.
"Shou-kun, you should have some sleep too." Rie taps his shoulder worriedly.
"I knew it… I had a bad feeling… But why would my brother…Why did he not win? He should have…" he pulls his glasses up to wipe his tears.
"You shouldn't think like that… This is not the type of person your brother is, Ryo-san has a gentle heart, he would not… Hurt you for something like winning. You know that."
His eyes flicker seeing the message displayed, Rie squats down a bit to look into his face, he nods in dismay and lowers his gaze in response, looking at the sleeping Kaiser.
Not long after that, Ryo forces his heavy eyelids open. The ceiling is unfamiliar, when he turns his head around, his hazy sight can see some people standing beside the bed. One of them, his brother. His eyes open fully in surprise and sits down quickly.
His head aches and an overwhelming dizziness makes the world go round, maybe he shouldn't have sat so abruptly, he supports himself with both arms to prevent falling backwards. Fully aware of his surroundings, he takes a peek at Shou that is sleeping soundly with the arms on his bed and covered with a blanket.
The other person standing is Rie. Their eyes meet for a second, hers quiver wildly, getting brightness from the water that starts forming up. She quickly wipes away the wateriness and types:
"Are you feeling well?"
"I am fine..."
He rests one hand near his brother, looking at him with affectionate eyes. He was so worried he slept there, and Rie also was keeping watch on him. For how long has he been out? And how were the professor and the others?
"I have many questions to ask, but… I think I can save them for another time..."
"You should rest now." she agrees with a steadfast nod. "I will tell the nurse you are awake."
After a few days, both him and Fubuki are finally discharged from the infirmary and can go back to their activities. Shou is both relieved and rejoicing that his brother is back, Asuka can't fully say the same. Her brother is back, nonetheless, he can't speak much or even remember what has happened or where he was the whole time.
Now that he can't take part in the shadow duels anymore after losing his key, Kaiser stands as a spectator. In this time, he also has his own plans of what to do. Once again, he intrudes into the psychologist's office.
Now that it is empty, he can finally take a look at it, he is careful to not get caught, but at any point someone could come in. He rummages through the documents, hurriedly checking what they were about, until he finds the files of the patients.
His hand stops after getting into sight of the file with Rie's full name, he takes it, but hesitates before opening. A drop of sweat rolls down his face, true he has it on hands now, but does he really want to read about it?
He spoke to her a couple times and tried to have her explain everything. If she could remember anything useful, but it always seemed so extremely draining and hurtful for her to do so, he is reluctant.
Regardless if she tells him or not, perhaps reading her file is not the most subtle way to find out things, invading her privacy like that. He feels bad for it, but his wish to make those who did this to her pay is bigger. Once he opens it, an astounding reveal.
"It's blank…? Why?" He skims nervously through the amount of empty pages, not even a picture of hers. "Is this… fake? No…"
He opens more and more files, but only Rie's seems to be blank. Did he do it on purpose? Did he erase all evidence to let her case fall into oblivion? Why? Why would he go to such lengths?
Throwing the files onto the table in frustration, grinding his teeth. Just how much did that despicable man do before disappearing in the shadows? Unbelievable. The psychologist left no leads on her case. What can he do? Which other evidence can he try to find?
Narrowing his eyes, he tries to think hard about which other methods he could try to gather information. But can he really find out something? His confidence keeps getting shattered. For how long will he be able to endure that feeling of powerlessness and failure?
Clenching his fists, he stomps the way out in an irritated and menacing mood. The people in the corridors step away from him just by feeling his presence, the cold Kaiser looked like someone unapproachable.