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.
ToBlazePurple: We will see Aster soon enough, a couple chapters. Fubuki is his old self and as humorous as usual. Rie didn't really want to be a full fledged duelist, you see she was forced to stay in the academy, so she went a different path after thinking a lot about what she wanted to be and also because of all the strange things happening at the academy.
presea221: I'm also sad not many fics with Fubuki exist, but at least here he had to be present. He is Ryo's best friend after all XD. For Rie it will be a tad complicated, but she will do her best to follow her career of choice, and yes, the graduation is coming soon and we will officially enter the second season of the anime, we might hear more of Rie's and Ryo's parents too.
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Chapter 11: True feelings
The waves crash onto the rocks and the sunlight makes the sea sparkle, Fubuki and Ryo are both watching that sight. It's been so long since they talked like this, before he disappeared and became Darkness.
The inexpressive tone and face make it look like the Kaiser does not care much, but his eyes seem as tranquil as the breeze blowing past and partially relieved too.
"Asuka and I would come here every night to exchange clues on your whereabouts..." he sneers "We didn't have much success. The darkness surrounding your mystery was bigger than the light we tried to shine on."
"I am here now and I am glad to hear you were all worried about me. I also heard from Asuka that you thought Rie-chan might know something."
"Ah… That..." he looks down to the ocean and ponders for a moment feeling ashamed of himself "Yes. I met Rie here too..." he casts a discreet glance at the cliff "It was a less than ideal situation, but because I heard rumors she had been in the forbidden dorms, I thought she might know something about you..." a heavy sigh comes out of his lips. "It turns out she didn't have any idea, and in the end I was the one relying on someone that I should've been lending a shoulder to lean on instead."
"Ryo..." his eyes squint softly with certain worry "You and Asuka did it all for me… I'm happy to hear that." He taps his friend's shoulder once "Tell me, I heard Rie-chan was trying to help, but she had many problems. She also can't speak because of that..."
"Problems..." he can feel Asuka didn't disclose everything to the brother, perhaps, for the best "You can say that… But it doesn't matter anymore, she seems to be doing way better than before."
"There is no darkness in this world that won't be lighted. Not even a single night comes without an end, no matter how long it takes." he smiles confidently looking up to the sun.
"You are right."
"Are you sure you won't regret it later?"
"Regret what?" he blinks once, intrigued by the question, his tone is standoffish.
"What, you ask? I mean telling your feelings to Rie-chan, of course. She seems to be a nice girl. I heard she even won a duel for you. Shouldn't this be a cue for you to be the man and take action?" he elbows the friend teasingly.
"My… What? And what about a duel? T-This is all a big misunderstanding."
He is thunderstruck with the words of the friend, and in a second he is slightly flushed, perplexed even. His next sentences come off anxiously:
"Fubuki, I already told you, my relationship with her it's not what you're thinking. I explained it before, just the fact I met her was sheer coincidence."
"Then, you don't harbor any feelings for her? You don't care about her at all? That is cruel even for the Kaiser." he provokes with an amused smile and shakes his head off with a scoff. "And Asuka said you helped her so much… Sheesh."
"That's not what I said!" he flinches with a drop of sweat rolling down his face, unaware he is playing on the hand of the friend.
"Oh, so you do have feelings for her! I knew it!" He snaps his fingers with a shrewd glint in his eyes.
"That's not..." the words fail to come out, how could his friend be so carefree? "I'm not saying I don't care about her at all, I just mean I'm not interested in her the way you think." he clenches his fists looking into the deep ocean "I want to become a pro duelist, with the graduation coming, I can't afford to think about anything else right now."
"Even so, that doesn't mean you should hold your feelings back or pretend they don't exist, this will just come to bite you back with regret. Why not have both a relationship and your career?" he raises a finger trying to make a point.
"Fubuki..." he sighs deeply troubled with the persistence of his friend "I think you still don't get the part of me not having romantic feelings for her. I am repeating myself, but I have been trying to help for different reasons. I offered support when she needed it the most, but at the same time I was also using her to find clues about you." his eyes flicker in sadness with the next part as he reminds himself of all that transpired "Despite all her pain, Rie never once complained, instead she was trying to help me with all her might, even though she was the one not having much strength to begin with, she taught me something important back then. When I thought about it, this just made me feel pathetic and I felt bad for acting that way, so I wanted to make up for it. That's all."
"You're so boring, Ryo." he blurts out with a disappointed pout.
"I hear that a lot. I'm sorry for being such a boring friend." he retorts with a joking tone and a half-smile.
Fubuki watches the expression of the friend with cunning eyes, then he looks at the horizon with his own thoughts on the matter.
"Ryo, it seems you can't see things properly right now… You think you did it out of compassion, but seeing you openly worry and display your concern and feelings to others for someone else other than your brother, Asuka or me... You have such affectionate eyes… You may not have noticed this endearment you hold towards her, but I will help you figure it out." with those reflections he grips firmly on the shoulder of the blue-haired.
"Why are you looking at me like this?" he stares with a grumpy expression at the friend.
"Haha, nothing! Since you don't want Rie-chan, I was just thinking you'd make such a good pair with Asuka. We could be a family like that! I would become your true brother! Haha!"
"Not this again..."
Slapping his own face, they start bickering because of Fubuki's antics and the free spirited interaction continues, Ryo is unaware that his friend schemes for the sake of love again.
"Are you sure you don't like Asuka? I can get it arranged for you! But I can kind of understand why you would prefer Rie-chan's type, she looks gentler than my sister." He puts a hand to his chin, making a mental analysis before speaking out his wisdom. "Ho-ho it seems I have you figured out, you're into the gentle girl appeal, huh? It fits you, I'd say..."
"Would you stop saying those things?!"
Before they complete that discussion, they hear the crackling of sand grains, as if someone is close, they both look at the side at the same time to find Rie standing there with an awkward and nervous smile, they recover their composure, slightly shocked by her sudden appearance. Did she overhear their talk?
"I am sorry for being silent, I didn't mean to interrupt you..."
"Oh, no… I think I should go now… You probably want to talk to Ryo, I assume?" Fubuki scratches his head, sweat rolling down his face.
"No, I came here to speak to you."
"Me?" he points at himself, not hiding his surprise and casting a look at Ryo that just shrugs off.
"Asuka-san asked me to tell you this if I see you: 'Don't forget to go to principal Samejima's office for a talk later. I will be angry if you miss it again, you know what that means'." she quotes the words on her device. "Don't worry your sister too much."
"Ah, thank you for delivering the message." he still feels awkward, but casts a discreet glance at his friend, narrowing his eyes in a mischievous way. "By the way, Rie-chan… Why don't you come here for a moment..."
A friendly smile springs on his lips, he goes behind her and placing both hands on her shoulders, he feels the shiver creeping on her skin. Wondering why, he pushes her lightly trying to walk her closer, but there is some resistance coming from her feet.
Rie's shoulder jolts when she feels his hands pushing her softly. An astute glint flashes on his eyes, he takes the chance to put his plan into motion.
"We can all be friends. Now, how about you both tell me how you met? I think it'd be an interesting story to start with."
His smirk enlarges as he feints to tumble on his own feet pushing Rie forward, she also stumbles a couple steps ahead, her hands stretched, Ryo blocks her fall by standing right in front, her lowered head bumping into him as she supports her hands on his chest out of reflex, a faint color appearing on her cheeks.
"Fubuki!" He scolds over Rie's head, taking a hold of her shoulders.
"Oops, sorry! I staggered a bit, hehe…" He scratches his head. "Don't get too mad, come on you two, don't be so shy! It's just a hug, it's not like you've seen each other naked or something."
She stares blankly at the brown-haired, he finds himself preoccupied with her reaction. Fubuki's words seem to have pulled a trigger. Rie's mind is completely turned off to whichever is happening in the background, a load of scenes from that night popping inside her head.
A drop of sweat rolls down Ryo's face after realizing the dense shift in the mood, he feels her body quiver subtly under his touch, his eyes looking down instinctively at her face, she also looks at him, their gazes meet at different heights, her mind is just not there. She sees him, but the "him" she saw that night at the same time, her color disappearing from her skin as Ryo's image is the only reflected on her eyes.
She remembers how freezing the water was on her complexion, trembling at the vivid sensation. Her ears listen to the waves banged loudly on the coast when she jumped, then a recollection of images from when she saw the underwater scenery to the point she was taken out of there. Ryo's mouth shouting something at her and then, his terrified expression and the state she was in.
Her cheeks feel hot, a prickling sensation on them as her eyes open more and more upon the realization, her hands unwittingly enclosing his coat between her fingers, creasing it under her grip.
She never stopped much to think about it, but wasn't she…? All this time she has been walking around trying to forget it, but it isn't easy. Fubuki keeps blabbering something behind her stirring the unrest in the air, she is too absorbed to pay attention to him.
Her daydreaming shatters when her body is shaken lightly, brought back to reality. Ryo has a steady hold on her shoulders, his brows a mix of disconcert and worry as he awaits for a reaction.
"Rie, can you hear me? Are you alright?"
Finally noticing her hands had been holding onto his chest for too long, her fingers twitch. Her mouth gathers air as if she is willing to say something, but instead, she slaps his hands away, and pushes him back, much to his surprise, her lips move to form a silent sentence panickily:
"Don't look at me!" saying that, she swiftly rushes from the place.
Fubuki's brows coil on the middle of his forehead, as he confusedly switches glances between the girl and Kaiser. Did they communicate through cryptic signals or what just happened for her to demonstrate such repudiation?
Ryo's eyes waver afflicted while watching her figure disappear into the distance, his hand instinctively stretching. She gave so many steps forward and now, because of simple words, she went back to that day.
Gradually, his expression turns into a scowl that he directs towards the friend. His fists clench powerfully, his voice sounding harsher:
"Fubuki! You did it now."
"What exactly did I do? I don't get it… I just asked a question..."he denies innocently with his head, unaware of his doings.
"You're being too pushy! And nosy! Can't you be more sensitive?"
"No, really, I just wanted us three to talk. Isn't it normal for people to ask questions like this and introduce each other? I thought knowing how you two met was a reasonable question… It's not like I asked her to show us her underwear or something like that… I just wanted to be friends with her too…"
Ryo gasps at the sentence, struck by a realization. It makes sense, doesn't it? Is this why she said those words? To not look at her? Was she thinking about that night again? Not that it was less unforgettable to him, nonetheless…
The annoyance wrinkling his expression sends a signal towards the brown-haired, an alert that makes his lips close shut, his brows angling down subtly.
"Ryo…? You can't be serious, right…? I was just joking… Don't tell me you actually…" he loses his breath in shock "Oh, boy, now you'll need to give me the details, this is just sounding like I've missed way more than I was thinking."
"Don't ask me this. Just don't! I don't have time for your jokes now, you..." he sighs, glaring in a berating tone "You did something awful, Fubuki. You better apologize properly later."
He lowers his gaze to the ground after saying that, pondering about a subject the friend can't quite pinpoint. He could swear Kaiser's face was red a second ago, but that color seems to have faded completely.
"You're going to hear from me and Asuka!"
With a visibly upset glare, he threads away heavily and quickly from the lighthouse leaving behind a confused Fubuki that tries to figure out the past and which sort of bond they have exactly.
Rie rushes to the cliff, her heart accelerates as she recalls Fubuki's hand on her shoulders, she gulps dryly, it will take some time until she gets used to being approached from behind like that again.
At the same time, it also beats heavier upon remembering Ryo's concerned face, she puts a hand to her chest. His hands were so tender and caring, but the reminiscence of that night just confused her mind. For a moment she felt like she was back there, those conflicted feelings clinging onto her head.
He didn't do anything wrong, but why did she act like she did? Why did she even run? It's not like she should be hanging onto those memories with a grudge, she knows well the predicament they were in when they met, isn't it unfair to treat him like that?
She breathes deeply, the sparkles of light on the sea drawing her attention, her feet paralyze right there at the cliff without noticing. Shaking off those thoughts and making her reddened face go to its original color again, she whirls around in a daze when the sound of grains crackling under someone's feet echoes.
Ryo stops after sighting her, with enough distance to not aggravate her more. A trail of cold sweat on his face.
"Rie, why did you run? Was it Fubuki again?"
Her eyes widen as she flushes. He'd never seen such a deep pink color on someone's face, not even on his fangirls. Her fingers tweak in nervousness before she covers her face with both hands.
A symmetrical fold forms in the middle of his forehead, in concern and half discomfort, his fists threaten to close again, he gives a few steps closer, still keeping just enough distance.
"What is bothering you?" His eyes sharpen as she slowly looks at him "Are you still thinking about that night long ago…? I thought you got over it…"
She lets her face be seen again, flabbergasted, her expression is petrified in that state, again her eyes seem to not be looking directly at him, but some distant memory. In truth, she also thought she'd gotten over it, that she left all those horrible moments behind.
It just happens that she didn't. When she stopped for a moment to recollect it, how she met him, her circumstances, and the way he saw her, her blood just simmered. He is no stranger anymore, but that just makes this even more complicated. There's no way he'd have forgotten that, is there?
"Back then, after I jumped, you saw it all… didn't you?"
His lips unglue slightly at the question on her device, his eyes averting to the side, running away from her inquisitive gaze. There is no point in lying or trying to pretend.
"I took you out of the water… How would I not…" he sighs heavily "I'm sorry for this, Rie, but I can't unsee it. I wish I could…"
Her eyes flicker. That's right, despite having told him what happened, she never got to hear his side of the story. Of course, she was the one with bigger problems, but how distressful must it have been for him too? What did he think back then? How did he feel? She doesn't know any of that.
"I wish I could forget, really."
She lowers her hand, no longer displaying the message, in deep thought. Her eyes quivering wildly. Obviously that was no way to meet someone, but he didn't have a choice. Her hair falls over her shoulders, her head bent down, conflicted.
It's not like it hasn't been a great ordeal for him, saving someone that just tried to suicide, on top of that, the reason why she even tried to do it, then in the abandoned dorms she lost her voice and he couldn't find his friend or hers and regardless of making efforts to find the people who hurt her, he failed so far.
Since they met, they've just been getting themselves entangled into a myriad of problems. No matter how calm he looks outside, he must have been affected by it too, right?
The mood just becomes tenser, a drop of sweat rolling down his face, his eyes opening subtly wondering if he had the wrong choice of words. Her expression dims, becoming gloomier. Was he too crude? Perhaps he should've pretended he didn't see anything after all.
"Huh… Don't take what I said as an offense, you're very pretty." His voice comes off unsure and shaky, It worsens the situation.
She stares at him perplexed and somewhat lost on the whole conversation, almost as if her mind is still processing those memories. He seems to be still processing the memories himself, while screaming inwardly.
"I mean… It's not easily forgettable. And I'm not implying you're ugly or anything like that. Y-You're pretty in blue or any color."
He gapes at his own words and she flinches, finally awakening from her deep meditative status, he has the impression her fingers were typing a bit too harshly on the device:
"So you even remember the color?!"
She immediately gasps in shock, an air of disbelief on her open mouth. Her skin becomes an even deeper tone of pink, if that was even possible, she hides her face nervously again, but leaving a crevice in between her fingers to peek at him.
"Y-You shouldn't overthink about it… Underwear is basically like an elaborate bikini, so there is no need to worry-"
He stops himself right there noticing what he just said, this time it's his heart feeling like it will come out from his mouth, why did he speak again? His head becomes unexpectedly hot, a drop of a restless sweat trickles down his face, he could swear it dried from just how hot his face felt. Closing his eyes and mouth shut, he takes a moment to think. Can he embarrass himself more than that?
"I-I didn't mean to… Ugh… Forget what I said, I wasn't…"
He slaps his own forehead, troubled with that whole situation, not like he can say he didn't pay attention, however that wasn't the main issue there. In truth, ever since the first time he approached to ask about Fubuki, he knew she was troubled, but tried to do his best to not scare her away.
After that, when they were talking normally, he avoided the topic or at least, he thought it was fine never mentioned again because she always seemed fine and it would be better if she could just move past that night. His gaze lands on her face, a saddened glint to it.
"The color of your underwear was the least of my worries there..." his face is slightly flushed, a steady stance "It must have felt terrible and I can't imagine the depth of it… You looked dead inside, Rie... Do you really think I…?" he sighs in dismay "Do you really take me as such a person, Rie? Is that truly the impression you have of me?"
There is a subtle oscillation in his eyes as he expects an honest answer, anguished and disappointed even. The agitation she felt just before seems to vanish in sight of that. Her orbs cast down. In hindsight, it probably went awful for him too. Did seeing someone jump off a cliff give him nightmares? Because she sure had many.
Her head shakes slightly in denial as she looks at him, a desolate tone in her eyes, almost regretful. He takes a deep breath, blowing away the tension in the air and coming a few steps closer.
"Don't let what people say get too much into your head. Forget what Fubuki said. Don't keep remembering that night either, it's over."
True enough, if he wanted to have hurt her, he'd have done it long ago, but he helped her instead. Were those memories enough to sway her opinion of him, despite all he has done for her?
"I'm sorry. I overreacted. It is difficult for me to remember that day. I know you wouldn't hurt me… I trust you."
The last part hits him with awe for a second, he flinches at the realization he might have been staring at her glimmering eyes for too long, a faint, warm smile coming to his lips in relief and appreciation.
"I apologize on Fubuki's behalf, he doesn't know everything that happened. He wasn't trying to be harmful, he is just a dork."
"It's fine. I should've reacted better. I'm sorry for troubling you too."
"No, he needs to be told off…" he huffs, eyes closed and a shake of disapproval.
When his eyes open he sees the screen right in front of him, a smile on Rie's lips as she shows the message.
"Ryo-san, you're a good person."
His expression softens again, that smile spreading to his lips. They smile warmly at each other for a brief moment, but it is interrupted when one hand lands on each of their shoulders. Her shoulder jerks again, her hair standing on its end.
"Sniff… Ryo, you even apologized on my behalf! You're such a good friend!"
"Fubuki…" fog comes out along with his breath, almost enraged, pushing the friend away again and grabbing his arms "What did I say about keeping your distance?! You're making her uncomfortable! And what are you even doing here?!"
He grabs his friend's shoulders again, forcing back a couple steps, a reprimanding glare furrowing his brows obtusely.
"But you were close too…" he narrows his eyes, almost pouting as a kid that doesn't want to be left out. "So the problem is me approaching her? But it's fine if it's you, is what you're saying? Even though not long ago she just rejected y-"
"I have somewhere to go now!"
Rie types in a hurry, fretting shyly and showing the display of her device's screen, taking their attention for not enough time to read properly, darting out of there in shame, covering her face. The answer to that is a deadly serious glare Ryo throws at the friend, his lips curving down.
"You can grill me all you want with your eyes, but I can understand why you didn't make any move yet, she seems to be a very shy girl. That was a whole new level of rejection and shyness layers we got here. You'll need to work a lot on that, with patience."
"You're still on about this?" his brows wrinkle "You don't have any idea, do you?" sighing heavily he dismisses the topic "You should stop doing this, Fubuki. You don't know just how much trouble it causes her, don't get too close. I am serious! You're just coming off as inconsiderate."
"I was being very considerate not appearing in the middle of the dialogue, you know? And I thought it didn't concern you..." his eyes squint shrewdly as he casts a side glance. "What is the problem in being close if she is not your girlfriend anyways? I could make her become my fan instead if you're not interested. We still have our fan club battle to settle, whose fan club is bigger?!"
"I wasn't aware we had a competition of fan clubs… Besides, I already told you, she is not a fan. Stop forcing those stupid jokes before I get really mad at you." His last sentence comes accompanied by his eyebrows angling more in a threatening tone. "Rie is probably hiding in a corner right now because of what you did!" He crosses his arms in a scolding stance.
"Why are you all being so mean to me?!" he quivers in fear "I am just trying to help you, as your friend, Ryo! Your best friend!"
"I don't need help with this. And you don't know half of the story, so stop trying."
"Come on, at least tell me what was going on there, that conversation was looking interesting, how would you know the color of her underwear? Though, I must say blue matches her hair tone."
"J-Just how much did you eavesdrop?!" He gasps in shock, the coolness of his posture breaking.
"Almost everything… I was feeling bad for you both and came to apologize, but I couldn't help but listen to it a bit." He smirks mischievously. "To think my friend would be so savage to a girl he met not long ago… I knew you had an intense side to you, Ryo!" he slaps his back.
"Fubuki! I will kill you!" The red color rises to his cheeks, his fists clenching ferociously.
They bicker once more while Rie pants after rushing the long way to the obelisk girl's dorm, her hand resting on her bosom, she still tries to catch her breath. This is entering the most embarrassing moments in her life. Regardless, like he said, she should stop thinking about it and move on. With a firm nod, she goes to her room to check on her deck for her own graduation duel. Who should be her opponent?
A few days past after all the ruckus. At the cliff, Rie watches the moving waves. Her gaze is lost in the horizon, colored by the orange sunset. Her eyes flicker as she ponders about many things: All that has happened to her in those ominous woods and the abandoned dorm, her meeting with Ryo Marufuji, with Asuka Tenjouin and all the others; the shadow duels, and the faces of those girls as they mock her misfortune.
So much has happened in this whole year, but she is finally graduating. She didn't think she'd make this far despite being absent for many months. It was Samejima's good will to help that allowed her to take tests and be a third year and Ryo's bravery saved her that night.
There is plenty to regret and to cry for, but she also has had more moments of happiness than she accounted for, mainly after meeting him.
That is true, it was all because of him, right? That she was even alive to experience all this. Both sadness and happiness. She felt empty before and thought she could die without regrets, but after being in the school again and meeting more people, hearing he'd need her help, she got a fickle purpose. It was because of that she wanted to be of help and make up for her mistakes. She wanted to protect him and the others from all those shadows.
It feels silly to think like that, as if her weak shoulders can carry such a heavy burden like the lives of everyone, still, at least one person, she wanted to help and protect at least one person, this is why she would be fine in the end even had she died back then in his arms, knowing he gets to live.
He has become a very special person to her, someone that supported her and saved her from the darkness many times. However, those mingled feelings confuse her. She is reminded of Fubuki's words about harboring feelings for each other. Is he special because of what he has done or because of who he really is?
She can't get an answer even though she has pondered about it many times. Who is Ryo Marufuji to her? She was willing to die so he could live because she felt indebted and guilty, but was that really all there was to her actions? He defended her and stretched a hand when she was in need, isn't it natural to like someone when they are kind? Yet, she fears those feelings might come from this sense he is someone she could rely on at the time she needed.
Recently his smile is also often in her thoughts, not that he wasn't already handsome enough on his usual expression, she shoves off those dreamy images. She can't deny she likes him as a person, but if her reasons for feeling like this are because he helped her and was a support for her in times of need, then her feelings are only a sense of attachment and dependency.
If she can't like him even when he has nothing to offer, then all she is doing is choosing someone she can lean on, but not someone who she can mutually share feelings with as equals and that would be wrong.
Are her feelings more than just a friendship that was born out of reliance? Or perhaps she misunderstood his kindness? Was she clinging to those feelings because she was still unable to live on by herself? She was overjoyed by witnessing the gentleness coming from him.
The image of Ryo with a faint smile comes to her mind, but is blurred. What if she is doing the same to everyone else? Treating them not as friends or equals, but just walls she can lean on whenever she feels weak while she can't do this for them.
This is not right. This can't be right. If she likes someone or if she is friends with someone, she wants it to be real and not something feeble that will end as soon as none of them can offer her support anymore. She wants to give them support too and share good memories together. What does she truly feel for the Kaiser? Without a clear response, her mind drifts away to the sky.
Hurried footsteps come from behind, she turns around in an instant, alerted by who it could be. Her eyes open wide in surprise, it's Fubuki. But what is he doing here?
"Rie-chan… huff… huff..."
He pants as if he had run a marathon, his eyes are afflicted and his expression displays a deep sorrow. Why did he come here to talk to her? Is it possible that he also knows about what happened to her…? That idea is discarded when he catches his breathe and speak:
"It's Ryo, he..."
She is flabbergasted, her eyes open even more in worry, for his best friend to come here, something serious must have happened. Her heart feels squeezed inside her chest, she types nervously:
"What happened?"
Fubuki clenches his fists determined, a shadow covering partially his eyes, he urges her to take action:
"Come with me!"
She nods firmly without a second thought, not considering what his true intentions or plans were, indeed she was biased the moment Ryo's name was mentioned. He gestures with a hand and calls her towards the lower part of the rocky cliff, near the beach.
There is a cave that goes deep underground, the high tide starts filling it with water, she looks down on the hole that seems to be some sort of entrance, it is pitch black and the waves crackle furiously making their way inside it, she can hear a distant sound of water splashing down there.
"Why did you bring me here?" the text on her communicator says.
"Ryo, he… Fell in there, I don't know what will happen if he stays there, the high tide will fill this cave with water slowly, and then..."
"Why did you not call the teachers?!"
"I would! But you were closer… One of us can go down there and the other stays here to pull everyone up, do you understand?
She turns on a flashlight function on her student PDA, lighting the way down desperately in search of the teal-haired. Bending over, trying to see more clearly, but all she can see is darkness, it is that deep?
Behind her, Fubuki has a mischievous smirk, while she is frantically searching for a sight of Kaiser in the depth of the cave, he pushes her down in a well executed move. Her eyes open wide as she falls. She watches a faint and guilty smile form on his lips.
"I am sorry Rie-chan, this is for your sake too."
Her hand stretches upwards, but it is too late, it can't grasp anything, she falls fully into the water, sinking into the depths of the cave. He rushes out of the scene like a criminal.
At the lighthouse
Ryo watches the waves with a deep expression, his fists clench slightly as he thinks about the future. The shadow duels, his meeting with Judai, how his brother felt all this time, his meeting with Rie, Fubuki's comeback, all that has occurred in this last eventful year.
After graduation he will take his first step as a professional duelist and strive to enter the world league. He is enthusiastic and uneasy at the same time. Why is that? He'd not feel this uneasy in duels or in his life often, perhaps all the fluff of finishing a phase in his life was getting into his head? His attention is cracked when he senses someone approaching.
"Fubuki…?"
His friend has a dire worried expression, he is out of breath, for that jester to be with such a concerned expression, something must be wrong.
"Did something happen to Asuka?"
His first guess is the beloved sister of his friend, he wouldn't be moved by just anything, right? But he denies shaking his head:
"It's not Asuka… It's Rie-chan… She..."
Kaiser's eyes open in astonishment, oscillating wildly with shock and worry. Fubuki wishes they could see each other's reactions now, they're both the same. Constraining his laugh, he continues the acting:
"She fell into the cave near the beach!"
"What? Where is it?!"
He nods firmly and they both run with the brown-haired leading the way. They arrive at the borders of the cave, nearing the entrance, Ryo gulps looking down, all he can see is absolute black. The flashlight of his device is not enough to light a proper sight besides the rocky walls.
"Rie… Why would she…? Are you sure it was her?" a drop of sweat rolls down his face, his eyes are silently in panic.
"Yes! It was definitely Rie-chan, her glossy pink hair is unmistakable! This is very bad Ryo, this cave will flood with seawater when the high tide fully rises, some water currents form inside when this happens and it will be impossible to get out from there, the sea is becoming more and more violent!"
"Damn..." he curses under his teeth.
He too was blinded by the fact Rie was involved, but on a second thought, what he has been told sounds extremely odd. He furrows his brows and casts a glare at his friend.
"Fubuki… Why did you not call the teachers to rescue her? And how did she fall?"
"Y-You were the closest one and the tide is rising fast, there was no time…!" he gestures frantically, sweating from all pores.
Kaiser's brows only come more and more together, wrinkling his face as he stares at the other, waiting for the truth to be told.
"Rie-chan is really in there! We can do this! I can stay here and you can go and help her, right?" He takes a long rope showing it. "I can pull both of you out!"
"Don't play around with me, Fubuki..."
He clenches his fists, annoyed at the friend's deceitful acting, a forced smile comes to his lips. It all happens too fast, with a surprise tackle using his shoulder, he knocks Ryo down the hole. The impact hits him hard, Ryo's chest is in pain, Fubuki certainly was not sparing efforts.
As he falls, he tries to grab onto something, but it is futile, the darkness surrounds everything until he reaches the water, a loud splash occurs, his back hurts after the collision with the water from such a height. He swims upwards, taking a deep breath as he tries to keep himself afloat, his head above the surface, his body is swung back and forth with the movements of the water.
"Fubuki! Have you gone crazy?!" he yells irritated.
"I am sorry!" he hears the echo of the voice from somewhere up there, far from him "If you both weren't so stubborn, I would not need to do this! It is just too painful to watch!"
He throws an object downwards, Ryo listens to the sound when it plops near him and grabs it quickly. It looks like a flashlight.
"What?! What did you do to Rie?!"
"You'll thank me later! This is the push you needed!" he replies in a joking tone, but then his voice becomes shaky "Ah… It's coming!"
He can't hear Fubuki's voice anymore, instead a huge amount of water comes into the cave, stirring the water savagely, a small underwater current just forms, he feels a cramp on his feet, unable to move, the overflowing water throws him deep down.
He covers his mouth with both hands to hold in his air, but he is unsuccessful in his attempt, he swallows some water in process, when he is sinking, a hand grabs his arm and pulls him up, he tries to open his eyes unsuccessfully because his lungs are in pain.
His head is finally above the water level, he coughs all the water clogging his throat as someone holds him from behind, they're both afloat. His squinted eyes take a peek at the hands holding him, turning a bit to the side and she shows her face to his eyes that just got used to the darkness.
"Rie…?"
What is Fubuki planning by throwing them both? He looks up in concern, the sky darkens by the minute and there is no visible way out. What will be of them now?