Chapter Eight

Conquerors

Dawn light burned my eyelids. I opened my eyes to slits, but the sunlight heightened my headache. I angled my head down so my bangs might give a shadow to work with. When I did, I saw my partner passed out by the foot of the cot.

Though his hand had fallen slack, his fingertips still brushed mine. I bit my trembling lip, and a single tear traced down my cheek. I wiped my arm across my face and smiled in a small way. I moved to quietly rise to my feet.

Pain struck my spine. I tumbled off the side of the cot. I landed with a grunt, but someone else's gasp was louder. Kalin stared at me with wide eyes. I covered my reddening face with my hands. "S-sorry!"

"Yeah, well, there are worse ways to wake up than your girlfriend falling in your lap."

"No, really, I- wait, what'd you call me?"

He helped me sit up, rubbed at his eyes, and asked, "How we feeling today, princess?"

"Now I'm…" I clasped my hands together. "I have a headache, obviously, but I think I'm okay. Why do you call me that?"

"Rain, Rain, Rain. Only true royalty could look at the Satellite and call it pretty."

"Beautiful," I said, my gaze never breaking away from his hazel eyes. "It's beautiful."

"Whatever you say, princess." When he rose, I noticed him stumble. A grimace crossed his face for the shortest instance. He held a hand out to me while wearing a wide smile.

"Um, did you hurt yourself by staying here?"

"Nah. I'm fine, really." Our hands clasped, and he pulled me to my feet. He glanced behind me and did a double-take. "Holy shit! Is that a duel runner?"

Oh, yeah. I never told him. "Mhmm. That's mine. Totally slipped my mind. Now that I think about it, the runner could help us!"

"You just. You just have a runner? Did you build it?"

I shook my head. "I found it. I can't say I remember for sure, but I have a good feeling it's mine. Here…"

I showed him the remote and how its symbols were like the language on my duel disk. He was astounded at its ability to drive itself. Kalin said, "Look, if this thing is important to whoever you used to be, no way should you risk using it. Anybody catches wind you've got a runner, you'll be seeing thieves crawling all over this place. It won't only be the runner in danger in that case."

The bronze frame reflected the dawn pouring through the collapsed dome. I frowned, saying, "I hadn't thought of it that way. But the runner and whoever I used to be aren't as important as the team."

"I hope that's not true," he said. "You should care about yourself."

"You don't think the team's more important?"

"Pretty sure we already went over this when you wanted to join Team Satisfaction for no good reason. Nah. Your safety is. I want what's best for you, partner. Never forget that. It's all I want."

Gosh, with the insane amounts of work he put in, I figured nothing came before the team. The surety with which he spoke made me feel sort of… special. I managed a mumbled, "Mkay."

"I have an idea. If you want to know more about the runner, there's a super mechanic who can help you check it out."

My jaw dropped. "You know someone like that?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." Kalin held a hand out to me. "I can take you to him, if you want."

Our fingers weaved together, and I nodded. He set off in a sprint with me in tow. Kalin splashed through leftover puddles wherever possible and laughed as though nothing was wrong with the world.

He led me through alleys, whispered the Satellite's local ghost stories, and showed me his favorite shortcuts. We arrived at an abandoned subway. He placed his finger to my lips and said we'd be playing the thieves, and that he would warn me to be quiet but I already was.

We crept through the greasy, dark tunnels. I kept my breathing light and only knew where I was going by my partner's hold on my hand. Light leaked past the corner ahead. Kalin jumped out into the open and shouted, "Yusei!"

Yusei fell backwards. The wrench he was holding clattered against the subway platform. "What the hell, man? Did you take the other entrance just to scare me?"

Kalin set his hands on his hips and grinned. "Maybe."

"Sorry," I said.

Yusei sighed and said, "I doubt you knew what he was up to. Hey, Rain. Looks like you two worked out whatever the problem was."

"Yeah, well, Rain here broke into my sweets stash. Tough to trust any man or woman after that."

"I- I did not!"

Yusei's stare was shameful. "How could you?"

"What do you mean?" I shrieked. "I didn't do anything like th-"

They both broke down laughing. I did my best to keep my pout up instead of a smile. Yusei asked, "Are you here for anything besides delivering a heart attack?"

"Why, yes! We are!" Kalin snapped his fingers. "Show him, Rain."

I stuck my hand in my pocket and called the runner, which arrived in seconds. The motorbike parked itself between Yusei and me. I explained its capabilities and its apparent connection to my past. He listened intently and did not show a bit of shock. Yusei said, "I could take a look inside and tell you if I notice anything strange."

"Awesome!" Kalin said. "While you two work on it, I'll be visiting Jack and Crow to tell them about our last gang fight tomorrow. Sector B forfeited their area, and A will be the final section. Guess word about us is getting around! So! See you later."

I waved good-by. Yusei hardly noticed; he was laser-focused on the runner. He circled it and pointed in the air as though marking an invisible checklist. In the meantime, I observed the subway platform. A desk with a smaller screen like Crow's "TV" and various tools stood next to a maroon duel runner frame. The wires and panels visible through the frame's many holes told me it was a work in progress.

"I didn't know you were a super mechanic," I said.

Yusei laughed. "Is that what he called me? I'm not. He plays it up."

My head tilted as I observed his workstation and future duel runner. "I don't think so."

"You're too kind."

"You're too humble."

"Makes two of us," he said. "Can you come here for a second?"

The wheels of the trolley Yusei lay back on squeaked as he wrenched the duel runner's guts. His other hand held a flashlight. I crawled next to him. He said, "The wires here are lined with a resource I don't recognize. Odd, too, is that it's a dark green color. Your engine doesn't run on Ener-D, and its source of energy seems somehow linked to the attached duel disk. The weirdest item is this right here."

His flashlight rolled over a dark red splotch on the base of the engine. Yusei said, "It looks like a bloodstain."

My muscles shivered. A chorus of screams resounded in my blank thoughts. A mental plea met me through the chaos.

"Our power is meant to be used for good purposes!"

"Don't worry about it," Yusei assured, and his voice brought me back to reality. He produced a rag and cleaned off the stain. "There. Good as new."

"Th-thanks." I pulled myself out from under the runner and sat up. The runes on my glove shone in the light. A good purpose. Did I have one? Crow wanted to unite the Satellite and the City. Kalin wanted to make the Satellite as great as the City. Jack wanted to become the greatest duelist of all time. "Hey, Yusei. What would you say your purpose is?"

"Purpose?" he repeated, still pointing his flashlight inside my runner. "I think what we're doing right now is important. I don't believe the Satellite will need us forever, though. I'd say…"

Yusei dragged himself out and eyed his work-in-progress duel runner. "I'd like to be a turbo duelist in New Domino City."

"Woah," I breathed. "There's a way to the City? And- you know how to turbo duel?"

"Sure is." He pulled the deck from my runner and showed me one of the spells. "Turbo duels use Speed Spells, which typically require SPC. Every turn, both players gain one SPC. Not all spell cards have a Speed Spell version, and some types of spell cards – like Continuous and Field – have no Speed Spell versions whatsoever."

I picked the card out of his hand. It was called Half Seize, which halved a monster's attack and gained life points equal to the loss. He returned my deck. I added Half Seize to the stack and placed it on my runner's disk.

"I know this is a long shot, but does the green material or alternative energy source ring any bells? Whatever it is, I'd like to know. Your runner seems to be able to reach incredible speeds."

My focus dropped to my feet. "I wish I did. But if I remember anything to help you become a famous turbo duelist, you'll be the first to know!"

Yusei smiled, placed his flashlight on his desk, and plopped down on a ragged couch nearby. He said, "What about you? What's your purpose?"

I gripped my right wrist. "I don't think I have one."

"Yeah, you do strike me as the drifter type," Yusei said. He reached to his right, produced a couple of waters from an ice chest, and tossed me one. I struggled to catch it. He didn't notice; his gaze was on the ceiling, and his thoughts were distant. "There isn't anything wrong with that. You don't need a purpose, drive, or dream. You can live and be content – especially since you're with someone like Kalin."

I blinked. "Huh?"

"Did I hear my name?" My partner strolled in the correct entrance this time. He pointed at Yusei and me. "You two better be up bright and early tomorrow! We're meeting at the hideout first. When we win this, Sector A will be ours, meaning we'll have the whole Satellite under control! If you're not up in time, I'll find you and drag you there!"

I sucked in a breath. "R-really?"

Kalin crossed his arms and looked away. "No. But! You'd better not be late!"

"I wouldn't dare to start now," Yusei said.

"Good! I'll see you tomorrow, then." Kalin started towards the exit.

"Thanks again for your help," I told Yusei. He offered a wave and a smile. I downed the rest of my water while chasing after Kalin. He had emerged on the surface, where the air was only slightly cleaner. "Where are you going?"

He was watching the darkening sky. He started walking, and I followed. "The best option would be resting up for tomorrow. I mean it when I say 'early,' Rain!"

Aches pulsed in my skull. "Yeah, I agree. I should go back to Martha's, too. She might be mad 'cause I didn't come home last night."

"No worries! I'll back you up." He grasped my hand, and we walked to her place. Orange chased the setting sun. Fireflies blinked in the sparse forest outside the cottage.

She slammed open the door the instant after Kalin knocked. She had a few things to say about how worried she was about me not showing up the night before. I bowed and apologized, which seemed to please her.

"And you!" she hollered, pointing at Kalin.

"Me," he said. A corner of his mouth quirked up. It seemed to make her angrier.

"I had to do the work myself last night. Since you kept Rain from home, you're both helping tonight."

"What?" he yelled. "I'm not your slave!"

"Cooking's not so bad," I said. "It's kinda fun, actually!"

"You're not supposed to side with her," he hissed.

"It'll be great! We can do it together!"

His proud stance melted. He followed me inside, his head hanging in defeat. The children tried to ask him questions, and Martha shooed them off. When she handed Kalin his knife, she said, "I'm trusting you more than last time since Rain's supervising you."

"You don't have to bring that up!" he yelled.

"What happened?" I asked.

Martha chuckled. "A wee spot of blood. You'd think he cut his finger off with how he screamed-"

"Look, it was a long time ago, alright? A looong time."

I moved his wrist down. "Careful. You don't want your thumb there."

"Yeah, I know."

"You do?"

"Nah." He grinned and said, "Thanks for the help."

"So you'll let go of your ego for her," Martha commented with a roll of her eyes.

"Hey, Rain, d'you hear somethin? Sounds like a fly buzzing around."

"Oh, that's just childish!" Martha scolded.

The kitchen seemed a lot hotter than usual. I pulled the collar of my shirt away from my neck. "I, uh, don't want to pick a side. Cut the potatoes a little smaller. Almost there."

Thanks to his help, we finished in half the usual time. Martha stirred the broth as Kalin whispered, "Is it always stew?"

"Pretty much."

"Tch. All she can make."

Her deathly glare left me scurrying out of the room. Kalin just laughed. We prepared the table and Kalin finally had his chance to regale the kids with tales of Team Satisfaction. He made turf wars sound a lot cooler than what actually happened.

After dinner, Martha announced there was enough sugar at the end of the month to justify making brownies. I had no idea what they were. The way everybody cheered and the scent from baking them promised paradise. Martha passed them out one-by-one. She stopped on Kalin, him being the last, and said, "Looks like we're fresh out."

"That figures," he grumbled. We walked outside the cottage entrance. The song of cicadas serenaded the night. A lantern by the front door flickered light onto his frown.

The brownie rested on my palm, and I held it to him. "You can have it."

The offer got him to smile, at least. "You're precious. Nah. I can't. Have you even tried it yet?"

I nibbled a bite. The crumbly chocolate had to be the best thing I'd ever tasted. I hopped up and down and pointed at the brownie. "It- it's amazing! We have to at least share!"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, it-"

He grasped the nape of my neck, pulled me close, and kissed me. His warm tongue glanced the inside of my lips. When we separated, the heat flushing my face prevented me from thinking. His sly smile was the same as usual. He winked, saying, "Whaddya know? You were right. See you bright 'n' early tomorrow, princess."

I hid my blushing smile with my hand as he left. Inside the homeplace, I sprinted up to my room. I buried my face in my pillow and laughed like a maniac. Hugging the pillow to my chest didn't make sleeping any easier past my joy. My headache wore on me, though. An hour passed before I managed to fall asleep.

The pain had passed on by the time I awoke. I threw off the covers, tripped on my way down the stairs, and landed on my palms. I shrugged off the jolt and glanced in the mirror by the bottom of the staircase.

White hair stuck up in wild directions. I licked my thumb and smoothed down the unruly locks. A stubborn tuft on my left temple refused to stay down. I shrugged and headed out anyway.

The powder blue of early morning softened the sky. I splashed through puddles and smiled, recalling my partner's similar happiness. The hideout was empty. Odd. I thought I was late. The map on the central table showed the Satellite blackened except for a large chunk in the middle: Sector A.

Footsteps hurried up to the second floor. Yusei stopped, scanning the room. "Mornin,' Rain. Nobody else make it yet?"

"Nope! I ran here as soon as I woke up."

"You didn't stop for breakfast or anything?"

I lay a hand over my stomach. "Guess I didn't think about it."

"Huh. Want one?" He offered one of his two granola bars, which I accepted. He even shared his water with me. "Hey! Can I show you a couple of cards I got from the barter street the other day? The guy didn't realize what he was parting with. I got 'em for a steal."

"Yeah, yeah, show me!"

He lay down a white card next to an effect monster. "The Synchro's Nitro Warrior, and it requires Nitro Synchron there as material. The trader tried to convince me he only had Nitro Warrior as if I wouldn't realize I needed both. Probably wanted the leverage."

"The white border," I said, practically drooling. "It looks so nice…"

"Have you never seen a Synchro before?"

"Hey hey hey!" Kalin strolled into the hideout. "The pair of goody-two-shoes showed up early! I should've expected that."

"We're not early," I said. "You're late."

Air hissed in through his teeth as though I'd wounded him. "Guilty. How's the headache?"

"Gone," I affirmed with a smile. He reflected the gesture. A couple of voices came from below. Crow attempted to tell Jack a joke. He didn't even earn a chuckle. Jack shouldered through the door as though trying to escape his friend.

Jack demanded we discuss the plan that instant. Kalin decided on a frontal charge. There were tens of them, so being sneaky would get us nowhere. This would be a war of brute force, he explained. On the way there, Kalin said, "No holding back. They'll be just waking up!"

Kalin picked the lock on the gate to the gang's hideout. We stalked inside. Crow whispered, "Don't let your guard down for a second."

"And don't forget to be relentless," Jack bellowed. His grin was wicked. We stopped in the heart of the run-down projects. Shadows crawled through the dark, and heads bobbed along roofs. Shades watched from windows.

Stars above. They were uncountable. That meant Kalin had that much faith in us. I grinned in the same way Jack had.

What looked like fifty of them pounced us at once, and I was glad Kalin had given me extra cuffs. I pulled out all five, latched every single one to a new opponent, and swiftly defeated them using the Seal of Orichalcos and my dragons.

Yusei used his new Nitro Warrior to destroy duelist after duelist in a domino effect. Jack eliminated three in the blink of an eye. Crow latched onto a duelist leaning out of a window and took the guy out in one turn. I saw Kalin defeat one then head inside a building through the smoke left behind. Naturally, I followed him.

No one remained on the stairs to stop me, as expected. Kalin wouldn't leave anyone behind. I dashed up the stairs and burst through a door leading onto a roof.

A shaky breath passed my lips as I beheld the scene in front of me. Yusei dangled between two buildings and would've fallen to his death if it weren't for Kalin. He'd caught Yusei's hand with a cuff and was struggling to hold him up.

"I- won't- let- go!"

"Kalin, you'll fall too!"

"Guys?"

Kalin heard me and immediately shifted his gaze towards the other man on my roof. "We'll be fine! Trust me. Don't let him get away!"

The perpetrator, a man wearing the gang's trademark biker helmet, tossed me a glance. He reveled in my friends' situation. Blood roared in my ears like the day Kalin nearly died. But this time-

I didn't black out. Cold calm settled over me. I walked towards him, flicked out my wrist, and slid the Seal of Orichalcos into the Field Spell slot. The bright green circle surrounded us. He laughed and said, "Good luck trying to save them!"

He spun on his heel and ran smack into an invisible wall. The guy landed hard on his back, and his helmet rolled towards me. He scrambled backwards until flat against the Seal's bounds. "Shit. You- you're that shadow chick with the powers. No. You're just some little girl. Let me out or I'll kill you like I did them."

Silence fell. His face twitched. He roared and charged me. A brutal miscalculation left him tripping over his own helmet and falling on his face. I didn't bother with pity.

The Seal's green light cast a ghastly glare upon his face. He said, "You're new, ain't you? You don't understand what Team Satisfaction does! They're running us out of our homes. Don't side with someone who doesn't care about the everyman's livelihood!"

"I am so sure a murderer such as yourself considers the issue of livelihood in his moral decision-making process."

He blinked as though my ability to reason shocked him. I pulled a card from my deck. "Wh-what are you doing with that? Don't kill me. Please, don't kill me!"

Thunder Dragon materialized at my side. His electricity crawled along the man. My expression remained neutral as I stated, "Since you asked so nicely, I'll oblige."

The Seal of Orichalcos disappeared. He hollered, "I'm free! I'm- I- I can't move. My arms and legs won't move! What have you done to me?"

I grabbed his collar and dragged him to the edge of the building. He couldn't resist. He screamed for help and none came. I held him against the edge so his head hung over the abyss. "Any last words?"

"Please, please don't do this!"

Tears and snot stained his face. Disgusting. "Regret can't change what you've done."

I shoved him off. He screamed and screamed while plummeting. He even kept squealing after my Thunder Dragon caught him and deposited him safely onto the ground.

Once he finally shut up, I yelled, "I'd be careful how I acted from now on if I were you. My dragons don't take pity twice, and I don't take pity once."

Thunder Dragon's temporary paralysis wore off. The man scrambled away.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side."

Jack stood behind me with his arms crossed. The frost on my heart prevented my smile. The rushing blood in my ears waned when I spoke. "I should never have to remind you. We're- we are friends."

"Don't worry over me, Rain. I like the way you handled that. He'll never bother us again." Jack actually smiled. "Good job."

My lips twitched up, and the ice shattered.

"Oh, and in case you're wondering, your boyfriend is fine." He gestured towards the top of the opposite building, where Yusei and Kalin were gathering deep breaths with Crow standing not far.

"Thank the stars… Wait. Boyfriend?"

He gave me a look. "According to Crow, it was obvious since the cat thing."

"Not according to you?"

The fire escape clattered beneath Jack's heavy footsteps. That was that, I guessed. I chased after him. We met Kalin, Yusei, and Crow at the bottom. Smoke from the tens of destroyed duel disks drifted upwards to join the Satellite's regular smog. The projects had become a ghost town.

"Looked like you two shared a thrilling adventure," Jack said.

"Tch! You try holding Yusei up that long," Kalin said. "Lay off the junk food, my dude!"

Our laughter scared the ghosts away. The five of us returned to Team Satisfaction's hideout. Kalin promptly filled in the final hole in the map, leaving the Satellite full black. He snapped his fingers. "The Satellite is ours!"

Crow threw his arms around Yusei and Jack's necks, forcing them down to his level. "Better days ahead!"

I giggled at the sight of them attempting to shrug Crow off. Kalin threw the map to the wind. Jack said, "Hey!"

"What?" Kalin asked.

"That was my map!" Jack shouted.

"So what? We're celebrating!"

"It wasn't useful, anyway," Yusei said. "He filled it in."

"It was still my map! He didn't ask permission to throw it away."

My flat hand shielded my eyes from the sun. The map flew like a soaring bird. "I'm sure it'll make somebody very happy."

"What's it matter if that somebody's not me?"

"Anyway!" Kalin said, using his loud leader-y voice to shut us up, "We'll meet again tomorrow to go over plans from now on. We'll need to keep the Satellite under control and work to improve conditions… eh. We can go over it tomorrow. Celebrate however tonight, 'kay?"

"Not even a single day off," Crow whispered to Yusei.

Kalin affirmed, "Not even!"

The other three broke off to do their own things. Kalin and I stayed to watch the sunset. Rather than the hideout's top room, we sat on the rocky outlook above the rough waves. I leaned back on the heels of my hands. The sun's fading warmth washed over me. I said, "I know we're going over it tomorrow, but I'm really curious. What will we be doing from now on?"

The dark orange flare from the horizon darkened his eyes to brown. "We have to maintain control. That means keeping down any gangs that try to rise against us. Then there's making life better for the Satellite. I have food distributions lined up for anyone that's scraping just to get by. Also, there are caretakers like Martha in other zones willing to home wandering kids. If we find anyone in need of a place to stay, we can give them that. I know we're only five people, but we can totally do this."

I nodded. "There's always more work to be done. I know Crow wouldn't agree, but I think it's exciting!"

"Yeah," he said, but he didn't sound excited at all. "Rain. While we're working, I need you to keep a promise for me."

"What of?"

"We can take on regular old gangs and bullies, but if you ever see Sector Security, don't try anything. Get out of there."

"Gosh, they didn't seem so bad back when we first met."

He gripped my shoulder. "I need you to take this seriously. If you see Securities, run like your life depends on it."

"Okay. Yeah. I will," I said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." His hands fell into his lap. "Sorry to get all serious. It's supposed to be a happy day, right? I can't stop thinking about what's ahead. We're changing the world here."

"Changing the world." The repeated words weighed heavy on my taste buds. "The five of us can do that?"

"'Course we can!" And just like that, Kalin returned to his cheery, energetic self. He leaned towards the sinking sunlight and draped his arm over his knee. "I don't look at you like you're unbelievably amazing for no reason. So. No matter what happens, I want you to keep that in mind for me, okay? You'll change the world."

"Into what?" I asked.

He cleared his throat. "Into a place where anybody can become whatever they want. A Satellite doesn't have to stay a Satellite. A psychic doesn't have to be a demon. We'll build a world where everyone's free to live the life they want and they don't gotta be treated differently for it."

I watched the shadows grow upon the deep crevices in my palm. After what I did to that gang member today… "Do you believe we deserve to be treated better?"

"Believe it? Please. It's a fact," he said. "That's where our name comes from. The way things are now is unsatisfactory – especially for you, Rain."

"But," I said, "we'll change that."

My partner gazed at the sky, whose light faded by the passing seconds. In a nigh silent whisper, he said, "You sure will."

End of Chapter Eight

A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks for the follows/favs/comments so far! Appreciate you guys (ノ・ω・)ノ

At this point, I'm curious: do you have any predictions for where you think the story is going now that the gang accomplished their goal? Also, do you have anything you hope will happen..? :)