Chapter Fourteen

In Loving Memory

"Get away from her, you creep!"

Brightness seared my eyelids. I shadowed my eyes as I blinked awake. Tubes stabbed into my inner elbow. A lengthy, white cloth clung to the gash on my inner forearm. I pushed up on the heels of my hands. Machines hummed beside my bed. One copied the beat of my heart. A white paper gown matched my ghost-white skin.

Alive. When the rock crushed me, I was ready to kiss the world good-by. A sigh escaped me. I focused on my surroundings. A shout had woken me up. The person in front of me had seafoam-colored hair.

"Luna?" I asked. "Is that you?"

The kid turned. My vision sharpened. Leo kept a ready stance, his feet spread. "Luna asked me to keep an eye on you while she's visiting Akiza. Now, this crazy chick's after you!"

The woman in the doorway wore pink scrubs. I didn't realize what the problem was until I noticed her right forearm. A dark mark resembling a spider shone violet. I said, "Where am I? What is this place?"

"The hospital, obviously!" Leo hollered. "Geez. You're not gonna be any help. Yusei told us to watch out for the creeps with the purply arms. He said a guy like this attacked, and he was possessed!"

"That woman isn't a true Dark Signer?"

"What's a Dark Signer?" Leo asked.

It is not, the Crimson Dragon answered. The being before you is a human controlled by our true enemies. She seeks to harm without option to defy her commander.

"Soul Reaper." The woman's voice doubled, deepening the tone. "Do you remain docile as a doe, or have you taken steps towards becoming the lion? I challenge you to a test. Win and the nurse is freed; lose and you die."

A blaze ripped through the hospital floor. The flames tore the headboard off my bed and cut me from the machines. Liquid spurted from the tube in my elbow. I pulled out the needle and yelped in pain. Tears pricked as I dropped the sliced tube.

"Ack!" Leo screamed. "Creepycreepycreepy!"

The Dark Signer targets you, the Crimson Dragon said. Why? Are they aware of my presence within you?

That couldn't be right. The term "docile as a doe" dug up a memory: the man I'd met in the Satellite so long ago. The Dark Signers existed even then. He must've been speaking to me through the nurse. Last time, he used my name. This time, he used an odd title – Soul Reaper.

A reaper was nothing without her scythe. "Leo, I need help."

"Huh?"

"My duel disk is gone," I said. "I can't duel her. You'll have to duel in my place."

"Ahaha. Ahahahaha. Let's run!"

"Where?" I asked, looking to the violet flames encircling us. The arena was made, the terms set, and the players locked within. "Our only option is to win the bet."

"You really don't want me doing that!" Leo said. "I'm, like, the worst duelist in my class!"

"It's okay. I can help you."

Leo shouted, "I don't need your help!"

Yeesh. Which was it? The nurse activated her standard white duel disk. Leo's was a custom blue model with a golden gem as the center dealer. The possessed woman said, "You may move first."

"I summon Morphtronic Radion in attack position!" Leo said. Music pulsed from the robotic man's speakers. It spun its headphone wire like nunchaku. The green screen on the monster's chest tuned to a different frequency, and a rock song blasted through the room. The active ability for his attack positioning increased its 1000 attack to 1800.

"Um," I said, "wouldn't defense position be better? The 1000 increase is higher, and it leaves you less open."

"I said I didn't need help," he huffed.

"When you normal summon, I can special summon Naturia Cosmobeet from my hand!" the nurse said.

Leo hollered, "That's not fair! It's my turn!"

"Naturias have lots of disruption effects on their opponent's turn."

"And I didn't ask for advice," Leo grumbled. "I end my turn."

Gosh. I wondered what I did for him to dislike me so much. I mean, I guess we hadn't really met. He was unconscious at the Arcadia Movement when Luna asked for my help. They may have been twins, but it was already apparent how different they were in personality.

Leo's opponent drew to five and slapped the monster onto her duel disk. "Naturia Fruitfly. Level 3. Fruitfly syncs with the level 2 tuner Naturia Cosmobeet. Crash through the wilds, Naturia Beast!"

Wood twisted from the tiles. Moss infected the bark and formed a mane for the tiger-like monster. Though his tree trunk shoulders were thick muscles, his mossy paws kept his steps silent. His 2200 attack beat out Leo's monster by 400. Leo said, "Uhh…"

"I play the Continuous Spell, Spiritual Forest. The first time a Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Plant would be destroyed by battle, this spell saves them. Time for the Battle Phase! Naturia Beast attacks Morphtronic Radion. Test the doe's resilience, Beast!"

Eh?

The green tiger charged through Leo's monster, leapt over him with feline grace, and bashed his shoulder into my hospital bed. The metal frame went flying. I slammed into the invisible wall trapping us.

Leo sprinted towards me. The sprinkle of tears wet the tiles beneath him. "Agh! I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry! I didn't mean it I'm sorry I wanted to duel myself and now youyouyou are you okay?"

I kept a hand on my aching lower back and managed to sit up. He wiped his arm across his wet face. Maybe I thought too soon; maybe he and Luna weren't too different. "I'm hanging in there. You still have a duel to play."

"Y-you can help me! I'll do what you say!"

My voice lowered to a whisper. "I'm not trying to tell you what to do. That's not right. I've learned about a lot of cards by playing hundreds of puzzles, though, so I can at least tell you about the things you don't know."

"Woah, really? I wouldn't expect a girl to put so much time into the game."

"…What does being a girl have to do with it?"

His jaw slacked. He sputtered, "I-I'm sorry! I messed up, okay?"

Weird reaction. I was genuinely asking. I shifted to sit on my knees. Leo fanned his cards and held them so both of us had a view of them. "Okay, my draw! What do I do?"

"Beast can negate your Spell Cards so long as his controller sends two cards from the top of the deck to the grave. You might not want to use any."

"I'll play it safe. I summon Morphtronic Datatron in defense position and use its effect. You take 300 direct damage! I'll set a face-down and end my turn after that."

The monster resembling an orange thumb drive skated forward, punched the nurse in the back, and skated back to Leo's field. The woman's life points fell to 3700. 600 defense wasn't much, but Leo counted on the trap in his backline.

The nurse drew a fourth card for her hand. "The Quick-Play Spell Seed of Deception allows the special summoning of a level 2 Plant-type from my hand, like the tuner Naturia Tulip. I summon Naturia Mantis and use the two for a Synchro Summon! Command the trees, Naturia Barkion!"

A wyvern slithered through the green Synchro portals. Barkion's scaly back resembled the rough bark of a tree while the underbelly and head were moss-covered marble. The monster's 2500 attack beat everything on the field.

"This isn't good," I mumbled. "It's too late for your trap."

"Battle!" the possessed nurse commanded. "Naturia Beast attacks Morphtronic Datatron, and Naturia Barkion attacks directly!"

"Leo, don't-"

"I activate Morphtronic Bind! It's a Continuous Trap that stops monsters higher than level 4 from attacking!"

The woman said, "Naturia Barkion's ability! I remove Naturia Fruitfly and Naturia Mantis from my graveyard to negate and destroy your trap card!"

Leo said, "H-huh?"

The wyvern snapped his jaws on Leo's holographic card. Beast charged through his defending monster. Barkion swept his lengthy tail across our field. With a snap, Leo and I went flying. My tailbone hit against the wall, and I screamed. Leo hopped to his feet and frowned as his life points dropped from 3700 to 1200.

"I'm sorry," he whined. "This is always what happens. I panic, and… I'm sorry."

"Don't-" I winced and kept a hand on my back. I was forced to talk through my grit teeth. "Don't act like it's over."

"In Main Phase 2, I activate Polymerization! Naturia Beast and Naturia Barkion combine! Fusion Summon! Naturia Exterio!"

The wyvern curled around the green tiger. Purple mist swirled from the nurse's spell card. Exterio marched forward. Its tiger-like body resembled Beast wearing a mask of Barkion's head. Exterio's backside extended like the wyvern's lengthy tail. The tiger-like stripes on his belly shifted into green, draconic scales on the monster's neck. Naturia Exterio boasted 2800 attack. The nurse announced, "Turn end."

Leo clutched at his temples. "Aw, no, no, no! It's the strongest yet! We're doomed!"

"Bright sides," I said. "At least it's one monster instead of two."

"Oh. Oh! Now I can use my spells and traps!"

"No luck," I said. "Exterio's ability combines Beast's and Barkion's. She can negate your spells and traps with that one monster. If you overpower it, Spiritual Forest will prevent its destruction by battle once, too."

A beat of sweat rolled down Leo's jawline. "So what the heck am I supposed to do?"

The monster he'd drawn caught my eye. I said, "Think about what you can use."

"What I… ohhh. Okay! No, wait! This'll need two monsters!" I bit my tongue as he looked over his cards. "Ah! I see it! I summon Morphtronic Scopen in attack position! Its attack position ability allows me to special summon a level 4 Morphtronic, so I pick Morphtronic Slingen! Slingen's attack position effect lets me tribute another Morphtronic to destroy any card on the field – like your Naturia Exterio!"

The sling-shaped monster loaded up Leo's microscope, stretched back, and fired Scopen toward Exterio. The Fusion Monster shattered into a thousand pieces. Leo said, "Now, my Battle Ph-"

"Are you sure?"

"Huh? Right, I can use my spell card now! Then I can Synchro Summon!"

"You could."

He gave me a look. "Should I not?"

"If you don't, you can win in this turn."

"Huh." He scanned his spell card, ejected his graveyard, and sifted through the options. His eyes lit up. "Okay. I play Morphtronic Repair Unit! It's a special Equip Spell that brings back a Morphtronic from the grave by discarding one from my hand. I'm picking the very first monster I summoned: Morphtronic Radion!"

The tune-blasting machine skated back onto the field. Leo said, "Being in attack position means all Morphtronics get an 800-point attack boost! Radion and Slingen attack directly!"

Slingen increased to 2000 and Radion to 1800, bring the total damage count to 3800. Datatron's earlier ability had left the nurse's life points at 3700. The Morphtronics surged forward and knocked her off her feet; her life hit zero.

Leo pumped his fist in the air. "Yiss! I totally did it!"

"Sure did," I said with a laugh.

"Thanks," he said. "You actually do know about a lot of cards."

I blinked. "You didn't believe me?"

"Well done, Soul Reaper," the possessed nurse said. "We'll be seeing each other again very soon. Farewell."

Flames extinguished. The dark mark disappeared. The woman groaned as she stood. "My back is killing me- goodness gracious! What happened in here?"

Our attempts to explain the possession didn't go over well. She seemed more concerned about what to say to her supervisor. She removed the adhesive on my inner forearm. The gash had healed to a nasty scar. The dazed nurse brought my clothes, said I was discharged, and explained I may have hip pains at worst.

After she left, Leo said, "I'll take you to Akiza's room!"

I looked down at my clothes in my hands. "Um…"

He turned around and covered his eyes. "I won't look. That's gross."

Welp. That was that. I changed from the paper gown into my regular outfit. Leo led me up a few floors, where the rooms were massive and luxurious. Leo thrust open the double doors like a king entering his kingdom.

His pride instantly deflated. A blizzard of rose petals swarmed the room. Black Rose Dragon floated above Aki, who glared at her opponent. Luna looked on with concern. An older man and woman attempted to reason with Aki from afar. They weren't her opponent, though.

None other than my old friend Yusei Fudo faced Aki. A navy riding jacket with red pads replaced his Team Satisfaction vest. A criminal mark the same shape as Kalin's raced down the left side of his face.

"What's happening?" I asked Leo.

"I dunno! When I left to babysit you, Akiza was still comatose!"

"…Babysit?"

Aki's voice rung throughout the room. "You're alive?"

The rose storm halted. Bright red petals spiraled to the ground. Their color augmented Aki's shining brown eyes, whose focus was on me. Aki sprinted forward. She stopped a foot from me and scanned me up and down. Her hands gripped my shoulders as though making sure I was real. Her frown trembled. She pulled me into an embrace.

"I thought you died," she said over my shoulder. "I thought I was the last living memory of the Arcadia Movement like you said. I thought I abandoned you for good. You can hold onto my arm when you're scared all you want, Rain."

"I, uh, you d-don't have to bring that up," I murmured. "I'm glad to see you're okay. I'm fine, so, uh, no need to worry!"

Aki held me at arm's length. "I'm sorry. If I hadn't hesitated… and Sayer. Sayer's- I'm sorry, Rain. It's just you and me left."

"But the memory can live on," I said.

Her eyes closed, and she nodded. Aki sucked in a deep breath. Her brow settled in a disgruntled expression. She cleared her throat and turned her nose away from me. "Don't take the hugging thing and holding my arm thing seriously. They were in-the-moment reactions."

"Okay."

"I'm not actually like that. I, I just, you were dead, and…"

"Yeah. Sure. We're friends though, right?"

She sighed. "Yep. You and everyone else now, apparently. I'm gonna go talk to my parents."

Aki approached the older man and woman beside the hospital bed. Her less than enthused reaction to friendship didn't surprise me after seeing how everyone at the Fortune Cup treated her.

Plus, it could mean she wouldn't bring up the arm hug again.

"Rain?"

A few feet from me, Yusei stopped and stared. The look was the same as after the Fortune Cup: bewilderment and shock. I took a shaky step forward. Back in the Satellite, I assumed I'd never have the chance to see my friend again.

I tackled him in an embrace. My throat tightened, and I wept. I eked out, "I'm so happy to see you again, teammate."

"I'm happy to see you, too," he said, returning the embrace. For a few precious moments, I cried in my friend's arms. He waited patiently for me to recover. "You remember this time. God, I thought I was going crazy. Rain. It's really, really you. I didn't know if we'd be able to meet again."

I sobbed again. His eyes titled down. "Woops. Sorry."

"I just-" I sniffled and swept my knuckles beneath my eyes. "You have no idea how much I share the feeling."

A smile brightened him. "What happened? How'd you escape?"

"Well, I-"

"That's not true!"

The scream had come from Aki. Anger darkened her brow as she glared at the man and woman. Yusei sighed. He waved towards them, his expression weary. "I'm gonna…"

"Go right ahead. I can wait," I said. Yusei intruded on their conversation and attempted to calm Aki down. He was surprisingly effective.

"No way!" Luna's voice shrieked. "That happened? Rain, I'm so sorry!"

Leo was grinning like a madman beside her. I said, "What?"

"The Shadow Drone! I didn't think anyone would try to attack you like that! I only sent Leo so you wouldn't be lost when you woke up. If I'd known, we all could have helped."

"Heh! We had it completely under control."

I raised my eyebrows but didn't refute him. I asked Luna, "What's been going on in here? Who are those people?"

"Akiza was in a coma," she explained. "Something about emotional trauma because of a recent event. The old people are her parents. They didn't give Akiza much attention when she was young. The man there is a senator, so he had to be away a lot of the time.

"When Akiza first showed signs of her powers, he called her a monster. Now he regrets it, but it devastated Akiza. They had her sent away to the Duel Academy. The other kids were afraid of her and her powers, so she ran away to live on her own. She finally found the Arcadia Movement, the only place that was a safe haven for her."

My jaw dropped. "That's terrible! Her own parents?"

"No!" Aki yelled. "He was my only real friend, the only one who really understood me, and now he's gone!"

"We're your friends too, Akiza!" Yusei pleaded.

"Friends? Please. All anyone has ever done is judged me, resented me. How can I trust anyone?"

"We only tried to help you Akiza, really. We cared about you," Aki's father told her. "We just didn't know how! Please believe me. I love you."

I felt her anger sear all the way across the room. "All lies! I'm just a monster. That's all I'll ever be to anyone! Anyone except Sayer…"

"Why would I be here if I didn't care about you? That man never allowed us to see you! I missed you, my little Rose." This time, Aki let him hug her. Red washed onto the white walls from Yusei's tail mark and Aki and Luna's claw marks.

The crimson spark sizzled against my heart. It was the opposite of the adrenaline from the other night. The Crimson Dragon said, The Signers are linked in more ways than you know. Akiza Izinski's emotional healing drew the Signers closer together. Their birthmarks are glowing and sharing her happiness among the others.

"Yes, I knew it!" Luna exclaimed. "These marks are really a mark of friendship, too! An everlasting bond between us."

"Of course," Yusei agreed, now standing beside us. "These marks brought us together. They couldn't be wretched like Akiza thinks."

She was crying in her father's arms. I asked, "Why would she think so?"

"Her psychic powers are tied to her mark," Yusei explained. "Say, Rain, you had power like that, too. Are you a Signer?"

"'Fraid not. You have one of those shiny marks but no powers. I have powers but no shiny mark. Speaking of which, why didn't you tell me you had a cool tattoo?"

Yusei grinned. "It was just a birthmark before the Fortune Cup. Then it started glowing, and…"

"The Fortune Cup," I muttered. "Yusei, how are you and Jack in the City? Why is he so famous?"

"Jack is-" Rage crossed Yusei's face. "Look, I'm going to be honest with you. Jack has been a complete asshole to me. He almost killed my friend, stole my Stardust Dragon card, and jacked the duel runner I'd been working on for months. He turned his back on us and used what he stole from me to make it in the City. He acts like he's so above the Satellite now. I escaped to the City to take my card back and knock him down a few pegs. The Fortune Cup gave me that chance."

My forehead creased. I didn't want to believe it. At the same time, I could totally see Jack doing those things. Yusei wasn't a liar, either. Jack turned his back on everyone.

Do not fear, said the Crimson Dragon. In the heart of hearts of our Signer, Jack Atlas, he wrestles regret.

He does? Jack still cares?

Of course he does.

I sighed in relief. The Crimson Dragon was turning out to not be such a freeloader after all.

Excuse me? You called me a what?

"Hey, no worries." Yusei's anger was swiftly replaced by a reassuring smile. "What matters is we're reunited. I've seen your wanted posters everywhere in the City. Now that I've told you my side, can you explain-"

The sound of the door opening in the distance cut him off. Yusei seemed startled by whoever the new woman was. She said, "Signers, I've come to escort you to Rex Godwin's mansion. The Director must explain important details to you."

"Why should we?" Aki said. "That man isn't to be trusted."

"It's your choice. I'll give you some time to think about it. In the meantime, Akiza, there are some things I need to show you. About the Arcadia Movement."

Aki wrestled the decision, ultimately left her parents, and followed the woman out the door. Yusei promised he'd be back and chased after her. I said, "Um, is Yusei really interested in the Movement?"

"Nah," Luna said, "but he is really interested in Akiza."

"Oh?"

Luna's smile was knowing. "Oh."

Leo announced, "Well, I know I'm going! I'm telling all my friends about how I got to visit the fancy-shmancy mansion with my famous, world-saving friends, heh."

"I'm going, too, obviously," Luna said. "How about you, Rain?"

"I'd rather be with you guys than not."

Aki, Yusei, and the woman re-entered the hospital room. The woman started on a head count. She had short blue hair and dark yellow eyes. Her navy suit offered a professional air. She stopped on me. "Aren't you the shadow? You must be! Godwin will be happy to finally meet you!"

My reputation had gotten around, it seemed. "Who is Rex Godwin?"

"The Director of Sector Security," she explained. "I'm his assistant, Mina Simington."

My fear must have been plain on my face. She said, "Don't worry, Rain. You won't be returning to the Facility. Godwin has other reasons for wanting to meet you; I swear it."

"Rain." Yusei and I locked eyes. "Don't worry. We can protect you."

Yusei, who tried his damnedest to save my partner. How could he ever believe Yusei meant ill will? Me, I knew better; I said, "I trust you."

Aki started into a heated argument about Sayer and Godwin with her parents. A few gentle words from Yusei had her abandoning her doubts. They said farewell to Aki's parents, and Mina led us outside the hospital.

Luna, Leo, Aki, Yusei, Mina, and I were packed into a limousine. Busy highways went by in a blur. Leo jumped around the leather seats and rummaged through the drink cooler. Luna pinched the bridge of her nose and told him over and over how embarrassing he was.

Aki and Yusei kept doing this thing. Aki would lock eyes with Yusei. Her mouth would open as though to speak. Her cheeks would flush, and her chin would drop. Yusei and her both would then watch the floor for a few minutes. Next, Yusei would initiate the process.

The silence between them must've weighed tons. It was pretty interesting to watch from my spot, though. Ice clinked against glass as Leo dragged up a tall, green bottle labeled "champagne." He said, "Hey! Let's try this one!"

Luna yanked it from his grubby hands. "You can't! It's illegal!"

"You're so lame!" He crossed his arms and pouted, his gaze strictly out the window. We passed through a gate and rounded a driveway adorned by a sparkling, marble fountain.

I absentmindedly grasped my forearm. The feeling of the cloth reminded me of my wounds. I mumbled, "Hey, Luna? Did you bring me to the hospital?"

"Huh? No. I found your room purely by chance! Guess we have some kinda connection!"

The wink she gave me suggested something big and red was involved in her finding me. But. "How did I get there?"

"You don't remember?" Luna asked. "Oh, right. Aki said you got hurt so bad you nearly died. I bet, with all the commotion it caused, there were paramedics on the scene quick enough to find you."

"Yeah," I murmured, my mind far, far away from the limousine. "It's funny. I had a dream that…"

The laugh that escaped me was not genuine in the slightest. "That a ghost saved me. I've lost my mind."
The sadness overtaking Luna's expression told me she hadn't forgotten my reason for crying weeks ago. I became aware of Yusei's presence. He and Aki were on the eighth cycle or so of whatever-they-were-doing.

I had to tell him, though. He deserved to know. I lifted a finger, saying, "Um-"

The limousine braked. Securities in black suits opened the back doors to escort us out. I shook my head; always a different interruption. On the way to the front doors, Leo leapt up the stairs two at a time. Luna made the Securities aware she was not associated with him. Yusei and Aki were walking a hand's breadth from each other, realized how close they were, and drifted apart.

I wondered what my place was among them. A guard, sure, but I wasn't nearly as burly as the giant Securities protecting the Director of Sector Security and his mansion.

Recall how I stated the Signers know not their worth, the Dragon said. You stirred courage in Luna with your initial conversation. Your actions to defend Akiza aided her in discovering meaning in her existence. Perhaps you do not realize it, young dragon, but you have gifted our Signers kernels of self-confidence.

Knowing I could gift something I lacked was oddly comforting.

Within the mansion, a royal blue-carpeted hallway ended at double doors made of mahogany wood. A pair of Securities wearing black suits opened them. The room beyond was the main office. Securities flanked us as we rounded to the front of the Director's massive desk. The large window behind us threw sunshine onto our backs.

Rex Godwin wore a pristine pale blue suit. His shirt bore the symbol of a bird in flight. A portion of his long, gray dreads were pulled back. A hint of humor brightened his silver-blue eyes as they flicked over us and stopped on me.

"You finally turn up, and with my Signers no less." His soft voice didn't fail on delivering threats. His hand drifted down from his face, and two guards restrained me. "After the Fortune Cup, I was afraid I had lost you. I am sorry for what I must do now. Understand it is for the good of us all. Lazar!"

The red-coated man wearing the clown makeup appeared at the threshold. "Yes, sir?"

"Now is the time for the test. I believe we've found the Crimson Dragon."

Stars above. How could he possibly have known? Yusei said, "Rain isn't a Signer. She didn't agree to anything; she's not going anywhere."

"The fugitive has the potential to be more than a Signer. Some evils are necessary. Take her away."

"I beg to disagree!" Yusei shouted as he swung at a guard. A crunch sounded as the guard hit the floor. I shook one off, but another took his place. A swarm manifested in the hallway and blocked me off from the others. Skilled hands pinned my wrists behind my back. Lazar directed the officers towards the basement, me in tow.

The winding halls of the basement ended at a steel door like that of an elevator. The room within was dark and soundproofed. The single chair and wires reminded me all too much of Sayer and Armstrong's torturous sessions. My panic shattered through its ceiling as the Securities forced my wrists into the chair's cuffs.

Lazar instructed the placing of clamps onto parts of my skin. I winced at the pinching metal. He cleared his throat, saying, "I am told to warn you the process will be painful. This machine was developed from the Facility's interrogation aids. The search will not be as painful as torture. Do not be alarmed, but do be aware."

The coldness of his words made it seem like he was reading from a script. The Crimson Dragon said, If they discover me within you, I am sure their intentions are far from pure. I must hide in your heart so they do not locate me. Before this, I've only been in your mind with your thoughts. From now on, we shall share emotions.

The crimson spark fired through my veins and stopped in my heart. My hairs stood on end. Electricity flowed through the wires and seared my skin. Pain followed in a strong, continuous shock. I caught my screams in my throat. Like Lazar had said, it wasn't as bad as the Facility.

Several minutes later, the machine stopped. I couldn't move my limbs. It had affected all but my heart as the Crimson Dragon claimed. If they had, I was sure I would've died. Securities removed the skin clamps as a paper snaked out of a printer in the corner.

Lazar snatched up the results, and the cage around my heart shrank.