I promise you… I will do whatever I can to make sure you get home…
Please… don't let the darkness into your heart…
You have people who love you, who care about you. I can see it in your heart. You must still feel that too…
Tyler, can you hear me…?
"Tyler…" Ancient Fairy Dragon's voice cut into me. It was gentle, serene and calm, but my mind was a chaotic mess, barely able to register her voice, Apple Magician Girl's words coming to me through brief flashes of static, screams, moans, and beeping that increased in speed before eventually flatlining.
Ancient Fairy Dragon's sudden call of my name was like a knife that went right through my heart, dragging me out of that void and pulling me back into reality.
"Where am I…?" I whispered, looking up at her.
Ancient Fairy Dragon leaned down closer to me. "You're home… where you belong…" she smiled.
Brief flashes of my Duel with Sergey filled my mind, and I looked down at my body, exhaling shakily as I rested in Ancient Fairy Dragon's hands. My clothes were a little tattered, but I had no scars or cuts or anything. I should have been absolutely torn apart by Earthbound Immortal Allqu, recalling how the beast's fangs had pierced my skin. Even though I won that Duel somehow, I should have died from blood loss.
But I wasn't dead.
She was dead.
And it was my fault.
Beautiful! Your death is beautiful!
Ancient Fairy Dragon continued to look down at me, her gaze as gentle as her voice. "You've been through a lot…" she said after a long while, "but you're safe now. Try and relax."
"Is he awake?" a cool-sounding serious voice asked. Ancient Fairy Dragon's eyes moved from mine as she looked behind me and nodded. I turned my head as best I could to see Kiwi Magician Girl approach, hovering off the ground. "We thought we lost you." She said.
"Kiwi…" I mumbled. "What happened…? How did we get here…?"
Kiwi Magician Girl floated up to meet me, hovering beside Ancient Fairy Dragon. "That human, Rogét… After you defeated Sergey, he activated that machine. The room started tearing itself apart, and the next thing we knew, we were pulled along with you to another Dimension. We arrived in a City similar to Neo Domino, but you were terribly injured." she explained.
Ancient Fairy Dragon nodded slowly, her eyes once again returning to me. "I felt the presence of your soul in the City, so I brought you here, body, mind and soul, along with the other Spirits, and we tended to your injuries. They told me about everything you've been through."
I breathed slowly, softly, finding myself lost in Ancient Fairy Dragon's eyes, and I remembered not only how Regulus had first addressed me two years ago, as someone 'who has a special bond with the Ancient Fairy Dragon' but also how I first came to know the Ancient Fairy Dragon, owed to the many dreams and visions I'd started to get after Kalin had been arrested, where she'd spoken to me, and told me that I was connected to her, the Spirit World, and that I was destined to help 'a young girl' save it.
Through whatever connection, whatever bond we had, Ancient Fairy Dragon had presumably been able to transport me here in much the same way that Apple Magician Girl had done, due to me and my counterpart having supposedly similar souls.
I forced some air out, feeling my body tense and my vision start to distort. I realized I was crying, and hastily moved to wipe my tears away. "My God…" I groaned, lying back in the hands of Ancient Fairy Dragon. She didn't have to sacrifice herself! She didn't deserve to perish! I never should have played her! I should have kept her in my hand and let Allqu kill me!
"Tyler…" Kiwi Magician Girl muttered, no doubt noticing the obvious pained expression on my face as she hovered closer to me.
"Don't think like that…" Ancient Fairy Dragon added softly. I gasped, readjusting myself to look at her. In this world, my mind seemed to be an open book to her, or maybe it was just that obvious. "I don't know for certain how that other Spirit felt about you, but she obviously felt strongly enough that she thought laying down her life to protect you was what needed to be done. And I've seen the same side from you, Tyler. Remember how you Dueled alongside Luna against Devack? You didn't show any fear or hesitation. You put your own safety aside for the sake of Luna, myself, and the Spirit World, and for that, you have my thanks. These Spirits returned you to me, to us, and I couldn't be more grateful. I'm so glad you came back…"
"Your Majesty~" I mumbled, my voice breaking. She could have hated me. By all rights, she should have hated me. I tried to destroy New Domino City, I turned against everybody, and then when I couldn't handle it, I killed myself. But in spite of all of that, Ancient Fairy Dragon, who was practically the Queen of the Spirit World, didn't. "I'm sorry…! I'm sorry about everything~!" I blubbered. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen~"
"All that matters," Ancient Fairy Dragon continued to smile, "is that you came home to us…" she cooed, drawing me in closer, holding me gently against her skin. I trembled, desperately trying to steady myself and get my emotions under control, but I just continued to bawl my eyes out and whine like a complete idiot. Ancient Fairy Dragon's body moved with every breath she took as she continued to look down at me, no doubt thinking I was a complete and utter failure. "I'm sorry…" she said after a while, "I should have intervened. When you disappeared from your world and ended up on the Ark Cradle, I wasn't able to reach you until it crossed over back into yours, but by then, Zone had taken hold of your mind, and even after Zone had been defeated… I couldn't do anything. Your soul strayed further and further away, until our bond was severed, and all I could do was watch you… watch you walk further down the path of self-destruction."
"It's not your fault…" I shivered. "I chose to join Zone… I chose to… to kill myself!"
"But you weren't dead for very long…" she whispered. A shallow breath escaped me, and I looked up, back into the eyes of the dragon as she continued. "I knew you hadn't passed on. If you had, I would have still been able to feel the presence of your soul in the Underworld. I would have brought your spirit here and given you the opportunity to live with us if it was something that you wanted. But your soul had vanished completely; there wasn't a trace of your spirit left."
"You knew I'd disappeared…?"
Ancient Fairy Dragon nodded. "I couldn't tell Luna, because I wasn't sure if you would ever return. Though I had every wish and hope that you would, it wouldn't have been right for me to give Luna any sort of hope if there was even the smallest possibility that you would never return to this world." Ancient Fairy Dragon exhaled, blowing her breath over me. "So, for the sake of Luna and everyone else, I allowed her and the rest of the Signers to believe that you had died."
I pressed my palms against my eyes and nodded, pulling the skin back as I exhaled. It sounded harsh, but if I'd been in Ancient Fairy Dragon's position, I'd have done the same thing. I had no idea whether or not I'd even be able to make it back in the end, and if there was any shred of Luna, Yusei, Akiza, Seria and the others wanting me back, I wouldn't have wanted them clinging to that. "You did the right thing, Y-Your Majesty." I sighed, closing my eyes as I rested my head in Ancient Fairy Dragon's hands. I'd worry about what I was going to say, what I was going to do eventually, but I had to take a moment, one moment, just to really drill it into myself:
I was home. After the month of mutilated babies, bizarro Dimensions, unplanned murder, warranted arrest, escaping from The Facility, getting forced into a tournament that I barely won, and fighting off a Dark Signer, I was home.
I was finally home.
My eyes widened and I turned quickly to Kiwi Magician Girl. "Wh-what about everyone else? Tim? Mokuba? Yuya? What happened to Rogét?" I asked.
"We arrived here with you, but as for the humans… you seem to be the only one who ended up in this Dimension…" she muttered.
"So the boat…?"
Kiwi Magician Girl shook her head slowly. "It was just us, Tyler…"
"T-Tim…" I stammered.
I can't fix you if I don't know why you're broken…
The world is made up of things that we like and don't like; you can't pick and choose what you like and just get rid of everything else…
We were brought together by chance, and I'm glad, 'cause now I'm able to help you…
As long as the two o' us stick together, there's nothin' we can't do…
He went through Hell with me to get me home, and now he was gone, just like that.
It wasn't right. I'd only known him for a short time, but in that time, though I didn't learn much about him, I ended up sharing more with him about myself than I had probably anyone else. I was an ungrateful brat, and he was a God that probably could have snapped my neck with his mind. He didn't have to help me, but he did, and I didn't deserve that.
I hoped that in the end, whatever happened, he got the boat, and was able to get back home to his Dimension. I wish I could have told him I was safe, and that he didn't need to come looking for me. I didn't know if he would or not, or where he would end up in the multiverse, but whatever he did or would do, I hoped he was safe, and that maybe, someday, I'd see him again, and be able to thank him for sticking by me.
Even if Tim was a little overbearing at times.
It's easier taking life than giving it. Have you ever tried to give birth? 'cause I have, and lemme tell ya, I was sore the next day.
Just a little.
I sighed once more. "So what now then?" I asked.
"Now," Ancient Fairy Dragon drew my attention back to her, "you rest. We were able to heal your wounds, but you should still take some time just to rest. You don't have to rush into anything. Time moves at a much slower pace here than it does in your world."
Kiwi Magician Girl nodded. "There's nothing any of us can do for Tim or the rest of the humans, even if we wanted to help them."
She was right. I had to focus on the things I could actually do something about. My friends. But even that was a whole other issue in and of itself. There was no gentle, easy way to go about it. They thought I was dead, so of course doing anything, be that giving them a call, email or texting them, or just confronting them face to face, was going to be difficult. They weren't expecting me, but to be fair, neither was I, at least not like this.
They might not have wanted to see me, but I needed to see them and apologize. They didn't have to accept my apology, but they had to at least know I was sorry.
If they never wanted to see me again after that, well, that was just something I'd have to live with.
"That's right. For now, you must rest." Ancient Fairy Dragon repeated. My body started to move, the Signer Dragon slowly lowering her hands as she set me down on the ground. I found myself resting on a bank of dirt, water running downstream beside me, as just ahead from that were the gates to the entrance of the Town of Schwank. The air was warm betwixt the fingers of my right hand. I could feel the breath of life gently caressing my face, Ancient Fairy Dragon staring down at me, a maternal smile on her face. "I have other things I must attend to, but I shall return."
Ancient Fairy Dragon's wings started to glow, showers of gold secreting from her wings, carrying themselves across me as they were carried by the wind. Warmth flowed through my eyes, my body, as I felt myself start to slip away, back into the relative safety of my own mind.
I didn't know how much time had passed in the Human World in relation to the Spirit World, but when I woke up in the Spirit World again, the sun was still shining. Though truthfully, I wasn't sure how days and nights worked in the Spirit World at all. Every time I'd been, it always looked as though it was daytime.
Kiwi Magician Girl was gone, in fact I seemed to be alone, the sounds of the water easing by was the only other thing I could hear aside from my breathing.
I looked down at my Duel Disk, slipping my hand out of the gauntlet to allow my left hand to breathe. I was feeling a little better to be truthful, since I'd had my forced nap (and I honestly wouldn't have minded Ancient Fairy Dragon doing that again if I was to have any sleepless nights in the future), but I couldn't stop thinking about Fizdis and the injustice of it all: her strength, her gentleness, her kindness, her sacrifice.
I couldn't help but feel it was wasted on someone like me.
"Hiya~!" I dropped my Duel Disk in fright, shivering and turning to see Lemon Magician Girl standing beside me with a cheery smile on her face, my heart pounding in my chest.
"Jeez, you scared me…!" I breathed, hand on the left side of my chest.
"Sorry," she apologized, picking up my Duel Disk and handing it back to me.
I looked down at my Duel Disk, and there was this disdain there. If I hadn't have Dueled…
I sighed, wiping my hand on my shirt before slotting it back into my Duel Disk. "You know, you all don't have to do this."
"Do what?" Lemon Magician Girl asked innocently.
"Take turns looking after the b-b-b-basket case…" I muttered.
"Tyler, you're not a bas-"
"I was right from the beginning. I shouldn't have let you guys get involved with me."
"We chose to go with you."
I turned back to her, my expression fiercer than I'd intended. "No you didn't. I took you."
"If we didn't want to go with you, we wouldn't have let you take us. We all saw something in you, Tyler, that's why we went with you. That's why we stayed, why Apple put herself on the line for you and why any one of us would have done and would do the same."
"That's stupid. Laying down your life for someone who doesn't deserve it." I said coldly. "It's not suicide speaking. I'm just saying that if one of us had to die, I'd rather it have been me than Fizdis. I mean… I dragged her, I dragged all of you, into my problems. I was selfish, and I wish Fizdis didn't have to die…! She didn't do anything wrong! She stood by me, through all of my bullshit, despite knowing me for only two weeks…! You all did, and I… I…" I forced my arm to my eyes and turned away. "I just can't…"
"Sometimes you have to make the hard decisions yourself, believing you know what's right." I heard Lemon Magician Girl say. "And that's what you did, isn't it? You tried ending your life here because you thought that's what you deserved and what people wanted. It's not. Us, the other Spirits, the human Tim, we all saw you struggling, and we all did what we could to help you. Not everyone gets a second chance."
"I know… I just wish Fizdis didn't have to die so I could have it…" I whispered.
"I know…" she cooed, and I heard her move closer to me. I flinched, fighting back the automatic urge to squirm as I felt her wrap her arms around my sides from behind. I told myself that she just wanted to comfort me. She wasn't trying to hurt me. She wasn't like Kobi. No one else was like Kobi. "She was like a sister to me. And you and… the other Tyler… were like a son to her. That's why she made the promise she did."
My body tensed as I once again recalled what Fizdis had said.
I promise you… I will do whatever I can to make sure you get home…
And she did.
I don't know how she was able to do it. Every promise I'd ever made, I'd broken.
Just… promise me… don't lose another Duel. When we lived together you always used to lose against me, so now that you've finally won, I can't allow you to lose. You gotta keep on winning…
Sure…
But then I lost against that Jack doppelgänger.
I don't want to see you hurt yourself like that again. Promise me you won't do something like that again…
I promise…
But then on the Ark Cradle, I did exactly that, slitting my other wrist down the middle with my Duel Disk, and if it hadn't have been for Akiza somehow healing me with her powers, both of my arms would have been permanently tarnished by those scars.
And then, probably the most important promise I'd ever broken, that night at Leo and Luna's Penthouse.
Please, don't ever leave me… Because I need you…
Luna… I promise you… I won't…
But I did. I abandoned her and everyone else because I was weak, because I was afraid and ashamed of what I'd done, because I felt like there was nothing left for me.
But I couldn't be like that anymore. I was afraid, I was ashamed, but I had to face up to that fear. Fizdis was fearless, facing death to protect me, giving me one last chance at the life I wanted. One last chance at the life she thought I deserved.
Tim was fearless too. He didn't care one iota about rules or how people perceived him or anything. He just did what he liked. He could afford to. He was strong. Stronger than anyone I'd ever known.
I wanted to be like that too. I wanted to be stronger, so that I could not only protect the people I cared about, but also so they wouldn't feel the need to sacrifice themselves for me. I could no longer allow someone else to die because of a mistake I might make.
"I don't know how she did it… All I've ever done is break promises…" I mumbled, turning to Lemon Magician Girl, easing up in her embrace. "The truth is… I know they won't want anything to do with me, I'm sure of it. But… I was trapped in another Dimension, unable to see them even if I wanted to. I'm here now. I can't put this off. I need to… I need to go and see them, even though I know they hate me."
"You don't know that." Lemon Magician Girl reasoned. "Ancient Fairy Dragon was nice enough to bring you here. If she had a reason to hate you, if she thought you'd done wrong by the rest of your friends, by the human you call Luna, then I don't think she would have brought you or us here. There must be a part of her that believes they don't hate you. And I believe that too."
"Well… I won't know for sure until I go back…" I sighed, "but, I just… I mean, I don't want to rush into things. I know what I want to say, but I need to be sure I know, you know? I only have one shot, and she doesn't, they don't, deserve to be ambushed by me. They all think I'm dead, so if I just show up out of the blue, alive, then that'll throw Ancient Fairy Dragon under the bus, and she doesn't deserve that." I sighed loudly. "This has all just been one m-m-massive screw up…"
"Well I'll do whatever I can to help, just say the word!" Lemon Magician Girl smiled.
"Thank you. I-" I stopped as I felt Lemon Magician Girl release me from her hold, a shadow quickly looming over the two of us. Lemon Magician Girl looked up, before dropping to bended knee and bowing her head.
"I have returned." Ancient Fairy Dragon bellowed, her wings catching the light from the sun and distorting it beautifully like a kaleidoscope. "How are you feeling?" she asked softly.
"Much better, Your Majesty. Thank you." I said, too dropping to bended knee.
"I'm glad." She smiled. "Now, you don't have to return to the Human World right away, but I'm happy to take you back whenever you'd like."
"Honestly, I've had seven months to think about what I've wanted to say, really, so… I really should just get it over with. If I go over it in my head a thousand times, I'll probably just end up psyching myself out. The only thing is… I don't want Luna blaming you for anything. As far as I'm concerned, you made the right call, which is more than I can say for one other Duel Spirit."
Ancient Fairy Dragon's smile faded, and she looked upon me with a solemn expression. "Tyler… what happened between you and Explosivo… on behalf of myself and the other Spirits, I'd like to apologize. I was not expecting him to do what he did. I simply asked him to guide you to me, as I had Regulus do with Luna. By the time I realized what he was going to do, it had already been done, and even if I had have known beforehand, I unfortunately wasn't in a state where I could have stopped him. But you must know that what he did, he truly thought was for the good of everyone. You see, Explosivo, eons ago, was not the Spirit you know today. Today, Explosivo is simply one half of what, originally, was a being of chaos, an entity of self-satisfaction and strife that possessed a soul in conflict with itself. The darkness inside him threatened to not only destroy him, but the Spirit World as well. In a brave act that almost ended his own life, he split his soul in two, into one of light, and one of darkness. The Embodiment of Light banished the Embodiment of Darkness, and he became a being concerned with good and light above all. He saw your… pain and suffering at the hands of Kobi and Sayer as a means to an end, a way to benefit the Spirit World, and a way to bring about peace for us and atone for the misdeeds of his dark half."
"He could have just asked for my help. You reached out to me, and I wanted to help, but I didn't know what to make of any of what you said. If he'd just taken some time to explain to me what was going on, then I… I…" I trailed. "I'm sorry, but if you're asking me to forgive him, I can't. And I know that doesn't seem fair, since I'm asking you and Luna and everyone else to forgive me, but…"
"Please, Tyler, I'm not asking you to forgive him, I'm simply asking that you do not judge Explosivo too harshly for what transpired in the past. He, like you, and me, has made mistakes. There is light and darkness inside all of us. Every living thing. Even me."
My eyes went wide in disbelief. "You, Your Majesty?"
Ancient Fairy Dragon nodded slowly. "I placed a terrible burden on Luna, when she was only three years old. I told her of the coming threat of Zeman and the Dark Signers, and her destiny as a Signer. It was tremendous pressure to put on someone so young, but her bond with this world, her bond and yours, led you two to be the only ones we could rely on. Understandably, it was all a bit too much for Luna. She doubted her power, and wondered why it had to be her when her family was away and her brother, Leo, at that time, thought only of himself. But I too thought only of how she was to protect us, and didn't think of what that would do to her. What kind of pressure that would place on her. I shouldn't have been surprised when she returned to the Human World, and ended up blocking all that had happened, all that we'd spoken about from her mind, as though it had only been a dream, long since forgotten."
"Wh-wh… when Luna was three years old, I was nine, and that was the time when…" I trailed off, Ancient Fairy Dragon nodding once more, her amber eyes once again gazing deep into my soul.
"You two have been connected for far longer than either of you know." She told me. "And it's time for you to return to her."
"Yeah…" I muttered before I sighed, shaking my head. "Yes, o-of course, Your Majesty. I'll go and see her right away, if you'll allow it." I said, giving her a proper, more formal response.
"Of course." Ancient Fairy Dragon nodded before closing her eyes. A few moments later, she reopened them. "I'm sorry. It completely slipped my mind, but I'm afraid Luna would still be at school for the moment." she informed me.
"Ah, right…" I muttered. The new school year had just started, and of course I'd forgotten that, that she and Leo and everyone else had lives of their own. I couldn't blame Ancient Fairy Dragon for forgetting that. After all, she ruled over the Spirit World and had dominion over all the creatures that inhabited it. There was far more that she had to deal with than Luna's timetable. I on the other hand had no excuse. I felt sick, remembering how I briefly used to take her to and pick her up from school, before my Duel Runner got destroyed. Even while she was so focused on her studies, and everything she was doing was so far above me, I really enjoyed doing that. Just being able to spend one moment with her. I swallowed. "I wouldn't want to cause a scene. Even if I waited for school to finish, I wouldn't want her having to deal with me just as her class broke out. She'd probably have homework or something, far more important than me. Maybe I should go and see Seria first, o-or Jack. They're the last people I spoke to before I… before everything…"
Ancient Fairy Dragon nodded. "Of course. I can take you to Seria. She's home at the moment for now, but as for Jack, though I can take you to him, I'm afraid that he no longer resides in New Domino City."
"J-Jack's left the City?"
"Not just Jack, I'm afraid. It's a long story, but… a funeral was held for you following your disappearance, and after that, Jack left New Domino City to become a stronger Duelist. He's currently touring with the Ride Ace Dueling League in the United States. Leo too went overseas, to go and live with his parents."
"Leo's gone too?" my eyes widened.
"Yes." Ancient Fairy Dragon said, her voice a little above a whisper.
"Wh-where did he go? A-and wh-what about Luna?" I pressed, though it probably wasn't my place.
"Leo's in the United Kingdom, but Luna's still in New Domino City, still living in the penthouse in the Tops."
I shook my head in disbelief. It wasn't that I thought of Leo and Luna as a pair, as though they couldn't possibly exist or function without each other, but growing up and dealing with someone that wasn't related to me by blood made me I guess appreciate the relationship that Leo and Luna had. Part of me was kind of jealous of Leo and Luna in that regard. No matter what happened, if the chips were down, and the whole world was against them, at least they had each other.
And now they were just… apart?
"But they're… they're family…! A-and they've always been super close! Why would they-"
"It's not for me to say, unfortunately. If, when you speak with Luna, she wishes to tell you, that's up to her." Ancient Fairy Dragon exhaled. "I'm sorry. I was debating on whether or not to tell you anything, but… it was your passing, forgive my phrasing, that helped the Signers decide what they wanted to do with their lives. After Zone's defeat, they were all at a crossroad of sorts. For Leo and Luna especially…" Ancient Fairy Dragon once again closed her eyes and shook her head. "My apologies, I don't wish to complicate matters. Focus on Seria for now, and worry about Luna and the others later."
I got to my feet and walked forward, placing my bare hand on a part of Ancient Fairy Dragon's body and stroking her skin in a dumb attempt to try and comfort her. "You haven't complicated anything, Your Majesty. This whole thing has been my fault, and it's time I make things right."
"We'll do it together. All of us." Lemon Magician Girl piped up.
The dragon opened her eyes and once again smiled down at me. "Good luck, Tyler. Whatever happens, if you keep your heart and your head strong, you can get through anything. And if you ever feel a moment of doubt, know that I will be here to help. I won't allow for the bond that you and I share to be severed anymore."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." I smiled, the blue dragon wrapping her hands around me as I felt all my sensations disappear, slipping into the quiet black.
A spark became a flame, and then an inferno, and bit by bit, the world around me began to take shape. I felt my feet touch the carpet of the familiar corridor, senses trickling up and down my body as sights and sounds filled my ears. I stood across from the door to Seria's apartment, the place that had been my home and refuge for six months. A place that I didn't ask for, but that she graciously offered me.
And how did I repay her? I threw it back in her face!
Why do you care so much?! This isn't up to you, Seria! This is my life, I've had enough, and I'm ending it!
I tensed my hands into fists and loosened my neck. If I could watch babies get branded and discarded, kill my stepdad, win a tournament and fight off a Dark Signer, I could sure as Hell do this.
I tidied myself up as best I could before I walked over to the door and knocked firmly on it with my right hand, taking a step back.
It might have been selfish, but I was relieved that Seria was still living at the same place. Hearing that both Leo and Jack had moved away, especially with their decisions having been made in part to my disappearance, it was hard not to feel responsible, especially if Leo moving away had caused Luna any hardship. The poor girl had suffered enough.
My eyes widened and I exhaled as I realized something. "I didn't get a gift… shit…" I whispered. That had been the plan originally. Tim and I were to return together and buy some gifts to help smooth things over with everybody, which would have been especially helpful when my speech inevitably failed me.
The doorknob rattled and my body froze up, my heart catching in my throat. The door to the apartment opened and Seria stepped out, looking as radiant as always. She'd grown her hair out, and I thought she looked nice with long hair. That's not to say that she didn't look nice with short hair before, but, I don't know, she looked nice and I was… glad of that.
Our eyes met, and immediately, any cohesive or cognitive thought, any big speech or apology that I might have been working on in my head just crumbled as it tried to struggle out of me, and I was reduced to tripping over my own words.
"Hi… S-Seria…"
God damn it. I could literally feel the stutter, the block, right there in my chest, and I couldn't do anything except stand there like a moron.
"Tyler…?" Seria asked after eleven heart-wrenching seconds. The good news was that she didn't seem angry, just surprised, and I'd have been an idiot to not expect some sort of reaction. I watched her slowly look me up and down, eyes filling with tears as she did, before she put a hand to her mouth. "Oh my gosh… it is you…! How… how did…?"
In a weird way, it was sort of comforting that she was at a loss for words just as much as I was. "I-I… um… I know that… this… um…" I turned away in disgust. I hated this. I knew what I wanted to say, but I was forced to hold my tongue or choke. "I'm sorry… I've got a stutter, now… brain damage… um…" I tried to explain.
"Wh-why don't you come inside?" Seria asked quickly, not really giving me a chance to say anything. She gasped, looking down at my Duel Disk. "What's that…?"
"Duel Disk." I said a little too tensely. "Long story. It's all… a long story."
"Okay… come inside, we-um…" Seria sighed. I hadn't seen or heard anyone as confused as she sounded (aside from myself), but she had every right to be confused. As far as she knew, I'd been dead for a month.
Seria took me by the hand and led me inside her apartment, closing the door behind me and refusing to let go of my hand. The apartment hadn't changed at all. Same furniture, same layout. My eyes hanged on the couch where I'd sat to write those letters one month ago.
All I feel now is just all this fucking pent up shit and it's just in every facet, every part of my life. All I think about, all I see, all I remember is just pain and anger. And I just can't do it anymore…
"You look different." Seria said, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Good different." She added, my face heating up.
"Thanks. You're looking… nice as well…" I mumbled like a moron, Seria continuing to look into my eyes. I could tell she was holding back. She wanted to tell me something, do something, anything something. Her face contorted, a smile appearing on her face only for a moment, before she pulled me into a hug. "S-Seria…!" my body tensed involuntarily.
"I'm sorry… I know you don't like being touched, just… let me hold you…" Seria whispered to me, her voice wet and wavering, hugging me tighter. "You're alive and you're here…" she continued, and I relaxed, allowing her to hug me. We stayed like that for a while, until Seria's voice broke through the sounds of our breathing. "Don't ever leave like that again. Promise me."
My heart skipped a beat, and I found myself wrapping my own arms around her.
"I promise…"
And for the first time in my life, it was a promise I could actually keep.