I want to preface this chapter with a little disclaimer. I am not Doctor, nor am I a med student. I did a fair amount of research for this chapter to make sure I didn't make any of you who may be Doctor's cringe, but I know it may not be accurate.

I ask, in fairness to me, that you overlook anything that isn't totally accurate or makes no sense if you have knowledge of the body. I tried my best to research what lined up with the story, but I'm not perfect or a Doctor, so...Sorry!

Enjoy!

Aki knew something was wrong when she heard the sirens.

At first she ignored it, but it became clear as they got closer it was no coincidence. Peeking out the window got her a glimpse at the pack of police cruisers as they pulled up outside the safe house, and she saw Ushio jump out and run inside. She went to the door and opened it to watch him running towards her.

"Ushio?" She asked worriedly, "what's going on?! I heard the sirens-" Aki was interrupted as Ushio pushed her inside, slamming the door behind him.

"Aki," he said, out of breath, "have you seen anything out of the ordinary?"

"No-"

"Any movement?! Any sign someone is watching you?! Did any phone ring asking for you?!"

"No. No! Ushio, what the hell is going on?! Why're you so frantic?!" Ushio's eyes darted around the street below as he pushed the curtain aside before turning back to her.

"It's Yusei," he said. Aki felt her stomach drop.

"What about him?" She asked, fearing the answer.

"He left the safe house and went to city hall. Jaeger and other committee members found him on the floor covered in blood and bullet holes. From the sounds of it, they were supposed to have a committee meeting and Yusei was supposed to be there-"

"Well what are you waiting for?!" Aki demanded as she grabbed her coat. "Get me to the hospital!"

"Aki-!"

"Ushio I won't fight you on this! Drive me to the hospital, NOW!" Ushio looked ready to argue, but swallowed his words and nodded. The pair ran out of the safe house and back to his cruiser, speeding through the streets with the siren on. Aki used this time to try and calm her mind. Yusei had been shot. Divine had gotten to him. It couldn't get any worse than this. It was as bad as it could have gotten.

I won't let you take him from me, Divine. I won't!

Aki practically jumped from the cruiser as they pulled up the hospital, going right for the front counter.

"Nurse!" She shouted, making the one behind the counter jump. "Where are they treating Yusei Fudo?!"

"Uh, ma'am," the nurse tried, "you should sit down and-"

"My name is Dr. Izayoi Aki!" She shouted angrily, "I can help them save his life! Show me where he is, NOW!" The nurse looked shaken, but she nodded and got to her feet. Aki followed her through the halls into the operating rooms, where she was pointed to the room on the left. Bursting through the door, Aki found she had surprised everyone inside.

"Who are you?" A man, the doctor currently in charge, asked.

"Never mind that," She said as she walked inside, grabbing a pair of gloves from a nearby table. "Tell me his status. I can help." The Doctor looked confused, but Aki stared him down defiantly. Getting no answer, she growled and shoved past him to see Yusei.

Her stomach dropped ever further.

Yusei lay before her, pale and sweaty, blood still dripping from the wounds around him. He had a shot through his arm, upper chest, and thigh that she could see. Shaking off her fear for his life, Aki pressed a hand to Yusei's chest and concentrated, letting her power flow into him and identify the worst of his injuries.

She felt her head spinning as she found it.

"He.." She started weakly, "he has three bullets lodged in his spinal cord. It's damaged his cervical nerves and chipped his spine. Divine tried to paralyse him...Oh God..."

"Ma'am," the Doctor said, "you should let us handle this, we can-"

"Listen to me," Aki said, "I'm a psychic, and a trained Doctor. I can use my powers to remove the bullets and induce healing, but I need you all to help me. Understand? I can't do this alone!" Aki stared wildly at the Doctor and nurses, who were still watching her in surprise. "Well?! Stop staring at me and get ready to help me!" This seemed to stun them into work, and they all surrounded Yusei quickly.

"What's first?" One of the nurses asked.

"I need to get the bullets out," Aki mumbled under her breath as she tried to concentrate. "If I don't, we risk more damage to his nerves and spine...I...I need too..." Aki couldn't think, she couldn't breathe. Divine had tried to paralyse Yusei. To confine him to a chair for the rest of his days. This was a complicated surgery to preform, even with her powers. Plus, one wrong move could finish what Divine had started. Aki stared down at her shaking hands for a brief second contemplating her ability.

This is no time to freak out! I need to save Yusei's life! Worry about the side effects later!

"Prop him up," Aki finally said as she gathered herself. "I need you to get ready to get the bullets, okay? Get ready!" The nurses did as instructed and rolled Yusei onto his side, and Aki activated her power. She swept into Yusei's spine and felt out the bullets.

One had nearly severed his spinal cord.

Focusing entirely on her work, Aki latched onto the bullet with her power and slowly began to edge it back out the way it came, taking great care to settle Yusei's spine back the way it was supposed to be. The healing could come later. Getting the first two out. Aki took a deep breath and latched onto the last one, the worst injury. The bone was badly broken by the bullets kinetic force, but the worst of it was, as she predicted, the spinal cord. It was badly damaged and, if her initial thought process was correct, would leave Yusei with limited use of his legs if she didn't heal him.

Carefully getting this bullet out, she told the nurses to put him back on his back as she worked on the others bullets. She was careful to bend the tissue and his femoral artery in order to get the bullet out without causing damage to it. Yusei was lucky the bullet hadn't hit the aforementioned artery, or he probably would've bled out before she'd gotten her.

The idea haunted her.

"That's the bullets,"she said weakly as she wiped sweat from her forehead. "I need to heal his nerve damage now."

"You can do that?" The Doctor asked incredulously. Aki nodded.

"I'm not the best at it, but if I don't..." Aki's mind flashed with images of Yusei stuck in a wheelchair until the end of his days. "If I don't he probably won't ever walk again." The Doctor nodded slowly, both of them looking down at Yusei. Aki knew what she had to do, but she was nervous. She hated working with brain and nerve damage with her powers. She was horrified she would destroy the bodies delicate balance.

But now was no time for that.

Summoning her strength once more, Aki first induced Yusei's metabolism and sped up his healing factor. Doing so would, in the event she succeeded, he would be back on his feet faster. That, and in all honesty, she didn't trust her slowly shaking hands to heal him effectively. But it was time for the main event.

Letting her power envelope Yusei's spinal cord, Aki scanned the pseudo-organ in it's entirety. She was nearly overwhelmed in this moment, her mind flowing over as Yusei's bodily functions became known to her. She did her best to move past this and identify the damaged areas and nerves, then correcting them. She carefully reconnected torn nerves and induced his healing factor to connect them. She found a massive wound to his spinal cord and did the same, albeit slowly. One wrong move and Yusei's brain might have difficulty sending signals through the spinal cord. Or she could damage his motor function. Any wrong move could end badly. She was almost done, just a little bit more and-

"Doctor!" One of the nurse shouted, throwing Aki's concentration off. "The patient's heart beat is skyrocketing!"

Aki finally heard the monitors loud beeping.

Yusei began to shudder underneath her.

"Doctor?!" The other Doctor asked, looking towards her. "What is happening?!"

"I-I don't..." Aki's started weakly. "I don't understand! Why is he-?!"

The healing factor.

Aki resisted the urge to slap herself silly.

"He's having a stroke!" She shouted, "My power to induce healing caused too much stress and made his blood pressure go up! I induced a stroke! Damn it all! Where is it?! WHERE?!" Aki searched Yusei's bodily quickly, and as best she could.

She soon found it.

Her damned power to induce a patients healing factor had caused a blood clot in Yusei's superior anastomotic vein. His brain. She had no time.

She didn't think, not even for a second, about the consequences.

Aki forced her power into Yusei's head, diving deep into his brain and finding the vein in question. She used all the strength and concentration she had to carefully envelope the vein where the clot was, and she worked to undo her own damage. She cared not for what might happen; she didn't think even once about her own dissertation and what threats were associated with using psychic power to heal another's brain.

Aki had no idea how long she took.

Time was meaningless.

All she focused on was clearing the block in the vein. She thought of nothing else, no one else, except her task in front of her.

When she finally finished, she nearly collapsed, having to be held up by the nurses around her. It had taken all she had, but Yusei's clot was gone.

"You should rest," one of the nurses holding her up said.

"No," Aki hissed, "I wasn't done...I need to fix his..."

She blacked out.


The bed was soft.

The room was quiet and quite lonely feeling.

Yusei had no idea where he was, but he knew his entire body ached.

Forcing his eyes to open, Yusei took in his surroundings. If he had to guess, he's say he was in the hospital. The white room reminded him of it, and the bed around him certainly fit the description.

"So you're awake, Yusei?" Yusei made a face at this and looked to his left to see who had spoken.

"...Martha?" He asked in confusion. The older woman smiled.

"How are you feeling?" His adopted mother asked. Yusei shrugged and assessed himself.

"...Good," he said. "What happened?"

"I think you should tell me that," Martha replied. "What do you remember?" Yusei scrunched up his face at this, thinking.

"I remember..." He said. "I..."

His brain felt like it pulsed.

The events in the office replayed themselves in his head. He remembered Divine cornering him, confronting him, shooting him.

"...Divine," he said after a few seconds. "He was waiting at the committee meeting. He talked to me, then...Shot me."

"Sounds about right," Martha said as she sighed. "Jaeger said he found you sitting in a pool of your own blood during the meeting. He had no idea how he got there, so I assume Divine had something to do with that."

"Probably," Yusei said. "So...How am I? Any permanent damage?" Martha frowned.

"Well..." She started. "Can you move your feet?" Yusei made a face. Why wouldn't he able too-?

He couldn't.

Yusei looked down at his feet through the hospital sheet, but his toes refused to cooperate with his brains commands. He was telling them to move, but they would not.

"...I can't," he said weakly. "What did he to do me? Why can't I-?"

"That's a question you should ask your Doctor," Martha replied, gesturing to Yusei's right. Looking over, his eyes widened.

Aki had her head resting on her arms next to him, sleeping soundly. She looked positively exhausted, and Yusei swore he saw tear marks on her face.

"Aki?" He asked. "Why is she here?"

"She saved your life," Martha said. "And probably your ability to move, too."

"...Huh?" Yusei managed. Martha just smiled at him before she got up and left the room, leaving Yusei alone with Aki. He looked over at her, tempted not to wake her seeing as she looked exhausted. However, his curiosity overruled his caring nature, and he gentled prodded her.

"Aki," he said gently, "Aki, wake up." The redhead stirred a bit, but didn't awaken.

"Mm, five more minutes," she murmured. Yusei smiled quietly.

"Aki, it's me," he said. "Yusei."

"Yusei?" She asked, "I dunno anyone na-Yusei!" Aki shot up before she finished her sentence, her eyes scanning him wildly. "Yusei! Oh my God, are you okay?! They said that Jaeger found you in a pool-"

"Of my own blood," Yusei finished, "so I've been told." Aki watched him for a few more seconds, eyes still wide and darting around his face.

She then closed the gap and kissed him, gently yet passionately. Yusei returned her affection as best he could, but Aki commanded control of the kiss. She grabbed the back of his neck and held him there, seemingly using this opportunity to tell him how worried she had been through actions.

Which she then contradicted, by backing away and punching him in the chest.

"Ow!" He exclaimed in surprise.

"You jackass!" She shouted angrily, "what the hell were you doing?! Why did you leave the safe house without even as escort?! Why did you go to city hall?!"

"Because-!"

"You absolute idiot! What the hell were you thinking?! Do you have any idea how worried you made me?! I felt like I couldn't breathe!"

"Aki-!"

"Go on, then!" She shouted as she crossed her arms. "Why the hell did you do it?!" Yusei watched her quietly, waiting to see if she had more to say.

"Do you remember the committee meeting I mentioned when we had dinner?" He asked her.

"Remind me," she said.

"Jaeger wanted me present to argue my case to get my team the funding we need to continue our research and observation of Momentum. The meeting had already been put off because of me, and they were going ahead anyway. If I didn't go, we wouldn't have gotten the money we needed. So-"

"So you rushed headfirst into danger," Aki surmised. "with no regard for your own personal safety or what might really be waiting for you on the other end. Am I right?"

"Well, I suppose you are, but-"

"Did it not occur to you that Divine, who influenced literally everyone in The Facility to get out, got to Jaeger and the committee, flushing you out of hiding?"

"Well it occurred to me, sure, but-"

"Did it not occur to you that he might have even gotten to you using the phone line when Jaeger called you? That he might have made you more predisposed to going?"

"Well-"

"Or did you, like I said, just run headfirst into danger because the people you care about needed you?" Yusei stared at Aki in surprise as she slowly reached over and held his free hand. She was shaking.

"You're so infuriating," she hissed, "always running into danger because someone needs you. Your hero complex is staggering." Yusei chuckled weakly as he lay his head down on his pillow.

"I'm sorry," he said. "It was stupid, I know. I just never expected him to...Well, it doesn't matter. He wasn't out to kill me this time."

"Sure didn't look like that was the case," Aki replied.

"Why?" He asked, "what did he do to me?" Aki frowned, her grip on his hand tightening.

"He shot you in the spine three times," she whispered, making Yusei's stomach drop. "The bullets damaged your spine and spinal cord. It caused nerve tearing and nearly severed the spinal cord..." Aki looked as though she choked up, but continued, "Yusei, he was tying to cripple you. Paralyse you."

"I want to take everything you love away from you. Just like you did too me."

Divine's words rang in his ears, and Yusei realised why Divine hadn't opted for a kill shot.

"He wanted me to watch," he said. "He wanted me to live so I could watch him take what I loved away from me. That was his plan."

"That makes sense," Aki said. "That's the kind of twisted shit Divine would do to someone." Yusei frowned.

"...Did he succeed?" He asked, making Aki looked up at him. "Did he cripple me, Aki? I...I can't move my toes." Aki watched him for a moment, not saying a word. The few seconds before she responded felt like an eternity.

"...Partially," she said quietly. "The damage that was done to you would have left you irreversibly crippled...Had any other Doctor worked on you." Yusei made a face.

"Did you save me?" He asked. Aki looked away from him.

"Barely," she hissed. "I nearly killed you because I'm an idiot. I pushed your body's healing factor too far. I...I gave you a stroke." Yusei felt another pulse in his brain.

"Huh...?" He asked weakly. "I...I had a stroke too?"

"I fixed it as best I could," Aki whispered, "I should have known better, though...I knew pushing someone's metabolism so hard was dangerous, but because I was horrified of losing you I pushed and pushed and...nearly lost you."

Silence fell between them. Yusei stared out the window as Aki refused to look at him. He gave her words a good long though before he looked back at her.

"Aki?" He asked.

"Yes?" Her response came timidly.

"Thank you," he said. "I owe you my life." Aki turned to him in bewilderment, her eyes wide.

"...What?" She asked, "Yusei, I nearly killed you! I caused a stroke while you were already hurt! I might have caused irreversible damage to your brain because I was so hasty and-"

"And without you I might have died," Yusei interrupted. "Or crippled. You did say you could reverse that, right?" Aki watched him incredulously before nodding slowly.

"I...Fixed your torn nerves and spinal cord damage," she said. "I-It wasn't a perfect job, nor was it done flawlessly-"

"But will I walk again?" He asked her.

"I-I think it's almost certain," she said.

"Then there's nothing else to worry about," he said as he leaned back. "We're all good."

"Yusei," she started in exasperation. "You're being way too laid back about this!"

"What do I have to worry about if I have you by my side?" He asked, making her blush a bright red. "If I've got you, Aki, I'll be just fine." She played with her hands a little bit when he said this, letting out a weak laugh.

"You're insane," she said.

"Noted," he replied. Aki watched him quietly, then leaned forward and kissed him again. This one was more controlled, apologetic even, and Yusei enjoyed every second of it. She pulled back slightly, resting her forehead on his.

"I was terrified," she said. "Terrified that I couldn't save you."

"I believed in you," he said.

"You didn't even know I was the one saving you."

"I could have guessed." Aki just giggled.

"So, was that all he wanted?" She asked as she backed up. "Divine, I mean. Did he just want to cripple you?"

"I think so," he replied. "He talked a lot about getting his revenge. On me, the others, society in general. He's beyond deranged." Aki nodded, making a face.

"Did he ask about me?" She asked. Yusei couldn't tell if she was hopeful or nervous.

"He wants you back," Yusei replied. "Intends on killing the others to get to you, to break you." Aki's eyebrows furrowed in rage at this.

"If he hurts them," she said, "I'll make sure I kill him myself." Yusei nodded along.

"I don't think he has any real end goal," he said. "He just seems bent on getting back at everyone who wronged him."

"That's Divine for you," Aki said with a sad expression. "I only realised how evil he was after the fact back then. All he talked about was getting back at 'them'. Whoever that was."

"I don't know," Yusei answered. "What do we do now?"

"Now?" Aki asked. "Now I find the bastard myself." Yusei frowned at her.

"Aki," he said, "don't be hotheaded."

"Don't try and stop me," Aki countered, a fiery rage burning in her eyes. "He's gone to far, hurting you like this. What if he goes after someone else? What if I'm not fast enough to save them? I need to stop him."

"Ushio can protect Carly," Yusei replied, "She's his only other target in the city." Aki made a face at this.

"Uh," she said. "I forgot to mention, Yusei, but...You've been out for four days."

"So?" He asked. Aki fidgeted.

"So, um-" she started, being interrupted by the door slamming open.

"Yusei!" Leo and Luna shouted in tandem, rushing into the room as fast as possible. Yusei stared at them in surprise as Luna hugged him tightly.

"Are you okay?!" She asked, getting into his face. Her eyes were watery. "Martha told us you woke up!"

"Where is he?!" Leo demanded, "where is the bastard?! I'll kill him!"

"Guys, I'm fine," Yusei insisted as he smiled at Luna confidently. "Why are you here? I thought I told you not to come."

"As did I," Aki said with a frown.

"As if we could stay put after you nearly got killed, Yusei!" Leo shouted. "As soon as Ushio told us Divine had gotten to you, we booked a flight!"

"Is he okay, Aki?" Luna asked curiously as he gaze went to the Doctor in the room. Aki gave Yusei a quick glance before she cleared her throat.

"He should recover in time," she replied. "He's very lucky."

"Lucky I've got a good Doctor," Yusei said, making Aki blush a little and look away.

"So what's next then?" Leo asked as he crossed his arms, "when do we go after Divine?"

"You aren't doing anything of the sort," Yusei replied as he pulled himself up in the bed, much to his body's irritation. "We're getting you two safely secured so you aren't next."

"But-" Leo started.

"Leo, Divine is trying to kill everyone I love," Aki said. "You showing up here has only made that easier."

"Then we kill him first!" Leo said.

"Leo!" Yusei chastised. Leo didn't back down.

"What? It's the back way out of this! He's a dangerous psychopath! Death is the cleanest way to deal with him."

"I can't believe I'm saying this," Luna said, "but I agree with Leo. Divine is a horrible man. He deserves a horrible death and a shallow grave. Capture may be out of our reach given what I've heard about his powers."

"That may be," Yusei said. "But we're not just going to go find him and murder him. That's not who we are."

"And why not?" Leo demanded. "If you won't, let me! I'll do it!"

"If anyone is going to kill Divine, it's going to be someone the police entrust with that," Yusei said, "which, Leo, you are not. Just take a deep breath, it'll be fine. I'm fine." Leo seemed annoyed, but he did as Yusei asked and took a deep breathe.

"Are you sure you're not lying for our sake?" Luna asked as she took Yusei's hand in her own. "We're not kids anymore, Yusei. If you're crippled or badly hurt, please tell us." Yusei smiled at the kind girl and reached over, rubbing her head with his hand.

"I'm okay, Luna." He said, "really. I may need some physical therapy after this, but I'll survive." Luna nodded and seemed to relish in his contact, looking content with herself.

The four talked some more, both about the situation and there current life plans. Luna told Yusei about her desire to finish her schooling in Neo Domino, and how she had asked to stay with Aki. Yusei was pleased to hear this, as it seemed fate was leading everyone back home to the city he'd tried to so hard to make perfect for them.

That was until Divine got out.

As Yusei contemplated their next move, a nurse poked her head in the room.

"Dr. Izayoi," she said, "there's a man on extension three for you. Said he was your father."

"My Dad?" Aki asked. "Okay, thank you Hitori." The nurse nodded with a smile, and Aki moved to pick up the phone.


"Hello?" Aki asked as she picked up the phone and dialled the extension. "Dad, are you there?"

"Hello Aki," A voice said, chilling her to her very core. Yusei and the others looked at her curiously, and she looked up at them weakly.

"Divine," she said weakly, making their eyes widen. "W-Why are you impersonating my Dad?"

"In order to get a word in, of course. I take it you saved Yusei's life for me?"

"I-I did," Aki said, her body beginning to shake. "W-Why are you...?"

"Hey asshole!" Leo shouted, making Aki jump and drop the phone. "Come here and fight me like a man! I'll beat your dumb ass even if the duel is a psychic one! Think I'm just a little kid you can bully now?! Huh?!" Aki scrambled to pick up the phone in time to hear Divine laughing.

"I can see the twins have joined you inside," he said. "That's good. They'd be the next ones I kill."

"You'll do no such thing," Aki squeaked, her voice shaky. Why was she so scared of him?! "I won't let you."

"And you'll do what to stop me, exactly?" Divine demanded, "I want my revenge, Aki. Those kids are just as complicit in those crimes."

"Y-You lay a hand on them and I'll-" Aki tried weakly, her mind reeling from the surprise of speaking to him. What was his plan, what did he want from them? She couldn't think straight.

"Do what?" Divine challenged. She said nothing. "Nothing. I knew you still cared about me, Aki. You always were sentimental for a woman who was tossed aside like trash. Always latching onto people who showed you even an inkling of common kindness."

...S-Shut up," Aki said.

"Why should I?" Divine asked, "I'm right, aren't I? That's why you loved me so. I showed you basic kindness, treated you like a human when no one else would. And because of that you latched onto me like a leech. A leech for basic decency and any kind of love someone would show you, physical or otherwise."

Aki shuddered as if she could feel Divine's hands on her body.

"And now you're with these Signers for the same reason. They just showed you more kindness than I did. Suppose it didn't help that I betrayed you and was planning on using you, but..."

"Shut up," Aki insisted, louder this time.

"But what stuns me most, Aki, is your career path. A Doctor, Yusei tells me. I'm surprised that after how society treated you, you decided to help them. That after tossing you aside like trash until you provided any worth to them, you would help them. Tell me, does your heart not yearn for revenge on those who treated you as subhuman?"

"No," Aki replied, "it doesn't."

"Than it seems you really were good for nothing more than what I used you for. A submissive tool that did as she was asked. Don't worry, we'll return you to that soon enough. After I kill all the people you care about, of course. The twins will be the first to go. Then, I think Jack Atlas will die. He has a connection to that bitch Carmine, so he will be an excellent target. Than Crow, and your parents. Then, if that hasn't broken you, I'll kill your precious Yusei. The man who told you that you were more than what I gave you. He's the reason I lost you, and his death will bring you back to me."

"Shut up!" Aki shouted as she jumped to her feet, rage overwhelming her the longer Divine spoke. "You're a maniac, Divine! And you're wrong! The Signers showed me more love than you ever did! They accepted me, faults and all! But what you wanted, the goals you chased...They were insane!"

"Is it to much to ask for society to accept those different than the collective without question?"

"Violence for violence does what, exactly?!" Aki demanded, "All it does it make more people scared and angry!"

"I don't care. I want them to pay."

"They? Who?"

"Those who would reject me for who I am." Aki glowered.

"If who you are is what I can see so plainly from here," she said, "then I wouldn't accept you either." Divine said nothing to this. "Here's how this is going to go, Divine. We're going to settle this, you and I. A psychic duel. Whoever loses, loses. Got it?"

"Aki-!" Yusei started, but she raised a hand to silence him. Divine hummed.

"The stakes?" He asked. Aki put her hand on her hip.

"If you win, I'll come back to you," she said. "If I win, you can either go back to prison, or die by my hand. Take your pick." Divine chuckled.

"And I'm supposed to believe you would just come back to me?" He asked, "how stupid do you think I am, Aki?"

"We can do it this way, or I can hunt you down and kill you." Aki said coldly. "I'm giving you a chance, here."

"And I suppose you think you can win, right?" He asked, "as if I haven't memorised your deck and strategies. Yet you knew that, didn't you? Is this the self-sacrificial attitude Yusei showed you? Fine, I accept. We will duel." Aki wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but she held it back. "But I want you to know, Aki, the second you Life Points hit zero, you will be under my command. Completely and totally. And then, I'll end all the lives on your friends using your hand. How does that sound?" Aki gritted her teeth.

"And when I win," she said, voice even and confident, "I'll either send you back into the bowels of that prison, or to hell. You can take your pick. Where should we meet?"

"In three days time," Divine said. "We will meet where it all began, at sunrise. See you then."

"Divi-!"

He hung up.

Aki stared down at the phone in surprise, before growling and slamming it down.

"Aki!" Yusei said, "Did you really just agree to duel him?!"

"What else could I do?!" She demanded, "so far we've been fighting against him on his own terms! Enough is enough!"

"And you don't think this is exactly what he wants?" He demanded as he balled his fists. "Luring you right to him!"

"I agree with Yusei," Luna said. "Divine got exactly what he wanted out of you."

"I don't care," Aki replied. "I'm done letting him play with us as he pleases. I'm going to end him on my own terms." Silence feel upon the four former Signers quietly, no one saying a word.

"Aki," Yusei said, "Will you really kill him if you win?"

"That's up to him," she replied.

"But would you?" He pressed.

"Are you going to think less of me if I do?" The two met gazes, but neither backed down. The twins watched them before Leo coughed.

"I'll go with you," Leo said. "Make sure he doesn't pull anything on you."

"Leo, you don't need to-"

"Don't make me repeat myself, Aki," Leo said sternly. "I'm coming with you." She watched the young man for a moment before chuckling.

"You always were a hard head," she said. "Fine, but stay out if sight. Don't want Divine aiming at attack at you." Leo nodded at this, crossing his arms.

"Now," Aki said, standing up. "I come up with a win condition against a man who memorised my deck and plays. Shouldn't be too hard."